The Advocate 07-01-2025 by The Advocate

Newbridgefor BR delayedagain

Review process pushed back

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

The construction of another Mississippi River bridge south of Baton Rouge continues to face signiﬁcant hurdles.

Completed studies areraising more questions about the proposed bridge, delaying the environmental review process atthe same time as agroup of Iberville landowners vocallyopposesapotential bridge cor-

ridor that threatens an old-growth cypress forest.

When they came before the exasperatedcommissioners of theCapital Area Road and Bridge District, project leaders announced that the reviewunder the National Environmental Policy Act will likely occur later than planned. Now the review process will likely be initiated sometime in late summer,rather than the July 11 start that was originally scheduled.

Theanswer to when anew bridge couldbeoperational continues to shift. The mostrecent estimate giveninApril —is2033.

“It’sjust something alwaysdelay-

ing the project,” Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said at adistrict meetingMonday.“Andhere we are again.”

If completed, thebridge wouldbe athird crossing point for theMississippi River in theBaton Rouge area. Thethree potentialplacementsfor thebridge are locatedinIberville Parish

The bridge is estimated to cost $2 billion, with just under $400 million accounted for, according to Christina Brignac, project manager with the LouisianaDepartmentofTransportation and Development.

ä See BRIDGE, page 5A

speaksto reporters MondayasRepublicans begin apush to advancePresident Donald Trump’stax breaksand spending cuts package

GOPworks to shoreup supporton spendingbill

WhiteHouse pushes Senate to ‘get thejob done’

BY LISA MASCARO, MARYCLARE JALONICK and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Senate’slong day of voting churnedintothe evening Monday, withRepublican leaders grasping for ways to shore up support forPresident Donald Trump’sbig bill of tax breaks and spending cuts while fending off proposed amendments from Democrats whooppose the package and are trying to defeat it.

The outcomewas not yet in sight. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged the Republicans are “ﬁguring out how to get to the end game.”

And House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, signaled the potential problemsthe Senate package could face when it is eventually sent back to his chamber fora ﬁnalround of voting, which was expected later this week, ahead of Trump’sFourth of July deadline.

“I have prevailed upon my Senate colleagues to please, please, pleasekeep it as closetothe House product as possible,” said Johnson, as he left the Capitol around dinnertime. House Republicans had already passed their version last month.

It’sa pivotalmoment for the Republicans, who have control of Congress and are racing to wrap

ä See SUPPORT, page 6A

EBRcould halt residentialwoody wastepickupatend of year

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Parishwork-

ers are collecting residents’ large piles of woody waste as acourtesy, but that won’tcontinue next year as the resources to do so runout

After an agreement with Republic Services expired in 2023, the previous mayoral administration entered anew agreement with Richard’sDisposal Inc. for yard waste pickup. Butthe new agreement leaves outbulk woody waste. Since then,the city-parish has voluntarily collected this category of waste, said William Daniel, assistant chief administrative ofﬁcer for Mayor-President Sid Edwards. Danielsaidthe city-parish’sDe-

partment of Public Works workers will no longerbeable to handle this debris next year,though Edwards’ team is looking for asolution. Theinherited contract ends in 2030 and does not include limitless out-of-cart disposal,though Richards’ Disposal will pick up smaller piles of organic debris less than5 feet long and no more than 6inches in diameter

Separate from thecity-parish’s services,residents may pay Richard’sDisposal to pick up large piles of debris.

Garbagecollectionremains ahot issue in Louisiana.In2023, East BatonRouge Parish MetroCouncil members voted to increase garbage andrecycling fees by more than50% to keep twice-a-week trash collection.

At the start of 2025, Donaldsonville residents complained that Republic Services was in violation of its contract with the city Abill recently signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry caused uproar in New Orleans, as it will take away the mayor’sauthority to enter emergency sanitation contracts and give them to astate-created board.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

The Interstate 10 bridgeoverthe Mississippi Riverisone of twocrossings in Baton Rouge. Construction of athird bridgeisfacing moredelays.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO

Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville,

Israeli settlers rampage at base in West Bank

TEL AVIV Israel Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, setting ﬁres vandalizing military vehicles, spraying graffiti and attacking soldiers, the military said.

Sunday night’s unrest came after several attacks in the West Bank carried out by Jewish settlers and anger at their arrests by security forces attempting to contain the violence over the past few days.

More than 100 settlers on Wednesday evening entered the West Bank town of Kfar Malik, setting property ablaze and opening ﬁre on Palestinians who tried to stop them, Najeb Rostom, head of the local council, said Three Palestinians were killed after the military intervened. Israeli security forces arrested ﬁve settlers.

“No civilized country can tolerate violent and anarchic acts of burning a military facility, damaging IDF property and attacking security personnel by citizens of the country,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said

Jury deliberations start in Combs’ trial

NEW YORK Jury deliberations got underway on Monday in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafﬁcking trial and hit a snag almost as soon as they started. But, by the end of the day, jurors indicated they were making progress weighing complex charges that could put the hip-hop mogul in prison for life.

The ﬁrst day of deliberations saw a flurry of notes from the jury and Combs and his supporters bowing their heads in prayer in the courtroom, but no verdict.

The jury of eight men and four women are sifting through seven weeks of sometimes graphic and emotional testimony about the rap, fashion and reality TV impresario’s propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, including drug-fueled sex marathons dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”

About an hour in, the foreperson reported that a juror might be having trouble following the 61 pages worth of instructions the judge had just read to them.

“We are concerned (the juror) cannot follow your honor’s instructions,” the foreperson said in a note to Judge Arun Subramanian just after 12:30 p.m.

After the judge originally proposed asking the jury foreperson the nature of concerns about the fellow juror, defense lawyer Marc Agniﬁlo suggested caution and that it was better to say less than more. Judge Arun Subramanian sent his response to the jury around 2 p.m. reminding the panel to deliberate and to follow his instructions on the law

The jury sent another note about three hours later asking for clarification on part of the instructions dealing with drug distribution — an allegation included in Combs’ racketeering conspiracy charge.

U.K. royal train to end 156 years of service

LONDON The Royal Train will soon leave the station for the last time.

King Charles III has accepted it’s time to decommission the train, whose history dates back to Queen Victoria, because it costs too much to operate and would have needed a signiﬁcant upgrade for more advanced rail systems, Buckingham Palace said Monday

“In moving forwards we must not be bound by the past,” said James Chalmers, the palace official in charge of the king’s financial affairs. “Just as so many parts of the royal household’s work have modernized and adapted to reﬂect the world of today, so too the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding.”

The train, actually a suite of nine railcars that can be hitched to commercial locomotives, will be decommissioned sometime before the current maintenance contract expires in 2027. That will bring to an end a tradition that dates back to 1869, when Queen Victoria commissioned a pair of special coaches to accommodate her travels.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Sheriff details killing of Idaho firefighters

Official: Suspect killed 2 responders after being asked to move vehicle

BY MANUEL VALDES and LINDSEY WASSON Associated Press

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — A man who started a wildfire and then fatally shot two firefighters and wounded another in northern Idaho was a 20-year-old transient who attacked the first responders after they asked him to move his vehicle, a sheriff said Monday.

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris offered new details about the Sunday confrontation at Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur d’Alene, a popular recreation area. He said Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle, had once aspired to be a firefighter and had only a handful of minor contacts with area police.

“We have not been able to ﬁnd a manifesto,” the sheriff said, adding a motive was still unknown.

Norris said families of the victims are “in shock absolutely. They’re in shock and they’re still processing it.”

Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, who had been with the county ﬁre department for 17 years, was killed, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said during a news conference Monday. Harwood was married and had two children, and he also was a veteran of the Army National Guard.

Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, was also killed after working with the department for 28 years.

Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, sustained gunshot wounds and was in critical condition. Authorities said he had two successful surgeries.

After the shooting, local law enforcement agencies have offered to go on every call that the ﬁre department goes on,

according to Way.

“I don’t know that we’re ever going to be able to guarantee people’s peace of mind, at least for a while after an incident like this,” he said. “But we are taking every measure we can to ensure safety of our responders.”

Roley had set a fire using flint, and the firefighters who rushed to the scene instead found themselves under fire. They took cover behind fire trucks.

“There was an interaction with the ﬁreﬁghters,” Norris said. “It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”

Roley later killed himself, the sheriff said.

He had ties to California and Arizona and was living in Idaho “for the better part of 2024,” Norris said. “But as far as when he got here, why he was here, why he chose this place I don’t know.”

Two helicopters converged on the area Sunday, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used his cellphone data to track him and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found Roley dead in the mountains, his ﬁrearm beside him.

Roley lived with T.J. Franks Jr for about six months in Sandpoint, Idaho, while working for a tree service, Franks said on Monday Franks had cameras in his apartment that caught Roley throwing gang signs at them one day which worried Franks to the point that he called police.

“I didn’t know what to really think about it,” Franks said. “I just called the cops and had them talk to him.”

The landlord also called Franks one morning because neighbors reported that Roley’s vehicle had been left running for about 12 hours. Franks said Roley was asleep in his room and said he forgot about the vehicle.

Franks said Roley “started acting a little weird” and at one point shaved his long hair off completely

“We just kind of noticed him starting to decline or kind of go downhill,” he said.

Judge delays Abrego Garcia’s release over deportation concerns

BY TRAVIS LOLLER and BEN FINLEY Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kilmar Abrego Garcia will stay in jail for now over concerns from his lawyers that he could be deported if he’s released to await his trial on human smuggling charges, a federal judge in Tennessee ruled Monday

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys had asked the judge to delay his release because of what they described as “contradictory statements” by President Donald Trump’s administration over what would happen to the Salvadoran national. The lawyers wrote in a brief to the court Friday that “we cannot put any faith in any representation made on this issue” by the Justice Department, adding that the “irony of this request is not lost on anyone.”

Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin told The Associated Press on Thursday that the department intends to try Abrego Garcia on the smuggling charges before it moves to deport him, stating that Abrego Garcia “has been charged with horriﬁc crimes.”

Hours earlier, Justice Department attorney Jonathan Guynn told a federal judge in Maryland that the U.S. government plans to deport Abrego Garcia to a “third country” that isn’t El Salvador Guynn said there was no timeline for the deportation plans.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys on Friday cited Guynn’s comments as a reason to fear he would be deported “immediately.”

Abrego Garcia, a construction worker who had been living in Maryland, became a ﬂashpoint over Trump’s hardline immigration policies when he was mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador in March. Facing mounting pressure and a Supreme Court order, Trump’s Republican administration returned him this month to face the smuggling charges, which his attorneys have called “preposterous.”

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have accused the Trump administration of bringing Abrego Garcia back “to convict him in the court of public opinion” with the intention of deporting him before he has a chance to defend himself at trial.

“In a just world, he would not seek to prolong his detention further,” his attorneys wrote Friday

74 killed in Gaza

Israeli forces strike cafe, fire on people seeking food

BY SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

CAIRO Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza on Monday with airstrikes that left 30 dead at a seaside cafe and gunﬁre that left 23 dead as Palestinians tried to get desperately needed food aid, witnesses and health ofﬁcials said.

One airstrike hit Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City when it was crowded with women and children, said Ali Abu Ateila, who was inside.

“Without a warning, all of a sudden, a warplane hit the place, shaking it like an earthquake,” he said.

Dozens were wounded, many critically, alongside at least 30 people killed, said Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s emergency and ambulance service in northern Gaza.

Two other strikes on a Gaza City street killed 15 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. A strike on a building killed six people near the town of Zawaida, according to Al-Aqsa hospital.

The cafe, one of the few businesses to continue operating during the 20-month war was a gathering spot for residents seeking internet access and a place to charge their phones. Videos circulating on social media showed bloodied and disfigured bodies on the ground and the wounded being carried away in blankets.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed 11 people who had been seeking food in southern Gaza, according to witnesses, hospitals, and Gaza’s Health Ministry Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said it received the bodies of people shot while returning from an aid site associated with the Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund. It was part of a deadly pattern that has killed more than 500 Palestinians around the

chaotic and controversial aid distribution program over the past month. The shootings happened around 1.8 miles from the GHF site in Khan Younis, as Palestinians returned from the site along the only accessible route. Palestinians are often forced to travel long distances to access the GHF hubs in hopes of obtaining aid.

Nasser Hospital said an additional person was killed near a GHF hub in the southern city of Rafah. Another person was killed while waiting to receive aid near the Netzarim corridor which separates northern and southern Gaza, according to Al-Awda hospital.

Ten other people were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse in northern Gaza, according to the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service.

One witness, Monzer Hisham Ismail said troops attacked the crowds returning from the GHF hub in Khan Younis.

“We were targeted by (the Israeli) artillery,” he said.

Yo usef M ahmoud Mokheimar was walking with dozens of others when he saw troops in tanks and other vehicles racing toward them. They fired warning shots before ﬁring at the crowds, he said.

“They fired at us indiscriminately,” he said, adding that he was shot in a leg, and a man was shot while attempting to rescue him. He said he saw troops detaining six people, including three children.

“We don’t know whether they are still alive,” he said.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing information about the attacks In the past, the military has said it ﬁres warning shots at people who move suspiciously or get too close to troops including while collecting aid.

Israel wants the GHF to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups. Along with the United States, Israel has accused the militant Hamas group of stealing aid and using it to prop up its rule in the enclave. The U.N. denies there is systematic diversion of aid.

A line of wildland firefighters arrive Monday at the scene the day after a shooter ambushed and killed multiple firefighters responding to a wildfire at Canfield Mountain in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Brianna O’Keefe yells as she holds a portrait of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Wednesday during a protest outside the federal courthouse in Nashville, Tenn.

Netanyahu to head to Washington next Monday

Trump presses for ceasefire in Gaza

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next Monday, according to two U.S. administration ofﬁcials.

The visit comes as the U.S. leader has begun stepping up his push on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceaseﬁre and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza

The ofﬁcials were not authorized to comment publicly on the visit that hasn’t been formally announced and spoke on the condition of anonymity Netanyahu’s visit comes af-

Officials: Woman hurt in Boulder attack dies

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN and MEAD GRUVER Associated Press

DENVER An 82-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in a Molotov cocktail attack on demonstrators in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza has died, prosecutors said Monday Karen Diamond died as a result of the severe injuries she suffered in the June 1 attack in downtown Boulder Colorado, the local District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Prosecutors have listed 29 victims, including 13 who were physically injured. Mohamed Sabry Soliman already faced dozens of charges in state court including attempted first-degree murder, using an incendiary device, and animal cruelty because a dog was hurt in the attack. He has not been arraigned on those charges that now include ﬁrst-degree murder

The Associated Press left a voicemail Monday for Soliman’s public defender in the state case. The ofﬁce generally bars its lawyers from commenting on their cases to the media. A preliminary hearing to determine whether there’s enough evidence for a trial is set for July 15

Separately, Soliman has

ter Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer’s visit to Washington this week for talks with senior administration ofﬁcials on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran and other matters.

The president in public comments has signaled he’s turning his attention to bringing a close to the fighting between Israel and Hamas, since the ceasefire to end 12 days of fighting between Israel and Iran took hold a week ago Trump on Friday told reporters, “We think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire” in Gaza, but didn’t offer any further explanation for his optimism. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Monday said Trump and administration officials were in constant communication with Israeli leadership and bringing about an end to the Gaza conflict is a priority for

ceaseﬁre agreement. About 50 hostages remain captive in Gaza, with less than half believed to be alive.

The timing of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington was ﬁrst reported by Axios.

Trump will embrace Netanyahu as he pushes back against skeptical questions from Democratic lawmakers and others about how far U.S. and Israeli strikes have set back Iran’s nuclear program.

nium have been destroyed to an important degree.” But, he added, “some is still standing” and that because capabilities remain, “if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.” He said assessing the full damage comes down to Iran allowing inspectors access.

Trump.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end,” Leavitt added.

“He wants to save lives.”

An eight-week ceasefire was reached as Trump took

been indicted on 12 federal hate crime counts. He entered a not guilty plea to those charges in federal court on Friday

Leaders of the Boulder Jewish Community Center announced in an email Monday that Diamond died June 25 and said she will be deeply missed.

“Karen was a cherished member of our community, someone whose warmth and generosity left a lasting impact on all who knew her,” executive director Jonathan Lev and board chair David Paul said.

Diamond helped at her synagogue and volunteered for several local groups, including the University of Colorado University Women’s Club and a local music festival.

Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Monday that he was devastated by Diamond’s death, and that it will be felt deeply by the city of Boulder, the state and the Jewish community “Karen was taken from us too soon, and we mourn her loss while remembering her life and the impact she had on those who loved her,” Polis said.

Prosecutors said Diamond’s family has asked for privacy Diamond and her husband were enthusiastic volunteers since the 1990s for a local historic preservation organization, Historic Boulder, Inc. The couple often helped with public tours of old homes, said Melanie Muckle, the organization’s administrator “Their generosity with their time and their talent and their kindness, I can’t overstate that,” Muckle said. During the demonstration, Soliman posed as a gardener and wore a construction vest to get close to the group before launching the attack, prosecutors allege.

Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the participants at the weekly demonstration. He yelled “Free Palestine” as he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had prepared.

Prosecutors have identiﬁed 29 people who are considered victims of the attack, including 13 who were physically injured. The others were nearby and are considered victims because they could have been hurt. A dog was also injured in the attack

Man to plead guilty in killings of 4 university students in Idaho

BY REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, multiple media outlets reported Monday

The news was delivered to families of the victims in a letter from prosecutors, according to ABC News A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday Kohberger’s trial had been set to begin in August. Kohberger 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Ethan

Trump

Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.

Goncalves’ family expressed outrage in a Facebook post: “We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.”

Kohberger, then a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, was arrested in Penn-

sylvania weeks after the killings. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene. In a court ﬁling his lawyers said Kohberger was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed.

The killings shook the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn’t had a homicide in about five years. The trial was moved from rural northern Idaho to Boise after the defense expressed concerns that Kohberger couldn’t get a fair trial in the county where the killings occurred.

orders end to sanctions on Syria

By The Associated Press

country’s path to stability and peace.” Sanctions will remain in place on ousted former President Bashar Assad, his top aides and family

The executive order is meant to “end the country’s isolation from the international financial system, setting the stage for global commerce and galvanizing investments from its neighbors in the region as well as from the United States,” Treasury’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brad Smith, told reporters on a call Monday morning to preview the administration’s action. The White House posted the text of the order on X after the signing, which was not open to the press.

ofﬁce earlier this year, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over a major sticking point whether the war should end as part of any

A preliminary report issued by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, meanwhile, said the strikes did signiﬁcant damage to the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites, but did not totally destroy the facilities.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the three Iranian sites with “capabilities in terms of treatment, conversion and enrichment of ura-

Trump in recent days has also inserted himself into Israeli domestic affairs, calling for charges against Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial to be thrown out.

Trump’s in a social media post last week condemned the trial as a “WITCH HUNT,” and vowed that the United States will be the one who “saves” Netanyahu from serious corruption charges.

The decision by Trump to plunge himself into one of Israel’s most heated debates has unnerved some in its political class.

Iran raises death toll from war with Israel to more than 900

By The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iran raised the official death toll for its war with Israel on Monday, with ofﬁcial media reporting 935 people were killed in the country during the 12-day conﬂict.

The state-run IRNA news agency did not give a breakdown between military and civilian casualties, but said of the 935 people, 38 were children and 132 were women. Its previous report last week said 627 people had been killed.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists over the weekend said 1,190 people had been killed according to data collected by the agency’s network of medical and local volunteers. Of those, it said 436 were civilians, 435 military and 319 have not yet been identiﬁed. The group has consistently reported higher casualties than the ofﬁcial reports from Iran.

BREC lookstoevolvewith new topleadershipand a focus on rapidresponses and modernization

By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyBREC.

BREC is entering aseasonoftransition, as newly-appointedInterim Superintendent JanetSimmons stepsintoleadership focused on afast-pacedsix months with an emphasis on streamlining,efficiency andlayingthe groundwork foramoresustainable,modern park system SimmonsofficiallyassumedherroleonJune 1. Former SuperintendentCorey Wilson will remainanadvisoratBRECthroughearly2026. Simmonssaidshehasnoplanstopursuethe superintendentrolepermanently.However,she ishopefulthatmuchcanbeaccomplishedduring herinterim tenure.She hasalready appointed an interimchief operatingofficerand interim chiefhumanresourcesofficer,andhasassembledaseven-membertaskforcetodoadetailed evaluation of BREC facility conditions “One of thecommonthemesI’veheard is that we don’t work fast enough, that it takes toolongtoﬁxproblems,”Simmonssaid.“We’re workingnow on arapid response projectto identifyneedsandgetinformationtothecorrect peoplewithinafewhours.Then,wewantthose people to respond in apromptway.While we areaddressingthose smallerissues, ourtask forcewillbedoingassessmentsofourparks.We want to look at everything –signage,fencing, thecleanliness of buildingsand bathrooms. They willreportbacktoussowecan identify whichproblemswecan addressimmediately thenreassigntheworkthatismorelong-term. At thesametime, BREC is undergoinga majorshiftinitsapproachtorecreationcenters, guidedbythelatestImagineYourParks10-year roadmapand action plan forreinvesting and enhancingparks andrecreationacrossEast BatonRouge Parish.ReedRichard,BREC AssistantSuperintendent, said thedocument includesanewRecCenterTransitionPlan–one ofthemostsigniﬁcantoutcomesofathorough communityengagementprocess. “72%ofsurveyrespondentsweresupportive offewer,yethigherqualityrecreationcentersin ourstatisticallyvalidsurvey.Theyaresupportive ofusfocusingonhavingfewerrecreationcenters thatwillbemoremodernandhavemoretooffer,” Richardsaid.“Thattoldusthatweneedtopivot andhavea more manageable operations and maintenancemodelthatismoresustainable.” Richardnoted that BREC currentlyoperates more recreationcenters percapitathan

anyother park agency in thenationexceptfor Minneapolis.Underthenewplan,thosecenters wouldbeplacedina tiered system.TierOne facilitieswouldbelarger,moremoderncenters designedtoservebroadareas.TierTwocenters wouldcontinuetooffercommunityprograms, but ones that aresmaller in scope. Tier Two A facilities wouldberepurposedintooutdoor recreationhubs–largepavilionswithamenities for activities like basketballand pickleball,as wellasplaygrounds.Thelargepavilionswould notonlyprovideshadebutincludelargefansto circulateair

“Wearen’ttakinganythingoffline.It’sreally aboutrepurposing thespaces,”Richard said Communityfeedbackalsorevealedthatcitizens wantbetterbikingandwalkinginfrastructure, increasedenvironmental resilience within BRECfacilitiesandmoregreeninfrastructure to help manage heavyrains

“Wesaw howmuchstormwaterour parks stored in theﬂoodof2016. That taught us that we canintentionally implementmoregreen infrastructureandstormwaterholdingcapacity,” Richardsaid. Meanwhile,Simmonsisalsonavigatingthe implicationsofarecently-signedstatelawthat givesmayorsofindividualEastBaton Rouge Parishcommunitiesmoreoversightandinput into BREC operations

“We’re goingtolearn howtoworkwith thoseindividualcitiesand seehow theBREC systemworkswithintheirstructureandwhat kind of programming each area wantstosee,” Simmonssaid.“Peopleineachcityaregoingto have differentneeds andwants.Wewillwork to ensure we areproviding services that are relevant to them.”

BREC hasmorethan170 parks, includinga uniquemix of facilities that mirror thehistory andrichnatural resourcesofSouth Louisiana. This includes astate-of-the-art observatory, swampnaturecenter, equestrian park,zoo, performing arts theatre, arboretum, botanical garden,awaterparkwiththestate’sonlysurﬁng simulator, five golfcourses anda30,000 foot concreteextremesportspark.Since2004,BREC hasconstructedcommunityparks,dogparks,a family-sized Aquatics Center,agrowing trails system,ﬁshing pondsand larger playgrounds. Visitwww.brec.orgtolearnmore.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

President Donald Trump, left, stands with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 7 at the West Wing of the White House in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

A woman places a bouquet of flowers on June 3 at a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the courthouse in Boulder Colo.

Tillis goes the way of others in GOP who challenged Trump

Senator drops reelection bid amid president’s ire over vote

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON — Flake. Corker Romney And now Sen. Thom Tillis.

The roll call of Republican senators in the U.S. Congress who have called it quits, rather than endure a political career sideways with President Donald Trump, is long, notable — and apparently, still growing.

Tillis, the GOP senator from North Carolina, announced his decision not to seek reelection Sunday a stunning moment, given its timing.

It arrived a day after Trump trashed Tillis online, threatening to campaign against him, after the senator revealed he would oppose Trump’s big tax breaks bill because of its deep cuts to Medicaid that he warned would devastate his state.

“My goal is not to undermine the president,” Tillis told The Associated Press and others late Sunday night at the U.S. Capitol

“But why not do it right?

And why not take the time to make sure that we’re not going to have unintended consequences, which will also have, I think, substantial political consequences next year if we’re not careful.”

The senator, like others before him, has run up against the limits of his own perceived truth-telling, particularly when it goes against the views of the president or threatens the White House agenda.

Tillis’ reelection in the Tar Heel State was already expected to be difﬁcult, a $600 million campaign, he said he was told. Democrats see the state as a prime pickup opportunity in next year’s elections as they try to ﬂip the seat and retake majority control of the Senate from Republicans.

Turning 65 later this year, Tillis said he had been weighing his decision, and having put a cancer diagnosis behind him was charting the next phase of his life. A former House speaker in North Carolina, he noted he has been in ofﬁce for some 20 years.

But Trump’s unchallenged grip on the party, and his singular ability to not only tank political careers but also deeply inﬂuence the views of Republican voters, leaves little room for dissent.

Most GOP senators who confronted Trump during his first term — Arizona’s Jeff Flake, Tennessee’s Bob Corker and Utah’s Mitt Romney, who was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump in both of his Senate impeachment trials have long since stepped aside.

Tillis bristled at those comparisons.

“No, no, no. Look, I am an unlikely senator,” Tillis said. He insisted, “I don’t like

any of the trappings that many senators like up here. I like doing work. I like going home, and I like being with my family That’s me.”

Tillis, as he walked back to his Senate ofﬁce, told the story of living in a trailer park in Nashville as a teen with his family, before branching out on his own.

At about 16, he had been a cook at a roadside diner, “like a Denny’s,” he said, but found that the waiters made more money with tips, so he switched. He was grossing about $10,000 a year Then he moved on to a warehouse job, earning about the same pay, and was able to move

Officials: Over 300 charged in $14.6B health care fraud schemes

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history Law enforcement seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as prosecutors warned of a growing push by transnational criminal networks to exploit the U.S. health care system. As part of the sweeping crackdown, officials identiﬁed perpetrators based in Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and other countries.

“These criminals didn’t just steal someone else’s

money They stole from you,” Matthew Galeotti, who leads the Justice Department’s criminal division, told reporters Monday “Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacriﬁce.”

The alleged $14.6 billion in fraud is more than twice the previous record in the Justice Department’s annual health care fraud crackdown. It includes nearly 190 federal cases and more than 90 state cases that have been charged or unsealed since June 9. Nearly 100 licensed medical professionals were charged, including 25 doctors, and the government reported $2.9 billion in actual losses.

Among the cases is a $10 billion urinary catheter scheme that authorities say highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by transnational criminal organizations. Authorities say the group behind the scheme used foreign straw owners to secretly buy up dozens of medical supply companies and then used stolen identities and conﬁdential health data to ﬁle fake Medicare claims.

Nineteen defendants have been charged as part of that investigation — which authorities dubbed Operation Gold Rush — including four people arrested in Estonia and seven people arrested at U.S. airports and at the border with Mexico, prosecutors said. The scheme involved the stolen identities and personal information of more one million Americans, according to the Justice Department.

Trump administration sues L.A.

Feds claim city refuses to cooperate on immigration

BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press

LOS ANGELES President

into the trailer of his own.

That’s one reason why he opposes Trump’s tax bill: he says it’s not the kind of relief the president is promising for working Americans. Take the president’s no tax on tips plan, he said.

“Thom Tillis the waiter gets a tax break. Thom Tills the warehouse worker doesn’t,” he said.

“Why can’t we ﬁgure out a way to give it to both of them versus something that catches an applause line in Las Vegas?”

Tillis went on, “I would love to have told the president this story Instead of people getting gimmicky

and targeting things — and not looking at the inherent unfairness of that policy and the additional billions of dollars we have to spend on that — which is forcing the Medicaid debate.”

He said, exasperated, “Folks, pull back.” Tillis did talk with Trump over the past several days.

On Friday night he said he had a good call with the president and shared his concerns with the bill.

But once the president lashed out against him Saturday night, that was about it.

“I told the president after that post that it’d probably be

a good time for him to start looking for replacements,” Tillis said

In a speech later Sunday, Tillis appeared somewhat liberated, free to publicly call the bill as he saw it, a betrayal of Trump’s promises.

“I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed: You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,” he thundered from the chamber floor Colleagues have been taking notice. Democrats in particular can’t help but remember another pivotal moment when Republicans were trying to cut health care and a single GOP senator stood up and said no. Sen John McCain famously voted thumbs down against the Republican plan to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in a stunning setback during Trump’s first term in the summer of 2017. Tillis brushed off that comparison, too.

“We’re gonna get the tax bill done,” he said. But he said, the president has advisers that are “politically too cute by half, and they’re having fun while we’re having to implement suboptimal policy that will degrade the enormous impact and the legacy that this president could otherwise have.”

And as he heads for the exits next year, Tillis said “if they continue to do this, I’ll start spending some time focusing on just who those people are.“

Officials: 6 killed in Ohio plane crash

By The Associated Press

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Four adults from one family heading out on vacation were killed along with their pilot and co-pilot when a small plane crashed minutes after taking off from an

Ohio airport, ofﬁcials said. The twin-engine Cessna 441 turboprop crashed near Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport on Sunday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There were no survivors,

Western Reserve Port Authority Executive Director Anthony Trevena said at a news conference. The agency owns the airport. Agency records show the plane was registered to Meander Air LLC of Warren, Ohio.

DOVARGANES

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAMIAN

Demonstrators protest on June 21 outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles against the immigration enforcement raids being conducted in the city

Chad Mizelle, chief of staff for U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, said in announcing the latest lawsuit that the administration will not tolerate any interference with the federal government’s crackdown.

“We will keep enforcing federal immigration law in Los Angeles, whether or not the city’s government or residents agree with it,” Mizelle said in a social media post on the platform X Messages seeking comment on the lawsuit were sent to the ofﬁces of Mayor Karen Bass and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto. Council member Hugo Soto-Martinez, a co-author of

Donald Trump’s administration ﬁled suit Monday against Los Angeles, claiming the city is obstructing the enforcement of immigration laws and creating a lawless environment with its sanctuary policies that bar local police from sharing information on people without legal status. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court says Los Angeles’ “sanctuary city” ordinance hinders White House efforts to crack down on what it calls a “crisis of illegal immigration.” It is the latest in a string of lawsuits against so-called sanctuary jurisdictions — including New York, New Jersey and Colorado that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Los Angeles policy bars city resources from being used for immigration enforcement. The court ﬁling calls the city ordinance “illegal” and asks that it be blocked from being enforced.

the Los Angeles sanctuary law, said Monday that the city would do everything in its power to protect its residents.

He said in a statement that “Trump is tearing families apart” and trying to force cities and towns across the country to help him carry out his agenda.

“We refuse to stand by and let Donald Trump deport innocent families,” he added.

The Los Angeles lawsuit claims Trump “won the presidential election on a platform of deporting the millions of illegal immigrants.” Over the past three weeks, immigration agents have swarmed Southern California, arresting hundreds of people and prompting protests.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., walks to the chamber as senators arrive for votes and policy meetings on June 17 at the Capitol in Washington.

Scientists

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

flood walls sinking, study

Scientists have made an unsettling discovery about parts of New Orleans’ $15 billion hurricane protection system: They’re sinking faster than sea levels are rising.

Using radar measurements taken from satellites new research published Friday from Tulane’s Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering and California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory measured land elevation changes along the metro area’s storm surge protection system. In certain areas, ﬂood walls are sinking at a rate of up to 28 millimeters a year That’s up to 10 times faster than sea levels are rising due to climate change, according to the researchers The massive system of levees, floodgates and pumps is known as the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, and was designed and built after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Its aim is to protect the city from a so-called 100-year storm, one that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year As the climate heats, hurricanes are becoming stronger, according to scientists.

A couple dozen millimeters per year might not sound like much, but combined with rising seas and the loss of wetlands, the scientists say the subsidence of land that makes up the levee systems could “pose a long-term threat” to the ﬂood protection system. When it comes to the levees, every inch counts.

BRIDGE

Continued from page 1A

Brignac said ﬁndings from land and grade analyses, as well as concerns about maintaining neighborhoods’ access to La. 1 and La. 30, moved back the review start date. She said DOTD and Atlas, a consulting ﬁrm hired for the project, want to be able to articulate how they plan to mitigate potential impacts before initiating it.

Once the review begins, DOTD will have 12 months to prepare the environmental assessment, she said If the Federal Highway Administration determines the project carries significant environmental impacts, that will trigger a more timeconsuming process called an environmental impact statement.

“I understand your frustration,” Brignac said to the commissioners. “Trust me, we’re working through how to move this project forward efﬁciently.”

Former DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue expressed frustration that the line and grade analyses were submitted so close to July 11, the original review start date, and that mitigating mea-

Subsidence, the gradual sinking of land, is a long-standing challenge in New Orleans, where natural and human-made factors combine to lower ground elevations over time.

“Some sections seem to be very stable and some sections seem to be going down relatively rapidly,” said Mead Allison, the chair of Tulane’s Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering and a co-author of the study Allison noted that some of the sinking they’re measuring in the levee system likely has to do with the fact that the flood walls are fairly new — construction on the system was only declared complete in 2022 He said that it isn’t yet clear how much of the sinking

“I think that it was understood at the time that this was undertaken initially and Atlas was put under contract, that those tie-ins and the impacts of the controlled access (of La. 1 and La. 30) would have to evaluated and mitigations potentially identified Just like President Daigle, I’m a little bit at a loss to understand what it was that pushed out the schedule.”

JOE DONAHUE, former

Department

of Transportation and Development secretary

sures weren’t planned for ahead of time. “I think that it was understood at the time that this was undertaken initially and Atlas was put under contract, that those tie-ins and the impacts of the controlled access (of La. 1 and La. 30) would have to evaluated and mitigations potentially identiﬁed,” Donahue said. “Just like President Daigle, I’m a little bit at a loss to understand what it was that pushed out the schedule.”

is due to short-term settling after construction versus longer-term subsidence trends.

If the subsidence is long-term, he cautioned, that could pose problems for the ﬂood protection system years from now, especially when combined with future sealevel rise.

The highest rates of elevation loss are taking place near the ﬂood walls built adjacent to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, along the earthen levees in New Orleans East, the St Bernard Parish ﬂood walls on the East Bank, and a section of the West Bank levees along the Mississippi.

The flood protection system is managed jointly by two regional ﬂood protection authorities, known

as the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which oversees the system on the East Bank, and the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West for the West Bank. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the system and contributes to its maintenance. The Corps recently ﬁxed the massive pumps at the ends of the city’s outfall canals.

The West Bank authority said that it was aware that subsidence is affecting sections of the levee system.

“For this reason, we funded a lift program from 2016 to 2019 before the Army Corps’ armoring of the West Bank levees to maximize the height of individual levee segments,” a spokesperson for the

authority said in a statement. The agency is now working to raise two additional sections of levee. Stacy Gilmore, a spokesperson for the East Bank authority, said that the study’s findings underscore “the critical need for ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and investment to preserve the strength and reliability of the infrastructure that safeguards our region,” and noted that the agency is currently working with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Corps on plans to raise the levees.

The Corps said that the local agencies regularly monitor the height of the levees, and noted that the federal agency recently assessed the cost of maintaining 100-year storm protection through the year 2073 for both sides of the river at about $4.2 billion.

Besides the levees, an area of wetlands in St. Bernard Parish that form a storm surge buffer for New Orleans also appear to be subsiding, according to the study

Allison noted that measuring the elevation of wetlands is difﬁcult to do, because vegetation and water levels in the marsh vary seasonally But the rates of subsidence the team measured in some areas could spell the end of some wetlands if subsidence continues.

“There’s going to be some debate as to why that’s happening, but certainly it’s true that if those rates continue, those areas are not that high above sea level,” Allison said.

“They will convert to open water.”

The researchers also identiﬁed human activity as a possible driver of localized subsidence. An area where an Entergy power plant was pumping up groundwater for cooling was sinking rapidly until 2016, when the plant shuttered. Since then, the area appears to have gained some elevation as the water table recovered.

Commissioners also ﬁelded public comment from residents of Plaquemine Point, a river swamp in Iberville Parish containing a rare old-growth cypress forest. Landowner and environmental advocate Laura Comeaux expressed opposition to the process that narrowed down the potential bridge placements to three options, saying the outcome was “predetermined” by DOTD and parish leaders.

She referenced a comment from former Iberville Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso during public meetings in 2022.

The Plaquemine Post South reported Ourso as saying, “The consultants know where the final three are, but because of the federal regulations they had to go through the process of community meetings to prove they don’t leave off anything that’s required.”

Comeaux also argued that public comment was not properly incorporated into the pre-review phase. Her statements were met with applause from the audience of fellow landowners and environmentalists

“Something has to be documented in that NEPA analysis-to-be to legally take all

of these documents and this information that we have provided and make it part of the federal public record,” Comeaux said. Donahue said he disagrees with the Plaquemine Point

residents’ legal analysis, but that their overall concerns will be included in the environmental assessment.

“I don’t think that you’re running up against a brick wall,” Donahue said. “You’ve

got open ears and an open mind in considering the concerns that you’ve raised.” Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

Governor signscar insurancelegislation

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Gov.Jeff Landry on Monday

signed alaw that puts new limits on how much money an injured person can win in alawsuit after an accident —ameasurefavored by businessand the insurance industry but slammed by triallawyers as curtailing the rights of plaintiffs.

In approvingSenateBill231

Landry said he was balancingfairness to plaintiffs against unreasonablemoneyawards in court in an effort to tamp down soaring car insurance rates.

“This bill brings transparency into the courtroombymaking sure that the judges and juries see both the medical bills and the actual amounts paid,” Landry said at the bill signing Monday.“This will once and for all prevent inﬂated, phantom charges but alsoprotects the legitimate rights of those who are legitimately injured.”

That stancewas backed by the Louisiana Association of Business andIndustry,the state’spowerful business lobby

“Today is another step toward restoring balance andfairness in Louisiana’scivil justicesystem,”

LABI President andCEO Will Green said in astatement. “The passage of SB231 is aclear signal that Louisiana is committed to reformsthatsignal we are open for business and ready to compete.”

Landry’ssignaturemarks areversal of fortune of sorts. This timelast year,LABI slammed the governor for vetoing abill that would have reduced payouts in personal injury cases, accusinghim of choosing to “stand with the trial bar.”

This year, Landry’s decision left the trial bar out in the cold on that issue.

“We’re really disappointed,”said Brian Katz, president of Louisiana Associationfor Justice, which represents theinterests of trial lawyers.

Katz saidthatunder thenew law, insurance companies will be reimbursedfor themedical claims they pay on behalf of the plaintiff —but theinjured person won’tbeable to get compensation beyond that. He called the change “unfair,” saying plaintiffs won’t getmoney from the suit to payfor theirinsurance premiumsorattorneys fees.

Katz said thecall to reduce insurance ratesis“typically the mantraofthe people that are passing these bills that ultimately take away rights from citizens.”

“Tort reform doesnot reduce rates,” he said. “It’s easy to pick on lawyers,and it’seasy to pick on lawsuits, but it would be nice if it actually worked.”

Lastyear,Landrycited “fairness andjustice” in vetoinglegislation thatwould have reduced —but not eliminated —the money aplaintiff can collect beyond what an insurer actually pays to amedical provider.

The measures the governor signed this year andvetoed last

year deal with how Louisiana law handles alegal doctrine called “collateral source,” which deﬁnes how much adamage award owed by adefendant to aplaintiff can be reduced in light of payments made by third parties, like insurance companies.

This year,Landry saidthe lawhe approvedaims to bring efﬁciency to personal injury lawsuits.

“The more efﬁcient you make thelitigation,the less youhave to payfor lawyers, the lower your premiums should be,” he said during Monday’ssigning.

“Just because Ivetoed something doesn’t mean we can’tmake it better.When it’sall said and done, we’re trying to work for the betterment of thepeople —not the betterment of thetrial lawyersor the insurance companies.”

Bill sponsor Sen. Mike Reese, RLeesville,said the measure aimsto lower auto insurance premiums.

“When we limit recovery to what peopleactually lost, and we limit

the amount of those awards,” he said, “we should ultimately lower premium costs.”

Under prior law,juries hearing personal injury cases were informed of the amount billed by amedical providerfor medical treatment. That billedamount is often higher than the amount an insurance company actually pays to the medical provider

Nowjuries will be made aware of how much was paid by an insurerfor medical treatment, and aplaintiff can recover only the amount actually paid.

“That takes away whathas historically been what we considered ‘phantom damages’ in Louisiana where the jury was awarding more money than wasever actually paid out to satisfythe medical bill,” Reese said. “The bill that we passed this year that the governor signed completelyeliminates that phantom amount of money that was never paid out to satisfyamedical bill.”

Sen.

up work with just days to go before Trump’s holiday deadline Friday.The 940page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it’sformally titled, has consumed Congress as its shared priority with the president

The GOP leaders have no room to spare, with narrow majorities in both chambers. Thune can loseno more than three Republican senators, and already two Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, who warns people will lose access to Medicaid healthcare, and Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky,who opposesraising thedebtlimit —have indicated opposition. Tillis abruptly announced over the weekend he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to campaign against him.

And billionaire Elon Musk was againlashing out at Republicans, calling them “the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for including aprovision that would raise the nation’sdebt limit by $5 trillion, which is needed to allow continued borrowing to pay the bills.

Ahead of Monday’svoting Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer,of New York, said the “hardest choices” forRepublicans are still to come.

“With every rewrite Senate Republicans have made their bill more extreme,” Schumersaid.“Alltogive tax breaks to billionaires.”

Democrats have proposed dozens of amendmentsin what’scalled avote-a-rama, though most are expected to fail. Democrats areunited againstthe Republican president’slegislation andeagerly lined up to challenge it

Anew analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 millionmore Americans wouldbecome uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law The CBO said the package would increasethe deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.

The White House said it was counting onRepublican lawmakers to “get the job done.”

“Republicans need to stay tough and uniﬁed during the home stretch,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. But after afull day of voting, it was slow going, another sign that Republican leaders were not yet ready to call for passage.

Few Republicans appear fully satisfiedasthe final package emerges, in either the House or Senate. Tillis said it is abetrayal of the president’spromises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close.

Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine,has proposed$25 billion more for rural hospitals andSen.LisaMurkowski, RAlaska, was trying to secure provisions to spare people in her state from some health care andfood stampcuts. They have not said how they will vote forthe ﬁnal package. At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans —Rick Scott, of Florida; Mike Lee,

of Utah; RonJohnson, of Wisconsin;and Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming —have proposed steeper cuts, particularly to health care. That drew their own warning from Trump not to go“crazy.”

As the firstfew Senate amendments came up Monday— to strike partsofthe bill that would limit Medicaid fundstorural hospitals or shift the costsoffood stamp beneﬁts to the states —some were winning support from afew Republicans, thoughnonepassed.

Sen. Mike Crapo, the GOP chairofthe FinanceCommittee, dismissedthe dire predictions of health care cutsasDemocratstrafﬁcking in what he calledthe “politics of fear.”

All told,the Senatebill includes$4.5trillion in tax cuts, according to the latest CBOanalysis, making permanent Trump’s2017 rates, which would expireatthe end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the newoneshecampaignedon, includingnotaxes on tips

The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits,which Democratswarn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide.It would impose $1.2 trillion in

cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing workrequirements, making sign-up eligibilitymore stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states Additionally,the bill would provide a$350 billioninfusion for border and national security, including for deportations,someofitpaid for with newfees charged to immigrants.

Unable to stop themarch toward passage, the Democrats as theminority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process. Democrats forced afull reading of the text,which took 16 hours, and they have an stream of amendments.

Sen. Patty Murray,of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the AppropriationsCommittee, raised particular concern at the start of debate late Sundayabout the accounting method being usedbythe Republicans, which says the taxbreaks from Trump’sﬁrst term are now “currentpolicy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deﬁcits.

