The Acadiana Advocate 06-29-2025 by The Advocate

the

local owner in decades of the 55-year-old mall.

Newvisionfor NorthgateMall

Renovating Lafayette’soldestmallwilltakelotsofwork, butalocal developerwelcomesthe challenge

BY ADAM DAIGLE |Acadiana business editor

Ebony Roberts opened her Northgate Mall business one morninglast summer and found the air conditioning unit hanging from the ceiling.

She had to close her business, Ebony’s Beauty Hair and Skin Care, and it took 21/2 weeks to getsomeoneout to look at it.Other disasters followed. The store ﬂooded three times.

The last one cameonHalloween when watercame out the foundation just be-

fore they were to hand out candy to children. NowRoberts is in newlocation butstill inside the Northgate Mall. She did not wanttoleave.

“It was on the radar,” Roberts said. “God had me on amission, and Ialways follow his lead. I’ve got alot of customerswho don’thave transportation. They were my main concern as well. Lisa (Champagne, the former mall manager) didwhat she could, but she needed more help from the original owners.”

Roberts and the handful of others who remain in Lafayette’soldest shopping mall now have reason for optimism. The 250,000-square-foot building wassold earlierthis month for $2.8 million to localdeveloper Jacoby Landry,the ﬁrst local owner in decades of the 55-year-old mall.

The building has maintenance issues. Landry,who ownsaconstruction business, in thedays afterclosingonthe deal

ä See NORTHGATE, page 5A

Lawyer suingBig Oilisnotreehugger

John Carmouchejust wona$745M verdict againstChevron

BY ALEX LUBBEN |Staffwriter

John Carmouche isn’twho you think he is. The Baton Rouge lawyer,who just won a$745 million verdict against Chevron for damaging wetlands,istakingonBig Oil in Louisiana and winning. But he’sno tree hugger.Nor,hesays, aheadline-chasing trial lawyer Through three governors’ administrations, he and his ﬁrm have navigated political headwinds to keep theirlawsuits against oil companies alive. Carmouche has helped quash bills and candidacies that would have threatened

his efforts. While his work seeks to makeoil companies pay billions for damage they’ve done to theenvironment,heinsistshewants the oil industry to thrive in Louisiana, as long as it doesn’tleavebehind amess.

“I have aDemocrat’s heart but I’m aRepublican, because Iunderstand business,”Carmouche

evidentin reducing rates

BY SAM KARLIN |Staff writer

While Louisiana lawmakers debated auto insurance this spring during their legislative session, sky-high home insurancepremiumscontinuedtocrush residents along the state’scoast.

Homeowners insurance rates keep rising, forcing someresidents out of their homes, while the state waits for the free market to look morefavorably on Louisiana. So far,the approach has not led to lowerrates formosthomeownersinthe state. Many saw their insurancepremiums climbtounaffordable levels after aseries of hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 upended the market.

Homeinsurance rates rose by 16% in 2022 and by 14% in 2023, on average, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Adozen insurers went belly up.

Last year,homeowners insurance rates rose by 6.6%, on average. And so farthis year,rates are up 1.2%.Ifthe trend holds through the end of the year,itwould be the smallest jump since 2018, according to state data.

Noteveryone is seeing relief.In May,aninsurance group for teachersraised ratesbyanaverage of 14%, according to rate ﬁling data. Amonth earlier,two insurers from another group raised rates by 12.5%. Ahandful of insurers cut rates by varying levels, from 2% to 11%.

State lawmakers made afew attempts to scale back those increases by passing legislation this spring that strengthens incentives and grants for homeowners who

John Carmouche, right, speakson recent litigation alongside hisfather and colleague, DonaldCarmouche, on May22at their firm,Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello, in Baton Rouge.

HILARy SCHEINUK

STAFFFILE PHOTO By

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

The newowner of Northgate Mall, JacobyLandry, bought

250,000-square-foot building earlierthis monthfor $2.8 million. He’sthe first

Russia kills 2inOdesa; Ukraine hits helicopters

KYIV,Ukraine Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, killing twopeopleand injuring at least 17, Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday.Meanwhile, three attack helicopters and an anti-aircraftmissile system were destroyed in the Russianoccupied Crimean Peninsula Ukraine’sSecurity Service agency deployed special drones to attack the Kirovske military airﬁeld, aUkrainian security ofﬁcial said on Saturday

“Available data indicate the destruction of multipurpose and attack helicopters Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28, as well as the selfpropelled anti-aircraft missile andgun complex Pantsir-S1,” according to the ofﬁcial,who spoke about the operation on condition of anonymity

In Odesa, adrone slammed into aresidential tower block in the city,causing damagetothree floors and trapping residents, emergency services said. The two killed in the attack were a married couple, according to regional Gov.Oleh Kiper,who added that three childrenwere among the injured.

There was no immediate commentfrom Moscow.According to Russia’sDefense Ministry,over 40 Ukrainian drones wereshot down overnight and on Saturday morning over western Russia and Kremlin-occupied Crimea.

Aparticipant in aPride march cheers SaturdayinBudapest, Hungary.

100K defy ban,march in Budapest Pride event

BUDAPEST,Hungary— About 100,000 people deﬁed agovernment ban and police orders Saturday to march in what organizerscalled thelargest LGBTQ+ Pride event in Hungary’shistoryinanopenrebuke of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’sgovernment. Marchers gambled with potential police intervention and heavy ﬁnes to participate in the 30th annual Budapest Pride, which was outlawed in March by Orbán’sright-wing populist governing party

The march began at Budapest City Hall and wound through the city center before crossing the capital’sErzsébet Bridge over the Danube River.Police diverted the crowd from its planned route to keep it separatedfrom asmall group of far-rightcounterprotesters, whilemembersof Hungary’sLGBTQ+ community and massesofsupporters danced to music and waved rainbow and anti-government ﬂags.

The massive size of the march, which the government for months had insisted would no longer be permitted in Hungary, wasseen as amajor blow to Orbán’sprestige,asthe European Union’slongest-serving leader’s popularity slumps in thepolls where anew oppositionforce has taken the lead.

U.K. seizes cocaine worth over $130M

LONDON British authorities seized 2.4 metric tons of cocaineina ship arriving in Englandfrom Panama, authorities said Saturday,calling it one of the U.K.’sbiggest drug bustsin years. The drugs, valued at$132 million, were found under containersonavessel at London Gateway port, east of theBritish capital. The shipment was discovered after what ofﬁcials said was an intelligence-led operation.

Britain’sinteriorministry, the Home Ofﬁce, said it was the sixth-largest cocaine seizure on record.

U.K. Border Force Maritime director Charlie Eastaugh said the seizurewas “justone example of how dedicated Border Force maritime officers remain one step ahead of the criminal gangs who threaten our security.”

Palestinians dig through sandSaturday looking for belongingsafter an Israeli strike hit adisplacement tentcampinGaza City

Israelistrikes kill at least72inGaza

Ceasefire prospects move closer

BY WAFAA SHURAFAand SAMMEDNICK Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes killed at least 72 people across Gaza overnight and into Saturday,healthworkers said, as ceaseﬁre prospects were saidto be improving after 21 months of war

Three children and their parents were killed in an Israeli strike on atent camp in Muwasi near the southern city of Khan Younis. They were struck while sleeping, relatives said.

“What did these children do to them? What is their fault?” said thechildren’s grandmother, SuadAbu Teima, as others knelt to kiss their bloodied faces and wept. Someplaced red ﬂowers into the body bags

Also among the dead were 12 people nearthe Palestine Stadium in GazaCity, which was sheltering displaced people, andeight more in apartments, according to staff at Shifa Hospital. Morethan20 bodies weretakentoNasser Hospital, accordingtohealth ofﬁcials.

Amidday strike killed 11 peopleon astreet in eastern Gaza City,and their bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital.

Another strike on agatheringineastern Gaza City killed eight including ﬁve children, the hospital said. Astrike on a gathering at theentrance to the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed two, accordingtoAl-Awda Hospital.

President Donald Trump saysthere could be aceaseﬁre agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters on Friday,hesaid, “We’reworking on Gaza and tryingtoget it taken care of.”

An ofﬁcial with knowledge of thesituation told The Associated Press that Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will arriveinWashingtonnext week for talks on aGaza ceaseﬁre, Iran and other subjects. Theofficial spoke on condition of anonymity because they werenot authorized to speak to the media.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas havebeen on again, off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its militarycampaign in Gaza andfurthering the territory’sdire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than halfbelieved to still be alive. They were

among 251 hostagestaken whenHamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023,sparking thewar

“Whatmoreisleft to do in Gaza that has not already been done?Who else is left to eliminate?”

Yotam Cohen, brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said Saturday evening as weekly ralliesbyfamilies and supporters resumed following Israel’s ceaseﬁre with Iran.

Thewar haskilled over 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, whichdoes notdistinguish between civilians and combatants. It saysmorethan half of the dead were women and children. It said thedead include 6,089 killed since theend of the latest ceaseﬁre.

Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas,accusingthe militants of hiding amongcivilians because they operate in populated areas.

There is hope amongfamiliesofhostages that Trump’sinvolvement in securingthe recent ceaseﬁre between Israel andIran might lead to more pressure for adeal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding awave of public support for the Iranwar andits achievements, andhecould feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose.

Hamas hasrepeatedly saiditisprepared tofree all the hostages in exchange for an end to thewar in Gaza. Netanyahu sayshewill end thewar only once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected.

Meanwhile, hungry Palestinians are enduring acatastrophic situation in Gaza. Afterblocking all food for 21/2 months, Israel hasallowed only atrickle of supplies into theterritory since mid-May

More than500 Palestinians have been killed andhundreds more wounded while seekingfood since the newlyformed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry

Palestinian witnesses say Israelitroops have openedfire at crowds on roads heading towardthe sites. The Israeli military says it has only ﬁred warning shots and that it was investigating incidentsin which civilians had been harmedwhile approaching the sites.

Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the sites, moving through Israeli military zones.

Serbianpolicefireteargas at anti-governmentprotesters

BY JOVANA GEC Associated Press

BELGRADE,Serbia Riotpoliceﬁredtear gas at thousands of anti-government protesters in Serbia’s capital on Saturday

The major rally in Belgrade against Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, was called to back ademand for an early parliamentary election.

The protestbytensofthousandswas heldafter nearly eight months of persistentdemonstrations led by Serbia’suniversity studentsthathaverattled Vucic’s ﬁrm griponpower in the Balkan country

Thehuge crowd chanted “Wewant elections!” as they filled the capital’s central Slavija Square and several blocks aroundit, with many unable to reach the venue

Tensions were high beforeand during the gathering. Riot police deployed around government buildingsand close to acampofVucic’sloyalists in central Belgrade. Skirmishes eruptedbetween riot officers and groupsofprotesters nearthe camp. “Elections are aclear way out of the social crisis caused by the deeds of thegov-

ernment,which is undoubtedlyagainst the interests of their own people,” said one of the students, who didn’tgive her namewhile giving aspeech on astage to the crowd. “Today,onJune 28, 2025, we declare thecurrent authorities illegitimate.”

At theend of theofﬁcial part of the rally,students told the crowd to “take freedom into your own hands.”

University studentshave been akey force behind nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations that started after arenovated rail station canopy collapsed, killing 16 people on Nov.1

Many blamed the concrete roof crash on rampant government corruptionand negligence in stateinfrastructure projects, leading to recurring mass protests.

“Weare here today because we cannot take it any more,” Darko Kovacevic said “This has been going on for too long. We are mired in corruption.”

Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly refused thedemand for an early voteand accused protesters of planning to spur violence on orders from abroad, which they didn’tspecify

Crowds mourn slaincommanders, nuclearscientists

Iranian figures killed in Israeli strikes

BY DAVID RISING Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab

Emirates

Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of the Revolutionary Guard andothertop commanders and nuclear scientists killed during a12-day war with Israel.

The caskets of Guard chief Gen. Hossein Salami, theheadofthe Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital’s Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: “Death to America” and“Death to Israel.” Salami and Hajizadeh were both killedonthe ﬁrst day of the war,June 13, as Israel launched awar it said was meant to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientistsand nuclear facilities.

State media reported more than 1million people turned out for the funeral procession,whichwas impossible to independently confirm,but thedense crowdpacked the main Tehranthoroughfare alongthe nearly 3mile route.

Therewas no immediate sign of Iran’sSupreme Leader,Ayatollah AliKhamenei,inthe state broadcast of the funeral. Khamenei, whohas not made apublic appearance sincebeforethe outbreak of the war,has in past funerals held prayers forfallencommanders over their caskets before theopenceremo-

nies, later aired on state television.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wason hand,and state television reported that Gen. Esmail Qaani, whoheads theforeign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, theQuds Force, andGen.Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners.

Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei whowas woundedinthe ﬁrst round of Israel’sattack and hospitalized, was shownina civilian suit leaning on acane in an image distributed on state television’sTelegram channel.

LateronSaturdaynight, state TV showed Shamkhani saying he and other generals knew they would be targets before Israel initiated the warearlier this month. Themorning of the strike on his residence, he said he woke up fordawn prayer when suddenly everything around himhad become ruins. He initially thought thatanearthquake had taken place, and it took search and rescue teamsat least three hourstoﬁnd him in the rubble.

Shamkhanisaidmost of his injuries wereinternal, including achest fracture.

Iran’sRevolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from aparamilitary,domestic security force to atransnational force that hascome to the aidofTehran’s allies in the Middle East, from Syria andLebanon to Iraq It operates in parallel to the country’sexisting armed forces and controls Iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in theGaza Strip.

Peoplemourn Saturday in Tehran, Iran, over the flag-draped coffins of Iranian nuclear scientists whowere killed in Israelistrikes.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByVAHID SALEMI

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Senators launch weekend of work on tax, spending bill

BY LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate worked toward a key procedural vote during a rare Saturday evening session as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump’s package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline.

Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition, but they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks Not all GOP lawmakers are on board with proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks.

Ahead of the expected roll call, the White House released a statement of administrative policy saying it “strongly supports passage” of the bill that “implements critical aspects” of the president’s agenda. Trump himself was at his golf course in Virginia on Saturday with GOP senators posting about it on social media.

“It’s time to get this legislation across the ﬁnish line,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. But as the day dragged, billionaire Elon Musk lashed out, calling the package “utterly insane and destructive.”

“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!” the former top Trump aide said in a post

FLORIDA

Groups protest building of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

BY MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press

A coalition of groups, ranging from environmental activists to Native Americans advocating for their ancestral homelands, converged outside an airstrip in the Florida Everglades Saturday to protest the imminent construction of an immigrant detention center

Hundreds of protesters lined part of U.S. Highway 41 that slices through the marshy Everglades — also known as Tamiami Trail as dump trucks hauling materials lumbered into the airﬁeld Cars passing by honked in support as protesters waved signs calling for the protection of the expansive preserve that is home to a few Native tribes and several endangered animal species.

Christopher McVoy, an ecologist, said he saw a steady stream of trucks entering the site while he protested for hours Environmental degradation was a big reason why he came out Saturday But as a South Florida city commissioner, he said concerns over immigration raids in his city also fueled his opposition.

“People I know are in tears, and I wasn’t far from it,” he said. Florida officials have forged ahead over the past week in constructing the compound dubbed as “Alligator Alcatraz” within the Everglades’ humid swamplands.

The government fasttracked the project under emergency powers from an executive order issued by Gov Ron DeSantis that addresses what he views as a crisis of illegal immigration. That order lets the state sidestep certain purchasing laws and is why construction has continued despite objections from Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and local activists.

The 940-page bill was released shortly before midnight Friday, and senators are expected to grind through the days ahead with hours of potentially all-night debate and countless amendments. Senate passage could be days away, and the bill would need to return to the House for a final round of votes before it could reach the White House. With the narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate, leaders need almost every lawmaker on board in the face of essentially uniﬁed opposition from Democrats.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said Republicans dropped the bill “in the dead of night” and are rushing

to ﬁnish the bill before the public fully knows what’s in it. He is expected to call for a full reading of the text in the Senate, which would take hours.

The weekend session could be a make-or-break moment for Trump’s party, which has invested much of its political capital on his signature domestic policy plan. Trump is pushing Congress to wrap it up, even as he sometimes gives mixed signals, allowing for more time.

At recent events at the White House, including Friday Trump has admonished the “grandstanders” among GOP holdouts to fall in line.

The legislation is an ambitious but complicated series of GOP priorities. At its core, it would make permanent

many of the tax breaks from Trump’s ﬁrst term that would otherwise expire by year’s end if Congress fails to act, resulting in a potential tax increase on Americans. The bill would add new breaks, including no taxes on tips, and commit $350 billion to national security, including for Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

But the cutbacks to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy investments, which a top Democrat, Sen. Ron Wyden, of Oregon, said would be a “death sentence” for America’s wind and solar industries, are also causing dissent within GOP ranks.

The Republicans are relying on the reductions to offset the lost tax revenues but some lawmakers say the cuts

go too far particularly for people receiving health care through Medicaid. Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation’s debt, are pushing for steeper cuts.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who said he spoke with Trump late Friday explaining his concerns, announced Saturday he cannot support the package as is, largely because of the changes to health care that he said would force his state to “make painful decisions like eliminating Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands.”

Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, has been opposed to the bill’s provision to raise the nation’s debt limit by $5 trillion And GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy, of Montana, said he would agree to proceeding only after being assured a provision for public lands sales he opposes would be taken out with an amendment.

The release of that draft had been delayed as the Senate parliamentarian reviewed the bill to ensure it complied with the chamber’s strict “Byrd Rule,” named for the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. It largely bars policy matters from inclusion in budget bills unless a provision can get 60 votes to overcome objections. That would be a tall order in a Senate with a 53-47 GOP edge and Democrats uniﬁed against Trump’s bill.

Republicans suffered a series of setbacks after several proposals, including shifting food stamp costs from the federal government to the

states or gutting the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, were deemed out of compliance with the rules. But over the past days, Republicans have quickly revised those proposals and reinstated them. The final text includes a proposal for cuts to the Medicaid provider tax that had run into parliamentary hurdles and objections from several senators worried about the fate of rural hospitals. The new version extends the start date for those cuts and establishes a $25 billion fund to aid rural hospitals and providers. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who had opposed the cuts, vowed “to do everything I can” to make sure the reductions never go into effect.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Ofﬁce has said that under the House-passed version of the bill, some 10.9 million more people would go without health care and at least 3 million fewer would qualify for food aid. The CBO has not yet publicly assessed the Senate draft, which proposes steeper reductions. Top income-earners would see about a $12,000 tax cut under the House bill, while the package would cost the poorest Americans $1,600, the CBO said. The Senate included a compromise over the so-called SALT provision, a deduction for state and local taxes that has been a top priority of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states, but the issue remains unsettled.

WhyLouisiana NeedsSocial Safety NetPrograms

Imagineyou’reamominLafayette.You’vejust hadyoursecondchild.Whileyouwereonunpaid maternityleave,yourhusbandlosthisoilﬁeldjob andhealthinsurance.You’venever missed abill before.Butnow,thefridgeisnearlyempty,andyour infanthasalingeringcoughyoucan’taffordtoget checkedout.Youfeelscared,ashamed,andalone. You’rejustonecrisisawayfromfallingthrough thecracks.

Then,you call your localfoodbankfor help A calm voicewalks youthrough applying for SNAPandMedicaidandtellsyouwheretogoto immediatelypickupfreefoodprovidedbyyour localfoodbank. Within weeks, groceriesare on thetable againand your baby sees adoctor withoutpayingout-of-pocket

This is what SNAP andMedicaiddoevery dayinLouisiana

ButifCongresspassesharmful changesto theseprograms– like thoseproposedinthe “One BigBeautiful Bill Act” –stories like this couldhaveaverydifferentending.

Forone nursingstudent,SNAPwas temporary.The impact waspermanent Acollege studentinthe middle of herclinicals calledFeedingLouisianaforhelp.Shewasstudying tobecomeanurse,butherclinicalschedulemade it impossible to hold afull-time job.Withrecent changestostudentSNAPeligibility,she wasnot sure if shequaliﬁed.

Ourteamhelpedherunderstandtheguidelines andwalkedher throughthe SNAP application process. Thegrocery assistance shereceived enabledher to focusonfinishingher education. Withoutit, shewould have hadtoconsiderabandoningherdreamsoffindingsteadyandfulfilling employment.

Forthisbrightyoung woman, SNAP provided

temporarysupportthatallowed hertocompleteherdegree.SNAP served herwhen sheneededit so that shecould serveothers throughher career Socialsafetynetprograms aren’t handouts.They’re bridgestoopportunity

PatR.VanBurkleo,Executive Director of FeedingLouisiana states:“SNAP andMedicaid make it possible forpeopleto work,stayhealthy,carefor theirfamilies, and buildsuccessful andproductivelives.That’snot aluxury.That’sthefoundationthatwealldeserve to standon.

Nearly 18%ofour state’sresidents rely on SNAP.Morethan1.4millionLouisianansreceive healthcare throughMedicaid. Theseprograms arelifelines,particularlyduringtoughtimes.Yet they arenow on thechoppingblock

If Louisianaisforcedtopickupa larger share of theseprogram costsasproposedinthe “One BigBeautiful Bill Act,”the ripple effectcould be devastating. Fewerpeoplemay qualify. Redtape couldincrease. Beneﬁtsmight be delayed. Other essentialstate services maybescaledback. Foodbanks–whicharealreadystretchedthin –would be left to ﬁllthe gaps

Ourfoodbanks can’tfillthe gaps that changesand cuts wouldcreate.

Food banksacrossLouisiana areworking tirelessly everyday to help families face hunger andchallengeourstatusasthestatewiththe4th highestfoodinsecurity in thenation.

Louisiana’sfoodbanksconnectpeopletosocial

safety netresources anddistributefoodfor more than 60 millionmeals annually throughmore than 1,000community partners,faith-based organizations, andfoodpantries.

However,ourfoodbankshavelimits.Louisiana’s food banksare pillarsofhope, buttheycannot replacethevitalsafetynettheseprogramsprovide Patexplains:“IfSNAPandMedicaidarecutor harder to access, more families willbeturning to us forhelp. That meanslongerlines,fewer resources, andanoverwhelmed emergencyfood systemstrugglingtoﬁllgapsitwasnotdesignedto handle.IfwelosegroundonSNAPandMedicaid, theburdenwilllikelyfallonourfoodbanks,which arealready workingatcapacity.”

What YouCan Do:Protect Louisiana Families

ManyLouisianafamiliesarejustonecrisisaway fromneedinghelp.Socialsafetynetprogramslike SNAP andMedicaidoffer thesupport that keeps them steady in uncertaintimes

We know that Senators John Kennedyand Bill Cassidyare proudLouisianians. Rightnow they have apowerfulopportunity to standupfor Louisianafamiliesand protectthese essential programs

“Pleaseconsidercalling or emailing to your lawmakersandurgingthemtoopposetheproposed cuts andchanges to SNAP andMedicaid,”Pat continues.“Tellthemthattheseprogramsarenot extras –they’re part of thefoundationthathelps families stay healthy, stable,and strong.”

Learnmoreatfeedinglouisiana.org

FeedingLouisiana:64parishes, 5foodbanks,1 mission.FeedingLouisiana’snetworkincludesthe FoodBankofCentralLouisiana,theFoodBankof NortheastLouisiana,theFoodBankofNorthwest Louisiana, theGreater BatonRouge Food Bank andSecond Harvest Food Bank of GreaterNew Orleansand Acadiana

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE

The Senate worked toward a key procedural vote during a rare Saturday evening session as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump’s package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline.

MINNESOTA

Biden, Harris, Walz attend funeral for slain lawmaker

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS Democratic

former Minnesota House

Speaker Melissa Hortman was honored for her legislative accomplishments and her humanity during a funeral Saturday where former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined over 1,000 mourners.

Hortman was fatally shot two weeks earlier by a man posing as a police ofﬁcer in an attack that Minnesota’s chief federal prosecutor has called an assassination. It and another shooting also left her husband, Mark, dead and a state senator and his wife seriously wounded.

“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history. I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor, and the most talented legislator I have ever known,” Gov Tim Walz said in his eulogy ”For seven years I have had the privilege of signing her agenda into law. I know millions of Minnesotans get to live their lives better because she and Mark chose public service and politics.” Neither Biden nor Harris spoke, but they sat in the front row with the governor, who was Harris’ running mate in 2024. Biden was also one of more than 7,500 people who paid their respects Friday as Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda in St. Paul. Gilbert was seriously wounded in the attack and had to be euthanized. Biden also visited the wounded senator in a hospital.

place, sadly, for racial injustice,” Grifﬁth said. “The killing of George Floyd just miles from our church today And now we are the ground zero place for political violence and extremism. Both of these must be decried in the strongest possible terms, as they are, respectively, a threat to human dignity and indeed, our democracy.”

But the priest also said Minnesota could also be “a ground zero place for restoration and justice and healing.” He added that the presence of so many people was a sign that that work can succeed.

held at a later date.

The Hortmans were proud of their adult children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, and the lawmaker often spoke of them.

In a voice choked with emotion, Colin said his parents embodied the Golden Rule, and he read the Prayer of St. Francis, which his mother always kept in her wallet. He said it captures her essence. It starts, “Lord make me an instrument of your peace.”

After the service, Walz presented the children with U.S. and Minnesota ﬂags that ﬂew over the Capitol on the day their parents were killed.

Dozens of current and former state legislators from both parties and other elected ofﬁcials who worked with Hortman also attended.

Hortman, who was first elected in 2004, helped pass an expansive agenda of liberal initiatives like free lunches for public school students during the momentous 2023 session as the chamber’s speaker, along with expanded protections for abortion and trans rights. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she yielded the gavel to a Republican under a power-sharing deal took the title speaker emerita, and helped break a budget impasse that threatened to shut down state government.

Walz said Hortman saw her mission as “to get as much good done for as many people as possible.” And he said her focus on people was what made her so effective

“She certainly knew how to get her way No doubt about that,” Walz said. “But she never made anyone feel that they’d gotten rolled at a ne-

gotiating table. That wasn’t part of it for her or a part of who she was. She didn’t need somebody else to lose to win for her.”

The governor said the best way to honor the Hortmans would be by following their example.

“Maybe it is this moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we ﬁght for things we care about,” Walz said. “A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.”

The Rev Daniel Griffith, pastor and rector of the Basilica, who led the service, said the country is in need of deep healing. He said it seems as if the U.S is living in the “dystopian reality” described at the beginning of William Butler Yeats’ poem, “The Second Coming.”

“Here in Minnesota, we have been the ground zero

Roberts warns against heated political words about judges

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Chief Jus-

tice John Roberts, speaking at a moment when threats against judges are on the rise, warned on Saturday that elected ofﬁcials’ heated words about judges can lead to threats or acts of violence by others.

Charlotte, North Carolina.

“And the danger, of course, is somebody might pick up on that. And we have had, of course, serious threats of violence and murder of judges just simply for doing their work. So I think the political people on both sides of the aisle need to keep that in mind.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese offered his condolences to the Hortman family A private burial will be

The man accused of killing the Hortmans at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park on June 14 and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman,

and his wife, Yvette, at their home in nearby Champlin, made a brief court appearance Friday He’s due back in court Thursday Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, surrendered near his home the night of June 15 after what authorities called the largest search in Minnesota history Boelter remains jailed and has not entered a plea. Prosecutors need to secure a grand jury indictment ﬁrst. His lawyers have declined to comment on the charges, which could carry the federal death penalty Friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. But prosecutors have declined so far to speculate on a motive.

By Amanda McElfresh|amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

IneveryregionofLouisiana,theLouisiana Community andTechnical CollegeSystem (LCTCS)isworkingtogetherwithemployers to buildastronger, job-ready workforce, one skilledtrade at atime.

As demandfor electricians,welders, commercialdrivers,healthprofessionals,and line workersjust to name afew growsacross thestate,LCTCScollegesarerespondingwith targeted,career-focusedtraining programs that give students fast,affordableaccessto high-wage, high-demandjobs.

Community College(Fletcher)inSchriever, whereprogramsarebuiltinclosepartnership with localmaritime, energy,and agriculture industries

“Ourstudentsarenotjustenrolling,they’re enrollingwithpurpose,”saidFletcherChancellor Dr.KristineStrickland. “Wetakethe time to understandeachperson’slifecircumstances, goals,andchallenges,whetherthat’stransportation,childcare,orneeding ajob rightaway. We meet them wheretheyare andhelpthem getwhere they want to go.”

Fletcher’sweldingandelectricalprograms arethrivingthankstolocaljobgrowth,andits 16-weekutilitylineworkertrainingprogram enhancedwithaCDLcomponentforoperating buckettrucks,boasts100%jobplacementacross 23graduatingcohorts.Plansareunderwayfor anaviationmaintenanceprogramtoaddress regionalshortagesinhelicopterandﬁxed-wing aircraft technicians.

“The Houma airportisamong thebusiest

Roberts

Without identifying anyone by name, Roberts clearly referenced Republican President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York when he said he has felt compelled to issue public rebukes of ﬁgures in both parties in recent years.

“It becomes wrapped up in the political dispute that a judge who’s doing his or her job is part of the problem,” Roberts said at a gathering of lawyers and judges in

Roberts appeared at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judicial conference on the day after the Supreme Court issued the ﬁnal decisions of its term, including a major victory for Trump that limits judges’ ability to use court orders with nationwide reach to block his agenda CSpan carried Roberts’ conversation with Judge Albert Diaz, the 4th Circuit’s chief judge.

Roberts first took issue with Trump’s comments in 2018, when Roberts responded to Trump’s description

SUNDAY NEWS SHOWS

ABC’s “This Week”: Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C.; Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y

NBC’s“Meet the Press”: Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for New York mayor

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala. and Mark Warner D-Va.; Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va

of a judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an “Obama judge.” In March, Roberts rejected calls for impeaching judges, shortly after Trump demanded the removal of one who ruled against his deportation plans In 2020, Roberts called out Schumer for remarks that Roberts termed inappropriate and threatening after the senator said Trump-nominated Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch “will pay the price” for votes in a thenpending Louisiana abortion case. Schumer later said he should not have used those words.

Two years later, with the court on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade’s constitutional protections for abortion, police arrested an armed man outside Kavanaugh’s home in suburban Washington. In April, Nicholas John Roske pleaded guilty to trying to kill Kavanaugh.

CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Warner; Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas; International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi; former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb “Fox News Sunday”: Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Jim Banks, R-Ind.

The Associated Press

“Ourmissionistoconnectpeopletopurpose througheducation that leadsdirectlyto meaningful work,” said Dr.Jimmy Sawtelle Chancellor of CentralLouisiana Technical CommunityCollege (CLTCC). “Wetrain students notjustfor jobs, butfor careerswith roomtogrow—careersthatpowerLouisiana’s economy.”

CLTCC, with ﬁvecampusesacrosscentral Louisiana,isakeyplayerindeliveringhands-on traininginﬁelds like healthcare, advanced manufacturing,forestry,businesstechnology, andHVAC. In just over ayear, CLTCChas graduatedmorethan400alliedhealthprofessionals,includingpracticalnurses,pharmacy technicians, andother front-line caregivers into aregionhungryfor talent

Short-term credentialsare also helping students quicklyreenter theworkforce Forexample,CLTCC’s commercial driver’s license(CDL) programtakes just sixweeks to complete,and graduatesoften startwith salaries in the$35,000 to $40,000range Welding, machining, andconstructioncraft programs providesimilar rapidpathwaysto skilledtradesinhigh-demand sectors.

“Our students areoften adults lookingfor afresh start,” Sawtelle said.“They mayhave families,ortheymay be changing careers. We’reheretohelpthemmatchtheirinterests withrealjobopportunitiesandtoremovethe barriersintheir way.

That same commitment to career connection drives theworkofFletcherTechnical

helicopter airports in theworld,” Strickland said.“Companiesare hiring from outofstate becausewedon’tyethaveenoughlocaltalent That’sexactlythekindofgapweexisttoclose.

AllLCTCScollegesofferstackablecredentials that allowstudentstostart with short-term trainingandbuildtowardtechnicaldiplomas andassociate degrees, or even transfer to four-yearuniversities. This ﬂexibility makes it easier forLouisianans to upskillovertime andriseintoleadershiproles in theirﬁelds With12collegesstatewideandmanylocations servingallcommunities,LCTCSisLouisiana’s enginefortrainingtheskilledworkforcethat industries need andcommunities dependon.

“Weencourage everyLouisianantoinvest in themselves,” Sawtelle said.“Come visit acampus. Exploreyouroptions.There’s a high-demandcareerwaitingforyouandwe’ll help youget there.”

LCTCSincludesBaton RougeCommunity College, Bossier Parish CommunityCollege, CentralLouisiana TechnicalCommunity College, DelgadoCommunity College, LouisianaDelta CommunityCollege,Fletcher TechnicalCommunity College, Northshore TechnicalCommunity College, Northwest LouisianaTechnicalCommunityCollege,Nunez CommunityCollege,RiverParishesCommunity College,SouthLouisianaCommunityCollege, andSOWELATechnicalCommunityCollege Visitwww.lctcs.edu to learnmoreabout an institutionnearyou

STAR TRIBUNE PHOTO By JEFF WHEELER

Attendees take their seats Saturday before funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn.

fixed amajor leak in one spot and said hefixed fiveair-conditioning units in fivedays

Workers have spent hours pressurewashing the building’sexterior.More leaky spots on the roof remain. It’s so bad, he says, he’ll eventually have to put an entire newroofonthe mall,which has been rebranded as “The Hub.”

It’samajor renovation project,said Monte Anderson, aDallas-based developer and consultant who has mentored Landry and others through the Elevate North Lafayette program put on by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority

YetLandry,henoted, has the right people around him to pull off renovating what mightbeLafayette’s most challenging commercial property

“He’satenacious guy,”Anderson said. “IfI’m in afoxhole in awar,Iwant Jacoby Landry in the foxhole with me. The thingsI’ve shown him about partnership agreements and raising capital, he’spicked it up quick.

“It’salittle crazy,right? I getaccused of being crazy all time. Ifeel lucky to be involvedwith him because I think he’sgoing to do something great there.”

Themall’sfuture

Ask Landry what he has planned for the mall, and he’ll tell you about the med spa, gym and pickleball courts in the former Planet Fitness space. He’llpartner with his sister,Raquel McCorvey,onthe project. After that, it’stobedetermined. The property encompasses 22 acres. He’sthinking outparcel buildings with streets running througha resurfaced parking lotwith greenspace and lighting mixed in. He will seek outpublic inputfor those nextsteps. Most of his attention now,however,isonthe present.

“The whole perspective of the Northgate Mall is it’sdangerous,” Landry said. “Statistically,there’snocrime at the Northgate Mall. Youknow why? There’snoaction over here. Ijust want to change people’smindset and make it feel safe.”

The first step, Anderson said, should be to solidify the mallfor the current tenants to create an initial cash ﬂow He said the previous owners did not have insuranceonthe building, aclaim Landry disputed.

Renovations can be done in sections, butalong-term plan could include arethinking of the typical shopping mall of completely retail. Malls across the country,Anderson said, are being renovated to resemble amain street downtown with small ofﬁce, restaurant and residential spaces.

“You’ve got to put residential, in my opinion, in the mall somewhere,” he said. “There’sa mall in Elkhart, Indiana, that we’re working on right now,and we’re putting residential on the parking lot and creating avillage. One here I’m doing in Dallas, we’re putting for-sale town-

homesonthe parking lot.”

Landry hassomelevershe canpull to assist withcosts once the building is structurally secure,LEDA President and CEOMandi Mitchell said The property is in an Opportunity Zone,whichgives breaks on capital gainstax. The state offers the Restoration TaxAbatement incentivethatgives applicants a break on property taxfor up to 10 years

It would alsobeeligible for funding through the Northway Economic Development District, which collectsan additionaltax on salesand hoteloccupancy.The Northway fundhas justunder$1.9 millionand collectsabout $28,000 per month, according to the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority,which overseesthe districts.

“I will tell you— aproject of this size, every little bitwillhelp,” Mitchell said. “It’sgoing to be expensive to renovate some of the spaces in there. The good thing is

I’ve personally referreda fewpeople to himthat have called expressing interest in becoming one of his tenants, and he’sgetting calls himself.”

Having LEDA involved in the process is signiﬁcant forthe current tenants, said Kendrick Martin,president of the Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce.It’salsoa stepin improving the north side of Lafayette “Anything newonthe north side of Lafayette is good,” he said. “It’snot that thenorth side of Lafayette is diminishing. It’s that nobody is building there. Youhave to drive all the way to thesouth side to seewhat Lafayette has to offer.”

Whydothis?

This idea sproutedout of an earlier zoningdispute, Landry said. In April he and apartnersought aconditional usepermit for propertyat the cornerofLouisiana Avenue and Gloria Switch Road

to put an entertainment centerthere.

The Lafayette ParishZoning Commission said no. So he pivoted. Mitchellsaid shereached out and advised him to notget discouraged. In herofﬁce on aboard are herwishlistprojects and wish list wins, and Northgate is on thatlist

Landry still wanted to do something in north Lafayette. It would be the latest in astring of entrepreneurial ventures for the St. Martin Parish native, including his construction company, JL Construction, that made it big in 2020 when the inground swimming pool trend exploded during the

COVID-19lockdown. He also owns ashopping center in Breaux Bridge.

Landry said after meeting with Mitchell and Anderson he gotthe idea andconfidence to put that initial failure in the past and moveon the Northgate Mall project.

“He said, ‘Man, Isee you doing a$30 or $40 million project one day,’ ”Landry said. “I went back home and was like, thisguy believes in me more than Ibelieve in myself.Itsparked something in my head: Are you going to stay being asmall developer or are you going to become a bigger developer?”

Landryinitially got connected with Anderson and Mitchell through LEDA’s ElevateNorth Lafayette, a yearlong program that mentors anyone interested in seeing small-scale, incremental development in the area or any other distressedpart of the city.Jacoby got involved two years ago and now says he would not be where he is now without it. “Here in Lafayette,the cavalry is not coming,” Mitchell said. “No one is going to comesprinkle pixie dust and someofour more distressed areas are going to magically improve. We have to ﬁnd people whoare interestedand care about their little corner of the community Government can’tdoitall.” Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.

Owner Ebony Roberts stands in

said, seated at aconference table in his BatonRouge ofﬁce, amosaic of photos of the Louisiana marsh on the wall behind him. “Wewant the state to thrive. We’re tired of our kids leaving.Tobring this state back, we have to take away the oil companies’ liability.”

That means suing them, and getting them to pay for the damage they’ve done to the coast, he says Not quite Republican nor Democrat. Neither fully proindustry nor environmentalist. In Louisiana, taking on oil companies doesn’tjust take legal know-how.Carmouche is walking apolitical tightrope. He’sabout as far from a Birkenstock-wearingenvironmentalist as anyone could be.

He’sbuilt like asmall tank with aﬁtted suit and aPanerai wristwatch. During therecent trial in Plaquemines, he carried aplastic can of Zyn, the trendy nicotine pouches popularized by conservative social media inﬂuencers.

“They’re very skilled politically.And they’re very skilled in the courtroom,” John Barry,the Tulane historian and author who led an unsuccessful effort to sue oil companies over coastal damage, saidof Carmouche and his law partners. “They’ve gone through hell to get wherethey are.” Carmouche, 57, and his ﬁrm have been suing oil companiesfor decades. Butthe April verdict in Plaquemines Parish, ahistoric win against the oil and gas industry, marks the beginning of anew phase of his ﬁght.

“This is one of the largest verdicts ever wonbya local government for environmental damage —not only in the United States, but globally,” Michael Gerrard, the founder of Columbia University’s Sabin Center forClimate Change Law,said after the verdict. “I’m sure the oil companies will vigorously pursue all possible appeals, unless some kind of master settlement is reached ﬁrst.” Indeed, Carmouche and his team expected oil companies to come to the table to open settlement negotiations after the trial in Plaquemines. That didn’thappen.

Last week, it became clear why.They were waiting to hear from the Supreme Court, which announced it would hear an argument from the oil companies about whether Carmouche’slawsuits, and perhaps others like them around the U.S.,belong in state or federal court. The companies arguethat some of the oil production in question took place under directives from the federal government during World WarII, which would justify moving the cases to federal court.

That also means the $745 million verdict —and any payday for Carmouche —is up in the air

Delays, attorneys argued, are part of Chevron’sstrategy

“They don’tpay until they have to pay,” said Billy Goodell, aprivate attorney whowas previouslya Louisiana assistant attorney gener-

al for environmental enforcement. “Carmouche is making them pay.”

The oil companies seeit differently.Theyfeel that they’rebeing blamed for land loss that shouldbeattributed to the levees along the Mississippi, which havestarved coastalwetlands of sediment.

Climate change-drivensea level rise has also playeda role,they admit.

Beyond that, theysay such lawsuits threaten to put a chokeholdonthe industry in Louisiana, hurting employment and energy production in theprocess. Thecompanies pointout, too,thatsome of theoperations in question occurred beforea law they areaccused of violatingtook effect in 1980.

“It’stimetostop incentivizing trial lawyers to pick industry’spocketsand start protecting the futureofboth ourstate and the 306,750 peopleworkinginand alongside the oil and natural gas industryhere every day —because in Louisiana, they’re one and thesame,” Tommy Faucheux, president ofthe Louisiana Mid-ContinentOil &Gas Association, said in astatement thismonth.

‘Friends alongthe coast’

Thestory of the Carmouche practice starts with his father, Don, who has been practicing since 1966. Does he plantoretire? “No way,” he said. John argues the cases now —it’sayoung man’sgame, Donsaid—butthe84-year-old looks sharp enough to have prosecuted the Plaquemines case himself.

The elder Carmouche served as district attorney in the 23rd JudicialDistrict whichcoversAscension, Assumption andSt. James parishes, between 1985 and 1990, when he losthis bid for reelection.

“ThankGod he lost,”his law partner,Vic Marcello,recalls

“Wehad to make money.”

Theydid justthat. Their focus shifted to personal injury work. But Don’spolitical connections would prove crucial as they turned to environmental litigation.

The firm’s coastal lawsuits, the ﬁrst of which was ﬁled in 2013, evolvedout of what are often called “legacy lawsuits,” cases brought by privatelandowners against oil companies for pollution done decades ago. But Carmouche’sapproach is distinct

The strategy involves going after major oil companies for failing to abidebystate coastal use laws that wentinto effect in 1980. Theywent about identifying sites across the coastal zonewhere major oil companies —Shell, Exxon, Chevron, and the like —once produced oil. Sincethen, many of the large companies have sold their Louisiana wells to smaller ﬁrms.

His coastal litigation focuses on holdingthe companies that drilled the wells and proﬁtedoff of them themost accountable. Thatalsoallows Carmouchetogoafter the companies withthe deepest pockets.

Rather than representing private landowners, as the Carmouches do in the legacy suits, they represent parishes. To convince coastal parishes to signon, they leaned

Timelineofoil and gas lawsuits

Sincelawsuits were first filed in 2013, oil companieshaveappealed them to federal courtrepeatedly.

July 2013: NewOrleans leveeauthority fileslawsuit seekingtorecoupdamages from oil firmsfor thedamagetheydid to coastalwetlands. Thelandmarklawsuit is the firstofits kind to seek restitutionfromoil companiesfor coastallandloss.

Nov. 2013: Plaquemines fileslawsuit,represented by Talbot,Carmouche and Marcello,against oilcompanies.They're immediately 'removed'tofederal court.

Dec. 2014: Federaljudge sendsPlaquemines lawsuitbacktostate court.

Feb. 2015: Afederal judgedismisses New Orleans' leveeauthority lawsuit.

Oct. 2017: TheSupreme Courtdeclines to hear appeal on NewOrleans'levee authoritylawsuit,dealing it a finalblow.

May2018: Oilcompanies appeal parish casestofederal courtfor asecondtime, alleging that oiland gasactivitywas conductedunder federaloversight during WWII

May2019: Federaljudge sendsparishlawsuitsbacktostate courtfor asecond time.Oil companies will appeal

Sept.2019: Talbot,Carmouche,and Marcello settle with oilcompany Freeport McMoRanfor $100 million

Aug. 2020: U.S. FifthCircuit Courtagain sendsthe parish lawsuits back to state court.

Aug. 2021: Oilcompanies appeal thecases to federal courtfor athird time

Dec. 2022: Afederal courtofappeals againdeterminesthe casesbelonginstate court.

Jan. 2023: Oilcompanies appeal ruling to theU.S.Supreme Court, whichdeclines to take thecase, settingthe stagefor thetrial in PlaqueminesParish.

Dec. 2023: Oil firmssettlewithCameron Parish,the firstofthe 42 lawsuits to settle.Details of thesettlementare notmadepublic.

Mar.2025: Trialbeginsinone of thelawsuitsbrought by PlaqueminesParish, the firsttrial in the42cases filedsince 2013

on the politicalconnections

Don forged as districtattorney

“I had alot of friends along the coast that I’ve known in my 60 years of being alawyer,”the elderCarmouche said. “It really wasn’tdifﬁcult for anyelected ofﬁcialalong the coast to clearly see that something should be done, and the state and the parishes just don’thavethe fundstodo it.”

“And why shouldn’tthose companiesthatdestroyed it payfor it? It really wasn’t a difﬁcult sell. They embraced it,”hesaid.

Johnstepped in to correct the record: “Not all of them,” he said.

Indeed, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, twoofthe largestcoastal parishes that historically produced ahuge amount of oil, have not joined thelawsuits,eventhough they would be entitled to funds that result fromlitigation in the other coastal parishes.The Lafourche Parish Council even passed aresolutionthis month opposing the litigation. In Plaquemines, which did jointhe litigation, there was local pushback, fueled by acampaign funded by oil companies.

“The pressure placed on parish officials to sue the largest industries in their parishes is unrelenting and daily,” said Marc Ehrhardt, the executive director for GROW Louisiana, an oil andgas industry advocacy group.

Carmouche does make a strong case to politicians. He hasself-fundedpolls,he said, which indicatethat 88% of Louisiana voters think the industry should pay to repair damage to the coast —up from 70% adecade ago.

The pitch to elected ofﬁcials isn’tsubtle: Carmouchebelieves thatifthey support his cause, they’ll get reelected.

Same game

In 2013, when thelawsuits were ﬁrst ﬁled, Gov. Bobby Jindal was running Louisiana. Carmouchedodgedhis ire.

“Wewere getting ready to filethese coastal lawsuits when the levee district filed their lawsuit,”Carmouche said, referring to thelawsuit that the Southeast Louisiana FloodProtection AuthorityEast filed in 2013. Carmouche would file 42 separate lawsuits related to locations that he alleged weredamaged by oil and gas production by specific companies.The flood protection authority would file asingle suit,against about 100 companies, alleging broad damage to the Louisiana coast That caught Jindal’sattention —and drew it away from Carmouche. “It took his eyes off of the true coastal claim andallowed ourlawsuits to move forward,” Carmouche said. “Theytook the bullet.” The flood protection authority’slitigation would be struck down by afederal appeals court. Carmouche’s cases continued on. In 2015, at theend of

Jindal’sterm, they didn’t wait for the next governor to be elected before moving to ensure that his successor would support theirlawsuits. They spent $2 milliontoﬁght David Vitter,aRepublican U.S. senator at the time.

“When Vitter announced he was going to run, the ﬁrst thing he said was—‘I’mgoing to get rid of legacy lawsuits,’”Marcello said.

“They gave us no choice,” Carmouche said. “They kind of put agun to our head.”

John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat, won the election. The lawsuits continued. During Edwards’ term, RepublicanAttorney General and current governor —Jeff Landry threatened to take over the lawsuits. He would have boxed out Carmouche, installing state lawyersinthe cases. Had that happened, Carmouche would nothave earned legal fees. It didn’thappen, andthe state ultimately intervened

on Carmouche’sside. Carmouche also worked to winover the future governor He cut Landry’scampaign large checksin2023; last year,Landry appointed Carmouche to the LSU board of supervisors, aplum gig that comes with free season tickets to sit in the board suite at all LSU football games.

Landry has spoken of wanting to reduce the number of such lawsuits through negotiatedsettlements, “where everyone works together to protect ourcoastalcommunities.”

In many ways, theoil and gasindustry has pursued similar political strategies. It hashad to work with vastly different presidents over thelastdecade, said Faucheux of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil &Gas Association. And the industry has also made substantial political donations in Louisiana over the sametimeperiod. Landry tappedFaucheux’s predecessor,Tyler Gray,to run the Department of Energy and NaturalResources.

“By going to small communities in Louisiana and promising them billions, they’ve been able to keep communities motivated,” Faucheux said of Carmouche’slawsuits. “That,inturn, keeps policymakers, even at the statewide level, motivated.” But what, ultimately,motivates Carmouche? He’ll say he’snot in it just for the money,though the money doesn’t hurt. He says he’sasportsman and lovesthe outdoors, butthatdoesn’tseemlikethe main thing. Perhaps the mostconvincingtheory of what makes Carmouche tick is that he is legitimately ﬁred up by a ﬁght, and the oil industry is giving him one.

“Ittook us 15 years fighting in court, filing motions to compel, finally getting the research theyhad going back to the 1940s,” he said. He describes himself as motivatedbyrighteous anger,fueled by “knowing what they knew,and how they went aboutdestroying thecoast, andhow they got away with it.”

Staffgraphic

putfortiﬁed roofs on their homes. The changes to the law come as Louisiana has reentered hurricane season, and storms have grown more extreme from climate change.

Insurance Commissioner TimTemple touted several bills he supportedthatbecame law,including measures on fortiﬁed roofs, giving customers more notice when their policyiscanceled and requiring parishes to permit and inspect new roofs. Temple also supported several bills thatdidn’t pass, including proposals to set up deductible savingsaccounts and requiring coastal areas to mandate fortified roofs Temple said it’stoo soon to know whether thenew laws will affect rates, but said many of the proposals will “bring competition, reduce risk, increase insurability and support consumers.”

“I am encouraged by the earlypositive trends we are seeing, like insurersfiling fewer,less costly rate increases, and even beginning to ﬁlemoreratedecreases than in recent years,” Temple said in astatement.

Political fight

The Republican-controlled Legislature sidelined bills that would have taken amore direct approach to the crisis, includingproposals to give homeowners taxbreakstooffsetweighty premiums and requiring insurers to deliver certain discounts to residentswho put stronger roofs on their homes. Instead, they largely continued to embrace Temple’s favored freemarket approach. He has embraced policies that loosen rules on insurers, making it easier for them to drop policyholders and charge customers as they see fit. The Legislature did pass bills that set up adedicated source of funding for the state’sfortified roof grant program, though only a fraction of homeowners who apply will be able to benefit from it. The program gives homeowners $10,000 to putstronger roofs on theirhomes, and many have reported significant savings on insurance after installing them.

“The best youshould expect is for the rate to stabilize and notgoup,” Willard said. “That’sjust me being honest. Ihave no indication to tellpeople otherwise. I’m not going to sell them false hope. The state has done that for long enough.”

Global business

In January,the reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter published an obscurebut crucial statistic: The costof reinsurancewas expected to drop by 6.6% this year

Insurers takepremium dollars from homeowners andpromisetopay if they have acovered loss. But theydon’tkeep all thatrisk. Instead, they spend billions of dollars buying their own formofprotection —reinsurance —froma more loosely regulated network of companies around the world, many based in Bermuda

Even if state lawmakers make ahost of changes, the global insuranceindustry could be upended by a storm in Miami or wildﬁre in California,like happened earlierthis year

Late in Louisiana’slegislative session, more than30 lawmakers of both parties signed onto aresolution by Willard, theNew Orleans Democrat, urging Congress to stepinand provide solutions.Some insurance advocates andmembersof Congresshavepushed for afederal intervention into the reinsurance market,

which they say could stabilize costs forhomeowners amid increasingly devastating naturaldisasters.

Willard’sresolution doesn’thave the force of law,but he said he hopes it will encourage federal lawmakersto“step in andprovide some relief.”

“We’re in aprecarious situation where ourrates are affected by any natural disaster that happens across theglobe,” he said. “Given that, Ithink it’sworth Congress at leastexploring some type of national program.”

things we can control,” Talbot said. “Weobviously can’t control storms and allthat, but we can control these other things.”

Landry was front and center on the car insurance debate that took up most of theoxygeninthe Capitol this spring, and sparred publiclywithTempleover high auto insurancerates. But he hasnot championed apackage of billssofar focused on therising cost of homeowners insurance.

One bill he supported, House Bill 148 by Rep. Jeff Wiley,R-Maurepas, gives Temple more power to reject rates for home and car insurance that he deems “excessive.” But Templehas all but vowed not to use the authority,saying it would upend themarket by arbitrarilysetting rates. It’s unlikely to have anyimmediate impact on lowering rates. In astatement Friday, Temple railed against the bill asa “red ﬂag,” saying it destabilizes the market by “giving one politician thepower to reject rate

changes without clear rules or reasons.” He said he’s meetingwith a“major national insurer”next week to talk abouthow it will impact the company’soperations in Louisiana.

Landry’sspokesperson, Kate Kelly,touted the governor’ssigning of bills to strengthen the fortified roof program and said the state can reduce homeowners insurance costs through “other structural improvement programs that have alreadyproveneffective in coastal states.”She didn’t respond to furtherqueries about those programs.

“The governorcontinues to engagedirectly with insurancecompanies to discuss other avenues that can bring relieftoLouisianans,” Kelly saidinastatement.

State Rep. MatthewWillard, D-New Orleans,was less optimistic. He said the Legislaturedid nothingto reducehomeinsurance coststhissession,saying members were sidetracked by the yearslongfight between trial attorneys and insurers over “tort reform,” or changing the legalsystem to help insurers avoid big payoutswhen sued.

After 2017 wildfires in California caused billions in damages, reinsurance costs soared for seven straight years. Those effects reached insurance companiesinLouisiana, who faced huge costhikes andpassed them alongto homeowners in the form of higherpremiums.Many relyheavily on reinsurance becausethey aresmaller, andhavelessmoney than giantslike State Farm.

Rising reinsurance is a big reason Louisianans have seen rates rise. Andthe projected dropthis year could be good news.

The drop is likely theresult of investors flooding the reinsurance market to take advantage of massive profits tied to the years of cost increases by reinsurers. Arecent report by Howden Re, areinsurance adviser,said insurers were finally able to take advantage of competition in the market this year

“Rate levels remain historically high butare now outpacing loss trendsin many areas,” wrote Kyle Menendez, managing director of Howden Re, North America, in arecent report. Thedynamicwith reinsurance also underscores ahard truth forLouisiana:

And Gov.Jeff Landry recently signed abill by state Sen. Kirk Talbot, RRiver Ridge, to givepeople a$10,000 tax credit if they put fortified roofs on outside the grant program. The credit must be used against tax liability —it’snot a check —and it is capped at about 1,000 people per year on afirst-come, first-served basis. That means people who file their taxes earlier willbefirst in line.

Talbot said he’stelling constituents to shop their insurance quoteto tryto ﬁnd abetter rate, and to put astrongerroofonifthey can afford it.

“We’re trying to deal with

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

RFKJr.’s movesonvaccinescause problems forCassidy

WASHINGTON —Actions by avaccine advisory panel hand-picked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.are putting Louisiana U.S. Sen.Bill Cassidy’sreputation on Capitol Hill in aprecarious position

Mark Ballard

For 30 years, Republican Cassidy,once aphysician at Baton Rouge’scharity hospital, advocated the safety and efﬁcacy of vaccines to treat disease and save lives. During that same time, Kennedy raised doubts about these inoculations.

It was Cassidy,more than any other senator,who is responsible forconﬁrming such awell-known anti-vaxxer to head the U.S. DepartmentofHealth and Human Services, which holds the reins to the nation’svaccination program. Cassidy said he did so based upon Kennedy’sassurances that, as the nation’shealth chief, he would not undermine federal vaccination programs —promises some sayhave been breached.

On Tuesday,Kennedy said he’d withdraw the $1.2 billion the U.S. uses for global immunization programs. Critics contend the move would endanger the livesofchildren around that world.

On Wednesday,Kennedy’s newly reconstituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met for the ﬁrst time.

Earlier in June, Kennedy had ﬁred all 17 sitting members and named eight new ones, some of whom have vaccine-skepticism histories.

Cassidy noted that few of Kennedy’spicks had the proper scientiﬁc backgrounds for their important ACIP roles and suggested postponingthe meeting.

In opening Wednesday’smeeting, ACIP’snew chair Martin Kulldorff said, “Secretary Kennedyhas given this committee a

Landryvetoes bill on portcommission

CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

Gov.Jeff Landry has vetoed abillthat would have required theBoard of Commissioners for the PortofNew Orleans to be approved by the Louisiana Senate. Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Joseph Bouie Jr., D-New Orleans, passed both the House and the Senate unanimously But, in his veto message, Landry said it would “add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to an already rigorous appointment system.”

The seven-member board includes four members from Orleans Parish, two from Jefferson Parish and one from St. Bernard Parish. Members are nominated by acouncil of business,industry,higher education and labor organizations.

clear mandate to use evidencebased medicine whenmaking vaccination recommendations.”

The newgroup also released astatement: “Wecame to this meeting with no predetermined ideas andwill make judgments as if we are treating for our own families.”

Among otherdecisions Thursday,ACIP set anew schedule for seasonal ﬂu shots —provided they don’tcontain the mercurybased preservativethimerosal —rolling back long-standing government policies. Vaccination skeptics suspect thatthimerosal,

which is includedinonly 4% of ﬂu vaccines, causesautism despite dozens of studies saying it does not.

The committee also plans to reviewthe childhood vaccine schedule.

The ACIP providesguidanceto the Centers forDisease Control andPrevention, whose decisions require the federal government to provide vaccines for lowincome familiesand informs statesonvaccination schedules forstudents.

Cassidy hadnothing to sayFriday aboutthe panel’sactions

“This process ensures appointmentsare locally driven, carefully vetted, and rooted in industry expertise and community representation,” Landry wrote.

“Adding aSenate conﬁrmation requirement would complicate asystem that alreadyincludes substantial input,oversight,and

But in avideotaped message welcoming Kennedy to avisit in LouisianaFriday, Cassidy said: “I thank youfor coming, Bobby Andthank youparticularly for going to thePennington BiomedicalResearch Center,anLSU institutionstudying nutrition. And Iknow howpassionate you are —and Iam—about having good nutrition to Make America Healthy Again.”

But many in thehealth care communityfeared ACIP’s decisions are aharbingerofthe federal government’sembrace of Kennedy’sskepticism.

structure.”

The port, amajor economic engine for Louisiana, is under particular scrutiny because of asigniﬁcant but controversial expansion.

The port is adding amultibillion-dollarcontainerterminal in St.Bernard Parish, downriver from theCrescentCity Connection

The new terminal is necessary, portofﬁcials say, to compete for businesswith international shipping ﬁrms using larger vessels that can’t go up to the main port.

Butthe newterminal hasgenerated backlash from many St. Bernard residents andofﬁcials who fear it could clog their roads with trucks, disrupt the local way of life and damage the environment.

Sen.Kennedy mocks

Putin over Iran

U.S. Sen. JohnKennedy,RMadisonville, gave aspeech on theSenate ﬂoor on Wednesday, mocking RussianPresident Vladimir Putin, saying he hasabandoned ally Iran in the face of bombings by Israel andthe U.S.

“Where’sRussia?Where’s Pres-

The American Academy of Pediatrics on Thursday criticized Kennedy’sAFIPand announced it would publishits own recommendations andschedules.

“Whatweheard in this meeting wasreally afalse narrative that thecurrentvaccine policiesare ﬂawed andthattheyneed ﬁxing,” Sean O’Leary,aphysicianwho chairs thegroup’sCommittee on InfectiousDiseases, said in a statement.

On Capitol Hill, somelawmakers sayKennedy took advantage of Cassidy In an April18party primary, Cassidy faces GOPchallengers who contendheisnot supportive enough of President Donald Trump.

OneofCassidy’sbig plusesfor election to athirdterm is that, as chairofthe powerful Senate Health Education Labor and Pensionscommittee, he helped Trump’spickwin conﬁrmation Whenasked Tuesday if he felt dupedbyKennedy,Cassidy said: “The agreementwithSecretary Kennedy on theACIP wasabout process, notabout membership. So,I’lljustleaveitatthat.”

Acouple hourslater,during a Housebudgethearing, Rep.Kim Schrier, aDemocraticpediatrician from Washington state, accused Kennedy of lying to Cassidy She noted that Cassidy hadsaid Feb.4onthe Senate ﬂoor that Kennedy would maintainthe AFIP“without changes.”

“Did youlie to Sen. Cassidy whenyou toldhim youwould not change this panelofexperts?” Schrierasked “I nevermadethatagreement,” Kennedy replied. “If he said that Iagreed to it,itwould be inaccurate. I’mcomplying withall the agreements that ImadewithSen Cassidy.”

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.

ident Putin? Youcouldn’tfind eitherone of themwith asearch party,” Kennedy said. “Dogthe Bounty Hunter, all of asudden, couldn’tfind President Putin. All of asuddenevenGoogle can’t find Russia.” Kennedy noted that, when Russia invadedUkraine Iran helpedby sending ammunition, artillery shells and drones.

“On Monday of this week, Iran’stop diplomat met with President Putin and askedfor help,”Kennedy said. “Do youknowwhat President Putin said he would provide? Nothing. Zero.Zilch. Nada.Some kind of friend.” Russia hasabandoned other alliesaswell, Kennedy said. For example,whenSyrians revolved against Basharal-Assad, the dictator“went to Mr.Putin andsaid ‘help me,helpme’ and Mr.Putin said no.”

“I saythis to everycountry in the world thatmight be thinking aboutpartnering with Russia With friends like Russia, who needsenemies?” Kennedy said.

STAFF PHOTO By By JILLPICKETT

Gov. Jeff Landryspeaks during abill signing event at Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City on Wednesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, left, greets SecretaryofHealth and Human Services RobertF.Kennedy Jr before he testifies before aSenate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing at the U.S. Capitol on May14.

Kennedy

EDUCATION

LSUinterim presidentwants to keep winning

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

For Matt Lee, LSU’sinterim president,summer break is nota thing.

He started in the roleJune 1 after former President William Tate IV’ssurprise announcement that he was leaving to lead Rutgers University.Lee, who most recently was LSU’svice president foragriculture, traveled to Omaha last weekendto watch LSU’sbaseball team win its eighth national championship, then returned to Baton Rougethis week for his ﬁrst board meeting as system leader

As Louisiana’sﬂagship universitypreparestosearch for apermanent leader,Lee is tasked with continuing the system’sgainsin enrollment and research while navigatingheadwinds,including federal funding cuts and restrictions on international students. Just this week, federal immigration agents detained two Iranianborn LSU students; it’sunclear why they were targeted.

We spoke with Lee earlier this month, just days into his new role, about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The interview has been condensedand editedfor clarity

Can you startbytalking about what the past few days have been likefor you?

The list of issues and projects that are in play (across the LSU system) at any given time are in the dozens, maybe over 100. There’sjust awhole rangeof issues that this position deals with and it’slike achess game— they’re all at different points on the trajectory.Soittakes time

left and right, and that’sbecause we have abrand that frankly is unbeatable.

However,while we actually do quitewell with student retention and graduation, we can always do better.That’s going to be front and center in pretty much every conversation Ihave.

Andthen, we just passed amilestone withour collective research expenditures well over half abillion dollars. We are not gonna let up on the gas pedal there.

Is LSU bracing for cuts to its federal research funding?

Ithink we’ll expect,over the coming six months, to continue to see somepossible changes in the way the federal granting agencies are operating. Butthat doesn’t mean we’rejust gonna walk away from our mission.

federal level to makesure that they are fully educated on the importance of federal funding. Another is being really thoughtful about making sure that we are appropriately aligning our expertise with thepriorities of the funding agencies. Those tend to shift alittle bit from administration to administration. That just meansthat if they’re interested in topic Xand that’sreally apriority forthem,that we’re not wasting our time submitting proposals on topic B, which they’ve already declared is kind of anonstarter for them.

Irecently spokewith some LSUfaculty members who are concernedthat the Trump administration’sattacks on diversity,equity and inclusion programs in highereducation are threatening academicfreedom. How wouldyou respond?

that an arts professor or aphysics professor would notbeprotected if they discuss the political climate?

It depends on the circumstances. Everybody has First Amendmentrights forsure. But of course, you know,this is America, everybody also has First Amendmentresponsibilities.

As international students come under newscrutiny, can youtalk about what they contribute to LSU?

International students add a layer of additional vibrancy to our organization.

Students whoare from small hometowns in Louisiana and come to the ﬂagship —for them to get to sit in classrooms and live in dormitories with students from other parts of the world is atransformational experience. It opens their eyes, it gives them exposure to and development of cultural capital that is really,really valuable.

to get up to speed on each one of those.

In addition to getting an informationdownload,I’m connecting with theappropriate portfolio of external stakeholders. This includes ourlegislative colleagues, industrypartners,key alumni, donors.

This is avery,very signiﬁcant responsibility.Nobody in their right mind would take it lightly andthere’salot at stake.

What areafew of the top priorities that you’re goingtofocusoninthis period?

Well, there are two things that we are always, unrelentingly focused on: studentsuccess and growing ourresearch impact.

We have eight institutions within the LSUsystem,six of which havestudents, so we are going to continueaggressively discussingstudentsuccess. We’ve been settingenrollment records

What it meansiswe’re gonna huddle up, talk about our strategy, and ﬁgure out how it is that we remain in the top in terms of being competitive for federal funding.

The federal funding landscape is aviolently competitive place and we’ve been succeeding. We’re gonna continue that. Sometimes you gotta roll withthe punches but that’swhat thebig dogs do.

What are somepossible strategies for dealing with funding cuts?

Partofitisassessing our collaborative relationships. Is LSUjust trying to submit proposals in isolation, or are we trying to stitch together anetwork of regional institutions?

The value in astrategy like that is it telegraphs to the funding agency that they could have a stronger impact for their funding investment.

Another part of it is working with our elected ofﬁcials at the

First andforemost, we’re apublic organization, so we are always ensuring that we are following all federal, state and local lawsand regulations. As apublic higher education institution whose founding principles include academic freedom, we are always going to continue to ensure that our faculty that are tenured have the appropriate tenure protectionsand enjoy their ability to work under the umbrella of academic freedom, which gives you the protection to speak freely in your area of expertise.

Of course, we’re going to balance that with ensuring that our studentsare embedded in classroom learning environments that are appropriate and that their own civil rights are being appropriately protected.

When you saythat tenured faculty are protected when they talk about their area of expertise, does that mean, forexample,

So we are always keeping an eye on what current federal policy is that governs the international student experience and we makesure we’re in compliance with that.

And we welcome the top talent from around the globe because they beneﬁt from us and we beneﬁt from them being here.

Last question: As you deal with all these big issuesasinterim president, do youthink you’ll apply forthe permanent job?

I’mﬂattered that you would ask that. And frankly,everybody is asking that samequestion. Honestly,I’m just not speaking to it right now

What Iknow is, I’manLSU guy through and through. This institution has been good to me, and it’sbeen aprivilege to try to give back to this institution.

I’ll continue to do that until we get to the next step. We’re gonna continue to push forward. We’re not taking our foot off the accelerator

THE GULF COAST

Food trucks getsamescrutinyasrestaurants

BY MARYPEREZ

The Sun Herald

Food trucks are everywhere in South Mississippi —inparking lots, at festivals, food truck events and outside the shipyardsand factories during meal breaks.

Customers who appreciate the variety of food the trucks offer also want to know that buying a meal or snack from atruck is as safe as eating at abrick-and-mortar restaurant.

Abig “A” is posted in thewindow of Hand MHibachi and Burger,a food truck set up in the parking lot of Burnham Drugs along Mississippi Highway 57 in Vancleave.

The Ameans the inspector found no violations and every restaurant and food truck is required to display the latest grade.

Just like restaurants, food trucks get inspected onceortwice ayear, according to the Mississippi Department of Health,dependingon therisk level determined when the license is issued.

“Every single thing inhere is new,” said Michael Nguyen as he stood beside his shiny food truck.

The inspectors still went through the entire truck, he said, tomake sure the operation was clean and up to the health code. He also had to enroll in acertiﬁed foodsafety management course, which is required of the owner or manager at all Mississippi restaurants.

Surprise!

The same inspectors who drop in at all the restaurants and commercial kitchens in South Mississippi also visit food truckslooking for proper hot and cold holding temperatures, safe food handling and clean food preparation areas.

“They can show up unannounced anytime,”said Sara Pasquale, of

pole where he parks the truck, so it’s quieter and powers allhis appliances. This lets him put in longer hours—H and Misopen 10:30 a.m. to 8p.m. six days a week —close to theirhome in Vancleave. Sundays, the family goes to church, shops forfood forthe next week anddeep cleansthe hood,fan and entire food truck.

“It pays the bills,” he said.

“It’s agreat way to start without the huge overhead,” Pasquale said. Food trucks are “a little morehip” andcultural, she said, and in her case, healthierthan typical fast food. Customers build theirown bowl withabase like acai or coconut, addpeanut or almond butter for protein, choosethree toppings and adrizzleofhoney or Nutella.

few hours at atime,” he said, “so access to water and approved wastewater disposal is absolutely something that we address. Some mobile units have interchangeable water tanks that can be carried or rolled in and out. Others must return to their servicing area to be replenished. There are also some situations where water hookups areavailable, butwastewatermust still be disposed of in an approved manner.” These trendy eateries are the new version of momand pop restaurants —onwheels.

Gulfport.

She sets up herPure Acai Bowls food truck —complete with tables, chairs andaccessories— along Ocean SpringsRoad in the Rouses Market parking lot. On other days,she movesoutside Memorial Hospital in Gulfport or is invited to festivals, such as theupcoming Fourth of July celebration in Ocean Springs. She just gotapproved to sell on Keesler Air ForceBase, andas thorough as the state health inspection is, she said the military baseregulations areeven more stringent. She carriesaportable generator to power thefood truck that has aseparate water andwastewater

supply and holding tanks.

Keeping the interior clean isn’t aproblem, she said, because she wipes thecountersafter every order. Screensonthe windows keep flies out and bring cooler airin.

“Itcreates abreezeand makesit nice,” she said.

Sincemanyrestaurants have take-out windows and outdoor dining, it’s notthatdifferent keeping bugs away in afood truck.

“Open windows arenot unique to mobile units as brick-and-mortar restaurants can have drive-thru windows,” the health department said.

Less expensive, more specialized It’s his dream to have his own restaurant, Nguyen said, but that wouldrequire $150,000to$200,000 in startup fees.

He spent about $60,000 to buy andequip his foodtruck, andhis theme of “East meets West”combines Asian and American cuisine. Burgers with achoiceoftoppings andhibachifried rice with chicken, shrimporsteak are the bestsellers on themenuthatalso features chicken tenders, hibachi vegetables and egg rolls.

He has aplug-in on thepower

She communicates withher followers on Facebook andInstagram to let them know where she’ll be set up each day,Pasquale said. Nguyen has embraced technology,inviting regulars to scan acode he haspostedonhis trucksothey can order ahead.Heaccepts credit cards and Apple Pay Inspectors work thelist

Food trucks in Mississippi are requiredtoget amobile foodfacility permit and apublic health permit/license fromthe health department and some cities also require apermit. Fees are the same formobile and brick-andmortar restaurants, from $40 to $264.50.

Food trucks can be inspected at the pointofdaily operation, at the servicing area where they are cleaned and loaded with food, or at temporary events, according to Adam Follett, retailfood protection director for Mississippi Health Department.

Permits aren’t needed foronedayevents. Allother temporary events are inspected.

Food trucks typically must meet the same requirements as restaurants. The major differencesinvolve mobile water and wastewater supply andstorage.

“Most mobile units are not equipped to operate morethan a

STAFF PHOTO By JUSTIN MITCHELL

Aline of people wait to tryJamaican food at Waveland’s

Hospital leaders warn of Medicaid cuts

Proposals would have dire consequences, open letter states

BY CHAD CALDER Staff writer

The heads of seven major hospital systems and health care organizations in Louisiana penned an open letter to the U.S. Senate on Saturday warning that proposed Medicaid cuts would be devastating for patients, the industry and state and local economies.

The letter says the cuts proposed in the current Senate ver-

City to raise, widen busy road

Route serving high school prone to flooding

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

A newly announced road project in Youngsville will widen and raise a main thoroughfare for Southside High School that historically has been prone to ﬂooding.

The South Larriviere Road project is set to start construction with a 12-month timeline to completion. The road, once considered to be part of rural Youngsville, has become widely used by Southside High School students and their parents since the school’s construction.

The road will be widened to 24 feet from its current 18 feet and will be flanked by a sidewalk. The road will also be raised anywhere from one to three feet to fall ﬂat with a newly constructed small bridge that crosses a flood channel.

The project has been in talks since 2016, said Mayor Ken Ritter However, the Federal Highway Administration grant process was prolonged because the road is in multiple jurisdictions.

“That added some a level of complexity for us,” Ritter said, “If it was solely a city of Youngsville road, we would have had some solutions, some answers, to the table a little bit sooner.”

The project will cost $8.6 million and be funded 80% by federal grants, with the city requesting that Lafayette Parish ease some of the burden of the remaining 20% Youngsville match, Ritter added.

The road has ﬂooded many times and becomes impassable during major rains.

The raising of the road and improved underground drainage aims to alleviate some of the ﬂood pressure, ofﬁcials said, with that water being diverted to the nearby retention pond.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@theadvocate. com.

sion of the massive reconciliation package working its way through Congress known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — would be “historic in their devastation and warrant our shared advocacy to protect our patients and the care we provide them at our hospitals and clinics.”

The letter says the cuts threaten rural communities in particular because their hospitals are already in a precarious ﬁnancial state.

The Senate bill was dealt a blow

this week when the body’s parliamentarian ruled it doesn’t adhere to the rules Republicans want to use to approve it without Democrats. Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy says he disagrees with those calling to ﬁre the parliamentarian; while the state’s other senator, Bill Cassidy, has said he feels the House bill is superior

The cuts proposed in the Senate bill — several billion per year in Medicaid funding to Louisiana

healthcare providers — would likely force hospitals to consolidate services, reduce staff and close facilities. This would “adversely impact our collective ability to provide care, train the next generation of physicians, employ tens-of-thousands of people, and it would stiﬂe the billions in economic impact we generate each year,” the letter says. Signing the letter were Rock Bordelon, president and CEO of

Allegiance Health Management; Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health; E. J. Kuiper, president and CEO of FMOL Health; Randy Morris, chair of the Louisiana Rural Hospital Coalition board; Pete November, CEO of Ochsner Health; Rene Ragas, president and CEO of Woman’s Hospital; and Paul A. Salles, president and CEO of the Louisiana Hospital Association.

“Together, we employ more than 100,000 people and generate billions in annual economic impact,”

ä See MEDICAID, page 2B

Food truck feasting

D’Audrea Smith snaps a photo of the Korean fried chicken bao that she ordered.

Lafayette home prices outpace wage growth

Homes across U.S. less affordable than historic averages

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

The rising price of a typical single-family home or condo in Lafayette Parish is slightly outpacing annualized wage growth for buyers, data shows. To buy a median-priced home in the parish would require 26.5% of annualized wages, which is up from its historic average of 22.5%, according to data released by real estate research ﬁrm ATTOM Data Solu-

tions in its Home Affordability Report.

A typical wage earner in Lafayette Parish can still afford a home as the household income needed to buy a typical home was $55,033 and the average annualized wages for homeowners was at $58,097, data shows.

That $3,000 gap, however, shrunk by about $1,000 from ATTOM’s 2023 report.

The median price of a home or condo in Lafayette Parish in the second quarter increased by 3% from a year ago to $232,000 while income levels rose 2.7%. A year ago the median home price was up 8% while income

ä See HOMES, page 2B

Hungry patrons peruse the options during Food Truck Day on Friday at Parc de Oaks in Lafayette.

Annual 2nd Chance Job Fair returns to Lafayette

Event helps formerly incarcerated people start over

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Finding a new job can be challenging enough, but for those who were incarcerated, the challenge is doubled, which is why a Lafayette pastor founded a job fair to connect businesses with formerly incarcerated individuals. The 2nd Chance Job Fair will be held July 16 at the Heymann Center from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is free with a RSVP and open to the public.

Founded in 2015 by the Rev Charles Banks, of Fellowship Full Gospel Ministries, the job fair has continued to grow over the years by partnering with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Department of Corrections — Probation and Parole and the Louisiana Workforce Commission/Acadiana Workforce Solutions. “I want to encourage these young women and men to not beat themselves up because they’re great employers that are willing to give you a second chance,” said Banks via Facebook live. To view a list of participating companies, visit lafayette. org/2ndchance.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Flowers through the cracks in New Orleans

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

It was just 30 days after Hurricane Katrina marauded across New Orleans when artist Jeffrey Holmes and his then-wife Andrea Garland hauled the waterlogged furniture out of their art gallery on lower St. Claude Avenue. They piled the moldy debris on the neutral ground, webbed it with yellow caution tape and sprayed it with grafﬁti, including the inscription “RIP Lower Ninth Ward.”

Here and there, the couple placed mirrors in the debris so onlookers would see themselves in the devastation Though there was little audience in the evacuated city to appreciate the exhibit, the media discovered the display and it appeared everywhere from The New York Times to CNN to Al Jazeera.

Holmes said he had the urge to create something in reaction to the cataclysm, because “that’s what artists do when they’re suffering.”

Today, he looks back on the installation, which he dubbed “Toxic Art,” as an early sign of the golden era of creativity that was to come.

“The ﬂowers were already coming through the cracks,” he said Art capital

Nobody could have guessed that the destruction wrought by the 2005 hurricane would lead to one of the most signiﬁcant periods of artistic expression in New Orleans’ history, one that still reverberates 20 years later

But that’s what happened

The nation was acutely conscious of its southernmost city on the Mississippi after the disaster. And for a time, New Orleans became an art capital.

Truth is, if you add up the everevolving music scene, the long-entrenched community of bohemian painters, poets, writers and actors, plus the artistry of Carnival, New Orleans had always been an art capital.

But starting in 2007, a wave of Katrina-related works surged forth, capturing the city’s anguish and fueling its drive to rebuild.

“New Orleans is the most important city in America — this poor place,” said local visual artist Willie Birch. “There ain’t no place like this.”

Legendary ﬁlmmaker Spike Lee would create a 4-hour HBO documentary about the storm’s aftermath, titled “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” and enlist frequent collaborator and composer Terence Blanchard to create a deeply personal score. The New Orleans-born trumpet player would go on to create a Grammywinning jazz album based on that work.

Another famous local, Wendell Pierce, would star in a haunting outdoor production of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” staged in the ﬂooded wasteland near the collapse of the Industrial Canal ﬂoodwall.

Even Hollywood leading man Brad Pitt got in the act. Pitt set out to do nothing less than rebuild an entire neighborhood by enticing some of the world’s best architects, including Frank Gehry Thom Mayne and Shigeru Ban, to design earthfriendly, affordable houses for residents of the obliterated Lower 9th Ward. Eventually, Pitt’s nonprofit organization, known as Make It Right, built 109 strikingly modernistic dwellings, though not without some controversy

Visual arts blossom

All artistic endeavors seemed to take on a new energy and importance. But nowhere was the creative explosion more powerful than in the visual arts, where sculpture, painting and performance particularly signaled the city’s struggle.

“Artists were pushing themselves to make radical, bold work,” largely because the very survival of the city was at stake, said Miranda Lash, who at 24 was serving as the New Orleans Museum of Art’s curator of contemporary art. It was “a moment to make a case for self-preservation,” she said.

“There was a lot of momentum for artists to play a role in the community,” and “there was a deep sense of purpose.”

In the first two years after the storm and ﬂood, New Orleans artists addressed the tragedy head-on.

NOMA lined the walls of a gallery with hundreds of photos of the destruction by local photographers.

Artist Eden Gass created a black American flag, embroidered with black stars and bars, which she ceremonially burned in protest of the federal government’s slow response to the crisis

Other artists produced installations inside of formerly ﬂooded homes, built sculpture from debris, recorded scenes of the ruin in paintings, and likewise used their creativity as catharsis.

And that was just the beginning ‘New frontier’

On the third anniversary of Katrina, as another monster storm named Gustav barreled toward south Louisiana, one of the most famous artists in the world stalked the streets of New Orleans.

The British grafﬁti artist known as Banksy had made the walls of the city his canvas, secretly creating a suite of small murals devoted to the population’s seemingly endless recovery struggle. His wistful artworks captured the mood of the moment.

The best of Banksy’s works depicted a young girl holding an umbrella over her head in an unsuccessful attempt to stay dry As a coy reference to the failed levee system, Banksy had equipped her with an umbrella that not only leaked, but it seemed to be the source of the deluge.

Ogden Museum of Art curator Bradley Sumrall said “the larger art world” may have been more interested in the superstar’s visit than the resident population, which was otherwise engaged. There also was some resistance to the intrusion.

“Locals were a little tender to another outsider coming into their city and interpreting their stories,” he said.

Still, the out-of-town artists kept coming, said New Orleans artist Terrence Sanders-Smith, who founded Artvoices magazine to document the post-catastrophe art scene.

“Artists saw this place as the new frontier,” he said.

Prospect is born

By 2008, the city was aboil with art. California-born curator Kirsha Kaechele transformed a handful of unoccupied houses in the St. Roch neighborhood into an experimental art laboratory

Energetic sculptors Michael Manjarris and Peter Lundberg installed scores of modern sculptures along the roadways.

New galleries popped up on St. Claude Avenue, and established galleries and museums seemed more precious and popular than ever

Then there was the dawning of a new art festival, which promised to become the visual art equivalent of the Jazz Fest.

Dan Cameron, the former curator of the New Museum in New York and a longtime Jazz Fest fan, founded an ambitious, multimilliondollar art festival called Prospect.1 which featured works by a cast of 80 international stars in 24 scattered locations across the city The contemporary art triennial continues to be held in New Orleans.

The centerpiece was a three-story Noah’s Ark, fashioned by Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford in the Lower 9th Ward. The landlocked boat, which was built from recycled plywood and coated in tattered movie posters, was an ironic symbol of the uncertainty of survival.

As the L.A. Times art critic sardonically wrote at the time: “If only FEMA had been this prepared.” Birch was also featured in the festival at the New Orleans Museum of Art. His huge, black-andwhite cityscape drawings depicted churches, homes and street corners

in various stages of rebuilding, as

well as the realities of everyday life after the storm.

The artist contends that the greatest form of creativity is culture, which is why the city, in particular, ignited with so many inspired works. All forms of New Orleans expression were part of the mix, he said, from papier mâché Mardi Gras masks, to yard art sculpture, to second-line parades and blues, jazz and rap music.

“The culture, that’s our enrichment, that’s our food,” Birch said. “That’s what nurtures us.”

Last traces

Today, evidence of post-Katrina artworks are almost as scarce as the aerosol X’s left behind on houses by ﬁrst responders.

Erica Larkin, a metal sculptor and meticulous welder, began conceiving of her minimalist response to Katrina shortly after the storm.

It would simply be a series of uniform, 10-foot-tall poles, with glass rings — made by Larkin’s husband Mitchel Gaudet — to mark the height of the 2005 flood Elysian Fields Avenue, which bisects the city from Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River, seemed the ideal place to install a series of the telltale markers.

Larkin feared that even in the wild west atmosphere of 2008, no one was going to permit her to erect an art project on a public neutral ground. So, she and her husband decided “it was guerrilla art time.”

As they made plans to produce and install the poles on the sly a generous art funder, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, offered to sponsor and manage the project.

In the end, 12 “Watermarks” rose on Elysian Fields as one of the most effective documentary artworks inspired by the disaster It stood for 17 years, becoming one of the very last public artworks devoted to storm.

But this spring, the poles were gone They’d been removed for renovation by Arts New Orleans, a nonproﬁt that supports arts and culture in the city

The “Watermarks” are expected to be back in place by Aug. 25 to mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

“I’m proud we did them,” Larkin said.

And the economic consequences, they write, “pale in comparison to the harm that will be caused to residents across the state, regardless of insurance status, who will no longer be able to get the care that they need. The House version, while it presented challenges, is a more workable solution which would help to avoid many of these effects.”

The signatories say they are grateful that Gov Jeff Landry and the state Legislature passed a budget that fully supports the Medicaid program, but more work is needed.

“Louisiana and our healthcare delivery system are at a crossroads,” they wrote. “We face the largest cut to healthcare in our state’s history Will our leaders in Washington choose to protect the health of our people, hospitals and economy? We are counting on them to do so.” Email Chad Calder at ccalder@theadvocate.com.

HOMES

Continued from page 1B they wrote. “Hospitals account for 5.7 percent of total employment in Louisiana. Louisiana hospitals generate $38.4 billion in business transactions, $14.2 billion in annual payroll, and $1.7 billion in net state and local tax collections.”

levels were up 2%.

Nearly every parish and county in the United States had similar results to Lafayette Parish, ATTOM reported, with homes being less affordable than the historic averages. It marks the 14th consecutive quarter where purchasing and maintaining a median-priced home in the U.S. has required a higher percentage of the typical owner’s wages than has historically been necessary

The report determined affordability for average wage earners by calculating the amount of income needed to meet major monthly homeownership expenses — including mortgage, property taxes and insurance on a median-priced single-family home or condo, assuming a 20% down payment and a 28% maximum “front-end” debt-to-income ratio.

Of the 13 parishes surveyed, Rapides, Bossier, Caddo and Jefferson parishes had the biggest drop in affordability index. The biggest drop was in Orleans, which had a 11% drop in median sales price compared to a year ago but would still require 27.2% of a buyer’s annualized wages to afford a home.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2025

PICK 3: 9-8-7

PICK 4: 5-0-7-7

PICK 5: 8-0-6-6-7

MEGA MILLIONS: 18-21-29-42-50

MEGA BALL: 2

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

Jeffrey Holmes is reflected in his impromptu installation, called ‘Toxic Art,’ assembled just days after Hurricane Katrina flooded his gallery on St. Claude Avenue. It is thought to be the first public artwork that was created in reaction to the devastation.

Funeral services willbe held on Monday, July 7, 2025 at a10:00 A. M. Mass of Christian Burial in The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette,for Nancy Van Eaton Broussard Prince, age 86, who passed away on

Obituaries Thursday, June 26, 2025 at her residence in Lafayette. Entombment will be in the St. John Cemetery Mausoleum. The family requests that visitation be observed on Sunday,July 6, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM and will continue on Mondayfrom 8:00 AM to 9:45 AM. Afulland moredetailed obituary is forthcoming once completed Viewthe obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin &Castille Funeral HomeDOWNTOWN, 330 St LandryStreet,Lafayette, Louisiana 70506,337-2342311

Announcements

FARMING KevinLandryFarms,LLC seeksa farm‐worker forworkinVermilion Parish,LA. Work duties during peak season in‐cludecrawfishing,including manually cutting/preparing crawfish bait;bait andcheck traps; assistinginmaking andrepairing crawfish trapsas needed;plantingand harvesting of rice;general farmlabor,including farm maintenance, manualshovelwork, hoeing of weeds. During non-peak sea‐son, assistinginwater maintenance; assistinginpreparing farmfor upcom‐ingpeakcrawfishseason, includingor‐ganization of crawfish traps/equip‐ment,assistinginrepairing crawfish trapsasneeded, assistinginplac‐ing/setting crawfish trapsinfieldsfor crawfish season;general upkeep and preparationoffarm, fields,levees,and shop includingassisting in clean‐ing/placing/setting/maintainingfarm equipmentand crawfish boatsfor up‐coming season;and generalfarmsani‐tation duties.Local travel between worksitesinVermilion Parish,LA. Must be able to lift 40lbs. 40 hoursper week No educationrequirement.Notraining forthe jobopportunity required.No employment experience required.To applyfor

Pets

FARMING TooManyChiefs, LLCseek afarm‐worker forworkinJeffDavis Parish,LA. Jobdutiesinclude:Duringpeakfarm‐ingmonths, assist in crawfishingfarm duties,including manuallycut‐ting/preparing crawfish bait,baitand checktraps;assisting in making and repair crawfish trapsasneeded; plant‐ingand harvesting of rice;general farm laborincluding,farmmaintenance manualshovelwork, hoeing of weeds. Assistinginwater maintenance; as‐sistinginpreparing farm forupcoming peak crawfish season,including assist‐inginorganizationofcrawfish traps/equipment, assistinginrepairing crawfish trapsasneeded,assisting in placing/setting crawfish trapsinfields forcrawfishseason; generalupkeep andpreparation of farm, fields,levees, andshopincluding assistinginclean‐ing/placing/setting/maintaining farm equipmentand crawfish boatsfor up‐coming season;and generalfarmsani‐tation duties.Assisting in thecutting andharvestingofhay,asneeded. 40 hoursper week.Noeducation require‐ment.Notrainingfor thejob opportu‐nity required.Six (6)monthsexperi‐ence in similarfarming occupation re‐quired.Local travel between worksites in Jeff DavisParish, LA required.To applyfor position,contact employer at (337)207-4196orbyapplyinginperson at 5031South CuttingAvenue,Jennings, LA 70546. Rate of pay: $38,002.00/year

ing: St.LandryCharter School Roof Replacement andwill, shortlythere‐after, be opened and read aloudinthe Pur‐chasingDivisionOfﬁce locatedat1203 Burr Street,Opelousas,LA 70570. Bids received after theabove speciﬁed time foropening shallnot be considered andshall be returned unopened to thesender. Biddersare encouraged to call into thebid openings at the followingphone number 337-943-0954.

ScopeofServices: The work shallconsist of,but notlimited to,furnishing allmaterial, labor, tools, andsupervision forthe re-roofing of theSt. Landry CharterSchool Allworkshall be com‐pleted within 180 calen‐dars days from theis‐suance of theNoticeto Proceed.The contractor shallalsopay Liquidated Damagesinthe sumof onethousand five hun‐dred dollars($500) per calendar daybeyond the completion date in which theworkisnot complete beginningwiththe first daybeyondthe comple‐tion time Bidders mayrequest the electronic bidpackage from Brandy LeBlancat brandy@prouet.comor 337-237-6517. Only abid bond,certified checkorcashier’s check shallbesubmitted as the bidsecurity. Bids must be signedin accordance with LRS Title38:2212(B)5. ACor‐porate Resolution or Cer‐tificate of Authorityau‐thorizingthe person signingthe bidisre‐quired to be submitted with bid. Failuretosub‐mita CorporateResolu‐tion

policyholders’ surplus as showninthe A.M. Best’s KeyRatingGuide or by an insurancecom‐pany in good standing li‐censed to writebid bondswhich is either domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents. Thebid bond shall be issued by acompany licensed to do business in Louisiana. Thecerti‐fied check, cashier’s check, or bidbondshall be givenasa guarantee that thebiddershall exe‐cute thecontract, should it be awardedtohim,in conformity with thecon‐tractdocuments within ten(10) days Nocontractormay with‐draw itsbid priortothe deadline forsubmission of bids.Withdrawalof bids thereafter shallbe allowedonlypursuantto LA R.S. 38§2214.C. Other‐wise,nobiddermay withdraw hisbid forat leastforty-five (45) days afterthe time scheduled forthe bidopening of bids.Eachbid shallbe submittedonlyonthe bidformprovidedwithin thespecifications. The successfulbidderwillbe required to executeper‐formance andlabor and material paymentbonds in thefullamount of the contract as more fully definedinthe biddocu‐ments. No contractors maywithdrawhis bidfor at leastforty-five (45) days afterthe time scheduledfor theopen‐ingofbids. Each bidshall be submittedonlyonthe bidformprovidedwith thespecifications. The successful contractor will be required to exe‐cute performanceand laborand material pay‐ment bondsinthe full amount of thecontract as more

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Noticeisherebygiven thatsealedbidswillbe receivedeitherbymail, email to DebraFaulat dfaul@stlandrycharter school.com,orhandde‐livered to St.Landry

abovewhich have notbid in accordance with the requirements,shall be rejected andshall notbe read.Additional informa‐tion relative to licensing maybeobtainedfrom theLouisiana StateLi‐censingBoard forCon‐tractors,Baton Rouge, Louisiana. PURCHASING DIVISION St.LandryCharter School PUBLISHDATES: 6/15, 6/22, 6/29 145367-jun15-22-29-3t $2,037.81 check, or bidbondshall begiven as aguarantee thatthe

Biddersmay requestthe electronicbid package fromBrandyLeBlanc at brandy@prouet.com or 337-237-6517. Only abid bond,certified check or cashier’scheck shall be submittedasthe bid security Bids must be signedin accordance with LRS Title38:2212(B)5. ACor‐porate Resolution or Cer‐tificate of Authorityau‐thorizingthe person signingthe bidisre‐quired to be submitted with bid. Failuretosub‐mita CorporateResolu‐tion or Certificate of Au‐thoritywiththe bidshall be causefor rejectionof bid. Pre-orderedcopiesofthe bidding documentswill beavailable with ade‐posit of $50.00 perset (NOTE:nocashshall be accepted, only checkor money ordermade payable to Prouet Archi‐tecture &Engineeringat the office of Prouet Ar‐chitecture& Engineering, LLC ATTN:Brandy LeBlanc (337-237-6517) located at 100 CentralSt, Ste 200, Lafayette,LA 70501. OrderedBid Docu‐ments shallbeavailable until twenty-four hours beforethe bidopening date. Questionsrelative tothe biddingdocu‐ments shallbead‐dressedtoBrandy LeBlanc at brandy@ prouet.com Contractorsare re‐questedtoattend anonmandatorypre-bid meet‐ing, which will be held on July 2, 2025 at 2:30PMat theSt. Landry Charter School site at 1203 Burr St Opelousas, LA 70570 Each bidshall be accom‐paniedbya certified check,cashier’s check, orbid bond payableto the St.LandryCharter School,the amount of which shallbe five per‐cent(5%)ofthe base bid plusadditive alternates If abid bond is used,it shall be writtenby a suretyorinsurance com‐panycurrently on the U.S.Departmentofthe TreasuryFinancial Man‐agement Servicelistof approved bondingcom‐panieswhich is pub‐lishedannually in the Federal Register,orby

atleast forty-five (45) daysafter thetime scheduled forthe open‐ing of bids.Eachbid shall besubmitted only on the bid form provided with the specifications. The successfulcontractor willberequiredtoexe‐cuteperformance and labor andmaterialpay‐mentbonds in thefull amount of thecontract asmorefully definedin the biddocuments Bids will be evaluatedby the Purchaserbased on the lowest responsible and responsive bidsub‐mittedwhich is also in compliancewiththe bid documents.The St LandryCharter reserves the righttorejectany and allbidsfor just cause in accordance with LAR.S.38§2214.B Contractorsorcontract‐ing firmssubmittingbids inthe amount of $50,000.00 or more shall certify that they areli‐censedcontractors under Chapter24ofTitle 37ofthe LouisianaRe‐vised Statutes of 1950 and show theirlicense numberonthe frontof the sealed envelope in which theirbid is en‐closed. Contractorsshall belicensedfor theclas‐sification of Building

OPINION

OUR VIEWS Committee should cast a wide netfor next LSU president

The committee that the LSU Boardof Supervisors has chosentoselect theLSU system’snext presidenthas abig jobaheadofit.

The outgoing president,William Tate IV,accomplished much during his fouryearsinBaton Rouge. LSUhit record enrollmentsand spentan eye-popping $543 million in research funding last year

Outside of the classroom, Tate’stenure saw majorathleticsuccesses,including national championships in baseball, gymnasticsand women’sbasketball, amongothers

But it hasn’tbeen all smooth sailing.Tateinheritedthe effects of the COVID-19pandemic when he tookthe job in 2021. LSU wasalso dealingwiththe fallout of nationwide racial justice protests and accusations that some university ofﬁcials had downplayed allegationsofsexual assault.

More recently,several of his toplieutenants have left for other jobs, and he’sbeenforced to institute ahiring freezeamid questions about the stability of federal research funding.

That’swhy it’simportant that the19members of the new committee, whocome fromavarietyofmostly business butalsosome academic backgrounds, put the wealthoftheir collective experience together in pickinga newleader

They will face some serious questions: Should the candidate come from inside the system, like Matt Lee, currently the interim president who has been at LSU for twodecades?Orwould it be better to go outside thesystem butstay with an in-state academic administratorlike with McNeese State University PresidentWade Rousse, as some have suggested?Orshouldthe new leader come from the politicalrealm, like U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow —who also hasuniversity administration experience —asothers have proposed?

Scott Ballard, the Board of Supervisors chair who is also on the committee, has said that members plan to conductanational search. That sounds like agood idea. Apropersearch will include arigorous look at candidates local andnationalwho have therequisiteacademic andadministrative experience,aswellasthe vision to move the system forward. It’s far too early to anoint anyone contender at this point, but we can say this:The committee’sactionswill reverberate acrossthe system’seight campusesand thousands of employees and students. The new leaderwill have to navigate the state’sthorny politics, guide the impending absorption of theUniversity of New Orleans into the LSU system and maintain the level of excellencethat theLSU communitydeservesand hascometoexpect Given the weight of that burden,weurgethe committeetoworkhardtoidentify the best candidatepossibleand rejectovertlypolitical considerations. After all, the choice isn’t important just to those who bleed purple and gold. LSU is the state’sﬂagship university,and its success or failure affects all Louisianans.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

In Iran,let’s hit’em hard andagain

AfterIsrael took out at least twoof Iran’stop scientistsbehind the development of nuclear weapons (and promised to kill more), my high school ﬁght song came to mind. At football games after atouchdown we sang, “Hit ’em hard and hit ‘emagain. Show ’em now thatwe’re gonna win...”

That is precisely what Israel has done in several strikes againstits mortal enemythat has threatened to exterminate the Jewishstate, renegedon past agreementstocurtail its enrichment of uranium and made statements about itsreligious motivationfor attacks on Israel and support of various terrorist proxies. Why shouldn’tIsrael be expected to defend itself against thestated aims of theIslamic fanatics in Tehran?

The diplomatic “rope-a-dope” strategy used by Iran to string out negotiations in ordertocontinue pursuing uranium enrichment with anuclear weapon —its likely outcome—has worked over severalU.S. administrations Mossad managed to penetratedeep into Iran withadrone base and other weapons which took out many,but not

all, of Iran’smissile launchers. Some missilesgot through and hit parts of Tel Aviv,wounding scoresand killing some civilians President Donald Trump has declared thatifIran doesn’treturn to negotiations, it will suffer far worse attacks. That should not be the goal, because there is no evidence thatIran would behave any differently if previously failed negotiations resume. The goal should be regime change. The current Iranian regimecame to power in 1979, thanks to Jimmy Carterundermining the shah, who kept the fanatics now running and ruining the country at bay.The shah had his problems, but was pro-West. Since then, the Islamic regimehas sustained itself with guns, crooked elections,bysuppressing protests and jailing or killing those opposed to the ayatollahs. The Middle East —indeed the world —would be better off and asaferplace if the regime were to fall. The important questioniswho would take their place? It can’tbearepeat of 1979 with different faces but thesame objectives.

There is political opposition in Iran and we occasionally hear voices that claim support for human rights, free elections and other things appealing to Western ears. There have been street protests, which the Revolutionary Guard quickly extinguished. In atelevised address after the bombing began, Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iranians to effectively overthrow their government: “Israel’sfight is not against the Iranian people. Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you. The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy,bystanding up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime. .”

That would be the ideal outcome, but fear keeps many people from acting on their beliefs and goals. Overcoming fear takes courage and awillingness to sacriﬁce even your own life. Are there enough Iranians prepared to stand against the power and weapons of the ayatollahs?

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com

Trumphas double standard on immigration

Donald Trump recently wrote on Truth Social: “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisurebusiness have been stating that our very aggressive policyonimmigration is taking very good, longtime workersaway from them,with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.”

Let’s get theobvious out of the way.Trumpisheavily invested in two of thosethree businesses. He’sprovenhimself very good at looking out for No. 1.

That’smuch easier than formulating an immigration policy to meet the needsofemployers while ensuring decentwages forall workers. Many of these “very good” workers would have been admitted to this countrylegally,if we had carefully written immigration policy.The lack of said policyisa major driver of illegal immigration. Consider also theweirdnessof singling out two industries for lax immigration enforcement. Suppose an undocumented worker tending almond trees in California’sCentral Valley chooses to start awindow-washing business in Bakersﬁeld. Is he now slated for deportation?

BorderczarStephen Miller is putting on ashow of force that is both nasty and ineffectual. The wannabe warlord says he wantstoarrest 3,000 migrants aday,apparently any migrants. His enforcershave been pulling people withpending asylum cases and valid work permits off worksites. Few will argueagainst booting out undocumented aliens who have committed crimes, other thanbeing here illegally.Barack Obama did abetter job of that thanTrumphas. MAGA’s obsessionwith the Southern border already calmed by Joe Biden before leaving ofﬁce, ignoresnearly half the dilemma. An estimated 42% of undocumented immigrants now in the U.S. arrivedlegally but overstayed their visas. Meanwhile, organizers of the “No King” rallies did amasterful job. They broadly named the event to take much of the focus away from the sometimesabusive activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. That combined with Trump’stoxic personality and chaotic politics resulted in small crowds honoring the U.S. Army’s250-year anniversary.That was toobad. Trump set the scene by holding that

unseemly political rally featuring himself at Fort Bragg. The Trump brand of vulgarity further diminished the Army’sparade by including an ofﬁcial broadcast shouting out “Special thanks to our sponsor —Coinbase.” Coinbase operates ahuge exchange for cryptocurrency,one of Trump’sshadowy avenues for amassing more wealth.

The “No Kings” planners, who put together big gatherings in every state, wisely kept the protests outside Washington. That avoided conﬂict with the Army/Trump birthday parade. Afew hours after calling to exempt farm and hospitality workers from harsh immigration enforcement, Trump blamed Biden for the problem Biden went farinsolving. Trump himself has employed an illegal workforce most famously the construction workers who built Trump Tower. Americans don’twant open borders. They also recognize that many of the people who camethrough these open borders without the proper documentation are, indeed, otherwise very good people. Don’texpect sane immigration reform in the Trump era.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.

Froma Harrop

Cal Thomas

COMMENTARY

In CVSsuit, Murrill is wrongonfreespeech

At least one of the three lawsuits that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has ﬁled against the CVS drugstore chain is not just wrongheaded but constitutionally dangerous. She should withdrawit, forthwith.

Murrill is particularly angry with CVS for successfully convincing the state Legislature to reject abill that would have prohibited companies from owning drugstoreswhile also owning outfits called “pharmacy benefit managers.” PBMs serve essentially as middlemen to negotiate drug prices from manufacturers. Itake no position on whether PBMs are more beneficial than harmful —except to note that plenty of conservative-freemarket advocates are supporters of PBMs, so it’sodd to see Murrill and some other Republicansoppose them. Ialso take no position on whether PBMs and drugstores should be owned by the same corporation, and no position on themeritsofMurrill’ssecondand third lawsuits against CVS,which accuse the drugstore giantof “unfair competition” and(essentially) monopolistic practices. Murrill’sfirst lawsuit, though, is outrageous. It seeks to punish

CVS for contacting customers to express its political opposition to thelegislation she favored. It says CVS “illegitimately” used customers’ “contact information obtained under the guise of prescriptionand health notiﬁcations” to send text messages that were“inaccurate, misleading, and deceptive” in order to “incite fear among vulnerable peopleregarding their medicalneeds.”

Murrill should read the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution In case she forgot, that amendment guaranteesthe right to free speech.That right, as the Supreme Court repeatedly and emphatically has reminded us, is particularly strong in protecting speech of apolitical nature. Amongthe casesthat recognizedthat corporate speech is included under these protections was thefamous Citizens United v. FEC, which conservatives such as Murrill tendnot just to support but celebrate.(Iknow whereof I speak: Iliterally was one of the three other peopleinthe room whenCitizens United President David Bossie gavethe go-ahead to hislawyer to ﬁle that lawsuit.)

In her public explanation of this suit andinthe suit itself, Murrill

explicitly notes that CVS’ messages wereintended to“serve its own political agenda.” Well, of course: That’sthe whole point of political speech protections.

Wondering if Iwere missing something,Icalled one of the nation’stop free-market think tanks, theCompetitive Enterprise Institute, to get itsexpertiseon business-related law.Its attorney David McFadden —who, by the way,isa Tulane Law grad who practiced his profession in New Orleansfor manyyears —expressed surprise at the suit McFadden said CVS“will have astrong defense on the First Amendment.”

The key question, McFadden said, is this:“Is the[nature of Murrill’s] complaint contentbased? Would theauthorities have to examine the content of the messages?”

Of course it is content-based, he said. And, he added, it usually is aclear violation of First Amendment law if government authorities seek to penalize speech (unless it is defamatory or physically threatening) based on thespeech’scontent.

Case law says thegovernment can limit First Amendment political speech only if the limitation is “narrowly tailored” to meet a “compelling” stateinterest.

PHOTO By PATRICK WALL La. AttorneyGeneral LizMurrill

“This is not commercial speech [which enjoys slightly less constitutional protection]; it’score political speech,” McFadden said. “What would the state’sinterest be? That theopposing side of a bill can’tbepresented? That is not even alegitimate state interest, much less a‘compelling’ one.”

And: “There’snoexception for arguments that [the state believes] are invalid or mistaken. That’sfor each citizen and the Legislature to decide.”

In other words, Murrill has no proper authority to decide if she thinksCVS’ message was“deceptive.”

Even apart from the constitu-

tional protection, Murrill would be hard-pressed to prove anything CVS said was deceptive, anyway

The messages sent by CVS all said aversion of the following: “Legislation in Louisiana threatens to close your CVS pharmacy —your medication cost may go up and your pharmacist may lose their [sic] job.”

As it happens, that is the standard argument, nationwide, against the sorts of legislation

Murrill is pushing —not just from the PBMs, but from free-market analysts aplenty who do not get major funding from drugstore or pharmaceutical giants. Indeed, some of those analysts say the practice of PBMs and drugstore chains being concurrently owned is a“market-based response” to the Obamacare law passed in 2010. And Vince Ginn, aformer chief economist in the ﬁrst Trump White House, agrees that the law Murrill backed likely would have forced closures of up to 100 CVS stores with “2,700 jobs at stake.”

Let Murrill ﬁght her other two lawsuits. But forher to push this suit against CVS’ text messages is, on multiple grounds, way, way out of line.

Quin Hillyer canbereached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate.com.

Dropping thef-bombwon’t avoida war

tango foxtrot.”

When Donald Trump was apresidential candidate visiting Louisiana afew years ago, he made a promise. His promise came after he caught alot of ﬂak for calling Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a“p” noun, another word for cat, but when used as profanity means someone is acoward or a weakling.

andTotalCEASEFIRE,” he said on socialmedia.

Small problem: BothIranand Israel ﬁred after the announcement

“I won’tuse foul language. I’m just not going to do it,” he told acrowd in Baton Rouge at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center in February 2016.“I’ll neverdoit again, actually ” Never,hesaid. That was alie.

I’m sure many of you heard whatIheard when Trump was being interviewed by journalists as he was about to start histrip from the White House to the NATO summit.

If you missed it, this wasa moment when the president rightly so —expressed anger, exasperation and frustration with Iran and Israel after he hadannounced aceaseﬁre. “Complete

“I’mnot happy with them,” Trump toldagroup of reporters. “I’mnot happy with Iraneither.” That wasn’tenough for Trump. Whetheritwas anger, off-the-cuff or intentional, the president of these United States, in apositionrespected across theglobe no matter who occupies it, letloose an f-bomb.

“Webasically have two countriesthat have beenﬁghting for so longand so hard that they don’t knowwhat the f*** they’redoing, youunderstandthat?”

The president and Imake different choiceswhen it comes to emphasizing something. He, some Republicans, some Democrats andsomeothersprefer using that four-letter—and some ﬁve- and six-letter— cusswords. Instead of sayingwhathechosetosay earlierthis month, Imight’ve said “what the heck,”or“whiskey

If Iwerepresident and Ihad been relying on Iran and Israel to commit to aceaseﬁreand they both disappointed me,it’slikely I might’ve said “I’m deeply disappointed thatthe agreement,our agreement,was violated. There is toomuch at risk. The world deserves apeaceful resolution without additional strikes—and certainly not nuclear warfare.”

If Iwerereally feeling salty, I might add, “If they don’tknow how serious this is, theycan go to the nearest pay phone and call me.” “Oops. Forgive me. I’m chronologically gifted. Iguess theycan pick up the hotline.”

On June 13, Israel attacked key facilities in Iran and killed top generals and scientists to deter Iran from developing anuclear bomb. Iran retaliated, striking centralIsrael, killing civilians Trump abruptly left theG7summit June 16 to focus on the Iran-Israel conﬂict.Then, on June 21, the U.S. strucknuclear sites in Iran Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan —with bunker-buster bombs delivered by

sevenB-2 stealth bombers. During his January inauguration speech, Trump asked that he be judgedbased, in part, on his military moves. “Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world hasever seen,” he said. “Wewill measure our success not only by thebattles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps mostimportantly,the wars we never getinto.”

Is/was what happened in IranIsrael abattle,aconﬂict or awar?

Unfortunately,world leaders, prominent politicians, people withhuge television and social media platforms and news media have confused the public about what this action should be called.

The U.S. Constitution divides the authorityand responsibility for militaryinvolvement and entering war.The WarPowers Resolution of 1973 further deﬁneswho can do what. Only Congress can declare war.The president can direct military operations.

Democratic representatives said the president had violated the War PowersResolution. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,

said the WPR is unconstitutional. Democratic and Republican presidents have used the act to justify military actions, so that debate will continue.

Meanwhile, however our nation handles the Biblical land of Persia, it’sgood to remember that the Bible and the West continued to call the area Persia while the people living there have called it Iran for centuries. Most of the world acknowledged their preference in 1935. The revolution in 1979 solidiﬁed the cultural preference when the nation became the Islamic Republic of Iran.

When candidate Trump was in Baton Rouge, the crowd egged him on, encouraging him not to demur and showered him how with colorful language as he spoke. Perhaps Louisiana helped rubberstamp him cussing at world leaders as many worry about starting World WarIII. We don’tneed four-letter words as apart of “diplomacy.” Just use Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

ExplodingU.S.indebtednessmakes aﬁscal crisis almost inevitable

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase,was more tantalizing than illuminating when herecently said, regarding thenation’s ﬁscaltrajectory,“Youare going to see acrack in the bond market.” Details, even if hypotheticals, would be helpful concerning the market where U.S. debt is sold.

powerfully prod foreign investors to diversify away fromTreasury, which would raise the cost of U.S. borrowinganunpredictable amount.

Twenty-ﬁve percent of Treasury bonds, about $9 trillion worth, are held by foreigners, who surelyhave noticed aprovision in the One Big Beautiful Bill (1,018 pages).Unlessand until it is eliminated,the provision empowerspresidents to impose a20% taxoninterest payments to foreigners. The potential applicability of this to particular countries and kinds of income is unclear.Itcould be merely America First ﬂag-waving.

Concerning which, Kenneth Rogoff is alarmingly plausible. Beforehebecameanintergalactically famousHarvard economics professor, and a peripatetic participant in global ﬁnancial affairs, he was aprofessional chess player. Hence, hispenchant for thinking many moves ahead.

“I have observed that, although theﬁnancial system evolves glacially,” hewrites in his new book, “Our Dollar,YourProblem,” “the occasional dramatic turn is to be expected ” What is expectedisconsidered probable.The nation’s exploding indebtednesscouldpresage a “dramatic turn.”

But foreign bond purchasers, watching the U.S. government scrounge for money as it cuts taxes and swells the national debt in trillion-dollar tranches, surely think: What theprovision makes possible is possible. Such a signiﬁcant devaluation of foreignpurchased Treasury bondswould

“The amount of marketable U.S. government debt,” Rogoff says, roughly equals “that of all other advanced countries combined; a similar comparison would hold for corporate debt.”Furthermore, when in 2023 Silicon Valley Bank and some other small and medi-

um-size banks becameactuarially bankrupt because of rising interest rates, theFederal Reserve created afacility that implicitly backstopped potential capital losses of all banks, estimated to be morethan $2 trillion. The facility has gone away, but thementality that created it remains. Therefore, so does another potential large increase in government debt.

“The U.S. government has continually increased the size and scope of its implicit bailout guarantees,” Rogoff writes, “creating what might be termed ‘theﬁnancial welfare state.’”

Those of the“lower forever” school of thought regarding interest rates are serene about thechallenge of servicing the national debt.Rogoff, however notes that when Ben Bernanke left as Federal Reserve chair in 2014, Bernanke, then 60, “reportedly began tellingprivate audiences that he did not expect to see 4% short-term interest rates again in his lifetime.” Eight years later,such rates reached 5.5%, and long-term rates have risen signiﬁcantly Rogoff thinks today’shigher

rates are likely the new normal, resembling the old normal, for manyreasons, including “the massive rise in global debt (public and private).” And “if the worldwide rise in populism leads to greater incomeredistribution, that too will increase aggregate demand, since low-incomeindividuals spend ahigher share of their earnings.” This would be an inflation risk. Rogoff warns that manybelievers in “lower forever” interest rates express the human propensitytobelieve in a“supercheap” way to expand “the footprint of government.” The nation is, however,“running deficits at such a prolific rate that it is likely headed for trouble.” He rejects “lazy language” about U.S. government debt obligations being “safe.” Debt is atemptation forinflation, which is slow-motion repudiation of debt compiled in dollars that are losing their value. (Ninetypercent of U.S. debt is not indexed forinflation.) When President Franklin D. Roosevelt abrogated the gold standard backing the currency,the Supreme Court ruled it adefault.

Also, holders of U.S. bonds were not safefrom significant losses during this decade’spost-pandemic inflation, or from huge losses during the 1970 inflation.

Investors watching U.S. fiscal fecklessness might increasingly demand debt indexed to inflation. “How sure are we,” Rogoffwonders, “that no future president would seek away to effectively abrogate the inflation link out of frustration” that it impeded “partial default through inflation.” A president could call this putting America first.

Projecting the exact arrival of an economic crisis is, Rogoff writes, “extremely difficult,” an uncertainty shared with medicine. Physicians can identifyfactors that increase risks of heart attack in patients whonevertheless escape them. And low-risk patients can sufferattacks after being deemed fit as fiddles. Still, today reasonable fiscal physicians discern not just arisk but ahigh probability of adebt and/or inflation crisis.

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com

Quin Hillyer

George Will

Will Sutton

Roomies Nussmeier, Manning sharealot

Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier made apit stop at agrocery store Thursday night to pick up supplies for their weekend at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux.

As you can imagine, it didn’ttake long before thestar quarterbackswere discovered. It’snot every day that the local Walmart sees two Heisman Trophycandidates and future NFL quarterbacks walking down thebedding aisle together Soon, cameras emerged and selﬁes were taken mainly of Manning,which proved to be arare and humbling turn of events for LSU’sstarting quarterback.

“This is the ﬁrst time in Louisiana where this has happened to me,” Nussmeier joked, raising his hand for effect.“I’mlike, ‘Hey,guys, remember me?’ ” In away,Nussmeier asked for this. When Archie Manning reached out to him earlierthisyear to see whether he wasinterested in returning to theManning Passing Academy for athird consecutive summer, Nussmeiernot only conﬁrmed his commitment but also added aspecial request. “Mr.Manning, I’m goingtocome to the camp,” Nussmeier said, “butonlyif Ican room with Arch.”

So goes the story of how two of college football’smost heralded quarterbacks found themselves sharinga dorm room on the Nicholls State campuswithBlake Shapen of Mississippi Stateand Drew Pyne of Bowling Green.

If any roommates at the prestigious passing camp can rival the quartet of Archie, Cooper, Eli and Peyton for fame,it’sthatofManning and Nussmeier.They are early frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy and the leaders of projectedtop-10 powerhouse programs. Manning is entering his ﬁrst season as a starter at Texas but already is projected as atop-5 pick in the 2026 NFLDraft. Despite his inexperience, Manning hasbeen installed by Vegas oddsmakers as the +550 favoritetowin the Heisman Trophy. Nussmeier’searly Heisman oddstrail only Manning. He is poised for amonster senior yearafter leading LSUtoa9-4 record and producing the most proliﬁcdebut starting campaign of any quarterback in LSU history.Hehad more passing yards (4,052),completions(337), attempts (525), BY

the

TIME TO PAYUP SPORTS

WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

The night of June 6, LSU athletic ofﬁcials and staff membersexpected tohave acasual Friday evening. Someofthem relaxed at their homes. Anotherwas on vacation,celebrating his dad’sbirthday. TaylorJacobs, whooversees name,image andlikeness withinthe department, had gone to dinner withher family at Modesto Luckily forJacobs, they were already paying the bill when the House settlement was approved alittle after 8p.m. She headed home to take calls. NIL deals did not havetobeapprovedbyanew clearinghouse if they were ﬁnalized by midnight,sothe rest of the night was spent checking on contracts with LSU’s collective.

“Wedid work up until midnight that night to just make sure everything was completelybuttonedup,” LSU executive deputy athletic director Keli Zinnsaid. “It wasa late night for our folks, but really pleased where everythingended up for us.”

That nightmarkeda monumental shift in college sports. Under the settlement, Division Ischools now can pay players for theﬁrst time starting July 1. Similar

to other major programs, LSU plans to pay its athletes themaximum $20.5 million during the upcoming school year,$2.5 millionofwhich will comefrom the creation of 65 new scholarships.

As aresult, LSU officials projected ausually profitable athletic department to have an $8 million deficit during the upcoming fiscal year.Zinn said LSU “willwork aggressively to mitigate that” andcouldbalance itsbudget by the 2027 fiscal year.According to the most recently available figures, LSU reported a$1.73 millionsurplus during the 2024 fiscal year

“We’ve really had to identify —and we’re continuing to identify—new revenue streams that could potentially cometothe athletic department to makeupfor that,” deputy athletic director forrevenue generation Clay Harrissaid.

In additiontoschoolsdirectlypaying players, thesettlement led to several signiﬁcant changes. The College Sports Commission wascreated to oversee the system, and newrules are designed to limit spending by boosters. Different roster sizes also replaced scholarship limits.

UL RB pledge’s speedput recruitmentinhighgear

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

When Gulfport (Mississippi) High running back Cooper Crosby attended aU.S. Army All-American game combineinJackson, Mississippi, in March,hewasn’treally beingrecruited UL running backs coach Matt Bergeron had communicatedwith him, but Crosby didn’thave any offers. That all changed on thatday when the 6-foot, 210-pounder was clocked at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash to turn many heads. Crosby was selected to play in theprestigious game in December in Dallas. Then he attracted the attention of Arkansas State, Army,Navy,Nicholls State, Tulane, Memphis, South Alabama, Southern Mis-

sissippi and UL. Evensuch Power Four programs such as Mississippi Stateand Auburn wereshowing interest.

ButCrosby always has loved Louisiana,so afterhis ﬁrst ofﬁcial visitwas to Lafayette two weeks ago, he committed to theRagin’ Cajuns. “I loved the campus,” Crosby said. “It’s beautiful and really gives aLouisiana feel. Thefacilities are awesome. The coaching staff, it felt like afamily.Idon’treally know how to describe it. It just had that feel to it.”

Hisvisit to CajunCountry reinforcedall of hispositive vibes about Louisiana.

“I’ve lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast my whole life and IloveLouisiana,” he

ä See DUNCAN, page 4C ä See UL, page 2C

Gulfport High running backCooper Crosby ran a 4.37-second time in the 40 at the U.S. Army All-American game combine in March. In June, he committed to UL.

PROVIDED PHOTO

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning gives instructions

campersduring

Manning Passing AcademyonFriday at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux

Jeff Duncan

1p.m.

RACING

11 a.m.America’s Dayatthe Races FS1

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

12:30 p.m.PhiladelphiaatAtlanta MLBN

3:30 p.m. Miami at Arizona MLBN

6p.m. Minnesota at Detroit ESPN OT7FOOTBALL

2p.m. Playoffs:TBD,Quarterfinal 1NFLN

3p.m. Playoffs:TBD,Quarterfinal 2NFLN

MEN’S SOCCER

11 a.m. FIFAClubWorld Cup

3p.m.CONCACAF:Canada vs.Guatemala FS1

6p.m.CONCACAF:U.S.vs. CostaRica FOX

WOMEN’S SOCCER

11 a.m. Friendly: England vs.Jamaica CBSSN

2p.m.Friendly: U.S. vs. Ireland TNT WNBA

3p.m.Chicago at Los Angeles ESPN

5p.m.Las VegasatPhoenix NBATV XGAMES noon XGames 2025 ABC

Opportunityknocksfor Djokovic

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON It’sbecome partof NovakDjokovic’sroutine now, particularlyatGrand Slam tournaments: He shows up and gets asked —atthe start of the event, during the event, afterthe event or sometimes all three —whether this will be his ﬁnal appearance there.

Happened again Saturday at Wimbledon, and his response was the same it tends to be, which essentially amounts to: Who can tell?

“Whether it could be my ‘last dance,’ ”the 24-time major champion began, repeating the phrase used by the reporter who posed the question, “I’m not sure —as I’m not sure about Roland Garros or any other Slam that Iplay next.”

And then Djokovic continued, offering something of amix of seemingly trying to quiet anytalk about whether he truly is pondering retirement at age38while also being realistic about where things stand.

“Mywishistoplayfor several more years. Iwouldlovetobe healthy physically and also mentally motivated to keep on playing at the highest level,”hesaid. “That’sthe goal. But younever know at this stage.”

What Djokovic did concede is that the All EnglandClubmight offer the likeliest spotfor him to gather one more Grand Slam singles title, whichwould allow him to raise hiscareer haulto 25 —a number that no tennis player ever has reached.

“I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance, because of the results I had, because of how Ifeel, how I play in Wimbledon,” said Djokovic, who faces Alexandre Muller in the ﬁrst round Tuesday.“Just getting thatextra push mentally and motivation to perform the best

ASSOCIATED

NovakDjokovic has wonsevenWimbledon singles championshipsbut lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 and 2024 finals.

ä Wimbledon, first round, 6A.M. MONDAy,ESPN

tennisatthe highestlevel.”

Djokovic has won seven championships atthe grass-court major andcome oh-so-close to making histotal eight —the number Roger Federer won, and one behind Martina Navratilova’srecord nine women’strophies —but lost in the 2023 and2024 ﬁnals to Carlos Alcaraz. All told,Djokovic has appeared in the title matchthe pastsix times the tournament was held (it was canceled in 2020 amidthe COVID-19 pandemic), winning it in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Hislast Wimbledon lossbeforethe ﬁnal came in 2017, when he lost in the

quarterﬁnals toTomas Berdych.

As for the persistent questions aboutDjokovic’sfuture,it’sthe same type of topic that was presented to Federer,Rafael Nadal and SerenaWilliams as those greatsneared their farewells. Now it’sjust Djokovic’sturn. Butjustbecause he hasn’twon aGrand Slam trophy in morethan 11/2 years— he collected three in 2023, capped by the U.S. Open that September —don’tthink that Djokovic isn’tcapable of grabbing another As he remindedanyone listening Saturday,hemade it to the semiﬁnals at the Australian Open this January before stopping after one set because of ahamstring injury,and gottothe ﬁnal four at theFrenchOpen this month be-

fore losing to No. 1Jannik Sinner

After thatone, Djokovictook time as he left the court to kiss his hand and lean down to touch the clay then saiditcould have been his last match at Roland-Garros. Therealso wasthe not-so-small achievement of claiming agold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympicsless than ayear ago by beating Alcaraz, no less.

“These tournaments give me the biggest drive, still,” Djokovic said.

“I like the way Ifeel right now, physically.Tennis-wise, I’ve been playing good on thepractice sessions. Obviously completely different when you startatournament. I’ll try to haveavery good tournament and go as farasI can.” Andmaybe even return in 2026.

Gauff alreadythinkingabout life aftertennis

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON To be clear,Coco Gauff didn’tbring up theword“star” during arecent interview with The Associated Press; the reporter did. So as Gauff began to answer aquestion about balancingher life as aprofessionalathlete with her off-court interests, she caught herself repeating that term.

“I deﬁnitely didn’tknow howit would look like,” she began witha smile, “before Igot to be, Iguess, astar —feels weird to call myself that —but Ideﬁnitely did wantto expand outside of tennis. Always. Since Iwas young.” She still is young, by just about any measure, and she is areally good tennis player —Gauff owns the two Grand Slam titles and No. 2ranking to prove it as sheheads

intoWimbledon, whichbegins Monday —but the21-year-old American is also more than that. Someone unafraid to express heropinions about societal issues. Someone who connects with fans via social media. Someone who is thehighest-paidfemale athlete in anysport, topping$30 million last year, according to Sportico.com, with less than athird of that from prize money and most via deals with companiessuchasUPS,New Balance, Rolex and Barilla. Someonewho recently launchedher ownmanagementﬁrm And someonewho wants to succeed in the business worldlongafter shenolonger swings aracket on tour.

“It’sdeﬁnitely something that I wanttostart to step up for postcareer.Kind of start building that process, which is why Iwanted to do it early.Because Ididn’twant

you rollthatofﬁcialtimeout there, they just don’tcareatthatpoint.” In hisjuniorseason,Crosby rushed for1,032 yards andadded 278 yards receiving to go along with 16 total touchdowns.

to feel likeIwas playing catchup at the end of my career,” said Gauff, whowillfaceDayanaYastremska in the ﬁrst round at the All England Club on Tuesday

“On the business side of things, it doesn’tcome as naturalastennis feels.I’m still learning, and I have alot to learnabout,”Gauff said. “I’ve debated different thingsand what paths Iwanted to take when it came to just stimulating my brain outside of the court, because Ialways knew that once I ﬁnished high school that Ineeded to put my brain into something else.”

In acampaign announced this week by UPS, which first partnered with Gauff in 2023 before she won that year’sU.S.Open, she connectswith business coach Emma Grede—known for working with KimKardashianon Skims, andwithKhloe Kardashi-

tryingtoget my knee right and my speed back up,” Crosby said about his approach to recovery Pennock was amazed.

an on Good American —tooffer mentoring to three small-business owners.

“Coco plays akey role in helping us connect with those younger Gen-Z business owners —emerging or younger entrepreneurs,” Betsy Wilson,VPofdigital marketing and brand activation at UPS,said in aphone interview.

“Obviously,she’svery relevant in social media and in culture, and working with Coco helps us really connect with that younger group.”

While Grede helped the entrepreneurs, Gauff also got the opportunitytopick up tips.

“It’sreally cool to learn from someone like her,” Gauff said.

“WheneverIfeel like I’mready to makethat leap, Ican deﬁnitely reach outtoher for advice and things like that. This will help me right now anddeﬁnitely in the long term.”

Baseball America names3 LSU playersAll-Americans

Three LSUplayershavereceived 2025 All-America recognition from Baseball America magazine.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson andjuniorrighthanded pitcher AnthonyEyanson werefirst-team All-Americans, and junior first baseman Jared Jones was asecond-team AllAmerican. Anderson wasnamed the Most Outstanding Playerofthe 2025 College World Series. He ﬁnished 12-1 with a3.18 ERA and180 strikeouts in 119.0 innings. Eyanson(12-2) ﬁnished this season with a3.00ERA and152 strikeouts in 108 innings.

Jones batted.323this season with15doubles, 22 homers, 76 RBIsand 66 runs.

Former Piratesslugger

Parker dies at age 74 PITTSBURGH Dave Parker,ahardhitting outfielder whowas setto be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Famenext month, has died. He was 74.

ThePittsburgh Pirates announced Parker’sdeath on Saturday,and no further details were immediately available.

Nicknamed“theCobra,” the 6-foot-5 Parkerplayed19major league seasons, 11 forthe Pirates. He was the NL MVPin1978, won aWorldSeries withPittsburgh a year later and then won another championship in 1989 with the Oakland Athletics. Parker won back-to-back batting titlesin1977 and’78. He ﬁnished his career as a.290 hitter with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs. Parker was elected to the Hall of Fame by aspecial committee in December.The induction ceremony in Cooperstown, NewYork, is set forJuly 27.

Source: Bulls trade Ball to Cavs for forward Okoro CLEVELAND The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire guard Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro, according to apersonwith knowledge of the agreement.

The person spoke to The AssociatedPress on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade cannotbeﬁnalizeduntil the start of the new league year on July 6. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games this past season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of aleftknee injury. Okoro averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds this past season andisa strong defender

Peña missesgame after being hit by pitchinribs

HOUSTON Houston shortstop JeremyPeña was notinthe lineup Saturdaybut was feeling better after leaving theAstros’ victoryoverthe Chicago Cubs on Friday night in the ﬁfth inning because of rib soreness, manager Joe Espada said. Peña washit in the ribs by Cade Horton’spitch duringthe second inning of the Astros’ 7-4 win. He remained in the game for three innings until being removed for a pinch hitter Imaging done Friday did not reveal afracture. Peña played in the Astros’ ﬁrst 82 games of the season.

The 2022 ALCS and World Series MVP is enjoying the best year of his career,batting .322 with 11 homeruns and 40 RBIs.

said. “I really do. Ilove going to the Saints games and the Pelicans games …Louisiana just has areal home feel. It just feels good.” Gulfport coachBlake Pennock didn’tneed to see Crosby’simpressive showing at the combine to know how good Crosby is as a football player

“Weweren’tsurprisedatall,” Pennock said.“He’s kind ofblown up since then. Iguess there’sastigma against him as far as peoplewho recruit have their certain guys that they recruit at that position.

“But when you start to kind of put somestuffontapethewayhehasand

“He’sa physical,downhill runner who cantake it to thehouse,” Pennock said.“If you look at his highlights, you’ll see him witha lot of 50-, 60-, 70-yard runs against some good teams.” Crosby is also tough, both mentally andphysically In his ﬁrst season as coach, Pennock thought he lost Crosby for theseason with atorn MCL in the springgame. But by midseason, Crosby was ready to go.

“Just determination,a lotof praying,and alot of rehab and keeping my mind right and just

“I went to the surgeon and said, ‘I thought youtoldmehewas outfor the year.How is this possible?’ He looksatmeand said, ‘Some of us are just built different,’ ”the coach said.

In addition to his speed and ability to catch the ball outofthe backﬁeld, Crosby has gifted kickreturning skills.

“I feel like anywhere youput me on the ﬁeld, Ican do it —catching the ball or handing the ball off, it’ll work,”Crosby said.

“He’salsoaweight room warrior,” Pennock said. “Helooks the way Iwish Ilooked when Iwas in high school.” The question now is whether

theULcoaching staff can turn Crosby’sverbalcommitment into asigning in December

“I’m notsurehow it’s goingto go,” Crosby said. “Since I’ve committed,Ihaven’treally heard anything from anyone.It’skind of just died down.” Crosby said committing early waspart of his plan.

“I wanted to decide early,” he said. “Theyhavebeenwithme.Theywere my ﬁrst offer andtheywerewith me foralongtime.They’veshowednothing but love to me, so Ijust felt like it was theright decision.” Pennock sees agood partnership brewing.

“He’sagood ﬁt there,” he said. “He’skind of got aLouisiana soul, really.Ithink he’ll end up being a great ﬁt over there.”

After battling knee pain, Stroman will pitch Sunday NEWYORK— Marcus Stroman feels readytoreturntothe moundfor the New York Yankees, able to manage pain in his left knee stemming from atorn ACL adecade ago. The34-year-old right-handeris set to start Sunday against the Athletics.

Stroman has notpitched for the Yankees since allowing ﬁve runs in two-thirds of an inning against San Francisco on April 11. In three rehab appearances with Double-A Somersetthatbegan June 11, Stroman was 0-1with a 6.97 ERA.

Stromanstarted theseason0-1 with an 11.57ERA in three starts. He rejoins arotation missing ace Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), AL Rookie of the Year LuisGil (strained right lat) and left-hander RyanYarbrough (strainedright oblique).

PRESS PHOTOByJOHNWALTON

Dodgers(TBD)atKansas City (Bubic 6-5), 1:10 p.m. San Francisco (Verlander 0-5) at Chicago White Sox(TBD), 1:10 p.m. Washington (Parker5-8) at L.A. Angels (Kochanowicz3-8), 3:07 p.m. Miami (Quantrill3-7) at Arizona (Rodriguez 3-4), 3:10 p.m.

Golf

Rocket Classic Saturday At North Course

Detroit Purse: $9.6million Yardage: 7,370; Par: 72

ThirdRound

AldrichPotgieter

62-70-65—197 -19

Max Greyserman 63-70-66—199 -17

MarkHubbard63-69-67—199 -17

Chris Kirk 65-65-69—199 -17

JakeKnapp 72-61-66—199 -17

Andrew Putnam 64-66-69—199 -17

Thriston Lawrence 67-66-67—200 -16

Jackson Suber 66-65-69—200 -16

Michael Thorbjornsen65-67-68—200 -16

Harry Hall 66-67-68—201 -15

Nicolai Hojgaard69-65-67—201 -15

Collin Morikawa69-64-68—201 -15

Nicolas Echavarria

66-67-69—202 -14

MattFitzpatrick67-67-68—202 -14

Doug Ghim68-66-68—202 -14

Ben Grifﬁn66-67-69—202 -14

68-66-68—202 -14

Chad Ramey

KevinRoy 62-71-69—202 -14

DavisThompson 66-70-66—202 -14

Jacob Bridgeman

Cameron Champ

68-65-70—203 -13

68-69-66—203 -13

Ryan Gerard67-68-68—203 -13

Chris Gotterup

Chan Kim

Peter Malnati

Hideki Matsuyama

Matthew McCarty

72-66-65—203 -13

70-65-68—203 -13

69-67-67—203 -13

67-66-70—203 -13

67-67-69—203 -13

Chandler Phillips70-68-65—203 -13

MinWoo Lee63-73-68—204 -12

67-69-68—204 -12

William Mouw

Matthew Riedel66-71-67—204 -12

Sami Valimaki68-68-68—204 -12

PatrickCantlay66-72-67—205 -11

LeeHodges 65-68-72—205 -11

Michael Kim 67-71-67—205 -11

Philip Knowles 66-64-75—205 -11

Justin Lower70-67-68—205 -11

Thorbjorn Olesen 69-67-69—205 -11

Hayden Springer65-70-70—205 -11

Emiliano Grillo

-3

68-61-68—197 -13

J.Im/S.Lee 67-63-68—198 -12

M.De Roey/P.Roussin 68-61-69—198 -12

B.Matthews/L.Hartlage70-63-66—199 -11

J.Kupcho/L.Maguire 67-60-72—199 -11

S.Park/I.Yoon 72-60-67—199 -11

M.Khang/L.Thompson 67-65-68—200 -10

R.Takeda/M.Yamashita70-63-67—200 -10

C.Knight/E.Szokol 69-67-65—201 -9

G.Dryburgh/C.Porter66-62-73—201 -9

J.Thitikul/R.Yin 68-66-67—201 -9

L.Li/A.Lee 69-64-68—201 -9

C.Wannasaen/J.Boonchant 68-63-71—202 -8

M.Lee/J.Jeon 72-64-66—202 -8

S.Kim/A.Kim 74-62-66—202 -8

A.Pano/D.Holmqvist 70-66-67—203 -7

A.Yubol/P.Phatlum69-62-72—203 -7

J.Ewart Shadoff/H.Lin 67-65-71—203 -7

K.Davidson/D.Darquea68-66-69—203 -7

L.Coughlin/N.Hataoka70-64-69—203 -7

L.Duncan/M.Wang 71-63-69—203 -7

S.Baba/Y.Yoshida 67-69-67—203 -7

S.Popov/P.Lindberg 71-64-68—203 -7

A.Furue/N.An 70-62-72—204 -6

J.Yan/K.Park 69-66-69—204 -6

K.Gillman/K.Smith-Stroh 69-65-70—204 -6

Y.Liu/Y.Zhang 67-62-75—204 -6

C.Inglis/A.Doherty 71-64-70—205 -5

A.Corpuz/D.Weber70-66-70—206 -4

J.Bae/R.Choi 70-62-74—206 -4

L.Morris/J.Porvasnik72-64-70—206 -4

P.Reto/A.Lewis 72-64-70—206 -4

C.Ciganda/G.Lopez70-66-71—207 -3

P.Tavatanakit/J.Chang 73-63-71—207 -3

R.Liu/Y.Liu 68-66-73—207 -3

F.Xu/M.Galdiano 68-66-74—208 -2

M.Young/D.Iacobelli 73-61-74—208 -2

U.S. Senior Open Championship Saturday At East Course Colorado Springs, Colo. Purse: $4 million Yardage: 7,247; Par: 70 ThirdRound

-8

-7

-4

-3

Zinn and several others involved in LSU’s operations spoke to The Advocate about the school’s plans. They discussed paying players, the murky future of LSU’s collective, how third-party NIL could let them exceed the cap, their search for more money and why they feel conﬁdent in the future

“I think what you’ll ﬁnd,” Zinn said, “is the House settlement being really, really favorable to LSU.”

How LSU will pay players

Over the ﬁrst half of the year booster collectives nationwide front-loaded lucrative NIL deals. They understood their agreements could be denied by the clearinghouse, so they pushed out millions of dollars before the House settlement took effect LSU’s collective, Bayou Traditions, planned to spend at least $10 million on the football roster.

Those deals rolled into revenue sharing, and once the settlement was approved, LSU began issuing contracts to players. The deals, which vary in length and compensation, pay athletes for the non-exclusive right to use their NIL instead of making them employees Players have to participate in social media posts, autograph signings and other promotional materials in exchange

“You’ve got a combination of agreements out there now,” Zinn said. “Some that have come from Bayou Traditions, some that have come from us.”

The cap was calculated by taking 22% of the annual ticket sales, media rights and sponsorship revenue among the power conference schools and Notre Dame. The cap will increase annually by 4% and be reevaluated every three years LSU plans to meet the cap as it rises throughout the 10-year settlement.

When determining how to distribute the money, LSU followed the formula the NCAA used to pay $2.8 billion in back damages which gave the majority of the money to football and men’s basketball players because they generated the most revenue.

LSU will allocate 75% to football, which equals $13.5 million in the ﬁrst year; 15% to men’s basketball ($2.7 million); 5% to women’s basketball ($900,000); and 5% to the rest of its sports ($900,000) Zinn said schools could be hit with fines, coaching suspensions and a reduction in transfers for violating the cap.

Every LSU team will receive some money, Zinn said. She believes the ones that aren’t getting as much still will have what they need ﬁnancially to compete. LSU is not cutting any sports.

“There is enough,” Zinn said “Our ability to do this and also to support that decision, in big part, is our fan base and how much they have embraced and celebrated sports beyond basketball and football. And as long as they continue to do that, they’re going to see us work aggressively to make sure those sports are well-positioned for the highest of success.”

Schools can lower their cap by spending up to $2.5 million per year on Alston payments, which previously allowed them to give individual athletes up to $5,980 per year But LSU has not taken that route. The one exception, Zinn said could be for international players if they are not able to earn revenue-sharing dollars, which is a lingering question.

The settlement also replaced team-specific scholarship limits with roster limits. LSU plans to create 65 new scholarships, a number that Zinn said could increase. Most of them (42) will go to women’s sports.

Zinn said LSU baseball has a “signiﬁcant increase” now that it can offer 34 scholarships instead of 11.7, but she declined to specify how many, saying “herein lies the competitiveness of things.”

As LSU prepares for revenue sharing to begin, it is in the process of ﬁnalizing deals with athletes. Agents have been reviewing the contracts and negotiating certain terms. However, with college athletes still not considered employees, there are questions about how a buyout could be enforced if someone transfers to another school.

“Instead, what you’ll see us do is work through it in a way where student-athletes are expected to meet their obligations of those agreements,” Zinn said. “And in the event that they don’t, there’s some opportunity there to react while they’re here at LSU versus trying to seek money after the fact if they transfer or leave the institution.”

What now for Bayou Traditions?

During a speech at the Baton Rouge Rotary Club last week, Zinn mentioned Bryce Underwood. Not by name, but she described a quarterback who decommitted from LSU last fall “to get a very high dollar from another institution.”

Later, when an attendee referenced “the guy who went to Michigan for $6 (million) or $8 million” during their question, Zinn interjected.

“10,” Zinn said. Zinn used the example to illustrate what the settlement is trying to stop. After booster collectives paid for rosters in recent years under the guise of endorsements, especially in football and basketball, every NIL deal over $600 must be reviewed by a Deloitte-run clearinghouse called NIL Go

The commission said it will judge deals on whether or not they serve “a valid business purpose and do not exceed a reasonable range of compensation.” If the deals are rejected, athletes can revise the contract, cancel it or appeal to neutral arbitration They face potential penalties if they continue anyway

“These bidding wars that schools have found themselves in will no longer be the case,” Zinn told the crowd, later adding her belief that the biggest question mark in college sports over the next year will be how to deﬁne a reasonable range of compensation

LSU ofﬁcials think this system could be an advantage for the school instead of relying on donors to support Bayou Traditions. The collective fell behind other major programs financially until a fundraising push took place over the past year, which gave the football and men’s basketball teams money to be aggressive in the transfer portal.

What happens next with the collective is unclear The Tiger Athletic Foundation, LSU’s third-party fundraising arm, is not expected to extend its partnership with Bayou Traditions, which began last summer

However, Zinn said Bayou Traditions would serve a purpose if collectives can strike deals with high school players.

“I believe what you’ll see now,” Zinn said, “is an opportunity for us to work with those donors in the future, with Bayou Traditions speciﬁcally, to come up with an opportunity for high school funding in a way that we can be really competitive out the gate, not ﬁnd ourselves in a place where we’re playing catch up.”

Way to exceed the cap

Five days after the settlement was approved, the NIL clearinghouse launched. Jacobs and her staff met with the football, men’s basketball, volleyball and part of the women’s basketball teams that day for a previously planned educational talk. Because of the timing, they also took players through the new NIL process

Athletes or a designated representative must submit their deal for review Once that happens, Jacobs has to answer questions about the payer or the deal. As of June 18, LSU athletes had one deal cleared and several in review The one that was approved happened within minutes

Though athletes can still ﬁnd sponsorships on their own, LSU has shifted its focus toward ﬁnding third-party NIL for them. LSU believes its brand value will make a difference. Not only for football and basketball players but also for Olympic sports athletes who won’t make as much from revenue sharing. Outside NIL deals don’t count against the cap.

“When you look at the amount of resources that’ll go directly to our student-athletes starting in the upcoming year and thereafter, we expect that to be pretty well beyond $20.5 million,” Zinn said.

Earlier this year, LSU launched a program through Playfly Sports, its longtime multimedia rights partner, designed to find endorsement deals for athletes Two Playfly employees now work within NILSU Max. Along with Jacobs, they have spent the past few months lining up deals, which will be submitted to the clearinghouse July 1.

“There is an ever increasing need for thirdparty NIL,” said Mary Claire Logue, the executive director of NILSU Max. “That’s our main prerogative. We do already have several businesses that we’ve contracted with to work on their behalf to contract studentathletes to fulﬁll those obligations.”

LSU’s search for money

This fall, there will be advertisements on the 25-yard lines in Tiger Stadium.

Schools were allowed to sell space on playing surfaces for the first time last year, and Cox had a logo on the floor at LSU basketball games. Now, sponsorships are coming to the football field.

LSU ofﬁcials declined to identify the company that will appear in Tiger Stadium Harris said the ads produce “multiple millions of dollars a year.” There will not be any advertisements at midﬁeld or on the back line of the end zone, which are both permissible under NCAA rules. Harris added the design will incorporate LSU’s colors.

At the same time, LSU hopes the NCAA will allow schools to sell patches on their jerseys, something Harris said also generates “multiple millions of dollars a year.”

LSU has identiﬁed a partner, which ofﬁcials declined to name, if the rule changes

LSU has mapped out where the patches would go on every jersey, from cross country to football. Most of them would appear on the chest in purple and gold.

“We don’t want to have this as some crazy NASCAR-like situation,” Harris said.

The advertisements have come at a time when major schools like LSU are trying to come up with more money LSU cut $3 million in expenses, Zinn said, but ofﬁcials emphasized the need to bring in additional revenue instead of slashing spending.

“We are very careful not to put ourselves in a competitive or recruiting disadvantage compared to our peer institutions and those that we compete against,” Zinn said. “And so you have to be really careful about trying to cut your way out of an issue because if you get behind in that, then you’ve got some real signiﬁcant challenges that then ultimately do impact your revenue.”

Other than the sponsor logos, there are other ways to make up the deﬁcit. A billiondollar rights deal between ESPN and the College Football Playoff will generate more money, and LSU can renegotiate its Nike contract Former head football coach Ed Orgeron’s buyout also comes off the books at the end of the year, and TAF can continue to assist Zinn said LSU is not considering private equity Still, there will be some adjustments Zinn said LSU is going to make more regional schedules to reduce the cost of travel, especially for Olympic sports. It may not reﬁll certain positions when people leave the department.

Entering this new era, LSU ofﬁcials projected conﬁdence about what the school can accomplish as it begins to pay players. The Tigers will meet the revenue-sharing cap, and they think they can arrange lucrative NIL deals that will pass through the clearinghouse, helping their athletes earn even more

“I don’t just like where we’re at,” Zinn said. “I love where we’re at.”

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

Continued from page 1C

passing touchdowns (29) and total offense (308.8 yards a game) than any ﬁrst-year starter in program history His 4,052 yards passing ranked ﬁfth nationally and second in LSU history

Manning and Nussmeier, though, share more in common than just sleep quarters and Heisman hopes. Both are products of football families with rich quarterback legacies Nussmeier’s father, Doug, was a standout quarterback at Idaho who spent ﬁve years in the NFL before going into coaching. He’s in his ﬁrst season as the Saints offensive coordinator

Manning is the son of football royalty His father, Cooper, is a former Newman and Ole Miss wide receiver His grandfather is Archie, a Saints legend and Hall of Famer And his uncles are Eli and Peyton, one a current and one a future NFL Hall of Famer As the sons of pedigreed fathers, Manning and Nussmeier are natural leaders who have embraced and mastered the requirements of playing the quarterback position.

Both traveled similar roads in college, albeit in opposite directions. Manning, a Louisiana kid, crossed the border to play for the state school in Texas. Nussmeier attended high school in suburban Dallas, then defected to Louisiana’s ﬂagship university Likewise, both patiently waited their turns to start, eschewing the temptation to transfer to another school with more readily available playing time.

“I love Garrett,” Manning said. “He’s the man. He’s a coach’s kid, so he knows ball. He’s kind of had the same situation as me, just sitting for a few years, then going to play, and he played well. I’ve watched a lot of his ﬁlm. He’s a good player, so it’s fun to look up to him. I’m glad I’ve built a good relationship with him.”

Nussmeier said he wanted to room with Arch, in part, because of their shared backgrounds and upbringings.

“I love spending time with Arch,” Nussmeier said. “I love watching him play He has a swagger and is a great dude off the ﬁeld, as well, somebody that I can hang out and just chop it up with.” Because of their family connections and relative logistical proximity, Manning and Nussmeier have known each other for years. They frequently traded text messages last season, Manning’s sophomore campaign at Texas and Nussmeier’s redshirt junior year at LSU. They also crossed paths in 2023, when Nussmeier was an underclassman at LSU and Manning was being recruited by the Tigers as a heralded prep prospect at Newman. But this is the ﬁrst time they’ve roomed together at the MPA or spent extended time

in each other’s company

“Our families have been close for a while, and I’ve always been rooting for him since he was little,” said Nussmeier, who is two years older than Manning.

Despite the close ties, Manning and Nussmeier never have competed against each other on the ﬁeld — until Friday night, when they indirectly squared off in the annual Air It Out and Friday Night Lights quarterback skills competition at the camp. (Manning elected to not compete in previous years while serving as a camp counselor because of his backup status at Texas.)

All eyes were on Manning and Nussmeier during the two-hour event but neither stood out in the competition, which was waged among the 40 college quarterbacks at the camp and attended by thousands of fans at John L. Guidry Stadium. Nussmeier did close the competition with an exclamation point by sinking a midﬁeld pass through a basketball hoop in the end zone.

“Anytime you get a bunch of quarterbacks together, you’re always going to compete,” Nussmeier said at the MPA media session earlier on Friday “But it’s really about just having fun and going out to have a great time.”

While LSU and Texas are not scheduled to play this season, it would shock no one if Manning and Nussmeier found themselves competing for much higher stakes later this season, perhaps in the SEC championship game or even a College Football Playoff game.

Expectations are that high for both quarterbacks and their respective teams Manning’s Longhorns are being projected as the No. 1 team in the nation in many preseason polls. LSU is a consensus top-10 team.

“I hope that that’s the case,” Nussmeier said. “If it’s not us (LSU), I want it to be them (Texas). And I’m always rooting for him, so I’m very excited for him and the season he’s about to have. I hope he does well.”

Exactly what you’d expect one roommate to say about another Manning and Nussmeier might be rivals on the ﬁeld, but off of it, they are clearly brothers in arms.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier gives instructions to campers during the Manning Passing Academy on Friday in Thibodaux.

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Retiring afaded OldGlory showslove of country, too

After Imounted an American ﬂag on our frontporch severalyears ago to mark the Fourth of July,the Stars and Stripes looked so grand that my family andIdecided to keep them up for good. Seeing Old Glory as we come and go each day has been ablessing, though full-time service is hard on aﬂag.

Within ayear,the stripesand stars had faded, their colors dimmed by the bright sun and damp air of my Louisiana neighborhood. We’ve worn out two ﬂags since our household tradition began, replacing them each time with bright new versions from the corner hardware store

Icarefullyfolded the old flags and tucked them intoa dining room drawer,not quite sure how I’d bid them goodbye We’re approaching another Fourth of July,aspecial occasion to celebrate the U.S flag and revisit the rituals for respecting the red, white and blue. There are some customary rules for honoring theflag, and one of them is thatold flags shouldn’tsimply be thrown away One preferred method is burying worn flags, but at the rate our family wears them out, Icouldn’tsee turning our lawn into agraveyard. Another popular alternative is ceremonial burning, in which old flags are reverently retired in asmall gathering. Starting a fire seemed impractical in my yard, and Iwondered if folks nextdoormight get the wrong idea if they peekedover the fence and spotted asolitary man setting the star-spangled banner alight.

Itabled the matter by stowing our old flags out of sight. Some of my neighborsapparently faced the same quandary.OrsoIdiscovered when Jacob Smith, alocal Boy Scout, issued acallfor old American flags so that he and fellow members of Troop 136, chartered through St. George Catholic Church, couldinclude them in aflag retirement ceremony.Hecollected several bags of faded flags, including two of mine.

Iwas out of town duringthe ceremony that Smithhelped organize, but Ireachedhim later to ask him about his project

“The reason Iheld this ceremony was because the ﬂag is a powerful symbol of our country and the values it stands for, so when it’snolonger in good condition, it deserves to be retired with honor insteadofjust thrown away,” Smith told me “This ceremony shows respect

ä See AT RANDOM, page 4D

Forces beyond control

Fate of theweather gods?How adooratthe University of Delaware ledJay Grymes to thelandof‘gox’ Tigers

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Lookingback now,Jay Grymes realizes his fate was subject to forces beyond his control.

Maybe it was theweather gods, who obviously didn’tcarethat weather wasn’t hisparticularinterest —a strange fact aboutsomeone whowould eventuallybenamed the Louisianastate climatologist. Butit’strue. Grymes’ major at the University of Delaware was environmental biology.He’d taken his required courses but needed a fewelectives to earnhis bachelor’s degree.

So, he took aclass in meteorology.This is where theweather gods stepped in.

If he hadn’ttaken theclass, Grymes wouldn’thave run into his professorafter theﬁnalexam, no extensive conversation would have followed,and Grymesprobably would havebeen working as aranger for Delaware’sstate park systeminstead of preparing forthe 2025 hurricane season in theLouisiana StateOfﬁce of Climatology Grymes has since madehis home in this strange land where he spent the first month trying to figure out themeaningof“Gox Tigers.”

That’show he pronounced “geaux”

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

upon his 1986 arrival in Louisiana, wherehis palette hadtoadjust to Cajun andCreole spices,and where theopenness of Louisiana’s residentsknocked him off balance at ﬁrst.

People in Delaware were customarily reserved, rarely making eye contact, he said.

“I remember goingtoLafayette when Iﬁrst came here,”Grymes said. “People were still doing the side cheek kisses back then, and I wasn’tused to that.”

But he hasnocomplaints. He

feels lucky Walkingthrough GOHSEP

“This room,” Grymes said, pointingthrough adoor, “is thepress room where the governor gives hisupdates for thepress during emergencies.”

He peers at the podium at the front of the room.It’sprobably the mostrecognizable setting forLouisiana televisionaudiences in the wake and aftermath of hurricanes,

ä See GRYMES, page 4D

With abreathy voice, platinum curls and sheath attire, she became aHollywood sex symbol. Butbehind the image was afar more complex life —one cut short by acar crash near Slidell. The documentary,“My Mom Jayne,” unearths thelife of the 1950s actressand pinup Jayne Mansﬁeld nearly 60 years after her death. Airing on HBO, it wasﬁlmed by her daughter producer and “Law and Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay —who, along with her twobrothers, survived the car crash. She was3years

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

State Climatologist JayGrymes points to the nameplates marking allofthe differentagencies that operate out of the Emergency Operations Center during major storms at the Governor’sOffice of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness office on Tuesday.

PHOTO PROVIDED FROM WAFB

JayGrymes spentalmost 30 years at the station, retiring last summer as the station’schief meteorologist.

It’s nevertoo hottocelebrate Xanadu royalty

Kris Wartelle

Yes, there really is such a thing as aMardi Gras party in theheat of summer.The Krewe of Xanadu held one such partyJune 20 when it rolled out the red carpet for the newly chosen Xanadu royalty The festive eventtook place at L’Eglise in Abbeville.

As many know,krewes begin gearing up for theCarnival season early by introducing theirchosenking, queen, and royal courts. That way, members have lotsoftimeto learn royalduties and prepare for the many celebrations to come. This year,the Krewe announced that Kimi Hargrave will reign as Queen Xanadu XXXVI.She will shareher royal duties with her husband, Jeff Hargrave, whowill serve as King Xanadu XXXVI. The ladies tellmethisisa ﬁrst for thekrewe. Ahusband and wife team has never reigned together,sothis shouldbean exciting year for the Hargraves and the Xanadu ladies. We loved seeing so many familiarfaces enjoyingtheir summer in the most delightful way.Friends, food, fun. what more could you ask for? We congratulate all theXanadu royalty and hope your summer continues to sizzle withstyle.

Acadiana Center forthe Arts kicksoff summer juried exhibition

Local artists,sponsors, and guestsgathered June 12 at the AcadianaCenter forthe Arts for aVIP receptionfor Our Pointin Space, AcA’s2025 juried summer group exhibition Representatives fromthe presentingsponsorsofthe exhibit, Jones Walker LLP, wereonhand. Host committee membersincluded Chuck Boudreaux, Kiki Frayard,Tracy andBryanFrentz, andDr. Mary B. Neiheisel

The southLouisiana artist collective, LuminousLookout, curated theexhibitionwhich showcased works by local artists including MichaelEble, Francis XPavy, Melissa Bonin, Lex Thomas, Cole Broussard and many others. More than 90 artists submitted pieces that reﬂected how“identity,environment, and belonging intersect in today’s shiftingworld.” The pieces were organizedintofourcategories: Place in Time, Interior Space, Nature, andFractured/ Philosophical. This exhibitiongives visitors much to thinkabout We lovedthe experience, and we love theAcA.Itbrings out thebestinlocal talent, which adds so much to our Acadiana community.Weknow artlovers andcasual visitors alikeare in fora wonderful experience at this extraordinary space. If you’d liketocheck it out,the works will be on display until Aug. 16.

PHOTOSByKRISWARTELLE King and Queen Xanadu XXXVI Jeff and KimiHargrave

SamLanders, Dianne Carlisle, Stephanie McDaniel, Colleen Orgeron

TiffanyCollette and Debbie Olivier

Donna Olivier Arline Dake, Phyllis Boudreaux and Pam Block

Angie O’Bryanand Shelly Bond

Beth Guidry, GailWiltz, Janeen Elaine

DebbieDeGravelle and Kris Manuel-Sparks

DanielleKeyserand Brenda Dudley

Susie Brunet, AmyBrunet, Katherine Piccione and June Pellerin

ChandaTrahan and Stephanie McDaniel

Jaik Faulk, Clélie Ancelet, Francis Pavy andSamuel Oliver

Chuck Boudreaux andAda Grow

PatriciaCran,TracyFrentz and Dr MaryNeiheisel

Corinne Sprague, Edward Barousse and Alison Doucet

Pilar and Michael Eble

Lex Thomas, Cole Broussard and JordanNovo

Melissa Bonin and Roz LeCompte

Jannine Sullivan, Sarah Chance, Dr.Terry and Jan Cromwell

LouisDeumite andChristopher Isaac

Brett and Donna Mellington and AndrewDuhon

Meg and JayChase, Lisa Hopkins and Marie Lukaszeski

Kristin and Steve Engelbrecht and Wynn Tran

TRAVEL

Nonstopflights addedfor 2favoritevacationspots

MSyhas Charleston now andMyrtle Beachcoming soon

BY LESLIE CARDÉ Contributing writer

If you’re looking for two funfilled, culturally rich destinations —one that’shad adirect flight from New Orleans for ayear,and the other with nonstop flightsbeginning in September —consider Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The nonstop ﬂights, courtesy of low-cost carrierBreeze Airways, let you avoid delays or cancellations at any connecting airport. And, both direct ﬂights are under two hours.

Our ﬁrst stop is Charleston, a city reminiscent of New Orleans. Hollywood has long loved the city’sbeauty and style, and dozens of ﬁlms have been set here, including the Nicholas Sparks tearjerker,“The Notebook ”utilizing its lush marshes andquaint cobblestone streets.

The city has its own French Quarter,with the largest concentration of art galleries. Charleston has something for everyone, whether it’shistorical, cultural, or artistic in nature, or deﬁned by its ownunique Lowcountry cuisine.

If you really want to soak up Charleston’sunusual architecture, from towering churches to stately and well-preserved private homes, take one of the many walking tours offered.

For important history,visit the OldSlave Mart Museum, once the site of commercefor the slave trade. Charleston was the main point of entry into America for enslaved peopleinthe 18th and 19th centuries. The museum provides visitors with adetailed telling of the experiences of those who crossed its ominous threshold Brought here by those kid-

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

NorthMyrtle Beach’sIntracoastal Waterway offers placid views of sparkling water

nappedfromWest Africa are sweet-smelling baskets, woven by hand fromplants that line the Lowcountry marshes and one of themost popular tourist purchases. Theintricate carryalls aresold bysidewalk vendors throughout the city.

Regional cuisine Charleston’sfood is deﬁned by the ocean and creekswhich surround thecity,soshrimp, oysters andfresh ﬁsh are always on the menu, along with thecity’sfa-

The streets of Charleston are lined withunusual architecture and cobblestone.

this dish on New Year’sDay,you will have luck and prosperity for therest of the year There is plenty of ﬁne dining in thecity as well. Notable among thecity favorites, Fig, which has produced twoJames Beard Best Chef of the South winners, is known for its fresh-off-the-farm ingredients.

If you love Italian food that pushes the boundaries, Frannie and the Fox serves decadent pizzas, including one with taleggio and burned honey.Or, try their delicious blue crab fritters.

And, don’tleave Charleston without trying the much soughtafter coconut cake dessert. The Peninsula Grill is knownfor having the best in town.

Harbor views, sunset vistas

The city’slandmarks include thePineapple Fountain in Joe Riley Waterfront Park, where you can relax in the gardens overlooking Charleston Harbor.Or, foran even better view of the waterfront, hop on the Ravenel Bridge which connects Charleston to neighboring Mount Pleasant.

There you’ll ﬁnd awaterfall fountain anda1,250-foot-long pier that stretches into the water Grab amilkshake at the River Watch Café and enjoy the best sunsetsfrom your high perch.

notonly home to hundreds of golf courses, but amusement parks, an aquarium, awater park, andthe Grand Strand, a60mile stretchofpristine beaches. Myrtle Beach is atwo-hour drive fromCharleston, but Breezewill kickoff direct ﬂights from New OrleansonThursdays andSundays beginning in September Along the Myrtle Beach boardwalk, if you’re notafraid of heights, enjoythe amazing views from the Sky Wheel, one of the largest Ferris wheels in the United States at 187 feet tall. Each spoke of the wheel is over six football ﬁelds long. We went on awindy day(probably notrecommended) which meant ourgondola wasdoing quite abit of rocking and rolling —a real thrill ride!

Myrtle Beach is also home to Brookgreen Gardens, where more than500 works from American artists areset among 250-year-old oaks, palms, and ﬂowers in America’soldest sculpture garden.

mousshe-crab soup, Charleston’s answer to New England’sclam chowder

Be adventurous and try some of theregional cuisine. We enjoyed Hoppin’ John, consisting of abowl of black-eyed peas, rice, pork and ahealthy helping of mouthwatering cornbread. This comfort food can be traced back to theGullah Geechee people of West African descent and comes with aside of superstition. Similar to theNew Orleanstradition,it’sbelieved that if you eat

For shopping, King Street has everything from high-end Rodeo Drive-style shops to hip local boutiques intermingled with sidewalk cafes. Stroll along the mileslong street as horse-drawncarriages pass by

If you’re looking forawardwinning golf courses, Charleston is less than two hours away from either Hilton Head or Kiawah Island.

Breeze ﬂies nonstop between New Orleans and Charleston on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Beachfrontsbeckon

Up the coastisMyrtle Beach,

Beaches areeverywhere, but if you’re looking for something a bit less crowded, try the more remote ﬁne-sand beaches of North Myrtle,like Windy Hill Beach. Flankedbyhigh-rises, beach cottagesand oodles of cute restaurants andboutiques just blocksaway,some are sitting right alongside the Intracoastal Waterway, where paddlewheelersare aconstant presence. Every Mondayinthe summer, giant ﬁreworks displays light up the night sky over the Atlantic Ocean Whetherit’sfamily-friendly Myrtle Beach,orhistoric Charleston, there’s something for everyone alongthe eastern shoresofSouth Carolina. And, it’snow easierthan ever to get there

Email Leslie Cardé at lesliecardejournalist@gmail.com

Cruise canceled reservation, then refusedtorefundmoney

Ibooked an 11-daycoastal cruise on the Majestic Princess from Seattle to San Diego.I made the reservation online and gave Princess my credit card information for the fare and travel insurance.

Christopher Elliott

Princess confirmed my booking,charging my card for the fare but not the insurance.The next day, Ireceiveda “shortfall notice” that the travel insurancecharge must be paid by the end of the day. Since it was10p.m., Icalledthe provided number,but only reachedvoicemail with no option to leave amessage. At 12:24 a.m. the next morning,I received a“cancellation notification.”When Icalled Princess, arepresentative said the

reservationwas canceled and couldn’tbe reinstated. Princess also charged me a $3,718 cancellation fee. Idisputed the fare chargewith my credit card company, butPrincess contested thechargeback. Can youhelpmeget this feeremoved? —DouglasBerry,Sumner, Washington

Princess CruiseLinesshouldn’t have canceledyour reservation andcharged youacancellation fee.Ithink youdid everything right by providing your credit card information for both thefare and the insurance.Itseems their system failed to process theinsurance payment.That’snot your fault. Youfollowedthe instructions in

the shortfall noticebut were unable to reach anyone becausethe cruiseline’sofﬁce was closed. It’s unacceptable for thecruise line to cancel your reservation just afew hours later,without giving you the chance to rectify the situation When you disputed the charge withyour credit cardcompany, Princessunfairly contested thereversal, claiming you had canceled the reservation.How absurd. What went wrong? It looks like Princesswas trying to process your card but couldn’t.Credit cards usesophisticated but fallible fraud detection algorithms to pick up any problematic charges. It’s possible thatyour credit cardallowed the ﬁrst Princess charge but

blocked the second one, believing it was fraudulent.

Youcan ensure that doesn’thappen by calling your bank to let themknow that you’re about to make abig purchase that could potentially get ﬂagged.

Youcould have appealed to a manager at Princess. Ihave alist of contacts for Princess Cruise Lines executivesonmywebsite, Elliott.org. Icontacted Princess Cruises on your behalf, and it agreed to waive thecancellation fees and refund your money.

So what happened? Although the cruise line wouldn’ttell me, you heard from arepresentative who offered youafew details.

“When they ﬁnally looked at what happened with our reservation, it wasobvious the problem was their automated reservation system,” you told me It’sashame that it took my intervention to get Princess Cruises to do the right thing. If this ever happens to you, don’taccept acancellation fee. Escalate your case to asupervisor or executive and stay with it until they return your money

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

AppalachianTrail hikers take on oneadditionalchallenge

Afterhiking 1,110 miles, they eata half-gallon of icecream

BY MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press

GARDNERS, Pa.— Sam Cooper had just trekked 7miles through arainsodden stretch of the Appalachian Trail when he sat down outside a little country store in Pennsylvania to take on its ice cream challenge. Nearly 40 minutes and 2,500 calories later,the dairy farmer from Chapel Hill, Tennessee, waspolishing off the ﬁnal titanium sporkful of chocolatechip cookie doughon Tuesday and adding his name to the list of “thru-hikers” who have celebrated the trail’shalfway point by downing ahalf-gallon of ice cream. By the end, Cooper,32, whose trail name is Pie Top, was calling the experience “pure misery.” “I don’tthink anybody should be doing this,” Cooper said cheerfully “This is not healthy at all.” The ice creamchallenge is thought to have begun more than four decades ago at the Pine Grove Furnace General Store in Gardners, afew miles north of the current true halfway point on the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSBy MINGSON LAU

AppalachianTrailthru-hiker

Sam Cooper,trail namePie Top, attempts the half-gallon ice cream challengeat Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania.

2,197-mile trail. Thru-hikers, as they’re known, are the fraction of the trail’s3million annualvisitors who attempt to walkits entire length in asingle, continuous trip. As theyslog their way north through Virginia andMaryland, the ice cream challenge is aregular topic of conversationamong thruhikers at shelters and campﬁres, saidStephan Berens,49, apsychiatric nurse from Nuremberg, Germany Berens, whose trailname is Speedy,polished off his black cherry and vanilla in about 25 minutes after completing17miles on the trail that day— and with seven

moretogothat afternoon.

‘The most free I’ve ever felt’ Trail expertssay hikers can need up to 6,000 calories aday, apractical challenge when food needstobecarried up anddown rocky terrain.The slender Berens ﬁgureshe’slost about20pounds since starting April8

“I thought it would be worse, but it’s OK,” saidBerens, smiling and pattinghis stomach after ﬁnishing the half-gallon.“Sucha crazy idea.”

Zeke Meddock,trail name Petroglyph, didn’t bother timing himself but finishedhis choice of aquart andahalfcarton of chocolate chip cookie dough and apintofstrawberry.The diesel mechanicfrom North Amarillo, Texas, beganhis hike on March 27,two monthsafterﬁnishinga stint in theU.S. Army

“You’re basically walking away from life,” saidMeddock, 31. “It’s themost free I’ve ever felt.”

So farthis year,about 50 thruhikers have finishedthe challenge, earning the honor of having theirphotos postedonastore bulletin board.

In anotebook to record their thoughts, ChickenLouise wrote on May 24: “Life choices?” The next day,Seagull weighed in with, “I feel bad,”and Hyena issueda

cry for help: “It wasvery fun for the ﬁrst 15 minutes. Now,I(and my family) want to die.”

The ice cream challenge record, less than 4minutes,was settwo years ago by aman with the trail name Squirt. Twodecades ago, the marktobeat was about 9minutes.

Thru-hikerswho want to attemptthe record may only allow the $12 worth of ice cream to start to melt in the sun fora few minutes.They must be timedbya store employee.

“It’s called thehalf-gallon challenge,” Cooper said. “Veryappropriately named.”

Bragging rights andaspoon

Bruce Thomas, a41-year-old disabilitysupport worker from Medicine HatinAlberta, Canada, passedonthe icecream challenge,opting instead fora breakfast sandwich and another one for theroad.

“It’searly morning and I’m pretty sure Icannot do it,” said Thomas,trail name Not Lazy

Those who do ﬁnish in asingle sittingare awarded acommemorative wooden spoon —and bragging rights for the rest of their hike.Some people get sick. Others wash down theice cream with a hamburger

The ice cream challenge is one of several quirky traditions and

places along the trail. There’sa shelter in Virginia where hikers confess their sins in alogbook,a two-hole outhouse in Maine with a cribbage boardbetween the seats anda free canoeferry across the Kennebec River that’sconsidered an ofﬁcialpartofthe trail. And at Harriman State Park in Tuxedo, New York, hikers encounter the renowned “Lemon Squeezer,” a narrowrock formation.

About 1in3people who launch athru-hike take the roughly 5millionstepsrequiredtogothe distance. Theymostoften walk from south to north, starting in Springer Mountain, Georgia,and wrapping up 13 states later at Maine’s Mount Katahdin. The trek typically takes six months but the current speed record is about 40 days, according to theAppalachianTrailConservancy. Meddock said there’stalkthata man on the trail behind him may be on pace to break it.

There’salso been alot of discussion amonghikersabout theextensivedamagealong thetrail in southern states from September’s HurricaneHelene. But mostly they think andtalkabout walking. “It’salways hard,” Thomas said. “It’sgoing to be hard. Inever think aboutquitting. Ionlythink abouthow Ican do it.”

PHOTOSByLESLIECARDÉ

and it’swhere Grymes will take his place behind the governor during the next storm.

The press roomislocated inside the Governor’sOffice of HomelandSecurity and EmergencyPreparedness, or GOHSEP,which stands next door to the Louisiana State Police Headquarters in Baton Rouge on IndependenceBoulevard.

The building is hometoone of Grymes’ two state climatologist ofﬁces. He also maintains the LSU Louisiana Ofﬁce of State Climatologyinthe university’s Energy,Coast &Environmental Building.

But the emergency action happens at GHOSEP, where Grymes now leadsthe wayto a conference room that looks out at ahigh-tech stagingarea.

The governor,Grymes points out, meets with hishigher-ups in the conferenceroomwhile various agencies gather for theirmarching orders during emergencies in thenext room.

The building is equipped with afull kitchen and meeting rooms that can be converted to sleeping quartersand showers for overnight stays.

The halls are silent for now, butthat’sbecauseit’sa Monday

“The office was under the NationalGuard before, then Gov.(Bobby) Jindalmoved this office into the executive branch during his administration,”Grymessaid.“Gov.(Jeff)

Landry,from an administrative standpoint,put it back under theDepartment of Military the National Guard.”

And the Guard changed the workingweek here to four 10hour days aweek

“So tomorrow,you’ll see some people ﬂoating around,” Grymes said. “Normally,Iactually would probably be at LSU on aMonday,but I’m trying to getthe position in aplace where it is almost seamless in terms of what Ido, that Ican domyjob at either place.”

Still, GOHSEP is Grymes’ primary station, wherehe has worked since last summer after retirement as chief meteorologist at Baton Rouge’sWAFB, Channel 9.

Grymes spent almost 30 years at the station, the first seven working part-time on weekends. He’sthe first tosay he wasn’tpreparedfor thejob

Well, that is, he hadnobroadcasting experience.

Grymes originallymoved to BatonRouge to work on his doctoral degree in meteorology at LSU. He eventually wasoffered the state climatology position, andthough thejob was only part-time, he developedit into afull-time position.

Then WAFB came calling. The station needed aweekend meteorologist. Grymes had never stood in front of acamera, so the station sent him to Dallas for broadcast coaching

“They flew me over there thatmorning. Itrainedfor

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

honeymoon,” Mansﬁeld once told reporters in New Orleans, where she frequently visited. But the tumultuous chapters of Mansﬁeld’slife —divorces, cheating scandals, custody battles —and her glamour were at the center of tabloids.

Becoming aHollywood star

The entertainment industry’s fixation on Mansfield’scurvaceous figure and platinum hair often overshadowed her theatrical talents, typecasting her as a“dumb blonde.”

On the contrary,Mansﬁeld studied at the University of Texasand Southern Methodist University while frequently appearingin plays at the Austin CivicCenter She eventually enrolled in the drama program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

After walking into apublicist’s ofﬁce and becoming his clientthe same day,multiple movie studios sought out Mansﬁeld. Of the four that made offers, she decided on Warner Brothers.

“I want to be known as an actress —not as agirl with abig bust.How can Iget producers and columnists to realize this?” she said in a1955 interview with The Times-Picayune, after being cast in her first filmasaseductive nightclub singer Needless to say,Mansfield

I’ve been very lucky. None of thesejobs Ihave pursued, but the venues and the people I’ve worked with have all been great.Iam lucky.”

JAYGRYMES

billed by news outlets as themost photographedwoman since MarilynMonroe —was well aware of thepublic’sperception of her Andeventually sheplayed into that bombshell image, posing in risqué photos for Playboy magazine andboastingabout her male appealtomagazines.

“Oh, Idoabreathlesssort of thing, abit like Eartha Kitt,” Mansﬁeldoncesaid of her feathery voice. “I invested ayear on Broadway exploiting myself with Hollywood in mind.”

Thecostoffame

The public eye was as focused on Mansﬁeld’s personal struggles as it was on her allure.

In November 1966, ayear and a halfafter her divorce from Hargitay,Mansﬁeld was posing for paparazzi ataCalifornia zoo when herson was mauledbyalion and nearlydied.

In June1967, days before her death,Mansfield’s16-year-old daughter, covered in bruises and welts, reported to Los Angeles police that hermother’smale companion had beaten her Her final months revealed that the lifelongdream of becoming a famed actress came with onerous costs —sexualization, scrutiny and ahigh-profile death.

Mansfield’s‘date with God’

On June28, 1967, hours before thefatal car crash claimed her life, Mansﬁeld performed two

four hours, they ﬂew me back, and Iwas on televisiondoing theweatherat6 thatevening,” Grymes said. “I was bad —I was really bad. In fact,those first few weeks, Iwas so bad that Iwas afraid Iwas destroying my reputation in town,because at that point, Ihad been consulting forState Police and theDepartment of Environmental Quality and the Department of Energy andNatural Resources. Ihad probably half adozen attorneys that had me doing work for them, and Ijustfelt like Iwas abuffoon on TV,because it was just otherworldly.”

But late WAFB anchor Paul Gates encouraged Grymes to stay,and when then-chief meteorologistMikeGrahamtook an extensive vacation, Grymes ﬁlled in and found his groove.

“I found Jay theweatherman rather than Jay trying to be Mike theweatherman,” he said.

Thetelevisionstation asked Grymes to be chief meteorologist upon Graham’s retirement. Former LSUChancellor Mark Emmertencouraged Grymes to takethe job

“He saidthe university couldn’tpay me nearly what the TV stationwas offering,” Grymes said.

And he hasnoregrets, but that doesn’tmean he misses television life. The schedule of evening hours could be taxing, andthough he gradually developed athick skin, it was never athick enough armor against critics in his audience.

But Grymes did enjoy the people he worked with, agroup of fellow broadcast meteorologists that he considers the best in Baton Rouge. He’salso proud of joining up with WAFB’s current chief meteorologist, Steve Caparotta, in using the job to ed-

“Weended up in his office, and about an hour andahalf into the conversation, he told me to waitthere,” Grymes said. “He returned withtwo of my professors and said they had lettersofrecommendationfor grad school.”

shows at Gus Steven’sSupper Club in Biloxi, Mississippi. Employees told Times-Picayune reporters it was her best show yet After theconcert, Mansﬁeld, three of her children, four dogs and her attorney,Samuel Brody, got in a1966 Buick Electra driven by Ronnie Harrison. They were en route to New Orleans, where she planned to stay at The Roosevelt Hotel and be interviewed by thelocal news station WDSU.

The Buick was traveling on a narrow U.S. 90, west of the Rigolets Bridge, when it rammed into and plunged underneath atractortrailer that had slowed down for amosquito-spraying truck. Mansﬁeld, Brody,Harrison and two of thedogs were instantly killed.

The children, asleep in thebackseat, survivedwith minor injuries. Hargitay arrived at Ochsner Foundation Hospital, where his children were receiving treatment, on theday of the crash. With his tie loosened, staring blankly ahead, he addressed reporters in the hospital’slibrary

“Little Mickeyaskedmewhat happened to Mother,” said Hargitay, holding back tears. “I toldhim she hadadate withGod. That she will be withGod from hereon.”

Theaftermath

The fatal crash prompted authorities to recommend the installation of “underride guards” on the rear of tractor-trailers toprevent vehicles from sliding underneaththem

ucatethe public about weather

ButGrymes knew he couldn’t pass up asecond opportunity as state climatologist. Now here he is.

Stranger things

“Think about it,” Grymes said. “If Ihad chosen to walk outadifferent door of the building,I would probably be working as astate park ranger in Delaware.”

That door was an entrance andexit to the buildingwhere Grymes had just taken the ﬁnal exam for ameteorology elective. He wasworking as a night janitoratthe University of Delaware at the time to earn themoney needed to take his ﬁnal classes.

Then he ran into his meteorology professor.They struck up a conversation.

What was he majoring in? Well,nothing to do withmeteorology or climatology,but it didn’tmatter.Theywereboth headed in the same direction, so they walked and talked.

Grymes’ grad school adviser hada professorconnectionin the land of “Geaux Tigers.” He drove from Delaware to the universityinhis trucktoworkwith the LSU professor While in Baton Rouge, he met hiswife,Debi, whomanaged the LSU Student Union’sPlantation Room,and eventually became stepfather to her daughter,Carrie, then agrandfather to her son, who is about to graduate from Tulane University As he approaches his 70th birthday,Grymes doesn’tplan to spend manyyears in his secondstint as state climatologist. He’d like to one day retire and spend alittle bit of timeriding his Kawasaki Vulcan cruiser motorcycle on rural roads. It’sthe secondbikehe’s owned, the first being a2001 model.

“This is a2003 model,” he said. “I would like to get outdoorsy.”

But fornow,his days are spentmonitoringLouisiana’s summer droughts, weather systems throughout the state and prepping GOHSEP in cases of tropical disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean.

It is hurricaneseason,after all, in astate where Grymes feels lucky to live.

“I’ve been very lucky,” he said. “None of these jobs Ihave pursued, but the venues and the people I’ve worked with have all been great. Iamlucky.”

Email RobinMillerat romiller@theadvocate.com.

in collisions. Years later,these guards, commonly known as “Mansﬁeld bars,” became mandatory

Mansﬁeld’sdeath also sparked rumors, with manyspeculating that she was decapitated after seeing aphoto of her blonde wig resting on thedashboard.

“She was fully intact,” said James Roberts, of Bultman Funeral Home in the Lower Garden District, where Mansﬁeld’sbody was taken after her death. “I know.Iembalmed her.”

Twodays after the crash, Mansfield’sbodywas flownfrom New Orleanstothe small town of Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, where she lived during early childhood. Despite her family’sefforts to avoid apublicized funeral, nearly 1,000 people cluttered thecemetery,creating what The Times-Picayune described as a “circus atmosphere.” Somebroke through the police lines to snap photos of Mansfield’sbronze casket blanketed in pink roses.

“I wish the whole world would remember her as Ido,” Hargitay told reporters. “She was a remarkablewoman and agreat mother.Iamreally sorry nobody knows thereal Jayne.”

Do you have aquestionabout something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phonenumber andthe city where you live.

AT RANDOM

Continued from page1D

for what the flag represents and for those who served under it.” In pictures of the ceremony on social media, about half adozen Scouts are solemnly gathered around asmallfire in an iron pit, slowly commending each flag to the flames. Seeing the pictures, Iwas moved to think that true patriotism,sooften embraced as loud, bold and even boisterous, can sometimes be aquiet and tender thing, too. Those are the virtues that will endure, one hopes, long after any flag turns to ashes.

Email DannyHeitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

State Climatologist JayGrymes poses for apicture outsideofthe Governor’sOffice of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness office.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK Grand Marshal JayGrymes tosses beads into the crowd as the 47thannual Kenilworth Independence DayParade rolls in 2019 in Baton Rouge.

Texasbarbecuepitmaster behind Buc-ee’s brisket

Recipes, methods crucialtopit-stop’s success

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

To HoustonianpitmasterRandy Pauly,Texas barbecue is more than food —it’sasacred craft

His team of novice smokers proved it recently on theopeningday of the convenience chain Buc-ee’sinPass Christian,Mississippi. Adozen employees in cowboy hats, trained by Pauly,moved in rhythm. They slid fresh breakfasttacos under aglowing lamp, chopped brisket intomessy cubes and occasionally belted,“Fresh brisket on the board!”

Wearing afeathered cowboy hat and abelt buckle featuring the Buc-ee’smascot outlined in sparkling rhinestones, Pauly often glanced at the employees withthe admiration of aproud parent.

“Likeany artist, youcreatea product and hope everyone likes it,” he said as customerscleared theshelves of brisket sandwiches and tacos.

The spread of Texas barbecue, particularly smoked brisket, reﬂects alarger shift in American culinary culture, where regional specialties are no longer bound by their origins.

Using Pauly’srecipes and methods, the Buc-ee’schain has played acrucial role in expandingTexas barbecuebeyond thestate, offering it in 52 stores across the Gulf Coast.

“It’sablessing to be able to bring Texas barbecue acrossthe U.S.,” Pauly said.

Despite smokedbrisket reachinga corporatescaleatBuc-ee’s, where employees sell thousands of pounds per day,Pauly remains centered on quality and attention to detailwhileteachingmethods that took him decades to master Thepitmaster’s persistence

His methodscaught the eye of Don Wasek —the quiet business partner of Buc-ee’sfounder and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin —in 2018. At the time, Pauly was a Houston ﬁreﬁghter and leading his team, Holy Cow Cookers, in barbe-

TODAYINHISTORY

RandyPauly,creator of the brisket recipe for Buc-ee’s, speaks with employees in Pass Christian, Miss.,atthe store’sgrandopening earlier this month.

The brisket recipeused for Buc-ee’ssliced brisket sandwichcamefrom Houston pitmaster RandyPauly

Today is Sunday,June 29, the180thday of 2025. There are 185 daysleft in the year Today’shighlight in history:

On June 29, 2007, the ﬁrst version of the iPhone went on sale to the public; over 2.3billion iPhones have been sold to date. Also on this date:

In 1520, Montezuma II, theninth and last emperorofthe Aztecs,died in Tenochtitlanunder unclearcircumstances (some say he waskilled by hisown subjects; others, bythe Spanish) In 1613, London’soriginal Globe Theatre, where many of Shakespeare’splays were performed, wasdestroyedbya ﬁre sparkedbya cannon shot during aperformance of “Henry VIII.” In 1767, Britain approved the TownshendRevenue Act,which imposed import dutiesonglass, paint, oil, lead, paper and tea shipped to the American colonies. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliamenttorepeal theduties on each of the products —except fortea.)

In 1776, theVirginiastateconstitutionwas adopted, and Patrick Henrywas madethe state’s governor In 1967, Jerusalemwas reuniﬁed as Israel removed barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector In 1970, the UnitedStates ended atwo-month military offensive into Cambodia.

In 1995, the U.S. space shuttleAtlantis docked with Russia’sMir space station as theyorbited Earth.

In 2006, the Supreme Court ruled, 5-3,that President George W. Bush’splan totry Guantánamo Bay detaineesinmilitary tribunals violated U.S. and international law

In 2009, disgraced ﬁnancier Bernard Madoff received a150-year sentence for his multibillion-dollar fraud. (Madoff died in prisoninApril 2021.)

In 2022, R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 yearsin prison for using his R&B superstardom to subjectyoung fans to sexual abuse. Thesingerand songwriter was convictedofracketeering and sex trafﬁcking the previousyear Today’sbirthdays: Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 85. Singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys is 82. Actor Gary Busey is 81.Former actor and politician Fred Grandy is 77. Rock musicianIan Paice(Deep Purple) is 77. Singer DonDokken is 72. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work)is 72. Actor Maria ConchitaAlonso is 70. Actor SharonLawrence (“NYPD Blue”) is 64. Actor Amanda Donohoe is 63. Actor Judith Hoagis62. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is 62.ProducerwriterMatthew Weiner is 60. Actor Melora Hardin is 58.Actor Brian D’Arcy James is 57. Rap DJ andrecord producer DJ Shadow is 53. Actor Zuleikha Robinson is 48. Rock musicianSam Farrar (Maroon 5) is 47. Actor LukeKirby is 47. Singer and TV personalityNicole Scherzingeris 47. Comedian-writer Colin Jost is 43. ActorLily Rabe is 43. NBA forward Kawhi Leonard is 34. Actor Camila Mendes (TV: “Riverdale”)is31. Soccer player Jude Bellingham is 22

tive and makeribs forthe contest. Hisrecipe carriedthe team to the ﬁnals.

By 1995,Pauly —athen-college student with adry bank account founded Holy Cow Cookers. Using discounted ribs from the grocery store, his team competed in the rodeo and won ﬁrst place.

“Wewere living off adream,” he said. “Weweren’tliving off of money.”

Holy Cow Cookers spent years taking home awards for their ribs and chicken, but when Wasek soundedhis offer,hewanted Bucee’stosell its own brisket —acategory that Pauly hadyet to compete in.

After their meeting, Pauly spent hundredsofdollars on wagyu brisket, afar more arduous cutofmeat to cook due to its high fat content, and competed in the category for the ﬁrst time.

Thenext time he met with Wasek, Pauly rolledout abanner that showcased his brisket winning eighth place in the world.

Notayear has gone by in the last three decades without Pauly and his team competing in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Today, they are eight-time world barbecue champions.

‘It’sthe details’

cue cook-offs.

When Pauly accepted Wasek’soffertobethe director of barbecue operations forthe chain, he hada resume that begantaking form in his teen years.

At age 15, after his father died in acar accident, Pauly wasintroduced to barbecuebyhis neighborand cousin. What started as a distraction from griefwas transformed into apassion treated with persistence.

At cook-offs and countyfairs in Houston, ateenage Pauly would approach competitive teams and offer to be theirbottlewasher, aimingtobreak into the world of Texas barbecue. And by 1993, he was doing just that —scrubbing dirtybottles forateam named Regroup Cookers.

The next year,while the team was competing in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the chief cook overslept one night, prompting Pauly to take the initia-

After working opening day at Buc-ee’sinPass Christian,Pauly boarded aplane that night andﬂew to Georgia to teach another set of employees, who had 21 days of training ahead of them. Though he was running on less than ﬁve hours of sleep, it was hardly noticeable.

“Today is the day you get to rebrand yourselfasbeing the person you wanted to always be,” Pauly recalled saying to some of the employees at the store location in Georgia.

He spoke of Texas barbecue the same way apaintermight speak aboutputting brush to canvas, describing theideal ratiobetween bark, fatand meat on aslice of brisket.

“It’sthe details where Buc-ee’s wins ...” Pauly said. “It’s those details. Once you lock thosedetails in, you’re gonna have anything and everything you need in life.” Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

Let’slosethe cancer ‘battle’ lingo

Dear Miss Manners: Three years ago, Iwas diagnosed withcancer.Iwas extremely fortunate: My tumor was removed and Idid not require radiation or chemo. I have my screenings yearly and all has been well.

Am Ia“cancer survivor”?

Inever want to take anything away from someone who had a much moredifﬁcult battle than I did. Idon’twant to use theterm incorrectly

Gentle reader: First of all, Miss Manners would like to say how fortunate it is that you are now well. Even the mildest forms of cancer are frightening.

Now for theadmonishment:

now,thankfully,you are doing well. That is as much of adescription as is necessary

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Are you (andthe rest of the world) under theimpression that cancer is acompetition?Orworse, awar to be fought?

Metaphors like “losing,” “ﬁghting,” “succumbing” or even “surviving” the “battle” add astigma to asituation that was never afair contest.

Miss Manners would prefer that any such label be dispensed withaltogether If it comes up in conversation, you simplysay that you had cancer,and that

Dear Miss Manners: We have a1-year-old grandchild who lives 90 miles from us. Ourfrustration comes from their parents advising us to purchase gifts onlyfrom their curated wish list. They strongly defend the list as their “knowing what’sbest” for their child. Ihave twice been rebuked for varying from said items, once by brand and once by color.It’snearly impossible to get theexact item requested, given theendless choices of children’sproductsout there. When receiving athankyou, theitems that weren’tfrom the list are not mentioned LastChristmas,wewere forced to keep an item that cost $100 when we were toldthat they had bought their own version for their child, and it was too late for us to return ours. Youcan imagine our surprise when we visited them and saw our grandchild playing with someplastic toys, which we had been told wereunacceptable.

Safe airinthe house

We feel the joy of shopping forour young grandchild has been completely usurped, and we don’trelish having to do so formany years to come. Should we accept this disheartened feeling and follow the list to keep the peace?

Gentle reader: No,please resist. Miss Manners does not wish to live in aworld in which the registry bullies win. Youmight tell the parents, “Weenjoy getting things forGraham,and while you know what’sbest forhim,welike to have alittle funwith it, too. Perhaps while he is young, we will just stick to experiences —like taking him to the park when we are in town—instead of giving him presents.”

As he gets older,Graham will surely start to have his own opinions about what he likes to play with. And you can start to form your ideas moredirectly from the toddler’smouth.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to heremail, dearmissmanners@ gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO64106.

Spring cleaning

Dear Heloise: Iread your hint about how to unclog spray paint nozzles. Yearsago, I found an easy solutiontoprevent clogging. When you have ﬁnished using the spraypaint, turn the can upside down so thatthe nozzle is on the bottom and the can is above. Then press the spray nozzle until the paint in theinside tube and nozzle is expelled. Youwill know when to stopbecause the paint will stop coming out and just pressurized air will comeout of the nozzle. Since the paint is now expelled, there is little, if any, paint to dry out in the nozzle. I hope this helps other readers. Ilove “HintsFromHeloise” andlook forwardtoreading it everyday —GlenC., in Cleveland

Dear Heloise: Air qualityin thehome is very important. Black mold growing anywhere in thehouse should be treated like ahazmat situation Daily,you should place the plastic bathmat upside down on the side of the tub. Once aweek, take aminute to rub themat with apaper towel soaked in bleach. As themat ages, tiny cracks will appear in theplastic. When the bleach no longer works, it’s time to throw it out. Never put anything with mold in the washing machine. Appliance engineers admit that the best-case scenario is about 70% of dirt and debris gettingremoved during the average washing load. Furnace ﬁlters should never be used to transmit any kind of scent material, such as essential oils.The ductworkof

an HVAC system will soon becomecontaminated with whatever you add to the ﬁlter It’s better to turn the kitchen vent fanonhigh while cooking and open one or two windows. Remember to washyour kitchen metal vent ﬁlter whenever you see it is dirty

Thank you foryour informative and often new ways to solve aproblem —TonyElia, in Mission Viejo, California Graphite forlocks

Dear Heloise: Youshould be aware that mostbig-box or hardware stores have little tubes of graphite lock lubricant forsale. This is perhaps slightly moreexpensive than grinding up apencil, but for manypeople with morethan one old lock, the packaged product will be easier to use and store. —David Jackson, via email

Dear Heloise: Regarding spring cleaning, Ilearned this hint from my motherin-law after Iasked how she kept her house so nice and tidy.She told me she cleaned one room at atimeand made it like new.She had asmall homeand avery limited budget, but her house was immaculate.

So, Imade alist and divided each room and chore by 12 and gave each chore to one month of the year.I put it on the computer and print it out once ayear with necessary revisions. Then, each month, Ilook at my list and clean whichever task is there forthe month. It is so easy to keep my house clean this way.Thanks forall the suggestions! —C.B., via email Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

PHOTOSByJUSTIN MITCHELL

Hints from Heloise

SOAKING IN THE SUMMER PAGES

Top recs for the best books to beat the heat

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Between beach reads and road trips, summer is prime reading time.

See what these booksellers recommend for their favorite page-turners for the sunny season Cavalier House Books co-owner Michelle Cavalier

114 N. RANGE AVE., DENHAM SPRINGS

n ”When the Tides Held the Moon,” by Venessa Vida Kelley: This queer cozy fantasy is a perfect summer read. Two characters fall in love, but how long can they stay together when one is a merman in captivity and the other is trying to break him out? Read this for a dose of forbidden romance and self-love.

n ”The Knight and the Moth,” by Rachel Gillig: Cavailier says this novel is “Nothing short of enchanting. Rachel Gillig’s writing has a way of transporting me alongside her characters and holding me in a trance in a world with a dreamlike, mythical atmosphere that promises something sinister just beneath its surface. This story is one that’s going to linger inside of me for a long while.”

n ”Sunburn,” by Chloe Michelle Howarth: Howarth’s book is a sun-drenched coming-of-age story that uses lush prose and vibes to explore the growing pains of discovering one’s sexuality.

n ”The Black Girl Survives in This One,” by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell: Cavalier says reading this book made her want to circle up around a campﬁre with her friends and share each story with them. “Prepare to be terriﬁed and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology,” Cavalier said. “Desiree S. Evans has curated a truly spine-chilling collection full of great writing, spooky stories and the power for Black girls.”

The Conundrum owner Missy Couhig 11917 FERDINAND ST., ST. FRANCISVILLE

n ”The River Knows Your Name,” by Kelly Mustian: Set in two timelines, the 1930s and 1970s, this novel tells the story of two sisters, Nell and Evie, and the memories they hold of their mysterious childhood. When the two girls ﬁnd a birth certiﬁcate belonging to their mother, they are very confused. It lists a stranger as Evie’s mother The girls decide to keep it a secret. Decades later, when clues start piling up and memories fall together, the whole story is revealed.

n ”Gus and Glory,” by Sarah Guillory: From the awardwinning Louisiana author that brought us “Nowhere Better than Here,” this new story tells the tale of a young girl who ﬁnds herself sent to small-town Louisiana to live with her grandparents. Feeling lonely and confused, she goes for a walk and meets a slobbery sweet bloodhound. She ﬁnds friends, purpose, happiness and more family It’s perfect for the 8- to 12-year-old set.

n ”The Knights of Wade,” by Michael Strecker: Couhig says the moment she saw the cover of this Louisiana book, it reminded her of “A Confederacy of Dunces.” In this debut novel by two-time Tennessee Williams Festival ﬁnalist and standup comedian Michael Strecker, an unforgettable cast of characters are at times funny, and at times ridiculous set in a story simultaneously outland-

ish, relatable and even poignant.

Red Stick Reads owner Tere Hyfield

3829 GOVERNMENT ST., BATON ROUGE

n ”The Wedding People,” by Alison Espach: Fans of Liane Moriarty or Emily Henry will enjoy Alison Espach. This book is ideal for readers who enjoy characters undergoing emotional introspection at a crossroads in their lives. Phoebe arrives at a luxury hotel with the intention of ending her life. However, her plans are disrupted when she is mistaken for a guest at a lavish wedding taking place at the hotel, and she becomes entangled with the wedding party, particularly the bride, Lila.

La. governor, song are eternally bound

Tale of ‘you Are My Sunshine’ intertwined in life of Jimmie Davis

BY DOUG GRAHAM Staff writer

“You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis and the Biography of a Song,” by Robert Mann, Louisiana State University Press, 216 pages

“You Are My Sunshine” is one of the most popular songs in the world. It has been recorded by more than 300 artists, and it twice carried one man to two terms as Louisiana’s governor But much of the song’s lineage is not so sunny

n ”Atmosphere,” by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Taylor Jenkins Reid has written about a variety of very different worlds, and each time she manages to fully immerse her readers in the intricacies of these worlds. This time, the focus is on NASA’s space program set in 1980s culture. Two astronauts form an unlikely friendship and challenge each other’s notion of what they thought they knew about love and space exploration.

n ”We Were Liars,” by E Lockhart: The TV series for this book just premiered on Amazon Prime, so it’s a perfect time to read the book and then binge the series. The young adult novel “We Were Liars” tells the story of a beautiful and powerful family during a summer on a private island. A group of friends, the Liars, have an incredibly close friendship that turns destructive. There’s an accident, there are secrets, lies and more lies.

TBR Books & Tea owner Jamie Freeman

7276 HIGHLAND ROAD, BATON ROUGE

n ”Today Tonight and Tomorrow,” by Rachel Lynn Solomon: This young adult romance takes place at the brink of summer It’s the last day of senior year for Rowan and Neil, who have been rivals throughout their entire high school careers The two characters keep bumping into each other, and even sometimes teaming up, for their high school’s senior tradition: a scavenger-hunt type game called Howl that takes them on missions all around Seattle.

n ”My Friends,” by Fredrik Backman: Freeman says Fredrik Backman is “one of my all-time favorite authors.

His latest novel, “My Friends,” is no exception to Backman’s greatness. He somehow knows how to write what’s at the core of all of our souls, using words that are stark and spare, yet beautifully prosaic.” This is a novel in translation, as Backman resides in Sweden. He draws upon the strong bonds of friendship among characters past and present. He explores found family and tragic loss.

n ”Battle of the Bookstores,” by Ali Brady: This recent release was just pure fun, especially for me as a new bookstore owner,” Freeman said. Josie is the manager at Tabula Inscripta, a bookstore ﬁlled with serious, literary tomes. Next door, Ryan manages a bookstore that sells romance only appropriately named Happy Endings.” Their clientele doesn’t mix until the landlord decides to combine their spaces into one. The two bookstore managers must compete for a single position, while also battling their feelings for each other

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

The tune’s chorus is often sung in a happy and hopeful tone, presenting a picture of bright days ahead. At its heart, though, the song carries a much deeper emotional weight as a tale of lost love and regret. In some ways, that contradiction ﬁts the story of the man who claimed to have created “Sunshine.”

