The Advocate 07-12-2025 by The Advocate

Trump tours Texas flood damage

President lauds officials amid criticism about slow flood warnings

BY SEAN MURPHY and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

KERRVILLE, Texas — President Donald Trump on Friday toured the devastation from catastrophic ﬂooding in Texas and lauded local officials amid mounting criticism that they failed to warn residents fast enough that a deadly wall of water was coming their way

“The search for the missing continues. The people that are doing it are unbelievable,” Trump told ﬁrst responders and other state and local ofﬁcials gathered at an emergency operations center in an expo hall in Kerrville.

“You couldn’t get better people, and they’re doing the job like I don’t think anybody else could, frankly,” Trump said.

The president said his administration “is doing everything it can to help Texas” and insisted that “we’ve got some good people” running the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Since the July 4 disaster, which has killed at least 129 people and left more than 170 missing, the president has been conspicuously silent on his past, repeated promises to do away with FEMA Instead, he’s focused on the once-in-a-lifetime nature of what occurred and the human tragedy He has praised Texas and local ofﬁcials while de-emphasizing the administration’s government-slashing crusade that’s

been popular with Trump’s core supporters.

Trump speciﬁcally mentioned victims from Camp Mystic, the century-old allgirls Christian summer camp in Texas Hill Country, where at least 27 people were killed. The president called it a “legendary place.”

“They were there because they loved God. And, as we grieve this unthinkable tragedy, we take comfort in the knowledge that God has welcomed those little beautiful girls into his comforting arms in heaven,” said Trump, who described

ä See FLOOD, page 6A

La. better about holding prisoners, leaders say

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

In some cases, Louisiana has taken so long to convict defendants, calculate their sentences and then let them out of prison that they end up spending more time behind bars than their sentence requires.

For years, this overdetention has drawn criticism from federal judges and investigators and spurred multiple lawsuits.

But now, state officials say they have made big strides toward ﬁxing the issue.

“This is not going to be an issue going forward,” Jonathan Vining, general counsel at the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections, said during a May meeting of the House Civil Law Committee. “I don’t believe it’s an issue. I really don’t. And you won’t ﬁnd anybody in our agency to say otherwise.”

The agency set up an online portal where clerks of court and sheriffs can electronically submit an offender’s sentencing information, speeding up the calculation process.

Governor appoints new coastal agency chief

Landry taps Hare for executive director

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry announced Friday he has appointed a new head of the state’s coastal protection agency, a key role as Louisiana does battle against its worsening land loss crisis and intensifying hurricanes while facing upcoming money shortages. Michael Hare replaces Glenn Ledet as executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Ledet recently departed to take over as secretary of the state

ä See AGENCY, page 6A

New LSU arena could be named for Our Lady of the Lake

Naming rights for proposed venue may go to hospital, according to renderings

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

On renderings of a proposed new arena on the LSU campus is

signage bearing its potential name: Our Lady of the Lake Arena. The images, part of a preliminary presentation by architecture firm Populous obtained by The Advocate through a public records request, show the Baton Rouge hospital could have the naming rights to an arena that supporters hope will serve as the home to several LSU athletic teams in the near future. Though a deal has yet to be

inked, OLOL spokesperson Alexandra Deiro Stubbs conﬁrmed Friday that the hospital has pursued an agreement to have its name attached to the building.

“While no formal agreement has been reached, we have been in discussions as a potential anchor investor for this project,” Stubbs said.

Records show that Populous is the architecture firm chosen to plan the arena alongside developer

Oak View Group. Populous’ renderings — dated April 2025 — show multiple exterior options for the arena’s design, all with Our Lady of the Lake Arena on the side of the building. No other potential name for the arena is mentioned in those records.

In an emailed statement, Stubbs called the arena project “generational” for Baton Rouge and the local economy “Clinical care, economics and

social circumstances all contribute to the health and vibrancy of our region,” she said. “As LSU’s Championship Healthcare Partner and the health care leader in the capital region, we are always looking for ways to invest into our community in meaningful ways that will help stimulate economic growth and ultimately create healthier, more vibrant communities.”

ä See ARENA, page 7A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

First lady Melania Trump, from left, and President Donald Trump greet first responders Friday as they survey flood damage in Kerrville, Texas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

Nancy Epperson, right, and Brooklyn Pucek, 6, visit a memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River on Thursday in Kerrville, Texas.

Tourist lost in Outback found after 12 days

MELBOURNE, Australia German tourist Carolina Wilga was found alive in Australia’s remote Outback on Friday 12 days after she went missing and a day after her abandoned van was discovered, police said.

The last known sighting of the 26-year-old backpacker and the last day family and friends heard from her, was June 29. She was seen a general store in the wheat farming town of Beacon, 200 miles northeast of the Western Australia state capital Perth. Beacon had a population of 123 during the 2021 census.

A member of the public found Wilga wandering on a forest trail late Friday, Western Australia Police Force Inspector Martin Glynn said.

She was in a “fragile” state but had no serious injuries and was ﬂown to a hospital in Perth for treatment, Glynn told reporters.

“I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story,” Glynn said, adding it was a “great result” for the backpacker’s family and those involved in the search.

“You know, she’s obviously coped in some amazing conditions,” he said. “There’s a very hostile environment out there, both from ﬂora and fauna. It’s a really, really challenging environment to cope in.”

The reserve where Wilga was lost covers more than 740,000 acres. The Thursday-Friday overnight temperature was 36.7 degrees Fahrenheit in the area with no rain.

The crew of a police helicopter spotted her van Thursday in wilderness in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, 22 miles north of Beacon, Glynn said.

Truck plunges off bridge into the Delaware River WILMINGTON, Del A tractortrailer cab crashed through a concrete barrier Friday and plunged off the Delaware Memorial Bridge into the Delaware River, authorities said.

It wasn’t clear how many people were in the cab, which was found in about 20 feet of water, according to the Delaware River Bay and Authority. Authorities had not conﬁrmed any deaths as of Friday afternoon.

The bridge, which has a clearance of about 175 feet above the river, has two four-lane spans and connects Delaware and New Jersey

The truck, which was heading into Delaware, crossed three lanes of trafﬁc before striking the barrier and going into the river early Friday morning, according to the river authority.

Greene rants ‘they’ are controlling the weather

Far right-wing congresswoman and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene raged that an unspeciﬁed “they” are controlling the weather on X.

“First, they said we were crazy for saying they are controlling the weather and spraying chemicals in our skies,” the MAGA loyalist wrote “Now they are admitting that they are controlling the weather and spraying chemicals in our skies, BUT that it’s not causing any harm.” Greene, who once claimed space lasers operated by prominent Jewish bankers might be to blame for California wildfires, frequently uses “they” to describe a vaguely defined liberal “deep state” that operates in secrecy “Call me crazy I don’t care. but I’ll go ahead and say it,” Greene continued before declaring “weather modification and geoengineering is deadly and dangerous” and said “they” can’t prove otherwise. The 51-year-old firebrand said she’s championing a bill that will ban those practices without providing evidence on a meaningful level that either such process exists.

Plea deal in Sept. 11 case tossed

Agreement would’ve allowed accused mastermind to plead guilty

BY MARK SHERMAN and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

WASHINGTON A divided federal appeals court on Friday threw out an agreement that would have allowed accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaida’s 2001 attacks.

The decision by a panel of the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., undoes an attempt to wrap up more than two decades of military prosecution beset by legal and logistical troubles.

It signals there will be no quick end to the long struggle by the U.S. military and successive administrations to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the

United States. The deal, negotiated over two years and approved by military prosecutors and the Pentagon’s senior ofﬁcial for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a year ago, stipulated life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two co-defendants.

Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another of the hijacked planes ﬂew into a ﬁeld in Pennsylvania.

Relatives of the Sept. 11 victims were split on the plea deal Some objected to it, saying a trial was the best path to justice and to gaining more information about the attacks, while others saw it as the best hope for bringing the painful case to a conclusion and getting some answers from the

defendants. The plea deal would have obligated the men to answer any lingering questions that families of the victims have about the attacks.

But then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin repudiated the deal, saying a decision on the death penalty in an attack as grave as Sept. 11 should only be made by the defense secretary

Attorneys for the defendants had argued that the agreement was already legally in effect and that Austin, who served under President Joe Biden, acted too late to try to throw it out. A military judge at Guantanamo and a military appeals panel agreed with the defense lawyers. But, by a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found Austin acted within his authority and faulted

Father mourns 2 sons killed in Israeli strike

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Three brothers in the Gaza Strip woke up early to run to a local clinic to get “sweets,” their word for the emergency food supplements distributed by aid groups. By the time their father woke up, two of the brothers had been fatally wounded by an Israeli strike and the third had lost an eye.

The strike outside the clinic on Thursday in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 14 people, including 9 children, according to a local hospital, which had initially reported 10 children killed but later said one had died in a separate incident.

The Israeli military said it targeted a militant it said had taken part in the Hamas attack that ignited the 21-month war Security camera footage appeared to show two young men targeted as they walked past the clinic where several people were squatting outside.

Hatem Al-Nouri’s 4-year-old son, Amir, was killed immediately His 8-year-old son, Omar, was still breathing when he reached the hospital but died shortly thereafter He said that at ﬁrst he didn’t recognize his third son, 2-year-old Siraj, because his eye had been torn out.

“What did these children do to deserve this?” the father said as he broke into tears. “They were dreaming of having a loaf of bread.”

In a separate development, Israeli set-

tlers killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. It said Seifeddin Musalat, 23, was beaten to death and Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, was shot in the chest in the village of Sinjil near the city of Ramallah. Both were 23.

The military said Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israelis in the area earlier on Friday lightly wounding two people. That set off a larger confrontation that included “vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling,” the army said. It said troops had dispersed the crowds, without saying if anyone was arrested.

Palestinians and rights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence, which has spiked — along with Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids — since the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza while trying to get food, according to local health ofﬁcials. Experts say hunger is widespread among the territory’s 2 million Palestinians and that Israel’s blockade and military offensive have put them at risk of famine.

Doctors Without Borders said it has recorded a “sharp and unprecedented rise” in acute malnutrition at two clinics it operates in Gaza, with more than 700 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and nearly 500 children, receiving outpatient therapeutic food.

Flash floods once again hit Vt.

BY AMANDA SWINHART and KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

SUTTON,Vt.— Communities in rural parts of Vermont on Friday woke up once again to damaged homes and washed-out roads due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding, making it the third consecutive summer that severe floods have inundated parts of the state. Up to 5 inches of rain fell in just a few hours on Thursday prompting rapid flooding as local waterways began to swell, said Robert Haynes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Burlington office.

Nearly 20 homes were cut off in the small town of Sutton as a local brook quickly rose from its banks and surrounded buildings, Fire Chief Kyle Seymour said. His crews were called out to help rescue people from two homes, which required help from swift-water rescue teams called in from neighboring communities.

“This was an incredibly strong, quick-moving localized heavy water,” Seymour said. “It overwhelmed all of our road culverts, all of our streams, all of our rivers. But the actual weather event lasted three hours, with the bulk of the rain

concentrated within one hour.”

Though the severity of the storms wasn’t as widespread compared to the past two years, local ofﬁcials were still surveying the extent of the damage Friday morning and shaking their heads that they were dealing with flood recovery for three years in a row

“When I started seeing the reporters saying it wasn’t going to be that bad, I didn’t believe it,” Seymour said, adding that at least one member of his crew has contemplated retiring after experiencing such repeated flood emergencies.

the military judge’s ruling.

The panel had previously put the agreement on hold while it considered the appeal, ﬁrst ﬁled by the Biden administration and then continued under President Donald Trump.

“Having properly assumed the convening authority, the Secretary determined that the ‘families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out.’ The Secretary acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment,” judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao wrote.

Millett was an appointee of President Barack Obama while Rao was appointed by Trump.

In a dissent, Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama appointee, wrote, “The government has not come within a country mile of proving clearly and indisputably that the Military Judge erred.”

Kurdish separatist fighters in Iraq lay down weapons

BY STELLA MARTANY and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq Fighters with a Kurdish separatist militant group that has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey began laying down their weapons in a symbolic ceremony on Friday in northern Iraq, the ﬁrst concrete step toward a promised disarmament as part of a peace process. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict, ending four decades of hostilities. The move came after PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group in February to convene a congress and formally disband and disarm.

Öcalan renewed his call in a video message broadcast on Wednesday, saying, “I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons.”

Most journalists weren’t allowed at the site of Fri-

day’s ceremony, in the mountains of Sulaymaniyah province in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region.

Footage from the event showed fighters — both men and women casting rifles and machine guns into a large cauldron, where they were then set ablaze.

The PKK issued a statement from the ﬁghters who were laying down their weapons, saying that they had disarmed “as a gesture of goodwill and a commitment to the practical success” of the peace process.

“We will henceforth continue our struggle for freedom, democracy, and socialism through democratic politics and legal means,” the statement said.

Turkish parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said the initial disarmament step had proceeded “as planned,” but cautioned that the process was far from complete.

Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the PKK have ended in failure most recently in 2015.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Nidal Al-Nouri shows a school notebook that belonged to his 13-year-old daughter Sama, who was killed in an Israeli strike while waiting to receive nutritional supplements at a medical clinic, during an interview Friday at his family’s home in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip.

200immigrantsarrestedinraids on 2Calif.farms

BY AMY TAXIN Associated Press

CAMARILLO,Calif. Federal immigration authorities said Friday they arrested about 200 immigrantssuspected of being in the country illegally in raids aday earlier on two California cannabisfarm sites. Protesters engaged in atense standoffwith authorities during an operation at one of the farms

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that authorities executed criminal search warrants in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California,on Thursday.They arrested immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally,and there were also at least 10 immigrant children on site, the statement said.

Four U.S. citizens werearrested for “assaulting or resisting ofﬁcers,” the department said. Authorities were offering a$50,000reward

for information leading to the arrest of oneperson suspected of ﬁring agun at federal agents. Duringthe raid, crowds of peoplegathered outside Glass HouseFarms in Camarillo to seek information abouttheir relatives and protest immigration enforcement. Authorities clad in military-style helmets and uniformsfaced offwith the demonstrators. Acrid green and whitebillowing smoke then forced community members to retreat Glass House, alicensed California cannabis grower, said in astatementthatimmigrationagents had valid warrants. Thecompanysaid workersweredetained, and it is helping provide them with legal representation. Thefarm also grows tomatoes and cucumbers. “Glass Househas never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does notand has neveremployed minors,” thestatementsaid. At least 12 people were injuredduring the raid and protest,said Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson forthe Ventu-

Dowd said he did not have information on theextentof the injuries of those hospitalized. On Friday, abouttwo dozen people waited outside the farm to retrieve thecars of lovedonesand speakto managers. Relatives of JaimeAlanis, whohas picked tomatoes at the farm for 10 years, said he called his wife in Mexico during the raid to tell her immigration agents hadarrived and that he washiding with others inside the farm

“The next thing we heard was that he was in the hospital with broken hands, ribs anda broken neck,” Juan Duran,Alanis’brother-inlaw,said in Spanish.

Alanis had abroken neck, fractured skull and arupture in an artery that pumps bloodtothe brain, said his niece Yesenia, who didn’t want to share herlastname forfear of reprisal. He is on lifesupport, she said.

“Theytoldushewon’t makeitand to say goodbye,” Yesenia said, crying.

The hospital did not immediately respond to requests forcomment.

The Department of Homeland Security said in astatement Friday that the investigation into immigration and potential child laborviolations at the farm is ongoing. No further details of theallegations were provided.

ra County Fire Department. Eight weretaken to St. John’s Regional Medical Centerand the Ventura County Medical Center,and four were treated at the scene and released.

It wasnot immediately clear how Alanis was injured. AdoctoratVentura County Medical Center told the family that those who brought Alanistothe hospitalsaid he hadfallenfrom the roof of abuilding.

The mother of an American worker said her son was held at the worksite for11 hours and toldher agents took workers’ cellphones to prevent them from calling family or ﬁlming and forced themtoerase cellphone video of agents at the site.

HowU.S.views of immigrationhavechanged in past 6months

BY LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press

WASHINGTON Just months after President Donald Trump returned to office amidawave of anti-immigrationsentiment, the share of U.S. adults saying immigration is a“good thing” for the country has jumped substantially —including among Republicans, according to new Gallup polling.

About 8in10Americans, 79%, say immigration is “a good thing” for the country today,anincrease from 64% ayear ago and ahigh point in the nearly 25-year trend. Only about 2in10U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing right now,down from 32% last year

During Democratic President Joe Biden’sterm in ofﬁce, negative views of immigrationhad increased markedly,reaching ahigh pointin the months before Trump, aRepublican, took office. The new Gallup data sug-

gestsU.S.adults are returning to more pro-immigrant views that could complicate Trump’spushfor sweeping deportations and otherantiimmigration policies. The poll shows decreasing support for the typeofmass deportationsTrumphas championed since beforehewas elected

Since taking ofﬁce, Trump hascalled on U.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement to do all in its power to deliver “thesingle largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” His administration has also pushed to limit access to federal beneﬁts for immigrantswho lack legal status, sought to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who commit crimes and is working to end birthright citizenship for children born to those without legal status or whoare in the country temporarily In general, Americans’ views of immigrationpolicies have shifted dramati-

cally in the last year,the Galluppollingshows —including among Republicans,who have become much more content withimmigration levels since Trump took ofﬁce but who have also grown more supportive of pathways to citizenship for people in the country illegally

The broader trendalso showsthat public opinionis generally much morefavorable to immigrants thanit was decades ago.

Majority:Immigration good Americans’ more positive view on immigration is drivenprimarily by ashift amongRepublicansand independents.

About two-thirds of Republicansnow say immigrantsare “a good thing” for the country,upfrom39% lastyear.And independents moved from abouttwo-thirds last year to 80% this year Democratshave maintained theiroverwhelmingly positiveview of immigra-

JudgescoldsDOJ for‘refusal’ to detail deportationplans forAbregoGarcia

BY LEA SKENE andBEN FINLEY Associated Press

GREENBELT,Md. Afederal judge in Maryland

scolded theTrump administration on Friday forits “utter refusal” to detail its deportation plans for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, including where the government planstosend himand whether he’ll get achance to ﬁght his expulsionbeforehe’swhiskedaway

The Salvadoran national could be released from aTennesseejail as soon as next Wednesday to await trial on human smuggling charges. U.S. immigration officials have said they would immediately detain him and begin deportation proceedings. “I’m deeplyconcerned thatifthere’snot some restraint on you, Mr.Abrego will be on another planetoanother country,” U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis told Justice Department lawyers on Friday Abrego Garcia became aﬂashpoint over Republican President Donald Trump’simmigration policieswhen he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador in March.

