The Acadiana Advocate 07-11-2025

FLOODWATCH

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Topography is oneofthe main reasons it isn’tlikely Lafayette will see rushing floodwaters along the Vermilion River like those that devastated partsofthe TexasHill Country over the July Fourth weekend. There just aren’tany hills in south Louisiana, and the Vermilion River basicallyis flat.

“Our land’sa lot slower,”said Chad Sonnier,director of Lafayette’sOffice of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

At least 120 people are dead and about 170 are missing after heavy rainfall sent amassive wall of water,25to30feetdeep, rushing through Central Texas overnight Friday into Saturday Residents and vacationers,includingchildren attending summercampsalong the Guadalupe River,were caught offguard as,without much warning, the river rose 20 feet in under an hourinsome places

BY HOLLYRAMER and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press

CONCORD,N.H. Afederal judge in New Hampshire issued aruling Thursdayprohibiting President Donald Trump’sexecutive order ending birthright citizenshipfrom takingeffect anywhere in theU.S. Judge JosephLaPlante issueda preliminary injunction blocking Trump’sorder and certified aclass action lawsuit including all children who will be affected. The order which followed an hourlong hearing, included aseven-day stay to allow for appeal. The judge’s decision puts the

Fattyliver drugshows promise in Tulane study

Treatmentcould clearcells that setstage fordisease

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Fatty liver disease affects morethan a third of adults in the United States, asilent epidemic closelytiedtoobesity anddiabetes. In Louisiana, where both conditions aremorecommon thanthe nationalaverage, doctors suspect the disease is even morewidespread, often going undetected until it becomes life-threatening. Scientists from Tulane University are part of amultiuniversityteam exploring apotential newtreatmentthatcould stop the disease before it turns deadly In astudy published earlierthis year in Nature Aging, the team foundthat adrugcalled 753b clearedout harmful aging cells knownas senescent cells.

Sometimescalled “zombie cells,” they build up in the liver as people age or develop obesity anddiabetes. The cells no longer function properly, but they don’tdie off. Instead, they linger in the body,increasing inflammation and damaging nearby tissue, which sets the stage fordisease.

Senescent cells are akey feature of chronicliverdisease,saidLiya Pi, apathologist at Tulane School of Medicine and an author of the study.The drug can clear senescent cells and reduce the developmentofliver disease to fibrosis and the most commontype of liver cancer,she said.

The disease, now called MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), was previously knownas nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It rarely causes symptomsinearly stages.

birthright citizenship issue on a fast track to return to the Supreme Court. The justices could be asked to rule whether theorder complies with their decision last month that limited judges’ authority to issue nationwide injunctions. The Supreme Court said district judges generally can’tissue nationwide, or universal, injunctions. But it didn’trule out whether judges couldaccomplish much thesamething by adifferent legal means, aclass action. The class approved in NewHampshire is slightly narrower than that sought by the plaintiffs,who wanted to include parents, but attorneys said that wouldn’tmake amaterial difference.

Sometimes called “zombie cells,” senescent cells build up in the liveras people age or develop obesityand diabetes ä See LIVER, page 4A

“Thisisgoing to protect every single child around the country from this lawless, unconstitutional and cruel executive order,” said Cody Wofsy,anattorney for the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of apregnant woman, twoparents and their infants. It’samongnumerous cases challenging Trump’sJanuary order denying citizenshiptothose born to parents living in the U.S. illegally or temporarily

The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil LibertiesUnion and others.

BIRTHRIGHT, page 4A

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

Mairelise Robinson attendsaMay protest in support of birthright citizenship outside the Supreme CourtinWashington.

AJefferson Street underpass is flooded after an April storm.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Accused Trump shooter wants to represent self FORT PIERCE Fla. A man charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course told a federal judge Thursday he wants to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself, saying he will be ready to defend himself before a trial jury this fall.

Ryan Routh made his request during a hearing in Fort Pierce before U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon. When the judge asked Routh, 59, whether he wanted her to appoint new attorneys to defend him, Routh replied: “No. I will represent myself.”

Routh is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.

“Do you understand that selfrepresentation is almost always a bad idea?” the judge asked Routh.

“Yes, your honor,” replied Routh, who described the extent of his education as two years of college after earning his GED certificate.

Cannon also asked Routh if he understood the court’s rules of evidence and federal criminal procedure He told her: “I have a book.”

Secret Service suspends 6 after Pa. Trump rally

The Secret Service has suspended six agents tasked with securing the Pennsylvania rally where Donald Trump was shot last year

Matt Quinn, Secret Service deputy director, told CBS News that their punishments range from 10 to 42 days of leave without pay or benefits. They include several agents at the service’s Pittsburgh field office, along with one agent on Trump’s detail and a counter sniper, sources told CNN. It is unclear when the agents were formally suspended.

At least two of the agents are reportedly appealing the move.

On July 13, 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks unleashed gunfire from a rooftop overlooking Trump’s rally in Butler The president was just six minutes into his address when a bullet grazed his right ear One rally attendee, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed in violent chaos. Two others were wounded before a sniper finally took out Crooks.

In the months since, a series of congressional investigations and federal reports have been completed, including the Secret Service’s own analysis. It uncovered multiple failures the day of the shooting, including communication breakdowns with local police, who spotted the shooter and even confronted the gunman. Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid scrutiny regarding security the day of the assassination attempt.

Real estate influencer indicted for scheme

A New Jersey real estate influencer was indicted Thursday on numerous charges for running an alleged Ponzi scheme to generate his millions, the Justice Department announced.

Cesar Humberto Piña, 47, was known online as “Flipping NJ” until July 2023, when his operation began falling apart.

Piña promised investors returns of up to 30% in only four to five months, then took their money and spent it on personal items, according to the feds. Most of the money he did pay back was simply taken from new investors, authorities said Piña was charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy and one count of bribing a public official.

Piña’s wife, Jennifer Iturralde Piña, additionally faces a federal charge destroying evidence. The feds said she destroyed a cellphone when agents arrived at the couple’s home to search it in March 2024.

Eligibility for programs to change

Immigrants in U.S. illegally will be unable to enroll in Head

BY ANNIE MA Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will restrict immigrants in the country illegally from enrolling in Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday The move is part of a broad effort to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who lack legal status.

People in the country illegally are largely ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. But for decades they have been able to access some community-level programs such as Head Start and community health centers.

HHS said it will reclassify those programs as federal public benefits, excluding immigrants in the country illegally from accessing them. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes were part of a larger effort to protect American citizens’ interests.

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law and protects vital resources for the American people.”

A spokesperson for the Administration for Children and Families, which administers Head Start, said that eligibility will be determined based on the child’s immi-

Start

gration status. Requiring proof of immigration status would likely create fear and confusion among families seeking to enroll their children, said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association. “This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future,” Vinci said.

The changes are part of a multiagency announcement rescinding a Clinton-era interpretation of federal law, which had allowed immigrants in the country illegally to access some programs The Education Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor announced

31 workers reach safety after L.A. tunnel collapse

BY DAMIAN DOVARGANES and JULIE WATSON Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — All 31 construction work-

ers who were far inside a huge industrial tunnel being dug under Los Angeles made it to safety after a partial collapse, an outcome officials called a blessing after they initially feared much worse.

The workers were 400 feet underground and as much as 6 miles inside from the only entrance when the cave-in Wednesday evening threatened to trap them on the far side of the tunnel’s boring machine, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.

Fire Department Chief Ronnie Vil-

lanueva said the workers had to make it through the most treacherous part themselves, climbing over more than 12 feet of loose dirt and debris to reach the boring machine before rescuers could drive them to the opening of the nearly $700 million project, which is designed to carry treated wastewater to the Pacific

Ocean Aerial footage showed a crane hoisting workers out of the tunnel in a yellow cage None had major injuries, authorities said.

The accident happened as workers were operating the boring machine, said

Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager for the sanitation districts.

“A section that they have already built had squeezing ground and had a collapse, a partial collapse,” he told reporters.

The collapse in the tunnel, which is 18 feet wide and will be 7 miles long, happened under the Wilmington neighborhood, a heavily industrial area filled with oil refineries just north of the Port of Los Angeles.

Working so near the shoreline and at such a depth means crews could have been contending with very wet conditions that add challenges during design and digging, said Maria Mohammed, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California.

“You would design not just for the pressure from the soil and the weight of the soil, you have to design for the pressure from the water,” said Mohammed, whose group is not involved in the Wilmington project.

The cause is under investigation, Chee said. Work will not resume until they can figure out what happened and determine that it’s safe to proceed, authorities said.

Mohammed said that investigation could take months, if not longer It will take some time just to make the tunnel safe for investigators to enter Once inside, they’ll try to determine where the collapse originated, she said.

Senate Republicans block attempt to roll back tax hike on gamblers

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked an attempt to reverse a little-noticed provision from their tax and spending cuts law that professional gamblers warn could be the end of their industry

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez

Masto of Nevada sought unanimous passage of a bill that would roll back the change on gambling tax deductions, but Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana objected, stalling the proposal for now

The emerging fight over the gambling provision is likely only the beginning of the fallout from the new tax law and its impact on the country Spanning more than 900 pages, the bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week contained a slew of provisions changing federal programs and the tax code, many of which lawmakers admit they are only now beginning to fully digest.

Under the new tax law starting in 2026, individuals can only deduct 90% of their

gambling losses up to the amount of their winnings. That’s a change from the previous rule, which allowed gamblers to deduct 100% of their losses, up to the amount they won.

The change will only significantly impact those who gamble larger amounts and who take the extra steps to itemize and deduct their losses. But for those individuals, the impact could be steep.

In practice, for example, under the old rule, someone who wins $100,000 and loses $100,000 could deduct the full $100,000 in losses and owe nothing. Under the new rule, they would only be able to deduct $90,000 and would still owe taxes on the remaining $10,000, despite having lost all their winnings.

“This new amendment to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would end professional gambling in the U.S. and hurt casual gamblers, too,” Phil Galfond, a professional poker player, said on social media just days ahead of the bill’s final passage.

The provision is estimated to generate over $1.1 billion in tax revenue over eight years.

similar changes affecting a range of workforce and adult education programs.

The changes will affect community health centers that immigrants rely on for a wide range of services, said Shelby Gonzales, vice president of immigration policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“People depend on those services to get cancer treatment, to get ongoing maintenance for a variety of different health needs,” she said. Students in the country illegally will no longer be eligible to participate in postsecondary career and technical education programs or adult education programs, the Education Department announced. The department also issued a notice to grant recipients to ensure that programs receiving federal funding do not provide services to immigrants without legal status.

Texas AG’s wife files for divorce

BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas Texas state

Sen. Angela Paxton, the wife of Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, filed for divorce on Thursday, seeking to end 38 years of marriage as her husband campaigns for the U.S. Senate. Angela Paxton had stuck by her husband through a decade of legal troubles that included state and federal corruption investigations and a 2023 state impeachment trial that publicly exposed his extramarital affair The trial ended with his full acquittal.

A fierce and vocal ally of President Donald Trump, Ken Paxton was first elected state attorney general in 2014 and is now campaigning to unseat long-time Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary Angela Paxton, who stood by her husband during the impeachment trial, cited “recent discoveries” in her announcement that she had filed for divorce.

“Today after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” Angela Paxton posted on

X.

“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.” Ken Paxton later posted his own statement asking for prayers and privacy “After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives,” Ken Paxton posted on X.

A former high school teacher and guidance counselor, Angela Paxton used to play guitar and sing, “I’m a pistol-packin’ mama, and my husband sues Obama,” at his campaign events and Republican clubs across the state. When it came time for Angela Paxton to launch her own political career, a $2 million loan from her husband propelled her to a narrow victory for a state Senate seat in the booming Dallas suburbs. Once elected, she filed bills to expand his office’s powers, and approved budgets over his state agency and salary

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG

An aerial view Thursday shows the only entrance to an industrial tunnel in Los Angeles after a section of the tunnel partially collapsed Wednesday night.

Mourning of flood victims begins in Texas

BY NADIA LATHAN, SEAN MURPHY and JOSHUA A. BICKEL Associated Press

KERRVILLE,Texas Shock has turned into grief across Texas where at least 120 people have died from flash

floods and more were missing as the search for victims moved methodically along endless miles of rivers and rubble Thursday

Photos of those who have died along with a colorful array of flowers and candles now decorate a fence in Hill Country — a growing tribute that reflects the enormity of the disaster in the region

The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp and a 91-year-old grandmother known for her sharp wit.

More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County, where nearly 100 victims have been recovered The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit.

Authorities say they have carefully gone over the list of those unaccounted for but those numbers are often tough to pin down in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night. One woman recounted how she and others, including a toddler, first climbed into an attic and then onto a roof where they heard screams and watched vehicles float past Photos and videos captured their ordeal.

More than 2,000 local, state and federal workers were involved in the search for victims. Stifling heat and mounds of trees, hunks of lumber and trash made the task more difficult.

At a small shopping center damaged in the floods, people piled debris gathered from the rivers. Officials hope to eventually set aside personal items so residents find their possessions.

On Wednesday, hundreds prayed, wept and held one another at a prayer service, among the first of many somber gatherings to come in the weeks ahead.

“Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,” said Wyatt Wentrcek, a youth minister David Garza drove more than an hour to support his loved ones.

“I’m from here, and I was here in the ’78 flood and the ’87 flood,” Garza said. “I just wanted to be a part of this.” Some at the service wore green ribbons for the girls from Camp Mystic, the century-old Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died. Parents of children who were at the many summer camps in Hill Country have credited the teenage counselors with ushering campers

to safety and helping keep them calm during the chaos.

Texas Gov Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to approve funding for new warning systems and emergency communications in flood prone areas when the Legislature meets later this month. Abbott also asked for financial relief for the response and recovery efforts.

“We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,” he said in a statement Wednesday Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be answered after the victims are recovered.

Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens.

Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, which are becoming a growing worry On Tuesday, a deluge

ThedevastationinTexasstretched

Survivors captured terrifying ordeal in photos, video

BY JESSE BEDAYN

Associated Press

Jane Towler was up late in a small cabin along the Guadalupe River as thunder boomed through a thrashing rain. It was 4 a.m. and water was pooling on the floor Suddenly, her phone rang. It was her friend from a nearby cabin.

“Jane, we’re f***ed!” Brian Keeper said frantically.

“The water’s in my house! Get out!” Towler’s grandfather bought the property in Texas Hill Country in the 1930s, and she’s lived through many floods in her 70 years, losing a canoe or chairs here and there. But last Friday was different.

The river would swell 26 feet in 45 minutes and lay waste to homes and buildings, sweep away cars and trucks, and claim the lives of more than 100 people, including many summer campers.

Pulling shoes onto bare feet, Towler ran in her pajamas toward the nearby house where her son, Alden Towler, and family friend Shabd Simon-Alexander were sleeping, along with Simon-Alexander’s toddler daughter

Situation worsening

When her son awoke to Simon-Alexander’s desperate screams, the water was already ankle deep.

“Who do we tell? We have to tell someone,” SimonAlexander said in a video of those frantic moments shot by Jane Towler one of sev-

eral the retired nurse would record during the deluge.

“Everything in our yard has floated away,” Jane Towler said as her video captured the muddy water rising in the kitchen SimonAlexander’s daughter was quiet, strapped to her mother’s chest.

“OK, I want us to be prepared to go up in the attic,” Jane Towler said. Alden Towler got busy stacking belongings on a bed in another room to keep them dry But Simon-Alexander pointed out the futility

With the water now at his knees and him still in just underwear, Alden Towler shifted priorities and grabbed a bottle of water and peanuts.

As the fridge toppled over with a splash, their narrowing options crystallized

“What do we do to be safe?

Go on the roof?” asked Jane Towler

“I guess we go on the roof,” her son replied

A climb into darkness

Simon-Alexander consoled her daughter Five days earlier they celebrated the girl’s first birthday

Now, Simon-Alexander stood with her baby, the water up to her thighs. Looking back, she said at that point she was sure they would drown, either where they were or in the attic But in the video, she calmed her daughter in a gentle voice, telling her, “Yeah, it’s a lot.

It’s a lot, baby.” Then darkness.

“Oh my god!” said SimonAlexander

At 4:16 a.m. and with the furniture floating, Jane Towler called 911 from atop the kitchen counter

“You have to help us,” Simon-Alexander pleaded into the speakerphone. “We are going to die.”

The dispatcher, calm and kind, couldn’t promise rescue any time soon, but urged them to get as far away from the water as they could, and stay alive. They then pulled themselves into the attic.

Through the hatch, they watched water silently rise in the kitchen below Then they heard the eerie clinking of plates and glasses as it swirled around the cabinets and neared the ceiling.

Glimpsing the destruction

Alden Towler found a vent to the roof, punched it out, and they eventually climbed through. Water licked the roofline. Screams pierced the thunder as people called for each other across the valley Car horns blared nonstop and vehicles floated past them, lit by lightning. The river smelled of sewage.

There was a boom, and then a drawn out splintering noise that carried through the cacophony The house quivered.

Their neighbor’s house, buoyed by the swollen river, appeared to have smashed into the cabin Jane Towler had been staying in and torn it from its foundation It then slammed into the house they were huddled on and a tree

between the two structures before coming to a stop.

They were preparing to spend days on the roof, conserving their water, peanuts and the flashlight’s battery, switching it on only every so often to check the river level.

It had dropped 4 inches.

Then later, a foot.

Making it to safety

The sun began to rise at around 6:30 a.m., illuminat-

ing the transformed world around them. They shouted to cars that were driving on the road up the hill, and were eventually helped off the roof and driven to a church were others were gathering

“That’s really where the real horror begins,” said Alden Towler, who is certified as a wilderness first responder With their medical training — Jane Towler is a retired labor and delivery

nurse — they helped two doctors tend to the injured. To the Towlers and SimonAlexander, the scene was a mix of horror and generosity A man asked Alden Towler if he had his wallet, which he didn’t, and the man handed him $300. Five days later, Alden Towler’s voice still cracked with emotion when he described in the community the “unstoppable drive to help people.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

A woman prays during a vigil for flooding victims Wednesday at Tivy Antler Stadium in Kerrville,

drivethrough a flooded intersection at Taft andStewartstreets in Lafayette. In Louisiana, the rise of floodwaters is slower, andwarnings

FLOOD

from page1A

Lafayette faces flooding along the Vermilion River and other waterways, Sonnier said. Flooding in south Louisiana can be catastrophic. In 2016, an unnamed storm dropped 7.1trillion gallons of water over the southern part of the state, and hundreds of homes were flooded. Floodwatersrose over acouple of days, and 13 people died. In Louisiana, the rise is slower,and warnings are usually availabletwo to three days in advance, not minutes, as in Central Texas.

