The Advocate 07-22-2025

Prices rising on insurance maketplace

Rule changes affecting Affordable Care Act cost, availability

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

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

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 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

A construction worker hydrates while taking a break on the Pecue Lane overpass on Interstate 10 on Monday.

Officials warn of health risks as region faces triple-digit heat index

BY AIDAN MCCAHILL Staff writer

A severe heat wave is impacting much of southern Louisiana and Mississippi this week, with temperatures expected to feel as hot as 110 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for most of south Louisiana, including New Orleans,

Slidell and LaPlace. The head index could climb between 107 and 114 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, possibly triggering an extreme heat advisory In Lafayette, temperatures could go as high as 106 degrees Tuesday

Heat index values reflect how temperatures feel when combined with humidity According to Christopher Bannan, a weather service meteorologist, a ridge of high pressure over Lou-

isiana is suppressing rain that would normally cool the state during the afternoons.

“The combination of no rain, that suppression, and it being in the middle of the summer, we’re heating up really well,” Bannon said.

The weather service recommends frequent breaks in the shade or air

ä See SUN, page 5A

Students get hands-on training at hospital summer program

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

Symya Brown, who graduated from East Ascension High School in May, hopes to become a radiologist. Gavin Mitchell, a recent graduate from Donaldsonville High School, plans to work in the computer science field. Brilynn Watts, a student at Ascension Catholic High School in Donaldsonville, wants a career as an ultrasound tech or labor and delivery doctor.

None of the three knew each other until June, when they began a new summer camp program at Prevost Memorial Hospital in Donaldsonville. Six weeks later, they experienced mentoring from doctors and academics, worked in 14 different hospital departments and built new friendships with other students across the parish.

Brown plans to study health care and science at Southeastern Louisiana University

ä See STUDENTS, page 5A

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.”

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 loss

See RECORDS, page 4A

Respiratory therapist

Gene Polk demonstrates a laryngoscope to Lamiah Anderson during the summer youth program at Prevost Memorial Hospital in Donaldsonville last week.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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.

A coast guard ship, six rescue vessels and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue operation, Sihombing said. The crews pulled many people from the sea and took them to nearby islands, and local fishermen also saved some survivors wearing life jackets as they were drifting in the choppy waters.

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.

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 25 killed

BY JULHAS ALAM Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school in Dhaka, the country’s capital, shortly after takeoff on Monday afternoon, killing the pilot and 24 other people, most of whom were students, officials said.

The jet crashed and caught fire, leaving also 171 people, mostly students, injured. They were rescued from the school’s smoldering two-story building, officials said, many with burns, taken away in helicopters, ambulances, motorized rickshaws and the arms of firefighters and parents. Initially, reports after the crash said 20 people died. Five died of their injuries overnight. Doctors said late Monday that the condition of about two dozen injured remained critical.

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

Many relatives waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for bodies of their loved ones.

About midnight, Mohammed Abdur Rahim was looking for his cousin Afia

Akter in a hospital. “We could not find my cousin. She is missing. Doctors here have asked us to go to other hospitals,” he told The Associated Press.

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 located in Dhaka’s Uttara neighborhood, about an 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

The government announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff across the country 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. By Monday evening, rescuers continued to scour the debris, searching for bodies. A crane was being used to remove debris.

shortly after takeoff in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli airstrike on Monday in Gaza City

Firefighters work Monday at the site where a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

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 “inner workings” of Harvard. The funding cuts, if not

where Harvard University appeared to challenge $2.6 billion in funding cuts

administration.

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 government, 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.

Several dozen alumni from Harvard joined students and faculty to decry the effort to cut the federal funds, holding up signs reading “Hands Off Harvard,” “Strong USA Needs Strong Harvard” and “Our Liberty Is Not For Sale.”

Judge gives ex-officer nearly 3 years in Breonna Taylor raid

DOJ called for no prison time

BY DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffing a U.S. Department of Justice recommendation of no prison time for the defendant.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, in sentencing Hankison, said no prison time “is not appropriate” and would minimize the jury’s verdict from November Jennings said she was “startled” there weren’t more people injured in the raid from Hankison’s blind shots.

Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn’t hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the Black woman’s death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality that year

She sentenced Hankison, 49, to 33 months in prison for the conviction of use of excessive force with three years of supervised probation to follow the prison term. He will not report directly to prison. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons will determine where and when he starts his sentence, Jennings said.

The judge, who presided over two of Hankison’s trials, expressed disappointment with a sentencing recommendation by federal prosecutors last week, saying the Justice Department

was treating Hankison’s actions as “an inconsequential crime” and said some of its arguments were “incongruous and inappropriate.”

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who helped Taylor’s family secure a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the city of Louisville, had called the department’s recommendation “an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury’s decision.”

Crump was at Monday’s hearing and said he had hoped for a longer sentence but was “grateful that (Hankison) is at least going to prison and has to think for those 3 years about Breonna Taylor and that her life mattered.”

Afterward, before a crowd outside the courthouse, Crump sounded a familiar chant: “Say Her name.” The crowd yelled back: “Breonna Taylor!” And he and other members of Taylor family’s legal team issued a subse-

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.

Evacuations begin in Syria’s Sweida

By The Associated Press

BUSRA AL-HARIR, Syria Syr-

ia‘s government on Monday started evacuating Bedouin families trapped inside the southern city of Sweida, where deadly fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin fighters has largely stopped as a ceasefire takes told.

Last week’s clashes killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria’s fragile postwar transition. They also led

to sectarian attacks against the Druze religious minority, followed by revenge attacks against the Sunni Muslim Bedouins. The U.N. International Organization for Migration said 128,571 people were displaced. Neighboring Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who effectively sided with the Bedouins.

Syrian state media on Sunday said the government had

coordinated with officials in Sweida to bring buses to evacuate some 1,500 Bedouins. The province’s internal security chief under the Interior Ministry, Ahmad al-Dalati, told the state-run news agency that the initiative also would allow civilians displaced from Sweida to return.

Druze civilians were expected to be evacuated from other areas, but those had not taken place by Monday evening.

quent statement criticizing the Justice Department

“While today’s sentence is not what we had hoped for — nor does it fully reflect the severity of the harm caused — it is more than what the Department of Justice sought That in itself, is a statement,” the statement said.

Hankison’s 10 shots the night of the March 2020 botched drug raid flew through the walls of Taylor’s apartment into a neighboring apartment, narrowly missing

a neighboring family

The 26-year-old’s death, along with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice and police brutality protests nationwide that year

But the Justice Department, under new leadership since President Donald Trump took office in January, sought no prison time for Hankison, in an abrupt about-face by federal prosecutors after the department spent years prosecuting the former detective. They sug-

gested time already served, which amounted to one day, and three years of supervised probation.

Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said she was disappointed that the new federal prosecutors assigned to the case were not pushing for a tougher sentence On many occasions inside the courtroom Monday, lead federal prosecutor Rob Keenan agreed with Hankison’s defense attorneys on factors that would decrease Hankison’s punishment.

Hankison

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA Protesters gather Monday outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston,

by the Trump

for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met —anabsence our family has endured for over 57 years,” they wrote. “Weask those whoengagewith the release of these files to do so with empathy,restraint, and respectfor our family’scontinuing grief.”

They also repeated the family’slong-held contention that James Earl Ray theman convictedofassassinating King, was not solely responsible, if at all

Bernice King was 5years old when her father was killed at the age of 39. Martin III was 10.

Astatementfrom theoffice of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called the disclosure“unprecedented” and said many of the records had been digitized for the first time. She praised President Donald Trump for pushing the issue.

Trump promisedasa candidate to release files related to President John F. Kennedy’s1963 assassination

When Trumptook office in January,hesigned an executive order to declassify the JFK records, along with those associated with Robert F. Kennedy’s and MLK’s 1968 assassinations.

The government unsealed the JFK records in March and disclosed some RFK filesinApril.

The announcement from 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 FBI files. Alveda Kingsaid shewas “grateful to President Trump” for his “transparency.”

Separately, Attorney General Pam Bondi’ssocialmedia account featured apicture of the attorneygeneral with Alveda King

Besides fulfilling Trump’s order,the latest release means anotheralternative headline for the president as he tries to mollify supporters angry over his administration’shandling of records concerning the sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, who killedhimself behindbars while awaiting trial in 2019, during Trump’s first presidency.Trump last Friday ordered the Justice Department to release grandjurytestimonybut stopped short of unsealing the entire case file.

Bernice King and Martin Luther King III did not mention Trump in their statement Monday

Some civil rights activists were not so sparing

“Trump releasing the MLK assassination filesis not about transparency or justice,” theRev.AlSharpton said. “It’sadesperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfingTrumpoverthe Epstein files and the public unravelingofhis credibility among the MAGA base.”

The King Center, founded by King’swidowand now ledbyBernice King, reactedseparatelyfrom what Bernicesaidjointly with herbrother.The KingCenter statementframedthe release as adistraction butfrommorethanshortterm politicalcontroversy

“It is unfortunate and illtimed, given the myriad of pressing issues and injustices affectingthe UnitedStates andthe global society,” the King Center,linking those challenges to MLK’sefforts.

“This righteous work should be ourcollective response to renewed attention on the assassinationofagreat purveyor of true peace.”

The King records were initiallyintended to be sealed until2027, until Justice Department attorneys asked a federal judgeto lift the sealing order early Scholars, historybuffs andjournalists have been preparingtostudythe documents for new information

about his assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

The SouthernChristian LeadershipConference, whichKing co-foundedin 1957 as the Civil Rights Movement blossomed,opposed the release. The group, alongwith King’s family,arguedthat theFBI illegally surveilled King and other civil rights figures, hoping to discredit them and their movement. It has long been establishedthatthen-FBI DirectorJ.Edgar Hoover was intensely interested if not obsessed with King and others he considered radicals. FBI recordsreleasedpreviously show how Hoover’s bureau wiretapped King’s telephone lines,buggedhis hotelrooms and used informants to gather information, including evidence of King’s extramarital affairs.

“He wasrelentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory,and deeply disturbing disinformationand surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),” the King children saidintheir statement

“The intent …was notonly to monitor,but to discredit, dismantle and destroy Dr King’sreputation and the broader American Civil Rights Movement,” they

continued. “These actions were notonly invasions of privacy,but intentional assaultsonthe truth —undermining the dignity and freedoms of private citizens who fought for justice, designed to neutralize those whodared to challenge the status quo.”

The Kings said they “supporttransparency and historical accountability” but “objecttoany attacks on our father’s legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods.”

OppositiontoKing intensified even after the Civil Rights Movement compelled Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson to enact the Civil Right Actof 1964 andthe Voting Right Act of 1965. After those victories, King turned his attention to economic justice and

international peace. He was an outspoken critic of rapacious capitalism and the Vietnam War. King argued that political rights alone were notenough to ensure ajust society.Manyestablishment figures like Hoover viewedKing as acommunist threat.

Kingwas assassinated as he was aiding striking sanitation workers in Memphis, part of his explicit turn towardeconomic justice.

Ray plead guiltytoKing’s murder.Ray later renounced that plea and maintained his innocence until hisdeath in 1998.

Members of King’sfamily, and others, have long questioned whetherRay acted alone, or if he was even involved.Coretta ScottKing asked forthe probe to be reopened, and in 1998, then-At-

torney General Janet Reno directed the Justice Department’sCivil Rights Division to take anew look. Reno’s department said it “found nothing to disturb the1969 judicial determination that James Earl Raymurdered Dr.King.”

In their latest statement, BerniceKingand Martin LutherKing IIIrepeated theirassertions that Ray wasset up.Theypointedto a1999 civil case, brought by theKingfamily, in whicha Memphis jury concluded that MartinLutherKingJr. had been the target of aconspiracy

“As we review these newly released files,” theKings said, “we will assess whether they offeradditional insights beyondthe findings our family has already accepted.”

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 happen to 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 website if they meet income qualifications and choose from a variety of plansofferedby dozens companies in the Affordable Care Act market-

place 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 rates are evident in the applications, such as higher costs for medical care, according to KFF.Recent tariffs play

arole tooindriving up the costs of drugs,equipment and supplies. But abigger 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.Asaresult 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 healthsystem pro-patient. This includes holding insurance companies responsible as we work to make health care more affordableand accessible.”

TheNational 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.

Martin Luther King Jr head of the SouthernChristian Leadership Conference, speaks to thousandsduring his‘IHaveaDream’ speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the MarchonWashington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963.

this fall and said the camp allowed her to both experience day-to-day radiologist work and the larger interconnected hospital functions.