In “You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis and the Biography of a Song,” Robert Mann examines the song’s history and how it shaped the life of Davis, who owned the rights to the song and used it as a focal point in his campaigns to win two terms as Louisiana governor Mann, author of 10 books and a longtime faculty member of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, opens the dual biography by following the origins of the song.

Although Davis told several versions over the years about how he wrote the song, Mann shines a light on the tune’s roots among “hillbilly” artists. Mann explains how Davis and bandmate Charles Mitchell purchased the rights to the music in late 1939 for $35 from a musician who was growing through some hard times. That contract stated that Davis and Mitchell would be credited as writers of the song, and the pair copyrighted it the next month. It was not unusual for people to purchase the rights to songs written by other artists, and “Sunshine” was not the only time Davis bought a song and claimed to the original composer, Mann writes. But it certainly became the biggest song he owned the rights to and opened a spigot of royalties over the years.

Getting his start

Davis was born near Beech Springs and got his musical break on Shreveport radio station KWKH in the late 1920s. From that start, he rose to become one of the biggest stars in what would become known as country music.

Mann details how Davis built his career, recording dozens of songs and eventually appearing in movies, all the while serving in the Shreveport city government.

During that time, “Sunshine” was becoming a hit for other artists, too, ranging from Bing Crosby to Ernest Tubbs, and the song received a boost when Davis sang it in several movies. Having been elected to the state’s Public Service Commission, the singer began dreaming of bigger things for his political career, Mann writes.

Davis entered a crowded ﬁeld for the Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1944 and put his music front and center at his campaign stops. Mann describes how Davis

TRADE PAPERBACK

spoke only in short bursts during breaks between songs and rarely addressed the issues. The candidate also avoided mudslinging, despite the fact his opponents were trying to smear him over bawdy songs he had recorded in the early 1930s.

In the end, Davis won in a runoff.

Serving as governor didn’t slow Davis’ entertainment career very much, Mann writes. The governor was out of the state for more than 200 days during his term. As Davis and his band performed, he recorded songs and found time to make a movie based on his life, titled “Louisiana.” The state managed to keep running in his absences, and his time in ofﬁce did manage to quell the state’s political turmoil, if only for a while. Meanwhile, “Sunshine” continued to grow in popularity with the public, getting a boost when Nat King Cole became the ﬁrst Black artist to record it. Mann notes how the arrangements of the song were evolving, with Lawrence Welk turning it into swing music and R&B artists giving it a more upbeat presentation. Ray Charles reinvented the song with his 1962 recording, Mann writes, which some saw as an attack against segregation but Charles said was just a new approach to an old song.

Davis continued his singing career after leaving ofﬁce, eventually turning to gospel music, but the lure of politics pulled him into the 1960 race for governor

This time, Davis found it harder to distract voters with music at his rallies, so he had to address the issues. Once in the scrum, the former “Peace and Harmony” candidate embraced the fight against school segregation, saying he supported it “one thousand percent” and that there would be “no retreat and no comprise” in fighting it, Mann writes. He won the Democratic nomination and the general election, and then he presided over a term that not only saw the fight against segregation reach full boil but also saw its share of corruption.

Davis continued his singing career after his term ended and eventually was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame. After much debate, the Legislature named “Sunshine” one of two “state songs” in 1977, and later it was named the sole state song.

The singer/governor continued to assert over the years that he wrote “Sunshine,” and it remained his greatest claim to fame. But after reading Mann’s enjoyable review of the life and times of both the song and its greatest benefactor, you might ask which beneﬁted the most from their connection: Jimmie Davis or “Sunshine”?

Email Doug Graham at doug. graham@theadvocate.com.

5. “Till Summer Do Us Part” by Meghan Quinn

“Lights Out” by Navessa

“House of Flame and Shadow” by Sarah J. Maas

Mann

style Lasting

also built areputation for being abusiness coachand consultant, and it has more than 600 customers

Generationshavegrown northshore-based NeillCorp. into asalon empire

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

When the pandemicshut down Vivian Yeh’sHouston hair salons in March 2020, she turned to the Neill Corp. for help.

Within weeks,the Hammond-based company had devised astep-by-stepplan to help Yehweather the COVID-19 crisis and keep her family-owned business, Josephine’sSalons and Spas, aﬂoat

“They went through pandemicplans with us every week,” Yehsaid.“They recommended alternative revenue streams, like selling take-home hair colorkits for clients,

La.’s

and helped us navigate paperwork.”

conference in New Orleans —tocreatenetworking and education opportunities.

Neill Corp. also is asalon owner itself. Its eight Paris Parkerlocations are afamiliar site across Louisiana, and they serve as labs for ﬁnding outwhatworks so that Neill’sdistribution reps can make recommendations to its salon customers.

Loggersgrapple foralternatives, Natchitoches scramblesfor newtax streamsfor parish

BY BLAKE PATERSON

Staff writer

Louisiana’sforestry industryis in disarray afterthe sudden closure of one of the state’sremaining papermills.

Before shuttering in April, International Paper’sRed River mill in Natchitoches Parishpurchased 1.6 million tons of pulpwood per year, equivalent to about 250 truckloads aday Now,according to loggers, foresters and industry leaders, there’s nowherefor that type of

forestry product to go,and the result is an industry that’sscrambling to adjust.

“It’sput thewhole logging industry in chaos,” said Bradley McDowell, whose company,Pineland Contracting, based in Jena, sold pulpwood to the mill andisdown about$38,000 amonth in sales. To stayafloat,McDowell said he’ll likely havetocut hislogging crew in half.

“Wehave to do something,” he said. “Wecan’tjust keep doing business asusual.” International Paper’sannounce-

Yehwasn’t the only salonownergetting advice from the southLouisiana company Neill Corp. —a nearly 80-year-olddistributorofhigh-end salon products—has built a decades-old reputation for being abusiness coach andconsultant, a“salon whisperer” of sorts, to itsmore than 600 customers in seven Southern states. It helps owners do everything from negotiateleases to design ﬂoor plans and train stylists.

To meet theongoing demand for salon employees, the company also owns anationwide network of beautyschools. And it hosts industry events—including an annual

This holistic business model has enabled the oncesmall beauty store to grow, topping $100 millioninannual revenue last year,asit continues to carve aniche in the nation’s$60 billion beauty industry

“The waywemake money is by selling products to salons,” Edwin Neill III,Neill Corp.’sCEO since2016,said during an interviewatthe company’sdowntown

ä See NEILL, page 2E

among the largest producersof corrugated-cardboard packaging in the world, said the move was necessary to make its operations moreefﬁcient.

“International Paper is undergoing atransformational journey to become astronger sustainable packaging solutions company,”the companysaidina news release. “A critical step in this journey is to streamline IP’sfootprint to focus investments on facilitiesthatwill best serve customers and accelerate

ment in February that it was closing themill —located near the tinytown of Campti about halfway

NeillIII

STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Edwin Neill II’sdecision in 1991 to launch Parker Paris salons, named for daughter Paris Parker Neill, has been among the keys to NeillCorp.’s growth. The 80-year-old distributor of high-end salon products has

in sevenSouthernstates.

Neill Corp.

NEILL

Continued from page 1E

Hammond headquarters “But the way we grow our business is by growing the salons.”

North Louisiana roots

Neill Corp. dates back to 1947, when Abner and Harriett Neill founded Magnolia Beauty Supply in Shreveport to sell products and equipment to local salons at a time when the industry was taking off in postwar America.

The Neills moved their company’s headquarters to Baton Rouge in the 1950s and opened storefronts statewide throughout the 1960s. But the company began expanding dramatically in the 1970s, after the Neills’ son Edwin Neill II (father of the current CEO and named for his grandfather) took the reins. Under his leadership, it became a regional distributor of several highend beauty brands: ﬁrst Redken, then Paul Mitchell and Aveda, the latter of which was one of the ﬁrst “all-natural” brands to hit the market in the late ’70s.

He moved the company’s headquarters to Hammond in 1977 to beneﬁt from proximity to New Orleans and easy access to interstates 55 and 12. He also enhanced the services the company offered to its customers, providing training and support designed to make the salons, like Yeh’s in Houston, more successful, which, in turn, would boost their de-

MILL

Continued from page 1E

at which point, it can be harvested for lumber or plywood. To make room for those trees to grow and to prevent forest ﬁres and disease, smaller crooked trees need to periodically be thinned. Those trimmings are sold to paper mills as pulpwood.

The International Paper mill opened in 1974. It was the largest taxpayer in Natchitoches Parish and employed more than 400 workers, many of whom had spent their entire careers there. Its absence is already being felt. In March, the Natchitoches Parish School Board voted to close a nearby elementary and junior high school in anticipation of a steep drop in tax revenue. Economic development ofﬁcials are optimistic that most of the laid off workers will eventually find new work. Less certain is how the forestry sector will adjust

“As an industry, everybody’s scrambling trying to figure out what to do with their loggers,” said David Cupp, a forester with Walsh Timber Co., which manages timberland in Texas and Louisiana.

“We haven’t seen the whole impact yet,” Cupp added. “We’re in the middle of it.”

‘No way to fill that void’

Forestry is Louisiana’s largest agricultural sector, contributing around $3.8 billion a year to the state’s gross domestic product and directly supporting around 25,500 jobs, according to a 2023 study from the LSU AgCenter It’s also an important economic driver for large swaths of rural Louisiana.

“When you lose an employer like that, and a place that took so many logs, it has a trickle-down effect,” said Walter “Donny” Moon, an agent with the LSU AgCenter based in Winn Parish, where 90% of the land is forested.

“Timber is critical to my parish’s livelihood,” he said. Pulpwood production peaked in the U.S. South in the late 1990s, according to Richard Vlosky, an LSU Agricultural Center professor In 1998, there were 11 pulp mills in Louisiana, according to the U.S. Forest Service. But demand for pulpwood plunged thanks in part to the digital revolution, Vlosky

mand for shampoos, hair dyes and styling products

“My dad pioneered business education for salon owners,” Neill III said. “Despite skepticism from old-school distributors, he believed salon owners were fantastic entrepreneurs and you could bring value to them by helping them hone their skills.”

Neill II made other strategic moves, too. His family credits him with launching an ahead-of-its-time software division in the 1980s and licensing the Aveda name to open an Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute in 1994.

Aveda used to have dozens of distributors globally, but now the Minnesota-based business — which was purchased for $300 million in 1997 by the conglomerate Estée Lauder Cos. — handles more of that work internally, and Neill Corp. is the largest of its three remaining indie distributors in the U.S.

Today, Neill Corp. owns and operates 18 Aveda co-branded schools nationwide, including a ﬂagship location near Aveda’s headquarters.

Those facilities employ more than 500 of Neill Corp.’s nearly 800 employees

When Neill II died in 2004 his widow, Debra Neill Baker, began a 12-year tenure as CEO and still serves as chair of the board of Neill Corp.

Today, six of Neill II’s seven children are active in the third-generation family business.

‘When they grow, we grow’

Neill Corp. operates a

40,000-square-foot distribution center in Hammond that employs dozens of people and ships tens of millions of packaged and bottled shampoos, hair sprays, curl enhancers and other products annually to customers in the U.S. and Canada.

The company has additional distribution reps in the ﬁeld, as well as the hundreds more employees at its beauty schools and salons. It also has consultants on staff, including an in-house real estate adviser who helps salon owners negotiate leases, and an interior designer to offer guidance on optimal salon layouts.

industry faces a constant challenge in ﬁnding enough people to cut hair. That’s where the schools come in.

The faculty not only teaches students about hair but about the business of running a salon.

“Hairdressers are like a business within a business,” Garrison Neill said. “We’re teaching them how to recruit clients and how to educate them about products versus selling them.”

The company also trains salon owners how to hire and keep stylists.

Elevate Hair has 259,000 followers on Instagram and hosts live hair events nationwide. The project is designed to boost the family business by promoting the art of hair styling in general.

“A lot of people think that we’re a franchise model, but it’s not,” Garrison Neill, the company’s vice president, said. “There are no purchase requirements We just know that if we can help salons have a good business model, then they will grow.”

In May alone, the company produced almost 40 in-salon educational events, he said.

Revenues are split among the schools, the distribution business and the Paris Parker salons.

Garrison Neill said his father’s decision in 1991 to launch those salons, named after Garrison Neill’s sister, Paris Parker Neill, has been another key to the company’s growth.

“We’ve always seen ourselves as a testing ground and someone who can provide best business practices,” he said.

Despite the success, Neill Corp.’s

“Having a good recruiting strategy is really important for salons because when you lose someone, you lose $100,000 in annual revenue,” Garrison Neill said.

New Orleans a ‘huge draw’

Each January, Neill Corp. hosts an annual industry gathering called Serious Business at the Saenger Theatre and the Roosevelt Hotel. Roughly 2,000 salon owners and managers gather for speakers and performances. Past presenters include authors Malcolm Gladwell, Deepak Chopra and Brené Brown.

The event promotes the industry and generates revenue. Attendee tickets for the 2026 events are in the $600 range, and exhibitors pay to promote their wares.

“New Orleans is a huge draw,” Edwin Neill III said. “It’s really a strategic advantage.”

Another Neill marketing initiative is Elevate Hair, a community led by Tatum Neill — brother of Edwin III and Garrison and the company’s social media director.

said. Some paper mills have also stopped buying pulpwood and instead are turning to recycled materials. Today, there are around a halfdozen paper mills in operation in Louisiana that still purchase pulpwood from loggers.

The Red River mill in Campti purchased around $100 million worth of pulpwood per year, according to Buck Vandersteen, executive director of the Louisiana Forestry Association.

“Unfortunately, you have some loggers out there saying, ‘I can’t make it in business anymore,’ ” Vandersteen said. “That’s small businesses going out of business.”

The ripple effects extend beyond central Louisiana. To sell their wood, loggers who once relied on the Red River mill are having to drive farther That increase in supply to other mills has pushed down the price suppliers can get for their wood

“There’s no way to ﬁll that void,”

said state Rep. Jack McFarland, a Jonesboro Republican who owns a logging company based in Winn Parish. “The effects are far and wide.”

“I’m down $20,000 a month, and I didn’t deliver everything there. It’s the pressure that’s being put on the other mills that’s affecting me,” he said.

McDowell used to be able to give his employees production bonuses, amounting to about $12,000 per year But with the drop in revenue, those bonuses have all but evaporated.

“Twelve thousand dollars in Jena, Louisiana, is quite a bit of money,” McDowell said.

‘Timber’s ready to sell’

The closure of the Red River mill is also creating challenges for the nearly 148,000 landowners in Louisiana with timber investments. With the industry changing, ﬁnding loggers that will perform that work is becoming more difﬁcult.

“We get calls regularly, ‘My timber’s ready to sell I can’t ﬁnd any logger to cut it,’” Vandersteen said.

McDowell’s company focuses on clear-cutting timber stands once they reach maturity Around 12% of the timber it harvests is pulp-

While it continues to create opportunities, Neill Corp. sees challenges ahead, including further consolidation in the distribution business. Tariff uncertainty also has made it harder for it to get supplies like the mannequin heads used for training at the beauty schools.

But the industry’s biggest challenge, by far, is ﬁnding and retaining employees who can provide the increasingly sophisticated salon services customers are seeking. Neill III said it’s partly because of a perception problem.

“People don’t realize how great a career in beauty can be,” he said. “Remember the song ‘Beauty School Dropout’ from the movie ‘Grease’? There’s still that image, but the reality is we work with lots of hairdressers that make six ﬁgures.”

The Neill siblings say they plan to continue providing solutions while promoting a vocation they believe in.

“We make people look good, which makes them feel better,” Neill III said. “What other industry has that kind of impact?”

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

wood. But with the next closest paper mill around 100 miles away, McDowell said it doesn’t make ﬁnancial sense for him to transport it.

So, McDowell said, they’re leaving the pulpwood behind.

“That’s money that’s sitting in the woods,” he said.

One of the more urgent questions after the Red River mill shut down was where to send the wood chips, sawdust and bark that it purchased from nearby sawmills

Those byproducts from turning logs into lumber aren’t allowed to accumulate at sawmills because of the ﬁre hazard.

In June, the state Legislature appropriated $1.5 million to the Natchitoches Parish Port Commission, which plans to use some of the money to expand its infrastructure so it can export more of those chips.

Vandersteen said he hopes that the Red River mill can be repurposed into a site for turning pulpwood into biofuels

That’s what’s in store for the long-dormant, 1,300-acre International Paper mill in Pineville. Houston-based SunGas Renewables in 2023 announced a $2 billion plan to turn the site into a “green” methanol plant.

The project relies on carbon capture and sequestration, a technology that has faced local opposition in parts of rural Louisiana and has yet to be permitted for industrial use. As of last month, the SunGas project, known as Beaver Creek Renewable Energy was still in the design phase.

At facilities located in LaSalle and Morehouse parishes, the UK-based Drax Group is turning pulpwood into wood pellets that it ships to England and burns for electricity

As for the Red River mill, a small contingent of workers are still on hand to help decommission the site. According to Amy Simpson, an International Paper spokesperson, “no decisions have been made” regarding its future. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said in a statement that the state remains in close coordination with International Paper “to locate a buyer that will bring the site back into production.”

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

G. Neill

T. Neill

Before shuttering in April, International Paper’s Red River mill in Natchitoches Parish purchased 1.6 million tons of pulpwood per year, equivalent to about 250 truckloads a day.

STAFF PHOTOS By JILL PICKETT

In anticipation of a steep loss in revenue after the closure of the International Paper Mill, the Natchitoches Parish School Board voted to close Goldonna Elementary/Junior High School in Goldonna.

Amanda McConell, left, a master colorist, works on the hair of Allison Stouse at the Paris Parker Salon on Prytania Street in New Orleans. Parent company

uses the familiar salon with locations across Louisiana as labs for finding out what works so that Neill’s distribution reps can make recommendations to its salon customers.

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Jared Landry, center, a master stylist, works on the hair of Lauren Donofrio at the Paris Parker Salon on Prytania Street in New Orleans. ‘People don’t realize how great a career in beauty can be,’ said Edwin Neill III, Neill Corp.’s CEO

ASK THE EXPERTS

HRI investment chief: ‘It’s really interesting times for hotels’

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

HRI Hospitality, the hotel acquisition and management wing of the sprawling New Orleans-based real estate empire founded by Pres Kabakoff and Edward Boettner in the early 1980s, has become a major hotel operator in its own right in recent years. With its latest deal — taking a 20% stake in the Hilton New Orleans on St. Charles Avenue, along with 80% owner Certares, a New York private equity investor — HRI Hospitality owns and or manages 32 hotels across 13 states. With a portfolio of nearly 6,000 rooms, it now ranks as one of the largest midbracket operators in the country

That gives Michael Coolidge, HRI Hospitality’s chief investment and development ofﬁcer, a good perch from which to keep tabs on a hotel sector that has been rapidly evolving, especially since the coronavirus pandemic.

Coolidge, 52, has been in his HRI role for over a decade, a period that has seen signiﬁcant expansion for HRI’s hotel interests. He’s been in hospitality investment since graduating from Cornell University in the late 1990s and now splits his time between Denver and the Crescent City

Here he discusses plans for the Hilton and its historic, gothic-style building in the Central Business District, as well as the broader trends he sees in the hotel sector.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity

Sunstone Hotel Investors,the former owner of your latest acquisition, the Hilton New Orleans on St. Charles Avenue, said they had decided to take a loss on the property rather than make the needed investment to upgrade the hotel.What made you want to buy into the 252-room property and take on management?

We’ve actually spent some time on that property Being local and being invested in the market, we’re staying attuned to the the opportunities when people maybe are motivated to get out. We had brief

Q&A WITH MICHAEL COOLIDGE

conversations with the seller postCOVID, but they decided to hold at that time. We took another look in the fall. I spent a bunch of time on what the capital needs of the property were. Then they decided to do a public process and market it fully with a broker. So, we went through that and we had done a lot of due diligence on the building. What’s the plan for capital spending? What kind of “refresh,” as you say in the business, does it need and what new features, if any?

There’s always just the normal refresh of buildings, especially in hotels: carpet and furniture fix-

tures, etc. But then there’s also the kind of larger-scale mechanical requirements that need to be continuously updated and redone, including elevator systems and so forth. So, we will be doing updates to the elevators, some of the major mechanical systems in the building, and then a full refresh of the guest rooms and the public space. We’re planning also to add a lobby bar We are happily maintaining the great relationship with Luke (a well-established Creole brasserie operated by BRG Hospitality, formerly chef John Besh’s group, which occupies a ground-ﬂoor corner of the hotel)

But we’d like to add a little bit more activity level within the lobby

We’ve seen some significant hotel sales in New Orleans: the Ritz-Carlton on Canal connected to the Courtyard by Marriott,for maybe around $200 million; the New Orleans Marriott Courtyard & SpringHill Suites last year, for $73 million; before that,the Bourbon Orleans for $81 million.What’s going on?

It’s really interesting times for hotels and the whole commercial real estate market. It feels like everything had been very frozen for a long time. Now, you’ve got owners, similar to the seller of the Hilton on

St. Charles, that have been in assets for a long time, it’s in need of capital investment and they’re asking, “Do I want to double down or do I want to sell?” We’ve seen a wave of properties that all of a sudden have hit the market. An unusually high number in New Orleans, though I think not really tied together other than just a lot of it in the same category, just needing a refresh or capital investment. So, you’ve seen about a half dozen major assets on the market around the same time.

Talk a bit about how HRI — originally Historic Restoration Inc. has evolved?

It started in the early ’80s with Pres Kabakoff and Ed Boettner and conversion of warehouses into apartments and multi-family We did our ﬁrst hotel deal in 1992, the Hyatt Centric in the French Quarter, a conversion of the old D.H Homes department store building. It grew from there throughout the Gulf, Southeast into the 2000s. Around 2014, we started really pushing more of a national footprint into top 40 metros. So, markets like Nashville, Tampa, Austin, Philly, Minneapolis, etc. The company now operates as indepen-

dent units? After COVID, we spun the company out into divisions. HRI Hospitality is primarily focused on hospitality but does also focus on larger-scale, mixed use of hotel and multi-family within buildings. HRI Communities is our sister company that focuses solely on (low income housing tax credit) and affordable housing. So, we operate separately but with some crossovers and some shared synergies. (HRI Communities projects include, for example, the Blue Plate Artists Lofts in New Orleans and The Industrialist Hotel, a conversion in Pittsburgh’s Central Business District).

What do you think are the main trends for hotel brands and independent operators in the post-COVID market?

There are a lot of moving pieces. It’s been an interesting time for the industry, coming out of COVID. Group travel as a whole — leisure and business — was slow to recover and is slowly coming back You’re starting to see in ’25 an uptick in larger convention and corporate travel. Markets such as Orlando, obviously New Orleans, Seattle, Nashville — those with larger convention centers are seeing recovery Also, seeing it in the transient leisure side. The industry is moving toward what is called “select service lifestyle” brands. The Marriott has the AC brand, Hilton has the Tempo brand, Hyatt has Select. Travelers are looking for aesthetically pleasing properties but ones which are really “full service light.” They are able to operate maybe at better margins because they’re not offering as much. We’re big on that segment. You’re also seeing more “soft brand” hotels, unafﬁliated, independent properties such as Autograph (Marriott), Curio (Hilton), Tapestry (Hilton), Tribute Portfolio (Marriott), catering to travelers seeking unique, localized and upscale or boutique-style experiences. Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

CommercialFishing Coalition LLC

Premium pet food is abooming industry Whatmanydon’trealizeisthatone of its keyingredients—Gulf menhaden—starts its journeyinLouisiana,supporting jobs,local economies, and coastalcommunities The Local Catch Behind aGlobal Industry Menhaden oil and ﬁshmeal arevital to premium pet food formulations,appearing in homes from BatonRougetoBeijing. But their economic story begins on Louisiana’s working coast.The menhaden ﬁshery generatesover$419 millioninannual economic output and supportsmorethan 2,000jobsacross32parishes

This makes it one of the largest and most importantcommercial fisheries in the U.S., yetfew consumersunderstand therole it plays in products theyuse every day. Investing in Local Communities Companies likeWestbank Fishingand Daybrook Fisheries and their counterparts from western Louisiana,OmegaProtein and Ocean Harvesters, areanchorsofLouisiana’s fishing economy. Theydon’tjust catchfish theyinvest in the people and places that makethe fishery run. In 2023alone, these twocompanies contributed roughly $60 million in employeecompensation.

“This isn’tjust about ﬁshing—it’s about building strong communities,”saidFrancois Kuttel, PresidentofWestbank Fishing. “Fromthe deckhands on our boatstothe

families relying on thesejobsinPlaquemines and beyond,the menhaden industry is a powerful forcefor economic stabilityand local opportunity. We’reproud thatwhatwe do hereinLouisiana helps feed the world’s petswhile supporting the peoplewho call this coast home.

Much of thatmoneygoestoworkers from multigenerational ﬁshing families, especially in Plaquemines and Vermilion Parishes and other underserved areas.These jobs paywell, offer stability, and help sustain rural communities thatoften face limited economic opportunities

Keeping the ValueLocal Unlikesomeindustries thatexport rawmaterialsand import ﬁnished goods, Louisiana’smenhaden ﬁshery adds value at

home. Fish areprocessedlocally into reﬁned oil and high-protein ﬁshmeal forpet and animal nutritionmarkets

Thatmeans moreofthe economic beneﬁt stays in Louisiana—from payrolland taxes to capital investmentand community development. This model supports both economic resilience and long-term industry health.

Global Demand, LocalRoots

As demand forfunctional pet food ingredients growsworldwide, the Gulf menhaden fishery is uniquelypositioned to meet it.The fishery is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council forsustainabilityand operatesunder tightregulations to ensureit remains viable forfuturegenerations

Thatgives international brands conﬁdence in sourcing from Louisiana,and it gives localworkerspride in knowing their labor contributes to global markets

AStory ThatDeserves More Recognition Behind the bagsofkibble and cans of wetfoodisa powerful story of localgrit and global impact.Gulf menhaden might not be well-known outsidethe ﬁshing industry,but its role in the economy is anything but small.

“Our crewsunderstand thatevery ﬁsh we harvest carries responsibility—with the environment, with the community, and with the global brands thatcountonus, said Ben Landry,a representativeofOcean Harvesters. “The Gulfmenhaden ﬁshery is proofthataworking waterfrontcan alsobea model of sustainabilityand globalrelevance.

It’salocal story with international reach, and it deserves to be told.” Petfoodbrands areproud to source from a clean, well-managedﬁshery.Consumersare increasingly curious aboutwheretheir pet food comes from. And Louisiana continues to lead the waywith amodel that’ssustainable, scalable, and rooted in community.

Warring Middle East’s effectson gaspriceswaning

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

In decades past, turmoil in the Middle East would send crude oil prices soaring, pushingupthe cost of gasoline for driversand incentivizing Louisiana producers to boost their output

Butwhile global oilpricesrose after Israel attacked Iran’snuclear facilities earlier this month and Iran retaliated, they didn’t stay high for long.

In fact, on Tuesday,the U.S. benchmark crude oil prices dipped to $64.37a barrel, lower than when the conﬂict began.

“What we’ve seen is that these geopolitical conﬂicts have actually had less and less of an impact on oil prices in recent decades,” said Greg Upton, executive director at LSU’sCenter for Energy Studies.

One reason for that, Upton said, is the United States is much less dependent on foreign oil than it used to be.

Over the last two decades, the United States has seen an enormousincrease in production, thanks to fracking technology that unlocked previously untapped oil and gas reserves.

That propelled the United States into becoming theworld’s top producer of crude oil in 2018, aposition it’sheld ever since. In 2020, for the ﬁrst time in 70 years, the U.S. also became anet exporter of petroleum.

“Twenty years ago, if we had the sort of things going on in the Middle East that are going on now,prices would be skyrocketing,” said Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute.

“But people forget, 20 years ago, we didn’thave shale oil,” he said. “Wewere an oil importer, and now we export significant amounts of oil.

Also helping to keepprices low are countries like Saudi Ara-

ASSOCIATED

Since2018, the United States is theworld’stop producer of crude oil. In 2020, for the first time in 70 years, the U.S. also became a net exporterofpetroleum.

bia and Russia, members of the OPEC Plus oilcartel, whichhave increased oil production in recent months, in part, analysts say,to appease President Donald Trump, who promised to lower energy costs,including gasprices, for consumers.

Still, the conflict is far from resolved, and prices could spike again.Iran has threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, akey shipping routefor oiland gas, though thatcould alienate trading partners like China,which purchases thebulk of Iranian oil exports.

Before Israel struck Iran, U.S. oilprices werehovering around $65 abarrel. They rose to around $76 abarrel after theU.S. targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend. But after aceasefire was announced on Tuesday,the priceofWest TexasIntermediate crude, theU.S. oilbenchmark, retreated.

“You’ve seen alot of volatility.That’snot surprising,”Upton said. “Uncertainty leads to volatility.”

Withoutasustainedincrease in prices, oil producers in Louisiana areunlikely to boost production, Upton said EmailBlake Patersonat bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

Is it OK to hide moneyfrommyspouse?

Ifrequently talk about my grandmother,Big Mama. She was my go-tofor ﬁnancial wisdom.

increase by 8%.

Michelle Singletary THECOLOR OF MONEy

When I’m faced with amoney issue, Ithink about what she might say.Over theyears, I’ve tried to be like my grandmother andbecome theperson with the answers for alot of readers.

Each week, Ianswer readers’ personal ﬁnance questionsinthe Color of Money newsletter.Here’s afew Itackled recently,including questions about when to take Social Security, aspousewho hides money,and how to help an adult child build agood credit history

Whatisthe ideal agefor acouple to start Social Security?

My husband and Ihave been debating this issue for several years. He thought he would start collecting afew yearsago, when he turned 62. Isuggested that we bothwait until 70, when we’d get themaximum beneﬁt.

He argued: “Why wait all those years when we could use the money to travel or do whatever we want during our healthier years?”

My husband created aspreadsheet showing that delaying until 70 would net us more money yearly.Our break-even point —where we would catch up to all thecash we missed by startingat62with lower monthly payments— was about 79.

“Tomorrow isn’tpromised,” he said. “There’snoway to tell about our vitality at that age.”

He retired and has changed his mind. He may now wait until his full retirementage of 67.

Why?

Turns out we don’tneed the money right now.I’m still working, and by paying off our mortgage early, we have eliminated our largest monthly expense. By improving our cash ﬂow,wecould afford to delay claiming our Social Security beneﬁts.

If you claim early,at62instead of waiting until your full retirementage (66 to 67 depending on your birthyear), your monthly beneﬁt may be reduced by as much as 30%. Butfor every year you delay beneﬁtsbeyond full retirement age, your monthly payment will

If you need the money now,claim it now.Ifnot, consider your health and other income sources before deciding whether to delay There is no one-size-ﬁts-all answer.The right time to take Social Securitydepends on your personal ﬁnancial situation.

Is it OK to hide money if my spouse is a spendthrift or doesn’tagree withmysavings plan?

For this question, it helps to have morebackground. Here’swhat the reader shared: “I’m asaver,and Ilike to have designated accounts for designated purposes,” he wrote. “One for if Ilose my job. One for costs that exceed cash ﬂow,such as new tires, burst pipes, or other house/ car repairs. And anew car fund. My spouse thinks having money speciﬁcally in case we lose our jobs is dumb; she says it is unlikely and rolls her eyeswhen she talks about it.I’m not atotal miser. We eat out afew times amonth. We have nice things,and go on nice vacations (I even have an account just so we can spend freely on vacations!). When Ihave extra, Iput it in an individual account and keep my mouth shut.”

When Iread this, Iﬂinched.

In amarriage, even if you are going to keep separate bank accounts, Ithink it’simportant to have complete transparency.You have to be honest.

If you ﬁnd yourself in asimilar situation, counseling can help you come up with strategiestodeal with your different spending and saving styles. But hiding money doesn’tsolve your problem and could create new issues if your spousediscovers you’ve secretly been squirreling away money

At itscore, hiding money is lying.

To get on the same page, it’s importanttoopen the lines of communication. Have the difﬁcult conversation, ﬁgure out whether there is room for acompromise. Instead of several savings pots, maybe just one or two?

I’m amultiple pot person, too, and believe that having an emergency fundwith several months of living expenses is prudent. But maintaininghidden reserves won’t address the fundamental issue that you don’tagree about having money set aside in the case of ajob loss or alarge unexpected expense

Most importantly,building wealth and security as acouple is not just about the numbers; it’s about trust, transparency and a shared vision for your ﬁnancial future together

How do Ihelp my daughter buildcredit? She’sgoing through adivorce and has no credit history.

Here’sthe frustrating thing about building acredit history.You have to have credit to get agood credit score. But don’tget discouragedon behalf of your daughter.Building good credit doesn’trequire as muchtime as you maythink. Here are some strategies:

n Have her apply for asecured credit card backed by funds deposited in asavings account. The money in the account then becomes her credit limit. Shop around to avoid cards with high fees, and make sure the issuer is reporting to all three credit bureaus —Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Bankrate.com regularly proﬁles the best secured card offers. If your adult child has abank or credit union account, check out their offerings.

n Once she has asecured card, she should just make small-dollar purchases and pay off the monthly balance before the due date. After about ayear,she can apply for a general-purpose credit card. This will test whether her credit history has improved enough to qualify for anon-securedcard.

n Youcould make her an authorized user on your credit card. This allowsthe authorized user to beneﬁt from the primary cardholder’s positive credit history.However, it’simportant to note that such access does not make her responsible for paying any charges she incurs on the card. Therefore, exercise caution when utilizing this approach. In fact, you can add your adult child and not even give her acard.

My husband andI followedall these stepstohelpbuild oureldest daughter’scredit.After using the secured card forthree months hercredit score increased to the mid-700s.She eventually wasable to getageneral credit card andhas maintainedascore in thehigh 700s. Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost com.

BeyondtheHeadlines

As oneofthe largest lawﬁrmsinLouisiana,Jones Walker LLPishonored to partnerwith TheAcadianaAdvocate |Lafayette to supportthe expanded businesssection.

This in-depth reportingwillexplorewhatbusinesses aredoing to achievetheir goals, avertthreats, addressopportunities,and advancetheir business objectives.Welook forwardtothe thought leadershipand conversationthissection will inspire.

Since1937, ourﬁrm hasbeencommitted to workingwithcommunity leaders to developbusiness opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing ourdedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

William H. Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000 201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100

Second chance job fair

next month

ASecond Chance Job Fair will be from 10 a.m. to noon July 16 at the HeymannConventionCenter, 1373 S. CollegeRoad.

The event, which is open to the public and geared toward formerly incarcerated job hunters, will feature companies that are hiring, and attendees canlearnabout resources in the Lafayette region. The job fair is presentedbyLafayette Economic Development

Fool’sTake:

Just do it?

Authority,FellowshipFull Gospel Ministries, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’sOfﬁce, Louisiana Department of Corrections-Probation and Paroleand theLouisiana Workforce Commission/Acadiana Workforce Solutions.

Participating companies include Flowers Baking Co. of Lafayette, Gulf Coast Marine Fabricators, Lamarand theLouisiana Department of Transportation and Development.Toview alist of participating companies, visit lafayette. org/2ndchance.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

“The companies and resource providers participating in the2nd Chance Job Fair understand the importance of providing employment opportunities to abroader talentpool in the region,” LEDA President and CEO Mandi Mitchellsaid in astatement. “Companiesthatare willing to hire formerly incarcerated persons help makethe transition from incarceration intothe community smoother,provide greater opportunities for successfor the individuals they hire, and provide

mutually beneficial economic outcomes forthe individuals, the employer,and the community as awhole.”

Central Pizza moves forward on Broussard site

The owners of CentralPizza are moving forward on anew location in Broussard. The eatery will open soon at the former second location of Market Eatz, 1581 S. Bernard Road. Central Pizza,whichopenedjust

over sevenyearsago in downtown Lafayette, is knownfor itswoodﬁred pizzas, appetizers and cocktails. Thenew location will havethe same menu andoffera covered patiofor outdoordining as some green space.

Co-owner John Petersen said becausethe newlocationisnot downtown, it gives the restaurant the chance to offer “a different spin” with outdoor dining, aprivate event room and dedicated parking.

Motley Fool

Nike (NYSE: NKE) is the leading brand of athletic apparel in the world, but the company is going through arough time, with slumping sales sending the stock down to multiyear lows. The recent dip in salesis uncharacteristic —the athletic apparel industry has been growing for years, and Nike has been aresilient brand Nike can return to growth, but it will take time to turn a company of this size around Revenue fell again in the ﬁscal third quarter (reported in March), down 9% yearover year; revenue is likely to be down in the fourthquarter, too, in part due to tariffrelated factors and othereconomic challenges. Problem areashave included classicfootwearfranchises like Air Force 1and the Jordan brand of sportswear.Demand has fallen off for these lifestyle products, leaving Nike with too much inventory.This canhurt earnings, as the company is forced to discount merchandise to sell it. Meanwhile, Nike is seeing growing demand for performance products. Management is aiming to bring down sales of classic franchises to alower percentage of its footwear business in ﬁscal2026.

This should lay the foundation for areturn to growth, though it could take afew years In the meantime, patient believers can collect its dividend, recently yielding 2.6%, while they wait. (The Motley Foolownsshares of and recommends Nike.)

Fool’sSchool:Get your children investing

One of thebestthings you can dofor yourchildren is raise them to be ﬁnancially savvy.You wantthem to grow up to be smartshoppers,to useahousehold budget and to live below their means. Turn them into long-term investors, too.

Youcan pique their interest aboutinvesting when they’re quite young, talkingabout companies they know and like —suchasThe Walt Disney Co., Starbucks, Hasbro or Spotify Technology —and lettingthemsee how you invest in stocksyourself. They can start investing themselves rather early on, viaspecialaccountsfor children. Here’s aquickintroduction to sometypes. Custodial brokerageaccounts: With acustodialaccount, the money initbelongstothe minor (with sometax beneﬁts), butthe adult serves as thecustodianuntil the child is old enough to fully own theaccount. (That happens between theagesof18and 25, dependingonwhere you live and whether you extend the transfer.) These are often

labeledasUGMA(Uniform Gifts to Minors Act) or UTMA (Uniform Transfers to Minors Act) accounts.

Youthbrokerage accounts: Some brokeragesofferspecial investing accounts forteens. The young personownsthe account, but aparentor guardianisable to monitor activity in it.

Roth IRAs: Anyone with earned income (such as from babysitting or mowing lawns, but notfrom an allowance or holidaygift) can invest it in a Roth IRA; withdrawals in retirement can be tax-free.

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts: These accounts let familiessaveand invest for future educational expenses.

”Paper”accounts: Several brokerages, suchasCharles Schwab andInteractive Brokers, offer platforms where youcan use pretend money to practice investing. These accounts are often free, and they can help young people getused to placing orders anddealing with market volatility

Read up on anyorall of these accounts to see which is best for youand your young person.

Ask the Fool: How risky are bonds?

How risky arebonds? —C.L.,Warren, Rhode Island Bonds are typically regarded as safer investments than stocks andare often recommended to diversify aportfolio.Still, much depends on the particularbonds andstocks

in question. Like stocks, bonds carry some risks. For example, there’sthe risk of default. Bonds backed by the United States government are generally seen as least risky,while bonds with poor credit ratings are considered “junk bonds,” with much higherrisk. (You can look up credit ratings from agencies such as S&P Global, Moody’sand Fitch.)

