Ajet departs from Louis Armstrong NewOrleansInternational Airportascrews work on top of alevee wall along the westernportion of theleveesystem that surroundsJefferson Parish in Kenner on Monday. In recent studiesonthe leveesystem surrounding the area, stretches of thisleveewere reported to have some subsidenceissues.
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, newresearchpublished Friday from Tulane’sDepartment 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, floodwalls aresinking at arate of up to 28 millimeters ayear
“Some sections seem to be verystable and some sections seem to be going down relatively rapidly.”
MEADALLISON,chair of Tulane’s Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering
That’supto10 times fasterthan sea levelsare risingdue to climate change, according to theresearchers. The massive system of levees, floodgates andpumps is known as the Hurricane andStorm Damage Risk Reduction System ,and was designedand builtafterHurricane Katrinain2005. Its aim is to protect the city from aso-called 100-year storm, onethathas a1%chanceof occurringinany given year.Asthe climateheats, hurricanes are becoming stronger,according to sci-
Sheriff to issuebonds forjail repairs
Hutson stillfaces
$9 milliondeficit
BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson has identified $19 million in capital repairs for the city’s jail and will issue bondstocover most of that cost —something City Council members have urged amid an ongoing argument over the sheriff’s funding needs.
YetHutson is also considering ahiring freeze to deal with abud-
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, speaksto reporters MondayasRepublicans begin apush to advancePresident DonaldTrump’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
entists.
Acouple dozenmillimeters per year might not sound like much,but combined with rising seas andthe loss of wetlands, the scientists say the subsidence of landthatmakes up thelevee systems could “posealongtermthreat”tothe flood protection system. When it comestothe levees, every inch counts.
Subsidence, thegradual sinking of land, is along-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 goingdownrelativelyrapidly,” said Mead Allison, the chair of Tulane’sDepartment of River-Coastal Scienceand Engineeringand aco-
ä See SINKING, page 5A
for $9 million to coverabudgetdeficit.
get deficit that is “threatening the operational viability of the city’s correctional system,” she said in a letter to the City Council on Thursday.She’sasking the council for an additional$9million to cover the deficit.
Complicating matters is arecentnotification by Mayor LaToya
Cantrell’sadministration that only half the sheriff’s $10 million quarterly city allocation will be paid on Tuesday,the due date, with the rest comingwithin 45 days.Hutson told CityCouncil members at acommittee meetingMonday this could
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 close to theHouse 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 up work with just days to go before Trump’s holiday deadline Friday.The 940-page “One Big BeautifulBillAct,” as it’s formally titled,has consumed Congress as its shared priority with the president.
The GOP leaders have no room to spare,with
ä See SUPPORT, page 7A
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
ALouisiana senator who flirted for months with the idea of running forNew Orleans mayor but bowed out of the contest six months ago reversed that decision Sunday,surprising other mayoral hopefuls and upending the race days before an official qualifying deadline.
After state Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-NewOrleans, announcedinJanuary thathe would forego acampaign for the city’stop office, citing fundraising struggles and the rigors of the Legislature’sschedule, thefield appeared stagnant for months.
City Council Vice President Helena Moreno amassed nearlyamillion dollars in
STAFF FILE
RoyceDuplessis was elected to the Louisiana Senate in 2022. ä See DUPLESSIS, page 5A
fundraising for her mayoral bid, plus support from nearly half of NewOrleans voters, according to somepolls —the
PHOTO
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Orleans ParishSheriff SusanHutson is asking the NewOrleans City Council
See SHERIFF, page 7A
PHOTO
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.
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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON
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.
Netanyahuto head to Washington next Monday
Trumppresses forceasefire in Gaza
BY AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fortalks 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 brokeraceasefire 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’svisit comes after Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer’s visit to Washington this week fortalks with senior administration officials on aGaza ceasefire, Iran and other matters.
The president in public comments has signaled he’sturning his attention to bringing aclose to the
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 aMolotov cocktail attack on demonstratorsin 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 1attack in downtown Boulder, Colorado,the localDistrict Attorney’sOffice said in a statement. Prosecutors have listed 29 victims, including 13 who were physically injured.
MohamedSabry Soliman already faced dozens of charges in state court including attempted first-degree murder,using an incendiary device, and animalcruelty because adog was hurt in the attack. He has not been arraigned on those charges that now include first-degree murder The Associated Press left avoicemail Monday for Soliman’spublic defender in the state case. The office generally bars its lawyers from commenting on their cases to the media. Apreliminary hearing to determine whether there’senough evidence for atrial is set for July15. Separately,Soliman has
fighting between Israel and Hamas, since the ceasefire to end 12 days of fighting between Israel andIran took hold aweek ago. Trump onFriday told reporters, “Wethinkwithin the next week we’re going to getaceasefire” in Gaza, butdidn’t offerany further explanation for his optimism.
WhiteHouse presssecretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Monday said Trump and administrationofficials were in constant communication with Israelileadership and bringing about an end to the Gaza conflict is apriority for Trump.
“It’sheartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wantsto see itend,” Leavittadded.
“Hewants tosave lives.”
An eight-week ceasefire was reachedas Trump took office earlier this year,but Israel resumed the war in Marchaftertrying to get Hamas to acceptnew terms on next steps
Talksbetween Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over amajor sticking point —whether thewar should endas part of any ceasefireagreement.About 50 hostages remain captive
in Gaza, with less thanhalf believed to be alive.
The timing of Netanyahu’s visittoWashingtonwas first reportedbyAxios.
Trump will embrace Netanyahu as he pushes back against skeptical questions from Democratic lawmakers and others about how far U.S. and Israelistrikeshave set back Iran’s nuclear program.
Apreliminaryreportis-
courthouse in Boulder,Colo.
been indicted on 12 federal hatecrime counts. He entered anot guilty plea to thosecharges in federal courton Friday Leaders of the Boulder Jewish Community Center announced in an email Monday that Diamonddied June 25 andsaid shewill be deeply missed.
“Karen was acherished member of our community, someone whose warmth and generosity left alasting impact on allwho knew her,” executive director Jonathan Lev and boardchair David Paul said.
Diamondhelped at her synagogue and volunteered for several local groups, including the University of Colorado University Women’sClub andalocalmusic festival Gov. JaredPolis said in astatement Monday that he wasdevastated by Diamond’sdeath, and thatitwill be felt deeplybythe cityof Boulder,the state and the Jewish community “Karen was taken from us too soon,and we mourn her loss while rememberingher lifeand the impact she had on those who loved her,” Polis said.
Prosecutorssaid Diamond’s family has asked for privacy Diamondand herhusband were enthusiastic volunteers since the1990s for alocal historic preservation organization, Historic Boulder, Inc. The couple often helped with public tours of old homes, said Melanie Muckle,the organization’sadministrator
“Their generosity with theirtime and theirtalent and their kindness, Ican’t overstate that,” Muckle said. During the demonstration, Soliman posed as agardener and woreaconstruction vest to get close to thegroup before launching the attack, prosecutors allege.
Investigators say Soliman told them he intendedtokill the participants at the weekly demonstration. He yelled “FreePalestine” as he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had prepared.
Prosecutorshave identified 29 people who are considered victims of theattack, including 13 who were physically injured. The others were nearbyand are considered victimsbecause they could have been hurt. Adog was alsoinjured in theattack
sued by the U.S.Defense Intelligence Agency, meanwhile, said thestrikes did significantdamagetothe Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites,but did not totally destroy thefacilities Rafael Grossi, head of the International AtomicEnergy Agency,saidonCBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that thethree Iranian siteswith “capabilities in
termsoftreatment, conversion and enrichment of uranium have been destroyed to an importantdegree.”
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 in recentdayshas
alsoinserted himself into Israeli domestic affairs, calling forcharges against Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial to be thrown out.
Trump’sina social media post last week condemned thetrial as a“WITCH HUNT,” and vowed that the United States will be the onewho “saves” Netanyahu from serious corruption charges.
The decision by Trumpto plunge himself into one of Israel’smost heated debates has unnerved someinits political class.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Monday approved anew half-billiondollar armssale to Israel to resupplyits militarywith bombguidance kits for precision munitions.
The State Department said the sale is worth$510 million. It includes more than 7,000 guidance kits for twodifferent types of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs.
The deal is relatively small giventhat theU.S. provides Israelwith more than $3 billionannually in military aid. But Israel has relied on JDAMs and other related US weaponry in its war against Hamas in Gaza and its recent strikes against Iran.
Iran raises deathtollfromwar with Israel to more than 900
By The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iran raisedthe official death toll for its war with Israel on Monday,with official media reporting 935 people were killed in thecountry during the 12-day conflict.
The state-run IRNA news agency did not give abreakdown between military and civilian casualties, butsaid of the 935 people, 38 were children and 132 werewom-
en. 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’snetwork of medical and local volunteers. Of those, it said436 werecivilians,435 military and 319 have not yet been identified.
The group has consistently reported higher casual-
ties than the official reports from Iran. Israel relentlesslyattacked Iranbeginning June 13, targeting its nuclear sites, defense systems, highranking military officials and atomic scientists. In retaliation,Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in manyareas and killed 28 people.
Trumpsigns executiveorder ending U.S. sanctionsonSyria
BY FATIMAHUSSEIN and MATTHEWLEE Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending U.S. sanctionson Syria, following through on his promise to do so.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavittsaid the move was designed to “promote andsupport the country’spath to stability andpeace.” Sanctions will remain in place on ousted former PresidentBashar Assad, his top aides and family
The executive order is meant to “end thecountry’s isolationfrom the international financial system, setting thestage forglobal commerce and galvanizing
investments from its neighbors in the region, as well as from the United States,” Treasury’sacting undersecretary forterrorism and financial intelligence, Brad Smith, told reporters on acallMondaymorning to preview the administration’saction.
The White House posted the text of the orderonX after the signing, whichwas not open to the press.
TheU.S.granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in May,which was afirst step toward fulfilling the Republican president’s pledge to lift ahalf-century of penalties on acountry shattered by 13 years of civil war
Along with thelifting of economic sanctions, Monday’sexecutive order lifts
the nationalemergency outlined in an executive order issuedbyformer President George W. Bush in response to Syria’soccupation of Lebanon andpursuitofweapons of massdestruction andmissile programs, Treasury officials said. Five other previousexecutive orders related to Syria were also lifted Sanctions targeting terrorist groups and manufacturers and sellers of the amphetaminelikestimulant Captagon will remain in place.
Trump met withSyria’s interim leader,Ahmed alSharaa, in Saudi Arabia in Mayand told himhewould lift sanctions and explore normalizing relations in a majorpolicyshift in relations between the U.S. and Syria.
BY REBECCA BOONE Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho Bryan Kohberger hasagreedtoplead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of adeal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty,multiple media outlets reported Monday The news was delivered to families of the victimsin aletter from prosecutors, according to ABC News. A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday.Kohberger’strial had been set to begin in August. Kohberger,30, is accused in the stabbingdeaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at arental home near campusinMoscow,Idaho, in November
2022. Autopsies showed the four were alllikelyasleep whentheywere attacked, some had defensive wounds andeach was stabbed multiple times.
Goncalves’ family expressed outrage in aFacebook post:“We are beyond furious at the StateofIdaho. They have failed us. Please give us sometime. This was very unexpected.” Kohberger,thena criminaljustice graduate student at Washington StateUniversity,was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings. Investigators said theymatched his DNA to genetic material recovered from aknife sheath foundat the crime scene. In acourt filing, his lawyers said Kohberger was on along drivebyhimself around the time the four
were killed. The killings shook the smallfarming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn’thad ahomicide in about five years. The trial was moved from rural northern IdahotoBoiseafter thedefense expressed concerns that Kohberger couldn’tget afair trial in the county where the killings occurred.