Sonnier said he was warned while camping in Texasthatifhehears an alarm he should jump in his vehicle and leave withouthis camper becauseof thevelocityoffloods in that area, where some spots are steep and rocky like amini Grand Canyon. That area of Texas is called “flash flood alley” because it’sprone to very heavy rainfall that accumulates and travels along small channels that dump into larger rivers,

LIVER

Continued from page1A

“It’sapoorly recognized disease,” said Dr.George Therapondos, ahepatologist at Ochsner Health who was not involved in thestudy “Most people will not have symptoms until they develop liver failure or liver cancer.” Louisiana has one of the country’shighest rates of liver cancer,with liver and bileduct cancers occurring more often than in nearly any otherstate,according to federal cancer data. For both mortality and

said Emad Habib,executive directorofthe Institute for Coastal andWater Research and director of the Louisiana Watershed Flood Centerat theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette.

It’sa“combination of very heavy downfalls and topographicfeatures,” he said.

One lesson Lafayette canlearn from theTexas tragedy,Habib said, is not to build in floodplains and floodways,wheremany of the Texas campswere built. Other areas of Texas nearby received the same amount of rain butnot thesame devastation because theydidn’t develop in floodways.

“Those deaths would not have happened if these communitieswere not built in floodplains and floodways,” he said.

People are encroaching on floodplains, Habibsaid,and take it for granted because most of the timethoseareas are dry.It’sjust amatter of time before nature reclaims that land, he said, and communitiesacross Louisiana and the country should take theTexas tragedy as awakeup call toreconsider where they allow development Another advantage in La-

incidence, Louisiana ranks first among states over the last five years.

Therapondos saidthe condition is likely even more prevalent duetothe state’s high rates of obesityand diabetes, and encouraged screening forpeoplewith risk factors. Patients with obesity or diabetes withnormal liver enzyme tests may still have the disease.

“Even if your liver tests arenormal, you may actually have some disease if you are at risk,” hesaid For most patients, lifestyle changes such as weight loss and managing blood sugar canhelppreventserious complications. But treat-

fayette is there are monitors along the Vermilion River that emailwarnings to officials of rising water,Sonnier said. Officials have theoption of opening and closing floodgates to divert water intothe AtchafalayaBasin for instance, to reduce the flooding risks.

Lafayette Consolidated Government andthe Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security and EmergencyPreparedness also launcheda newemergency alert system in May called LafayetteNOW Residents of Lafayette Parishmay sign up for the free emergency alert system by texting JOIN LFTALERT to 31002.For more information,visit lafayettela.gov/alert.

LCG alsorecently published a250-page Emergency Operations Plan available for free at lafayettela.gov/ eop. It outlines various local governmental organizations and nonprofit groups and their responsibilities before, during and after critical events like hurricanes, floods and cyberattacks.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

ment options for advanced disease are limited. One drug is currentlyapproved. In severe cases, aliver transplant maybethe only option. Donor organs remain in short supply The 753b compound is still in early development. It has only been tested in mice, and researcherssay it will be years before it could be ready for human trials. Still, Pi hopesthe drug could eventually be used alongside existing therapies to better manage diseaseprogression.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

BIRTHRIGHT

Continuedfrom page1A

At issue is the Constitution’s14th Amendment, whichstates: “Allpersons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizensofthe United States.” The Trump administrationsaysthe phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means the U.S. can deny citizenship to babiesborntowomen in the country illegally,ending what hasbeen seen as an intrinsic part of U.S. law for more than acentury

“Prior misimpressions of the citizenship clause have created aperverse incentive for illegal immigration that has negatively impacted this country’s sovereignty, nationalsecurity, andeconomicstability,” government lawyers wrote in the New Hampshirecase.

LaPlante, who had issued anarrow injunction in a similar case, said while he didn’tconsider thegovernment’sargumentsfrivolous, he found themunpersuasive. He said hisdecision to issue an injunction was “notaclose call” and that deprivation of U.S. citizenship clearly amounted to irreparable harm.

“That’sirreparable harm, citizenshipalone,” said LaPlante. “It is thegreatest privilegethatexists in theworld.”

Thirtyyears after ratification of the 14thAmendment, Wong Kim Ark, a manborn in theU.S.toChinese parents, was refused reentry into the U.S.after travelingoverseas.His lawsuitled to theSupreme Courtexplicitly ruling that the amendment givescitizenship to anyone born in theU.S no matter their parents’ legal status.

White House spokesmanHarrison Fieldsaccused LaPlante, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, of “abusing classaction procedures.”

N.H.

“The TrumpAdministration will be fighting vigorously against the attempts of these rogue district court judgestoimpede the policiesPresident Trump was elected to implement,” he said in astatement.

Trump’sexecutive order,signed in January, seeks to deny citizenship to childrenwho are born to people who are living in the U.S. illegally or temporarily.Itispartofthe hard-line immigration agenda of the president,who hascalled birthright citizenship a “magnetfor illegalimmigration.”

During Thursday’shearing, Deputy Assistant Attorney GeneralEricHamiltonarguedthatbothapproving aclass action and issuing an injunction would be premature, given that no one other than Trump hastaken action. He said doing so would mean a single court could become the “end-all-and-be-all” in reversing newfederal policies and said if anything, the injunctionshould be limitedtoNew Hampshire. Similarcases arepending from Washington to Maryland. It’snot timetopanic, said Ama Frimpong, legal director at nonprofit immigrant rights organization

CASA, which is also seeking anationwide injunction.

“Noone has to move statesright this instant,” she said. “There’s differentavenuesthrough which we are all fighting, again, to make sure that this executive order never actually sees the light of day.” The New Hampshire plaintiffs,referred to only by pseudonyms, include awoman fromHonduras who has apending asylum application and is due to give birth to her fourth child in October.She told the court the family came to the U.S. afterbeing targetedbygangs.

“I do not want my child to live in fear andhiding. Ido not want my child to be a target forimmigration enforcement,” she wrote.“I fear ourfamily could be at riskofseparation.”

Another plaintiff, aman fromBrazil, haslivedwith his wife in Florida forfive years. Their first child was born in March, and they are in the process of applying for lawful permanent status based on family ties —his wife’s father is aU.S. citizen.

“Mybabyhas theright to citizenship and afuture in theUnited States,” he wrote.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByHOLLy RAMER ACLU attorneys GillesBissonnette, left, and CodyWofsy speak with reporters Thursdayafter afederal judgesaid he wouldcertify their class action lawsuitchallenging President DonaldTrump’sexecutiveorder ending birthright citizenshipinConcord,

Khalil files $20M claim over his detention

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

YORK On a recent af-

NEW

ternoon, Mahmoud Khalil sat in his Manhattan apartment, cradling his 10-week-old son as he thought back to the predawn hours spent pacing a frigid immigration jail in Louisiana, awaiting news of the child’s birth in New York.

For a moment, the outspoken Palestinian activist found himself uncharacteristically speechless.

“I cannot describe the pain of that night,” Khalil said finally, gazing down as the baby, Deen, cooed in his arms. “This is something I will never forgive.”

Now, weeks after regaining his freedom, Khalil is seeking restitution. On Thursday his lawyers filed a claim for $20 million in damages against the Trump administration, alleging Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.

havior and rhetoric” that threatened Jewish students.

Harsh conditions alleged

The filing accuses President Donald Trump and other officials of mounting a haphazard and illegal campaign to “terrorize him and his family,” beginning with Khalil’s March 8 arrest.

On that night, he said he was returning home from dinner with his wife, Noor Abdalla, when he was “effectively kidnapped” by plainclothes federal agents, who refused to provide a warrant and appeared surprised to learn he was a legal U.S. permanent resident.

He was then whisked overnight to an immigration jail in Jena, a remote location that was “deliberately concealed” from his family and attorneys, according to the filing.

Khalil, who has condemned antisemitism, was not accused of a crime and has not been linked to Hamas or any other terror group.

Deported for beliefs

A few weeks into his incarceration, Khalil was awoken by a fellow detainee, who pointed excitedly to his face on a jailhouse TV screen. A new memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged Khalil hadn’t broken the law, but argued he should be deported for beliefs that could undermine U.S. foreign policy interests. “My beliefs are not wanting my tax money or tuition going toward investments in weapons manufacturers for a genocide,” Khalil said. “It’s as simple as that.”

The filing a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act — names the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the State Department. It comes as the deportation case against Khalil, a 30-year-old recent graduate student at Columbia University, continues to wind its way through the immigration court system. The goal, Khalil said, is to send a message that he won’t be intimidated into silence.

they are untouchable,” Khalil said. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”

changes to the administration’s deportation policies.

“They are abusing their power because they think

Khalil said he plans to share any settlement money with others targeted in Trump’s “failed” effort to suppress pro-Palestinian speech. In lieu of a settlement, he would also accept an official apology and

A White House spokesperson deferred comment to the State Department, which said its actions were fully supported by the law In an emailed statement, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, called Khalil’s claim “absurd,” accusing him of “hateful be-

Inside, Khalil said he was denied his ulcer medication, forced to sleep under harsh fluorescent lights and fed “nearly inedible” food, causing him to lose 15 pounds.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration celebrated the arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it dubbed “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”

On June 20, after 104 days in custody, Khalil was ordered released by a federal judge, who found the government’s efforts to remove him on foreign policy grounds were likely unconstitutional. He now faces new allegations of misrepresenting personal details on his green card application. In a motion filed late Wednesday, attorneys for Khalil described those charges as baseless and retaliatory, urging a judge to dismiss them.

Netanyahu wraps up D.C. visit with little progress on Gaza

BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER, AAMER MADHANI and JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a memorial service Thursday for two slain Israeli Embassy staffers as he wrapped up a four-day visit to Washington in which talks with President Donald Trump, White House aides and lawmakers focused on finding a pathway to a ceasefire deal in Gaza. But as Netanyahu gets set to head back to Israel, it is unclear if there was any breakthrough on sealing a Trumpbacked 60-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which the U.S. leader believes can lead

to a permanent end to the 21-month war in Gaza Netanyahu said in a video released Thursday that he is trying to wrap up the U.S.backed deal but stressed it will be “temporary” and would be aimed at releasing half of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza many of them believed dead

The prime minister also underscored that in any potential ceasefire agreement he will not budge from his fundamental demand that Hamas lay down its arms and no longer have any governing or military capabilities something the group so far has rejected

“These are our basic conditions,” Netanyahu said. “If this can be achieved through

negotiations — so much the better If it is not achieved through negotiations in 60 days, we will achieve it in other ways — by using force, the force of our heroic army.”

With his attendance at the memorial for the slain embassy staffers, Netanyahu once again sought to spotlight “antisemitic brutality” that Jews around the globe have faced as the Israeli Defense Forces have waged operations in Gaza.

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, two colleagues who had been on the verge of getting engaged, were fatally shot May 22 as they were leaving a reception for young diplomats at Washington’s Capital

Jewish Museum. Sara Netanyahu the Israeli leader’s wife and a psychologist, signed a letter of condolence at the embassy, saying, “May their memory be blessed.” Family members of the two were among those attending the service, held at the Israeli embassy the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

A suspect was arrested in the shootings and shouted “Free Palestine” as he was led away Charging documents said he later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I

did it for Gaza.”

U.S. officials remain hopeful that restarting high-level negotiations — mediated by Egypt and Qatar and including White House envoy Steve Witkoff will happen soon and could bring progress.

“We’re closer than we’ve been in quite a while and we’re hopeful, but we also recognize there’s still some challenges in the way,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters while attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum in

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Senior Trump administration officials, including Witkoff, met with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer as well as Qatari officials at the White House on Tuesday to discuss sticking points in the talks. This included Israel’s desire for its military to retain control over parts of Gaza during a potential 60-day truce, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity

By The Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

European officials struck a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said Thursday Thursday’s agreement could result in “more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers,” said Kaja Kallas, the 27-member EU’s top diplomat. “We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,” she said in a post on social media. Aid groups say Israeli military restrictions and recurring violence have made it difficult to deliver assis-

tance in Gaza even after Israel eased its blockade in May. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine, 21 months into the Israel-Hamas war Kallas said the deal would reactivate aid corridors from Jordan and Egypt and reopen community bakeries and kitchens across Gaza. She said measures would be taken to prevent the militant Hamas group from diverting aid.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar acknowledged the deal while attending a conference in Vienna, saying it came “following our dialogue with the EU.” He said the deal includes “more trucks, more crossings and more routes for the humanitarian efforts.”

Neither Saar not Kallas said whether the aid would go through the U.N.-run system or an alternative, U.S.and Israeli-backed mechanism that has been marred by violence and controversy.

Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least 36 Palestinians, including 15 people waiting outside a medical clinic, local hospitals and aid workers said Thursday. The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in Gaza.

Gaza’s Nasser Hospital reported a total of 21 deaths in airstrikes in the southern town of Khan Younis and the nearby coastal area of Muwasi. It said three children and their mother, as well as two other women, were among the dead.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and his wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, hold their baby Deen during an interview July 3 in New york.

Tesla announces

shareholder meeting

Tesla has scheduled an annual shareholders meeting for November, one day after the electric vehicle company came under pressure from major shareholders to do so.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday that the meeting will be held on Nov. 6 A group of more than 20 Tesla shareholders said in a letter to the company a day earlier that it needed to provide public notice of the annual meeting.

Texas law states businesses must hold annual meetings within 13 months of their last one, if shareholders request it But the law also allows for “written consent instead of the annual meeting” to be executed within the 13-month timeframe. Tesla is incorporated in Texas.

The annual meeting, given Tesla’s fortunes this year, has the potential to be a raucous event and it is unclear how investors will react to the delay, which is rare for any major U.S. corporation.

Tesla shares have plunged 27% this year, largely due to blowback over Musk’s affiliation with President Donald Trump, as well as rising competition.

Also on Thursday, Musk said that the Grok chatbot will be heading to Tesla vehicles.

“Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles very soon. Next week at the latest,” Musk said on social media platform X, in response to a post stating that Grok implementation on Teslas wasn’t announced on a Grok livestream Wednesday Southern border closed after parasite is found

The U.S. has closed its southern border again to livestock imports, saying a flesh-eating parasite has moved farther north in Mexico than previously reported.

Mexico’s president was critical Thursday, suggesting that the U.S is exaggerating the threat to its beef industry from the parasite, the New World screwworm fly The female flies lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, hatching larvae that are unusual among flies for feeding on live flesh and fluids instead of dead material.

American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause large economic losses, something that happened decades ago.

The U.S. largely eradicated the pest in the 1970s by breeding and releasing sterile male flies to breed with wild females, and the fly had been contained in Panama for years until it was discovered in southern Mexico late last year

The U.S. closed its southern border in May to imports of live cattle, horses and bison but announced June 30 that it would allow three ports of entry to reopen this month and another two by Sept. 15. However, since then, an infestation from the fly has been reported about 370 miles from the Texas border Ford recalls over 850K over fuel pump issues NEW YORK Ford is recalling more than 850,000 of its cars across the U.S. because the low-pressure fuel pump inside the vehicles may fail and potentially cause an engine stall while driving, increasing crash risks.

The recall covers a wide range of Ford and Lincolnbranded vehicles made in recent model years That includes certain Ford Broncos, Explorers and F-150s, as well as Lincoln Aviators and Navigators documents published this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration note. Ford plans to send out notification letters to affected owners starting Monday to warn of safety risks related to potential fuel pump failure. But a remedy is still “under development,” the NHTSA’s recall report notes.

Ferrero

Italian confectioner to take over cereal brand

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writers

Italian confectioner Ferrero, known for brands like Nutella and Kinder, is buying the century-old U.S. cereal company WK Kellogg in an effort to expand its North American sales.

The Ferrero Group said Thursday it will pay $23 for each Kellogg share, or approximately $3.1 billion. The transaction includes WK Kellogg Co.’s six manufacturing plants and the marketing

to buy Kellogg for $3B

and distribution of its breakfast cereals across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

Kellogg was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1906 after its founder accidentally figured out how to make flaked cereal while he was experimenting with granola. Kellogg still makes Corn Flakes, as well as Froot Loops, Special K, Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies and other cereals.

Kellogg now has four U.S. plants, which are located in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Nebraska It also has a plant in Mexico and a plant in Canada. The company has around 3,000 employees. The current company was

formed in 2023, when Kellogg snack brands like Cheez-Its and Pringles were spun into a separate company called Kellanova. M&M’s maker Mars Inc announced last year that it planned to buy Kellanova in a deal worth nearly $30 billion.

Ferrero Group, a privately held, family-owned company founded in Italy in 1946, has been trying to expand its U.S. footprint. In 2018 it bought Nestle’s U.S. candy brands, including Butterfinger Nerds and SweeTarts. In 2022, it bought Wells Enterprises, the maker of ice cream brands like Blue Bunny and Halo Top. Kellogg has been struggling with a long-term decline in U.S.

cereal consumption as consumers turned to protein bars, shakes and other breakfast items. Cereal sales got a bump during the coronavirus pandemic as more families stayed home, but sales continued to decline after the pandemic eased.

At the start of July, U.S. cold cereal sales were down 6% compared to the same period in 2022, according to market research company Nielsen IQ. Kellogg’s net sales fell 2% to $2.7 billion in 2024.

Once the transaction is complete, Kellogg’s stock will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange and the company will become a Ferrero subsidiary

AI tech device startup suing ex-employee over trade secrets

Company had previously sued Open AI, Jony Ive

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

A secretive competition to pioneer a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence chatbots is getting a messy public airing as OpenAI fights a trademark dispute over its stealth hardware collaboration with legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive.

In the latest twist, tech startup iyO Inc., which already sued Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for trademark infringement, is now suing one of its own former employees for allegedly leaking a confidential drawing of iyO’s unreleased product.

At the heart of this bitter legal wrangling is a big idea: we shouldn’t need to stare at computer or phone screens or talk to a box like Amazon’s Alexa to interact with our future AI assistants in a natural way And whoever comes up with this new AI interface could profit immensely from it.

OpenAI started to outline its own vision in May by buying io Products, a product and engineering company co-founded by Ive, in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion. Soon after, iyO sued for trademark infringement for the similar sounding name and because of the two firms’ past interactions.

U.S District Judge Trina Thompson ruled last month that iyO has a strong enough case to proceed to a hearing this fall. Until then, she ordered Altman, Ive and OpenAI to refrain from using the io brand, forcing them to take down the web page and all mentions of the venture.

A second lawsuit from iyO filed this week in San Francisco Superior Court accuses a former iyO executive, Dan Sargent, of breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets over his meetings with another io co-founder Tang Yew Tan, a close Ive ally who led design of the Apple Watch.

Sargent left iyO in December and now works for Apple. He and Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This is not an action we take lightly,” said iyO CEO Jason Rugolo in a statement Thursday “Our primary goal here is not to target a former employee whom we considered a friend, but to hold accountable those whom we believe preyed on him from a position of power.”

Rugolo told The Associated Press last month that he thought he was on the right path in 2022 when he pitched his ideas and showed off his prototypes to firms tied to Altman and Ive. Rugolo later publicly expanded on his earbud-like “audio computer” product in a TED Talk last year

What he didn’t know was that soon after, Ive and Altman would begin quietly collaborating on their own AI hardware initiative and give it a similar name.

“I’m happy to compete on product, but calling it the same name, that part is just amazing to me. And it was shocking,” Rugolo said in an interview The new venture was revealed publicly in a May video announcement, and to Rugolo about two months earlier after he had emailed Altman with an investment pitch.

“thanks but im working on something competitive so will (respectfully) pass!” Altman wrote to Rugolo in March, adding in parentheses that it was called io.

Altman has dismissed iyO’s lawsuit on social media as a “silly, disappointing and wrong” move from a “quite persistent” Rugolo. Other executives in court documents have characterized the product Rugolo was pitching them as a failed one that didn’t work properly in a demo.

Altman said in a written declaration that he and Ive chose the “io” name two years ago in reference to the concept of “input/ output” that describes how a computer receives and transmits information. Neither io nor iyO was first to play with the phrasing — Google’s big annual technology showcase is called I/O — but Altman said he and Ive acquired the io.com domain name in August 2023. The idea was “to create products that go

beyond traditional products and interfaces,” Altman said. “We want to create new ways for people to input their requests and new ways for them to receive helpful outputs, powered by AI.” A number of startups have already tried, and mostly failed, to build gadgetry for AI interactions. The startup Humane developed a wearable pin that you could talk to, but it was poorly reviewed and the startup discontinued sales after HP acquired its assets earlier this year

Altman has suggested that io’s version could be different. He said in a now-removed video that he’s already trying a prototype at home that Ive gave him, calling it “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.”

What Altman and Ive still haven’t said is what exactly it is. The court case, however, has forced their team to disclose what it’s not.

“Its design is not yet finalized, but it is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device,” said Tan in a court declaration that sought to distance the venture from iyO’s product. It was that same declaration that led iyO to sue Sargent this week. Tan revealed in the filing that he had talked to a “now former” iyO engineer who was looking for a job because of his frustration with “iyO’s slow pace, unscalable product plans, and continued acceptance of preorders without a sellable product.”

Fed chair accused of violating renovation rules

Budget director questions standards

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON White House budget director Russell Vought suggested in a Thursday letter that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is in violation of government building rules in the renovation of the Fed’s headquarters. Vought, in a letter he shared on social media, called the initial renovation plans featuring rooftop terrace gardens, VIP dining rooms and premium marble an “ostentatious overhaul.” Vought

also suggested that Powell misled Congress by saying the headquarters had never had a serious renovation, saying that a 1999-2003 update of its roof and building systems counts as a “comprehensive” renovation. It appears part of a larger pressure campaign by the Trump administration to pressure the Fed chair into departing before his term ends in May 2026. Powell has declined to reduce interest rates until the U.S. central bank has a better understanding of the impact that President Donald Trump’s import tax hikes could have on inflation. Fed officials did not respond to an email seeking a response to the

White House letter Powell said in Senate testimony last month that some of the elements in the 2021 plan such as the dining rooms and rooftop terraces are no longer part of the project for the 90-year-old Marriner S. Eccles Building. The Supreme Court said in May that it could block any attempts by the White House to dismiss Powell, noting as part of a separate ruling that the Fed “is a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.” Trump said at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that Powell “should resign immediately” and be replaced by someone who would lower rates, as the U.S. president believes that high inflation is no longer a risk to the U.S. economy

As Trump sees it, a rate cut would reduce the costs of government borrowing in ways that make mortgages, auto loans and other forms of consumer debt cheaper But a rate cut could also lead to more money flowing into the economy and push up inflation, worsening affordability as the financial markets ultimately determine the interest charged on the national debt. In Thursday’s letter, Vought sent Powell a series of questions about whether the renovation project complies with federal standards. Vought said that Powell’s testimony about changes to the 2021 plan “appears to reveal” that the renovation is not in compliance with the National Planning Capital Act.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Jason Rugolo, founder and CEO of iyO, holds the motherboard of the iyO One audio computer

More Russian missiles,dronespound

BY VASILISA STEPANENKO and HANNAARHIROVA Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russia pounded Ukraine’s capital with another major missile and drone attack overnight into Thursday,killing at least two people and causing fires across Kyiv aday afterthe heaviest drone attack so far in the more than three-year war,Ukrainian officials said.

In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, with many of them dashing in thedark with children, pets and blanketsto the protection of subway stations, at least 22 people were wounded, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration.

The night was punctuated with the chilling whine of approaching drones that slammed intoresidential areas, exploded and sent balls of orange flames into the dark during the 10-hour barrage. Russia fired 397 Shahedand decoy drones as well as cruise and ballistic missilesatKyivand five otherregions, authorities said.

“This is aclear escalation of Russian terror: hundreds of Shahed drones every night, constant missile strikes,massive attacks on Ukrainian cities,” President VolodymyrZelenskyysaidina Telegram post. June brought the highest month-

ly civiliancasualtiesofthe war, with 232 people killed and1,343 wounded, the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said Thursday, as Russialaunched 10 times more drones and missiles than the same monthlast year At least 13,580 civilians, including716 children, havebeen killed andmorethan34,000 wounded since Russia’sfull-scale invasion of its neighbor began on Feb. 24, 2022, theU.N. said Tworounds of directpeace talksbetween Russian andUkrainian delegations have yielded no

progress on stopping the fighting.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday there is no datefor apossible third round of negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of StateMarco Rubio saidThursdaythatthe U.S and Russiahave exchanged new ideas for peace talks.

Russia aims to sapmorale

Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine’sair defenses with major attacks that include increasing numbersofdecoy drones The previous night,itfired more

than 700 attack and decoy drones, topping previous nightly barrages for thethird timeintwo weeks.

“The continued increase in the size of strike packages is likely intended to supportRussian efforts to degradeUkrainianmoraleinthe face of constant Russian aggression,”the Institute forthe Study of War, aWashington-based think tank, said late Wednesday

“Atpresent, the rate of Russian advance is accelerating and Russia’ssummer offensive is likely to put the armed forces of Ukraine underintensepressure,” Jack Watling, asenior research fellowatmilitary thinktankRUSI, wroteinanassessment published Wednesday.

Thepressure has caused alarm among Ukrainian officials, whoare uncertainabout continuing vital military aid from the United States andU.S.PresidentDonaldTrump’s policy toward Russia.

“Partners need to be faster with investments in weapons productionand technology development,” Zelenskyy said Thursday.“We need to be faster with sanctions andput pressure on Russia so that it feels the consequences of its terror.”

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at aUkrainian recovery conference in Rome that German officials “standready to acquire additional Patriot (air defense) systems from the U.S. and make them available to Ukraine.”

TheU.S. last week haltedsome

shipments of weapons, including crucial Patriot systems, to Ukraine amid concerns that its ownstockpileshavedeclinedtoo much. “The Americansneedthem themselves in part, but they also have agreat manyofthem,” Merz said. Some lose almost everything In Kyiv,Karyna Holf, 25, wasin the living room near the window whenshe hearda whistling sound from theincoming weapon. Momentslater,littlewas left of the room but debris.

“After such ashock, when you know from your own experience what it’s liketoloseeverything,” she said. “I don’tevenknow what comes next. AllIhave now is a backpack,aphone,a winter coat that’sit. This is my whole life now.” Holf said shewas grateful to have her parents to turn to, but added, “There are people who have no one at all.”

One Kyiv subway station worker said more than 1,000 people, including70children, took refuge there. One of them was 32-year-old Kyiv resident Alina Kalyna.

“The drone attacks ayear ago were onething, andnow they’re a completely differentthing. We’re exhausted,” she said. “I sleep poorly,Irecover poorly,infact Ino longer recover,I am just somehow on areserve of energy,ofwhich I have alittle left, Ijust somehow live and exist,” Kalyna said.

Deathfuels speculationabout harsherenvironment forKremlin elites

Russian Cabinet minister allegedly killed himself

By The Associated Press

The death of aRussian Cabinet minister in afield near his posh home in a Moscowsuburb has fueled wild speculation about how he died and what it means.

Among theunanswered questions: Did Roman Starovoit really kill himself in his car,asauthorities said, or did he take his life in anearby park? Washefacing acriminal investigation into large-scale corruption?

And does his death signal anew, harsher environment for Kremlin elites relatedto the war in Ukraine?

Russian media was abuzz with claims that Starovoit, who was founddead hours after being fired Monday by President Vladimir Putin, had faced potential corruption charges linked to his previous job as governor of the Kursk region,where Ukrainian forces staged asurprise incursion last year.His death drew quick comparisons to Sovietdictator Josef Stalin’spurges in which sometop Kremlin officialskilled themselves rather than risk arrest.

Starovoit’sformer deputy,who succeeded himas Kursk governor,was arrested in Apriloncharges of embezzling state money allocated forbuilding fortifications on the border with Ukraine, and Russian media

reports claimed that he testifiedagainst hisformer boss. Russianauthorities have not announced any criminal case against Starovoit.

Observers say Starovoit’s deathhighlightedthe deepening rifts and tensions within thegovernment.

Tatiana Stanovaya of the CarnegieRussia Eurasia Center said members of Russian officialdomhave found themselvesincreasingly trapped by the war environment, which “hasmade the interestsofonce-influential figures look small” and made “everything subordinate to the harsh logic of the system’ssurvival.”

Suspicionarises

Starovoit, 53, who served as transport minister for just over ayear,was found dead from agunshot wound Controversy immediately surroundedthe death. The Investigative Committee, the country’stop criminalinvestigationagency, said Starovoit’sbody was found in his car in theOdintsovodistrict just west of thecapital that is home to many membersofthe Russian elite. The committee said acriminal probe was launched and that investigators saw suicideasthe most likely cause.

But Russian media reported that his body was actually foundinthe bushes near aparking lotwherehe left hisTesla, and authorities allowed reporters to record morgue workerscarrying it from the site.A pistolpresented to him as an official gift was athis side. It was unclear when he died. The Investigative Committee did not offer atime of death, and some mediaoutlets claimed that

he killed himself over the weekend.

When the firstunconfirmed reports aboutStarovoit’s death emerged Monday afternoon, lawmaker Andrei Kartapolov toldnews outlet RTVI thatStarovoit killed himself “quiteawhile ago.”

Some observers noted that it marked the first suicideby aCabinet member since Soviet Interior MinisterBoris Pugokilledhimself after a botchedhard-line coup in August 1991.

Many also pointed outa string of recentmysterious suicides involving senior executives at Russian state oil and gas companies, including Andrei Badalov,vice president of thestate-controlled Transneft oilpipeline operator,who reportedlyfell from thewindow of his Moscow apartment last week.

TheKremlin called Starovoit’sdeath “tragic” but refrained from commenting on the circumstances Corruption factor in war

Thealleged embezzlement scheme involving Kursk officials hasbeen namedasa keyreasonbehindthe Russian military’s failureto stem the surprise August 2024 incursion into theregionbyUkrainiantroops. The attack dealt ahumiliating blow to the Kremlin, and it took nearlynine months for theRussian militaryto reclaim the border territory

Starovoit’sdeath andthe corruption allegations in Kursk followa string of corruption cases that have been widely blamed for Russian military setbacks in Ukraine.

On July 1, former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was convicted on charges of embezzlement

and money laundering and sentenced to 13 years in prison. On Monday,Khalil Arslanov,aformer deputy chiefofthe military’sGeneral Staff, was handed a17year sentence on corruption charges. They wereamongadozen top military officialsclose to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoiguwho were targeted in awide-ranging probe intoalleged military graft. Shoigu, aveteran official whohad personalties to Putin,survived thepurge of his inner circle and was givena high-profile post as secretary of Russia’sSecu-

rity Council.

Mark Galeotti, an expert in Russian politics who headsthe MayakIntelligenceconsultancy,observed in arecent podcast that highlevel corruption in Russia was getting worse because of thewar.Hewarned that at some point in the future an “angry patriot” could try to tell the public that the nation has“been letdownby this bunch of self-indulgent, self-interested, embezzling old men,and as aresult, our boys died.”

Starovoitwas reportedly linkedtothe Rotenberg brothers,Putin’slongtime

personal friends who have extensive business interests in the transportation sphere. Many observers saw their failure to protect their protégé as apowerful newsign that oldconnectionsnolonger work.

“The prospect of arrest is literally beginningtokill its representatives as the war is pushing the oldcriteria of theunforgivablewider,” said Stanovaya,ofthe Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.Now anything that “increases the vulnerabilityofthe state to theenemy’shostile action must be punished without mercy or compromise.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EFREMLUKATSKy People rest in ametro station, being used as abombshelter,during a Russian attackinKyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday.

Starovoit

Charges against Crowley doctor dropped

Patient accused him of sexual battery, court records say

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

Misdemeanor sexual battery charges against a Crowley doctor have been dismissed. The 31st Judicial District Attorney’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that charges against Dr Ben Sabbaghian were dropped, a day before his trial was

to begin.

The District Attorney’s Office provided no reason for the dismissal but stated that the matter remains under review by their office Pending charges in Acadia Parish were also dismissed, Kevin Stockstill, Sabbaghian’s attorney, told KPLC. Stockstill was not immediately

available for comment.

The charges stemmed from a complaint by a Lake Charles woman who accused Sabbaghian of inappropriately touching her on or about Sept 20, according to documents filed with the 31st Judicial District Court in Jennings.

In an interview with KPLC, Vanessa Macato said she was referred

to Sabbaghian for a colonoscopy after struggling with severe abdominal pain for months Yet during the appointment, Sabbaghian asked her to lift up her shirt over her bra and touched her breasts without gloves, Macato alleged. Macato said she panicked and let out a scream, causing him to back away

DRAWING TOGETHER

Instructor Melissa Mark, second from left, works with Joseph Allo, left, and Josie Dugas on Wednesday during the Icons in Art: Beginner Drawing & Painting class as part of the Acadiana Center for the Arts’ summer camp series in downtown Lafayette.

Children show off their work during an Icons in Art: Beginner Drawing & Painting class as part of the Acadiana Center for the Arts’ summer camp series on Wednesday in downtown Lafayette.

Baton Rouge attorney suspended for 3 years

Louisiana Supreme Court order stems from misconduct probe

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Longtime Baton Rouge attor-

ney Niles Haymer was recently barred from practicing law for three years following an investigation into his conduct in legal matters. According to a July 3 order from the Louisiana Supreme Court, Haymer violated several rules of professional conduct for practicing attorneys in Louisiana Among the violations, Haymer engaged in conduct that involved “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation” and was “prejudicial to the adminis-

tration of justice,” according to the order

The suspension stems from a complaint made to the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, the state agency that metes out fines and sanctions for lawyers. The board’s investigatory arm, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, conducted a probe into allegations that Haymer “neglected multiple legal matters resulting in abandonment of one matter, failed to

communicate with clients, failed to safeguard client and thirdparty property, failed to timely remit funds to clients and third parties, failed to cooperate with the ODC, engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.” Before that investigation was completed, Haymer and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel agreed to the terms of a joint petition for consent discipline. The state Supreme Court approved the findings of that consent decree in its order suspending Haymer last week.

The court also gave Haymer 30 days to show documentation proving he has paid all his past clients and third-party business associates “appropriate restitution.”

The details of the allegations against Haymer remained unclear He declined to comment on the suspension Thursday Haymer’s attorney Gideon Carter, issued a statement that indicated his client has stepped away from the profession.

“Mr Haymer is extremely remorseful, has accepted the disciplinary outcome related to matters from his prior private practice, and has taken full responsibility,” Carter said in his

After Macato’s exam with Sabbaghian, she said she went to her primary doctor and told him about the incident. She said the doctor suggested she submit a complaint to the state medical board and the Sheriff’s Office.

She initially tried reporting the incident to the Jennings Police Department, but she said police there told her they could not take the complaint due to conflicts of

Judge rejects Blue Cross lawsuit

Medicare Advantage star rating contested

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

A bid by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to change its Medicare Advantage star rating was rejected by a federal judge this week. The ratings affect how much bonus money the government pays insurers. Only plans with four stars or higher qualify Blue Cross filed suit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, claiming the agency acted unfairly and inconsistently by including data in its star-rating calculation that the company said should have been excluded. On Thursday U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., dismissed the case after finding the insurer’s claims were not legally sufficient to move forward.

The judge said the insurance company did an “about face” when it didn’t get the score it wanted, first asking the government to include certain data in its rating calculation, then arguing that same

construction department chief shifts after probe

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The former director of Lafayette Parish School System’s construction department has taken a voluntary position back in the classroom. The move comes amid an investigation into possibly forged construction bids and after the district announced the construction, maintenance and facilities department will be temporarily overseen by associate superintendent Mark Rabalais.

The former director of the department, Robert Gautreaux, will become an agriculture teacher at the W.D. and Mary Baker Career Center, LPSS spokesperson Tracy Wirtz confirmed after it was first reported by The Current. The move was voluntary,

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

OPINION

It’s time forLouisiana to lead in business

The 2025 legislative session has come to aclose, and with it, Louisiana enters anew era of economic possibility

modernization of our state’seconomic development tool kit in a generation.

alongside newly recruited firms.

The team at Louisiana Economic Development entered this legislative session riding awave of historic wins: Meta’sdata center in Richland Parish, Hyundai’s first North American steel plant in Donaldsonville and major liquid natural gas investments in both the southeast and southwest corners of the state. We closed out this year’ssession having announced $62 billion in new capital investment across the state since Gov.Jeff Landry took office last year

But those wins came even before we had fully assembled thenew playbook. The special taxsession and passage of Act 590 last year gave LED anew framework to boost competitiveness and move at the speed of business. This session, we had theopportunity and the responsibility to build on that momentum andcomplete the most ambitious

Under the bold leadership of Gov.Landry and with stronglegislative support for LED’slegislative package, we got it done.

Thepoliciesand investments madethis session fully align with and enable the execution of our department’s new strategic plan —acomprehensive blueprint to attract major projects, create high-paying jobs and address long-standing barriers to growth.

Oneofthe most transformative changes was transferring amajorityofour incentive programstoaprocess called rulemaking. While this may sound like abureaucratic footnote, the way our legislators structured this reform allows LED theflexibilitytorespond tomarket and economic changes in real time while remaining transparent and accountable tothe people of Louisiana.

TheLegislature also delivered agame-changing $150 million for our new Sites and Infrastructure Initiative. For too long, Louisiana has lost out on major projects because we didn’thave readyto-go sites. This investment flips

thescript, creatingapipeline of development-ready locations across the state that will pay dividends for decades to come.

Ourapproach for this initiative is rooted in leveraging partnership and existing assets to drive aquantifiable return on investment to the state. Projects will be selected through acompetitive processfocused on long-term economic impact. This is what smart growthlooks like —bold,

BanningPBMswould hit veterans,rural residentshard

Louisiana’slegislative session ended lastmonth with asignificant outcome: House Bill 358, aproposal thatcould have reshapedthe state’spharmacy landscape, failed to pass before adjournment. Gov Jeff Landry has now suggested that he may call aspecial session to revive it.That would be amistake.

In short, HB358 would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owningoroperating pharmacies in Louisiana. Supporters framed it as away to address rising drug costs and curb the power of largecorporations in the health care system.

pendent pharmacies achance to thrive.

strategic andbuilt to last. We’ve also redesignedour incentive programs to reflect our agency’scoremission —ensuring everyLouisianan has the opportunityfor prosperity.Rather than rewarding job quantity,the new High Impact Jobs Program focuses on wage growth, targeting positions thatpay well above parishaverages.Italso ensures that existing Louisiana companies of every size canbenefit

Anotherforward-thinking initiative is the creation of the Louisiana Innovation Fund, which will help build the next generationofindustry leaders right here at home

The next biotech giant, AI innovatororadvanced manufacturing corporation doesn’thave to come from BostonorSilicon Valley. It can find seed capital, take root andgrowright here in Louisiana.This fund complements ourbroader Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO) strategy to cultivate a thriving ecosystem forstartups andearly-stage companies, ensuring everyregionofour state hasa meaningful stake in the industries of the future. Gov.Landry andthe Louisiana Legislature have shown that when ourstate leaders unite behind aclear visionand act with purpose,Louisiana doesn’tjust catch up —welead Now is ourtime.With the tools, talent andmomentum we’ve built, Louisiana is ready to compete andpositionedtowin.

Susan B. Bourgeoisisthe secretary of LouisianaEconomic Development.

Medicaid andSNAP arelifelines for families like mine

Butrecent examples suggestotherwise. When Rite Aid declared bankruptcy earlier this year,communities without a strong presence of larger pharmacy providers struggled to fill thegap. In Pennsylvania, for example, smaller community pharmacies often lacked thecapacity or resources to absorb theinflux of patients —especially those with costly or complex medication needs. If Louisiana does not exercise caution, it could face asimilar outcome.

However,for all its good intentions, the bill would createmore problems than it solves PBMs play acritical, behind-the-scenes role in the health care system. They help negotiate lower prices for medications, manage formularies and provide access to mail-order and specialty pharmacy services that are vital for many patients. This includes veterans, as well as activeduty service members and their families, who often depend on these systems to ensure continuity of care.

An example of this is the mail-order pharmacy network used by TRICARE, the health program for active-duty service members, retirees and their dependents. These mail services —often coordinated through PBM-affiliated pharmacies —ensure that veterans who live far from aVAfacility or who face mobility issues can still access their medications in atimely and convenient manner.If HB358were enacted,significant parts of this supply chain could be disrupted, creating new barriers for veterans toaccess their lifesaving prescriptions.

The bill’simpact wouldn’tstopthere. By effectively preventing PBMs from operating pharmacies in the state, passage of HB358could result in the closure of more than 100 pharmacy locations, displacing over amillion patients, including tens of thousands of veterans.

That kind of disruptionwould be difficult for any community —but it would be particularly hard on rural areas, where pharmacy options are already limited and where veterans disproportionatelyreside.

Some have argued that eliminating PBM-owned pharmacieswould give inde-

Independent pharmacies are an importantpart of our health care system, but they cannot singlehandedly replace thescale, reach or specialized services that theretail pharmacies this bill would force the state to help provide. We should be working to integrate all providers— large and small— into afunctioning ecosystem that serves patients,not dismantling one part of it in hopes the rest will catch up.

None of this is to say there isn’troom for thoughtfulPBM reform. Greater transparency in pricing, stronger oversight and fairer reimbursementpolicies are all worthy goals.

Butbanning PBMs from operating pharmacies altogether —asHB358 proposed to do —doesn’tget us closer to those outcomes. Reviving it in aspecial session would only reintroduce theuncertaintyand potential disruption that so many patients can’tafford.

Veterans in Louisiana deserve asystem thatworks for them: one that provides timely,affordable access to medications, wherever they live and whatever conditions theyface.

Policies that undercut the very services making that possible areastep in the wrong direction. If our leaders want to uphold the commitment they have made to our menand women who served in uniform, they should be engaging with stakeholders to craft practical, patientcentered reforms, not resurrecting legislationthat could make it harder for those who served to get thecare they need.

Rob Maness is aretired U.S. Air Force colonel andaformer candidate for U.S. Senate in Louisiana.

I’m asingle mom with three kids, and they keep me on my toes. Ilove them and Iwould do anything for them, but thecost of raising afamily keeps jumping, and I’mfeeling the pressure. Iwas laid off twice last year, which has humbled me in ways I could never have imagined, and my family is feeling the strain. My kids know I’munder stress. They feel it, too.

Earlier this month, one of my children experienced an emotional breakdown.Wehave been able to place him in abehavioral healthunit,where he’sgetting the specialized, intensive care he needs to heal. My whole family is now receiving counseling services, which we will have to stop if Medicaid funding dries up. Though this support is critical, the out-of-pocket expenses would be morethan we can afford Iwish Icould focus only on my son’srecovery.I’ve had to take a pay cut at work, andthe strain is mounting. I’ve reapplied forfood stamps, and the additional $300 a month helps, but my budget is still tight and I’m worried.Ifwelose our SNAPbenefits, it’ll hurt my family and families like mine. For work, I’ve been facilitating training courses forblue-collar workers who typically work through thesummer when the weather is good. Businessismuch slower in the summer,making it difficult to make ends meet on my own.

in our state. SNAP serves 867,000 Louisiana residents. About 45% of those recipients are children. Medicaid and SNAP are making it possible formychildren —and manychildren across Louisiana —to survive. Taking these programsawayfrom children and the adults raising them would be dangerous. Earlier this year,my family traveled to Capitol Hill for the Strolling Thunder rally hosted by ZERO TO THREE. We called on Congress to protect Medicaid and SNAP,and boost funding for other programs that make raising afamily in this country possible. We metwith lawmakers to share our stories and highlight the importance of these programs for families like mine

Now, Congress has passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which will cut these programssignificantly Taking health care and food away from sick children and struggling families will only result in ugliness. It will mean higher costs, morepaperwork and fewercovered services. Hospitals will close, grocery bills will skyrocket and children who need physical and mental health supports —like my son —will be leftwith few, if any,options.

Today,myfamily is healing because we got the support we needed when it mattered most.

I’m doing everything Ican to build abetter future for my children. I want them to grow up in asociety where families don’thave to choose between healthy meals, working hard and paying for lifesaving healthcare.

Andwe’re not alone. Louisiana’s Medicaid program, LaCHIP, covers 56.8% of all children in Louisiana and nearly two-thirds of the births

Families like mine just want what all families want: to give our children the best possible start in life. That meansfood, that meanshealth care, and —sometimes —itmeans a helping hand. For families like mine, Medicaid and SNAP aren’tjust programs. They’re alifeline.

Katherine Hickle lives in Mandeville.

PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Earthwork began in December at the site of afuture Meta artificial intelligence optimized data center in the Holly Ridgearea of Richland Parish.

Susan B. Bourgeois GUEST COLUMNIST

Rob Maness GUEST COLUMNIST

Katherine Hickle GUEST COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

ROOM FOR DEBATE DISAPPEARINGMODERATES

After stating he could not support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Sen.Thom Tillis, aRepublican from NorthCarolina, announced that he would not seekreelection. President DonaldTrump threatened to supportprimary challengers to anyRepublican whodaredoppose hissignature legislation, and detractorscalled Tillis aRepublican in Name Only.But Tillis said he wasfollowing hisconscience. It wasn’t always this way. Politicians usedtobeable to break ranks with their party to defend local interests.Tillis supporterscallhim agood government casualty.Hereare twoperspectives.

Tillis joinsthe dropouts with unforgivable sin

“Another one bites the dust,” goes the popular Queen song, which might have been writtenfor therecent news in Trumpworld. Irefer to Sen.Thom Tillis, the Republican senator from North Carolina, who, in the wakeofavirtual assault by Donald Trump,announced thathewon’tseek reelection next year Thus, Tillis joins alengthening line of dropouts or,asthe presiding party prefers, RINOs —Republicans in Name Only who have left publicoffice during the years since Trump first became president rather thanbe forced to breathe the sulfurousvapors emanating from Pennsylvania Avenue andseeping intocongressional offices Among other considerations for Tillis was Trump’spromise to seek revenge through aprimary challengerasrecompense for Tillis’ “betrayal” in withholding his vote for Trump’smassivetax and immigration bill, which theHouse of Representatives passed andTrump signed intolaw You’ve probably heard of it. Tillis didn’t like parts of the billthat cut Medicaid over the next decade. Tillis andTrump spoke about theirdifferences and, Tillis said, reached ameeting of the minds.But it wasn’t long after that Trump stood in the doorway of his Truth Socialplatform andbegan firing insults at Tillis, saying he was “a talker and complainer,NOT ADOER!” Not the machine-gun fire of Queen’ssong, but effective enough in getting rid of Tillis, though the senator claims he had been mulling adeparture before Trump’ssniping In astatement to reporters, Tillis said: “In Washington over thelast few years, it’s becomeincreasingly evident that leaders who are willingtoembrace bipartisanship, compromise anddemonstrate independent thinkingare becoming an endangeredspecies.”

millions ofchildren. Andtothink that evangelical America claims God chose Trumptolead the country and, presumably,the world.

If Republicans are representing themselves as Christians while cutting essential aid to the neediest among us, then we might infer that they’re all going to hell. Trump is no more Christian than he is a Republican.

When an ‘endangered species’ loseshis ground

trailer,working as acook and waiter at a fast-food joint, finally making enough at a warehouse to afford atrailer of his own. These are our voters —your voters, he’s telling Trump—and these are the people whowill be hurt by your policies.

Trump isn’tjust aBible-thumping sideshow barker pitching gospel andperfumes. He also peddles fakenews, false motives and packs of lies, notably that he wants to help the working class while decreasing the federal deficit. Perhaps he meant bigger Christmas bonuses for hisLatinolandscaping crews and golf caddies because the Congressional Budget Office found that his bill would add roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years.

ThankstoVicePresident JD Vance’s tiebreakingvote, the Republican-controlled Senate embraced therich and shafted the poor.(Not to be outdone, the GOP-led House did thesame, though much morequickly.)

We can surmisethat at least thethree SenateRepublicans who voted against the bill, including Tillis, had hoped that theHouse would reject theSenate version. Theother two senators demonstratingpossession of aspine were Susan CollinsofMaine and RandPaul of Kentucky.

After Sen. Thom Tillis announced his opposition to Donald Trump’sOne Big Beautiful Bill, thepresident excoriated theNorth Carolina Republican and vowed to support aprimary candidate against him next year Tillis promptly declared that he was not running again, depriving Trumpof leverage and reclaiming the “pure freedom” to speak his mind. Andspeak he did. While Trump had promised to protect Medicaid funding, Tillis argued that his bill would eventually deprive almost 12 million Americansofhealth care coverage, including 663,000 in North Carolina.

It’shard to miss the irony, if you’re in the mood, of the chainsaw-wielding, empathy-deficient Elon Musk, richest man in the world, slashing government programs while aman such as Tillis, who moved out of his family’strailer at 16 to get ajob, is run out of town forcaring about his state’spoor

Such are Trump’spriorities, in anutshell. “Screw the poor” is the leitmotif running through this “moral abomination,” as Sen. Chris Murphy,D-Connecticut, recently described thelaw beforeit had been passed. In plain terms, this legislation translates to aloss of health care —and food subsidies —for tens of thousandsifnot

There was no need to rush to pass the monsterbill before July 4, the deadline Trumphad set. Understandably,he might have hoped to declare one great big, beautiful victory on Independence Day to displace the national memory of his tedious, snooze-worthy birthday parade. Toobad Trumpcouldn’thave adapted amore fitting deadline —Labor Day,perhaps, for abill that should pay greater heedtothe needs of the less fortunate than to thebillionaire club to which Trumphas always aspired. Tillis’ legacy,meanwhile, might well be that aDemocrat fills his seat. Though North Carolina is aswing state that went forTrump in 2024 by aslight margin, voters are split almost evenly between thetwo major parties. The largest group of voters, at 38%, is unaffiliated. By November 2026, given theaccelerating pace of crazy,there’snotelling which directionthe political winds might blow —orwho next might bitethe dust

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

“Republicans are about tomakeamistakeonhealth care and (betray) apromise,” Tillis warned on the Senate floor.“I’m tellingthe president that you have been misinformed: Yousupportingthe Senate markwill hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid.”

Tillis subsequently joined all 47 Democrats and two other Republicans(Rand Pauland Susan Collins) to vote against thebill, which passed the Senate 51-50 after Vice President J.D. Vance cast atiebreaking vote. (The House passed the bill. Trumpsigned it into law July 4.)

What is happening to thebase of the Republican Party,and to thecharacter of the U.S. Senate?

LastMay,Sen. Josh Hawley,aMissouri Republican, wroteaninsightful article in The New York Times,lamenting the same Medicaid cutsthat infuriateTillis and stating that his party’sposition was“both morally wrong and politically suicidal.”

When Ronald Reagan denounced “welfare queens” in the1980s, he could dismiss them as unswerving and undeserving Democrats, not hardworking, taxpaying Republicans.

Buttoday,Hawley maintained, the GOP is increasingly the party of the working class, and “Republicans need to open their eyes: Ourvoters support social insurance programs. More than that, ourvoters depend on those programs.”

Exit polls last fall reinforce his point about the changing makeup of Republican loyalists.

In 2020, voters earning less than $100,000 ayear backed Joe Biden overTrumpby56 to 43. Last year,that sameincome group supported Trumpover KamalaHarris by 51 to 47.

Voterswithout college degrees voted Republican 56 to43. Those who said their economic situation had declined under Biden, almost half the electorate, overwhelmingly favored Trumpby82to16. Tillis makes asimilar argument and describes his own boyhood: growing up in a

Even as the Republican Party has been broadening its base, however, it’sbeen cracking downondissent and diversity.Other strong-minded lawmakers whohave defied Trump —Mitt Romney,Liz Cheney,Jeff Flake and Bob Corker —have been driven into exile and denounced as heretics.

“InWashington over the last few years, it’sbecome increasingly evident that leaders whoare willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis stated. Tillis is no liberal —he’snot even amoderate —but he is apragmatist, aprofessional legislator whoserved as speaker of the North Carolina House.

As The Washington Post reports: “He built areputation forhimself as abipartisan dealmaker,working with Democrats on legislation to address gun violence and codify the right to same-sex marriage. He also worked on the failed effort last year to pass abipartisan immigration and border bill.”

While Trumpdid not start the trend that is making dealmakers like Tillis an “endangered species,” he has vastly accelerated it. All good politicians understand the imperative to reward friends and punish enemies, but Trumphas taken his tirades to anew extreme, denouncing anyone who showseven ahint of disloyalty Trumpisthe worst example of politics as Holy Warintoday’scapital, but he’shardly the only one. Tillis rightly points out that Democrats were deeply intolerant of two of their own members whoactually worked with Republicans, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten SinemaofArizona, and helped drive them out of office.

“They got things done,” Tillis said. “But they were shunned after they courageously refused to cave to their party bosses to nuke the filibuster forthe sake of political expediency.They ultimately retired, and their presence in the Senate chamber has been sorely missed every day since.” Tillis will be missed as well. The ranks of his “endangered species” —lawmakers whoknow that “compromise” is not acurse word, but an essential element of realworld problem solving —keep shrinking. Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@ gmail.com.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks with reporters as he headstothe chamber during a2024 vote at theCapitol in Washington, D,C.

Kathleen Parker

Steve Roberts

Scalise: ICE arrest shows need for immigration reform

Congressman helped secure release of N.O woman

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

The arrest of an Iranian woman who’s lived in New Orleans for almost 50 years shows the need for federal legislation streamlining how the country treats people who lack legal residency but otherwise follow the law, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the secondranking Congressional Republican, said this week.

The woman, Donna Kashanian, walked free Monday from ICE detention in Basile after hundreds of residents wrote to Scalise, R-Jefferson, and local and state officials, highlighting her contributions to the community Plainclothes federal agents arrested Kashanian outside her Lakeview home on June 22.

applications for asylum and a green card in the 1980s, he said in an interview Tuesday

Scalise praised President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, crediting the president for securing the border and deporting people with criminal histories.

Those efforts have yielded far more progress than past presidents have made in addressing the beleaguered state of the country’s immigration system, Scalise said.

But he said the case of Kashanian — a 64-year-old with no criminal record known widely in New Orleans volunteering circles — illustrates how the system is sometimes illequipped to handle fairly millions of people living in the United States without legal residency who have not committed crimes.

Mandonna ‘Donna’

From left, Kaitlynn

and Russell Milne take a photo on Tuesday in Basile on the day after Kashanian’s release from ICE custody.

unsuccessfully petitioned for asylum, citing her family’s connection to the U.S.backed Shah, who was deposed the following year

She also applied for a green card as the spouse of a U.S. citizen after marrying Russell Milne in 1990. Officials rejected that claim due to a previous marriage of Kashanian’s that they deemed fraudulent, the family has said.

Kashanian will be allowed to live at home while she submits new green card and asylum applications, Scalise said. He emphasized that he can’t guarantee the outcome of that process — only that “she’s going to get a fair shake.”

Scalise helped secure Kashanian’s release after reviewing her file and determining she did not receive fair treatment in her

“You have tens of millions of people here illegally some of them are bad people who are committing violent crimes. Those people, by the way, are being deported,” Scalise said. “And I don’t think anybody has a problem with that

“But then what do you do with the people who are here illegally but aren’t violent criminals? And by the way,

how do you know the difference?” he added later “Well, some unelected bureaucrat in Washington working for a federal agency who’s processing thousands of cases a day really doesn’t have enough information to know.”

“We will have to change the law in Congress,” Scalise said, “and that means both parties are going to have to come together to do it, not to yell and scream and dema-

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data shouldn’t count once the result came back lower than expected.

The lawsuit is one of several filed by insurance companies who saw their ratings drop this year Blue Cross officials did not respond to a request for comment or say if the company will appeal.

“The idea is pretty good: If you provide higher quality by several measures, then you can be paid more,” said Walter Lane, a health economist at the University of New Orleans. “But evidently, they didn’t like the way Blue Cross submitted the data and they got a lower rating than they wanted.”

Why did Blue Cross sue?

Blue Cross of Louisiana combined two of its Medicare Advantage plans in 2024 under one of the plan’s existing contracts. The nowdefunct plan had offered a special program for people with serious health needs.

After the merged plan initially received a 3.5-star rating, Blue Cross asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to include quality data from the old special-needs plan, believing that would boost its overall score. CMS agreed But the special program earned three stars, which

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ended up pulling the new plan’s rating down instead of raising it. In its complaint, Blue Cross called CMS’s approach “rigid and unreasonable” and said the agency unfairly penalized the plan. The judge differed. In his ruling, he wrote that letting the company remove the data would let insurers game the system. CMS said including the data was in line with federal rules designed to prevent insurers from inflating their ratings after merging plans.

The star-rating system Medicare Advantage plans are a type of private insurance that people can select instead of regular Medicare. The federal government gives each plan a rating from one to five stars, based on up to 40 performance measures, such as ease of getting medication, cancer screenings, chronic illness management and whether people are happy with the plan. Plans with ratings of four stars and above get bonus payments meant to reward insurers for providing better care. But fewer plans hit that four-star mark this year, according to the CMS, which means they lost out on those payments. The ratings system, implemented under the Affordable Care Act in 2012, has been criticized by some groups. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commis-

Jennings business owned by Sabbaghian This would not be the first time Sabbaghian’s charges were dismissed In May 2022, Bethany Cooney-Palmer brought a similar complaint to the Crowley Police Department. Two years later, her case, along with other women’s complaints, was brought to

sion, an nonpartisan legislative branch agency, said in a report this year that the star ratings include too many measures, don’t account for patients with greater social and health needs, and give one rating to contracts that may cover very different plans.

The exact amount lost by BCBS which operates the Blue Advantage HMO Medicare Advantage plan, was not specified in the lawsuit. But those payments can potentially be large. Medicare Advantage plans receiving over four stars this year received an average annual bonus of $372 per enrollee, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is one of the nation’s largest, serving 30,000 people in Louisiana, according to ruling.

Will this affect patients?

For customers in Louisiana with a Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plan, the ruling won’t likely mean changes, at least not at first, Lane said. But it could affect the company “Some people may shop around and say, ‘I want to sign up with (a plan that has) five stars,’” Lane said. “So they might lose some customers.”

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry’s office. In October 2024, the District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case. Landry’s office also refused charges in at least one other case involving similar complaints against Sabbaghian filed with the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

In December, Stockstill

gogue the issue.” Scalise did not elaborate on specific legislative changes to the immigration system that he would support. But he said he’s hopeful, now that border crossings have plummeted in the early months of Trump’s presidency, that attention in Congress can turn to that question.

The remarks by the House majority leader highlight the broad range of perspectives now shaping debate over the

future of the U.S. immigration system in Washington. Hardline immigration interests have won out recently in the courts and in Washington. Scalise and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, last week helped shepherd Trump’s domestic policy bill through Congress, which includes massive ICE budget increases.

Kashanian came to the United States from Iran on a student visa in 1978 and

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Wednesday that “the facts of this case have not changed” despite Kashanian’s release. “Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally,” McLaughlin said. “She exhausted all her legal options.”

Kashanian’s family thanked Scalise, state Rep. Stefanie Hilferty, R-Metairie, and New Orleans City Council member Joe Giarrusso on Wednesday for ensuring she is “treated fairly.”

Lafayette Parish still has magnet academy openings

Families can enroll children for upcoming school year

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Lafayette Parish families interested in enrolling their student in some magnet academies still have a chance to apply

There are open seats for various programs for elementary, middle and high school students in academies focusing on areas such as the arts, Spanish immersion, information technology and STEM. Seats are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, a Lafayette Parish school system spokesperson said in a news release. Applications

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according to an LPSS spokesperson, but Gautreaux will receive a $19,000 pay cut to align with other ag teacher salaries in the district

The director of construction, maintenance and facilities position will remain open for now Wirtz said. The school system has implemented additional internal safeguards to protect the district’s bid process,

ATTORNEY

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statement. “He is no longer engaged in private law practice and remains committed to public service through his work in community engagement, youth development, and criminal justice reform.” Haymer, 47, has spent the past three years work-

said the District Attorney’s Office did not pursue the charges because prosecutors learned that a female staff member was present in the room during the patient’s visits and agreed that the examination was within the standard of care. Cooney-Palmer said no female staff member was in the room during her ap-

can be submitted at apply lafayettechoice.com.

Magnet academies “provide students with specialized, hands-on learning opportunities,” and programs are “designed to nurture individual interests and prepare students for future success,” according to LPSS. Openings as of Monday morning were:

Cpl. Michael Middlebrook Elementary Arts Academy

n Kindergarten: 3 n First grade: 6 n

but possible changes to the director position, including responsibilities and qualifications, have not yet been worked out.

LPSS has handed over the investigation into the possible forgeries to the Lafayette Police Department and told the Legislative Auditor’s Office about the investigation.

The possible forgeries were discovered while the state licensing board for contractors was investigating a complaint against a contractor that was doing work with LPSS. The district became

ing for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a nonprofit coalition of stakeholders that brainstorms new policy initiatives for the parish’s criminal justice system. CJCC’s website still listed him as their deputy director Thursday He ran in a hotly contested race for Baton Rouge City Court judge last November, losing to Brittany Jorden by less than 1,000 votes, secretary of state

pointment with Sabbaghian. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners in December confirmed that it launched an investigation into the doctor Sabbaghian continues to practice in Crowley and Jennings. Staff writer Alena Maschke contributed to this article.

aware of the incident in May when the licensing board told leadership of its findings, LPSS said The licensing board was investigating a complaint against Bosco Oilfield Services in Maurice and its work with the district. That investigation centered around an August 2024 drainage pipe replacement project worth $74,500 completed by Bosco, which allegedly submitted the lowest bid. It did not have the proper licensing for that project, according to the licensing board.

election results show. He spent more than 15 years as a private attorney handling cases across the state before he vied to become a juvenile court judge and lost in 2019. After arsonists burned down Haymer’s downtown law firm in March 2020, he became a City Court prosecutor for a few years before joining CJCC’s staff.

Scalise

PHOTO PROVIDED By KAITLyNN MILNE

Milne,

Kashanian

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

A bid by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to change its Medicare Advantage star rating was rejected by a federal judge this week.

STAYINGHOME

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

The black Nike tech hoodie maintained the mystery for college football fans from Miami to Baton Rouge to Austin, Texas.

The all-black getup kept the football future of lineman Lamar Brown,Louisiana’sbrightest highschool talent, hidden until he announcedhis college commitment on ESPN2 at 12:15 p.m. Thursday Brown, who stands 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, entered Pennington McKernan Gymnasium about 30 minutes before showtime Family,teammates, fans —including a collection of elementary school-agekids on asummer field trip— and media members trickled in.

As Brown’sdark attire hidthe color of the shirt of his future college, hisfamily followed the idea of one of his cousins by wearing matching custom t-shirts that said, “What’sNext?,” withpictures of five-star recruit Browninuniforms

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Foracouple weeks, it looked like the New Orleans Saints had one of the most electric receiver duos in the NFL. Through the first fivegames of last season,both Chris Olaveand Rashid Shaheed both topped 80 yards receiving in agamethree times. Olavelookedon his way to athird consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaign to start his career, and Shaheed was adding to his big-play prowess, with his threetouchdowns coming from 43, 59 and 70 yards out. Thenitall unraveled. Shaheed sufferedakneeinjury thatendedhis season after six games.Olave suffered multiple concussions that limited him to eight games andkepthim sidelined the final eight weeks. As good as those two were, New Orleanshad littleelsetolean on behind them.Despite playing in only eight games, twoofwhich he left with injury afterplaying fewerthan10snaps,Olave led all Saints receivers in yards receiving (400). If New Orleans wasconcerned about its young receivers staying healthy this season, it didn’tshow during the offseason. The Saints did not address the position with any of their nine draft picks, andtheir lone signingbeforethe draft

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

There were times Thursday when youcould see just why the NewOrleansPelicansdrafted Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen in the first round. There were othertimes when youcould telltheywererookies with just three days of practice under their belt.

Notes on agolf scorecard while pulling the levers and flipping the switches to go from vacation mode to full-on football mode …When LSU officialssaid they wanted to build a new on-campus arena that would be modeled after the still new andflashy

The Pelicanslost their Summer League opener Thursday,falling to theMinnesotaTimberwolves 98-91inLas Vegas in thedebut for Fears and Queen. Fears, selected out of Oklahoma with the No. 7overall pick, finishedwith 14 points andtwo assists. He also had seven turnovers.His best play cameona pick and rollwith center Yves Missi when Fearsthrew alob for an alley-oop. Queen, aformer Maryland star drafted with theNo. 13 pick,finished with13points and had 10 rebounds. He also had seven turnovers. Queen got off to arough start,not scoring his first basket until less than four minutes in the thirdquarter.But then he got going to finish witha double-double. Queen’sday was highlighted by a

behind-the-back assist to Hunter Dickinson. Collectively, the Pelicanshad 25 turnovers. Fears andQueen ledthe Pelicansinminutes played. Both playedexactly 26 minutesand 33 seconds. That was the plan for Pelicans’ Summer League coachCorey Brewer coming into the game. “Those guys are going to get a ton of work,” Brewer said earlier in the week. “Wewant to see what we got.” While the rookies werethe main attraction, the Pelicans’ best gamescamefromplayers

STAFF

PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

From left, Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears and forwardsMicahPeavy Derik Queen

1:30 p.m. IndyNXT: Practice FS2

2:30 p.m. NTT IndyCar:Practice FS2

5:30 p.m. IndyNXT: QualifyingFS2 BEACH VOLLEYBALL

9p.m. AVPLeague: Week 5CBSSN COLLEGE BASEBALL

6p.m. HBCU: National vs.American MLBN GOLF

10 a.m. Scottish Open Golf

1p.m. Champions: TheDICK’S OpenGolf

3p.m. ISCOChampionship Golf

MEN’SLACROSSE

6p.m. PLL: Newyork vs.Boston ESPN2 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

6:10 p.m. Seattle at DetroitAPPLETV+

8:35 p.m. Arizona at L.A.Angels APPLETV+

9p.m. PhiladelphiaatSan DiegoMLBN NBA SUMMER LEAGUE

3p.m. Memphis vs.Boston NBATV

3:30 p.m. Atlanta vs.Miami ESPN2

5p.m. Newyork vs. Detroit NBATV

6p.m. Utah vs. Charlotte ESPN

7p.m. Chicagovs.Toronto NBATV

8p.m. Washington vs.Phoenix ESPN

9p.m. L.A. Clippers vs. Houston NBATV

10 p.m.Portland vs.Golden State ESPN2

WIMBLEDON

MEN’S SOCCER

8p.m.OrangeCountyatMontereyESPN2

9:55 p.m.ClubAmerica at JuarezFS1

WOMEN’S SOCCER

2p.m.Italy vs.Spain Fox

2p.m.Portugal vs. BelgiumFS1

6:55 p.m.Ecuador vs.UruguayFS1 SOFTBALL

6p.m.Bandits vs.Talons ESPNU TENNIS

7a.m.Wimbledon: men’ssemifinals ESPN

10 a.m. Newport-ATP/WTATennis WNBA

6:30 p.m.Atlanta at Indiana ION

9p.m.ConnecticutatSeattle ION

American to face Swiatekin final

Anisimovabeats No.1seedtoface five-timemajor champ

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON Alittle more than two years ago, Amanda Anisimova took abreak from tennis because of burnout. Ayear ago, working her way back into the game, the American lost when she had to go through qualifyingfor Wimbledon because her ranking of 189th was too low to get into the main bracketautomatically Look at Anisimova now: She’sa Grand Slam finalist for the first time after upsetting No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a compellingcontest at asteamy Centre Court on Thursday In Saturday’sfinal, Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek, who is a five-time major champion but advanced to her first title matchat the All England Club with a6-2, 6-0 victory over Belinda Bencic. Swiatekwas dominant throughout, never letting Bencic get into their far-less-intriguing semifinal and wrapping thingsupin71minutes with serves at up to 119 mph and twice as many winners, 26, as unforced errors, 13. So it turns out she can do just fine on grass courts, thank you very much.

“Tennis keeps surprising me. Ithought Ilived through everything, even though I’m young. I thought Iexperienced everything on the court. ButIdidn’t experience playing well on grass,” Swiatek said. “That’sthe first time.”

She’s5-0 in major finals —4-0 on the French Open’sclay,1-0 on the U.S. Open’shard courts —but only once had been as far as the quarterfinals at Wimbledon until now.It’sbeen more than ayear since Swiatek won atitle anywhere, part of why the 24-yearold from Poland relinquished the top ranking to Sabalenka in October and is seeded No. 8this fortnight.

Saturday’swinner will be the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon women’schampion.

The 13th-seeded Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida, was playing in her second major semifinal after losing at that stage at the 2019 French Open at age 17.

“This doesn’tfeel real right now,”Anisimova saidafter ending the 2-hour,36-minute contest with aforehand winner on her fourthmatch point. “I was absolutelydying out there.I don’t know how Ipulled it out.”

In May 2023, Anisimova took time off,sayingshe hadbeen“ struggling with my mental health ”for nearly ayear Now 23, she is playing as well as ever,her crisp groundstrokes, particularly on the backhand side, as strongand smooth as anyone’s. She is guaranteed to break into thetop 10 of the WTArankings forthe first timenextweek, no matterwhathappens in the title match.

“If you told me Iwould be in thefinal of Wimbledon, Iwould not believe you,” Anisimovasaid with alaugh. “Atleast not this soon,because it’sbeen ayear turnaround since coming back and to be in this spot, it’snot easy .Tobeinthe final is just indescribable, honestly.”

For Sabalenka, 0-3 in semifinals at the All England Club, this defeat prevented her from becoming the first woman to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals since Serena Williams won four major trophies in arow adecade ago.

Sabalenka missed Wimbledon

lastyear because of an injured shoulder,then won the U.S. Open in September for her third Slam title. She was the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open, and to Coco Gauff at the French Open, where Sabalenka’s postmatchcomments drewcriticism and led her to apologize both privately to Gauffand publicly Sabalenka andGauff smoothed things over before thestart of play at the All England Club, dancing together and posting videos on social media.

On Thursday,Sabalenka beganher news conference with as simple astatementascan be, “She was the better player,” then laughed.

“Losing sucks, youknow?” she added in response to thefirst questionfromareporter.“You always feel like you don’twant to existanymore.”

Anisimova improved to 6-3 against Sabalenka,a27-yearold from Belarus, and two of the hardest hitters in the game traded booming shotsand loud shouts. They smacked big serves: Sabalenka reached 120 mph, Anisimova112 mph. They ended points quickly with first-strike aggressiveness. The averageexchange wasoverafter just three shots. By the end,

167 of the 214 total points lasted fewer than five strokes, and just seven contained nine or more. Probably agood thing, too, given the heat.

Thetemperature hit88degrees Fahrenheit (31degrees Celsius) in thefirstset, which wasdelayed twice because spectators in the lower level —withnoshade felt unwell.

Onekey to theoutcome: Anisimova saved 11 of the 14 break pointsshe faced

There was aparticularly lengthy shout by Sabalenka in the second set, shortly after she was angeredwhen Anisimova made some noise during another backand-forth. When the game ended, with Sabalenka making the score 3-all, shelet outanotherscream. Sabalenka, whodouble-faulted to endthe opening set, pulled even by closing the second set with a114 mph servicewinner. She shebroke to begin the third. Could have been daunting for Anisimova. Instead,she didn’t waver, coming back to lead 5-2. Only then did some tensionarrive anew,asAnisimova wasted her firstmatch point, and Sabalenka broke for 5-4.

Anisimovastayed right there and, with another break,she had won,thencovered her mouth with her right hand.

Seasoned Djokovic readytofaceyounger generation

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

Preview

LONDON Novak Djokovic began expressing aheartfelt thought about returning to the semifinals at the All England Club —“It means the world to me,” he was saying, “that I’m still able, at 38, to play (in the) final stages of Wimbledon” —whenthe Centre Court crowd interrupted with yelling andapplause.

“Thank you for cheering for my age. Ireally appreciate it. That’s beautiful. Makes me feel very young,” he said with asmile. “Another thing that makes me feel very young is competingwith youngsters.”

Truth is,Djokovic should be used to this sort of thing by now

He is the last member of agolden era of men’stennis stillontour, andafterbeating one 23-year-old in the quarterfinals, Flavio Cobolli, to reach his 52nd GrandSlam semifinal as he bids for arecord 25th major singles championship, Djokovic will meet yetanother 23-year-old, No. 1-rankedJannik Sinner,onFriday for aberth in the final.

“That motivates me —tosee how much can Istillkeep going with these guys, toe-to-toe,” the sixth-seeded Djokovic said. Djokovic enters his Wimbledon semifinal with 4 losses in arow to Sinner,includinginthe semifinals of this year’s French Open. And Djokovic lost each of the past two title matches at WimbledontoCarlosAlcaraz, whoisalmost exactly 16 years younger, meaning they’rethe men with the second-largest age gap between majorfinalopponents No. 2Alcaraz, whois22, will play No. 5Taylor Fritz, 27, in the other semifinal.

Alcaraz andSinner—a pair Djokovic identified as “theleaders of (men’s) tennis today” —have combined to win the last six Slam trophies in arow Djokovic is more than adecade older than the other men left at Wimbledon.

For Alcaraz, his career haul of five Slams includesthe titlelast monthatRoland-Garros, where he overcame atwo-set deficit and

atrio of championship pointsto sneak past Sinner in afive-set, 51/2 hour classic of afinal. Sinner’s count is three. Both havebeen rankedNo. 1. (Fritz’sbest showing at amajor was being therunnerup to Sinneratthe U.S.Openlast September.) All noteworthy.But nothing compared to what’sonDjokovic’s resume, whichincludesseven triumphs at Wimbledon alone oneshy of Roger Federer’smen’s mark— and 100 tournament titles, along with the most weeks spent at No.1 in the rankingsbyany player “He’sa legend of our sport,” the 22nd-seeded Cobolli said Wednesday after being eliminated 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 by Djokovic. Sinner’splaying style draws comparison’stoDjokovic’s, from the returning prowess to the court coverage to the power-plus-precision groundstrokes. Not much higher acompliment is possible. Djokovic took each of their first three head-to-head matchups, including at the AllEngland Club in the 2022 quarterfinals and 2023 semifinals. But Sinner has gone 4-1 since.

“Me andNovak,weknow(each

Orioles trade RHP Baker to Rays for 37th draft pick BALTIMORE— The BaltimoreOrioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to AL East rival Tampa Bay on Thursday in exchange forthe 37th overall pick in the 2025 MLB amateur draft, asign that one of baseball’smost disappointing clubs could be sellers at the upcoming tradedeadline.

The draft begins Sunday Orioles GM Mike Elias acknowledged the possibility of selling during Thursday’sspilt doubleheader In acorresponding move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk. After adreadful start that brought the May dismissal of manager BrandonHyde,the Orioles have steadied under interim Tony Mansolino,playing to a21-14 record sincealoss to St. Louis on May28.

Athletics’ Rooker joins Home Run Derby list

WEST SACRAMENTO,Calif. Athletics slugger Brent Rooker is adding his name to thelistofHome Run Derby participants.

Rooker announced Thursday that he’sparticipating in the event, which takesplace Monday in Atlanta. He will become the first Athletics playerinthe Home Run Derby since Matt Olson in 2021.

Rooker,30, entered Thursday with a.270 batting average, 19 homers and 50 RBIs, putting him on pace forathird straight season of at least 30 homers. He went deep 30 times in 2023 andhad 39 homers in 2024.

His58homers since the start of the 2024 season rank him third amongall American League players.

Healy wins hilly sixth stage of Tour de France

VIRE NORMANDIE,France Irish rider Ben Healy won ahilly sixth stage of the Tour de France after along solo breakaway on Thursday and Mathieu van der Poel took back theyellowjersey fromdefending champion Tadej Pogaar by one second.

The 24-year-old Healy had won astage on the Giro d’Italia before, but this was his first victory at cycling’sshowcase race.

“A stage win in the Tour is just unbelievable, it’swhat I’ve worked for,”hesaid.

“Participating in the Tour is already an achievement.”

American riderQuinn Simmons finished2 minutes, 44 seconds behind Healy in secondplaceand Australian Michael Storer was 2:51 back in third spot.

Former Jazz coachand GM Layden dies at 93

SALTLAKECITY— Frank Layden, the sharp-witted former coach who led the Utah Jazz to the playoffs forthe first time, has died. He was 93.

Known for his humor andsideline antics,Laydencoached the Jazz from 1981-89 and had 277 wins, third-most in franchise history

He’sthe only coach in Jazz history to be named NBA coach of theyear,earningthe honorin 1984, when he also washonored as executive of the year

other) because we playedquite alot.Soweunderstand what’s working and what’snot,” said Sinner, whoout-servedbig-hitting BenShelton in a7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal victory Wednesday “But I’venever wonagainst him here in Wimbledon, so it’sgoing to be avery,very tough challenge.” Worth monitoring Friday: Djokovic took an awkward fall in the last game against Cobolli; Sinner hurt his right elbow when he slippedinthe last game of his fourth-roundmatch Monday Alcaraz seeksa sixthGrand Slam title, andFritz eyes his first.

While Alcaraz andFritz have met just twice, never at amajor andnever on grass, Alcaraz won bothmatches.

But Fritz has become adifferent player over thepast year,improvinghis returns and overall game while still possessing oneofthe best serves around. The surface at Wimbledon can only help, he figures.

“I’mhappy that we’re notplayingatthe French Open, on clay, with theFrenchOpen balls, ’cause that would be an absolute nightmare,” theCalifornian said “Grass is very muchsoanequalizer.”

Among the best one-liners attributed to him was one about a problem player he coached: “I told him, ‘Son,whatisitwith you? Is it ignoranceorapathy?’ He said ‘Coach,I don’tknow and Idon’t care.’”

Vikings LB scammed for $240K in bank fraud

EAGAN, Minn. Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner was targeted in an alleged financial fraud scheme that cost him about $240,000, according to local authorities.

Sgt. Rich Evans confirmed Thursday that the Eagan police department wasactively investigating the case, working toward criminalchargeswithmultiple suspects identified. Onlyabout $2,500 has been recovered so far, Evans said. According to the search warrant affidavit, Turner saidhereceived acall in February from an individual impersonating abanker who advised him to transfer money in order to prevent atheft attempt. Turner later suspected thecall was ascam after conferring with afamily member

Djokovic

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH

Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. celebrates beating top-seeded ArynaSabalenka of Belarus at Wimbledon in London on Thursday.

BROWN

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of four teams: LSU, Texas A&M, Texas and Miami

In the moment of truth, ESPN’s No. 1 player in the 2026 class informed the world he wasn’t leaving Louisiana, committing to LSU as he placed an oversized purple LSU cap over his dreadlocks and unzipped the hoodie to show his LSU chain and gold Tigers shirt.

Brown is as familiar with Brian Kelly’s operation as much as any recruit could be. His University High School is a laboratory school of LSU and is only a five-minute drive from Tiger Stadium. While he’s been mainly recruited by LSU associate head coach Frank Wilson, he has relationships with the majority of the coaching staff through visits, camps and multiple home games.

“Some games I wanted to commit, but I knew I had to trust my process,” Brown said “Tiger Stadium, there’s nothing else like it.” He also has relationships with players that are from the state and even former high school teammates such as freshman Keylan Moses.

PELICANS

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who were on the team last season. Lester Quinones led the

RABALAIS

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is the target of the indictment and not the Oak View Group as a company All that said, federal grand juries don’t just hand out indictments willy-nilly without a ton of evidence to back them up, so this is serious business. The wheels of justice turn slowly so we’ll likely have to wait quite awhile to see how this case is resolved and what impact it will have on LSU’s plans to build a $400 million multipurpose venue to replace the aging Pete Maravich Assembly Center In May at the Southeastern Conference spring meeting, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said LSU was focused on just the Oak View Group as being its partner in this project – the other developer considered, ASM Global, was out of the running at that time, he said. Woodward also said LSU hoped to open the doors on the new facility sometime in 2029. Instead of turning over the first shovel full of dirt, Lieweke’s indictment may throw some dirt on LSU’s plans, especially if

SAINTS

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was 12-year veteran Brandin Cooks Best case

Both Olave and Shaheed stay healthy and build upon what they started to show last year, while Cooks proves he’s still got something left in the tank as a No. 3 option after a couple of down years. It feels like a lot to ask for all three of those things to come true, but it’s not impossible. Olave averaged 15.5 games his first two seasons before a scary string of concussions last year, and Shaheed played in 33 of a possible 35 games to start his career before his knee injury sidelined him for the final 11 games in 2024. Cooks is a bit of a reach, considering he hasn’t topped 700 yards in a season since 2021, and he too is coming off an injuryplagued season. If they’re on the field, it’s hard to bet against Olave and Shaheed’s talents, especially with a proven offensive play-caller like Kellen Moore available to push the right buttons. It will likely look differ-

LSU GETS PLEDGE FROM FLORIDA EDGE RUSHER

It’s commitment season and LSU football added another player to its 2026 recruiting class

DeAnthony Lafayette, a three-star edge from Lake Nona High in Orlando, Florida, announced his commitment Thursday afternoon on social media. Lafayette chose LSU over Oklahoma and Miami. Lafayette’s commitment came a few hours after LSU

The supreme comfort he had with LSU was there but it didn’t make donning the purple and gold a forgone conclusion. Brown admitted it wasn’t until an hour so before his 12:15 p.m. announcement that he was completely sure on his tough decision

“I give them props,” Brown said about how hard the other schools recruited him. “They weren’t scared of LSU. “I made the best decision for me. I love playing for the state, playing for my city Put a chip on my back being the (hometown) hero.” Brown is a two-way player that can be menace on the offensive and defensive line.

Pelicans with 20 points and knocked down five of his eight 3-pointers. Missi, the first-round draft pick from a year ago who went on to be named second team on the AllRookie team, recorded 13

the school has to find another developer

There was a lot in Wilson Alexander’s superb story from earlier this month on how the NCAA’s new revenue sharing plans would impact LSU athletics. So much so that only recently have folks seemed to have taken notice of the part about LSU’s plans to put logos on the field in Tiger Stadium this fall and their hopes (pending NCAA approval) to put them on the uniforms, all in the name of helping fund the $20.5 million LSU and other schools will have to begin sharing with their athletes.

As you’ve probably surmised, I’m pretty old school in that I don’t like ads on the field or on uniforms at any level of sport. That said, I’ve known for a long time they were part of the sports landscape, going way back to my youth baseball days in the 1970s when our neighborhood team in Cedarcrest-Southmoor was sponsored by Pitre Auto Parts. Pitre Auto Parts is long gone, but ads and logos and things like it are here to stay But what is next? Naming rights for LSU’s new basketball arena, like

ent than it did at the start of last season, when the Saints were consistently taking deep shots with their speedy receiver corps. New Orleans may also ask Olave to do less work between the numbers as a way to expose him to fewer big hits. But there also might be more opportunities for both players after the catch in the Moore offense. Both Olave and Shaheed gained about 30% of their yards after the catch last season, while Devonta Smith — a similar player in terms of style and frame gained about 36% of his yards after the catch under Moore last year compared to 27.6% in the year before Moore arrived.

If both can stay healthy, and if Cooks can take advantage of the attention the top two garner, it’s not hard to envision a Saints passing attack that is better than last year’s, even taking the unproven quarterback into account.

Worst case

Yeah, but what happens if they can’t stay healthy?

And will the Saints rue their decision not to add some size to this position group?

landed five-star lineman Lamar Brown out of Baton Rouge. LSU now has 16 players committed in the 2026 cycle, and six of those pledges have come within the past two weeks.

Lafayette is ranked as the No. 794 overall prospect and the No. 74 edge defender in the country, according to the 247Sports composite. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds.

He’ll enter LSU with the plan of playing defense because that’s where the staff said he can have the biggest impact.

“They like I can play inside out,” Brown said. “I’ll play outside (on the defensive line) and come back inside on third downs and find a mismatch to go get a sack.”

The Tigers have a new defensive line coach in Kyle Williams. Brown said he doesn’t know him too well yet but that he seems like a “good guy” and knows that his NFL experience will help develop players. Williams is a former LSU defensive tackle who played 13 years in the NFL.

points and 13 rebounds.

“Yves looks like he’s in better shape,” Brewer said this week.”He looks like he’s stronger. I think we are going to see a different Yves this year.”

Missi shot just 5 of 14

the Caesars Superdome?

Can you imagine Tiger Stadium or Alex Box Stadium being Raising Cane’s Field or some such? One SEC school has already sold the naming rights several years back to its football stadium, when Kentucky remade its Commonwealth Stadium into Kroger Field.

I understand where LSU, and other schools, are coming from with millions needed to be generated to stay competitive in the ever changing, more-likepro-sports-all-time landscape of college athletics. My concern is where does it end? I certainly don’t imagine we’ve reached that goal line quite yet.

SEC football media days start Monday in Atlanta, with LSU among the four schools taking part on the first day, and I am always intrigued to see which trio of players each team will bring.

This year LSU coach Brian Kelly picked quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (one of the SEC’s brightest stars), linebacker Whit Weeks (he will fill reporters’ notebooks and be a big hit) and wide receiver Chris Hilton. The latter is something of a surprise. I

All three of the top guys are 6-foot or shorter, and all weigh between 180 and 190 pounds. Beyond the durability concerns that come with those frames, even someone as technically proficient as Olave is limited when it comes to making the contested catches that move the chains on third-and-medium. New Orleans has lacked this element in its offense for years. Maybe that role can be filled by someone like Bub Means, who showed some promise last year before dealing with his own injuries

Maybe Juwan Johnson, who is effectively a big-bodied receiver with a tight end next to his name, can be that guy But maybe the Saints still don’t have it on their roster Moore has said several times this offseason that he likes his receiver group, but it’s hard to get excited about anybody beyond the two lead guys who will come into the season needing to prove they can stay on the field.

Prediction

Olave and Shaheed combine to post more than 2,000 yards.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate. com.

LSU now has two edge defenders in the 2026 class, and both have come from Florida. Lafayette joined top 100 recruit Trenton Henderson, a four-star out of Pensacola, Florida, who committed to LSU last week.

Before Lafayette’s commitment, LSU’s class was ranked No. 7 by 247Sports and No. 5 by On3/Rivals. Wilson Alexander

Brown is ecstatic to join an already loaded LSU team.

The soon-to-be senior said he expects to have an impact sooner rather than later when he gets on the field.

“I don’t plan on just being on the team,” Brown said. “I plan on playing freshman year Day 1.”

While it’s impossible for him not to look ahead to college, Brown said that he’s been working hard preparing for his senior season. He announced his college decision now so it wouldn’t linger into his team’s pursuit for a state championship.

“We’re hungry, a lot of people doubted us this year but this probably one of our best teams,” he said of the Cubs.

from the floor He went 3 of 9 from the free-throw line and the Pelicans made just 14 of 25 free throws. Quinones and Queen combined to score the Pelicans’ final 13 points of the third quarter

thought LSU might bring fellow receiver Aaron Anderson instead, or perhaps senior safety Jardin Gilbert. But Hilton is an interesting choice, and a good sign for LSU fans for the upcoming season as they look forward to him helping stretch opposing defenses like he did in the latter part of 2024. Who attends media days

Another hungry player at University High is Darius Coleman, a rising senior safety, who has known Brown since their freshman season. The first time they met he thought Brown was older because of his already imposing frame and special ability as a varsity starter Brown’s athletic gifts and on-the-field impact are not all that makes him stand out. The relaxed-manner star has another talent: connecting people.

“He’s a good dude,” Coleman said. “He going to call, he’s going to joke around, he’s not very distant. He’ll bring you in.” Brown had teammates like Coleman accompany him on

The Ti mberwolves blocked 12 Pelicans shots. Micah Peavy the Pelicans’ second-round draft pick out of Georgetown, scored 11 points to go with seven rebounds Antonio Reeves scored 10 points.

isn’t the be-all/end-all for the season, but it shows the confidence Kelly has in Hilton as a leader and as player No one brings anyone to media days who they are worried will say foolish, “bulletin board” things. Clearly, Kelly considers Hilton a major asset, a long way from the will he or won’t he be back talk from late last year

recruiting visits outside the state.

The gift of getting people together is something that can even benefit LSU before he’s on the roster officially He said that he and other commitments will get to work on helping add to an already strong 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 7 in the country, according to 247Sports.

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to have the No. 1 class,” Brown said. “We plan on talking to some commits, that’s what we want to do and build off that.”

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

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com

Speaking of uniforms, I like the Saints’ snazzy new alternate white helmet the team unveiled earlier this week. At least the Saints will look sharp en route to going 5-12 for a second straight season.

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

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON UHigh senior Lamar Brown talks to reporters after announcing his commitment to LSU during a national televised ceremony on Thursday in Baton Rouge.

The Pelicans play the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 p.m Saturday in their second Summer League game.