There’s also interest rate risk: If rates rise, bond prices usually fall. And inﬂation risk: If you’re promised, say,a3%interest rate on a bond but inﬂation is 5%,your purchasing power shrinks. Moreover,ifyou wanttosell abondand there’slittle interest from buyers, you have “liquidity risk” andmay have to sell at adiscount. There are some other risks to consider, as well.

What’sKeynesian economics?

L.N.,Erie,Colorado

It’saneconomictheory named for John Maynard Keynes, whosuggestedthat government interventionis needed,especially during recessions, to stimulate demand andtry to stabilize the economy.Measures to spur the economy include tax cuts and government spending, which can boost consumer spending andreduceunemployment

Not everyoneisonboard with Keynesianeconomics, though. Some, forexample, favor keeping the government out of the economy letting businessesthrive or falter in accordance with the laws of supply anddemand.

Issued June 18-24

Commercial alterations

RESTAURANT: 2516 Kaliste Saloom Road,description, remodel to Raising Cane’srestaurant; applicant,Sevan Multi Site Solutions; contractor, Laird Construction; $500,000.

INDUSTRIAL: 300 Cardinal Drive,description, demolition and renovation of an existing building for Prestige Films; applicant, BHA; contractor, Commercial Construction Co.; $440,000. OTHER: 603 CliffordRoad, description, expand meeting room at American Legion; applicant and contractor, Mike Carson Construction; $125,485.

MUNICIPAL: 1200 Lajaunie Road,description, renovation of mounted patrol horse barn for Lafayette Police Department; applicant,Lafayette Consolidated Government; contractor, TriCon Enterprises; $340,000.

MUNICIPAL: 2856 Verot School Road,description, repairs to Lafayette Fire Station 12; applicant Ziler Architects; contractor, Del-Con; $418,300.

INDUSTRIAL: 100 Jared Drive,Broussard; description, renovate storage to ofﬁce; applicant,Core Mineralogy; contractor, $50,000. OTHER: 1100 Camellia Blvd description, demo walls at City Club River Ranch; applicant and contractor, G4 Elite Construction; $10,000.

Newresidential 626 GREYFORD DRIVE: Norris Rader Construction, $474,750. 312 DOUG DRIVE: Nichols Contracting and Consulting, $415,080. 106 BUENOS AIRES AVE., YOUNGSVILLE: Milton HebertBuilders, $400,000. 102 AMSTERDAM AVE., YOUNGSVILLE: Milton HebertBuilders, $400,000.

$264,362. 101 GOSLING WAY: Manuel Builders, $240,210. 600 CAPSTONE CROSSING: ManuelBuilders, $226,800. 210 SOUTHERN OAKDRIVE:

SOIL SAFETY

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Dig into your yard in New Orleans and you’re likely to ﬁnd more than dirt: bricks, oyster shells, rusted nails, chunks of concrete, even the occasional talismanic jar The same holds true in just about any Louisiana city old enough to carry layers of history, where the ground may hide remnants of old homes, debris from demolished buildings, or earth added to raise the land above ﬂood levels.

What’s less visible are the contaminants that may be lurking in that soil. That concern has grown as more Louisianans take up backyard gardening.

Home gardening exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The LSU AgCenter’s 2023 report estimates there are more than 625,000 home gardens in the state.

According to Joe Willis, a horticulture extension agent with the AgCenter, pandemic demand spurred the creation of a free 10-week online gardening course. Step one in the course: soil.

“If you take care of your soil, and your soil is in good condition, and of course, your garden is located in the right place, your plants are going to grow,” Willis said. But gardeners should also make sure their soil is safe for humans. Urban soil can carry invisible hazards, particularly in areas with a history of industrial or commercial use

“Especially in older neighborhoods, we recommend people do a soil test,” Willis said.

For about $11, the AgCenter’s test can measure pH, nutrients and levels of heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium. Lead is the most common contaminant in soil.

See SOIL, page 2X

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

“When

start.”

“For

At this point, it’s a good time to check in on the running gear needed to succeed. If the trainers in the closet look like they’ve seen better days, it’s time to upgrade

“Get a new pair of shoes because, in the long run, those will save your joints,” Franks said. “They’ll also help you become a more efﬁcient runner.”

Watch for the weather Franks has a constant eye on the weather

“In Louisiana summers, when our cross-country athletes train, we have to get up really early to get our long workouts in,” Franks said.

PROVIDED PHOTO By

HEALTH MAKER

Mapping the brain in search for answers

Tulane researchers take a close look at Alzheimer’s

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

Tulane University researchers

created a ﬁrst-of-its-kind subcellular map of an area of the brain commonly affected by Alzheimer’s disease, a key step toward unraveling the mysteries of how the degenerative brain disease develops.

The Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics at Tulane, a large research center established in 2011, were groundbreakers in national osteoporosis research with over 17,000 medical subjects involved Since then, the center has been sought out for growing technologies and studies across the country — its latest venture is the brain.

Led by Dr Yu Gong and Dr Hui Shen, the study applied nanotechnology to analyze speciﬁc tissues in the brain in order to map differences in the “normal” brain and the Alzheimer’s brain. In this study, the pair looked at six brains from Alzheimer’s patients between the ages of 70 and 90 years old — the late-onset classiﬁcation of the disease

The researchers used stereo sequencing to examine a small sec-

RUNNING

Continued from page 1X

Avoiding heat stress, a common illness in Southern states during the summer, is essential to staying healthy and preventing burnout Franks advises all runners, both novice and professional, to avoid running outdoors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Training before and during sunrise and training right before and during sunset, are the best times to get an outdoor run in,” Franks said. “It also works for a lot of people’s schedules.”

tion of the prefrontal cortex — the region responsible for decisionmaking and emotional control at varying stages of Alzheimer’s.

The study, published in Nature Communications, looked at genetics that cause the loss of brain cells that allow the disease to progress. The study also identiﬁed a key protein as a potential target for treatment.

This technology allowed them to “map” the brain tissue at nearly 250 times the resolution of older tools, essentially zooming in to reveal genetic interactions within a single cell and how those shift as the disease progresses.

More than 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer’s accounting for 60% to 70% of those cases.

Despite the prevalence, little is known about its cause and existing medications can only temporarily ease symptoms, not prevent the disease from progressing.

Gong, an instructor at the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics at Tulane University in New Orleans, received both his master’s and doctorate degrees from Tulane and was the lead author of the groundbreaking study

What was significant about this study?

The most important thing is that we’ve identiﬁed several interesting interactions at the molecular level that work to protect neurons under stress, and these interactions disappeared in Alzheimer’s patients.

If we can ﬁnd a way to target a protein in the brain called ZNF460 that could be essential for treatment, in a way that keeps these modules functioning, then we might be able to inhibit the progression of Alzheimer’s.

In another surprising discov-

ery, the study found that layered structure of the brain disappears as the disease advances, a phenomenon had not been observed before.

Going forward, how do you hope to expand the study?

There’s another area that we’re working on right now for the hippocampus, a smaller part of the brain primarily responsible for forming memories, navigation and processing emotions.

We’re working to map this area of the brain next.

What makes this research important for all brain diseases?

After mapping of the brain, we can understand what is going on there. We can compare the normal brain to the Alzheimer’s disease brain and what the difference is between them.

Once we understand the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s

disease, in the future, we can develop targets. We can create drugs based on the mechanisms we identiﬁed so that we can maybe cure, or maybe just postpone, the progression of Alzheimer’s. What’s next for Alzheimer’s research?

The most important part of Alzheimer’s is the diagnosis, especially the early diagnosis. not only the Alzheimer’s disease, but there is a speciﬁc stage of the Alzheimer’s disease, the precursor stage, that only identiﬁes one particular Alzheimer’s genetic mark — but we cannot identify another one. When we identify this stage, we can start the therapeutic interventions that may help to postpone the progression of the disease. I think that is what we’re going to be looking at in the future.

Another study that is ongoing at the center is trying a “drug repur-

posing study.”

This study will look at brains after using currently available Food and Drug Administrationapproved drugs to see whether any of them have beneﬁcial effects on the Alzheimer’s disease on the molecular level.

This will be an alternative way to develop drugs, because we know developing a new drug is very expensive and time consuming. The “drug repurposing” is a cost efﬁcient way to identify alternative drugs and identify new treatments for the disease.

How did you come across this research, this technology?

The technology we used is called stereo sequencing — a cutting-edge technology

Spatial transcriptomics, a technology that maps gene patterns in speciﬁc locations within a tissue sample, is a very hot area in the medical world right now

We don’t have that technology here at Tulane yet, but we use data from the University of Kansas Medical Center When we attended the national conference for the American Society of Human Genetics, we met with the company that develops this technology and applied for a pioneer project.

We got selected and spent a half a year to ﬁgure out different pipelines and algorithms to analyze the data.

We applied this novel technology on the human brain to understand what is going on in our brains and what happens in the brain from the individuals with the Alzheimer’s disease.

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

SOIL

Continued from page 1X

“The soil from those lead paints 50, 60 or more years ago, it’s still in that top 1- to 2-inch layer of soil,” Willis said. “It is persistent.”

Dr Julie Neumann, a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon at Ochsner Health and triathlete, also emphasized the importance of beating the heat. Additionally, Neumann advises all Louisianans to hydrate — that includes electrolytes — before a run.

“People should also consider that in the summer it gets too hot to train in the afternoon — the effectiveness of training is going to decrease with the heat,” Neumann said. “A morning run also sets the tone for the day.” Invest in a coach

Neumann, a former LSU soccer player turned Ironman racer, sought out help when it came to training.

“Coaches are a really good option that can help tailor your workouts and your training to something that’s reasonable,” Neumann said “They can help tailor it based off what body parts are hurting, or what complaints you have.” Neumann’s coach, Jessica Jones, specializes in training triathletes and Ironman runners Jones helps Neumann with pacing her runs, diversifying her workouts and sometimes what stretches work best for her body Franks is responsible for coaching over 100 athletes, tailoring workouts for their speciﬁc needs.

“The most important thing to work out is a good schedule that aligns with your distance goals,” Franks said. “Pushing yourself too hard and not listening to your body can be damaging to yourself, and your running.” People can also have regular appointments with a physical therapist if something is bothering them while exercising.

“There’s a number of therapists in town that specialize in running and distance events,” Neumann said. “That’s helpful to keep chronic issues at bay.” Neumann recommends speaking

with a coach, or staying accountable, about recovery days as well.

“Whether that looks like Advil or just getting off your feet, or using ice, or stretching,” Neumann said.

“I think just listening to your body and scaling back activities when you need to is important.”

Consider cross-training

Cross-training is an essential part of any long-distance running program. It helps the body to make it across the ﬁnish line injury-free.

“Running is a high-impact exercise,” Franks said “Cross-training is for any ﬁtness level, and it’s essentially a day not running where you complete a non-high-impact exercise to either strengthen weaker muscles or stretch tight ones.”

Successful cross-training can be any low-impact exercise that helps sustain anaerobic capacity and strengthen the core — including biking, swimming, running, weightlifting, yoga and Pilates.

The activities should focus on increasing strength, improving ﬂexibility and core strength, and maintaining muscle mass. Franks emphasizes that cross-training should be used to correlate running.

“I think weight training is a great supplement to building a base of endurance,” Neumann said “It’s important in injury prevention. It’s important for diversifying training and building muscle mass. I think of it as like a supplement to cardiovascular training.”

Stretching is essential

According to Harvard Health, stretching keeps the muscles ﬂexible and healthy The human body

needs that ﬂexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight, according to Harvard Health. That puts runners at risk for joint pain, strains and muscle damage.

Stretching should happen before and after a race, according to both Neumann and Franks Most longdistance runners choose to do light jogs before the race to help the body warm up, and a light jog after the race to help the body cool down.

Stagnant stretches like the hamstring stretch (folding at the waist and touching the toes) and the standing quad stretch (holding the ankle to the backside) help to relieve tension in the legs, and dynamic stretches like leg swings and high knees help to prepare the body to use the full range of motion needed for long runs.

Using ice and even more stretching after a race is also good for all runners, new and experienced, to “help prevent or treat injuries that already exist,” according to Neumann.

Remember to enjoy it

Although the early mornings and putting pressure on the body can be intimidating, long-distance running can be fun too. Joining a run club, making it a social event or even listening to some good music can make long-distance runs more fun. “At the end of the day the bottom line for all of these training events is to have fun,” Neumann said.

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

Soil is likely to contain high levels of lead if it is near any structure built before 1978, when lead-based paint was taken off the market, or if an old building was demolished on the site. Pesticides containing lead were often used on fruit trees, so land close to old orchards is also of concern. Soils near heavily trafﬁcked roadways can also be laced with contaminants. Yards near old dry cleaners, which used harmful chemicals and any site with industrial ﬁll or construction debris may also pose a risk.

The primary concern with gardening in contaminated soil is exposure by stirring it up, said Willis. But food grown in the soil may also absorb it.

Vegetables vary in how much they absorb metals. Plants like sunﬂowers are known to draw lead from soil and are sometimes used to clean up contaminated areas.

Fruiting crops like tomatoes, peppers and squash tend to be safe in mildly contaminated soil.

But root vegetables and leafy greens carry a higher risk. Roots can absorb lead from the soil, and leafy greens are easily contaminated by soil splashing or contact during gardening.

Results from the AgCenter’s soil test can be used with guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency to decide what kind of plants are safe to grow there.

Container beds are typically safer, and can also offer the benefit of controlling the quality of soil and the amount of water your plants get, Willis said. But what kind of container you use also matters, said Melissa Gonzales, an exposure scientist and chair of

contaminated

environmental health sciences at Tulane University Gonzales once stopped to warn to a neighbor who was building raised beds out of old railroad ties, which are commonly treated with chemicals to prevent decay

“I just had to stop and tell him,” Gonzales said. “I told him, ‘Please, don’t eat those vegetables.’”

When in doubt, both Gonzales and Willis recommend raised beds constructed from materials such as plastic wood, metal or lumber you know has not been treated with harmful chemicals. It should also be ﬁlled with soil you know is free from contaminants.

“You don’t want to have chronic, low-level lead exposure, even if it’s below detectable, for children, pregnant women, anybody really,” Gonzales said.

The AgCenter recommends a minimum of 8 inches of soil in raised beds to prevent roots from growing into the native soil below For most vegetables, 12 inches is more ideal, and 18 inches is what Willis recommends for root vegetables.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

DO YOU HAVE A HEALTH STORY?

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Shen Gong

Neumann

PHOTO PROVIDED By TULANE UNIVERSITy

Tulane University researchers created a first-of-its-kind subcellular map of an area of the brain commonly affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BILL FEIG Fruiting crops like peppers tend to be safe in mildly

soil.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Members of Happy’s Running Club take the ‘scenic route’ through downtown Baton Rouge on a hot and humid 2024 run. Avoiding heat stress, a common illness in Southern states during the summer, is essential to staying healthy and preventing burnout, experts say.

Eat Fit LiveFit

Moreberries, lesssugar: Alow-carb cheesecakeworth celebrating

Cheesecakeisdecadent,nomatter howyousliceit.Butthereisaway tocutthecarbcountwayback withoutsacrificingflavorortexture.Keyto therevisedrecipearestrategicingredient substitutesinthecrust,fillingandtopping Usingaplant-basedsweetenerlike erythritolinsteadofsugarinallthreeis themostsignificantswap,asiteffectively haszerocalories(andzeroimpactonour glucoselevels),comparedtonearly800 caloriesand200gramsofsugarycarbsper cupofsugar.

Insteadofall-purposeorpastryflour madefromwheat(translation:whiteflour), ourArtisanBerryCheesecake’scrustis madewithalmondorpecanflour.Both arenaturallygluten-freewithafractionof thecarbscomparedtoregularwhiteflour. Addedbonus:almondflourhasabout24 gramsofproteinand14gramsoffiberper cup,andpecanflourhasapproximately9 gramsofproteinand10gramsoffiberper cup.AndIlovehowthenuttyflavoradds adeliciouscomplexitytothecheesecake’s flavorprofile.

Butremember:Evenwhenlowerinsugar andcarbs,cheesecakeisstillarichdessert. Thisoneclocksinat260caloriesperslice.

Topthat

OurEatFitBerryReductionmakesa satisfyinglysweetandtartcheesecake toppingwithalmostzerocalories.Piling onfreshblueberriesandstrawberriesor raspberrieswillgiveyourcheesecakemore thanaFourthofJulycolorpop—the ﬁber-richberriesarealsopackedwith antioxidants,vitaminsandminerals. Whethertoppedwithaberry reduction,adrizzleofmeltedLily’snosugarchocolatechipsornotoppingat all,thischeesecakefreezesfabulously. Ifsliced,wrapeachpiecetightlywith plasticwrap.Tofreezetheentirecake, placeitonadishorcardboardroundand coversnuglywithplasticwrap.

ArtisanBerryCheesecake

CasterandChicoryCaféinWestMonroe Makes16servings

FortheCrust

11/2cupspecanﬂouroralmondﬂour

1/4cupSwerveGranular

4tablespoonsbutter,melted

FortheFilling

24ouncescreamcheese,roomtemperature

1cupSwerveConfectioners

3eggs

1/2cupsourcream

11/2teaspoonsvanillaextract

1/8teaspoonseasalt

FortheTopping(optional)

1batchofEatFitBerryReduction(recipe below)

Preheatovento325degrees.Inamedium mixingbowl,addpecanoralmondﬂour, SwerveGranular,andbutter.Mixuntil well-combined.Pressintothebottomofa greased10-inchspringformpan.Refrigerate for20minutes.

MixcreamcheeseandSwerveConfectioners withamixeruntillightandﬂuffy.Addeggs, oneatatime,beatingonlowspeed,scraping sidesasneeded.Mixwell.Addsourcream, vanilla,andseasalt.Mixuntilcombined.Pour overthepreparedcrust.

Itisimportanttobakethischeesecake slowlytoreducethechanceofcracking. (Butdon’tworryifitdoescrackabit;we sortofliketheimperfections.Plus,theBerry

Reductionhelpstohideanyﬂaws.)Bake for30minutes,placingabakingsheeton therackbelowtocatchanyrun-off.Reduce oventemperatureto275andcontinue bakingfor45minutes.After45minutes, turnoffoven,leavingcheesecakeinsidefor another30minutes.

Bepatient don’topenthatdoor!After 30minutes,cracktheovendoorjustabit toallowcheesecaketocoolslowlyfor anotherhour.

Removecheesecakefromtheovenandbring toroomtemperatureonthecounter,another 2-3hours,thencoverwithplasticwrapand refrigerate.Servechilled,toppedwithEatFit BerryReduction.

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

Perserving:260calories,23gramsfat,11 gramssaturatedfat,180mgsodium,8grams carbohydrate(7gramsnetcarbs),1gram ﬁber,3gramssugar(0addedsugar),7grams protein

EatFitBerryReduction 1cupfrozenberries(blueberries,blackberries and/orraspberries)

1/4cupwater

1/4cupSwerveGranular 1tablespoonlemonjuice

Addberries,water,andSwervetoamedium saucepanovermediumheat.Bringtoarolling boil,thenreduceheatandsimmerfor15-20 minutes.Removefromheat.

Addlemonjuiceandwhisk.Allowtocoola bitbeforeserving.Canservechilledorslightly warmed.Refrigerateinanairtightcontainer foruptoaweek.

Perserving(2tablespoons):5calories, 0fat,0saturatedfat,0sodium,2grams carbohydrate(2gramsnetcarbs),0ﬁber,1 gramsugar(0addedsugar),0protein

LA.RANKS 25TH FORRATIO OF REGISTERED NURSES TO

Louisiana ranks 25th in the nation forits registered nurse-to-patient ratio with 9.3 RNs per 1,000 patients, just belowthe national averageof9.6 RNs per1,000.

In 2023, Louisiana had 66,594 registered nurses with activelicenses to practice.

Nurse.org,aneducational site for nurses, foundthe current RN-to-patient ratios per state by comparing data from the BureauofLabor and Statistics (2021) andstate populations from the U.S. CensusBureau (2022). Utah currently has the lowest ratio, with 7 RNs per 1,000people. Utah is followedinthe rankings by,in ascending order: n Georgia andTexas with 7.2 RNs per 1,000 people in each state, n Idaho with 7.4 RNsper 1,000 people, n Hawaii, Nevada and Virginia with 7.7

5books

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

We asked doctorsacross Louisianatogive us their top book recommendations —and they delivered: “Delay,Don’t Deny” by GinStephens

In his second edition of his 2016 book, Gin Stephens further explores the importance of intermittent fasting. In this book, published in 2024, readers will learn the science behind intermittent fasting, the importance of the clean fast and how to develop an intermittent fastingplan that works for each lifestyle.

RNs per 1,000 people in eachstate South Dakota has more than double Utah’sratio, with 15.5 nurses per 1,000. South Dakota is followedinthe rankings by,indescendingorder: n North Dakota with 15.2 RNs per 1,000 people, n Massachusetts with 12.6 RNsper 1,000 people, n Minnesota with 12.1 RNs per 1,000 people, n Delaware and Pennsylvaniawith 11.5 RNs per 1,000 people.

Registered nurses nationwide have gone through many changes—with theCOVID-19 pandemic,a slewof retirements and aplague of burnouts RNs areprojectedtohavesignificantly depleted numbers by 2030.

Nurse.org predicts that 42 of 50 states will be shortnurses in 2030, with agap of 206,553 nurses nationally

“The Artist’s Way” by JuliaCameron

This book, published in 1992, was written to help people with artistic creative recovery by teaching techniques andexercises toassist people in gaining selfconﬁdence in harnessing their creative talentsand skills

—Recommended by Caroline Helm, alicensed therapist and creative counselor in Lafayette

“The ServantLeader” by JamesAutry

Servant leadership —the idea thatmanaging withrespect, honesty, love,and spirituality empowers employees —helps

Source:nurse.org

individuals answer that calling.

Bestselling author and former Fortune 500 executive James A. Autry reveals the servant leader’s tools, aset of skills and ideals that will transform the way business is done. It helps leadersnurture theneeds and goals of those who look to them for leadership.

—Recommended by Dr.Steve Nelson, the chancellor of LSU HealthSciences Center New Orleans

“Parenting with Love andLogic” by Foster W. Cline

This parenting book shows parents how to raise self-conﬁdent, motivated children who are

readyfor the real world. Learn how to parent effectively while teaching children responsibility andgrowing their character

Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging or power struggles.

—RecommendedbyKatie Fetzer,amental health counselor in Baton Rouge

“The Creative Habit” by TwylaTharp

Allittakes to make creativity apart of life is the willingness to make it ahabit. It is theproductofpreparation and effort, andiswithin reach

of everyone.The Creative Habit provides32practical exercises basedonthe lessons Twyla Tharp haslearnedinher remarkable 35-year career

—RecommendedbyCaroline Helm, alicensedtherapist and creativecounselorinLafayette

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

BRO UGH TT OY OU BY

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

As cannabis users age, health risks appear to grow

BY PAULA SPAN KFF Health News

Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and addiction medicine specialist at the University of California-San Diego, tells his students a cautionary tale about a 76-year-old patient who, like many older people, struggled with insomnia.

“She had problems falling asleep, and she’d wake up in the middle of the night,” he said. “So her daughter brought her some sleep gummies” — edible cannabis candies.

“She tried a gummy after dinner and waited half an hour,” Han said. Feeling no effects, she took another gummy, then one more a total of four over several hours.

Han advises patients who are trying cannabis to “start low; go slow,” beginning with products that contain just 1 or 2.5 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient that many cannabis products contain. Each of the four gummies this patient took, however, contained 10 milligrams.

The woman started experiencing intense anxiety and heart palpitations. A young person might have shrugged off such symptoms, but this patient had high blood pressure and atrial ﬁbrillation, a heart arrhythmia Frightened, she went to an emergency room.

Lab tests and a cardiac workup determined the woman wasn’t having a heart attack, and the staff sent her home. Her only lingering symptom was embarrassment, Han said. But what if she’d grown dizzy or lightheaded and was hurt in a fall? He said he has had patients injured in falls or while driving after using cannabis. What if the cannabis had interacted with the prescription drugs she took?

“As a geriatrician, it gives me pause,” Han said. “Our brains are more sensitive to psychoactive substances as we age.”

Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia now allow cannabis use for medical reasons, and in 24 of those states, as well as the district, recreational use is also legal. As older adults’ use climbs, “the beneﬁts are still unclear,” Han said. “But we’re seeing more evidence of potential harms.”

A wave of recent research points to reasons for concern for older users, with cannabis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations rising, and a Canadian study finding an association between such acute care and subsequent dementia. Older people are more apt than younger ones to try cannabis for therapeutic reasons: to relieve chronic pain, insomnia, or mental health issues, though evidence of its effectiveness in ad-

dressing those conditions remains thin, experts said.

In an analysis of national survey data published June 2 in the medical journal JAMA, Han and his colleagues reported that “current” cannabis use (deﬁned as use within the previous month) had jumped among adults age 65 or older to 7% of respondents in 2023, from 4.8% in 2021. In 2005, he pointed out, fewer than 1% of older adults reported using cannabis in the previous year

What’s driving the increase? Experts cite the steady march of state legalization — use by older people is highest in those states while surveys show that the perceived risk of cannabis use has declined.

One national survey found that a growing proportion of American adults 44% in 2021 erroneously thought it safer to smoke cannabis daily than cigarettes.

The authors of the study in JAMA Network Open, noted that “these views do not reﬂect the existing science on cannabis and tobacco smoke.”

The cannabis industry also markets its products to older adults.

The Trulieve chain gives a 10% discount, both in stores and online, to those it calls “wisdom” customers, 55 or older Rise Dispensaries ran a yearlong cannabis education and empowerment program for two senior centers in Paterson, New Jersey, including ﬁeld trips to its dispensary

The industry has many satisﬁed older customers. Liz Logan, 67, a freelance writer in Bronxville, New York, had grappled with sleep problems and anxiety for years, but the conditions grew particularly debilitating two years ago, as her husband was dying of Parkinson’s disease. “I’d frequently be awake until 5 or 6 in the morning,” she said “It makes you crazy.”

Looking online for edible cannabis products, Logan found that gummies containing cannabidiol, known as CBD, alone didn’t help, but those with 10 milligrams of THC did the trick without noticeable side effects. “I don’t worry about sleep anymore,” she said. “I’ve solved a lifelong problem.”

But studies in the United States and Canada, which legalized nonmedical cannabis use for adults nationally in 2018, show climbing rates of cannabis-related health care use among older people, both in outpatient settings and in hospitals.

In California, for instance, cannabis-related emergency room visits by those 65 or older rose, to 395 per 100,000 visits in 2019 from about 21 in 2005. In Ontario, acute care (meaning emergency visits or hospital admissions) resulting

More older people are using cannabis

like edible gummies, regularly Research suggests their cannabis-related health problems are also on the rise.

from cannabis use increased ﬁvefold in middle-aged adults from 2008 to 2021, and more than 26 times among those 65 and up.

“It’s not reﬂective of everyone who’s using cannabis,” cautioned Daniel Myran, an investigator at the Bruyère Health Research Institute in Ottawa and lead author of the Ontario study “It’s capturing people with more severe patterns.”

But since other studies have shown increased cardiac risk among some cannabis users with heart disease or diabetes, “there’s a number of warning signals,” he said. For example, a disturbing proportion of older veterans who currently use cannabis screen positive for cannabis use disorder, a recent JAMA Network Open study found.

As with other substance use disorders, such patients “can tolerate high amounts,” said the lead author Vira Pravosud, a cannabis researcher at the Northern California Institute for Research and Education. “They continue using even if it interferes with their social or work or family obligations” and may experience withdrawal if they stop.

Among 4,500 older veterans (with an average age of 73) seeking care at Department of Veterans Affairs health facilities, researchers found that more than 10% had reported cannabis use within the previous 30 days. Of those, 36% ﬁt

the criteria for mild, moderate, or severe cannabis use disorder as established in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

VA patients differ from the general population, Pravosud noted. They are much more likely to report substance misuse and have “higher rates of chronic diseases and disabilities, and mental health conditions like PTSD” that could lead to self-medication, she said.

Current VA policies don’t require clinicians to ask patients about cannabis use. Pravosud thinks that they should. Moreover, “there’s increasing evidence of a potential effect on memory and cognition,” said Myran, citing his team’s study of Ontario patients with cannabis-related conditions going to emergency departments or being admitted to hospitals.

Compared with others of the same age and sex who were seeking care for other reasons, research shows these patients (ages 45 to 105) had 1.5 times the risk of a dementia diagnosis within ﬁve years, and 3.9 times the risk of that for the general population. Even after adjusting for chronic health conditions and sociodemographic factors, those seeking acute care resulting from cannabis use had a 23% higher dementia risk than patients with noncannabis-related ailments, and a 72% higher risk than the general population.

None of these studies were randomized clinical trials, the researchers pointed out; they were observational and could not ascertain causality Some cannabis research doesn’t specify whether users are smoking, vaping, ingesting or rubbing topical cannabis on aching joints; other studies lack relevant demographic information.

“It’s very frustrating that we’re not able to provide more individual guidance on safer modes of consumption, and on amounts of use that seem lower-risk,” Myran said. “It just highlights that the rapid expansion of regular cannabis use in North America is outpacing our knowledge.”

Still, given the health vulnerabilities of older people, and the far greater potency of current cannabis products compared with the weed of their youth, he and other researchers urge caution.

“If you view cannabis as a medicine, you should be open to the idea that there are groups who probably shouldn’t use it and that there are potential adverse effects from it,” he said. “Because that is true of all medicines.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism

Older adults increasingly dying from unintentional falls

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

NEW YORK Older U.S. adults are increasingly dying from unintentional falls, according to a new federal report published Wednesday, with White people accounting for the vast majority of the deaths.

From 2003 to 2023, death rates from falls rose more than 70% for adults ages 65 to 74, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate increased more than 75% for people 75 to 84, and more than doubled for seniors 85 and older

“Falls continue to be a public health problem worth paying attention to,” said Geoffrey Hoffman, a University of Michigan researcher who was not involved in the new report. “It’s curious that these rates keep rising.”

The CDC researchers did not try to answer why death rates from falls are increasing. But experts say there may be a few reasons, like gradually improving our understanding of the role falls play in deaths and more people living longer — to ages when falls are more likely to have deadly consequences. More than 41,000 retirement-age Americans died of falls in 2023, the most recent year for which ﬁnal statistics based on death certificates are available. That suggests that falls were blamed in about 1 of every 56 deaths in older Americans that year

More than half of those 41,000 deaths were people 85 and older, the CDC found, and White people accounted for 87% of deaths in the oldest category Falls can cause head injuries or broken bones that can lead to permanent disability and trigger a cascade of other health problems

A number of factors can contribute to falls, including changes in

From 2003 to 2023, death rates from falls rose more than 70% for adults ages 65 to 74, according to a report from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

hearing and vision and medications that can cause lightheadedness. Death rates varied widely from state to state. In 2023, Wisconsin had the highest death rates from falls followed by Minnesota, Maine, Oklahoma and Vermont Wisconsin’s rate was more than ﬁve times higher than the rate of the lowest state, Alabama. Ice and wintry weather may partly explain why fatal falls were

more common in states in the upper Midwest and New England, but experts also pointed to other things at play, like differences in how well falls are reported and to what extent they are labeled a cause of death.

“We’ve yet to unravel why you see such differences in state rates,” said Hoffman, who studies falls among the elderly Researchers also can’t yet explain why White seniors die of

falls at higher rates than people in other racial and ethnic groups. In the 85-and-up age group, the death rate for White Americans is two or three times higher than any other group, while older Black people had the lowest fall-related death rate.

“Kind of a ﬂip of the traditional disparity lens,” Hoffman said, referring to the fact that for most other rates of illness and injury people of color are disproportionately affected. Staying active can help people avoid falls, experts say The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

PHOTO PROVIDED By KFF HEALTH NEWS

products,

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ERIC RISBERG

Ochsner Health celebrates

50,000+robot-assisted surgeries as pioneer in patientcare

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Thisstory is brought to you by

OchsnerHealth.

Ochsner Health hasreached asignificant milestone: performing more than 50,000 minimally invasive robot-assistedsurgeries across itssystem. ThisachievementunderscoresOchsner’s longstanding commitmenttosurgical innovation,patient-centered care and excellence inadvanced medical technology.Ochsner patientsinBatonRouge, Lafayette,New Orleans and beyond arebeneﬁtingfromfasterrecoveries,fewer complications andan overall bettersurgicalexperience thanks to this cutting-edgeapproach.

Ochsner MedicalCenter- NewOrleans andOchsner MedicalCenter- BatonRouge were the ﬁrst hospitals in Louisiana to offer robotic-assisted surgeries.Today,thistechnologyisavailableacrossthe entire Ochsner system and in multiplespecialties, including gynecology, urology, transplant surgery colorectal surgery,orthopedics,thoracic surgery,ENT,surgicaloncology, bariatric surgery,and general surgery procedures Ochsner surgeons’ comprehensive adoption ofdiverse robot-assisted techniques is adistinctiveapproach that translatesto better care formorepatients.

“When we talk aboutminimallyinvasive surgery,wetalk aboutdoingthe surgeries through smaller incisions, whichtypically meanslesspain withthe surgery,lesspain postoperativelyand quicker recoveries wherethereislesstimeinthe hospitals,” saidKyleJakob,MD, general surgeon,Ochsner MedicalComplex-The Grove.“Butit’s stillusdoing thesurgery.When peoplehear ‘roboticsurgery,’ they thinkthismachineis going to do my surgery.We’re still in control of all of theinstrumentsand doingthe procedure with our ownhands; the robotissimply atool.”

OchsnerLafayetteGeneralOrthopedic Hospital has garnered national attention andisranked by U.S. News &World Report forexcellence in orthopedic care, particularlyinhip andknee replacement surgery.Itwas among theﬁrstlocations in the nationtooperatewiththree orthopedic roboticsystems,becoming aCenterofExcellenceknown forembracing innovation. Thiscontinued commitment hashelped transform even complexproceduresinto routineoperations

Paul Buzhardt,MD, orthopedic surgeon, Ochsner LafayetteGeneral OrthopedicHospital, said nearlyevery hipand knee replacement at thehospital involves robotics

“When we do these surgeries,weare recreating thepatient’s native anatomy,and whatwecan do robotically is inﬁnitelymore exact thanwhatany surgeon candomanually,” said Dr.Buzhardt “You canmakeadjustments within aquarter ofamillimeter or halfa degree. What we have found is that it means patientsbounce back quickerand return to theirnormal rangeof motion muchfaster.”

In fact,Dr. Buzhardt said most patients who undergo total hip and knee replacements using robotics aremoving around within afew hoursofthe operation, and many areable to go home thatsame day. That’safar cry from 15 yearsago,when such an operation usually meant ahospital stay of at least three to ﬁvedays.

PaulBuzhardt,MD

It’sverycommon formetoseea patienttwoweeks afteranoperation withoutacane,a crutchorawalker. Theyaregoingback toworkfasterand gettingback totheirsocial activitiesfaster.

PaulBuzhardt,MD OrthopedicSurgeon

“The robotic technologymeans we have lesssoft tissue exposureand disruption, less bloodlossand lesspain,”Dr. Buzhardt said. “It’svery common formetosee apatienttwo weeksafter an operation without acane, a crutch or awalker.Usually,I’m having to tell themtotakeiteasy. Theyare going back to work faster and getting back to their social activities faster.”

At Ochsner Medical Center -New Orleans,Michael Maddox, MD,urologic surgicaloncologist,has alsoseen the transformativepowerofrobot-assisted surgery ﬁrsthand. Since joining Ochsnerin2015, Dr. Maddoxhas beenpart of abusyrobotics practice to help treatand manage conditions such as prostate,kidneyand bladder cancer,aswell as applications to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) -anenlargedprostate -and urinary reconstructiveprocedures “Robot-assisted prostate andbladder surgeries aredelicate procedures thatcan be life-savingfor people with cancer. In addition, with the help of robot-assisted surgery,wecan perform apartial nephrectomy -removing the tumor while preserving the healthypart of the kidney-tomaintain as much kidneyfunctionaspossible even when removing the most complexrenal tumors,”Dr. Maddox said. “The technology provides 10 times magniﬁcation, wristed instruments and elimination of tremor The capabilities are vastly better. Ithink all of thattranslates intoabetterpatientexperience.

Ochsner surgeonsspendextensive time masteringthesetools. While beneﬁting from the high-tech natureofthese systems,surgeonsremain fully in controlduring eachprocedure. Thesurgeons use advanced preoperativeimaging and testing to create personalized surgical plans and sometimes three-dimensional modelstoprepare foreach operation well ahead of time.

“Wetaketime to template and plan the surgery so we knowthe sizeofthe implant thatwill best ﬁt the patientand anything thatweneedtowork around in the person’s anatomy,such as platesand rods from aprevious accidentorfracture,”Dr. Buzhardt said. “Fromasurgical standpoint, it means we just executethe plan we have devised once we gettothe operating room. Thereare no real surprises.”

Dr.Maddoxsaid interactive, patient-speciﬁc 3D models createdatOchsner using cross-sectionalimaging have proveninvaluable forintraoperativesurgical planning, particularly in complexcases with unique orabnormalanatomy.These3Dmodels have alsobeen helpful in the preoperative counseling of patients,who have uniformly enjoyedbeing able to seetheir anatomy and problem in amoredigestible visual model.

“Ochsner wasanearly adopter of robotic technology. We continue to seethe beneﬁts, and the system continues to believe and invest in it,” he said. “I think the newest generation of this technologyisgoing to continue to unlockdifferentand unique capabilities and have positiveimplications forphysi-

cians and patients.”

Dr.Jakob said he is proud to work fora health systemthatcontinues to be at the forefrontofmedical innovation. In his recentworkwith the da Vinci5,one of the newest robot-assisted models from industry leader IntuitiveSurgical, Dr.Jakob said he has noticed abettersenseoffeel, giving surgeons an increased senseofhow much pressuretheyare exerting.

“We’ve been at the beginning of it and still we’reatthe forefrontofit. We areleading Louisiana in robotic surgeries,and we areproud to have the latest technology,”he said. “This is the latest and greatest robot that’scome out.” The futureofrobot-assisted surgery at Ochsner looksevenmorepromising. With ongoing advancements on the horizon such as robot-assisted shoulder replacements and expanded useoftools forscrew placementand spinal procedures Ochsner surgeons arepoised to offer even safer, moretailored care.For patients across the Gulf South, this means the highest quality of care grounded in both technologyand human expertise.

Diving into

pool safety

BeatingthesummerheatinsouthLouisianaofteninvolvesswimming.Spendingtimebeingactiveis especiallyimportanttogivechildrenabreakfromscreentime,butpracticingpoolsafetyisimperative.

Asweheadintothescorchingdaysofsummer,it’sagoodideatothinkaboutwaystokeepchildren andgrownupssafeinthewater.

Constant supervision is essential

Drowningisthesecondleadingcauseofunintentionaldeathforchildrenages1to14.Ababyor toddlercandrownwithin30secondsandinlessthananinchofwater Childrenshouldneverswimaloneorwithoutadultsupervision.Whenapoolorbodyofwateris nearby,alwaysknowwhereyourchildrenareandneverassumesomeoneelseiswatchingthem. Neverputababylessthan6monthsoldunderthewater.Althoughmostinfantsnaturallyhold theirbreathunderwater,theymaycontinuetoswallow.

Pool security tips

Installasecondlockonalldoorsleadingtothepoolandmakesurethelockiswelloutofatoddler’sreach.

Surroundthepoolareawithafence—aminimumof48inchesinheight—thatincludesaself-closing,self-lockinggate. Allentrancesshouldbeclosedandlockedwhennotinuse.

Keepanyobjectatoddlercouldclimbonawayfromthefence.Storetoysawayfromthepooltoavoidtemptation.

Useapoolsafetycoverthatcansupporttheweightofasmallchildorpet Keepthepoolfull.Ifachildfallsin,afullpoolmakesitmorelikelytheycanreachtheledge.

Installcompliantanti-entrapmentdevicesonpooldrainsasapreventionmeasure.Thesuctionfromapooldraincanbe strongenoughtoholdevenanadultunderwater,pullingonthehairoronthebodyandformingasealthatholdsthemdown.

Protectingeyesand

Takingadipinthepoolcanbeagreatwayfor kidstocooloffandhavefunatthesametime. Butwemustbevigilantaboutprotectingeyes andearswhenswimming.Bothcanbeirritated bychlorineorotherpoolchemicals,whichmay causeconditionsknownas“swimmer’seye” and“swimmer’sear.”

Swimmer’seyeisoftenacombinationof tearﬁlmdisruption(dryeyes)andchemical conjunctivitis(irritation).Symptomsinclude burning,redness,itchiness,blurredvision, dischargeandswolleneyelids.

Youcantreatswimmer’seyebyrinsingout theeyeswithsterilesalinesolution.Follow thiswithacoupledropsofanartiﬁcialtear everyhourafterswimmingforthefollowing fourtosixhours.(Lookforeyedropsthatsay

ears

“lubricating”or“artiﬁcialtears.”)Avoidusing decongestanteyedropslikethosemarketedto “gettheredout,”becausetheycanmakethe problemworse.

Thebestwaytopreventeyeirritationisto wearwell-ﬁttinggoggleswhenswimmingin anytypeofwater.

Swimmer’sear,alsocalled“otitisexterna,’’is aninfectionoftheouterear.Whilecommon inchildren,swimmer’searcanaffectpeopleof allages.Andyoucangetitwithoutgettingin thewater.

Whileexcessivewetnessintheearcanalfrom swimmingisacommoncause,traumatothe earcanal,likeascratchfromaﬁngernailor irritationfromaQ-tip,canalsobeculprits.

Symptomsmayincludeearredness,pain, itching,drainage,swollenglandsinthe upperneck,muffledhearingandafeelingof fullnessintheear.Treatmenttypicallyinvolves antibiotic,antifungalorsteroideardrops.

Thebestwaytopreventswimmer’searisto keeptheearsdryandtowearearplugsfor swimmingorbathing.

Ifwaterisinyourearafterswimming,here’sa tip:Holdahairdryeratarm’slengthfromyour earandplaceitonthecoolsetting.Theextra airﬂowwillhelpdryyourearcanalandprevent moisturebuildupthatcancauseotitisexterna. Contactyourdoctorifyouoryourchildis experiencingsymptomsofswimmer’sear.

LOUISIANA

Camp Tiger Celebration

N.O. summer camp forkidswithdisabilities celebrates 40 years

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

His eyes wide withwonder,Kenneth followed the path of the Gulf sturgeon, tracing his hand along its tank as his two counselors hovered nearby.Afew seconds later,his interestwas piqued by a glass enclosure of crawﬁsh,and Kenneth made his way to try to spot one before zipping into the blue-hued room with stingray tanks to catcha glimpseofthe sharks.

“He told me not to worry because the sharks are in the tanks,” said Carolanne VanZandt, aCovingtonnative and ﬁrstyear medical studentatLSU whowas one of Kenneth’scounselors.

Kennethwas one of about 75 participants in Camp Tiger,asummercamp for New Orleans-area children aged 6to15 with arange of mental and physical disabilities.

Founded 40 years ago by two LSU medical students,Camp Tiger is entirely run by incoming ﬁrst-year or rising secondyear medical students under the supervision of ahandful of facultyphysicians. For decades, Camp Tiger has offered children with disabilities in the greater New Orleans area aweek of classic summer camp experiences, from tripsto

the zoo and the arcade to making new friends.

“Allowing achild to be achild, to go out into the city and go to thezoo gives them asense of normalcy,abreak from their daily routine,” said Dr.Kyle Fulton, faculty adviser and medical director of the camp. “Our job is to makeitthe mostfun week for them.”

Asense of normalcy

This year’scamp, which took place the thirdweek of May,included atriptothe Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium. At least two counselorsaccompaniedeach camper around the aquarium, some mesmerized by thesharks,othersbraving the shallow pool to pet thestingrays.

Afew campers—exhausted from the day’searlierexcursion to thearcade— took breaks on benches throughout the aquarium, including Walker,acamper with Down syndrome, who sat on his counselor’slap and alternated between snatching his baseball cap off his head andhugging his counselor tightly

“This camp gives kids withdifferent abilitiesthe opportunity to attend aday camp when they otherwise mightnot be able to,” Fulton said.

Sometimes it canbedifﬁcult for families to ﬁnd camps willing to accommodate their child’sneeds, he said.

On the flip side, counselorsget firsthand experience with thefirstpatients of their medical careers. Fulton saidhe helps students understand the meaning of thecampers’ diagnoses, whichcan range from autism to cerebral palsy to

kidneyand heart disease. Fulton is on standby to take care of anymedical issues that might arise, from askinned knee or nausea from theTilt-a-Whirl.

“Just being able tosee the work we can do in thecommunity,it’sreally inspiring,”saidPatrick Schwing, asecond-year medical student who was one of Walker’s counselors.

Overthe course of aweek, counselors form close bonds with theircampers and practice clinical skills, as well as patience.

Charlie McKenzie, arising secondyear medical student who servedasthis year’s camp director, saidpreparations for camp begin around Septemberwith planning for the auction,the main fundraiser for the camp. This year,the group raised $145,000, enough to cover thecosts of attendance for each camper

“It puts aface to thediagnosis,” McKenzie said,describing thesmile and laughterofone camper —who uses a wheelchair —asshe rode the Ferris wheel. “They’re still just kids being kids.”

Astoried history

Camp Tigerwas thebrainchild of Dr Kevin Conrad, who co-founded the camp hisﬁrstyearofmedical school with his now-wife Dr.Marianne Maumus. Conrad said the camphad humble beginnings itsﬁrst year,when about 20 medical studentsand 40 campers participated. Thecamp was born from conversations with fellow medicalstudentsabout how

ä See TIGER, page 2Y

The 100-Item Challenge is back. Andthe need is as great if not greater —than ever

The challenge is simple: We askreaders, whether as individuals or groups,todonate alistof 100 items(in total) to their local food banks,speciﬁcally: n 10 cans of tuna n 10 jars of peanut butter n 10 bags of drybeans n 10 cans of canned meat n 10 cans of vegetables n 10 cans of chili n 10 cans of soup n 10 bags or boxes of pasta n 10 cans of tomato sauce n 10 boxes of cornbread mix.

One of the beautiful things about this challenge is that if gatheringall 100 itemsfeels overwhelming, you’re encouraged to split thelist with afriend, your family,your neighbor or your book club. Youdon’thave to do it all alone —and the ripple effect can be powerful. One act of generosityoften leads to another

The challenge runs through Sept. 22 and is designed to help food banks acrossLouisiana through the summer, atime when donations typically decreaseand need increases Over the pasttwo yearsin particular,the hunger crisis in Louisiana has grown increasingly dire.

Last year,Iwrote that challenges like this work because most people aremorethan willingtohelp, but they need someone to say, “Let’sdothis —that’swhereyou comein. Consider this your challenge to be that person. Last year,readersdelivered tons of canned and bagged nonperishables to food banks acrossLouisiana. Even people in other states took part. From Sunday school classestoexercisegroups,they took the initiative to donate food, driven by basic generosity,compassion or adesiretofeel more connected in world that sometimes feels overwhelming and lonely

The 100 itemsinthe challenge add up to about 82 pounds.I originally imagined tracking a speciﬁc number of tons donated, but with so many food banks involved —and no way to tag which donations were partofthe challenge —itjustisn’t possible. Butthat’snot really the point, is it?

Anditdoesn’ttake away from the power of what we’re doing together

PROVIDED PHOTO

The 10 a.m. AquaFit class at the PaulaManshipy in Baton Rouge committed to the 100 food item challenge —and succeeded. They call themselvesWomen of the Water

The point is to help feed the hungry. To whom much is given, much is required.

Iinvite readerswho participate to email me apictureof themselves with their 100 items. I’ll do my besttoshareasmany as possible in the coming weeks. There is alot of hurttohelp heal in this world. Rarely can we

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTOSByBRETT DUKE

Camp TigercounselorsCarolanne VanZandt and Cade Harkrider walk withKenneth,9,astheytour theAudubon Aquarium and Insectarium recently in NewOrleans. The visit waspartofaCampTiger field trip

Camp Tigercounselors Christopher Gillen,left, and Patrick Schwing, right, sit withWalker,10, after asnack.

Carolanne VanZandt, aCamp Tigercounselor,dances with Aiden, 8.

ASK THE EXPERTS

BR engineer teaches free tai chi classes

Practice can benefit whole body, mind

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Jie Gu is an engineer by day and passionate tai chi advocate. She believes the best way to promote something is not by talking but by offering.

In 2023, Gu founded the Tai Chi Club to provide free, in-person classes in the Baton Rouge area at least four times a month with community support. She also publishes tutorial videos to make learning accessible online. Gu began practicing tai chi in 2018 to improve her well-being. The ongoing health beneﬁts inspired her to keep practicing and keep growing In 2024, she achieved her dream by winning a world champion title in the demonstration group’s 32-movement Tai Chi Sword event at the 4th World Taijiquan Championships in Singapore. Now her students are following in her footsteps — not only experiencing the healing power of tai chi but also winning competitions. Some will represent the United States at the Pan American Championships in Mexico this November For more information on how to get involved, visit taichiclub.net/ about/. What do you wish more people knew about tai chi?

Tai chi is still a niche sport, and people may think it’s a weird thing, but I’m so glad I got to meet so many nice people who really put their energy, time and trust in me. One lady told me she would monitor her blood sugar before and after the class, and it made a difference.

Q&A WITH JIE GU

I want to promote tai chi to a wider audience so that more people can benefit from it. Other sports are expensive, and they need equipment, or you need a partner For tai chi, you don’t need anything, just yourself I teach you a few movements, and then you can practice on your own at your home.

You don’t need to practice at a studio or with a teacher You just need to calm down, focus on yourself, and do the movement. Only you can connect your mind with the movements. The breath control increases your self control and self awareness.

How can people attend your tai chi classes?

The East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library at 7711 Goodwood Blvd. has class at 6 p.m. on the following days:

n July 6 and 20

n Aug. 3 and 17

n Sept. 7 and 21

n Oct. 5 and 19

n Nov 2 and 16

n Dec. 7 and 21

Can you tell me more about the 17th Golden State International Wushu Championships?

That was in California. There are ﬁve ladies in the class who worked so hard. They didn’t know each other before the class We met together, and they also had self practice without me. I offered weekly training once a week, but they said that wasn’t enough, so they met on their own. They are all best friends now We competed as a team and flew to California together at the end of May We impressed the whole audience. We are se-

nior ladies; maybe our group is the oldest group, but we are so graceful. Each lady won a medal in their individual events, and six of us together won the first place trophy in the group event.

How has the tai chi group helped to form a sense of community? You can practice tai chi individually, but it is more fun to practice as a group. Our movements feel just like we are the wave in the ocean. When we move together, the energy ﬁeld is enhanced. And you want to work harder in a group since you see other people working hard. It really enhances the connection. We want to meet more often. What are some of the health benefits of tai chi?

Other sports focus are localized, focusing on one part of the body Tai chi movements involve the whole body I had anemia, and my blood cell count is lower than others. The movements improve my blood circulation We have self-healing capacity as a human, so we need circulation so the bad things can be removed faster Tai chi also helps to relieve mental stress. It’s a very good community sport, and we have a common goal that keeps people motivated. I hope anybody can beneﬁt from it, and it’s a no-harm solution to improve your health. This interview was edited for length and clarity

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.

26 states remain in 2025 Postcard Project

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

One month into the fourth annual Postcard Project, we have received 66 postcards representing 24 states and 11 countries.

Ten of those postcards came from within the borders of Louisiana, including one from Jane S., who suggests that we try to see how many towns in Louisiana we can receive postcards from it’s a good idea. I like it!

At this point, we’re missing Arkansas, Colorado Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Alan Krouse, of Gonzales, sent a postcard from Iowa en route to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. He took a detour and visited the Field of Dreams in Iowa on his way to watch his beloved Tigers.

In a postcard from Matthew T. from Rossendale in the United Kingdom, he recommends the book, “Mrs. Palfrey at the Clare-

mont,” by Elizabeth Taylor (not that Elizabeth Taylor) I’m not sure why he recommended it, but with a bit of research, I think he may be on to something. It seems like a book I might enjoy It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1971 and set in London in the 1960s. I think I may check it out.

Martha Panzeca, of New Orleans, sent a postcard from New York City She wrote, “The last time I was in NYC (1970), I visited the Guggenheim. I walked up the spiraling ramp, huffing and puffing. I barely made it Five days ago, I visited the Guggenheim, took an elevator to the top and floated down the ramp, having a glorious time, letting gravity do its thing. Duh! It was amazing!” The goal of the Postcard Project is to receive postcards from all 50 states and as many countries as possible — a goal achieved in previous years. To participate, send postcards to: Jan Risher, The Advocate, 10705 Rieger Road Baton Rouge, LA 70809. The 2025 Postcard Project will end Labor Day weekend.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com

TIGER

Continued from page 1y

they would spend their time after ﬁnishing up their ﬁrst year. They wanted to put their medical knowledge to use in the community, and “it just grew from there.”

Since then, though the budget has grown, the format of the camp has remained the same with daily excursions to local attractions. The camp has been handed down year-to-year to first-year medical students who run the logistics for the week and put on a fundraiser to ensure the experience can stay free for kids and families.

“We thought it would go on for a year or so and had no idea it would go on many decades later,” Conrad said. Conrad added that for medical students, exposure to what the families and caregivers of children with disabilities go through on a daily basis can foster instrumental lessons for future doctors.

“You get a lesson in patience,” Conrad said, “and you learn about the simple pleasures of being a child.”

from page 1y

Jie Gu and her Tai Chi Club team perform at the Lantern Festival in the LSU Ballroom on Feb 22.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Jie Gu performs the 32-movement

Tai Chi Sword routine at the 4th World Taijiquan Championships in Singapore on Aug. 27.

Jie Gu instructs a hand form tai chi class at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library on Jan. 19.

STAFF PHOTOS By JAN RISHER

ABOVE: The tenth Louisiana postcard received for the 2025 Postcard Project

BELOW: Postcard from Alan Krouse, of Gonzales, who took a road trip to Nebraska for the College World Series.

BY ANNETTE SISCO Staff writer

In alight and airy classroom at Early Partnerspreschool, in arenovated firehousein New Orleans’ LowerGarden District,three little boys are playing with blocks.

where only 60% of students overall are prepared for that step. And even as she watches her students beat theodds one at atime, theHarvard-educated preschool director’seye is on something much bigger

“Wewant to change the game.We want to raise the bar, be ademonstration site, for(other educators) to learn from us,and for us to learn fromthem,” Frusciante said Measuringmilestones

Manker and other teachers watched the2-year-oldclass in theWild Space, awide, enclosed lawn that opens unexpectedly from theback doors of the preschool. Here, childrenplay whileteachers observe and quietly adjust activities to challenge the students’ skills.

their moment in the sun. State Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, calledon Louisiana to rethink its priorities, usingprograms like the nonproﬁt, inclusive preschool as amodel.

“This year,we’re spending over $100 million on juvenile detentioncenters. Imagine the impact if even afraction of that went toward high-quality early childhood education instead,” Duplessis said. Andthere were somebig announcements.

Frusciante

Towers and walls risefrom the carpet, and small vehicles are pushed between them. There’sanongoing, low conversation among the playmates. From across the room, Kim Frusciante, founder and executive director of Early Partners, sees morethan a game. She sees progress among three newer students who might not have played so calmly together a year ago. She sees cooperation, focus and imagination. She sees building blocks —ofsuccess in school and life.

Early Partners is an innovative, nonproﬁt early learning center for about 100 children from 1to5years old, focused on data-driven preparation for kindergarten. To make Early Partnersaccessible to families of all income levels, theschoolpartnerswith local employerswho sponsor their workers’ child care, leveraging public funding to help pay for community seats. Donors, grantsand tuition bringin other revenue.

The result is astudent body that mirrors the diverse demographics of New Orleans by design and is helping solve the vexing problem of children arriving in kindergarten unprepared.

Fruscianteisproud to say that 100%leave the program kindergarten-ready, aremarkable achievement in astate

Research showsthatsmall children learn through play

Sustained, imaginative play develops the attention span andcuriosityneededtoexcel later in school. Research also showsthat data-driven analysisofstudents’ skills can help teachers pinpoint potential problem areas.

At Early Partners, both play and data are crucial.

While 2-year-olds can’t check off answerstomultiplechoice word problems,they can be evaluated by atrained teacher for the important milestones of brain development, said Allison Manker, lead teacher of the2-year-old group at Early Partners.

“Weasteachers are teacher researchers,”said Manker, whostudied anthropology and environmental science at NorthwesternUniversity andcame to Early Partners threeyears ago fromLouise S. McGehee’sLittle Gate preschool.

“It’sincumbentupon us to take notes. How are they walking? How do they take stairs?” When the children scribble,“we takenotes on the marks theyare making. Are they sophisticated letters or full-handed swirls?” Attention spans and the abilityto continueaconversationare other important markers.

Collecting data“allowsus to keep track based on developmental milestones that are state-based or nationally based. We tailor our activities or play,and they can surpass what we think they are capable of,” Manker said. On arecent sunny morning,

“Weopen those gates, and it’sanacre of land that has natural materials. We’ll be bird watching, we’ll be running freely.There’sbamboo in the corner.They can choose several different areas and build with things, roll over logs,” Manker said. Such activities can be correlated with important benchmarks toward school readiness.

In arecent video interview, Michael Hecht, president and CEOofGreater NewOrleans Inc., observed of Early Partners: “The data focus is somethingwe’ve seen in higher grades. The fact that it’sbeing applied in pre-K is revolutionary.”

Growingyoung brains

Ninety percent of thebrain is formed before kindergarten, according to theNational InstitutesofHealth.Those earlyyears are crucial to developing the neural connections forreasoning, as well as the social and emotional skills that allow students to thrive in elementary school and beyond.

AgraduateofTulane University,Frusciante taught high schoolinDallasbefore returning to NewOrleans to teach at Collegiate Academies, acharter school network. She helped lead the network’sﬁrst expansion school andlater aided with school startups, instructional design, data-driven improvement and talent development. Along the way, shehad herfirst child, Edith.

“I learneda lotabout brain development in young children afterI had my daughter andstarted to draw parallels with the high school students Iwas seeing,”Frusciantesaid. “Wehad studentsentering

high school at the third and fourth grade reading levels.”

Edith recently turned 10 Thecouple has ason as well, Andy,who is 6.

Becoming amother,and confronting the obstacles that frustrated success in her high schoolers, sparked Frusicante’s decisiontogoback to the roots of education: preschool. She returned to theclassroom as astudenttoearn a Master’sinEducational Leadership at HarvardGraduate School of Education, where she graduated with tophonors. While there, she dreamed of apreschoolwhere the science of early childhood development would meet equity and inclusion.

Today,the nonprofit Early Partners continues to collaborate closely with Harvard through research and leadership development.

‘Itdoesn’t seem likework’

Shada Lassaiwas working as an applied behavior therapist for students withautism at the Chartwell Center in NewOrleans threeyears ago and was looking for day care for her daughter,Gianna, then 1. She found Early Partners online and realized it would be agood ﬁt —for mother and child alike.

Lassai’sstrong background in evidence-based ABA therapy,coupled with the method’s positive, child-ledapproach, complemented theEarlyPartners philosophy “Having it be child-led, it is easier todeliver material,”

Lassai said. Now,she teaches 2-year-oldsatthe school.

“It doesn’t seem like work,” saidLassai. “They are learningthrough play.Likemy daughtersays, ‘Wehad so much fun.’”

Kindergarten will require the ability to work in groups and share.Being able to enter agroup, beingabletoplay with friends and payingattention for longerperiodsare all essential.

“Some kids are notable to enter agroup properly,” Lassai said. “Weteach those skills.”

This year Gianna, now4,isa student in Early Partner’s innovative Forest School, where classes andactivitiestake place outdoors, whatever the weather.Logsserve as chairs and the floor of the “classroom” is grass and earth.

“She’sdoing awhole different experience of preschool,” Lassei said.

Partnershipsand more

If “ittakes avillage to raise achild,” it might also be said thatittakes partnerships to educate amodern-day classroom full of children.

The ﬁrst partnersare those children’sfamilies. Early Partners also hasjoineda powerful array of others, including fellow nonproﬁts, philanthropists,educators and child advocates.

At arecent cocktail-hour eventcalledConvergence, manyofthose partners looked on as EarlyPartners’ progress was celebrated anddonors got

Theschoolunveiledplans for amajor expansion that will nearly doubleits size over the next three years, as well as a partnershipwith ThriveKids Student Wellness, aprogram of Manning Family Children’s Hospital, for programming thatwill support studentswith developmental delays anddisabilities.

Alocal donor,Tania Hahn, announced that she wouldforgive aloan to Early Partners for $100,000. Another donor pledgeda $25,000 matching gift

Just afew days later,a $250,000 grant wasconﬁrmed, courtesy of the New OrleansRedevelopmentAuthoritythrough Agenda for Children.

Andwhile the ﬁnancialcontributions are vital, Frusciante might be just as excited about the preschool being the ﬁrst early childhood education centerinthe nationrepresented at All MeansAll, a15-month leadership development partnership that brings together school leaders, superintendents andcharter networks committed to inclusiveeducation All Means All is abig pond for the smallnonprofitpreschool. Frusciante described AllMeans Allas“generally folks whoare more in charge of multiple schools,” like the superintendent of adistrict serving 17,000 kids.

“And thenIstand up and say,‘Iamthe founderofEarly Partners, and Iserve 100 kids. But we arejust getting started.”

FAITH & VALUES

Millennial saint inspires next generation

Carlo Acutis known as ‘God’s influencer’

CLAIRE GIANGRAVE

Contributing writer

In a low-deﬁnition video, sitting behind a desk in front of a blue, plain backdrop, the 15-year-old Carlo Acutis looks straight into the camera: “I am destined to die,” he says, followed by a smile, an enigmatic roll of his shoulders, and a clap. Two months later, on Oct. 12, 2006, he died of acute myeloid leukemia.

The curly haired Italian kid could not have known at the time that he would become the ﬁrst millennial saint who would inspire thousands of believers of all ages to venerate “God’s inﬂuencer.”

Initially scheduled for April 27, Acutis’ canonization at the Vatican was postponed when Pope Francis died on April 21 Pope Leo XIV announced June 13 that Acutis will be sainted Sept. 7, along with another young person, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Acutis’ “reputation of holiness,” part of any saint’s cause, has taken the church by storm. He is referred to by many names: the saint in sneakers, the patron of the Internet, God’s jester or — as Pope Francis described him the saint next door

The unique aspect of the first millennial saint is that his life is not buried in history books or hidden in dusty archives; people can grasp who he was by talking to those who knew him, watching pictures and videos of him and even tracing the few footprints he left on the internet.

His family, friends and teachers describe him as a kid like many others, someone who was always up for a laugh, failing at math but sought after by girls and keen on video games and movies. They describe him as a good person who helped those in need and went out of his way to be kind. Some also describe his devotion to the Eucharist, his daily visits to church and his timid yet resolute defense of his Catholic faith.

Acutis is proof that anyone can become a saint in the Catholic Church, an aspiration that any believer is encouraged to achieve. But the church’s process of canonization, with its many steps and investigations, rules and rituals, pilgrims and relics, exists in a separate reality that few fully grasp. The machine of Acutis’ sainthood process, spread in every continent and across all media, has overshadowed the reality of Carlo’s life.

In some respects, Acutis was not your average 15-year-old boy Born in London on May 3, 1991, into a very wealthy family, he enjoyed a life of privilege. His father, Andrea Acutis, runs a prominent Italian insurance company, Vittoria Assicurazioni and his mother, Antonia Salzano, came from a near-aristocratic family with ties to the publishing industry

Acutis spent his short, sheltered life in Milan, carefully attended to by babysitters and attending private Catholic schools in the Ital-

ian ﬁnancial capital. Miraculously enough, Acutis’ friends say that he was down to earth and empathetic.

“Carlo lived his privilege in a very normal way One felt at home in his house. He was a boy who didn’t put up walls — some people we knew had a much more snobbish attitude, but he was able to befriend anyone,” said his best friend from middle school, Federico Oldani. “But he also saw wealth as a responsibility, a means to help others.”

Oldani said he knew about Acutis’ religious beliefs, but that it wasn’t something he openly shared.

Some who knew him said they weren’t struck by Acutis’ faith in fact many didn’t even know he was Catholic

“He was a very reserved person, very curious, always asking questions, but at the same time very private meaning that I only learned certain things about him later,” said Fabrizio Zappa, who taught Acutis religion at Milan’s Leo XIII Institute, a Catholic high school, from 2005 until Acutis’ death.

Zappa described Acutis as “always smiling” and willing to help others but had only a few hints of his spirituality Acutis was the only one in his class to voice an interest in spiritual discussion groups and defended Catholic teaching on abortion during a classroom debate.

But Zappa said he was surprised when he heard that his former student would become a saint “I didn’t want to believe it initially, in the sense that there could have been so many others just like him, the saints next door,” he said.

Others had the chance to see Acutis’ charity and faith up close. His parents, who described themselves as only culturally Catholic, claim that they were converted by their son’s zeal and love for Christ. His guardian and housekeeper Rajesh Mohur, a Hindu Brahmin from Mauritius, claims he was converted by Acutis, whom he referred to as his “little catechist.”

According to reports from those who knew him, Acutis volunteered to help the poor and marginalized, and he worked as a catechist in his parish.

Acutis is best known for his devotion to the Eucharist Monsignor Gianfranco Poma, the parish priest of his church, Santa Maria Segreta in Milan, wrote in an article on the diocesan paper about the “honest and smiling” teenager who would come almost every day to pray and adore the Eucharist.

Oldani, who today is an aerospace engineer, said Acutis taught himself how to code and used his knowledge to create a website detailing Eucharistic miracles, saying often, “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”

Some who knew him found the idea of Acutis’ sainthood confusing.

Oldani and some other friends were surprised when people flocked to Acutis’ funeral Mass, recounting stories of his holiness, and even more surprised when a growing number of followers be-

gan posting religious content on the Facebook group his friends had created after his death.

“I quickly realized that he would become a saint,” Oldani said, “because I immediately realized that there was an immediate interest and attention to him.”

But his friend said he was surprised by how quickly Acutis’ sainthood process went

“In my mind, I thought it would happen when I was 80 years old and an old man,” he said.

Centuries ago, it was not uncommon for saints to be proclaimed by popular acclamation, until, in the 1600s, the Vatican ruled that at least 50 years had to pass before a person could be proclaimed a saint, according to Kenneth L. Woodward, author of “Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn’t, and Why.”

Under Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, the canonization process was sped up to avoid losing precious information about the candidate to time, Woodward explained, but what matters most “is creating a story to be told” — a model for faithful to aspire to.

Two miracles have been attributed to Acutis: the miraculous healing of a Brazilian child suffering from

a pancreatic disease in 2013 and the sudden recovery of a Costa Rican woman suffering a head injury in 2022.

“You can study a person’s life, but that is a human endeavor,” Woodward said. “You need a sign conﬁrming that the person is actually a saint.”

But canonization remains “a very human process,” Woodward added. There is a considerable sum of money involved, as much as 1 million euros to pay for lawyers, postulators, researchers and paperwork. As a result, criticism has been weighed against the Vatican’s increased saint-making zeal, which earned the department the title of “the workshop of saints.”

Francis reformed the Vatican department charged with dispensing halos in 2022, simplifying procedures and imposing rigid controls on the management of funds.

Woodward believes that it’s unlikely for people to be able to inﬂuence canonization causes today, but he did admit that the creation of the “reputation for holiness,” through books, media and movies leaves ample space for well-connected and wealthy Catholics to further the sainthood of their preferred candidate.

Acutis’ fame quickly grew far

beyond the confines of the small neighborhood in Milan where he lived and studied. Ofﬁcial reports stated that hundreds of thousands come to see his resting place in the town of Assisi in central Italy, where they can see him wearing a sweatshirt and sneakers, with an uncannily realistic wax mask that resembles his face while sleeping.

The disarming simplicity of Acutis’ holiness has drawn young people to the Catholic Church, which has long struggled to connect with new generations.

His life has been explored in dozens of books, podcasts, articles and ﬁlms, many created with younger audiences in mind. In this, Acutis shares something with the medieval St. Francis of Assisi, whose first biography was written soon after his death in 1226 by a close companion, Thomas of Celano. “The Little Flowers of St. Francis,” a later collection of legends and stories, became one of the most beloved books of the Middle Ages and helped spread Francis’ fame across Europe. He was canonized just two years after his death.

Acutis’ body was moved to the Sanctuary of the Renunciation in 2017, the location where St. Francis renounced all his worldly possessions.

“Carlo is a translation of sainthood in modern and contemporary terms,” Sorrentino said. “Carlo puts us with our backs against the wall in our call to holiness and says: ‘listen, if you can’t do what Francis does, at least do what I do.’”

Today, Sorrentino said, more pilgrims come to Assisi to visit Acutis’ tomb than St. Francis’.

Many of Francis’ earliest followers were his wealthy friends, and after his death, thousands of young men joined the Franciscan order he founded. His emphasis on preaching and public conversion played a key role in this growth.

In a society overflowing with noise and competing voices — especially for the attention of the young — the “Roadmap to Reality” ﬁlm suggests Acutis offers something different: a faith that shines inward, inviting believers to look within.

Beekeepers, researchers team up to track bees’ diet

Washington experts strive to keep insects healthy

BY RISA SCHNEBLY Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Risa Schnebly for Cascadia Daily News, is part of the AP Storyshare. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world

As honeybee colonies are collapsing at devastating rates, solutions for keeping bees healthy are in high demand. One Washington State University researcher has come up with a unique one: tracking what bees are eating.

“Just like humans, bees are what they eat,” said Priyadarshini Basu, a recently hired assistant professor at the university’s Honey Bees + Pollinator program.

Basu is building a national database that tracks what food sources bees have access to at different times of year

Having that knowledge, she believes, will help both commercial beekeepers and hobbyists keep their colonies healthy. And no, the goal isn’t making a calorie-counting app for bees. Rather, Basu hopes to help make sure colonies are getting a diverse set of nutrients.

“Keepers are spending anywhere between 44 to 47 million dollars annually providing supplemental feeding to their colonies, and protein supplements are a huge part of that,” Basu said. “So, if a beekeeper is able to know what is in bloom in their region… or if they have nothing blooming at a particular time in the year… they can be better prepared.”

Basu has been building the database by enlisting local beekeepers to collect the pollen their bees bring home. To do that, beekeepers use a device that narrows the hive entrance so bees have to wriggle through a small hole to get inside.

In the process, all the pollen that stuck to a bee’s body as it zipped between ﬂowers gets knocked off.

The beekeeper can then collect that pollen and mail it to Basu’s lab, where she and a team of graduate students meticulously sort through it, categorizing the tiny

pollen particles by color

Each pollen color comes from a different plant. So, Basu’s lab can tell which plants bees are getting the most pollen from by seeing which color is the most common. By collecting that kind of data throughout the year, Basu and her team can start to tell when bees in a region will have access to plants with different kinds of essential nutrients. Basu believes giving beekeepers

that information will help them anticipate how to best feed their colonies: “[A beekeeper] could look at the database and say ‘Alright, this is the time of year when I must feed my bees these protein supplements because there is no pollen in the landscape.’”

She hopes hobbyist beekeepers will help collect data from across the state. Additionally, she hopes to eventually publish the database online for anyone to access.

Basu has found one enthusiastic volunteer in Dawn Beck, who serves as the vice president of both Skagit and Whatcom counties Beekeepers Associations and as a board member of three more local beekeeping clubs.

“I wanted a hobby when I retired, and I tend to go pretty deep into my hobbies,” Beck laughed, “and so here we are.”

Beck spends her Saturdays driving her truckload of beekeeping tools across Skagit and Whatcom counties to check on more than 50 beehives that she helps manage, inviting curious locals to join her and learn about beekeeping while she’s at it.

In the 10 years since Beck retired, she’s mastered the beekeeping basics. Most of her colonies survive the cold winters, and some have survived for years. But she recognizes that these days, most other beekeepers aren’t so lucky

“It’s harder to keep bees alive now than it used to be,” she lamented. That’s why Beck is excited to help Basu collect data, and to rally other beekeepers to do the same.

“Hopefully, in time, we’ll learn more about the bees so we can keep them healthier and stronger.”

PHOTO PROVIDED By ‘CARLO ACUTIS: ROADMAP TO REALITy’ young pilgrims view the body of Carlo Acutis at the Santa Maria Maggiore Church in Assisi, Italy

PROVIDED PHOTO By SANTIAGO OCHOA

Dawn Beck uses small wire cages to isolate honeycomb

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

An image of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis is unveiled during his beatification ceremony, celebrated by Cardinal Agostino Vallini in the St. Francis Basilica, in Assisi, Italy, on Oct. 10, 2020.

SUNDAY, JUNe 29, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

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

todAY's Word — cHAuVinist: SHO-vihnist: One who exhibits an attitude of superiority toward members of the opposite sex. Average mark 41 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 58 or more words in CHAUVINIST?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

goren Bridge

A fine duck

South’s two no-trump bid in this balancing position is a wideranging bid. South could have had much less for the bid. North had to raise with his hand, hoping South could find nine tricks.

South had 17 points, but he had his hands full with this one.

wuzzLes

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

Quiz

Many would cover the jack of hearts lead with dummy’s queen. South saw that he would need a trick or two from the diamond suit If he played the queen of hearts at trick one and East had the ace of diamonds, East would win the ace at some point and return his remaining heart and the contract would fail. Should West have the ace of diamonds, he could not also have the king of spades for his weak two bid, so the contract could not be made whatever South did. South decided to play low from dummy on the opening lead and he also played low from his hand. West continued with the ace and another heart South won with the king and led a spade to dummy’s jack. East took the king and shifted to a club. Declarer won in hand with the ace and led a spade to dummy’s ace. A low diamond to his

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Avoid letting outside influences distract you from finishing what you start. Change is difficult, but once you adopt a simpler lifestyle, you can engage in what makes you happy. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Focus more on learning, expanding your circle and challenging your mind and the creative process. Refuse to let outsiders force manipulative tactics on you, causing inconsistency and emotional setbacks that can be costly

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Emotional energy is building and requires an outlet to push you in a positive

king won the trick. South cashed the king of clubs, led a club to dummy’s queen, and cashed the jack of clubs while discarding a low spade. A diamond toward his queen got him his ninth trick Well played!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

direction. Take the initiative, volunteer to help a cause and be the one to make a difference.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Stop and assess what’s happening from afar If you are too close to an emotional situation, you will get sucked into something you find taxing. Direct your energy toward home and professional enhancements

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) A change will influence your emotional outlook regarding partnerships and who you trust and value. Trying something new will show you the path to personal happiness and money management.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Activities that require mental and physical agility will keep you out of trouble. Avoid situations that allow others to back you into an emotional corner CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Avoid unsavory situations that disrupt relationships with friends or relatives. A physical change that updates your image will boost your morale and give you the confidence to share your thoughts

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You want to strive to stabilize your life, not disrupt it. Set a budget, and refine and design how you see your space

changing to suit your lifestyle and the modifications you want to pursue.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) You have more clout than you realize. The impression you make will be gratifying and fetch support from friends and lovers alike. A change of scenery will spark your imagination and invite interesting encounters

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Too much, too far, too many; avoid excessive behavior in all aspects of life. Your best path forward is the one that engages in discussions that broaden your perspective.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) When you feel your anger mounting, remove yourself from the situation quickly A change of heart will lead to new beginnings.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Aim to please and to help bring about positive change. Protect yourself from situations that threaten your physical and emotional well-being. Trust your instincts.

1. ABBA. 2. Glen Campbell. 3. The Carpenters 4. Doris Day.5.Neil Diamond.6.John Denver

7. Celine Dion. 8.TonyBennett.9.Louis Armstrong. 10. Whitney Houston. 11. Patsy Cline. 12. CountBasie. 13. BobHope. 14.FatsDomino. 15. Kenny Rogers

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.—The Temptations

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

The Acadiana Advocate 06-29-2025

Newvisionfor NorthgateMall

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Serbianpolicefireteargas at anti-governmentprotesters

Crowds mourn slaincommanders, nuclearscientists

Senators launch weekend of work on tax, spending bill

FLORIDA

Groups protest building of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Sponsored:One Crisis Away –

WhyLouisiana NeedsSocial Safety NetPrograms

What YouCan Do:Protect Louisiana Families

MINNESOTA

Biden, Harris, Walz attend funeral for slain lawmaker

Roberts warns against heated political words about judges

Timelineofoil and gas lawsuits

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

RFKJr.’s movesonvaccinescause problems forCassidy

EDUCATION

LSUinterim presidentwants to keep winning

THE GULF COAST

Food trucks getsamescrutinyasrestaurants

Hospital leaders warn of Medicaid cuts

Proposals would have dire consequences, open letter states

City to raise, widen busy road

Food truck feasting

Lafayette home prices outpace wage growth

Annual 2nd Chance Job Fair returns to Lafayette

Flowers through the cracks in New Orleans

HOMES

Announcements

Pets

OPINION

OUR VIEWS Committee should cast a wide netfor next LSU president

In Iran,let’s hit’em hard andagain

Trumphas double standard on immigration

COMMENTARY

In CVSsuit, Murrill is wrongonfreespeech

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ExplodingU.S.indebtednessmakes aﬁscal crisis almost inevitable

Roomies Nussmeier, Manning sharealot

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UL RB pledge’s speedput recruitmentinhighgear

Opportunityknocksfor Djokovic

Gauff alreadythinkingabout life aftertennis

Retiring afaded OldGlory showslove of country, too

Forces beyond control

It’s nevertoo hottocelebrate Xanadu royalty

Acadiana Center forthe Arts kicksoff summer juried exhibition

TRAVEL

Nonstopflights addedfor 2favoritevacationspots

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

Cruise canceled reservation, then refusedtorefundmoney

AppalachianTrail hikers take on oneadditionalchallenge

CURIOUS

AT RANDOM

Texasbarbecuepitmaster behind Buc-ee’s brisket

TODAYINHISTORY

Let’slosethe cancer ‘battle’ lingo

SOAKING IN THE SUMMER PAGES

Top recs for the best books to beat the heat

La. governor, song are eternally bound

TRADE PAPERBACK

style Lasting

Generationshavegrown northshore-based NeillCorp. into asalon empire

La.’s

NEILL

MILL

ASK THE EXPERTS

HRI investment chief: ‘It’s really interesting times for hotels’

Q&A WITH MICHAEL COOLIDGE

Warring Middle East’s effectson gaspriceswaning

Is it OK to hide moneyfrommyspouse?

BeyondtheHeadlines

BUSINESS BRIEFS

SOIL SAFETY

HEALTH MAKER

Mapping the brain in search for answers

RUNNING

SOIL