In Idaho, judges may reject plea agreements, though such moves are rare. If ajudge rejects aplea agreement,the defendant is allowed to withdraw the guiltyplea. Earlier Monday,aPennsylvania judge had ordered that three people whose testimony was requested by defense attorneys would have to travel to Idaho to appear at Kohberger’strial.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
PresidentDonald Trump, left, stands with Israel’sPrime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu on April 7atthe West Wing of the White House in Washington.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVIDZALUBOWSKI
Awoman places abouquetof flowers on June 3ata makeshiftmemorial for victims of an attack outsideofthe
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
walks to the chamber as senators arrive for votes and policy meetings on June 17 at the Capitol in Washington.
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
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 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.
ASSOCIATED
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 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.
pay, and was able to move 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
COLORADO
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.“
Slain woman’s husband faces murder charge for second time
BY COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press
DENVER The husband of a woman whose remains were discovered over three years after she was reported missing on Mother’s Day 2020 has arrived in Colorado to face a first-degree murder charge in her death for a second time.
Barry Morphew was being held in the small city of Alamosa on Monday, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne E. Kelly said in a statement.
Morphew was arrested June 20 in Arizona after being newly indicted in the death of Suzanne Morphew, three years after the initial case against him was
dropped because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. He waived his right to challenge his extradition and has been waiting to be transported from a jail in Phoenix to Colorado.
Morphew is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Colorado in the new case on Tuesday afternoon, Kelly said.
A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of “unspecified means” but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment.
Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared, and his attorney David Beller blasted the new indictment.
“Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence,” Beller said in a statement last week. “Barry maintains his innocence. The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either.” The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters, who lived near the small mountain community of Salida, Colorado, was reported missing on Mother’s Day 2020.
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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.,
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 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
DUPLESSIS
Continued from page 1A
threshold needed to secure an outright victory in the October primary Retired Judge Arthur Hunter and council member Oliver Thomas also dug in on the fundraising circuit, seeking to cut Moreno’s cash lead and build recognition. Then came Duplessis’ announcement.
“Six months ago, I made the very difficult decision not to run for mayor,” Duplessis said in a post on Instagram on Sunday evening. “But after continuing to listen to the people of this city, your frustrations, your disappointments, your confusion, and most of all your lack of faith in the future, it became painfully clear that I have to run.”
The decision abruptly overhauled the landscape of a race that for months hinged on questions of Hunter’s and Thomas’ ability to chip into the broad base of voters, particularly White ones, who have said they support Moreno.
Duplessis’ entry into the contest, according to more than a dozen veteran political operatives, pollsters and elected officials, brought a host of new questions — namely, whether he can marshal cash and political backing, and fast; which existing candidates might lose voters if he makes headway; and whether Duplessis can message himself as a more effective harbinger of change than Moreno, Thomas or Hunter to an electorate weary of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s leadership.
“Is he going to pull from the Black voter base of Hunter and Thomas, or is he going to pull White votes from Moreno?” said John Couvillon, a Baton Rougebased pollster who primarily works for Republicans and conducted a survey on the race last fall as Duplessis was mulling a run.
“We don’t know the answers yet,” said Silas Lee, a veteran pollster and professor at Xavier University.
“But what’s clear is (Duplessis) has reset the field.”
What changed between January and Sunday for Duplessis isn’t clear He and a person close to him did not respond to phone and text
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.
Wetlands loss, human activity
Besides the levees, an area of
“Six months ago, I made the very difficult decision not to run for mayor But after continuing to listen to the people of this city, your frustrations, your disappointments, your confusion, and most of all your lack of faith in the future, it became painfully clear that I have to run.”
STATE SEN. ROyCE DUPLESSIS
messages Monday Duplessis is planning a campaign announcement event at Ashé Powerhouse Theater on Baronne Street on Tuesday
‘There was an opening’
Moreno has been a relentless force on the city’s fundraising circuit since announcing her plan to seek the Mayor’s Office, the people interviewed for this story said.
Duplessis could theoretically end up competing for support from many of the same groups and donors as Moreno, they said. He also struggled in early polls on the race: Couvillon’s survey last fall, which the pollster said was performed on behalf of “business leaders,” pegged Duplessis’ backing at 9%, behind both Moreno and Thomas.
Still, the people described Duplessis’ entry as placing new pressure on the other candidates to sharpen their messages They may have to prepare for broadsides from a young official who has shown no aversion to throwing political bombs, particularly at the state Legislature, where he has emerged as a vocal foil of Republican Gov Jeff Landry
“It’s a new race,” said Ron Faucheux, a New Orleansbased pollster who issued a survey this month that showed Moreno holding a broad lead over other candidates.
“I think there were a lot of people who are not supporting Moreno who felt that Oliver Thomas might have a ceiling in terms of the support he would get, and that Arthur Hunter had not really gotten off the ground,” Faucheux added. “There was an opening.”
Others staying in the race
Few political observers
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
could recall a candidate in New Orleans explicitly taking themselves out of a citywide race only to reverse that decision months later
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a candidate for mayor locally — or nationally, for that matter — reverse a decision like that,” Lee said.
Duplessis’ announcement came as a surprise to the other major candidates. On Monday, though, his entry appeared to have done little to sway their plans, at least for the time being.
“My focus has always remained steadfast, even as several candidates recently jumped in, to earn the support of every voter hoping for a better city and to move with urgency in a new direction,” Moreno said in a statement.
Hunter said he was “surprised to see Sen. Royce Duplessis change his mind once again.”
“To those who have asked me if I intend to stay in this race, my answer is an unequivocal yes,” he said.
Thomas said he welcomes Duplessis to the race. “The more voices calling for change, the better, because New Orleans deserves a city government that works for everyone,” he said.
Duplessis’ resume
An attorney, Duplessis won political office for the first time when he ran to for Moreno’s seat in the state House in 2018. Moreno was competing for a citywide position on the City Council at the time.
In November 2022, Duplessis triumphed in the race for his current Senate seat by defeating a fellow Democratic state representative, Mandie Landry The district he won and now represents includes portions of such neighborhoods as the Irish Channel, Central City, Broadmoor and Uptown.
In an interview at his Central Business District law office in January where Duplessis announced he would not seek the mayor’s office, he said that by staying out of the race he hoped to help shepherd more bipartisan legislation through the State Capitol.
Still, he has fashioned himself as one of the Legislature’s most vocal critics of the governor’s ambitious tough-on-crime policy on-
pumping up groundwater for cool-
ing was sinking rapidly until 2016, when the plant shuttered. Since then, the area appears to have gained some elevation as the water table recovered.
The study notes that the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, the state’s comprehensive blueprint for restoring its coastline, estimates subsidence rates in the New Orleans East area at around 2 to 6 millimeters of sinking per year.
The researchers identified some areas in the East where subsidence appears to be taking place at a rate that is substantially faster than what the Master Plan estimates. Allison emphasized that the method they used — measuring land elevation with radar beamed from satellites can only give an
slaught. Showing his hand on who else has his support this municipal election — and who does not — he showed up at a campaign
indication for whether land is rising or falling, not for the reason that elevation is being gained or lost. The study found some minor elevation gain in the Central Business District, for example, which might be attributed to roads being repaved rather than elevation gained due to geologic factors. While the research may have its limitations, Allison said it offers enough insight to justify closer scrutiny of the flood protection system.
“I think it’s a wake-up call that the levee authority needs to look into this. It’s not some catastrophic thing,” he said. “It just calls for continued regular monitoring.”
Email Alex Lubben at alex. lubben@theadvocate.com
event last week for the Rev Gregory Manning, who is challenging Moreno ally and current City Council President JP Morrell for
Morrell’s seat. The official qualifying period for the municipal race begins July 9 and runs through July 11.
GRANGER
BUSINESS
NOLA.COM/BIZ BRIEFS
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
CEOwants perception of companytochange
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
“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.
Governor signs car insurance legislation
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Gov Jeff Landry on Monday
signed a law that puts new limits on how much money an injured person can win in a lawsuit after an accident — a measure favored by business and the insurance industry but slammed by trial lawyers as curtailing the rights of plaintiffs.
In approving Senate Bill 231 Landry said he was balancing fairness to plaintiffs against unreasonable money awards in court in an effort to tamp down soaring car insurance rates.
“This bill brings transparency into the courtroom by making 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 also protects the legitimate rights of those who are legitimately injured.”
That stance was backed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state’s powerful business lobby.
“Today is another step toward restoring balance and fairness in Louisiana’s civil justice system,”
LABI President and CEO Will Green said in a statement. “The passage of SB231 is a clear signal that Louisiana is committed to reforms that signal we are open for business and ready to compete.”
Landry’s signature marks a reversal of fortune of sorts. This time last year, LABI slammed the governor for vetoing a bill that would have reduced payouts in personal injury cases, accusing him 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 Association for Justice, which represents the interests of trial lawyers.
Katz said that under the new law, insurance companies will be reimbursed for the medical claims they pay on behalf of the plaintiff — but the injured person won’t be able to get compensation beyond that. He called the change “unfair,” saying plaintiffs won’t get money from the suit to pay for their insurance premiums or attorneys fees.
Katz said the call to reduce insurance rates is “typically the mantra of the people that are passing these bills that ultimately take away rights from citizens.”
“Tort reform does not reduce rates,” he said. “It’s easy to pick on lawyers and it’s easy to pick on lawsuits, but it would be nice if it actually worked.”
Last year, Landry cited “fairness and justice” in vetoing legislation that would have reduced but not eliminated — the money a plaintiff can collect beyond what an insurer actually pays to a medical provider
The measures the governor signed this year and vetoed last
year deal with how Louisiana law handles a legal doctrine called “collateral source,” which defines how much a damage award owed by a defendant to a plaintiff can be reduced in light of payments made by third parties, like insurance companies.
This year, Landry said the law he approved aims to bring efficiency to personal injury lawsuits.
“The more efficient you make the litigation the less you have to pay for lawyers, the lower your premiums should be,” he said during Monday’s signing.
“Just because I vetoed something doesn’t mean we can’t make it better When it’s all said and done, we’re trying to work for the betterment of the people — not the betterment of the trial lawyers or the insurance companies.”
Bill sponsor Sen. Mike Reese, RLeesville, said the measure aims to lower auto insurance premiums.
“When we limit recovery to what people actually 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 a medical provider for medical treatment. That billed amount is often higher than the amount an insurance company actually pays to the medical provider
Now juries will be made aware of how much was paid by an insurer for medical treatment, and a plaintiff can recover only the amount actually paid.
“That takes away what has historically been what we considered ‘phantom damages’ in Louisiana where the jury was awarding more money than was ever actually paid out to satisfy the medical bill,” Reese said. “The bill that we passed this year that the governor signed completely eliminates that phantom amount of money that was never paid out to satisfy a medical bill.”
narrow majorities in both chambers. Thune can lose no more than three Republican senators, and already two Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, who warns people will lose access to Medicaid health care, and Sen Rand Paul, of Kentucky, who opposes raising the debt limit — 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 again lashing out at Republicans, calling them “the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for including a provision that would raise the nation’s debt limit by $5 trillion, which is needed to allow continued borrowing to pay the bills.
Ahead of Monday’s voting Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said the “hardest choices” for Republicans are still to come.
“With every rewrite Senate Republicans have made their bill more extreme,” Schumer said. “All to give tax breaks to billionaires.” Democrats have proposed
SHERIFF
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compromise her ability to make payroll.
The new payment schedule, which could become permanent, results from “irregularities and delays” in Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements for road projects, according to the Cantrell administration. The reason for the FEMA reimbursement logjam is unclear Hutson and her executive staff said the Sheriff’s Office is preparing a $15 million bond issue to address capital repairs.
“Even with the funds from the bond, we will still face a deficit, and every dollar from the bond will go directly toward fortifying and hardening the jail,” Hutson said. Hutson’s letter, meanwhile, identified more than 20 projects, including upgrades to locking systems, additional fencing around recreational yards and razor wire for perimeter walls It also includes $5 million for infrastructure and technology upgrades for an 89-bed mental health wing currently under construction.
The additional $9 million would come on top of the $65 million the sheriff receives from the city’s budget, to address a deficit she said is driven by a growing jail population, staffing shortages and “chronic structural underfunding.”