That expulsion violated aU.S.immigration judge’sorderin2019 that shields Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador

The administration claimed that Abrego Garcia wasinthe MS-13gang, although he wasn’tcharged and has repeatedly denied the allegation.Facing mountingpressure anda U.S. Supreme Court order,the Trump administration returned AbregoGarcia to theU.S. last month to face the smuggling charges,which his attorneyshave called “preposterous.”

The administration argues now that AbregoGarcia is adanger to the community and can be deportedbefore his trial to acountry other than El Salvador Abrego Garcia’sattorneys have asked Xinistoorder the governmenttosend him to Maryland if he’sreleased in Tennessee, a request thataimstopreventhis expulsion before trial.

The smugglingcase stems from a2022 trafficstopfor speeding,duringAbrego Garcia was driving avehicle with nine passengers without any luggage.

tion in the last few years. Satisfied with currentlevel

In the time since Trump took office, Republicans have become moresatisﬁed with thelevel of immigration in the country

Theshare of Americans who want immigration “decreased” in the United States dropped from 55% to 30%.While fewer Americans now want to decrease the number of people who come to theU.S. from other countries, more want immigration levels kept thesame thanwanthigher immigration levels. About 4in10say immigration should be kept at its current level, and only 26% say immigration should be increased.

The poll suggests Republicans’ sharp anti-immigrant views highlighted before November’s election which helped return Trump

to theWhite House —have largely faded. The share of Republicans saying immigration should be decreased droppedfrom ahigh of 88% to 48% in thelastyear Close to 4in10Republicans now say immigration levels should remain thesame, and only about 1in10would like an increase. Much of that Republican movement likely comes from support for the Trump administration’sstringent immigration enforcement, but there are also signs in theGallup polling that Republicans have become more supportive of pathways to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally and more likely to seebenefits from immigration that could be at odds with the Trump administration’spriorities.

Back pathwaytocitizenship Most Americansfavor al-

lowing immigrantslivingin the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over aperiod of time, the poll shows. Almost 9in10U.S. adults, 85%, favor apathway to citizenship forimmigrants who werebrought to the U.S. illegally as children, and nearly as many say they favor a path to citizenshipfor all immigrants in thecountry illegally as long as theymeet certain requirements. Thatincreased support forpathways to citizenship largely comes from Republicans, about 6in10ofwhom now support that, up from 46%lastyear. Supportwas already very high among independents and Democrats. About 4in10U.S. adults nowfavor deporting immigrants whoare in the country illegally,down from about half ayear ago.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL OWEN BAKER

Rebecca Torres stands in front of amilitaryvehicle approaching afederal immigration raid Thursdayinthe agriculture area of Camarillo, Calif.

firing

1,300employees

Positionsare being ‘abolished,’ letter says

BY MATTHEW LEE and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press

The U.S. State Department is ﬁring more than 1,300 employees on Friday in line with adramatic reorganization plan from the Trump administrationthat critics say will damage America’sglobal leadershipand efforts to counter threats abroad.

The department has begun sending layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service ofﬁcers with assignments in the United States, according to asenior department ofﬁcial who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Staff began to receive noticesshortly after10a.m Friday saying their positions were being “abolished” and that they would be losing access to the department’s headquarters in Washington as well as their email and share drives by 5p.m., according to acopy of one of the notices obtainedbyThe Associated Press.

Foreign service officers affected willbeplaced immediatelyon administrative leave for 120 days, after which they will formally lose their jobs, accordingto aseparateinternal notice

For most civil servants, the separation period is 60 days, it said.

“Headcount reductions have been carefully tailored to affect non-core functions, duplicative or redundant ofﬁces,” the notice says.

While lauded by President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Republican allies as overdueand necessarytomake the department leaner,more nimble and more efﬁcient, the cuts have been roundly criticized by current and former diplomats who say they will weaken U.S. inﬂuence and the ability to counterexisting andemerging threats abroad.

The Trump administration has pushed to reshape American diplomacy and worked aggressively to shrink the size of the federal government, including mass dismissals driven by the Department of Government Efﬁciencyand moves to dismantle whole departments like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Education Department.

USAID, the six-decade-old foreign assistance agency was absorbed into the State Department last week after the administration dramatically slashed foreign aid funding.

Arecent ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for the layoffs to start, while lawsuits challenging the legality of the cuts continue to play out. The department had advised staffers Thursday that it would be

sending layoff notices to some of them soon

The job cuts are large but considerably less than many had feared. In aMay letter notifying Congress about the reorganization, thedepartment said it had justover18,700 U.S.-based employees and was looking to reduce the workforce by 18% through layoffs and voluntary departures, including deferred resignation programs Rubio said ofﬁcials took “a very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient andmore focused ”

“It’snot aconsequence of trying to getrid of people. But if youclosethe bureau, you don’tneed those positions,” he told reporters Thursday during avisit to Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia.“Understand that some of these are positions that arebeing eliminated, not people.”

He said some of the cuts will beunﬁlled positionsor those that are abouttobe vacant because an employee took an early retirement.

The American Foreign Service Association,the union thatrepresents U.S. diplomats, said Friday that it opposed the Trump administration’scuts during “a moment of great globalinstability.”

“Inless than sixmonths, theU.S. has shed at least 20 percentofits diplomatic workforce through shuttering of institutions and forced resignations,”the organization said in astatement. “Losing more diplomatic expertise atthis critical globalmoment is acatastrophic blow to our national interests.”

If theadministration had issues with excess stafﬁng, “clear,institutional mechanisms”could have resolved it, the group said.

“Instead,these layoffs are untethered from merit or mission. They target diplomats not for how they’ve served or the skills they have, but for wherethey happen to be assigned. That is not reform,” AFSA said.

Former U.S. diplomats echoed that sentiment, sayingthe process isnot in line with whatCongress hadapproved orhow it’sbeen done underprevious administrations.

“They’re doing it without any consideration of the worthofthe individual people who arebeing ﬁred,” said Gordon Duguid, a31-year veteran of the foreign service underTrumpand Presidents George W. Bush and BarackObama.“They’renot looking for people who have theexpertise they just want people who say,‘OK, howhigh’”tojump.

He added,“That’sarecipe for disaster.”

In anoticeThursday,Michael Rigas, deputysecretaryfor management and resources, said that “once notifications have taken place,the Department will enter the final stage of its reorganization and focus itsattention on delivering results-driven diplomacy.”

Judgerejects Blue Crosslawsuit

Medicare Advantagestar rating contested

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

Abid by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to change itsMedicare Advantage star rating was rejected by afederal judge this week. The ratings affect how much bonus money thegovernmentpays insurers. Only plans with four stars or higher qualify Blue Cross filedsuit against theCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services, claimingthe agency acted unfairly and inconsistently by includingdata in its star-rating calculation that the company said should have been excluded.OnThursday,U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C.,dismissedthe case after ﬁndingthe insurer’sclaims werenot legally sufﬁcient to move forward.

The judge said the insurancecompany did an “about face”when it didn’tget thescore it wanted,first askingthe government to include certaindata in its rating calculation, thenarguing that same data shouldn’t countoncethe result came back lower than expected.

The lawsuit is one of severalﬁled by insurance companies who saw their ratings dropthis year Blue Cross officials did not respond to arequest 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, ahealth economist at the University of New Orleans. “Butevidently, they didn’tlike the way BlueCross submitted thedata… andtheygot alower rating thanthey wanted.”

Whydid BlueCross sue?

BlueCross of Louisiana combinedtwo of its MedicareAdvantage plans in 2024 under one of the plan’sexisting contracts.

The now-defunctplan had offered aspecial program for people withserious health needs.

After themerged plan initially receiveda 3.5star rating, BlueCross asked theCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services to include qualitydata from the old special-needs plan, believing that wouldboostits overallscore. CMSagreed But the special program earned three stars, which endeduppullingthe new plan’srating down insteadofraising it.Inits complaint, BlueCross called CMS’sapproach “rigidand unreasonable” andsaidthe agency unfairly penalized theplan. The judge differed. In

his ruling, he wrotethat letting the company remove the data would let insurers gamethe system CMS said including the datawas in line with federal rules designed to prevent insurers from inﬂating their ratings after merging plans. Thestar-rating system Medicare Advantage plans are atype of privateinsurance that people can select instead of regular Medicare. Thefederal government giveseach plana rating from one to ﬁve stars, basedonup to 40 performance measures, suchaseaseofgetting medication, cancer screenings, chronic illness management and whether people are happy with theplan.

Plans with ratings of four stars and above get bonus payments meant to reward insurers for providing bettercare. But fewer plans hit thatfour-star mark this

year,according to theCMS, which means theylostout on those payments.

The ratings system, implemented under theAffordable Care Actin2012, hasbeen criticized by somegroups. The MedicarePayment Advisory Commission, an nonpartisan legislative branch agency,saidina report this year thatthe starratings include too many measures, don’taccount for patients with greater social and health needs, and give one rating to contracts that may cover very different plans.

The exact amountlostby BCBS,which operates the Blue Advantage HMO MedicareAdvantageplan, was not speciﬁed in the lawsuit.

But those payments can potentially be large. Medicare Advantageplans receiving over four stars this year received an average annual bonus of $372 per enrollee, according to aKaiser Family

Foundation report.The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is one of the nation’slargest, serving 30,000 people in Louisiana, according to the ruling. Will this affect patients?

For customersinLouisiana with aBlue Cross Medicare Advantage plan, the ruling won’tlikely mean changes, at least not at ﬁrst, Lanesaid. Butitcould affect the company “Somepeople may shop around and say,‘Iwant to sign up with(aplanthat has) ﬁve stars,’” Lanesaid. “Sothey might lose some customers.”

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

thepositionofregistrar of voters shall submit an application, coverletter, resume, andproof of voterregistrationvia email to Sharonda Brown, SECRETARY-TREASURERATSBROWN@STHELENAPARISH.LA.GOV OR

Theapplication andresumemay be hand delivered to theSt. Helenaparish police jury ADMINISTRATIVEBUILDINGLOCATED AT: 17911HWY 43,GREENSBURG, LA 70441

Allapplicationsmustbereceivednolater than 4:00 P.M. ON FRIDAY,JULY25, 2025.The St.Helenaparish police jury human resource consultant shall conductinterviewsofall qualified applicants

Qualifications forapplicantsfor registrarofvoter:

•Shall be aregisteredvoter.Ifappointed to fill theofficeofregistrar of voters,the applicantshall become aresidentand registered voterofSt. Helena parish priortotakingthe oath of office, andshall possessatleast oneofthe followingatthe time of appointment:

•Possess abaccalaureate degree from an accredited institutionand twoyears full-timeprofessional work experience

•Possess an associatedegreefromanaccreditedinstitution andfouryears of Full-timeprofessionalworkexperience

•Seven yearsoffull-time professional work experience

•Fiveyears of full-timeemploymentinaregistrar’s officeinLouisiana

Note:professional work experience meansexperienceinanoccupationwhich requires specializedand theoreticalknowledge usuallyacquiredthrough collegetrainingorthrough work experience andother training whichprovidescomparableknowledge

If You’re Over ThirtyThis is the BEST TREATMENT youcan usefor your SCIATICA,BACKPAIN, and HERNIATEDDISCS

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We areDr. ScottLeBlanc andDr. Dana LeBlanc, a husbandand wife team,thatown LeBlancSpine Center. We have helped thousandsofpatientsget outof pain with Spinal Decompressiontherapy treatments, andwelove what we do.Discissuesare common,and patients sufferingare usuallygiven limitedoptions of treatment. We runthese bignewspaper advertisementstolet people in thecommunity know thereis anotheroptionoftreatment forpain- withoutmedication,injections, or surgery!

NON-SURGICALSPINAL DECOMPRESSION is a breakthrough,non-invasive treatmentthathas been proventoreverse disc herniationsand relievenerve pain in theneck andlow back.Duringthe procedure, aspinaldiscisisolatedand aseriesofdistraction andrelaxationphasesoccur at averyspecificangle targetingthe source of pain.A vacuum canbecreated inside thediscand thenegativepressuredeliversnutrients, oxygen,and fluidfromsurrounding tissues, to assist with repair of thedamaged disc Thetreatment is not painfulatall,and most patients read or even take anap whileontreatment!

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At LeBlancSpineCenter, we utilizeadvanced, FDA-clearedtechnologythatisproventoeffectively

Ihavesuffered with numbness in my legs for 5monthsbeforegoing to LeBlancSpine Center. Afterthe firstinitialconsultation, I startedSpinalDecompression treatments and within 3months, Ihad ahuge differencein mobility,reduced pain,and thenumbness was subsiding. Ihaveimprovedabout 80%from thetreatments. Isleep better,walkwithout pain,and duetocervicaldecompression,my migrainesare almost non-existent.Dr. Scott listenedtomysymptomsand began to treat therootofmyproblems. Thedoctors andstaff are compassionate andverycaring. It feelslikeafamilyand their patient’swellbeing really matterstothem. I 100% recommendLeBlancSpine Center! JoyLewis Hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

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It’s importanttonotethatnot everypatient is a candidatefor Spinal Decompression, whichiswhy we prioritize athorough individual assessment for each person whowalks throughour doors. Our high successrateinpainreliefstems from our commitment to only taking on patients whom we confidently believewecan help

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I firstcametoLeBlancSpine Centerwith numbness in my arms andlegs. Iwas also experiencinglower back pain andneckpain. I hadbeensufferingwiththisfor over10years Ihad previouslytriedone epidural injection in my lowerbackand physical therapy, an I wasstillsuffering with thesesymptoms. Since beginning Spinal Decompressiontreatments, Ihavehad consistent improvement in my back condition,and Iamnow 70%improved! Iam liftingwithout pain,sleepingbetter, andInow have theability to walk withouttiring! Iwould highly recommendDr. LeBlancand LeBlanc SpineCenter!

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FLOOD

theﬂoodwaters as “like agiant, giant wave in the Paciﬁc Ocean that the best surfers in the world would be afraid to surf.”

While concerns have swirled about the future of FEMA at the federal level, localofficials have faced questions about how well they were prepared andhow quickly they acted. Asked about such concerns, Trump called areporter posing the question “evil” and said he thought “everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances.”

“I admire you, and Iconsider you heroes,” Trump saidofthe state and local ofﬁcials around him.

Before leaving the White House, Trump approved Texas’ request to extend the major disaster declaration beyond Kerr County to eight additional counties, making them eligible for direct ﬁnancial assistanceto recover and rebuild.

Trump’sshift in focus underscores howtragedy can complicatepolitical calculations, even though he has made slashing the federal workforce and dramatically shrinking the size of government centerpieces of his administration’sopening months.

Air Force One landed in San Antoniowith Trump deplaning in asuit and ﬁrst lady Melania Trump wearing more casual clothing. Both wore ball caps against theheat. The first couple saw the aftermath from the air,then met privately with

AGENCY

Continued from page1A

Department of Transportation and Development.

Hare has served in avariety of roles in both government and the private sector related to environmental and coastal policy.His past roles includedeputy district director and legislativeassistanttoformerU.S. Rep. Charles Boustany and director of government affairs and business development at RES, which bills itselfas the nation’slargest environmental mitigation company. Before his appointment he was serving as founder of Wildhare Solutions LLC, consulting clients entering environmental markets, focusing on mitigation and coastal restoration, Landry’s office said in astatement. Both of those issues are important to Louisiana, which is required to carryout mitigation plans when projects such as levee construction damage the natural environment.

While not ascientistor engineer, he holdsanMBA from LSU and amaster’sdegree in U.S. foreign policy from American University Hisbachelor’sdegree was in political science and economics.

“Michael has years of experience in coastal restoration, and Iamconﬁdent that hisleadershipand commit-

first responders andrelatives of ﬂood victims Roads in the centerofKerrville were shut down for Trump’svisit, and people lined the streets, some wearing Trump hats and T-shirts and wavingAmerican ﬂags.

Green ribbons recognizing the liveslost at Camp Mystic were tied around trees poles and along bridges, and marquees featured slogans such as “HillCountry Strong” and “Thankyou ﬁrst responders.”

Trump won Kerr County with 77% of thevotelast year.

HarrisCurrie, arancher from Utopia, Texas, near Kerrville, said theflood devastationcan be fully understood onlybyseeingit ﬁrsthand.

ment to our state make him well-suited to lead CPRA,” Landry said. Hare said he looks“forward to working with the coastalcommunity to deliver projects that will protect and sustainour cultureand way of lifefor future generations.”

Beyond looming funding shortages, Hare will also have to manage thefuture of thestate’s largest-ever coastal project, the MidBarataria SedimentDiversion. That $3 billion project, which Landry opposes in its current form, is paused indeﬁnitely and the state is evaluating potential replacementsfor it. It was largely paidfor with money related tothe 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Using the money for aseparateproject requires approval from trustees overseeingthose funds, whose uses are restricted to ashortlist of possibilities, as well as lengthyenvironmental assessments. Future money shortages will result from fines and settlement dollars related to the2010 spill expiring at the end of 2031. More than half of the CPRA’s nearly $2 billion project budget for the 2026 ﬁscal year comes from those funds.

Thestate has beenseeking ways of at least partially replacing those dollars but has notyet found real solutions. It did, however,receive goodnews recentlywhen

“Pictures do not do it justice,” Currie said.

Askedwhat officials on the ground needed mosturgently from federal sources, Kerr County Commissioner Jeff Holt, whoalso is avolunteer firefighter,stressed the need for repairs to nonworking phone towersand “maybe alittle better early warning system.”Trump himself hassuggestedthat awarning system should be established, though he has not provided details on how thatmight happen.

During hisfirst weekend back in theWhite House in January,Trumpvisited North Carolinatoscopeout damage from Hurricane Helene. He alsotouredthe aftermathofdevastating wildﬁres in Los Angeles. The

the tax andspending bill approved in Congress and signed by President Donald Trump boosted the amount of money Louisiana will receive from offshore revenue by up to around $50 million ayear over adecade. That money must be usedfor coastal protection and restoration.

The CPRA oversees awide portfolio of coastal projects, ranging from large-scale leveebuildingtomarshreconstruction. It has a$50 billion, 50-year master plan to restore partsofthe coast, but finding money for the work in future years will be challenging. Louisiana haslostaround 2,000 square miles of land over the last century roughly the size of Delaware. Projected sea level rise connected to humancaused climate change will greatly worsenthe problem in the decades ahead.

TheCoalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, anonprofitthathas worked on land loss issues for decades, welcomed Hare’s appointment, saying he “has built areputation for busting through red tapeand working with communities to get thingsdone.”

“His experience in both theprivateand public sectors proves he can bring together stakeholders from across ourcoast,” Ethan Melancon, CRCL’s government affairs director,said in astatement.

presidentused both trips to sharplycriticize theadministration of his predecessor, PresidentJoe Bidenand of-

ﬁcials from deep-blue California.

That was in stark contrast to Texas, America’slargest red state, where Trump thanked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott andscoresof other state ofﬁcials.

