Prices rising on insurance maketplace
Rule changes affecting Affordable Care Act cost, availability
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON Long before the recently enacted changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be felt by the 1.86 million Louisianans on Medicaid, the new law likely will start pushing many Affordable Care Act beneficiaries off their private insurance, experts say Myriad rule changes will even-
tually start touching many of the 785,000 Louisiana residents who enrolled in Medicaid as part of the expansion of the law dubbed “Obamacare.”
More immediately, however, 292,994 self-employed or lowerincome Louisiana workers who acquired their insurance another way through an Affordable Care Act marketplace, will have to pay dramatically higher prices when they start applying Nov 1 for their coverage next year
Insurers have filed for rate increases — at a median monthly cost of 15% more for plans sold on the HealthCare.gov website, according to a Friday analysis by KFF, a San Francisco-based health policy research organization. A key part of the Affordable Care Act gives subsidies to buy insurance to people who make too
The heat index reflects how temperatures feel when combined with humidity
much money to qualify for Medicaid but financially struggle to buy private policies on their own. Generally, that’s defined as a household of four making between $48,226 and $66,625 annually but under some conditions up to $128,600.
The state’s median household income is $60,023, about $20,000 below the national figure.
The enhanced tax credits are scaled to income levels depending on the healthcare insurance plan bought. Just like the private insurance bought through the workplace, different plans provide various options for coverage and thus range in price. In Louisiana, the Affordable Care Act credits made buying insurance easier for people who started making too much money and lost their Medicaid qualification, said Stacey Roussel, deputy director of Invest in Louisiana, a
HERE COMES THE SUN
Damon McGregor, of Acadiana’s Premier Painting Specialist, paints while using a big umbrella hat to shield himself from the sun Monday at Charlie’s Saint Street Grocery and Deli.
Officials urge taking precautions as extreme heat settles in
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
Severe heat has settled over much of south Louisiana this week, with temperatures expected to feel as hot as 110 degrees on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a heat advisory from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday as forecasters predict heat indices between 105 and 110 degrees. The ad-
visory covers most of south Louisiana, including the cities of Lafayette and Lake Charles.
Intense heat and humidity will persist through the end of the week, with Thursday’s heat index expected to range from 105 to 110 degrees and Friday’s from 100 to 106.
Heat index values reflect how temperatures feel when combined with humidity
Health officials are urging residents, especially children, seniors
and anyone who works outdoors — especially those in industries such as construction, agriculture and public maintenance — to take precautions. The weather service recommends frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning, drinking plenty of fluids, especially those with electrolytes, wearing loose-fitting, light clothing and never leaving people or pets in vehicles.
Forecasters also said residents
ä See SUN, page 6A
ä See PRICES, page 6A
Trump releases
FBI records on MLK Jr.
Slain civil rights leader’s family opposes document dump
BY BILL BARROW Associated Press
The Trump administration has released records of the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr despite opposition from the slain Nobel laureate’s family and the civil rights group that he led until his 1968 assassination.
The digital document dump includes more than 240,000 pages of records that had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977, when the FBI first gathered the records and turned them over to the National Archives and Records Administration.
In a lengthy statement released Monday, King’s two living children, Martin III, 67, and Bernice, 62, said their father’s assassination has been a “captivating public curiosity for decades.”
But the pair emphasized the personal nature of the matter urging that “these files must be viewed within their full historical context.”
“We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”
STATEMENT FROM MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S CHILDREN
The Kings got advance access to the records and had their own teams reviewing them. Those efforts continued even as the government granted public access. It was not immediately clear Monday whether the documents would shed any new light on King’s life, the Civil Rights Movement or his murder
“As the children of Dr King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief — a devastating
ä See RECORDS, page 4A
Federal food program cuts hit rural areas first, nonprofit warns
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Cuts to federal programs since President Donald Trump took office led to large reductions in available food to anti-hunger organizations like Second Harvest in Lafayette. Yet, demand hasn’t decreased throughout Acadiana, Paul Scelfo chief regional officer for Second
Harvest, said. With future cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, looming and unpredictable, Scelfo added, rural communities will be impacted the most if the organization is forced to contract What those cuts have translated to is a 30% reduction in the food the organization was receiving. Overall, Second Harvest is expecting a 4- to 5-millionpound reduction in food over the year
“What we’ve seen through the Department of Agriculture cuts and USDA funding is that some of the loads have been reduced tremendously,” Scelfo said.
In March, the Trump administration cut around $1 billion from U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that helped local food banks and schools
ä See CUTS, page 4A
Workers hand out food at Second Harvest Food Bank ahead of Hurricane Francine in 2024.
Source: National Weather Service
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Pilot made sharp turn to avoid bomber over N.D BISMARCK,N.D The pilot of a regional airliner flying over North Dakota made an unexpected sharp turn to avoid a possible midair collision with a military B-52 bomber that was in its flight path over the weekend.
The Friday incident is detailed in a video taken by a passenger and posted to social media as Delta Flight 3788 approached the Minot International Airport for landing. In the video, the SkyWest pilot can be heard over the plane’s intercom system explaining that he made the hard bank after spotting a B-52 bomber in his flight path.
“Sorry about the aggressive maneuver It caught me by surprise,” the pilot can be heard saying on the video. “This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up.”
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed Monday that a B-52 bomber assigned to nearby Minot Air Force Base conducted a flyover Friday of the North Dakota State Fair, which is held in Minot The Air Force is “looking into” the incident, the spokesperson said.
The North Dakota incident comes nearly six months after a midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner over Washington, D.C., that killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.
3 killed in burning ferry in Indonesia; 575 saved MANADO, Indonesia Rescuers in Indonesia responding to a ferry that caught fire and killed at least three people said Monday they had rescued 575 people far more than originally reported — and that two people were still missing.
The KM Barcelona V-A caught fire Sunday in the sea off North Sulawesi province, and initial reports said five people were dead and about 280 rescued, based on the ship’s manifest However, by Monday afternoon officials updated the death toll to three, with two missing, and said many more people were aboard than were listed, and that 575 of them were rescued. It is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry to differ from the manifest. Such discrepancies can reflect overcrowding and complicate search and rescue efforts, said navy First Adm. Franky Pasuna Sihombing.
The KM Barcelona V-A was making its regular half-day journey between the ports of Melonguane and Manado when it caught fire about midday Sunday, Sihombing said.
Father arrested in N.Y in death of daughter
LATHAM, N.Y A man whose 9-year-old daughter was found dead in a wooded pond after he reported that she had been abducted while they were they were vacationing in upstate New York was charged Monday with murder
Luciano Frattolin, 45, of Montreal is charged with murdering and concealing the corpse of his daughter, Melina Frattolin, according to New York State Police.
A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf at his arraignment Monday, according to court officials. The public defender’s office assigned to defend Frattolin did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Luciano Frattolin called 911 Saturday night and later told authorities his daughter had been abducted from a parking lot near Lake George, a resort town in the Adirondack region, authorities said. That led officials to issue an Amber Alert overnight to enlist the public’s help in finding her But authorities said there were inconsistencies in the father’s account, and that they concluded there was no evidence she had been taken.
Frattolin initially said he could not find his child after he stepped out of a wooded area at a parking lot near Lake George.
“During a subsequent interview, he then reports two unknown males forced her into a white van,” New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell said. “That lead was thoroughly investigated and disproven.”
Israeli forces push into central Gaza city
Location had been largely spared during war
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIRAL-BALAH,Gaza Strip Israeli troops for the first time Monday pushed into areas of a central Gaza city where several aid groups are based, in what appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors.
Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there. The main group representing hostages’ families said it was “shocked and alarmed” by the incursion and demanded answers from Israeli leaders Israel says the seizure of territory in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages, but it is a major point of contention in ongoing ceasefire talks.
The U.N food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend. The Gaza Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine.
In the latest sign of international frustration, the United Kingdom, France and 23 other Western-aligned countries issued a statement saying “the war in Gaza must end now.” They harshly criticized Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid and called for the release of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza.
Associated Press reporters heard explosions and saw smoke rising from parts of the city that were ordered evacuated on Sunday The Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was the first time ground troops had operated in the area
A man living in the evacuation zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Israel dropped pamphlets at dawn ordering people to evacuate. Two hours later, tanks rolled into the area.
He said his 62-year-old father, who had spent the night elsewhere, fled from house to house as Israeli forces moved in and saw them flattening structures with bulldozers and tanks. Both men managed to leave the evacuation zone.
The World Health Organization said Israeli forces raided its main staff residence in Deir al-Balah, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward
the coast
“Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint,” the U.N. health agency said in a statement It said two staff and two family members were detained, with three later released and one still being held.
The WHO said its main warehouse in the city which is in the evacuation zone was damaged by an explosion and a fire, hurting the agency’s ability to help hospitals and emergency medical teams. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric had earlier said two U.N. guesthouses in Deir al-Balah were damaged by shrapnel. He said the cause was still being investigated but that heavy Israeli airstrikes had been reported in the area.
Local and international staff will continue to work there, he said.
The military declined to say if it had ordered the evacuation of aid groups based in the city, saying only that it maintains continuous contact with them and facilitates their relocation when necessary
Separately, the military announced that a 19-year-old soldier was killed and an officer was severely wounded in combat in southern Gaza.
Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah during repeated waves of mass displacement in Gaza.
The U.N. humanitarian coordinator says 87.8% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders or inside Israeli military zones, “leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed.”
Israel has taken over large areas of Gaza and split the territory with corridors stretching from the border to the sea as it seeks to pressure Hamas to release more hostages.
In response to the Deir al-Balah incursion, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum warned in its statement that “the people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages — both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn’t know what was at stake.”
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.
Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas, and it accuses the group of prolonging the war because Hamas has not accepted Israel’s terms for a ceasefire.
Pentagon withdraws 700 Marines from Los Angeles
BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
The Pentagon ordered the U.S Marines to leave Los Angeles on Monday, more than a month after President Donald Trump deployed them to the city against the objections of local leaders. The 700 Marines were deployed June 9 on the fourth day of protests in downtown Los Angeles over the administration’s crackdown on immigration. Four thousand National Guard soldiers were also deployed.
Their presence in the city had been limited to two locations with federal buildings in Los Angeles, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and detention facility downtown. During their deployment outside a federal complex in west L.A., the Marines temporarily detained a man who said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment.
The decision to pull back the Marines comes after half of the National Guard troops were ordered to leave the city last week. The rest remain.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military presence “sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.
Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference Monday morning ahead of the announcement with several leaders of veteran groups who raised concerns about the deployment of military troops on domestic soil. They called for the remainder of troops to be withdrawn from Los Angeles.
“This is another win for Los Angeles but this is also a win for those serving this country in uniform,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles stands with our troops, which is why we are glad they are leaving.”
California Gov Gavin Newsom sued the federal government in June over the deployment of the National Guard, arguing that Trump violated the law when he activated the troops without notifying him. Newsom also asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids.
While a lower court ordered Trump to return control of the Guard to California, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month temporarily blocked the judge’s order
Bangladesh Air Force jet crashes into Dhaka school
Authorities say at least 20 killed
BY JULHAS ALAM Associated Press
DHAKA, Bangladesh A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school in Dhaka, the capital, shortly after takeoff on Monday afternoon, catching fire and killing the pilot and at least 19 other people, most of whom were students, officials said.
Another 171 students were rescued with injuries from a smoldering two-story building, officials said, including many with burns who were whisked away in helicopters, motorized rickshaws and the arms of firefighters and parents.
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a “technical malfunction” moments after takeoff at 1:06 p.m. local time, and the pilot attempted to divert the plane to a less populated area before crashing into the campus of Milestone School and College, according to a statement from the military Students said the school’s buildings trembled violently, followed by a big explosion that sent them running for safety A desperate scene soon unfolded at the crash site, as panicked relatives searched for loved ones Screams filled the air at a nearby hospital.
The Milestone school is in Dhaka’s Uttara neighborhood, which is roughly 7 miles drive from the A.K.
Khandaker air force base. The school is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes.
The pilot, Flight Lt Mohammed Toukir Islam, made “every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,” the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the accident. It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem.
The government announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff across the country At the crash site Monday afternoon, a father sprinted with his daughter cradled in his arms. A mother cried out, having found her younger child, but desperately searched for her older one.
Students also scrambled to see what had happened. “We fought with the crowd and the soldiers to get close to the crash site in our school,” said Estiak Elahi Khan, who is in the 11th grade. “What I saw I can’t describe that that’s terrible.”
Doctors at Uttara Adhunik Hospital said more than 60 students, many between the ages of 12 and 16, were transferred to a special hospital for burn victims.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU Firefighters work Monday at the site where a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft that crashed into a school shortly after takeoff in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI Smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli airstrike on Monday in Gaza City
Harvard seeks billions in funding restored at hearing
School says Trump slashed money illegally
BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press
BOSTON — Harvard University appeared in federal court Monday in a pivotal case in its battle with the Trump administration, as the storied institution argued the government illegally cut $2.6 billion in federal funding.
President Donald Trump’s administration has battered the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university with sanctions for months as it presses a series of demands on the Ivy League school, which it decries as a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.
Harvard has resisted, and the lawsuit over the cuts to its research grants represents the primary challenge to the administration in a standoff that is being widely watched across higher education and beyond.
A lawyer for Harvard, Steven Lehotsky said at Monday’s hearing the case is about the government trying to control the “in-
Protestors gather Monday outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, where Harvard University appeared to challenge $2.6 billion in funding cuts
administration.
ner workings” of Harvard. The funding cuts, if not reversed, could lead to the loss of research, damaged careers and the closing of labs, he said. “It’s not about Harvard’s conduct,” he said. It’s about the government’s conduct toward Harvard.”
The case is before U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, who is presiding over lawsuits brought by Harvard against the administration’s
efforts to keep it from hosting international students. In that case, she temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts.
At Monday’s hearing, Harvard asked her to reverse a series of funding freezes. Such a ruling, if it stands, would revive Harvard’s sprawling scientific and medical research operation and hundreds of projects that lost federal money
A lawyer for the govern-
ment, Michael Velchik, said the Trump administration has authority to cancel the grants after concluding the funding did not align with its priorities, namely Trump’s executive order combating antisemitism.
He argued Harvard allowed antisemitism to flourish at the university following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamasled attacks on Israel, including protesters camped out on campus chanting antisemitic
slogans as well attacks on Jewish students.
“Harvard claims the government is anti-Harvard. I reject that,” said Velchik, a Harvard alumnus. “The government is pro-Jewish students at Harvard The government is pro-Jewish faculty at Harvard.”
Burroughs pushed back, questioning how the government could make “ad hoc” decisions to cancel grants and do so without offering evidence that any of the research is antisemitic. At one point, she called the government’s assertions “mind-boggling.”
She also argued the government had provided “no documentation, no procedure” to “suss out” whether Harvard administrators “have taken enough steps or haven’t” to combat antisemitism.