Hutson has repeatedly blamed the council for inadequate funding, while council members have said her funding requests lack transparency But her interaction with the council on Monday was lower temperature than other recent appearances, and, while disagreements persist, there were signs of
of the president’s promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close.
Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine, has proposed $25 billion more for rural hospitals and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, RAlaska, was trying to secure provisions to spare people in her state from some health care and food stamp cuts. They have not said how they will vote for the final package.
port from a few Republicans, though none passed.
Sen. Mike Crapo, the GOP chair of the Finance Committee, dismissed the dire predictions of health care cuts as Democrats trafficking in what he called the “politics of fear.”
provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants.
dozens of amendments in what’s called a vote-a-rama, though most are expected to fail. Democrats are united against the Republican president’s legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law.
The CBO said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.
The White House said it
a thawing relationship.
Council President JP Morrell, usually a Hutson critic, said the bond issue is “fantastic news” that could be a starting point for better cooperation between the council and Sheriff’s Office. The council has urged Hutson to issue bonds to cover costs at the jail and pressed her for the sort of details on jail funding details that she provided on Monday
“When you show a willingness to go out there and pull the bonds down, it puts us in a position where we really need to step up as well and help meet the shortfall,” Morrell said.
The sheriff needs approval from the State Bond Commission to issue the bonds and officials expect to address the commission at its July 17 meeting The recent clashes erupted after the May 16 escape of 10 inmates, which exposed major deficiencies in the jail, spurred intense criticism of Hutson’s management and forced her to suspend her reelection campaign. All but one of the inmates had been apprehended as of Monday Hutson continues to resist pressure from the council and Cantrell administration to use the city’s accounting system known as BRASS, which council members say would give them better insight into the sheriff’s expenses The council is working with other external criminal justice agencies on transition to BRASS. Hutson’s office has said BRASS doesn’t meet its “operational and compliance needs.”
“I come in good faith here You can see whatever we have, there isn’t anything hidden here,” Hutson said Monday “We would love to be able to plan with the city better.”
The council voted last week to seek an attorney
was counting on Republican 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 a full day of voting, it was slow going, another sign that Republican leaders were not yet ready to call for passage.
Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges, in either the House or Senate.
Tillis said it is a betrayal
general opinion on whether it can force the sheriff to join BRASS, and to exercise more financial oversight over the sheriff in general.
State Legislative Auditor
Mike Waguespack told the council this month the sheriff has $8 million in reserves that she can spend however she wishes, but Hutson disputed that in her letter saying her reserve fund is only $5 million and that it is committed to federally restricted capital projects, accounts payable and other obligations.
The Cantrell administration has also urged Hutson to tap her reserves.
“All data provided to our office by OPSO demonstrates that OPSO has available cash and fund balance,” city officials said in a statement, urging the sheriff to use cash reserves while waiting on the second installment of the quarterly payment City officials also said FEMA reimbursement complications are hindering cash flow, necessitating two quarterly payments in smaller amounts than one payment every 90 days. The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office is also on the new schedule, and other external agencies may follow suit, officials said.
The city budget includes $65 million for the Sheriff’s Office, but $24 million goes toward inmate health care under a contract that runs through City Hall according to the administration. The balance is distributed through the quarterly payments.
Hutson’s chief of staff, John Williams, said the jail’s deficit, if not addressed, could require hiring freezes and possibly layoffs.
“I think everything’s on the table. We’re looking at everything, considering that the size of our potential budget deficit,” Williams said.
At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans — Rick Scott, of Florida; Mike Lee, of Utah; Ron Johnson, 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 first few Senate amendments came up Monday — to strike parts of the bill that would limit Medicaid funds to rural hospitals or shift the costs of food stamp benefits to the states — some were winning sup-
All told, the Senate bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, according to the latest CBO analysis, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips.
The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits, which Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide. It would impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states. Additionally, the bill would
Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process. Democrats forced a full 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 Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern at the start of debate late Sunday about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump’s first term are now “current policy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits. She said that kind of “magic math” won’t fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has not said how she will vote on the final package
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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
ä See RISHER, page 2B
NOPD chiefasks to loosen ruleson facial ID
BYJOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
Your face is being watched across New Orleans, but city police aren’tthe ones doingthe watching, and NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has aproblem with that Kirkpatrick on Monday offered her most vocal pitch yet for the city to loosen restrictions on facial recognition technology.Responding to questions from the City Council’scriminal justice committee, Kirkpatrick said she wants NewOrleans Police Department officers to again receive “live” facial recognition alerts of people suspected of crimes from the private Project NOLA camera network.
The superintendent suspended those alerts in Aprilover concerns it violated a2022 city ordinance. Meanwhile, Louisiana State Police, local sheriffs and federal agents continue to receive the alerts from asystem that includesa few hundred cameras that can identify faces as far as 700 feet away,according to Project NOLAfounder Bryan Lagarde.
“Wehave seen the benefit of areal-time immediate alert.
NOAA delays hurricane data cutoff
Meteorologists warn of severe consequences
BY ALEXA ST.JOHN Associated Press
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it is delaying by one month the plannedcutoff of satellitedata that helpsforecasters track hurricanes
Meteorologists and scientists warnedofsevere consequences last week when NOAA said, in the midst of this year’shurricane season, thatitwould almostimmediatelydiscontinue keydata col-
lected by threeweather satellites that the agency jointlyruns with the DefenseDepartment.
The Defense Meteorological SatelliteProgram’smicrowave data giveskey information that can’t be gleanedfrom conventional satellites.That includes three-dimensional details of astorm, what’s going on inside of it andwhatitis doing in the overnight hours, expertssay
The data was initially planned to be cut off on June 30 “to mitigate asignificantcybersecurity risk,” NOAA’s announcementsaid. The agency nowsays it’s postponing thatuntil July 31. Peak hurricane season is usually from mid-August to mid-October Spokespeople from NOAAand
theNavy did notimmediately respond to arequest for moredetails about the update. NOAA —whichhas been the subject of hefty Department of Government Efficiencycuts this year —saidFridaythe satellite program accounts for a“single datasetinarobust suite of hurricane forecasting andmodelingtools” in the National Weather Service’s portfolio. Theagency’s“data sources are fullycapable of providing acomplete suiteofcutting-edge data andmodels that ensure the goldstandardweatherforecasting the American people deserve,” a spokesperson said. But Union of Concerned Scientists science fellow Marc Alessi
told The Associated Press on 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 atropical cyclone could be going, if it’sinits development stages,” Alessi said. “This data is essential.
“Onthe 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.”
CITy OF BLUES
Bikeprogram expandingwithhelp of $11.8M grant
BY JONI HESS Staff writer
Backed by an $11.8 million federal grant and an extended partnership with the New Orleans City Council, theBlue Bikesprogram
hopes to put 2,000 new e-bikes in neighborhoods across the city over the next five years, bolstering a bicycle stock that now has fewer than 200available rental bikes most days
The council voted last week to extend thecity’spartnershipwith Blue Krewe, thelocal nonprofit managing the BlueBikessystem. Thegrant will cover new bikes, newstationsand aworkforcedevelopment program for young
Louisianaboard can’tmeetquorum
Vote skippedon chiefpublic defenders
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
After aslew of resignations, Louisiana’sPublic Defender OversightBoard twice failed to geta quorumtoresolve acontroversy over whether five chief publicdefenders shouldget to keeptheir jobs as the clock ran outontheir contracts. State Public DefenderRémy Starns notified the district chiefs in February that theircontracts, which end Tuesday,would not be renewed. Thechiefs appealed to theboard.
On Monday, the board was scheduled to decide whether to adopta committee’srecommendationthat the five defenders keeptheir jobs.But only four
members attended —one short of the five needed for aquorum
Thesame thinghappened last week.
“The fourofushere would like to get this matter concluded. Unfortunately we don’thave thatauthority without having a quorum,” saidboard member Paul deMahy,a former judge who chaired the panel that investigated the contract nonrenewals.
Phyllis Keaty, another board member and former judge, said she was “disappointed” the boardcould notreach aresolution
Some district chiefs saidthey felt left in thelurch as their contracts ended without an answer from the board. It appeared they would lose health insurancecoverage, shortly after one member,John Hogue, saidhewas diagnosed withcancer
people.
“Thecouncil supports the mayor in continuing this bike shareprogram.The Blue Bikes have become adistinctive sign of the citywanting to make travelingbymeans other than car or bus easier,” City Council member Joe Giarrusso said Monday Aphased rollout of new e-bikes is expected to kick off later this year,
Boyfriend booked in woman’sbeating death
Victim died 3months afteralleged assault
BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer
Authorities saya 53-year-old Metairie woman died 31/2 monthsafter suffering brain bleeds and broken ribs in asuspected beating at the hands of her boyfriend. Chad Ortolano,35, wasarrested Sunday and booked on second-degree murder in the deathofKathleen Cook, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, aspokespersonfor the Jefferson ParishSheriff’s Office. An autopsy determinedCook died of atraumatic brain injury, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office. Ortolanohad originally been booked on second-degree battery, but thechargewas refused by the Jefferson Parish DistrictAttorney’sOffice abouta monthbefore Cook died June 9, according to
court records. No information was immediately available Monday about why the charge was dropped. Cook wasfirst taken to University Medical Center on theafternoon of Feb.18, according to the Sheriff’sOffice. She had multiple fractured ribs in various stages of healing, indicating new and old breaks, afacial fracture and “multiple brain bleeds” thatrequired physicians to drill into both sides of her skull to relieve the pressure, authorities said. Sheriff’s Officedeputies were called to the hospital by medical personnel whonoted that Cook’s injuries did not appear to have beencausedbyafall, as hadbeen reported, according to authorities. Cook’smother was at the hospital and told deputies that Ortolano, her daughter’slive-in boyfriend of at least four years, had called her to thecouple’s apartment in the
STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
The Blue Bikes program hopes to put 2,000 newe-bikes in neighborhoods across the city over the next five years.
BIKES
Continued from page 1B
an initiative that interim Blue Krewe Director Leo Fraser said will help expand transportation access to about 20% of New Orleans households that lack access to a personal vehicle. The expansion also follows years of bike availability challenges.
Radio station WWNO reported in September that Hurricane Francine-related storm damage knocked about 80 bikes offline last year, dropping the number of daily bikes from 326 in 2023 to 221. The numbers have dwindled even more this year, Fraser said, leaving 170 to200 bikes available for rent on any given day Fraser said while bike-sharing demand is persistent, the fleet capacity has been impacted by several challenges ranging from wear and tear to rising equipment costs to an uptick in thefts.
”We’re actively working to scale up operations and to introduce the next generation of bikes to better meet demand and improve bike availability in neighborhoods citywide,” Fraser said The city’s public bike sharing program began in 2017, under a for-profit organization called Social Bicycles, later called JUMP Its founders pulled out during the height of the pandemic, leaving room for Blue Krewe to form a
RULES
Continued from page 1B
Everybody has been able to see the benefit,” Kirkpatrick said Monday “But our ordinance needs to be clear. The chief, who is nearing the end of her second year in office, endorsed the technology and went further, saying she plans to ask the council to authorize a city-run facial recognition network. While the NOPD has access to hundreds of cameras through the city’s Real-Time Crime Center, those aren’t equipped for facial recognition.
Only with its own system can the city ensure legal safeguards are followed, whatever those might be, Kirkpatrick argued.
The council appears poised to reconsider limits it set three years ago on facial recognition, though no proposal is on the table after an earlier draft was withdrawn.
Political momentum for expand-
RISHER
Continued from page 1B
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 I enjoyed the dinner, I appreciated the time spent in the galleries even more.
Seeing Rodrigue’s work always brings back memories, but being in the place where so much of history unfolded made Louisiana’s sweeping story feel so accessible. In that quiet hour I connected dots I hadn’t before — and felt what I always hope to in a Louisiana museum: a deeper sense of belonging in this complicated, beautiful state.
The dinner took place at a table, seated for 88 people, that ran the length of the Cabildo’s secondfloor front gallery — a room that has seen its share of history For example, 5 feet from where I sat, I could read a sign that read, “Lafayette stood here.”