Before the Texas ﬂood, the presidentpledged —and as recently as last month —to begin “phasing out” FEMA and bring disaster response management “down to the state level.” He’snot talking about that now,though. And pressed this week on whether the White House will continue to work to shutter FEMA, press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not say

“The president wants to ensure American citizens always have what they need during times of need,” Leavitt said. “Whether that assistance comes fromstates or the federal government, that is apolicy discussion that will continue.”

Russell Vought, director of the OfficeofManagement andBudget, similarly dodged questions Friday

aboutFEMA’s future,instead noting that the agency has billions of dollars in reserves “to continue to pay for necessary expenses” and that the president has promised Texas, “Anything it needs, it will get.”

“Wealso want FEMA to be reformed,” Vought added. “The president is going to continue to be asking tough questionsofall of us agencies, no different than any other opportunity to have better government.”

Darrin Potter,a Kerr County resident for25years who saw ankle-deep flooding in hishome and knew people whowere killed, said earlier this week,“As farasearly warnings, I’msuretheycan improve on that.” But he said all the talk about evacuating missedsomething important. The area where a wall of water ripped through wasatwo-lane road, he said.

“Ifyou would have evacuated at 5inthe morning,all of those people would have been washed away on this road,” he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

FirstladyMelania Trump, from left, TexasGov.Greg Abbott and President Donald Trumpare briefed Fridayon flood damageinKerrville, Texas.

PRISONERS

Continued from page1A

Anda state law passed last year gives incarcerated people less “good time” credit, which means fewer people willbeimmediately eligible forrelease upon sentencing,according to Vining.

Inmates in Louisiana can earn such credits forgood behavior,shaving time off their sentence.

On top of all that, the state is getting ready to launch a program that will perform automated release date calculations, Vining told lawmakers.

“The ability to compute time accurately was heavily affected by local variables out of the state’scontrol,including whether the pre-trial paperwork was provided in atimely fashion, the time theindividual spent in pretrial custody,aswell as the sentence given,” state Attorney General Liz Murrillsaid in astatement. “The system has been overhauled. That has dramatically diminished, if not completely eliminated this problem.”

But some aren’tsosure the problem hasbeen resolved

“I have seen no data supporting that,” said William Most, an attorney who represents plaintiffs in overdetention cases. Mostisone of the lawyers handlingthe two class action lawsuits.

Some state lawmakers alsoexpressed skepticism.

“When they say that they’ve ﬁxed this problem, I’m not sure that they have,” said stateRep. C. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge. “At this point, I’m alittle skeptical.”

Criticismofstate’s system

In January 2023,the U.S. Department of Justice releasedareport saying

ARENA

Continued from page1A

More details on the arena were also included in the architectural plan,though the speciﬁcs could change.

The arena would have a capacity of more than 15,000 peoplefor concertswhere the stage is in the centerof thebuilding and14,840 for basketball games. The 335,404-square-foot facility would be built on Nicholson Drive south of Gourrier Avenue, where the LSU Golf Course is currently

It’snot clear when —or whether —the project will breakground.

On Wednesday,Oak View Group’sCEO Timothy J. Leiweke was indicted on federal charges that he rigged the bidding process for an arena at the University of Texas at Austin.

Leiweke has since stepped down as CEO. The company itself has not been charged with any crimes but is to pay $15 million in fines to the federal government as part of anonprosecution agreement.

On Thursday,LSU said it was “evaluating the implications on the potential arena

Louisiana held thousands of inmates past their release dates eachyear —and that the problem wentback to at least 2012.

In addition to delaysin gettinganinmate’srecords from clerks of court and sheriff’s offices to the Department of Public Safety & Corrections, the report said the agency was tooslowto process sentencing calculations. Errors in those calculations could also contribute to overdetention, it said.

Between January and April 2022, 1,108inmates were heldtoo long,accordingtothe report “The median number of days an overdetained individual was held past their release date was29; 31 percent were held over for at least 60 days; and 24 percent were held over foratleast 90 days,” it said At that rate, the DOJ estimated, overdetentioncost Louisiana about $2.5 million each year

Those ﬁndings prompted the DOJ to sue Louisiana over its detention practices at the end of theBiden administration.

Thestate hasdisputedthe DOJ report.

In astatement, Murrill said overdetention “has been blown entirely out of proportion by factually incorrect and ﬂawed reports by the federal Departmentof Justice andwe’ve requested that they be retracted.” Louisiana also is under less heat from thefederal government. Shortly after President DonaldTrump tookofficefor hissecond term,the DOJ put thelawsuit on hold.

The agency declined to answer questions about whether it plannedtopursue the case.

Status of litigation

Thereare two potential

class action lawsuits pending against the state over its detention practices. Both arebeing handledbyMost and lawyers from the Promise of Justice Initiative.

The lawsuits,Giroir v. LeBlanc and Humphrey v. LeBlanc, allege that Louisianaholds thousands of inmates past theirrelease dates each year,and that the problemgoes back to at least 2012.

In Giroir,the lawsuit asks the court to order the state to ﬁx the problem, while in Humphrey,itseeksmonetary damages.

Kara Crutcher, an attorney forthe plaintiffs working on bothcases,said they are waiting on Judge John deGravelles to rule on “whether or notthe classes will be certified.” In class action lawsuits, judges must decide whether the suit’s individual plaintiffs can represent a larger group, Crutcher said.

In a2022 court ﬁling, the statedenied that overdetention was asystemic problem andsaid it didnot violate anyone’scivil rights.

Laws impact overdetention

This past legislative session, lawmakerspassedtwo laws that pertain to overdetention.

Act46, formerlyHouseBill 23, requires sheriffs to submitdata aboutinmates electronically through theportal thestate saysitlaunched, according to state Rep Nicholas Muscarello Jr., RHammond, who sponsored the legislation.

Another bill was more controversial: it requires all individuals whowishtosue for monetary damages for overdetention claims to ﬁrst go through theDepartment of Public Safety and Corrections’ administrative review process.

State Sen. Jay Morris, RWest Monroe, sponsored

Senate Bill 39,which became Act 317. Murrill, the attorney general, backed thelegislation.

It is unclear how thenew law will impact federal lawsuits; it appearsmorelikely to affect falseimprisonment claims broughtinstate court Advocates for the law argued thatitwould make resolving overdetention disputes moreefﬁcient and prevent unnecessary litigation.

“The (administrative review) process is designedto resolve these disputesquickly to avoid anyinmate being ‘overdetained,’”Murrill said in astatement.

Morris said he believed overdetention was “rare” in Louisiana.

“The design of it wastoprevent needless litigation but to still preservetheir right if theywereindeed detained too long to have aclaim,” he said of the law.“Every legislator thatopposed this bill alwayscomes down on the side of the criminal.”

Critics, including criminal justice advocates and some

Democraticlawmakers, say the new law adds barriers to obtaining justice foranalready vulnerable population. They say it also mayrequire thosewho were overdetained to obtain afavorable ruling from a19th Judicial District Court judge in Baton Rouge before they can sue.

“Prior to SB39, inmates who were illegally held past their release dates could ﬁle afederal lawsuit for compensation, without extra steps,” Most said in astatement.

“Now they may have to ﬁle multiple parallellawsuitsin different courts —meaning more use of public resources without anybenefits to the public or to the person who was illegally imprisoned.”

Somepeople file overdetentionclaims afterthey arereleased from prison. It is unclear whether released inmates have the right to ﬁle an administrative grievance, Most said, adding that he has neverseen the administrative review process award damages.

“I just think that this is

makingitharder on people who have acomputational time problem,” state Sen. Gary Carter Jr., D-New Orleans, who opposedthe legislation,saidduring aMay meeting of the Senate’sJudiciary ACommittee. If anyother state departmentwas making errors, Carter said, lawmakers would be making it harder on the department, not on the people seeking aremedy Some state lawmakers, including Marcelle of Baton Rouge, said there ought to be astatelaw requiring Louisianatocompensate people who have been overdetained. Also this past session, state Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, said he ﬁled abill that would have set up afund to provide such compensationbyraising the gambling tax. House Bill560 didnot makeitout of the House’s Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.

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

project in Baton Rouge, considering this week’snews regardingthe Oak View Group.”

LSUAthleticsspokesperson Zach Greenwell would not confirm Friday whether OLOL had thenaming rights.

“No terms had been presented to theboard or universityleadershipfor approval,” he said

“The information made public related to thepotential arenaproject was preliminaryand waspart of an ongoing negotiation process,” Greenwell said Charles Landry,LSU’s consulting attorney for the project, declined to comment

Stubbs saidOLOL’s involvementwould serve as

another example of the hospital’scommitment to the LSU area.

“For over 100 years,we’ve supported the Gulf region beyondexceptional health care delivery in ways that makeasignificantdifference in the communities we serve,” she said. “This initiativeisanother example of that commitment, and we look forwardtoworking together to make this exciting vision areality.”

The healthsystem that includes Our Lady of the Lake, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, was given naming rightsto the football facilityatthe University of Louisiana at Lafayette aftera $15million donation to theschool in 2021.

Many Americansare fortunate to havedental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits.Whenthose benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to putoff or even go without care. Simply put —without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparingplans ...

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans may limitthe numberof procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to payhundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximum on cash benefits. Some planshaveannual maximums of $1,000.

Ask about the

3 Unexpected bills likethis can be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.

Ed Orgeron seeks rehearing

Ex-LSU coach wants buyout decision reversed

BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer

Former LSU football coach

Orgeron has asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to rehear and reverse their decision in his divorce case, arguing that the high court went against long-established precedent in their recent ruling

Officer accused of smuggling at Angola

Woman allegedly bought six phones, five chargers, sim card

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A 12-year veteran corrections lieutenant at Angola State Penitentiary was arrested earlier this week in connection with allegedly smuggling multiple cellphones into the state prison.

Arrest documents now show the ofﬁcer, 62-year-old Judy Robertson McDowell, was caught while attempting to sneak two phones past security by concealing them in her bra.

McDowell was arrested on July 6 by deputies with the West Feliciana Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and booked on a count of introducing contraband into a state penal institution. She resigned her position the same day Police records show that McDowell had been handling overtime shifts in the prison’s kitchen for the past month. Under questioning, she said that was where she met an inmate who was working in the kitchen and wanted to buy cellphones, according to an afﬁdavit for her arrest.

McDowell refused to name or identify the inmate.

During her questioning, McDowell said she bought six phones, ﬁve chargers and a sim card with her own money and without the help of other ofﬁcers or inmates.

She was caught following a body scan at the prison’s Treatment Center which revealed she had two cellphones concealed in her “bra area,” according to records.

McDowell admitted in questioning that she intended to sell a third cellphone, which she had brought into the prison as her personal device.

She also said that on the previous day, July 5, she had brought in another three phones, concealing them in the bottom of her bookbag

In total, three Moto G 2025 phones and three ATT-Motivate Max phones were recovered.

When Angola’s shakedown team searched McDowell’s desk locker, they found the bookbag and the three phones inside The team also found a piece of paper with the name “Kendel Ellis” written on it.

A search of Angola’s roster of inmates shows a man named Kendell Ellis, 36, is imprisoned there. Ellis reportedly was the inmate who was working in the penitentiary’s kitchen during the period McDowell was stationed there. Advocate records show Ellis was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 for his role in a shooting that killed one Marrero man and injured an 8-year-old girl.

Sam D’Aquilla, the district attorney for the 20th District, said smuggling cases are

saying Orgeron owes $8 million from his LSU buyout to his exwife, Kelly Orgeron.

Ed Orgeron’s attorneys submitted the application for rehearing Friday to the Louisiana Supreme Court — with 20 new law ﬁrms signed on to represent the former LSU coach “in a uniﬁed effort to correct this error and to preserve the integrity of the law and this Court,” they wrote The filings say the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in his case bulldozes more than 50 years of court precedent and centuries of community

property principles

“Unless reversed, the decision will generate absurd and unjust consequences with wide-ranging implications far beyond this case,” wrote Ed Orgeron’s attorneys, led by Randy Smith in New Orleans.

The high court ruled late last month that Orgeron’s $17 million buyout from his firing at LSU should be split equally between the coach and his ex-wife.

At the crux of the decision was a contract extension that Ed Orgeron signed shortly after winning

the National Championship in 2020, which gave him a raise and included provisions for a future buyout in case Orgeron and LSU parted ways. The coach signed the extension 43 days before he filed for divorce, then he was ﬁred from LSU without cause the next year in 2021.

The Louisiana Supreme Court found that the 2020 term sheet was a legally binding contract while Ed Orgeron was still married and ruled that Kelly Orgeron was entitled to half the buyout.

“Unless reversed, the decision

threatens to turn any contract signed during the community into a trap — even when the resultant payment compensates entirely post-community losses of separate wages,” Ed Orgeron’s attorneys said in legal filings.

“That is not the law.”

Reached late Friday, attorneys for Kelly Orgeron said they had not had the chance yet to review the application for rehearing.

“The Louisiana Supreme Court properly applied Louisiana

TOP: Clockwise from bottom left, 4H agent Shelby Giroir, NCH agent Claire Barbier, NCH agent Maria Gonzales, and 4H agent Margo Castro prepare a watermelon and lime infused drink

ABOVE: Jacob Fontenot, 16, slices up a watermelon

RIGHT: Pedro Nicchio, 3, smiles between bites

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Multiyear process moving forward in Port Allen

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK

STRIKING A POSE

Baton Rouge interior business closing

Beth Claybourn Interiors shuts doors after 40 years

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Beth Claybourn Interiors a four-decade-old business from a Louisiana-based designer, is going out of business, and all things must go. For the next week, the store at 17731 Highland Road will be open for a “wall-to-wall selloff,” according to a statement from the store.

Antiques, mattresses, furniture, rugs, sculptures, lighting, china and crystal and fine art are for sale to both private and public dealers. Office equipment and vehicles will also be sold. “After 40 years, goodbye,” the business posted in a flyer online, “Thank you to all our loyal customers for the past 40 years.”

the country “I grew up in Carthage, Mississippi, and knew even when I was a child that I wanted to be a designer,” Claybourn said in an interview with Nola.com in 2017. “Daddy was so disappointed that I didn’t want to be a doctor or a geologist like my brother but it’s what I wanted to do.”

Claybourn’s design work and her late husband Garrett — brought her to New Orleans, where the couple lived for three years before moving to Baton Rouge and putting down roots.

Inventory from the store will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and “all reasonable offers will be considered.”

Bollinger Shipyard to build rocket landing platform

Barge to be converted for California firm

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Bollinger Shipyards, a Louisianabased builder of vessels for commercial, government and military customers, is aiming for the sky.

The 79-year-old shipbuilder has been hired to convert a barge into a landing platform for Rocket Lab, a California-based company that’s competing in the commercial spaceﬂight industry, according to a news release.

“We’re looking forward to working with Bollinger to create the conditions to modernize Louisiana’s shipyard capabilities to meet the demands of the aerospace industry’s cutting-edge capabilities,” Rocket Lab Vice President Shaun D’Mello said in a statement.

The retrofitting project, which began just before this week’s announcement, includes adding thrusters so the waterborne platform remains stable during landings. Special communications equipment will allow employees to control the vessel from afar and blast shields will protect the ship from rocket exhaust.

Rocket Lab said the platform, which will be deployed on the East Coast near its Virginia launch site, is key to its plan to establish a reusable rocket program that will compete with those from high-proﬁle spaceﬂight companies SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk; and Blue Origin, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.

Continued from page 1B

wastewater supervisor Filmore Bradford Jr said.

Port Allen will not be able to expand as a city by maintaining the current plant, Bradford said He also doesn’t believe it is cost-effective to funnel taxpayer money toward regular repairs.

“It’s an old plant,” Bradford said. “For the longest time, we’ve been putting Band-Aids on gunshot wounds.”

Mayor Terecita Pattan has acknowledged the need for a new facility at City Council meetings. She remembered the same plant, located in The Oaks subdivision in Port Allen, operating since she

GUILTY

Continued from page 1B

12, in Albany The center was closed at the time of the shooting, and the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce reported it as a domestic-related incident at the time.

A bystander called 911 after hearing multiple gunshots, and law enforcement arrived at the center to find Louque and his wife. Louque had a ﬁrearm in his holster Roussel was already dead when police arrived, according to

“Bollinger is proud to partner with Rocket Lab on a project that showcases both the ingenuity and innovation of American shipbuilding and the future of space ﬂight,” Bollinger Shipyards President and CEO Ben Bordelon said in a statement.

Reusable rockets

The new vessel, acquired from New Orleans-based Canal Barge in February, has been dubbed “Return on Investment.” Its 400-foot-long landing platform will be built to accommodate Rocket Lab’s Neutron line of reusable rockets, designed to carry heavier payloads than predecessors.

Rocket Lab said the 141-foot rockets, capable of delivering a 13ton payload to space, will be used to launch satellites and for national security missions

The work is happening primarily at Bollinger’s shipyard in Amelia The vessel is expected to be complete and enter service next year Bollinger which has manufactured more than 4,000 vessels over eight decades, is one of the largest employers in the bayou parishes and has estimated annual revenues of more than $1 billion.

Rocket Lab was established in 2006 by Peter Beck, a rocketobsessed college dropout in New Zealand. In 2013, he moved the company’s headquarters to Long Beach, Calif.

The company has grown by acquisition over the past six years and now has roughly 2,000 employees globally It’s competing with high-proﬁle companies led by

was a child.

“I knew that coming in because I worked here already, so I knew the sewer has always been an issue,” Pattan said. “Trying to get that piece of land and in sufficient area is my main concern.”

Pattan said she is working with the Public Works Department and other city leaders to identify the best location for the new plant. The land must meet several criteria: adequate size — 9 to 10 acres, according to Pattan; proximity to the Intracoastal Canal, and distance from residential areas.

Bradford emphasized the importance of the new plant not being too close to residents citing the current plant’s location at The Oaks as a problem.

“It’s in a subdivision,” Bradford

an arrest report. Before being read his Miranda rights, Louque “stated the shooting was justified, and then announced he wanted an attorney,” the report said. Louque and his wife were once friends with Roussel, but had a falling out months before the shooting, according to court records.

Louque’s sentencing is set for July 22, Perrilloux said.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.

household-name billionaires.

SpaceX leads the industry with its reusable Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, a deep-space exploration platform and its Starlink satellite internet service. Blue Origin has made its own breakthroughs in reusable rocket technology, while billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic prioritizes space tourism.

Like Rocket Lab, Virgin Galactic is publicly traded.

Rocket Lab does a little bit of everything, providing satellite launches spacecraft design and manufacturing. Yahoo Finance reported the company’s stock reached a record high this month on the heels of a new deal with the European Space Agency The company said it has delivered more than 200 satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, and one of its spacecraft platforms was selected to support several NASA missions.

Bollinger’s contract with Rocket Lab is the latest link to aerospace in a region that’s been home to NASA’s Michoud Assembly facility for more than 60 years. There, generations of workers have helped build the engines that have powered the country’s Space Age.

“As commercial space exploration continues to expand, so will the need for rocket, satellite and rover recovery,” said Josh Tatum, vice president of business growth and retention at Greater New Orleans Inc. “A lot of this activity will be happening out at sea.”

said. “Nobody wants to be around a sewer plant in a subdivision. That’s the main thing, getting it out of a residential area and putting it away from the public.”

Other aspects of the sewer system will also see upgrades in the near future, Pattan said, thanks to the city receiving $1.1 million in funding from Louisiana Community Development Block Grants.

However, that money cannot be used to purchase land, meaning the wastewater treatment plant project will rely on a combination of city funds and, hopefully, additional grants, Pattan said.

“Of course, it’s going to be in the millions,” Pattan said. “But locating the property is the main thing for now before we go into too many dollar amounts.”

ANGOLA

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Usually, cadets or guards who bring contraband into a prison are being paid in some way for their efforts.

D’Aquilla added that cellphones sold in Angola between prisoners are often marked up to $400 or $500 each.

He said the 20th JDC will continue to prosecute cases like these as long as ofﬁcers continue to break the law

Beth Claybourn has designed homes for notable politicians such as Edwin Edwards and successful businessmen, including Jim Bob Moffett, longtime chairman of Freeport McMoRan. She also has clients around

Beth Claybourn Interiors’ hours this week: n Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. n Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. n Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. n Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. n Wednesday from 10 a.m to 8 p.m.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

Liberty Lagoon hours changing due to heat

Water park to have two daily sessions

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

BREC’s Liberty Lagoon water park, which delayed opening for the summer season until July 4, is now amending its daily hours to protect swimmers and staff from the heat. The changes will require guests to pay for entry twice to stick around at the park from open to close.

BREC introduced the new policy on its website and Facebook page on Friday, also announcing ticket discounts and a water bottle policy The changes are meant to “keep everyone cool, safe, and having fun this summer,” the post said.

Liberty Lagoon’s updated hours will now be in two sessions, one from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then another from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The onehour break will be used for deep cleaning and employee breaks.

In a comment on BREC’s Facebook post, one respondent asked if the two sessions would require separate ticket purchases The answer: Yes, each

ORGERON

Continued from page 1B

law to the facts of this case,” said Kelly Orgeron’s attorneys, Robert Lowe and Paula Lee, in a joint statement. “The legal issues have been briefed ad nauseam.” Meanwhile the filings from Ed Orgeron’s attorneys also say the Supreme Court made a mistake by ignoring tax implications when awarding Kelly Orgeron half her ex-husband’s gross earnings from the buyout. They say Ed Orgeron never received a net payment of $17 million from his buyout because of taxes, and that the high court should, at minimum, set Kelly Orgeron’s portion of the buyout to $4.5 million “or remand for an equitable tax reallocation.”

Ed Orgeron’s filings include several examples of scenarios that could happen in divorce cases under the Supreme Court’s recent decision.

For example, they describe a doctor who signs a five-year contract that includes a raise, has a noncompete and allows for liquidated damages if they are fired If the doctor’s spouse files for divorce the day after the contract is signed, then the doctor is fired without cause a week later, the spouse would be entitled to half the money that the doctor receives from liquidated damages

session will require its own ticket.

“If you plan to attend both sessions in one day, you’ll need to purchase a ticket for each time block,” the BREC account responded to the comment “We’ve structured our day into two sessions to help manage our capacity give our team a break, and keep everyone safe in the heat.”

The new hours are for every day of the week, excluding Tuesday, when Liberty Lagoon is closed.

While general entry tickets at the gate will be $12, tickets purchased online at least three hours before entry will be only $10. No cash payment is accepted. Online-purchased tickets will also allow guests to skip the line and head straight into the park.

In another effort to protect swimmers from the heat the pool is also allowing guests to bring in one sealed 24-ounce water bottle per person.

While low on details, the update also said the pool will now be adjusting on-site entry to manage capacity and “ensure a safe, enjoyable experience.”

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

over losing their job, the ﬁlings warn. Meanwhile, the doctor cannot continue working because of the noncompete, they say The filings from Ed Orgeron also describe a case in which a husband is catastrophically injured on an offshore oil rig and previously had an employment agreement allowing for liquidated damages if he lost income because of a job-related injury If his spouse files for divorce on day after he’s injured, the spouse would be entitled to half his liquidated damages from his employer, based on the high court’s recent ruling, the ﬁlings state.

Ed Orgeron’s attorneys described it as a “morally jarring result.”

The former LSU coach’s attorneys emphasized that his ex-wife has already received a share of $13 million from his compensation, half the $1.775 million he earned after the National Championship win and assets worth additional millions in property, retirement accounts and more.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A lightning bolt strikes Lake Pontchartrain on Thursday near the Causeway 5 miles from the south shore. New Orleans has been having regular afternoon showers.

Dear,Patricia

a.m.

Garner Lane in Grosse Tete,at11

Jackson, Percy

PilgrimBaptistChurch,57900 AugustaRoadinWhite Castle,at11 a.m.

Landry, Lainey

St.Michael's Catholic Church,1801 Sage Road in Houston, TX,at2 p.m.

Lawana

Church,15615 JeffersonHighway,at noon.

Obituaries

Kevin

Afuneral Mass will be held for former West Feliciana Parish president Kevin Couhig Monday, July 14 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in St. Francisville Visitation begins at Catholic Hall at 9a.m. Burialinthe Catholic Cemetery will followthe service. Rob and Missy Couhig willhost areception at their home following the graveside service (4363 Hwy. 966).

Ellis,RobertMatthew Robert Matthew 'Matt' Ellis,aged77, died unexpectedlyathomeinBaton Rouge on June 6, 2025. Matt wasbornonApril 22, 1948, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana He wasloved by many. His witand humor will be missed. He is survived by hiswifeSherry and two children, Krista and Paul Ellis,and twograndchildren Rachel Henriand Emily Laprarie along with his siblings, many relatives and friends whowill miss himHeispreceded in deathbyhis parents,Mary Aliceand George Ellis and his brotherDavid Ellis.The intermentwillbeat LouisianaVeterans Cemetery in Zacharyat11amon July 11thfollowedbya celebration of lifewhich will

Alfrieda Cecilia Jarreau passedawaypeacefully of natural causesonJuly3 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Born on April 13, 1958,inNew Roads, Louisiana.Alfrieda'sjourney on earthbegan as the cherished daughter of Steve Jarreau Jr.and Agnes D. Jarreau,and she grewupsurrounded by the warmth ofher siblingsSteve III, Joseph, James, Corey,MaryJane dec., Jackie dec.,Veronica, Wanda, Karen, Carol, Annette, andGidget.The Jarreau family home was alwaysa place oflaughterand love She leaves to mournher twochildren Mychal Shield and KailinBruce,and granddaughterKa'Myrah Corney. Afuneral service willbeheldfrom11:00AM to 1:00 PM on 2025-07-14 at Winnfield Funeral Home of Baton Rouge, 7221Plank Rd.

Neva Cole Morein, loving Mother,Grandmother, and Great- Grandmother, passed awaypeacefully on July 10, 2025. Shewas born to Estine Cole andVirgie Wyble on February 24, 1950, in VillePlatte, Louisiana

Sheloved the holidays, preparing the foodand decorations, havingher family come togetherand enjoy amealshe had prepared for them. An amateurgardener,she hada uniquegardening style, from planting in tincans to buckets. Shehad an eclectic decorating style,a yard full of frogs, turtles, and otherwhat nots, asa professional thrifterwould Above allelse, she loved her children and grandchildrenthe most. Sheissurvived by her son, Charles Dupre' Jr.; daughter, Della Dupre' Fontenot; grandchildren, Britney Fontenot Figueroa (Hector), Megan Fontenot Breeden (Philip),Brody Fontenot, Kirsten Dupre' Ward(Jacob), Katherine Dupre' (Damien), Andrew Goodwin (Abi); greatgrandchildren, Antonio Figueroa "Toto", Mario Figeroa "Maji", Josiah Figeroa "Diggy", and Owen Charles Ward"Doodles";

sisters, Mary Cole and Carolyn Saverio (George);and numerous nieces and nephews.

Neva is preceded in death by her parents, Estine Coleand Virgie Wyble; step father, Eugene Wyble; brothers, Donald Cole and PatrickCole; sisters, and Vercie Fontenot and Patricia Ford. Pallbearerswillbe Brody Fontenot, Philip Breeden, Hector Figueroa, AndrewGoodwin, Jacob Ward,and Damien Riddle

The family wouldliketo extend aspecial thank you to thestaff at The CarpenterHouse of St. Joseph Hospice, Ochsner Hospital of BatonRouge ICU, Fresenius Kidney Care, Father JosephBresowar and DeaconMike Chapetta of Immaculate Conception CatholicChurch, and Seale Funeral Home for their support and care during this time.

Relatives and friends are invitedtojointhe family forthe visitation at SealeFuneral Home, 1720 S. Range Ave,Denham springs, LA on Monday, July 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM until thefuneralserviceat1:00 PM,officiated by Deacon Mike Chiapetta.The graveside servicewillfollow at Evergreen memorialGardens.

Motlow,Eliot Russell

(Stephanie) andEmily, and cousinsinOregon whom he held dear. Hisburial will be private but his family andsome fellow musicians are planninga celebration of life whichwill be announced in thecoming weeks

SquareSr., Robert Leroy

-7/5/2025

Lexington, KY

John PerryMotlow and Carolyn(Lyn) Trueblood Russell Motlow. He grew up primarilyinBaton Rouge, LA.Heattended Mckinley MiddleSchool, BatonRouge High School and graduated from Mckinley SeniorHighin 1990. He graduated from Illinois Collegeand Indiana University School of Law. He then returned to Baton Rouge where he started a business and afamily.In 2018, his children moved to live with him in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. He passedaway after a long illness at theHospice HouseofMunsonHospital in Traverse City, MI. He is survivedbyhis wonderful childrenJames Motlow, John Morgan Motlowand Caroline Motlow, his mother LynMotlowand his sister, Ferrell Motlow. He was predeceased by hisfather John Perry Motlowin2016. He willbemissed. Amemorial willbeheld in Suttons Bay, Michigan in August Condolences may be sent to his family at PO Box202, LakeLeelanau, MI 49653. Please share condolencesand memories with Eliot's family at www.martinson.info

Arrangementsare with theMartinsonFuneral Home and CremationServices of Leelanau.

In theearlymorning hoursofJuly 8, 2025, the world lost atruly good man when Glenn Dale Murray, Jr known as Dale, passed away in his sleep from an apparent heart attack.Dalewas agentle soul and awonderful husband, father, and friend. Hiskindness, sincerity, and selflessnesswere legendary among thosefortunate enoughtoknowhim. Dale was born on November21, 1946, in Baton Rouge, theonlychildofLola Mae BennettMurray, originally of Richland Parish, and Glenn Dale Murray, Sr originally of CoosBay, Oregon. In the late 1950s, he and Phil Guay, his lifelong best friend with whom he grew up on Adams Avenue,were captivated by therock& roll and NewOrleans R&B bands that performed at theFriday night CYO dances they attended. Each ofthemknew then that they wanted alifein music, and they began playing professionally whilestill in highschool. Dale graduated from Baton Rouge High School in the class of 1964 then attended LSU, where he performed, recorded, and taught musicand,moresignificantly met theloveofhis life, Anne,whom he married in 1969. He went on to havea successful career as aperformer, bandleader, songwriter, and producer that culminated with his induction intothe Louisiana Music Hall of Fame on August 26, 2024. Making thishonor allthe moreremarkable was thefact that Dale's musiccareer included a three-decade hiatus. The reason: In the late 1970s, Dalewalked away from music, theonlyworkhe'd ever known,tobea dad. Dale was an exemplary family man, working long hoursfor over thirty years at LouisianaWeldingSupplyand itssuccessorcompany, Gulf States Airgas, to providefor his family but always making time for his twokids. Afterheretired fromhis daytime job, he went right back to music as if he'dnever left it.His laterperiod in music, in which he reconnected with his longtime songwriting partner, RexPearce, included some of his most impressivewriting and production work. Dale was aquiet,thoughtful man who spokethroughhis actions. He rarely -ifeverraised his voice in anger and he never letanyone down. Left to cherish his memory are hiswife of over 55 years, Anne, his twochildren, Drew

Robert Leroy Square, Sr abeloved husband, father, grandfather, andVietnam veteran, passedaway peacefully at home surroundedbyloved ones on July 5, 2025. He entered this worldonJanuary 28, 1947. He wasa native of Scotlandville anda lifelong residentofBaker, LA, proudgraduate of Scotlandville Senior High School, class of 1965 and Southern University and A&M College, U.S.Air Force veteran, ExxonMobilretiree, and faithfulmember of Beech Grove Baptist Church. He is survived by hisdevotedwife of 53 years, Sarah Stemley-Square; children: Robert Leroy Square, Jr RaquelSquare Ayles (Charles), and Richard Leon Square(Ashley); grandchildren: Taylor Square-Honore' (Darryl), Robert Leroy Square, III Raven LashawnSquare, NyiaLanae Square Malachi Xavier Square Chase Neyland-Square, andNicholasDarnellButler; andgreat-grandson, HarperChristopherHonore'.Heisalso survived by siblings: Daisy Square Beck, Beatrice Square White(Lynell, Sr.), Mildred SquareCarrethers, PercyL Square(Michelle), Bonnie SquareJackson,Sharolyn SquareMorgan,and Tamara SquareCreech. He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie T. andClara Byrd Square, hissiblings: Estella SquareBanks,Laura SquareLang, Willie T. Square, Jr.and ArthurD Square, Sr Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe visitation at Hall'sCelebration Center,9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge,LA on Monday, July 14, 2025 from 9:00 AM untilthe funeralservice at 11:00 AM, officiatedbyPastor Kevin Cowan, Sr.Interment will follow at 1:00 PM at Louisiana National Cemetery, 303 W. Mount Pleasant Road,Zachary, LA. A repast will be held after theburialatthe Leon R. Tarver II Cultural and HeritageCenter, 8320 G. Leon Netterville Drive,Baton Rouge,LA. Familyand friends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note for the familyat halldavisandson.com. The familywould like to extend

ourheartfelt gratitude to Always Best Careand Hospice of Greater Baton Rouge for theircompassionate care,support, and dedication

Wagener,Joy Haydel

JoyHaydelWagener passedaway on July 9, 2025 at theage of 89. She wasemployed by the Catholic School System for 36 years having servedas either teacher or Principal at St.Catherine of Siena (Metairie),St. Thomas More (Baton Rouge), and St.Michael the Archangel, formally Bishop Sullivan, (Baton Rouge). Mrs. Wagener is preceded in death by herparents Hubert and Alice Haydel,husbandGerald Wagener, andgranddaughterElizabeth Wagener.She is survived by her son Troy Wagener(Keely), daughter Sherry Wagener (Scott), and grandchildren Alyse Mouledoux(Pierre), Stephen Toups(Caroline), Meredith Downs(William), BeverlyRhodes(Ladd), RobbyScott(Emily), and great-grandchildren Pierre MouledouxJr., Jean Paul Mouledoux, Marc Mouledoux, Perrin Mouledoux, Wesley Downs, Ellie Downs, MollyRhodes, MajorRhodes, Miller Toups, andHudson Toups. Avisitationfor Mrs. Wagener will be held Monday,July 14, 2025 at St Jude the ApostleCatholic Church in Baton Rouge beginningat 9:00 AM until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM followedbya private interment at Lake Lawn MetairieCemeteries. In her Memory, donations may be made to St.Jude Children's ResearchHospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept 142, Memphis, Tennessee, 38101. Please include Mrs. Wagener's name and theaddressofwhere thenotification card canbesent.

Murray Jr., Glenn Dale

Jarreau, Alfrieda Cecilia

Eliot Russell Motlow 5/18/1972

grieve the loss of Eliot Motlow. Eliot was born in

Couhig,

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Michigan clock runs out of time on tariffs

ZEELAND Mich. — A Michigan clock company that has helped people keep time for 99 years says it’s going out of business due to tariffs and other economic conditions.

Howard Miller Co., which makes grandfather clocks, wall clocks and furniture, said production will be phased out this year The company will stick around in 2026 to sell its inventory

“We are incredibly disappointed to have reached this point in our journey,” CEO Howard J. “Buzz” Miller grandson of founder Howard C. Miller, said Thursday

The Zeeland-based manufacturer, 175 miles west of Detroit, has sought a buyer but so far hasn’t found one Miller said tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have increased the cost of essential components that aren’t available in the U.S. The company employs roughly 200 people in Michigan and North Carolina.

The closing of Howard Miller also includes Hekman Furniture Co., which it acquired in 1983. The clock business was founded in 1926.

Walmart recalls water bottles over caps NEW YORK Walmart is recalling about 850,000 stainless steel water bottles because the lid can “forcefully eject” and unexpectedly strike consumers — resulting in permanent vision loss for two people to date.

The recall covers Walmart’s “Ozark Trail 64 oz Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottles,” which have been sold at the chain’s stores across the country since 2017. According to a notice published by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday, these products pose “serious impact and laceration hazards.”

That’s because when a consumer attempts to open the bottles “after food, carbonated beverages or perishable beverages, such as juice or milk, are stored inside over time,” the lid can eject forcefully, the CPSC notes.

As of Thursday’s announcement, Walmart had received three reports of consumers who were injured after being struck in the face by these lids when opening their bottles. And two of those people “suffered permanent vision loss after being struck in the eye,” the CPSC added.

Wind turbine maker to pay settlement

NANTUCKET, Mass. — The maker of a massive wind turbine blade that broke apart off Nantucket Island and washed up on beaches for months has agreed to a $10.5 million settlement to pay local businesses for their economic losses, ofﬁcials said Friday Fiberglass fragments of the blade began washing ashore last summer during the peak of tourist season after pieces of the wind turbine at the Vineyard Wind project began falling into the Atlantic Ocean in July 2024.

GE Vernova, which agreed to the settlement, blamed a manufacturing problem at one of its factories in Canada and said there was no indication of a design ﬂaw It reinspected all blades made at the factory and removed other blades made there from the Vineyard Wind location.

Crews in boats and on beaches, along with volunteers, collected truckloads of debris. The company said the debris was nontoxic ﬁberglass fragments and that the pieces were one square foot or smaller

The settlement calls for establishing a fund along with a process to evaluate claims from businesses and distribute payments, Nantucket ofﬁcials said.

The development’s massive wind turbines with blades more than 328 feet long began sending electricity to the grid at the beginning of 2024.

Wyoming’s new coal mine to open

But it won’t rely on the fossil fuel to make money

BY MEAD GRUVER Associated Press

CHEYENNE,Wyo.— The developer of what would be the ﬁrst new coal mine in Wyoming in decades is launching a potentially half-billion-dollar effort to extract rare earth metals from the fossil fuel that are crucial for tech products and military hardware.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright,

former West Virginia U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, Wyoming Gov Mark Gordon, and Wyoming’s congressional delegation were at a Friday groundbreaking ceremony for Ramaco Resources, Inc.’s Brook Mine outside Ranchester in northeastern Wyoming. Wright’s involvement underscores President Donald Trump’s determination to advance fossil fuel projects and mining and reverse former President Joe Biden’s moves to support for renewable energy Administration ofﬁcials on Monday moved toward selling federal coal leases in the top U.S. coal-

producing region in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. On Thursday, officials announced a proposal in Utah that they said would be the ﬁrst coal exploration project on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property since 2019. Those moves came on the heels of legislation signed last week that lowered royalty payments for companies mining coal on public lands and mandated ofﬁcials make available for potential mining an area greater in size than Connecticut. Meanwhile, local officials in Utah hope the administration will

support plans to build a railroad spur to boost oil drilling. A coalition of eastern Utah counties wants Trump’s Transportation Department to approve $2.4 billion in bonds for the 88-mile spur to export oil from the Uinta Basin, a project that may proceed after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. On Friday, the minerals capturing the administration’s attention were not just coal but rare earths — a family of 17 metallic elements with unusual properties that make them useful in modern technology, from electric car batteries and wind turbines to military targeting devices.

Trump administration sues California over egg prices

Animal welfare laws blamed for high prices

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

The Trump administration is suing the state of California to block animal welfare laws that it says unconstitutionally helped send egg prices soaring. But a group that spearheaded the requirements pushed back, blaming bird ﬂu for the hit to consumers’ pocketbooks.

The lawsuit, ﬁled in federal court in California on Wednesday challenges voter initiatives that passed in 2018 and 2008 They require that all eggs sold in California come from cage-free hens.

The Trump administration says the law imposes burdensome red tape on the production of eggs and egg products across the country because of the state’s outsize role in the national economy

“It is one thing if California passes laws that affects its own State, it is another when those laws affect other States in violation of the U.S. Constitution,” U.S. Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a statement Thursday “Thankfully, President Trump is standing up against this overreach.”

Egg prices soared last year and earlier this year due in large part to bird ﬂu, which has forced producers to destroy nearly 175 million birds since early 2022. But prices have come down sharply recently While the Trump administration claims credit for that, seasonal factors are also important. Avian influenza, which is spread by wild birds, tends to spike during the spring and fall migrations and drop in summer

“Pointing fingers won’t change the fact that it is the President’s economic policies that have been destructive,” the California Department of Justice said in a statement Friday “We’ll see him in court.”

The average national price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 in April and $4.55 in May after reaching a record $6.23 in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the May price was still 68.5% higher than a year earlier

“Trump’s back to his favorite hobby: blaming California for literally everything,” Gov Gavin Newsom’s ofﬁce said in a social media post.

The federal complaint alleges that California contributed to the rise in egg prices with regulations that forced farmers across the country to adopt more expensive production practices. The lawsuit also asserts that it is the federal government’s legal prerogative to regulate egg production. So it seeks to permanently block enforcement of the California regulations that ﬂowed from the two ballot measures.

“Americans across the country have suffered the consequences of liberal policies causing massive inﬂation for everyday items like eggs,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement “Under President Trump’s leadership, we will use the full extent of federal law to ensure that American families are free from oppressive regulatory burdens and restore American prosperity.”

While 2018’s Proposition 12 also banned the sale of pork and veal in California from animals raised in cages that don’t meet minimum size requirements, the lawsuit only focuses on the state’s egg rules.

Humane World for Animals, which was named the Humane Society of the United States when it spearheaded the passage of Proposition 12, says avian inﬂuenza and oth-

er factors drove up egg prices, not animal welfare laws.

And it says much of the U.S. egg industry went cage-free anyway because of demand from consumers who don’t want eggs from hens conﬁned to tiny spaces.

“California has prohibited the sale of cruelly produced eggs for more than a decade — law that has been upheld by courts at every level, including the Supreme Court. Blaming 2025 egg prices on these established animal welfare standards shows that this case is about pure politics, not constitutional law,” Sara Amundson, president of the Humane World Action Fund, said in a statement.

The American Egg Board, which represents the industry, said Friday that it will monitor the progress of the lawsuit while continuing to comply with California’s laws, and that it appreciates Rollins’ efforts to support farmers in their ﬁght against bird ﬂu and to stabilize the egg supply

“Egg farmers have been both responsive and responsible in meeting changing demand for cage-free eggs, while supporting all types of egg production, and continuing to provide options in the egg case for consumers,” the board said in a statement.

Target wants headquarters workers back in the office

BY CARSON HARTZOG

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

After a trickling of return-tooffice policies within individual teams, Target is ofﬁcially calling back all headquarters workers from one of its largest business units three days a week.

The commercial unit, overseen by Target’s Chief Commercial Officer Rick Gomez, includes buyers, assistant buyers and planners. Those affected were notified through a departmentwide email on Thursday and are expected to return to offices the first week of September.

“More time together, in the ofﬁce, will help us grow our business faster, solve problems quickly, and build stronger relationships,” Gomez wrote in the email.

The move comes a little over a month after multiple teams had been notified by managers that they would be expected to work at the ofﬁce soon. Those teams were in various departments from mer-

chandising to design.

Employees will be allowed to set their own schedules and choose which three days work best for them and their immediate work

teams, he wrote. Target declined to share how many employees will be returning to the ofﬁce, but there are a total of 7,100 workers assigned to headquarters.

More people work downtown Tuesdays to Thursdays, and on those days, office workers can number 150,000, or 70% of prepandemic numbers, said Adam Duininck, CEO and president of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. The start and end of the work week, however, sees those numbers dip. U.S. Bank, Xcel Energy and Ameriprise have already called workers back to the ofﬁce at least three days a week.

Duininck said he hopes downtown worker traffic will rise to pre-pandemic numbers of 200,000 to 215,000.

Target’s corporate policy still has not changed. Besides five mandated in-office weeks, the company lets work groups decide if they should work in the office.

“Our goal here is to align around a common expectation that allows us to maximize the potential of our hybrid, remote, and global commercial team and move forward with clarity connection and purpose,” Gomez said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE ART

The Trump administration is suing the state of California to block animal welfare laws that it says unconstitutionally helped send egg prices soaring

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRIAN PETERSON

OPINION

ANOTHERVIEW

Will theBig BeautifulBillsink Republicans?

Some say these are the worst of times,others say they’re the best of times. Whichever, theseare certainlyinterestingand oftenconfusing times It’salways worthwhile tokeep trackofpublic opinion on the big issues of the day.Let’stakea look at one of those issues, and that’s President Donald Trump’sOne Big Beautiful Bill. Anew poll ﬁndsthatonly35% of Americans support Trump’soverall budget plan incorporated inthe bill, and 53% oppose it.While 78% of Republicans favor it,only25% of independents and2%ofDemocrats do, accordingtothe Economist/YouGov survey.Other pollinghas shown similar or even more lopsided results. The problemfor GOP candidates in next year’s midterm elections is not the92% of Democrats who oppose Trump’sbudgetplan, but the57% of independentswho do.Close partisan electionsare usually determined by voters who are neitherDemocrats nor Republicans.

GOP leaders also have to worryabout the22% of Republicans who don’texpress supportfor thebill; many of them are ﬁscal conservatives that Republican candidates for Congress need to keep on their side.

Moreover,only28% of those surveyedbelieve the bill will help average Americans. Even 4in10Republicans don’tsay it will

The bill’simpact on the national debtisa problem for Republicans, especially those whoalwayswant less spending and debt but never seem to get it. They howledwhentheyfound outthe One BigBeautiful Bill had an ugly aspect. It will increase deficits by $2.8 trillion over10years, according to theCongressional BudgetOffice. That deficit will be fundedby raising the national debt, which now totals $37 trillion, equating to $323,000 per taxpayer.

No wonderﬁscal conservatives are disappointed.

The same polling showed that 52%ofAmericans —55% of independents, 80% of Democrats and22% (there’sthat samenumber we saw above) of Republicans —believe the federal budget deﬁcit will increase as aresult of the bill’spassage.

Another hot issue in thebill is Medicaid,a program that provides health care coveragefor 85 millionlowincomeand disabled Americans.Democraticleaders claim the bill willdevastate the program and kill people. Republican leaders claim the bill will actually strengthen Medicaidbystreamlining eligibility; they say Democrats are dishonestly overstating its effects. Youbethe judge.

In an effort to downplay changes to Medicaid, whichthe bill makes, Republicans point to other, more popular aspects of theOne Big Beautiful Bill, such as increased fundingfor border security,construction of aGolden Dome missile defense,modernization of the air trafﬁc control systemand avariety of taxbreaks for individuals andbusinesses.

Time will tell which side winsthe politicalargument. But when RepublicansinCongressare perceived as swinging the ax at healthcareand pension beneﬁts, they usuallysuffer.Here’swhy: 74% of U.S adultswantMedicaid funding to either staythe same or increase; 50% of Republicans, 74% of independents and 95% of Democrats agree

If Republicans had limited Medicaid changesto only eliminating waste and fraudaspartofanoverall plan to reduce the national debt,they’dhave amore solid defense, and their own political base would be much happier. Instead, they tightened Medicaid eligibility as part of abill that increasesthe national debt. Of course, if theactual consequencesofthe bill’s impact on Medicaid prove tobepolitically untenable, Republicans in Congress could always passa “ﬁx” to ease all or mostofits most unpopularaspects;that’s something fearful legislators from both parties often do. On the other hand, if negativeconsequences of the bill ultimately prove to have been exaggerated, Democrats may turn their focuselsewhere We’ll see. Only time will tellwhat thepolitical impactofthe One Big BeautifulBillwill be —not to mentionthe impactonthe lives of theAmerican people. The budget swamp is always atreacherous place for politicians to be, DemocratsorRepublicans. As is any swamp, it’sﬁlled with sinkholes, stagnationand dangerous predators. In Louisiana, we know something aboutthose things.

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

YOUR VIEWS

There’sa

There is strengthincommonsense. If you came to ourcountryillegally, there should be consequences. Unfortunately, for thepastthree decades, lack of enforcement of our immigration laws has caused families to settle here. Most work, pay taxes, raise theirfamilies and appreciatebeing in the U.S. Then, there arecriminals, terroristsand sex-trafﬁcking individuals who should be immediately deported without the opportunity to return. Our borderisclosed. The environment is ripe forimmigration reform. Simply stated, it would make sense to allow any illegal immigrant who has

been in the U.S. for five or more years, has no criminal record post illegal entry and is gainfully employed paying taxes to be allowed to pay afine, meet the requirementsofnaturalization (fluency in English, etc.) and become alegal citizen. No benefits should be paid until they have 40 quarters of taxes paid as alegal citizen. If you entered illegally in the last five years, you don’thave invested history and should be deported, but with the opportunity to re-enter legally Democrats bend to immediate deportation for the bad guys and those without invested history in our country.Republicans bend by offering es-

Universities hostile to conservatives? Answer dependsonwho’s asking

Iread with interest Gerald Kennedy‘s letter regarding why universities tendtobemore liberal.

As aliberalishPh.D. myself, I must disagree with his reasoning.

The ﬂaw in his argument is that he accepts President Donald Trump’sperception of his politics as conservative. Trumpism is not conservative but is a

radical, reactionary movement. True conservatives, while not necessarily opposed to change, have acautious approach to it. Historically,universities have been aplace for lively discussion among people across a range of attitudes. We don’t learn to think by talking only to those with whom we agree.

CHARLOTTE HUMPHRIES Hammond

Thosecriticizing ICEdon’t know what it does

Blessed that no child you know was avictim of sex trafﬁcking?

Thankful that one less shipmentoffentanyl or heroin made it across the border before it killed afew hundred more American teens?

Relieved that the illegal immigrant withthe gun was detained before he took your friend’slife yesterday?

Feel safer while ﬂying since 9/11?

Who did your bank call when someonetapped into your 401(k)

account from overseas?

Yes, you can thank Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So thinkabout that. To the young girl Isaw the other day with the“(Expletive) ICE” T-shirt on, you have no clue. While Itotally support your right to your opinion, Iﬁnd it amazing and am convinced that most areclueless about what they’re protesting. This was surely agoodexample. Just sickofit.

CLAUDIACOMEAUX Baton Rouge

Padilla’sactions at news conference indefensible

With all due respect to ElizabethBrooks’ letter praising U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, if she had watched the beginning of the video, her opinion may be different but probably not.

Youactually see alarge man bullying his way intoahearing room, unannounced, out of

order,with no visible identiﬁcation.Aﬁrst grader would have moredecorum than Padilla. His only goal was to use the camera for achildish political stunt. Watch as he bullies his way into thehearing one more time.

JIM

CARRUTH Baton Rouge

tablished contributing illegals apath that includes consequences, but also a way to make amends and stay Sanctuary cities are made illegal at the federal level. Then increase the number of work visas issued, especially for the industries that rely on them,such as agriculture. The process in place today includes vetting, paid for by employers. And while it mayneed to be tweaked, it offers away to quickly boost the workforce diminished by a closed border

There is strength in commonsense.

Erosionofour democracywas the work of decadesof right-wing plotting

In ﬁfth grade, the sameyear Imemorized those three civics lessons that begin “When in the course of human events,” “Wethe People,” and “Fourscore and seven years ago,” Ialso learned that in somecountries, governments could arrest people fordisagreeing with policy,control what books werepublished or broadcasts weremade and barge into people’shomes or businesses without awarrant. Ilearned about our Bill of Rights and whyitwas important to preserve democracy.I wassoproud to live in this country,where “liberty and justice forall” was our agreed-upon goal, even if we sometimes fell short.

Now,itseems, that country is gone, without aﬁght, with little resistance from Congress, because the ugly head of greedy fascism is raised not in somefar-away foreign land to be pitied, but right here in the United States. The takedownwas well-coordinated and orchestrated over the last several decades, with fear-mongering motivating ever-further right-wing ideas. Many of voting age can no longer recite the three passages that weremyfoundational understanding of our country’sstrengths; instead, they scroll social media and are convinced by foreignbased propaganda.

DoesRussia run our country now?Qatar? Israel? Whose puppet are we? One thing is certain: We are no longer abeacon of light forhumanity,and the Statue of Liberty stands sadly and ironically over our Eastern seaboard.

Think carefully about what sort of country you want your children to be living in, then vote forthat. CAROLYN DEYO Baton Rouge

SUSAN ROTOLO

Slidell

Ron Faucheux

FUTURE PROSPECTS

Where LSU’s draft-eligible players stand before two-day MLB event

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

After winning its eighth national championship in program history, LSU has a litany of players who is eligible to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. Some of those players won’t have a difﬁcult decision to make when it comes to their future, while others will have a tough choice when the draft begins Sunday and continues into Monday

The same goes for LSU’s 17 high school signees, the majority of which will have a challenging decision to make this weekend: Go to school or start their professional careers early

Here’s a look at where the Tigers’ drafteligible players and high school signees stand heading into the draft: Draft-eligible LSU players

KADE ANDERSON: There’s a legitimate chance Anderson is picked by the Washington Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick. If Washington doesn’t choose him, it’s hard to imagine him sliding outside of the top ﬁve.

ANTHONY EYANSON: Eyanson’s late-season surge propelled his draft stock into the top two rounds. MLB.com pegs him as

DANIEL

the No. 40 player in the draft, and The Athletic has projected him as a firstround pick.

CHASE SHORES: Shores’ move to the bullpen midseason seemingly helped his draft stock. With a tumbling fastball that sits at 100 mph, MLB teams can envision him as a reliever who still has the potential to start. ESPN has Shores as the No. 68 player in its draft rankings.

Dickinson played with a broken hamate bone for nearly the entire NCAA Tournament, but his strong showing in his ﬁrst season in the Southeastern Conference has made him a consensus top-100 prospect. The Athletic has him at No. 79 on its latest draft rankings

ETHAN FREY: Frey’s stock has an air of uncertainty heading into the draft The junior broke out with a 1.061 on-base plus slugging percentage this season, but he also hasn’t played in the field much in

ä See DRAFT, page 3C

Alcaraz versus Sinner rematch set

Showdown for Wimbledon singles title a replay of French Open championship

BY HOWARD FENDRICH

red clay of the French Open. Sinner grabbed a two-set lead in that one, then held a trio of match points before Alcaraz came all the way back to win after 5 hours, 29 minutes ﬁlled with brilliance from both. Asked to reﬂect on what happened in Paris, Alcaraz began by saying, “Probably the best,” then cut himself off “I mean, ‘probably,’ no. It was

ä See WIMBLEDON, page 3C

LSU football makes three hires

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

to staff

LSU football has built out its front ofﬁce over the past week, making three hires who will assist general manager Austin Thomas with the roster in a new era of college sports.

The Tigers added assistant general manager Kelvin Bolden, executive director of player personnel Jeff Martin and director of scouting and personnel strategy Sam Petitto, sources conﬁrmed with The Advocate.

Petitto, whose hire was ﬁnalized Friday will be the last hire for the time being, a source said. LSU also is expected to adjust the roles of some current staff members as it reconstructs the front ofﬁce under Thomas and coach Brian Kelly

The additions come after a wave of attrition and as colleges begin paying players for the first time this month. LSU football has $13.5 million to spend on its players during the upcoming school year, and the number is expected to increase annually over the next 10 years. In coordination with the coaches, Thomas and the rest of the staff will continue to shoulder a lot of responsibility for managing the money scouting players and making roster decisions. Thomas has been essential in all of that for the past year, and now he has more help.

After LSU recently lifted a hiring freeze, Bolden accepted his position earlier this week. Bolden, a former wide receiver at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Southern Mississippi, had been a key ﬁgure in Ole Miss’ recruiting since 2022. He overlapped with Thomas for two years there.

Bolden’s hire continued a trend.

Since Thomas returned to LSU in January 2024, the team has hired three staff members who worked with him at Ole Miss. Preston

ä See LSU, page 4C

DICKINSON:

STAFF FILE PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU designated hitter Ethan Frey had a breakout junior season, hitting .331 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs with several key hits in the postseason. Frey is rated No. 132 by ESPN in the Major League Baseball Draft player rankings.

LSU pitcher Chase Shores, who bolstered his stock after moving to the bullpen, is rated the No. 68 player by ESPN in the MLB draft player rankings.

Anderson

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after beating Taylor Fritz of the U.S. on Friday in London. Alcaraz beat Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) to advance to Sunday’s championship match

Anisimova to battle Swiatek in final

Winner will become eighth consecutive

BY HOWARD FENDRICH

AP tennis writer

LONDON Either Amanda Anisimova or Iga Swiatek will leave the All England Club’s grass courts as Wimbledon’s eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion. Why has there been such a revolving door? Chris Evert has some thoughts about various elements that, as she put it ahead of Saturday’s final, “make it difficult to feel completely secure and confident on this elusive surface.”

For one, there’s the amount of talent in the game — “deeper now than ever,” said Evert, a Hall of Famer who won three of her 18 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in the 1970s and 1980s and was the runner-up six times during an era when Martina Navratilova won a record nine singles championships there.

Plus, Evert noted, there’s a short turnaround after the red clay of the French Open, leaving only two to three weeks to practice and prepare for what she called a “polar opposite” surface. Another contributing factor are the uneven bounces and other adjustments required on grass.

And with no completely dominant figure since Serena Williams retired after the 2022 U.S. Open, there is more room for new faces such as the 13th-seeded Anisimova, a 23-year-old American who will be participating in her first major final against Swiatek, a former No. 1 who won four trophies at Roland-Garros and one at the U.S. Open but hadn’t been past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon until now

“I never even dreamt that it’s going to be possible for me to play in the ﬁnal,” said Swiatek, a 24-yearold from Poland who hadn’t been in a title match as a professional at any grass-court tournament until three weeks ago, when she was the runner-up at Bad Homburg, Germany

“I thought I experienced everything on the court, ” Swiatek said.

Reigning champ Pogacar takes Tour de France lead MUR-DE-BRETAGNE,France Less than a week after the Tour de France began, world champion Tadej Pogacar secured a second stage win at the top of a challenging climb and reclaimed the yellow jersey on Friday The 122-mile Stage 7 between Saint-Malo and Mur-de-Bretagne did not feature a major difficulty until the finishing loop including the Mur-de-Bretagne. Pogacar and his teammates from UAE Team Emirates-XRG were in total control in the finale, which was contested by a small group of riders including two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard — Pogacar’s main rival — and Remco Evenepoel. Pogacar launched the sprint close to the finish, and Vingegaard jumped on his wheel but was unable to overtake his rival.

Red Sox activate third baseman Bregman from IL

The Red Sox activated All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman from the 10-day injured list before Friday’s game against Tampa Bay Bregman, who has been sidelined since May 24 with a right quad strain, returned to his customary spot in the ﬁeld and was slotted in the No. 2 spot of Boston’s lineup for the second of a four-game series against the Rays. He suffered the injury when he rounded ﬁrst base and felt his quad tighten up, and since has missed 43 games. Bregman signed a $120 million, three-year contract in February At the time of the injury, he was hitting .299 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs, which led to him joining the American League All-Star team for the third time since entering the majors with the Astros in 2016.

“But I didn’t experience playing well on grass.”

She sure did Thursday during her 6-2, 6-0 win against Belinda Bencic in the semiﬁnals.

“Maybe I would have had to play my absolutely best tennis of my life and risk every shot to beat her today, the way she played,” Bencic said.

Like Swiatek, Anisimova also was a recent runner-up on the surface, reaching the final at Queen’s Club last month. Her powerful, flat strokes are a natural fit for the turf, and she showed just how good she can be on the stuff during a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday

“I have to say,” Sabalenka said, “that she was more brave.”

A sign of Anisimova’s skill on grass came three years ago, when she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. But she hadn’t played at the event again until now, because she sat out the tournament during a mental health break to deal with burnout in 2023, then was ranked too low to get in automatically a year ago and lost during the qualifying rounds.

“A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top

again if you take so much time away from the game. That was a little hard to digest, because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day,” Anisimova said, adding that she is pleased to be “able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself.”

Since Williams won her seventh and last Wimbledon championship in 2016 — a repeat performance from a year prior — every woman to hold the trophy was doing so for the ﬁrst time. There was Garbiñe Muguruza in

2017, Angelique Kerber in 2018, Simona Halep in 2019 and Ash Barty in 2021 — all of whom are now retired — followed by Elena Rybakina in 2022, Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024 (the tournament was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19).

Contrast that sort of variety to the much smaller circle of men to win Wimbledon lately: Since 2003, just ﬁve have done it — Roger Federer with eight, Novak Djokovic with seven, and Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz with a pair apiece.

Flagg has off shooting night in pro debut

Mavs rookie still draws rave reviews

BY W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press

LAS VEGAS Cooper Flagg may not have been happy with his professional debut on Thursday night in the NBA Summer League, but he still drew some rave reviews after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-85.

“Super fun to play with, he’s a super unselﬁsh guy,” teammate Ryan Nembhard said “All he wants to do is win. Can guard ﬁve positions, can score the ball really well.”

Flagg ﬁnished with 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting, including 0 for 5 from 3-point range. The rookie also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and the biggest block of the night. With 1:10 remaining and the Mavericks trailing by one, Flagg blocked Los Angeles shooting guard DJ Steward, and Nembhard capitalized at the other end with a 3-pointer to give Dallas its 87-85 lead.

“Obviously, it wasn’t his night tonight, but the gravity he has out there helps other guys get

good looks,” Nembhard added.

“He’s a super talent, and it’s been fun to play with him so far.”

Mavericks Summer League coach Josh Broghamer said considering the team had just four practices to get acclimated with one another before arriving in Las Vegas, he was impressed with the effort in the second half.

“Once they played basketball, you saw that ball moving. Cooper making the right decisions, Ryan making our decisions, Jordan Hall, so that was something to me that by second half, those guys all played basketball together,” Broghamer said.

Broghamer said he was especially impressed with Flagg’s conditioning after seeing how the Lakers picked him up full court defensively, trapped him from the outset, and continued to play him physically

“I think he just makes the right play over and over again, and shots will fall,” Broghamer added. “He makes winning plays, whether it’s offense or defense. I think that’s as advertised. Whether it’s a right pass or defensive possession or scoring the ball, that’s what he does.”

Flagg, who played 31 minutes and 43 seconds admitted he was nervous for his ﬁrst professional

Thursday

game, attributing an entirely different environment from college to pro to his off night. But he also felt comfortable knowing his coaches and teammates had conﬁdence.

Though Flagg said “that might be one of the worst games in my life,” Lakers second-year player

Bronny James was also complimentary

“He’s a quick, powerful big,” said James, who finished with eight points and spent much of his time defending Flagg.

“I watched him in college, an amazing player He’s going to be something special.”

Judge is second in MLB jersey sales, behind Ohtani

The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge has moved into second behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani in Major League Baseball jersey sales heading into the All-Star break. Judge rose from fifth to second, Major League Baseball said Friday He was followed by the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Judge and Ohtani also were the top vote-getters in the first round of fan balloting for starters in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, gaining the first two roster spots. San Francisco’s Rafael Devers, Boston’s Jarren Duran, San Francisco’s Jung Hoo Lee, the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal entered the top 20 for the first time.

Venus Williams accepts wild-card invite for DC Open

Venus Williams accepted a wildcard invitation to play singles at this month’s DC Open, which would be the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s ﬁrst tournament in more than a year Williams, who turned 45 in June, is listed as “inactive” on the WTA Tour’s website. She hasn’t competed in an official match since the Miami Open in 2024. Williams also played in the nation’s capital in 2022. Her five championships in singles at the All England Club came in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and she won the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Open singles trophies, too. She also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her younger sister, Serena, whose last tournament was the 2022 U.S. Open, and a total of four Olympic gold medals.

Baltimore boxer Davis arrested on battery charge

Baltimore boxing champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis was arrested Friday morning in Florida, nearly a month after an alleged domestic dispute involving his former partner, according to the Miami Dade County State’s Attorney’s Ofﬁce. Davis, a 30-year-old lightweight, was taken into custody on a misdemeanor battery charge in Miami Beach, court records show Davis struck his former partner on Father’s Day as they were exchanging custody of their two children, according to Ed Grifﬁth,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Poland’s Iga Swiatek returns to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic during a singles match at Wimbledon in London on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG Amanda Anisimova of the U.S returns to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during a singles match at Wimbledon in London on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID BECKER Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg drives the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard DaJaun Gordon during a Summer League game on

in Las Vegas.

Former La.Tech, NFLplayer, restauranteurBrunet, 78,dies

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

Services were held Friday for former NFL veteran and Baton Rouge restauranteur Bob Brunet. He died June 26 at age 78.

Amemorial was held at Victory Harvest Church, with burial to take place at alater date.

Brunet was born in 1946 in Larose and graduatedin1964

from Larose-CutOff High School

He then played running back for LouisianaTech, earningAll-Gulf States Conference honors andinduction in 2015intothe Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame.

In 1968, Brunet was draftedby theWashington Redskins (now Commanders) in the seventh round. He went on to play eight seasons with the club and atotal of 81 games before retiring in 1977.

After leaving football, Brunet, hiswifeLydiaand two other family members started Cajun Seafood, aseafood delivery business and market.They later opened a

small restaurant in Baton Rouge known as The Galley,which later became Brunet’sCajunRestaurantinpartnership with Brunet’s brother,Billy BobBrunetalso taught French classes at therestaurant, and he and his wife taught Cajun dance lessons there. Brunet’s closed in 2011 after 38 years. Brunetissurvivedbyhis wife, daughters, grandchildren anda sister

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

PRESS PHOTO By

Jannik Sinner of Italy,right, and NovakDjokovic of Serbia chat afterSinnerbeat Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in their singles semifinal match FridayatWimbledon in London. Sinneradvancedtothe Wimbledon final forthe firsttime

WIMBLEDON

Continued from page1C

the best match that Ihaveever played so far.I’m not surprised he just pushed me to the limit. Iexpect that on Sunday —just to be in the limit, to be on the line. Just going to be agreat day,agreat ﬁnal. I’m just excited about it,” Alcaraz said.

“I just hope not to be 51/2 hours on court again. If Ihave to, Iwill. But I think it’sgoing to be great.” Whowouldn’texpect this oneto be?

“Hopefullyit’sgoing to beagood match,like the last one,”Sinner said. “I don’tknow if it’ll get better, because Idon’tthink it’spossible.” Sinner,a23-year-oldItalian,and Alcaraz, a22-year-old Spaniard, are far and away the leaders of men’s tennis —and are at the height of theirpowers right now. This will be the seventh straight majortournament won by one or the other Alcaraz is 5-0inGrand Slam ﬁnals. Sinner owns three major trophies.

“The things we are doingright now aregreat for tennis,” Alcaraz said. He takesa career-best24-match

QUEEN

Continued from page1C

said about his anticipation for the next game. “I’ve got to redeem myself. Iknow I’ve got 82 games (in the regular season). Twitter and Instagram are probably goingcrazy right now.Ihave to redeem myself for me and all the outside noise.”

For Queen, Saturday’s7:30p.m. tipagainst the Los Angeles Lakers can’t get here soonenough. He wantstoshow he’s more like the Queen who played in the second half Thursday than the one who played in the ﬁrsthalf.

Queen went scorelessinthe first half, then scored his first basket with lessthan four minutesremaining in the third quarterbefore finishing with 13 points,10rebounds and three assists. He shot 5of9 from the floor and knocked down his only 3-pointer,showing off the versatility that made Pelicans executive vice president of

winning streak into Sunday.Sinner will be in his fourth Grand Slam ﬁnal in arow,after winning theU.S. Open inSeptemberand the Australian Open in January

Alcaraz leadstheir head-to-head matchup 8-4, taking the last ﬁve. He doesn’tthink what happened in theirmost recent meetingwill have acarryover effect on Sinner this time.

“He’sgoing to be better physically.He’sgoing to be better mentally He’sgoing to be prepared on Sunday to give his 100%,” said Alcaraz, who trailed the ﬁfth-seeded Fritz 6-4inthe fourth-set tiebreaker before winning the next four points to end it.

Sinnerand Alcarazhave taken over the sport as the so-called Big Three of Djokovic, Roger Federer andRafaelNadal cededcenter stage.

Federer and Nadal are retired Forthe 38-year-old Djokovic, who was diminished two days after a “nasty” and “awkward” fall in the last game of his quarterﬁnal victory,his lopsided loss brought an end to hislatestbid for an eighth Wimbledon title and an unprecedented25thmajor trophy Djokovicsaidhedeﬁnitely plans to comeback for at least one more appearanceatWimbledon. He had

basketball operations JoeDumars giveupa 2026 first-round draft pick for him

Pelicans Summer League coach

Corey Brewer liked what he saw in Queen’sability to shake off the ﬁrst half woes and get going in the second half.

“Itshows that he’sa special player,” Brewer said. “He’stalented. The ﬁrst half wasn’t going his way Igot on himathalftimeand told him to just be yourself. These guys are young. Rookies. First NBA game. He bounced back great.

That’swhatyou wanttosee.”

While Queen’s best half wasthe second half, fellow first round draft pick Jeremiah Fears played his bestinthe first half. Fears finishedwith 14 pointsand 2assists. But likeQueen, he also had 7turnovers.

“It’sour ﬁrst game,” Queen said.

“None of us are going to be perfect. Fears knowswhat he’sgot to do better.Iknow what I’ve got to do better.I feel like it was areally good debut for him.”

DRAFT

Continued from page1C

his threeyears in Baton Rouge ESPN has him ranked him as the No. 132 player in the draft.

JARED JONES: After passing up an opportunity to go pro last year Jones almost certainly will move on to professional baseball this summer.Where he’llget picked is abit of amystery.MLB.com lists him as the No. 101 player in its rankings while ESPN has JonesatNo. 249.

CHRIS STANFIELD: Stanfield’s speed, ability to make contact against strong velocity and experience in center ﬁeld make him astrong candidate to get drafted andsign with an MLB team. If that happens,look forLSU to shift freshman Derek Curiel or sophomore Jake Brown to center

ZACCOWAN: Cowanhad asplendid2025 campaign. He posted a2.94 ERA in 52 inningsand allowedjustone earned runin 51/3 innings against Arkansas in theCollege WorldSeries.But even with all of that success, his below-average fastball velocity and lack of aplus breakingball means he’ll likely return to LSU in 2026.

JACOB MAYERS: Mayersimproved as theseasonwentalong, allowingmore than one earned runin just one of his last 11 appearances.That progressshould help his draftstock, as his elitefastball and sharpslider make him an intriguing bullpen piece for an organization.

JADEN NOOT: Injurieslimited Noot to just one appearance in his ﬁrst twoseasons at LSU.But after a healthy spring in which he posted a4.13 ERAand showcased an effective fastball-splitter combination, Noot could be selected in the draft if the price is right. Returning to LSU appears to be the morelikely scenario, especially if he’sgiven astrong chance at competing for aspot in the startingrotation.

CONNER WARE: Ware nearly cracked thestarting rotation to begin the season, but alack of control resulted in him not pitchingfor LSU during the postseason. Heading into theyear,the junior-college transfer seemed destined for professional baseballonce the season was up.That outcome now is uncertain.

ﬁelderand catcher fromIllinois. He’s theNo. 31 playerinESPN’s draft rankings and the No.42 prospect accordingtoThe Athletic. Among LSU’ssignees, he’s the most likely to be drafted and signed.

QUENTIN YOUNG: Young, the nephew of former major-leaguers Delmon and Dmitri Young, is a shortstop fromCalifornia with a big arm anda powerfulbat.His athleticism and tantalizing tools meanhe’ll likely be picked on Day 1ofthe draft. He’s theNo. 36 player in ESPN’s rankings

BRIGGS MCKENZIE: McKenzie is a left-handed pitcher fromNorth Carolina. His fastballvelocity is in thelow 90s, but his bigcurveball and projectable physical frame has captured the attention of MLBteams.Asthe No.69player in MLB.com’s rankings, expect McKenzie to be drafted Sunday OMAR SERNA: Serna declared June 27 that he’ll forgo the draft and begin his college career at LSU. TheTexas native provides LSU athird catcher to join Yamin and Arrambide in next year’s room. Offensively,Serna is best known forhis rawpower

WILLIAM PATRICK: Patrick has been lauded forhis athleticism, speed and raw power.Those tools allowed the outﬁelder to crack The Athletic andMLB.com’s top-100 rankings. Patrick is from Monroe, meaning his Louisiana roots could help keep him in-state.

BRADYEBEL: Ebel is an inﬁelder from California who spent the majority of thispastseasonat third base. He’salso theson of LosAngeles Dodgersthirdbase coach Dino Ebeland is the No. 64 player in MLB.com’srankings. His major-league rootsand defensive versatility likely means he’llbeoff to professional baseball.

DEAN MOSS: Moss is an outﬁelder who attended IMG Academy in Florida despite being from California. He’s aleft-handedhitter and the No. 56 player in MLB. com’sdraft rankings. Whether he actually signs outofthe draft is abit of amystery given hislack of power

reached the last six ﬁnals, winning four and ﬁnishing as therunner-up to Alcaraz in 2023 and 2024.

With ﬁve-timeWimbledon champion Bjorn Borgand celebrities such as Anna Wintour andLeonardo DiCaprio looking on Friday,Alcaraz produced his usual brand of magic, markingsome shots against U.S. Open runner-upFritzwith a shout of “Vamos!” or araised index ﬁnger

The temperature topped 85 degrees with no clouds interrupting the blue sky overhead to offer protection from thesun.For thesecond consecutive day,spectators had trouble in the heat

Thepop of aChampagne cork could be heard in the stands just before the start, and Alcaraz burst out of the gate, breaking for a1-0 lead. The ﬁrst point was illustrative: He returned a135 mphserve, then capped a10-stroke exchange with adelicate drop shot.

Fritz played quite well for stretches,conjuring qualitywith hisneon-orange racket frame that would have been enough to overcome most foes on grass.

As anyone paying attention —including Sinner —knows, Alcarazis not just any foe.

“Hehas so many different ways to win,” Fritzsaid.

Fearswasn’tsurprised to see Queen bounce back in the second half

“He just continuestoberesilient,” Fears said.“We saw it aton in these past few practices. Him keeping his conﬁdenceand keepinghis motoris something our teammates can learn from as well.”

Queen says he got some extra motivation in the second half from aTimberwolves’ player who was trash talking him from thebench.

Now Queen wants to see his play from the second half Thursday spill over into all four quarters Saturday night against Bronny James and the Lakers.

“I feel like Ihave this game under my belt and Ifeel likeI’m going to be great next game,” Queen said. “… It was kinda sloppy in the ﬁrst half. Butadoubledoubleisa double double. Ithink Iﬂipped the switch in the second half. Ifeel like Igot the hang of it now.”

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com

CONNOR BENGE: Benge’sworkload tailed off during the second half of the season after he spentthe start of the year as abig piece of thebullpen. Walks have been an issue, but he still has the talent to be draftedonDay 2.

TANNER REAVES: Reavesstarted 19 games and played in 43 aftercoming to Baton Rouge as ajunior-college transfer.His quickhands in thebatter’sbox mayinterest teams,but hislack of ahome defensively likely will result in him returning to school.

GRANT FONTENOT: Fontenot showed signs of improvement in the fewappearances he earned during the second half of the year.Perhaps coming back to LSUfor asecondseason means he canbuild offofthose stronger outings

DJ PRIMEAUX: Primeaux was excellent in theCape Cod League last summer butwas up and down this spring outofthe LSU bullpen. If he can ﬁnd away to expandhis role andface more right-handed hitters, perhaps he can improve his draftprospects ayear from now

GAVIN GUIDRY: Guidry missed this entire year with aback injury The ailment almost certainly meanshe’ll return to Baton Rouge next season as aredshirt juniorand be atop option for LSUout of the bullpen.

EDDIEYAMIN: Afterredshirting this past season after transferring from Dayton, Yamin is on track to return to LSU andback up freshman catcher CadeArrambide next spring.

JOSH PEARSON: Pearson’s time at LSU is up after fouryears and two national championships. His speed and pull-side power should give him an opportunity to be draftedonDay 2.

MICHAELBRASWELL: Braswell can’t return to school after spending twoseasons at South Carolina andtwo more at LSU.Hestruggled at the plate this year,but hisprogressdefensively at third base may givehim ashot at being drafted.

LUIS HERNANDEZ: Hernandez provedthat he was capable behind thedishthisspringafter he hadcaught sparingly in three seasons at Indiana State. Perhaps that will be enough to hear his name calledonDay 2.

DALTON BECK: In his ﬁnalseason of eligibility,Beck never started agamefor the Tigers. The likelihood of himgetting drafted is low.

High school signees

JADEN FAUSKE: Fauske is acenter

MARCOSPAZ: Paz underwent Tommy John surgery last July, but theright-handed pitcher threw in front of scouts in May before working out for them again in June at thedraft combine. His surgery complicates matterswhenitcomes to his odds of signing with an MLB club. He’sthe No. 108 player in ESPN’s rankings

REAGAN RICKEN: Ricken announced two days before the draftthat he’ll forgo his chances of being selected in the draftand will cometoLSU instead. Adding Ricken is amajor addition to thepitching staff.He’sa righthanded pitcher from California with ﬁve pitches,and his fastball has topped out at 97 mph. He also playedquarterback in high school andwas theNo. 121player in ESPN’s rankings.

MIGUEL SIME: As aright-handed pitcher from New York, Sime has hit 100 mph on the radar gun and consistently sits in the upper 90s with his fastball. Thatsort of talentisusually what professional baseballcraves.ESPNhas him as theNo. 85 player in itsdraft rankings

RIVER HAMILTON: Hamilton is from Oregon andwas originally committedtoOregon Statebeforethe right-hander ﬂipped his pledge to LSU. As the No. 184 playerin ESPN’s rankings, his prospects of coming to Baton Rouge are uncertain.

LANDON HODGE: Hodge could provide more young talent in the catcher room.But ﬁrst, the Tigerswill need to get himthrough the draft.Thatwon’t be easy as theCalifornianativeisthe No.65 player in TheAthletic’srankings.

MASON BRAUN: Braun is an outﬁelder from Indiana who is the No. 231 player in ESPN’srankings.Given his relative standing among draftexpertsand LSU’s need foroutﬁeld depth, he’ll likely wind up at LSU.

JACK RUCKERT: Ruckert was teammates with LSU freshman righthander William Schmidt at Catholic High in Baton Rouge. Unlike Schmidt, he hasnot been hailed as atop draftprospect and will more thanlikely end up at LSU.

ETHAN CLAUSS: Clauss is alefthanded-hitting shortstop from Las Vegas, butheisnot considered an elite prospectinthe draft. That standing should result in himmaking the trip to Baton Rouge aheadofthe ﬁrst semester.

ZION THEOPHILUS: Theophilus is from Ohio and is theNo. 241 player in ESPN’s rankings. Expect the right-handedpitcherto end up at LSU.

JONAH AASE: Alongwith McKenzie, Aase is one of two left-handed pitchers committed to LSU. Expect him to arrive on campus. Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

Brunet

ASSOCIATED

JOANNA CHAN

BearsextendGMPoles

BY ANDREW SELIGMAN AP sportswriter

CHICAGO The ChicagoBears believe they are in position to break through and start winning, so much so that they agreed to a contract extension with general managerRyan Polesthrough the 2029 season.

Aperson familiar with the terms conﬁrmed the agreementFriday

Theperson spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’tannounced the new deal.

The Bears are coming off alastplacefinishinthe NFCNorth. They are15-36 in three years under Poles and have two double-digit losing streaks during his tenure

The Bears lost their final 10 gamesin2022 while in teardown mode as part of afranchise-worst 14-game slide, and dropped 10 in a row in 2024 before closing the season with awin at Green Bay.They ﬁred former coach MattEberﬂus on Nov.29, aday after he mismanaged the clock at the end of a23-20

loss at Detroit.

Poles’biggest move as general manager was when he traded the No. 1pick in the 2023 draft to Carolina for receiver DJ Moore and the Panthers’ first-rounder in 2024

They used it to take quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1overall.

Williams’ arrivalhelped spark a surge in optimism around Chicago ayear ago. The Bears instead woundupbeingone of the biggest disappointmentsinthe NFL.

TheBears havesix straight nonwinningseasons, and have made theplayoffs just three times since the 2006 team advanced to the Super Bowl.But they believe they are in position to make amove in theNFC after anotherbusy offseason.

Polesmadea huge splash when he hiredcoach Ben Johnson, the mostsought-after candidate on the market after spending thepast three seasons as the Lions offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell. Hejoined theDetroit staff in 2019 after aseven-year runasan

LSU

assistant withthe Miami Dolphins The Bears are banking on his creativityand attention to detail to help Williams, aformer Heisman Trophy winner,develop into afranchise quarterback.

Hiring Johnsonwasn’t the only big movebyPoles.

The Bearsacquired two-time AllPro guard Joe Thuney from KansasCity and signed him to atwoyear,$35 million contract extension. They also acquired guard Jonah Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams,signed center Drew Dalman and drafted Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo in the secondround in an effort to protect Williams,who was sacked afranchise-record and league-leading 68 times.

Poles didn’tignore thedefense.

The Bears addedtwo-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett andedge rusherDayoOdeyingbo. They also retained two key playersbyextendingcornerback Kyler Gordonthrough 2028 andlinebacker T.J. Edwards through 2027.

Tiffany spent ayear as the Tigers’ director of player personnel, and LSU hired new associate director of player personnel Jai Choudhary in thespring.

Martin,aNew Orleansnative andLSU graduate,had worked in various capacities under Nick Saban, LesMiles andEdOrgeron, eventually becoming the assistant director of player personnel and development in 2017. Martin left in 2021 for Southern Cal. After one year there, he worked in wealth management with athletes untilLSU hiredhim again.

Petitto,anAmite native, spent the past year as Ohio State’sdirector of playerpersonnel after Sabanretired at Alabama.Petitto worked for Saban for eight years as Alabama’sdirector of personnel operations, helping the Crimson Tide win two national championships and sign future Heisman Trophy-winning receiver

DeVonta Smith, afellow Amite native. He gothis startasaLouisiana high school coach. The hires marked the latest changes to LSU’s non-coaching staff in ayear ﬁlledwiththem.

In January,LSU parted with five staff memberswho had roles in operationsorpersonnel, anddirector of nutrition Matt Frakes left for asimilarjob with the New York Giants LSU alsodid some internal shufﬂing at the time, naming JR Belton the new directoroffootballoperationsand promoting Donovan Tate to director of recruiting.

Other staff members have left since then. Director of player development DF Arnold started ajob threeweeksago in Grand Valley State’sathletic departmentafter coming to LSU when Kelly was hired. ArnoldtoldThe Advocate that he left on hisown volition and that Kelly understood the move, which he hopes will help him become an athletic director Also in June, staff member Jordan Arcement was hired by the

agency Athletes First; Tiffany left for ajob withthe Philadelphia Eagles;and assistant director of recruiting Bobby Barham announced his departure in a social-media post.

LSUhas made several other personnel hires this year.Morgan Phillips, now the director of recruiting administration and events,returnedtoLSU after a year at OhioState, and Keava Soil-Cormier came back to LSU to assist with NIL. Eric Held,the director of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association, also replaced former LSUrunning back Nick Brossette as thedirector of alumni relations and high school outreach All of thechangesoverhauled the LSU staff, especially the frontofﬁce. It is an essential cog for amodern college football team,and afterthe hires this week, Thomashas more help in running his portion of theoperation

For more LSUsports updates signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

general manager Austin Thomas looksonduring thesecond half of the Texas Bowl on Jan. 4, 2022, at NRG Stadium in Houston.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByKAMIL KRZACZyNSKI

ChicagoBears general manager Ryan Poles smiles prior to agame between the ChicagoBears and Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 29 in Chicago.

Gotterup shoots 61 in ideal Scottish Open conditions

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland The hardest task for Chris Gotterup was waking up Friday Once he got going, he never really stopped until he tied the course record with a 9-under 61 and wound up with a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Scottish Open Gotterup rolled in three long putts and was as long as ever off the tee, seizing on a spectacular day of sunshine and very little wind in the morning at The Renaissance Club.

Harry Hall (64) was two shots behind, and a refreshed Ludvig Aberg (65) led a group that was three shots back.

Aberg is coming off just the break he needed — a trip home to Sweden for the ﬁrst time in a year

He overcame a bogey-bogey start with eight birdies over his next 15 holes That made him the only player from among the top five who played in the afternoon, when the wind kicked up along the Firth of Forth and the course became firm and bouncy enough to frustrate Scottie Scheffler and plenty of others.

Schefﬂer, the world’s No. 1 player, had a pair of three-putts and at one point after watching a putt bounce off line, he extended his arm with his thumb up in mock

celebration It wasn’t all that bad.

He still shot 68 and was six shots behind.

Gotterup, the Rutgers star who ﬁnished his ﬁnal season at Oklahoma, was at 11-under 129.

Rory McIlroy had ﬁve birdies on the back nine (he started on No 10) and turned that into a 65 to join the group at 7-under 133. Xander Schauffele, who defends his title next week in the British Open, was ﬁve shots back after a 66. Schauffele rarely gets frustrated by anything, much less a score like 66. This was different. The weather was as ideal as it can get in these parts.

“It was there for the taking,” Schauffele said.

That’s exactly what Gotterup did. He’s still a little jet-lagged and struggled to deal with a 5:15 a.m alarm when he would have rather slept in. But then he saw a 45-foot birdie putt drop on the second hole. He hit it close for a few more birdies. He made a 30-footer on the tough seventh hole. And he closed out the front nine at 29 after making birdie from 20 feet.

Three more birdies over the next ﬁve holes got him to 9 under Two more birdies one hole was a par 5 — would have allowed him to break 60.

“That didn’t cross my brain at all,” Gotterup said. “I thought 10

(under) would be cool. I think it’s still my lowest round in tournament golf. I have no complaints.”

Gotterup, along with leading the tournament, is leading the way to grab one of three spots available for the British Open. It would be nice to stay an extra week — he played the last two weeks and is scheduled for a ﬂight to California on Monday to play the PGA Tour event in Lake Tahoe but that’s not why he came over He loves coming to Scotland, even for one week, as he did last year (and missed the cut) Plus, he happened to see the forecast and it was ideal all week. The fans have picked up on it, too, as Saturday already is a sellout and Sunday tickets are going fast.

“There’s probably not too many better places to be,” Gotterup said, not making it clear if he was speaking entirely about Scotland or his spot on the leaderboard.

Reigning champion Robert MacIntyre was simply happy to make it to the weekend. The wind blew hard enough in the afternoon, and the sun baked the greens and turned them bouncy that good scores were hard to ﬁnd. The cut settled on 1-under 139.

MacIntyre made a late birdie, and Justin Thomas made a 6-foot birdie on the 18th hole to make it on the number

LIV Golf again has applied to get world ranking points

BY DOUG FERGUSON

AP golf writer

LIV Golf has applied again to be included in the Ofﬁcial World Golf Ranking, without any indication how it will operate differently from when its ﬁrst application was rejected nearly two years ago.

The OWGR said in a statement Friday it had received the application and has started the review process to determine whether the Saudi-funded league of 54 players would be included.

“The OWGR Board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV’s application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR’s criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency,” the OWGR said in a statement.

The OWGR board has an annual meeting next week at the British Open. The OWGR denied the ﬁrst application in October 2023 the ﬁrst full year of the league — saying it could not fairly measure LIV Golf with two dozen other tours around the world because of what amounted to a closed shop, along with the individual competition potentially being compromised by scores counting toward a team result.

LIV now has 54 players — 13 four-man teams and two wild cards — and keeps the roster all season except for alternates used in case of injuries. Other tours have various forms of qualifying that allow for changes in the field among a larger membership LIV began a “promotions” event that offered three spots at the end of 2023, but that was reduced to one spot last year

The leader of the Asian Tour’s In-

Korda, Woad chasing Somi Lee at Evian

By The Associated Press

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France Top-

ranked amateur Lottie Woad is living up to her pre-tournament billing and in contention at the halfway point of the Evian Championship.

Keeping pace with world No.

1 Nelly Korda, Woad — coming off a remarkable six-stroke win on the Ladies European Tour — shot 2-under 69 on Friday to move to 5-under par after the second round of the fourth major of the year in women’s golf.

Woad was in a tie for 12th place and ﬁve shots off the lead held by Somi Lee of South Korea.

“Deﬁnitely a bit nervous,” Woad said, “but it’s also exciting at the same time.”

A top-25 finish at Evian Resort Golf Club will secure Woad enough qualifying points to seal LPGA Tour membership through its elite amateur pathway, if she wants to end her college career at Florida State a year early

But she has been thinking bigger than that.

“I’m only, like, ﬁve back,” she said. “Yeah, just trying to play well tomorrow and see what happens.”

Woad birdied two of her last three holes to move into a tie with

Korda, who is seeking her first title of the season and a third major title.

The top-ranked American was 4 over after seven holes after a double at No. 16 — the seventh hole of her round — but she eagled the 18th and had three birdies in her second nine.

Minjee Lee, the No. 6-ranked Australian and the winner of the Women’s PGA Championship last month, was also in the group at 5-under par overall after an evenpar 71.

Somi Lee is coming off a victory at the Dow Championship team event with Jin Hee Im last month for her ﬁrst LPGA Tour win. Ranked No. 56, she made six birdies and an eagle for a 65 to move to 10 under Grace Kim of Australia was a shot back in second place after a 68 and Jennifer Kupcho (69) of the United States a major winner in 2022 at the Chevron Championship — was in third a further stroke back. No. 2-ranked Jeeno Thitikul was also in contention after a second straight round of 68 left her in a tie for seventh. No. 3-ranked Lydia Ko (74) and No. 4-ranked Ruoning Yin (73) missed the cut, which was at 2 over, along with recent U.S. Women’s Open winner Maja Stark (74).

Spain remains unbeaten at 2025 Women’s Euro

By The Associated Press

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ternational Series also gets a spot in LIV, provided he’s not already a member World ranking points have been seen as critical to LIV because the four majors — all of which have a seat on the OWGR board use the ranking to help determine the ﬁeld. The U.S. Open and British Open this year added a category for top LIV performers.

The Masters and PGA Championship use invitations at their discretion to get whom they consider deserving.

LIV, which once tried to get ranking points by becoming part of the MENA Tour in Africa, formally withdrew its ﬁrst application in May 2024. Scott O’Neil has replaced Greg Norman as CEO of the Saudi league. He met with Trevor Immelman, the new OWGR chairman, at the Masters this year Immelman told the AP he has spoken a few times on the phone with O’Neil.

O’Neil, in a statement, thanked Immelman for his “willingness to

move the sport of golf forward for the beneﬁt of all players and most importantly, the fans.”

“LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game’s most prestigious events,” O’Neil said.

“We are conﬁdent our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system.”

O’Neil said he hoped the approval process can go through before the 2026 major season.

Immelman had said the rejection letter sent to LIV in October 2023 was “quite clear” with the position the board had at the time and any change would start with LIV applying anew

“We appreciate the interest of LIV Golf — and all the tours — in contributing to the global landscape of men’s professional golf through OWGR,” the statement said.

BERN, Switzerland Tournament favorite Spain came from behind to beat Italy 3-1 on Friday and swept through its group for the first time at a Women’s European Championship. Italy lost but also advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in 12 years. Italy took a 10th-minute lead against the 2023 World Cup champion on defender Elisabetta Oliviero’s shot, soon after captain Elena Linari struck the crossbar with a header

Spain leveled within four minutes, led from the 49th minute on and added Esther Gonzalez’s tournament-leading fourth goal in stoppage time.

Still, Spain had enough problems on defense handling the Italians, who had 13 attempts on goal, to give host Switzerland some hope for their quarterﬁnal in one week.

“We knew the most difficult game in the group would be Italy,” Spain coach Montse Tomé said. “These kinds of games demand that you are very alert.” Italy ﬁnished runner-up to Spain in the group because Portugal, which was third in the standings at the start of play, lost to Belgium 2-1 when needing a lopsided win.

“I know it was a defeat, but we gave everything on the pitch and we knew the only goal we had was to go forward,” said goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, who played her 100th game for Italy Norway awaits Italy in the ﬁrst quarterﬁnal on Wednesday in Geneva, and it will be Spain-Switzerland two days later in Bern.

Spain’s first two goals were created by the skipping feet and dribbling runs of winger Athenea del Castillo, who got her first start of the tournament. She leveled in the 14th, finishing a move she started with a rightfoot shot that curled into the top corner

After Del Castillo’s driving run across the face of the Italian defense in the 49th minute, the ball sat up for Patri Guijarro to snap a shot low into the bottom corner

Spain also gave a first start at Euro 2025 to Aitana Bonmatí, two weeks since the two-time Ballon d’Or winner was hospitalized by viral meningitis.

“She did a good job,” Tomé said.

“She came from a complex situation. It’s not easy for her.” By scoring three goals on Friday, after a 5-0 win against Portugal and 6-2 against Belgium, Spain tied England’s tournament record of 14 in a group set at Euro 2022. England went on to win the title. BELGIUM 2, PORTUGAL 1: In Sion, Switzerland, Janice Cayman scored in stoppage time for Belgium to beat Portugal to claim its first win in its final game at the Women’s European Championship Amber Tysiak thought she already scored Belgium’s winner in stoppage time but that goal was struck out for an offside call, the second Belgium goal ruled out after a VAR check.

Portugal needed a win to have any hope of making the knockout stage but got off to a bad start when Belgium captain Tessa Wullaert slid in to meet Jill Janssens’ cross for the third-minute opener

“We go out of the tournament but it’s on a high,” Wullaert said.

“We really deserved this after all the games we played. I don’t think the luck was on our side and even today we got two goals canceled.”

Telma Encarnacao got Portugal’s only goal late but couldn’t prevent her team’s elimination.

Portugal showed urgency only toward the end of the first half, when Ana Capeta found herself alone facing the goalkeeper

Her attempted lob didn’t go to plan, and Lisa Lichtfus again thwarted the Portugal star after the break.

Belgium threatened more and Mariam Toloba struck the crossbar Fatima Pinto went closest for Portugal with a header over before Telma equalized in the 87th.

The celebrations were short-lived. Cayman rewarded Belgian persistence in the sixth minute of stoppage time and became the ﬁrst Belgium player to score in three Women’s Euros.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

Chris Gotterup tees off on the 13th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on Thursday in Oakmont, Pa.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARTIN MEISSNER Spain’s Patri Guijarro, center, celebrates after scoring her side’s second goal during the Women’s Euro group B match against Italy at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, on Friday.

Captain Sergio Garcia, of Fireballs GC, hits his shot during the LIV Golf Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club on June 28 in Carrollton, Texas.

TerryRobinson

FAITH MATTERS

With roots in Acadiana, Atlanta

preacher a dynamicsoul

As much as Ienjoy visiting our many wonderful congregations in the Baton Rouge area, Imake apoint to do the same when I’m out of town—whether traveling for business or pleasure —onSunday mornings.

Last week, Ihad the blessed pleasureofattending worshipatthe historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta— famouslyonce co-pastored by Martin Luther King Jr.Iwas deeply moved by apowerful message titled “Sit Down, Sis,” delivered by the Rev Neichelle Guidry,adynamic preacher with deep family roots in the Opelousas area. Guidry grew up in Texas and graduatedfrom Clark Atlanta University,Yale Divinity Schooland has aPh.D. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Illinois.

The first time Ivisited Ebenezer with my family more than 25 years ago, we were startled at the obvious and heavy security presence to enter aHouse of God. We later learned the horrific story of agunman who opened fire during aservice on June 30, 1974, killingKing’s mother and adeacon.

I’ve returnedtothe church several times since. It’sone of my favorite churches to attend in the Atlanta areaand onein which Ihighly recommend for severalreasons. Chief among them, of course,isthe church’s rich history dating back to its founding in 1886 and its status in the “Sweet Auburn” community of Atlanta and the world.It served as afocal point for the Civil Rights Movement.

The present church, erected in 1999, is referred to as the Horizon Sanctuary.Itislocated on the Martin Luther KingJr. National Historic Site, which is composed of several buildings located around King’schildhood home.

The 1,700-seat Horizon Sanctuary abuts the Martin Luther Jr.Center for Nonviolent Social Change and sits across the street from the original Ebenezer,which is part of the National Register of Historical Sites. The area draws nearly a million visitors ayear Ebenezer is atraditional Black Baptist space that never seems to disappoint with its worship experience and welcoming environment. Last week’sservice featured the choir offering abeautiful

ä See MATTERS, page 2D

CHURCH, STCINEMA,ILLNESS

Along, hot summer dayonthe grounds of historic area church conjures moviemagic

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The movie’stitle came to mind whileturning the car left on St. Andrew’s Street from Plank Road

It was called “The Long Hot Summer,”and as IdrovefromChurch Street into St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’sdriveway,Iwondered if the days were as hot as this oneduringthe movie’sﬁlming in Clinton. PaulNewman and Joanne Woodward werethe leadsinWilliam Faulkner’sstory about suspected arsonist Ben Quick, whose charisma wins theadmirationofWill Varner,the richest man in town Newman played Ben, Orson Welles played Varner,and Woodward playedVarner’s straightlaced,schoolteacherdaughter, Clara,whose dad decides to match herupwithBen. By 1957,whenthe movie was

PROVIDED PHOTO

Joanne Woodward, right, as Clara, watches as Paul Newman, as Ben, claims her picnic basket at achurchauction in the 1958 film,‘The Long Hot Summer.’The movie was filmed in Clinton, parts of it at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

filmed, Welles was already afilm legend.Newman andWoodward would get married afterward and become legends in their ownright. Andtothink, they all gathered in EastFelicianaParish’sseat, thesetting for the story’sfictional

Frenchman’sBend. The ﬁlm was released in 1958. Iﬁrst saw it years ago on aSaturday afternoon. Maybe on Turner Classic Movies? It doesn’tmatter

BR salonopens newlocation

BYJOY HOLDEN

SERENA PUANG

STAFFPHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Aside viewofSt. Andrew’sEpiscopalChurch in Clinton. Though the 1871 structure’sdoors usually are locked during the week, the congregation meets at 9a.m.each Sunday for Holy Eucharist three Sundaysamonth and Morning Prayeronthe other Sunday.Coffee and fellowship followimmediately in the parish hall.

Guidry PROVIDED

Make face-blotting tissuesathome

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2025. There are 172 days left in the year

submitted it to the states. (Itwas declared ratiﬁed in February 1913.)

In 1962, the Rolling Stones played their ﬁrst show,atthe Marquee Club in London.

Dear Heloise: Facial-blotting tissues are expensive, but it’seasy to make them at home. Ipurchase apackage of goodquality white wrapping tissue and cut it into 5-inch squares. I keep several in azippered bag in my purse for aquick shine-absorbing blot on the go, and Istore the rest in my bathroom. Iuse the shiny side; it’smore absorbent. —Sharon, in the Midwest My petpeeve

Dear Heloise: My “pet” peeve is people driving with a pooch on their lap or hanging out the driver’sside window.This is dangerous for the driver,other drivers and the dog! Animals are unpredictableand get excited easily —Bev,via email Bev,Iagree completely If the air bag weretodeploy,disaster would ensue. The dog should ride in the back seat on the ﬂoor in a carrier or on aseat that is fastened with aspecial dog-

MATTERS

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rendition of “How Great Thou Art” among several wonderful selections and the band performing an magniﬁcent instrumental medley

Then, there’sthe preaching, led by Senior Pastor and Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. In the tradition of Dr.King and other predecessors, Warnock continues to preach hard on such issues such as social justice and racial equity In her uplifting message, “Sit Down, Sis,” from Luke 10:38-42,Guidry directed her words primarilytoward women, but it could very well apply to all of us.

The sermon centered on sisters Martha and Mary, who welcomed their friend Jesus into their home. Martha worked so diligently to prepare for Jesus that she nearly missed him.

Martha represents those who have grown “tired” by the busyness of life and may be anxious, stressed

SALON

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makeup artists and more,is occupying the former Avant Tous salon in The Villageat Willow Grove next to Pizza Byronz. Brittany Thrower, the owner of Salon du Sud and Le SudStudios, says she has long wanted asuite space for independent workersand spa-like services. Honey Nails Studio, afullservice nail salon, shares the spacewiththe head spa as well as three estheticians and two hairstylists who use the space. “The head spa was an idea from aclient of minewho said they are becoming popu-

gieseat belt. —Heloise Backpackingessentials

Dear Heloise: Alot of people will be takingabackpackingtrip this summer,and as aveteran of manybackpacking tripsovera numberofyears,I haveafew hintsfor backpackers: n Invest in agood compass, aGPS devicethatis designedfor outdoor travel, and apersonal locator beacon.Ifthings go wrong on your trip, you’ll begladyou have theseitems because they work where acellphone might not n Always pack sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat ofsomekind to protect your face.Sunburn orsnow blindness is aseriousproblem for backpackers. n Buy agood-quality knife.You’ll use this tool more than you know n Take asmall ﬁrst-aid kit. Make certain it has disinfecting ointment, bandages ofvarioussizes, disposable plastic gloves, over-the-counter painkillers and handsanitizer

n Take aheadlamp, lighter and/or matches in a

and overwhelmed

“Wehavebeen standing for so long,and we have been standingsostrong, and we havebeen standing unwaveringly,”Guidry said. “It’shigh time that some of us sit down —not as an act of givingup. Not as act of turningour backs on ourcommunities. Not as an act of ignoringthe pain aroundus. Not as act of act of resignation.…You might be in for asitting season, so God can heal you,soGod can restore you.SoGod can turn things around.”

Guidry,who grewupin Texaswith family from the Opelousas area, said Jesus’ presence mayhavesaved Martha’slife.

“Jesus is in this room today to intervene on some Martha in the sanctuary,afull-one interventionfor the stressedout sister.He’shere because he loves you too much to leaveyou in this frazzled condition,” Guidry said.

Martha nearly missed her opportunity

“Somewhere along the line, Martha began doing so much to serve Jesus

larinother states,” Thrower said. “Wehavesomeamazing shampooersatthe salon, so I knewitwould beahit.”

SalonduSudoffersa30-minute relaxationtreatmentfor $80 that includes eucalyptus oil infusion,gentle dry scalp stimulation and warm steam to awaken circulation. Exfoliation tools lift buildup and release tensionbefore ascalp scrub.Amoregentlemassage and halowater therapy round out the service. For another $40, ablow-out can be added. The 60-minute rejuvenationtreatment containsall of the elements of therelaxation treatment,but also includes an extended massage, an oil-infusedscalp andbody treatmentand abond repair conditioningmask.The re-

waterproof container

Believeitornot, these are things that so many backpackers forget to include when they are hiking through thebackcountry Jacob,inColorado Wrap it up

Dear Heloise: Here are various substitutes for wrapping paper:

n Calendar pages, which come in so manysizes and are colorful.

n Larger packages can be wrapped in posters. Some card shops/bookstores give away posters that haven’t been sold.

n Larger packages can also be wrapped in bulletin board paper,which comes in beautiful colors. There’s usually abin of remnants. This paper is found in art supply shops, school supply stores, bookstores that cater to teachers,etc. It looks amazing with ribbon. All of these use quality paper and, in most cases, are recycled! —Anavid reader, in Kentucky

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

that Jesus could not longer serve her,” Guidrysaid.

“We’ve got to be careful not to cross the line where our worship becomes our work, and our work becomes a distraction that keeps us from thefeet of Jesus.”

Guidry said Mary,onthe other hand, broke social normsasa woman during 1st-century Palestine to rest at Jesus’ feet as astudent

“I don’tthink we talk about his feet enough, becausethis is aplace of surrender and stillness,” Guidry said. “This is the place of simplicity. This is theplace of revelation. His feet is where Marycould listen andshe could learn. The feet of Jesus was where shecould pause for her doing and simply rest in her being.”

Another good word. Another excellent Ebenezer experience. For moreinformation, go to www.ebenezeratl.org.

ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com

juvenation ritual costs $130 and can also include an added blow-out for $40.

Salon du Sud will nowhave two locations, and theone on Bluebonnet Boulevard will remainopen for currenthair and makeup services.

Current hours for Salon du Sud-Village Plaza are 9a.m. to 2p.m. Tuesday,10a.m. to 5p.m. Wednesday and noon to 7p.m.Thursday.InAugust,the hours will be 9a.m. to 7p.m. Tuesday through Friday,and 9a.m.to3 p.m. Saturday For moreinformation, visit salondusud.com or SalondusudonInstagram or Facebook

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

Todayinhistory: On July 12, as an angry reaction tothe popularity of disco music, theChicago WhiteSox held the“Disco Demolition Night” promotion,inwhich acrateof disco records was blown up on the ﬁeld between games of adoubleheader; theensuing riot and damage to the ﬁeld caused the WhiteSox to forfeit the second game.

Also on this date:

In 1543, England’sKing Henry VIII married his sixthand ﬁnal wife, Catherine Parr

In 1812, United States forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the Warof1812 against Britain.(However,Hull retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit.)

In 1909, theHouse of Representatives joined the Senateinpassing the 16th Amendment tothe U.S. Constitution, allowing for afederal income tax, and

In 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of aBlack taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the ﬁve days of violence that followed.

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of NewYork to be his running mate; Ferraro was the ﬁrst woman to run forvice president on amajor-party ticket.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, wenttothe eastern sector of Berlin, the ﬁrst U.S. president to do so since Harry Truman.

In 2012, ascathing report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said the late Joe Paterno and other top Penn State ofﬁcials had buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky morethan ade-

cade earlier to avoid bad publicity In 2022, Twitter sued Elon Musk to force him to complete the $44 billion acquisition of the social media company after Musk said he was backing off his agreement to buy the company.(He would eventually becomeTwitter’sowner three months later.)

Today’sbirthdays:

chi is 54. Actor Anna Friel is 49. R&B singer Tracie Spencer is 49. Actor Topher Grace is 47. Actor Michelle Rodriguez is 47. Country singer-musician Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry) is 42. Actor Natalie Martinez is 41. Actor Ta’Rhonda Jones is 37.

Hints from Heloise

CHURCH

Ijust knew that Iwas walking through apieceof the movie’shistory while exploring St. Andrew’s Church and its surroundings this month. The picnic scene, akey point in the story waslargely ﬁlmed on these grounds.

Ben places the winning bid on Clara’spicnic basket at the church charity auction, and both retreat to aquiet place to share the food. Then Clara, harboring resentment, insults Ben.

But Ben keeps his cool because he knows Clara is secretly attracted to him.

The small town’sgiddy celebration fills the frame behind them, which somehow makes this day’sexploration ghostly.With the exception of theoccasional passing car,only silence lingers outside the church’s locked doors. No blue-eyedNewman No Woodward. No food or music.

The stillness ampliﬁes St Andrew’slone existence while calling attention to itsfeaturesthatcharmed ﬁlmmakers into setting up their camerashere almost 70 years ago. The structure stands in aremote, fairytale setting on the corner of St. Andrew’sand Church streets, and its Carpenter Gothic architectureismagical. Carpenter Gothic is characterized by pointedarches, steep gablesand decorative wooden trim, and the trim along St. Andrew’seaves looks like the snowy cover of aChristmas card. Some passersby would

COSTCO

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ittosee what we’re goingto have in ourlocation because different locations have different things.”

compare it to agingerbread house, and they’dberight, because St. Andrew’sfrilly trim hangs like battenlace from its gables. In atown wherecolumned facades rule, St. Andrew’s is an anomaly— aphotogenic anomaly that translates well on ﬁlm. But it’salso ananomaly that has withstood time and elements since its construction in 1871, andits place-

For now, thefood court area is shut downand blocked off. Jonessaidthat they apologize for theinconvenience

Email Serena Puang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com

Elm Grove Baptist hosts men’sprogram

Elm Grove Baptist Church,1069 W. 38th St., Baton Rouge, invites you to its Men’sDay Program at 8:15 a.m.Sunday, Aug. 10. The guest speaker will be Justice John M. Guidry All are welcome to attend. Vacation Bible School on tap Faith Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5100 Osborne Ave., Baton Rouge will host afreecommunity VacationBible School from 6p.m.

mentonthe NationalRegister of Historic Places preserves its story.The church also is commemorated by a

state historic markeratthe end of the long sidewalk leading to its entrance from Church Street.

SOUTHDOWNS

Though itsdoorsusually are locked on weekdays, St. Andrew’scongregation still meetsat9 a.m. forHoly Eucharist threeSundays a month, along with morning prayer on the remaining Sunday St.Andrew’shosts other events throughoutthe year

Perhaps even achurch picnic is occasionally included on the calendar In the movie, though, the church stands alone on this long, hotsummerday while Newman andWoodward playout the picnic scene on itsgrounds elsewhere on somebody’scable movie station. Andwho knows? Maybe somebody else watching thatscenewill be inspired to drive north on PlankRoad from Baton Rouge to Clinton to see the church in person —all while wondering if theday that scenewas ﬁlmedwas as hot as today’s summer days.

Email RobinMillerat romiller@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTOSByROBIN MILLER

AviewofSt. Andrew’s Episcopal Church from the cross marking the groundsasSt. Andrew’sGrove

Asmallpathand gardenare located between the sanctuaryand church hall of

Episcopal Church in Clinton

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Take the plunge, join in and do something that makes you feel good about yourself and what you stand for. A pragmatic approach to handling money and health issues will make a difference.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) It's time to catch up. Once you start, there will be no looking back, regrets or hesitation. Focus on the finish line, and don't stop until you reach your destination.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Explore the job market in your area. Having a plan will put your mind at ease and encourage you to get back on track regarding what you enjoy doing most. Opportunity is apparent, but you must initiate the first move.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take the high road and avoid outside interference, negativity and burdens that don't belong to you. Let your actions and message lead the way, and your enthusiasm will deter anyone from stopping you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Say little, do a lot. Live up to your word and go above and beyond the call of duty. What you accomplish will win favors, respect and the support of critics. Think things through.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Shoot for the stars and discover things you can do that you never thought possible. Expect to face opposition from someone looking out for your best interests.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) When oppor-

tunity knocks, open the door and meet it. Distance yourself from negativity and people trying to exploit you. Concentrate on what you do best and make yourself heard.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Taking time to do what makes you happy will soothe your soul. Dress up and make special plans with someone who quickens your pulse.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Interaction with those who spark your interest is essential. Participating in a community event will bring you closer to someone who makes you question your next move.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Participate in group activities, competitions or networking events. Interacting with others will raise your profile Don't underestimate a domestic expense.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Refuse to let emotions take control. Attitude is everything; turning a negative into a positive will help you achieve what's necessary to boost your ego and send you to victory.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) The gates will open, and you'll be off to the races with plenty to gain if you put your energy, enthusiasm and expertise to the test. Leave some time to relax with someone you love.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: X EQUALS V

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Victor Cherbuliez, aFrench novelist who died in 1899, said,“What helps luck is ahabit of watching foropportunities, of having apatientbut restless mind.”

At the bridge table, you have lots of opportunities, especially if you have a restlessmind that works logically If things seem desperate, restlessly look for alie of the cards that will allow you to get home.Inthis deal, for example, Southisinfour hearts. West leads hissingletonclub.Eastwinswithhisace andreturnstheclub10,hishighestbeing asuit-preference signal for spades. So West,afterruffing, shifts to the spade 10, which runs to South’s ace. Declarer cashes his heart ace, but both opponents followlow. ShouldSouth continue witha low heart, hoping the king falls,orwith the heart queen, trying to pinthe jack?

AfterEastopensoneclub,Southmight overcall one heart or four hearts. One heartwillworkbetterifNorth-Southcan have an uncontested auction, and especiallyiftheycanmakeaslam.However, since Northisapassed hand, aslam is unlikely. And jumping straight to four hearts might keep theopponents out of four spades.

Thereare only 14 high-cardpoints missing, so East must have the heart king.Butatfirstglance,South’snextplay appears to be aguess. Suppose, though, that he leads alow heart and East’s king drops from an original king-doubleton holding. It wouldnot help, because East would lead another club, whichwould promote West’s heartjack as the setting trick. So, South shouldlead the heart queen, hoping that he pins West’s jack. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAY’s WoRD PALIMonY: PAL-ih-moh-nee: Acourt-ordered allowance paid by one memberofa formerly unmarried, but cohabiting, couple to another. Average mark32words Time

50 minutes Can you find 44 or morewords in PALIMONY?