“The consequences of that in terms of constitutional law are staggering,” she said. “I don’t think you can justify a contract action based on impermissible suppression of speech. Where do I have that wrong?”
Velchik said the case comes down to the government’s choosing how best to spend billions of dollars in research funding.
Harvard’s lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a series of demands from a federal antisemitism task force in April. A second lawsuit over the cuts filed by the American Association of University Professors and its Harvard faculty chapter has been consolidated with the university’s. The task force’s demands included sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions.
For example, Harvard was told to audit the viewpoints of students and faculty and admit more students or hire new professors if the campus was found to lack diverse points of view
Harvard President Alan Garber says the university has made changes to combat antisemitism but said no government “should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
Monday’s hearing ended without Burroughs issuing a ruling from the bench. A ruling is expected later in writing.
‘Cosby Show’ actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner dies at 54
Officials say performer drowned in Costa Rica
BY JAVIER CORDOBA and ANDREW DALTON Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.
“He was rescued by people on the beach,” the department’s initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him without vital signs and he
was taken to the morgue. Warner created many TV moments etched in the memories of Generation X children and their parents, including a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable about money and another episode where Theo
tries to hide his ear piercing from his dad. His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad’s Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of American teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in America for much of its run from 1984 to 1992. He played the role for eight seasons, appearing in each of the show’s 197 episodes and earning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986 For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The “Gordon Gartrell” shirt later became a memeable image: Anthony Mackie wore one on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon and the profile picture on Warner’s Instagram shows a toddler sporting one.
NBA hall-of-famer Magic Johnson was among those paying him tribute Monday
Trump officials lash out at N.Y. after off-duty customs officer shot
Second suspect arrested
BY PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press
NEW YORK The Trump administration lashed out Monday against New York City officials over their sanctuary policies as authorities arrested a second man living in the country illegally in connection with the shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem called the two suspects, both from the Dominican Republic, “scum of the earth.” She said they’d accumulated lengthy criminal records in just a few years and should have never been free to commit Saturday’s robbery-gone-
wrong in a Manhattan park.
Noem blamed the mayor and city council nearly all Democrats, saying “the people that were in charge of keeping the public safe refused to do so.” Border czar Tom Homan, meanwhile, vowed the administration would “flood the zone” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following the shooting. “So sanctuary cities get exactly what they don’t want: more agents in the community,” he said alongside Noem and other officials during a news conference at CBP’s offices in Manhattan.
New York and other cities have long-standing laws and policies that limit or restrict local government involvement in federal immigration matters. New York Democrats also passed a 2019 law
abolishing pretrial incarceration for most nonviolent offenses, arguing defendants are innocent until proven guilty and keeping people locked up before trial often does more harm than good.
Christhian Aybar Berroa, the alleged getaway driver, was apprehended early Monday and was expected to appear later in federal court in Manhattan, authorities said.
The alleged shooter, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, was taken into custody Sunday after arriving at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg. Police say Mora Nunez shot the customs officer in the face and arm before being wounded and fleeing.
The officer who has not been identified by authorities, is recovering and is expected to survive, Noem said.
Russia launches air attack on Kyiv
By The Associated Press
ident Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The deadly assault underscored the urgency of Ukraine’s need for further Western military aid, especially in air defense, a week after Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. A drone struck the entrance to a subway station in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district where people had
taken cover Videos posted on social media showed the station platform engulfed by smoke, with dozens inside. The heaviest strikes hit the city’s Darnytskyi district, where a kindergarten, supermarket and warehouse facilities caught fire. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who arrived in Kyiv on Monday for talks with Zelenskyy, visited some of the damaged area.
Johnson said on X that he and his wife are sad to hear of the death of their friend.
“We were both super fans of the hit ‘Cosby Show’ and continued to follow his career on shows like ‘Malcolm and Eddie’ and ‘The Resident,’” Johnson said. “Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed.”
Like the rest of the “Cosby Show” cast Warner had to contend with the sexual assault allegations against its titular star, whose conviction
in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned.
Warner told The Associated Press in 2015 that the show’s legacy was “tarnished.”
“My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,” Warner said. “We’ve always had ‘The Cosby Show’ to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that’s the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.” Representatives for Cosby
declined immediate comment.
Warner later appeared on the sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie,” co-starring with comedian Eddie Griffin in the series on the defunct UPN network from 1996 to 2000. And in the 2010s, he starred opposite Tracee Ellis Ross as a family-blending couple for two seasons on the BET sitcom “Read Between The Lines.” He also had a role as O.J. Simpson’s friend Al Cowlings on “American Crime Story” and was a series regular on Fox’s “The Resident.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA
by the Trump
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on ‘The Cosby Show,’ died Sunday at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities say.
loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met —an absence our family has endured for over 57 years,” they wrote. “Weask those whoengage withthe release of these files to do so with empathy,restraint, and respect for our family’scontinuing grief.”
They also repeated the family’s long-heldcontention that James Earl Ray,the man convicted of assassinating King, was not solely responsible, if at all Bernice King was 5yearsold when her father was killed at the age of 39. Martin III was 10 Astatement from the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called the disclosure “unprecedented” andsaid many of the records had been digitized for the first time. Shepraised President DonaldTrump for pushing the issue.
Trump promised as acandidate to release files related to President JohnF.Kennedy’s1963 assassination. When Trump tookoffice in January, he signed an executive order to declassify theJFK records, along with those associated with Robert F. Kennedy’sand MLK’s1968 assassinations.
The governmentunsealedthe JFK records in March and disclosed some RFK files in April.
The announcementfrom Gabbard’soffice included astatement from Alveda King, Martin Luther King Jr.’sniece, who is an outspoken conservative and has broken from King’schildren on various topics—including the FBIfiles. Alveda King said she was “grateful to President Trump” for his “transparency.”
Separately,Attorney General Pam Bondi’ssocial mediaaccount featured apicture of the attorney generalwith Alveda King
Besides fulfilling Trump’sorder, the latest release means another alternative headlinefor the president as he tries to mollifysupport-
CUTS
Continued from page1A
purchase from small to me-
dium-sized local farms
Louisiana food banks received around $13 million this year for the program, with Lafayette’sSecond Harvest spendingaround $6 million across two years to Acadiana-area farmers.
In 2023, the Local FoodPurchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement made $837 million in payments to over 10,900 farmers nationally.
In Louisiana, the program worked with about 40 farms to get products into food banksinevery Louisiana parish.
While Second Harvesthas been working closely with retailers to offer more help and asking donors to dig alittle deeper,the organization has shifted its own funds to purchase food.
The organization has been able to keep its currentstandard of meeting the needsof around 45% of Acadiana’s food-insecure population
It’sunclear howmuch longer that will hold, Scelfo said. “I can talk all day long about numbers.Ilove numbers,” Scelfo said, “but the problem is that each one of
ers angry over his administration’s handling ofrecords concerning thesex traffickinginvestigation of Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself behind bars while awaiting trial in 2019, during Trump’s first presidency.Trump lastFriday ordered the JusticeDepartment to releasegrand jurytestimony but stopped short of unsealing the entire case file.
Bernice Kingand Martin Luther KingIII didnot mention Trumpin their statementMonday
Some civil rights activists were notso sparing.
“Trump releasing the MLK assassination files is not about transparency or justice,”the Rev.Al Sharptonsaid. It’sadesperateattempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unravelingof his credibilityamong theMAGA base.”
TheKingCenter,founded by King’swidow and now led by Bernice King,reacted separately from what Bernice saidjointly with herbrother. The King Center statement framed the release as adistraction —but from more
thenumbers Imention is a family.It’ssomeone making adecision on whether or not to purchase medicine or purchase food, and now we’re not goingtobeable to supplementthathousehold.”
And it’slikely that rural households will be affected first if the organization is forced to refocus its efforts on areas of most impact,like Lafayette and LakeCharles That pressureiscurrently being felt, Scelfosaid, as the organizationnearsthe inability to meet thecurrent demand ofbothurban and rural areas. In 2023, 13.5% of U.S householdswere foodinsecure. In rural communities, thatnumber was 15.4% of households. Even though rural counties makeup 63% of the United States, they represent 89%ofthe most
than short-term political controversy
“Itisunfortunate andill-timed, giventhe myriadofpressing issuesand injustices affecting the United States and the global society,” theKing Center, linking those challenges to MLK’sefforts. “This righteous work should be our collective responsetorenewed attention on the assassination of agreat purveyor of true peace.”
The King records were initially intended to be sealed until 2027, untilJusticeDepartment attorneys asked afederal judge to lift thesealing order early Scholars, history buffs and journalists have been preparing to study thedocuments for new information about his assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
The SouthernChristian Leadership Conference, which King cofounded in 1957 as theCivil Rights Movement blossomed, opposed therelease. The group, along with King’sfamily,argued that theFBI illegally surveilled King and other civil rightsfigures, hoping todiscredit them and their movement.
food-insecure counties.
According to Feeding America’s2023 Map the Meal Gap map,16.1% of Lafayette’sParish population faces food insecuritywith surrounding parish seeing even higher numbers. Evangeline Parishranked the highest in Acadiana,with over 20.7% of its population being food insecure.
In Lake Charles, anew food bank distributioncenter that opened in February is now rarely stocked. Second Harvest is one of the largest nongovernmental entities in the state that provides summer mealsto young people. About 62% of Louisiana studentsgot free or reduced lunch during the 2022-23 school year,according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But during thesummer,just 8%
It haslongbeen established thatthen-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was intensely interested if not obsessed with King and others he considered radicals. FBI records released previously show how Hoover’sbureau wiretapped King’stelephone lines, bugged his hotel rooms and used informants to gather information, including evidence of King’sextramarital affairs.
“Hewas relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory,and deeply disturbing disinformationand surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),”the King children saidin their statement.
“The intent …was not only to monitor,but to discredit, dismantle and destroy Dr.King’sreputation and the broader American Civil RightsMovement,” they continued. “Theseactionswerenot only invasions of privacy,but intentional assaults on thetruth —undermining thedignityand freedoms of private citizenswho fought for justice, designed to neutralize those who daredtochallenge the
of those students receive meals,according to areport from theFood Research & Action Center Scelfo said it is too early to tell what SNAP cuts will mean for Second Harvest
status quo.”
The Kings said they “support transparency and historical accountability” but “object to any attacks on our father’slegacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods.” Opposition to Kingintensified even after the Civil RightsMovementcompelled Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson to enact theCivil Right Act of 1964 andthe Voting Right Actof1965. After those victories, King turned hisattention to economicjustice and international peace. He was an outspokencritic of rapacious capitalism and the Vietnam War. King argued that political rights alone werenot enough to ensure a just society.Many establishment figures like Hoover viewed King as acommunist threat.
King was assassinated as he was aiding striking sanitation workers in Memphis, part of his explicit turn toward economic justice. Ray plead guilty to King’smurder.Ray later renounced that plea andmaintainedhis innocence until his death in 1998.
Members of King’sfamily,and others, have long questioned whetherRay acted alone, or if he was even involved. Coretta Scott King askedfor the probe to be reopened, and in 1998, then-Attorney General Janet Reno directed the Justice Department’sCivil Rights Division to take anew look. Reno’s department said it “found nothing to disturb the 1969 judicial determination that James Earl Ray murdered Dr.King.”
In their latest statement, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III repeated theirassertions that Raywas setup. Theypointedto a1999civil case, broughtbythe King family,inwhich aMemphis jury concluded that Martin Luther King Jr.had been thetarget of a conspiracy
“As we review these newly released files,” the Kings said, “we will assess whether they offer additionalinsightsbeyond thefindings ourfamily hasalreadyaccepted.”
“Our organization does everything we can to make sure thatwecan maintain theimpactinthe community,but as any organization, you always have to be as efficient and mindful as
possible, and we’re in the processofevaluating that,” he said.
Email StephenMarcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO
Martin Luther King Jr., head of the SouthernChristian Leadership Conference, speaks to thousandsduring his‘I Have aDream’ speechatthe Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and FreedomonAug 28, 1963.
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progressive research and advocacy group based in Baton Rouge.
“It really made it so that people who are self-employed, or who work for employers that don’toffer health insurance, had an affordable option,” Roussel said Monday. The subsidies have led Louisiana to its lowest uninsured population ever,she added.
“We’re concerned about what’sgoing to happento low-incomehouseholds when those enhanced premium tax credits go away,” she said.
“People will see those premiums go up andmany will make achoice that it’sunaffordable.We’re concerned aboutwhatthatcould mean for health systems, for makingprogresstohealthier outcomes as astate.”
People can go online to the HealthCare.gov websiteif they meet income qualifications and choose from a variety of plansofferedby dozens companies in the Affordable CareAct marketplace. But more than 100 of those insurers have requested 10% to 20% increases for 2026, while 27% of the insurersseek premium hikes of 20% or more, says KFF Common reasons for higher
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in impacted areasshould check on others and bring pets indoors. Jason Hazelton, aSafety Services Consultant for the LWCC,the state’sworkers’ compensation agency,emphasizedthe importance of workplace safetyduring the extreme heat. “Employers and workersshould be aware of the symptomsofheat stress, heat exhaustion andheat stroke,” Hazelton said. “Supervisors need to monitor
rates are evident in the applications, such as higher costs for medical care, according to KFF. Recent tariffs play arole tooindrivingupthe costs of drugs,equipment and supplies. Butabigger afactor is the Dec. 31 expiration of Biden-era tax credits and subsidies that will drive up out-of-pocket premium payments, KFF states.
Unless Congress renews the provision, even families with lower incomes will have to start paying premiums,about $800 per year for some plans, according to KFF
“Weknowthat the AffordableCare Act’spremium taxcredits help make marketplacecoverage more affordable for individuals and familiesineligible for Medicaid,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans. “It’s essential that we continue to both strengthenMedicaid andextendthe ACApremium taxcredits. As aresult of Republican’s Big Ugly Law,Louisianians who rely on these programs will die.”
Senate MajorityLeader John Thune, R-South Dakota,acknowledged thatsome Republicans are talking aboutwhether to extend the expiration U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the BatonRouge Republican who chairs the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee,said Monday in astatement: “I am committed to making our
their crews.” He recommended periodic breaks,providingaccess to shade, cooling tents and cold wrapsfor anyone working outdoors. Hazeltonadded that employees in industrial andfabrication plantsare also vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. Early signs of heat exhaustioninclude profuse sweating, pale or moist skin, rapid or weak pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, muscle cramps, fatigueand headaches. Heat stroke, which is considered amore dangerous medicalemergency, is characterizedby hot, dry skin,confusion,slurred
healthsystem pro-patient.
This includesholdinginsurance companies responsible as we work to makehealth caremore affordable and accessible.”
The National Academy of State Health Policy,a Washington-based research group that provides technical assistance, wrote in arecent analysis thatexpiration of the tax credit enhancements couldresultin8million individuals losing their healthcare coverage.
“Uninsured adults are more than twice as likely to report having difficulty affording healthcare costs, and 60 percent of uninsured adults report having health care-related debt. Uninsuredindividuals arealso lesslikely to receive preventive care and more likely to be hospitalized for avoidable reasons,”the report said.
The Congressional Budget Office, Congress’ arm for calculatingthe financialimpact of legislation, estimated 5.1 million people would losetheir coveragewhen themarketplacetax credits expireand as the new law’s regulations begin to kick in. That’sontop of the 11.8 million additional uninsured by 2034 when thechangesto Medicaid start to be implemented in late 2026, according to the CBO.
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.
speech, agitationand arising core temperature.
In Lafayette, theweather service predicted ahigh of 93 on Tuesday and94on Wednesday, with alittle chance of rain in the forecast. Temperatures will drop slightlybyThursday, when thehigh is expected to be 92 with a65% chance of rain. Showersare also possible Friday,with highs near 87.
Staff writer Aidan McCahill contributed to this report
Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate. com.
JanRisher
LOUISIANA AT LARGE
Studio of fireand music
At 81, TomLorio stilllives in theBaton Rouge Garden District home where he grew up. Hisstudio, tucked behind the wilds and rambles of his yard, looks like a cross between amad scientist’s laboratory and atreasure trove
The clutteredtangle of tools, wires, ribbons, tin cans, lamps and workstations felt likeaninvitation. Walking in, Ifelt Icould almost touchthe 50 years of quiet energy,steady hands and creative sparks.
He keeps Baton Rouge High School’sradio station, WBRH, 90.3 FM, on and generally dances to the beat as he makes his way from one workstation to another —advising students on what to do next, offering encouragementor explaining anew tool.
I’ve taken acouple of jewelrymaking classes through theyears, but none as calming as this one. Whenmyfriend Madeline Ellis invited me to take ajewelrymaking class with Lorio,Ihad no idea what Iwas in for.(If you’re aLouisiana jewelry person,perhaps her name rings abell. She’s the creative forceand founder of Mimosa Handcrafted jewelry, based in Baton Rouge.)
Ellis and her 11-year-old daughter also took the class —each of the four sessions lastedtwo hours. Taking aclass from amaster jeweler and metal worker like Lorio with amaster jeweler like Ellis was alesson in humility which, in the big picture of life, is ahealthy thing, Isuppose. Even still, the classes were a joy,providing achance to clear my head and focus on nothing but moving asaw up and down to cut asmall piece of copper
Surprisingly, the 11-year-old turned out to be the star of the class. She inherited her mom’s creative vision and uncannyease with tools. Watching her work,I couldn’thelp but think that she seemedlike she was born knowing how to create beautiful things Iloved watching her and Lorio solve problems together.Their 70year age difference melted away, and they were just two people building beauty Had Igone to the classes justto watch this sixth grader work, that in and of itself would havebeen ajoy.She inspired me to trynew things —like attempting to draw and cut an alligator from apiece of metal. Iamnot good at drawing or using asaw,but, remarkably,itall worked out in theend Patience has never been my strength, but in Lorio’s studio, I tried to dig deep. His easy manner deflates pressure andencourages experimentation. He’sone of those teachers with aknackfor knowing how much to push astudent to try and just when to step in and guide.
The roots of his jewelrystudioslash-science-labrun true. Lorio went to school to be ascience teacher and began his career teaching science. He usesall that science know-how in his jewelry As needed in each class, he demonstrated chemical reactionsto use to work with the metals to help achieve the final effect.
The process of annealingmetal (using heat to soften metal and improve its workability) felt like magic. Once the metals were softened, Iwas able to imprintvarious designs on them.
Lorio, who graduated from Catholic High in 1962 and LSU afew years later,isa master of adaptation. He uses old crockpots set up for warming aliquid to pickle the metals, old shirtsas polishing cloths, Christmas ribbonand leaves to imprintmetals. He has row upon row of cigar boxes filled with tiny pieces of metal or jump rings lining the shelves.Somehow,heknows exactly which box to go to findwhat he needs.
Fire Departmentrecently
third
apet
LOOKINGOUT
FORTHE LOST
youngsville installs thirdpet microchipscanner
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
TheYoungsville Police Department, together with the Lafayette Animal Shelterand Care Center,recently installed anew pet microchip scannerfor residents who comeacross
lost pets.
The self-servicescanner allowsresidentstocheckfound animals for microchips and accessinformationtoreunite owners with their furry friends, accordingtoaPolice Department announcement
The scanner is at the Police Department, 311 Lafayette St., near theSafe Exchange Area in the parking lot. Lafayette Parish hastwo other microchip scanner locations, according to theCare Center,at410 N. DugasRoad and 900 E. UniversityAve.
To use thedevice, users can scan acrossthe dog or cat’sbody,starting
from the head to the back
If achipisdetected,users canthen scan aprovided QR code. Anine- to 15-digit microchip number can be input to geta listofregistriestocontact andfind the owner’sinformation If no chip is detected, the provided QR codewill direct users to report the animalasfound to alocal shelter. Residents are also encouraged to post on Facebook pages, including Lost Pets of Lafayette. Residents are also encouraged to check the animal fortags.Ifthe animal hasarabiestag,the vetclinic listedon the tagcan be contacted
House catchesfire,destroysthree vehicles
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Lafayettefirefighters responded to afire Saturday in the200 block of Bellridge Drive that left three vehicles and the home destroyed At 10:07p.m.Saturday, asingle-family housewas engulfedin flames when firefighters arrived on scene. The home andthree vehicles were heavily damagedby thefire.
The fire was venting through theroof over the carport and back of thedwelling.Two vehicles under thecarport werealso in flames. Six fire apparatus and 25 firefighters initially responded
to the scenetocombat thelarge housefire.Emergency crews battled the fire forapproximately 30 minutes before getting it under control. The owners of the dwellingwere home asleep whenthe wife heard loud noise coming from outside, according to the Fire Department.
The owner discovered the carport area on fireand awakened her husband and son, and they all escaped without anyinjuries along with their threedogs Fire officials are continuing to examinethe scene to determine whatcaused the fire.
Email Ja’koriMadison at jakori. madison@theadvocate.com.
Twocharged in kidnapping,attempted murder
remains ongoing.
Twopeople were arrestedFriday in connection with thekidnapping, stabbingand shooting of aLafayetteman,police said. Kaleb Benoit,20, andCameron Babineaux, 25,bothofLafayette were arrested on awarrant for attempted first-degree murder. At ap pro xima tely 5a .m. Wednesday,deputies with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office received acallregarding aman who appeared to be in distress, lying on the side of the road in the 1500 block of Prairie Highway,Sheriff Becket Breaux said. Upon arrival and initial investigation,investigators learnedthe man hadbeen kidnappedatgunpoint in Lafay-
ette Parish and transported to St. Martin Parish, where he was shot, stabbedmultiple times and left on the side of the road
On Friday, Benoit turned himselfinand wasbookedinto theSt. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office Correctional Center, where he is being held without bail.
As theinvestigation continued, officials learned Babineaux was traveling to Texasand, with the assistance of theTexas Department of Public Safety,was apprehended shortlybefore 6p.m. Friday.Babineux is in the Chambers CountyCorrectional Facility on unrelated charges. He will be transported on a later date to be booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center.
Thejoint investigation with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office
Person shot, killednear the eventcenter
Apersonwas shot and killed near the Lake Charles Event Centerseawall area Sunday,of-
ficials said.
Police responded to the shooting about 6a.m. Sunday.When patrol officersarrived, they found aperson shot and deceased. No additional information on thevictimwas available to share, police said.
“As additional information is learned,itwill be shared,” the Sundaynews releasestates.
Lt. JefferyKeenum said there was“nothingnew to share”Mondaymorning.
Police are asking anyone with information surrounding the shooting to contact theLake
Charles Police Department at (337)491-1311ortoanonymously leaveatip on theLakeCharles Police Department app. Man diesinsingle-car crashearly Sunday
AYoungsvilleman diedina single-vehicle crashearly Sunday in Lafayette.
BlazeM.Lachapelle, 24,was driving in the 200 block of Southpark Road when his vehicle left the roadway,struckaculvert and laterhit atreeand caught on fire, Lafayette Police Department officials announced.
Lachapelle wasremoved from the vehicle by Lafayette Fire Department personneland transported to ahospital, where he was pronounced dead,police said. The crash remains under investigation.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK youngsville
installed
microchip scanner,likethe one outside the Lafayette PoliceDepartment in Lafayette.A
scanner is also outside the Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center in Lafayette.
STAFFPHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK Lafayette firefighters respond to ahouse fire Friday in the 200 blockof BellridgeDrive
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
Buildpublic supportfor newLSU arenawith transparency
There’snodoubt that LSUneedsa new arena to showcase its sportsteamsaswellas to enhance campus life. The PeteMaravich Assembly Center has served thestate’s flagship universityadmirably fordecades,but it is showing its age. So we are supportiveofLSU’s plans for anew $400 million state-of-the-art, 13,000-seatvenue that could host concertsand cultural events as well as athletics, especially with women’sbasketballand gymnasticsdrawing ever-growing crowds.
Yetwehave said from thebeginningthat public engagement during theprocessofbuilding the new arena is essential. While the arena is being built under the auspices of the Tiger Athletic Foundation, aprivate, nonprofit organization, much hangs in the balance forthe LSU community,the city of Baton Rouge andthe state at large. Public support will be crucial for ultimate success of the project,asfans arethe customers the new arena will havetoplease.
So it’sdistressing to see that theproject continues to proceed with little public scrutiny of the terms being negotiated. This newspaper has insisted on the public’sright to know by filing records requestsand questioning officials involved in the deal, often uncoveringwhat’sbeing talked about behind closed doors. Recently,the developer who is thesole finalist for the LSU arena project wascharged with rigging bids in asimilarproject at the University of Texas at Austin. According to the DepartmentofJustice, Oak View Group founder andCEO TimothyJ Leiweke “led ascheme designedtosteer the contract forentertainmentservices at apublic university’sarena to his company” in the constructionofthe Moody Center at UT,which was finished in 2022.
Leiweke has denied the charges but is reportedly stepping downfrom his role as OakView’s CEO to become vice chairman.LSU Athletics says it is evaluating what effect thechargeswill have on its plans. It has yet to finalize any deal with Oak View Still, all this casts apall on what could be an inspiringexample of howapublic university can be acatalyst for community-building.The arena is also reportedly in negotiationswith Our Lady of the Lake Health for itsnaming rights. It doesn’thelp publicperception of theproject when LSU officials won’tanswer basicquestions. We can’t help but notethatsome of the greatest coaches who have walked the halls of the PMAC —Dale Brown,Kim Mulkey, Jay Clark —are oneswho havebeen able to sell individualteam members on acommon vision of excellence.
LSU has asimilar opportunitytoget the public excited about anew chapter for the university.But it can’tdothatwith the lack of transparency surrounding this newarena thus far. Awinning vision requires communication and clarity
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE
WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Stateneeds Medicaid for health outcomes,jobs
There are moreemployees in the health care industry than any other industry in Louisiana, and we are also an unhealthy population. Medicaid expansion stabilized the healthcare system and economy in Louisiana.
Someprovisions contained in the One Big BeautifulBill Act will result in asignificant loss of patient care, destabilization of Louisiana’shealthcare system and decimate our economy As amember of the Louisiana House of Representatives Health and Welfare Committee, Ihave seen firsthand the importance of maintaining arobust Medicaid program in Louisiana, serving 36% of our residentsand financing half of all births in Louisiana. We supported our Medicaid program through theutilization of provider taxes and state-directed payment programs. This strengthened our ability to maintain accesstoour community hospi-
tals andhealthcare providers, especially in rural areas,sowedid not experience large numbers of hospital closures like other states.
Several provisions will undermine the ability for hospitals and health care providers to continue to provide care to Medicaid patients. The magnitude of Medicaid reductions and changes to health insurance marketplaces will shiftthousands of our residentstouninsured status. The law further erodes programsthat help bridge thegap of chronic and historic Medicaid underpayments. Estimates of theimpacts to Louisiana may result in over a$2billion-plus reduction in Medicaid payments that would lead to catastrophic impacts, including hospitals closures, loss of life-saving services and joblosses.
STATEREP.JOE STAGNI member,House Health &Welfare Committee
What we arewatchingour countrybecomedefies belief
Iwant to be wrong about alot of things that Isee the majority of our representatives in Congress and the Senate doing. I want to be wrong that they are following, and blindly admitting to do so, theperson in the White House and don’tmind having given up independent thought. Iwant to be wrong that they see no problem endorsing Cabinet memberswho are blatantly unfit for their roles. Iwant to be wrong thatthey are just fine funding acruel police statetype government,complete with prisons filled withpeople whose main crime (a crime only because themajority of our legislators say so) is wanting to live in the United States. Iwant to be wrong that states’ rights
Your story on July 2was full of praise about Jimmy Swaggart. It painted him as a saint.Itmentioned nothing about his antiCatholicism.
Several pointswere detailed in an email from theCatholic League: At one point, Swaggart said, “I maintain that theCatholic superstructure and organization is not really aChristian organization. Itsclaims are false.” He constantly bashed thepope, saying he was “the mostevil man alive.” In oneofhis tracts, “A Letter to My Catholic Friends,” he said of his “friends” that they are “poorpitiful individuals who think they have enriched themselves spiritually by kissing thepope’sring,” and he urged them
only count when it is convenient to these legislators. Iwant to be wrong that they are just fine that they are robbing those in need in order to fund themselves and the already super wealthy.I wanttobewrong that they are OK with nonchalantly stripping access to affordable health care from millionsofus. Iwant to be wrong that the ruling legislators are smiling as they allow our country’sstrength to wither all forthe power and the glory of afew people who don’tgive adang about Americans. Iwant to be wrong that these elected officials are lying when they tell Americans that they have ourbacks.
DENISE PADDOCK NewOrleans
to leavethe Church. He said that Catholics were idolaters, because they participate in “Mary-worship.” Their belief in purgatory, he argued, “provided the Catholic Church with avery effective meanstorake heaping piles of money into its coffers.” In theend, what finished him wasnot his anti-Catholicism. He was photographed visiting aprostitute in New Orleans. After an investigation by the Assemblies of God, he went on TV to beg forforgiveness and apologized to his wife.But his apology proved to be insincere. He was later caught with another prostitute.
RICHARD J. MOORE Covington
This letter responds to one published July 1, “Enforcing lawsisn’tfascism; leftwants to stoke division.”
Iagree with the writer that enforcing lawsisn’t fascism.The definition of fascism is “an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.”
In my opinion, how laws are being enforced, especially regarding immigration (Immigration and CustomsEnforcement agents arresting people without visible identification, no due process, fear of being arrested when in the U.S. legally) is fascism Perhaps President Donald Trump’sdisregard for human rights and ICE’s methodology of following his directives aren’troots of fascism because, after all, they’re acting that way and doing it their way for our nation. Is this really the path we Americans want forour democratic, Constitution-driven nation?
KAREN POIRRIER Lutcher
Iwould like to commend Susan Rotolo forher recent letter.Itprovided alogical and humane framework forour illegal immigration issue. We need to find some common ground, and it is this kind of clear thinking that will lead to that.
JOE SPITALE Kenner
COMMENTARY
ON THE RECORD |REPS.TROyCARTER and CLEO FIELDS
Reaffirmingthe role of Congress
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans, and U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, began their careers in public service early,both eventuallyservingin the Louisiana Legislature. Fields left the stateSenate and served twoterms in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. AfterLouisiana’scongressional districts were restructured and Fields was left without a seat, he returned to the state Senate. Carter made history in 1991 as the first African American elected to serve thestate’s 102nd District in the state House. After stints on the New Orleans City Council and in the state Senate, Carter was elected toserve the state’s2nd Congressionaldistrict. He was the only Democrat in the Louisiana congressional delegation until Fields returnedto Congress to represent the state’s 6th Congressional district after thecourt ordered that asecond, Black-majority district be created. Carter and Fields satdown with columnist Will Sutton in Washington, D.C. The conversationhas been edited for length and clarity.
SUTTON: Thank you for agreeing to ajoint interview.We haven’t had this opportunity to have you both in the same room at the same time. This is aprivilege, especially here on Capitol Hill.
SUTTON: (motioning to Carter) So you’re in an additional term. How have things changed in Congress since you first got here? And, Mr Fields, how have things changed since you were here before?
FIELDS: From our perspective, the process, the institution, is the same. The way we passed bills 32 yearsago is the same way we pass bills today.The same way we voted 32 years ago is the same way we vote today Ihave served when we were a majority in the House, and I’m serving when we’re aminority (U.S. Rep.) TomFoley,who was the speaker of the House, spent almost as much time withthe Republicans as he spent with the Democrats. Bipartisan really meant somethingback then. President (Bill) Clinton spent a sizable amount of his time working with Republican members of Congress. That’sthe biggest difference. Republicans are in control, and they going to have their way, and they really don’tcare about what theminority thinks. Ithink that’sadangerous way to operate agovernment.
CARTER: Ironically,from my first term to my third term, not much has changed. The last two terms, of course, were under the Biden administration.Weboth left the Louisianastate Senate. We worked with the Democratic governor,but we controlled the Senate,and the House was controlled by the RepublicanParty. We were still able to work together.Wehad better relationships. We spent more time together In Congress, it’snot thatway.In this hyperpartisan environment, it appears that there is aresurgence of us against them. There’s not nearly as much collaboration and coalition-building.It’salmost as if it’sbecome abad word.
SUTTON: TwoofCongress’stop leaders are from Louisiana, Mike Johnson and SteveScalise. How has that been helpful to Louisiana?
FIELDS: Iguess the jury is still out.This president has taken the position that he’spresident and he runs it all. He doesn’tneed Congress, and his Congress has taken the position that they’re going to rubber-stamp what the president says. In terms of the speaker andthe majority leader,
how that parlays into things for Louisiana, all Ican tell you is what Ihave seen. Idon’tknow of any statein the nation like Louisiana thathas leadership (that can be) parlayed into helping our state. Iknow that Louisiana is in avery,very,very good position. Having said all of that, they’re bothinvery tough positions.I’m happy I’m not in their position. Theyhave apartythey’ve got to cater to, and they have apresidentthey have to cater to, they have avery slight,slight,slight majority.How do you manage that?
SUTTON: So let’spick up on that. Let’ssay you switch roles. Answer that.
CARTER: We’re all products of the state Legislature. All four of us have served there. Three of us served in the Senate. Mike’s only served inthe House. We’re Louisiana Legislature products where we got to know each other Those relationships allowed us to work and transcend beyond the natural partylines. Having both Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise in leadership, on its face, is obviouslyagood thing because it brings great strength, particularly in the areas of recovery dollars and resources for infrastructure. But that’snow being challenged by apresident who says Americans should wean themselves off of FEMA, apresident who says we want to literally throw millions of people off the rolls of Medicaid. Eventhough our two leaders are in very challenged positions because they’re having to work with the president,wecan never forget why we’re here. Our job is not to cater to any one president, or even just our party.Wehave to take care of the people.
SUTTON: Let’ssay with the flick of aswitch, you two were in the positions of Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise. How would it look different?
FIELDS: It would look different because our parties are different.First of all, I’m assuming thatyou are saying that the WhiteHouse would be Democratic.
CARTER: Congress would be led
by Hakeem Jefferies. We would have thepresidentinthe White House.
FIELDS: First of all, we wouldn’t be giving big billionairetax breaks.Wewould be doing just theoppositeofwhat they’re doing today.Ifyou change the scenario just alittlebit,and you say Trump is still in theWhiteHouse, and we control the Congress, let’s say Troy is speaker and I’m the majority leader.Therewould be abig difference. He wouldn’tbe having his way.Therewould be checks and balances.
CARTER: If we had aDemocratic president and aDemocratic-led House and Senate, we would have an inclusive form of government, one that respects the Constitution, therule of law,one that recognizes individual and human rights. We would not pit people against each other.Wewould not tryto dismantle democracy.Wewould be endeavoring toenhance rights and provide for people that have been historically marginalized or left behind, and to create arobust economy that benefits all people, not just some. Now if we had the House, the Senate, but Trump was president this stuff wouldn’tbehappening becausewewould be standing up to allofthesebreaches of the Constitution.Wewould be acting as the guardrails.
FIELDS: Let me throw out athird scenario. Let’sassume we’ve got aDemocratic Houseand a Democratic president, but the president chooses to take the Trump route, apresident who’s of our own party,who’sperhaps going in adifferent direction than ourstate or thecountry Just because you’re the president doesn’tmean that you’re right.WithPresident Clinton came the North American Free Trade Agreement. Istood up to him. Itold him he was wrong. It was bad for my district because Ihad alot of textile industries in my district andtheywould close. He didn’tagree withme. Ididn’t agree with him. Ivoted against it and it passed.The crime bill. President Clinton wanted to pass acrime bill, and Iwas against it for alot of reasons. Butwehad
a good debate.Hesentthe attorney generalover, andI voted against it. The same thing would happen today.Iwasn’tinleadership at that time,but Isuspect if Iwas in leadership, my position would be the same.Itwould be my job to convince Congress to follow me as aleader of this party
CARTER: To follow up on that, I often tell people thatifJimmy Carter,Bill Clinton, Barack Obama or Joe Bidenhad done these things thatDonald Trump is doing Iwould challenge even aDemocratic president who wanted to do away with Medicaid. Iwould challenge aDemocratic president who wanted to takeaway the rights of American citizens. Iwould challenge a Democratic president who wanted to dismantle the Education Department. Just because we’re thesame party doesn’tmean that you get to rubberstamp awrong.
SUTTON: Let’smovecloserto home. Gov. JeffLandry has had afew months in office. He has made it veryclear thathefeels like withthe votesthathegot, that he hasa mandate.Have you been able to work with any collegiality with Gov.Landry, Republicansupermajorities in theHouse andthe Senate and Republican colleagues in Congress representing Louisiana?
FIELDS: Iguess Icould answer thequestionbecause I’m fresh off of it. As aformer member of the stateSenate, Iwas in the minority.I chairedacommittee in theminority.Wehad to get things done in the minority.I’ve been able to work with Republicans and Democrats to getthings done, one being the creation of this seat thatIholdtoday It would not have happenedhad it not beenfor the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. People saythat thegovernor andthe Legislature agreed after theyweredefeated in courttime andtime again. Nonetheless, it took working with all parties to make it ultimately happen. With theRepublicanParty, with the governor,wehad an understanding thatIfought for nonnegotiable things, like civil
rights. Nonnegotiable. As long as we had those clear delineating lines, we workedwell together Ithink more legislators need to take thatapproach.Don’tjust oppose somebody because of their party affiliation.
CARTER: We sayrelationships andoftentimes it’soverused. We don’thavetohateeach other. Or even dislike each other.Wehate or dislike the policies. We are oftentimesonopposite sideswith policy. Whatweshould be doing is melting themtogether as best we can to address the issues of the people back home.
SUTTON: Onefinalquestion. Louisiana hasmoreregistered Democrats thanRepublicans, but continuously elects Republicansstatewide. The Louisiana Democratic Party hasseemed to struggle in the last several years to find its footing andhave good people in good positiontorun for more offices to have greater strength in numbers. What’syour viewofthe Louisiana Democratic Party andthe prospects for the future?
CARTER: It’sa work in progress. The state party is awork in progress, very much like afootball team thatgetsnew coach and gets newplayers, they’re rebuilding. Our party is building. We have to broaden the tents to bring amorediverse group into it. We have to make our party look like the inclusive party that we are. And so we are in that rebuilding mode of redefining thatwe’rethe party of inclusion, the party thatisworking for the people.Not the party of the president, but the party of the people FIELDS: People arenot apathetic. They’re just uninspired. It’sour jobtoinspire people.They’re not active because they just need some inspiration. The Democratic Party hasa big agenda. Its tent is biggerthanthe other party’s. We want to start taking back statewide offices,state offices andlocal offices.The people have to be energized. It’sgoing to take allofusdoing ourparttomake thathappen.
An expandedversionofthis interview is available online
PROVIDED PHOTOByOFFICE OF U.S. CLEO FIELDS
Will Sutton
JeffersonParish leak reported
Cornerstone tracks 1,200 pounds of corrosiveacid
BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer
Crews with Cornerstone Chemical Co. have spent weeks cleaning its Waggaman campus three weeks after more than athousand pounds of highly corrosive acidleaked into its drainage system and the Mississippi River,according to aCoast Guard report.
At 3a.m. July 3, Cornerstone employees noticed abnormal readings on their Mississippi River monitoring equipment and later discovered that about 1,200 pounds of methacrylic acid had leaked out of arusted piece of equipment, according to Shawn Ward, Cornerstone’sdirector of corporate health, safety,security,environment andsustainability
The acid leaked into a ditchleading into the Mississippi River,accordingto areport made to the U.S. Coast Guard’sNational Response Center There were no injuries or impacts to the surrounding community as aresult of the leak, Ward said. Ward added that the leak was discovered during an
“investigation withatenant,” but didnot specify who that tenant was. Its clients include CF Industries, Röhmand, most recently, UBE Corp
Methacrylic acid is ahazardous, highlycorrosive chemical that can severely irritate andburnthe skin and eyes during contact or irritate the nose and throat if breathedin.
Cornerstone said athirdparty cleanup crew vacuumed out its ditches later that morning. Crews will continuecleanupefforts through Wednesday after tropical weather forecasts caused delays in mitigation plans last week.
Ward added that followup environmental sampling will be conducted to verify completion of the cleanup, andthatCornerstone will investigatethe root cause of theincident
“As always, our primary focusisonthe safetyand security of our employees, our neighbors, andthe environment in which we operate,” Ward said in astatement.
LastAugust, Cornerstone reported aleak of more than 1,000 gallons of sulfuricacid from atrain carsentfrom its former tenant, Dyno Nobel that also had no off-site impacts.
Email LaraNicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.
RISHER
Continued from page1B
With Lorio as aguide, Icame to appreciate the jazz bebopping in the background as Islowly progressed through the many stages required to make acopper alligator, which eventually becamea brooch. That feat took the bulk of my four classes, but Iwas also able to make two other less complicated pieces. Overall, Iappreciated the slowness of the experience, astark contrast to most of the rest of the world.
In Lorio’sstudio of fire and wires and music, time
Morris tossed from N.O. mayor’srace
Candidate disqualified after voterchallenge
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
Tyrell Morris, theindicted former head of New Orleans’ 911 communications center,onMonday disqualified from his nascent mayoral campaign,along with ahost of other hopefuls for city office whosequalifications were challengedin court.
Morris turned away aprocess server over the weekendand then didn’t show up at OrleansParish Civil District Court on Monday to defend his candidacy for mayor.Voter Robert Collins filed achallenge that claimed Morris liedwhen he markedonhis qualifying form that he’d filed his state tax returns for theprevious five tax years.
Judge Jennifer Medley appointeda curator— attorney and former Jefferson ParishCouncil member MarkSpears —tosit in for Morris before she agreed that he hadn’tfiled his state taxessince 2021.Medley also finedMorris the $750 cost for Spears’ services. Morris, 39, had appeared Sundayatanonline candi-
date forum for Voters East of the Industrial Canal. He is facing criminal charges filed last year for allegedly abusing his office while servingasdirector of the Orleans Parish CommunicationsDistrictbeforehe resigned in 2023. Morriswas indicted by a grand jury on statecharges of malfeasance in office, falseimpersonation of a peace officer andinsurance fraud,among others, stemming in partfrom an allegedfailure to submit to adrug andalcohol screeningafter crashing hispublic SUV on Elysian Fields Avenue.
He then allegedly tried to cover it up by creating a fake policy andlying about how thewreck occurred on insurancedocuments, according to District AttorneyJason Williams’Office. His resignation endeda rocky five-year tenure running thecommunications district, astate entitythat handles 911 and 311 calls.
Morris, who could appealMonday’sruling, did not immediately respond to aphone message seeking comment.
“He did not file returns at all(forthose years),and yet certified under oath, under penalty of perjury that he did,” said attorney Bob Ellis, who represented Collins
in the election challenge. Collins, adieselmechanic,testifiedthathe’d “read something online”about Morris,and that is what prompted his challenge.
Ellis’ firm,led by Stephen Gele,Gov.Jeff Landry’s personal attorney,led challenges to ahost of candidates whosought to qualify foroffice in Orleans Parish. Also disqualified Monday were mayoral candidate Gabrielle Harris Thomas, andCityCouncil hopefuls Willie Miller Jr.and Kevin Griffin-Clark, according to an attorney for Clerk of Criminal Court Darren Lombard’soffice, which heads city elections. Thomas said Monday that shewouldnot appeal the court decision,acknowledging that she failed to file taxes foratleast one of the five years. “I do understand there are rules, and I’m acitizen that wants to follow the rules,” she said. “My taxes were incomplete,that’s true. It doesn’tchange how Icare about the city and it’s future. Ientered the race as aregular citizen. I’mstill here forthe people.”
softened too. The world quieted just enoughfor something small and beautiful to take shape—and notjust in the metal.
Forinformationabout Lorio’sjewelry classes, email tlorio1622@hotmail.com or call (225) 383-7258.
Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com
LOTTERY
2025
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Notice is hereby given thatsealedbidswillbe receivedeitherelectroni‐cally at www.centralbidd ing.comorinthe office ofthe Purchasing Divi‐sionatthe Lafayette ConsolidatedGovern‐mentBuilding, locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette Louisiana,until 3:00 pm CentralTimeonthe 6th dayofAugust, 2025 for the following: 2025 SIGN POSTS andwill, shortlythere‐after,beopenedand readaloud in theOffice ofPurchasinglocated at 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette,LA. Bids receivedafter theabove specified time foropen‐ing shallnot be consid‐eredand shallbere‐turnedunopenedtothe sender. Duetolimited meetingspaces, bidders are highly encouraged to callintothe bidopenings atthe followingphone number337-291-5100. In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212 vendors maysubmit their bidelectronicallyat the websitelistedabove Biddingsdocuments are available to view only at the websiteabove.Ven‐dorsmay requestthe bid package electronically fromThomasMetrejean at tgmetrejean@ lafayettela.gov
Vendorssubmittingbids electronicallyare re‐quiredtoprovide the samedocuments as bid‐derssubmittingthrough the mail as soon as avail‐able. Only abid bond certified checkor cashier’s checkshall be submitted as thebid se‐curity. Electronic copies ofboththe frontand backofthe checkorbid bondshall be included withthe electronic bid. Bids must be signedin accordance with LRS
inLouisiana andcounter‐signedbya person who isunder contract with re‐sidinginthisstate.The certified check, cashier’s check,orbid bond shall begiven as aguarantee thatthe bidder shallexe‐cutethe contract,should itbeawarded to him, in conformitywiththe con‐tract documentswithin ten (10) days No bidder maywithdraw his bidfor at leastfortyfive (45) days after the timescheduled forthe opening of bids.Eachbid shall be submittedonly onthe bidformprovided withthe specifications. Bids will be evaluatedby the Purchaserbased on the lowest responsible and responsive bidsub‐mittedwhich is also in compliancewiththe bid documents.The Lafayette Consolidated Governmentreservesthe right to reject anyand all bidsfor just causeinac‐cordancewithLAR.S 38§2214.B. TheLafayette Consoli‐dated Government stronglyencouragesthe participation of DBEs (DisadvantagedBusiness Enterprise) in allcon‐tractsorprocurements let by theLafayette Con‐solidated Government for goodsand services and laborand material Tothatend,all contrac‐torsand suppliersare encouragedtoutilize DBEsbusinessenter‐prisesinthe purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐rials,supplies, services and
ServiceCommission. Thisapplicationwillaf‐fectall consumersof SLEMCO, which arelo‐cated within theParishes ofAcadia, Avoyelles, Cameron,Evangeline, Iberia,Lafayette,St. Landry, St.Martin, and Vermilion.The applica‐tion filedbySLEMCO, if granted,will addanaver‐age of $1.96 monthly rider fora 12-monthpe‐riodtobepaidbycon‐sumersofelectricity fromSLEMCO. Anyone having questions regarding this notice may contactthe Louisiana Public Service Commissionat1-800-2562397 with questionsor commentsorthe Louisiana Public Service Commissionmay be con‐tactedinwriting as fol‐lows: LouisianaPublicService Commission RecordsDivision 602 North5th Street 12thFloor BatonRouge,LA70802 Phone: 225-342-3157
Questionsorcomments may also be directed to Southwest Louisiana ElectricMembershipCor‐porationatthe following address: SLEMCO Attention: Mary Laurent P. O. Box90866 Lafayette,LA70509 Phone: 337-896-5384 (Published in theAcadi‐ana Advocate,onJuly22, 2025) 150526-jul22-1t $221.93
tion Approved 5. PRELIMINARYPLATS (PUBLIC HEARINGAND ADOPTION) 5.1Request for PreliminaryPlatap‐provaltosubdivide Lot5 (701 A& DYoung St.) into Lots5-A &5-B,located in Section 8, T11S,R5E,was readaloud andopened for Public Hearingby Mayor Ritter. Pam Granger,McBadeEngi‐neers& Consultantsread overthe plat recommen‐dationletterdated June 25, 2025. Hearingnofur‐thercomments, motion madebyLindy Bolgiano secondedbyNicholasNi‐land, granting prelimi‐naryplatapproval to subdivide Lot5 (701 A & D Young St.) into Lots 5-A & 5-B, locatedinSection 8,T11S, R5E, as recom‐mendedbyGarrett Noel inaletterdated June 25 2025. YEAS:Shannon D. Bares,Lindy Bolgiano MattRomero, Nicholas Niland,SimoneB.Cham‐pagne.NAYS: None.AB‐STAINED:None. ABSENT: None. Motion Approved 6. OTHERBUSINESS 6.1 Teddy Knatttorequest the followingfor Tract2 ofthe 300 BlockofBriar‐cliff Dr.: (a)a variance to waive therequired51% facaderequirement,to allow an approximate 1,200 sq.ft. metalbuild‐ing forpersonalstorage; and (b)torequest ap‐provaltobegin thean‐nexationprocess.Motion madebyNicholasNiland, secondedbySimoneB Champagne,granting a variancetowaive there‐quired51% facade re‐quirement,toallowan approximate1,200 sq.ft. metal building forper‐sonal storage, forTract 2 ofthe 300 BlockofBriar‐cliff Dr.YEAS: ShannonD Bares,Lindy Bolgiano NicholasNiland, Simone B.Champagne.NAYS: MattRomeroABSTAINED: None. ABSENT:None. Mo‐tionApproved. Motion madebyNicholasNiland, secondedbySimoneB Champagne,grantingap‐provaltobegin thean‐nexationprocess for Tract 2ofthe 300 Blockof BriarcliffDr. YEAS:Shan‐non D. Bares, LindyBol‐giano,MattRomero, NicholasNiland, Simone B.Champagne.NAYS: None. ABSTAINED: None ABSENT: None.Motion Approved.6.2 Discuss and consider avariance towaive thefaçadere‐quirement to allow70% metal on thestadium fieldhouse at Southside HighSchool's football field. Motion made by MattRomero, seconded byLindy Bolgiano,grant‐ing avariancetowaive the façade requirement toallow 70% metalon the stadium fieldhouse atSouthside High School's football field. YEAS: ShannonD.Bares Lindy Bolgiano,Matt Romero, Nicholas Niland SimoneB.Champagne NAYS: None.ABSTAINED: None. ABSENT:None. Mo‐tionApproved. 7 RESOLUTIONS 7.1Reso‐lution No.2025-15 -A Resolutionauthorizing and directingthe Mayor toexecute foranonbe‐halfofthe
STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER
TomLorio works with an 11-year-old student duringa jewelry-making class in BatonRouge
STAFF FILE
PHOTOByBRETT DUKE
TyrellMorrisleavesthe Orleans Parish Clerk of Court’s Office after submitting hisqualifying paperwork to
Uncertaintyreigns
SunBelthardto figure afteranoffseason of change
There’sa strange feeling heading into Sun Belt Conference football media days Tuesday and Wednesday at the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District.
So many things have changed, and so many things that have been mainstays in this league are gone. And there’smorethan enough roster turnover to make preseason outlooks tricky.Typically,the reigning champion gets the benefit of the doubt.Not this year
Troy got the benefit of the doubt last year but that didn’tpan out.The Marshall coaching staff and roster are so different, it’sgoing tobedifficult to find someone expecting the Thundering Herd to repeat. Appalachian Statenolonger is getting the benefit of the doubt for the first time since joining the league. The days of the Mountaineers dominating the line of scrimmage appear to be long gone.
There’salso ashort-timer in league member Texas State, which is leaving after this school year tojoin the new Pac-12.
Good luck finding any stabilityto base opinions on in this conference race after such aturbulent offseason. With that said, here are four issues to
RODNEY HO The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
ATLANTA— When people say “Shaq is everywhere,” it’shardly an exaggeration. The NBA Hall of Famecenter may have retired from basketball14years ago, butShaquille O’Neal seamlessly hastransformed himself into an amusing and likable pitchmanfor a wide variety of advertisers. Wa tch hi m dance at ahigh schoolprom with the animated cartoongeneralfor The General Insurance. See him lead acavalcade of warriors to fight pain for Icy Hot. Giggle while he goofily cavorts, fullydressed,in apool for Carnival Cruises. Get hungry while he hawks acholesterolbomb Shaq-a-Roni pizza for Papa John’s, packed with extra cheese and pepperoni.
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
Assemble the tailgate gear andget the Sundayoutfitsready, football season is (almost) back in New Orleans. The New Orleans Saints begin training campWednesday morning at their Airline Drive facility in Metairie,taking their most meaningful step toward the beginning of a2025 season that will at the very least provide aglimpse of the franchise’sfuture.
For afranchise that has been defined by its commitment to continuity the past 20 seasons, so much is newthis time around:the head coach, thequarterback, the defensive scheme—heck, even the uniforms (the Saints are announcing something uniform related Tuesday).
So let’shave aquick refresherand look at someofthe important questions that will be answered in the coming months, starting with the quarterback situation.
Whoisitgoing to be?
The light drama regarding rookie quarterback TylerShough andhis contract status with the Saints finally was resolved this past weekend, when the twosides agreed to afully guaranteed four-year deal.
keep in mind beforethe coaches hit the podium this week in New Orleans.
Threenew coaches
Speaking of theMountaineers, Dowell Loggains takes over after Appalachian State struggled to thetune of 5-6 and 3-5 in the Sun Belt.
Coming off theprogram’sfirst losing season since joining theFBS in 2014, it’shard for anyone to know how this season will go for theMountaineers.
Then there’sthe Marshall transition.
After winning theSun Beltinconvincing fashion at UL in December,coach Charles Huff left for Southern Mississippi.
That means bothprograms are in unpredictable transition seasons. Tony Gibson takes over Marshall, which rebounded from its first losing season since 2016 with atitle campaign only to lose its head coach to SouthernMiss.
Huff takes over aSouthern Miss program that’s2-20 againstFBS programs over the past two seasons. Again, hard to figure.
Lotofnew QBs
Only five programs begin the season with the same quarterback theyended with last season
Thosefive areArkansas State with Jaylen Raynor,Old Dominion with Colton Joseph, Georgia Southern with JC French, UL-Monroe with AidenArmenta and Georgia Statewith Christian Veilleux.
In thecase of Armenta and Veilleux, they still have alot to prove after combining for 22 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions lastseason.
Another factor to consideristhe quarterback situation at Southern Miss immediately should get betterwith Marshall transfer Braylon Braxton taking over.The Eagles had just seven touchdown passes and 17 interceptions from theirquarterbackslast season; Braxton threw 19 scores and only two interceptions lastseason.
For programs such as UL, the hope is bringing in atransfer such as Walker Howard will help avoid abig drop-off
Kevin Foote TIME OUT ä See FOOTE, page 3C
“I try to use alot of humor,” Shaq said.“Itry to redefine how acommercialshouldbedone. When Idoacommercial, Itry not to just make it about selling stuff. Toomanypeople do that. Hopefully you remember the silly stuff.”
MikeLewis, amarketing professoratthe Goizueta Business School at EmoryUniversityin Atlanta who specializes in sports marketing, hasdone an annual survey of 50 to 60celebrities over several years to gauge their popularity.Threenames pop up regularly as the most trustworthy: DollyParton,Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson andShaq
“They’re all larger-thanlife characters,” Lewissaid.
“They’re self-deprecating, they’re funny and they have long histories of excellence.
“In some ways, all celebrities play acharacter.Shaq’scharacterfeels like it’s therealmanifestation of who Shaq is.”
Hisprolific presence on TV is no illusion. ISpot, which tracks
TV commercials, has morethan 300 Shaq-related ads to view on its online portfolio going back three decades to his early days promoting Pepsi, Taco Bell and Reebok.
Personal investment
Shaq often investsinthe companies he endorses.Beyond being abrand ambassador for PapaJohns, he owns Papa Johns franchisesand spent five years on the board of directors before last year
Shaq said he likes to be actively involvedwith his advertisers on both acreativeand strategic level, and he even holds an annual summit for them.
“I’m big on teamwork and championships,” he said: “As the ad agency, they’re the point guards. Iread the copy,Shaq-ify it and, as thecenter,I deliver. It’s totally ateam effort.”
The General Insurance is a prime example of Shaq’simpact.Hehas helped expand the brandawarenessofThe Gen-
eral, which focuses on high-risk drivers. He recalled using The General when he was at LSU and said the company took good care of him. Aquarter-century later, he wanted toreturn the favor
“It was the first insurance Ihad before Ibecame the Shaq-ster,” he said. “Now I’mthe Shaq-ster, you want metoswitch up and go with the bigboys? I’m staying with The General.”
Rob Jenners, who produceda podcast with Shaq andradio host John Kincade for several years outofAtlanta, recalledShaq meetingThe General’sCEO, Randy Parker,for the first time in 2016 to tape aspecial podcast for employees.
“Theyhad these formal questions written outona piece of paper,” Jennerssaid. “Shaq took the paperfromthem and put it on thetable. ‘I just want you to talk to me. This isn’taninterview. Let’stalkabout what you do,why it helps people and how
See SHAQ, page 3C
With that in the rearview,things can progress along the path they were supposed to with Shough competing with second-year player Spencer Rattler forthe right to startthe season opener against the Arizona Cardinals in the Caesars SuperdomeonSept. 7. It is fartoo early to say with any confidence which player is going to winthe job; both Shough andRattler enjoyed some solid moments during the summer program,though neithercompeted in live 11-on-11drills. The next month should feature both quarterbacks taking snaps with the first-team offense. Shough has the advantage of being handpicked by the new coaching staff. Rattler has the benefit of experience something that shouldn’tbedismissed out of hand, even though he struggled in adverse situations last year
This has the feeling of being astory throughout all of training camp —and potentially into the regular season. Stay tuned.
Does Moorehavethe goods?
Nearly 20 yearsago, theSaints changedthe trajectory of theirfranchise when they hired ayoung and relativelyunprovenoffensive mind as their head coachinSeanPayton. Canthey strike gold twice?
Maybe it’snot fair to call Kellen Moore unproven. He’scoordinated six NFLoffenses andhe’shad alot of successinthatrole, most recently helping the Philadelphia Eagles secure aSuper Bowltitle. But this year will be his first as ahead coach,and that position comes with alot of other responsibilities outside of drawing up afun offense.
As withthe quarterback question, there is no way of knowing how this will
See SAINTS, page 3C
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Arkansas StatequarterbackJaylen Raynor is oneofonly five returning quarterbacks in the SunBelt this season, although Kadarius Miller (90) and the Cajuns shut him down at CajunField last season.
STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD Saints linebacker DemarioDavis celebrates stopping Carolina Panthers running backMiles Sanders during the season opener on Sept. 8atthe Caesars Superdome. ä
O’Neal
Scheffler disagrees with fans
The British Open champion calls the comparison to Woods ‘a bit silly’
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland Another comparison between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler surfaced during the final round of the British Open. This one wasn’t about numbers or trophies, but a fist pump.
Scheffler needed only one hour to expand his four-shot lead to seven shots with a steady diet of fairways and greens at Royal Portrush on Sunday, along with three birdie putts. But he missed his tee shot on the par-3 sixth and his chip was weak, leaving him a 15-foot par putt.
Scheffler fiercely pumped his fist when it dropped, evoking memories of Woods and his 15shot win at Pebble Beach in the 2000 U.S. Open.
Woods had a 12-foot par putt on the 16th hole of that final round, and it was the most emotion he showed all day when he made it He wanted a clean card and wound up going his final 26 holes bogey-free.
Woods was so utterly dominant that his only competition came from himself.
That’s how it felt with Scheffler when he won the claret jug for the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
Scheffler went 32 holes without a bogey until he took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on No. 8 and got a double bogey
What stood out to Scheffler in his four-shot victory was the lack of bogeys, the core of his dominance.
“To only have one double — really one over-par hole in the last 36 holes of a major championship — that’s how you’re able to win these tournaments,” he said.
He won the British Open by four shots.
He won the PGA Championship in May by five shots.
He won by four in the 2024 Masters. Scheffler was five shots ahead on the final hole in his first Masters win in 2022 when he fourputted while simply trying to finish. There are plenty of numbers to consider starting with his position at No. 1 in the world. No one has held it longer since Woods.
Scheffler and Woods are the only players in the last 50 years to win two majors in the same year by at least four shots Amateur researchers at the PGA Tour discovered how Scheffler and Woods each went 1,197 days between
winning their first and fourth majors. Regardless, Scheffler is fed up over the comparisons.
“I still think they’re a bit silly,” he said. “Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.”
For majors alone, a better comparison would be with Rory McIlroy
He also won four majors in three years, including two of them in 2014.
McIlroy won a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship by eight shots, the latter a record margin.
And then he went 11 years without a major Greatness in golf is also about longevity.
Scheffler won for the fourth time this year and now has 20
victories worldwide. He has won 11 straight times with the 54-hole lead.
The 29-year-old from Texas was introduced as champion golfer of the year, a title the R&A has used for more than a century Scheffler at this rate might be champion golfer of his generation.
And to think he was slowed at the start of the year recovering from a puncture wound on his right hand that he got while trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass.
The year’s top highlight still might be McIlroy winning the Masters amid tense drama to finally complete the Grand Slam.
That was his third win of the season, following The Players Championship and Pebble Beach. McIlroy, however, sounded almost dismissive about them Sunday evening.
“I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn’t quite on his game,” he said.
Also driving the comparisons to Woods are high praise from just
about everyone who has had to face Scheffler since that first win in 2022. “He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” McIlroy said. Any hesitation about comparisons besides the 15-4 tally in majors, as Scheffler is quick to point out — is their style of play Woods was as dynamic as he was relentless, especially with recovery shots.
Scheffler doesn’t have that many because he’s rarely out of position. Woods was groomed for stardom when he appeared on “The Mike Douglas Show” at age 2. Scheffler never cared about anything other than playing golf and getting better at it.
“I don’t focus on that kind of stuff,” Scheffler said of the comparisons. “That’s not what motivates me. I’m not motivated by winning championships. I don’t look at the beginning of the year and just say, ‘I want to win X amount of tournaments.’ I don’t do that.”
Italy’s one win away from Women’s Euro final
Progress is three years after players allowed to become pros
BY DANIELLA MATAR AP sportswriter
Italy is one win away from reaching the final of the Women’s European Championship, but just three years ago its players couldn’t even get professional contracts in their own country Little wonder veteran captain Cristiana Girelli was in tears after her two goals inspired Italy to a 2-1 victory over Norway last week, and a first semifinal appearance at the tournament in 28 years.
The Azzurre plays defending champion England next on Tuesday in Geneva.
“It’s a great joy to be among the top four in Europe and it is a happiness that we want to share because we know how important it is to bring home the results in Italy and especially for the new generations,” Girelli said, after again wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Because obviously we do this for our glory but there is a much deeper meaning, which we certainly want to bring, which is that in Italy women can play soccer too.” Of course they can, although they couldn’t hope to make a lot of money for it until 2022 after years of amateur-only status. It was in April of that year that
the executive board of the sport’s national federation approved new regulations to open the way for a women’s professional era starting July 1 — in time for the following Serie A season. A 1981 Italian law had limited female players to amateur status, meaning they couldn’t earn more than 30,000 euros ($32,000) per year before taxes
Benefits such as social security contributions, an end-of-career fund, pension, medical protection for injuries and maternity leave were a distant dream. The 35-year-old Girelli and many of her national teammates have
experienced the change firsthand, with several of them having had to do hospitality jobs to support their soccer careers.
“There were difficult years where we really suffered a lot,” Girelli said.
The push to make the women’s game professional in Italy followed the national team’s surprise run to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. It was also helped by the big clubs — Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Lazio — starting to invest more in their women’s teams. Progress has been slower than
Venus Williams returns in doubles match victory
Venus Williams competed in a tournament for the first time in over a year and in doubles for the first time in nearly three at the DC Open on Monday
The 45-year-old Williams, owner of 21 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles, displayed her trademark power on some strokes while teaming with Hailey Baptiste for a 6-3, 6-1 victory against 2014 Wimbledon runnerup Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue.
Her most recent match had been at the Miami Open in March 2024. Throughout her carrer, Williams acquired seven major singles trophies — five at Wimbledon, two at the U.S. Open — and an additional 14 in doubles with her younger sister, Serena, plus four Olympic gold medals.
Azinger selected to receive PGA Payne Stewart Award
Paul Azinger is getting what he considers the greatest honor of his career He was announced Monday as recipient of the Payne Stewart Award that recognizes traits belonging to his closest friend on the PGA Tour
The award began in 2000, a year after Stewart died in a plane crash. It has become one of the top awards in golf, with a ceremony televised live from Atlanta during the Tour Championship in August. Azinger is a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 1993 PGA Championship that he won in a playoff. He is equally known for reshaping the Ryder Cup qualification system and leading the Americans to a rare victory against Europe in 2008. Now, he works as a television analyst for the PGA.
Titans QB Levis to undergo season-ending surgery
Tennessee quarterback Will Levis will have season-ending shoulder surgery, keeping him from competing for playing time in his third season with the Titans. The Titans announced Monday that Levis made his decision after consulting with doctors and his representatives. The quarterback started 12 games in 2024 after spraining the AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder Sept. 30 against Miami while diving for a first down. Levis’ surgery is scheduled for July 29.
Coach Brian Callahan rotated quarterbacks during the offseason with no current starter announced. No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, is expected to be the starter when the Titans open the regular season Sept. 7 at Denver
Paul returns to Clippers for expected final season
Chris Paul is rejoining the Los Angeles Clippers for what’s expected to be the point guard’s 21st and final NBA season.
ä England vs. Italy
2 P.M.TUESDAy,FOX
in the countries of its traditional soccer rivals — such as England, France and Spain — but Italy is showing signs that it is catching up on the international stage.
Under coach Andrea Soncin, Italy is proving it can go toe-to-toe with the top teams, culminating in its first semifinal match at the European tournament since a run to the 1997 final.
“It’s something magical,” Girelli said. “But to tell you the truth I have felt something special in the air since I arrived in Switzerland, since the coach took charge of this team I felt something special.
“And you know, women are never wrong with their feelings,” she continued with a wry smile.
While it hasn’t quite reached fever pitch back home, 2.4 million television viewers in Italy — a 16.2% audience share watched the team’s match against Norway and that’s likely to be even more for the semifinals.
“We hope this love, this affection, this atmosphere that’s coming to us from Italy doesn’t disappear,” Girelli said. “I really hope that with all my heart because we struggled to get here.
“We’ve reached something amazing, something extraordinary, and however it goes, I really hope it continues to feed this passion, this love for us.”
The team confirmed Monday afternoon that Paul had signed. The 12-time All-Star was a free agent after playing all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, becoming the first NBA player to do so in his 20th season or later He averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists while shooting 43% from the floor Paul joins a veteran roster that includes new additions guard Bradley Beal, forward John Collins and center Brook Lopez. Paul made five All-Star teams from 2012 to 2017 and his 4,023 assists are still the most in franchise history
Phillies sign right-hander Robertson to one-year deal
The Philadelphia Phillies have signed right-hander David Robertson to a $15.7 million, one-year contract, prorated to $6 million through the end of the regular season, to bolster their bullpen in a bid to outlast the New York Mets and win a second straight NL East title. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced the move Monday, optioning the 40-year-old reliever to Triple-A Lehigh Valley Robertson has a $15,718,310
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANCISCO SECO
Scottie Scheffler of the United States kisses the trophy after winning the British Open at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on Sunday Scheffler posted a total of 17 under for the tournament.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO
Italy’s Cristiana Girelli, center right, celebrates after scoring her side’s second goal during the Women’s Euro quarterfinals match against Norway at Stade de Geneve in Geneva Switzerland on Wednesday.
Jones says ‘nothing new’ on contract talks with Parsons
BY DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press
OXNARD, Calif. — Given that the Dallas Cowboys have gone 29 seasons since appearing in an NFC championship game — the longest drought in the conference — owner Jerry Jones has found himself occasionally considering whether to step down as general manager “Yes, momentary,” Jones said Monday “Small fractions of seconds, I promise you.”
With his player personnel duties seemingly not changing anytime soon, Jones remains focused on how to get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl. That seems unlikely to happen anytime soon without a happy, healthy and productive Micah Parsons in the fold, and the star defender’s contract dispute was the primary topic of discussion Monday before the start of training camp.
“There’s nothing new about what we’re talking about here today relative to contracts That’s been going on a long time now,” Jones said.
It’s the second straight offseason where financial dealings with standout players risk overshadowing the Cowboys’ football preparations.
Quarterback Dak Prescott participated in training camp last year before getting a new contract before the start of the season that made him the NFL’s highestpaid player at the time. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb held out of camp before receiving a new $136 million, four-year contract with $100 million guaranteed in August. Those protracted dealings came ahead of a 7-10 season that marked the end of Mike McCarthy’s five-year run as coach.
Parsons had 12 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 13 games, the lowest tallies of his four seasons in Dallas in each category The 26-year-old defensive end is at camp, something Jones appreciates, but it isn’t clear whether Par-
sons will participate in the first practice on Tuesday He is going into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and the Cowboys could apply the franchise tag in 2026 on him.
Jones said he had not negotiated directly with Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, though Cowboys executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones later clarified that he is typically the one who handles such discussions.
“Obviously, we don’t have a deal with Micah, and we have work to do. That’s the only thing I would comment on,” Stephen Jones said when asked what was holding up a potential deal.
Jerry Jones doesn’t believe a likely Parsons hold-in would affect the team’s development during camp, which runs through Aug. 14.
“I’m not concerned at all about what our team can be this year, and develop and develop into, and what we make of our training camp,” Jones said “I’m not
Saints
Spencer Rattler, left, greets Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love last season. Rattler will compete for the starting QB job this season.
unfold until we see it in action For every Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan — that is, a young offensiveminded coach who succeeded there are some like Josh McDaniels or Adam Gase who failed in the big seat. Like any first-time head coach, Moore will have to prove he’s more than what he has been to this point And like most new coaches, he will have to do it in a non-ideal situation. The Saints don’t have to contend this year to know they have something in Moore, but if he has what it takes the long-term outlook should be much rosier by the end of the year
Is this a transition year defensively?
The most likely answer is yes. But does that really matter?
FOOTE
Continued from page 1C
from last season’s level of play Missing names All college football fans should be used to it by now, particularly in mid-major leagues such as the Sun Belt. The number of top-notch players leaving the conference during the offseason is larger than ever before. The roll call is too large to list here, but let’s start
With new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley calling plays, New Orleans is transitioning into a 3-4 base look that likely will play a little more zone coverage than previous iterations of the Saints defense. While it is true that changing the base defensive scheme (3-4 vs. 4-3) means a lot less now than it did even 10 years ago because of the proliferation of sub defensive packages, it’s still worth monitoring.
Put simply: The Saints mostly had a roster built for what Dennis Allen wanted, and now they have roughly the same roster running what Staley wants to do. It will probably fit some players well, but it’s not going to be a fit for everyone. New Orleans might be another year or two removed from the full realization of what this could look like.
All that being said, the Saints can’t get much worse than they were last year? New Orleans ranked 25th or worse in total defense (30th), rushing defense (31st), pass defense (27th), and sack percentage (25th),
with the running backs. Texas State lost Ismail Mahdi to Arizona; UL-Monroe lost its bell cow back Ahmad Hardy to Missouri; and South Alabama saw all-name team MVP Fluff Bothwell go to Mississippi State. The Cajuns saw Dre’lyn Washington depart, leaving a hole in their three-headed monster backfield. App State lost quarterback Joey Aguilar to Tennessee. South Alabama saw quarterback Gio Lopez leave for North Carolina. The Cajuns also lost top-notch receiving tight end Terrance
Continued from page 1C
I can help get the message out.’
Since then, Shaq has created dozens of ads for The General, the latest featuring him with musician T-Pain, who is known for his use of auto-tune. That is the source of humor in the ad.
Chauncey Citchens, director of marketing for The General, said T-Pain is often misjudged and underestimated — similar to The General — and Shaq had fun with that dynamic.
“They made a good pairing,” she said.
The best part of being on set with Shaq, she said, is when he goes off script: “That’s when the magic happens. We give him space to just be himself.”
Where it all started
at all concerned about a contract that involves and will affect that in any way I can’t emphasize that enough.”
The ever-loquacious Jones alternated between praising Parsons’ business acumen and pointing out he dealt with an injury for the first time in his career, missing four games because of a high ankle sprain.
The 82-year-old Jones said he still enjoys making player personnel decisions, even against the backdrop of constant criticism as the Cowboys have won five playoff games in the past 29 seasons.
“I like it this way, and if you watch this (upcoming documentary on) Netflix, you’ll see I gave every frigging thing in my life and then exposed probably two or three times that to get to sit up here,” Jones said “Listen, listen, I haven’t worked in 35 years. I’ve had the damnedest run and the most fun that you could ever imagine.”
Shaq has a clear memory of his first TV ad, which was seen by tens of millions of people: a 1994 Pepsi commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. He enters a basketball court and finds out the cooler has no Pepsi. He approaches a kid and is about to grab the boy’s Pepsi, but the kid — with an impish grin on his face — says, “Don’t even think about it.”
But his off-court exploits for a time were more focused on other areas.
In 1994 he released “Shaq Fu,” a Sega video game that flopped. His 1996 comedy film “Kazaam,” in which he played a genie, is still the butt of jokes. He also released four rap albums and contributed bars for Michael Jackson.
“Shaq came into the league as a giant and kind of an angry guy,” said Steve Koonin, a former TBS/TNT executive who is now chief executive officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena “He wanted to be a rapper He wanted to be Superman. Today, he’s America’s teddy bear I think his success off the court has been as powerful as his success on the court. He’s just a wonderful guy.”
But even Shaq has occasionally missed a basket.
For about a year, he was a spokesman for the cryptocur-
rency exchange FTX, which went belly-up in 2022. Shareholders sued, and earlier this year, Shaq agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.
“I think with a fraud case, it will all come down to the nature of the fraud and whether consumers hold the spokespeople culpable,” Lewis said. “Off hand, I can’t think of an example where a corporate scandal harmed an endorser’s brand equity.”
Shaq runs an active charity foundation and generates occasional stories about his random acts of generosity In 2021, for instance, Shaq was caught on video paying for an engagement ring for a guy he saw at a Zales, no questions asked.
“I’m into making people happy,” O’Neal said on “Inside the NBA” when asked about it. “I didn’t mean for that to get out because I don’t do it for that.” No politics
He also maintains a largely apolitical public face. He admitted on a podcast to voting for the first time in 2020 while refusing to say who he voted for
“My thought is that if you are not an expert on it or if you haven’t been doing it, don’t do it,” he told CNBC in 2020. Justin Pettigrew a Kennesaw State University professor of public relations, said in such divisive political times, taking such a stance “certainly makes him more appealing to a broader audience.”
Shaq’s life philosophy is simple: Keep hustling.
“I enjoy working,” he said.
“I enjoy the opportunity My grandfather told me something one time. I was complaining about something stupid and he said, ‘It could be worse.’ I take those words to heart. I’m grateful to still be working and still be in demand.”
But is there such a thing as too much Shaq?
“The way he has built his brand he can probably do 10 more things and it wouldn’t feel like he’s wearing his name out,” Lewis said. “He has a knack for bringing people into the joke.”
and it wasn’t much better in scoring defense (19th).
Even marginal improvement with an incomplete roster would be an impressive step in the right direction.
Can the Saints surprise?
It’s not hard to find pre-training camp rankings that feature the Saints at or near the bottom of the NFL. There’s next to no optimism about this group from a national standpoint, and the prevailing theory is the Saints are in line for a topfive pick in 2026. There’s a good chance everybody’s right about that But for the
optimists out there, a path does exist for the Saints to exceed everyone’s expectations. It looks something like this:
1. The Saints connect on every button they pushed along the offensive line this offseason — drafting Kelvin Banks ninth overall; moving Trevor Penning to guard and Taliese Fuaga to right tackle; hiring coaches Brendan Nugent and T.J. Paganetti — and that group sets a high floor for the offense by clearing lanes for the rushing attack and protecting a young passer
2. Moore raises the floor a little higher by giving the Saints the best offensive infrastructure they’ve
had since Payton roamed the sidelines, providing that young quarterback a healthy environment to develop.
3. After years of poor injury luck, the Saints actually get through the season with normal injury luck (usually a pretty good predictor of playoff teams, by the way).
4. The defense is just OK, but it produces several splash plays that change games. That’s a lot to ask for and it probably all won’t happen. But hey nothing’s impossible.
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
Carter to Texas Tech. We’re about to find out how good of a job those programs did in replacing those performers, but good luck knowing that before August camp. Trends to consider Each school’s coaching staff went into the offseason with some problem areas they want to reverse for the 2025 season. Other schools are hoping to duplicate some big feats in key areas. For teams such as Georgia State and App State, getting off to better starts is critical. The Panthers were outscored 100-34 in the first quarter last season and the Mountaineers 107-22. The App State defense also allowed opponents to convert 92% of the time in the red zone, something that needs to be rectified. The Arkansas State staff mostly spent the offseason emphasizing run defense after finishing 129th in total defense last season, thanks mostly to allowing 212.4 rushing yards a game Then there’s Georgia Southern, which finished 8-5 and 6-2 last season Can the Eagles shine in the fourth quarter to the tune of 116 points this season like they did last year? And will their opponents get another 110 flags for 1,007 penalty yards? With so much uncertainty some are looking at Old Dominion as
theadvocate.com.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints coach Kellen Moore fist-bumps cornerback Quincy Riley during an OTA practice in Metairie on June 5.This is Moore’s first season as a head coach.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MORRy GASH
quarterback
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK J TERRILL
Jerry Jones, right, the Dallas Cowboys owner, president and general manager speaks to reporters as Stephen Jones, the co-owner and director of player personnel, listen during a news conference to open training camp on Monday in Oxnard, Calif.
LIVING
Couple fell in love with a‘big whitehouse’in Hammond. Nowthey’re transforming it.
BY JUDY BERGERON| Staff writer
Passing drivers can’thelp but slowdown and stare.
The structure is thelargest home by faralongHappywoods Road just westofHammond’scity limits. The locals call it “the big white house.”Its newestowners, Sonia and Kevin Ratzmann, havemodified themoniker up anotch to “La Grande Maison Blanche” as anod to thestate’s French history For years, thesprawlingstructurewas in an unfinished state, butthe Ratzmanns took on thedaunting challenge of renovating it andhaveafew final details to check off before opening La Grande Maison Blanche as awedding and event venue.
The search is on After yearsofworking on wildfire medical rescueteams during the summer months, the pair set out on their own, establishing Emergency Response Logisticsatthe close of 2021. The couple initially met on thejob while both were living in Colorado. Afew years later,she becamedivorced andhewidowered.Kevin Ratzmannreached out to her, and aromance blossomed. Finding asemi-central location to headquartertheir
new business set them on a north-to-south canvassing of thecountry,startinginWashington and pausing, discouraged, after the lengthy stretch across Texas.
”We said, ‘We’re done now, we’re done looking. We’re gonna go to Florida andgo fishing,’”Sonia Ratzmann recalled. While staying overnight in Pensacola, shehoppedonline to her frequent destination, the property finder site Zillow ä See HOUSE, page 6C
ABOVE: Sonia and Kevin Ratzmann sitinthe gathering room at La Grande Maison Blanche in Hammond.
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
Plank Road, Baton Rouge, is open forbusiness. The friedchickenstore hasbeen open for about three weeks, but the restauranthosted aribboncutting andgrand opening July 15. The menu features many optionsinspired by owner Tuan Le’sChinese restaurant background and
La Grande Maison Blanche sits on 25 acres off Happywoods Road in Hammond.
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
Rooms at La GrandeMaison Blancheare accentedwith elegant chandeliers and specialty ceiling designs.
An antique bronze pieceisthe focal point of an exterior wall near therear patio.
walls
oor of one of the bathrooms in the mansion.
By The Associated Press
Today is Tuesday,July 22, the 203rd day of 2025. There are 162 days left in the year
Todayinhistory
On July 22, 1933, Aviator Wiley Post landed at Floyd Bennett Field in New York City,completing the first solo flight around the world in 7days, 18 hoursand 49 minutes.
Also on this date:
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln presented to his Cabinet apreliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.
In 1934, bank robber John Dillinger was shot to deathby federal agents outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater,where he had just seen the Clark Gable movie “Manhattan Melodrama.”
In 1937, the U.S. Senate rejected President FranklinD Roosevelt’sproposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court.
In 1942, the Nazis began transporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentrationcamp.
In 1943, American forces led by Gen. George S. Patton captured Palermo, Sicily,during World WarII.
In 1975, the House of Representatives joined the Senatein votingtorestore the American citizenshipofConfederate Gen Robert E. Lee.
In 1991, police in Milwaukee arrested Jeffrey Dahmer,who later confessed to murdering 17 men and boys.
In 2011, Anders Breivik, aselfdescribed “militant nationalist,” massacred 69 people at aNorwe-
gianisland youth retreat after detonating abomb in nearby Oslo that killed eightothers in thenation’s worst violence since World WarII.
In 2015, afederal grand jury indictment chargedDylann Roof, theyoungman accused of killing nine Black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, with 33 countsincluding hate crimes that made him eligiblefor thedeathpenalty.(Roof would become thefirstperson sentenced to deathfor afederal hatecrime;heison deathrow at afederal prison in Indiana.)
In 2022, Steve Bannon, alongtime ally of former President Donald Trump, wasconvicted of contemptcharges fordefying acongressional subpoena from theHouse committee investigatingthe Jan. 6insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Today’sbirthdays: Actor Terence Stamp is 87. SingerGeorge Clinton is 84. Former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas,is82. Movie writer-director Paul Schrader is 79. Actor Danny Glover is 79. SingerMireille Mathieu is 79. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 78.Rock singer Don Henley is 78. AuthorS.E. Hinton is 77. Film composer AlanMenkenis76. Jazzmusician Al Di Meola is 71. Actor Willem Dafoe is 70. Actor John Leguizamois 65.R&B singer Keith Sweat is 64. Folk singer Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) is 62. Actor-comedian David Spade is 61.Actor Rhys Ifans is 58. Actor/singer Jaime Camil is 52. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 52. Actor Franka Potenteis51. Actor Selena Gomez is 33.
Lantana leaveshaveavelvety feel anda distinct scent. These traits help deter deer
DEER
Continued from page5C
Jessie Hoover knows this dilemma all too well. As an LSU AgCenter horticulture agent based in the hills and woods of the Feliciana Parishes, Hoover regularly gets questions from local gardeners about how to deter hungry deer Youcan, of course, enclose your garden with fencing.This is an effective way to keep deer out, Hoover said —but it will keep you out, too. Having to open agate every time you need to tend your garden can bea pain, plus the fence will shroud your beautiful plants from easy view
Some gardeners try to spook deer with motion-activated sprinklers and lights. There are repellent sprays on the market, too. Hoover suggests starting with asimpler strategy: Growing plants that deer don’tenjoyeating
CLUCKIN’
Continued from page5C
Louisiana staples: homemade egg rolls, pork chops, boudin,sesame chicken, red beans and rice, fish fry and more.
Le first moved to Baton Rouge in 1989. He eventually spent some time in Little Rock, Arkansas, working in Chinese Restaurants beforereturning to Baton Rouge. He and co-owner Minh Vo both have extensive experience in the restaurant industry and have known each other for many years. Deborah Brown, an employee at the store, said her and Vo used to work together at Blue Store Chicken. Le said they opened the store in hopes of serving the community.
“Everybody loves chicken,” he said.
Cluckin’ Delicious is ato-go style place because of parking limitations, thoughthere aretwo tables and afew chairs if people want to dine in. The owners hope to expand one day
“Because you never know what you’re going to find,” she said. “Every day is new,you know.”
What she stumbled upon was the listing for an under-construction mansion at 42235Happywoods Road in Hammond. The fact that neither had ever been to Hammond or livedinLouisiana didn’t deter them. It seemed like the perfect mixoffancy anda fixer-upper. When the couple first sawthe property,there was no electricity andstuds everywhere. Still, they noticed that it was solid and strong. Presentmeets past
The original home on the25-acre property,asmall farmhouse, was constructed in 1905. It was torn down yearsago,according to the Ratzmanns.Inits place, agrand mansion was built,although with a smaller footprint than its present 30,000 square feet.
“Try to chooseplantsthat have astrong smell or possibly afuzzy leaf or apricklyleaforeven a waxy, thick, coated leaf,” Hoover said.“Those are all plants that deertend to stay away from.”
Theleaves of lantana, abeloved flowering perennial, have a velvety feel anda distinct scent —neither of which deer like. Anise (Illicium spp.), an evergreen shrubwhose leaves smell like licorice, is another good option.
Youcan use deer-resistant plantstoprotect therest of your garden.
“One of the things Ilike to do is to plant foxglovesinfront of my desirableplants that deer like,” Hoover said.
Foxgloves are toxic to deer,so the animals instinctively avoid them. Society garlic, apungent plant that produces pink-topurpleflowersinthe spring and summer,also works well as a shield.
Just remember one thing.
“No plant is deer-proof,” Hoover said. “If deer are hungry enough,they will eat any of your plants.”
CLUCKIN’ DELICIOUS CHICKEN
4762Plank Road,Baton Rouge l 10 a.m.to8:30 p.m., sevendaysa week l They have catering trays of 75, 100,or200 wingsavailable and will soon open up on DoorDash.All menu itemsare numbered 1-45. If youcallinanorder at (225) 3673565, theyask that youplace the order at least 10 minutes in advance and order by number
Thechicken comeswithyour choice of friesorshrimp fried rice, and according to Brown, you have to trytheir homemadeegg rolls or red beans and rice. The chicken is made with asecret seasoning that Le developed. He wouldn’t say what’sinit, but there’ssome paprika, salt, and pepper in there
“I think the chicken is pretty good, notjustbecauseIwork here, but becauseit’sreally good,” Brown said.
Email SerenaPuang at serena. puang@theadvocate.com.
Prominent Hammond attorney Hugh Sibley purchased the home andresidedthere the longest, hiringbuilderVance Gamso and architect Lynn Percival to enlarge the dream home forheand his wife, Frankie.
Sibley’sworkwas known on a national scale, having helped to win the first class-action lawsuit against Philip Morris over its denial of cigarettes as addictive, and another class-actionagainst Jeep concerning rollovers and fatalities
Sibley’ssocial circle included former President Bill Clinton, who was reported to have visited theHammond home at least twice. The attorney even had atunnel constructed from ahelipad on the propertytoasecret hallway so the 42nd commander-in-chief could enter and exit without being seen from the road.Sibley, now awidower,also buddied up to Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner,visiting his Hollywood compound and bringing home moredesign ideas.
The attorney,who pleaded guilty in 2010 to money-laundering involving an international drug cartel, never sawhis big white house project completed. He died in 2015.
Shortly after the Ratzmanns purchased the home for $1.2millionin December 2021, Gamso reached outtothemand signed on to oversee the decadelong project’scompletion. The couple also connected with Percival and original interior designer Rick Luke in Mississippi, whonot only rejoined the team but brought withhim ahouseful of antique furnishings and French Renaissance-inspired decor
Butthe practical hadtocome before theprettying that first year of work, when the couple sank another $500,000 into unseen necessities such as rewiring the entire house,replacing airconditioners and redoing aportion of the roof.
They lived in the mansion’stwobedroom attached apartment, putting in sweat equity as well when notawayonjobswithEmergency Response Logistics.
The grand tour
Fast-forward to late afternoon on June 5asthe Ratzmanns are leadingawriterand photographer room-by-room,floor-by-floor (there’sfour floors but,thank goodness, also an elevator) through the stately home featuring multiple sets of French doors looking out on apond, porches, gazebo, swimming pool and centuries-old oak tree.
“Have you seen that movie ‘Money Pit’?,”the owners were asked as thecompact elevator took them slowly tothe second floor Everyone laughed, recalling thecomic mayhem which ensued in the 1986 movie when ayoung couple,played by TomHanks and ShelleyLong, take on afixer-upper TheHammond couple have taken
theirsetbacks in stride,stressing that they weren’tinabig hurry to finish the project. It’s moreimportant to them to get it right. Like the luxurious handmade rugs lying under allthat antique furniture. TheRatzmanns selected each of those carefully on atrip to Turkey Details —including marble floors, granite countertops and iron railings —are mostimportant to Sonia Ratzmann. She went so far as to designate acolor system for the doorknobs so guests can quickly find the room they’re looking for throughout the 10-bedroom home which also houses amovie theater, library,chef’s kitchen, butler’s pantry,caterers’ room, spa, wine cellar and three dramatic staircases.
Awhite handle meansit’sabathroom;gold, ahallway; black, acloset; and crystal, abedroom.
Oneofthe bedroomshas also been enlarged and redesigned to become abridalroom,with an accompanying sitting area and bath.
“The idea is that the family would makea week outofitand stay over leadinguptothe wedding,” she said.
Kevin Ratzmann hasbig plans forthe exterior.Agate house near the northern front section of the property will be designedtomatch the mainhouse, with balconies accented with twoexisting large lion statues looking downoncars passing through. He also hasideas for acourtyard, second garage and another pool.
He’salso taken great care to keep alive the 600- to 800-yearold majestic oak in the front yard —adding supports under the branches that don’talready touch theground. An LSUarborist,who providedthe tree’sage estimate, wascalled in forcare advice.
“They said the only way to tell forsure(of the age) is to bore her, andwedon’t want to do that because then you’ll possibly kill it. But she is absolutely amazing,” Sonia Ratzmann said of the oak.
“That gazebo right there, before we built it,that’swhere Iasked Sonia to marry me,” herhusband shared.
Kevin Ratzmann unearthedthe marble for the gazebo floor when he wasweed-eatingone day. The rotting, unusable gazebo roof was found near thepond’sedge.When the couple married in March 2023, they pledgedtheir love in asmall, intimateceremonyunder the completed gazebo. It was the first of manyweddings the couple sees in their future.
For moreinfo, visit www.lagrandemaisonblanche.com/about.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
A600- to 800-year-old oak graces the southeast lawn of La GrandeMaison Blanche in Hammond
LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE
The nearly finished chef’skitchen features ample counter spaceand a butler’spantryaround the corner
The main upstairs bedroom features a fireplace along with a viewofthe grounds.
Alargetub and bathroom area are part of the bridal suite at La Grande Maison Blanche.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Emotions will be difficult to control. Refuse to let outside influences tempt you into something bad or costly. Arguing over what you cannot change is useless; instead, focus on what you can do to enhance your life.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Jump into action and take charge. Your leadership skills will help you win favors and make allies. Don't expect everyone to agree with you Prepare to offer incentives. Love and personal improvements are favored.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Refuse to let the little things get to you. Select your destination and strive to achieve your dreams. Don't give in to someone trying to bait or intimidate you. Consider how to reach your goal and focus on what matters most.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Think before you speak or act. You'll tend to let your emotions take the lead if you are too quick to respond. Discipline, courtesy and seekingoutpeoplewhoshareyourbeliefsand goals will pay off.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Avoid risky ventures and environments that can affect your physical or emotional well-being. Focus on your accomplishments, and don't hesitate to move forward.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Knowing what you want and being able to act fast are important, but not all deals are equal. Hit the reset button if something doesn't feel right. Think before you act to avoid unnecessary loss.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Charismatic individuals will draw your attention. Lis-
ten, ask questions and determine what has value and what doesn't. Opportunity is within reach, along with the promise of emotional stability.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Get the ball rolling. Pick up the pace and take steps toward positive change. Looking and doing your best will help you present or market yourself and your skills. Rely on your native charm.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Attendfunctions or events that excite you. An open mind will allow you free rein when dealing with possibilities; however, before you jump into someone else's gig, consider doing your own thing.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Be careful what youwishfor.Domesticproblemsrequire restraint. It's best to set your emotions aside and focus on positive ways to address any issues that surface. Overreacting will only make matters worse.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Explore the possibilities. Travel, seek knowledge and information, and update your skills. Make positive domestic changes. Be cautious regarding joint ventures and shared expenses.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Participate in events that shed light on your goals. The information you gather will push you down an enlightening and educational path. New beginnings look gratifying.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By
Andrews McMeel Syndication
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
TODAy'S CLUE: B EQUALS W
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
And erneSt
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. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
IvetaRadicova, aformer prime ministerofSlovakia, said, “In some countries, we have had the right to vote for less than 100 years, so the entry of women into political leadership has caused a tsunami.”
That sounds melodramatic; surely it is nothing more thanavery choppy sea.
This week we are looking at the handling of trump suits. In today’s deal, South is in four hearts. West leads the club king. When East encourages enthusiastically with his nine, West continues with theclubqueen and his last club. East winswith his ace and shifts to the diamond 10. How should South steer from there?
On thesecond round of the auction, Northbid what he thought wouldbethe best contract.Yes, herethree no-trump is easy, but it is never easy to reach that contractwithassurancewhenholdingan eight-card major-suit fit.
If Southjust assumes everything will be favorable, he will draw trumps, take hisspade king, play aspade to the ace, and cash the spade queen. Here, though, he will loseone diamond and three clubs to sink withouta trace.
AlthoughSouth is aslight favorite to gain five spadetricks, he needsonly four. He shoulddraw onlytwo rounds of trumps, leaving an honor on the board,
cashhis spade king, play aspade to dummy’sace, and ruff aspade in hishand. Then he can lead atrump to the dummy and cash the last twospades,discarding his diamond losers. South sails his ship triumphantlyinto port. Think through the play when the dummy comes down, not later.
©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
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 EPIsoDEs: EP-ih-sodes:Events that aredistinctive and separate parts of aseries
Average mark12words
Timelimit 30 minutes
YEstERDAY’s WoRD —DEMAGoGY
Can you find 24 or morewords in EPISODES? dame demo dogma dome edgy made mead mega mode aged agog gage game gamy goad omega yoga
loCKhorNs
Thewhole daynot justanhour. G.E. Dean
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
Court: Social media age verification law valid
A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users’ rights to privacy and free expression.
A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law from going into effect. It’s the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by “sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.”
Attorneys for NetChoice which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages.
Alaska Airlines resumes flights after issue
Alaska Airlines has resumed flights after the failure of a critical piece of hardware forced the airline to ground all its planes for approximately three hours, but the effects lingered into Monday the company announced.
The carrier issued a systemwide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights around 8 p.m. Pacific time Sunday The stop was lifted at 11 p.m., the Seattle-based company said in a social media post. More than 150 flights have been canceled since Sunday evening. The FlightAware tracking site reported 84 cancellations and nearly 150 delays Monday
The airline said “a critical piece of multi-redundant hardware at our data centers, manufactured by a third-party, experienced an unexpected failure.” That affected several of the airlines key systems, but hacking was not involved.
Subway hires ex-Burger King executive as CEO
Subway has hired a former Burger King executive as its new CEO.
The Miami-based sandwich chain said Monday that Jonathan Fitzpatrick will join the company on July 28. Fitzpatrick is the first CEO hired since Subway was bought by the private equity
firm Roark Capital in 2024. And Roark didn’t have to look far to find him.
Since 2012, Fitzpatrick has been the president and CEO of Driven Brands, which is also owned by Roark. Driven Brands is the parent company of auto service brands like Meineke Car Care Centers and Maaco. Before joining Driven Brands, Fitzpatrick held multiple senior leadership positions at Burger King, including executive vice president. Subway was founded in 1965 and was still owned by its founding families when it was purchased by Roark. It’s one of the world’s largest restaurant chains, with nearly 37,000 outlets in more than 100 countries.
But in recent years, Subway has been losing sales to fastgrowing rivals like Jersey Mike’s and Firehouse Subs.
BUSINESS
THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business
More Americans shift money to savings
Study finds that more want an investment income
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON New research
finds
that more Americans are shifting their money from checking and savings accounts into financial vehicles that pay an investment income — a trend that helps to
explain the resilience of the U.S. economy after a bout of high inflation and recent uncertainty due to tariffs.
The analysis by JPMorganChase Institute examined the accounts of 4.7 million households and found that people’s total cash reserves are increasing when including new amounts going into brokerage accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit to assess people’s well-being.
Inflation-adjusted cash balances in checking and savings accounts
“remain low with a flat-growth trajectory,” but since the middle of 2024 total cash reserves have been increasing and approaching historical growth trends once the additional accounts are included, the analysis said.
“Families across many income bands are now seeing a turnaround in their total cash,” said Chris Wheat, president of the institute Wheat said it had been “hard to square the circle” of consumer spending staying strong despite
the lack of growth in checking and savings accounts, an issue that can now be explained by people in a higher-interest rate environment shifting more money into accounts that yield investment returns. He said people appear to be using the other accounts to manage their cash, rather than simply making long-term investments Wheat cautioned, however, that the trend might be short term and that the institute doesn’t have a basis yet as to whether it will continue.
LESS SELECTION, HIGHER PRICES
Tariffs are already shaping holiday shopping season
BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and MAE ANDERSON AP business writers
NEWYORK With summer in full swing in the United States, retail executives are sweating a different season. It’s less than 22 weeks before Christmas, a time when businesses that make and sell consumer goods usually nail down their holiday orders and prices.
But President Donald Trump’s vacillating trade policies, part of his effort to revive the nation’s diminished manufacturing base and to reduce the U.S. deficit in exported goods, have complicated those end-of-year plans. Balsam Hill, which sells artificial trees and other decorations online, expects to publish fewer and thinner holiday catalogs because the featured products keep changing with the tariff import tax — rates the president sets, postpones and revises.
“The uncertainty has led us to spend all our time trying to rejigger what we’re ordering, where we’re bringing it in, when it’s going to get here,” Mac Harman, CEO of Balsam Hill parent company Balsam Brands, said. “We don’t know which items we’re going to have to put in the catalog or not.”
Months of confusion over which foreign countries’ products may become more expensive to import has left a question mark over the holiday shopping season. U.S retailers often begin planning for the winter holidays in January and typically finalize the bulk of their orders by the end of June. The seesawing tariffs already have factored into their calculations.
The consequences for consumers? Stores may not have the specific gift items customers want come November and December Some retail suppliers and buyers scaled back their holiday lines rather than risking a hefty tax bill or expensive imports going unsold. Businesses still are setting prices but say shoppers can expect many things to cost more, though by how much depends partly on whether Trump’s latest round of “reciprocal” tariffs kicks in next month.
The lack of clarity has been especially disruptive for the U.S. toy industry which sources nearly 80% of its products from China American toy makers usually ramp up production in April, a process delayed until late May this year after the president put a 145% tariff on Chinese goods according to Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of the Toy Association, an industry trade group.
The U.S. tariff rate may have dropped significantly from its spring high — a truce in the U.S.-China trade war is set to expire on Aug. 12 — but continues to shape the forthcoming holiday period. Manufacturing activity is way down from a year ago for small- and medium-sized U.S. toy companies, Ahearn said.
The late start to factory work in China means holiday toys are only now arriving at U.S. warehouses industry experts said A big unknown is whether tariffs will keep stores from replenishing supplies of any breakout hit toys that emerge in September, said James Zahn, editor-in-chief of the trade publication Toy Book.
In the retail world, planning for Christmas in July usually involves mapping out seasonal marketing and promotion strategies Dean Smith, who co-owns independent toy stores JaZams in Princeton, New Jersey, and Lahaska, Pennsylvania, said he recently spent an hour and a half running through pricing scenarios with a Canadian distributor because the wholesale cost of some products increased by 20%.
Increasing his own prices that much might turn off customers, Smith said, so he explored ways to “maintain a reasonable margin without raising prices beyond what consumers would accept.” He ordered a lower cost Crazy Forts building set so he would have the toy on hand and left out the kids’ edition of the Anomia card game because he didn’t think customers would pay what he would have to charge.
“In the end, I had to eliminate half of the products that I normally buy,” Smith said.
Hilary Key, owner of The Toy Chest in Nashville, Indiana, said she tries to get new games and toys in early most years to see
which ones she should stock up on for the winter holidays. This year, she abandoned her product testing for fear any delayed orders would incur high import taxes.
Meanwhile, vendors of toys made in China and elsewhere bombarded Key with price increase notices. For example, Schylling, which makes Needoh, Care Bear collectibles and modern versions of nostalgic toys like My Little Pony, increased prices on orders by 20%, according to Key
All the price hikes are subject to change if the tariff situation changes again. Key worries her store won’t have as compelling a product assortment as she prides herself on carrying.
“My concern is not that I’ll have nothing, because I can bring in more books. I can bring in more gifts, or I can bring in just things that are manufactured in other places,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to have the best stock for every developmental age, for every special need.”
The retail industry may have to keep taking a whack-a-mole approach to navigating the White House’s latest tariff ultimatums and temporary reprieves.
Last week, the president again reset the rates on imports from Brazil, the European Union, Mexico, and other major trading partners but said they would not take effect until Aug. 1.
The brief pause should extend the window importers have to bring in seasonal merchandise at the current baseline tariff of 10%. The Port of Los Angeles had the busiest June in its 117-year history after companies raced to secure holiday shipments, and July imports look strong so far according to Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director
“In my view, we’re seeing a peak season push right now to bring in goods ahead of potentially higher tariffs later this summer,” Seroka said Monday
Stocks set more records during big week for profit reports
BY STAN CHOE AP business writer
NEW YORK U.S stock indexes inched their way to more records on Monday to kick off a week full of profit updates from big U.S. companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% and squeaked past its prior all-time high set on Thursday The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by 19 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record. Verizon Communications helped lead the way and rose 4%. The telecom giant reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected along with higher revenue than forecast. Fol-
lowing the better-than-expected performance, Verizon raised its forecasts for profit and other financial measures for the full year That helped offset a 5.4% drop for Sarepta Therapeutics, which continued to fall after the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that it asked the company to voluntarily stop all shipments of Elevidys, its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, due to safety concerns. Block, Jack Dorsey’s company behind Square, Cash App and other tech brands climbed 7.6% in its first trading after learning it will join the widely followed and imitated S&P 500 index. It will take the place of Hess, which Chevron bought, before trading begins on
Wednesday Cleveland-Cliffs rallied 12.4% after the steel producer reported a smaller loss for the spring than analysts expected. It shipped a record 4.3 million net tons of steel during the quarter, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said the company has begun to see “the positive impact that tariffs have on domestic manufacturing” and other things. It’s a major supplier to the auto industry, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs steer companies hoping to sell cars in the United States toward steel made in the country Other U.S. companies, though, are navigating the downsides and complications of tariffs, which
raise prices on all kinds of things imported to the United States. That includes General Motors, which will report its latest profit results later this week, along with such market heavyweights as Alphabet, Coca-Cola and Tesla Many of Trump’s stiff proposed tariffs are currently on pause after Trump extended the deadline for talks with other countries in order to give more time to reach potential trade deals that could lower the tax rates. The next big deadline, at least for now is Aug. 1.
It’s still early days in this earnings reporting season, but most big U.S. companies have been topping analysts’ expectations, as is usually the case.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By MATT SLOCUM In the retail world, planning for Christmas in July usually involves mapping out seasonal marketing and promotion strategies.
Hilary Key, owner of The Toy Chest in Nashville, Ind., said she abandoned her product testing for fear any delayed orders would incur high import taxes.