She saidthat kind of “magic math” won’tﬂywith Americanstryingtobalance their own household books.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trade talks between U.S.-Canada resume

Canadian Prime Minister

Mark Carneysays tradetalks with U.S. have resumed after Canada rescinded its plan to taxU.S. technology ﬁrms.

President Donald Trump said Friday that it was suspending trade talks with Canada over itsplans to continue with its tax on technology ﬁrms, which he called “a direct and blatant attack on our country.” The Canadian government says “in anticipation” of atrade deal “Canadawould rescind” the digital services tax.

Carney’sofﬁce said Carney and Trump haveagreed to resume negotiations. The tax was set to go into effect Monday Home Depotacquires

GMS for nearly $5B

Home Depot is buying specialtybuilding products distributor GMS for $4.3 billion, the second notable acquisition in alittle over ayearthatemphasizes adeliberate push by the home improvement chain into building andmaterials supply

The acquisitions arrive as booming sales from thepandemicfade and Home Depot intensiﬁes itsfocus on professional builders.

GMSInc., of Tucker,Georgia, is adistributor of specialty building products like drywall, steel framing and other supplies used in both residential and commercial projects.

AsubsidiaryofHome Depot’sSRS Distribution Inc., the supply company it bought last year,will start acash tender offer to buyall outstanding shares of GMS for $110 per share. The total equity value of the transaction is approximately $4.3 billion. The deal is worthabout $5.5 billion, including debt Home DepotpurchasedSRS Distribution, amaterials provider forprofessionals, for more than $18 billion including debt. SRS provides materials for professionals likeroofers, landscapers and pool contractors

Hewlett Packardgets

OK in $14B Juniper deal

HewlettPackard Enterprise has reached asettlementwith the Justice Department that couldclear the way for its $14 billion takeover of rival Juniper Networks. The Justice Department had sued to block the acquisition, saying it could eliminate competition, raiseprices and reduce innovation.

The settlement, which is subject to court approval,calls for Hewlett Packard Enterprise to divest its global Instant On campus and branch business. Hewlett Packard Enterprise will facilitate limited access to Juniper’sadvanced Mist AIOpstechnology oncethe deal closes.

“Our agreement with the DOJ pavesthe way to close HPE’s acquisition of Juniper Networks and preserves the intended beneﬁts of this deal forour customersand shareholders, while creating greater competition in the global networkingmarket,” Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said in astatement.

Last year Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that it was buying Juniper Networks for $40 ashare in adeal expectedtodouble HPE’snetworkingbusiness. Juniper provides routers,switchinggear and network security productsfrom its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.

The Justice Department’s intervention —the ﬁrstofthe new administration andjust 10 days after Donald Trump’s inauguration—came as somewhat of asurprise at the time. Most predicted asecond Trump administration would ease up on antitrustenforcementand be more receptive to mergers and deal-makingafter years of hypervigilance under formerPresident JoeBiden’s watch.

U.S. stocks continue upwardclimb

BYSTANCHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK The U.S.stock marketaddedto its record on Monday as Wall Street closed out asecond straight winning month.

The S&P 500rose0.5% in its ﬁrst trading aftercompleting astunning recovery fromits springtime sell-off of roughly 20%. The Dow Jones Industrial Averageadded 275 points,or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite gained0.5%.

Stocks gotaboost after Canada saidit’srescinding aplannedtax on U.S. technology ﬁrmsand resum-

ing talks on trade with the United States.

One of the main reasons U.S stocks came back so quickly from their springtime swoon hasbeen hope thatTrump will reach deals with other countries to lower his stiff proposedtariffs.Otherwise, the fear is that trade wars could stiﬂe the economy andsendinﬂationhigher

Many of Trump’sannounced tariffs arecurrentlyonpause, and they’re scheduled to kick back into effect in alittlemorethan aweek.

The U.S.stock market being back at arecord highcould actually raise

the risk of renewed escalationson tariffs,according to strategists at Deutsche Bank led by Parag Thatte and Binky Chadha. They point to the pattern in 2018 and 2019 of rallies forthe market prompting escalationsfor tariffs, which thendrove themarket lower and led to subsequent pullbacks on tariffs,which thensparked rallies again.

“Despite the rhetorictothe contrary,this dynamic looks alive and well,” thestrategistswrote in areport. “In our view,beyond the market reaction, if negative impacts of tariffs on growth, earnings or inﬂationstart to materialize, we will get

further relents.” On Wall Street, Oracle’s4%rise wasone of the strongest forces liftingthe S&P500. CEOSafra Catz said the tech giant “is off to astrong start” in its fiscal year and that it signed multiple large cloud services agreements, including one that could contributeover$30 billion in annual revenue two fiscal years from now Bankstocksweresolid after the Federal Reservesaid on Friday that they are financially strong enough to survive adownturn in the economy.JPMorganChase climbed1%, and Citigroup gained 0.9%.

Atrader worksonthe floor of the Newyork Stock Exchange. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW

With Wall Street on itscurrent course,whatcomes next?

By The Associated Press

Atrade war.A real war with bombs dropped in the Middle East.A barrage of insults hurled by the president of the United States at the headofthe FederalReserve.

The stock market has powered through all of that in the past few months to set anew record Fridayand continued Monday.Investors who stayed their ground through avolatile stretch have beenrewarded. TheS&P 500 closed at an all-time high of 6,173.

While Wall Street can take abow —and breatha sigh of relief— there’s no let-up ahead.The pause President Donald Trumpput in effect for many tariffs expires in early July Second-quarter proﬁt reportsand upcoming economic indicators could reveal more about theimpact of the tariffs that did go into effect.

The Fed couldface atricky decision on interest rates.

Here’s alookatwhat’shappened in markets and what could lie ahead.

Tariff shock

Trump appearedinthe RoseGarden on April 2and announced steeper-than-expected tariffs on almostall U.S. trade partners.Heespecially targeted China, eventually raising theduties on imports from China to 145%. Beijing retaliated by raisingtariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.

Within just fourdays, the S&P 500 fell about 12%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average

lost nearly 4,600 points, or about 11%.

Trump shrugged off thestock market drop but he couldn’tignore the signs of trouble in thebond and foreign exchange markets. Tumbling prices for U.S. government bonds raised worries that theU.S. Treasury market was losing itsstatusasthe world’ssafestplace to keep cash.The value of the U.S.dollaralsosank in another signal of diminishing faith in the United States as asafe haven for investors.

Time to pause

On April 9, Trump announced on social media a“90-day PAUSE” for most of the tariffs he’d announced, except thoseagainst China. The S&P 500 soared 9.5% for oneofits best days ever

In May,the administration struck atrade deal with theUnited Kingdom. Then came the biggest news: TheU.S.and Chinasaid that they were temporarily rolling back most of the tariffs they’d imposed on one another.The countrieshave indicated they’ve reached adeal, but details are scarce. Markets briefly gotspooked whenTrump threatened tariffs againstthe European Union, but he decided to hold off —until July 9—as thecountries negotiate.

Warand oil

The trade war was pushedout of the headline by areal war this month as Israel and Iran attacked each other.The price of oilspiked,

threatening to boostinflation andslowthe global economy.AU.S. strike on Iraniannuclear facilities was followed by acease-fire andoil prices dropped sharply.Relieved, Wall Street resumed its climb toward anew record. Trumpand theFed Trumpwants the Fed to lower interest rates. The Fed says it needstosee the impact of Trump’stariffsbeforeitcan act.The president has taken to regularly bashing Jerome Powell, whose term as Fed chair expires next year.According to the Wall Street Journal, Trumpcould namehis nominee to replace Powell unusually early,inanattempt to undermine him. The dramacould influence trading in the bond and foreign exchange markets, andbyextensionon Wall Street.

Thebottomline

Strong profit reports for the first quarter helped offset the pressure from tariffs. Soon, companies will report results forthe quarter ending June 30. While Wall Street analysts have lowered their expectations for earnings growth forthe companies in the S&P 500, they still forecastsolid growth of 5%,according to FactSet.

The average quarterly profit growth over the past ﬁve years is 12.7%. Some companies withdrew proﬁt forecasts amid the uncertainty created by tariffs, making forecasting even trickier

BY JAMES POLLARD Associated Press

NEW YORK GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan hadsomecomplications while fundraising on his own website last fall.

Severalfriends wantedtohelp Cadogan reach his $28,000goalas he crowdfunded for aLos Angeles area wilderness rescue team. However,they tried to donate through a lesser-known but growing wealth management tool called adonoradvised fund,oraDAF,a no-frills investing vehicle for money earmarked as eventualcharitable gifts.After cutting checks and

waitingthreeweeks, Cadogan said, themoney ﬁnally arrived.

“It was just abit of athing,” he added. “If they were using aGiving Fund, it would take 10 seconds.”

GivingFunds areGoFundMe’s latestinaﬂurry of product rollouts with thepurportedgoal of moving stagnant U.S.charitable contributions beyond the2%GDP mark wheretotals have long hovered.But the for-proﬁt company’s DAF,announced Monday,enters acrowded market of morethan a thousand providers —products often with older,wealthier clienteles that are often criticized forwarehousing gifts.

To transformthe waythat everyday users plan their donations, Cadogan willhave to widen the appeal of DAFs beyond the likes of thetechnology entrepreneur’s circles. And he wants to change public perceptions of his company as just acrowdfunding site.

“We’realsohopeful thatmore

people willstart using GoFundMe for abroader set of things in their lives: not just that onefundraiser they’re supporting, notjustthat onenonproﬁt. But they’re coming in and they’re managing their giving portfolio with us and through us,” Cadogan said. “That connects directlytoour mission,which is we want to help people help each other.”

Donor-advised funds grew popular over the last decade among ultra-high networth individuals as atax-efﬁcientinstrument for grantmaking without the hassle of amore sophisticated charitable foundation. Donorscan immediately write the contribution off on theirtaxes but face no deadline for giving themoney to anonproﬁt.

The idea: Account holders invest money they wanted to ultimately donate, letthe funds grow tax-free while they sit and give themselves time to identifythe recipients best aligned with their giving goals. There’ssince been arush to

court average givers. Legacy ﬁnancialservices firms suchas Fidelity Charitable lowered the minimums to open accounts. Fintech startups such as Daffy contrast their ﬂat fees with the hidden expenses they allege their competitors charge. With all that traction came IRSproposals last year to impose penalties on those who abuse DAFs and congressional legislation that would require some deadlines for disbursements. GoFundMe’s Giving Funds will have no minimum balances, zero management fees anddonations starting at $5. Users can load their DAFthrough theirbankaccounts or direct deposits for free. Credit card payments will be covered through theend of theyear and then facethe company’sstandard transactionfee of 2.2% plus 30 cents. Contributions can then be invested in achoiceofexchange traded funds from managers including Vanguard, Blackrock and State Street Global Advisors.

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Afeast for thesenses

The George Rodrigue Foundation’sAioli Dinner SupperClubat the Cabildo was more than ameal —itwas afeast for the senses, a step back in time and atributeto art, history and community.

The event was one in alongseries of “multicourse culinary experiences” that pop up around the state to pay tribute to Rodrigue’s 1971 landscape painting titled “The Aioli Dinner.”

The painting was Rodrigue’s ﬁrst to feature people —speciﬁcally,members of the Creole Gourmet Societies. In their heyday between 1890 and 1920, the men gathered for elaborate six-hour meals at homes in and around NewIberia, Rodrigue’s hometown.

On apersonal level,Ihavea soft spot for Rodrigue.

Ihad the chance to be withhim on many occasions duringhis years in Lafayette. In fact, Iwas with him Sept. 15, 2005, in the chaos after Hurricane Katrina, when he signed the original “We Will Rise Again,” the bluedog underwater,which he used as a fundraiser for the Red Cross. The print has raised hundredsofthousands of dollars for charity.

On that day,hesaid to me, “The dog’shead is not under water.His body is, but his head isn’t.He’s reaching out for hope.”

Icouldn’thelp but thinkabout what he would say 20 years later as we approach the Katrinaanniversary

The event at the Cabildowas timed to coincide with the exhibit “Rodrigue: Before the Blue Dog,” which is open through Sept28. The whole evening at the Cabildo was ablend of looking back and looking forward.

Before dinner in the Cabildo’s second-ﬂoor front gallery,we were invited to enjoy the Rodrigue and other exhibits. As much as Ienjoyedthe dinner,I appreciated the time spentinthe galleries even more.

Seeing Rodrigue’swork always brings back memories, but being in the place wheresomuchofhistory unfolded made Louisiana’s sweeping story feel so accessible. In that quiet hour,Iconnected dots Ihadn’tbefore— and felt what Ialways hope to in aLouisiana museum: adeeper sense of belonging in this complicated, beautiful state.

The dinner took place at atable, seated for 88 people, that ranthe length of the Cabildo’ssecondﬂoor front gallery —aroomthat hasseen its share of history.For example, 5feet from where Isat Icould read asign that read,“Lafayette stood here.” Isat there, juxtaposing my surroundings with the scrumptious menu of corn and crab bisque, shrimp remoulade salad, an incredible grilled pork chop with tasso Marchand de vin and Creole cream cheesecake withLouisiana strawberries for dessert, preparedbychef Matt Diunizio.

In Rodrigue’spainting,the dinner’sinspiration, all of the people are wearing black and white, and in keeping with that spirit, guests to the events are asked to wear black, white or acombination thereof.

Ifelt brave and chosetoweara white cotton dress.Imade it without spilling anything until my last bite of dessert, when aLouisiana strawberry found its mark, dribbling down my dress, grazing the hem before hitting the ﬂoor As Ibent to pick up the wayward berry from the ﬂoor,I couldn’thelp but think about the contrast —asimple accident in aroom that had seen so many monumental moments.

For centuries, the building has hosted events that changed the course of the country.In1803, the Louisiana Purchase transfer

ä See RISHER, page 2B

La.board can’tmeetquorum

scheduledtodecide whether to adopt acommittee’srecommendation that the ﬁvedefenders keep their jobs. But only four members attended —one shortofthe ﬁve needed for aquorum.The same thinghappened last week.

erage, shortly after one member, JohnHogue,said he wasdiagnosed with cancer

“All this job uncertainty has taken quite atoll on our family,” Hogue said, adding that he was hopeful abouthis prognosis.

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

After aslew of resignations, Louisiana’sPublicDefender Oversight Board twice failedtoget a quorum to resolve acontroversy over whether ﬁvechief public defenders shouldget to keeptheir jobs as the clockran out on their contracts.

State Public Defender Rémy Starns notiﬁedthe district chiefs in Februarythattheir contracts, which endTuesday,would notbe renewed.The chiefs appealed to theboard.

On Monday,the board was

“The four of us here would like to get this matterconcluded. Unfortunately we don’thave that authority withouthavinga quorum,” said board member PauldeMahy, aformerjudge whochaired the panelthatinvestigated the contract non-renewals.

Phyllis Keaty,another board member andformer judge, said she was “disappointed” the board could not reach aresolution.

Some districtchiefs said they felt left in the lurch as their contracts ended without an answer from the board. It appeared they would lose health insurance cov-

Hogue said he planned to get on thestate continuation plan. Former employees can continue getting insurance for ayear if they continuepaying premiums out of pocket,hesaid. Hoguewas thedistrict chief of East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes. The other four chiefs include Michelle AndrePont, of Caddo Parish; Trisha Ward, of Evangeline Parish; Brett Brunson, of Natchitoches Parish; and Deirdre Fuller,ofRapides Parish.

Starns has appointed ﬁveinterim chiefs to ﬁll their positions, he said.

In February,Starns sent letters to thepublic defenders saying their contracts would not be renewed, withoutstating areason The ﬁve defenders have appealed to the board, arguing they were terminated without just cause and in violation of state law.They also say Starns’ decision was retaliatory because all ﬁve have spoken out against his proposals.

Last year,the defenders opposed abill that gave Starns and Gov.JeffLandry more control over the public defense system. The new state law reconstituted the public defender oversight board and took away its power to select district chiefs, giving most of that authority to Starns. More recently, thedefenders spoke out against acompensa-

WELL WORTHIT

Newrestaurant opensatNottoway

Randolph’s building escaped fire damage

BY ELLYNCOUVILLION Staff writer

Anew restauranthas opened on thegrounds of NottowayResort after aMay 15 ﬁreburned the166-year-old mansiontothe ground.

Randolph’sRestaurant, named after John Randolph, the sugar cane planter who commissioned the building of Nottoway in 1859, just marked its ﬁrst weekendinbusiness, chefMatthew Morgan said Monday “Wefed 60 people for our ﬁrst brunch yesterday and it was verysuccessful,” he said. Morgan hadjoined Nottowayaschef just three weeks before the catastrophic blaze destroyed the plantation home andthe Mansion Restaurant on

its bottomﬂoor

“I moved out here andfacilitateda wedding for them, then three weeks later camethe ﬁre,” said Morgan,who previously managed an Alexandria hotel’srestaurantoperations.

The causeofthe Nottoway ﬁre remains under investigation, the State Fire Marshal’sOfﬁce said Monday.

Thenew restaurant is in abanquethall, nowcalled Randolph Hall, thatstands on the Nottoway grounds on La.1 in Iberville Parish and was unharmed in the blaze.

“There’sbeen an extreme outpouring and wanting to help” from the community, Morgan said. “I can’t even explain the outpouring of care.”

Randolph’sRestaurant serves “eclecticLouisiana favorites ﬂat-out Louisiana favorites,just

Mantakes plea deal in 2022 gasstation killing

Middle schooler gunned down

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Aman admitted that he used an assault riﬂe to gun down a middle schooler and fired the weapon at other teens during a2022 encounter at aBaton Rouge gas station.

Ajudge sentenced Cleveland JosephEly to 20 yearsMonday, but suspended 12 years of the prison stint, afterhepleaded guilty to reduced charges of attemptedmanslaughter,illegal use of aweaponand obstruction of justice. Ely,38, was slated to stand trial nextweek for seconddegree murder and aslateof other charges in the Jan. 9, 2022, killingof14-year-old Dion Williams. He stood to face amandatory lifesentence if he was

convicted of the murder count.

As partofthe plea deal reached with thestate, prosecutors reduced themurder charge to attempted manslaughter and dismissed three counts of attempted second-degreemurder.District Judge Louise Hines Myers sentenced Ely to eight years for attempted manslaughterand five years forillegal useofweapons,orderinghim to servetime on those charges together Myers gave Elyanother12 yearsfor the obstruction of justice conviction, but suspended that prison sentence as part of the plea deal. She placed Ely on three years of probation after he’sreleased from prison. As part of the plea, Ely confessed that he shot Williams multiple times with an AK-47 outside the Save MoreFood Martalong Lobdell Boulevard

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Takara Whitfield, from left, Kason Whitfield and Karen Pitt

playfully pose for aphoto during the fifth anniversary celebrationfor Geaux Get HealthyatOur Ladyofthe LakeNorth on Saturday in Baton Rouge.

Documentary explores Lao food culture

New Iberia resident details transplantation

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

New Iberia resident Phanat

Xanamane works tirelessly to document the unique culture of the Louisiana Lao people, who settled in Acadiana and south Louisiana in significant numbers following the end of the Vietnam War Last week his short film, “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek,” aired on the Library of Congress YouTube channel. This documentary, produced with filmmakers Sami Haggood and Badar Hamdani, explores the transplantation and continuation of Lao foodways in south Louisiana with an inside look at how Laotian families maintain their culinary traditions decades after coming to Louisiana. The project was produced with a grant from the Library of Congress American Folklife Center for the Homegrown Foodways Film series.

Xanamane often refers to himself as a “1.5 generation” immigrant, since he was a baby when he and his family were processed through a Thai refugee camp before coming to Louisiana in the early 1980s. He’s spent his entire life experiencing the process of putting down roots and navigating a new culture, while maintaining the traditions that link his community back to villages of Laos.

A still image from ‘Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek: Southern Louisiana’s Lao Foodways’ shows a Louisiana Lao family gathered around a table of traditional foods. This documentary by New

native Phanat Xanamane showcases the south Louisiana Lao immigrant community through the lens of food.

Many of those traditions are based around food, according to Xanamane, who said Lao dishes like sticky rice and papaya salad play an important role in maintaining a cohesive cultural identity among second- and third-generation Lao immigrants in the Acadiana area.

“Papaya salad is like the national dish of Laos. It’s sort of what kimchi is to Korean food — just quintessential to every Laotian meal. We’re seeing the next generation really embrace this quintessential dish and try to put new interpretations on it,” he said

“In the second and third generations, some of the dishes are maybe dialed back a little bit as

a more Americanized palette is introduced to authentic Lao cuisine. But as long as they’re understanding the key ingredients and flavor profiles that make up the Laotian diet, it becomes a very important way for them to maintain a gateway into the broader culture.”

Xanamane’s work is largely focused on expanding that gateway for younger members of his family and community, while introducing Lao culture to the rest of Louisiana and the country His New Iberia garden business, Iberia Market Garden, is a continuation of the nursery business his family members owned after settling in the United States — and he also takes on cultural projects, like documenting the

Laotian New Year Festival in Broussard. He created the ”Louisiana Lao New Year Archive,” a Library of Congress collection of interviews, photos and sounds documenting the community and activities centered around Wat Thammarattanaram, a rural Buddhist temple complex where the Laotian New Year celebration is held.

The annual festival, which brings thousands of people from across the country to the Lanexang Village neighborhood, features Laotian and southeast Asian food vendors by the dozens, offering everything from sugar cane juice to barbecued squid. It’s also an occasion for Lao house parties — the kind that go on all weekend featuring tables groaning with sticky rice, papaya salad, bamboo shoot stew, grilled meats and other dishes that root the community to its foundation. According to Xanamane’s sister, Amonelath Xanamane, raising American-Lao children is a sensitive dance between cultures. She is shown on “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek” preparing khao piak sen, a Laotian chicken noodle soup with rice noodles. Her children don’t speak much Lao, she said — but, “they eat. And if you eat sticky rice, you are 50% Lao.”

“That goes for anyone,” she laughed. As long as there’s sticky rice on the table, Louisiana’s Lao community is never too far from home.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

NOAA delays cutoff for hurricane forecasting data

Meteorologists warn of severe consequences

BY ALEXA ST JOHN

The Associated Press

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it is delaying by one month the planned cutoff of satellite data that helps forecasters track hurricanes.

