The Acadiana Advocate 07-07-2025

Search for Texas campers presses on

INSIDE

ä Louisiana sends first responders. Page 4A

BY JIM VERTUNO and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

KERRVILLE,Texas

ä How weather conditions led to once-ina-generation event. Page 4A

NECESSITIES THEBEAR

A golden orb weaver spider hangs out on a snare of its own as Hunter Hicks, a technician supervisor in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Bear Program, left, and program biologist Tony Vidrine replace a bait bag and a raspberryscented attractant above a bear hair snare in St. Mary Parish.

Low-tech methods used to track former endangered species’ population in Atchafalaya Basin as state determines hunting limits

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

Tony Vidrine jerks his head to one side, then the other, dodging briars as he maneuvers his ATV through thick underbrush. It’s the hour before the day’s heat becomes oppressive, when the last of the morning dew still clings to knee-high blades of grass. Cruising ahead of him is 21-year-old Hunter Hicks, a recent Northwestern State University graduate. The two are traveling to a hunting camp in St. Mary Parish, hoping the bait they set the week before will prove fruitful. After working for 40 years as a biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Vidrine spends his

Bear hair is snagged in a barb in a snare Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents use to track the state’s black bear population.

Sheriff’s Office connecting residents, services

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office has been hard at work testing out a program that helps connect people who have substance use disorders with the services they need, all at no cost. The Substance Abuse Team for Addiction and Recovery, referred to as the STAR Program, has serviced over 200 people since its launch eight months ago and is funded through the landmark 2021 opioid settlement with pharmaceutical companies, said

“I consider this a pilot program for the state and even the nation.”

Sheriff Becket Breaux.

“I consider this a pilot program for the state and even the nation. People are wondering what to do with opioid funding,” he said. “We’re talking millions going into state and local agencies, and we found a way to use it where it helps the community.

The program is 24/7 and helps connect St. Martin Parish residents to inpatient and outpatient drug and mental health treatment, housing and job services.

The goal is to bring down recidivism and attempted suicides. The parish receives around 400 calls a year for suicide attempts, Breaux said. The program is also available to people inside the parish jail. Breaux said he hopes the momentum doesn’t stop in his parish. He is offering training for other agencies that wish to create their own program, adding that officers should be uniquely qualified to be that first point of contact for help with addiction or mental health. After that initial contact is made, the STAR team will work to create an individualized program for a person,

GOP defiant of Landry lashed by veto pen

Governor zaps spending projects of lawmakers opposed to insurance bill

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

A full 16 of the 17 line-item vetoes issued by Gov Jeff Landry were of spending projects sought by Republican legislators, including a highway extension in Bossier City a tennis court in Livingston Parish and a new bridge in Lafreniere Park in Metairie.

And in all 16 of those cases, the legislator had voted against the governor on his biggest priority during the justcompleted legislative session. That measure, House Bill 148, gives Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple greater authority to reject “excessive” rate increases — an authority that Temple said he doesn’t want because he believes it would allow an insurance commissioner to act indiscriminately instead of relying on data.

Many conservatives agreed with Temple, and a number of them saw Landry kill their projects through the line-item veto which targets specific projects while allowing others untouched by the governor to move forward.

Former lawmakers noted that Landry is hardly the first governor to punish wayward lawmakers by knocking out their projects. What stands out is that Landry targeted members of his own political party in virtually all cases.

“You hit Republicans for one reason and for one reason only — that they don’t march to his orders. They’re independent thinkers,” said Robert Adley, a Republican who represented Bossier Parish in the Legislature for 28 years until term limits forced his retirement in 2016.

“It’s vindictiveness,” Adley added. “It’s wrong because they are elected to represent their districts. It shouldn’t be done. It’s Huey Long stuff.”

Tanner Magee, a Republican who represented Houma for two terms in the House, said he doesn’t fault Landry for the line-item vetoes.

Landry

Seven bodies found at fireworks warehouse

ESPARTO, Calif. Authorities in Northern California have found the bodies of all seven people missing since an explosion last week at a fireworks warehouse that caused a wildfire and shook a tiny farming community

The barrage of fireworks that exploded Tuesday caused a massive blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed the building in Yolo County, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento.

All human remains have been recovered from the charred warehouse site, but the identities of the deceased were being withheld pending family notifications, the county said in a statement Sunday

“Crews are continuing to mitigate explosive hazards present at the scene,” the statement said. The cause of the explosion was under investigation

Two people were treated for injuries following the blast in the town of Encarto, officials said.

The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,” the company said in a statement last week.

The wildfire covered nearly 80 acres and scorched surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.

Boko Haram kills 9, injures 4 in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday

The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said He did not say when the attack happened.

The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 167 miles from Maiduguri, Borno’s capital city.

The governor, represented by Sugun Mai Mele, the commissioner for local governments, visited the community and warned residents against collaborating with Boko Haram militants.

“Anyone found collaborating with the insurgents to bring harm or attack to the people of Malam Fatori will be cursed,” he said, adding that there are measures being put in place to fortify the town against future attacks. Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military’s claims of successes

Musk asks X users about new political party

BRIDGEWATER, N.J Elon Musk said he’s carrying out his threat to form a new political party after his fissure with President Donald Trump, announcing the America Party in response to the president’s sweeping tax cuts law

Musk, once an ever-present ally to Trump as he headed up the slashing agency known as the Department of Government Efficiency, broke with the Republican president over his signature legislation, which was signed into law Friday

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk said Saturday on X, the social media company he owns. “Today the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

Musk, who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the 2024 election, could impact the 2026 elections determining control of Congress if he is willing to spend significant amounts of money Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, didn’t immediately comment Sunday Musk on Sunday spent the morning on X taking feedback from users about the party and indicated he’d use the party to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections.

New details emerge on Gaza proposal

BY WAFAA SHURAFA. ABBY SEWELL and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip New details of the Gaza ceasefire proposal emerged on Sunday as Israel sent a negotiating team to Qatar ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s White House visit for talks toward an agreement. Inside the territory, hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians.

“There are 20 hostages that are alive, 30 dead. I am determined, we are determined to bring them all back. And we will also be determined to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said before departing, emphasizing the goal of eliminating Hamas’ military and governing power

A person familiar with the negotiations shared with The Associated Press a copy of the latest ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators to Hamas, and its veracity was confirmed by two other people familiar with the document. All three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks with the media.

The document outlines plans for a 60day ceasefire during which Hamas would hand over 10 living and 18 dead hostages, Israeli forces would withdraw to a buffer zone along Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, and significant amounts of aid would be brought in. The document says

the aid would be distributed by United Nations agencies and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli facilities would be released in exchange for the hostages, but the number is not yet agreed upon.

The proposal stops short of guaranteeing a permanent end to the war — a condition demanded by Hamas — but says negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the 60 days. During that time, “President (Donald) Trump guarantees Israel’s adherence” to halting military operations, the document says, adding that Trump “will personally announce the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, killing 20 Palestinians and wounding 25 others, according to Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital, which serves the area. Israel’s military said it struck several Hamas fighters.

Israeli strikes killed 18 Palestinians in Muwasi on the Mediterranean coast, where thousands of displaced people live in tents, said officials at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis.

Israel’s military had no immediate comment on those strikes but said it struck 130 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours. It claimed it targeted Hamas command and control structures storage facilities, weapons and launchers, and that they killed a number of militants in northern Gaza.

Tariffs, Middle East issues lead summit

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE and ELÉONORE HUGHES Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO The BRICS bloc of developing nations on Sunday condemned the increase of tariffs and attacks on Iran, but refrained from naming U.S. President Donald Trump. The group’s declaration also took aim at Israel’s military actions in the Middle East.

China’s President Xi Jinping did not attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country’s leader in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make an appearance via videoconference, continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The group’s declaration raised “serious concerns” about the rise of tariffs which it said were “inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules,” the document says The group added that those restrictions “threaten reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty.”

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized NATO’s decision to hike military spending by 5% of GDP annually by 2035 That sentiment was later echoed in the group’s declaration.

“It is always easier to invest in war than in peace,” Lula said at the opening of the summit.

Iran in attendance

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was expected to attend the summit before the attacks on his country in June, sent his foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to the meeting in Rio.

Araghchi told leaders he had pushed for every member of the United Nations to condemn Israel’s strikes strongly, which he called an “invasion,” state media reported. He added Israel and the U.S. should be accountable for rights violations. The Iranian foreign minister said the aftermath of the war “will not be lim-

ited” to one country. “The entire region and beyond will be damaged,” he said.

On Ukraine, “We recall our national positions concerning the conflict in Ukraine as expressed in the appropriate fora, including the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly,” the group said in its final declaration.

Avoid Trump’s tariffs

Brazil, the country that chairs the bloc, has picked six strategic priorities for the summit: global cooperation in healthcare; trade, investment and finance; climate change; governance for artificial intelligence; peace-making and security; and institutional development.

It has decided to focus on less controversial issues such as promoting trade relations between members and global health, after Trump returned to the White House, said Ana Garcia, a professor at the Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University

“Brazil wants the least amount of damage possible and to avoid drawing the attention of the Trump administration to prevent any type of risk to the Brazilian economy,” Garcia said.

‘Opportunity for emerging countries’

BRICS was founded by Brazil Russia, India, China and South Africa, but the group last year expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.

As well as new members, the bloc has 10 strategic partner countries, a category created at last year’s summit that includes Belarus, Cuba and Vietnam.

Despite notable absences, the summit is important for attendees, especially in the context of instability provoked by Trump’s tariff wars, said Bruce Scheidl, a researcher at the University of Sao

BRICS study group.

“The summit offers the best opportunity for emerging countries to respond, in the sense of seeking alternatives and diversifying their economic partnerships,” Scheidl said.

Combs gets ovation from inmates after victory, lawyer says

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK Sean “Diddy”

Combs got a standing ovation from fellow inmates when the music mogul returned to jail after winning acquittals on potential life-in-prison charges, providing what his lawyer says might have been the best thing he could do for Black incarcerated men in America.

“They all said: ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government,’” attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a weekend interview days after a jury acquitted Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.

Combs, 55, remains jailed after his Wednesday conviction on prostitutionrelated charges and could still face several years in prison at an upcoming sentencing after being credited for 10 months already served.

After federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March 2024, the lawyer said he told Combs to expect arrest on sex trafficking charges.

“I said: ‘Maybe it’s your fate in life to be the guy who wins,’ ” he recalled during a telephone interview briefly interrupted by a jailhouse call from Combs. “They need to see that someone can win. I think he took that to heart.”

Blunt trial strategy works

The verdict came after a veteran team of eight defense lawyers led by Agnifilo executed a trial strategy that resonated with jurors. Combs passed lawyers notes during effective cross-examinations of nearly three dozen witnesses over two months, including Combs’ ex-employees.

The lawyers told jurors Combs was a jealous domestic abuser with a drug problem who participated in the swinger lifestyle through threesomes involving Combs, his girlfriends and another man.

“You may think to yourself, wow, he is a really bad boyfriend,” Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos told jurors in her May opening statement. But that, she said, “is simply not sex trafficking.”

“This was a major victory for the defense and a major loss for the prosecution,” said Mitchell Epner, a lawyer who worked with Agnifilo as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey over two decades ago. He credited “a dream team of defense lawyers” against prosecutors who almost always win.

Agnifilo showcased what would become his trial strategy — belittling the charges and mocking the investigation that led to them last September in arguing unsuccessfully for bail. The case against Combs was what happens when the “federal government comes into our bedrooms,” he said.

Questioning witnesses

During an eight-week trial, Combs’ lawyers picked apart the prosecution case with mostly gentle but firm cross-examinations. Combs never testified and his lawyers called no witnesses.

Sarah Krissoff, a federal prosecutor in Manhattan from 2008 to 2021, said Combs’ defense team “had a narrative from the beginning and they did all of it without putting on any witnesses. That’s masterful.” Ironically, Agnifilo expanded the use of racketeering laws as a federal prosecutor on an organized crime task force in New Jersey two decades ago, using them often to indict street gangs in violencetorn cities. Prosecutors “didn’t have a conspiracy they just didn’t,” he said. “They basically had Combs’ personal life and tried to build racketeering around personal assistants.”

Some personal assistants, even after viewing videos of Combs beating his longtime girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, had glowing things to say about Combs on crossexamination.

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Paulo’s

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SILVIA IZQUIERDO

From left, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s Premier Li Qiang pose for a group photo Sunday at the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.

semi-retirement as the boss of the “Bear Crew,” a group of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists and interns tasked with collecting Louisiana black bear hair samples from 115 sites in St. Mary and Iberia parishes.

It’s the first bear population study since 2013 conducted in the lower Atchafalaya Basin — home to one of the state’s oldest and densest bear populations Next winter, the area will also be another site of Louisiana’s revived black bear hunt, expanded from last year’s 11 tags — or hunting permits — to 26, making it 15 in Tensas Parish, three in Pointe Coupee Parish and eight in St. Mary

The return of black bear hunting in Louisiana, first banned in the 1980s, is seen by many as the culmination of a conservation success story In 1992, after it was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, “Save the Louisiana Black Bear” license plates were introduced to fund habitat restoration. Around the same time, federal and state programs began paying landowners to return unproductive farmland to forest.

Since the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of acres of bottomland hardwood habitat have been restored in Louisiana, according to the LSU AgCenter

But not everyone is a fan of the hunt. Some simply don’t like killing the beloved animals, a complaint likely to go unheard in the Sportsman’s Paradise. Others believe there is still work to do for the state symbol.

“The state describes the success story as a completed story,” said Brennan Spoor an attorney for The Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, an environmental group. “It seems like there is a decent bit more that needs to be done.”

Low tech, high yield

The technology behind collecting bear hair is simple. Crews wrap two lines of barbed wire around a cluster of three to four trees to create a bear-sized enclosure. A thin rope is then tied about 5 to 6 feet up one tree and stretched across the space to another, bisecting the enclosure.

Armed with cans of bear spray, Hicks and Vidrine spend the morning rebaiting snares by tying a biodegradable dog waste bag near the middle of the thin rope. Doughnuts — remnants of Lafayette’s morning rush at Rickey Meche’s Donut King are placed inside the bags. Hicks then ties an unlikely olfactory lure to the trap: a tampon he’s sprayed with an intense, oil-based raspberry scent.

“I’ll buy about 10 packs from Walmart,” Vidrine said of the feminine hygiene products. “The cashier will usually give you a kind of funny look.” June is the height of breeding season, and male bears can travel up to 20 miles a day in search of a mate. With a sense of smell over

2,000 times more powerful than humans, the goal is that bears will lumber through the snares throughout the summer leaving behind hair samples but remaining unharmed.

“Once they find it, they usually keep coming back,” said Vidrine.

The snares are checked weekly, and hair samples are collected and labeled. After analyzing the DNA, biologists first profile the initial batch of samples to “mark” genetically unique individuals, then compare those with a second batch collected a week later to identify which bears were “recaptured.” By multiplying the total unique individuals from each batch and dividing by the number found in both, scientists are able to estimate the population size The method, a cornerstone of ecological research called capturemark-recapture, is repeated throughout the summer

“That is how we get our population estimates,” said John Hanks, Wildlife and Fisheries’ large carnivore program manager or more accurately, the state’s “Bear Czar.” “We do one (area) every year for five years.”

Swamp bear life

At nearly all the snares, fist-sized golden silk orbweaver spiders have attached their sprawling webs to the bait ropes for structure. Farther up the canopy, a pair of barred owls hoot in the morning sun, adding to a buzzing symphony of cicadas and deer flies In between visits to the sites, Vidrine halts the ATV to point out various flora Louisiana bears forage for: muscadines, elderberries and pokeweed.

Coastal bears here are a genetically singular subspecies called Ursus americanus luteolus. Throughout the 20th century, as Louisiana’s bottomland hardwood forests were converted to agriculture, natural corridors for black bears to roam were cut off. Meanwhile, overhunting, dating back to President Teddy Roosevelt’s legendary Louisiana black bear hunt, further accelerated their decline. By the 1960s, the population had plummeted below 100,

prompting the state to import bears from Minnesota to repopulate central Louisiana, where they mixed with northern populations Meanwhile, the coastal bears remained isolated.

Hanks and Vidrine have observed the bears regularly swimming across the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, and even making their dens in hollowedout cypress or tupelo trees jutting from the brackish marsh water

“Sometimes it will be 8 or 10 feet deep under those trees,” said Hanks. “They don’t have any problem swimming.”

These bears are among the apex predators of the Atchafalaya Swamp, a million-acre flood plain and the nation’s largest and most productive wetlands. Its southern delta, with about 20 miles of coastline, is the only part of Louisiana’s coast where land is actively building due to sediment deposition.

While the Basinkeepers’ main focus is on how decades of altered river hydrology and increased sediment threaten the basin’s flood capacity — and, by extension, the future of southern Louisiana they have recently become vocal and litigious advocates for black bear protection. Alongside groups like the Sierra Club, they have sued over the bear’s delisting, petitioned against last year’s hunt and oppose the expanded hunt, arguing that Louisiana’s population monitoring is inadequate.

When the Louisiana black bear was removed from the threatened list in 2016, Wildlife and Fisheries estimated the bear population was between 500 and 1,000, and agreed to seven years of post-delisting monitoring with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However the Basinkeepers point to the fact that the most recent 2023 report — largely used to revive the hunt — relied on 2021 data from northern and central Louisiana, not recent coastal counts.

Most estimates place Louisiana’s current black bear population between 1,200 and 1,500. The last published study found about 138 bears in the coastal population of

St. Mary and Iberia parishes as of 2013.

“The issue is, we can’t know that if we haven’t checked anything in 13 years,” Spoor said “They are telling us the population is good enough to hunt, but they don’t even have recent data to show that.”

Different definitions

As Vidrine and Hicks check the morning’s final snare, golf balls from an adjacent country club are scattered just a few dozen yards away The area, more urban than northern parishes, has seen some of the more frequent bear encounters in the state. Vidrine says it’s not uncommon to hear complaints from farmers about bears munching on sugar cane, and during the summer, he’s called to collect bear roadkill about once a week.

Many believe the bear’s increasing nuisance to farmers, motorists, hunters and anyone who leaves their trash out is evidence of a growing population — and the need for a hunt. In 2024, after the new lottery system for bear hunting permits was introduced, lawmak-

ers amended the black bear license plate program so proceeds could be used for population management, in addition to habitat restoration.

“Louisiana is saying that if the roadkill rates are increasing, the population is increasing,” Spoor said. “In my head, if you’re an organization tasked with conserving the bear they should try to increase the habitat.”

Hanks, who oversaw the 2024 hunt, argueed that the population has reached its modern carrying capacity “This is not ‘we’re going out to kill the bears,’ ” he said, noting that last year’s hunt helped generate additional revenue toward conservation and increase awareness about bears. “We have surplus bears.”

Louisiana’s landscape can no longer support pre-20thcentury bear populations,

Hanks said.

“Maybe there could’ve been 20,000 bears in Louisiana hundreds of years ago,” he said. “We certainly don’t need that now.” Hanks said that data collected this summer will help determine whether to expand or shrink the 2026 hunt in St. Mary Parish. Once the weather cools off in the early fall, he’ll begin collaring females to analyze breeding habits. During that time, hunters across the state will vie for one of the few lucky lottery tickets. Last year, there were over 900 applications — a demand unlikely to diminish in Louisiana. “The whole idea is to keep checking on them to make sure we don’t get out of hand,” Hanks said.

Email Aidan McCahill at aidan.mccahill@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Tony Vidrine, a biologist in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Bear Program, attaches a camera to a tree facing a bear hair snare in St. Mary Parish. Vidrine

How

BY MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press

WASHINGTON Incredible amounts of moisture in the air fueled a storm that moved slowly and dumped rain over central Texas, creating conditions for fatal flash floods in the early morning hours when it was easy to catch people by surprise, meteorologists said.

More than 12 inches of rain fell in the Texas Hill Country over a span of several hours early Friday causing water levels to quickly rise, according to the weather forecasting company AccuWeather The area is prone to flash flooding, but this was an especially bad storm. Dozens of deaths have been reported along with numerous rescues. Meteorologists said that an atmo-

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until “everybody is found” from Friday’s flash floods. Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The death toll is certain to rise over the next few days, said Col. Freeman Martin, of the Texas Department of Public Safety

The governor warned Sunday that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated.

Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man, who said his daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp, walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks.

A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced.

One family left with a blue footlocker A teenage girl had tears running down her face looking out the open window, gazing at the wreckage as they slowly drove away

Searching the disaster zone

While the families saw the devastation for the first time, nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the water as they searched the river

With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management

sphere warmed by human-caused climate change can hold more moisture and allow bad storms to dump more rain, though it’s hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur

“In a warming climate we know that the atmosphere has more moisture to give, to hold on to and then to release. But also the thing that we know about climate change is that our rain events are not as uniform as what they used to be,” said Shel Winkley a meteorologist with Climate Central. “So, you’ll get these big rain events happening in localized areas, tapping into the historic level of moisture in the atmosphere.”

In recent weeks, flash flooding driven by bursts of heavy rain turned deadly elsewhere in Texas and in West Virginia. In San Antonio

in June more than 7 inches of rain fell over a span of hours, prompting dozens of rescues from the fast-rising floodwaters and killing at least 13. And in West Virginia that month, at least nine people died when as much as 4 inches of rain fell within 40 minutes and caused flash flooding in the Wheeling area.

‘Sudden surge’

Robert Henson, a meteorologist and writer with Yale Climate Connections, said this latest Texas rain storm was roughly a once-in-a-generation event. It fell in the Texas Hill Country where water quickly shoots down rugged hills into narrow river basins that swell quickly

“As is often the case with the worst disasters, many things came together in a terrible way,” Henson said.

Agency to Texas. The president said he would likely visit Friday “I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way,” he told reporters before boarding Air Force One back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey “It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible.”

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washedout roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

Harrowing escapes Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn’t reach them.

At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs.

Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic and the director of another camp up the road.

Two school-age sisters from Dallas were missing after their cabin was swept away Their parents were staying in a different cabin and were safe, but the girls’ grandparents were unaccounted for.

Locals know the Hill Country as “flash flood alley,” but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise Warnings before disaster

The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies a rare alert notifying of imminent danger

At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

Trump, asked whether he was still planning to phase out FEMA, said that was something “we can talk about later, but right now we are busy working.” He has previously said he wants to overhaul if not completely eliminate FEMA and has been sharply critical of its performance.

Trump also was asked whether he planned to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year as part of widespread government spending reductions.

“I would think not. This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people there, and they didn’t see it,” the president said.

Plus, the area had been in a drought, so the water ran down the dry, hard land fast. That made it more dangerous for children attending camp

“A sudden surge of rain like that is going to have a harder time getting absorbed,” said Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather “It just runs right off of it. It’s like concrete.”

Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist, calculated Saturday morning that the storm had dropped 120 billion gallons of water on Kerr County, which received the brunt of the storm.

A storm with plenty of fuel Moisture fueled the storm from

many directions. Tropical Storm Barry formed briefly last weekend, moving over Mexico and then its remnants continued up into Texas. But the jet stream, a current of air that moves weather patterns, wasn’t there to push that moisture away

“Normally weather systems and the remnants of tropical systems will get picked up by the jet stream, and that’s just not over Texas currently,” said Winkley, the Climate Central meteorologist. “It’s essentially a weather system without a road to get away from the Lone Star State.”

The warm water of the Gulf fueled the moist atmosphere. Even more moisture came from areas over the Pacific Ocean to the west The combination gave the storm plenty of fuel once it got started.

La. sends first responders to Texas

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

A 12-person team of Louisi-

ana first responders specializing in swift-water rescue and urban search and rescue was dispatched Saturday to aid in Texas flood emergency efforts.

At least 79 people have died and dozens remain missing, including at least 10 campers and a counselor at a girls summer camp, per The Associated Press and Reuters, since the devastating floods in central Texas began Friday Authorities warned that heavy rain would continue in hard-hit areas through Tuesday

The teams are experienced in swift-water rescues, said Ken Pastorick, a spokesperson for the Office of the State Fire Marshal — the sort of operations authorities have been performing across Hill Country after the Guadalupe River overtopped its banks and inundated whole communities.

The crew arrived in Texas shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Baton Rouge Fire

Department Chief Michael Kimble said, and is made up of highly trained firefighters.

“People have bent over backwards to help Louisiana in a time of hurricane or flood that we experienced, like in 2016,” Kimble said.

“Now it’s our time to give back to another state that’s in need.”

The Louisiana firefighters are in the process of receiving an assignment from the division supervisor in Texas to aid in ongoing rescue efforts, Kimble said

The team is composed of personnel from Louisiana task forces 2 and 3, including responders from Baton Rouge, Zachary West Feliciana, East Side and Shreveport fire departments.

Louisiana first responders have long deployed to Texas in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters there, including following hurricanes and in response to the crisis on the U.S border with Mexico in recent years.

Texas frequently returns the favor sending National Guard troops and other teams in the wake of major

storms and other disasters.

“I am incredibly proud of our teams and their unwavering willingness to stand alongside our sister states,” Bryan J. Adams, principal assistant of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, said Saturday in a release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Their presence will provide critical support to overwhelmed local emergency departments, the release says. The members of the team have trained yearround for missions such as this one, it added

“We are incredibly proud of the professionalism, courage, and selflessness these men and women demonstrate each time they are called upon,” the release says. “Their willingness to leave their homes and families to help others in need is a true testament to the spirit of Louisiana’s first responders.” Staff writer James Finn contributed to this report. Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE PHOTO By JASON FOCHTMAN

Myra Zunker takes a moment while

niece and nephew Sunday along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas.

Russia, Ukraine trade drone strikes

By The Associated Press

Russia and Ukraine struck each other with hundreds of drones on Sunday, throwing Russian air travel in disarray, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced deals with Western partners that would allow Kyiv to scale up drone production.

Photos circulating on social media showed crowds huddling at Russian airports including key international hubs in Moscow and St. Petersburg as hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled due to Ukrainian drone strikes on Saturday and overnight, according to Russia’s Transport Ministry

The flight disruptions hit Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg’s main Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions. Russian air defenses shot down 120 Ukrainian drones during the nighttime attacks, and 39 more before 2 p.m. Moscow time on Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. It did not clarify how many had hit targets, or how many had been

VETO

Continued from page 1A

“This is how governors pass their agenda,” Magee said, through the threat of vetoing projects that legislators want because it will improve their districts and boost their standing back home. “He probably feels like his agenda is their agenda, and he’s trying to cajole them into voting with him next time. This is big boy politics. You got to put your pants on and play They (legislators) know the score, and they know the game.”

Most of the legislators whose projects were vetoed declined to comment, saying they were fearful of further antagonizing the governor

But Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, who lost funding for four projects, more than any other legislator, took a shot at Landry “As long as the governor is going on turkey hunts and traveling to LSU baseball games on billboard lawyers’ private planes, the people of Louisiana will continue to pay outrageous insurance premiums while the governor continues to bully legislators and attack the Insurance Commissioner,” Seabaugh said in a statement

He was referring to a news report just before the legislative session began that Landry traveled to Texas to go turkey hunting with personal injury attorney Gordon McKernan, along with five legislative leaders and several other trial attorneys. Seabaugh was also referring to Landry’s comments during the session that if HB148 passed and insurance rates didn’t drop, he would pin the blame on Temple.

Of Seabaugh’s four vetoed projects, one would have extended La. 71 to make it

In total, Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine that night, according to the country’s air force. The barrages have coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 620-mile front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure.

launched in total.

Early on Sunday, Ukrainian drones injured two civilians in Russia’s Belgorod region near the border, its Gov Vyacheslav Gladkov said Sunday

The Ukrainian attacks came just days after Russia pummelled Kyiv with waves of drones and missiles overnight into Friday, in what Ukrainian officials called the largest such strike since Moscow’s all-out invasion. The seven-hour onslaught killed at least two civilians, wounded dozens more and caused widespread damage, Ukraine said, while Moscow ramped up its push to capture more of its neighbor’s land.

safer to enter and exit Parkway High School in Bossier City at a cost of $4.2 million

Three more would have authorized $100,000 to upgrade parks in Coushatta, $25,000 for a park in the village of Martin and $30,000 for a park in the village of Hall Summit — all in Red River Parish, which is between Shreveport and Natchitoches.

Jason Briggs, Hall Summit’s mayor, said the veto surprised him because his residents desperately want a park for kids and don’t have the necessary local tax dollars.

Briggs said he received word the veto was “due to politics with Alan Seabaugh.”

The only pro-insurance bill that Landry vetoed, Senate Bill 111, was sponsored by Seabaugh. It sought to limit so-called bad-faith lawsuits that hold insurance companies liable when they delay or reject claims without a good reason.

The 17 line-item vetoes were contained in House Bill 460 and House Bill 2, which contained hundreds of other projects that will advance. Landry said he vetoed the three items in HB2 because the construction budget was over-funded. He didn’t explain the 14 items vetoed in HB460.

The Governor’s Office didn’t respond to an interview request.

To pass HB148, Landry met with House members privately and took the unusual step of testifying in favor of the bill during a legislative committee There, he faced skeptical questions from several Republicans.

The passage of HB148 marked the first time that a number of Republicans broke with Landry during his five regular and special sessions as governor Republicans split 37-34 in favor of it on April 30, with the bill

Large-scale Russian drone strikes on Sunday injured three civilians in Kyiv and at least two in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, officials said. A Russian attack involving Shahed drones also targeted port infrastructure in Mykolaiv in central Ukraine, according to local Gov. Vitaliy Kim He reported warehouses and the port’s power grid were damaged but there were no casualties.

Hours later, Russia launched a glide bomb and a drone at the front-line town of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine, killing four civilians and injuring a fifth, the prosecutor’s office said. The drone struck a car in which a married couple were traveling, killing the 39-year-old woman and 40-year-old man on the spot, it said.

Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading U.S. defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives

passing 68-34 thanks to support from all 31 Democrats.

Among the House members who voted against it, Rep. John Illg, R-Metairie, had two projects cut by Landry

One was to spend $105,000 to repair the bridge at Lafreniere Park that connects to Marsh Island The other was to spend $60,000 to upgrade Delta Playground in Metairie.

Rep. Chance Henry, RCrowley, lost money for a tutoring program in his district.

Rep. Kim Carver, R-Mandeville, lost $50,000 to install an indoor athletic field at Fontainebleau High School.

Rep. Jay Galle, R-Mandeville, lost $25,000 for playground equipment in Lacombe.

Rep Michael Melerine, RShreveport, lost $50,000 to upgrade East Kings Highway Park

None of the five wanted to comment.

Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, lost $100,000 for tennis and pickleball courts at Live Oak High School in the community of Watson

Dickerson said she saw the project as part of the Make America Healthy Again movement by creating a place where high schoolers and other residents could play both sports. She said tournaments with local schools could generate revenue for Live Oak High.

“I guess it was a slap on the wrist,” Dickerson said, referring to Landry, adding that she has a good working relationship with him.

Rep. Mike Bayham, RChalmette, lost $6,000 for signage at Pearl Harbor Memorial Park in Arabi.

Playing on words related to the Japanese sneak attack on the Hawaiian naval base in 1941, Bayham said, “I was not given any forewarning on the cut, and I was taken

by surprise.”

“hundreds of thousands” more this year Zelenskyy did not name the U.S. business in his nightly video address to Ukrainians, but said Ukraine and Denmark have also agreed to coproduce drones and other weapons on Danish soil. His remarks came days after the U.S. paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine’s main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy said plans are afoot to build up Ukraine’s domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time.

Ukraine has previously used homemade drones to hit high-value military targets deep inside Russia, demonstrating its capabilities and denting Moscow’s confidence. Last month, Kyiv said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep inside Russia in a surprise attack.

Outmanned and outgunned, Ukraine’s army has also turned to drones to compensate for its troop shortage and shore up its defenses.

While Russia has ramped up offensives this summer on two fronts in Ukraine, analysts say the front isn’t about to collapse.

Others also said they didn’t receive advance word

After HB148 passed the House, the Senate passed the Senate, 26-9, but not before Sen. Adam Bass, RBossier City, aggressively raised a series of questions on the Senate floor about its possible harmful effect.

Landry eliminated a $685,000 sewer project in Minden, in Bass’ district, $25,000 to study improvements to a bridge on La. 537 in Plain Dealing and $545,000 to upgrade Kingston Park in Benton Bass declined to comment.

In a highly unusual move, Landry killed two projects in his home area, St. Martin Parish, which is represented by Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia. Miguez also voted against HB148.

One project, costing $275,000, would have paved Division Road, while the other would have extended Mills Avenue in Breaux Bridge at a cost of $10.2 million and unlocked development in the eastern part of town. Miguez declined to comment.

Sen. Sam Jenkins, of Shreveport, was the lone Democrat to suffer a line-item veto. He sought $125,000 for two nonprofits that aim to help people rebuild their lives.

Jenkins said he had no idea why Landry vetoed the projects.

“I thought they were inconspicuous,” he said. Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

said Dana Alkadi, STAR’s executive director Of note, if someone calls the program in active crisis, law enforcement officers will be dispatched to ensure safety. Otherwise, trained professionals like Alkadi will head to the scene or can meet at the Sheriff’s Office. “We have the facilities, we have the hospitals. But these individuals, when they are in crisis, don’t have anyone to stand by them, hold their hand and guide them through the right path. That’s what we do,” Alkadi said. Through the 2021 opioid settlement, Louisiana is set to receive $600 million over the next 18 years, according to previous reporting.

St. Martin Parish gets around $200,000 a year and has for the past three years, said Parish Council member Carla JeanBatiste.

Most entities have used the money to bolster drug court programs, said Chester Cedars, former St. Martin Parish president and former chair of the Opioid Abatement Task Force. No other parish has created a program like the one in St. Martin as far as he knows, he added.

“We’re creating the wheel as we go because this is unique. I believe we are on the cutting edge,” Cedars said. “This is not a law enforcement program.

“These are not people who are looking to arrest individuals. This is a program that serves the community.” For program information, call (337) 394-4357 or email help@smpstar.org.

Stephen Marcantel writes for The Acadiana Advocate as a Report for America corps member Email him at stephen. marcantel@theadvocate. com.

Invasive needle ants found in La.

Stinging insect species seen in BR

BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer

An established colony of invasive, stinging ants was detected in East Baton Rouge Parish last month, marking the first confirmed sighting in Louisiana, according to scientists at Louisiana State University’s

Medical center looks to offset

$4.1M cut

Pennington looks to state Legislature for help

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

Pennington Biomedical Research

Center has lost more than $4.1 million in federal grants as part of Trump administration budget cuts.

That’s a major funding decrease to the center, which received $13.6 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health in 2024. NIH, which is focused on biomedical and health research, awarded more than $206 million in grants to universities and research centers statewide that year

To help cover that gap, the state Legislature allocated $3 million in one-time funds through two bills this year, which were signed into law by Gov Jeff Landry House Bill 1 allocates $1 million to Pennington, while House Bill 460 allocates $2 million.

In an email, Executive Director John Kirwan said the center “would be facing a shortfall in our budget” without the funds.

“We are appreciative to Governor Landry, the State Legislature, and our congressional delegation for their strong support of Pennington Biomedical,” he wrote. “In parallel, we’re pursuing every avenue to strengthen our funding — including operational improvements, new foundation partnerships, and direct engagement with our congressional delegation and the NIH to protect and advance Louisiana’s research capabilities.”

Still, a little more than $1 million in lost funding remains.

At Pennington, NIH has cut more than $1 million for the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcome Study, a decades-long effort the center said shaped global diabetes care Spokesperson Ernie Ballard said NIH also terminated funds for a study on nutrition and asthma, a center that supports collaborative research across major state medical institutions and a program that advances underrepresented scientists in health research.

Former Pennington Executive Director Claude Bouchard said this is “a very critical period for science.”

“We’re suffering at the moment, grants are being canceled, people have to be let go because the funding stream is not there,” Bouchard said during an interview with The Advocate in May “The dismantling of the laboratory units, all the programs, is something that will take a decade to repair in the right circumstances.”

Pennington estimates each of the 85 faculty members and postdoctoral fellows that work at the medical research facility generated $813,000 annually in income from grants and contracts. More than 600 people work on the Perkins Road campus, which supports an additional 900 indirect jobs.

It’s unclear how the roughly $1 million remaining in lost funds will be recouped or impact the center. Ballard stated that budget details

AgCenter

The Asian needle ant, known by the scientific name Brachyponera chinensis, was spotted at the Waddill Wildlife Refuge area by entomology professor Chris Carlton after two residents posted pictures of what they believed was the bug in June.

While the ant species has been

present in the U.S. for almost a century, they weren’t considered a problem until about 15 to 20 years ago, when they began spreading rapidly

In Mississippi, the pest has been spotted in six locations, though no established populations have been confirmed yet.

Despite the lack of previous confirmed sightings in Louisiana, the presence of a colony indicates the

pests have been here for longer than previously known.

“They likely have been here for at least a year or two,” LSU entomology assistant professor Aaron Ashbrook said.

Asian needle ants — slender, reddish-brown insects measuring about 5 millimeters long — are typically found in forested areas, specifically in soil and on wet wood.

Their venom is considered to be

more painful than a fire ant sting, but comparable to that of a wasp or bee sting. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, their stings could result in anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction that often involves blood pressure drops, trouble breathing and a weak pulse.

Compared to other stinging

GENTLE GIANT

BY MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN

Contributing

writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Zookeeper Zoria Wells feeds Gabriel the giraffe during his 20th birthday celebration Saturday at Zoosiana in Broussard. Visitors could feed Gabriel lettuce and sign a big birthday card.

No FEMA?

No problem, or maybe thereisfor Louisiana

Sure, FEMA can dissolveand let the state handle emergency responses.

We have one of the best-managedstategovernments in the U.S.

We have some of the best-managed and cheapest home, storm and auto insurance in thenation

We have some of the best-maintained roads, bridges and infrastructure in the nation.

Our Office of Motor Vehicles is the most technologically advanced and efficient in the U.S.

We have one of the best-maintained power grids. We don’thave to worryabout losing powerfor weeks or months after storm damage or heavy wind andrain storms.

Our state health services are the best. They keep us informed of possible health issues that are forthcoming. Our vaccine response is great.

Louisiana has the best governor and legislators.They always putthe needs of the constituents above party politics Taxes are no problem. Our taxes are well used. We need to fund more posters of the TenCommandments and less on needed libraries, internet and helpful books. Internet accessisnot neededinrural areas.

We have some of the best-funded and supported public schools, teachers and school support staff. Who needs public schools when you can opt out for state-funded private schools?

We have one of the greatest state prison systems. We don’t have the largest prison population in the U.S. Storm surges, flooding andhurricanes are not aproblem. We can move farthernorth and build tornado shelters. We don’tneed meteorological assistance from the feds or the state. Satellites justcause debris to fall from the sky.Wecan just look up weather in the Farmers’ Almanac or use a wet finger held up in the windlike the old folks used to do. I’m sure Ileft out plenty of things about our well-maintained state. Take care and be safe.

BJ RIEDIE Belle Chasse

YOUR VIEWS

Don’tlet bridge project destroyrarecypress forest

The A.E. LeBlanc old-growth cypress forest in Iberville Parish is one of the rarest places left in our nation —aliving remnant of theonce-vast cypress forests that blanketed Louisiana. With trees over 300 years old —and thepotential to liveover 1,000 —this forest has stood undisturbed for centuries, providingirreplaceable benefitstopeople and wildlife. Now it faces destruction if theMississippi River bridge project proceeds through this ancientforest instead of one of two viable alternativeroutes.

Less than 1% of easternU.S. forests have remainedintact long enough to develop oldgrowthcharacteristics. The A.E. LeBlanc forest is not merely old —itisecologically functional. Its mature root systems slow floodwaters, reduce erosion and improve water quality.Its canopy and deep soils store carbon,helping regulate climate amid intensifying storms. It provides critical habitat fornativewildlife and migratory birds that cannot thriveinyounger or fragmented for-

ests.

This is one of thefew privately protected old-growth forests in Louisiana and one of just afew hundred recognized by the OldGrowth Forest Network. Destroying it would be short-sighted and irreversible.

Shintech can rebuild infrastructure. But we cannot rebuild an old-growth forest. We cannot manufacture time.

Fragmentingthis forest alters everything —temperatures rise, humidity drops, native species decline and invasives spread. These aren’tjust trees —they are part of an ancient, irreplaceable system. Once damaged, it cannot be restored.

This forest is not for sale. If it’slost, it will be because it was taken from thefamilies workingtopreserve it.

Let us be thegeneration that said no. Protect theA.E. LeBlanc old-growth cypress forest.

Once gone, it is gone forever

JOAN MALOOF founder,Old-Growth Forest Network

Pope Leo’s family tree showshow race is an absurd construct

Imagine that you discovered, all in one day,that you are pope and that you are Black. DoesGod have asense of humor,orwhat? Ithink that’swhat happened to Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.His grandparents were Black NewOrleanians until they moved to Chicago around 1910 and became White.

Twoparts of the family were ripped apart by the pernicious, ridiculous concept of race and all the political, social and cultural assumptions that came with it in the early 1900s. That ridiculousness and manyofthose assumptions are still with us. Now, morethan acentury later,this family is reuniting, curious about each other and celebrating their common ancestry

So yes, Godhas asense of humor as away of getting our attention. But the purpose of the lesson is reconciliation. This newspaper reported how Ellen Dionne Alverez, 77, alifelong Black NewOrleanian, discovered lately through family records that she is Pope Leo’ssecond cousin, once removed.

Malcolm Moore, 70, grew up just afew miles away from Alverez in Broadmoor.Healways considered himself White. He is also the Pope’s second cousin once removed. So Godhas asense of humor and also asense of irony.How clever of him to put it out there on the world stage —the ridiculousness, the speciousness, the made-up-ness, of the concept of race. Yes, our imagined racial identities have shaped all of our self-concepts, sometimes forbetter,sometimes forworse. How long will it take to blot out the concept of race once and forall, not just on our birth certificates, but from our collective social psyche?

Recently,the paper reported the resignation of Kim Terrell, staff scientist for the Environmental Law Clinic at Tulane Law School,citing university censorship and infringement of her academic freedom. Speakingonmyown behalf and not theuniversity’s, and from my experience as the current director of the clinic, I’d like to clarify afew things.

First, theclinic will continue to rely on Terrell’spowerful work in its advocacy.Wehope andexpect there will be moretocome.

tinginreturn. Butpeople of this state are better off when their voices can be amplified withscience and when courthouses are accessible to them. Law students are better off with interdisciplinary advocacy and experience practicing thehighest ideals of the profession in representing clients whowould otherwise go unrepresented on controversial matters.

ORISSA AREND NewOrleans

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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 ALETTER, SCAN HERE

Second, despite theloss of avaluable staff scientist, the clinic continues to practice and advocate on behalf of our clients. We know there are those who are afraid of Louisiana residents having access to legal representation to enforce environmental laws.And some are afraid of peer-reviewed science that shedslight on the environmental and public health costs of pollution and takes an honest accountingofwhat we are truly get-

Accolades to whoever had theAndrea Bocelli concert visit New Orleans. It was fabulous andextremely entertaining. Now for thebig problem: The parking dilemma needs to be resolved. All of the“open” gates at the Superdome need to be opened so all traffic heading east on Poydras can park quickly Thankfully,the concert was delayed by about20minutes for those caught in the rain

Marie Curie stated, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” The governor’s triumphant response to Terrell’sresignation reveals aperceived victory of politics over sciencebut it is as misplaced as it is premature. We understand that it is our clients’ voices thatare the true target, and so we follow our clients’ lead and fear not. The clinic is still here,the science isn’tgoing away, and we will notgodown withouta fight.

LISA JORDAN director, Environmental LawClinic,Tulane Law School

and trying to park somewhere. Samewith theSmoothie King Center —more entrances need to be madeavailable for the public.

Let’ssee if an engineer with the city can work on resolving this issue with the traffic and parking. It is quite aggravating forall drivers at any concert or sporting event.

MICHAEL BOWEN

Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Abaldcypress tree towers above aslough at A.E. LeBlanc Natural Area and Old-Growth Cypress

COMMENTARY

SEA YOUINCOURT!

Louisianahas watereverywhere. It must be tough to be alittle fish down there. In this week’s underseascenario, here’s aplace where theycan settletheirdisputes.

So,what’s going on in this cartoon? youtell me.Bewitty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeep it clean.There’snolimit on the number of entries.

The winning punchlinewill be lettered into the word balloon and runonMonday, July 14, in our printeditionsand online. In addition, the winner will receivea signed print of the cartoon along witha cool winner’sT-shirt! Somehonorable mentions will also be listed.

To enter,emailentriestocartooncontest@theadvocate.com.

DON’T FORGET! Allentriesmust include your name,homeaddress and phone number.Cell numbersare best.

The deadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday, July 10.

Good luck, everyone!— Walt

COLUMBIA, South Carolina As Icruised west on I-20 toward the state’scapital city,mycar’sthermostatmeasured the outsidetemperature at 103 degrees and this was without factoring in the heat index, which would have raised it to about 109.

Letthe countdown begin to 250

Those annoying countdown clocks the cable TV networks use to letusknow howmuchtime remains before apresidentialaddress or something else regardedasworthy of ourattentionmight be useful as America begins the countdown to the 250thanniversary of the publication of the DeclarationofIndependence. Aquestionthatwould be helpful fordiscussion during ourincreasingly dividedtimesmight be: “Whatdoes it meantobe an American”? Is it defined in the lyrics of the LeeGreenwood song “I’m proud to be an American where at least Iknow I’m free”? That doesn’tfully answerthe question: whatisanAmerican and even more, what is America?

Schoolchildren once studiedsuch things before American history was rewritten in many public schoolsand universitiestofita progressive narrative Theylearnedthatthe country was namedfor the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci,whose claim to fame was the discoverythatthe land he wasexploring, the New World, was notapartofAsia, but aseparatecontinent. German cartographerMartin Waldseemuller used Vespucci’s first name, whose Latin versionwas “Americus,” to labelthe future United States on amap he drew in 1507. The name “America” wasquickly and universally accepted. Today we might have hada naming contest. Thatstill doesn’tanswer the questionastowhatisAmericaand who are Americans?

Frank Sinatra gave his answer in a song titled“The House ILive In.” In the run-up to singing it, Sinatra’snarration includes: “Only in Americacould all that’shappened to me, happentoaguy like me.Anywhere else Imight have wound up digging coal.”

Thatgetsclose to answering the questions.

The last time Iwas this hotwas four years ago, when my son and Idrove across the Mojave Desert in July en route tohis newhome in California. Ata rest stop midway,Ispotteda proud flowering shrub, walked over and congratulated it. Back in the car with Leo, apit/border collie hybrid panting lovingly down our necks, we gazed at the gas gauge’sremaining miles and compared the figure withthe miles to our destination —amuch larger number.Then Iestimated howmuch water we had left and tried nottothink about howlong we’d last if the worst happened. Suddenly,myson and Iboth screamed. Aroad sign suggesting a town —Ludlow —had materialized through the waves of heat.Another sign read, “Next Services 27 Miles.” Surely this meant gasoline, no? Searchingthe horizon, we saw what looked like alow building with asign perched high above bearingthe number 76 encircled in orange. Gas!

We took the exit and were ecstatic to find apump in front of ashuttered store. Just one, but it worked. Ludlow, population 9, is in California and was once an important water stop for the railroadalong Route 66. Otherwise, it seems to be aplace where aperson goes to be forgotten by the other 8. The heat let up by about 45 degrees when we reached Ventura on the coast, and we thought we’d landed in heaven. I’ve known few happier moments, which is testament to theimportance of one’senvirons to well-being. Vacations speak to this, too. Alas, the heat in South Carolina shows no sign of relenting, even if the dome relocates. Nearly everyone thinks it’s becoming hotter each year,and science seems to bear this out. Thenumber and intensity of heat waves are increasing, as are the frequency and severityof hurricanes. As long as we do nothing to curtailgreenhouse-gas emissions, temperaturesare projected to rise more —though South Carolina is aregional

leader intrying to mitigateclimate change, as wellasstorm surges and other environmental repercussions, according to theSouthern Environmental LawCenter

Otherstates, notably Washington, Oregon,California, Vermont, Massachusettsand Maryland, areahead of the rest in taking stepstoprotect theenvironment. Theseexceptions notwithstanding, my drive to Columbia convinced me that Homosapiens is the stupidest species on the planet If you’ve been on an airplane recently,you can’thave missed them, scattered on theoutskirts of cities and towns —densely populated minidesertswith naryatree. Not even a proud shrub.

Theaffordable-housing shortage of thepast several years has given rise to fast-and-cheap development that no one seems to want but that developers and officialdom justify as necessary Sure, we need more houses witha patch of grass for first-time home buyers,preferably near workplaces and schools.

Butwhy not afew trees, too?

Bulldozing old-growth forests to make way for chockablock housing a stone’sthrow from the interstate is illogical,ifnot counterintuitive. Trees conserve water by absorbing stormwaterrunoff, and they reduce erosion by stabilizing soil.

Most anyone prefers ayard with

trees andthe shade they provide, but developersclaim critical costsavings are passed on to buyers. This might be so, but why not raise standards that ultimately benefitthosebuyers, as well as their communities?

The same lack of imagination governs the paved parking lots that resemble asphalt deserts. Tryfinding ashade tree to parkunder next time you’re at WalmartorCostco. With allour smarts and technology,wecan’tcome up with abetter way to provide parking than impermeable asphalt?Thereare alternatives,but first we must demand them. I’ve wandered abit from Ludlow here, but thetheme is thesame. We need to adapttohotter times, not by becoming accustomed to the heat but by changing the way we build and preserving our natural resources. As someonewho grew up in Florida beforeschools and most homes were air-conditioned, I’m as heat-tolerant as anyone. ButIcan assure you that theFlorida heat and humidityfrom decades ago can’tcompare to what so manyAmericans have been experiencing during thepast week’sheat wave. Ourdesertlike heat these days should motivate us to start acting smarter,orit’sonly going to get worse.

Kathleen Parker is on X, @KathleenParker

Americaisa land of opportunity for those who can seeitand seize it. If you can’t make it here,you are unlikely to do as well anywhere else. America is also aboutovercoming obstacles. Their storiesusedtoinspire people who hada bad start in life before we acceptedthe false notionthatweare entitled to whatothers ownand don’thave to work for it.

Americaisanideainacontinuing quest forthe ideal.Whenwehavefailed to live up to the Declaration and our constitutional principles, we don’tgive up. We try to make things right because we have astandard —a foundation— that defineswhatisright. “Wehold these truths to be self-evident.” Such truths (“endowedbyour Creator with certain unalienable rights”) helped us overcome the evil scourge of slavery and the denial of civil rights to those who descended from the enslaved. What other nation offers suchopportunitiesand hope? Freedom is not“just another word for nothing left to lose,” as Janis Joplin sang. But with freedom comes responsibility, including the expectation it will be renewedbyeach succeeding generation. As Ronald Reagan correctly stated: “Freedom is nevermore than one generationaway fromextinction. We didn’t pass it to ourchildreninthe bloodstream. It must be fought for,protected, andhandedonfor themtodothe same, or oneday we will spend our sunset yearstelling ourchildren and our children’schildrenwhat it was once like in the United Stateswhere menwere free.” Let’shaveaconversation during these next 365 days aboutwhat it means to be an American andwhatwewill do to renewAmerica forthe next generation while preserving it for the current ones. In answertothe questions about Americaand Americans, it’shardtoimprove on the motto inscribedonthe Great Seal of the United States—Epluribus unum, “frommany, one.” Letthe countdown begin.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditorstribpub. com.

Kathleen Parker

Cal Thomas

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON

AU.S.Capitol Police officer pours water on his head outsidethe Capitol in Washington.

MEDICAL

Continued from page1B

were still being finalized, and said he didn’thave an answer yet as to exactly what research or programs the state fundswould cover.The center is also appealing some of the cuts and working with the NIH to rework some of the grants, he said. Kirwan said despite the

challenges, the center remained focusedonits mission

“While these challenges are real, they do not alter our mission: improving lives throughscientificdiscovery in nutrition and preventive medicine to preventand treat chronicdiseases,” he wrote.

“Weremain committed to usingfederal funds responsibly and conducting research that benefits Louisiana and beyond.”

ANTS

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insects, however,Ashbrook said the ants are not aggressive.

“They’re kind of cryptic,” he said.

On theupside, Asian needle ants are experts at hunting down another familiar southern pest.

“The ants are termite spe-

cialists and prefer to feed on them,” Ashbrook said.

For entomologists across thestate,it’simportant to document sightings of the elusive pest. If you do happen upon the insect, Ashbrook advises to document it on sites like iNaturalist and Citizen Science.

“That waswhat ultimately allowed us to find thisant individualsinthe statereporting sight of it,” he said. If you happen to get stung

by an Asian needle ant, it’s important to monitor your symptoms,aspeople have vastly differentreactions. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, allergic reactions may occur several hours later Around thesiteofthe sting, hives, flushed or pale skin and itchingcan appear

If you’re working with wood, considerwearing leather gloves to protect yourselffrom the species.

LEVEE

Continued from page1B

maintain the New Orleans area hurricanelevees high enoughtonot be overtopped by storm surges with a1% chance of occurring in any year,the so-called 100-year storm level; and another to study increasing the east bank levee system’sability to withstand 200-year storm surges Maintaining the leveesat 100-year level is important not only for actual flood protection, but also for flood insurancepurposes. If the levees drop below that level due to acombination of land subsidence and sea level rise,theymay lose their certification under the National Flood Insurance Program, causing rates to skyrocket.

Separately,the 200-year study is seen as important in part because of how storms are projected to intensify in theyears ahead. So-called 100-year stormsurges are expected to occur more frequently in thefuture.

Congress has authorized both projects, but funding must be appropriated separately.Nomoney is included for either in both President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year and the One Big BeautifulBill approved by Congress.

Underthe congressionally authorized plans,the federal government is slated to pay 65% of the costofkeepingthe leveesat100-year level through 2078, with the state covering the rest. The east bank portion of the work is estimated to cost $2.6 billion and the west bank $613 million, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, the Corps received its 65% share for engineering and design funds to keep the levees at 100-year levels, amounting to $3 million for the east bankand $765,000 forthe west bank. As for the 200-year study, no federal money has been appropriated for it so far Land sinking, waterrising

The $14.6 billion hurricane protection system built in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been widely praised as a vast improvement over the levees that crumbled dur-

ing the 2005 storm. But because of Louisiana’ssubsiding land and increasedsea levels expected to result from climate change over the next50years,regular work is requiredto keepit all at 100-year surge level.

Onerecent study showed parts ofthe systemare sinking faster thansea levels are rising.

According to Corps analysis,keeping thesystem elevatedisexpected to result in annualeconomic benefitsfrom avoided flood damage of $167milliona year for the east bank and $59.9million forthe west bank. Afirst round of levee elevations should occur by 2033, one study found.

“Weare currently finalizing our review plan, beginning hydraulic modeling, andrights of entry for data collection. Once complete, we will have better insight regarding the project schedule,” said Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett

Butthe president of the east bank regional levee authority raised concerns that the Corps wasn’treceiving enough money to keepthe levees elevated, despite support for such funding from the regional authorities and the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority

“We, as an agency,have worked hard over thelast fewyears to ensure that regular levee lifts andother necessary maintenance are in the Corps’ authorization andfunding to maintain our100-year protectionlevel,” said Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East President Roy Carubba The east bank levee system, known as LakePontchartrain and Vicinity, would see 50 miles of levee lifts and3miles of replaced or new floodwalls.The West Bankand Vicinity system wouldinclude 49milesof leveelifts,1mile of new floodwalland 268 feet of floodwall replacement

Sea level rise caused by global warming overthe 50-year planning period is taken into account. The plans, for example, include raising portions of the Mississippi River levees on both banks that are considered part of the hurricane leveesystemtokeep up with sea level rise.

An expensive part of the work will be replacing fabric mats used toarmor the

outer portions of earthen leveesfromerosion caused by storm surges during hurricanes. Themats will have to be replaced for each levee lift.The matting adds “resilience” to the earthenparts of the levee system,which the Corps says armors themfor a500year surgeevent Carubba said theauthority hasbuilt its35% local match funds for boththe design work andeventual construction into its annual budgeting process.

Jesse Noel,regional director of SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority-West, saiditbegan workingonaself-funded levee lift program in 2022, and is in the permitting phasefor liftingtwo levee sections. It’salsoworking with the Corps on the longterm 100-year lift program.

“Tofund these efforts, SLFPA-W is utilizing a supplemental millage approved by the voters in 2018 which is dedicatedto funding capitalprojects, including leveelifts,” he said.

‘Direconsequences’

As for the200-year study, theconcerns are twofold.

Oneinvolves worries that 100-year protection will not be enough as storms intensify in the future. But the second involves the original design itself.

Even as it was being built, local andstate officials warned it would be overtopped by surges caused by storms the size of Katrina. The strength of the levees are designedtowithstand being overtopped and not crumble, as they didinKatrina. But seriousflooding would still occur from overtopping.

Forensic studiesbythe Corps indicatethat hurricane surgesfromstorms greaterthan100-year strengthcould result in significantparts of the levee interiorbeing flooded with as much as 5feet of water, even assuming that all pumps are operating properly Katrina’ssurge on the Mississippi coast —about 28 feet abovesea level plus waves —was considereda 400-year event. In St. Bernard Parish, surgeovertoppedlevees along the Mississippi RiverGulf Outlet at levels as high as 19.5feetplusanother 4.5 feet of waves, which some have compared to a250-year event. In Lake

Pontchartrain, the highest water level was measured at 12 feet, plus waves.

A$3million, three-year study on whether to raise thesystem to200-year level was authorized by Congress in 2022, but hasnot yetreceived any funding.

Thestate CoastalProtectionand Restoration Authority sentletters to the chairs of the Houseand Senateappropriations committeesonApril 1urging thefunds be appropriated.

In 2024, the east bank authority also agreed to pay half of the $3 million study cost, rather than its normal 35% share.

Thestudy mayconsider ways of elevating the postKatrinalevee system, as wellasadding wetlands or other features outside the levees to reduce surge heights, or finding waysof temporarily storing or redirecting surge water away from theprotected area.

“The Greater NewOrleansareaishome to critical industries, including energy,shipping and tourism, all of which relyon robust flood protection infrastructure,” said thenCPRAexecutive director GlennLedet Jr., beforehis recent appointment to head the Louisiana Department of Transportation andDevelopment

“The devastation of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated thedire consequences of leveefailure,and we must act now to fortify our floodprotection systems before thenextmajor vstorm.”

Carubba also raised concernabout thefailure to fund the study

“Regrettably, the Corps has dragged its feet in initiating the study,” he said. “So we are using every means available to procure federal funds to make that happen, andwewill have the necessary state/local match available whenneeded to construct the necessary assets to continue to protect our citizens.”

Email Mark Schleifstein at mschleifstein@ theadvocate.com.

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SPORTS

SUMMER BREW

Assistant relishes chance to lead young Pelicans in Vegas

BY ROD WALKER

Staff writer

Corey Brewer has done a little bit of everything in basketball.

He won back-to-back national championships at the University of Florida, earning Most Outstanding Player in the 2007 Final Four

He won an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

His 13-year NBA career included a 51-point game for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Houston Rockets on April 12, 2014

He even finds time to play in the Big3, the 3-on-3 league founded by Ice Cube. Brewer, entering his sixth season on the New Orleans Pelicans coaching staff, now gets to do something he’s always wanted to do. He’ll sit in the coveted first chair on the bench as head coach of the Pelicans’ Summer League team.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” Brewer said. “Thanks to the Pelicans organization and coach (Willie) Green for letting me have this role of being a head coach and coming out here and teaching these guys.” Brewer conducted his first practice Sun-

Corey Brewer scored 51 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 112-110

over the Houston Rockets on April 11, 2014.

day He has just three days to get his team prepared for Thursday’s Summer League opener in Las Vegas against the Timberwolves, one of eight teams he played for

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

NEW YORK Dodgers pitcher

Clayton Kershaw was picked for his 11th All-Star Game, and Paul Skenes, James Wood and Elly De La Cruz boosted the 23-andunder group to five when they were picked Sunday for the July 15 showcase at Atlanta’s Truist Park. Wood at 22 is the youngest of the 65 All-Stars, while Skenes, De La Cruz and fan-elected starters Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jacob Wilson are all 23. Cal Raleigh and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined Wood, Wilson and Crow-Armstrong among 19

first-time All-Stars. Wood was acquired by Washington in the August 2022 trade that sent outfielder Juan Soto to San Diego. “It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said. Kershaw last week became the 20th pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts, and commissioner Rob Manfred made the lefthander the 65th All-Star as a so-called Legend Pick, his first since selecting Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols in 2022 under a provision in the collective bargaining agreement. Kershaw gives the Dodgers

DOUG FEINBERG

NEW YORK For the second straight season to begin her professional career, former LSU standout and national champion Angel Reese is a WNBA AllStar Reese was selected Sunday among the reserves for the WNBA All-Star Game that is set for July 19 in Indianapolis.

Reese was a starter during her rookie season but will settle for a reserve spot this season after averaging 12.4 points and 12.6 rebounds entering action Sunday She also averages 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals despite shooting only 39.1% from the field. She is the only player in the league averaging at least 10 rebounds per game. When Reese’s selection was announced to her teammates prior to the Chicago Sky’s game Sunday against the Minnesota Lynx, they celebrated and goaded her into a speech.

“I’m very thankful for you guys,” Reese said. “I don’t think individual awards happen without the team so I appreciate you guys for standing with me sticking by me publicly and privately through the whole season, so thank you guys. I love you guys.” Also announced Sunday, Kayla Thornton, Gabby Williams, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron will be making their AllStar debuts as reserves.

Thornton has been in the league for nine years and finally is getting her chance to play in the exhibition game She was selected in the expansion draft by Golden State last year from New York and has helped the expansion team get off to a good start.

“It would be such a reward for her,” said New York coach Sandy Brondello, who will be one of the All-Star coaches. “She’s been a role player all her career but to go into a new organization and do so well, I voted for her as an alternate to get there because she deserves it.” Williams has been in the league for six seasons, although she’s missed time to play with France’s national team. She’s having a strong season for Seattle this year Washington rookies Iriafen and Citron join Dallas’ Paige Bueckers as first-year players on the All-Star team. Bueckers was chosen as a starter It’s the first time that three rookies will be playing in the game since 2011.

Other reserves chosen include Seattle’s Skylar Diggins, Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell, Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum, Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and Las Vegas’ Jackie Young.

“It means a lot to go with these other two,” said Diggins, who will be making her seventh All-Star appearance,

BOB WOJNOWSKI

The Detroit News (TNS)

It’s everywhere in sports. In the endless commercials, in the constant scroll of betting odds during broadcasts, in the occasional gas p or cheer when a meaningless last-second basket turns out to be financially meaningful for someone. Gambling always has been a lure and a challenge for the sports world. From the 1919

Black Sox Scandal, to Pete Rose’s baseball ban, to Malik Beasley ensnared in a federal gambling investigation that cost him his job with the Detroit Pistons. Beasley hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing, but amid the probe, revelations of his financial and legal woes surfaced. The Pistons pulled their $42 million offer and signed someone else, leaving Beasley to wonder what’s next. He could be exonerated, or he could be suspended or banned if linked to gambling on NBA games. The reflex reaction is to lament

the perils of legalized gambling, which is a simplistic and unhelpful response. There are perils to alcohol use and other societal vices, but they’ll never be abuse-free, no matter how many disclaimers and warning labels are attached. Online gambling has become a multibillion-dollar industry, and the states that legalize it now up to 39 — reap tax revenue. A lot of money is being made, and yes, a lot of money is being lost. But you’re kidding yourself if you think this is a raging new-age problem. Legalization

brought gambling out of the shadows, but it didn’t eliminate shadowy irresponsibility and the addictive nature of humans.

Creating temptation Online sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings are required to regulate and monitor When gambling improprieties are suspected, they’re usually uncovered by professional sites and casinos, which report them to authorities. According to ESPN, the feds

during his career. He was pleased with what he saw in his first practice.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSIE ALCHEH Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, left, dribbles against Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, right, during a game on June 29 in Los Angeles.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Pelicans assistant coach Corey Brewer, center, talks to the team during a practice Sunday Brewer will lead the Pelicans’ Summer League team this month.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ANN HEISENFELT

win

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT FREED

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Van Gisbergen masters Chicago

He sweeps Xfinity, Cup road courses

BY JAY COHEN AP sports writer

CHICAGO Shane van Gisbergen burned out his tires in celebration, sending white smoke into the air He signed a rugby ball and punted it into the stands in downtown Chicago.

It was a familiar scene.

Van Gisbergen completed a Windy City sweep Sunday, winning the NASCAR Cup Series race on the tricky street course in downtown Chicago.

“Epic weekend for us. I’m a lucky guy,” van Gisbergen said A talented one, too.

The 36-year-old New Zealand native became the second driver to sweep the Xfinity and Cup races in a single weekend from the pole, joining Kyle Busch at Indianapolis in 2016. With his third career Cup win, he also became the winningest foreign-born driver on NASCAR’s top series.

It was van Gisbergen’s second victory of the season after the Trackhouse Racing driver also won last month on a Mexico City road course.

“He’s the best road course stock car racer that I’ve ever seen,” Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said. “I think when he’s done with us all and walks away from the sport, I think he’s going to walk away as the best road course racer that this sport has ever seen.” Marks brought van Gisbergen

over from Australia’s Supercars for the first edition of NASCAR’s Chicago experiment in 2023, and he became the first driver to win his Cup debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.

He also won Chicago’s Xfinity Series stop last year and the first stage in the Cup race before he was knocked out by a crash

“This joint, it’s changed my life,”

van Gisbergen said “I didn’t have any plans to do more NASCAR races when I first came over here, and I never thought I’d be in NAS-

CAR full time.”

In what might be the last NASCAR race on the downtown Chicago circuit, Ty Gibbs was second and Tyler Reddick finished third. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.

“My team called a great strategy and got me in position to get me up front to compete for the win,” Gibbs said “It worked out for us today, so I’m glad to have a good finish, but we wish we could have gone for the win.”

Michael McDowell joined van Gisbergen on the front row and quickly moved in front. He won

Stage 1 and led for 31 laps before he was derailed by a throttle cable issue.

Van Gisbergen regained the lead when he passed Chase Briscoe with 16 laps left. As fog and rain moved into downtown Chicago, van Gisbergen controlled the action the rest of the way

AJ Allmendinger was sixth, and Ryan Preece finished seventh.

Ryan Blaney, who won the second stage, was 12th.

“I thought overall it was a pretty decent day It was nice to win that stage,” Blaney said.

William Byron’s day was cut short by a clutch problem. The Hendrick Motorsports driver leads the point standings by 13 points over Chase Elliott.

After McDowell seized the lead early in the race, Carson Hocevar caused a multicar crash when he hit the wall and spun out between turns 10 and 11. Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez and Will Brown were among the drivers collected in the wreck.

“I didn’t see it until the last second,” Keselowski said. “I slowed down and I actually felt I was going to get stopped and then I just kind of got ran over from behind.

It’s just a narrow street course and sometimes there’s nowhere to go.”

Ty Dillon and Reddick moved into the third round of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament when Keselowski and Hocevar were unable to finish the race.

Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Keselowski after he upset topseeded Denny Hamlin last weekend at Atlanta.

Campbell wins second PGA playoff of season

The Associated Press SILVIS, Ill. — Brian Campbell won for the second time this year on the PGA Tour, both in a playoff, when he closed with a 4-under 67 and beat Emiliano Grillo with a par on the first extra hole Sunday in the John Deere Classic. It extended the win-or-bust season for Campbell, who won the Mexico Open in a playoff in late February He has finished out of the top 30 in every tournament except for his two victories. This one might be enough to get him into the British Open, depending on how high up he moves in the world ranking published Monday traditionally used as the alternate list. Campbell appeared to have control of the tournament with three birdies in a four-hole stretch to start the back nine. But he fell back with a double bogey into the

trees on the 15th, and it was a wild scramble to the finish.

Grillo, who also closed with a 67, took the lead when Campbell made double bogey, only to threeputt for bogey on the 16th. Campbell, one of the shorter hitters on tour, blasted a 3-wood to 18 feet for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th and narrowly missed a 25-foot birdie on the 18th. He was the first player to post at 18-under 266.

Grillo got up-and-down for birdie on the 17th, holing an 8-foot putt, and caught a bad break on the 18th when his drive settled into a divot. He hit wedge to just inside 40 feet and two-putted for par to join Campbell at 266. David Lipsky was poised to join them when he hit a punch 3-wood to 8 feet for eagle on the 17th to tie for the lead But he hooked his drive on the 18th, couldn’t reach the green, and his 15-foot par putt

to get into the playoff caught the left lip and spun away He shot 68 and tied for third with Kevin Roy (65).

The playoff lacked any real drama. Campbell hit a beautiful trap draw to about 15 feet on the 18th. Grillo, who caught a break when his drive to the right was sitting up in trampled rough, sent long over the green. His flop shot didn’t quite reach the putting surface, and his par attempt from 25 feet never had a chance.

“I got myself there. I gave myself a chance,” Grillo said. “I made some good putts. Hit a good putt on the 72nd and that’s all I can do.” Campbell becomes the fifth player this year to have multiple victories in individual tournaments on the PGA Tour, joining Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy Sepp Straka and Ryan Fox.

Brewers RHP Woodruff tosses gem after long layoff

Milwaukee Brewers righthander Brandon Woodruff struck out eight and threw two-hit ball through six innings against Miami on Sunday to win his first start in the majors since Sept. 23, 2023.

The two-time All-Star hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since having shoulder surgery after the 2023 season. Woodruff (1-0) struck out the side in the first inning and was lifted after six innings and throwing 53 of his 70 pitches for strikes without a walk in the 3-1 victory Both of the hits he allowed were by Marlins left fielder Heriberto Hernandez, who singled in the third and homered in the fifth.

“No one could have expected six innings, two-hit ball or whatever it was,” manager Pat Murphy said

Guardians place outfielder Thomas on injured list

Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas was placed on the 10-day injured list because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot Sunday before Cleveland faced the Detroit Tigers.

The move is retroactive to Saturday Infielder Will Wilson was recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

Thomas also missed 11 games in late May and early June because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Manager Stephen Vogt said before the game that next week’s All-Star break should give Thomas plenty of time to rest up for the second half of the season.

Thomas also missed five weeks because of a right wrist bone bruise after getting hit by a pitch during the April 8 home opener against the Chicago White Sox.

Cavaliers re-sign Merrill, bring back ex-Pel Nance

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a pair of familiar players back next season.

The Cavs announced Sunday they have re-signed Sam Merrill to a four-year contract and brought back Larry Nance Jr for a second stint on a one-year deal. Merrill averaged 7.2 points and made 137 3-pointers in 71 games last season. The fifth-year guard had 27 points and nine 3s on Feb. 2 at Dallas. Merrill was the final pick in the 2020 draft by New Orleans before joining the Cavaliers in March 2023.

Nance, a former Pelicans player, spent parts of four seasons with the Cavs from 2018-21. He appeared in 182 games, including 76 starts, and averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds

Cowboys return man, WR Turpin arrested near Dallas

All-Pro return man KaVontae Turpin of the Dallas Cowboys was arrested in a Dallas suburb on misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and unlawful carrying of a weapon, authorities said Sunday Turpin was arrested by police in Allen on Saturday The 28-year-old is out of jail on bond. There is no record of an attorney for Turpin. The team declined to comment.

The former TCU standout is going into his fourth season with the Cowboys and recently signed an $18 million, three-year contract.

The Cowboys signed Turpin out of the USFL in 2022. He had played in several satellite football leagues before joining the USFL. Turpin had career-bests of 31 catches for 420 yards and scored two touchdowns last season.

Irish offensive lineman

He finished about a half-hour ahead of the final group, but Campbell chose to stay in the clubhouse to see whether his score would hold up instead of staying loose on the practice range. He said it was hot enough that it was better to cool off and get some rest, and there was no arguing with the result — he drilled his drive down the middle and put all the pressure on Grillo with his approach to the green. Max Homa, winless in more than two years, ran off three straight birdies early in the round to briefly take the lead. He played the last 14 holes in 1 over, missing key putts to stay in the game, and wound up with a 69 to tie for fifth. It was his first top 10 on the PGA Tour in nearly 15 months. Five others tied for fifth, including 47-year-old Matt Kuchar, who closed with a 66, and Lucas Glover, who shot a 64.

Jagusah injured in crash

Notre Dame offensive lineman

Charles Jagusah broke his left arm Saturday in a utility task vehicle crash in Wyoming. School officials announced Sunday that Jagusah had surgery to repair his fractured humerus, which is a bone located between the shoulder and elbow They said the initial prognosis was “favorable” and that he would return to campus this week for continued care. This marks the second consecutive year that Jagusah, one of Notre Dame’s most promising offensive linemen, has suffered a major injury before the season. Jagusah was projected to open 2024 as Notre Dame’s starting left tackle, but he tore his right pectoral muscle during preseason practice. He came back to play in the Fighting Irish’s final three College Football

games.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIN HOOLEy

Shane van Gisbergen does a victory burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Grant Park 165 on Sunday in Chicago.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHTO By ERIN HOOLEy

Shane van Gisbergen holds the trophy after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday in Chicago. He also won the Xfinity race on Saturday

at least five All-Stars for the sixth straight season. The oldest NL AllStar at 37 and most senior All-Star with 11 selections, Kershaw is joined by Yamamoto and fan-elected starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection on Sunday Detroit and Seattle will have four players each at the game.

Starting pitchers Hunter Brown of Houston, Garrett Crochet of Boston, Jacob deGrom of Texas, Max Fried of the New York Yankees and Tarik Skubal of Detroit were voted to the AL staff by players, managers and coaches. Relievers Aroldis Chapman of Boston, Josh Hader of Houston and Andrés Muñoz of Seattle also made it.

Chapman is the oldest All-Star, born 19 days before Kershaw AL reserves picked by players included Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk, Tampa Bay first baseman Jonathan Aranda and second baseman Brandon Lowe, Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker, and outfielders Byron Buxton of Minnesota, Steven Kwan of Cleveland and Julio Rodríguez of Seattle MLB used its six picks on pitchers Kris Bubic of Kansas City, Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels, Shane Smith of the Chicago White Sox and Bryan Woo of Seattle, along with Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm and Kansas City

shortstop Bobby Witt Jr

Smith became the second player since 2000 to become an All-Star in the season after he was selected in the Rule 5 draft, following Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla in 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Smith was left unprotected by Milwaukee and joined Wilson (Athletics) as the only rookies on the All-Star rosters.

Pittsburgh’s Skenes, Washington’s MacKenzie Gore, Atlanta’s Chris Sale, San Francisco’s Logan Webb and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler were elected to the starting rotation by players. Relievers Jason Adam of San Di-

REESE

Continued from page 1C

of playing with teammates Nneka Ogwumike and Williams. Thomas will be making her sixth all-star appearance and first with Phoenix.

“Anytime you’re an All-Star, it’s a huge honor,” Thomas said. “There are a lot of great players in the league. To be around this long and it to be my sixth is a great honor.”

The reserves were selected by the WNBA’s 13 head coaches, who each voted for three guards five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. The coaches were not able to vote for their own players.

Captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier will draft their teams for the All-Star Game. First they’ll choose from the eight other starters: Breanna Stewart, A’ja

ROSTER

Wilson, F, Las Vegas Breanna Stewart, F, New York Aliyah Boston, F, Indiana Nneka Ogwumike, F, Seattle Satou Sabally F, Phoenix Reserves Sonia Citron, G, Washington Skylar Diggins, G, Seattle Rhyne, Howard G, Atlanta Kiki Iriafen, F, Washington Kelsey Mitchell, G, Indiana Kelsey Plum, G, Los Angeles Angel Reese, F, Chicago Alyssa Thomas, F, Phoenix Kayla Thornton, F, Golden State Courtney Williams, G, Minnesota Gabby Williams, G, Seattle Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas

Wilson, Bueckers, Ogwumike, Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Aliyah Boston. Some notable players left off the team were Washington’s Brittney Sykes, Atlanta’s Brionna Jones, New York’s Natasha Cloud and Los Angeles’ Dearica Hamby Connecticut was the only team without an All-Star selection.

unseemly? What about the rivers of money flowing through college sports now? What about the rising cost of tickets?

ego, Edwin Díaz of the New York Mets and Randy Rodríguez of San Francisco also made the squad.

Skenes started last year’s AllStar Game just 66 days after his major-league debut, pitching a hitless inning in the NL’s 5-3 loss at Arlington, Texas.

Player-elected NL reserves were Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, St. Louis second baseman Brendan Donovan, Cincinnati’s De La Cruz at shortstop, Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suárez, Philadelphia DH Kyle Schwarber, and Washington’s Wood, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr in the outfield.

MLB’s NL picks were Yamamoto, the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd, Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and the Giants’ Robbie Ray for the pitch-

ing

“We are going to play hard,” Brewer said. “That’s going to be our identity We are going to be the hardest-playing team, and we are going to get some wins.”

While winning is welcomed, the ultimate goal is to give the rookies and younger players a chance to showcase their talents in what will be for many their first taste of the NBA. For Brewer it’s a chance to get a taste of being a head coach.

His players liked what they saw in their coach after the first practice.

“He’s one of those guys who is going to continue to push you and continue to give you every piece of advice he’s got,” rookie guard Jeremiah Fears said. “As a player, something I’m taking from him is continuing to pick his brain. He’s picking my brain, so I’m going to continue picking his brain and learn everything I can from him.”

Fears and Brewer have something in common. Both were selected with the No. 7 overall pick in their draft class.

Fears was taken with the seventh pick last month. Brewer was selected seventh in 2007 when Fears was just 8 months old.

Rookie forward Derik Queen, drafted with the 13th pick in June, specifically remembers one play

from Brewer’s career On the play, Brewer stole a pass and went in for a slam dunk before falling hard on his back. While Queen may not have been impressed by Brewer’s fall six seasons ago, he did like the first practice under Brewer

“He drew up this set and I had never seen it before,” Queen said.

“It was a good play We executed it well.”

Brewer wants to see that execution travel to Vegas. He wants to see guys such as Fears and Queen shine as they get their first experience of NBA basketball. Perhaps one day, Brewer will get to see his own son in the NBA, too. Kellen Brewer will be a junior at Metairie Country Day this fall. As a sophomore Brewer and Curtis McAllister (son of legendary Saints running back Deuce McAllister) led Country Day to a state title. Brewer is expected to be one of the top players in the Class of 2027. A social media video of him throwing down two thunderous slams this summer went viral, making Brewer one proud father

“He’s been working,” Brewer said of his son. “Hopefully he keeps getting better.”

Knowing how to separate being a coach and a dad can be difficult at times, Brewer admits.

“It’s been different,” he said “Being a player and then coaching and being a dad is three different people, I guess you can say I want to coach him. But then

Trey Alexander, G Tytan Anderson, F Will Baker C Keion Brooks, F Hunter Dickinson, C Jeremiah Fears, G AJ Hoggard, G Chase Hunter, G yves Missi, C Micah Peavy, G *Antonio Reeves, G Derik Queen, F/C Lester Quinones, G Christian Shumate, F Trey Townsend, F

* Reeves is playing for the Pelicans’ Summer League team despite getting waived last week.

I want to yell at him. But then I’m like, ‘Let me sit down and be Dad.’” Brewer the dad knows his son’s opportunities will come Brewer the coach is hoping to make the most of the opportunity that has come to him this summer in Vegas.

“My goal is to be a head coach,” Brewer said. “So it’s one step towards that.”

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

PELICANS ADD EX-LSU PLAYER BAKER FOR SUMMER

LSU men’s basketball fans will see a familiar face in the NBA Summer League in LasVegas starting this week

The New Orleans Pelicans added former Tigers big man Will Baker to their Summer League team The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center played one season for coach Matt McMahon in 2023-24.

Baker averaged 11 points and 4.8 rebounds in his senior year at LSU, which went 17-16 and 9-9 in the Southeastern Conference. He shot 50.2% from the field

and 35.7% from the 3-point line.

This past season, Baker played 27 games for the Iowa Wolves in the NBA G League. He averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes.

The Pelicans also added former McNeese State player Christian Shumate for Summer League. The 6-6 wing averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds last season.

Brown III

have been investigating Beasley for 18 months — back to his one season with the Milwaukee Bucks — after getting tipped by a U.S. sportsbook. The Detroit News also reported Beasley has been sued numerous times for debt repayments.

Gambling used to be a tedious, dangerous endeavor, run by neighborhood bookies and organized crime. Now everyone — at least in states with legalized gambling — basically has a casino on their phone, a pocketbook in their pocket. Convenience creates temptation and consequences. The mechanisms are new, but the debate isn’t, and there’s no turning back. Sports and gambling sites are inextricably linked by sponsorship and viewership.

Is it too pervasive and unseemly? Well, that question can’t be answered unless you answer these: Are $200 million contracts in pro sports too pervasive and

Everything about sports in America is overwrought, and I won’t be hypocritical here. I cover sports for newspaper radio and TV, which all make money from gambling ads. You lose the “Sports Are Too Big” argument when it’s so lucrative, and fans are so passionate, and so many livelihoods are tied to it

Legalized gambling has elevated sports’ popularity and rocketed revenue, for better or worse. Since gambling was legalized after a Supreme Court ruling in 2018, it has become a cumbersome part of the viewing experience. But it also has set up guardrails and guidelines.

Beasley is the latest NBA player to come under scrutiny In April 2024, Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors was suspended for life for manipulating prop bets and sharing information with gamblers. In that same case, Charlotte guard Terry Rozier was investigated and ultimately cleared.

In 2007, long before legalized gambling, a scandal shook sports to its core NBA referee Tim Donaghy was found guilty of betting on games he officiated and sharing information with gamblers. He spent 15 months in prison, and the NBA spent untold time assessing damage to its reputation. That’s partly why the league now so closely tracks betting activity

The problem is, one case stirs suspicions of more, and suspicion tears at the foundation of sports.

In the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal, White Sox players were accused of throwing the World Series, which led to suspensions and trials. I doubt that was the only gambling issue then, just like I don’t assume the NBA cases are completely isolated.

Collateral consequences

The issue is churning toward college athletics, too. The NCAA is considering a proposal that would allow athletes and staff to bet on pro sports. The governing body would focus instead on illegal betting on college events, which are

more susceptible to gambling influences, with athletes living among thousands of students. The NCAA always is ripe for hypocrisy charges, and probably realizes a blanket ban on online gambling isn’t practical.

The business is still expanding, with gambling sites’ revenue up a reported 30% last year Two huge markets are still untapped, as the largest states — California and Texas have yet to legalize.

Unfortunately, there are collateral consequences. There’s a hidden toll on athlete-fan interactions, which rears in ugly ways. Players in all sports have complained about social media threats from gamblers who blame athletes’ miscues for losing a bet.

Anonymity breeds cowardice and contempt. Numerous fanheckling incidents have been tied to angry losers. It’s even more personal with prop bets, in which people gamble on a single player’s statistics, such as how many points or rebounds they record.

That was noted in the Beasley investigation, when a game between the Bucks and Blazers on Jan 31,

2024, was flagged by sportsbooks for abnormal betting volumes. According to ESPN, Beasley’s over/ under rebound total was set at 2.5 and gamblers bet heavily on the under Beasley actually went over, with six rebounds. Again, no charges have been filed. Prop bets can create problems because they’re more easily manipulated, usually involving only one athlete, unless part of a larger parlay Is one solution to eliminate prop bets and allow wagering only on wins and losses and team totals? Some states have adopted that approach. But props and parlays are extremely popular, with gambling sites offering hundreds of options. The Beasley situation brought it closer to home and illuminated the danger, but it’s always been there in some form. There’s a massive, shared incentive for leagues and gambling entities to police the system. If the integrity of a solitary bet is questioned, it can raise suspicions about the integrity of the game itself And if that ever happens on a regular basis, all bets are off.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CARLOS AVILA GONZALEZ Kayla Thornton, left, of the Golden State Valkyries drives to the basket against the Seattle Storm in San Francisco on June 29.

Toyloy

staff. Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson and Miami outfielder Kyle Stowers were the position choices.

ASSOCIATED

DJANSEZIAN

ALASTAIR GRANT

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By

Alcaraz runs Wimbledon win streak to 18 matches

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON Carlos Alcaraz’s latest up-and-down Wimbledon performance began with a dropped set Later Sunday, he was in danger of getting broken to fall further behind in the third. And then, as he so often does, Alcaraz seized the moment, produced some magic and moved closer to a third consecutive title at the All England Club.

Alcaraz stretched his winning streak in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 18 matches — and his current unbeaten run across all events to 22 by coming back to beat No 14 seed Andrey Rublev 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at Centre Court to return to the quarterfinals.

In this fortnight’s first matchup between two men ranked in the top 20, No. 2 Alcaraz brought out his best while down 3-2 in the third set. First, he needed to fend off a break chance for Rublev, doing so with a forehand passing winner

After eventually holding to 3-all, Alcaraz earned his own break opportunity and didn’t let Rublev escape. On an eight-stroke exchange, Alcaraz sprinted from one corner of the court to the other and, with a stomp of his right foot and a bit of a slide, he flicked a cross-court forehand winner

Alcaraz spread his arms wide, pointed to his right ear and basked

in the crowd’s loud adulation, the noise bouncing off the underside of the stadium’s closed roof. Rublev sat in his sideline chair, looked up at his guest box and made a sarcastic “OK” hand signal Just 10 minutes later, that set belonged to Alcaraz, who will face 2022 semifinalist Cam Norrie — the last British player in singles — on Tuesday for a berth in the final four

“I always said that it’s just about belief in yourself. It doesn’t matter that you are one-set-to-love down,” Alcaraz said. “Tennis is a sport that can change in just one point. One point can change the match completely, turn around everything.”

The 61st-ranked Norrie, who played college tennis at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who hit 46 aces. Norrie had a chance to close things out much earlier than he did but failed to convert a match point while ahead 6-5 in the third-set tiebreaker

The other men’s quarterfinal Tuesday will be No. 5 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 17 Karen Khachanov Fritz, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, had a short day because his opponent, Jordan Thompson, quit after about 40 minutes with back and leg injuries that he’d been dealing with throughout the tournament. Alcaraz is just 22 and already owns five Grand Slam trophies,

the latest arriving in June at the French Open. He hasn’t lost a match anywhere since April 20 against Holger Rune in the final at Barcelona.

There have been lapses, of course, including when Alcaraz fell behind by two sets against No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final at Roland-Garros. Or when the Spaniard lost four points in a row after going up 5-3 in the opening tiebreaker against Rublev He hasn’t been as close-to-perfect as others over the past week: Sinner, No. 10 Ben Shelton and No. 22 Flavio Cobolli haven’t dropped a set heading into their fourth-round contests. Alcaraz has ceded five sets already Also on Sunday No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals at her 11th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, defeating No. 24 Elise Mertens 6-4, 7-6 (4), and will play unseeded Laura Siegemund, the 37-year-old German who followed up her elimination of Australian Open champ Madison Keys by beating Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Sonay Kartal 7-6 (3), 6-4 to return to the grass-court major’s quarterfinals for the first time in nine years. Pavlyuchenkova’s opponent Tuesday will be Amanda Anisimova, the 13th-seeded American who got past No. 30 Linda Noskova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 at night.

‘Deactivated’ electronic system causes missed out-of-bounds ruling

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON A ball that clearly landed long in a match at Centre Court wasn’t called out Sunday because the electronic system that replaced line judges at Wimbledon this year accidentally was shut off for three points.

And, because the replay review procedure that used to be in place also has been scrapped, the chair umpire called for a do-over on the point at 4-all in the first set much to the dismay of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the player who would have won the game if the proper call had been made originally Pavlyuchenkova wound up getting broken there to trail Sonay Kartal of Britain, but she eventually did come back to win the match 7-6 (3), 6-4 and reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2016.

“You took the game away from me,” Pavlyuchenkova told chair umpire Nico Helwerth at the changeover after the game ended.

Pavlyuchenkova, who is Russian, also said in the moment that the decision-making there went in Kartal’s favor because she is a local player

Next for Pavlyuchenkova is a match against No 13 Amanda Anisimova of the United States, a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 winner against No. 30 Linda Noskova on Sunday night. Anisimova also was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2022; her best Slam showing was making the 2019 French Open semifinals at age 17. At her news conference, Pavlyuchenkova said Helwerth told her after the match that he did think Kartal’s shot landed out.

“I think he felt bad, a little bit,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “He probably felt like he should have taken the initiative and called it out.”

Pavlyuchenkova also said Helwerth “probably was scared to take such a big decision.”

Pavlyuchenkova was serving and had a game point when Kartal hit a backhand that landed beyond the opposite baseline, TV replays showed But there was no sound of one of the recorded voices being used for the first time at Wimbledon to reflect when the technology being used in place of human officials determines that a

SCOREBOARD

Bronson Burgoon

-8 Zach Johnson

Ben Kohles

Thriston Lawrence

Justin Lower

6:10 p.m.

Games

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(Junk 2-1) at Cincinnati (Singer

6:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 8-6) at Milwaukee (Peralta 9-4), 6:40 p.m. Pittsburgh (Heaney 4-7) at Kansas City (Cameron 2-4), 6:40 p.m. Arizona (Gallen 6-9) at San Diego (Pivetta 9-2), 8:40 p.m. Philadelphia (Sánchez 7-2) at San Francisco (Roupp 6-5), 8:45 p.m. Golf

John Deere Classic Sunday At TPC Deere Run Silvis, Ill. Purse: $8.4 million Yardage: 7,289; Par: 71 Final Round (x-won on first playoff hole) x-Brian Campbell 65-66-68-67—266 -18 x-Emiliano Grillo 65-66-68-67—266 -18 David Lipsky

15

ALASTAIR GRANT

AP PHOTO By

Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova serves to Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on Sunday in London.

ball landed out. At least Pavlyuchenkova could joke about the whole episode later Asked how she’d feel about it had she lost the match, Pavlyuchenkova responded with a laugh: “I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back.”

She also cracked that chair umpires are “very good at giving fines and code violations” and never miss those, but perhaps it would be beneficial if they did a better job of noticing mistaken calls.

Kartal said she couldn’t see where her shot went.

“That situation is a rarity I don’t think it’s really ever happened if it has. It’s tough. What can you do? The umpire’s trying his best in that situation, and he handled it fine,” Kartal said. “I think the system just malfunctioned a little bit, and the fairest way was what he did: replay the point.” Helwerth delayed play while he made a phone call from his stand. Eventually, play resumed, Pavlyuchenkova missed a forehand on the replay, then lost the game a few points later

The tournament looked into it afterward and blamed “human error,” saying that the line-calling setup “was deactivated in error on part of the server’s side of the court for one game by those operating the system,” according to an All England Club spokesperson, who added: “We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball-tracking technology.”

The spokesperson also said Pavlyuchenkova and Kartal received apologies from the club.

9

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Auto racing

NASCAR Cup Grant Park 165

Results

Sunday At Chicago Street Course

Chicago. Lap length: 2.20 miles (Start position in parentheses)

1. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 75 laps, 40 points.

2. (9) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 75, 35.

3. (4) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 75, 50. 4. (40) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 75, 38. 5. (6) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 75, 41.

(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 75, 31.

(7) Ryan Preece, Ford, 75, 36.

8. (11) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 75, 36. 9. (30) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 75, 30. 10. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 75, 32. 11. (12) Joey Logano, Ford, 75, 26. 12. (17) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 75, 35. 13. (14) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 75, 24. 14. (26) Zane Smith, Ford, 75, 26. 15. (25) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 75, 29.

16. (39) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 75, 25.

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19. (33) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 75, 18.

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26. (35) Cody Ware, Ford, accident, 73, 11.

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28.

8

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz gestures as he plays Russia’s Andrey Rublev during a fourth-round singles match at Wimbledon on Sunday in London.

Friedchicken chainrapidly expandinginto BatonRouge afterravereviews

Chickenfrom Southern Classic Chicken is marinated for24hoursintheir house dry seasoning.

‘BEST… I’VE EVER HAD’

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

The North Louisianafried chicken chainthat Lafayette customers raved about plans torapidly expand in Baton Rouge this year Southern Classic Chicken was founded by two brothers in Shreveport, Leon and HowardFanning, who havebeeninthe business for 35 years with 17 corporate locations.InearlyJune,theyopened thefirstfranchise location in Lafayettetomuch fanfare—cars were lineduparound therestaurant before they opened The Fanning’ssons now run the business,including Brandonand Alex Fanning(Leon’ssons) and Alan Fanning (Howard’sson) The first Baton Rouge location is set to open inlatesummer on South SherwoodForestBoulevard. The next will open in the fall on Florida Boulevard near Rouses, and they’re looking at athird location somewhere on Plank Road DonnieJarreau ishandling the realestate transactions forthe locations in Baton Rouge. Jarreau’s SSFHoldings LLC bought 3410 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., in August “Baton Rouge, to them, is the center of thestate, so they want to prove concept in Baton Rouge that willhelpwith their expansion plansthroughout theSoutheast,” Jarreau said

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Southern Classic Chicken, created by Shreveportbrothers, is opening a location in Baton Rougeat3410 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.inAugust.

“I stand by it, and Ikeep looking for anybody thatcan rivalit.”

TOMGERDES,vice president of brand operations for Southern Classic Chicken

According to TomGerdes, vice president of brandoperations for Southern Classic Chicken, there’sa franchiselocation in New Orleans comingsoon.Gerdes grew up in the Northeast beforemoving to Louisianaabout four years ago. He said what sets their chicken apart is the flavor

“The spice and flavor you get isn’t just in theskin,” he said. “That’s

ä See CLASSIC, page 6C

Vacation with mindfulnesstoget most

BYCHRISTOPHER

Chloe Bennet says she felt unwelcome when shevisitedVenice recently.And she had adecision to make “It was acombinationofthe high visitor

Demonstrators march and shout slogans protesting against masstourism in Barcelona, Spain, in 2024.

Navigating apathy in patients with frontotemporal dementia

Howcan apathybemanaged in an individual with frontotemporal dementia?

Frontotemporal dementia or frontotemporal degeneration (FTD)refers to arange of disorders that impact the brain’s frontal lobes (regions behind forehead) or its temporal lobes (regions behind ears). These areas of the brain are commonly associated with personality, behavior and language.

Apathy in FTD is one of the mostchallenging aspects of the disorder forcaregivers and health care professionals to manage. FTD affects the individual enjoying everyday activities, participation in social events, performing household tasks and even personal hygiene and self-care. Managing apathy in those with FTD should be individually tailored, and effective interventions and environmental strategies should be delivered and promoted with understanding and patience.

Caregivers can assist in the journey of FTD by learning all about the disease-related changes in the brain that are affecting their loved ones. Getting educated about FTD and its processes can help to maintain the caregiver’sempathetic connection to the individual and thus reduce anger and frustration in the relationship of both parties. The individual with FTD feels apathetic mostdays, with no motivation and/or the ability to initiate anything. The needs and interests of the individual with FTD should be assessed, and in that way,amore personcentered approach can be maintained.

What motivates him or her? What brings joy? What music could be played? Cover all the individual’sbiography,including spiritual, emotional, physical, nutritional, intellectual and social interests. Develop activities based on this biography and adapt them accordingly as abilities change during the progression of the disorder

Eliminating the need to makedecisions and having a planned structure are helpful and necessary ways to manage and reduce apathy.Individuals with FTD require alot of time to process information and instructions, so it is important not to rush communications or the prescribed activity

External cueing may be necessary to start an activity and keep the individual engaged. Reliance just on verbal cueing will be less effective as FTD progresses, so caregivers may need to take moredirect action or mimicthe action they want their loved ones to perform. Incorporate acustomized music playlist forthe individual and promote physical activity like walking or dancing.

Repetitive activities also work well, such as folding laundry, as these are consistent with someofthe behavioral symptomsassociated with FTD Additionally,multisensory activities may overwhelm the

Pollen counts arehighest they’vebeenindecades

Dear Doctors: Ihave hay fever, but usually it’snot that bad.This year,however,ithas been awful. I’m plugged up, my eyes are itchy and by the end of the day,Ihave aheadache. We live near Atlanta, anda lot of people here are miserable. Over-the-counter meds aren’t helping. What can Ido?

Dear reader: We suspect your body is responding to pollen, the powdery substance emitted by many plants, grasses and trees in thereproduction process. The National Allergy Bureau,anarm of the American AcademyofAllergy,Asthma and Immunology, compiles daily readings of pollen counts. This spring, theirdata show the highest pollen counts recorded in decades in many re-

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

gions ofthe United States

The NABmaintains about85 pollen counting stationsacross the U.S. Devices at each station capture pollenand mold spores, andthey collect samples every 24 hours. They examine the samples under amicroscope to get readings on thenumber of pollengrains per cubicmeter of air. Thehigherthe

number,the moreairborne pollen. According to NAB data, the Atlanta area is recording its highest pollen counts in 35 years. Hay fever is thebody’sresponse to this pollen. The medical term for this unique form of discomfort is allergic rhinitis. Breathing in pollen spores triggers theimmune system tosend out chemical messengers called histamines. These set off an inflammatoryresponse meant to repel and kill thepollen invaders. The congestion, itchy eyes and headache you have are common symptoms of hay fever.Other symptoms can include sneezing, postnasal drip, watery eyes, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, sore throat and fatigue.

Keep handsawayfromface

Dear Heloise: Ihave ahint for Holly H. of Arcadia, Florida. When Iwas ateenager,Ihad an acne condition that centered around my jawline like hers. Iwent to adermatologist who gave me the best advice anyone could give me after he cleared my face. During the treatment, Iwas to keep away from cheese, nuts and chocolate. But the permanent advice that Iuse to this day (I’m now 93) is to keep your hands away from your face. This is the same advice healthcare providers gave us during the coronavirus lockdowns. Should Ineed to rest my face on my hand, Iuse a napkin, atissue, or the collar on my blouse (anything to keep my hands off my face). No one has ever criticized me for doing this

Many people with allergic rhinitis get relief from over-the-counter antihistamines. Although they can be helpful, it is possible to build up atolerance to their effects. Immunotherapies, such as allergy shots or tablets, are also an option. This year’ssuperchargedpollen counts can even botherpeople who don’thaveallergies. This is known as nonallergic rhinitis. Antihistamines are noteffective forpeople with nonallergic rhinitis because histaminesdon’t cause their symptoms. They can try over-the-counter decongestants. Asaline sinus rinse to wash away sporescan also help. Always use distilledorsterilized water in sinus rinse,asbacteriacan be present in tapwater Pollen counts are highest in the

CLASSIC

Continuedfrom page5C

morning, at night and when it’s windy.Taking medication before heading out at those times can get ahead of symptoms. Agood mask can provide aphysical barrier Pollen spores cling to surfaces, including skin, hair and clothes. Ashower before bed and washing clothes thoroughly can also limit exposure. If severe symptoms persist, check in with your doctor about other options, such as prescription medications.

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

fresh chickenevery dayin dry seasoning (with asecret recipe)for 24 hours before it goes through adouble batter process.

all these years. Today Iget morecompliments forhaving such smooth skin —Carmelina M., via email Carmelina, this is excellent advice, andhere is another hint:Don’trest your head on your hands because you’re just stretchingout your skin.Wash your hands before touching yourself to eliminate cross-contamination.And don’tuse aloofah or a rough washcloth on your face.

—Heloise

Your last gift

Dear Heloise: Nottobe maudlin, but creatinga will can beavery real problem. Recently amost unexpected deathinour family has very keenly illustrated the vital need for each of ustohavea will and aconversation with aloved one about final wishes.

When someone dies without plans in place, thefamily is left with heartache, deep grief, and important questions without answers Awill and final wishes that are known to afriend or relative are our last giftsto our family —Lynn, in Rutland, Vermont Lynn, Iagree. There is usually less hurt or surprise when awill is read and everyone knows what aperson’sfinal wishes are, which might include requestsfor aburial or messages.

But one lastnote: Awill is often read after someone is buried, so if you have any special requests, it’s best to let your loved ones know what it is that you want. It might be that you wish to be cremated instead of buried or thatyou areanorgan donor —Heloise

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Please don’task ‘where she’sfrom’

Dear Miss Manners: Ilive in a placewhere many cultures and nationalities abound When Iwas at arestaurant with friends the other day, we were served by acomely waitress. My friend commented on the beauty of the “Asian waitress,” but Ithought she was Latina. Is there atactful and proper way to ask? Or are we better off not asking such aquestion at all? None of us wishes to offend anyone. Gentle reader: Then please just order your food. Miss Manners reminds you that the waitress is not amenu item of whom you may inquire the ingredients. She has work to do and may not want to explain her back-

ByThe Associated Press

easy.Anybody can do that.” He said that Southern ClassicChicken’s unique flavorcomes from thecare thestaff takes in marinating

APATHY

Continuedfrom page5C

individual, so these need to be introduced one sense at atime as to not distract the individual or cause him or her to loseinterest. Overall, any engagement with the individual with FTD should be enjoyable, nonthreatening and purposeful to generatemotivation and to

VACATION

Continuedfrom page5C

will be more exasperated thanever as crowds of tourists descend on theircity.

The chainisalsoknownfor its affordable prices —most meals cost between $5 and $7. “I stand by it, and Ikeep looking foranybody that can rival it,” Gerdes said. “Best fried chicken I’ve ever had.” Once theBatonRouge area locations open, the restaurant will serve lunch and dinner,seven days aweek. Email SerenaPuang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com.

garner moreenthusiasm, pleasure and to maintain a quality of life. Many caregivers feel guilty about“notdoing enough” fortheir lovedones, which adds undue stress.

Joining asupport group specifically forFTD caregivers can help caregivers express their feelings in additionto learning more ways andsuggestions to manage apathy in their lovedones. Contact the Association

profit dedicated to advancing sustainability in the travel and tourism industry.“The best waytoensure apositive experience is to do your homeworkbefore arriving.”

forFrontotemporal Degeneration (www.theaftd.org or (866) 507-7222) formore information and resources.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’sadvocate and authorof“What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” She hosts “TheMemory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

ground to you. Dear Miss Manners: My fiancé andI sent outwedding invitations. Our weddingisstill 12 weeks away,but will-be attendees have alreadybegun sending gifts to our house. What is the proper etiquette for the timingofthank-you notes?Shouldwe wait until the wedding takes place, or should we start sending thank-you notesnow to acknowledge receipt ofthese gifts?

Gentle reader: NOW! Sorry; MissManners did not mean to shoutatyou Butshe knows whathappens whenbrides postpone thanking peoplewho give them presents. Right now,you are busy

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Monday, July 7, the 188th day of 2025. There are 177 days left in the year

TodayinHistory On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the firstfemale justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Also on this date: In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C., for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinatePresident Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.

In 1898, President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution, approving the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii. In 1930, construction began on BoulderDam (known today as Hoover Dam).

In 1976, the UnitedStates Military Academy at West Point included female

cadets for thefirst time as 119 women joined the Class of 1980. In 1990, thefirst “Three Tenors” concert took place as opera stars Luciano Pavarotti, PlácidoDomingo andJose Carreras performedamid thebrick ruins of Rome’sBaths of Caracalla on theeve ofthe FIFA World Cup final. In 2005, terrorist bombings in three Underground stations and adouble-decker buskilled 52 people and four bombers in theworst attack on London since World WarII. In 2010, Los Angeles police arrested andcharged LonnieFranklin Jr.inthe city’s “Grim Sleeper” serial killings. (Franklin, who was sentenced to death for thekillings of nine women andateenagegirl, died in prison in March 2020 at the age of 67.) In 2016, Micah Johnson, aBlack Army veteranwho served in Afghanistan, opened fire on Dallas police, killingfive officers in an act of vengeancefor the fatal police shootings of Black men;the attack ended with Johnson being

gettingready for thewedding. Then, you will be on your wedding trip. After that, you will be catching up at work after having been away.Atthat point, you won’tbeable to bear to look at the list of who gave what —which will be on your desk, giving you dirty looks.

Then you will decide that it is too late.

The time to thank someone for giving you apresent is when you receive that present.

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

killed by abomb delivered by apolice robot.

In 2021, asquad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home.

Today’sBirthdays: Musicianconductor Doc Severinsen is 98. Former Beatle Ringo Starr is 85. World Golf Hall of Famer Tony Jacklin is 81. Actor Joe Spano is 79. Actor Roz Ryan is 74. Actor Billy Campbell is 66. Basketball Hall of Famer RalphSampson is 65. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 62. Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan is 59. Actor Amy Carlson is 57. Actor Jorja Fox is 57. Actor Robin Weigert is 56. Basketball Hall of Famer LisaLeslie is 53. Actor Kirsten Vangsness (“Criminal Minds”) is 53. Actor Berenice Bejo (Film: “The Artist”)is49. Actor Hamish Linklater is 49. Olympic figure skating medalistMichelle Kwan is 45. GuitaristSynyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold) is 44. Pop singer Ally Brooke (Fifth Harmony) (TV:“The XFactor”) is 32.

“Popular destinations have alove-hate relationship with tourists, especially this summer,” explains Susan Sherren,who runs thetravel design companyCouture Trips.“They can’tlive without tourists funding their economy.But at thesame time, local affordability concerns and overcrowding have skyrocketed, making thelocals quiteupset.Ireally can’tblame them,and would not wish that influx of humanityinmycity.”

Should yougohome?

So what should you do if you feel like people don’t want you there? Turn around and go home? No.

As it turns out, there are proven ways todefuse these hostilities andset your trip on theright track. Iknowbecause I’m on the road almost everyday out of the year, and I’ve had to deal with almosteverywhere Igo.

But first, let’sget back to Bennet’s story.She could allow the unfriendly looks and thehigh taxes ruin her trip —orshe coulddosomething about it.

She decided to do something

“I had wanted to explore Venicefor manyyears and hoped to bond withthe city withoutfeeling like Iwas disrupting itsrhythm,” she says. “I decidedtomodify my behavior to improve the situation. Even basicItalian phrases like ‘Buongiorno’ and‘Grazie’ madeanoticeable difference when Iused them.”

Bennetalso decided to supportlocal businessesinstead of visiting well-known tourist spots, and she stayed away from attractions during peak times.

“I noticedthatlocalsbecamemore welcomingwhen they saw my efforts to honor their cultural norms,” she adds.

Could it be that simple?

Just stopactinglike atourist? Maybe.

Feelingunwelcome

Expertssay you can avoid achilly reception on your next vacation. Butthe time to start thinking about it is now

“Feeling welcome as atraveler starts long before your planelands,” says Jessica Flores, chief experience officer for Tourism Cares, anon-

Don’t go alone. That’sthe adviceofDiane Rulke,a professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University whohas livedin Europe forthe last 25 years.

“Travel with alocal guide, if possible,” she adds. Alocal will help you avoid the most touristy areas, the biggest crowds, and will help you have amore authentic experience.

Also,there’s strengthin numbers, so travel with friends and respect local customs.

Respect the locals. Lisa Mirza Grotts, an etiquette expert who specializes in travel issues, says Bennet had the right idea. “Pay closeattentiontolocal customs and social norms,” she says. The visitorswho getthe cold stares areusuallythe ones who flout local practices speaking loudly in acountry that values peace and quiet or wearing inappropriate or immodest clothing in amore traditional country

Make apersonal connection

How do you do that?“Afew words in the local language, genuine curiosity about their culture, and adhering to community rules canquickly easetension,”explains John Rose, chief risk and security officer at ALTOUR.“By remaining flexible, respectful, andinformed,you increase your chances of turning a frosty reception into amemorable, positive travel experience.” It’strue —Americans whoassumeeveryone else speaks English rank among the top annoyances at popular destinations.

In otherwords,get some local advice— andtakeit. And don’tact like the place belongs to you (because it doesn’t). And how do Iknow that’s true? Well, I’ve had some experience with this.

Turningthingsaround

Youmight find this hard to believe, but even journalists like me are often unwelcomeinplaces we visit. (OK, that wasajoke.)

I’ve always felt welcome in places like Turkey and the Middle Eastern Gulf states or theAmerican South, which have long traditions of welcoming strangers. I’ve felt less wanted —which is a polite wayofsaying I’ve felt unwelcome —inplaces like Australia, Brazil and parts of the Caribbean.

The first thing Ialways try to do is understandwhy they dislike tourists. And usually,there’sapretty good reason, ranging fromsilly (“You drive on thewrong side of theroad”)toserious (“You’ve exploited my island forgenerations”).

Rachel McCaffery,asustainable tourismexpert, recalls stepping off acruise ship in Corsica onlytobe greeted by protesters. But instead of walking past them,she stoppedand asked them whythey were demonstrating. “There werefive or six enormous cruise ships that docked in their small town harbor every day,” she says. “Turns outthe continual churning of giant engines meanssmokeregularly billows into nearby homes,affecting people’shealth.” That was aclassy move. Youdon’t want to be grouped with all the annoyingtourists —you know,the ones who crowdthe town square snapping selfies. It’s thebest way to set yourself apart with good manners and respect for local culture. So that’swhat Itry to do. Kindness works

My final strategy is the hardest: Itry to return their ragewithkindness.When they grimace, Ismile.And when theyignore me,Ilean into my politeness. And it usually works. Thanks to these strategies, I have friends in someofthe least hospitable places on Earth. And you can, too.

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist He foundedElliott Advocacy,a nonprofit organizationthat helps solveconsumerproblems. He publishesElliott Confidential, atravel newsletter,and theElliott Report, anewssiteabout customer service. If you need help withaconsumer problem, you canreach himhere or email himat chris@elliott.org.

HOME-DELIVERED EVERYDAY

Hints from Heloise

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Turn your attention to domestic matters, comfort and peace of mind. Refuse to let othersdictateyour future. Follow your passion and promote whatyou have to offer.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Social or networking events will change how you approach meetings. Speak from the heart, question anything thatdoesn't sound legitimate andproceed confidently.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept.22) Take amoment to realign your thoughts and body language to suit your situation. Maintain a state of calm and think matters through before you share your plans.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct.23) Put your responsibilities first before moving on to more pleasurabletasks.The order in which you do things will affect the outcome andhow others perceive you.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Refuse to let your emotions cause work-related problems that can negatively influence your reputationorlong-term goals.Mixing business with pleasure is in your best interest.

sAGITTARIus(nov.23-Dec. 21) Blowing situations out of proportion will cost you. Useyour intelligence to initiatea positive step forward. Overspendingon unnecessary items will be your downfall. Strive for stability.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Check what's available andwithin your budget before proceeding with aproject. Knowledge will help youavoid emotional mistakes.

Chooseyour associates withcareand think twice before participating in a joint venture.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Trust your instincts, intelligence and experience. Personal gain and growth will improve yourlifestyle andrelationships. Don't be afraid of alittle competition.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Developing a fair planwill be difficult if emotions and ego get involved. Composure willbenecessary if you want to gain ground. Be willingtocompromise, but don't allow anyone to take advantage of you.

ARIEs (March 21-April19) Determination will getyou everywhere. Direct your energy where it offersthe highest return. Take care of yourselffirst, and you'll feel betterabout yourself and more willingtohelp others.

TAuRus(April20-May20) Communication will lead to opportunity,new connections andtips that will help solve domestic concerns. An energetic approach will helpyou fast-track your waytothe top.

GEMInI(May 21-June 20) Networking will helpyou recognize who is on your side and who poses athreat. Astute behavior will foil anyone trying to outmaneuver you. An avant-garde appearanceand friendlydemeanor will seal adeal

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

CelebrityCipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people,pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands foranother.

ToDAy's cLuE:M EQuALs u

CeLebrItY CIpher

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Sydney J. Harris, anewspaper journalist from Chicago whodiedin1986, said, “An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count. Acynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. Arealist believes that what is done or left undone in the shortrun determines the long run.”

Abridge player knows that counting is important in the long run —the 13 tricks of adeal. Here, howshould South play in three no-trump after West leads the club 10?

If youweresitting South, wouldyou have opened one diamond or one club, or passed?

With ace-king, ace, you should almost alwaysopen the bidding. It is textbook to bid one diamond because if West overcalls onespade and North makes anegative double, you can rebid two clubs. Note also that after you open one diamond, if West passes and North responds one heart, it is better to rebid two hearts (missing afourth trump) than one no-trump (withnospade stopper) or twoclubs(whichpromisesfivediamonds and risksending in a4-2 diamond fit).

Inthegivenauction,twoclubswasNew MinorForcing,askingopenertodescribe hishand further. Twodiamondsdenied boththree spades and four hearts.

wuzzles

However,arealistwould take the first trickontheboardandplayadiamond.He wouldbehappy to sacrificetwo tricks in the suit to establish two winners. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel

Southhas seven top tricks: one spade, two hearts and four clubs. If an idealist crosses to his hand with aheart to take adiamond or spade finesse, he will go down with this layout.

Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must

ToDAy’sWoRD

Average

Timelimit

Can

and

said,

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato