Fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear
BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON A united conservative majority of the Supreme Court ruled Friday that federal judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear whether President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship could soon take effect in parts of the country
INSIDE
ä High court rules for parents in LGBTQ+ books case. Page 3A
ä Justices uphold Texas age verification law for adult websites. Page 3A
ä Decision delayed on Louisiana’s congressional districts. Page 1B
The outcome represented a victory for Trump, who has complained about judges throwing up obstacles to his agenda. Nationwide, or universal, injunctions had emerged as an important check on the Republican president’s executive power and efforts to remake the government and a source of mounting frustration to him and his allies. But the court left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide Trump’s order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally or temporarily The cases now return to lower courts, where judges will have to decide how to tailor their orders to comply with the high court ruling, which was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Enforcement of the policy can’t take place for another 30 days, Barrett wrote. Even then it’s unclear whether
“People who live in rural communities tend to be older, poorer and sicker.”
of Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite
MIKE WHITTINGTON, CEO
Federal cuts could devastate rural hospitals in Louisiana
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
As possible federal budget cuts loom, rural health care facilities like Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite face growing uncertainty
Medicaid changes mean deep uncertainty
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
Tucked behind a circular drive lined with crepe myrtles and oak trees, Hood Memorial is a two-story brick hospital built in 1971 that anchors a stretch of Amite lined with typical small-town businesses: a local pharmacy, an accountant’s office and a combination chimney sweep, locksmith and nursery Inside, the 25-bed hospital offers the only emergency room and inpatient care
for northern Tangipahoa Parish. A block away, its rural health clinic is the first stop for many low-income residents seeking help for infections or chronic conditions before they spiral into emergencies. Hospitals like Hood Memorial are facing deep uncertainty A massive federal tax and spending bill — dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” by the Trump administration is racing toward a July 4 deadline in the Senate, with Medicaid provisions changing by the hour
Both the House and Senate reconciliation bills aim to cut hundreds of billions from Medicaid, mainly through work requirements, reduced provider payments and stricter eligibility checks. But the
Senate version proposes deeper cuts and is still being revised.
In a blow Thursday to negotiators, the nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian ruled that a key Medicaid provider tax overhaul violated budget reconciliation rules. That means one of the methods they were considering to cut Medicaid spending can’t be used, forcing Republicans to reconsider their strategy
While it’s still unclear what will make it into the final package, cuts appear all but certain In Louisiana, where about onethird of the population relies on Medicaid, the impact could be devastating for rural
ä See HOSPITALS, page 5A
the court’s decision could produce a patchwork of rules that might differ in the 22 states that sued over the Trump order and the rest of the country The justices agreed with the Trump administration, as well as President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration before it, that judges are overreaching by issuing orders that apply to everyone instead of just the parties before the court. Judges have issued
ä See COURT, page 5A
University of Louisiana system President Rick Gallot speaks at Southeastern Louisiana University winter 2024 commencement ceremonies.
UL system chief to get pay raise
Contract extension includes new goals
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
After a year and a half on the job, University of Louisiana system President Rick Gallot will get a salary increase and new benchmarks under a new contract extension through June 2028.
The amended contract comes after an evaluation Thursday by the system’s board of supervisors, who met for more than an hour in executive session to discuss the president’s performance. Board members did not share specifics after returning to the public meeting, but voted unanimously to amend Gallot’s contract with a salary increase, new performance goals and a one-year extension. The Advocate requested a copy of the new contract, but staff for the UL system said Friday it’s still being revised.
See RAISE, page 4A
Real estate powerhouse Nancy Van EatonPrince dies at 86
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
Lafayette real estate executive Nancy Van Eaton Broussard Prince died at home Thursday at age 86, according to family and friends. Prince, who was born in Houston, was a trailblazer in Lafayette’s real estate market and was a fixture in its philanthropic community for decades. As a young woman, Prince began a career in real estate when her father offered to pay for her license. She went on to become a real estate broker and started her own firm, hiring her best friend Gail Romero, as an agent. In 1972, Prince was named Realtor of the Year and in 1974, president of male-dominated Realtor Association of Acadiana. After encouraging Romero to also become a broker, the duo of single moms joined forces to establish Van Eaton & Romero Realtors in 1977. When they were named two of the most powerful women in the nation in real estate by Real Estate Marketing & Relocation Magazine in the mid-1990s Prince and Romero had long established themselves as leaders in Acadiana. By the late 1990s the company was consistently named to the top 500 real estate firms in the nation by RealTrends Magazine while they dominated the local market, growing to more than 300 agents and staff in five locations. In 2012, Van Eaton & Romero merged with
ä See PRINCE, page 4A
Nancy Van Eaton Broussard Prince was a successful real estate executive and philanthropist.
Newsom sues Fox News over alleged defamation
SAN FRANCISCO California Gov Gavin Newsom sued Fox News on Friday over alleged defamation, saying the network knowingly aired false information about a phone call he had with President Donald Trump around the time the National Guard was sent to Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges Fox News
anchor Jesse Watters edited out key information from a clip of Trump talking about calling Newsom, then used the edited video to assert that Newsom had lied about the two talking Newsom is asking for $787 million in punitive damages in the lawsuit filed in Delaware, where Fox is incorporated.
That’s the same amount Fox agreed to pay in 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems. The company said Fox repeatedly aired false allegations that its equipment had switched votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden during the 2020 election, and the discovery process revealed the network’s efforts not to alienate conservatives in its audience in the wake of Biden’s victory “If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump’s behalf, it should face consequences — just like it did in the Dominion case,” Newsom said in a statement. “I believe the American people should be able to trust the information they receive from a major news outlet.”
He asked a judge to order Fox to stop broadcasting “the false, deceptive, and fraudulent video and accompanying statements” that Newsom said falsely say he lied about when he spoke to Trump regarding the situation in Los Angeles, where protests erupted on June 6 over Trump’s immigration crackdown.
6 arrested for trying to send bottles to N. Korea
SEOUL, South Korea Six Americans were detained Friday in South Korea for trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills and USB sticks toward North Korea by sea, police said.
The Americans were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island before throwing the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides, two Gwanghwa police officers said They said the Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters.
The officers, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to media on the issue, refused to provide personal details of the Americans in line with privacy rules.
Gwanghwa police said they haven’t found what is on the USB sticks.
The U.S. Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment.
Slain Minnesota lawmaker lies in state ST PAUL, Minn. — Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman lay in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda on Friday Hortman, a Democrat, is the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans accorded the honor She laid in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert. Her husband was also killed in the June 14 attack, and Gilbert was seriously wounded and had to be euthanized. It was the first time a couple has laid in state at the Capitol, and the first time for a dog.
The Hortmans’ caskets and the dog’s urn were arranged in the center of the rotunda, under the Capitol dome, with law enforcement officers keeping watch on either side as thousands of people who lined up filed by Many fought back tears as they left. Among the first to pay their respects were Gov Tim Walz, who has called Hortman his closest political ally, and his wife, Gwen. The Capitol was open for the public from noon to 5 p.m. Friday. House TV was livestreaming the viewing. A private funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday The service will be livestreamed on the Department of Public Safety’s YouTube channel.
ASSOCIATED
Senate aims to get big bill on track
Hurdles remain in passing Trump’s domestic policy package
BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON Senate Republicans appeared Friday to push President Donald Trump’s big bill back on track after a flurry of last-minute revisions, including deep cuts to food stamps, but there’s still a long way to go ahead of expected weekend votes.
Trump himself at first gave Congress some breathing room as senators race to meet his Fourth of July deadline, declaring, “It’s not the end all,” during a press conference at the White House. But he reversed course a short while later, insisting Republicans in the House ensure it’s done by the Independence Day holiday
“We can get it done,” Trump said in a post. “It will be a wonderful Celebration for our Country.
As the party in majority power, Republicans are grinding through a punch-list of still-unsettled issues as they try to push the package to passage over unified Democratic opposition. Republicans are relying on steep cuts to health care, food stamps and green energy investments to help pay for $3.8 trillion in tax breaks, their top priority Any one of the roadblocks could doom the sprawling package.
The proposed Medicaid cuts, in particular have raised stark concerns among some GOP senators worried that millions in their states will lose access to the health care program. At the same time, a tentative deal between the White House and House GOP lawmakers from New York and other high-tax districts over the size of a state and local tax deduction, called SALT, needs broader agreement
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent his lawmakers home for the weekend with plans to be on call to return swiftly to Washington, said they are “very close” to finishing up.
“We would still like to meet that July 4th, self-imposed deadline,” said Johnson, R-Benton.
Johnson and Senate Majority Leader
John Thune have stayed close to the White House throughout the process of drafting the big package, which they stress is needed to avoid a massive tax hike at the end of the year when current tax rates expire. The GOP leadership is relying on Trump to pressure holdout lawmakers to push it to passage
“My expectation is at some point tomorrow we’ll be ready to go,” Thune said.
He was referring to the start of what is
expected to be a multi-day process of speeches and voting in the days ahead, before a final roll call vote.
The speaker made the walk across the Capitol to join Senate Republicans for lunch, where they also met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the emerging SALT deal.
But it’s not a done deal yet, Bessent said afterward. He acknowledged the Senate’s reaction to the latest offer was “varied.”
The White House and House Republicans had narrowed on a plan to keep the SALT provision on the House-passed terms of a $40,000 cap on deductions — but for five years, instead of 10.
The SALT deduction has been a key holdup as lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states negotiate. They want to quadruple what’s now a $10,000 cap. Senate Republicans argued that it’s too generous, costing hundreds of billions of dollars for the benefit of a few lawmakers’ home regions.
With their narrow majorities in the House and Senate, they need almost every lawmaker on board with the package to ensure passage. One GOP holdout, Rep. Nick LaLota, of New York, says he can’t support the compromise.
But other provisions were being shored up after a series of setbacks when the Senate parliamentarian advised they would not pass the chamber’s strict “Byrd Rule” that largely bars policy matters from inclusion in budget bills, unless they can pass the 60-vote threshold that GOP leaders want to avoid.
The Republican proposal to shift the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has been accepted by the Senate parliamentarian.
Sen. John Boozman, of Arkansas, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said provisions to make certain immigrants ineligible for food aid were also accepted.
“This paves the way for important reforms that improve efficiency and management of SNAP,” he said.
But the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota said her party will “keep fighting these proposals that raise grocery costs and take food away from millions of people, including seniors, children and veterans.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said some 10.9 million more people will go without health care and at least 3 million fewer would qualify for food aid under the House-passed bill. CBO has not yet publicly assessed the Senate draft, which has proposed steeper reductions.
The top income earners would see about a $12,000 tax cut under the House-passed bill, while the poorest Americans would see a $1,600 tax hike, the CBO said.
University of Virginia president, pressured over DEI, resigns
BY ERIC TUCKER and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
WASHINGTON The president of the University of Virginia, facing heavy pressure from conservative critics and the Trump administration over the school’s diversity equity and inclusion practices, announced Friday that he was resigning rather than “fight the federal government.”
Ryan
The departure of James Ryan, who had led the school since 2018, represents a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to reshape higher education. Doing it at a public university marks a new frontier in a campaign that has almost exclusively targeted Ivy League schools It also widens the rationale behind the government’s aggressive tactics, focusing on DEI rather than alleged tolerance of antisemitism
Ryan had faced conservative criticism that he failed to heed federal orders to eliminate DEI policies, and his removal
was pushed for by the Justice Department as it investigated the school, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Ryan referenced the Trump administration pressure in a statement to the university community Friday in which he said he had submitted his resignation with a “very heavy heart.”
“To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University,” he said. “But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my job.”
Ryan had already decided that next year would be his last, he said, and remaining in his position until then would be “knowingly and willingly sacrificing this community.”
The New York Times first reported on the resignation and the Justice Department’s insistence on it. The Justice Department declined to comment Friday.
Trump halts trade talks with Canada over tech firm tax
BY MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue with its tax on technology firms, which he called “a direct and blatant attack on our country.”
Trump, in a post on his social media network, said Canada had just informed the U.S. that it was sticking to its plan to impose the digital services tax, which applies to Canadian and foreign businesses that engage with online users in Canada.
The tax is set to go into effect Monday
“Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period,” Trump said in his post.
Trump’s announcement was the latest swerve in the trade war he’s launched since taking office for a second term in January Prog-
ress with Canada has been a roller coaster, starting with the U.S. president poking at the nation’s northern neighbor and repeatedly suggesting it would be absorbed as a U.S. state.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that his country would “continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians. It’s a negotiation.”
Trump later said he expects that Canada will remove the tax.
“Economically we have such power over Canada. We’d rather not use it,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “It’s not going to work out well for Canada. They were foolish to do it.”
When asked if Canada could do anything to restart talks, he suggested Canada could remove the tax, predicted it will but said, “It doesn’t matter to me.” Carney visited Trump in May at the White House, where he was polite but firm. Trump last week traveled to Canada for the G7 summit in Alberta, where Carney said that Canada and the U.S. had set a 30day deadline for trade talks.
Congo and Rwanda sign U.S.-mediated peace deal
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Friday signed a peace deal facilitated by the U.S to help end the decadeslong deadly fighting in eastern Congo while helping the U.S. government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region.
“Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity harmony, prosperity and peace,” President Donald Trump told the foreign
ministers of the two countries at a White House meeting. The agreement was signed earlier at the State Department’s Treaty Room beneath a portrait of Colin Powell, the first African American to hold the job of top U.S. diplomat. There, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “an important moment after 30 years of war.” The Central African nation of Congo has been wracked by conflict with more than 100 armed groups, the most potent backed by Rwanda, that has killed millions since the 1990s.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., arrives Friday for a closed-door Republican meeting to advance President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill at the Capitol in Washington.
High courtrules forparents in LGBTQ+ bookscase
Justicessay Md
parentscan pull kids from public school lessons
BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Maryland parents who have religious objections can pull their children from public school lessons using LGBTQ+ storybooks.
With the six conservative justices in the majority,the court reversed lower-court rulings in favor of the Montgomery County school system in suburban Washington. The high court ruled that the schools likely could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to the material.
The Supreme Courtruled on Fridaythat Maryland parents whohavereligious objections can pull their children from public schoollessons using LGBTQ+ storybooks.
Thelack of an “opt-out,”
Justice Samuel Alitowrote for the court, “places an unconstitutional burden on the parents’ rights to the free exercise of theirreligion.”
JusticeSonia Sotomayor wroteindissent for thethree liberaljustices that exposure to different views in amulticulturalsociety is acritical feature of public schools.
“Yet it will become amere memory if childrenmust be insulated from exposureto ideas and concepts that may conflict with theirparents’ religiousbeliefs,” Sotomayor wrote. “Today’sruling ushers in thatnew reality.”
The decision was notafinalruling in the case, but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will winin theend. The court ruled that policies like theone at issue in the case are subjected to thestrictestlevel of review, nearly always dooming them.
The school district introduced thestorybooks,including “Prince &Knight”and “Uncle Bobby’sWedding,” in 2022 as part of an effort to better reflect thedistrict’s diversity.In“UncleBobby’s Wedding,” aniece worries thather uncle won’thave as much time for herafter he gets marriedtoanother man.
The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of
religious discrimination in recent years, and the case is among several religiousrights cases at thecourt this term. The decision also comes amidincreases in recent years in booksbeing bannedfrom public school and public libraries. Many of the removals were organized by Moms for Liberty and other conservative organizations that advocate for more parental input over whatbooksare available to students. Soon after PresidentDonaldTrump,aRepublican, took office in January, the Education Department calledthe book bans a“hoax and dismissed 11 complaints that had been filed under Trump’spredecessor,President Joe Biden, aDemocrat.
The writers’ group PEN America said in acourt filing in theMaryland case that the objecting parents wanted “a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name.” PEN America reported more than
10,000 books were banned in the last school year
“By allowing parents to pull their children out of classrooms when they object to particular content, the justices are laying the foundation for anew frontier in the assault on books of all kinds in schools,” said EllyBrinkley,alawyer for the group’s U.S. Free Expression Programs. “In practice, opt outs for religious objections will chill what is taught in schools and usher in amore narrow orthodoxyasfear of offending anyideologyorsensibility takes hold.” LawyerEric Baxter, who represented theMaryland parents at theSupreme Court, saidthe decision was a“historic victory for parental rights.” “Kids shouldn’tbeforced intoconversationsabout drag queens, pride parades, or gendertransitions without their parents’ permission,” Baxter said.
WASHINGTON— The Supreme CourtonFridayuphelda Texas law aimed at blocking children from seeing online pornography
Nearly half of the states have passedsimilar lawsrequiring adult website users to verify their ages to access pornographic material. The laws come as smartphones and other devices makeit easier to access online porn, including hardcoreobscene material.
Thecourt split alongideological lines in the 6-3 ruling. It’s alossfor an adultentertainment industry trade group calledthe Free Speech Coalition,which challenged theTexas law
Themajority opinion, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, found themeasure didn’tseriously restrict adults’ free-speech rights.
“Adults have the right to access speech obscene only to minors but adultshave no First Amendmentright to avoidage verification,” he wrote.
In adissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that thecourt should have used ahigher legal standard in weighing whether the law creates free-speechproblemsfor adults. “I would demand Texasshowmore, to ensure it is notundervaluingthe interest in free expression,” she wrote.
Pornhub,one of the world’sbusiest websites, has stoppedoperating in several states, including Texas, citing the technical and privacy hurdles in complying with the laws.
TexasAttorney General Ken Paxton,aRepublican, celebrated the ruling. “Companies have no right to exposechildren to pornography andmustinstitute reasonable age verification measures,” he said. The decisioncould pave the way for more states to adopt similar laws as oneofseveralsteps to prevent children from being exposed to pornography,the group National Center on Sexual Exploitation said. While theFree Speech Coalition agreed that children
shouldn’tbeseeing porn, it saidthe lawputs an unfair free-speechburden on adults by requiring them to submit personal information that could be vulnerableto hacking or tracking.
AlisonBoden, itsexecutive director,called the ruling disastrous. She said that minorshavealreadyfound ways to find sexualcontent online despitethe lawand its “massive chilling effect on adults.” The age verification requirements fall on websites that have acertainamount of sexual material,rather thansearchenginesorsocial-media sitesthatcan be used to find it. Samir Jain, vice president of policy at the nonprofit Center forDemocracy & Technology,said that age verification requirements raise serious privacy and free-expression concerns. Thecourt’sdecision “overturns decades of precedent and has the potential to upendaccesstoFirst Amendment-protected speech on the internet for everyone, children and adults alike.”
Trump: Iran must open itself to internationalnuclear inspections
BY DAVID RISING and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he expects Iran to open itself to international inspectionto verify that it doesn’trestart its nuclear program.
Asked during aWhite Housenewsconference if he would demand during expected talks with Iran that the International Atomic Energy Agency,the U.N. nuclear watchdog, or some other organization be authorized to conduct inspections, Trump responded that the Islamic Republic would have to cooperate with the group “or somebody that we respect, including ourselves.”
Earlier,Iran’stop diplomat said that the possibility of new negotiations with the United States on his country’snuclear program has been “complicated” by the American attack on three of the sites, which he conceded caused “serious damage.”
The U.S. was one of the parties to the 2015 nuclear
deal in which Iran agreedto limits on its uranium enrichment program in exchange for sanctionsreliefand other benefits. That deal unraveled after Trump unilaterally pulled out theU.S. duringhis first term. Trump hassuggested he’sinterested in new talks with Iran and said the two sides would meet next week In an interview on Iranian state television broadcast late Thursday,Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left open thepossibility that his countrywould againenter talks on its nuclear program, but suggestedit wouldn’tbe anytime soon.
“No agreement has been made for resuming the negotiations,”he said. “No timehas been set, no promisehas been made, and we haven’teven talked aboutrestartingthe talks.”
The American decisionto intervene militarily “made it more complicated andmore difficult” for talksonIran’s nuclearprogram,Araghchi said.
Many imams, during Fridayprayers, stressed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei’s message from Thursday that thewar had been avictory for Iran.
Cleric Hamzeh Khalili, whoisalsothe deputy chief justice of Iran, vowed during aprayer service in Tehran thatthe courtswould prosecutepeople accused of spying for Israel “in aspecial way.”
During the war with Israel, Iran hanged several people whom it alreadyhad in custody on espionage charges, sparking fears from activists that it couldconducta wave of executions after the conflictended. Authorities reportedly have detained dozens in variouscities on the charge of cooperating with Israel.
Israel relentlessly attacked Iran beginning on June 13, targeting itsnuclear sites, defensesystems high-ranking militaryofficials and atomic scientists In 12 days of strikes,Israel said that it killed around 30 Iranian commandersand 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities andmore than 720 militaryinfrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people werekilled, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based
Human Rights Activists group. Iran fired morethan 550
ballistic missiles at Israel mostofwhich were intercepted,but thosethatgot through causeddamagein manyareas and killed 28 people.
Trump
RFK Jr., Landry tout Louisiana’s ‘MAHA bills’
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. visited Baton Rouge on Friday to join Gov Jeff Landry as he signed two pieces of legislation aligned with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
Landry on Friday signed one bill aimed at reducing artificial additives and colors in food and another that makes ivermectin available over the counter.
The governor also sent a formal request to the Trump administration asking for federal approval to ban the use of food stamps for soft drinks and candy in Louisiana.
“We have a chronic disease epidemic in this country now, and it’s unlike anything that humanity has ever faced,” Kennedy told the crowd of supporters and news media gathered at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
“We are literally the sickest nation in the world,” Kennedy said Landry said that the MAHA movement “celebrates our commitment to health and well-being” and “promotes a cultural shift toward healthier living, better nutrition, a brighter future for our children and our families.”
TheU.S.healthsecretaryandLouisiana governor made their remarks infrontofagroupofabout20women and 20 children who donned green baseballcapsthatsaid“MAHALouisiana” and stood in front of a banner emblazoned with the phrase “Make Louisiana Healthy.”
Outside the building, a small group of protesters held up signs criticizing Kennedy The health secretary has often attracted controversy for his skepticism of vac-
RAISE
Continued from page 1A
“The board is pleased to report a favorable review of President Gallot’s performance,” said Board Chair Mark Romero in a statement on Friday “This extension reflects our confidence in his continued leadership and allows us to build on the progress we’ve made together in serving the people of Louisiana.” Gallot, a former state lawmaker and past president of Grambling State, became president of the UL system at the start of 2024. His
cines, which many health experts say is not rooted in science and undermines public health.
At Friday’s event, Kennedy accused the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of being at fault for the country’s high rates of chronic illness.
He also claimed that the increase in autism rates in recent decades and a “fertility crisis” owed to decreased in sperm count in American teenage boys both stem from the same “etiology,” or cause.
He went on to say that “our children did not suddenly become gluttonous and indolent.”
“We are mass poisoning them, and we’re mass poisoning them mainly with processed foods. They’re swimming around in a toxic soup today.”
Kennedy opened his remarks on Friday by recalling that he and Landry got to know each other during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were aligned in their criticism of government responses to
original four-year contract included an annual salary of $475,000, annual housing allowance of $54,000 and either an annual auto allowance of $24,000 or the use of a state vehicle The original contract also said it could be extended to five years if he received a favorable review from the board during his second year An attorney from Ruston, Gallot led Grambling from 2016 to 2023. He also served as a Democratic state legislator, in the House from 2000 to 2012 and the Senate from 2012 to 2016.
In addition to Grambling, the UL system includes Louisiana Tech University,
estate through the UL Foundation.
New Orleans-based Latter & Blum Inc. and in 2017 acquired Coldwell BankerPelican. Philanthropy was always a part of Prince and Romero’s mission with a focus on education, the needs of children, and the arts. Their contributions to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette have included the Alumni Association, Friends of the Humanities, Friends of Music, Athletics, the College of the Arts, the B.I. Moody III College of Business Sales Training Lab and the creation of a professorship chair in real
Other organization’s that have benefited from Prince’s philanthropy include Lafayette Ballet Theater, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music, Children’s Museum of Acadiana, Lafayette Science Museum, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, Lafayette Education Foundation and the Community Foundation of Acadiana.
In 2015 Prince, Romero and their business partner Bill Bacque were recipients of the Community Foundation of Acadiana’s Corporate
the global health crisis.
“We formed not only a bond at that point, but also a deep personal friendship,” Kennedy said.
In 2021, when he was attorney general, Landry invited Kennedy to testify before Louisiana state lawmakers at a committee meeting on school vaccine mandates. Kennedy at the time said the COVID vaccine was “the deadliest vaccine ever made.”
On Friday, Kennedy said that while “most of the political leaders in this country were unwilling to raise their voices” about government censorship and “impingement on constitutional rights” during the COVID pandemic, Landry was among the very few who did.
The health secretary on Friday said during that time that doctors and scientists were being censored, including Martin Kulldorff.
Earlier this month, Kennedy fired all 17 members of an influential national vaccine advisory committee that helps determine
McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
The University of New Orleans has also been part of the UL system since 2011, but state lawmakers voted this spring to transfer the school back to the Louisiana State University system. The law, which Gov. Jeff Landry signed, says UNO’s president should send a letter by Aug. 1 with notice of intent for the transfer to the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools.
Philanthropy Award.
Prince is survived by her husband, Lafayette oil industry executive James “Jim” Prince, and their children. Nancy Prince was predeceased by her parents, Erwin O. and Ursula Iselt, and husband, local banking executive Arthur Broussard.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette. Entombment will be in the St. John Cemetery Mausoleum.
The family requests that visitation be observed from 4 p.m to 8 p.m Sunday and from 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Monday
Arrangements are being handled by Martin & Castille Funeral Home.
who should be vaccinated against certain diseases and when.
Kennedy named several replacement members, including some vaccine skeptics, but several open seats have yet to be filled. Kulldorff is now chairman of the committee.
Earlier this year, Kennedy’s confirmation as the nation’s top health official was tenuous and it hinged in significant part on approval by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge Republican who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee.
Cassidy, a physician and vocal vaccine proponent, ultimately gave Kennedy his blessing and cleared the way for Kennedy’s confirmation to the post.
Cassidy said the health secretary promised not to discourage parents from vaccinating their kids and to have “an unprecedented close collaborative working relationship” with the senator and his committee.
But after the health secretary dismissed the entire membership of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP Cassidy has voiced some concerns.
On Monday, Cassidy called on ACIP to delay meeting until the group was fully staffed with members that have “more direct relevant expertise” in epidemiology, immunology or microbiology and with mRNA vaccine technology ACIP, however, went forward with its two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday Cassidy on Friday did not immediately respond to questions about the vaccine panel or recent conversations with Kennedy about that topic. He did, however, release a video on social media welcoming Kennedy to his hometown.
During Thursday’s UL system meeting, the board also approved a five-year strategic plan The plan outlines four priorities: n Leverage operational efficiencies, standardize administrative processes and strategically invest in shared services that reduce costs, increase institutional capacity and uphold fiscal responsibility across all institutions.
“I know how passionate you are — and I am — about having good nutrition to Make American Healthy Again,” Cassidy said from his office in Washington.
Sponsored by Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, Senate Bill 14 reshapes how schools, food manufacturers and restaurants address nutrition and ingredient transparency and requires doctors to stay up-to-date on nutrition education.
“This is by far and away the most comprehensive MAHA bill in the country right now,” McMath told those gathered at Friday’s event.
“Perhaps most importantly, it gives Secretary Kennedy and President Trump the leverage to force the food companies to the table to change and alter the ingredients that are all making us sick,” he said.
The bill has four major components.
Schools in Louisiana will not be allowed to serve certain artificial colors and additives in breakfasts and lunches beginning in the 20282029 school year
Food manufacturers selling products in Louisiana that contain certain artificial ingredients will have to include a QR code on the packaging that links to information about those ingredients. Those rules take effect in 2028.
Restaurants and food businesses using seed oils will have to flag that for customers, also starting in 2028.
And, beginning in January, certain health care providers in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology and several other areas of medicine will have to complete at least one hour of training on nutrition and metabolic health every four years.
n Leverage the system’s collective voice to champion the value of higher education, expand student access, improve outcomes and support talent retention across Louisiana.
n Position the system as the state’s leading source of applied, industry-aligned research and innovation while equipping students with the skills, experiences and opportunities needed to thrive in rapidly evolving industries. n Leverage the system’s statewide presence to advance strategic priorities through advocacy, policy engagement, public affairs and stakeholder alignment — building trust, influence and support among government leaders, industry partners, media and communities.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Gov. Jeff Landry introduces U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr at a bill signing on Thursday.
HOSPITALS
health care.
“People who live in rural communities tend to be older, poorer and sicker,” said Mike Whittington CEO of Hood Memorial. He said the hospital and clinic play a critical role in caring for patients near their homes, especially in areas where getting to a hospital in a larger community is not easy for many
“How are you gonna get there?
There’s no bus,” Whittington said.
“If you pulled up the Uber app, could you find an Uber driver? I don’t think people understand the amount of transportation difficulties that exist.”
Hood Memorial is one of 33 rural hospitals in Louisiana flagged as financially vulnerable if the Medicaid cuts now under debate are enacted. That’s the secondhighest number of any state, behind only Kentucky, according to a June letter from Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and other Senate Democrats. Nationwide, 338 rural hospitals are at risk.
Among them is Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center in Independence, a 24-bed critical access hospital with over 40% of patients using Medicaid. If patients lose their health insurance or have to find a way to get to a hospital that is farther away, they will be less likely to seek care until they are really sick.
That might look like putting off preventive screenings like colonoscopies or mammograms, said Dr. John Couk, clinical lead for health care effectiveness at Lallie Kemp, which is managed by LSU Health.
“Rural health care is the crisis,” said Couk. “The big cities are going to have hospitals.”
Unlike urban facilities, rural hospitals typically don’t offer
high-revenue procedures like orthopedic and cardiac surgeries, said Walter Lane, a health economist at the University of New Orleans. That makes them vulnerable to even small shifts in Medicaid policy
“They operate on very, very small margins. When you start making cuts to people on the very brink going from there to bankruptcy is not very far,” Lane said. Of the 33 at-risk rural hospitals in Louisiana, 18 fall within the 5th Congressional District, represented by Rep Julia Letlow R-Start, who said in a statement that she is “having productive conversa-
tions with Louisiana health care leaders about rooting out waste and protecting Medicaid for those who need it most: the disabled, the elderly, children, and people who are physically unable to work.”
She added that the House version of the spending bill struck that balance and urged the Senate to follow suit.
Sen. Bill Cassidy R-Baton Rouge, also criticized the Senate’s proposal.
“My position is that cuts, and especially drastic cuts to Medicaid have to be avoided. The Senate bill cuts Medicaid too much. I agree with President Trump, the House
version is better,” Cassidy wrote on X.
Sen. John N. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, said that the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling has complicated efforts to pass the reconciliation bill by the July 4 deadline, making a vote less likely He said failing to preserve Trump-era tax cuts in the bill could hurt the economy
At Hood Memorial hospital and clinic, some of the visits are routine: getting people back on their feet after a long illness, standard checkups or chronic disease management. Others are not.
Hood has treated patients gored by a pet deer, bitten by snakes and injured in four-wheeler accidents on back roads. Then there are the strokes, heart attacks and infections where minutes matter The next hospital is often more than 45 minutes away, depending on where the patient lives.
“There are definitely people walking the streets today that would not be alive were it not for this emergency room,” Whittington said.
At Hood, about 1 in 3 patients are on Medicaid, mirroring the statewide average. At the rural health clinic, Medicaid makes up 47% of patients. Louisiana is the only state in the Deep South that expanded Medicaid, meaning a larger share of its population depends on it.
“There is more to lose, because we have more people enrolled,” said Kevin Callison, a health economist at Tulane University Margaret Cooper, 70, leaned on a cane as she stepped outside Hood Memorial to warm up. She was waiting for scans for a suspected blood clot in her leg. She lives in Kentwood, 15 minutes north, and got to her appointment using a Medicaid-funded ride service along with her home health aide.
“I love coming here,” said Cooper who uses both Medicare and Medicaid. “They’re real patient and nice.”
Tim Cowell, 63, collapsed from heat exhaustion while trying to stay upright long enough to see his son graduate from Southeastern Louisiana University in May Doctors discovered that bacteria from a dog bite had triggered a dangerous infection that was progressing toward sepsis. A former construction worker on disability after a stroke, Cowell was hospitalized at Hood for an extended recovery and intensive antibiotics.
“They weren’t so overcrowded,” said Cowell, who has an insurance with Humana through Medicaid. “I get more attention and better care here.”
Senate leaders have floated a change to the bill that would create a $15 billion fund over several years to subsidize rural providers who suffer from Medicaid cuts, but that likely is not sufficient, said Callison. A study commissioned by the American Hospital Association estimated that Louisiana rural hospitals could lose $1.875 billion in federal funds over the next decade if the Senate plan moves forward. Louisiana Hospital Association President and CEO Paul Salles called the proposed fund “inadequate to maintain existing services.”
“We urge Senators to return to the carefully crafted compromise language in the House-passed H.R. 1,” he said.
The House version of the bill imposes Medicaid work requirements. Up to 158,000 Louisianians are likely to lose coverage if that remains.
Regardless of what the final bill looks like, any cuts to Medicaid are threatening to rural providers, said Denae Hebert, executive director of the Louisiana Rural Health Association.
“We risk losing service lines,” Hebert said. “And even losing hospitals.”
Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.
more than 40 such orders since Trump took office for a second term in January
The administration has filed emergency appeals with the justices of many of those orders, including the ones on birthright citizenship. The court rarely hears arguments and issues major decisions on its emergency, or shadow, docket, but it did so in this case.
Federal courts, Barrett wrote, “do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them. When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too.”
The president, speaking in the White House briefing room, said that the decision was “amazing” and a “monumental victory for the Constitution,” the separation of powers and the rule of law Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, wrote on X that the decision is “an unprecedented and terrifying step toward authoritarianism, a grave danger to our democracy, and a predictable move from this extremist MAGA court.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in dissent for the three liberal justices, called the decision “nothing less than an open invitation for the government to bypass the Constitution.” This is so, Sotomayor said, because the administration may be able to enforce a policy even when it has been challenged and found to be unconstitutional by a lower court.
The administration didn’t even ask, as it has in other cases, for the lower-court rulings to be blocked completely, Sotomayor wrote. “To get such relief, the government would have to show that the order is likely constitutional, an impossible task,” she wrote. But the ultimate fate of the changes Trump wants to make were not before the court, Barrett wrote, just the rules that would apply as the court cases continue.
Rights groups that sued over the policy filed new court documents following the high court ruling taking up a suggestion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh that judges still may be able to reach anyone potentially affected by the birthright citizenship order by declaring them part of “putative nationwide class.” Kavanaugh was part of the court majority on Friday but wrote a separate concurring opinion States that also challenged the policy in court said they
would try to show that the only way to effectively protect their interests was through a nationwide hold.
“We have every expectation we absolutely will be successful in keeping the 14th Amendment as the law of the land and of course birthright citizenship as well,” said Attorney General Andrea Campbell, of Massachusetts.
Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
In a notable Supreme Court decision from 1898, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the court held that the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were the children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.
The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them.
Trump and his support-
ers have argued that there should be tougher standards for becoming an American citizen, which he called “a priceless and profound gift” in the executive order he signed on his first day in office.
The Trump administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States, a phrase used in the amendment, and therefore are not entitled to citizenship.
But states, immigrants and rights groups that have sued to block the executive order have accused the administration of trying to unsettle the broader understanding of birthright citizenship that has been accepted since the amendment’s adoption. Judges have uniformly ruled against the administration.
The Justice Department had argued that individual judges lack the power to give nationwide effect to their rulings.
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Nurse Scarlett Breckwoldt checks on Tim Cowell, 63, as he sits in a wheelchair receiving IV treatment at Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite on Thursday.
BY ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press
KYIV,Ukraine Russia and Ukraine exchanged more long-range drone attacks thathave become astaple of the more than three-year war,officials said Friday,as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready for afresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. Russian and Ukrainian officials are discussing the timing of apotential new meet-
ing, Putin said. Speaking to reporters during avisit to Belarus, he saidthat theterms of apotential ceasefire, which theKremlin has so far effectively rejected, are expected to be on the agenda. The war shows no signs of abating as U.S.-led internationalpeace effortshave so far producednobreakthrough. Tworecent rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegationsinIstanbul were briefand yielded noprogress on reaching a
settlement. Ukraine wants the next step in peace talkstobea meetingbetween Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy andPutin, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said. Given Putin’srecentcomments, it’sunclear howthis will pan out.The Russian leaderhas said asummit meeting should take place only after themain provisions of apeace deal have been agreed, and that could
excusable behavior.”
guards and otheremployees.
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRYNEUMEISTER Associated Press
NEW YORK Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer implored ajury on Friday to acquit the hip-hop mogul, arguing overzealous federal prosecutors twisted his drug use and swinger lifestyle into asex traffickingand racketeering case that could put him behind bars for life.
“He is none of these things. He is innocent,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said, glancing at Combs during a four-hour closing argument
“He sits there innocent. Return him to his family who have been waiting for him.”
Jurors are expected to begin deliberating Monday
Agnifilo repeatedly mocked the government’s case, pepperinghis presentation with folksyquips and bawdy observations. He said prosecutors “badly exaggerated” theevidence, and he belittled federal agents who seized hundreds of bottles of baby oil and lubricantin raids last year at Combs’ homesinLos Angelesand the Miami area.
“Way to go, fellas,” the defense lawyer said.
Agnifilo accused the government of targeting Combs, irritating prosecutors and the judge, and questioned why no one else was charged in what the prosecution alleges was aracketeering conspiracy involving Combs’ personal assistants, body-
Judge Arun Subramanian instructed jurors they were not to consider why or how thegovernment obtainedan indictment.
In arebuttal, Assistant U.S Attorney MaureneComey said Agnifilo hadspent “a whole lot of energy” trying to distract from Combs’ “in-
“Make no mistake,” Comey toldjurors, “this trial was about how in Sean Combs world, ‘no’ was never an option.”
Agnifilo called Combs’ prosecutiona “faketrial”and ridiculedthe notion thatthe “I’ll Be Missing You” singer engaged in racketeering.
Russia andUkraine tradelong-rangedrone attacks
take months or years. Putin has also repeated his claim thatZelenskyy losthis legitimacy after his presidential term expired last year —anallegation rejected by Kyiv and its allies Meanwhile, Russianforces
launched 363 Shahed and decoy drones as well as eight missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Friday,claiming that air defenses stopped all but four of the drones and downed six cruise missiles.
Russia’sDefense Ministry said 39 Ukrainian drones were downed in several regionsovernight,including 19 over the Rostov region and 13 over the Volgograd region. Both regions lie east of Ukraine
Feds cut hurricane tracking satellite data
‘This couldn’t have really come at a worse time’
BY KASEY BUBNASH
Staff writer
A month into the start of an Atlantic hurricane season that forecasters expect to be unusually busy, the federal government has announced plans to end the use of satellite data that hurricane experts say is crucial to tracking storms and spotting the early
warning signs of rapid intensification.
A service change notice issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday states that all data collected through the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program will be suspended by June 30.
DMSP satellites, which are operated by NOAA and the U.S. Air
Force, provide environmental and weather information used both in the planning of U.S. military operations and NOAA’s weather forecasts, according to NOAA.
“This service change and termination will be permanent,” the notice reads, though it does not offer a reason for the program’s suspension.
NOAA did not immediately re-
spond to a request for comment.
The Defense Department referred questions to the Air Force, which had not immediately responded.
The move came as a shock to much of the meteorological community including Miami-based meteorologist and hurricane specialist Michael Lowry
“My first reaction was, ‘I must be reading something wrong,’” he said.
Lowry said the program’s suspension means hurricane researchers across the country, including National Hurricane Center forecasters, will no longer receive real-time data from three microwave satellites. Those satellites, unlike traditional satellite technology allow scientists to see through clouds and inside tropical storms and hurricanes, even in the dark. Though it appears the satellites will continue to orbit Earth, Lowry said the federal government will
OUR LADY, MOTHER OF DIVINE GRACE
LEFT: Attendees pray during the unveiling of a Mary statue at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette on Thursday.
BELOW: Father Theo Nnabugo performs a blessing after the unveiling of the statue on Thursday.
Paul Hebert named interim Fatima principal
U.S. Supreme Court delays La. decision
He previously served as Catholic school’s dean of students Hebert
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lafayette is welcoming Paul Hebert as the interim principal for the upcoming school year Hebert, who was serving as the school’s dean of students, will serve as the interim principal for the 20252026 school year, according to the school’s Facebook page. Hebert retired from the public school system in December 2022 after 30 years of working in Acadian and Vermilion parishes. He spent 10 years in the classroom as a high school teacher and coach.
After, he was an assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court postponed Friday deciding whether Louisiana should have one or two members of Congress elected from Black-majority voting districts. The high court was slated to decide the case, which was argued
in March, on Friday morning. The court instead stated it would soon issue a “supplemental briefing order” that would set forth the issues to be reargued in the next term.
The Louisiana case was the only one of 66 argued this term on which justices postponed making a decision.
Justice Clarence Thomas disagreed, saying he saw “no reason to avoid deciding the cases now.”
to draw election maps that comply both with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Thomas wrote. The delay likely means that Louisiana will keep the current configuration of the 6th Congressional District, which stretches between Baton Rouge and Shreveport, for another two-year term. The 2026 congressional party primary election is on April 18.
which forbids watering down the number of voters who share the same race or language, and the Equal Protection Clause, which forbids using race as the primary factor to decide which voters can elect their representatives to the U.S. House.
“These cases also warrant immediate resolution because, due to our Janus-like election-law jurisprudence,” states don’t know how
Louisiana asked the nine justices to explain how best to balance the often-conflicting requirements of the Voting Rights Act,
“There are two important issues on which, at least for now, the Court is not ready to articulate,” U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, the Baton Rouge Democrat elected last year in the redrawn 6th District, said minutes after the court postponed
yearslong battle over congressional districts continues ä See DECISION, page 2B
that said Ed Orgeron’s ex-wife, Kelly Orgeron, is entitled to half the money that the now-former football coach received from his LSU
BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
ä See DATA, page 2B
mind inured to the benefit of both husband and wife in the college football coaching business,” Hughes added. “Because this security blanket was provided for in the EmploymentAgreement, effective during the community,itwas community property as would be any other community asset.”
Justice Piper Griffin agreed with Hughes in the ruling,along with three ad hoc judges appointed to hear the case in place of Chief Justice John Weimer,Justice Will Crain and Justice John Michael Guidry,each
DECISION
Continued from page1B
its decision.
“Although we hoped for adecision this term,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in astatement, “we welcome afurther opportunity to present argument to the Court regarding the states’ impossible taskof complying with the Court’s voting precedents.”
Every 10 years, state legislatures are tasked with drawing the congressional districts of voters to comply with the latest U.S. Census count. Initially,Louisiana legislators re-upped the maps that spread Black voters among vast majorities of White voters,leadingtofive White Republicans and one Black Democrat in the House.
About athird of the state’s populationnow identifies as Black. And, since White majorities in Louisiana have neverelected aBlack candidate to Congress, agroup of African American voters —who were called the Robinson litigants —challenged the Legislature’smaps.
They argued that simple math would dictate that two of the six congressional seats should be drawn to include enough minority voters to give Black candidates afighting chance
The state, however,argued that the Black population in Louisiana lived too far apart, making it difficult to meet other redistricting criteria, such as grouping like communities with similar political wants in acompact geographic area.
U.S. DistrictChief Judge Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, found that several alternative mapswould indeed meetVoting Rights Act standards enough to create asecond Black majority congressional district.A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel agreed. Confronted with the pos-
HEBERT
Continued from page1B
of personnel and administration for the Vermilion Parish
DATA
Continued from page1B
no longer ingest, process or transmit the data they collect. And while there are other satellites with similar capabilities operated by foreign countries and other programs, Lowry said DMSP satellites represent about 50% of the microwave data available to forecasters in the U.S.
“This is abig deal,” Lowry said. “For hurricane forecasting, this is the biggest hit that I’ve seen to our capabilities in avery long time.”
Immediate impacts
The program’s suspension comes just two days after Tropical Storm Andrea, the first namedstormof2025, formed over the central Atlantic about 1,205 miles west of the Azores. Andreadissipated later the same day,but it’sthe first storm in aseason that NOAA forecasters and Colorado State University researchers have warned will likely see above-average tropical activity,fueled in
of whom was recused. Replacingthemwere former 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal judgeJohn Conery;former state Supreme Court justice Joseph Bleich; and former 22nd Judicial District judge MartinCoady Justices Jay McCallum and Cade Coledissented. “The issue in this case is uncomplicated,” McCallum wrote inan11-page dissent. “All of thesums Mr.Orgeron received post-community— whether in the formofsalary,supplemental salary, incentive compensation or liquidated damages …were received by Mr.Orgeron for work he performed after the termination of the community propertyregime. It is allhis separate property.”
sibility of thefederal courts drawing the new congressional map, Gov.Jeff Landry called aspecialsession of the Legislaturesoon after his inauguration in January 2024.
TheRepublican supermajority Legislature decided to target Republican Garret Gravesand his BatonRougebased 6th Congressional District. Graves had angered Landry and HouseMajority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.
Ed Orgeronsigned acontract extension with LSU shortly after winning the College Football National Championship in 2020, which raisedhis salary to roughly $7 million annually.Orgeron signed the extension the month before he filed for divorce, but the LSUboardofsupervisors did notapprove it untilthe divorce proceedings were underway That contract extension pavedthe wayfor Orgeron’s $17millionbuyoutwhen LSU firedhim in 2021.
Kelly Orgeron’sattorneys celebrated the ruling Friday after arguing to theSupreme Court that shewas entitled to someofher ex-husband’s money from his buyout and
Theresult is a6th District that links Black neighborhoods from BatonRouge to LafayettetoAlexandriato Natchitoches to Shreveport. ARepublican supermajority Legislature negated the previous maps andapproved the newconfiguration fortwo Black majority districtsand four White majority districts, which Landry in January 2024 signed into law Alternative maps would have significantly added Blackvoterstothe north Louisiana-baseddistricts that elected HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and Rep.Julia Letlow,R-Start,a member of the House Appropriations Committee Adozen voterswho describethemselvesasnonAfrican American filed alawsuitinMonroe, wherefederaltrial judgesappointed by President Donald Trump preside. These“Callais litigants”argued thatthe new congressional districts that favored Black votersintwo of the state’ssix seats were drawnprimarily to satisfy racial needs and thus were improperly gerrymandered under the Equal Protection Clause —that is, thevoters primarilywere sorted by race. The state,which nowhad to flip sides, countered that, under thecircumstances of needing asecond minority-majority district to satisfy the Voting RightsAct, theprimary motivation of choosing where that second Black majority would go was political —protecting Johnson andLetlow while targeting Graves.
School Board. Hebert has abachelor’s andmaster’sdegreeinthe field of education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Theannouncement was
part by warmoceantemperatures and reduced wind shear
NOAA is predicting 13 to 19 named stormsthis year Of those, six to 10 are expected to becomehurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes of Category3 strength or more.
An averageseason ends with 14 named storms, seven hurricanes with threemajor hurricanes.
While NOAA has faced a delugeofstaffing and funding cuts at the hands of the Trump administration, Lowry saideven very tangible impacts likereduced weather balloonlaunches “palein comparison”tothe loss of this data.
As the seasoncarries on and tropical activity picks up,Lowry said the U.S. is going to see immediate impacts to hurricane modelingand forecasting, both of which areinformed by microwave satellites.
“Sothis couldn’t have really comeataworse time because there’slittle room for correction on this,” he said, adding thatthe announcement came with little
contract extension.
“Weare extremelypleased that Kelly Orgeron’scontributiontothe couple’s success has been recognized by the Louisiana Supreme Court,” said her lead attorney,Robert Lowe, in a statement.“Thedecision is grounded in aproper interpretationofLouisiana community property law. The community was apartnership; justice and equity were served.”
Kelly Orgeron’slegal team said the raise for Ed Orgeron after he won the championship was partially meant to compensate the coach for his past performance, which includedduring the time they were married she supported his career
The Robinsonvoters, who became intervenors under the new Callais case, argued that the new constituency was linkedbya shared disinterest of the White congresspersonswho rarelyvisited the minoritycommunities alongthe RedRiver anddid not champion their needs in Washington.
Twomembersofa threememberpanel of 5thCircuit judgesruled the Legislature’s new congressional configuration was aracial gerrymander andordered aMay 2024 hearing to draw newmaps. The third found that politics predominated the Legislature’sdecision.
Louisianaasked theSupreme Court to staythe proceedings because the elections weresoclosethat the Secretary of State could notproperly stage the November 2024 congressional race withoutknowingwhat thedistricts would look like. Thehighcourt agreed, then accepted thecasefor arguments to sort howpolitics and race are to be considered in redistricting.
The election was held using the Legislature’snew maps andFields, aBaton Rouge Democrat whowas a state senator,won. He joined the House in January 2025. He has since voted with the Democrats, forthe most part, in aHouse with anarrow GOPmajority thatoften advances legislation by a single vote.