“Each department works hand-in-hand to make the hospital run smoothly,” she said “I didn’t realize that until I actually, like, came to a hospital.”

The initiative, which included 26 students and ran three days a week, concluded Thursday Program and hospital leaders, such as Prevost Chief Executive Officer Shelton Anthony, say they’re hoping for future installments.

“We decided that we wanted to help out and have a program here that we can be able to shape some young leaders and give them the hands-on experiences that they need in health care,” Anthony said. “Access to health care in a rural community is limited, but we wanted to open our doors and be a beacon.”

The program began with Anthony’s pitch to the hospital board. From there Jamecko Lewis, the program facilitator and a social worker with the Ascension Parish School District, and Kevin Causey, Prevost chief administrative officer, brought it to fruition.

Quincy Richard Jr Prevost’s compliance officer, said the entire program was built by Lewis and Causey in the span of a few months.

“They didn’t use a template. They didn’t use anything. Everything that you’re seeing the benefits from, they created,” he said. “I don’t want it to go unnoticed that they did all of this from scratch.”

The program included lessons with hospital doctors, hands-on learning — viewing parasite samples through a microscope, wiring an Ethernet cable, the maintenance of a blood work machine — and field trips to LSU and Delgado Commu-

nity College in New Orleans. Students with a wide range of backgrounds and interests participated in the camp Jamarius Major, a recent Donaldsonville High School graduate, found himself drawn to the maintenance work that ensures the hospital runs smoothly

SUN

Continued from page 1A

conditioning, drinking plenty of fluids with electrolytes, wearing loose, light clothing and never leaving people or pets in vehicles. Health officials are also urging Baton Rouge residents, especially children, seniors and those with hypertension, diabetes and the immunosuppressed to take extra precautions.

“Patients that already have issues are going to have more significant dehydration,” said Dr Mark Laperouse, chief of emergency medicine at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center He advised residents to watch for obvious signs of dehydration, like over sweating and feeling lightheaded when standing up. As dehydration gets worse, nausea, vomiting and severe cramps can signify the onset of a heat stroke, a medical emergency

”Your blood has a certain viscosity,” said Laperouse

“When it gets dehydrated, it gets thicker When it gets thicker, it’s not flowing as well through your veins. And when your not getting

blood flow to vital organs like the brain, you can actually have a stroke.”

Jason Hazelton, a safety services consultant for LWCC, which provides workers’ compensation insurance, emphasized the importance of workplace safety for construction, agriculture and public maintenance workers during the extreme heat.

“Employers and workers should be aware of the symptoms of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” Hazelton said. “Supervisors need to monitor their crews.” He recommended periodic breaks, providing access to shade, cooling tents and cold wraps for anyone working outdoors. Hazelton said employees in industrial and fabrication plants are also vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.

For those who can’t avoid exposing themselves to the heat, Laperouse recommended preparing “like a camel.”

“Make sure you’re overhydrating the night before or the morning of,” he said.

“If your tissues are super hydrated, you’ll be less at risk.”

In Baton Rouge, the

weather service forecasts a high of 92 degrees on Monday, rising to 96 on Tuesday and Wednesday with a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms each afternoon. Temperatures will drop slightly by Thursday, when the high is expected to be 92 with an 80% chance of rain.

Showers are also likely Friday, with highs near 89.

Monday’s heat advisory marks the eighth warning this summer, down so far from 2023 and 2024, the warmest and second warmest summers on record in Baton Rouge. In 2023, the NWS issued 29 heats advisories and 28 excessive heat warning, and in 2024, 29 heat advisories, eight excessive heat warnings.

“We’re nowhere close to where we were the last two years,” said Bannan.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration offers a free, real-time monitoring apps designed for outdoor workers to track heat indices and hourly forecasts. The weather service offers a dashboard that tracks heat risks, according to the LWCC.

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

Watts talked about learning about respiratory therapy and how she helped another student perform intubation on a test mannequin.

“We decided that we wanted to help out and have a program here that we can be able to shape some young leaders and give them the hands-on experiences that they need in health care. Access to health care in a rural community is limited, but we wanted to open our doors and be a beacon.”

SHELTON ANTHONy, Prevost Memorial Hospital chief executive officer

Mitchell spoke about the microscope work, saying the samples showed how diseases affect parts of one’s body

“I got to see exactly what is affected and what the cells look like, like the blood cells,” he said. “And basically, see how everything is connected and also affected through different diseases.

Like what they do, how they can harm certain parts of your body and how they affect certain cells, how certain cells react to it.” Parker Russo, a rising senior at Grand Oaks High School in Houston, attended the program and stayed with his grandparent, who lives nearby

He hopes to attend the University of Texas and study public health before pursuing medical school and said his favorite part was speaking with professionals about their careers.

“I really don’t know where I want to go besides, like, maybe a pediatric field. So, I wanted to see what kind of job specialties were happening,” he said.

Russo said he spoke to Dr Benedict Idowu, a local neurologist, about having shadowing experience before applying to medical schools and asked him about possible paths.

“He gave me some advice on how to pay for medical school, so you could go under contract for a rural area,” Russo said. “They’ll pay for your college tuitions, mostly in their loans, as long as you work there for X amount of years. So, that was pretty insightful.”

Prevost itself is a rural facility designated as a critical access hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It’s the closest emergency room for miles around, and Anthony said it’s the first stop for many patients in Donaldsonville.

Anthony said he especially enjoyed how the program developed new advocates for rural and critical access hospital.

“To be able to listen to what Parker said about Doctor Idowu telling him about the residency program and then how you could take that information and be able to utilize rural health care to be able to pay for medical school is rewarding,” he said. “And I think he has a better insight because now he can see that that’s a path that probably he didn’t know before.”

Student Triston Boudreaux is taught how to vacuum air filters for the hospital’s air-conditioning units by maintenance worker Ra’Shaun Jarvis.

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Student Zyon Davis receives training in how to discharge a patient and give them their medication from registered nurse Ternica Williams during the summer youth program at Prevost Memorial Hospital in Donaldsonville on July 15.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Experts recommend periodic breaks, providing access to shade, cooling tents and cold wraps for anyone working outdoors.

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.

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.

‘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 Mal-

colm-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 Johnson said on X that he and his wife are sad to hear of the death of their friend.

“We were both super fans

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 said Monday.

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 as-

sault 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 Cos-

Russia launches major air attack on Kyiv

BY EMMA BURROWS and ILLIA NOVIKOV

Associated Press

Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months hours before Britain and Germany chaired a meeting Monday to discuss President Donald Trump’s plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons.

The drone and missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukraine’s President 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.

Zelenskyy and Barrot spoke about expanding defense cooperation, including a decision by French companies to start manufacturing drones in Ukraine, and advancing Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership, the Ukrainian leader said on social media.

The virtual meeting of high-level military officials was led by British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Bo-

ris Pistorius. U.S Defense

Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, attended the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.

Moscow has intensified its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate as Russian drone production expands.

Ukraine’s new Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal urged allies to speed up deliveries of American air defense systems under the plan put forward by Trump.

“I request the U.S. to make these weapons available for purchase, and our European partners to extend all the needed financing for their procurement,” Shmyhal, who until recently served as prime minister, told the meeting.

Trump’s arms plan, announced a week ago, involves European nations sending American weapons, including Patriot air defense missile systems, to Ukraine via NATO — either from existing stockpiles or buying and donating new ones.

by 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 co-

median 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.”

“First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband,” Ross said on Instagram. “My heart is so so sad. What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.” His film roles included the 2008 rom-com “Fool’s Gold” with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. A poet and a musician, Warner was a Grammy winner, for best traditional R&B performance, and was nominated for best spoken word poetry album for “Hiding in Plain View.” Warner had been married for about 10 years with a daughter about 5 years old, but chose to not publicly disclose their names. Warner’s representatives declined immediate comment on his death.

TheGoldenDeeds awardisthe most prestigious awardinthe GreaterBaton Rougearea. Since itsinceptionin1942, it hasbeen awardedtoonlyone outstanding recipienteach year forphilanthropic servicetothe community. Theactions andservice of therecipients have made thecommunity abetterplace to live andwork.

By The Associated Press

TOKYO Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday he will stay in office to tackle challenges such as rising prices and high U.S. tariffs after a weekend election defeat left his coalition with a minority in both parliamentary chambers and triggered calls for his resignation.

in Sunday’s election does not immediately lead to a change of government because the upper house lacks power to file a no-confidence motion against a leader With opposition too fractured to form a united front powerful enough to topple the ruling coalition, Ishiba is under more pressure to step down from ultraconservative rivals in his own party Japan’s leader says he’ll stay in office despite party’s

TheGoldenDeeds Awardnominations includethe nine-parishBaton RougeMetropolitan StatisticalAreawhich covers East BatonRouge,WestBaton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Livingston,St. Helena,EastFeliciana,WestFeliciana andPointe Coupee

election loss

Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito were short three seats to maintain a majority in the 248-seat upper house in Sunday’s vote. Though the LDP is still the leading party, its ruling coalition is now a minority in both houses of the Diet, or parliament, which makes it difficult for the coalition to pass any legislation. The loss of a majority

Explainwhy your nomineeshouldreceive theGoldenDeeds Award. Tell us in your ownwords aboutthe most memorable things they’vedoneinservice to thecommunity Tell us howtheir actionstouched your heart; howtheymadea difference. Give specificexamplesofwhatthey’ve done Maximumof750 words. Nominations must meet specificrequirements to be considered.

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Mail nomination letters to The Advocate attn: Ellen Ducote P.O. Box 588 Baton Rouge, LA 70821 or email educote@theadvocate.com

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Studio of fire and music

At 81, TomLorio still lives in the Baton Rouge Garden District home where he grew up. His studio, tucked behind the wilds and rambles of his yard, looks like a cross between amad scientist’s laboratoryand atreasuretrove.

The cluttered tangle of tools, wires, ribbons, tin cans, lamps and workstations felt like an invitation. Walking in, Ifelt Icould almost touch the 50 yearsof quietenergy,steadyhands and creative sparks.

He keeps Baton Rouge High School’sradiostation, WBRH, 90.3 FM,onand generally dances to the beat as he makes his way from one workstation to another —advising students on what to do next, offering encouragement or explaininganew tool.

I’ve taken acouple of jewelrymaking classes through the years, but none as calming as this one. When my friendMadelineEllis invited me to take a jewelry-making class with Lorio, Ihad no idea what Iwas in for (If you’re aLouisianajewelry person, perhaps her name rings abell. She’sthe creative force andfounder of Mimosa Handcrafted jewelry,based in Baton Rouge.)

Ellis and her 11-year-old daughter also took the class —each of the four sessions lasted two hours.Takingaclass fromamaster jeweler and metal worker like Lorio with amaster jeweler like Ellis was alesson in humility —which, in the big pictureof life, is ahealthy thing, Isuppose Even still, the classes werea joy,providing achance to clear my head and focus on nothing butmovingasaw 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 uncanny ease with tools. Watching her work, Icouldn’thelp butthink that she seemed like she was born knowing how to create beautiful things. Iloved watchingher and Lorio solve problems together. Their 70-year age difference melted away,and they were just two people building beauty Had Igone to the classes just to watch this sixth grader work, that in and of itself would have been ajoy.She inspired me to try new things —like attempting to drawand cut an alligator from apiece of metal. Iamnot good at drawing or usinga saw, but, remarkably,itall worked out in the end.

Patience has never been my strength, but in Lorio’sstudio, Itried to dig deep. His easy manner deflates pressureand encourages experimentation. He’sone of those teacherswith aknack for knowing how much

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Resident challenges judge

Petition claims candidatedoesn’t live in district

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Aresidency challenge has been filed againstone of thefourcandidates vying to become Baton Rouge’snextdistrict judge.

Veronica “Vicky” Jones qualifiedtorun for the vacant judgeship in the 19th Judicial District Court earlier this month. She’sset to take on other hopefuls Elzie Alford Jr., Dele Adebamiji and VernonThomasinanOct.11primary for the seat. The 19thJDC’sformer Chief Judge WilsonFields vacated the position in March when he joined the1st Circuit Court of Appeal. The winner of the election will finish out thefinalyear of Fields’ term, which expires at theend of

2026.

Apetition challenging Jones’ candidacy was filed Friday afternoon in the East BatonRouge Parish-based district court. Acopyof the petition hung prominently near thefrontdesk of the courthouse Monday morning.

In thefiling, Byron Sharper,58, of Baton Rouge,alleges Jones does not live in East Baton Rouge Parish andisusing her son’saddress to circumvent the one-year residency requirement torun for office.

“I wanttobeclear with thecommunity Iloveand seek to serve: the challenge to my candidacy is

baseless anddeeply disappointing,” Jones said in astatement Monday.“To be clear, when I moved to Baton Rouge, Ihad no idea Judge WilsonFields would move to the First Circuit. There was no political calculation behind my move. Ididn’tmoveto Baton Rouge to run foroffice. I made apersonal,practical decision based on my work andmy family.”

In aslight twist of irony,the residency challenge case was randomlyassigned to Fields’ former civil section, the same docket over whichJones and her opponents are battling to take the reins. Retired Baton Rouge City Court Judge Johnell Matthews, whowas appointedtofill in for Fields,recused herselfMonday

The matter wasreallotted to District Judge Will Jorden,who will presideovera hearingonthe challenge at 9a.m. Tuesday In his petition, Sharperisasking the judge to disqualify Jones from the race outright or to issue an injunction prohibiting her from appearing on theballotofthe Oct. 11 primary.The filing names Secretary of State Nancy Landry and East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court DougWelborn. Election rules call for district judge candidates to be domiciled and registered to vote in the district they are running in for at leastone year prior to an election Sharper claimsJones last Octoberswitched hervoter registration to East Baton Rouge from Ascension Parish, wherehealleges she’slived fordecades andhas a

See JUDGE, page 2B

ONE STEP AT ATIME

Runners lineupfor refreshments during thecelebration

Runners share alaugh as they maketheir way down North Third Streetduring Halfway to Geaux, acelebration of theMississippi Gulf Coast andLouisiana marathonson July 15 during the weekly Happy’s Running Club in downtown.

Newpickleballcourtsset

forWestBaton Rouge

Placid Refining donating fundstoward construction

BY HALEYMILLER Staff writer

West Baton Rouge pickleball enthusiasts have learned to play the game anywhere —onmodified basketballand tennis courts, forexample— but soon, they won’thave to. Placid Refining Company and the West Baton Rouge Parish Council are working together to build 16 pickleballcourts across the parish, aproject totaling $1 million withan expected opening in late 2025.

“Wetry to support the community alot,” Placid RefiningCompany President Rob Beadle said. “But Ididn’twant to do buying copy machines or somethinglikethat Iwanted to do something alittle

morelasting.” Pickleballisa paddle sport that draws from tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong. The gamehas exploded in popularity over the past decade and has been thefastest-growing sport in the U.S. since 2022, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

West BatonRouge currently lacksthe facilitiestoplaypickleball, said Parish Council Chair Carey Denstel.Hesaid if Beadle andPlacidRefining Company hadn’texpressed interest in collaborating on apickleball project, thecouncil likely would have built courts, but over amultiyear period.

“Because of Placid’sawesome, fantasticdonation to West Baton Rouge, we just decided to do them allin2025,” Denstel said.

Fourcourts will be located at the

$476Kawarded forearly warning system

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Livingston Parish is getting nearlya half-million dollars in federalfunding forweather stations that could give residents more timetoprepare or evacuateduring hurricanes. The Federal EmergencyManagement Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program awarded theparish$476,423 to install nine weather stations foran Early Warning System Project across theparish that will monitor real-time weather data like rainfall and windspeed. Chris Anderson, the director of Livingston Parish Office of

Homeland Security andEmergencyPreparedness, said the grant will createaweather network tailored to theparish andwill allowhis team to give quicker and more accurate updates during severe storms. The weather stations would be at Live Oak High School, Walker High School, Juban Parc Junior High School, Frost Elementary School, Maurepas High School, Albany High School, Springfield High School,LIGO Livingston and Livingston Fire Station District 11. Anderson said with having some stations at schools, officials will be able to better monitor weather conditions for outsideevents, such as football games. The weatherstations will report to Anderson’soffice using

Jones

STAFF PHOTOSBy HILARy SCHEINUK

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

TomLorio works with an 11-yearold student during ajewelrymaking class in Baton Rouge

N.O. enforces ‘no sleeping’ policy

Law aimed at homeless residents in the French Quarter

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans officials began dispersing homeless residents sleeping or camping in the French Quarter and parts of the Marigny on Monday in the latest phase of their yearslong effort to reduce the city’s unsheltered population. Those efforts received a shot in the arm recently after Gov Jeff Landry’s administration granted the city’s Low Barrier Shelter on Gravier Street $380,000 to fund permanent housing for shelter residents, a request local officials have long made of the state. Enforcement began about 9 a.m. and resulted in at least two people choosing to be transported to the Low Barrier Shelter 8th District Capt. Samuel Palumbo told the French Quarter Management District at a meeting Monday

“That’s what we’re looking towards, trying to house people that are sleeping on the street,” Palumbo said at the 11 a.m. meeting Monday’s actions were far more subdued than the large-scale sweeps Landry’s administration conducted earlier this year

Ahead of the Taylor Swift concerts in October State Police and other state officials conducted sweeps of homeless encampments across downtown New Orleans and relocated people to a single designated site at Landry’s direction. And before the Super Bowl in February, State Police cleared homeless encampments and bused people to a temporary shelter in Gentilly

The state’s goal then, officials said, was to eventually place all 170-plus shelter residents into housing. Eventually, the state housed 108 of them, according to the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

New Orleans’ strategy is also focused on getting homeless people into a shelter where they can quickly be connected to permanent housing.

Ed Carlson, director of the Low Barrier Shelter, said in an interview Friday that the shelter was prepared to accommodate at least 30 additional people, thanks in part to the state’s cash infusion.

“We’ve actually been doing a really good job of getting people out of the shelter and into permanent housing,” Carlson said. “They’ll go directly to the Low Barrier Shelter and we’ll be able to handle them without increasing our capacity.”

A spokesperson for Landry did

not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday Neither did City Council member Lesli Harris, who has long called on the state to fund the city’s work to house homeless residents, nor Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office respond to requests Palumbo declined further comment after his presentation Monday New Orleans has set a goal of housing 1,500 residents by the end of 2025. As of May 31, around 1,133 individuals were housed.

At a meeting last week, Palumbo said NOPD would carry out sweeps of “any person who’s camping out, laying tents, blankets, anything of that nature, on the sidewalk.”

“Essentially no sleeping in the French Quarter,” Palumbo said.

The French Quarter Management District last week also approved a proposal to allocate $260,000 to fund a new State Police detail in the French Quarter that will “conduct focused Quality of Life and Nuisance Sweeps” in collaboration with NOPD and other law enforcement.

The management district’s proposal, which was approved unanimously, cites “an uptick in concerns related to public order, nuisance activities and overall safety” in the Vieux Carré, according to the proposal. Neighborhood business owners and residents have repeatedly cited concerns about

homelessness, unpermitted vending and illegal parking.

Palumbo said last week that that while violent crime is down in the French Quarter, “on the quality-oflife side of things, there’s significant improvements that we would like to see.”

Violent crime dropped by 27% in the second quarter of this year compared with the same time in 2024 in the 8th District, which includes the French Quarter, Central Business District and the Marigny, according to statistics compiled by the Metropolitan Crime Commission.

Still, the uptick enforcement doesn’t mean homeless people won’t be allowed in the French Quarter

“There needs to be a reasonable expectation we will encounter homeless people in the Quarter,” said Christian Pendleton, general manager of Brennan’s Restaurant on Royal Street and a board commissioner on the French Quarter Management District on Monday

“What we are moving to is to no longer encounter sleeping people in the Quarter Those are different things,” he said.

Staff writer Sophie Kasakove contributed to this report.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

Leak reported by Cornerstone Chemical Co.

Crews track 1,200 pounds of corrosive acid

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

Crews with Cornerstone Chemical Co. have spent weeks cleaning its Waggaman campus three weeks after more than a thousand pounds of highly corrosive acid leaked into its drainage system and the Mississippi River, according to a Coast Guard report

At 3 a.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 a rusted piece of equipment, according to Shawn Ward, Cornerstone’s director of corporate health, safety, security, environment and sustainability

The acid leaked into a ditch leading into the Mississippi River, according to a report made to the

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

U.S. Coast Guard’s National Response Center

There were no injuries or impacts to the surrounding community as a result of the leak, Ward said.

Ward added that the leak was discovered during an “investigation with a tenant,” but did not specify who that tenant was. Its clients include CF Industries, Röhm and, most recently, UBE Corp.

Methacrylic acid is a hazardous, highly corrosive chemical that can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes during contact or irritate the nose and throat if breathed in.

Cornerstone said a third-party cleanup crew vacuumed out its ditches later that morning.

Crews will continue cleanup efforts through Wednesday after tropical weather forecasts caused delays in mitigation plans last week

Ward added that follow-up environmental sampling will be conducted to verify completion of the cleanup, and that Cornerstone will investigate the root cause of the incident.

help achieve the final effect.

The process of annealing metal (using heat to soften metal and improve its workability) felt like magic. Once the metals were softened, I was able to imprint various designs on them. Lorio, who graduated from Catholic High in 1962 and LSU a few years later is a master of adaptation. He uses old crockpots set up for warming a liquid to pickle the metals, old shirts as polishing cloths, Christmas ribbon and leaves to imprint metals. He has row upon row of cigar

to

Continued from page 1B

homestead tax exemption. He also claims she switched her address to her to a condo at the Reserve at Cedar Lodge complex in Baton Rouge, where her son lives. Sharper said Jones made the changes “in an attempt to mislead the public and to qualify as a judicial candidate for the upcoming election.” Jones’ qualification form lists her downtown Baton Rouge law firm along Europe Street as her mailing address and indicates she’s domiciled at the Reserve at Cedar Lodge condo along Corporate Boulevard. East Baton Rouge property tax records indicate Jones’ son also lives at the complex. Ascension Parish assessor records show Jones has owned a four-bedroom home in a Prairieville subdivision since 1990, but the residential property is not listed as her homestead exemption. Jones listed the Prairieville house as her primary residence in August 2023, when she filed to run for district judge in Ascension Parish, court records show

“This last-minute lawsuit is nothing more than a distraction. I remain focused on what truly matters: bringing fairness, access, and dignity to our justice system,” Jones’ statement said. “I trust that voters will see through the noise and stand with me as I continue this campaign with honesty, transparency, and integrity.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

PICKLEBALL

Continued from page 1B

Port Allen Community Center and four at the Erwinville Recreation Center on the northern end of the parish. Alexander Park in Brusly will house eight courts.

The council plans to dedicate $500,000 to the project, with Placid contributing the other $500,000. The council will award construction contracts at its Aug. 28 meeting. Placid is helping build the pickleball courts as a gesture of gratitude to the Port Allen community Beadle said, in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary The $500,000 donation represents $10,000 for each year of the crude oil refinery’s operation in Port Allen.

In 2023, Placid relocated its headquarters from Dallas to Baton Rouge and committed $66 million to modernizing the Port Allen facility

“We don’t want anyone in West Baton Rouge complaining about us,” Beadle said. “We try to just do our job and be a good corporate citizen. We’ve managed to do that for 50 years.”

facility

“As always, our primary focus is on the safety and security of our employees, our neighbors, and the environment in which we operate,” Ward said in a statement. Last August, Cornerstone reported a leak of more than 1,000 gal-

boxes filled with tiny pieces of metal or jump rings lining the shelves. Somehow, he knows exactly which box to go to find what he needs. With Lorio as a guide, I came to appreciate the jazz bebopping in the background as I slowly progressed through the many stages required to make a copper alligator, which eventually became a brooch. That feat took the bulk of my four classes, but I was also able to make two other less complicated pieces. Overall, I appreciated the slow-

lons of sulfuric acid from a train car sent from its former tenant, Dyno Nobel that also had no offsite impacts. Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

ness of the experience, a stark contrast to most of the rest of the world. In Lorio’s studio of fire and wires and music, time softened too. The world quieted just enough for something small and beautiful to take shape — and not just in the metal. For information about Lorio’s jewelry classes, email tlorio1622@hotmail.com or call (225) 383-7258.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Email Haley Miller at haley miller@theadvocate.com.

WEATHER

a radio network, which he said is important because they will still be able to run even if power is lost during a storm.

Anderson said the plan to begin the bidding process in the next few weeks and hopefully have the equipment installed by the end of hurricane season. The stations would definitely be up and running by the 2026 hurricane season, he said.

Parish President Randy Delatte said in a news release the stations will give residents more time to prepare or evacuate in the event of severe storms or flooding.

“This is a major step toward making Livingston Parish more resilient and better prepared for the future,” he said in the release.

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

Continued from page 1B LOTTERY

3: 4-8-2

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

A person sleeps in front of a business on Decatur Street in the French Quarter early Monday morning

Hunt Sr., James'Francis'

JamesFrancis Hunt,86, ofClinton, Louisiana(East Feliciana Parish), peace‐fully left this worldtobe withthe Lord on July 16 2025, while in hisClinton home, surrounded by fam‐ily.BorninMcCool,Missis‐sippi (AttalaCounty),on October 26, 1938, he spent his earlychildhood there beforemovingwithhis familytoClintonin1945, where he residedthe rest ofhis life.Hegraduated fromClintonHighSchoolin 1957. It wasthere,under the tutelage of CoachM Nay Williams,thatFrancis developed a fierce love for the game of football.A tal‐ented athlete, he is often rememberedasone of the bestfullbacks to come out ofClintonHigh. It wasalso there he methis high schoolsweetheart, Ginger Andrews,who after gradu‐ation became hischer‐ished wife of more than 65 years.A skilledgolfer, Francis wasawarded agolf scholarship to attend Louisiana Collegein Pineville,where he earned a degree in physical educa‐tion. He laterwentonto earna Master’s +30inAd‐ministrationfromSouth‐eastern LouisianaUniver‐sityinHammond.Francis dedicated hislifetopublic service,startinghis career asa belovedfootball coach,history teacherand mentortohis students Afterendinghis 16 year

coaching stint at Pride HighSchool in 1976, he moved on to serveasprin‐cipal at ClintonMiddle School,and ClintonHigh School before becoming supervisorofpersonnel and curriculum forthe East Feliciana Parish School Board.Duringthistimehe served28consecutive years in parish govern‐ment, 24 of thoseyears as president of theEastFeli‐ciana Parish Police Jury.A humbleman of faith,Fran‐cis wasa lifetime member ofFirst BaptistChurch, Clinton.Heserved faith‐fully as aDeacon, Sunday School teacher, and ledthe parishprisonministryfor manyyears.Uponretire‐mentin2002, he fulfilled another dreamwhenhe designed andbuilt Oak LakeGolfCourse. He was blessedtospend his goldenyears working along side hisson,Jamie together building asuc‐cessful familybusiness. Thoughthe game of golf was alifelonghobby turnedlegacy, histruepas‐sionliedinthe written word. Franciscould often befound at OakLakesit‐tinginthe corner of the clubhouse peckingaway onhis computer where in his “spare time”heau‐thoredelevennovels, in‐cluding theProvidenceand Hardworkbook series and a children’s book.Heis survivedbyhis wife,Gin‐ger;daughters Beth Hunt Fudge of Clintonand Julie Hunt Bryant (TJ) of Vonore TN;son James“Jamie” Francis Hunt,Jr(Christi); and son-in-law IkeMcK‐night allofClinton, and RobertFudge of Skiatook, OK. He is also survived by his grandchildrenJosh Fudge (Ashley) of Zachary, LA, Kristen Whetstone (Randy) of Woodville,MS, DanielFudge (Jessica)of Skiatook,OK, PhillipMcK‐night (April)ofJackson,LA, Brandin Walker (Scott) of Clinton,LA, JacobMcK‐night of Clinton, LA,Caro‐lineMcKnightofStFran‐cisville, LA,Caleb Bryant, ofChattanooga,TN, Jordan Bryant, of Knoxville, TN LukeBryant, of Johnson City, TN,James Francis “Trey”Hunt III, Caroline, and CharlesRistHunt of Clinton;great-grandchil‐drenCassie(Tyler),Carley and Cole Fudge, JoeHunt and Hayden Duhon, BlakeleeWhetstone,Jack‐son andBrooksFudge,TJ (Holly),Trevor(Brooke) and AvaFulmer, Deuce and Hunter McKnight,Tatum Piper,and Andrew Walker, Briggs,and McCaul McK‐night,and Nico Bryant; great-great-grandchildren Forrest, Paislynn, and Amelia Fulmer; sister Nancy Covington, anda hostofniecesand nephews.Hewas preceded indeath by hisparents, JuliusMax andMaryMc‐Quirter Hunt;his daugh‐ters,Anita Hunt McKnight

andInfantJenniferLynn Hunt;and hissiblings Juliusand DavidHunt of Clinton andMaxineSimp‐son of Clinton, MS.Visita‐tionwillbeheldonThurs‐day,July24, 2025, from 3:00 to7:00p.m.atFirst Baptist Church of Clinton, 12329 Jackson Street,Clinton, LA 70722. Asecondvisitation willbeheldFriday, July 25, 2025, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., with funeralservices tofollow. Burial at Springhill Cemetery.Pall‐bearers:aforementioned grandsons.HonoraryPall‐bearers:Scott Walker Randy Whetstone, Jason Hooge,Charlie Hale,and aforementionedgreat grandsons.Share sympa‐thies,condolences,and memoriesatwww.Charlet FuneralHome.com.

Ann Merritt LeBlanc Guercio,beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away in thecomfort of her lifelong home on July 19, 2025, at theage of 70, after fighting acourageousbattleagainst cancer. Bornand raised in BatonRouge,Ann graduated fromLouisiana StateUniversityinhome economics, whereshe proudlyserved as Captain of theLSU Tigresses and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.Ann wore many hatsthroughout her life,— as an aerobics instructor and nutritionist,a personal shopper at Maison Blanche -Goudchaux's, aprofessional model, an antiques dealer,a community volunteer,anentertainer, and a socialite— she wore each with elegance and purpose. Afierce tennisplayer and loyalfriend of Bocage Racquet Club, Annfound joyand community on the courtand beyond. She gave generouslyofher time and talents, supporting causes such as CompanionAnimal Alliance, Cat Haven, CancerServices of Greater Baton Rouge, to name onlya few of the many close to her heart Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Paul James "Jimmy" Jr.and Jane LeBlanc. She is survivedby her devotedhusband of 39 years, Robert Guercio;her

daughters, Merritt(Jim Voitier) and Mimi (Foster deGeneres); and her precious grandchildren, Robert and Jane Voitier. She is also survivedbyher brother, Conway LeBlanc, his wife, Terri, and their children, Benjaminand Susannah.She also leaves behind her cherished pets, treasured friends, and countless people whose livesshe brightened. Avisitationwillstart at 9:30am until mass at 11:30am Friday, July25, 2025 at St. Aloysius CatholicChurch, 2025 Stuart Ave. Immediate family willgather for aprivate internmentat Roselawn MemorialPark. Following theburial, the family wishes to havea privatereception forrelativesand close friendsat their home. In lieu of flowers, thefamily kindly requests donations to Companion AnimalAlliance, Cat Haven, CancerServices of BatonRouge,orHospice of BatonRouge

McCarthy,William F. 'Charlie'

WilliamF."Charlie" Mc‐Carthy, passedawayon Friday, July 18, 2025, at his residence in BatonRouge, Louisiana,atthe ageof 102. He wasbornonMon‐day,August7,1922, in Fall River,Massachusetts Charlie wasa Navy vet‐eran, who proudlyserved inWWIIinthe Navy Am‐phibiousForces, from 1942 until 1945, before he re‐turnedtoSoutheastern College.Charlie's firstca‐reer wasasa StateFarm Agent in Independence for 20years.His passionwas his thirty year career as a SEC basketball official.He alsoservedfor 5years as a NBA observer;whereby,he took notesatNBA games, asa meanstoimprove the performance of active ref‐erees.Following hisstint withthe NBA, theSEC ap‐proachedhim to work for themasanobserver, which he,ofcourse, ac‐cepted. Charlieissurvived byhis wife of 75 years, Frances Marie"Frankie" McCarthy; son& daughterin-law, WilliamF.McCarthy Jr. andJackieP.McCarthy, son &daughter-in-law, RobertMcCarthyand Terri BreauxMcCarthy, daughter & son-in-law,MaryClare Horganand Porter Smith Horgan; grandchildren, Lainey T. Major(Taylor

Major),Kandice ClareTrock (Harris Evan Trock),Kristen Clare Drouant(Ross Drouant)and ChloeClare McCarthy; greatgrandaughters,LeviElaina Major,MiMiClare Trock, RubyClare Trock; greatgrandsons,William Mc‐CarthyDrouant,Griffen RobertDrouant,Wells ParkerDrouant andJones RobertTrock.Hewas pre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐ents, WilliamMcCarthy and ClaraJordanMc‐Carthy. Relativesand friends areinvited to the visitationonMondayJuly 28th. from 9:00a.m. until 11:00a.m.,followedbya MassofChristian Burial beginning at 11:00a.m.,at HolyGhost Catholic Church,600 NorthOak Street,Hammond Louisiana,70401. Interment willfollowinSoutheast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐tery, Slidell, Louisiana. In lieuof flowersthe family willestablish an athletic scholarship in Charlie's nameatSoutheastern Louisiana University Arrangementshavebeen entrusted to HarryMcK‐neely& SonFuneralHome and CrematoryofHam‐mondand Ponchatoula. An on-line guestbook is avail‐ableatwww.harrymcknee ly.com

Pollard, John R. John RPollard passed away at hishome on June 27, 2025, after ashort illness. Serviceswill be held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at OursoFuneral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales, Louisiana. Visitation is from 9AM-10:45AM, Funeral service to follow from 11:00AM-12:00PM.Burial at Serenity Oaks in Dutchtown, Louisiana. Avisitation will be held from9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2025-0724 at OursoFuneral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy.

Afuneral service will be held from11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 2025-07-24 at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy.

Virginia SueHalbert Tricoudiedpeacefully, surroundedbyher family, on Saturday, July 19, 2025. She wasborninColumbia, LA, on November 12, 1938, to Walterand Pauline(neè Thompson)Halbert. She wasraised in Waterproof, LA, andwas a1956 gradu-

ate of WaterproofHigh School. Sheattended Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, LA. She moved to Baton Rouge in 1962 and workedfor The Boy Scouts of America and NewYorkLife.In1967 she met the love of herlife, George Tricou. They married on Leap Dayin1968 and spent56wonderful years together, untilhis death in 2024. During their marriage, Sueand George lovedtohave agoodtime with friends, travelthe US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Suewas an avid needle pointer; collecting canvasesthroughout their travels andcreating Christmas stockingsfor hergrandchildren. Suewas an active member of Broadmoor United Methodist Churchfor manyyearsand served as the parsonage manager andTaste Fair Chair throughout the1980s. After George's retirement in 1994, theymoved to the CountryClubofLouisiana, whereshe wasa member of theGarden Cluband ParcelRepresentative to theHOA.Sue is preceded in death by herhusband of 56 years, George Tricou; parents, Walterand PaulineHalbert; beloved brother, BillHalbert; grandson, Bryan Tricou; anddaughter-in-law, Andrea Bugea Tricou. Sheis survived by son,Mark Tricouand wife,DawnTricou; daughter, LoriTricou Zacharyand husband, John Zachary, Jr;grandchildren, Chris Tricou, CatherineTricouShelfer andhusbandBrian Shelfer, Hannah Zachary Kirsch andhusband, James Kirsch, Olivia Zachary, and CharlieOliver;greatgrandchildren, BrennaTricou, Brooks Shelfer, Bennett Shelfer, Diana Kirsch Charlee Oliver,and Hollis Oliver.The familywould like to thank Barbara Crutchfield, Sue's constant companionand exceptional caregiver; othercaregivers, Nicole, Sharonda, Ashley, andBelinda; Clarity Hospice nursing and staff,Keke, Christy, Raven Terri, LIndsay, Jessica, and Mr.Mike. In lieu of flowers, please make adonation to Clarity Hospice of Baton Rouge,The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, or a charity of yourchoice. Visitation will be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA, on Thursday, July 24, 2025, from 12pm untilthe time of thememorial service at 2pm. Familyand friends are invited to sign theonline guestbook at www.gre enoaksfunerals.com

LeBlancGuercio,Ann

Tricou,Virginia Sue

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

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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

Intimidation andfearlead to fascismwith immigrationlaw enforcement

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

Reader outlined what immigrationreform should look like

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

Search foranswers

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Assemble the tailgategear and get the Sunday outfitsready, football seasonis (almost) back in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Saintsbegintraining camp Wednesday morning at their Airline Drive facilityinMetairie, taking their most meaningful step toward the beginning of a2025 season that will at the very least provide aglimpseofthe franchise’sfuture

For afranchisethat has been defined by its commitment to continuity thepast 20 seasons, so much is new this time around: the head coach, the quarterback, thedefensive scheme —heck,eventhe uniforms (the Saints are announcing something uniformrelated Tuesday).

So let’shave aquick refresher andlook at some of the important questions that will be answered in the coming months, starting with the quarterback situation Whoisitgoing to be?

The light drama regardingrookie quarterbackTyler Shough and his contract status with the Saints finally was resolved this past weekend, when the two sides agreed to afully guaranteed four-year deal.

With that in the rearview,things can progress along thepaththey were supposed to with Shough competing with second-year player Spencer Rattler for the righttostart theseasonopener against the ArizonaCardinals in the Caesars Superdome on Sept.7

It is far too early to say with any confidence which player is going to winthe job; both Shough and Rattler enjoyed some solidmoments during thesummer program, though neither competed in live 11-on-11 drills. The next month should feature bothquarterbacks taking snaps withthe first-team offense.

Shough hasthe advantage of being handpicked by the new coaching staff. Rattler has thebenefit of experience something that shouldn’tbedismissed out of hand, even though he struggled in adverse situations last year

This has thefeeling of being astory throughout all of training camp —and potentially into the regular season. Stay tuned.

Does Moorehavethe goods?

Nearly 20 years ago, theSaints changed the trajectory of their franchise when they hired ayoung and relatively unproven offensive mind as theirhead coach in Sean Payton.Can they strike

gold twice?

Maybe it’s not fair to call Kellen Moore unproven. He’scoordinatedsix NFLoffenses and he’shad alot of success in that role, most recentlyhelping the Philadelphia Eagles secure aSuper Bowl title. 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 unfold until we see it in action. Forevery Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan—that is,a youngoffensive-minded coachwho

Key NFL playerson comeback trailafter injuries

BY LARRYLAGE AP sports writer

ALLEN PARK, Mich.

Aidan

Hutchinson put his lefthand downinathree-point stance, and on the snap, he madean inside moveonanoffensive tackle to help collapse apocket around the passer Hutchinson looked like he did on mostplays in practice and games duringhis first two-plus seasonswiththe Detroit Lions. The only obvious differencewas ablack sleeve thatcovered andsupported much of his surgically repaired leftleg.

Hutchinson appeared to practice without any limitations on Sunday, when Detroit kicked offtraining camp with its first practice.

That wasagood sign forhim and a franchise that desperately needshim to regain the spectacular form he had before breaking his leg in two places nine months ago against the Dallas Cowboys.

Hutchinson, the No. 2overall pick in 2022, was an early candidate for TheAssociatedPress NFLDefensive Player of the Year last season when he had 71/2 sacks in five games for one of the league’stop teams.

His third season ended with agruesome injury that landed him in aTexas hospital for acouple of days, forcing him into his longest hiatus without football.

Hutchinson’slong waittoplay again is expected to endSept. 7atGreen Bay,where the two-time reigning NFC North champions will start the season.

“I don’tthink anybody in the game of football will ever be as grateful whenIcome back in thatfirst game,” Hutchinson said.

San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey, Dallasquarterback Dak Prescott and Minnesota quarterbackJ.J. McCarthy may beg to differ because they,too, are thankful to be on pace to bounce back from injuryshortened seasons.

ChristianMcCaffrey

The two-time All-Pro running back hassaidhehas “zero restrictions” afterAchilles tendinitis kept himout of the first eight games last year and aright knee injury relegated him to watching the last five games. San Francisco slipped last season with McCaffrey limited to four games, going 6-11 after reaching the Super Bowl thanksinparttoits dynamic running back.Hewon theAPOffensive Player of the Year that season after leading the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and tying for the NFLlead with 21 touchdowns.

“Last year didn’tgothe wayI wanted. It didn’tgothe way anyone wanted,” he said. “But having this timeoff has allowed me to start from scratch and have the timewhere Ican build a base again.”

DakPrescott

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback is expected to be fully recovered

ä See NFL, page 5C

himself into an amusing and likable pitchman fora wide varietyofadvertisers. Watch him dance at ahigh school prom with the animated cartoon general for The General Insurance. See him lead acavalcade of warriors to fight pain for IcyHot.Giggle whilehegoofily cavorts, fully dressed, in apool for Carnival Cruises. Get hungry while he hawks acholesterol

bomb Shaq-a-Roni pizza for Papa John’s, packed with extra cheese andpepperoni. “I try to use alot of humor,” Shaqsaid. “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 GoizuetaBusiness School at EmoryUniversityin Atlanta who specializes in sports marketing, hasdone an annual survey of 50 to 60celebrities overseveral yearstogauge their popularity.Three namespop up regularly as the most trustworthy: DollyParton,Dwayne“The Rock”Johnson and Shaq.

“They’re all larger-thanlife characters,” Lewissaid.

“They’re self-deprecating, they’re funny and they have long histories ofexcellence.

“In some ways, allcelebrities playacharacter.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 earlydays 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 brandawareness of The General, 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.”

RobJenners, whoproduced apodcast with Shaq andradio host JohnKincade for several years outofAtlanta, recalled

STAFF FILEPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints linebacker Demario Davis celebrates stopping Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders during the season opener on Sept. 8atthe Caesars Superdome.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints coach Kellen Moore fist-bumps cornerback Quincy Rileyduring an OTApractice in Metairie on June 5.This is Moore’s first season as aheadcoach.

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 listed salary,

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.

By DERIK HAMILTON

Hamlin climbing NASCAR wins list without a title

BY DAN GELSTON AP sports writer

DOVER, Del. Denny Hamlin has stood his ground that wins — enough of them to soon earn his place inside NASCAR’s career top10 list — matter more to his legacy than a championship. Easy to say, of course, with 58 race victories compared to zero titles.

The 44-year-old Hamlin, still driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing as he’s done since his rookie season in 2006, is motivated to reach the top 10 this season over the final 15 races of the Cup season. Kevin Harvick is 10th on the career list with 60 and Kyle Busch, still active with Richard Childress Racing, is ninth with 63, giving Hamlin realistic numbers to shoot for the rest of the season. Best to take advantage at tracks where he’s had success, such as Dover Motor Speedway, where he won Sunday for the second straight year and third time overall, compared with a track like this weekend’s race on the Indianapolis oval, where Hamlin is 0 for 16.

“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to go back-to-back so bad,” Hamlin said of Dover “(Indy’s) a track that I’ve just come so fricking close to winning. I just want to cross off all the major racetracks on our schedule.” Hamlin is a driver who thrives in the chaos like few others in the series. His win at Dover came days after the race team he owns with Michael Jordan suffered a setback in its court fight with NASCAR. He insisted ahead of the race that the legal issues never caused a distraction for him in the race car, then proved it on the mile concrete track with a series-best fourth win of the season.

Maybe more dark clouds like the ones that opened up Sunday, causing a rain delay just laps ahead of the scheduled finish can fuel Hamlin at Indy

“All I can hope is that something happens this week that derails ev-

SHAQ

Continued from page 1C

Shaq meeting The General’s CEO, Randy Parker for the first time in 2016 to tape a special podcast for employees.

“They had these formal questions written out on a piece of paper,” Jenners said. “Shaq took the paper from them and put it on the table. ‘I just want you to talk to me. This isn’t an interview Let’s talk about what you do, why it helps people and how 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,”

erything and then I’ll do better,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin then turned to a NASCAR employee and cracked, “Maybe it’ll come from them.”

Can Hamlin realistically get to 60 in 2025? He won eight times in 2010, six times in 2019 and seven in 2020, all totals that would get him to 60 this year

“When you get him in a situation where he’s got the ball in his hands and it’s time to go win the race, he finds a way to do that most times,” crew chief Chris Gayle said.

It’s a fitting analogy for a race team owned by a former NFL coach At his pace, Hamlin remains a contender to cash in this November at Phoenix Raceway and win his first NASCAR championship even if he lost out on the $1 million prize in the series’ first In-Season Challenge.

$1 million is on the line

The idea for the challenge largely was championed by Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner who floated the idea of a midseason tournament on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast. When NASCAR bought into the idea and announced the creation of the tournament last year, Hamlin called the tournament on social media “such a win for our sport and drivers.” He jokingly added, “I will collect my 1M royalty next season.”

Hamlin earned the No. 1 seed — and was promptly eliminated in the first race by Ty Dillon, the No. 32 seed.

Dillon faces Ty Gibbs next week at Indianapolis to decide the first winner of the tournament.

Hamlin said the five-race, bracket-style tournament overall was a success — but not without a few kinks. Some of the seeding was off, such as Shane van Gisbergen not qualifying for the field, then ripping off consecutive wins on the Chicago street race and Sonoma Raceway during the tournament races.

And sure, everyone loves a Cin-

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

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,”

Karr community mourns death of ex-player Adams

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Edna Karr coaches and administrators remembered on Monday how Corey Adams proudly wore a blue suit and red tie that matched the Ole Miss school colors on the December day he signed with the college where he planned to play football.

They also remembered when Adams returned to the high school on July 5 so that the twotime all-state defensive lineman selection could collect his football state championship ring during a ceremony at the school.

Less than three weeks later, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Adams was gone, dead from a gunshot wound after Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies found him in a car after a shooting just outside of Memphis, Tennessee.

The shooting occurred just minutes after Adams arrived outside of a pool party with roughly 100 or more attendees, chief deputy Anthony Buckner said during a video recording of a news conference Monday

“Corey was a good young man,” said Buckner, who noted that more than 40 rifle and pistol shell casings were found near the shooting that also wounded four other individuals with noncritical injuries “He didn’t deserve this.”

with his studies, it’s the same way he would be on the field.”

Adams made great strides during his time at Karr, going from a player who frequently made mistakes to one whom other teammates leaned on for advice.

“In his first year, he would always mess up,” Karr athletic director and defensive coordinator Taurus Howard said. “And I would be like, ‘Corey, come here, come here.’ And before I could get to him, he was already beating himself up, like, ‘My bad, coach. My bad. I knew I should have done this.’

“And once he would get to you, he would beat himself up so bad, you would be like, ‘Go back out there.’

Adams completed his high school playing career not only as a two-time all-state selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association but also as the Class 5A defensive player of the year when he was as senior District 9-5A coaches also selected Adams as the defensive MVP Adams ended his senior season with 62 tackles that included 19 sacks, along with four forced fumbles.

He completed high school soon enough for him to enroll early at Ole Miss, where he attended classes and participated in practices in the spring.

derella in March But two in July

isn’t necessarily making the tournament the NASCAR story of the summer

“I think it has been unfortunate, right, you probably had a lot of the top seeds get knocked out pretty early in it, but overall, I thought the implementation of it has been good,” Hamlin said.

The other side of the argument is this: Would any fan or media outlet really care about a pair of winless drivers such as Gibbs (the sixth seed) or Dillon at this point of the season without $1 million at stake?

“For a team like us, at this point in the season, we’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but we’re trending in a good direction,” Dillon said on TNT “Our story doesn’t get told in years past. It’s mainly the guys trying to fight for the points position It’s the guys running up front, trying to win the race. But our story and our growth in the year stops getting told. I’m grateful we’ve been able to show our personality as a team.”

How they fared

Dillon had luck on his side during his run, with his lone top-10 finish coming in the first race in Atlanta. He advanced in that race after Hamlin crashed out and finished 31st. Dillon twice has finished 20th, including at Dover He has a best finish of 13th in five career races on the Indy oval.

Gibbs, the grandson of team owner and football and NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, and Dillon have failed to win in a combined 374 Cup races. Dillon has only two career top-five finishes in a career that dates to 2014. The 22-year-old Gibbs has a much better pedigree, winning the 2022 Xfinity Series title, a series in which he was a 12-time winner. He has six top 10s already this season and could make NASCAR’s playoffs on points.

Gibbs has three straight top 10s in the tournament, including a fifth-place finish at Dover Gibbs finished 23rd on the Indy oval last season.

“My son was not a bad child,” Chantrel Bernhart said at the news conference, as the mother of five pleaded for anybody who knew anything about the shooting to contact detectives. “He lived for football.”

Back at Karr, the 18-year-old Adams was remembered by coaches and administrators not only for his aggression and drive on the football field but also for the positive example he set in the hallways and in the classrooms at the school in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans.

“Seeing him play, and seeing him in the classroom, walking the hallways, I had the opportunity to see both sides,” Karr principal Tomika Washington said “When it’s time for him to be locked in

He returned home in May for the Karr graduation ceremony held at Xavier University, where guidance counselor Neisha Riley walked with Adams after the ceremony to their cars.

“We were talking and my last words to him were, ‘Go be great,’ ” she said. “He’s like, ‘I am. I can’t wait.’ ”

Counselor Royce Hooks recalled the pride with which Adams expressed about being named to the dean’s list.

“What keeps playing in my mind,” said Howard, the defensive coordinator, “was you could tell that he was appreciative of how we molded him to be the young man that he is. Not because he said it, but because of his attitude.”

Skubal making a strong case for another Cy Young

BY NOAH TRISTER AP baseball writer

It’s been a quarter-century since an American League pitcher won back-to-back Cy Young Awards. It takes a pretty special pitcher to pull that off, but Tarik Skubal fits the bill.

Skubal showed why he’s the favorite to win the Cy Young for a second straight year, striking out 11 with no walks Sunday night in Detroit’s 2-1 victory over Texas. If the Cy Young goes to him, he’ll be the first AL pitcher to earn it in back-to-back seasons since Pedro Martinez’s remarkable stretch with the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000.

Roger Clemens won consecutive Cy Youngs on two different occasions (1986-87 and 1997-98), and Jim Palmer did it in 1975-76. Those are the only AL pitchers besides Martinez to pull that off. It’s been a bit more common in the National League: Greg Maddux (1992-

“Shaq came into the league as a giant and kind of an angry guy 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.”

STEVE KOONIN former TBS/TNT executive

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 cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which went bellyup in 2022. Shareholders sued, and earlier this year, Shaq agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle a classaction 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

95) and Randy Johnson (19992002) both won four straight, and Tim Lincecum (2008-09), Clayton Kershaw (2013-14), Max Scherzer (2016-17) and Jacob deGrom (2018-19) are in the two-in-a-row club.

National Leaguer Sandy Koufax won the Cy Young in 1965 and 1966, back when there was only one award for both leagues.

The win Sunday snapped a six-game losing streak for the Tigers, who still have baseball’s best record and an 11-game lead in the AL Central. Not only has Detroit struggled to win games lately but the All-Star Game didn’t go great either, with Skubal giving up two runs in the first inning and Tigers teammate Casey Mize allowing a homer in the sixth.

Skubal, however, pitched well enough on Sunday to take over the AL lead in ERA. He’s at 2.1854, while Boston’s Garrett Crochet is at 2.1946.

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.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOOT

Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning a NASCAR race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday in Dover, Del.

NFL

NO SACKSGET PAST JOHNSON

TheEaglesright tackle’s performanceanchors No.1offensive tackle spot in theNFL

BY ROBMAADDI AP pro football writer

Lane Johnson didn’tallow a sackin2024, anchoring one of the NFL’s best offensive line units and helping the Philadelphia Eagles win their second SuperBowl The six-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time All-Prowas selected the No. 1offensive tackle in apreseasonsurvey by The Associated Press.

Apanel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at the position, basing selections on current status entering the 2025season.

First-place votes wereworth 10 points. Secondthrough fifthplace votes were worth 5, 3, 2and 1points.

Johnson, who plays right tackle, received three first-place votes andfour thirds.

Teammate Jordan Mailata, who plays the left side, also got three

first-place votes. Penei Sewell and Trent Williams also received one first apiece. Mailata finished second and TristanWirfs cameinthird,followedbySewelland Williams. Rashawn Slater,Laremy Tunsil and Dion Dawkins alsoreceived votes.

1. LANE JOHNSON, Eagles

Johnsonhas establishedhimselfasone of the greatest right tackles in NFL history sincethe Eaglesselected him No. 4overall in the 2013 draft Johnson helped pave the way for Saquon Barkley’srecordsetting rushingseason and protected Jalen Hurts. He’sbeen adominantforce on theright side and avaluable team leader for Philadelphia.

2. JORDAN MAILATA, Eagles Mailata had neverplayed Americanfootballbefore the Ea-

Lindstromnow above radarastop interior OL

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro footballwriter

Chris Lindstrom has spent much of his six-year careerunder the radar playing foranAtlanta team that hasn’t madethe postseason since 2017.

But Lindstrom’s playdeserves much more attention as his ability to create holesinthe run game and protectthe passer is akey part to Atlanta’s offensive production.

Lindstrom has been the top-graded guard by Pro Football Focus for threestraight seasons and has won the honor of being voted the top interior offensive linemaninthe league by TheAssociated Press.

But Lindstrom really shines at run blocking when his ability to get in space on zone runs has helped fuel Bijan Robinson’ssuccess.

2. JOETHUNEY, Bears

Apanel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players among guards andcenters, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes wereworth 10 points. Second through fifthplace votes were worth 5, 3, 2and 1points Lindstrom got three first placevotes, two seconds and one third to beat out JoeThuney for the top spot.

Thuney,who was traded from Kansas City to Chicago this offseason, got two first-place votes, one second, three thirdsand one fourth to finish second. Kansas City centerCreed Humphrey got two first-place votes and finished third and Denver’sQuinn Meinerzgot the other first-place vote and came in fourth. Indianapolis’ Quenton Nelson rounded out the top five. Baltimore Tyler Linderbaum Philadelphia’sLandon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens, Baltimore’s Daniel Faaleleand recently retired former Detroitcenter Frank Ragnow also received votes.

1. CHRISLINDSTROM,Falcons

Lindstrom has allowed just threesacks and 37 pressures on true pass sets the past three seasons, according to PFF,and has been asteady presence on Atlanta’soffense.

Thuney has been one of the top guards in the league ever since being draftedbyNew England in 2016. He has been afirst-team All-Pro the past two seasons in Kansas City and helped theChiefs and Patriots reach the Super Bowl sixtimes in his nine seasons. Thuney was forced to move outtotacklelatelastseason for Kansas City,but will be back at guard as akey piece in Chicago following on offseason trade.

3. CREEDHUMPHREY,Chiefs

TheChiefs were willing to part with Thuney in part because they were strong at the other interior spots led by Humphreyatcenter Humphrey has taken the mantle from Jason Kelce as thetop center in the league and made first-team All-Pro for the first time last season. Humphrey hasn’tmissed a game in four seasons and excels at bothrun and pass blocking.

4. QUINNMEINERZ,Broncos

After being drafted in the third round from Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2021, Meinerz has made steady progress each season and earnedfirst-team AllPro honors in 2024 to getonthis list

Meinerzallowed just 12 pressureslastseason, accordingto PFF,and is aviolent blocker in the run game.

5. QUENTONNELSON, Colts

Nelson’splayhas droppeda little in recent years but the 29-year-oldisstill one of the top guards in the league.

He wasanAll-Pro hisfirst three seasons afterbeing drafted sixthoverall in 2018 and earned second-team All-Pro honors for thesecond time in his career last season. Nelson has made thePro Bowl allseven seasons.

gles drafted the Australian rugby star in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. Under offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’sguidance, he’sbecome one of the best in the game. APro Bowl snub in 2024, Mailata earned second-team All-Pro honors. He got one second-place vote, one third and one fifthtogo with the three firsts.

3.

TRISTANWIRFS,Bucs

Wirfs, who switched from right tackle to left in 2023, became the first player selected an All-Proat both tackle spots. He made it at right tacklein2021 and earned thespot on the left side lastyear Wirfswas theanchorofanoffensive line thathelped Tampa Bay finish fourth in rushing last season. He got five second-place votes,two thirds and one fifth.

4. PENEISEWELL, Lions

Sewell beat outJohnsonfor

first-team All-Pro last season despite adownyear as apass blocker

He excelled as arun protector but allowed pressure on 4.7% of pass plays, per Pro Football Focus.

Sewell, who moved fromleft tackle to theright side afew years ago, is athree-time Pro Bowl pick andtwo-time All-Pro. He gottwo second-place votes, four fourths and one fifth along with the one first.

5. TRENTWILLIAMS, 49ers

Williams is coming off an injury-plagued season but remains oneofthe best left tackles in the NFL.

He’s an 11-time Pro Bowlpick and was an All-Pro three straight seasons before missing seven games last year

He receivedone third-place vote,two fourths andone fifth to go withhis onefirst.

Chiefs’Jones vitaltoseven AFCtitle gamesinarow

Thedefensive tackle

earnstop interior defensivelineman

BY JOSHDUBOW AP pro football writer

Theone main constantonKansas City’s defense during arun of seven straight appearances in the AFC title gamehas been defensive tackle Chris Jones. While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have carried the offense, Jones hasdonethe same on the defensive end for the Chiefs with his knack of creatingpressure at keymoments playing a crucial roleinKansas City’s success. That helped Jones win thehonor of being voted the top interior defensive lineman in the league by The Associated Press.

Apanel of eightAPPro Football

Writers rankedthe top five playersatinterior defensive line, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-placevotes were worth 10 points.Second through fifthplace votes were worth5,3,2 and 1points. Jones got seven of the eight first-place votes to go with one second towin the voting easily

Twoother playerswereonall eight ballots with Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants getting theother first-place vote to come in secondand Philadelphia’sJalen Carter finishing third Pittsburgh’sCam Heyward finishedfourth andQuinnenWilliams of the Jets came in fifth. Seattle’sLeonard Williams Tennessee’sJeffery Simmons, Denver’sZach Allen andCarolina’sDerrickBrown alsoreceived votes.

1. CHRISJONES,Chiefs

Jones’ sack totaloffive last season was hislowest sincehis rookie season in 2016 but he still earned his thirdstraight All-Pro selection after finishing second

Bengals likely missing twoDEs

BY JOE REEDY AP sports writer

CINCINNATI Coach Zac Taylor

hopes Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart will be his starting defensive ends when the Bengals open the season on Sept. 7atCleveland. The odds of both players being on the field when training camp practices open Wednesday are slim

Stewart,the 17th overallpickin April’sdraft, didnot report with the rest of Cincinnati’srookies Saturday. The Bengals’ veterans, including Hendrickson, are scheduled to report Tuesday

“Those twoguys are guys Ihave tremendous regard for.Trey and Shemar,wewouldn’thave them here if we didn’tbelieve in them as people andplayers,”owner Mike BrownsaidonMonday.“Things like this happeninthe NFL. We acceptit. We don’tinternalize it We’re not trying to hold grudges or anything like that. We have to do what’sbest for our football team. If Ithought we were being unfair in ways, it would be adifferent story.But Idon’t.”

Taylor said he talked to Hendrickson acouple of days ago, but wasn’t sure if he wouldsee him this week.

Hendrickson was an All-Pro selection last season after he led the league with171/2 sacks. He did not attend last month’smandatory minicamp, but did make an appearance during an offseason workout in May to vent his frustrations about negotiations.

among all interiordefensive linemen with 74 pressures in the regular season, according to Pro FootballFocus. Jones’ 72 sacks over the past seven seasons rank tied forfifthoverallinthat span andtiedwith Aaron Donald for themost among interior linemen.

2. DEXTER LAWRENCE,Giants

While most of the other players who got votes at interior defensive lineare “3 technique” tackles wholine up on the outside shoulder of the guards, Lawrence mostly plays nose tackle directly over the center

Those players are typically run stoppers since it is easier to double-team them in the pass game butLawrence thrives at both. He had acareer-high nine sacks in 12 games last season and his 103pressures when lined up as anose tackle the past three seasons are 80 more than any other player,according to PFF

3. JALENCARTER, Eagles

Carter was the anchor of Philadelphia’sSuper Bowl-winning defense last season.

He has 101/2 sacksand 102 total pressuresinthe regular season in hisfirst two years, according to PFF, and helps free up the edge rushersfor theEaglesbecause he warrantssomany double teams.

4. CAMHEYWARD,Steelers

Heyward has shownnosigns of aging as headsinto this season at age 36. He hadeight sacks last season whenheearnedhis fourthfirstteam All-Pro selection.

He has631/2 sacks and 91 tackles for loss in the past eight seasons, earning Pro Bowlbids in seven of them.

5. QUINNENWILLIAMS, Jets

Williams’ production dipped last season as theJets’ defense struggled overall but he has been aconsistent performer since being drafted third overall in 2019. He still has 176 pressuresand 231/2 sacks thepast three seasons.

Hendrickson is seeking alongterm extensionwith an amount of guaranteed money that matches what theleague’s top pass rushers are earning. He is scheduled to earn $15.8 million in base salary and has acap number of $18.7 million.

“He’s earneda raise andanextension, and we’ll continue to see if we can cometogether on something,” director of player personnel Duke Tobin said.

Tobin took an opposite approach in discussing Stewart, who is the only first-round pickwho hasn’t signed.

The Bengals and Stewart are deadlockedovercontract language that couldvoid futureguarantees if there are any off-field incidents.

Other teams have had that language, but this is the first time Cincinnati is trying to include that provision with afirst-round pick.

“It’savery peculiar thing, it isn’t aboutmoney. That’s beenagreed to for months,” Brown said. “Itis anegotiation that has reached the level of, Ican only think of aword Ishouldn’tuse here, but it’ssilliness. We’ll have to waituntil we get abetterresult. Ithink eventually that’sgoing to happen.”

The twosides have been at odds since Stewart was drafted on April 24. Stewart did not sign an injury waiver to practice with teammates during offseason workouts while still unsigned, arare move by a rookie player

“I think Shemar needs to be here. The number one thing ayoung player candoishavea fast start andhaveagood rookie season That normally translates into a long productive NFL career and he needs to be here getting to work on it,” Tobin said.

Tobin tried to deflect blaming Stewart, instead going afterhis agent, Zac Hiller

“He’slistening to the advice that he’spaying for. Idon’tunderstand or believe or agreewith theadvice. But I’m not the one paying for it,” Tobin said. “If Ithought we were treating him unfairlyasitrelates to allthe otherdraftpicks in this year’sdraft, then maybe it’d be adifferent story. Butwe’re not. Again, Idon’tfully understand where things are there.”

Lindstrom

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHRIS SZAGOLA

Philadelphia Eagles tackleLane Johnson blocks againstthe LosAngeles Rams on Jan. 19 in Philadelphia.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By DOUGBENC Philadelphia Eagles offensivetackle Jordan Mailata blocks against the Kansas CityChiefs during Super Bowl LIX on Feb.9 in NewOrleans.

Jones

Lawrence

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 over-

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

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? 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

shadowing 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 highest-paid 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 Parsons 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 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.”

sack percentage (25th), 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 top-five 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

White House says Trump is ‘serious’ about Redskins name

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON A day after Donald Trump threatened to hold up a deal for a new football stadium in the nation’s capital if the Washington Commanders did not go back to the name Redskins, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president’s comments were not a joke.

“The president was serious,” Leavitt told reporters Monday while answering questions on the White House driveway “Sports is one of the many passions of this president, and he wants to see the name of that team changed.”

Asked why he’s getting involved, Leavitt called Trump a “nontraditional president” and said sports fans are behind him on this.

“I think you’ve seen the president gets involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not,” Leavitt said. “He’s a nontraditional president. He likes to see results on behalf of the American people and, if you actually poll this issue with sports fans across the country, and even in this city, people actually do support the president’s position on this and the name change.”

After Congress passed a bill late last year to transfer land from the federal government to the District of Columbia, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the team reached an agreement in April to build on the site of the old RFK Stadium. That is still pending approval by the Council of the District of Columbia.

“I think the thing that we should focus on in D.C. is doing our part,” Bowser said. “I have worked for the better part of 10 years to get our part completed, including getting control of the land, coming to an agreement with the team and advancing a fantastic agreement to the council, so we need to do our part.”

Dan Snyder, who had said multiple times as owner since 1999 that he would never change the name, did so in July 2020 after facing mounting pressure from sponsors

and critics. Washington Football Team was used for two seasons before Commanders was unveiled as the permanent name in early 2022.

Josh Harris, whose group bought the team from Snyder in 2023, said earlier this year the Commanders name was here to stay Savannah Romero, co-founder and deputy director of the Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty Collective, said in a statement Monday responding to Trump that “Native Americans are not mascots.”

“To equate Native people with cartoonish mascots alongside animals is a gross and ongoing tactic of dehumanization,” said Romero, who is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Nation.

A spokesperson for the National Congress of American Indians said the organization was working on finalizing a statement.

At least one organization, the Native American Guardians Association, has filed petitions to bring back the Redskins and Cleveland Indians names.

A handful of fans who were asked by The Associated Press for their opinion generally dismissed Trump’s comments. Ender Tuncay, who grew up in the Washington area and returns to visit family, called it “typical Trump stupidity.”

“It’s just him focusing on things that aren’t consequential and trying to distract from the actual issues that are going on,” Tuncay said, adding he does not care what the name is. “But I’d like them to get the new stadium, for sure. I like this site where it is. My parents used to tell me stories of how great RFK was back when we were really, really good.” Ford Flemmings, who worked as a vendor at the old RFK Stadium, said everyone is on the bandwagon with the name Commanders now that they are winning.

“I liked Washington when it was just plain Washington,” Flemmings said. “If they change their name, so be it. I’ll still be a Washington, whatever the Washington team is.”

NFL

Continued from page 1C

from surgery on his torn hamstring in November That will give him a chance to live up to the $240 million, four-year contract he signed just before the 2024 season

to earn consecutive postseason bids for the first time since 2009, plan to give McCarthy a shot to take the first snaps this season after he missed his rookie year after knee surgery

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.

The Cowboys are counting on Prescott to bounce back to help them get back to the playoffs after a three-year postseason run with just seven wins last season.

A year after finishing second in NFL MVP voting, Prescott had 11 touchdown passes and eight interceptions in eight games last season.

“I’m healthy,” he said. “I’ll be full go for camp.”

J.J. McCarthy

The Minnesota Vikings, aiming

The Vikings let Sam Darnold depart in free agency, clearing the way for the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft. McCarthy showed no signs of trouble during spring practices and declared himself to be bigger, faster and stronger than he was before he hurt his knee in the team’s first exhibition game on last August.

“When you get it taken away from you, you take every chance you get to be back out here and really appreciate it, really take the most out of it,” McCarthy said. “Nothing better than being out here with the boys playing some ball, so having a great time.”

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J McCarthy throws a pass during a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MORRy GASH Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, left, greets Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love last season. Rattler will compete for the starting QB job this season.

Parsons

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.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PATRICK SEMANSKy

Washington Commanders jerseys are displayed at an event to unveil the team’s new identity on Feb 2, 2022, in Landover, Md.

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 2D

ABOVE: Sonia and Kevin Ratzmann sitinthe gathering room at La Grande Maison Blanche in Hammond.

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.

Distinct tile lines the walls and floor of one of the bathrooms in the mansion.

La Grande Maison Blanche sits on 25 acres off Happywoods Road in Hammond.

STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON

BYSERENA PUANG Staff

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.

LSU

Lantana leaveshaveavelvety feel anda distinct scent. These traits help deter deer

DEER

Continued from page1D

Jessie Hoover knows thisdilemma all too well. As an LSU AgCenter horticulture agent based in the hills and woods of theFeliciana 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. Havingto open agate every time youneed to tend your garden can be a pain, plus the fence will shroud your beautiful plants fromeasy view

Some gardeners try to spook deer with motion-activated sprinklers and lights. There are repellent sprays on the market, too. Hoover suggests startingwith asimpler strategy: Growing plants that deer don’tenjoy eating.

CLUCKIN’

Continued from page1D

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

HOUSE

Continuedfrom page1D

“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 aprickly leaf or even a waxy,thick, coated leaf,” Hoover said. “Those areall plants that deer tend to stay away from.”

The leaves of lantana, abeloved flowering perennial, have a velvetyfeel and adistinct scent —neither of which deer like. Anise (Illicium spp.), an evergreen shrub whose 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 foxgloves in front 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-topurpleflowers in thespring and summer, also workswell 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

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

FAMILY CIrCUS

TODAy'S CLUE: B EQUALS W

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

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

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

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

Can you find 24 or morewords in EPISODES?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —DEMAGoGY

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

g Q will be identifying an en‐gineering firm or firms deemed qualified andeli‐gibletoperform work within Terrebonne Parish.The selectionof the firm/s will be based on thestrengthofthe firm’s qualificationsin study, design flood con‐trol improvements and familiaritywithcoastal conditions andfederal requirements Interested partiesare in‐vitedtosecurea pro‐posalpackage from Ms Jennifer Gerbasi, in per‐sonatPlanningand Zon‐ing, RAMP Division,8026 Main Street,Suite 201, Houma, Louisiana70360, viaemail at ramp@tpcg. org, over thephone at (985) 873-6565, or by vis‐itingcentralbidding.com. Qualificationsmustbe received by August 18, 2025, at 2:00 pm,tobe considered responsive Qualifications submitted after this time will notbe id ed.Q lifi

q tionsof thereviewer will be alicensedarchitect or structural engineer with experience in high wind designs. Thepeerre‐viewer cannot have been involved in anypartof theoriginalsubmit‐ted/selected design TPCG,through this RFQ will be identifyinga firm deemed eligible and qualified to performthis scopeof

y Louisianamet inregular sessiononWednesday July 9, 2025, in theCoun‐cilChambersofPort AllenCityHall. MayorPattancalledthe meetingtoorder at 5:38 PM.The pledge of alle‐giance wasrecited Councilmembers pre‐sent were:Mrs.Joseph Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr Payne. Absent Ms.Gor‐don. Therewas aquorum present. MayorPattancalledfor a moment of silenceinob‐servance of theunex‐pected passingofMs. ClericeLacy, former CouncilMember-At-Large forthe City of Port Allen. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Mrs. Joseph to ap‐provethe minutesofthe regularmeetingofJune 11, 2025. Arollcall vote wasasfollows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph,Mr. Hubble Ms.King, Mr.Payne: Nays;None: Abstain; None;Absent; Ms.Gor‐don: Motion passed. Amotio de b

g Payne: Nays;None: Ab‐stainNone: Absent;Ms. Gordon.Motionpassed. Themonthly financialre‐port waspresented by Mr.AdrianDaigle Therewerenocondem‐nation proceedings Commentsweremadeby Mrs. EvaCrochet con‐cerningpropertylocated at 1433 Rosedale Rd alongwithother blighted properties.The proper‐ties will be evaluated. Therewas onealcoholic beverage permit renewal applicationpresented for consideration: French QuarterDaiquiris.A mo‐tion wasmadebyMr. Hubbleand seconded by Mr.Payne to approvethe permit.A roll call vote wasasfollows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph,Mr. Hubble, Ms.King, Mr.Payne: Nays;None: Abstain; None:Absent; Ms.Gor‐don. Motion Passed Announcements: •SeniorRoundup will be held on August 21, 2025. Thisevent is sponsored by TheCit fP tAll

OF DISABILITY,IN ADMISSION OR ACCESSTO, OR TREATMENT OR EMPLOYMENT IN, ITS FEDERALLYASSISTEDPROGRAMS ANDACTIVITIES. THE BELOW LISTED PERSON HAS BEEN DESIGNATED TO COORDINATE COMPLIANCE WITH THE NONDISCRIMINATION REQUIREMENTS CONTAINEDINTHE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT’S (HUD) REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING SECTION 504 (24CFR PART 8DATED JUNE 2, 1988.) James McCrory,Mayor Town of

LOUISIANA PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY

The following resolution was offered by Guidry and seconded by Cheramie: RESOLUTION

Aresolution authorizing the Chairman or the Vice Chairman and the Secretary-Treasurer or an Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the LouisianaPublic Facilities Authority to execute a Preliminary Agreement between the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority and South Quad L3C; authorizing the issuance of tax exempt and/or taxable lease revenue bonds to

nance certain facilities and equipment; authorizing and approving the form of and publication of the Notice of Sale of Bonds and Notice of Public Hearing; and providing for other matters in connection with the foregoing.

WHEREAS,the LouisianaPublic Facilities Authority (the “Authority”) is apublic trust established for public purposesfor thebenefitofthe State of Louisiana (the “State”) by acertain Indentureof Trust dated August 21, 1974(the “IndentureofTrust”) underand pursuant to the provisions of theLouisiana Public Trust Act (La. R.S. 9:2341-2347, as amended) (the “Act”); and WHEREAS,the IndentureofTrustempowersthe Authority to promote, encourage and further the accomplishment of all activities which areormay become of benefittothe State and its inhabitants and which havea publicpurpose, and to procureany funds necessary therefor by mortgage, pledge or other encumbrance of the trust estate dedicated by it therefor and to provide for the issuance and delivery of special obligation revenue bonds of the Authority to evidence any indebtedness so incurred; and WHEREAS,South Quad L3C, aLouisianalow-profitlimited liability company (“South Quad”) the sole member of which is the LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation (“REFF”), anon-profit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Louisiana and an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”),has applied to the Authority,subject to the approval of the BoardofSupervisors of Louisiana StateUniversity and Agricultural and Mechanical College (the “Board”), to finance all or aportion of: (i)the planning, design, acquisition, development, construction, furnishing and equipping of student housing facilities consisting of approximately 1,100 beds, together with all buildings, improvements, fixtures, furnishings, equipment and associated site infrastructureand amenities necessary for the operation thereof (the “Student Housing Facilities”); (ii) the planning, design, acquisition, development and constructionofcertain parking and transportation facilities and other facilities, infrastructure, or construction activities, together with all improvements, fixtures, furnishings, equipment and associated site infrastructureand amenities necessary for the operation thereof (the “InfrastructureFacilities,” and together with the Student Housing Facilities, the “Facilities”) to be located on land owned by the Boardand leased by the BoardtoSouth Quad(the “Land”, and together with the Facilities,the “Property”); (iii) the planning, design and development costs associated with futurephases of the Board’s ongoing plan for student housing and related student support facilities; (iv) one or morereserve funds, if deemed necessary to marketthe Bonds; (v) capitalized interest, if any; and (vi) costs of issuance of the Bonds (collectively,the “Project”); and WHEREAS,the Facilities will be developed and constructed by South Quad and leased by South Quad to the Board; and WHEREAS,atthe request of South Quad, the Authority proposes to issue, in one or moreseries, on atax-exempt or taxable basis, not to exceed $215,000,000 of LouisianaPublic Facilities Authority Lease Revenue Bonds (South Quad IV Project) (the “Bonds”), the proceeds of the sale of such Bonds to be loaned to South Quad for the purposeof financing the Project; and

WHEREAS,prior to the issuance of the Bonds, the Boardand REFF have, on behalf of South Quad, expended their own funds to pay certain preliminary costs of the Project and the Authority hereby acknowledges that South Quad intends to reimburse such parties from proceeds of the Bonds for such preliminary expenditures for the Project; and

WHEREAS,the United States Treasury Regulations requirethat the Authority adopt an “official intent” towards the issuance of the Bonds prior to commencement of the acquisition, construction and installation of theProject and this resolution is intended to be an official action of the Authority and adeclaration of intent to reimburse in accordancewith the provisions of Treasury Regulations, Section 1.150-2; and

WHEREAS,itisthe desireofthe Authority to meet the criteriaof the State Bond Commission (the “State Bond Commission”) in order to have the Project and the Bonds placed on the agenda of the State Bond Commission for its approval; and WHEREAS,itisnow the desireofthe BoardofTrustees to declare its official intent to authorize the issuance of the Bonds by the Authority and to provide for such other matters in connection with the issuance of said Bonds, including the filing of the applications to the State Bond Commission as required by the Act; and WHEREAS,all requirements of the State Bond Commission in accordance with its rules, including but not limited to notice to local legislators have been or will be complied with; and WHEREAS,the Bonds will be sold by negotiated sale to RBC Capital Markets, LLC (the “Underwriter”) pursuant to the terms of abondpurchase agreement (the “Bond Purchase Agreement”) among the Underwriter,the Authority,the

don. Motion passed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Mrs. Joseph to autho‐rize ChiefMitchelltocre‐atethe position of Assis‐tant ChiefofPoliceat Step 118, abolishing one police officerposition andappointing Revay Smithto fill theposition at GradeI.A roll call vote wasasfollows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph,: Mr.Hub‐ble, Ms.King, Mr.Payne: Nays;None: Absent;Ms. Gordon:Abstain:None: Motion passed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Kingtointroduce an ordinancetoamend the2025-2026 Police De‐partment Budget in the GeneralFund in the amount of $13,000.00 to coverthe cost of four digitalspeed limitsigns Arollcallvotewas as follows: Yeas;Mrs Joseph,Mr. Hubble, Ms King,Mr. Payne: Nays; None:Abstain;None: Ab‐sent ;Ms. Gordon.Mo‐tion passed. i d b p Amotion wasmade by Mrs. Joseph andsec‐ondedbyMs. King to au‐thorizeMayor Pattan to sign acontractwithEs‐sentialSolutions for $15,983.95 forthe Police Department server com‐puterupgradesand labor. Arollcallvotewas as follows: Yeas;Mrs Joseph,Mr. Hubble, Ms King,Mr. Payne: Nays; None:Abstain;None; Ab‐sent;Ms. Gordon.Motion passed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Mrs. Joseph to autho‐rize MayorPattantosign acontractwithEssential Solutionsfor $33,010.26 forCityHallcomputer upgrades,Migration to Microsoft365 andMi‐crosoftexchange, server warranty andlabor A roll call vote wasasfol‐lows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr Payne: Nays;None: Ab‐stainNone: Absent; Ms Gordon.Motionpassed. Amotionwas made by Mr Jo ph ds

Gordon.Motionpassed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Mrs. Joseph to ap‐provea resolution to adopta residentialantidisplacement andreloca‐tion assistance plan A roll call vote wasasfol‐lows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr Payne: Nays;None: Ab‐stain; None:Absent; Ms Gordon.Motionpassed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Kingtoapprove a resolution to adoptsec‐tion 504 Grievanceproce‐dure.A roll call vote was as follows: Yeas;Mrs Joseph,Mr. Hubble, Ms King,Mr. Payne: Nays; None:Abstain;None: Ab‐sent;Ms. Gordon.Motion passed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Kingtoapprove theAdvocateasthe offi‐cial journalfor the20252026 fiscal year.A roll call vote wasasfollows: Yeas;Mrs.Joseph, Mr Hubble, Ms.King,Mr. b

Bonds hereinafter described and to authorize the publication of aNotice of SaleofBonds with respect to said Bonds; NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVEDBYTHE BOARDOF TRUSTEES OF THE LOUISIANA PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY: 1. That pursuant to the authority of the Act,the funding of the Project described and defined in the preliminary agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Preliminary Agreement”) is hereby approved, and the financing thereof by the Authority through the issuance of the Bonds, in one or moreseries, on atax-exempt or taxablebasis, is hereby authorized, such Bonds to be in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $215,000,000 and to be designated the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority Lease Revenue Bonds (SouthQuad IV Project). The tax-exempt bonds shall be issuedastax-exempt fixed rate bonds bearing interest at arate not to exceed 6% per annum and shall maturenot later than 40 years from the date thereof.The taxable bonds shallbeissued as taxable fixed rate bonds bearing interest at arate not to exceed 8% per annum and shall maturenot later than 40 years from the date thereof The Bonds shall not be general obligations of the Authority (which has no taxing power and receives no funds from any governmental body),but shall be limitedand special revenue obligations of the Authority payable from the income, revenues and receipts derived or to be derived from a trust estate established under atrust indenturebetween the Authority and atrustee bank to be selected by SouthQuad.

2. That the Chairman or the Vice Chairman and the SecretaryTreasurer or an Assistant Secretary of this BoardofTrustees arehereby authorized, empowered, and directed to execute, for and on behalf of the Authority,the Preliminary Agreement between the Authority and SouthQuad authorizing the issuance of the Bonds forthe purposes described herein, said Preliminary Agreement to be substantiallyinthe form and to contain substantiallythe terms and conditions set forth in the Preliminary Agreement attached to this resolution and marked Exhibit A foridentification herewith.

3. That the officers of this BoardofTrustees areauthorized and empowered to take any and all further action and to sign any and all documents, instruments and writings as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this resolution and to file,onbehalfoftheAuthority,with any governmental boardorentity having jurisdictionover the Project,such applications or requests for approval thereof as may be required by law.

4. That the Authorityhereby approves the Notice of SaleofBonds in substantiallythe form presented at this meeting with such additions, insertions, completion and/or corrections as may be approved by bond counsel to the Authority and special counsel to the Authority and authorizes its publication in the manner required by law.

5. Applicationbeand the same is hereby made to the Commission, for approval of the issuance and sale of the Bonds.

6. That the Authority recognizes any declaration of “official intent” by SouthQuad for the Authority, acting by and through this Board of Trustees, to issue the Bonds in an amount not exceeding $215,000,000 to finance all or aportion of the Project,inaccordance with the laws of the Stateand the United States Regulations, including Section1.150-2.

7. That the Authority hereby approves and authorizes the publication of one or moreNotices of PublicHearing and does hereby further authorize and approve the conducting of public hearingsasset forth in said Notices in accordance with the requirements of Section147(f) of the Code.

8. The Bonds may be sold and purchased pursuant to the termsof one or moreBond Purchase Agreements. The saleofall or aportion of the Bonds to the Underwriter at aprice of not less than 90% of the principal amount thereof (inclusive of Underwriter’s discount in an amount not exceeding 3% of the principal amount thereof)ishereby approved. This BoardofTrustees does hereby authorize the distribution by the Underwriter of preliminary and final offering documents in connection with the sale of the Bonds, withsuch preliminary and final offering documents to be in such form approved by bond counsel to the Authority, special counsel to the Authority, and counsel to the Underwriter

9. This Authority finds and determines that areal necessity exists for the employment of special counsel in connection with the issuance of the Bonds, and accordingly,Kean MillerLLP,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as Bond Counsel, is hereby employed to do and perform work of atraditional legal natureasbond counsel with respect to the issuance and sale of said Bonds. SaidBond Counsel shall prepareand submit to the Authority for adoption all of the proceedings incidental to the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of such Bonds, shall counsel and advise the Boardof Trustees as to the issuance and sale thereof and shallfurnish its opinions covering the legalityofthe issuance of the Bonds. The fee of Bond Counsel for each series of bonds shall be fixed at asum not exceeding the fee allowed by the Attorney General’s fee guidelines forsuch bond counsel work in connection with the issuance of revenue bonds and based on the amount of said Bonds actually issued, sold, delivered and paid for,plus “out-of-pocket” expenses, said fees to be contingent upon the issuance, sale and delivery of said Bonds. The Assistant Secretary for the Authority is hereby authorized and directed to execute, and this Authority hereby agrees to and accepts the termsof, the engagement letter of Bond Counsel appended

Bonds,

not exceeding the amount providedbythe guidelines for such services as approvedbythe AttorneyGeneral of the State,plus out-of-pocket expenses, said feetobepayableout of Bond proceeds or other funds provided by South Quad, subject to the Attorney General’s writtenapproval of said employment.

11. Thatbyvirtue of the Authority’sapplication for,acceptance and utilization of the benefits of the State BondCommission’s approval requested herein, the Authority understands andagrees thatsuchapproval is expressly conditionedupon, andfurtherunderstands, agrees andbinds itself, its successors andassigns, to full andcontinuing compliancewith the “State BondCommission PolicyonApproval of ProposedUse of Swaps, or other forms of Derivative Products, Hedges, Etc.,” adopted by the Commission on July 20, 2006, as to the borrowing andothermatters subject to the approval, including subsequent application andapproval undersaidPolicyofthe implementation or use of anyswaps or other products or enhancements covered thereby

12. Thatthis Resolution does hereby incorporate by referenceas though fully set out herein the provisions andrequirements of the Act.

13. Thatthis resolution andthe NoticeofSaleofBonds shall be published one (1)time in the official journalofthe Authority,and the NoticeofSaleofBonds shall also be published one (1)time in a financial journalornewspaper containing asection devoted to municipalbond news published in eitherNew Orleans, Louisiana,orNew York, New York. As provided by the Act, for aperiod of thirty (30) days from the date of publication of the NoticeofSaleofBonds, anypersonorpersons in interest shall have the righttocontest the legality of the NoticeofSaleof Bonds, this resolution or other proceedings authorizingthe issuanceof the Bonds andthe legality of the Bonds for anycause, afterwhichtime no one shall have anycause or right of action to contest the legality of this resolution or other proceedings or of the Bonds authorized thereby for any cause whatsoever 14. Thatnospecial taxcounselwas hired by the Authority; however the Authority recognizesthatSouth Quadmay hirespecial taxcounsel to South Quadinconnection with the issuanceofthe Bonds, andthe Authority consents to anysuchemployment.

This Resolution shall become effective immediately

Member YeaNay Absent Abstaining

RonaldH.Bordelon, X Chair

Dannye W. Malone,X Vice Chair

Craig A. Cheramie, X Secretary Treasurer

Casey R. Guidry X DavidW.GronerX MatthewT.Valliere X HeatherC.Songy X

This resolution declared adopted on this 3rdday of June, 2025.

(Other items of business not pertinent to the foregoing resolution andthe documents mentioned therein maybefound in the official minutesofthe BoardofTrustees of the Authority.)

I, the undersigned, do hereby certify thatI am an Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Louisiana Public FacilitiesAuthority (the “Authority”), apublic trust duly organized andexisting underand by virtue of the laws of the State of Louisiana,and as such Assistant Secretary I have accesstoall recordsofthe Authority Idohereby furthercertify thatata meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Authority duly called, held andconvened, according to law, on the 3rdday of June, 2025, aquorum being presentand voting thereon, the above andforegoing Resolution wasunanimously adopted andthatsaid Resolution is afull true andcorrect copy of the said Resolution (except thatall referenced Exhibits have been omitted) as it appears on the recordsofthe Authority; thatthe same hasnot been revoked or