Meteorologists and scientists warned of severe consequences last week when NOAA said, in the midst of this year’s hurricane season, that it would almost immediately discontinue key data collected by three weather satel-

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

ceremonies were held there, sealing the deal that more than doubled the size of the United States. In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited New Orleans and stayed at the Cabildo.

The massive structure on Jackson Square was built between 1795 and 1799 during the city’s Spanish rule. The architect Gilberto Guillemard designed it and its neighbors, the St. Louis Cathedral and the Presbytère

The Cabildo was the heart of New Orleans’ city government for decades. Then, it became home to the Louisiana Supreme Court where in 1892, it was the site of the ruling that set the stage for Plessy vs. Ferguson, one of the most pivotal and painful chapters in American civil rights history That’s the magic of Louisiana

NOTTOWAY

Continued from page 1B

done my way,” said Morgan The restaurant is looking for workers to help prepare and serve those dishes, Morgan said.

“We need line cooks, prep cooks, dish washers and servers,” he said. “I need quite a handful.”

Interested applicants can contact the restaurant through its Facebook page or call the restaurant at, (225) 545-2730. The restaurant operates from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and reopens from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.

lites that the agency jointly runs with the Defense Department. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s microwave data gives key information that can’t be gleaned from conventional satellites. That includes three-dimensional details of a storm, what’s going on inside of it and what it is doing in the overnight hours, experts say The data was initially planned to be cut off on June 30 “to mitigate a significant cybersecurity risk,” NOAA’s announcement said. The agency now says it’s postponing that until July 31. Peak hurricane season is usually from mid-August to mid-October

Spokespeople from NOAA and

the Navy did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the update NOAA — which has been the subject of hefty Department of Government Efﬁciency cuts this year said Friday the satellite program accounts for a “single dataset in a robust suite of hurricane forecasting and modeling tools” in the National Weather Service’s portfolio.

The agency’s “data sources are fully capable of providing a complete suite of cutting-edge data and models that ensure the goldstandard weather forecasting the American people deserve,” a spokesperson said But Union of Concerned Scientists science fellow Marc Alessi told The Associated Press on

was more than a meal — it was a feast for the senses, a step back in time, and a tribute to art, history and community

and of Rodrigue. They invite you in with beauty and ﬂavor, then surprise you with depth. As the evening wound down

Continued from page 1B

tion plan proposed by Starns that would cut some district chiefs’ paychecks by tens of thousands of dollars.

Starns has argued that the board does not have the authority to change his decision because he simply let contracts lapse instead of terminating them.

The board panel investigating the matter initially sided with Starns but reversed their recommendation earlier this month, after they were presented with quotes from legislators who indicated that the statute governing the state public defense system was written to protect local chiefs from arbitrarily losing their jobs.

During the meeting where the panel made its new recommenda-

and I stepped out onto Jackson Square, I kept thinking about Rodrigue’s words: “The dog’s head is not under water He’s

tion, district chiefs argued state statute guaranteed their contracts should be renewed unless they were ﬁred for good cause. Starns did not attend that meeting.

Turmoil on the board

As the case over the public defenders’ jobs came to a head in recent weeks, ﬁve board members resigned.

They included Freddie Pitcher Jr., Ernestine Gray, Peter Thomson, Ted Hernandez and Gerard Caswell. Landry replaced two members of the nine-person board with Jeffrey Hufft and Stephen Dwyer

The Louisiana Supreme Court appointed a third replacement named Mary Devereux, a retired judge from St Tammany Parish, according to other board members.

Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and House Speaker

Continued from page 1B

the afternoon of Jan. 9, 2022. Williams was a seventh grader at Park Forest Middle School and attended classes with Ely’s 13-year-old son. The two boys had issues at school and, according to Instagram messages, Williams had threatened Ely’s son before the shooting. But police said Ely wasn’t aware the boys were at odds when he opened ﬁre on Williams. Ely told detectives he thought Williams was approaching his car because of an ongoing “beef” between feuding “organized crime groups” in the neighborhood, according to court records. He sprayed 10 shots at the boy, striking Williams in the chest twice and once in the hand. Emergency Medical Services treated the child at the scene but he died before he reached Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. Several of Williams’ relatives sat in the courtroom Monday and watched as Ely pleaded guilty

“We’ve decided to forgive you every day. Not necessarily for you, but for us so that we can move on,” the family members said in a statement read by prosecutors. “We will always carry the anger that we’ll always have, due to the loss of Dion We appreciate you taking this plea and not putting us through the pain of trial.”

Ely was contrite as he addressed Williams’ loved ones brieﬂy during the hearing.

“This is a sensitive topic,” he said. “I just want to tell them I apologize for any emotional damage. I never meant to hurt anyone.”

Friday that detecting the rapid intensification, and more accurately predicting the likely path, of storms is critical as climate change worsens the extreme weather experienced across the globe

“Not only are we losing the ability to make better intensiﬁcation forecasts, we are also losing the ability to predict accurately where a tropical cyclone could be going, if it’s in its development stages,” Alessi said. “This data is essential.

“On the seasonal forecasting front, we would see the effects,” he added, “but also on the long-term climate change front, we now are losing an essential piece to monitoring global warming.”

reaching out for hope.” That line has stayed with me for years, and somehow, it felt right for the night

Events like this don’t just honor an artist or a moment in history. They invite us to slow down and connect to get to know the people across the table, to see ourselves in the stories on the walls and even in small, sweet accidents — like a strawberry on a white cotton dress.

In a place as layered and complicated as Louisiana, that sense of belonging is, itself, a kind of hope.

Admission to the Cabildo is $11 for adults, $9 for seniors, active military/students and free for children 6 and under The next Aioli Dinner Supper Club event is scheduled for Oct. 9 at the LSU Museum of Art in Baton Rouge For tickets or more information, go to aiolidinner.com.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, have yet to choose replacements for their appointees.

Also in recent weeks, the board has clashed with Starns over compensation for district chiefs. State law gives the board the power to set a compensation plan, but Starns has used a different compensation plan when writing contracts.

“I have a statutory obligation to establish and maintain in a costeffective manner delivery of legal services, and I negotiate contracts,” Starns said during a June 16 board meeting. “I think the district defender compensation plan and all of its elements proposed by the oversight board would violate those principles. I’m not going to have contracts that have those provisions in them.”

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

“Had we gone to trial, I think we had a good selfdefense case, but you just never know,” his defense attorney, Thomas Damico, said Monday “I thought it was a good resolution for both sides because it was one of those cases that could’ve gone either way And it was just the defendant, my client’s decision to take what was a pretty good deal from the DA’s Ofﬁce.”

The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. at the gas station outside the Save More Food Mart. Ely pulled up ﬁrst in a Chrysler 300, and his son went into the store, surveillance footage from the mini mart showed. One minute later, Williams and three of his friends pulled up to the gas pump next to Ely’s car in a Nissan Altima.

When Ely’s son came out of the store, Williams got out and approached him according to police reports. Ely and his son both told investigators Williams made a threatening remark as he approached the Chrysler while Ely’s son was standing by the gas pump.

Ely emerged from the driver’s seat and began firing at Williams, authorities said. He continued shooting at the three teens who arrived in the Altima with him as they ran out of the parking lot, prosecutors said.

Ely claimed he was defending his son and the other children in his Chrysler from a gang ambush. He told detectives Williams and his three friends were armed and said he continued shooting at them because he thought he heard return ﬁre.

But surveillance footage showed none of the teens, including Williams, appeared to be holding weapons when Ely opened ﬁre on them.

Prosecutors said one of Williams’ friends admitted to investigators the deceased teen had a gun on him at the time that they removed from his waistband when he fell after being struck by Ely’s bullets. But police only recovered shell casings from Ely’s assault rifle as well as a single bullet one of his associates fired as he fled the scene, prosecutors said Monday

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The George Rodrigue Foundation’s Aioli Dinner Supper Club on May 29 at the Cabildo

COURTESy LIBRARy OF CONGRESS

Iberia

Parson McElderry,Martha Greenoaks FuneralHome& Memorial Park,9595Florida Blvd. at 11am

Obituaries

Babin, Ben B.

Ben Baxter Babin, Sr., passed away Sunday, June 29th, 2025, at his home in Prairieville, Louisiana, at the age of 87. Atrue patriot, he honorably served in the US Army and Louisiana National Guard, achieving the distinguished rank of Colonel. He was agraduate of Catholic High in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as agraduate of Cumberland University. He retired from South Central Bell after 38 years of service. Ben is survived by his beloved wife Ramona Dougherty Babin and their two children Bridget (Pete) and Barrett. He is preceded in death by his parents Jesse Clifford Babin and Elma GautreauBabin, his beloved son BenB.Babin, Jr.,,and his brother Kay Babin. He adoredhis two grandchildren Josie Babin and Kane Babin. He willbedeeply missed by his familyand friends.Visitation with Mass following at St. Mark Catholic Church will be held on Thursday, July3, 2025 from 10AM -12PM with Mass beginningat12 Noon and aburial at Hope Haven Cemetery in Gonzales,Louisiana. Pallbearers will be: Barrett Babin, Kane Babin, Paul Rossi, Jordy Richardson, Jonathan Diez and Beau Diez. Many thanks to Heartof Hospice and Dr. Clayton Runfalo for your kindness and support. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alzheimer's Services Of The Capital Area. Fond memories and words of condolences may be expressed at www.OursoFH.com for the Babin family.

Babin III, LTC Joseph 'Jody' T. USARRetired

Known for his infectious laugh and servant's heart

LTCJoseph "Jody" T. Babin,III (USAR Retired) passed away peacefullyat home on June 26, 2025.He was born in Biloxi, MS on July 18, 1953, and lived in Baton Rouge for most of his 71 years.Hewas a graduate of LSU. He served his country proudly in the US Army. Jody was awarded numerous medals for his service, among them the prestigious Legion of Merit. He retired from the military after serving for28 years. Jody worked in the insurance business for over 35 years. He enjoyed playing golf and was an avid LSU sports fan. Jody was an active memberof Jefferson Baptist Church where he served in various capacities. Most importantly, Jody was afollower of Jesus Christ. He will be greatly missed by his adoringfamilywho loved him dearly and affectionally called him "JodyBear." Jody is survivedbyhis loving wife of over 48 years, Barbara "Babs" Babin; daughter, Emily Babin; son, Brett Babin (Krysten); sis-

ters, Claire Babin and Sharon Winter (Lewis), and brother, Jaime Babin; mother, Barbara"Tootsie" Babin; granddaughters, Adelyn and Ellis Babin; and grandson,Josiah Babin. He was precededindeath by his father,Joseph T. Babin, Jr. and brother, William"Billy" Babin. Visitationwillbeheldat Resthaven Funeral Home 11817 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge,LA70816, on Wednesday,July 2, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 7p.m. Visitationwillcontinue at Jefferson Baptist Church, 9135JeffersonHwy, Baton Rouge,LA70809, on Thursday, July 3, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until Funeral Service at 11:00a.m. Interment will take place at Louisiana NationalCemetery, 303 WMt Pleasant Zachary Rd, Zachary, LA 70791, on Thursday July3,2025, at 2:00 p.m. The familywishes to extendour gratitude to SunnyBrooke Banks and St.Joseph Hospice during the past 6weeks for their compassionate care.In lieu of flowers, please consider makinga memorial donation to samaritanspurse.orgor stjoefdn.org

Bourgoyne,Andrew Joseph'Hoodie'

AndrewJoseph "Hoodie" Bourgoyne, Jr.a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brotherand friend, passed awaysurroundedbyfamily at The Crossing at ClarityHospice on Sunday,June 29, 2025, at the ageof78. He wasa resident and nativeof Plaquemine, LA. Hoodie was aUSNavyVeteran, stationedinNorfolk, VA. Visitation willbeheldat WilbertFuneralHome, Plaquemine on Wednesday,July 2, 2025, from 10:00am until 1:00pm. Entombment of hisashes will follow at alaterdate. Hoodie is survived by his son, Mark Bourgoyne and fiancé GingerGee;daughter, Angie Delaune;grandchildren, Kynlee Bourgoyne Robin and husband Seth, Brady and Bryce Delaune,and Hayden Bourgoyne; greatgrandchildren, Gracelynn and Emaleigh Ducote; sister, Wendy Boudreaux; andnumerous nieces and nephews. Precededin death by his wife,Nancy Hebert Bourgoyne;parents,Andrew "Happy" and Florence Bourg Bourgoyne; brother, David"Whoopie" Bourgoyne; andsister, Wanda Galtier.Hoodie never met astranger. He enjoyedspending time with family,listening to music, reading and havingendless conversations with family and friends. Special thanks to the caring and supportive staffatThe Crossing at ClarityHospice.

Braud,Lory

Loralee MarieKliebert Braud, known to everyone as Lory,passedaway peacefully onJune 29, 2025 in BatonRouge, Louisiana at the ageof86. Shewas surrounded by herloving family.

and was amaster at solving crosswordpuzzles. In herearlier years, she enjoyed volunteering as an Adult Literacy Advocate and participatedinlocal walking clubs. She was preceded in death by her parents Brierre and Hazel Dupuy Kliebert; siblings, Barbara (David) Kliebert Schulte, Donald Kliebert, Peggy Kliebert, Philip Kliebert, and Steve(Barbara) Kliebert.

Lory is survivedbyher loving husband, Larry and her four children, Kathleen Braud of BatonRouge, Sharyn Smith of Sorrento Michele McKee of Walker, and Lawrence O. "Larry (Melinda) Braud,Jr. of BatonRouge;her grandchildren,James (Megan) Ellis, Taylor(Anthony)Bostler, Rachel Merchant,Lori (Todd)Keeton, and Kayla McKee; her great-grandchildren, Nathan Ellis, Evie Ellis, Tegan Keeton, Tatum Keetonand Felix Bostler; and her sisterDianna Kliebert Allen. Visitation willbeheldat Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 JeffersonHighway in BatonRouge on Thursday, July3,2025, at 1:30 p.m. until funeralservices at 2:30 p.m. Interment will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. In lieu of flowers,please considerdonating to your favorite charity.

Samuel James"BoBo Costleyentered into eter‐nalrestatHeritageManor on June 23,2025. He wasa 76-year oldnativeof "Dixie"Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ViewingatLIttle Rock BaptistChurch on Thursday,July3,2025at 8:00 am until Celebrationof Life Serviceat11:00 am conductedbyPastor Samuel Pierre;interment OakGrove Cemetery.Sur‐vivors includehis loving siblings,FlorenceCurry LindaKinsey(James),and Betty SueCostley;devoted God-child, CarolynCharday Phillips(Carl);nieces, nephews, otherrelatives andfriends.Arrangements entrustedtoMiller & Daughter Mortuary

Darensbourg, Thomas Benton 'Tommy'

Alifelong resident of BatonRouge,Thomas "Tommy" Benton Darensbourg,

Jr. passed away on June 22, 2025, at his home. Born on March 25, 1957, he was the first-bornofThomas B., Sr. and Dolores Decuir Darensbourg Tommy never lethis deafness stand in his way of success. Aftergraduating as valedictorianin1976 from Cathedral Preparatory High School, he earneda bachelor's degree in 1980 from theSchool of Journalism at LouisianaStateUniversity. While at LSU, Tommy was aNational Dean's List student and received theLouisianaVocational RehabilitationScholarship. He was anews writer for The Daily Reveille, amemberofPhi Eta Sigma HonorsSociety,and student editor for the Publications Bureau at theLSU Office of Public Relations. Aftergraduating, Tommy served as thePublicRelations Director at Our Lady of theLake RMC. He later became theDirector of Communications and Educationatthe Louisiana MunicipalAssociation. Upon his retirement,hebecame aRealEstateAdvisor at Keller Williams RealtyRedStick Partners, and later at KDK Realty. In 2018, Tommy beganworking with JerryDel Rio Real Estate, Inc.

Tommy was an active and faithful member of St. JosephCathedral, where he served as alectorand assisted in several ministriesofthe Parish. He oftenassistedthe office staff with planning and publicizing events.Hewas aFourthDegree Knight of theKCCouncil 13632. He was also an active memberofthe RedStick Kiwanis Club and theInter-Civic CouncilofGreater Baton Rouge, where he served as president in 2024. An avid LSUTiger and NewOrleans Saints fan, Tommy's Facebookposts left no doubtwhat his thoughts were on the teams' performance. In fact,his very last post celebrated theLSU baseball team's victory in game one of theCWS. Hishonest,to thepoint,and oftenhysterical commentary willsurely be missed

Tommy was preceded in death by his parents; paternal grandparents, Georgeand Olivia Darensbourg, Sr.; maternal grandparents, Mark and Gussie Decuir, Sr.; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He is survivedbyhis siblings, Celeste (Eric) Roquemore,Alyson Darensbourg, and Lyndon(Tina) Darensbourg. He is also survived by his nieces, Kaitlyn(Goddaughter) and Lyndsey Darensbourg, nephew, ChristopherDarensbourg, his best friend of many years, RogerFrench, and a host of cousins and friends Avisitationwillbeheld from8:30 AM to 10:00 AM on 2025-07-03 at St Joseph's Cathedral, 401 Main Street

Amass of christianburial will be held at 10:00 AM on 2025-07-03 at St Joseph's Cathedral, 401 Main Street

Ainurnment willbeheld at Roselawn Memorial Park,4045 North Street

Dimattia, Janice

JaniceAnn Dimattiawas calledhometobewithher LordonSaturday, June 28, 2025, at theage of 82. She passedawaypeacefully surrounded by herloving familyand friends.Janice lived as awoman of God and committedtoa life of service to others. Adevoted wife, loving mother, compassionatenurse,and active parishioner at St George Church.She poured herheart andsoulintoeverything that she did. To know her, is to love her. Janice is survived by her loving husband, Dr. William Dimattia, son Jeffrey and hiswife Janelle,daughter Gina Sommers, grandchildren Jacob,Lily andÉowyn Dimattia, Jacob andBrennanSommers. Janicewas preceded in death by her son ChristopherJohnDimattia, brotherDaniel, sister Rita AnnPillsbury, nephew DanielGrant, and parents Jacob andAnn Wichner.Visitation will be held at St.George Catholic Church,7808 St.George Dr Baton Rouge,LA., on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, from 1:00pm untilMass time of 2:00pm. Interment will immediatelyfollow at St.George Catholic Church Cemetery

Foreman, a loving mother, grandmother andaunt, passedaway on June 27, 2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana. Relativesand friends are invited to attenda service at DuhonFuneral Home, 900 ETexas Ave, Rayne, LA 70578 on Wednesday July 2, 2025.

p.m.

Guichet, Melvin Louis

Melvin Louis Guichet died peacefullyonFriday, June 27, 2025, at the Hospice of Baton Rouge,ButterflyUnit.He was88years old.Melvin wasbornand raisedinBaton Rouge and graduatedfromIstrouma High School.He attended LSU, then served in the United States Air Force.Melvinretired from ExxonMobil wherehewas aprocessoperator.Melvin is survived by hisbeloved sisters, MaxineGuichet Helouinand Judy Guichet Sanders (Ron),eight nieces,fournephews,and numerousgreat-nieces andnephews.Hewas precededindeathbyhis parents, JulesJoseph Guichet, Sr.,andAddie Davis Guichet, hisbrother Jules Joseph Guichet,Jr sisters, Lucy GuichetSchraderand CynthiaRose Guichet.Melvin wasa kind andgentle soul wholoved travelingthe highwaysand byways of South Louisiana.He had agreat love of familyand enjoyed gatheringswith them.His colorful witand wisdom will long be remembered, as well as his frequent response in familyconversations: "Yep,Yep,yep!" The familywould like to thank TheBarclay House and Hospice of Baton Rouge for theirexcellentcare and guidanceduringhis final illness.Visitation willbe held at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,from9:00 AM to 10:00 AM,onThursday, July 3, 2025. Aservice will be conductedbyThe ReverendDavid Allenat10:00 AM.Burial willfollow in Greenoaks Memorial Park.Familyand friends are invited to attend.

Loralee was bornOctober 16, 1938tothe late Brierreand Hazel Dupuy Kliebert, in Lafourche Crossing, Louisiana.After graduating from Holy Name of Mary in Algiers, Louisiana in 1956, she met US Air Force E2, Lawrence O.(Larry) Braud.She and Larry weremarried in 1960 andeventually moved to Baton Rouge wherethey settledand weremarried for 64 years. Lory was the heart and soul of her family. She was aloving wife,mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother. Shelovedto read, work in hergarden,

Costley, Samuel James'BoBo'

Foreman, Shirley Ann

ShirleyAnn

Court’sdelay in districting case puts La. politicsinturmoil

In the seemingly interminable turmoil over Louisiana’scongressional districtshapesand boundaries, theU.S. Supreme Court leftLouisiana in limbo last week.Rather thanissuing a decision on the case of Louisiana v. Callais, which challenged the newly redrawn6th Congressional District, the court ordered that it be reargued during itsnext term.

The result promises more politicalchaos, as Louisianans may well notevenknowwherethe district lines are for the 2026 congressional elections before the ﬁrst candidate deadlineslatethis year.This outcome is unfair to voters andcandidates alike.The high court should do all it can to expedite adecision as early in its next term as possible.

Justice Clarence Thomas’ interpretation of redistricting law may notbetoeveryone’sliking, but he was right to scold his colleaguesfor delaying adecision without explanation.

In adissent from the court’sorder,Thomas noted that “Congress requiresthis Court to exercisejurisdiction over constitutionalchallenges to congressional redistricting, and weaccordingly haveanobligation to resolve suchchallenges promptly.” Because the court’s own caselaw on redistricting has been particularly convoluted for decades, Thomas wrote,“that resolutionis particularly critical here,” as“statesdonot know howtodraw maps” that comply with all the prior decisions.

Louisiana legislators clearly have struggled with just that problem, as theyhave attempted to create constitutionally acceptable districts in two drasticallydifferent waysinjust the pastfour years.

Firsttheydrewone that, justasitwas after 2010, featured only one district with amajority of Black voters. Ordered by the courts to create asecond Black-majority district basedafterthe 2020Census, they did so in time for the 2024 elections, leaving then-U.S. Rep. GarretGraves of Baton Rouge without asafeRepublican district while creating an openingfor Democrat Cleo Fields to return to Congress in the newBlackmajority jurisdiction.

To do so, though, they createdadistrict that snakes for 250 odd-shaped milesfromShreveport to Baton Rouge, leading some White voters to challenge the new districtonthe grounds that it is aracial gerrymanderthatlacks the “compactness” that othercourt decisions have required.