I sat 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 with Louisiana strawberries for dessert, prepared by chef Matt Diunizio.
In Rodrigue’s painting, the dinner’s inspiration, all of the people are wearing black and white, and
DEATH
Continued from page 1B
3500 block of Apollo Drive earlier in the afternoon, according to authorities.
Ortolano told Cook’s mother that Cook had tripped over some boxes two days earlier and hit her head. Though Cook had been acting oddly, Ortolano told her mother they didn’t call for medical help, according to authorities.
Ortolano said Cook wasn’t able to fall asleep until the following eve-
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy conservation. It does not include a separate federal grant through the Department of Energy that’s on the chopping block in the wake of funding freezes imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Earlier this year, the New Orleans Office of Resiliency and Sustainability issued a memo detailing the programs at risk of losing funding as uncertainty around federal climate investments permeated throughout Trump’s administration. A $1.7 million award for Blue Bikes was listed as being threatened.
A portion of that funding was to be used to train mechanics through local workforce development, the Louisiana Green Corps and the rest would have supported another 500 bikes on top of the city’s 2,000 fleet goal.
“All this job uncertainty has taken quite a toll on our family,” Hogue said, adding that he was hopeful about his prognosis. Hogue said he planned to get on the state continuation plan. Former employees can continue getting insurance for a year if they continue paying premiums out of pocket, he said. Hogue was the district 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 of Rapides Parish.
nonprofit and launch a new program in 2021 with about 350 ebikes.
Blue Bikes program offers a $1 to unlock, pay-as-you-go option or $25 monthly memberships. It also offers reduced fares for New Orleans residents that qualify for SNAP food assistance or Medicaid
Colleen Rooney, an avid Blue Bike user, said she’s sometimes able to skip the $25 monthly charge through Blue Bikes’ volunteer collection program, which allows users to get a free month
ing the technology’s use picked up after the Jan. 1 terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14, and more recently the May 16 jail escape by 10 Orleans Parish detainees. One of those inmates was captured via the Project NOLA system, officials say The NOPD didn’t have access to the alerts at the time. Kirkpatrick suggested that could have delayed other arrests from the jail escape.
Critics, including the ACLU of Louisiana, argue that the technology enables real-time surveillance and that the city should stop to consider safeguards.
Eye on Surveillance, a privacy advocacy organization, launched an email petition campaign in June in response to the earlier proposal. Live facial recognition is a tool “no other American city has been willing to adopt due to privacy and constitutional concerns” the letter says.
The opposition was enough for some on the council to tap the brakes on a full council debate.
Council member Eugene Green
by returning at least 20 bikes scattered across the city to a nearby hub.
Lately however it’s been hard to reach that goal because bike availability is scarce, she said.
“The other day I was downtown. I couldn’t find a bike anywhere within walking distance,” Rooney said.
The funding, first announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year, is part of nearly $50 million in pollution reduction grants awarded to New Orleans for programs focused on
said last week that a draft ordinance was pulled from the council’s regular meeting agenda in a “temporary delay” to allow it to go first before the criminal justice committee. But that didn’t happen Monday
“We want as much support as possible,” Thomas said. “We want everyone to understand that we’re not trying to be intrusive, we’re trying to do everything constitutionally and keep our community safe.”
Kirkpatrick insisted that guardrails are what she wants.
“The state statute right now allows it. So now your LSP, the feds, everybody is already doing it,” she said. “I am in support of the technology and will remain in support of the technology but will work with you to build parameters.”
Kirkpatrick argued that facial recognition was akin to an eyewitness spotting a suspect on the street — only perhaps more reliable. She offered Derrick Groves the last jail escapee remaining at
back in time, and a tribute to art, history and community
in keeping with that spirit, guests to the events are asked to wear black, white or a combination thereof.
I felt brave and chose to wear a white cotton dress. I made it without spilling anything until my last bite of dessert, when a Louisiana strawberry found its mark, dribbling down my dress, grazing the hem before hitting the floor
As I bent to pick up the wayward berry from the floor, I couldn’t help but think about the contrast a simple accident in a room that had seen so many monumental moments.
For centuries, the building has hosted events that changed the
ning, but he was having trouble rousing her on Feb. 18, according to authorities. Cook’s mother said her daughter was breathing but not conscious and covered in bruises on her face and body When asked about the injuries, Ortolano told Cook’s mother they were from “having rough sex and biting each other,” according to authorities. But Cook’s mother didn’t believe him because he’d previously been accused of domestic violence against her daughter in 2023, a case in which he’d also claimed Cook injured herself in a fall, au-
course of the country In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase transfer 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
thorities said. Ortolano was arrested March 6 in connection with the suspected beating and booked with seconddegree battery Jefferson Parish Criminal Commissioner Paul Schneider set bail at $100,000 and issued a protective order barring Ortolano from any contact with Cook or her family during a March 11 bail hearing, court records said. But the charge was refused May 7. Ortolano was released from jail the next day, and the protective order was dissolved, court records said.
But that funding remains stalled, Fraser said, but the new workforce partnership under the $11.8 million grant is underway with the Youth Empowerment Project that focuses on hands-on training in e-bike operations and maintenance.
“The program will help create green job pathways for local residents, particularly youth and those from historically underserved communities,” Fraser said.
Email Joni Hess at joni.hess@ theadvocate.com.
large, as a hypothetical.
“You call 911 and say, ‘I just saw who I think is Groves, and he’s walking down Poydras,’ ” Kirkpatrick said. “How is that different than receiving that information, but through a technology scan that is picking out your features?”
Kirkpatrick insisted that safeguards should include a provision that says facial recognition is not enough on its own to establish probable cause for an arrest. Some on the council, however, wondered how federal officials or others could exploit a city-run facial recognition system, whether or not the city agreed to provide access, in immigration cases or others.
Council member Lesli Harris asked Kirkpatrick for data on the NOPD’s use of facial recognition before the council considers the issue.
Staff writer Sophie Kasakove contributed to this story
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 — and of Rodrigue They invite you in with beauty and flavor, then surprise you with depth.
As the evening wound down and I stepped out onto Jackson Square, I kept thinking about Rodrigue’s words: “The dog’s head is not under water He’s 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.
At some point, Cook was moved to an assisted living center in New Orleans, according to the Coroner’s Office. She was still being cared for there when she died.
Sheriff’s Office detectives obtained a murder warrant for Ortolano and arrested him on what would have been Cook’s 54th birthday He was being held Monday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Bail was set at $500,000.
Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.
Starns has appointed five interim chiefs to fill their positions, he said.
Ousted amid controversy
In February, Starns sent letters to the public defenders saying their contracts would not be renewed, without stating a reason. 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 a bill that gave Starns and Gov Jeff Landry 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, the defenders spoke out against a compensation 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 recommendation, 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 Phillip DeVillier, REunice, 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 cost-effective 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.
PROVIDED PHOTO
The George Rodrigue Foundation’s Aioli Dinner Supper Club on May 29 at the Cabildo was more than a meal — it was a feast for the senses, a step
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Blue Bikes are charged and ready to be ridden at the corner of Conti Street and Norman C. Francis Parkway in New Orleans on Monday.
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Obituaries
Eichhorn,Christian Henry
It is with deep sorrow that we announcethe passingofChristian Henry Eichhorn,a belovedhus‐band,stepfather, brother, andfriend, who left this worldonJune 27, 2025, at theyoung ageof73. Christ‐ianwas born on December 1, 1951 in NewOrleans, Louisiana, anditis fitting that he spentbothhis birth and finaldaysinthe city he cherished. Christian wasthe sonofRoy Christ‐ianEichhorn andJoyce WeberEichhorn, both of whomprecededhim in death. He is survived by his devotedwife, Linda M. Eichhorn,who washis steadfastpartner,and his cherishedstepdaughter, MarloJeansonne,along with hisbeloved grand‐daughter,Haley Jean‐sonne.Healsoleavesbe‐hind hisbrother,Roy Eich‐horn (Janet), hissister, Joy Smith(Bill), andnumerous nieces andnephews who will forever hold himin theirhearts. Christianand Lindashareda beautiful life together,havingbeen marriedonJune 20, 2000 on thepicturesque island of St.Maarten. Theirlove storywas one filledwith laughter,adventure,and unwavering supportfor oneanother.Analumnus of CorJesuHighSchool Christianpursued higher educationatSoutheastern University,where he earned aBachelor’sdegree in Marketing. Hisprofes‐sional journeybegan at MetLifeInsurance,where he dedicatedmanyyears before transitioninginto theinsurance adjusting field. Laterinlife, he man‐aged variousconstruction projects,showcasinghis versatilityand commit‐ment to excellence in all endeavors. Christianwas notonlypassionateabout hisworkbut also abouthis community.Heservedon theboard of directorsfor many yearsatthe Ormond CountryCluband wasan active member of theTKE fraternity.His love forthe outdoorswas evidentin hishobbies he enjoyed playinggolf, fishing, hunt‐ingand engaging in allout‐door activities.Hetook im‐mensejoy in spending qualitytimewithhis fam‐ily, cheeringonthe New OrleansSaints, andsup‐portingthe LSUTigers. Thosewho knew Christian woulddescribehim as a fun-loving andcaringindi‐vidual with aprofound compassion forfamilyand friends. Hiswarmthand humor left an indelible mark on everyone who
crossedhis path,and he will be deeply missed by allwho hadthe privilegeof knowinghim.A funeral servicetohonor andcele‐brateChristian’s life will be held on July1,2025, at 11:00 AM -1:00PMfol‐lowedwitha religiousser‐vice at LeitzEagan Funeral Home,4747 Veterans Memorial Blvd.Metairie, LA 70006. We invite all thosewho knew himto join us in sharingmemo‐ries andsayinggoodbyeto aremarkableman whose legacy of love andkind‐ness will live on in the hearts of many
Goldstein, Martin'Marty'
Martin Goldsteinpassed awaypeacefully on Saturday, June 28, 2025, with his family by hisside. Martin, lovingly known as Marty,was preceded in death by hisparents Gershonand Gertie Goldstein, his sisterand brother in lawBernice "Bunny" and Stanley Weiner. Additionally, Marty waspreceded indeath by his first wifeLeah Goldstein, second wife Anna KayAdam Goldstein, along with his youngest son Steven E. Goldstein and step-daughter Jeanne Marie Adam.Marty leaves behind sons Gerald(Jan) Goldstein,Brian (Barbara) Goldstein,step-son Charles(Mary) Adam, Paul (Gretchen) Adam, Philip (Cody) Adam and stepdaughterDonnaAdam. Marty'sextended family consists of 13 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildrenand 12 great, great grandchildren. Additionally, Martyleaves behind his loving companion of 17 years, June Leopold. Marty spent 40 years with the Food& Drug Administration (FDA), working hisway up to LaboratoryDirector. After retirement,Marty enjoyed being adedicated member of Touro Synagogue congregation, choirand the Board of Directors. In addition to his involvement with the Synagogue,healso was acollector of Depression Glass, vintage and antique collectables and furniture, to name a few. Relatives and friends areinvited to attend a Funeral Serviceat11:00AM on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at TharpFuneralHome, 1600N.CausewayBlvd., Metairie, LA 70001. Visitation willbegin at 10:00AM. Interment willbe in Hebrew Rest Cemetery No. 3inNew Orleans, LA. In lieu of flowers,the family wouldlikedonations to be made in Marty'sname to Touro Synagogue,Jewish FamilyServicesorthe American Heart Association. Expressions oflove and sympathy may be viewedand placedat www.tharpcares.com.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July3, 2025, at a10:00 am Mass of Christian Burial in St.Pius XCatholic Church in Lafayettefor Floyd Michael Hindelang, Jr., M.D age 82, who passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at The CalcuttaHouseHospice of Acadiana in Lafayettesurrounded by hisfamily and lovedones. The family requeststhat visitationbeobservedin Martin &Castille's SOUTHSIDE Locationon Wednesday,July2,2025, from 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm and will continue on Thursday morning from 8:00 am until 9:30 am. A Rosary willberecited on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm. Reverend James Brady, JCL, will be theCelebrant of theFuneral Mass and officiate theservices Entombment willbeheldin St.John CatholicCemetery Mausoleum in Lafayette.
Survivorsincludehis belovedwife of 56 years, Sandra duBernard Gresham Hindelang;four children, F. Michael Hindelang, III, M.D and his wife, Camille, Gretchen George and her husband, Paul,Christopher Hindelang and his wife, Mary, and Matthew Hindelang and his wife, Jessica;fifteengrandchildren,Gianna Hindelang MargotHindelang, Floyd M. Hindelang, IV, Rosalie Hindelang, Marie George Guionand her husband, Matt, JacobGeorge, Sarah George, Clare George, Adeline George, Eli Hindelang, James Hindelang, Cecilia Hindelang, Naomi Hindelang, Josie Hindelang, and Samuel Hindelang; onegreat grandson, JudeGuion; his siste ell
He was precededin death by his parents, Mary Palmisano Hindelang and FloydMichael Hindelang, M.D Sr.; grandparents, CharlesP.and Catherine MetzHindelang,and Salvatore and Rosalie Lauricella Palmisano; and hisbrother-in-law Hart Schwarzenbach.
Born on November 25, 1942, in NewOrleans, Mike grew up in Gretna, LA, graduated fromHolyCross High School in 1960, Tulane University in 1964, and LSU School of Medicine in 1969. He served as aflight surgeon forthree years in the UnitedStates Navy and completedhis residency in OB/GYNin1976 at Charity HospitalinNew Orleans. Mike joinedseveral other physicians in theAcadiana community as founding members of Women'sand Children's Hospital in 1983 and was in privatepractice from1976 until he retired in 2012. Mike was akind, caring and compassionate physician. Whenasked if he missed his practice, he said that he didn't miss the stress, however he did miss his patients Dr. Hindelang was honored to receivethe Frist Humanitarian Award by HCA Women's and Children's Hospital in 2011 and theChers Bebes 2019 Acadiana Pro-LifeAward. He served as aboard memberofThe DesOrmeaux Foundation and Medical Director for theAcadiana Pregnancy Center and Clinic.
Mike was an avid LSU and Saints fan. He enjoyed history,reading,telling jokes, gardening, and traveling on spiritualpilgrimages. He was aparishioner of St. PiusX Catholic ChurchinLafayette and devoutly livedhis faith. Patriarchand spiritual leader of his family,heled by hisvirtuous example. Mike leaves behind alegacy of love of God, family, and country. Hismarriage was abeautiful witness to many. He was adored by his children, theirspouses, and hisgrandchildren, who affectionatelycalledhim Gramps. He madeita priority to be therefor his family,attending every specialmoment witha warm smileand aquiet, steady support that made others feelseenand loved. He was humble,big-hearted,gentle, witty, prayerful,
Michael Hindelang, III M.D., Chris Hindelang, Matthew Hindelang, Paul George,Jacob George,Eli Hindelang,and James Hindelang Honorary Pallbearers will be Mike Gresham and Craig McKee. ThefamilyofMike extendstheir heartfelt appreciation to Hospice of Acadiana, Calcutta House and thephysicians, nurses, and all othersinvolved in hiscare. Thanks to the numerousprayerwarriors whoprayedfor Mike and ourfamilyand for the manyactsofkindnessof familyand friends. We are forever grateful. Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Floyd Michael Hindelang Jr., M.D., to Carmelite Monastery, Hospice of Acadiana, FamilyMissions Company, or The DesOrmeaux Foundation View theobituaryand guestbook online at www.mourning.com
Martin& CastilleSOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road,Lafayette,Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811
Hollard, Phillip Albert 'Bubby'
Phillip AlbertHollard,affectionately knownas 'Bubby',passed away peacefully on May4 in Mandeville,Louisiana.
Born on February 6, 1946 in Excel, Alabama, to the lateJohnand AlbertLou Hollard,Phillip enjoyed growingupinNew Orleans whereheattendedKohn MiddleSchool andgraduated from Francis T. Nicholls Senior High School. He also attended theUniversity of New Orleansand workedinthe food sales business. Early in hislifeheswitchedcareerstogointothe automotiverepairbusiness, first with hisbrother at Jimmy's Body Shop, and later openinghis own
working for Jefferson Parish in fleet maintenanceand later at the parish's pumping stations. Through theyears, Phillip made many friends and kept in contact with them after retirement
Phillip lovedfishing. GrowingupinNew Orleans, Phillip andhis brothers wouldregularly ride theirbikes to the Lakefrontorthe riverfor fishingadventures. This love of fishingcontinued throughout his life, andhe wasregularly foundfishing among agroup of friends at theBonnabelboat launch.
Phillip sharedhis life in Metairie, Louisianawith hisbeloved partnerof more than 35 years, Jeanne Baldassaro, until herpassingin2018. He wasfortunate to spend the last coupleofyearsreconnected with hishighschool girlfriend, Sharon Couture. He andSharonwereconstant companions until herpassinginDecember, 2023.
Phillip is preceded in death by hisparents,John Hollard and AlbertLou Griffin Hollard,his sister LynnetteDelassandro(and husband, Tom), andhis brotherRaymond.Heis survived by hisdaughter, Kimberly Brechtel (Ben), brothers John (Victoria), Joseph (Linda), and James, and hisbeloved sister Patricia "Sissy" Keen (Shanon). He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews, as well as twostep-grandchildren andmany friends. Hisfamilyand friends were an important partofhis life, and he is remembered for the love he shared with them
Thefamilywould like to thankthe loving staff at BrookdaleSenior Living andNotreDame Hospice Special thanks to Ann Dupontwith DupontSitting Servicesfor beingavailableata moment's notice anytimenight or day, and to Zie, for beinganexceptional personal sitter and compassionateattendant to Phillip in hisfinal days.
Phillip willbeprivately interred at Abita Springs Cemetery
Hindelang Jr., M.D., Floyd Michael
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.
TO SEND US A LETTER SCANHERE
State lawmakerskey to fight againstcancer, Medicaid cuts
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-
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
Enforcinglawsisn’t fascism; left wantstostoke division
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/
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
Passingbillcrucial to getstate back on track
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. 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.
ment likewehaven’tseen in years. Louisiana has alot to gain from theOne Big Beautiful Bill.
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
NewOrleans Forecast
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 best roster since coming to LSU Nussmeier agrees.
“I fully believe in coach Kelly and what
ä See NUSSMEIER, page 5C
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 join the league by 2030. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after, assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors.
Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.
“This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth
ä See WNBA, page 4C
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 thankful to be part of the journey Our fans are as passionate as any in the league, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.” Meyers, who has been in broadcasting for more than 40 years, enters his 14th season with the
BY ROD WALKER
and
He has
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 to the roster in last week’s draft. They
franchise. He was named the Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year for 2024 by the National Sports Media Association for his work on the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network. Daniels who played 14 seasons in the NBA, including the 2008-09 season with the then-New Orleans Hornets joined Meyers court side in 2019.
“It is
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
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
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.
Smith Fitzpatrick
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.
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.
2024, at the
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.
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.
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The Saints will leave for California on Aug. 6 and return to New Orleans on Aug. 15, before their second exhibition game
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
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. 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. On
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler throws a pass during a training camp practice on Aug. 3,
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
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
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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 CALKINS
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
Alcarazpushedtofive sets in opener
BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer
LONDON Carlos Alcaraz, locked in afive-set struggle at Centre Court, looked toward his coach Monday and shouted something about how Fabio Fognini— 38, retiring after this season, winlessin 2025 —looked as if he could keep playing until he’s50.
“I don’tknow why it’shis last Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said later, “because the levelhehas shown, he can still play three or four more years.Unbelievable.”
The two-time reigning champion at the All England Club needed to go throughmore than 41/2 hoursof back-and-forth shifts against the much older and less accomplished Fognini before emerging with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victoryin the first round.
It wasn’tsupposed tobethat tough
Considerthat the No. 2-seeded Alcaraz is 22, already afive-time Grand Slam champion —including his latest at the French Open three weeks ago —and is on acareerbest 19-match winning streak.
Consider, too,thatFognini has never been past the third round at the All England Club in 15 appearancesand reached thequarterfinals at any major tournament
just once —way back at the 2011 French Open. He entered Monday ranked138thand is 0-6 this year
Oh,and then there’sthis: Only twice has thereigning men’schampion at Wimbledon been beaten in the first round thefollowing year, LleytonHewitt in 2003 and Manuel Santana in 1967. There were times Monday when Alcaraz appeared to be something less than his best, far from the form he displayed during his epic five-set, 51/2-hour comeback victory over No. 1JannikSinner for the championship at Roland-Garros. Alcaraz double-faulted nine times. He faced 21 breakpoints. He made more unforcederrors, 62,thanwinners, 52. He chalked someofthatupto nerves.
“Playingthe first match at Centre Court, and the first match of every tournament, is never easy,” said Alcaraz, who beat Novak Djokovic in the2023 and 2024 finals at that arena. “I’ve been practicing pretty well. I’ve been playing on grass really well. But Wimbledon is special. It’sdifferent.”
Nextfor Alcaraz will be amatch Wednesday againstOliver Tarvet, a21-year-old British qualifier who plays collegetennis at the University of San Diego and is ranked 733rd
Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after beating Fabio Fognini of Italy during their first-round match at WimbledoninLondon
Fogniniisa self-described hot head andisknown formidmatch flareups, including at Wimbledon, where he was fined $3,000 in 2019 forsaying during amatch thathe wished“abomb would explode at theclub” and athen-record$27,500 in 2014 for aseries of outbursts. He was put on atwo-year probationbythe Grand Slam Board in 2017 after insulting afemale chair
umpire at the U.S. Open and gettingkicked out of that tournament. Such behavior wasn’tdisplayed Monday.And when Alcarazpushed aforehand long to cede the fourth set, Fognini nodded toward his guestbox, where amember of his entourage stood to snap aphoto with acellphone. Things were picture perfect forFognini at that moment.
But at the outset of the fifth the first time the previous year’s male champwas pushed that far in thefirst round sinceRoger Federer in 2010 —Alcaraz recalibrated. Whenthe Spaniard broke to lead 2-0 in that set with abackhand volleywinner, he pointed toward the stands, threw an uppercut and screamed, “Vamos!” In the next game, he saved apair of break points before the match was paused formore than 10 minutes because aspectatorfeltill amid record-breakinghightemperaturesfor Day 1ofWimbledon. When they resumed, Alcaraz outplayed Fognini the rest of the way
WhileAlcaraz 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. 24 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who quit because of apersistent lower-back problem after dropping the first two sets. No. 20 JelenaOstapenko,the 2017 French Open champ,lost, while women’s winners included No. 1 ArynaSabalenka, 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova and 2021 U.S. Open championEmma Raducanu.
Sabalenkanot interested in fivesetsfor women
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during her first-round match against Carson Branstine of Canada at Wimbledon in London on Monday.
WNBA
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of talentacrossthe game, and the surging demandfor investment in women’sprofessional basketball.”
Allthree newteams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a$250million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for ateam afew years ago. All three teamsalso will invest more moneythrough building practice facilities and other such amenities.
“It’ssuch anatural fit thatwhen you already have this basketballrelated infrastructure, these strategies, cultures that you find to be successful, combinationsof personnel that you findtobe successful,” said NicBarlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cavaliers. “Extending that into the WNBA is just anatural next progression,especiallyif you have adesire to growlike we do.”
Both Cleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past and Philadelphia was the home for an ABL team.
“This is ahuge win forDetroit and the WNBA,” Detroit Pistons owner TomGores said. “Today marks the return of the WNBA to acity with deepbasketball roots and achampionship tradition. Detroit played akey role in the league’searly growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends tonew heights.”
Detroitsportsstars GrantHill, Chris Webber and Jared Goff will have minority ownership stakes in the team.
The Cleveland and Detroit ownership groups said the Rockers and Shock —the names of the previousteams —wouldbe considered,but they’d do their due diligence before deciding on what the franchises will be called.
The Detroit and Cleveland teams will play at the NBA arenasthatcurrentlyexist,while Philadelphia is planning on anew building that will be completed hopefully by 2030.
“Wetell the city it’s going to open in 2031. We’re hoping for 2030,” said Harris BlitzerSports & Entertainment managing partner and co-founder Josh Harris, who owns the 76ers. “So we’re trying to underpromise and overdeliver
But, right now it’s2031, so that we have ayear gap, you know.”
Adding these three teams will give the league more natural rivalrieswithanotherteamonthe East Coast andDetroit and Cleveland near each other
“I thinkthere’ssomegreathistorical rivalries in theNBA among these cities and, Ithink that will carry over tothe WNBA,” Detroit Pistons vicepresidentArn Tellem said.“Iwouldlovenothing more to have arivalrylike we do in the NBA with Cleveland and Indiana, Philadelphia andNew York andall these great cities and, and Ithink we will.”
Engelbert said shewas impressed with the number of cities that bidfor expansion teams, a listthat included St. Louis; KansasCity, Missouri;Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Miami; Denver; Charlotte, North Carolina;and Houston.
She also said that shewanted to spreadout the expansion over a few years to not dilute the talent pool.
“Wedidn’tknow the demand would be where the demand ended upwhenweran theprocess last fall into the winter,” Engelbert said. “Giventhe very high demandand 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 asweget into anew media deal, as the mediamarketevolves you know,being in these three big basketball cities is going to help from amediaperspective,acorporatepartners perspective.”
Allthe metrics —such as attendance,TVratings andsponsorships —have been on the rise the last few seasons.
“You’reseeingthe key performance indicators around the business, but thenalso just the communal impactofhaving a women’sprofessional sports team,” Barlagesaid. “The largest growing segment of our Cavs youth academy,which serves 60,000 kidsacross thestate of Ohio and upstate New York,the fastest growing segment is girls.
Youknow,it’sgrowing at a30% clip year over yearinparticipationrates. And sofor us to be able to createrole models, to be able to create symbolsofprogress, to create having ambassadors within the community representing all of these things.”
By The Assoicated Press
LONDON Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenkawouldn’twantwomen’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,somaybe it would benefit me. But Ithink I’mnot ready to play five sets,” Sabalenka said after hertwo-set, first-round victory at Wimbledon on Monday. “I think it’stoo much on the woman’sbody.Ithink we’re not ready for this amount of tennis. Ithink it would increasethe
amount of injuries. So Ithink this is notsomething Iwould consider.”
Womenplaybest-of-three sets at all tournaments. Men play the best-of-fiveformat at Grand Slam tournaments and best-of-three sets elsewhere
There’snowidespread movement for the change, but it’san occasional talking point —ifwomen’stennis should move to best of fiveatthe laterstagesofthe major tournaments. Sabalenka was asked about the French Open final in which CarlosAlcarazbeat Jannik Sinnerin 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 for five hours as aplayer.I don’tknow how manydays they needed to recover after that crazy match.”
No.2-ranked Coco Gauff expressedsimilarsentiments about best-of-five sets on Saturday
“It would favor me just from a physicality standpoint. ButI do think it would kind of be abig changefor the tour.I thinkitwould be fine just keeping it like how it is,” the American said. Sabalenka beat 194th-ranked Carson Branstine 6-1, 7-5 in 73 minutes on Monday
NL Centralgetsshotin armwithyoung pitchers
BY NOAH TRISTER AP baseball writer
ChaseBurnsarrived in the big leagueswitha flourish, striking outthe first five hitters he faced forCincinnati in hisdebut against the New York Yankees lastweek He’s just the latest young pitcher in the National League Central to show his impressive potential. Pittsburgh’sPaul Skenes,of course,finished third in the National League Cy Young race as arookie lastyear.Morerecently, Milwaukee’sJacob Misiorowski threw 11 straight hitless innings to start his career and thenbeat Skenes in ahead-to-head matchup Wednesday.Now Burns, the No. 2pickinlastyear’s draft, has reachedthe majors, andSkenes could have somehelp in his own rotation whenever Bubba Chandler—MLB Pipeline’sNo. 2-ranked prospect —ispromoted to the Pirates.
Thesepitchershave given the NL Central quite ashotinthe arm after the Chicago Cubs have appeared in control of thedivision at various points. Milwaukee has won 22 of its last 31 andtrails the Cubs by just two games now. Cincinnati hadwon 14 of its last 21 entering Monday.Even thelastplace Pirateshaveplayedbetter than .500 baseball for over a month, and theyjust swept three straight from the New York Mets by acombinedscore of 30-4.
Fourteamsinthe NL Central are at least fourgames over .500, and everyteam has an ERAunder 4.00 —the only divisionthatcan say that. Theseyoung starters, who have joined moreestablished
PELICANS
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reporter Meyers andDaniels,orsimply
“Joeland A.D.”asmost people call them, have gained alarge following amongthe Pelicans’ fan base.Fans oftenapproach them
pitchers like Freddy Peralta of theBrewers and HunterGreene of theReds, suggest the future is bright in the division —aslong as you’re not ahitter SF slump
TheGiants dropped two of three to the lowlyChicago White Sox immediately afterlosingthree in arow to Miami. San Francisco is now 71/2 games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and has gone 4-8 since its big trade for Rafael Devers. Devers has hit.217 sincearriving from the Boston Red Sox.
Line of theweek
Sonny Gray —another NL Centralpitcher —was sensational Friday night in St. Louis’ 5-0win over Cleveland, throwing aonehitter with11strikeouts. Gray had not thrown acomplete game since 2017 and hadn’tthrowna
before games to pose for pictures or seek autographs.
“They’re like folk heroes,” Pelicans director of communications Matt Ryan said aboutthe two in an interview in 2024. Ryan sits court side by the duo during games, so he sees their work up close. Now he’ll get to seethat
shutout since 2015. Gray did not have awalk, faced one batter over the minimum and threw only 89 pitches.
Comeback of theweek
Miami trailed Arizona 7-3before scoring three runs in the eighth, one in the ninth and one in the top of the10th to win 8-7. Dane Myers stole second and third in the ninth before scoring the tying run on asacrifice fly,and Agustín Ramírez put the Marlins ahead in extra innings with an RBI single. Arizona’s win probability peakedat97.4% in the bottomof theseventh,according to Baseball Savant.
Honorable mention: Baltimore fell behind 6-0 in the second Friday night before blowing out Tampa Bay 22-8. According to the EliasSports Bureau,the Orioles became the first team to win by at least 14 runs after trailing by six.
“They bring energy,professionalism, and an unmatched love for the game that reflects thespirit of ourorganization andfan base,” Pelicans governor GayleBensonsaid.“Theirpassion, insight andchemistry have made them
ASSOICIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALASTAIR GRANT
Carlos
on Monday
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByKAyLA WOLF
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes throws during agame against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 25 in Milwaukee.
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 theBobcats from the Sun Belt Conference will joinholdovers 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’sofficial launch is set for July 1, 2026.
Since Gonzaga doesn’tfield a football team, the Pac-12 needed one more school to remaineligible as aFootballBowlSubdivision 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 theirFBS debut with one seasoninthe 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 hadnever been to abowl game and had only one winning season in their previous 11 playingFBS football,a7-5 record in 2014 undercoach Den-
NUSSMEIER
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he wants to accomplish this year,” Nussmeier said. “I didn’twant to watch anybody else try to make that happen. Iwanted to be the guytospearhead that and lead that, so it wasn’tthat hard of adecision for me.”
Now one month from preseason practice, Nussmeierhas 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 makeadifference that, for the first time at LSU, Nussmeierhas afull season’s worth of game tape to review Watching it has helped Nussmeier identify weaknesses and tells while getting deeper intothe offense. Entering his secondyear as the starter —and his fourth within the same system —hesaidheunderstands his job enough to focus on otherdecisions within aplay
“The offense, Iknow it likethe back of my hand now,” Nussmeier said. “That has allowed me to go into different areas.”
Nussmeier acknowledged he needs to run more after appearing hesitant to scramble last season. That does not meangoing for 1,000 yards like his predecessor Jayden Daniels, but Nussmeierrecognized there were severalmoments when he could have gained afew yards instead of forcing athrow
“Definitely not tryingtobea
nisFranchione.
With theTexas Statecampus in San Marcos, only about 35 miles south of the University of Texas in Austin, it will be the farthest from theWest Coast the Pac-12 has had an all-sports member.ArkansasLittleRockis nowanaffiliate member for wrestling.
When the 10 former Pac-12 teams officially departed last year,thatcreatedcoast-to-coast conferences.Oregon andWashington went to the BigTen;Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined the Big 12; and Stanford and California becameACC members.
“Weare extremely excited to welcomeTexas State as afoundationalmember of the newPac12,” Commissioner Teresa Gould said. “It is anew day in college sportsand themostopportune time to launchanew league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind. Texas Statehas shown acommitment to competing and winning at thehighestlevel as well as to providing studentathleteswithawell-roundedcollege experienceacademically, athletically and socially.Welook forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continuetoshine bigand bright.”
ThePac-12lastweek struck a media-rights deal with CBS that sets up the network to broadcast aminimum of four football and men’sbasketballgames per seasononits main network andprovide acable and streaming presence for theleaguefrom 2026-31.
Sun BeltCommissioner Keith Gill in astatement thanked the
1,000-yardrusher,”Nussmeier said while smiling. “I mean,ifit happens, it happens,but Idon’t know how likely that is. Butno, it’sjustbeing able to stress the defense in differentways.”
Learning whentorun and preparing his body to do it have been some ofNussmeier’s priorities the past few months. If defenses respect his running ability,itwould open plays in thepassing game
He said he has trained “my lower body harder than ever” to make quicker,more explosive movements
“Because Ididn’tdoa good enough job of taking off lastyear,” Nussmeier said, “they wereable to cover things in away that would have left thefeet 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. Alot. Nussmeier recalled stuffingpeanut butter and jelly sandwiches between meetings and before bedto gain weight.
After playing lastseason around 200 pounds, Nussmeiergot down to 194 afew months ago. He’s puttingthe weight back on, but in a differentway
“It was definitely different for me to learn howtoeat thecorrect wayand make sure I’meating at the right times,” Nussmeier said.
In hisfreetime, Nussmeierhas played golf,visited family outside Dallas and watched Saints practice with his dad, offensive coordinatorDougNussmeier. He
BY SPENCERURQUHART Staff writer
Brother Martin-basedK’s for Kids deliveredtimely hitstoadvance to the championship game of aNew Orleans-based prep baseball summer league.
K’sfor Kids wasfacing Rummelbased Malcolm Dienes in asemifinal matchup on Monday,and the Brother Martin-based group never trailed in a9-2 winatJohn Ryan Stadium in Metairie. Aweather delaystopped play for nearly one hour withK’s forKids leading 4-2 with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Malcolm Dienes kept the game within tworuns until K’sfor Kids broke out withfive runs in the top of theseventhinning to put things out of reach.
“Our guys didn’tget too frustrated after the rain delay,” K’sfor Kids coach Jeff Lupo said. “Wewere able to capitalize on some of (Malcolm Dienes’)mistakesand come up with some big hits to drive some guys in.Wewereable to apply pressure up and down thelineupconsistently.”
Texas State staff forits “collaboration andleadership through atransformative eraincollege athletics” from the COVID-19 pandemic to NIL and the most recent round of realignment. He also touted the league’srecent football success, including the Bobcats being amongthe 12 SBC teams in bowl games in 2023, and oneofthe seven last year
“I will continue to update our stakeholders on developments whenever possible as we work to ensurethe sustained rise of the Sun Belt Conference, acollection of like-minded, regionalrivals with winning football traditions, passionate fanbasesand enduring commitments to excellence in all sports,” Gill said. “The Sun Belt Conference is rising, and our best days are ahead.”
TexasState is anational research universitywith more than 40,000 students,and is among the 25 largest undergraduate enrollmentsamong public universities in theUnited States.Kelly Damphousse, the presidentofTexas State, called joining the Pac-12 a historic moment
“Joining thePac-12ismore than an athletic move. It is adeclaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in thecountry,” Damphousse said.
“Our acceptance into thePac-12 affirms thestrength of our academicvision, our commitmentto providing accesstoaTexas State degree, themomentumofour athletic programs, and theambition thatdefines this institution.”
also has thrown to LSU’sreceivers, connecting with agroup that includesOklahoma transfer Nic Anderson and Kentuckytransfer Barion Brown.
“It’s theclosestteam I’ve ever been on,and we’re still continuing to build that,” Nussmeier said. “It’sall aboutchemistry.Weacknowledge that. We knowthatthe best teams are theclosestteams.”
In 2025,the offseason also has meant upholding hisend of name, imageand likenessdeals.Before theManning Passing Academy lastweek,Nussmeier filmed a spot for Raising Cane’swith Texas quarterbackArchManning.And he will appear on acoverofEA SportsCollege Football 26, which releases next week,after goingto aspringphotoshootatthe Rose Bowl.
Nussmeier hopes learning how to manage histimefor advertisements has prepared him for being an NFL quarterback, but he has another college season to playfirst. He only hasafew more weeksleftinhis final college offseason, thenhis final preseason camp
There will be alot of lastsuntil he has no choice but to leave for the NFL. Until then, he wantsto enjoy theexperience.
“I’ve been attacking withthat mindsetevery single day,”Nussmeier said. “This is my last timeto wake up at 6a.m. and go to aheavy squatday with theboysand have to run 20 tempos after,you know? Ijust continue to go at it each and every day, knowing it’s my last.”
“Our guys didn’tget too frustrated after the rain delay. We wereable to capitalize on someof(Malcolm Dienes’) mistakes and come up with somebig hitstodrive some guysin.”
JEFF LUPO, K’sfor Kids coach
Blaise Tingstromstartedonthe mound for K’sfor Kids, allowing two earned runs, three hits and four walks with four strikeouts in four innings. Tingstrom, aright-hander, recorded one out in the bottom of the fourth inning befor the delay andreenteredthe game to record the final two outs of the inning.
“(Tingstrom) wantedtofinish the fourth inning, so we let him finish,” Lupo said.
“He got the double play groundouttoend the inning, andKaden (Vallee) came in after and was really good at shutting it down the rest of the way.”
K’sfor Kids first baseman Luke Gab stepped up to the plate with the basesloaded andnoouts in thetop of the seventh inning. Gab hit atworun single to right field that drove in Bronson Leaumont andColton Elliott
The bases were still loaded when HaydenNunezenteredasa pinchhitter.AnRBI single cleared the bases, with the last runscoring on a Malcolm Dienes throwing errorto put K’sfor Kids up by sevenruns.
Leaumont and Elliott led K’sfor Kids-high with two hits apiece. A leadoff triple by Leamont in the topofthe fourth inning resulted in arun after Elliott singled to rightcenter field to go up 3-0.
K’sfor Kids right-handed pitcher Kaden Vallee pitched the final three innings, allowing one hit and two walks with one strikeout.
K’sfor Kids (10-0) needs one more win to finish with an undefeated record this summer The championship matchup is set for6 p.m. Tuesday at JohnRyan againstthe winner of theother semifinal. EitherJesuit-based Retif Oil(11-1) or theJohnCurtis-based River Ridge Patriots (9-2). Malcolm Dienes finishes with a 10-2 record. The summer league is in its fourth season sponsored by CrescentCitySports andorganized by Rummel coach Frank Cazeaux. EmailSpencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEPHEN SPILLMAN
Texas State football players take the field against UL-Monroe on Oct. 14, 2023, in SanMarcos, Texas. The Bobcats went 8-5 thepasttwo seasons sinceG.J.Kinne took over as coach and wonthe FirstResponders Bowl both years.
N.O. singer awaits return to ‘America’s GotTalent’
BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer
New Orleans singer Jourdan Blueisinwaiting mode at the moment.
One might catch him singing on aFrench Quarter corner or performingata privateparty. Butcome August, he’ll be back in LosAngeles to continuehis “America’sGot Talent” journey
Wi nning a coveted golden buzzer during his “AGT” audition which aired May 27 sent the Louisiana artist, 23,straight past the semifinals into the talent competition series’ live shows, which will begin Aug. 19 That nightorsoonafter,viewers will see Blue sing again and hopefully continue to advance in the contest. Throughout the live shows, it’sAmerica’svote that will determine who stays and who goes home. The winner will receive $1 million and the chanceto headline ashowonthe LasVegasstrip.
Since his auditionaired,Blue’s been getting lots of congratulatory calls and texts.
“A lot of everything,” he said. “It’sbeen absolutely insane, yes.” This marks his second TV competition series. In his first in 2021,Bluereached the Top25 on ABC’s“American Idol” before being eliminated. Although he could give “Idol” another goaround, Blue said he declined that offer and others from “The Voice,” “Boy Band” and initially “America’sGot Talent.”
However,months later,atthe urging of his online community called “Blue Crew,” the singer switched gears and contacted “AGT” about an audition
That’swhen the magic started happening.
“Your tone and the way that youdelivered that song was not only pitch-perfect, but everything perfect, Jourdan. It really was,” judgeMel Bsaid. Judge Simon Cowell shared her enthusiasm.
“You have such adistinctive voice,”Cowell told him.“You are so cool. And you feed off theaudience. They love you and how you made me feel just there was actually amazing. Seriously amazing. Loved it Loved it.”
“The hair,the voice, your energy.You are arock star,” judge Sofia Vergara added.
As Blue’sgirlfriend and infant sonwatched from the audience, judge Howie Mandel sealed the deal for him.
“This is just the beginning,” Mandel said. With that, Mandel walked over and hit that golden buzzer Here, Blue reflects on that night and the struggles thatled up to it.
Just before going onstagefor the audition, you called your GrandpappyJohn. Looks likeyou guys are veryclose.Would you elaborate on that?
When Iwas younger,Imade decisionshere and therejust like anybodyelsethatI’ve learned from and grown from. Iended up getting myself into some trouble and ended up on myown at 16. So Ilived on my own andI stayedinbathroomsatmywork or at friends’ houses, different places. When my grandpafound out about that, he immediately droveanhour-and-a-halftocome
HEALING POWERS
Earlywomen doctorsblazedatrail in NewOrleans,opening theirown clinic andpractices
BY ELISE BALLARD
Contributingwriter
In summer 1905, newly minted surgeon EdithLoeber stepped off a train in New Orleans after traveling twodays from NewYork. She’d been finishing her trainingatBellevue Hospital, and was headed not to her family’s comfortable home in the LowerGarden District but to hernew job at the recently establishedNew Orleans Dispensary for Women and Children— usheredthere by hersisters, Florence, alawyer,and Maud, afuture pediatrician.
Dr.Cora Bass,left, and Dr.Elizabeth Bass, shown in 1904, were among a group of womendoctors,educated in the North, whoopenedpractices in NewOrleans despite the staunch opposition of the all-male medical establishment in the city
BYCATHY BUSSEWITZ
“The Dispensary” as it was lovingly called, was thefirst clinic of its kind in the southern United States, foundedand run entirely by women, toprovide free medical care to the poorest women andchildrenofNew Orleans. Edith Loeber,just out of Cornell University Medical College, was one of its founders.
At the turn of the20th century,New Orleans was the largestcityinthe Southand one of the most vibrant cities andimportantports in the U.S.The streetspulsed with jazz andcommerce but also were plagued by yellow fever, tuberculosis, and poverty Women and children who were poor,immigrantsorBlack had little accesstomedical care.
Wealthierpatients wenttoprivate hospitals like Touro, where Loeber’s father,Dr. FrederickLoeber,served as chief of surgery for 31 years until 1901.
During this time, women were still decades away from winning the right to vote,soimagine what it was like to becomeadoctor.
There had only been acouple of licensed women physicians in New Orleans: Drs. ElizabethCohen, whoretired in 1887, andEmma Wakefield-Paillet, who was AfricanAmerican andpracticed from only 1898-1900 before leaving for SanFrancisco. Thesewomen had
The firsthome
to open practicesoftheir own. No hospitals, clinics or established practices would train or employ women. Tulane University Medical School,the region’sprimary institution, barred women entirely Whena group of women doctors who all attended medical schools “up North” —Women’sMedical College in Philadelphia, Cornell, MIT returned home to New Orleans, they found themselves working together at theonly place that would have them: afree medical clinic run by Kingsley House, anonprofitsocial, educational center for primarily immigrant and lower incomechildren. Today, it’scalledClover. It was here that these women decided to forge their own way. Social activists and suffragists sisters Jean andKateGordonhelped them organize and convinced
of the Dispensary, 1830 Annunciation St., is long gone.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
TheNew Orleans Hospital &Dispensaryfor Women and Children, 1940-1948, was renamed Sara Mayo Hospital from 1948-1979. It waslocatedat609 Jackson Ave.
Blue
Edith Loeber
By The Associated Press
Today is Tuesday, July 1, the 182 day of 2025. There are 183 days left in the year
Today’s highlight in history:
On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect. Called Dominion Day until 1982, the national holiday is now known as Canada Day Also on this date:
In 1863, the pivotal, three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, resulting in a Union victory, began in Pennsylvania.
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-digit ZIP 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 a British colony In 2004, actor Marlon Brando
died in Los Angeles at age 80.
In 2015, after more than a halfcentury of hostility, the United States and Cuba declared their intent to reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, leading to a historic full restoration of diplomatic relations between the Cold War foes.
In 2018, LeBron James announced that he would be signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving Cleveland for the second time in his career In 2019 15-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest player to qualify at Wimbledon in the professional era, defeated 39-year-old Venus Williams in the first round. Today’s birthdays: Actor-dancer Leslie Caron 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 Dan Aykroyd is 73. Actor Alan Ruck is 69. Mystery novelist Louise Penny is 67. Singer Evelyn “Champagne” King is 65. Olympic track champion Carl Lewis is 64. Actor Dominic Keating (TV: “Star Trek: Enterprise”) is 62. Actor Pamela Anderson is 58. Actor Henry Simmons is 55. Hip-hop artist Missy Elliott is 54. Actor Julianne Nicholson is 54. Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens is 50. Actor Liv Tyler is 48. Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla is 48. Actor Hilarie Burton is 43. Actor Lea Seydoux is 40.
‘America’s
BLUE
Continued from page 1D
and pick me up. He moved me into his apartment, no questions asked I appreciate that so much. That being said, my mom and my dad are still around. I’m very close with them, but in that moment, there was nobody else for me that I would listen to or that I would really respond well to other than him. And so I’m very thankful that he’s in my life.
As the years progressed, it went from me living with him to him living with me. And then health problem after health problem. I took him to his appointments, and that’s my best friend.
You performed the song “Breakeven” by Irish pop-rockers The Script for your audition. Do you sing other genres of music, too? Oh yeah. I sing R&B, I’ll rap, I do hip-hop as well. I’ll do country I love soul. Any type of soulful music and stuff like that, pop rock, a little bit of everything. I just don’t do the heavy metal
Have you had any kind of formal vocal training? No, I have not. It’s all selftaught. Now, that being said, I’ve definitely had friends and people who I’ve looked up to and asked questions, but I’ve never actually taken lessons.
Since being on your own, it sounds like you’ve had some day jobs, but then did your street performing at night?
Correct Well, it happened one after the other I wasn’t balancing day jobs and singing on the street. I actually impulsively decided to quit my job and never looked back, and that’s when I started doing shows, street performing and pursuing social media hard. That’s where I really cut my teeth and learned to do what I do now And where in particular do you perform?
I do a lot of private events and private shows. When I first started out, I used to do a lot of bars and restaurants, but now that I’m kind of, I guess, elevated in some way, I mainly just do street performances and then private events (weddings, parties) that people reach out for Whenever I sing on the street, which is my main thing, it’s at Jackson Square, or I’ll sing on Bourbon Street.
DOCTORS
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Edith Loeber to come home and join them, and they were probably the ones who recruited her sister, Florence Loeber, one of the first women attorneys in Louisiana (and the second to graduate from Tulane Law School), as legal counsel.
A first in the South
On June 1, 1905, the New Orleans Dispensary for Women and Children opened its doors at 1830 Annunciation St. in the Irish Channel.
Modeled after Elizabeth Blackwell’s New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children (founded in 1857), they started with all of $25, donated supplies and borrowed furniture in an old, four-room house. The lower floor had three rooms for examinations and treatments; the hallway was the waiting room; and the upstairs room was living quarters for a managing “matron,”
The founders, all doctors, were Elizabeth Bass, Cora Bass, Clara Glenk, Clothilde C. Janquet, surgeon Edith Loeber, Sara T. Mayo and Susanna Otis. Dentist Blanche Fassy another founder rounded out the list.
During the height of Jim Crow segregation, the Dispensary’s stated mission was to treat anyone “irrespective of sect, creed, or color.”
It was one of the only White-run hospitals in New Orleans that administered to African Americans, and The Times-Picayune reported in 1948 that Dr Edith Loeber was one of the first women in the South to perform a major operation — an appendectomy on an African American girl — helping pave the way for “this to become a legal and commonplace occurrence.”
Most of their patients were poor, working-class women and children suffering from ailments ranging from malnutrition and tuberculosis to infected wounds, and childbirth complications. The doctors also frequently delivered babies and made house calls in the neighborhood, which grew to embrace them as their own.
proceeds from a special women’s edition of The New Orleans Item.
None of the buildings are still standing except the former Sara Mayo Hospital on Jackson, which has been converted into a luxury apartment complex called The Jackson.
Building the infrastructure
In 1908, the Dispensary, now officially the New Orleans Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children, moved into a new building at 1823 Annunciation St. The doctors worked with neighborhood women to paint, clean and furnish it. Loeber supplied the operating room herself. Because no woman or child (nor the occasional emergency male patient) was ever turned away, money was always tight. They relied on donations, a sliding payment scale and neighborhood volunteers. In 1910, Loeber testified before the Louisiana Legislature and secured vital public funding that lasted for decades.
“I made the plea that women were given licenses to practice, but no hospitals were open to them for clinical work,” she said.
Outside the Dispensary, the doctors were involved with the Pure Milk Society, ensuring the safety of milk in New Orleans They advocated for children’s rights and health care and provided medical and day care to children whose mothers worked in the cotton mills. They also helped establish a “lying-in hospital” for postpartum rest and care and worked with the Tenement House Commission to eradicate tuberculosis from the city’s poorest neighborhoods. But working with patients and advancing public health wasn’t all these women were up to — their aim was always to provide opportunities for education, medical training and positions for future generations of women in the South that they had not had. And it was a fight.
Fighting for future generations
their first child. She declined the position, but Dr. Bass went on to have a long career at Tulane. It was only their first victory
The battles for the admittance of female students to Tulane Medical School and of women physicians to the Orleans Parish Medical Society raged on. Two years later in 1913, Elizabeth Bass, Sara Mayo, Edith Loeber and other doctors from the Dispensary were admitted to the Medical Society, and in 1914, Linda Coleman became the first woman admitted to Tulane Medical School. She graduated in 1917 and immediately joined the ranks of women doctors who had begun their training residencies at the Dispensary, including Edith and Florence Loeber’s younger sister, Maud Loeber, a lauded pediatrician who practiced in New Orleans for decades.
The Dispensary doctors’ hard work and dreams for women’s medical education, training and equality were finally being realized. A rivalry and a renaming
The New Orleans Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children moved one more time in 1940, to a much bigger building at 609 Jackson Ave. There was talk of renaming it in honor of Sara Mayo, who had been a recipient of The Times-Picayune Loving Cup and had passed away in 1930.
Edith Loeber-Ballard had strongly opposed this especially since Dr Mayo was originally against the Dispensary becoming a hospital. “Why now change the name?,” Loeber-Ballard contended. ”N.O Hospital and Dispensary was founded as such by all of us — let it stand so.”
In 1948, the same year Edith Loeber-Ballard died, the board voted for the renaming. The Sara Mayo Hospital closed 31 years later in 1979 after 74 years of service to the community and its legacy and founders slowly faded from the collective memory
So you still play Bourbon Street since the New Year’s Day terrorist attack?
I have gone back out to Bourbon a couple of times just because there are certain goals that I have to meet some days. I do social media, but it’s not the most reliable I mean, the community’s amazing. They always push for me. There are times that I really 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 a glance or anything. But, then there are other days when I go out there, and I really rock it and kill it. And it’s an amazing time and experience.
If you were going to go out to listen to a show, who would be the artist you’d want to see?
I’ve never been to a music festival. I’ve never been to a concert.
I’ve never seen anyone actually perform, like a big artist or anything like that.
But the short answer is, I want somebody who’s good at what they do. I want the people who really put on a show, and I’ve heard that Post Malone puts on a show
I’ve heard that Teddy Swims will put on a show I’ve even heard that Harry Styles puts on a show, and Harry Styles is not somebody that I listen to religiously
But that’s what I want at the end of the day, is I really want a great experience. I want to take something away for my own. I want to learn something when I go there.
We have to ask about your hair, because it seems to have a personality of its own.
That’s one of the first things people reacted to when you walked out. Have you had long hair for a long time?
I actually had a shaved head in July 2018 I ended up going to this military boot camp for six months
I was growing my hair out at the time, but you couldn’t do the boot camp without shaving your head. I was devastated the first time. As soon as I got out of the bootcamp, I was like, “I’m never cutting my hair again.” Then the long hair was born.
“America’s Got Talent” airs at 7 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC.
Episodes also stream on Peacock the following day.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.
By the end of their first year, they’d treated more than 3,000 patients and relocated into a slightly larger house at 810 Felicity St., which Otis’ parents donated rentfree. They soon outgrew that building and Loeber wanted to be able to operate regularly, but to do that the Dispensary needed another ward to be considered a hospital, and Mrs. Otis, their landlord, didn’t want them performing surgeries in her building. Though Drs. Mayo and Otis opposed becoming a hospital, Loeber and the other doctors proceeded with fundraising for a new building and raised $14,000 ($400,000 in today’s dollars), primarily with donated
GRATITUDE
Continued from page 1D
and willingness to help others.
Other proponents say expressing and receiving appreciation can help reduce stress, as well as improve a person’s mood and outlook. But despite its benefits, promoting gratefulness is often overlooked as a valuable way to spend time and resources in the workplace.
Experts in organizational change shared ways to incorporate more gratitude into the workday
Start small
If you’re new to practicing gratitude, you can start at home with a routine such as Jones’ custom of expressing gratitude before getting out of bed.
She made her gratitude practice easy so it would become a sustainable habit. Her one rule is avoiding repetition and stretching her mind to find new things to be grateful for each day Jones also recommends finding a “gratitude buddy” to share with. A buddy may be a friend from work or your social circles, and ideas can be exchanged in person, by text or email, or during a phone call. Many people find it helpful to list what they’re grateful for in a journal. Gratitude in the workplace
At work, a team leader can begin a staff meeting by expressing gratitude for what went well in the last week, suggested Peter Bonanno, a consultant who helps companies design mindfulness-based programs.
As humans, we often have a bias toward negativity but gratitude “just does an enormous amount to shift people’s mindsets and the way they engage with each other,” he said. “Gratitude is especially powerful in that way It doesn’t take a long time for people to notice an impact.”
O.C. Tanner Institute, a software and service company, helps organizations find effective ways to show appreciation to their employees, such as managers giving
After years of hearings, debates, lobbying, fighting in the press, and nonstop pressure from the Dispensary doctors and their attorney, Florence Loeber along with the ERA (Equal Rights for All) suffragists, Tulane Medical School finally acquiesced. In November 1911, the Tulane graduates’ magazine headline screamed: “Women in the Medical Faculty!”
“No question has been more bitterly debated the board of administrators let down one of the barriers of conservatism and appointed two women members of the faculty, Dr Edith Loeber-Ballard in the department of clinical obstetrics and Dr Elizabeth Bass in the department of pathology.” (Though their offers were “without salary.”)
By then, Edith had married Marshall Ballard, editor of the New Orleans Item, and was pregnant with
handwritten notes of thanks. The company helped American Airlines develop a system for managers and colleagues to recognize good work with points that can be applied to a catalog order It also helped Amway create gift boxes to celebrate workers’ accomplishments and important personal milestones, such as buying a home or adopting a child.
“Recognition impacts so many facets of the employee experience. And when you do it well, it connects people back to a deep sense of purpose and meaning,” said Meghan Stettler, a director at O.C. Tanner
Some companies donate their own products to thank nurses, doctors, police officers, firefighters and other workers who serve their communities. Frontline Builders, a nonprofit organization launched during the pandemic, connects donors of snacks, drinks and personal care items with recipients.
“We’ve all worked in that job where we weren’t shown gratitude and realized how much that stinks,” said Jason Lalak, partnership director at Frontline Builders. “Showing someone gratitude or showing appreciation doesn’t really cost anything, and shouldn’t be that difficult of a thing, and yet it’s rarer than it should be.”
Taking it further
Wittsell is part of a team of volunteers at Denver Health’s RESTORE program, which connects front-line hospital workers with trained peer responders for confidential emotional support.
The hospital started the program as a way to improve and sustain the emotional well-being of its workforce, said Tia Henry, the program’s director Volunteers take shifts so someone is available around-the-clock to answer calls from hospital personnel who are struggling with stressful events such as losing a patient or witnessing violence. Volunteers and staff regularly express gratitude for the program, Henry said.
“Our early medical road was so rocky that, sometimes, I feel it was all a dream,” Loeber-Ballard once wrote.
It wasn’t a dream — but as journalist Vera Morel wrote in 1938: “The story is not familiar Surprisingly little is known about that valiant group of American pioneers, the women doctors. They were too busy themselves to pen selfanalyzing letters or to leave revealing autobiographies, for their lives were devoted to alleviating suffering and to healing.”
Elise Ballard, author of
“Epiphany: True Stories of Sudden Insight (Random House/Crown),” is a New Orleans native. She is the great-granddaughter of Edith Loeber-Ballard, M.D., subject of her current book project about Crescent City Trailblazers.
“I’ve had calls on my way to work: ‘I’m having a hard time and I need to talk with somebody who gets it,’” Wittsell said. “It’s a good way to give back to the people that I work with.”
Aside from peer support, RESTORE also provides training and education to employees about stress, burnout and techniques to deescalate violence, Henry said.
“We’re not doing counseling or therapy, but we’re using components of psychological first aid to truly engage timely with our teammates when they’re distressed, helping them calm their nervous system and get back to the place of regulation where they can show back up and do what it is they need to do or they can lay something down and go back home,” Henry said “That is gratitude from my lens.”
Work for change
Indy Public Safety Foundation, an Indianapolis nonprofit organization that supports front-line workers, shows gratitude to police, firefighters and paramedics through awards banquets, trainings, and showing up with food, shaking hands and saying thank you after a community tragedy Foundation staff members take gratitude a step further by providing tools and equipment such as electric bikes for police patrols.
While front-line workers were applauded during the pandemic, “their work has continued and arguably not gotten any less stressful, and some of that support has waned,” said Dane Nutty, the foundation’s president and CEO.
While practicing gratitude may make for a more pleasant on-thejob environment, it’s not a replacement for better working conditions. It’s good to be grateful to have a job that pays the bills. It’s also important to ask for what’s fair
“Being grateful absolutely doesn’t mean that we accept anything subpar or inappropriate,” Jones said, adding that people should advocate for basic needs such as meal breaks. “It’s important not to confuse gratitude with being passive.”
PROVIDED PHOTO By TRAE PATTON/NBC
Louisiana singer Jourdan Blue performs ‘Breakeven’ for his
Got Talent’ audition.
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
tODAy's cLuE: M EQuALs P
CeLebrItY CIpher
better or For WorSe
GooSe And GrIMM
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
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
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.
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
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.
Puzzle Answer ken ken
InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a