“The map adopted by the Legislature was aproduct of bipartisan negotiation, judicial review,and compliance with federal law.Itisnot aracial gerrymander —itisaremedial measure responding to decades of underrepresentation,” Rep. Troy Carter,the New Orleans Democrat who represents the state’sother Black majority district, said Friday.“The ongoing legalchallengesare deeply troubling, especially when they aredriven by bad-faith arguments that twistthe Equal Protection Clause into
metwithpraise on the school’sFacebook page with comments congratulating Hebert and writing thatheis agood leader for the school.
Our Lady of Fatima CatholicSchool welcomes stu-
to no warning or explanation.
“We’re not going to have the data we need for peak hurricane season.”
Seeing ‘under thehood’
While traditional satellites essentially take photos of the Earth’ssurface, New Orleans meteorologistScot Pilié said microwave satellites offer scientists alook “under the hood of astorm,” allowing them to analyze thestructure, intensityand changes happening within astorm’s core.
This, he said, is especially important at night,when many other kinds of satellites struggle to collect data, and in between Hurricane Hunter missions. Hurricane Hunter flights areoften hailed as one of most useful toolsavailable to forecasters, but Pilié said they can’t fly intoevery storm.They rarely fly out to the Pacific Ocean andnever go outtothe stormsbrewing hundreds of milesaway near Africa’scoast.
Plus, they can’tbeinthe air allthe time.
Hurricane Hunter flights are often scheduled forevery 6-8 hours, Piliésaid,and
FuneralsToday
Verdugo, Sherryl FirstBaptistinBroussardat11a.m
Obituaries
Dubois, Charles J.
aweapon againstequitable representation. Attempts to roll back the progress we’ve made are not aboutthe Constitution, they’re aboutpower.”
Louisiana arguedthatlegislators were putinanimpossible predicament of being suedbyone side under the VotingRightsAct if minority voting strength was diluted andsued by another for violating the Equal Protection clause if the redistricting had aracial component
During arguments in March, the most conservative justices —Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch—questioned whether Dick’s rulingwas “plainly wrong.
The high court’smoreliberal justices —Sonia Sotomayor,Ketanji Brown Jacksonand ElenaKagan —questioned during arguments whethertheir colleagues should be considering Dick’s decision since the Callais litigants had not challenged her rulingand that the case before them is whether states needed “breathing room” when redistricting.
Of the threejustices in the middle,ChiefJusticeJohn Roberts said during arguments that the6th District configuration was not compact andran like “a snake” through thestate. Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked if there was a“logical endpoint” for the Voting Rights Act.
JusticeAmy Coney Barrett, whogrew up in Metairie,questioned the Legislature’s redrafting based on a preliminary findingoflower courts.
“A fair and equitable congressional map hasalways been our North Star,” said Ashley Shelton,president and CEO of PowerCoalition for Equity and Justice,a New Orleans-based grassroots group, andone of theintervenors in the case.
The “decision deferring thecasedoes not shake our focusonthatgoal,” she added.
dents from pre-K3toeighth grade.The school opened in 1950 and served about 120 students. In the 2024-2025 school year,its enrollment wasabout 920 students,according to state data.
alot can change inside ahurricane’score in that amount of time.
That’swhere microwave data comes in handy
“So this is areally critical tool for spotting rapid intensification,” he said.
When Hurricane Otis was headed for Mexico’sPacific coast in 2023, Pilié saidone of the only reasons forecasters knew it was undergoing rapid intensification was becauseofmicrowave data. That storm, he said, went on to strengthen from atropical storm to aCategory 5hurricaneinless than 48 hours.
Pilié said the latest cut is “a huge loss.”
“This is kind of one of the deepestcutsthat I’ve seen when it comes to real-time weather analysis,”hesaid.
LOTTERY
THURSDAY,JUNE 26, 2025
PICK 3: 0-9-3
Monsignor Charles J. Dubois, 85, apriest of sixty years of the Diocese of Lake Charles, died Monday, June 23, 2025 at HarborHospice Monsignor Dubois was born November 5, 1939, the youngest of threesonsto Andre "Simon" DuBois and Regina Brown DuBois in Erath, LA wherehewas raised, educated, andwas forever proudofhis family, theirroots, andthe culture of theirhometown. He was affectionately knownas "Charlie", by hiscommunity, andisremembered for hisgrin that often told an unsaid story of his"humorous, playful and mildly mischievousventures." He wasa graduate of Immaculata Seminary of Lafayette, LA andNotre Dame Seminary School of Theology NewOrleans,LA whereheobtainedhis bachelor'sdegree in 1964. He began hisvocational journeywith hisOrdination to Catholic Priesthood on December 19, 1964 at St John TheEvangelist Cathedral in Lafayette. He began hisfirst assignment on January 5, 1965, as the Associate Pastor for St Michael's Catholic Church in Crowleyand ViceChairmanofthe Committee for Dissemination of Information for Desegregation of Acadia Parish Schools. In January of 1971, Monsignor Dubois wastransferred as an Associate Pastor to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lake Charles andinFebruary of 1974 he transferred to Pastor hisfirst parish at St Margaret Catholic Church During this time,heserved as ChairmanofClergy Senate in theLafayette Diocese andCo-Chairman of theProvincial Councilof Priest andBishops of the NewOrleans Province. He wasalso appointedthe ActingEpiscopal Vicar of theLafayette Dioceseand wasappointed by the Archbishop of NewOrleans as theObserver-National Catholic Conference of Bishops for Region 5. He also served as A.S.A. Diocesan Consultor On July 1, 1983 Monsignor Dubois was transferred to OurLady of theLake Catholic Church in Lake Arthurand in 1997 wastransferred to St Theodore Catholic Church andnamed Administrator of St.PiusX Chapel, where he served untilheretired on June 30, 2014. He organizedand oversaw over thirtyministriesthat served these two churches andwas presentfor as manymeetingsand projects as possible
As time and experience in all areas of hisministry grew,Monsignor Dubois took on moreand more responsibilities.His humility, integrity andfidelity led himtocountless boards andleadership positionsin numerousgovernment and communityevents. He continuedtoattend Diocesan meetingsand conferencesand all things encompassing hisobligation to serve, whilemaking time to be availablefor
calls fromparishioners seeking his counsel. He continuedtoserve those parishioners, well into his eighties untilhis declinein health no longer allowed him.
Some of hishonorsinclude: Chaplain to the United States Senate, Chaplainfor theCalcasieu Parish Jail, memberof Third Degree Lake Arthur CouncilofKnights of Columbus, FaithfulFriar, Monsignor Peters AssemblyFourthDegree KnightsofColumbus, Citizenofthe Year by St Theodore Knights of Columbusand Clergyman of theYearbythe Fourth Degree District of Louisiana andThe Times of Southwest Louisiana. He served on theExecutive Committee,for the Papal visit of John PaulIItoNew Orleans. Monsignoralso devotedmuch time and service to many localand nationalalcohol, drug and rehabilitation center Boards of Directors. He will be most rememberedfor his immeasurablewealthofknowledge, wisdom, kind yet comical personality, and hisunwavering commitment to his ministry. He leaves to cherish his memory,ten nieces and nephews, Michelle DuBois Picard(Rusty), Jacquelyn "Jackie" DuBois, MarieClaire DuBois Massingill (Mike), AndreSimon DuBois, III (Annie), MoniqueDuBois, Renee DuBois McDermott (Jim), Elizabeth AnnDuBois Burch, Yvette DuBois Hebert (Chris), Camille DuBois and Richard Camille DuBois, Jr (Tiffany), sister-in-law, Eldine "Deanie"Sonnier DuBois, 18 great nieces andnephews and20greatgreat nieces and nephews. Numerous cousins are also left to cherish hismemory He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Andre SimonDuBois, Sr andReginaBrown DuBois; twobrothers, Andre Simon DuBois, Jr.and Richard Camille DuBois, Sr.and sister-in-law,Dolores Bolner DuBois. AMass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM Wednesday July 2, 2025 in theCathedral of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.Rev AubreyGuilbeau will officiate. Intermentserviceswill be at 4:00 PM Wednesday at OurLady of Lourdes Cemetery in Erath, LA. Visitation Tuesdaywill be from5:00 PM until8:00 PM with an ACTS rosarybeginning at 6:00 PM at the Cathedral.Visitation Wednesday will resume at 9:00 AM untilthe time of Mass. Pallbearers for hisservice will be Andre DuBois III,Richard DuBois, Jr., Jonathan Gary, Fred Reggie, Greg Reggieand RonMurray.Honorary Pallbearers will be Mike Pettaway andAdamReed. "We, thefamilyof Monsignor DuBois, would like to extenda heartfelt thanks to everyoneinhis "village" whocared for himduring hishealthdecline. Allofusare forever grateful for theimmeasurableamount of kindness, compassion,and love that wasbestowed upon him by so many,especially AndreaPrejean for being ourlifelineand "Earth Angel"." We honor Monsignor's heartfelt devotion to Matthew 25 in kindly requesting that Memorial donations may be made to Catholic Charitiesof Southwest Louisiana at catholiccharitiesswla.com/ donate or Abraham's Tent at 2424 Fruge St,Lake Charles, LA 70601. Wordsofcomfort to the familymay be expressed at www.johnsonfuneralho me.net.
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Euro.io to open training hub in Houma
Euro.io, a division of Switzerland-based health tech company MindMaze, said it is planning to build an advanced manufacturing facility and digital therapeutics training center in Houma.
The campus will be built at the former home of the Houma Courier newspaper The company plans to purchase the building, according to local economic development officials.
Founded in 2012 by neuroscientist Tej Tadi, MindMaze creates digital therapeutics — essentially video games with a health benefit designed to treat neurological damage caused by stroke, Parkinson’s disease and other brain conditions In 2021, Bloomberg said the company had a valuation of $1.5 billion.
Known as BrainHUB, the Louisiana facility will be the company’s first U.S. operation and focus on advancing large-scale AI applications and brain technology Louisiana Economic Development said it is offering an incentive package that includes a $10 million performance-based grant for infrastructure and facility improvements.
Cohen Guidry of the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority said the incentives are tied to performance.
“They’ve got milestone targets they have to hit per time frame and number of jobs,” he said Facility, expansion brings jobs to Shreveport
Ascentek, which manufactures fluid and lubricants, said it will spend $50 million to expand and enhance its Shreveport facility, which will create 91 jobs.
Louisiana Economic Development estimates the plant expansion will create 247 indirect jobs Ascentek has 105 employees currently at the plant.
Work on the 270,000-square-foot plant is set to begin before the end of the year and should take between 18 months and 2 years to finish.
The expansion will include new high-speed production, material handling and storage equipment that will improve efficiencies in the company’s industrial fluid, lubricant and chemical manufacturing processes.
To win the project in Caddo Parish, LED offered a competitive incentive package. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs programs.
Bessent: China, U.S. sign earth mineral deal
BANGKOK Washington and Beijing have signed a trade agreement that will make it easier for American firms to obtain magnets and rare earth minerals from China that are critical to manufacturing and microchip production, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday
The agreement comes after China retaliated against steep import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods and moved to slow export of rare earth minerals and magnets much-needed by U.S. industrial interests.
Bessent said on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping “had a phone call” previously “and then our teams met in London, ironed this out, and I am confident now that we, as agreed, the magnets will flow.”
“Part of the agreement was tariffs coming down and rare earth magnets starting to flow back to the U.S ” Bessent said “They formed the core of a lot of our industrial base. They were not flowing as fast as previously agreed.”
His comments follow President Donald Trump announcing two weeks earlier an agreement with China that he said would ease exportation of magnets and rare earth minerals.
That pact cleared the way for the trade talks to continue The U.S. has previously suspended some sales to China of critical U.S. technologies like components used for jet engines and semiconductors. It has also agreed to stop trying to revoke visas of Chinese nationals on U.S. college campuses.
BUSINESS
BR consulting firm acquired
National company to buy CSRS
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer
Westwood Professional Services, a Texas-based engineering and consulting firm with offices across the U.S., plans to acquire Baton Rouge-based CSRS.
Tim Barfield, CSRS president, confirmed the firm was exploring a strategic transaction that would
be “mutually beneficial to clients, employees and principals.”
Westwood, based in suburban Dallas, has more than 1,600 employees with offices in 13 states.
The company was founded in Minnesota more than 50 years ago and specializes in a number of sectors, including renewable energy, power delivery, electric vehicle infrastructure, commercial, residential and public infrastructure projects.
Blackstone, the massive private equity firm, bought a majority stake in Westwood about a year
ago. While Westwood has offices from California to Virginia, the company does not have a presence in Louisiana.
CSRS was founded in 1978. The company has about 175 employees and posted $40 million in revenue.
The business operates in a number of sectors, including program management, planning, civil engineering and project management.
Along with its Baton Rouge headquarters, CSRS has offices in New Orleans; Lafayette; Lake Charles;
Dallas; Victoria, Texas; and Long Beach, California.
Some of the projects it has been involve in included serving as design consultant and handling civil engineering work for the Amazon fulfillment center at the former Cortana Mall site, acting as project adviser for the redevelopment of University Lakes, providing program management for the cityparish Green Light road construction plan and helping the Port of Lake Charles with Hurricane Laura disaster recovery grants.
U.S. stocks close at all-time high
Recovery erases springtime plunge
BY DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP business writers
U.S. stocks closed at an all-time high
Friday, another milestone in the market’s remarkable recovery from a springtime plunge caused by fears that the Trump administration’s trade policies could harm the economy
The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, finishing above its previous record set in February The key measure of Wall Street’s health fell nearly 20% from Feb 19 through April 8.
The market’s complete turnaround from its deep swoon happened in about half the time that it normally takes, said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA
“Investors will breathe a sigh of relief,” he said The Nasdaq composite gained 0.5% and set its own all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1%.
President Donald Trump’s decision Friday to halt trade talks with Canada threatened to derail Wall Street’s run to a record, but the market steadied.
The gains on Friday were broad with nearly every sector within the S&P 500 rising. Nike soared 15.2% for the biggest gain on the market, despite warning of a steep hit from tariffs.
The broader market has seemingly shaken off fears about the Israel-Iran war disrupting the global supply of crude oil and sending prices higher A ceasefire between the two nations is still in place.
The price of crude oil in the U.S. is mostly unchanged on Friday Prices have fallen back to pre-conflict levels.
Investors are also monitoring potential progress on trade conflicts between the U.S. and the world, specifically with China. The U.S and China have signed a trade deal that will make it easier for American firms to obtain magnets and rare earth minerals from China that are critical to manufacturing and microchip production, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday
An update on inflation Friday showed prices ticked higher in May though the rate mostly matched economists’ projections.
Inflation remains a concern for businesses and consumers. Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff policy has made it difficult for com-
panies to make forecasts. It has also put more pressure on consumers worried about already stubborn inflation A long list of businesses from carmakers to retailers have warned that higher import taxes may hurt their revenues and profits.
The U.S. has 10% baseline tariffs on all imported goods, along with higher rates for Chinese goods and other import taxes on steel and autos. The economy and consumers have remained resilient under those tariffs, though some analysts and economists expect to see the impact grow as import taxes continue to work their way through businesses to consumers.
“While we also would have expected to already to be seeing a bit more pass through into the inflation statistics, we still expect these impacts to show up in a more meaningful way in the next few months,” said Greg Wilensky, head of U.S. fixed income and portfolio manager at Janus Henderson.
The threat of more severe tariffs continues to hang over the economy. The current pause on a round of retaliatory tariffs against a long list of nations is set to expire in July Failure to negotiate deals or further postpone the tariffs could once again rattle investors and consumers.
The Federal Reserve is monitoring the tariff situation with a big focus on inflation The rate of inflation has been stubbornly sitting just above the central bank’s target of 2%. In a report Friday, its preferred gauge, the personal consumption expenditures index, rose to 2.3% in May That’s up from 2.1% the previous month.
The Fed cut interest rates twice in late 2024 following a historic series of rate hikes to cool inflation. The PCE was as high as 7.2% in 2022, while the more commonly used consumer price index hit 9.1%.
The Fed hasn’t cut rate cuts so far in 2025 over worries that tariffs could reignite inflation and hamper the economy Economists still expect at least two rate cuts before the end of the year Bond yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.27% from 4.24% late Thursday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, edged up to 3.74% from late Thursday All told, the S&P 500 rose 32.05 points to 6,173.07. The Dow gained 432.43 points to 43,819.27, and the Nasdaq added 105.55 points to 20,273.46.
Key inflation gauge ticks slightly higher in May
Americans’ overall spending falls 0.1%
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer
WASHINGTON A key inflation gauge moved higher in May in the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated while Americans also cut back on their spending last month.
Prices rose 2.3% in May compared with a year ago, up from just 2.1% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.7% from a year earlier an increase from 2.6% the previous month. Both figures are modestly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The Fed tracks core inflation because it typically provides a better guide to where inflation is headed At the same time, Americans cut back on spending for the first time since January, as overall spending fell 0.1%. Incomes dropped a sharp 0.4%. Both figures were distorted by one-time changes: Spending on cars plunged, pulling down overall spending, because Americans had
moved more quickly to buy vehicles in the spring to get ahead of tariffs. And incomes dropped after a onetime adjustment to Social Security benefits had boosted payments in March and April. Social Security payments were raised for some retirees who had worked for state and local governments. Still, the data suggests that growth is cooling as Americans become more cautious, in part because President Donald Trump’s tariffs have raised the cost of some goods, such as appliances, tools and audio equipment. Consumer sentiment has also fallen sharply this year in the wake of the sometimes-chaotic rollout of the duties. And while the unemployment rate remains low, hiring has been weak, leaving those without jobs struggling to find new work.
Consumer spending rose just 0.5% in the first three months of this year and has been sluggish in the first two months of the second quarter
And spending on services ticked up just 0.1% in May, the smallest monthly increase in four and a half years.
“Because consumers are not in
a strong enough shape to handle those (higher prices), they are spending less on recreation, travel, hotels, that type of thing,” said Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust.
Spending on airfares, restaurant meals, and hotels all fell last month, Friday’s report showed.
At the same time, the figures suggest that President Donald Trump’s broad-based tariffs are still having only a modest effect on overall prices The increasing costs of some goods have been partly offset by falling prices for new cars, airline fares and apartment rentals, among other items.
On a monthly basis, in fact, inflation was mostly tame. Prices rose just 0.1% in May from April, according to the Commerce Department, the same as the previous month. Core prices climbed 0.2% in May, more than economists expected and above last month’s 0.1%. Gas prices fell 2.6% just from April to May.
Economists point to several reasons for why Trump’s tariffs have yet to accelerate inflation, as many analysts expected. Like American
consumers, companies imported billions of dollars of goods in the spring before the duties took full affect, and many items currently on store shelves were imported without paying higher levies.
There are early indications that that is beginning to change.
Nike announced this week that it expects U.S. tariffs will cost the company $1 billion this year It will institute “surgical” price increases in the fall. It’s not the first retailer to warn of price hikes when students are heading back to school. Walmart said last month that that its customers will start to see higher prices this month and next as back-to-school shopping goes into high gear
Also, much of what the U.S. imports is made up of raw materials and parts that are used to make goods in the U.S. It can take time for those higher input costs to show up in consumer prices. Economists at JPMorgan have argued that many companies are absorbing the cost of the tariffs, for now. Doing so can reduce their profit margins, which could weigh on hiring.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW Traders Ryan Falvey, left, and Robert Charmak work on the floor of the New york Stock Exchange on Friday.
OPINION
Americans reacttothe realitiesofwar
Much has happened since the U.S. attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities. Each day brings new perspectives, hopes andfears. It’s still early for polling to provide afull grasp of what Americans think about all this, but what we’ve seen so far shows deeppublic concern and discomfort, even when the news is good
The Economist/YouGov poll, conducted June 20-23, caught pre-bombing sentiments as well as initial postbombing reactions. It found that 64% of voters see Iran’s nuclear program as asubstantial threat. Republicans are twiceaslikely to view this threat as “serious”and “immediate” as are Democrats.
Though 66% of voters favored U.S. negotiations withIranover its nuclear program,only 31% favored bombing itsnuclear facilities, with six times more Republicans than Democrats in support. Just 25% of Americans thought airstrikes against Iran would make the U.S. safer While 77% of Republicans trusted President Donald Trump to make the right decisions about nuclear weapons,only 28% of independents and 4% of Democrats did.Among all voters, 40% expressed approval of Trump’shandling of the currentsituation, with 52% disapproving. That’sfar from “rallying around the flag,” a concept that historians often talk about when the U.S.enters foreign conflict —and one that may have become obsolete
While these survey results give us aread on currentconditions, they also bring to the fore adeeper question: To what extentis America willing, as John F. Kennedyonce demanded of us, to “pay any price, bear any burden,meet any hardship, support any friend,oppose any foe” to secureour interests? Does the answer depend upon changingcircumstances? Will each new foreign adventure retest resolve?
There are three underlying trends at work. The first is agrowing “Fortress America” attitude Voters who once favored boldmilitary initiatives are becoming reluctant to join any foreignconflict. Some call this, often inaccurately, isolationism. It has been causedbyso-called “forever wars”with unclear objectives,wars that cost taxpayers trillions of dollars,distort national priorities, run up thenational debt and risk Americanlives. Trump’s campaign for president played on this reluctance When the Economist/ YouGov poll asked voters if, in general, they wanted the U.S. to take an active
part in worldaffairs or to stay outofthem, less than half chose the “active part” option, and they did so on anonpartisan basis. Interestingly, almost an equal percentage of Democrats and Republicans (roughly athird each) picked the “stay out” option. As one national security expert told me,“Americans have learned that modern warfare is not what they seein movies —neat beginnings, middles and endings. It’s unpredictable, frustrating, sloppy and can spiral out of control.
Second, voters barelyconsider foreignpolicy issues when electing candidates. This diminishes the need for politicians to think seriously about war and peace. It also makes it lesslikely that America will evercommit to long-range defense strategiesthatgo beyond two-yearelectioncycles.
WhenGeorgeW.Bush ran against Al Gore in2000,for example, terrorismand nationalsecurity were hardly mentioned, eventhough they would consume the Bushpresidency. Right before the 2024 election, only 3% of Americans pickedforeignpolicyas the most important issue in deciding their vote —and this was during bloody wars in Ukraineand the Middle East, hostilities in which the United States was playing large support roles.
Third, peopledon’tknow what to believeanymore. As everything has become politicized, information coming fromall sources— governments,news outlets, politicians,pundits, social media —isseen as selfservingspin. There are no facts, onlystructured narratives.AsGeorgeOrwell wrotein“1984,”“If thought corruptslanguage, language canalso corrupt thought.”
As contradictoryinformation has trickledout since U.S.airstrikes on Iran,as oftenhappens in the fog of war,it’sbeendifficult to knowwhat’strue.Did the U.S.really obliterate Iran’s nuclearcapacity,ordid it just delayitafew months? The nationalaudience, in response, is listening to voices that most comfortably confirm theirown biases. Republicans believe the best, becauseTrump is in command; Democrats believe the worst,again because Trump isincommand; and independents just scratch their heads in puzzled distrust. Warchangesthe world, but the worldalso changes war —how we look at it, howwefight it and when we’rewilling to risk it. Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.
COUNT HEAD
Olvera planning many ways to help UL
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Yes, he witnessed somebeautifulsights during his short stay in California, but Houston native Jaxon Olvera feels right at home as aULRagin’ Cajun after his first month in Lafayette.
“I thought it was agood learning experience, and it was beautiful out there,” Olvera said of his freshmanseasonatPepperdine in Malibu. “Just program wise, facility wise and basketball wise, it just didn’treally pan out, so Ithought it would be best for me to look at other options.” And even though Olvera didn’tknow new UL coach Quannas White, he loved everything the Cajuns’ coach had to say on their first phone call.
“He just told me the first time he called me that this isn’taregularmid-major program,” said Olvera, whoislisted at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds. “That’swhat really stood out to me. He said he’sgoing to treat it just like Houston.
After two months of offseason workouts, the New Orleans Saints’roster battles have started to crystallize. Besides the obvious competitiontaking place at quarterback, numerousspots —especially at running back, wide receiver and along thedefensiveline—are up for grabs.
Anew coaching staff in place only adds to theintrigue.
When the Saints finallyhave to trim down the roster from 90 to 53 players come the fall, it remains to be seen how first-year coach Kellen Moore’spreferences will influencethe team’s final cuts. Butafter five practices open to reporters this offseason,let’s project what the Saints’ opening-day roster might look like.
Quarterback(3):
Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener: Moore’s imprint on theroster could be best reflectedatthis position. In addition to choosinga starter,does he believe in ateam carryingthree quarterbacks on theroster? If he’d rather use the finalspot elsewhere, that could mean badnews for Haener.Still, Haenerisonly in histhird season, and the past fewyears in the NFL have reminded teams that quarterback depth isabsolutely necessary
Runningback(4):
Alvin Kamara, Devin Neal,Kendre Miller, Clyde Edwards-Helaire: It was tempting to leaveMiller off this list, but as much as his career has stalled since the 2023 third-rounder was drafted, thingswould have to get significantly worse for him to be asurprise cut. TheSaints’ coaching staff has made clear,however,that everyone notnamed Kamaraisfighting for a job.New Orleansnot only rotated reps between the backs consistently throughout the spring, but the
LOUISIANAHALLOFFAME
teams also added another veteran (Cam Akers) to thegroup recently. Wide receiver (6): Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks, Cedrick Wilson, Bub Means, Dante Pettis: Of these six, thelast three spotsfigure to be themost up for grabs. Wilson has familiarity with Moore, dating to their days in Dallas. Means has had an impressive offseason, which could give him the
NCAA considering proposal
The Associated Press
Whitworth’sleadershipd di ihi
Former LSUstandout, NFLAll-Pro star makesimpact on andoff the field
BY JAKE MARTIN
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.
Don’task Andrew Whitworthtocatalogue binge-worthy Netflix series.
Chances are he hasn’tseen it. In order to contribute to the conversation, one would have to actually sit down to, you know, watch. And if you know anything aboutthis year’sLouisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee,well, that ain’thappening
“No, Idon’t “I love tobe a seven or eight waysoutside. T Iwake up, get 6,000 golf ball beach with my Makessense gevity in the N Procareer by exactly acom veterans eithe The former Schooland L helped teams championship Class of 202 weekendin N The never-i ticipated in sp
INDIANAPOLIS The NCAA is considering a proposal that would allow athletes and staff memberstobet on professionalsports and shift enforcement efforts to college sports betting and “behaviors that directly impact gameintegrity.”
TheDivisionICouncilintroduced the proposal that will be considered this fall and be implemented if Divisions II and III officials also approve.
TheNCAAwould still bar betting on college sports and sharing information about college events with bettors. Advertising and sponsorships associated with betting arealso not allowed at NCAA championship events. The shiftcomes as the organization grapples with the growth of legalized gambling acrossthe UnitedStates. NCAA president Charlie Baker and other college sports leaders have raised concerns about gamblers attacking athletes on social media for their play and there have been scattered allegations, including some earlier this year against programsinvolving betting.
The NCAA said Wednesday that “several sports betting-relatedviolations by staff members at NCAA schools” have been
3p.m.ARCA:
Noon PGA: Rocket Classic Golf
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5p.m. PLL: Philadelphiavs. CaliforniaESPN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Today seems like the perfect day to pop open abottle of CJ McCollum’sHeritage 91 brand wine.
On behalf of the city of New Orleans, I’m proposing atoast and raising my glass to aguy who proved to be the ultimate professional. Typically when aplayer leaves ateam, the player thanksthe city But sometimes, the city should thank the player This is one of those times. McCollum deserves it.
The Pelicans traded McCollum on Tuesday,along with Kelly Olynyk and afuture secondround draft pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and this year’sNo. 40 draft pick
Mets pitcherout foryear afterAchillessurgery
New York Mets pitcher Griffin
Canning had surgery on Friday to repair arupturedleftAchilles and will miss the remainder of the season and possibly part of the 2026 season.
Canning was injured during Thursday night’s 4-0win over the Atlanta Braves in New York.
Signedtoa$4.25 million, oneyear contract as afree agent in the offseason, the 29-year-old righthanderwas 7-3 with a3.77 ERAin 16 starts as he bolstered an injurydepleted rotation.
Thirdbaseman Mark Vientos was reinstated from the 10-day injuredlist before Friday’sseries opener at Pittsburgh, left-handed reliever Colin Poche’scontract was selected from Triple-A Syracuse and right-hander Blake Tidwell was recalled fromTriple-A.
Ujiri firedasRaptors presidentafter 13 years
Toronto Raptors president and vicechairmanMasai Ujiri was fired Friday after 13 years with the franchise.
The move allowed the Pelicans to move away from the expiring $30.7 million contract of McCollum, whoturns 34 in September. The Pelicans, meanwhile, get Poole, who just turned 26 last week and is comingoff aseason in Washington where he averagedacareer-best 20.5 points and4.5 assists Basketball-wise and financially, the deal makes sense. But if you have followed McCollum’scareer, you know he’s about much more than basketball. He brought amuch-needed level of leadership and professionalismtothe Pelicans’ locker room when he was traded from PortlandtoNew Orleans in February of 2022.
McCollum showed up to work even whenhis body told him not to. He played in 75 games in the 2022-23 season, includingthe last three months with hisright thumb in asplint after tearinga ligament in January thatyear Here’saneven more telling stat. McCollum, in 31/2 seasons in New Orleans, played in 223 games.Zion Williamson,who justfinished his sixth season,has played in just 214 games.
McCollumunderstandsthe levelofcommitment it takes to be withstandthe grind of agrueling NBA season. He constantly prepared himself both mentally andphysically He did it even when times got hard, like they so often did this season It was McCollum’s careerhigh-tying 50-point masterpiece against theWashington Wizards in January that snapped the Pelicans’ 11-game losingskid. That game came just two days after the Bourbon Street terrorist attack that killed 14 people in New Orleans.
“It’snice for (the people in the city) to havesomething to enjoy for alittle bitand kind of escape everythingthat may be going on right now,” McCollum said that night
Sixweekslater,McCollum scored 43 points in awin over the Sacramento Kingstosnap a10gamelosingskid.
“He’sone of ourguys that’sliterally holdingthings together in the locker room with these young guys,” coach Willie Green said that night.“He’sbeen through so much throughout the course of hiscareer.He’sa staple for us. We see it week in and week out
that he comes out and gives it everything he has every night.”
That willingness to leaveitall on thefloor is why McCollum will takehis place with former Pelicans like Jrue Holiday and Jonas Valanciunas as fan favorites. He’ll get cheers every time he steps foot back in theSmoothie King Center McCollum leaves as thefranchise’sall-time leader in made 3-pointers with 692. He is one of just three players in franchise history toscore50points in game. Anthony Davis and Jamal Mashburn are theothers.
Yeah, there were some rough patches along the way.McCollum madejust 24 of his 80 3-point attempts in his 10 playoff games with the Pelicans. Butthe good far outweighed thebad.
His 1,113 assistsrank fifthin franchise history
That doesn’tinclude all the assists he madeoff thecourt in New Orleans. McCollum partnered withthe Pelicans to create career opportunities for McCollum Scholars and expand mentorship for youth.
He spearheaded thePelicans becoming moreactive in conversations around police reform and racial injustice. McCollum con-
tinues to work toward reforming Louisiana’syouth incarceration system
He opened an education and innovation hub at the Westbank Boys& Girls Club last spring. His generousdonations to the New Orleans Association of Black Journalists helped aspiring journalistspay fortheir college tuition
He was afinalist for the NBA Social Justice Champion Award this season. Last season, McCollum won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. The same respect he earned in during his nine seasons in Portland, he also earned in New Orleans. He’ll no doubt do the sameinD.C.
The trade itself could be awinwin. Awin for the Pelicans. Awin for theWizards. Butfor the city of NewOrleans, it’saloss. Aloss of one of those rare athletes who just does things the right way To theultimate professional, thepeople in New Orleans pop open abottle of your wine, raise their glasses and thank you for what you meanttothe city Cheers!!!
Carter to play in NBASummerLeague
Former LSUguard joinsSan Antonio’s summer squad
BYTOYLOYBROWN III
Staff writer
Former LSU guard Cam Carter
will join the San Antonio Spurs at the NBA Summer League after going undrafted in Thursday’s second round of the NBA draft, according to Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.
The6-foot-3 combo guard averaged 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per gamefor LSU (1418).
He shot 42.5% from the field and39.2% from 3-point range and played all 32 games, averaging the fourth most minutes in the Southeastern Conference (33.2). In his one year under coach Matt McMahon, Carter increased hisscoringaveragebytwo points and his3-point percentage by nearly10% from his junior season at Kansas State. Carter’sstatistical growth came
despite theTigers having less surrounding talentthan expected after LSU’shighest-scoring returner Tyrell Ward (9.1 points) never playedlast season in an effort to focusonhis mental health. Matters became morechallenging for Carter when starting center Jalen Reed tore his ACL in theeighth gameofthe season and never returned.
The NBA Summer League starts July 5with theCaliforniaClassicand Salt Lake City Summer League and will continue from July 10-20 in Las Vegas. While the Donaldsonville native isn’tguaranteed to make the Spurs roster,this opportunity in theleague gives him achance to auditionfor atraining camp invitation for any team. Anotherpossibility is that he is offered atwo-way contract, which allows him to split his timebetween theNBA and the G-League affiliate.
Flaggsettles in Dallas as No.1pickinNBA draft
BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter
DALLAS Cooper Flaggdidn’t wait forMavericksgeneral manager Nico Harrison to break the silence with an opening statement as the No. 1pick in the NBA draft was introduced to apackedDallas news conference. The 18-year-old former Duke star only grew more comfortable from there, two days after walking acrossthe stage in Brooklyn to be greeted by Commissioner Adam Silver Flagg was deferential to thehistory of European stars Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic —the latter being the generational talent traded in February,before the Mavs magically landed the potential of
their next face of the franchise despite just a1.8%chancetowin thedraft lottery
The Associated Pressmen’scollege player of the year quickly declared his love for Mexican food andbarbecue the same question all the Texas newcomers get. Of course, Flagg is about to join quite acollection of names in Kyrie Irving,AnthonyDavis andKlay Thompson, all three with NBA titles on their resumes. Althoughfellow Duke alum Irving won’tjoin Flagg on thecourt until possiblyJanuaryasthe nine-
time All-Star recovers from atorn ACL, theMavs are expecting areturn to theplayoffsafter falling short in 2025, ayear after Irving and Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals,where the Mavs lost to Boston in fivegames. Throw in third-year player Dereck Lively II —another exDuke player, andone whovisited Flagg going into his only season with the Blue Devils last fall— and there are plenty of reasons to believeFlagg gets asofter landing than many top picks whoend up in rebuilding situations.
“He’sverylucky to haveveterans,future Hall of Famers,”said coach Jason Kidd, aHall of Fame point guard who was the second overall choicebythe Mavericks
31 years ago. “The vets are going to protect him andhelp him, and they’re going to push him.”
Flagg flewtoDallas with Mavericks governorPatrick Dumont and both of their families.
“I’m coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day,” Flagg said. “I think expectations and pressures thatotherpeople will put on me andour team, thatwill kind of work itself out. So I’mjusttrying come in and be thebest that I can be and just winatthe highest level.”
The 6-foot-9 Flagg’sposition is oneofthe moreintriguing questions on the court, and the Mavs will have avoid at point guard until Irving returns.
Ujiri joined the Raptors in 2013 as executive vice president and general manager.Hewas promoted to president in 2016 and surrenderedhis responsibilitiesasGM in 2017, when Bobby Webster took over.Webster wasgiven acontract extension, the Raptors said. Terms of that deal were not disclosed. MapleLeaf S&ECEO KeithPelley in astatement says he feels it’s the best move for the organization.
The 54-year-old Ujiri, who was heading into the final year of his contract, led the Raptors to their only NBA title in 2019. The Raptors finished 30-52 last season and missedthe playoffs.
Swiatek beats Paolini for firstgrass final at Homburg Five-time major champion Iga Swiatek reached her first final on grass and first final in morethan a year at the Bad Homburg Open on Friday.World No.8Swiatek beat No. 4Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals and improved her record against the 2024 Wimbledon finalist to 5-0.
“I wasn’texpecting to win this match, so I’mhappy that Ijust did my job,” Swiatek said.
To win her first titlesincethe 2024 French Open, Swiatek will have to go through No. 3Jessica Pegula. Pegula outlasted Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-1. Pegula will appear in her fifth final thisyear,including titles in Austin, Texas, and Charleston, South Carolina.
49ersCBLenoirarrested following trafficincident
Star 49erscornerback DeommodoreLenoirwas arrested in Los Angeles on Thursdaynight and charged with amisdemeanor count of resisting arrest. According to NFLmedia,Lenoir’s arrest charge was for penal code 148(a)(1), also known as resisting arrest. Lenoir,25, was released from jail on Friday and has an L.A. court date set for July 25; 49ers training camp opens July 22. Lenoir,a fifth-round pick from the 2021 draft, received a$92 million, five-year extension last season. He’s heading into his fourth seasonasa starterand is acornerstone of the 49ers’ defense
The 49ersissuedastatement Friday afternoonsaying, “Weare aware (...) and are in the process of gathering furtherinformation.”
Empty seats abound at Club WorldCup
After agroupstageplayed in front of more than 1million empty seats,the Club World Cup moves on to knockout rounds that could soon resemble aChampions League clone. About 56.7% of publiclylisted capacity wasfilled for the 48 group stage matches, which included crowds of 3,412 and 6,730 in Orlando,Florida;5,282 and8,239 in Cincinnati. FIFAdid not provide specific capacities for the tournament despiterepeated requestsfrom The Associated Press. Totalannounced attendance was 1.67 millionfrom 2.95 millioncapacity,anaverage of 34,759. The 12 games televised withEnglishcommentary on TNT, TBS and truTV averaged 360,000 viewers through Monday,including 409,000 for seven matches on nights and weekends.
STAFF FIILE
PHOTOBySOPHIA GERMER
NewOrleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum signals after he scores against the Sacramento Kingsatthe Smoothie King Center on Feb.13.
Flagg
Rod Walker
basketball, baseball, golf and powerlifting. Heck, he even threw the shot put in track and field. But each had its importance. Every sport taught the future Los Angeles Ram something that indirectly contributed to retiring as the oldest offensive lineman to win a Super Bowl In some ways, Whitworth’s activity was his greatest gift.
“Play multiple sports,” said Whitworth with passion. “I grew to be 6’7” 330 pounds. I was going to be able to push people around with my God-given ability But playing tennis and baseball and track and all those other things taught me a skill. Basketball, for example, helped me with my pass protection. What does playing defense look like in basketball? It’s like trying to slide protect. If you want to be a great blocker, you have to keep the defender between yourself and the quarterback. That’s just like in basketball, using your body to stay between them and the goal. A lot of things carry over.”
For a man who prides himself on being mobile, the irony isn’t lost on Whitworth that his most viral moment involved him sitting on the floor of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. His career peaked with the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory against (of all teams, the one he spent his first 11 NFL seasons with) the Cincinnati Bengals just days removed from Whitworth being named the 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year Talk about a whirlwind. Amongst all the confetti on the turf, the West Monroe native sat with his family and told his children that it was “Daddy’s last ballgame.”
“It will forever be special,” Whitworth said “You’ll meet somebody, and you can tell they’re trying to explain to their wife who you are. Then they’ll say you probably saw him on the ground with his family at the Super Bowl And that’s immediately when they recognize me. I don’t ever sit down and take a breath, and that was the moment for me to do it with my kids. It was one of the calmest moments of my career I knew it was over.”
Perhaps the saddest person to see Whitworth go was his head coach Sean McVay, who didn’t mince words when it came to Whitworth’s importance to the franchise.
It was a master stroke to acquire a left tackle who finished his career with 250 NFL starts, meaning McVay was protecting quarterback Matthew Stafford’s blindside with an experienced All-Pro, sure. But it also provided leadership for a first-year head coach on the job.
“When we lost him, I thought I appreciated how valuable he was in terms of his leadership and giving me the ability to hear what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to,” McVay said “I thought I valued it a whole lot, but since he retired, I realized what a unique human being he is. You can’t say enough good things about him. I can’t describe what he means to me. I think he has to go down as one of the greatest free agent signings of all time.”
A storybook ending for a career that featured multiple first-team All-Pro accolades (2015, 2017) and four Pro Bowl selections is quite the contrast to Whitworth’s rocky start. Put it this way — no confetti fell during Whitworth’s first live rep of middle school football at Ouachita Christian School. Not when he stood opposite of the coach’s daughter, Molly Harper, during his first practice. What happened next would be told time and again over the next three decades.
“I get in line and realize I’m going against a person with really long hair, and I’m like, ‘This is the ‘90s… There aren’t too many boys with long hair.’ Other players are like, ‘Hey dude, you better lock in,’” Whitworth remembered “I’m thinking I don’t know how hard I want to hit her because she’s a girl, and she pancaked me and knocked me down.
Offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth was an All-American and All-SEC selection during his LSU career from 2002-05. Whitworth headlines the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
“I remember thinking, ‘Maybe football isn’t for me,’ because I was a basketball kid at the time. I love to tell that story because if you have a totem pole of where you career is, near the bottom has to be what people think of when the coach’s daughter trucks you. But it’s not about that. I didn’t quit. I made a commitment to finish something, and I ended up falling in love with it.”
Whitworth quickly ascended to one of the top prep players in Louisiana with the West Monroe Rebels and played a part in two national championship teams in 1998 and 2000, arguably the peak of that prestigious football program.
At West Monroe, Whitworth played for the legendary Don Shows, the 2011 LSHOF inductee who holds the fifth most wins in LHSAA football history Whitworth transitioned from tight end to tackle his senior year and ultimately chose to play football for Nick Saban at LSU, despite admiring Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators growing up.
Saban was honest about Whitworth projecting better as an offensive tackle, and Whitworth appreciated Saban’s candor Wholeheartedly, Whitworth believed Shows made him tough, while Saban brought out the best in him.
“Don lived hanging off of my facemask, chewing me to pieces,” Whitworth said. “Don would take me down to get his point across. He wanted to take down our best player and fire the other guys up. It was manipulation a little bit. He was like VinceMcMahon Hewasashowman
“Nick was all about having a sense of urgency to be great. Here’s the playbook, what all has to happen and what it looks like to chase greatness. Can you keep up? I loved that challenge of matching his urgency every day to be great.”
Whitworth played for legends in high school and in college and ultimately played for a Super Bowl winning coach with McVay
“He’s the closest thing I saw to Nick Saban,” Whitworth said.
It’s quite the compliment for McVay, who isn’t afraid to give Whitworth immense credit for changing the culture of the Rams organization. McVay astutely pointed out the Rams had 10 straight losing seasons beforeWhitworthjoinedin2017.The Rams went 55-26 with five straight winning seasons, four playoff runs and two Super Bowl appearances with Whitworth at left tackle.
“I just finished up my eighth year, and I can’t imagine what that would have looked like without him to help me as a first-year head coach,” McVay said. “That was a big edge for us.”
Before Whitworth completed the trifecta of winning a ring at every level, he was a valued member of an LSU football team that broke through and won the 2003 national championship.
“We were freaking rock stars,”
Whitworth said “Every single day, going back-and-forth to practice, we felt like we were a part of Guns N’ Roses or Aerosmith. Fans were outside our hotel. They were shaking and hitting the busses. Playing in New Orleans for the national championship when
and he can come off pin downs.
NCAA
Continued from page 1C
resolved in recent years and noted its enforcement staff is working on issuing notices of allegations in several ongoing gambling cases.
Still, the NCAA has acknowledged the challenges in barring adult athletes at hundreds of schools from gambling on pro sports. Two years ago, it made reinstatement policies more lenient and the NCAA has a multi-year partnership with Genius Sports, which distributes official NCAA data to licensed sportsbooks, an arrangement that bars negative prop bets.
Dr Deena Casiero, the NCAA’s chief medical officer, said allowing pro sports betting may be more effective and realistic than an “abstinence-only” approach, clearing the way for education and better understanding of the risks.
“By meeting student-athletes where they are, schools may be more effective at preventing, identifying and supporting student-athletes with problematic gambling behaviors,” Casiero said.
Continued from page 1C
“So far, everything’s been true so far I know he’s going to treat this like a real high major program and really focus on player development. Those are the two main things that really sold me.”
In his one season at Pepperdine, Olvera averaged 5.9 points in 16.4 minutes per game over 35 games, including seven starts. White looks forward to watching Olvera’s offensive game flourish.
“The reason why I recruited Jaxon is he can score the ball,” White said. “He had 27 against Gonzaga as a freshman. Jaxon can do a variety of things — he can play out the pick and roll and I’ve been seeing more of that here lately in practice
“He has a high IQ and he’s a really, really good shooter We’re lucky to have him, and I look forward to putting him in multiple positions to score.”
Olvera’s confidence in his perimeter shooting stems from his ability to attack in a variety of ways.
“I think I’m a really elite 3-point shooter because I can shoot in so many different ways,” he said.
“I’m not just a catch-and-shoot guy I can come off a screen and shoot or one dribble and shoot. I’ve got a lot of different shots I can get to.”
White and Olvera foresee the versatile guard quickly becoming a fan favorite for his hustle on defense.
“One hundred percent, definitely a scrappy defender,” Olvera said.
“I think the underrated part of Jaxon’s game is his defense,”
it’s been almost 50 years since you won it, that’s hard to replicate. Yeah, they’ve had talented teams since, but what that one meant, it was really special.”
Changing the culture is what Whitworth’s career is all about. He was front and center of Saban ushering in the golden era of LSU football. And you could argue he did the same for Cincinnati, as the Bengals morphed into a consistent winner from 2006-16 after posting just two winning seasons in the previous 17 years.
The numbers and accolades speak loudly, but his leadership inside the locker room reveals even more about the man whose Big Whit 77 Foundation donated $250,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank during the pandemic.
Former Cincinnati offensive lineman Clint Boling, who was drafted in 2011 during the NFL lockout, had no communication with the Bengals for three to four months due to the work stoppage. A week after being drafted, Whitworth reached out to Boling, invited him to a charity golf tourney in the offseason and paid for his flight and hotel room to stay and bond with all the offensive linemen that came. Later on, Whitworth organized voluntary workouts, and once more flew Boling out to practice at the University of Cincinnati with other Bengal players. Boling never forgot it.
“One of the best ways to describe his leadership is to describe the void when he left in 2016,” Boling said. “There weren’t very many guys who could take on that leadership role because he was such a big presence with the way he would lead our group.”
Football remains a focal point of Whitworth’s life, even though it’s in a different capacity His work now consists of breaking down the game in front of a camera, rather than taking on many hall of fame pass rushers he’s faced through the decades.
Evolution was a big part of Whitworth’s game, as he slimmed down and embraced flexibility exercises to counter the speedy pass rushers that flooded the league in the latter stages of his career And here he is parlaying retirement to evolve once more.
Surprisingly, Whitworth admitted this new venture is a little more nerve-wracking too. Some might think he’s making a fashion statement with the hoodie under his suit on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football telecast but it actually has little to do with that.
“When you get feedback from people who say they love seeing you on T.V., it makes you feel good because you just don’t know,” Whitworth said. “I’m not super confident in it. That’s why I wear my hoodie It makes me feel comfortable to be myself. I’m just trying to be me.”
Traveling from one NFL city to the next as part of a broadcast crew is a fitting “retirement” for the Louisiana legend. Nope, you won’t catch Whitworth slowing down any time soon. For a man who is seemingly always on the move, it’s a lifestyle well earned.
White said. “He’s going to eventually develop into a two-way guard. We’re working on that day in and day out, and I think he’s eventually going to be one of the best two-way players in the country.”
Olvera is convinced he can help UL win at three different positions.
“I think that’s one of my main strengths and also what coach really liked about me is that I’m versatile,” he said. “I think I can play some point guard I can play off the ball and I can even play the 3. I can guard one through three. That can help me give us some depth.”
Olvera also brings a much-needed intangible to UL’s squad. Before going to Pepperdine, Olvera played at two prep schools that focused more on basketball than most high school programs do, as well as sport deeper benches
“I was able to learn how to im-
“NCAA rules prohibiting sports betting at all levels were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide,” said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and council chairman. “As betting on sports has become more widely accepted across the country Division I members have determined that further discussion of these sports betting rules is warranted, particularly as it relates to the potential distinctions between betting on professional vs. collegiate sports.”
Current NCAA rules do not allow athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting for any sports that have NCAA championships; bets by an athlete on their own team or own sport risks a lifetime ban from college athletics.
“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff including our new sports betting integrity unit — has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement.
SAINTS
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edge over other young prospects like Kevin Austin and Mason Tipton. Pettis is an obvious returner candidate, though he’s also displayed some chemistry with the quarterbacks.
Offensive line (8):
Kelvin Banks,Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz Taliese Fuaga, Dillon Radunz,Will Clapp, Landon Young: Eight offensive linemen may seem too few given the emphasis that Moore has made about building through the trenches. But with numbers tight elsewhere, and a 16-man practice squad, perhaps the Saints can afford to go a little lighter at the position.
Tight end (4):
Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, Jack Stoll, Moliki Matavao: You’ll note no Taysom Hill on this list, but that’s because of uncertainty regarding his knee injury For these purposes, expect Hill — who tore his ACL and suffered additional damage last December — to open the season on the league’s Physically Unable to Perform list. That would knock him out for at least the first four games of the season. If Hill can go, he’ll obviously make the final roster The same consideration was given for Moreau, who is also coming off a serious knee injury but said he hopes to be back by training camp.
Edge rusher (4):
Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan, Isaiah Foskey
Defensive line (6): Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux,Vernon Broughton, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Jonah Williams: Good luck figuring this one out right now The Saints’ defensive line is arguably the most crowded spot on the roster And there are plenty of questions that come with it.
pact winning on different levels than with just scoring,” he said. “I was able to really play a different role — be a bench guy, be a rotation guy come in and play defense or just come in and make one or two shots and be happy going back to the bench and just doing my role.”
Olvera is one of eight portal transfers on White’s first roster not to mention three holdovers and a talented freshman class.
From what he witnessed in June’s workouts, Olvera isn’t concerned at all about team chemistry
“I think coach Q is also doing a great job of telling people what their role is going to be early on,” Olvera said. “Once you get everybody to buy into their role, the sky is the limit from there.
“This is the most connected and bought-into team I’ve ever been on, especially this early on. Ev-
In other NCAA moves, the Division I Board of Directors this week formally adopted roster limits for NCAA sports as part of the $2.8 billion House settlement that also allows revenue-sharing and schools to award as many scholarships as they wish within the roster caps.
Also this week, the Division I Council:
n Endorsed a recommended cap of 32 regular-season games in both men’s and women’s basketball beginning with the 202627 season. Critics include earlyseason tournament organizers who say the change could result in fewer marquee matchups.
n Introduced a proposal to add women’s flag football to the emerging sports for women program. Flag football has grown rapidly in popularity and will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
n Adopted scheduling flexibility changes allowing Football Championship Subdivision programs to compete in 12 regularseason games every year, starting in 2026. n Voted to introduce proposals that, if also supported by Divisions II and III would establish NCAA championships for women’s stunt and women’s acrobatics and tumbling as early as spring 2027. The sports have grown in popularity
Can New Orleans afford to keep both Saunders and Shepherd after acquiring Godchaux and Broughton? Are they going to part ways with Khristian Boyd and John Ridgeway? Is Isaiah Foskey, a 2023 second-rounder, in danger of missing the roster?
Linebacker (5):
Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Danny Stutsman, Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson The top three seem pretty solidified, but there’s room on the back end to make a dent. Sewell and Jackson, for now, get the nod for special-teams purposes, but Jaylan Ford could also contribute well in that area. It was tempting to put only four linebackers here, but defensive coordinator Brandon Staley went with five inside linebackers in each of his three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Cornerback (5):
Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Isaac Yiadom, Ugo Amadi Safety (5): Justin Reid,Tyrann Mathieu, Jordan Howden, Jonas Sanker, J.T. Gray: Terrell Burgess and Amadi were two of the toughest calls when doing this exercise. Both players can play inside cornerback and safety, and both appeared to have strong offseasons. But Amadi has been a steady presence in the Saints’ secondary over the last two seasons. That gives him the nod, for now
Specialists (3):
Blake Grupe, Matthew Hayball and Zach Wood: If James Burnip beats out Hayball this summer the Saints’ incumbent punter will have lost his job in three straight training camps. But Hayball showed promise as a rookie, and if he can take a step forward, that should be enough to hold off Burnip. Grupe also is expected to face competition from Charlie Smyth, but Grupe has been the more consistent of the two.
erybody’s bought in and ready to do whatever their role is when the season comes.”
While UL basketball fans certainly have a lot to digest with a new coaching staff and roster, Olvera said he is convinced everything will come together when the season starts.
“It’s going to happen,” Olvera said. “We 100% believe that we’re going to be one of the best teams in the country I feel like coach Q is just instilling that mentality in us. We know how hard we work.
“A lot of us has been to other schools — some have been to big time schools and we all know this is the hardest we’ve ever worked before. So it’s kind of just coming together on the hard work.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
FILE PHOTO By STEVE FRANZ
NASCAR’s Cup to debut In-Season Challenge
BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter
HAMPTON, Ga. — The debut of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge in Saturday night’s Cup Series race in Atlanta generated differing opinions and expectations from drivers. After all, there’s a points race to attend to. Every team’s top priority is qualifying for the playoffs and trying to win the championship. Some drivers acknowledge they simply haven’t paid attention to the new race within the race.
Joey Logano says he sees no reason to view the new tournament as a distraction.
“If there’s something to win, you want to go win it,” Logano said Friday.
Denny Hamlin is the No 1 seed in the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway is the No. 2 seed A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT Briscoe said Friday he felt “definitely a sigh of relief, you know just a weight off your shoulders” following last week’s win. He said that sense of relief was short-lived.
“I’m expected to win multiple races, not just one,” Briscoe said. “It’s a sense of relief, but also more pressure because now they know you can win.”
NASCAR hopes the tournament generates midseason interest. The single-elimination format cuts the field to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Many drivers expect their inter-
ä Quaker State 400 6 P.M
SATURDAy,TNT SPORTS,TRUTV
est in the tournament will increase after Saturday night’s race.
“I think some of the drivers have been kind of dismissive over the bracket challenge,” said Brad Keselowski, who enters the race No. 30 in the points standings and in need of a win in Atlanta to earn a playoff spot in his RFK Racing Ford.
“I think it’ll become a lot more real, whether it be for the drivers or for the media or the fans, as it progresses into the later rounds over the next few weeks,” Keselowski said Added Ricky Stenhouse, who is 24th in the points race, of the new tournament: “It’s cool. I think after this weekend you’ll have a little better idea of what you have. Our main goal in Atlanta is winning and getting into the playoffs.”
Drawing ‘Uncle’ Noah
Briscoe is facing No. 31 seed Noah Gragson in the first bracket. He says it’s a difficult matchup, in part because “he’s actually probably my best friend on the circuit and my son’s favorite driver.”
Briscoe said his 3-year-old son, Brooks, thinks of Gragson “like that uncle that just you take your kid to, and he has Pop-Tarts and ice cream and everything else when he’s with them.”
Added Briscoe: “Hopefully I’ll win. If not I’ll never here the end of it from Noah or my son.”
Briscoe posted a photo on his X account of his son’s bracket. The photo shows the smiling Brooks holding a bracket with his father’s No. 19 winning every round of the tournament
in
Racing for Rhealynn
Chase Elliott has a special paint scheme on his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that was designed by 11-year-old cancer patient Rhealynn Mills. Elliott chose Mills’ design to highlight his foundation’s efforts to raise money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Elliott said the “Design to Drive” program has raised $500,000 for the children’s hospital.
“The only bad thing is I feel like
we’ve crashed every time we’ve done it,” Elliott said, adding his sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, deserved credit “for giving up the car” so the paint scheme could instead feature Mills’ design.
New name for Atlanta track EchoPark Speedway is the new name for the track that was still known as Atlanta Motor Speedway in February when Christopher Bell won while leading only the final lap
SCOREBOARD
forward, 6-5, 205, Illinois
21. Washington Wizards: Will Riley, guard/ forward, 6-8, 186, Illinois
22. Brooklyn Nets: Drake Powell, guard/forward, 6-6, 195, North Carolina
23. Atlanta Hawks: Asa Newell, forward/center, 6-9, 224, Georgia
24. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nique Clifford, guard, 6-5, 202, Colorado State
25. Orlando Magic: Jase Richardson, guard, 6-1, 178, Michigan State
27. Brooklyn Nets: Danny Wolf, forward/ center, 6-11, 252, Michigan
28. Boston Celtics: Hugo Gonzalez, guard/ forward, 6-6, 205, Real Madrid (Spain)
29. Charlotte Hornets: Liam McNeeley forward, 6-7, 215, UConn
30. L.A. Clippers: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, 6-11, 215, center, Penn State Second-round picks
31. Minnesota Timberwolves: Rasheer Fleming, f/c, Saint Josesph’s.
32. Boston Celtics: Noah Penda, f, Le Mans Sarthe Basket (France).
33. Charlotte Hornets: Sion James, g/f, Duke.
(Vásquez 3-4) at Cincinnati (Abbott 7-1), 3:10 p.m. San Francisco (Ray 8-2) at Chicago White Sox (Houser 2-2), 3:10 p.m. St. Louis (Mikolas 4-5) at Cleveland (Cecconi 3-3), 3:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Rea 4-3) at Houston (Gusto 5-3), 6:15 p.m. Philadelphia (Luzardo 7-3) at Atlanta (Schwellenbach 6-4), 6:15 p.m. Washington (Soroka 3-5) at L.A. Angels (Hendricks 5-6), 8:38 p.m. Pro basketball
WNBA Glance
EASTERN CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE
n Connecticut at Seattle, n New York at Phoenix, n Saturday’s Games Washington at Dallas, 7 p.m. NBA draft
First-round picks 1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, forward 6-8, 221, Duke 2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, guard, 6-5, 213, Rutgers 3. Philadelphia 76ers: VJ Edgecombe, guard, 6-4, 193, Baylor 4. Charlotte Hornets: Kon Knueppel, forward, 6-7, 217, Duke 5. Utah Jazz: Ace Bailey forward, 6-8, 203, Rutgers
6. Washington Wizards: Tre Johnson, guard, 6-5, 190, Texas
7. New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, guard, 6-3, 180, Oklahoma
Jens Dantorp, Sweden 68-71—139 -1 Ewen Ferguson, Scotland 68-71—139 1 Daniel Gale, Australia 68-71—139 -1
Joel Girrbach, Switzerland 72-67—139 1 Gavin Green, Malaysia 68-71—139 1 Oliver Lindell, Finland 71-68—139 -1
Yannik Paul, Germany 70-69—139 1
Andy Sullivan, England 67-72—139 -1
Jeff Winther, Denmark 69-70—139 1
Marcus Armitage, England 69-71—140 E
Wil Besseling, Netherlands 66-74—140 E
Jorge Campillo, Spain 70-70—140 E Sean Crocker, United States 73-67—140 E Manuel Elvira, Spain 69-71—140 E Ross Fisher, England 69-71—140 E Hiroshi Iwata, Japan 75-65—140 E Mikael Lindberg, Sweden 67-73—140 E
Luca Memeo, Italy 69-71—140 E Tapio Pulkkanen, Finland 69-71—140 E Callum Shinkwin, England 74-66—140 E Clement Sordet, France 69-71—140 E
Bernd Wiesberger, Austria 71-69—140 E Veer Ahlawat, India 70-71—141 +1
Bastien Amat, France 68-73—141 +1
John Catlin, United States 69-72—141 +1
B. Follett-Smith, Zimbabwe 74-67—141 +1
A. George Frances, Denmark 72-69—141 +1
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, Spain 72-69—141 +1
J. Gumberg, United States 70-71—141 +1
Justin Harding, South Africa 71-70—141 +1
Angel Hidalgo, Spain 72-69—141 +1
Scott Jamieson, Scotland 71-70—141 +1
Zihao Jin, China 69-72—141 +1
Marcus Kinhult, Sweden 71-70—141 +1
Stefano Mazzoli, Italy 70-71—141 +1
Jacob Skov Olesen, Denmark 69-72—141 +1
Kristoffer Reitan, Norway 71-70—141 +1
S. Soderberg, Sweden 69-72—141 +1
Tadeas Tetak, Slovakia 71-70—141 +1
Dale Whitnell, England 71-70—141 +1
Bjorn Akesson, Sweden 68-74—142 +2
Joe Dean, England 75-67—142 +2
Alejandro Del Rey, Spain 72-70—142 +2
Grant Forrest, Scotland 68-74—142 +2
D. Germishuys, South Africa 73-69—142 +2
Ricardo Gouveia, Portugal 75-67—142 +2
Michael Hirmer, Germany 71-71—142 +2
Ross McGowan, England 74-68—142 +2
Shaun Norris, South Africa 69-73—142 +2
David Ravetto, France 72-70—142 +2
Matthias Schwab, Austria 70-72—142 +2
Jack Senior, England 72-70—142 +2
Corey Shaun, United States 74-68—142 +2
Elvis Smylie, Australia 70-72—142 +2
Robin Williams, South Africa 70-72—142 +2
Thomas Aiken, South Africa 72-71—143 +3
Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium 72-71—143 +3
Ugo Coussaud, France 72-71—143 +3
Dan Erickson, United States 71-72—143 +3
Darren Fichardt, South Africa 71-72—143 +3
Joakim Lagergren, Sweden 72-71—143 +3
Romain Langasque, France 69-74—143 +3
Zander Lombard, South Africa 71-72—143 +3
Manfredi Manica, Italy 75-68—143 +3
Richard Mansell, England 71-72—143 +3
Renato Paratore, Italy 72-71—143 +3
Richie Ramsay, Scotland 73-70—143 +3
Benjamin Schmidt, England 72-71—143 +3
Jason Scrivener, Australia 69-74—143 +3
Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark 70-74—144 +4
G. Fernandez-Castano, Spain 71-73—144 +4
Benjamin Hebert, France 69-75—144 +4
Yuto Katsuragawa, Japan 68-76—144 +4
Pablo Larrazabal, Spain 69-75—144 +4
Niklas Lemke, Sweden 72-72—144 +4
Alexander Levy, France 71-73—144 +4
Keita Nakajima, Japan 69-75—144 +4
Michele Ortolani, Italy 74-70—144 +4
A. Otgui, United Arab Emirates70-74—144 +4
Conor Purcell, Ireland 70-74—144 +4
Richard Sterne, South Africa 68-76—144 +4
Darius Van Driel, Netherlands 71-73—144 +4
Andrew Wilson, England 71-73—144 +4
Aron Zemmer, Italy 73-71—144 +4
Matthew Baldwin, England 71-74—145 +5
in overtime. It’s the home track for Elliott, from Dawsonville, Georgia, and he acknowledged seeing the name change and the new green paint “was different for me. I think it’s fine.”
Odds and ends
Ryan Blaney is the favorite (+800) to win the race, per BetMGM Sportsbook. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, each at +1000, were next.
Danny List, Australia
Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, Italy
5 Fabrizio Zanotti, Paraguay
-5 Aaron Cockerill, Canada
Jannik De Bruyn, Germany
Alex Fitzpatrick, England
-4 Alexander Knappe, Germany
Edoardo Molinari, Italy
Filippo Celli, Italy 71-74—145 +5
Kevin Chappell, United States 69-76—145 +5
Frederic Lacroix, France 71-74—145 +5
Wilco Nienaber, South Africa 72-73—145 +5
Ryan Van Velzen, South Africa 70-75—145 +5
Louis Albertse, South Africa 70-76—146 +6
Julien Brun, France 72-74—146 +6
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FERNANDO LLANO
Joey Logano walks to his car before a NASCAR Cup Series race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track on June 15
Mexico City
TerryRobinson
FAITH MATTERS
Learning to talk gospel from this La.pastor’s newbook
Do you have amoment fora gospel conversation?
Since hearing Sam Greer speak at aconference in New Orleans in April, Iwas compelled to add his book “The Gospel Conversationalist: How Jesus Engaged the Lost in Everyday Life” (WestBow Press) to myrapidly growing summer reading list. Good choice.
Idiscovered the book tobe apractical and gospel-based resource that encourages and equips people of faith to share their faith —byfollowingthe example of Jesus, the “original” gospel conversationalist
“By considering Jesus’conversational approach to sharing the truth of the gospel, this book seeks to mine through some of Jesus’ encounters and one-on-one conversations for applicable principles for becominga gospel conversationalist,” Greer writes in his introduction.
AMississippi native, Greer
graduatedfromNew Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and pastoredtwo Louisiana churches: Bonner Creek Baptist in Franklinton and Hebron Baptist in Bush. Since 2012, he has served as senior pastor of Red Bank Baptist in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
What does this gospel message say that we should be making an effort to share with others?
Greer gets right to the answer: “The gospel says Jesus lived alife we couldn’tlive, died adeath we should’vedied and rose from the dead proving He alone can forgive sin. The gospel says God has done for us, in through us the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, what we could never do for ourselves.”
Agood gospel conversationalist is fond of —and actually can hardly resist —engaging in conversations about Jesus.
“The more you get to know Jesus the more you will want to tell others about Him,” he writes. “A gospel conversationalist says what the gospelsays. Aftergiving aclear gospel presentation, agospel conversationalist will offer asimple gospelinvitation.”
Greer follows that up with some sample transitional questions.
Jesus’ effectiveness was in his ability to speak the languages of the person in whom was speaking, according to Greer. “When we take the timeto speak to aperson in away that will connectwith them, to speak their language, it is powerful,” he writes. “Don’tonly speak to people, but seek to speak his or her language.”
ä See MATTERS, page 6C
PEACE OF MIND
Mediterranean native offers nature connectionsand coaching in BR
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Onawarm andmuggy
Wednesday evening, fourwomen sat together on apicnic blanket afew paces from apathintothe forest. They introduced themselves to oneanotherwhile themusic of thecricketsand birds surrounded them. The Nature Connection session wasjust beginning.
Aftersomedeep breathing,sensory meditation and intention setting, thewomen roseand gathered theirbelongings,ready to trek into the Baton Rouge woods near South Harrell’sFerry Road
Lilia Kapsali-Grant, anature-connection coach and the facilitator of the nature connection session, led thegroup into BREC’sForestCommunityParkvia thehiking trail.
“Thích Nhat Hanh, aBuddhist monkand author,said to walk as if your feet arekissing the earth,” Kapsali-Grant said. Upon this direction,the hikers steppeda little softer alongthe
grass and soil.
Making connections
Alifelonglover of nature, Kapsali-Grant grew up on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.She studied biological science with the goal of being aresearch scientist,and even spent some time in Borneo andIndonesia, doing research in the jungle.
Kapsali-Grant worked in education fora conservation organization in Cyprus, but the cycle of unloading information onto people was having adiscouraging impact on her. She wasn’tseeing the knowledge turn into action likeshe hoped.
After experiencing the death of
hermother, she gotmarriedand moved to Baton Rouge in 2014. Nature factored intoher mourning period.
“I realized that nature wasthere for me, and that it really did help me sort of process my grief,” Kapsali-Grant said. “I know it sounds abit crazy,but Iwould talk to the trees and the birds.”
She returned to school to get her master’sdegree in outdoor environmental and sustainability education.
“I realizedthatthere were other ways to educate people that were
ä See NATURE, page 6C
Boba Partea openssecondlocationinBR
BY SERENA PUANG
STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Lilia Kapsali-Grant, facingthe camera, leads agroup on ahikeduring agroup nature session at Forest Community Park on June 18.
Lilia Kapsali-Grant leadsa groupinmediation during agroup nature session at ForestCommunity Park.
PROVIDED PHOTO FROM AMAZON
Staff writer
Stop with therampant grouptexts
Dear Miss Manners: Ishared acute photo of my daughter with several other mothers by creating agroup text. It was asingle picture of my daughter,not amilelong text exchange.
One of the mothers texted me separately not to include her in atext chain withpeople she does not know,and then exited the group. Is it bad text etiquette to do this in general?
Judith Martin
MISS MANNERS
Gentle reader: Group texts without prior consent are aviolation and they must be stopped. They are notonly confusing, what with their rampant, nameless phone numbers, but can alsoeasily be abused with product solicitations (Girl Scout cookies, anyone?) or
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, June 28, the 179th day of 2025. There are 186 days left in the year
Todayinhistory
On June 28, 1914, in an act that sparked World WarI,Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, wereshot to death in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip.
On this date: In 1863, during the Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. George G. Meade as the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, following the resignation of Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending the First World War. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, which required adult foreigners residing in the U.S. to be registered and fingerprinted.
In 1969, riots broke out following apolice raid at
other fundraisingschemes. That mother was wise to get out early. Youwill rarely find Miss Mannerstouting theadvantages ofsocial media, butatleast its participation is voluntary. Yours is acase when it would have beenideal. If yousimply must sharethat cute picture of your daughter,do so there —where friends, family and strangers alike can commenttotheir hearts’ desire. Withouthavingtogain 372,486 new anonymous friends. Dear MissManners: Ilike pretty clothes.Ilike cute shoes and accessories, and Ithink clothing shouldbeflattering and attractive. There are afew family members who onlywear olive, mus-
TODAYINHISTORY
theStonewall Inn, an LGBTQ+ bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, leading to six days ofviolent protests that served as awatershed moment in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. In 1997, boxer MikeTyson was disqualified from hisrematch with heavyweighttitleholder Evander Holyfield after Tyson bit Holyfield twice in thethird round, including biting off aportion of Holyfield’s right ear In 2000, seven months after he wasfound adriftin theStraits of Florida, Elian Gonzalez was returned to hisnative Cuba. In 2017, aman armed with ashotgun attacked theoffices of The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, killing four journalists and astaffer before police stormedthe building and arrested him; authorities said Jarrod Ramoshad along-running grudge against thenewspaper forits reporting of aharassmentcase against him. (Ramos would be convicted andsentenced to six life sentences plus 345
tard, khaki, black and other dull colors; clunky,unattractive shoes; and few accessories. Ihave never commented on their attire. Yet every time they see me, they have somethingtosay
When Iattended ababy shower, Iwore adustypink jacket with a black top,gray pants, pink shoes and apale pink necklace. Iamout of responses for “Your shoes match your outfit!” (Aren’t they supposed to?)And my necklace was pink, too! Someone even asked my son if Ireally liked pink or if Iwas just trying to match theshower.Helooked at her like he had no idea what she was talking about.
Ifeel like Ihave to defend my choices, but Ireally don’tknow what to say to stop them from these comments. Another cousin
years in prison.) In 2019, avowed White supremacistJames Alex Fields, who deliberately drove his car intoacrowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing ayoung woman and injuring dozens, apologized for his actions before being sentenced to life in prison on federal hate crime charges In 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. Today’sbirthdays: Filmmaker-comedian Mel Brooks is 99. Diplomat and politician Hans Blix is 97. Actor Bruce Davison is 79. Actor Kathy Bates is 77. Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 65. Actor John Cusack is 59. Actor Mary Stuart Masterson is 59. Actor Tichina Arnold is 56. Filmmakeractor Mike White is 55. Businessexecutive Elon Musk is 54. Actor Alessandro Nivola is 53. Country singer-TV personality Kellie Pickler is 38. Olympic track gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah is 33.
BOBA PARTEA
Continued from page5C
weathered the instability of the food/beverage industry since then and built a beloved business/hub for Asian American events and desserts on O’NealLane. Last year, they announced that they’d be openinga second location by Costco, but unexpected delays kept getting in theway According to Nguyen, they faced zoning issues (the building for the second location was zoned residential), and then energy, water and gas issues.The problems didn’thappen all at once. Instead,one problem would get solved, she said, and another would begin. But hopefully,the worst is behind them. “I’m excitedtohaveanew kitchen,” she said. “Wehave alot moreroominhere.” Nguyen plans to keep both locations open, but the Celtic Drive location is much bigger and will serve as the home base. The new location will also launch newmatchaand coffeebasedmenuitems,available at both stores. For the soft openingFriday,Boba Partea will run aspecial:Buy twolarge
MATTERS
Continued from page5C
Encounters with the rich young ruler,the Samaritan woman, Nicodemus and the Zacchaeus were powerful examples Greer highlighted to show Jesus’ ability to meet various people one-on-one Jesus also knew how to
speak to the crowd,anopportunity manybelievers shun.
“Our 21st century American society is geared toward avoiding thecrowds,” Greer writes, referencing the miracle of feedingofthe 5,000 in John6.“Whether it be selfcheckoutlines, interstate bypasses, theme park fast passes, onlineshopping, onlinebanking,onlinenet-
drinks, get abaked good for free. The grand opening event will be amini Asian street food festivalwith food and local creative vendors. Theshophas about 400 boba bucketsavailable in four different colors and special, flavored tiramisu cakes on Saturday
After thegrand opening, Boba Partea will be open 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 8p.m. Sunday Email Serena Puang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com.
working or social media, our society goes to great lengths to avoid great crowds.” Greer’squick 106-page book teaches us not to avoid the crowd or anyone else in our effort to be an effective gospel conversationalist.
ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com.
will stare at me (and others as well) and then say,“Youlook tired.Doyou feel all right?”
All of these personal comments are in poor taste, awkward and rude. Is there any response that will discourage them?
Gentlereader: “Thank you.” This is regardless of whether or not the comments are complimentary
For theones that are not, Miss Manners recommends you just stand there in your cute matching outfit, nodding and smiling as they dig themselves in deeper
Dear Miss Manners: Can you please advise me on how to politely deal with heavycondensation dripping from water glasses, wine goblets, cocktail glasses, etc., at outdoor restaurants when coasters are not provided?
Does one hold one’snapkin un-
der the goblet while sipping? Let it drip to the floor before drinking? Drip on your attire? Or (shudder) decant the julep into aportable container? Nothing seems correct. Gentle reader: Cloth napkins are nonnegotiable. Paper will disintegrate. If those are not provided, ask. Then Miss Manners suggests you hold it discreetly over the bottom of the glass or goblet stem so that the condensation falls on it —and not on your clothing or shoes.
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.
NATURE
Continuedfrom page5C
moreabout connecting with our heart and our body and notjust dumping information on people,”she said. In 2020, as aresultofthe COVID-19 pandemic, she noticed that manypeople were home struggling.So shestarted offering meetup sessions in BREC parks through theMeetup app. The sessions included sitting in nature, walkingin nature and engaging the senses. She was developing hereducational practice by offering something to the community and experimentingwith mindfulness meditations she had learned during her studies.
Possibilities opened up for Kapsali-Grant, and she applied for an International Coaching Federationaccredited certificate in nature-connected coaching from theEarth-BasedInstitute in Colorado.
Today,Kapsali-Grant offerstwo paths toward nature connection: one-on-one nature coaching and group nature connection sessions.
Nature sessions
Kapsali-Grant offers the near-weekly nature connection sessionsbehind the Little Learners Outdoors space on 14747 TerrellRoad, which backs up to theForest CommunityPark hiking trail.
Owner of Little Learners Outdoors, Shelley Smith got to know Kapsali-Grant when she brought hertoddler to Smith’sopen play days. They bonded over the importance of nature and worked out an agreement that allowed Kapsali-Granttohosther nature connection sessions on Smith’sproperty.
“I’mopen to moreprograms that are not me leading,”Smith said.“It’s important that everybody connects to nature. More people need it than they think.”
Kapsali-Grant designs each nature connection session to help people reconnect with thenatural world and themselves. She incorporates guided meditation, sit spottime, writing and creative expression to deepen awarenessand invite reflection. The sessions are open to ages 16 and up.
Thesesessionscurrently takeplace from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays at Little LearnersOutdoors
and cost $20.
Life coaching in nature
Kapsali-Grant is the only certifiedNature Connected Coach in Louisiana.While there are ecotherapy options through counseling, KapsaliGrant focuses on coaching, not therapy
“It’sabout bringing life coaching into nature to help people discover what they want in life andwhattheir deeper vision is by using nature as aco-guide,”she said. “Someone maybegoing through abit of astuck time in theirlife,sotheygo outinnature andkeep seeingthe way trees are growing, which is meaningful for them.So, as acoach, Iwould ask questions to get them to go deeper inside and come up with their own answers.”
Nature connectedcoaching can take place in local parks, in backyards or even inside withplants. KapsaliGrant tailors the coaching sessionstoher clients. She says the mental andphysical benefits of being immersed in nature are long-reaching.
Tara Titone,the director of the LSU Hilltop Arboretum, agrees that nature can have real effects on the body
“Growing research shows that exposure to natural environments has been associated with reduced cortisol levels,” Titone wrote in an email, “so even abrief encounter to take in the sights, smells, textures, and sounds of nature can make us feel good. When our mental health is positively impacted, so is our immune function, blood pressure, and sleep which can influence obesity and lower our cardiovascular risk.”
Nature connectedcoaching uses visualization, imagination, meditation and conversation. It’s based on a life-affirming, creative, ho-
listic philosophy that views humans as complete, whole andpowerful beings that are inherently connected to the greater wholes of family,society,nature andthe universe.
Kapsali-Grant usesa framework called deep ecology,which was created by Eco-Buddhist Joanna Macy, in her coaching practice.
“I honorour subjectivity, our consciousness, our individuality as people,” said Kapsali-Grant, “and it’sa confidentialand empowering process. If we want to open up to that connection, that purpose, that meaning, we canmovebeyond this destruction we see aroundus —even beyond the wars, the separation, the judgment, all thosethingsthatplaguehumanity.”
To learn more about Kapsali-Grant’snature connection work, visit presencingnature.com or her Instagram page, Presencingnature. To register for anature connectionsession, visit littlelearnersoutdoors.com
Email Joy Holdenatjoy holden@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
The newBoba Partea is located at 10190 Celtic Drivenear Costco and Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge.
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Shelly Smith, left, and RachelSchexnayder enjoychatting with Lilia Kapsali-Grant during a group nature session at Forest Community Park on June 18.
Rachel Schexnayder walksthrough the woods of Forest Community Park.
cAncER(June 21-July 22) Channelyour energyintosomething positive. Be a leader and aconduitfor thosewho have lost theirway.Doyourpart, andsupport and respect will follow.
LEo(July 23-Aug.22) Engage in conversationsand displays that offerinsight intonew and exciting possibilities, and you will gain momentum, interestand input that will carry youfar beyond your imagination. Don't hold back.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Keep an eye on your cash, investments, legalmatters andmedical issues. You'll getmixed responses and require additional opinions to avoidbeing misled by someone less qualified.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Keep situations andconversations in perspective. If something sounds too good to be true, it's probablyexaggerated information. Aimhigh and reach forrecognition and aseat at thetable. Advancement is apparent.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Someone will be eager to takeadvantage of you if you are gullible. Avoid talking about money or offering insight intomattersofa personal nature. Make personal growth your priority.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Payattention to detail concerning your possessionsorinvestments. It's agreat time to sell off items you no longer need or want and to raise your qualifications to help you secureaposition.
dealingwill help youfind thebest fit for you and the services you can offer Mix business withpleasure and explore your options
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Ignore the hype and take the safe route. Achange will tempt you, but youshould avoid letting your emotionslead theway Commonsense andnegotiatingwill pay off.
PIscEs(Feb. 20-March 20) Learnfromthe changesoccurring around you. Make your intentions clear to the people who will be affected by your actions.Reach out to someone you love and share your long-term plans.
ARIEs (March 21-April19) Someone close to you may offer full disclosure regarding aconcernyou have. Stay calm, embrace what's positive and give the people close to you more time to respond.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Get out, mingle, network andutilize your physical skills to meet your demands. Apositive change regarding love,romance and self-improvement projects will be uplifting.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) It's OK to force an issue if you have everything in place andknowhow to make theoutcome please even your mostunrelenting associate. Communication is your best assettoday.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, past and present.Eachletter in the cipher stands for another
toDAy's cLuE: REQuALs M
FAMILYCIrCUS
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
FrAnK And erneSt
SALLYForth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The objectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the samenumber only once. The difficulty levelofthe Sudoku increasesfrom Monday to Sunday
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
We have been looking at transfers into the majors. But whatabout transfers intothe minors? Look, for example, at the North hand. What would you respond after partneropens one no-trump? Only regular andexperienced partnershipsshoulduse transfers into the minors, primarily because their frequency is so low. Here, for example, if North’s long suit were amajor, he would transfer into that suit and insist on makingittrumps. But since it is aminor andthe hand hasnosingleton or void or strength for aslam, North should raise to threeno-trump. Go forthe nine-trick game,not the 11-trick. South is in three no-trump, andWest leadsthe heart king. What should South do?
Declarer has six toptricks: two spades, one heart, two diamonds and one club. Obviously, theothers mustcome from dummy’s diamonds. This means assumingthatthe missingdiamonds are breaking3-2, not4-1 or 5-0. Next,Southshould duck (lose) the first trick —the Bath Coup. If West continues withhearts, declarer has two heart tricks. If West shifts, Southstill has aheart stopper.(Note that if declarer wins thefirst trick, he goes down,Eastpushingaheartthroughwhen in with his diamond trick.) South takes trick two and ducks adiamond immediately, playing alow diamond fromeach hand. Thenhecoasts to at leastnine tricks.And note that five diamonds has no chance. If you would like to learn about transfers into the minors, go to my website, www.phillipalderbridge.com,and look under the Transfers link.
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
toDAy’s WoRD sHILLELAGH: shih-LAY-lee: Cudgel; club.