Louisiana thus may be stuck with twoconﬂicting mandates: Create asecondBlack-majority district, but without using race asthe guiding criteria. As we said, confusing.

Thomas also noted that the redistricting case is the only one in the entire 2024-2025 term that went to the Supreme Court automatically rather than at its discretion.

The practical repercussions heregobeyond even those described by Thomas, as theuncertaintycould affect the choicesthat politicians beyond the 6th District make about their future plans. That doesn’tjust affect them;italso affects the constituents theyserve.

Justices should not get sowrappedupinconstitutional theory that they forgetreal-world consequences. Let’shopethey heed Thomasand move swiftlytomitigate the political tumult they are feeding.

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.

OPINION

Anyone who has faced cancer up closeknows that it takes avillage to get through thatterrible time. When Iwas diagnosed withcancer,help camefrom all places,especially my family Since Istarted volunteering with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Ihave come to realizeanother key player in theﬁght against cancer: our elected ofﬁcials. This is why Iattended Cancer Action Day in BatonRouge. Aftermeeting with state lawmakers, Iwas glad to learn that they support aresolutionasking Congress to avoid major cuts to the Medicaid program,and theimportance of making our voices heard at the state Capitol. Ilive in Convent,inthe heart of “Cancer Alley,”a regionsurrounded by chemi-

Ioften get perturbed after reading an opinion in The Times-Picayune |The Advocate. How can people have sucha different opinion from me? The more I think about aletter,the more irritated I get until Ibegin composing my response This happened to me after reading opinions in the June 5paper,“D-Day reminds us why we mustresistfascism,” and the June 7paper,“Second Amendment fans sit on the sidelinesamidunchecked tyranny.”

The writer of theJune 5letter was making his point that Americans must stopPresident Donald Trump because he is atyrantand afascistjust like Hitler. That is aridiculous and dangerous comparison. People need to read and understand the Constitution and not believe what theyhear from the mainstream media and repeat it. Trump is not afascist. People who push thatnarrative are tryingtospur unrest,and it is working. Look at the recent riots in L.A.where people are protesting againstICE forar-

Ihope thatmany readers learned about the tremendous value of public library services in arecent guest column. DirectorofEast BatonRouge Parish Library Katrina Stokes detailed how robust library programmingand partnerships maximize the impact of resources and direct investment in our local communities. Isee this transformative work happening every day in the spaces of our libraries, which do so muchmorethan hold books. Through partnerships with New Orleans Public Libraryand JeffersonParish Libraries, YMCA Educational Services can reach hundreds of adult learners seeking help with basic literacy,HiSET/

cal plants and plaguedbyhigh cancer rates. Iwas diagnosedwith aggressive breast cancer in August 2024 and had surgery to remove the cancerous tissue. Everything was coveredthrough Medicaid. For me, accesstoaffordable health care had long been astruggle. But now that I have Medicaid, my screenings, mammograms and treatments are all covered. Iamurging U.S. Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy to take astand in the ﬁght against cancerand vote against these dangerous Medicaid cuts being considered in the U.S. Senate. Because of Medicaid, I’m still here with my children and grandchildren VERONICA JONES volunteer,American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

resting immigrants here illegally.Just because theliberalleft does not like our laws andinsistsonchanging them is no justiﬁcationfor violencetoward police and destruction of property

The writer of theJune 7letter said that supportersofthe Second Amendment have always espoused their right to own agun to protect themselves from government tyranny,whileTrump’sgovernment is allowing unidentiﬁed agents (i.e., ICE agents) to kidnapinnocent Brown people off the streets while rounding up illegals. He writes that this is what tyranny looks like and asks where are the Second Amendment proponents. Again, that is dangerous language. The authors of these twoarticlesare making acase for Americans to pick up their armsand use themagainst theTrump government to stopthe tyranny.Are they suggesting we have another summer of violence like we experienced in 2020?

DAVE DRANE Lacombe

GED prep, English language learning, digital literacy and workforce readiness skills. Our studentsrange from nonreaderssounding out words to seniors needing guidance to use their smartphonesto graduates moving on to career pathways (including seven graduates who walked at aceremony on June 12, all because theycould walk into alibrary for free adult education classes). Librariesare irreplaceable in the accessthey provide to people, meeting themright where they are in their lives —inall walks of life.

AMY E. LEGGETTE directorofyMCA

educational services NewOrleans

What we see today is neither conservative nor American. Being aconservative once meanthaving arespect forthe past beyond baseball caps, areverence formanners, apreference forlimited government, fealty to the Constitution and rule of law and an awareness of life’s complexity and resultant suspicion of ideology and dramatic change. President Donald Trump exhibits none of those traits. In the movie “Bridge of Spies,” the lawyer appointed to defend aSoviet spy (played by Tom Hanks) refuses the CIAagent’s demand forprivileged communications. “My name’sDonovan. Irish, both sides. You’re German.But what makes us Americans? Just one thing. One. Only one. The rule book. We call it the Constitution, and we agree to the rules, and that’swhat makes us Americans. That’sall that makes us Americans.”

The rules. Created by the Constitution. Lawsand norms. The meanstothe ends. How we decide what to do as much as what we decide to do. They really matter because they allow us without fear to vote, to criticize those in power,towrite letters to the editor,toprotest —tobe Americans. And being an American has meantthat apresident did not embody the mystical will of the people and could not do whatever he wanted in their name, that elections were accepted as legitimate, that those whovoted differently were still loyal Americans and that a president ruthlessly targeting and punishing his political opponents waswhat happened in other countries.

When aUnited States senator, Lisa Murkowski, says, ‘Weare all afraid,” that’snot America. When apresident orders the Justice Department to criminally investigate his former cybersecurity chief because he called the 2020 presidential election legitimate, that’snot America. That’sHungary and Turkey That’sautocracy.Itcan happen here.

R.J.PETRE Mandeville

ONEBIG BEAUTIFULBILL

Overthe last four years, Ihave heardfrom countless families and small businesses across Louisiana that have been struggling to make endsmeet because of record inﬂation caused by the out-ofcontrol government spending and radical regulations under President JoeBiden. From hardworking parents who have seen their grocery and gasoline bills skyrocket to the small business owner being crushed by crazy Washingtonregulations, Americans have had it.

ment likewehaven’tseen in years. Louisiana has alot to gain from theOne Big Beautiful Bill.

Enough is enough. That’swhy last fall, Louisiana overwhelmingly joined in the mandate that put President Donald Trump back in the White House and gave Republicans majorities in theHouse andSenate to restore American greatness and put our country back on track.

To deliver on this mandate, I have been working with my colleaguesinCongress to implement President Trump’sAmerica First agenda and get the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law

This important bill would secure our southern border by providing much-needed resources to hire more ICE and Border Patrol agents,complete construction of the border wall and invest in technology to combat theﬂow of fentanyl.

Most importantly,this bill would deliver on our promise to provide real relief to hardworking Louisiana families and small businesses who’ve been struggling for too long.Itwould generate economic growth, higher wagesand invest-

In 2017, Ihelped pass the historic TaxCutsand Jobs Act, which put more money in the pockets of every Louisiana taxpayer and grew our economy.It lowered tax rates, doubled thestandarddeduction and increased the Child Tax Credit for hardworking families. President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill would make this tax relief permanent If this bill does not becomelaw,Americanswill face the largest tax increase in ournation’s history.Withoutthis legislation, the average Louisiana taxpayer wouldsee a24% tax increase, more than 500,000 Louisiana familieswouldsee their Child TaxCredit cut in half, more than 250,000 small businesses would face a43.4% tax rate andthose relying on overtime andtips would continue to pay taxes on that income.

In fact, afamily of four earning about $58,000, which is the median householdincome in Louisiana, wouldsee a$1,200 tax increase each year if this bill doesn’tbecome law.Bycontrast, the Council of Economic Advisers found that same family with two childrenin Louisiana wouldrealize a$6,400 to $10,600 increase in take-home pay over thenext four years and beyond because ofthe One Big Beautiful Bill.

President Trump’s One Big BeautifulBill would not only secure this tax relief, but it would also restore American energy security

As an energy-producing state, Louisianaisespecially wellpositionedfor economicgrowth underthis bill because it requires 30 offshore lease sales in the Gulf of America over thenext15years, providing much-needed predictability fordomesticoffshore oil andgas exploration andproduction and securing good-paying jobs forour local economy.Under President Biden, we saw an all-out assault on American energywith the fewest offshore lease sales in ournation’s history

Iwas also able to secure language in the bill to increase the amount of revenue-sharing dollars Louisiana receiveseach year from offshore drilling. This provision in the bill would bring hundreds of millions of newdollars to Louisiana forour vitalcoastal restoration andhurricaneprotection projects.

We must continue to invest in ﬂood control,coastal restoration andhurricaneprotection projects using revenue from offshore energyexploration andproduction to notonly restore ourcoast but to better prepare ourcommunities andprotect the livesand livelihoodsoffamilieswho live here

With so much at stake forLouisiana, we must deliver on themandate demanded by the American people andsendthe One Big Beautiful Bill to President Trump’sdesk to become law, andbegin another goldenage of American recovery

Steve Scalise is theRepublican majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Louisiana’s1st Congressional District.

SAN FRANCISCO Followingtrips to different countries over many years, Ihave longed to return home and hear these wordsfrom an immigration ofﬁcer: “Welcome back to theUnited States.” Something felt different this time. After threeweeks away —two days in Doha and the rest in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Beijing —while Iwas glad to return home, Inoticed acontrast Ihad not noticed before. We have become adirtier country.Iamnot talking about smut or vulgar language,but real dirt. Stepping off the plane in San Francisco, Inoticed the jetway carpet was stained. “Welcometo California,” asign read. Adouble meaning, perhaps.

Public toilets are dirty.Isaw toilet tissue on thefloor,overflowing papertowel bins, water poolingonbasincounters and puddles of aliquid Ishallnot further describe. Some toiletsremained unflushed.

Terminal ﬂoors are scarred and there seems to bea different atmosphere from what Ihave been used to. Once, airports were full of happytravelers. There are few smiles and less laughter,even amongchildren.Onthe way to my hotelIsaw some trash and experienced asense of drabness. Dohalooked likeanemerald city that had just been built. My cabdriver said before 1982, it wasmostly desert.What all that oil money can do! Butitcan’tbe only aboutmoney.The streets were immaculate. There was no trash and no bins in which to put any.Perhaps, as in Singapore, there are substantial penalties for

littering, or maybe local citizens are simply proud of their country and that is reﬂected in the image they present. It was hot (105 degrees),but cool air was pumped up from below many sidewalks. How cool is that?

In Vietnam, while the countryside has areas of litter and decaying shops and houses, Ho ChiMinh City is mostly clean and appears prosperous.

My hotel was amodel for what theU.S. hospitalityindustry once looked like —great service, spotless common areas and rooms, excellent food and drink and a feeling that one is welcome as a guest.Here’sanirony for you: a cocktail is named “B52” and toilet ﬁxtures are made by American Standard. Beijing, too, is clean. Granted, there are police on many corners andcameras are everywhere, recording “every moveyou make

On behalf of Louisiana’shospitals andlargest health care systems, we come together as stewards of ourcommunities’ health andwell-being. Together, we areuniﬁed in our concern over the proposedcuts to Medicaidthat are being debated in Congress. These cuts would be historic in theirdevastation and warrant our shared advocacy to protect our patients andthe care we provide thematour hospitals andclinics.

Medicaidisnot just abudget line —itisa lifeline for children, seniors, people with disabilitiesand working families.Cuts of the magnitude currently under discussion would adversely impact our collective ability to provide care, train the next generation of physicians andemploytens of thousands of people, and they would stifle the billions in economic impact we generate each year Steep cuts would force consolidationofservices,staffing reductions andclosures, reducing healthcareaccessto everyone in ourcommunities. Ourruralcommunities would especially feel the impact, as many of these hospitals are alreadyindifficult financial situations andwould likely experience asignificantreduction of services. The potential impact would be felt by everyone in thestate Our health systems arekey drivers of ourstate’s economy, enabling ahealthy workforce by supporting jobs and generating taxrevenue. Together, we employmore than 100,000 people and generate billions in annual economic impact.Hospitals account for 5.7% of totalemployment in Louisiana. Louisiana hospitals generate $38.4 billioninbusinesstransactions, $14.2 billion in annualpayroll and $1.7 billion in netstate andlocal tax collections.

The impact of provisions in theUnitedStatesSenate’sversion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Actreﬂectsanestimated lossofmorethan$4billion in total Medicaidfunding for Louisiana health care providers. This would negatively impact ourability to deliver care and have devastating consequences for ourstate budget. The American Hospital Association estimatesanannual job loss of 16,767 and a10-year lossoftax revenue at $50.7

I’ll be watching you.” Credit to themusical group The Police. Restrooms at Tokyo Airport are so clean they appear to have been recently installed.

Onecan find manyfaults in other nations —asone can find faults in our own. Freedoms we enjoy are suppressed elsewhere, but freedom in the U.S. seemsincreasingly to be taken as license to do whatever one wishes regardless of harm caused to one’s self, or the nation. Seeing trash, graffiti and a sense of darkness in parts of America is the result of failure to teach certain things my generation was taught by parents and, if we misbehaved,reinforced by teachers or the school principal. We didn’tthrow trash or empty glass bottles along theroad.In fact, many grocery and other stores offered five cents forevery bottle returned. It wasn’t

million for every$1billion reductioninMedicaid spending. These economicconsequences pale in comparison to the harm thatwould be causedtoresidents acrossthe state, regardless of insurance status, who would no longer be able to getthe carethatthey need.The House version, while it presentedchallenges, is amore workable solutionthatwould help to avoid many of these effects.

We aregrateful for and stand with ourgovernor,who signed into lawa state budget which fully supports the Medicaid program, andthe state legislators who unanimously passed House Resolution 369and overwhelmingly passedSenate Concurrent Resolution 32 this June recognizing the vital role of health careservices and the vast implications of Medicaid cuts, andencouraging our federal policymakers to avoid suchreductions in Medicaid funding.

Likewise, we urge policymakers to recognize the essentialrolepublic funding plays in providing access to quality, life-saving health care for all Americans. Protecting Medicaidisnot just aboutavoiding budgetcuts; it is acommitment to oursharedvalues of community,resilience and economic vitality

We take no pleasure in having to speculate about the impact of these cuts. However, in light of the cuts being proposed, we must have honest conversations together,and with you —the communities we serve.Louisiana and our health caredelivery system areata crossroads. We face the largest cuttohealth carein ourstate’s history Will ourleadersinWashingtonchoosetoprotect the health of ourpeople, hospitals andeconomy?Weare counting on themtodoso.

Greg Feirn is CEO of LCMC Health. Pete November is CEO of OchsnerHealth.This columnisco-signed by: Rock Bordelon, president and CEO of AllegianceHealth Management; E. J. Kuiper president and CEO of FMOL Health; Randy Morris, board chairmanofthe Louisiana Rural HospitalCoalition; Rene Ragas, president and CEO of Woman’sHospital; and Paul A. Salles, president and CEO of theLouisianaHospital Association.

called recycling, but the incentive to gain somepocket money produced asimilar result.

My Dadbelonged to the Isaac Walton League, which taught responsible hunting and ﬁshing and an appreciation forland, air and water.Conservationists, they called themselves. This was before environmentalism took hold and it seemed to me to produce better results after what Ihave described.

Pride in America once meant respecting the land “from California to the New York Island.” It wasmade foryou and me so let’sclean it up and show we care about our land as much as many other nations care about theirs. Maybe acampaign could be started under the banner “Make America Clean Again.”

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com

Steve Scalise GUEST COLUMNIST

Greg Feirn GUEST COLUMNIST Pete November GUEST COLUMNIST

Cal Thomas

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

The U.S. Capitol, through awindowinthe Russell Senate Office Building in Washington

"I have fought agood fight, Ihave finished my course, Ihave kept the faith: Henceforth there is a crown of righteousness laid up for me" Hellen Henson went home to be with Jesus on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at the age of 81. She was reunited with her late husband George Nolan Henson, Sr. on the anniversary death date of his passing, what acelebration! Visitation will be held at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, from 5to 9pm and will resume on Thursday, July 3, 2025, from 8am until religious services at 12pm, conducted by Pastor Ralph Doiron. Interment willfollow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Hellen is survived by her son, Randy Henson; daughters, Katie Ganaway, Cathy Oglesby, Michelle King and Carolyn Daigle; eight grandchildren; eighteen great grandchildren; two greatgreat grandchildren; siblings, Elsie Mott, Vories, Harold, and Jim Kelley, and Verlie Pierre; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, George Nolan Henson, Sr.; son, George "Lil Nolan" Henson, Jr.; grandson, Brandon Dupree; parents, John and Ruby Kelly; and siblings, Acie, Louis, Nelson, and Hubert, Mary Mamie, and Lois Kelly, and Annie Higgins; daughter-in -law, Laura Passantino Henson; and sons-in-law, James and Joe Oglesby. Hellen was passionate and diligent in her walk and service to Jesus Christ. She brought comfort to many in the community in their time of need by preparing meals and prayer. Hellen loved her familywith everything in her and always made sure they all had what they needed. Pallbearers will be Randy Henson, Travis King, Sr., Bryan

Dupree,Scott Kelley,Caleb Dupree,and R.J. Baham. Honorarypallbearerswill be Matthewand Bubba Daigle, and Paul Ganaway.

Eleanor Anna Koren Novotny, age91, was calledtoher heavenly home on June 28, 2025.Eleanor was bornon June 29, 1933,inPrince George,Virginia to John and Julia (Buchek) Koren. Shewas baptized,confirmedand married at Nazareth LutheranChurch in Hopewell,Virginia where her parents were chartermembers.Eleanor marriedJoseph Novotny on September 15, 1954. Theyweremarried for62 years.Eleanor wasa woman of faithwho loved to read God'sWordand was an example of faith, love and kindness for her children, grandchildrenand friends.Eleanorand her husbandJoe lovedsquare dancingand wereactive with the Tiger Twirlers in Baton Rouge,LA. Shewas also amemberofthe LWMLand Homemakers Club.Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents John Koren and Julia (Buchek) Koren; brothers John Koren and GeraldKoren; sisterEsther (Koren) Wallat; SonWilliam Joseph Novotny; and Husband Joseph Novotny Eleanor is survivedby her sisterBetty (Koren) Head (Jim); Daughters Sharon Dalpini (Doug) and Julie Jones(Guy); and Daughter-in-Law Deborah Novotny Upton.Eleanor is also survivedbyher eight grandchildren: Erin Strybis (Jay),Andrew Dalpini (Crystal), Joshua Coon (Jenni),Daniel Jones, Renee Martin (Stephen), Warren Elhers Novotny (Storm), Martin Novotny (Mariena) and Thomas

AaronNovotny.She is also survivedbyelevengreat grandchildrenand 1greatgreatgrandson. Visitation willbeheldonWednesday, July2,at12:00pmatTrinity

Lutheran Church, 15160 S HarrelsFerry Road,Baton Rouge, with Funeral Services starting at 2:00pm. Entombment willimmediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA.Memorialsmay be sent to TrinityLutheran Church, Lutheran Hour Ministries or The American Diabetes Association.

Martha passedaway June 23, 2025, 93 years old, at theCuthbertsonUnit at Aldersgate, Charlotte, NC after alongeight-year strugglewithdementia. She wasborn February 11, 1932, in Shenandoah,Iowa to Walterand Grace Parson, their youngestand onlydaughtergrowing up in Centerville,Iowawith six brothers. Martha attendedCentervilleHigh School, and marriedJames F. McElderry,Jr. December 31st,1948. After James graduated from University of Iowa, he was employed by Ethyl Corporationand in 1952, they moved to Baton Rouge, LA.They raised two sons, Tim and Mike, and became long timemembers of FloridaBoulevard Baptist Church. Martha worked at Delta Tank, General Leasing Services, and Louisiana National Bank performing Executive secretarial dutiesproving to be very proficient in shorthand,anaccurate fast typist, and found reliable to handle difficultand confidential financial and legal projects. Momand Dad moved to Sarnia, Canada, in 1991 and spent three years in that frozenwinter tundra. They sent winter pictures of Icefrozen on fences, and Momdid not like cool, much less cold weather. Mom and Dad were inseparableand

lovedour Lord through studying His wordtogether and serving God through FloridaBoulevardBaptist Church and their active prayer group. Martha devotedherself to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) for many years. She spoke oftenofTemple Baptist Church in Sarnia, Canada, wheredeepspiritual friendship ties were formed.Wonderfullyclose friendshipswithEthylfamiliesand fellowbelievers continued through the years with letter writing, cards, and phone calls, and sharing prayer requests. She enjoyed creative crafting and ceramics for home decoration and use. She was blessed with the gift to be an outstanding cook. Everyone looked forward to an invitation to dinner from Martha. You weren'tone to be disappointed.BothMom and Dad had high standardsin keeping an exceptionally clean home, everything working properly, and everything had itsown place when not in use. When youare done with whatever, clean it and putitaway. Mike and Iremembered theweeklyassigned chores involving vacuum cleaners, mops, brooms, dusters, floorbuffers, lawnmowers and edgers. We lovedthem. After 52 years of marriage, James passed away, and in 2015 thefamily convinced her to move to Charlotte,NC. She was preceded in deathby her parents, thesix Parson brothers, Wayne, Maurice, Victor,Pete(Marion), William, and Schubert (Swede), her son Michael W. McElderry,Sr.,brotherin-law,RobertMcElderry of Albuquerque, NM,and inlaws, James F. McElderry, Sr. and Naomi McElderry Head.She is survivedby James (Tim) and his wife Joan McElderry, daughterin-law,AdeleMcElderry five grandsons, Mitch, Brandon, Robbie, Kenneth, and Keith McElderry, one granddaughter KristiM Feller, and four greatgrandsons, James, Mikie, David,and NoelMcElderry, one great-granddaughter, Emma McElderry, twosisters-in-law, Dorthy Parson and Ginny McElderry,and many nieces and nephews. Momwas healed of her Alzheimer'sthroughdeath as she is face to face with Jesus, and enjoying areunion hugging James and Mike today. Oh what a day! Aspecial note to the

Aldersgate'sCuthbertson Oriole Memory Unit staff. We thank you for theexcellentcaregiventomom andfor goingabove and beyond expectationson many occasions duringthe eightyearsshe resided there. We witnessed the effectsoflove given to mom everytimewewere abletovisit. Aldersgate is aspecial place as ourfamilyrecognized that facilities in theirhometown did notoffer thesame comparable leveloffacilities, compassion,activities, and care.Wefeltthe Oriole staff wasanextensionof ourfamily. TheParson familyhas hadseveral of itsmembers to pass away with Alzheimer's. SharonMills, Schubert'sdaughter, works with theAlzheimer's Association and thefamily requests donations be sent to 225 NMichigan Ave Floor 17, Chicago,IL., 6061 or go to the website www.alz.orgtodonate online

Arrangements made through Greenoaks Funeral Home &MemorialPark, 9595 Florida Blvd Baton Rouge,LA., 70815. The funeralservice willbeginat 11 a.m., Tuesday, July 1, 2025, followed by abrief gravesideservice

Anative of Virginia and aresident of Louisiana since 1966, Ms. Rawlsdied June 16, 2025 and was affectionately known as Cy. Beginningata young age, Cy developeda love for painting anddrawing andpursued herpassion throughout herlife. She wasa respected artist who encouraged familyand friends to express their creativity throughart.Cy also enjoyedgrowing plants and flowersand couldbefound on any giv-

en Friday sittingata card table withfriends. She workedasagraphic artist at Exxon Baton Rouge Refineryand wassole proprietor of Industrial Graphics. Cy left Louisiana in 1988 to work for theCentral IntelligenceAgency in Washington,DC. In 1996, she returned to Baton Rouge and wasproprietorofDirty Harry'sSaloononWooddaleBoulevard from 19961997. In 1998, she moved to Galvez andworked for theLSU Department of Geography& Anthropology until2004. Cy wasa long time memberofthe Baton Rouge LeagueofWomen Voters and theRiverRegion ArtAssociation where she spentmuch time volunteeringand enjoying the companyofother artists from thearea. Cy is survivedbydaughterBeth Tarver Rawls Nettles, Port Allen, LA; son T-Charles MorganRawlsand wife Ann, French Settlement LA;grandchildrenAndrew Nettles(Lindsey); Abigail Nettles; Alicia Rawls;great granddaughters DrewBlair Nettlesand Murphy Camille Nettles; sister Jane Miller,Dallas, TX. Preceded in death by sisters Becky Wilson, NewOrleans, LA; Evelyn Hughey, Bremo Bluff, VA;Margaret Brown, Bremo Bluff, VA; Mary Prokop, Arlington VA; brotherKennethMinter, Richmond, VA;and long time friendHarry Reid.A celebrationoflifegatheringwill be held at Parc73, 14379 LA-73, Prairieville, LA 70769, Wednesday, July 2, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donationscan be made to theBaton Rouge Food Bank

Henson, HellenJean

Novotny, Eleanor Koren

Parson McElderry, Martha

Rawls,Clara Minter'Cy'

DEATHS continued from

‘Unfinished business’

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

If Garrett Nussmeier had turned pro after his ﬁrst year as the LSU starting quarterback, he would have been a fairly high pick in the NFL draft With his potential inside a weak quarterback class, he might have even gone in the first round.

But as Nussmeier prayed about the decision, what he thought he should do became clear

“Coming back I feel like I had unﬁnished business,” Nussmeier said Monday in an interview with The Advocate. “I feel like the product that I put on tape wasn’t what I wanted it to be. And it’s not what I wanted to leave.”

Plus, Nussmeier understood what LSU wanted to build around him In the months after he announced his return, the Tigers signed the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country according to 247Sports, while retaining several key players.

Brian Kelly repeatedly has called it his

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

There have been some pretty good duos in New Orleans since NBA basketball returned to the city in 2002. There was Chris Paul and David West. And then there was Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday

But don’t forget about Joel Meyers and Antonio Daniels, the team’s television broadcast crew that will continue their run calling Pelicans games this season.

The Pelicans announced Monday they have signed play-by-play announcer Meyers and color analyst Daniels to multiyear contract extensions.

Meyers and Daniels have handled broadcast duties for the Pelicans since 2019. This season will be their seventh season working together

“New Orleans has become home for me, and I’m honored to continue calling games for a franchise that’s on the rise in a city I love,” Meyers said in a statement issued by the team. “We have a special group here — on the court and in the community and I’m

Pelicans add size by signing Looney

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans are adding a big man. The Pelicans have agreed to a deal with Kevon Looney,

Warriors. He averaged 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds this past season. His best season was 2022-23 when he averaged career highs in points (7.0) and rebounds (9.1). Looney also brings veteran leadership to the locker room.

Most importantly, he’s been available. He played in all 82 games in the 202122 and 2022-23 seasons. He played in 74 games the following year and 76 this past season. He has 89 games of playoff experience. The acquisition of Looney gives the Pelicans a veteran inside presence to compensate for the loss of Kelly Olynyk, who was traded last week. Looney’s presence can help develop the younger centers on the roster such as Yves Missi, who is entering his second season, and rookie Derik Queen. Joe Dumars, in his ﬁrst season as executive vice president of basketball operations, said after the draft last week that there was a chance the Pelicans would seek to add some size in free agency “It’s imperative that you have bigs,” Dumars said. “I’m not sure that we are done. You look at these teams and they are running two bigs out there. If you can’t match up, you’re in trouble. We want to make sure that’s a strong suit for us as well.”

It’s the latest move in what has been a busy offseason for the Pelicans under Dumars.

Last week, the Pelicans acquired Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey from the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Olynyk. Before that, the Pelicans obtained the rights to guard Mojave King in a trade with the Indiana Pacers.

The Pelicans also added three players

ä See LOONEY, page 3C

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

the league, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.” Meyers, who has been in broadcasting for more than 40

enters his 14th season with the franchise. He was named the Louisiana Sportscaster of

PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier tucks the ball to run during a spring practice on April 12 at Tiger Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier participates in a passing drill during the Friday Night Lights event at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University on Friday.

MICHAEL JOHNSON

ä See NUSSMEIER, page 5C

Dolphins, Steelers trade All-Pros

Miami sends CB Ramsey, TE Smith to Steelers for safety Fitzpatrick

BY ALANIS THAMES AP sportswriter

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins are sending All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 ﬁfth-round pick. Ramsey announced the trade Monday in a post on his X account. Both his representation and the Dolphins, where he spent the past two seasons, had mutually agreed earlier this year to part ways. Neither Ramsey nor the Dolphins gave any insight into what went wrong. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in April that Ramsey did not ask for a trade or more money, but after weeks of conversations with Ramsey’s representation, both sides agreed that it would be best to move on Fitzpatrick returns to the team that drafted him 11th overall in 2018. He had been displeased with his role in Miami and requested a trade before being sent to the Steelers in 2019.

The terms have been agreed upon and are pending physicals.

The swap of Ramsey and Fitzpatrick, both three-time All-Pros, marks the third time since at least 2002 that players who had previously been All-Pros were traded for each other, according to Sportradar

The others were star receiver DeAndre Hopkins (three All-Pros) for running back David Johnson (1) in 2020, and tight end Jimmy Graham (1) for center Max Unger (1) in 2015. Smith had one of the best years of his career in his lone season in Miami after signing a two-year

LSU punter transfers to UL-Monroe

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

deal as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season. The veteran tight end hoped that his career year might lead to a new contract with the Dolphins, with whom he preferred to stay He had been away from the team during its offseason program as he sought a new contract. Instead, he’s rejoining Arthur Smith, currently the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, whom he was with in Tennessee and Atlanta.

Smith will get a one-year contract extension worth as much as $12 million for 2026, agent Drew Rosenhaus conﬁrmed.

In the aftermath of the trade, former Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert responded to the news with apparent criticism of his former team. Mostert was cut in February by Miami after his least productive season with the team in 2024, one year after making the Pro Bowl with the Dolphins.

“Hot take: Be a Pro-bowler on the Dolphins, get treated like (expletive),” Mostert wrote on X in response to the trades. “Happy for my guys though! GO BALL OUT!!”

It’s the latest in a series of retooling moves the Steelers have made this offseason in hopes that 2025 won’t end similarly as their past few seasons Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs four times in the past five seasons, only to

be quickly eliminated in lopsided fashion each time.

Since March, the Steelers have acquired two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf from Seattle, signed four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and now they’ve added two more experienced veterans in Ramsey and Smith. Trading Fitzpatrick who emerged as one of the NFL’s premier safeties in his six seasons in Pittsburgh, likely could free up money for the Steelers to resign star linebacker TJ Watt, who is in the last year of his deal and skipped the offseason program as he seeks a new contract.

For the Dolphins, losing Smith is a huge blow to their offense, which heavily relied on the tight end in the passing game as teams limited big plays from receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Smith’s 88 receptions and 884 yards receiving last season were the most by a tight end in franchise history

The Dolphins did address a need at safety after starter Jevon Holland signed with the New York Giants in March, but they still will likely be on the hunt for a replacement for Ramsey to add a veteran to their mostly young cornerback group.

Saints writer wins 2 major awards in LSWA contest

NATCHITOCHES Luke Johnson won Story of the Year and Beat Writer of the Year leading a list of winners for the Times-Picayune, The Advocate and Acadiana Advocate at the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s annual awards ceremony held Sunday Johnson’s feature story on interim Saints coach Darren Rizzi was selected as the contest’s top story across two divisions. The same story also netted Johnson a first place in the pro features category and was a key part of his multi-story entry that won the beat writer award. Section of the Year was the other major award the Times-Picayune, The Advocate and The Acadiana Advocate claimed. Staff writers had five first-place finishes in individual Division I categories. The other individual Division I winners were: Jeff Duncan (pro column), Koki Riley (college feature), Michael Johnson (photography), Kevin Foote (college event).

Source says LSU outfielder has entered transfer portal

LSU sophomore outfielder Ashton Larson has entered the transfer portal, a source confirmed to The Advocate on Monday Larson, who started 40 games as a freshman in 2024, has decided to transfer after starting just five games this past season.

Larson hit two home runs and posted a .256 batting average in 39 at-bats for the national champions this spring. He batted .298 with three home runs and a .401 on-base percentage as a freshman, earning a 2024 All-SEC Freshman team selection in the process.

After battling for a spot in the outfield to start this season, Larson couldn’t establish a starting role after the emergence of Derek Curiel and Jake Brown. Josh Pearson and Chris Stanfield also received playing time in the outfield.

Wings trade Smith to Aces for 2027 first-round pick

LAS VEGAS The Las Vegas Aces have acquired forward NaLyssa Smith from the Dallas Wings for a 2027 ﬁrst-round draft pick. The trade announced Monday ends what had been a disappointing Dallas debut for Smith, a Texas native who played at Baylor She was averaging career lows in points, rebounds and minutes for the Wings, who started 1-11 before winning four of their past six games.

After the spring semester ended, LSU redshirt senior punter and holder Peyton Todd left the team and transferred to UL-Monroe, where he will play his last college season. Todd, a native of West Monroe had gone through spring practice with the Tigers but is no longer listed on the roster LSU now has two punters: Middle Tennessee State transfer Grant Chadwick and redshirt sophomore Badger Hargett.

Chadwick is expected to start after transferring to LSU this offseason. As a freshman last fall, Chadwick averaged 43.4 yards per punt, which ranked third in Conference USA. Chadwick has three years of eligibility remaining.

LSU needed to improve its punting after ﬁnishing last in the SEC at 39.56 yards per punt last season.

The Tigers used two punters during the 2024 season: Todd and Blake Ochsendorf, who had one season of eligibility left when he transferred from Louisiana Tech. Todd was LSU’s leading punter with 19 attempts for an average of 41.3 yards. He was also the holder on a ﬁeld goal unit that struggled at times with its execution.

Coming out of high school, Todd was the highest-rated punter in the country in the 2021 class, according to 247Sports.

After graduating in December with a degree in animal science, Todd planned to attend veterinary school. He told LSU for a post on its website that he wants to specializes in large animals to work with horses and cattle. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Saints to conduct nine open practices during training camp

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints will conduct nine public practices during their 2025 training camp, including the opening workout on July 23 at the team’s training facility in Metairie, ofﬁcials announced Monday

In all, the Saints will hold 24 practices, including six workouts in Irvine, California, where the Saints will train for 10 days at UC-Irvine’s Crawford Field in preparation for their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The practices in Irvine will be closed to the public.

The Saints will leave for California on Aug. 6 and return to New Orleans on Aug. 15, before their second exhibition game

against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Caesars Superdome on Aug. 17.

The team’s six ﬁnal workouts after the Jaguars game will be closed to the public.

All bleacher seating for practices at the training facility will be covered and misted. Concession and merchandise sales will also be available. Players will also sign post-practice autographs, weather and time permitting.

Free parking is available at the

adjacent Shrine on Airline complex, starting at 7 a.m. on a ﬁrstcome-ﬁrst-served basis. The July 27 practice will be open to the public and feature multiple interactive and entertainment elements as part of the NFL’s “Back Together Weekend” initiative. Tickets for training camp practices are free, but their availability is limited because of daily seating capacity Season-ticket holders may reserve tickets through their account manager starting at 9 a.m Tuesday Fans on the waiting list for season tickets may reserve tickets at 9:30 a.m. Tickets will be available to the public starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday by online

Smith joined the Wings from Indiana in an offseason trade. The 24-year-old was part of a major roster makeover before Dallas selected Paige Bueckers No. 1 overall in the draft in April.

Orioles place pitcher Eflin on 15-day injured list

ARLINGTON, Texas The Baltimore Orioles have placed right-hander Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list with low back discomfort. Eflin got hurt during Saturday’s 11-3 loss to Tampa Bay He was tagged for four runs and five hits in one inning before he was replaced by Scott Blewett. The 31-year-old Eflin, Baltimore’s opening-day starter, is 6-5 with a 5.95 ERA in 12 outings part of a disappointing season for the Orioles. He also was on the IL from April 8 to May 11 with a right lat strain.

Right-hander Brandon Young was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the opener of a threegame series at Texas.

Astros shortstop Peña going on IL with rib injury

HOUSTON Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña has a fractured rib and will be placed on the 10day injured list. The team revealed the extent of the injury Monday, saying it was a small fracture in Peña’s left rib cage. The IL move will be retroactive to Saturday Peña was hit in the ribs by a pitch from Chicago Cubs rookie right-hander Cade Horton in the second inning of the Astros’ 7-4 victory on Friday He didn’t leave the game until the ﬁfth, and the team said X-rays taken that night didn’t reveal the fracture. An MRI and CT scan on Sunday revealed the fracture, according to the team.

Pena is having a breakout season, ranking fourth in the major leagues with a .322 batting average.

Smith Fitzpatrick

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler throws a pass during a training camp practice on Aug. 3, 2024, at the University of California Irvine.

Todd

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GENE PUSKAR Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey, left, intercepts a pass intended for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman on Nov. 3 in Orchard Park, N.y

Seahawks dodged bullet by trading QB Wilson

CALKINS

The Seattle Times (TNS)

There are no banners to show for it, no rings because of it and no parades on the horizon. But more than three years after it happened, one of the smartest trades in Seahawks history continues to look like one of the most necessary It isn’t news that in March 2022, the Seahawks dealt Russell Wilson to the Broncos for two ﬁrst-round picks and two second-round picks, among other assets. Nor is it news that the former Super Bowl champion quickly declined as soon as Seattle traded him away What is news is that Wilson asked the Broncos for a fully guaranteed deal worth around $350 million over seven years, presumably because of the precedent Deshaun Watson set by inking a ﬁve-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Browns. This is probably close to what it would have taken for the Seahawks to keep him happy in Seattle. It also would have wrecked the franchise.

Wilson’s initial asking price in Denver became news last week when the ruling of a January collusion grievance between the NFL and the NFL Players Association was made public. An arbitrator ruled in the NFL’s favor, but did cite evidence of owners trying to keep down the number of fully guaranteed contracts after Watson’s deal. Ultimately, Wilson signed for less overall and less guaranteed money after he was traded to Denver — inking a ﬁve-year, $245 million deal that assured him $124

LOONEY

Continued from page 1C

to the roster in last week’s draft. They selected guard Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma) and Queen (Maryland) in the ﬁrst round and guard Micah Peavy (Georgetown) in the second round.

Monday was the ﬁrst day of NBA free agency, when teams could begin negotiating contracts with free agents. Teams can begin signing free agents July 6. In other Pelicans-related free agent news, Bruce Brown has agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets. The versatile Brown, who came to New Orleans in February on an expiring contract as part of the Brandon Ingram trade, played in 23 games in his short time with the Pelicans. He’s returning to the Nuggets, the team he played a key role on during their championship run in the 2022-23 season. Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

million. This upset former NFLPA president J.C. Tretter, who wanted Wilson to cement Watson’s precedent for fully guaranteed contracts going forward.

In Seattle, I imagine the most common one-word response is “phew” to the news. It was hard to know what to make of that trade when it happened three years ago, as it is with most trades. Yes, Wilson was hurt the season before, but at 33, he still made the Pro Bowl for the ninth time and was a year removed from throwing a career-high 40 touchdown passes to complement a 105.1 passer rating. Finding a franchise quarterback is perhaps the most difﬁcult task for an executive in the NFL, if not all major American sports. Three years later, the Seahawks are still unsure if they have one, but they are no doubt better off for unloading Wilson.

For one, Wilson hasn’t played anywhere close to the level he did when he was wearing the blue and green. In 2022, after taking 55 sacks and throwing just 16 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, Wilson ﬁnished 27th in the NFL in quarterback rating. He bounced back to some degree in Year 2 with Denver, throwing 26 touchdowns against eight interceptions, but given the 45 sacks (fourth most in the league) and 3,070 yards passing (19th), he still ﬁnished 21st in QBR.

This didn’t resemble someone worthy of the contract he signed. It’s no wonder Denver coach Sean Payton wanted to get rid of him which he did after the season. And though Wilson did earn a Pro Bowl nod with the Steelers last year, his

numbers didn’t improve much. Geno Smith was far more productive for the Seahawks than Wilson ever would have been.

More importantly, there is a core in place for the Seahawks’ future. The trade allowed Seattle to pick ninth overall in 2022 and draft left tackle Charles Cross, who has been the only reliable member of the offensive line over the past three seasons. It allowed them to draft ﬁfth overall in 2023 and pick cornerback Devon Witherspoon, a two-time Pro Bowler with ﬁrstteam All-Pro potential.

And since the Witherspoon selection covered a primary defensive need, the Seahawks were able to use the 20th pick in 2023 on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who surpassed DK Metcalf (now with Pittsburgh) as Seattle’s No. 1 receiver last season. Additionally, the Seahawks used their 2022 second-round pick from the Broncos on productive linebacker Boye Mafe (40th overall), which allowed them to use an offensive selection on running back Kenneth Walker (41st).

Granted, since then, the Seahawks have made the playoffs just once — when they lost in the ﬁrst round after a 10-7 season in 2022. But there was absolutely no way that signing Wilson to a monstrous contract — or even a contract at half that initial asking price — was going to help this organization.

Without Wilson, the Seahawks probably never win a Super Bowl. For that, he’ll always have a place in Seattle. But the news last week was another reminder: His legacy as a Seahawk is eternal, but his time here was done.

Thunder general manager

Presti lauds ‘homegrown’ NBA championship team

BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter

OKLAHOMA CITY Sam Presti put Oklahoma City’s ﬁrst NBA championship team together in an unconventional way The Thunder general manager didn’t make any splashy trades or break the bank in free agency He didn’t replace the coach with a bigger name during the rebuild to get the team over the top. He relied on good-old-fashioned internal development, with a few strategic additions sprinkled in. It worked. Somehow, Oklahoma City claimed the title with the same coach and many of the same players who won 24 games four years ago.

“We have people from Canada, Serbia, the West Coast, the East Coast, middle America, France, Australia, that all come together for a collective goal,” Presti said.

“There’s compassion on the team. There’s a cowboy toughness, a self-reliance that comes from being homegrown, and an essential sense of goodness.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the regular-season and Finals MVP, but there were plenty of challenges. Jalen Williams, a ﬁrst-time All-Star, was a force in the playoffs despite playing the entire postseason with a ligament tear in his right wrist that will require surgery Chet Holmgren missed 50 games this season with a pelvic injury The Thunder were among the league’s leaders in games lost to injury

Presti said the key was that the players saw challenges as opportunities. Many took advantage of their additional playing time and were better prepared to contribute during the title run.

“If you want to be the exception, you have to be willing to be exceptional,” Presti said. “That point was basically aimed at the fact that we have to be the exception to the rule. The quest to be exceptional is met with having to do a lot of things that are unortho-

dox, and I felt like the team did that in a lot of ways and we were rewarded for it.”

Coach Mark Daigneault, like the team, is an unconventional success story He coached the team’s G-League affiliate before taking over the Thunder After winning fewer than 25 games his first two years as Thunder head coach, he’s now a champion. Presti said Daigneault has improved over the years, and his approach to learning helped the young team stay focused. He said the team never got overwhelmed by circumstances, like losing Game 1 in both the Western Conference semifinals against Denver and the NBA Finals against Indiana, or falling apart in Game 6 at Indiana.

“I think the team saw those as, ‘Hey, this is just the next thing in front of us that we have to accomplish to achieve the goals of being a great team,’ and I don’t think anyone was inconvenienced or saw that as a catastrophic event,” Presti said. “It’s like, ‘Well, I guess this is part of the thing we have to get better at,’ and they met the moment.”

Two additions were guard Alex Caruso, who was acquired in a trade with Chicago last summer, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, who was added through free agency Those veterans played key roles in the playoffs and helped Presti get named Executive of the Year

Presti said the Thunder won’t change much — he believes consistency brought them here. The team is positioned to do well going forward with all the key players from the youngest team to win a title since 1977 signed through at least next season. But Presti said there is work ahead. He noted that no team has repeated since Golden State in 2017 and 2018.

“We’ll have to put our head down,” he said.

“We’re not entitled to anything. If you hear us approaching things differently than we have in the past, I’d be a little bit surprised by that. But we’re going to have to ﬁght some human nature there, but I think we have the people and the characters and the program to ﬁght for that. But we’re going to have to stack days in order to stack seasons.”