Allthings filmmaking

Want to learnabout thefilm industry? TheBaton RougeUnderground Film Festival willhosta Q&A panel of local film professionals, along with timefor networking, at the Filmmaker Forumfrom6 p.m. to 8p.m. Sundayatthe Main Libraryat Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. batonrougeunderground.com

LIVING

ALLIN AGAIN

Music, film, communitymeld forsecond iterationoffestival

With the goalofbuilding unity,the 2nd annual (Neighbor) Hood Fest will take place from noon to 8p.m. Saturday at the Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. in Baton Rouge. Henry Turner Jr.’sListening Room Museum Foundation, fest organizer,hopes to foster harmony “by exploring thecity of Baton Rouge and Louisiana’s diverse cultural communities through music andfilm,” according to anews release. New at this year’sfamilyfriendly,free festival is ahot dog eatingcontest sponsored by Frankie’sDawg House. Ten entrants will be chosen, with the winner receiving $100 cash. Entry forms and more information are available on the websiteat neighborhoodfest.org or by calling (225) 802-9681. The event also will featurea vendor village,food court, live music and films, along with an antique car show and children’s play area with bounce houses and asoccer field, if players want to bring their gear.Featuresand shorts will be shown in the library,followed by filmmaker paneldiscussions Afestival pre-party runsfrom 7p.m. to midnight Thursday at Henry Turner Jr.’sListening

ä To view a schedule for the festival, see PAGE 6C

Morning Bird’s PeterSimon andRaudol Palacios spread theirwings

Aä See FESTIVAL, page 6C

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK Baton Rougecontemporary Christian artistPrincess Teha opens entertainment for (Neighbor) Hood Fest on Saturday.

PETER SIMON

6p.m.Friday and Saturday l Free admission l L’Auberge Casino, 777 L’Auberge Ave., Baton Rouge l lbatonrouge. comand minosthesaint. com

BY JOHN WIRT | Contributing writer

few days beforePeter Simon’ssolo set at lastyear’s Baton Rouge Blues Festival, he invited Raudol Palacios, a classically trained cellist,tosit in with him.

On stageatthe Blues Fest, Simon, thesinger-songwriter in the musically expansive Baton Rouge band Minos theSaint, and Palacios, who performswith the unconventional instrumental quartet Favorite Friend, made an inspiring musical connection. Those creative sparks spread to the recording studiocollaboration Simon has named Morning Bird. The duo recentlyreleased an elegant and atmospheric recording debut,the five-song EP “A Change in Elevation.” It’savailable from music streaming services.

Morning Bird began as asolo project forSimon in the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 was, for me, alesson in solitude,” he said. “Morning Bird,initially,was just abedroom-studio COVID project, for the sake of sanity.”

True to their contemplative origin, Simon sings his Morning Bird lyrics in earnest, intimate style.For instance, in “Man’sFirst Steps,” he expresses an unreadiness to trade the night’sdreamsfor the singing birds and “morning canvas” stretched before him

ä See MORNING, page 6C

Staff report

Knock Knock Children’sMuseum and the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants areputting the fun in fundamental financial literacy for children. Theannual“Earn andLearn —FinancialLiteracy Weekend” will take place Saturday and Sunday at Knock Knock Children’sMuseum, 1900 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge.

AdmissiononSunday is freeto the public. The Earn andLearn initiative introduces children to financial literacy through fun, hands-on activities. Visitors can complete jobsin18learningzones to earn wooden tokens, which they can saveorspend at the Earn& Learn Shop.

Volunteers with the society will guide childrenthrough tasks such as workingina farmers market, garage or restau-

rant, andevendonatingfood, helping them explore career pathways, money identification and financial decision-making. Through pretend play activities,families and children will: n Exploreearning wages, the difference between wants and needs, making thoughtful choices and giving back n Gain apractical understanding of budgeting andprioritization n Introduce basic numerical

skills by learning thevalue of items n Experience the rewards of financialplanning anddecisionmaking by earning credit and redeemingitems in theEarn& LearnShop. The Society of Louisiana CPAs is dedicated to equipping individuals of all ages with essential financial knowledge andskills by helping familiesintroduce

See LITERACY, page 6C

Peter Simonplays guitar at his studio July 3. Singer-songwriter Simon, amember of Minos the Saint, recently collaborated in the studio withFavorite Friend’s Raudol Palacios.

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIERGALLEGOS

Peter Simonand collaborator Raudol Palacios playtogether at their studio on July 3.

Staff report

Newmother-to-be seemsungrateful

Dear Heloise: Ihear alot of talk about gender reveal parties, but where I’m from,there are far too many ungrateful mothersto be. At arecent baby shower,the mom-to-be opened abox with one of the most beautiful white baby blankets I’ve ever seen. The woman who gave the gift told the soon-to-be mother that it was handmade in Ireland by awoman who makes one-of-a-kind baby clothes and blankets.Many of the knitter’sitems were usually handed down to the next generation because of their beauty and durability. The future mother just looked at it and said, “I’m sure Ican find some use for it,” and that was about all. Her attitude and tone of voice said everything There was no sign of appreciation for aone-of-akind gift as beautiful as this blanket. The woman who gave the lovelygift looked embarrassed because the future mother didn’tseem to like it. What gives with some of these

pregnant women? —KatyD., Concord, New Hampshire Katy,good question! Do any of my other readers see this type of behavior at baby showers? Let us know —Heloise Hospital bills

Dear Heloise: My husband stayed in thehospital for two nightsalmosttwo years ago. We are still receiving statementssayingthat we owe thehospital money,but it does not list which procedure ormedication the bill pertains to. I’ve called the billing department, but all they tell me is to pay the bill. What should Ido? Irene W.,inBellflower,California Irene, call the billing department and tell themyou willnot make another payment until you are given an itemized statement of your bill.Many hospitals make mistakes, but you don’tneed to putupwith the brush-off. If they give you any more trouble, call thehospital administrator —Heloise Send ahint to heloise@ heloise.com.

(NEIGHBOR) HOOD FEST

STAGELINEUP

n Noon-12:30 p.m.: Hosts GiseleHaralsonand Free Spirit

n 12:40 p.m.-1p.m.: Princess Teha (Contemporary Christian)

n 1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m.: Xavie Shorts (Contemporary Christian/R&B)

n 1:45 p.m.-2:05 p.m.: Ms. Pressure (SouthernSoul)

n 2:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m.: Hot Dog Eating Contest

n 3p.m.-3:30 p.m.: “Maestro” Ervin Foster (Smooth Jazz/Pop)

n 3:45 p.m.-4:10 p.m.: Chris Christ Child (ContemporaryChristian)

n 4:15 p.m.-5p.m.: Henry Turner Jr.& Flavor(Blues/Soul Reggae)

n 5:15 p.m.-5:45 p.m.: Da Beautiful Key(Pop/House/ EDM)

FESTIVAL

Continued from page5C

Room, 2733 NorthSt. in Baton Rouge. Admission is $30 and includes abuffet This year’sfest sponsors include EastBaton Rouge Public Libraries, WBRZ Channel 2, 2+, and their affiliate stations WBTZ, Chan-

MORNING

Continued from page5C

The quiet intro in “Man’s First Steps” yields to the studio backup band that enters and exists throughout the song’smeditativebut smoothly accessible pop music. Elaborate though the arrangement is, it doesn’t spiral into prog-rockexcess.Thattasteful restraint applies to every “A Change in Elevation” song. More morning references and introspection surface in track No. 5, “Headspace.”

“I counted every bone in my skin, painted every thought that came to mind,” Simon sings sincerely.“Took abreath and turned it back in. …I’ll dry my tears in the morning sun and once more rise.” In the course of recording his COVID-19-erasongs at his home studio,Simon moved from making asolo project to collaborating with others, especiallyPalacios.

“Raudol gave the songs life, layering his cello on each of them, but staying true to my vision,”Simon said. “He added so much. It would not be what it is without him.” Palacios’ cello plays

SHOWSTOWATCH —ACADIANA

Lafayette, 8p.m.

FRIDAY

ALYSEYOUNG: Adopted DogBrewing Lafayette, 6p.m

DYLAN AUCOIN AND THE JUDICE RAMBLERS: The Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 6p.m

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley G’sSeafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m

MIKEBROUSSARD: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6p.m

n 6p.m.-6:30 p.m.: King Solomon (R&B) n 6:45 p.m.-7:15 p.m.: ShoreEnough (EMO/Punk/ Pop)

FILM SCREENINGS

n 1:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: LouisianaFilm Block-Music Videos (35mins.) n 2p.m.-3:30 p.m.: “Wasted:Overtourism& the French Quarter”(95 mins ) n 3:45 p.m -4:15p.m.: Q&Awith Writer/Director LauraCayouette and Producer Erin Holms n 4:30 p.m.-5 p.m.: “Mid City Flats” (documentary,16 mins., Director/Producer Nick Savides)

n 5:30 p.m -6:15p.m.: ReverbNation-Listening Room Alumna Running (40mins.) *Lineup and times subjecttochange; alltimes approximate.

nel 36.1 and WBRZ.com, Frankie’sDawg House, Vernon W. Thomas, Joyful Jumps, Clifford’sNeighborhoodAntique Car Showand Henry Turner Jr.’sListening Room Museum Foundation. GiseleHaralsonand Free Spiritare musical hosts. Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate com.

prominently,for instance, in the EP title song “A Change in Elevation.” Within an arrangement featuring softloudcontrast of thekind typical of classical music performances, the cello plaintively echoes and answers the pensive melodyin Simon’slyrics.

“My parts in Morning Bird are differentfrom what Ido in FavoriteFriend,”Palacios said. “It’sa different philosophy in the wayI compose and, for Peter,it’sadifferent approach from Minos the Saint. Adifferent set of rulesgovernswhat theproductisgoing to be.”

Keeping aduo for itscore, Morning Bird nonetheless plans to be more spontaneous than Simon’sand Palacios’ other bands.

“Wewant to do something more free-form,” Palacios said.

“The idea is astarting point, five songs thatgive anyone amap,” Simon said.

Synthesizersand drum programming in Morning Bird’sEParrangements point to more instruments. When Simon and Palacios compose, they envision the numberofplayers can range from simply theirduo to the duo plus bass, drums, abrass section and evenan orchestra.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza&Brewery, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar,New Iberia, 6p.m

LATE BLOOMIN’: Gloria’s Bar &Grill, Lafayette, 7p.m

JILL BUTLER’S JOYRIDE: Acadiana Center forthe Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

JAMBALAYA TRIO: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

KIPSONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

AJ’S65TH BIRTHDAY

BASH: Blue Moon Saloon,Lafayette, 8p.m THE AMAZING NUNS WITH OPENERTHE CONRADS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m

MATT GARYTRIO: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 8p.m

GENO DELAFOSE: Pat’sAtchafalaya Club,Henderson, 8p.m

JOHNNY MARKS: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

NIK-L BEER: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub,Scott, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY DONNY BROUSSARD

BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8a.m

MIKEBROUSSARD & NU

EDITION

ZYDECO: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8a.m

SATURDAY MORNING

JAMSESSIONS: Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9a.m

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park,Lafayette, 9a.m

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie,Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MU-

SIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m

ZYDECO CAPITAL

JAM: St.Landry ParishVisitorCenter, Opelousas, 1p.m

AMIS DU TECHE: Cypress Cove Landing Breaux Bridge, 3p.m

PRENTICE JAMES

BAND: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 4p.m

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

JAKE KNOTTAND

COUNTRYCLUB: The Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 6p.m

THE MINTLLYILLBILLIES: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s,Lafayette, 6p.m

GRACE NOVASAD: The TapRoom, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

RORYSUIRE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

TET DUR: Pat’sAtchafalaya Club, Henderson, 7p.m

JULIAN PRIMEAUX: HideawayonLee, Lafayette, 8p.m

NOTYOUR HIGH

SCHOOL

TALENT SHOW: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 8p.m

CARNELIAN JAZZ

DUO: Whiskey&Vine,

The Morning Bird EP already features the duo’s friends in the Baton Rouge music community.Simon’s guitarand keyboards and Palacios’ cello joinChad Townsend’sdrums, Lee Barbier’sand David Hinson’s bass playing, Alex V. Cook’s pedal steel guitar,and Kimberly Meadowlark’sand Taylor Stoma’sclouds of backup vocals.

In addition to performing with Minos theSaint and Favorite Friend,Simon, a Ponchatoula native, and the Cuban-bornPalacios, are music educators —Simon in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System’stalented music program, Palacios at the Palacios Schoolofthe Arts

Palacios also performs with Simon in Minos the Saint, having joined the group following last year’s departure of longtime violinist Joel Willson. Morning Bird, featuring Simon and Palacios, will perform Sept. 3atthe Baton Rouge Gallery’sFirst

DON RICH: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

SPANK THE MONKEY: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m

ORYMICHAELS: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie,Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

BALDUDIMANCHE

–WALLACE TRAHAN AND RICE &GRAVY: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge,3 p.m

FORET TRADITION: Pat’sAtchafalaya Club,Henderson, 4:30 p.m.

LIL NATHAN: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 5p.m

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

STOP THE CLOCK COUNTRYJAZZ: Feed n’ Seed,Lafayette, 6p.m

BONSOIR CATIN: HideawayonLee, Lafayette, 8p.m.

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m. SAMSPHAR: Charley G’sSeafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

TUESDAY

TERRYHUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6p.m

JAZZ TRIO —PAUL TAUSSIN, JAIRUS DAIGLE, MASON FEDUCCIA: Charley G’sSeafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

Wednesday opening reception andSept. 14 at thegallery’sSundays at 4series. In the meantime, the solo Simonappears at 6p.m.

WEDNESDAY DULCIMERJAM: St. Landry VisitorCenter Opelousas, 10 a.m.

VIEILLE MANIERE: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m.

MATT GARYTRIO: Whiskey& Vine 6p.m.

SAMSPHAR: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

CARTER SIMONEAUX: TapRoom, Youngsville,6:30 p.m

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

STAYCAYTHURSDAYS: EastRegional Library, Youngsville,2:30 p.m

LAYLA: Whiskey& Vine,Lafayette, 6p.m.

JACK WOODSON: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.

DUSTIN SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m

TYLER JUNEAU: Gloria’s Bar &Grill, Lafayette, 7p.m.

CIGAR SOCIAL: Downtown (WurstBiergarten), Lafayette, 7p.m.

LADIESKARAOKE NIGHT: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m

DYLAN AUCOIN: Rock ‘n’Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m JESSE BROWN CAJUN TRIO: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m.

KARAOKE PARTY— PANDAENTERTAINMENT: Black Bull, Youngsville,8p.m.

Compiledby

MarchaundJones

Want yourvenue’s music listed?

Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY forthe following Friday’s paper

Friday and Saturday at The Edge in L’Auberge Casino. Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,July 11, the 192nd day of 2025. There are 173 days leftin the year TodayinHistory On July 11, 1995, the U.N.-designated “safe haven” of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina fell to Bosnian Serb forces, whosubsequently carried out the killings of morethan 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

Also on this date: In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally reestablished by acongressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band. In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded formerTreasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during apistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.(Hamilton died the next day.) In 1859, BigBen,the great bell inside thefamous Londonclock tower chimedfor the first time. In 1914, BabeRuthmade his Major League Baseball debut,pitching theBoston Red Soxtoa4-3 victory over Cleveland.

In 1960, Harper Lee’s novel “ToKill aMockingbird” waspublished. In 1972, the World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer,ofthe United States, and defending champion Boris Spassky, of the Soviet Union, began play in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Fischer wonafter 21 games.)

In 2022, President Joe Biden revealed the first image from NASA’s new space telescope, the farthest humanity had ever seen in both timeand distance, closer to the dawn of the universe and the edge of the cosmos.

Today’sBirthdays: Fashion designer Giorgio Armani is 91. Actor Susan Seaforth Hayes is 82. Actor Bruce McGill is 75. Actor Stephen Lang is 73. Actor Mindy Sterling is 72. Actor Sela Ward is 69. Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 68. Singer Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) is 68. Actor Mark Lester is 67. Saxophonist Kirk Whalum is 67. Singer Suzanne Vega is 66. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 66. Actor Lisa Rinna is 62. Author Jhumpa Lahiri is 58. Wildlifeexpert Jeff Corwin is 58. Actor Justin Chambers (TV:“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 55. Actor Michael Rosenbaum (TV: “Smallville”) is 53. Rapper Lil’ Kimis51.

Continued from page5C

concepts of smart saving, spending and sharing from ayoung age to pave the way for afinancially secure future. For moreinformation, visit knockknockmuseum. org.

STAFF FILE PHOTOBySCOTT THRELKELD

Lil’ Nathan will performatRock‘n’ Bowl in Lafayette at 5p.m. Sunday

Hints from Heloise

CANCER (June21-July 22) Focus on your objective,and don't stop until you finish. The outcome will be satisfying and help you gain outsideinterest. Believe in yourself.Network, promote and market who you are and what you offer.

LEO(July 23-Aug.22) Consider what otherscan contribute, and incorporate fresh ideasinto your plans. Set abudgetbefore youbegin aproject.Social and networking events will motivate you to startsomething new.

VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept.22) Listen carefully. Refuse to let changes others make tempt youtofollow. Gatherinformation, watch others' progress and learn from their pitfalls and failures. Avoid premature assessments.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Emotionalenergy will requiredirection. Keeping your eyeonexpenditures and essentials will help you make better choices. Too muchofanything will require adjustments.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Conversations that bring about change maynot be easy, but the resultswill enhance your life. Line up your preferences and set a course that can carry you to victory.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Let your intuition take the lead. If you move too quickly, you'll face unexpected pitfalls that delay your timing. Put your money in asafe place and refuse to payfor someone else's mistakes.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Question everything regarding money and work.

Reset your plans, review your investments and options, and map out aplan to get where you want to go.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Focus on home improvements.Consider what you feel passionate about and start to make changesathome or to yourself thatwill give you anew lease on life.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Do what works for you, regardless of what others choose. Be careful; avoidjeopardizing your health or physical well-being. Be charming instead of complaintive.

ARIES (March21-April 19) Balance the budget before committingtohome improvements, moves or anything that mayjeopardize youfinancially. Rethink how you earn aliving and consider how you can use your skills.

TAURUS (April 20-May20) Refrain from starting something you cannot finish. Spend time gathering informationto help you reach your goals;stop spinning your wheels.Dothe legwork and set your sightsonwhat's practical.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Take your time, gather information and stick to basics. Too much, toofastwill lead to undue expense and worry. When someone applies pressure, know enough to back away.

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

CelebrityCiphercryptograms are createdfromquotations by famous people,pastand present. Eachletter in the cipherstands foranother. TODAy'SCLUE: HEQUALS C

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

On agameshow, aprizewas atrip to aEuropean destination with aweek in aluxury hotel that, according to the announcer, included 24-hour access to the contestant’s room! At the bridge table, access to one hand or the other can be vitaltoenjoying success. How does thatapply in this deal?

Against three no-trump, West leads the spade nine.How should Southplan the play?

In theauction,North’s two-diamond rebidwasNewMinorForcing,promising atleastgame-invitationalvaluesandaskingopenertodescribe his hand further. Three clubs denied three hearts, indicated agood five-card suit, and implied aweak spadeordiamond holding. (Otherwise, South wouldhave continued with twono-trump.)

Southhas eight toptricks: three spades (given the lead), two heartsand three clubs.Where will he findwinner No. 9?

Against best defense, there isn’t time to play on diamonds or hearts. Declarer must get afourth clubtrick. But that requires losing one club and having a hand entry in spades.

If South reasonably assumesthe spade nine is topofnothing, he can take the first trick with dummy’s ace and play on

clubs.But it is safer to put in dummy’s spade jack. If it wins, South’s king is his entry; or, if Eastcovers with the queen, South wins with his king and can get to his hand with the spade 10. But if South errs by playing

name,

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

Time

Canyou

thought

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe garfield B.C.

certifythattheyare li‐censedcontractors under Chapter24ofTitle 37ofthe LouisianaRe‐vised Statutes of 1950 and show theirlicense numberonthe frontof the sealed envelope in which theirbid is en‐closed. Contractorsshall belicensedfor theclas‐sification of “MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC WORKSCON‐STRUCTION”. Bids in the amountsspecified above which have notbid in ac‐cordancewiththe re‐quirements, shallbere‐jectedand shallnot be read. Additional informa‐tionrelativetolicensing may be obtained from the LouisianaState Li‐censing Boardfor Con‐tractors, BatonRouge Louisiana TheLafayette Consoli‐dated Government stronglyencouragesthe participation of DBEs (DisadvantagedBusiness Enterprises)inall con‐tractsorprocurements let by theLafayette Con‐solidated Government for goodsand services and laborand material Tothatend,all contrac‐torsand suppliersare encouragedtoutilize DBEsbusinessenter‐prisesinthe purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐rials,supplies, services and laborand material in which disadvantaged businessesare available. Assistanceinidentifying saidbusinessesmay be obtainedbycalling 2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISHDATES:7/11/25 7/13/25, 7/20/25 DPR985853 149141-JUL11-13-20-3T $232

Thursday,August07, 2025 forconstructionof the followingproject as described in theBidding Documents andlistedon the BidForm: LPSS SouthsideHigh School Pavement andLimestone Project 312 Almonaster Road Youngsville,LA70592 BID# 14-26 It is furtherunderstood and agreed that thework under this contract shall becompleted as follows: SouthsideHighSchool Pavement

nnect.com. In accor‐dance with LA RS 38: 2212.E(6),bidsfor this project maybesubmit‐ted electronically viaup‐loadtoCenterlineBid Connect (www.centerl inebidconnect.com ). All bid documentsshall be uploadedbythe duedate and time stated above. Questions aboutthispro‐cedureshouldbedi‐rectedtoCenterline (phone: 504-291-5738) (email: bidconnect@centerline. co). ABid bond will be re‐quired, perthe contract documents,and should beuploadedwiththe restofthe required Bid Documents.Ifa scanned copyofthe BidBondis uploaded,the original i d bid b d p g notarized bid bond must beproduced“on-de‐mand” perthe Owner’s request ThesuccessfulBidder shall be required to fur‐nisha Performanceand Payment Bond in an amount equalto100% of the Contract on the forms provided by the School Boardand written inaccordancewith Louisiana law. Bids shallbeaccepted onlyfromContractors who arelicensedbythe Louisiana StateLicensing Board forContractors for the classification of BuildingConstruction. No bid maybewithdrawn for aperiodofforty-five (45) days after receiptof bids, except under the provisionsofLa. R.S. 38:2214. AMandatory Pre-Bid Conferencewill beginat: SouthsideHighSchool 312 Almonaster Road Youngsville,LA70592 at 10:00 a.m.,CST on Friday July 25, 2025. TheOwnerreservesthe right to reject anyand all bidsfor just cause. TheLafayette Parish School System strongly encouragesthe partici‐pationofminoritybusi‐nessenterprises in all contracts or procure‐ments letbythe Board for goodsand services Tothatend,all Contrac‐torsand suppliersare encouragedtoutilize mi‐noritybusinessenter‐prisesinthe purchase or sub-contracting of

NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,that Ordinance No.CO-066-2025 has been introduced andisproposed for adoption by the Lafayette City Council on August 5, 2025, whereby the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government would transfer seven (7) point blank ranger

green ballisticvests, which arenolonger needed for public purposes, to theFranklin Police Department, the following described property,towit:

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 210000081652 210000081659

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361643 180000361327

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361346 180000361335

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361342 180000361329

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361350 180000361336

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 210000081657 210000081650

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 210000081660 210000081653

Any opposition to the proposed ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of theLafayette Clerk of theCouncil within 15 days after the first publication of this notice. If an opposition is filed, the LafayetteCity Council shall notadopt the ordinance until ahearing has been held.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz

JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ

LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE COUNCIL

Publication Dates: July 11, July 18, July 25, 2025.

149106-521170-July 11, 18, 25-3t

NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,that Ordinance No.CO-067-2025

(45) days after thetimescheduled for thebid openingof bids. Each bidshall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successfulbidderwillbe requiredtoexecute per‐formanceand laborand materialpayment bonds inthe full amount of the contractasmorefully definedinthe biddocu‐ments.Nocontractors may withdraw hisbid for atleast forty-five (45) daysafter thetime scheduled forthe open‐ing of bids.Eachbid shall besubmitted only

has been introduced andisproposed for adoption by the Lafayette City Council on August 5, 2025, whereby the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government would transfer nine (9) point blank ranger greenballistic vests, which arenolonger needed for public purposes, to the Kaplan Police Department, thefollowing described property,towit:

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 210000081663 210000081656

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361351 180000361337

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361347 180000361332

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 200000102260 200000102253

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361352 180000361339

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361349 180000361328

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361341 180000361331

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 180000361353 180000361338

SWAT RANGER GRN BALLISTIC VEST 210000081658 210000081651

Surplus2003 Pumper Tanker Fire Truck Description Serial/vin 490-0004 KW 2003 pumper tanker fire truck 1NKDL00X83J394799

adoptthe ordinance until ahearinghas been held.

/s/JosephGordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE COUNCIL

PublicationDates:July4,July11, July18, 2025.

NOTICE TO PUBLIC

NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,that Ordinance No.PO-031-2025 has been introduced and is proposed foradoptionbythe Lafayette Parish CouncilonAugust5,2025, wherebythe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government woulddonateasurplus 2001 Fire Truck to theParishofSt. Landry whichisnolonger needed forpublic purposes,the following describedproperty,towit:

Surplus2003 Pumper Tanker Fire Truck Description Serial/vin Unit #404 DusonFRHT 2001 fire truck 1FVHBGA881HJ94455

Anyopposition to theproposedordinance shallbemadeinwriting and filedwiththe Office of theLafayette Clerkof theCouncilwithin 15 days afterthe firstpublicationofthisnotice. If an opposition is filed, theLafayette Parish Councilshallnot adoptthe ordinance until ahearinghas been held.

/s/JosephGordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ

LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE COUNCIL

PublicationDates:July4,July11, July18, 2025

NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,that Ordinance No.PO-032-2025 has been introduced and is proposed foradoptionbythe Lafayette Parish CouncilonAugust5,2025, wherebythe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government woulddonateasurplus 2003 Pumper Tanker Fire Truck to theTownofSunset,Sunset Fire Department whichisnolonger needed forpublic purposes,the following describedproperty,towit:

Surplus2003 Pumper Tanker Fire Truck

Description Serial/vin 490-0007 KW 2003 pumper tanker fire truck 1NKDL00X43J394802

DOLisrequestingpro‐posals to provideprofes‐sional Construction ser‐vicesfor St.Francis Chapel locatedat3074 LA-319 Franklin,LA70538. Therewillbea manda‐tory Pre-BidMeetingon June 30th2025, 10:00 PM CDT at St.Francis Chapel Proposalsare dueno laterthan July 23rd2025, 3:00PMCDT Fora copy of thecompletebidding documents, please email Procurement@ SulzerGroup.com. DOL encourages thepartici‐pation of Small, Minority Disadvantaged, Veteran, andWomen-Owned busi‐nesses. 146307 June 23 -July13, 21t $2,098.95 NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,that Ordinance No.PO-030-2025 has been introduced and is proposed foradoptionbythe Lafayette Parish CouncilonAugust5,2025, wherebythe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government woulddonatea surplus2003 Pumper Tanker Fire Truck to theParishofAcadia,Branch Volunteer Fire Department whichisnolonger needed forpublic purposes,the following describedproperty,towit:

Any opposition to the proposed ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz

JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE

Anyopposition to theproposedordinance shallbemadeinwriting and filedwiththe Office of theLafayette Clerkofthe Councilwithin 15 days afterthe firstpublicationofthisnotice. If an opposition is filed, theLafayette Parish Councilshallnot adoptthe ordinance until ahearinghas been held.

/s/JosephGordon-Wiltz

JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE COUNCIL PublicationDates:July4,July11, July18, 2025.

148475-519046-july 4-11-18-3t $330.75

2025Annual ActionPlangrant application to the U.S. DepartmentofHousing andUrban Development. (CD&P)

10. JO-034-2025A joint ordinance of theLafayette City Council and the Lafayette ParishCouncilamending theFY24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in theamountof$1,540,451 in CDBG funds received from theU.S. DepartmentofHousing and Urban Developmentand appropriating within theCommunity Developmentand Planning Department. (CD&P)

11.JO-035-2025A joint ordinance of theLafayette City Council and the Lafayette ParishCouncilamending theFY24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in theamountof$619,808.35inHOME funds received from theU.S. DepartmentofHousing andUrban Developmentand appropriating funds within theCommunity Developmentand Planning Department. (CD&P)

12.JO-036-2025A joint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Councilamending theFY24/25 operating budget of theLafayette City-ParishConsolidated Government in theamountof$927,179inNationalOpioid Settlementfunds received from theState of LouisianaOpioid Abatement Task Force andappropriatingwithin theCommunity Developmentand Planning Departmentfor allocationtothe Acadiana CrimeLab as approved through Resolution No. JR015-2023. (CD&P)

13. JO-037-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette ParishCouncilproviding forthe abandonmentof asix (6’)foot by six(6’)foot utility niche on Lot D-162A of The Village of River Ranch Phase VII-B Subdivision,located at 119 Princeton Woods Loop. (CD&P) INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

14. PO-034-2025 An ordinance of theLafayette Parish Council setting forth anddesignating theadvalorem taxmillage rates and imposingtaxes on allpropertysubject to ad valorem taxationinthe Parish of Lafayette andauthorizingthe Assessor andTax Collector forthe Parish of Lafayette to assess and collect property taxes for2025. (Finance)

15. PO-035-2025Anordinance of theLafayette Parish Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of theLafayette CityParish Consolidated Government by adjusting themanning tables and increasing thehourlypay rate of two (2)Librarian I positions within the LibraryDepartment. (Library)

16.PO-036-2025 An ordinance of theLafayette Parish Council declaring the buildingorstructurelocated at 2005WGloria Switch Road, UnitB,Carencro, Louisiana,owned by Gerald Arceneaux andPamelaArceneaux, to be dilapidated and dangerous to the public welfare and ordering thecondemnation of same. (CD&P)

17. PO-037-2025Anordinance of theLafayette Parish Council providing forthe abandonmentofa certainportionofa 20’ drainage servitude on Lot 152 of theMagnolia Park,Extension No. 3Subdivision,located at 520 Montrose Avenue. (CD&P)

18. PO-038-2025Anordinance of theLafayette Parish Council authorizingthe Lafayette Mayor-Presidenttoenterintoan intergovernmental agreementbetween theParish of Lafayette and the City of Youngsville concerning surface improvements toS.LarriviereRd. (Youngsville Project No. H.012867), and amending the FY 24/25 operating and five-year capital improvementbudget of theLafayette City-ParishConsolidated Government in theamountof$400,000.00toassist in the funding of the reconstructionand improvements to the unincorporated portion of S. LarriviereRd. (KennethStansbury) JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

19. JO-039-2025 Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Councilamending theLafayette CityParish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances Chapter 82, “Taxation”toconform to legislativechanges to theUniform Local Sales TaxCode. (Legal

20. JO-040-2025 Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Councilamending Chapter 86, “Traffic and Vehicles,” Article II, “Administrationand Enforcement,” Division 2, “TrafficOperations Prohibited” of theLafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances by enactingSection86-10, “Speed Contests and Vehicular Stunts.” (Police)

21. JO-041-2025 Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Councilauthorizingthe Non-Warranty Donation of that propertylocated at 213 NorthBuchananStreet (AssessmentNo. 6010353), 203 Chalmette Drive (Assessment No. 6035922), &201 Conrad Street (Assessment No. 6030150) to Acts of Love, Inc. acertified non-profit, pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205. (CD&P)

22. JO-042-2025Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish CouncilauthorizingtheNon-Warranty Donation of variousadjudicated propertiestoLafayette Habitat for Humanity,Inc. acert fied non-profit, pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205. (CD&P)

ADJOURN

IN ACCORDANCE WITH LA. R.S. 42:14(E)ASENACTED BY ACT NO. 393 OF 2023 AND THE AMERICANS WITHDISABILITIES ACT, PLEASECONTACTJOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, COUNCIL CLERK, AT (337) 291-8810 DESCRIBING THE ASSISTANCE THATISNECESSARY,IFSPECIAL ASSISTANCE AND/OR ACCOMMODATIONS ARE NEEDED.

See agenda documents at: http://www.lafayettela.gov/obcouncil/default.aspx REGULAR MEETING LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL 705 W. UniversityAvenue, TedA.Ardoin City-Parish Council Auditorium TUESDAY, JULY15, 2025 5:30 p.m. AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 1. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance 2. COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

3. EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT RESOLUTIONS

4. CR-011-2025A resolutionofthe Lafayette CityCouncil approving theadjustedFY2025 budget of theDowntown DevelopmentAuthority (“DDA”), thegoverning authority of the Lafayette CentreDevelopmentDistrict(“LCDD”). (Finance)

5. CR-012-2025A resolutionofthe Lafayette CityCouncil granting authority to take preliminary actionrelative to theissuance, sale anddelivery of not exceeding $6,500,000

6.

vehicles, equipmentand other miscellaneous movableproperty whichare no longer needed forpublic purposes, as per the attached list(public auctionand public internet auction) (Finance)

8. CO-068-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette CityCouncil amending theLafayette DevelopmentCodesoastoreclassify

(Commercial Mixed, with conditions) to CM-1 (Commercial Mixed).(CD&P)

9. CO-069-2025 An ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil amending theLafayette DevelopmentCodesoastoreclassify the property of Case No. 2025-12-REZLot

Boulevard; being rezoned from MN-2 (Mixed-Use Neighborhood) to CM-1 (CUP) (Commercial Mixed, with aConditionalUse Permit(CUP) for abar/lounge in aCM-1 (Commercial Mixed) zoning district). (CD&P)

10. CO-070-2025 An ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil authorizingthe Lafayette Mayor-President to enter intoanAct of Deposit on behalf of the Lafayette PoliceDepartment of mounted horse Sugarfoot to Senior Corporal John Domingue (policehorse).(Finance)

for use within theTraffic, Roads &Bridges Department, Transit Division.(TR&B)

13. CO-073-2025 An ordinanceofthe Lafayette CityCouncil amending theFY24/25 capitalbudget of theLafayette CityParishConsolidated Government by increasing anticipated revenues in theamountof$263,353received from theFederal TransitAdministration(FTA) FY 23/24 Section5339 Bus and BusFacilitiesFormula Grant andappropriatingthese funds along with therequiredmatch in theamount of $46,475 for federal fiscal year of 24/25 foruse within theTraffic, Roads & Bridges Department, TransitDivision. (TR&B)

14. CO-074-2025 An ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil providing forthe levy of local or special assessments on certainlotsorparcelsofreal estateinaportionofConsolidated Sewerage District of theCity of Lafayette, State of Louisiana Consolidated Sewerage District –Project XIV (Greenfarm Road Area),topay aportionofthe totalcost of theestablishment, acquisition, construction, improvement, extension and maintenance of asewer system andall necessary equipment andinstallationinconnectiontherewith to serve theproperties located in theConsolidated Sewerage District –Project XIV (Greenfarm Road Area),all in accordance with theprovisions of SubpartA,Part II, Chapter 9, of Title 33, of theLouisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, and otherconstitutiona andstatutory authority.(Utilities) JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

15. JO-032-2025 Ajoint ordinanceofthe Lafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Councilauthorizing theLafayette CityParishConsolidated Government to sell at public auctionand public internet auctionsurplus vehicles, equipment and other miscellaneous movableproperty whichare no longer needed forpublic purposes, as per theattached list (public auctionand public internet auction).(Finance)

16. JO-033-2025 Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Councilauthorizing theLafayette Mayor-Presidenttosubmitthe 2025Annual ActionPlangrant applicationtothe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (CD&P)

17. JO-034-2025A joint ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil and the Lafayette Parish Councilamending theFY24/25 operating budget of theLafayette City-ParishConsolidated Government by increasing revenues in theamountof$1,540,451 in CDBG funds received from theU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentand appropriating within theCommunity Developmentand Planning Department. (CD&P)

18. JO-035-2025 Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil and the Lafayette Parish Councilamending theFY24/25 operating budget of theLafayette City-ParishConsolidated Government by increasing revenues in theamountof$619,808.35 in HOME funds received from theU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentand appropriating funds within the Community Developmentand Planning Department. (CD&P)

19. JO-036-2025 Ajoint ordinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Councilamending the FY 24/25 operating budget of theLafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government in theamountof$927,179 in NationalOpioid Settlementfunds received from theStateofLouisiana Opioid AbatementTaskForce andappropriatingwithin theCommunity