Spurs, Rockets make moves as free agency commences

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

Victor Wembanyama has another big man to help him out in San Antonio. The Houston Rockets continued their offseason overhaul. And Orlando and Atlanta made moves with eyes on contending this coming season on Monday as the NBA’s free agency period got underway

The Spurs lured center Luke Kornet away from Boston with a four-year, $41 million deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team cannot announce the deal until the league’s signing moratorium for most contracts is lifted Sunday

Kornet was part of Boston’s 2024 NBA title team and has shot 68% from the ﬁeld in 205 games, mostly off the bench, over the last three regular seasons He ﬁgures to add frontcourt depth to the Spurs, who are hoping to have Wembanyama — the 202324 NBA Rookie of the Year and an All-Star this past season back and ready to go after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in a shoulder back in February

The Rockets, meanwhile, added veteran forward Dorian FinneySmith on a four-year, $53 million deal shortly after free agency opened. Houston becomes FinneySmith’s fourth team after stints with Dallas, Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers. He’ll be added to a Rockets club that earlier this summer landed Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with Phoenix Finney-Smith averaged 8.7 points and was a 41% shooter from 3-point range this past season. The Rockets’ run on free agents continued with the addition of center Clint Capela, who spent the ﬁrst six years of his career in Houston before playing the last five seasons in Atlanta. Capela agreed to a three-year deal with the Rockets.

Dallas, which needed some point guard help especially because the newly re-signed Kyrie Irving — rehabbing from an ACL tear may not be ready to play until about midseason, agreed with D’Angelo Russell on a two-year contract worth nearly $13 million. Russell would be part of the backcourt depth on a club with an imposing front line that, if healthy, would include No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, 10time All-Star Anthony Davis and promising young center Dereck Lively Atlanta added Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Minnesota on what will be a four-year, $62 million deal after the completion of a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves. Minnesota will get a draft pick, cash considerations and will create a trade exception once the deal is ﬁnalized. The Magic added Tyus Jones on a one-year deal. He joins an Orlando roster that already landed Desmond Bane from Memphis in a trade, and the Magic — who played long stretches last season without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs because of injuries — should be a legit East contender this season if healthy It was a big night for the Jones family: Tyus Jones’ brother, Tre Jones, agreed Monday on a threeyear deal to return to the Chicago Bulls. Guard Caris LeVert will sign a two-year deal worth nearly $15 million annually with the Detroit Pistons, a team that won 14 games in 2023-24 and then won 44 games to earn the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference this past season. Also Monday the Brooklyn Nets traded Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and a ﬁrst-round draft pick. The swap of forwards shortly after free agency opened sends Johnson back to the Western Conference, where he helped Phoenix reach the 2021 NBA Finals two years before Porter helped the Nuggets win the title.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL DWyER Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney, right, and forward Andrew Wiggins battle for a rebound against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart during a game on June 10, 2022, in Boston.

MATT

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ELAINE THOMPSON

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson waves to fans as he leaves the field after a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 7, 2021, in Seattle.

Presti

Sabalenkanot interested in ﬁve sets forwomen

By The Assoicated Press

LONDON Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka wouldn’twant women’s tennis to move to best-of-ﬁve-set matches at Grand Slam tournaments —like the men play fearing higher injury risks.

“Probably physically I’m one of the strongest ones, so maybe it would beneﬁtme. But Ithink I’m not ready to play ﬁve sets,” Sabalenka said after her two-set first-round victory at Wimbledon on Monday. “I think it’stoo much on the woman’s body.I think we’re not ready for this amount of tennis. Ithink it would increase the amount of injuries. So Ithink this is not something I would consider.”

Women play best-of-threesets at all tournaments. Men play the best-of-ﬁve format at Grand Slam tournaments and best-of-three sets elsewhere. There’snowidespread movement for the change, but it’san

occasional talking point —if women’stennis shouldmoveto best of ﬁve at the later stages of themajor tournaments.

Sabalenka wasasked aboutthe French Open ﬁnalinwhich Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in aﬁve-setter that lasted 51/2 hours.

“For someonewatching, it’s amazing to see ﬁve hours of great tennis,” Sabalenka said. “But I’m not really jealous to stay there forﬁve hoursasa player. Idon’t know how many days they needed to recoverafter that crazy match.”

No. 2-ranked Coco Gauff expressed similar sentiments about best-of-ﬁve sets on Saturday

“It would favor me just from aphysicality standpoint. But Idothink it would kind of be a bigchange for thetour.Ithink it would be ﬁnejust keeping it like how it is,” the American said.

Sabalenka beat 194th-ranked Carson Branstine 6-1, 7-5 in 73 minutesonMonday

Alcarazpushedtoﬁve sets in Wimbledonopener

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON Carlos Alcaraz,locked in afive-set struggle at Centre Court, looked toward his coach Mondayand shouted something about how Fabio Fognini —38, retiring after this season, winless in 2025 —looked as if he could keep playing until he’s50.

“I don’tknow why it’shis last Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said later “because the level he has shown, he can still play three or four more years. Unbelievable.”

The two-time reigning champion at theAll England Club needed to go throughmorethan41/2 hoursof back-and-forth shifts against the much older andless accomplished Fognini before emerging with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1victory in theﬁrst round.

It wasn’tsupposed tobethat tough.

Consider that theNo. 2-seeded Alcaraz is 22, already aﬁve-time GrandSlamchampion —including his latest at the French Open three weeks ago —and is on acareerbest 19-match winning streak.

Consider, too, that Fognini has never been past the third round at theAll EnglandClubin15appearances and reached the quarterﬁnals at any major tournament just once— wayback at the 2011 French Open.Heentered Monday ranked 138thand is 0-6 this year

Oh, andthenthere’s this: Only twice has thereigning men’schampionatWimbledonbeen beaten in the ﬁrst round the following year LleytonHewittin2003and Manuel Santana in 1967.

There were times Monday when Alcaraz appeared to be something less than his best, far from the form he displayedduring his epic ﬁve-set, 51/2-hourcomeback victory over No. 1Jannik Sinner for the championship at Roland-Garros. Alcaraz double-faulted nine times. He faced 21 break points. He made more unforcederrors, 62, than winners, 52. He chalkedsome of that up to nerves.

“Playing the first matchatCentre Court,and the first match of every tournament, is nevereasy,”said Alcaraz, whobeat Novak Djokovic in the2023 and2024 finals at that arena. “I’ve been practicing pretty well. I’ve been playing on grass really well.But Wimbledon is special. It’sdifferent.”

Next for Alcaraz will be amatch Wednesday againstOliverTarvet, a21-year-old British qualiﬁer who plays collegetennis at the UniversityofSan Diego andisranked 733rd.

Fogniniisa self-described hot head andisknown formidmatch ﬂareups, includingatWimbledon, where he was ﬁned $3,000 in 2019 for saying during amatch that he wished“abomb would explode at theclub” and athen-record $27,500 in 2014 for aseriesofoutbursts. He was putonatwo-year probation by the Grand Slam Boardin 2017 after insulting afemale chair umpire at the U.S. Open andgetting kicked out of that tournament. Such behaviorwasn’tdisplayed Monday.And when Alcaraz pushed aforehand long to cede the fourth set, Fognini nodded toward his guest box, where amember of his entourage stood to snap aphoto withacellphone. Things were pictureperfect forFognini at that moment.

Butatthe outset of thefifth— the first time the previous year’s male champwas pushed that far in the first round since Roger Federer in 2010 —Alcaraz recalibrated. When the Spaniard broke to lead 2-0inthatset witha backhand volleywinner, he pointed toward the stands, threw an uppercut and screamed, “Vamos!” In the next game, he saved apair of break pointsbefore thematch was paused formore than 10 minutes because aspectator felt ill amid record-breaking high temperaturesfor Day 1ofWimbledon. Whentheyresumed, Alcaraz outplayed Fognini the rest of the way

While Alcaraz escaped,five seeded menexitedonDay 1, including No. 8Holger Rune; No. 9 Daniil Medvedev, who also lost in the ﬁrst round at the French Open; No. 16 Francisco Cerundolo; No. 20 Alexei Popyrin;and No.24Stefanos Tsitsipas, whoquit because of apersistent lower-back problem after dropping the ﬁrst two sets. No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champ, lost, while women’s winners included No. 1 ArynaSabalenka,2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova and 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu.

WNBA addingthree newteams over ﬁveyears

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

NEW YORK The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next ﬁve years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to jointhe league by 2030. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 andPhiladelphia the season after,assuming they get approval from the NBAand WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto andPortlandwill enter the league next year

“The demand for women’sbasketball has neverbeen higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbertsaid.

“This historic expansionisapowerful reflectionofour league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surgingdemand for investment in women’sprofessional basketball.”

All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paida$250million expansion fee, which is about ﬁve times as much as Golden State dished out for ateam afew years ago. All three teams also will invest more money through buildingpractice facilities and other such amenities.

“It’ssuch anatural fit that when you already have this basketballrelated infrastructure, these strategies, cultures that you find to be successful,combinationsof personnel that you find to be successful,” said NicBarlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Groupand the Cavaliers. “Extending that into the WNBA is just anatural next progression, especially if you have adesire to grow like we do.”

BothCleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past and Philadelphia was the home for an ABL team.

“This is ahuge win forDetroit andthe WNBA,”Detroit Pistons

PELICANS

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so rewarding on so many levels.” Andrew Lopez willreturnfor

WNBA expansion teamsinPhiladelphia, Detroit and Cleveland.

owner TomGores said. “Today marks the return of the WNBA to acity with deep basketball rootsand achampionship tradition. Detroitplayed akey rolein theleague’searlygrowth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBAascends to new heights.”

Detroit sports stars Grant Hill, ChrisWebber and Jared Goff will haveminority ownership stakes in the team.

TheCleveland and Detroit ownership groups said the Rockers and Shock —the namesofthe

previousteams —would be considered, but they’d do their due diligence before deciding on what thefranchises will be called.

The Detroit and Cleveland teams will play at theNBA arenasthatcurrently exist, while Philadelphia is planning on anew building thatwillbecompleted hopefully by 2030.

“Wetellthe city it’sgoing to open in 2031. We’re hoping for 2030,” saidHarrisBlitzer Sports & Entertainmentmanaging partner and co-founder Josh Harris, who owns the76ers.“So we’retrying

to underpromise andoverdeliver But, right nowit’s2031, so that we have ayear gap, you know.”

Adding these threeteams will give theleaguemorenaturalrivalries with anotherteamonthe EastCoast andDetroit and Cleveland near each other

“I think there’ssomegreat historical rivalries in the NBAamong these cities and, Ithink that will carry over to the WNBA,” Detroit Pistonsvice president Arn Tellem said.“Iwould love nothingmore to have arivalry like we do in the NBA with Cleveland andIndiana,

Philadelphia andNew York andall these great citiesand, and Ithink we will.”

Engelbert said she was impressedwiththe numberofcitiesthatbid forexpansionteams, alist thatincludedSt. Louis; KansasCity,Missouri; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Miami; Denver; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Houston.

She also said that she wanted to spread outthe expansionovera few years to not dilute the talent pool.

“Wedidn’tknowthe demand would be where the demand ended up when we ran theprocess lastfall into the winter,” Engelbert said. “Given thevery high demand and supply,wewanted to evaluate, too, because we’re very careful about, you know,making sure we’re balancing the number of roster spots, the number of teams.

“But onething I’mverystruck by as we get into anew media deal, as themedia marketevolves, you know,being in these three big basketball cities is goingtohelp from amedia perspective, acorporate partners perspective.”

All the metrics —suchasattendance, TV ratingsand sponsorships —have been on the rise the last fewseasons.

“You’re seeing the key performanceindicators around the business, but thenalso just the communal impact of having a women’sprofessional sports team,” Barlage said. “The largestgrowing segment of our Cavs youth academy, which serves 60,000 kids across the state of Ohio andupstate New York, the fastest growing segment is girls.You know,it’s growing at a30% clip year over year in participation rates. And so for us to be able to create role models,tobeable to create symbols of progress, to createhaving ambassadors within the community representing all of these things.”

ASSOICIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Aryna SabalenkaofBelarus reactsduringher first-round match against Carson Branstine of Canada at Wimbledon inLondon on Monday.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByALASTAIR GRANT

Carlos Alcaraz of Spaincelebrates after beating Fabio Fognini of Italy during their first-round match at Wimbledon in London on Monday.

Texas St. headed to rebuilding Pac-12

Conference now has minimum of eight football schools

By The Associated Press

SAN MARCOS, Texas Texas State is joining the Pac-12, giving the rebuilding conference the eighth football-playing school it needed to maintain its status as an FBS conference.

The Pac-12 and Texas State announced Monday that the Bobcats from the Sun Belt Conference will join holdovers Oregon State and Washington State, along with private school Gonzaga and Mountain West-departing schools Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State as the nine foundational members of the new Pac-12. The reconﬁgured league’s official launch is set for July 1, 2026.

Since Gonzaga doesn’t ﬁeld a football team, the Pac-12 needed one more school to remain eligible as a Football Bowl Subdivision league. Only Oregon State and Washington State had remained in the Pac-12 after the departures of 10 teams to the three other power conferences: the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12. Texas State will be an all-sports member in the Pac-12 after being in the Sun Belt since 2013 The Bobcats, one of 14 football teams in the Sun Belt, made their FBS debut with one season in the WAC in 2012. The Bobcats were 8-5 each of the past two seasons since G.J. Kinne took over as coach, and won the First Responders Bowl both years. Before that, they had never been to a bowl game and had only one winning season in their previous 11 playing FBS football, a 7-5 record in 2014 under coach Dennis Franchione.

With the Texas State campus in San Marcos, only about 35 miles south of the University of Texas in Austin, it will be the farthest from the West Coast the Pac-12 has had an all-sports member ArkansasLittle Rock is now an afﬁliate member for wrestling. When the 10 former Pac-12 teams ofﬁcially departed last year, that

NUSSMEIER

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best roster since coming to LSU. Nussmeier agrees.

“I fully believe in coach Kelly and what he wants to accomplish this year,” Nussmeier said. “I didn’t want to watch anybody else try to make that happen. I wanted to be the guy to spearhead that and lead that, so it wasn’t that hard of a decision for me.”

Now one month from preseason practice, Nussmeier has spent the offseason trying to improve. He knows he needs to use his legs more and clean up his decision-making after throwing 12 interceptions. It could make a difference that, for the ﬁrst time at LSU, Nussmeier has a full season’s worth of game tape to review

Watching it has helped Nussmeier identify weaknesses and tells while getting deeper into the offense. Entering his second year as the starter and his fourth within the same system — he said he understands his job enough to focus on other decisions within a play

“The offense, I know it like the back of my hand now,” Nussmeier said. “That has allowed me to go into different areas.”

created coast-to-coast conferences Oregon and Washington went to the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined the Big 12; and Stanford and California became ACC members.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” Commissioner Teresa Gould said. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind. Texas State has shown a commitment to competing and winning at the highest level as well as to providing student-athletes with a well-rounded college experience academically,

athletically and socially We look forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continue to shine big and bright.”

The Pac-12 last week struck a media-rights deal with CBS that sets up the network to broadcast a minimum of four football and men’s basketball games per season on its main network and provide a cable and streaming presence for the league from 2026-31.

Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill in a statement thanked the Texas State staff for its “collaboration and leadership through a transformative era in college athletics” from the COVID-19 pandemic to NIL and the most recent round of realignment. He also touted the league’s

recent football success, including the Bobcats being among the 12 SBC teams in bowl games in 2023, and one of the seven last year

“I will continue to update our stakeholders on developments whenever possible as we work to ensure the sustained rise of the Sun Belt Conference, a collection of like-minded, regional rivals with winning football traditions, passionate fanbases and enduring commitments to excellence in all sports,” Gill said “The Sun Belt Conference is rising, and our best days are ahead.” Texas State is a national research university with more than 40,000 students, and is among the 25 largest undergraduate enrollments

“Because I didn’t do a good enough job of taking off last year,” Nussmeier said, “they were able to cover things in a way that would have left the feet open.”

As part of his training program, Nussmeier intentionally lost weight for the ﬁrst time since he enrolled at LSU. After he arrived around 160 pounds in 2021, he had to eat. A lot. Nussmeier recalled stuffing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches between meetings and before bed to gain weight.

After playing last season around 200 pounds, Nussmeier got down to 194 a few months ago. He’s putting the weight back on, but in a different way

“It was deﬁnitely different for me to learn how to eat the correct way and make sure I’m eating at the right times,” Nussmeier said.

among public universities in the United States. Kelly Damphousse, the president of Texas State, called joining the Pac-12 a historic moment.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move. It is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country,” Damphousse said. “Our acceptance into the Pac-12 affirms the strength of our academic vision, our commitment to providing access to a Texas State degree the momentum of our athletic programs, and the ambition that defines this institution.”

teams are the closest teams.” In 2025, the offseason also has meant upholding his end of name, image and likeness deals. Before the Manning Passing Academy last week, Nussmeier filmed a spot for Raising Cane’s with Texas quarterback Arch Manning. And he will appear on a cover of EA Sports College Football 26, which releases next week, after going to a spring photoshoot at the Rose Bowl.

Nussmeier hopes learning how to manage his time for advertisements has prepared him for being an NFL quarterback, but he has another college season to play first. He only has a few more weeks left in his final college offseason, then his final preseason camp. There will be a lot of lasts until he has no choice but to leave for the NFL. Until then, he wants to enjoy the experience.

SOUTHERN

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triumvirate of running backs who each had at least 75 carries. All three tailbacks have moved on. There is playing time available not only with the rushing attack but at practically every position. In Southern’s transfer class, the staff focused on getting players who ﬁt and have good size.

“We want ‘em big, we want to be able to run the ball, and we want to be able to block for the quarterback,” Frederick said. “If we keep him upright, he’ll have a better year and of course, you know, (when) it comes time we want to lean on some people. That size and length and that weight helps.”

Here are ﬁve offensive transfers who could have an immediate impact for the Jaguars: Cam’Ron McCoy, QB McCoy transferred from Jack-

That does not mean going for 1,000 yards like his predecessor Jayden Daniels, but Nussmeier recognized there were several moments when he could have gained a few yards instead of forcing a throw

“Definitely not trying to be a 1,000-yard rusher,” Nussmeier said while smiling. “I mean, if it happens, it happens, but I don’t

Nussmeier acknowledged he needs to run more after appearing hesitant to scramble last season.

son State after starting his career at Eastern Michigan He joins returnee Jalen Woods and East Mississippi Community College transfer Jamari Jones in the quarterback room.

While Frederick said the starting quarterback position is Woods’ job to lose, McCoy is an option the Jaguars are excited to have because of his dual-threat talent.

“Expect big things out of him,” Frederick said. “Big arm. He’s got a live arm, and quiet as kept he’s fast, got like 4.3 speed. So he’s going to add a different dimension to the quarterback room than we had last year.”

As a junior last season, McCoy completed 18 of 38 passes for 310 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He also had 24 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

The St Louis native was the SWAC Newcomer of the Week after having six carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a

know how likely that is. But no, it’s just being able to stress the defense in different ways.”

Learning when to run and preparing his body to do it have been some of Nussmeier’s priorities the past few months. If defenses respect his running ability, it would open plays in the passing game. He said he has trained “my lower body harder than ever” to make quicker, more explosive movements.

58-7 win over Lane on Sept. 7

Michael Franklin, RB

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Franklin comes to Baton Rouge after a season at Jacksonville State.

“He’s going to add much-needed depth to the running back room and big, physical force,” Frederick said.

A player of this stature at the position didn’t exist on the roster a season ago. Last season, CJ Russell — at 6-foot and 203 pounds — was the team’s largest rusher. The two other tailbacks who received the most carries were 190 pounds or lighter In Franklin’s junior season at Jacksonville State, he played in four games and ﬁnished with 55 yards on eight carries. The Daphne, Alabama, native started his career at Contra Costa College before transferring to UTEP Princeton Cahee, RB

The Louisiana Tech transfer is the opposite of Franklin as a

In his free time, Nussmeier has played golf, visited family outside Dallas and watched Saints practice with his dad, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier He also has thrown to LSU’s receivers, connecting with a group that includes Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson and Kentucky transfer Barion Brown.

“It’s the closest team I’ve ever been on, and we’re still continuing to build that,” Nussmeier said. “It’s all about chemistry. We acknowledge that. We know that the best

quicker 5-10, 190-pound rusher.

“He’s a speed guy, so we have a one-two punch right there,” Frederick said of the Cahee and Franklin pairing.

Southern found success with a quick-twitch running back in Kendric Rhymes, now at Tennessee State, who averaged 5 yards per carry and had had seven touchdowns.

Cahee, who went to Ascension Episcopal in Lafayette, didn’t appear in a game last season. As a freshman in 2023 at Bucknell, he had six carries for 38 yards. His dad, Gereal Cahee, played football at Southern. Michael Washington, OT Winning in the trenches is a high priority for the Jaguars, and Washington should help them in that regard.

At 6-4 and 352 pounds, the Iowa Central Community College transfer brings immense size that Frederick is looking forward to using.

“I’ve been attacking with that mindset every single day,” Nussmeier said. “This is my last time to wake up at 6 a.m. and go to a heavy squat day with the boys and have to run 20 tempos after, you know? I just continue to go at it each and every day knowing it’s my last.”

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

“Big Mike is a big, big human,” Frederick said “JUCO transfer, so excited to have him. He’s going to add some much-needed force at that offensive tackle spot for us.”

Malachi Jackson, WR

Southern has more returners at wide receiver than any other position, headlined by Darren Morris with a team-leading 434 yards receiving.

Jackson, who is 6-3 and 190 pounds, is one of the new pass catchers with a chance to be incorporated into the offense.

“Good size, good speed. Great hands,” Frederick said.

One of Jackson’s best games as a sophomore at Navarro College was when he had three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown versus Trinity Valley Community College in a 61-10 win on Oct. 12.

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier makes an off-balanced throw during a spring practice on April 12 at Tiger Stadium.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEPHEN SPILLMAN

Texas State football players take the field against UL-Monroe on Oct. 14, 2023, in San Marcos, Texas The Bobcats went 8-5 the past two seasons since G.J Kinne took over as coach and won the First Responders Bowl both years.

LIVING

Think outside thebox

Turn your yard’s lowspotinto ahighpoint with araingarden

Summer in Louisiana tends to bring afternoon downpours. Where does all thatrainwater go? Some of it is absorbed by the ground and plants. Some pools in lowspots. And some turns into runoff, rushing into ditches, drainsand, ultimately natural waterways.

“Particularly in urban environments where we have alot of impermeable surfaces, that presents aproblem,” said Damon Abdi, an assistant professor of landscape horticulture withthe LSU AgCenter.“We have alot of runoff water that can also transport alot of contaminants.”

In many situations, rain gardens offer apractical —and beautiful —solution.

Rain gardens often are created in low-lyingareas that hold water after it rains. They also can be builtasa toolfor reducing stormwater runoff. They include plants that can handle periodic and evenconsistent moisture.

Think of rain gardens as corrals for rainwater. They give the water aplace to sit until it can seep into the earth. In the meantime, moisture-loving plants can get asatisfying drink and help soak up some of that water,too. This meansless water —and the debrisand pollutantsitpicks up along the way —ﬂowing into drainage systems and waterbodies. Better still —rain gardens can transform unsightly puddles into aesthetically pleasing landscape features. And they can even serve as refugesfor pollinators and wildlife. Rain gardens aren’tdifﬁcult to build. If you’d like to construct one, follow these steps:

n Identify alow sectionof your yard —orchoose alocation where you want to create one. Make sure that utilities are notburied beneath the area, and locate the garden at least 10 feet away from your home and 50 feet away from septic tanks.

n Use agarden hosetooutline the shape of your rain garden. It doesn’thave to be a perfect rectangle or circle; an irregular,natural shape can add aunique look to the landscape.

n Excavate about 4to6inches, creating ashallow bowl.

n Fill the rain garden with amedium that supports plant growth, holds ample water and drains effectively.Atypical landscape bed mix that includes pine bark and sandisa good starting point.

n Install plants that thrive in wet conditions. Hint:Plants that are native to Louisiana are good choices. Including amix of different plants can provide

‘IT’SBEEN

ABSOLUTELY INSANE’

N.O. singerawaitsreturnto‘America’sGot Talent’

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

New Orleans singer Jourdan

Blue is in waiting mode at the moment

One might catch him singing on a French Quartercorner or performing at aprivateparty.But come August, he’ll be back in Los Angeles to continue his “America’sGot Talent” journey

Winning acoveted golden buzzer duringhis “AGT”auditionwhich airedMay 27 sent theLouisiana artist,23, straight past thesemiﬁnals into thetalentcompetition series’ live shows, whichwill begin Aug. 19. Thatnight or soon after, viewerswillsee Blue sing again and hopefully continue to advance in the contest.

Throughout the live shows, it’s America’svote that will determine who stays and who goes home. The winnerwillreceive $1 million and the chance to headline ashow on the Las Vegas strip. Since his audition aired, Blue’s been gettinglotsofcongratulatory calls and texts. “A lotofeverything,”hesaid.

switched gears and contacted “AGT” about an audition.

That’swhen the magic started happening.

“Yourtoneand theway that you deliveredthatsongwas not only pitch-perfect, but everything perfect, Jourdan. It really was,” judge Mel Bsaid.

Judge Simon Cowell shared her enthusiasm.

“You have such adistinctive voice,” Cowell told him. “You are so cool.And youfeed off the audience.Theyloveyou andhow you made me feel just there wasactually amazing. Seriously amazing. Loved it. Loved it.”

“It’s been absolutely insane, yes.” This marks his second TV competition series. In his ﬁrst in 2021, Blue reached the Top25onABC’s “American Idol”before being eliminated. Although he could give “Idol” another go-around,Bluesaid he declinedthat offerand others from “The Voice,” “Boy Band” and initially “America’sGot Talent.” However,months later,atthe urging of his online community called “Blue Crew,” thesinger

“The hair,the voice, your energy Youare arock star,” judge Soﬁa Vergara added.

As Blue’s girlfriend andinfant son watched from the audience, judge Howie Mandel sealed the deal forhim

“Thisisjustthe beginning,” Mandel said.

With that, Mandel walked over and hit that golden buzzer Here, Blue reﬂects on that night

Newpickleball, sports bar, restaurant in BR to open

Aplateofhummus servedwithgarlic &herb flatbread, cucumbers, and bell peppers and a Monkey on aStick cocktailare on the menu at Court to Table in Baton Rouge.

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

CourttoTable hasset its opening dayfor 11 a.m. Sunday, June 29. Fromthere,they’ll be openwith regular hours. The pickleball court/bar/restaurant is in the former The Shed BBQspace at 7477 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge,but the building hasgonethrough major renovations. It has11 pickleball courts, amusic stage to host regular,live en-

tertainment on the weekends, alawnarea for games, afullservice kitchen and an event space which can be rented out

PROVIDED PHOTOS By TRAE PATTON/NBC

Louisiana singer Jourdan Blue performs ‘Breakeven’ for his ‘America’sGot Talent’audition.

Bald judgeHowie Mandel, left, jokes around withNew Orleans singer Jourdan Blue and his long locks on the set of ‘America’s Got Talent.

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By DAMON ABDI

This rain garden features hibiscus.

NEWS

Go up asizeonbed sheets

Dear Heloise: This is in response to the women complainingthat their sheets do not tuck in on the sides of the mattress.Unless they have aking-sized bed, the solution is simple.Ifthey have astandard bed, buy aqueen-sized flat sheet. If it’saqueen bed, buy a king-sized flat sheet.This is what Ido. Youcan usually find one to match the color of your fitted sheet. —Rich, via email

Sleeplessreader

towels.

Long-ago rudeness stillrankles

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: Your sleepless readermight enjoy havinga CD playerclose to his bed witha recording of rain on it that can start with apush of abutton.He might be asleep before it ends. If I’m in bed and awake, Isimply push the button for rain. —Glenda D.,via email

Refrigerator organization

Dear Readers: Who hasamessy refrigerator? If this sounds like you, it’stime to get organized First take everything out andput it on the counter.Now you can see what you have. Then turn back to the fridge; it’stime for a deep clean! Spray the shelving, drawers and walls with asolution of 4tablespoons of baking soda mixed with water.Wipe down with a clean cloth. Get in all thetight places; cotton swabs may come in handy.Wipe drywith paper

Throw away anything you don’tneed or recognize. (This means anything fuzzy.) Combine items like two open jars of picklesorvegetables that can be groupedtogether Now it’stime to restock. Avoid overstocking the fridge; the cold air needs to circulate. Keep milk andjuices up front for easy access. Store tiny fruits like strawberries in abasket inside the fridge.

P.S. Where is the best place to store eggs? Accordingtothe American Egg Board (IncredibleEgg.org),you should keepeggsintheir original container on ashelf in thefridge, not in the door.This keeps them insulated andprotects them from crackingorabsorbing other ﬂavors. —Heloise

Leveraging your baking

Dear Heloise: My hint, which I have done foryears when stirring cookie dough andother mixtures, is that Iput thebowl in my sink.With the leverage of it being positioned lower than my countertop, it makes it easier to stir with notasmuch effort

An aside: If I’m adding somethingand it spills over the side of thebowl, it is also easier to clean up —Sue W.,via email

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

diedinLos Angeles at age 80.

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,July 1, the 182 day of 2025. There are 183 days left in the year

Today’shighlight in history:

On July 1, 1867, Canada became aself-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect. Called Dominion Day until 1982, the national holidayisnow known as Canada Day

Also on this date:

In 1863, the pivotal, three-day Civil WarBattle of Gettysburg, resulting in aUnion victory,beganinPennsylvania.

In 1903, the ﬁrst Tour de France began. (It ended on July 19, won by Maurice Garin.)

In 1944, delegates from 44 countries began meeting at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, where they agreed to establish the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

In 1963, the U.S. Post Ofﬁce inaugurated its ﬁve-digitZIP codes.

In 1973, the Drug Enforcement Administration was established

In 1984, the ﬁrst movie rated PG-13 (“Red Dawn,” starring Patrick Swayze) debuted

In 1991, President George H.W Bush nominated federal appeals court judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, beginning an ultimately successful conﬁrmation process marked by allegations of sexual harassment.

In 1997, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule after 156 years as aBritish colony

In 2004, actor Marlon Brando

In 2015, after more than ahalfcentury of hostility, theUnited Statesand Cubadeclared their intent to reopen embassies in each other’scapitals, leading to a historicfullrestoration of diplomatic relations between the Cold Warfoes.

In 2018, LeBron James announcedthat he would be signingwith the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving Cleveland for the second time in hiscareer

In 2019,15-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest playertoqualify at Wimbledoninthe professional era, defeated 39-year-old Venus Williams in the ﬁrstround.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor-dancer LeslieCaron is 94. Actor Jamie Farr (TV:“M*A*S*H”) is 91. Dancer-choreographer Twyla Tharp is 84. Actor Genevieve Bujold is 83. Rock singer Deborah Harry (Blondie) is 80. Actor Terrence Mann is 74. Rock singer Fred Schneider (The B-52s)is 74. Pop singer Victor Willis (Village People) is 74. Actor-comedian DanAykroyd is73. Actor Alan Ruck is 69. Mysterynovelist Louise Penny is 67. Singer Evelyn “Champagne” King is 65. Olympic track champion Carl Lewis is 64. Actor Dominic Keating(TV:“StarTrek:Enterprise”) is 62. Actor Pamela Anderson is 58. Actor Henry Simmons is 55. Hip-hopartist Missy Elliott is 54. Actor JulianneNicholson is 54. Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens is 50. Actor LivTyler is 48. Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla is 48.

RAIN GARDEN

Continued from page1D

more appeal to the garden and make it more resilient to ﬂuctuating conditions. At the AgCenter Hammond Research Station, Abdi and his graduate student, Brianna Slade, arestudying whether amendments such as sugar cane bagasse, expanded shale andwood chips can enhance the functions of rain gardens.

Abdi and Slade selected four native species to plant in their rain garden: river birch, bald cypress, sweetbay magnolia and Virginia

Dear Miss Manners: Avery long time ago, my husband and Iwere invited to dinner at arestaurant by acolleague of his. Ihad not met thecolleague or his wife before thedinner The men promised they wouldn’ttalk shop, but they did —throughout the entire meal. There was no inclusion of us women. I tried to initiate aconversation with the wife, and she shut me down immediately with something along the lines of, “I’d rather listen to what themen are talking about.” Gobsmacked, Ijust shrank back

in the seat and ate my dinner.As my husbandand Iwere leaving, I told him what had happened and he (rightfully) said that we’d never do that again. Ishould have gotten over this by now,but Ifantasize about having leftthe table in someway.What should I havedone? Ididn’twant to be rude myself

sweetspire. But rain gardens can include many otherplants. “Some other native options you can consider includeLouisiana iris, Hibiscus moscheutos and dwarf palmetto—providing a range of foliage, form and ﬂowers to enhance theinstallation,” Abdi said.“Addinginornamental grassessuchasswitchgrass or usingnativerush species can introduce vertical interest to the design. Yauponhollies come in all shapes and sizes, offering a range of evergreen options for arain garden.American beautyberry canprovide purple fruit to add interest in thefall. Native species of cannas help bring in bright,tropical ﬂowercolors.”

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Gentle reader: Are you talking about avery,VERY long time ago? Because Miss Manners remembers those days —when wives, if invited at all,were treated as table decorationstobetalked around.

But didn’twehave asuccessful rebellion against that? Apparently not successful enough, if it is now awifewho treats her guest like that. She need only have said, apologetically,“Sorry,I’m listening to them.” There is no need foryou to fantasize about reacting effectively, and yet not rudely,because you already did: ﬁrst by your silence, and then by your and your husband’sresolving never to socialize with them again.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.

TABLE

Continuedfrom page1D

Lit Pizza. Other business partners include managing partner Destin Thibodeaux, whowill run the more day-to-day operations, and Bob Barton and Clay Furr

Before opening, there will be some soft opening events for friends, family andlocal inﬂuencers, but reservations for courts through the online system,CourtReserve, are already ﬁlling up.

“Sunday’spretty much full,” Thibodeaux said.

In total, there are six indoor courts and five coveredoutdoor courts. One of theindoor courts, the showcourt, is inside the sports bar area. The partners plantouse it for big matches with lots of spectators or demo matches.The outdoor court facility hasbig fans forthe summerand heaters for the winter

Courts are $20 per hour anytime before 5p.m. on weekdaysor$40 per hour after 5p.m. on weekdays or on weekends.Customers can also rent paddles for $4 and pur-

BLUE

Continuedfrom page1D

and the struggles that led up to it. Just before going onstagefor the audition, you called your GrandpappyJohn. Looks like you guys are veryclose.Would you elaborate on that?

When Iwas younger,I made decisions here and there just like anybodyelsethat I’ve learnedfrom and grown from. Iended up getting myself into some trouble and ended up on my own at 16. So Ilivedonmy own andIstayed in bathrooms at my work or at friends’houses, different places. Whenmygrandpa foundout aboutthat, he immediately droveanhour-and-a-half to come and pick me up. He moved me intohis apartment, no questions asked. Iappreciatethat so much. That being said, my mom and my dad are still around. I’mvery close with them, but in thatmoment,there was nobody else for me that Iwould listentoorthat Iwould really respond well to other thanhim. AndsoI’m very thankful thathe’sinmylife. As theyears progressed, it went from me living with him to him living with me. And thenhealth problem after health problem. I took him to his appointments, and that’smybest friend.

Youperformed thesong“Breakeven” by Irish pop-rockers TheScriptfor your audition. Do you sing other genres of music, too?

Oh yeah.I sing R&B, I’ll rap, I do hip-hopaswell. I’lldocountry. Ilove soul. Any type of soulful music and stuff like that, poprock, a little bit of everything. Ijust don’t do theheavy metal.

Have you had anykindofformal vocal training? No, Ihave not.It’sall self-taught.

chase balls for$3.50.

ThemenuiswhatFernandez described as “a mixed category of modernAmerican.”

“Wehave alittlebit of everythingfor everyone,” he said.

During staff training days, the smashburger and cheesesteaks have been very popular.The menu also features curated cocktails (mocktails can be made upon request) andpizzas, alongwithgluten-free options that are cooked in aseparate area in the kitchen and fried in designated fryers.

The goal is to have live music every weekend.

Barton, who went to high school withMcKernan, saidthe project is personal to him, as he is apassionate pickleball player.Heand McKernan both have kids who have settled down in Texas after growing up in the area and graduating from LSU.

Barton noted that there are many efforts in the city to get more thingstodoand livemusicin thecityfrom organizationslikethe Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber With CourttoTable, he hopesto

Now,that being said, I’ve deﬁnitely hadfriends and people who I’ve looked up to and asked questions, but I’venever actually taken lessons. Sincebeing on your own, it sounds like you’ve had some dayjobs,but thendid your street performing at night? Correct. Well, it happened one after theother.I wasn’tbalancing day jobsand singing on the street. Iactually impulsively decided to quitmyjob and never looked back, and that’swhen Istarted doing shows, street performing and pursuing social media hard. That’s where Ireally cutmyteeth and learned to do what Idonow And where in particular do youperform? Idoalot of private events and privateshows. When Iﬁrst started out, Iused to do alot of bars and restaurants, but now that I’mkind of,Iguess, elevated in someway,I mainly just do street performances and then private events (weddings, parties) thatpeople reach outfor Whenever Ising on the street, which is my mainthing, it’sat Jackson Square, or I’ll sing on Bourbon Street.

So you still playBourbon Street since the New Year’sDay terrorist attack?

Ihave gone back out to Bourbon acouple of times just because there are certain goals that Ihave to meet some days. Idosocial media,but it’snot themostreliable Imean, the community’samazing. They always push forme. Thereare times that Ireally have no other choice (ﬁnancially) but to go out and sing on the street. Sometimes it could be dangerous, sometimes it could be very frustrating. I’m standing there and hundreds of people not even passing aglance or anything. But, then there are other days when Igoout

be part of that initiative and growth.

“Wehope this is something that will keep kids like ours in Baton Rouge,” he said.

CourttoTable, 7477 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge. Courtreservations areavailable at app. courtreserve.com/Online/Portal/ Index/15271.

Property hours:

Mondaythrough Thursday, 9a.m. to 11 p.m Fridaythrough Saturday,9 a.m to midnight Sunday,11a.m. to 10 p.m Restaurant hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m Sunday,11a.m. to 9p.m. Bar hours: Mondaythrough Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m Fridayand Saturday,11a.m. to midnight Sunday,11a.m. to 10 p.m Email SerenaPuangatserena. puang@theadvocate.com.

there, and Ireally rock it and kill it. And it’sanamazing time and experience.

If youwere going to go out to listen to a show, who would be the artist you’dwant to see?

I’ve never beentoamusic festival. I’ve neverbeen to aconcert. I’ve never seen anyone actually perform, like abig artist or anything like that. Butthe short answer is,I want somebody who’sgood at what they do.I want thepeoplewho really put on ashow, andI’veheardthat Post Malone puts on ashow.I’ve heard that Teddy Swimswill put on ashow.I’ve even heard that Harry Styles puts on ashow, andHarry Styles is not somebody that Ilisten to religiously But that’swhat Iwant at the end of theday,isI really want agreat experience. Iwant to take something away for my own. Iwant to learn something when Igothere. We have to askabout your hair,because it seems to have apersonality of its own. That’sone of the first things people reacted to whenyou walked out. Have you had long hair foralongtime?

Iactually had ashaved head in July 2018. Iended up going to this military boot campfor six months. Iwas growing my hair out at the time, but you couldn’tdothe boot camp withoutshaving your head Iwas devastated the ﬁrst time. As soon as Igot out of the bootcamp, Iwas like,“I’m never cutting my hair again.” Then the long hair was born.

“America’sGot Talent” airsat 7p.m. Tuesdays on NBC. Episodes also stream on Peacock the following day

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is agood choicefor Louisiana rain gardens.

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

The Funky Pickle area features an indoor pickleball court, bar and seating for the restaurant at CourttoTable in Baton Rouge.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Keep things in perspective. Look for simple solutions instead of conjuring up far-fetched scenarios. Look at your choices, the cost involved and who to contact to get things done.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Join the conversation, participate in groups that address your concerns and make your voice heard. Clarity is the path to progress. A move or change will help define what matters most to you.

VIRGO (Aug 23-sept. 22) Ask questions, do some research and set a budget. Changing locations or visiting a place that offers insight or spurs your imagination will help you uncover how to enhance your life.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Test the water before you jump into something new. Taking a leap of faith will leave you scrambling, but taking baby steps will set you on a journey that will change your life.

scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Stop spinning your wheels and trying to do too much for too many. The anger and frustration you feel have more to do with you than with the people you let take advantage of you.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Address issues concerning money, shared expenses, joint ventures and property. Once you are clear regarding responsibilities, it will ease stress and allow you to reinvest your time and money.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be careful what you wish for. You'll face opposi-

tion and misinformation that will require attention and patience. A romantic gesture will take care of emotional confusion.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Pay attention to where the money goes. Investments will pay off, and joint ventures will help you cut your overhead. Listen to your intuition and focus on upgrading your living space.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Whatyoudoand say matters. Choose your words wisely and tell the truth. Interaction is the key to knowledge and formulating how you can use your skills and connections to get ahead.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Attend events that give you a platform to share your beliefs. Stick to what's doable, and you will attract people who can help you bring your intentions to fruition.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Let whatever you are doing play out. Personal and physical improvements in meaningful relationships will help you gain momentum, access groups and bring about positive change.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take a cautious approach to conversations that address touchy issues. An activity that is physically and emotionally stimulating will help you expand your interests and raise your standards.

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

FAMILY CIrCUS

McMeel Syndication

tODAy's cLuE: M EQuALs P

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

How responder shows amajor twosuiter opposite aone-no-trumpopening bid depends upon his high-cardcount.

Yesterday, we learned that if the uncontested auction starts one no-trump -two clubs -two diamonds -two spades, theresponder has shown five spades, fourheartsandgame-invitationalvalues. What does he do withfour spades, five heartsand thatstrength?

He responds two diamonds,a transfer tohearts,thenrebidstwospades,natural and game-invitational but nonforcing.

Here, this gives North,the opener,a problem. He knowsthat his side does not have an eight-card major-suit fit. Buthe has an excellent 16 points withthree fantastic major-suit cards. So he moves toward gamewith three diamonds (not three no-trump!), wondering if South might be able to converttothree notrumpwith aclubstopper

Here, though, South rebids three spades to show his powerful four-card suit. And Northgoes for game in the 4-3 fit.

West leads the clubjack. What happens?

The best defense is three rounds of clubs. To make the contract, South must discardadiamond,eliminatingoneinevitable loser without reducing his trump length. If Eastcontinues with afourth club, declarer pitches aheart, ruffs or overruffs in thedummy,unblocks the heartace-king,drawstrumps,andclaims when —whew!—the hearts split 3-3. Notethat four hearts also makes becauseofthe friendlybreak. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles

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

Previous answers:

word game

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

tODAy’s WORD BRIsLInGs: BRIZ-lings:Small European marine fish of the herring family.

Average mark14words

Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 21 or morewords in BRISLINGS?

yEstERDAy’s WORD —GLucOsE

and

loCKhorNs

TheLorddelights in this kind of praying. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

Join thousands of alumni andfriends rallying for SU Give Day!

Zoie Smith

SouthernUniversityand A&M College

Freshman

Nursing Major

Houston, TX

Southern University pushes studentsto reach academic excellence by creating asupportiveenvironment.Toensure Southern continues to succeed, we need to keep supporting and investinginthe University.

Scan to hear more of her story:

Tre’ Terrance

SouthernUniversityand A&M College

Junior

Computer Science Major Dallas, TX

TheWilliams Center at Southern University at Shreveport has been acornerstone of my college journeyproviding me thesupport,opportunities, and asense of community that hashelpedme grow both personally and professionally

Scantohearmore of hisstory:

Olivia White

SouthernUniversity and A&M College Freshman

Family Consumer Sciences Major New Orleans, LA

Ilove thefamilial aspect of SouthernUniversity. EverywhereI go Ifeel like Iknowsomeone and that thereissomeonethathas my back.

Scan to hear more of her story:

Domoine D. Rutledge

Vice President and General Counsel at CSRS

SouthernUniversity LawCenter ‘97 SouthernUniversity andA&M College‘92 Chairman Emeritus, Southern University SystemBoardofSupervisors Member,SouthernUniversity System Foundation Board of Directors

Ourprimary goal is to be student centered. Frankly, everything we do is forour students. We endeavor to provide them withan environment that is safe, caring, and academically rigorous.

Scan to hear more of his story: