The Advocate 07-23-2025 by The Advocate

‘I hope Imadeyou proudout there’

Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu celebrates after an interception last seasonagainst the Eagles.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

There aren’tmany football players who have meant more to Louisiana than Tyrann Mathieu. Anative of NewOrleans, born in the 7th Ward, Mathieu was an outright star at St. Augustine. He was asensation at LSU, where he earned “Honey Badger” as anickname. And he thrived

ä Rod Walker:Tyrann Mathieu played football for morethan himself PAGE 1C

in theNFL, winning accolade after accolade on his way to eventually playing for his hometown team Now,he’scalling it acareer

TheNew Orleans Saints safety unexpectedlyannounced his retire-

Coffee Call founder Cannatella dies at 91

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Vincent Cannatella always reminded his children, grandchildrenand great-grandchildrenthateveryone has worth.

“He always told us that everyoneisthe same,” said his daughter, Debbie Cannatella. “He strove to respect everyone.Hefelt likeall humans should be loved, valued and honored. He taught me about the fallibility of humanity and that none of us are any better than the other.”

It didn’tmatter ifpatrons had been formerly incarcerated or were future presidents of the United States, if they walked throughthe doors of Coffee Call, they would be treated like family Cannatellastuck by his philosophy until his death on Tuesday at 91. The coffee shop owner was at home

ä See CANNATELLA, page 6A

Judgerules Horton suit will stay in statecourt

Homebuilderhad sought to move disputeovermold, waterintrusion to arbitration

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Alawsuit that alleges one of the nation’slargest homebuilders erected single-family residences withmoldand water intrusionissuesacrosssouth Louisiana will remain in state court fornow,aBaton Rouge judge has ruled. Donald Johnson, the 19thJudicial District Court’schief judge, metedout thejudgmentin a22-page order released late Tuesday afternoon. He determined the sales contract that West and Alicia Dixonsigned to buy their Youngsville home in 2014 “is not legally binding or enforceable.”

“The Dixons alwaysknew that if given theopportunity to present the evidenceina fairforum, the facts would carry theday.”

ment Tuesdayonaday when he was supposedtoreportfor trainingcamp. Instead,the 33-year-old decided to hang up his cleats after 12 seasons— stepping away from a decorated career that saw Mathieu earnthree All-Pros, threePro Bowls and win one Super Bowl. The decision took theSaints

ä See MATHIEU, page 7A

ASSOCIATED

Speakerofthe House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, joined by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, blames Democrats, former PresidentJoe Biden, and Republican lawmakerThomas Massie, of Kentucky, for the JeffreyEpstein situation during anews conference on Tuesday.

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

LANCE UNGLESBy, attorney for the plaintiffs

The ruling meansthe Dixons’ lawsuit won’tberelegated to arbitration, where plaintiffattorneys said evidentiary rules of disclosure are morerestrictive and the expense to litigate could cost the Dixons tensofthousands of dollars.Instead of arbitration, the case will remainin district court, where it could proceed to trial forajury to decide whether D.R. Horton should pay the couple damages. That remains along way off. Johnson’sdecision is almost certaintobechallengedinthe 1stCircuit Court of Appeal, and possibly the Louisiana SupremeCourt. Attorneysand spokespersons for D.R. Horton were not immediately available for comment Tuesday evening after the ruling came in.

ä See JUDGE, page 8A

WASHINGTON Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sent U.S. representativeshome aday earlyasa debate over whether to releaserecords from the federal investigation into convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein continues to roil Congress. For morethan aweek,Democrats and ahandful of RepublicansinCongress have repeatedly pressed foravote to demand the release of the Epstein files. Those demands havehaunted proceedings in both chambers of Congress. House leadership had hoped to vote on an immigration measure and abill on environmentalregulation this week. But that can’thappen without the House Rules Committee first clearing the legislation, and that panel has bogged down as Democrats repeatedly try to force avote on releasing the files. Johnson, aRepublican from the Shreveport area, made clearthe Housewould not vote on resolutionsinvolvingthe Epsteinfilesuntil the ä See HOUSE, page 8A

PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Cannatella

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Colbert jokes about ‘cancel culture’

Stephen Colbert returned for his ﬁrst full program after last week’s announcement that CBS was canceling his “Late Show” with some supportive late-night guests, a joke about cancel culture and an extremely pointed remark directed at President Donald Trump.

“I’m going to go ahead and say it: Cancel culture’s gone way too far,” Colbert said to a rambunctious audience that loudly chanted his name.

CBS and parent Paramount Global said the decision to end the “Late Show” next May was purely ﬁnancial. It hasn’t gone unnoticed and was mentioned by Colbert on Monday night — that the announcement came days after the comic had sharply criticized Paramount’s $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview Colbert, known for his sharp comic takedowns of the Republican president, said that “over the weekend, it sunk in that they killed off our show But they made one mistake. They left me alive.”

Now, he said, “I can say what I really think of Donald Trump, starting right now.” As his audience cheered him on, Colbert said, “I don’t care for him. Doesn’t seem to have the skill set to be president.”

He read a passage from a Trump social media message saying that he loved that the “untalented” Colbert had been ﬁred. “How dare you, sir,” Colbert said. “Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” The show switched to a close-up camera where Colbert appeared to say, “f*** you,” the word bleeped out and his mouth blurred.

Jim Jordan deposed in suit tied to sex abuse

COLUMBUS, Ohio Republican

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan was among those questioned under oath this month about the sexual abuse of Ohio State University athletes decades ago by a team doctor according to a court ﬁling. Jordan’s deposition Friday came in a federal lawsuit brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr Richard Strauss, who died in 2005. Hundreds say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998.

Many ex-wrestlers over the years have accused Jordan, who served as assistant coach of the Ohio State wrestling team from 1986 to 1994, of knowing about the abuse and failing to act.

The 10-term congressman’s ofﬁce had declined to conﬁrm Friday’s deposition, but it reiterated Jordan’s denial of any awareness of Strauss’ crimes or the coverup.

“As everyone knows, (House Judiciary) Chairman Jordan never saw or heard of any abuse, and if he had, he would have dealt with it,” a statement said. Jordan formerly sat for questioning during the university’s independent investigation of the matter, but this was his ﬁrst time under oath.

A Monday court ﬁling shows attorneys for the former athletes also questioned Michael Murphy and John Doe 72, both plaintiffs in the case and former long-time Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger

No lifeguard on duty when actor drowned

There was no lifeguard on duty when Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday, according to the nation’s volunteer lifeguard group. Warner 54, was caught in a rip current and drowned on Playa Grande in Limon, the Caribbean Guard said Monday Bystanders attempted to save Warner and performed CPR on the beach, but it was unsuccessful, the group said.

“Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches,” the Caribbean Guard wrote “It’s a beach known by local surfers and there are signs (in English and Spanish) that warn of the danger of death by drowning.”

However, the lifeguard group had moved resources to two other nearby beaches, Playa Negra and Chiquita, known for their own strong rip currents.

Trump says Philippines will pay 19% tariffs

President reaches trade agreement

BY DIDI TANG and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said he has reached a trade agreement with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr., following a meeting Tuesday at the White House, that will see the U.S. slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there.

Trump revealed the broad terms of the agreement on his social media network and said the U.S. and the Philippines would work together militarily The announcement of a loose framework of a deal comes as the two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Paciﬁc region.

Marcos’ government indicated ahead of the meeting that he was prepared to offer zero tariffs on some U.S. goods to strike a deal with Trump. The Philippine Embassy did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Marcos’ three-day visit to Washington shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners as China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal.

Washington sees Beijing, the world’s No. 2 economy, as its biggest competitor, and consecutive presidential administrations have sought to shift U.S. military and economic focus to the Asia-Paciﬁc in a bid to counter China. Trump, like others before him, has been distracted by efforts to broker peace in a range of conﬂicts, from Ukraine to Gaza.

Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. would impose a 19% tariff rate on

the Philippines, down from a 20% tariff he threatened starting Aug. 1. In return, he said, the Philippines would have an open market and the U.S. would not pay tariffs.

Without further details on the agreement, it’s unclear how it will impact their countries’ economies.

Trump wrote that Marcos’ visit was “beautiful,” and it was a “Great Honor” to host such a “very good, and tough, negotiator.”

Appearing before reporters in the Oval Ofﬁce ahead of their private meeting, Marcos spoke warmly of the ties between the two nations.

“This has evolved into as important a relationship as is possible to have,” said Marcos, the ﬁrst Southeast Asian leader to hold talks with Trump in his second term.

When asked how he plans to balance his country’s relationships between the U.S. and China, Marcos said there was no need to balance “because our foreign policy is an independent one.”

“Our strongest partner has always been the United States,” said Marcos, whose country is one of the oldest U.S. treaty allies in the Paciﬁc region.

On Tuesday when asked about the U.S. defense commitment to the Philippines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, “Whatever cooperation the U.S. and the Philippines have, it should not target or harm any third party, still less incite confrontation and heighten tensions in the region.”

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in long-unresolved territorial conﬂicts in the South China Sea, a busy shipping passage for global trade.

The Chinese coast guard has repeatedly used water cannons to hit Filipino boats in the South China Sea. China accused those vessels of entering the waters illegally or encroaching on its territory

Trump announces

deal with Japan that lowers tariff to 15%

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday, placing a 15% tax on goods imported from that nation.

“This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs There has never been anything like it,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the United States “will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan.”

The president said Japan would invest “at my direction” $550 billion into the U.S. and would “open” its economy to American autos and rice. The 15% tax on imported Japanese goods is a meaningful drop from the 25% rate that Trump in a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said would be levied starting Aug. 1. With the announcement, Trump is seeking to tout his ability as a dealmaker — even as his tariffs, when initially announced in early April led to a market panic and fears of

slower growth that for the moment appear to have subsided. Key details remained unclear from his post, such as whether Japanese-built autos would face a higher 25% tariff that Trump imposed on the sector

But the framework ﬁts a growing pattern for Trump, who is eager to portray the tariffs as a win for the U.S. His administration says the revenues will help reduce the budget deficit and more factories will relocate to America to avoid the import taxes and causing trade imbalances to disappear

But the wave of tariffs continues to be a source of uncertainty about whether it could lead to higher prices for consumers and businesses if companies simply pass along the costs. The problem was seen sharply Tuesday after General Motors reported a 35% drop in its net income during the second quarter as it warned that tariffs would hit its business in the months ahead, causing its stock to tumble.

As the Aug 1 deadline

Deputies caught on camera punching, dragging Black driver

Fla. sheriff says there’s more to story

BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

A video showing Florida deputies punching and dragging a Black man from his car during a trafﬁc stop has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report.

The footage shows that William McNeil Jr., 22, was sitting in the driver’s seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville deputies’ supervisor, when authorities broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle, punched him again and threw him to the ground. But Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters says there’s more to the story than the cellphone video that went viral. He warned the public about “a rush to judgment” that could lead to faulty conclusions. McNeil’s lawyers say the video clearly depicts police brutality

“What happened to William McNeil Jr is a disturbing reminder that even the most basic rights — like asking why you’ve been pulled over — can be met with violence for Black Americans,” lawyers Ben Crump and Harry Daniels said in a statement. Crump is a Black civil rights attorney who has gained national prominence representing victims of police brutality and vigilante violence.

“William was calm and compliant,” they said. “Yet instead of answers, he got his window smashed and was punched in the face, all over a questionable claim about headlights in broad daylight.” The sheriff said the cellphone camera footage from inside the car “does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

for the tariff rates in his letters to world leaders is approaching, Trump also announced a trade framework with the Philippines that would impose a tariff of 19% on its goods, while American-made products would face no import taxes The president also reafﬁrmed his 19% tariffs on Indonesia.

The U.S ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance on goods with Japan last year according to the Census Bureau.

America had a trade imbalance of $17.9 billion with Indonesia and an imbalance of $4.9 billion with the Philippines. Both nations are less afﬂuent than the U.S. and an imbalance means America imports more from those countries than it exports to them.

The president is set to impose the broad tariffs listed in his recent letters to other world leaders on Aug. 1, raising questions of whether there will be any breakthrough in talks with the European Union. At a Tuesday dinner, Trump said the EU would be in Washington on Wednesday for trade talks.

Body camera footage of the encounter shows that McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle, and though McNeil earlier had his car door open while talking with authorities, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before deputies forcibly removed him.

The vantage point of the bodycam footage that was released makes it difﬁcult to see the punches that were thrown.

The cellphone footage from the Feb. 19 arrest shows that seconds before being dragged outside, McNeil had his hands up and did not appear to be resisting as he asked, “What is your reason?” He had pulled over and had been accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said.

“Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera,” the sheriff said in a statement, adding that the video did not capture events that occurred before ofﬁcers decided to arrest McNeil. Cameras “can only capture what can be seen and heard,” the sheriff added.

“So much context and depth are absent from recorded footage because a camera simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it.”

A key point of contention in the police report is a claim that McNeil was reaching toward an area where a knife was. Deputies later found the knife on the driver’s side ﬂoorboard of his car when they searched it after taking McNeil into custody

“The suspect was reaching for the floorboard of the vehicle where a large knife was sitting,” Ofﬁcer D. Bowers wrote in his report.

“The suspect continued to attempt to pull away from ofﬁcers and refused to place his hands behind his back.”

McNeil

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump greets Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr upon arrival at the White House on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Ozzy Osbourne, godfather of heavy metal, dies

BY MARK KENNEDY AP entertainment writer

Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty growling voice — and drugand-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show He was 76.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson’s disease after suffering a fall.

Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”

Black Sabbath’s 1969 selftitled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock ’n’ roll. The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal tunes as “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song

“Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

“Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who’s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,” Dave Navarro of the band Jane’s Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. “There’s a direct line you can draw back from today’s metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.” Sabbath ﬁred Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs.

“We knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,” wrote bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler in his memoir, “Into the Void.” Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with “Blizzard of Ozz” and the following year’s “Diary of a Madman,” both hard

rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again” and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.

The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the ﬁrst time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his ﬁnal concert Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances.

“Black Sabbath: We’d all be different people without them, that’s the truth,” said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. “I know I wouldn’t be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.”

Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)

Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song “Suicide Solution.” The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC.

Then-Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,” the singer wrote back “You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”

Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or

spit on by the singer They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty “God bless!”

He started an annual tour Ozzfest in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.

Osbourne’s look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw “13,” which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” Osbourne’s first song in the Top 10 since 1989. In 2020, he released the album “Ordinary Man,” which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album “Patient Number 9,” which featured collaborations with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.)

John Michael Osbourne was raised in the gritty city of Birmingham Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression.

“They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from,” he told Billboard. “So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became.”

In the late 1960s, Os-

bourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie “I Tre Volti Della Paura,” starring Boris Karloff: Black Sabbath.

Once they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and “Paranoid” in 1970, “Master of Reality” in 1971, “Vol. 4” in 1972 and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” in 1973.

The music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band

“introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.”

After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne’s ﬁnest solo albums, “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album “Tribute” in 1987 in his memory Osbourne then signed Jake E. Lee, who lent his talents to the platinum albums “Bark at the Moon” and “The Ultimate Sin.” Hot-

shot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne’s band for “No Rest for the Wicked” and the multiplatinum “No More Tears.” Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when “The Osbournes,” which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this onetime self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to ﬁnd the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the town. Later, he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour,” where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon

TrumprehashesgrievancesonRussiainvestigation

Gabbardreport

questionselection interference

BY ERIC TUCKER and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump rehashed longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his ﬁrst term, lashingout Tuesday following anew report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on long-established ﬁndingsabout Moscow’s interference in the2016election.

“It’stime to go after people,” Trump said from the Oval Ofﬁce as he repeated a baseless claimthat former President Barack Obama andother ofﬁcials hadengaged in treason.

Trump was not making hisclaims for the first time, but he delivered them when administration officials are harnessingthe machinery of thefederal government to investigate the targets of Trump’sderision, including key officials responsible forscrutinizingRussia’s attemptstointervene on Trump’sbehalf in 2016.

Thebackward-looking inquiries are taking place even as the Republican administration’snational security agencies are confronting global threats.

But they haveserved as arallyingcry forTrump, who is tryingtounifya political base at odds over the Jeffrey Epstein case, with some alliespressing to disclosemoreinformation despite the president’spush to turnthe page.

Trump’sattack prompted arare response from Obama’spost-presidential

ofﬁce.

“Ourofﬁce does not normally dignify theconstant nonsenseand misinformation ﬂowing out of this White House with aresponse,” said Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesman.

“Buttheseclaims areoutrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegationsare ridiculous anda weak attemptatdistraction.”

Trump’stirade,a detour from his official business as he hostedthe leader of thePhilippines, unfolded against the backdrop of a newreport from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard thatrepresented his administration’slatest attempttorewrite thehistory of the Russia investigation, which has infuriated him for years.

Thereport, released Friday, downplayed theextent of Russian interference in

Hunter Bidenlashesout over father’s 2024 campaign

ProminentDems likeClooney,party advisers criticized

BY MEG KINNARD and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter,seen by some as the problem child of the Democratic Party for legal and drug-related woes that brought negative attention to his father,islashing out against Democratic“elites” and others over the way he says his father was treated during last year’spresidential campaign.

Hunter Bidenspoke publicly in recent interviews about last year’selection, when Joe Biden ultimately dropped his bid and Donald Trump won the White House. In athree-hour, expletiveﬁlled online interview with Andrew Callaghan of Channel 5, he directed iretoward actor and Democratic Party donor George Clooney for his decision to call on the elder Biden to abandon his 2024 reelection bid.

He also ranted against longtime Democratic advisers he accused of making money off the party and trading off previous electoral successes, but not helping candidates’ current efforts.

The lengthy screed made plainthe youngerBiden’s feelings that his father was mistreated by those around him in the waning days of his candidacy and administration. He also laid bare critiques of the party’sopewration and operatives that, he says, aren’twell-serving its opposition to Trump and the Republican Party Here’salook at some of the momentsinHunter Biden’sinterview:

Hunter Biden spared no feelingsinhis assessment of

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

In 2022, President JoeBiden shakes hands withactor, directorand producer GeorgeClooneyduring the Kennedy Center honorees reception at the White House.

the actor,questioning why anyone shouldlisten to the “Ocean’sEleven” star Clooney supportedJoe Biden’sbid for asecond term,even headlining a record-setting fundraiser for the then-president, but changed his stance after Biden’sdisastrous debate performance against Trump in June 2024.

Clooney madehis feelings known in an opinion piece in The New York Times, addinghis voice to mounting calls forthe then-81-year-old president to drop his presidentialbid. Biden ended up leaving the race afew weeks later and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who wentontolose to Trump.

“Whatright do youhave to step on aman who’sgiven 52 years of hisf****** life to theservices ofthis country anddecidethat you, George Clooney,are going to take out basicallya full page ad in thef****** New York Times to undermine the president,” Hunter Biden said before he trailed offto talkabout how Republicans are more uniﬁed than Democrats.

Los Angeles-basedrepresentatives for Clooney did

not respond to an emailed request for comment Therewere also weighty critiques of anumber of longtime Democratic advisers.

Anita Dunn, alongtime Biden senior adviser,has made“$40 to $50 million” off of work for the Democratic Party, Hunter Biden said James Carville, adviser to former President Bill Clinton, “hasn’trun arace in 40 f****** years.”

Former Obama strategist David Axelrod, Hunter Biden said, “had onesuccess in his political life, and that was Barack Obama —and thatwas because of Barack Obama.” Otherformer Obama aides whonow host “Pod Save America,” are “four white millionairesthat are dining out on their association with Barack Obama from 16 years ago,” he said. One of thefour, Tommy Vietor,Monday on social media applaudedHunter Biden’sdecision “to process the election, look inward, andholdhimself accountablefor how hisfamily’s insular,dare Isay arrogant at times,approachtopolitics ledtothiscatastrophic outcomewe’re allnow living with.”

and-leak operation of Democratic emails by intelligence operatives working with WikiLeaks, as well as acovert foreign inﬂuence campaign aimedatswaying public opinion and sowing discord through fake social media posts.

Gabbard’sreportappears to suggest the absence of manipulationofstate election systems is abasis to callinto questionmoregeneral Russianinterference.

Democrats swiftly decriedthe report as factually flawed and politically motivated.

the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showingofﬁcials had concludedbefore and after the presidential race thatMoscow hadnot hacked state election systems to manipulatevotes in

Trump’sfavor

But Obama’sDemocratic administration never suggested otherwise, even as it exposed other meansby which Russia interfered in the election, including through amassive hack-

“It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard,who promisedtodepoliticize the intelligence community,is once againweaponizing her position to amplify thepresident’selection conspiracy theories,” Sen. MarkWarner,the top Democratonthe Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on X.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByALEX BRANDON

PresidentDonald Trumpsaid on Tuesdaythat ‘It’s time to go after people’ as he repeated aclaimthat former President Barack Obama and other officialshad engaged in treason.

surrounded by family when he died of natural causes.

“He was so special,” said granddaughterBrandi Catoire, who now runs the shop with her uncle, John Cannatella. “He never leta day go by without saying, ‘I love you.’ He said it to us yesterday.”

Cannatella opened Coffee Call in 1976 in Village Square Shopping Center.He opened asecond location in the downtownCatﬁsh Town development,and John Cannatella tried to expandto O’Neal Lane, but neither location lasted.

In 2004, Cannatella staged ajazz funeral forthe shop’s original location before moving it to its current home at 3132 College Drive.

The shop will enter its 50th year in 2026.

“My grandfather opened Coffee Call in the 1970s, when youdidn’thave aStarbucks on every corner,” Catoire said. “You didn’t have all of these fancy coffee shops with baristas. It was atime when coffee shops weren’tthat prevalent.”

Vincent Cannatellawas born in Melville in St. Landry Parish, where his father owned agrocery store.

Hisfather died whenCannatella was 6years old, and his mother took over the store’s operation.

But she couldn’tmake the business work, so she closed the store and moved herfamily to Baton Rouge in 1940, where Vincent Cannatella eventually would attend Catholic High School and enter the Louisiana National Guard.

“He was amaster sergeant in the Louisiana National Guard,”saidhis daughter, ClaireCannatella Sanders “He servedinthe 69th Engineer Battalion.”

Vincent Cannatellamet his wife, Marie, in Baton Rouge, and along with Debbie, Claire and John, they had two other children: Vincent Cannatella II and An-

nette Cannatella Beauvais. The Cannatellas eventually would becomegrandparents to eight grandchildrenand nine great-grandchildren.

Vincent Cannatella moved his family to the Washington, D.C., area in the 1960s, where he co-owned a plumbing business.Hesold his share of the business and moved back to Baton Rouge in 1972, then entered Dunkin’ DonutsUniversity —now Dunkin’Brands University —inBraintree, Massachusetts.

He usedthe franchising trainingthere to open Baton Rouge’sﬁrst Dunkin’ Donuts shop on Florida Boulevard. Then, in 1976, he left the franchise and opened Coffee Call.

“The shop sells beignets,” Catoire said. “The beignets are his recipe, and he developed that recipe before he opened the shop. Buthe wanted to call it Coffee Call, because he said it was about coffeemore so thanbeignets. He saidcoffee is how peoplegather —they’re usually coming together over acup of coffee. So, to him, it was allabout community and having aplace

for people to come together with their families and their friends.”

And Vincent Cannatella gathered withthem. Catoire saidevenafter he retired six years ago, aday never went by that he wasn’tinthe shop talking withcustomers.

“He and my grandmother came in every day for lunch after he ofﬁcially retired,” she said. “He was allabout people.”

He loved people so much that he believed thedowntrodden should be given second chances, whichis whyhedidn’thesitate giving former prison inmates jobs in his shop.

“He put prisonerstowork there,” Debbie Cannatella said. “He felt that the incarcerated deserveda right to makeanincome andbereintroduced back into society.”

Debbie Cannatella also remembershow her father didn’ttreat the ex-prisoners any differently than he treated apresidentialcandidate who walked through the shop’sfront door in 1992.

Thecandidate was Bill Clinton, who not only was in themidst of hisﬁrstpresi-

was

around

Clinton would be elected to his ﬁrst term as president later that year and become part of CoffeeCall’slore.

As forthe business itself

Catoire said Cannatella made it special by putting in staples such as daily,onsiteroasted coffee blends; weekday lunches of po-boys and soups made from family recipes; and, of course, the beignets.

But she remembers the shop’smost special attraction being her grandfather

“There areelderly customers whohave been coming in every daysincethe shopopened,”Catoire said “And there are people who brought theirchildren in, and their children are now bringing their children. My grandfather used to talkto them all.” It didn’t matter whothey were or their walk in life. “He made them welcome at CoffeeCall,” she said.

Email RobinMillerat romiller@theadvocate. com.

dential run but was actually on amorning run when he spotted thecoffee shop.

“He

jogging

and he came in,” Debbie Cannatella said.

somewhat by surprise, but general manager Mickey Loomis said Mathieu gave “advanced notice” of his choicea fewdaysago.

“I just have so muchrespect for Tyrann and what he’saccomplished,” Loomis said. “He’salegendary Louisiana player,alegendary NFL player.Ireally appreciate his time with us. He was fantastic.I have alot of good things to say abouthim.Whata great career,and I just wish him all the best.”

Added coach Kellen Moore:“Just aspectacular NFL career His work ethic, playmaking skills, the impact he had on this community and this league, just incredible.”

failing repeated drug tests before the2012 season that ledhim to enter rehab. And when heturned prothe following year,Mathieu wasn’t drafted until thethird round in part because of the question marksaroundhis situation.

“I was just trying to convince people thatIcare about the game,” Mathieu said last year,recalling his draft process.“Youknow what Imean? Iwould do anything to stayontrack.”

“I just have so muchrespect for Tyrann and what he’s accomplished.He’sa legendaryLouisiana player,a legendary NFLplayer.I really appreciate his time with us. He was fantastic. Ihavea lot of good thingstosay about him. What a greatcareer,and Ijust wish him allthe best.”

Mathieu spent the past three seasons with the Saints after joining them in 2022. He arrived with championship experience, having won aSuper Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs to cap the 2019 season. Playing for the Saints, he had said, was adreamcome true —heoften sharedhow he drove down to Canal Street to celebrate the Saints’ ﬁrstever title. As aSaint, his years were productive. ThoughNew Orleans did not make the playoffs in his threeseasons, Mathieu recorded 10 interceptions, three forced fumbles and 228 tackles. He also did not miss agame in that span, starting all 51 contests. That Mathieu provedto be so reliable is perhaps not what many expectedto start his career. The safety,after all, was famously dismissed from LSU after

MICKEyLOOMIS,

Saints general manager

When Mathieuentered theNFL,landingwiththe Arizona Cardinals, the safetydemonstrated the same kind of versatile skill set that made him an absolute star at LSU. He was the“Honey Badger” —a player who cou ld line up all over the field and forceturnovers at a high rate. He even rocked a buzzcut with bleach-blonde hair on topto start hiscareer,which was part of his signature look in college. Despite the controversies off thefield,Mathieu wasabeloved player at LSU.Former Saintswide receiver Michael Thomas tweeted how the safety was “must see TV” every Saturday.Mathieu, listed then at 5feet, 9inches and 170 pounds, didn’thave the size typical of his position, buthehad the speed —and heart— to wreckopposing offenses. His second year at LSU resulted in anomination for the Heisman Trophy “BestfootballplayerI’ve ever shareda locker room with,” former LSU center TBob Hebert tweeted. In the NFL, Mathieuhit stardom, but his journey was far from easy.In six seasons with the Cardinals, he suffered two separate

season-ending ACLinjuries. He was unceremoniously released from the team in 2018 when he refused to take apay cutand settled for aone-year deal with theHoustonTexans.After restoring his stock in Houston,hespent thenext three seasonswiththe Chiefs —a stint that earned Mathieu recognitionasone of the best safeties of hisgeneration In Kansas City,inaddition to theteam’s SuperBowl success, Mathieu earned twoofhis three Pro Bowl nods andwas namedﬁrstteam All-Pro twice. He was named tothe NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team. But his time there came to an end in 2022 when his contract expiredand the Chiefs chose not to re-sign him.

TheChiefs’ choice was New Orleans’ gain. And following all those years away, Mathieu embraced thecity and then some upon his return.Hewas anominee for the league’s WalterPayton Award in 2023 and used his charitable foundation to

give back to thecommunity.Hewas anear-constant presence, helping disadvantagedchildrenthroughout New Orleans. On Tuesday,Mathieu did notgive an ofﬁcial reason forhis retirement. He had largely stayed away from theSaints in theoffseason by skipping voluntary workouts, but hisabsences weren’tunusual for a player of his caliber —and Mathieu reported for mandatory minicamp in June.

Earlier this month, however,Mathieu revealed that he was “beyond delighted” at the birth of hisnewborn daughter

In an Instagram post, Mathieu wrote that he was “ﬁlled with gratitude”and thanked teammates, coaches and fans for their support as he hung up his cleats. “I hope Imadeyou proud outthere,” Mathieu wrote. “This isn’tgoodbye —it’s just thenext chapter.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate. com.

STAFFFILE PHOTOByTRAVIS SPRADLING

As asophomore, Tyrann Mathieu led LSU to an SECchampionship in 2011 and was aHeisman Trophy finalist.

Lance Unglesby,the New Orleans attorneyleading theDixons’ legal team, called it a“big win” that will hold up in appeals.

“Weare conﬁdent Chief Judge Don Johnson’s thoughtful opinion is bulletproof,” Unglesby said. “The Dixons always knew that if given the opportunity to present theevidence in afair forum, the facts would carry the

HOUSE

Continued from page1A

Trump administration has an opportunity to get approval from afederal district court to release grand jurytestimony

“Weall understand that the AmericaFirst agenda and theAmerican people are best served by putting an end to the Democrats’ side shows, and that’swhat we are doing by not allowing theRules Committee continuewiththat nonsense this week,” House Speaker MikeJohnson, R-Benton, saidTuesday

The Epstein records release is coming butneeds to be handled carefullyin ordertoprotect the victims, he added. Instead,the fullHouse is scheduled to vote Wednesdayonsmall and largely uncontroversial bills, then head home. It was scheduled to adjourn Thursday; representatives are scheduledtoreturn Sept. 2.

‘Witch hunt

Aprominent ﬁnancier,Epstein was convicted in 2008 of procuring achildfor prostitution. He died by suicide in prison whileawaitingtrial in 2019 onfederal accusations that he trafﬁcked dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14 years old. Epstein had associations with many prominent celebrities and businessmen,

day. It has already been ahard ﬁght, butthe correct application of the law by the judge accomplished what the First Circuit Court of Appeal required.We are looking forward to our day in court in frontofLouisiana citizens. This is abig win forLouisianahomeowners.” TheDixons filed the lawsuit in March2022.TheyallegedD.R. Hortonsoldthem ahome with an poorly designed HVAC system that wasn’t builttostandupto Louisiana’s blistering summertime humidity.Attorneys for the plain-

tiffs have arguedofﬁcials forthe Texas-basedcompany knewtheir ventilation systems were faulty and schemed to keep buyers from taking legal action by duping them into signing sales contracts with arbitrationclauses buried in agreementsthe thatbarredhomeowners from suing the company in court. D.R. Horton’sattorneyshave insisted from theoutset that the issue should be settled in arbitration, citing thefact that theDixons twice signedasales contract with abinding arbitration clausethat directsany legal disputes intome-

diationunder construction industryarbitration rules. Johnson, in Tuesday’sdecision, noted that the original sales agreement the Dixons signed in April 2014 hadmaterial differencesfroma sales agreement they signed two months later.

Salesagents for the company told them they were simply reexecuting theold contract because the original was an illegible print out and needed to be updated. But Johnson said the price of the homewas different on the two contracts, and he said no D.R.

Horton representativessigned the second contract of sale, making it unenforceable. Johnson’sruling wasthe first time ajudge weighed in on the arbitrationissue after more than three years. It is apivotal decision in thelawsuit,whichispoised to becomeasweeping class-action caseinvolving hundreds of other Louisiana homeowners who purchased D.R. Horton-built houses after 2007. Email Matt Bruceatmatt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

including former President Bill Clinton and British PrinceAndrew, as well as President Donald Trump. His death spurred widespread conspiracy theories that he was murdered, that he kept alistshowinghehad traffickedgirls forpowerful people and that he was blackmailingsome of those whoused thegirls.

Duringthe 2016presidentialcampaign against Hillary Clinton, Trump himself began raisingthe specter of acover-up to protect prominent Democrats. Conspiracytheoriesbloomedwith claims,without proof, that Epstein was murdered to counteract hisblackmailing elite men whose names were in his client list. Conservative media ﬁgures claimed Democrats didn’twant the list tobecome publicbecause they would implicate high-rankingpartyofﬁcials.

While Bidenwas in ofﬁce, now-FBIDirector Kash Pateland Dan Bongino, Patel’s chief deputy, repeatedly condemned Democrats for notreleasingthe ﬁles,saying they containedthe smoking gun linking elites to sex crimes with underage girls groomed by Epstein.

Butfederal law enforcement leaders this month released atwo-page report that stated the files contained “nocredible evidence” that Epstein was murdered, his clientlist didn’texistand he blackmailed no one.

Trumphas ferociously pushed back on accusations

his administration is covering up the ﬁles. He said the whole debate is “sort of awitch hunt,” while taking questions Tuesday in the OvalOffice withFilipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr

During Tuesday’snews conference at theCapitol, Johnson and his second-incommand, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, also blamed Democrats.

“For fouryears, the Democrats hid and covered up the Epstein ﬁles,” Scalise said.

“We’re going tocontinue pushing for transparency.”

“We’re done being lectured on transparency by thesame partythat orchestrated one of the most shameless, dangerous political cover-ups in the history of this country or any government on the face of planet earth,” Johnson added, sayingDemocratic aides and ofﬁcials hid President Joe Biden’smental decline. “They all participated in it.”

Some in GOP breakranks

Butit’snot just Democratic members callingfor release of thedocuments,

another illustration of the political high-wire act Johnson constantlyfaces with a slim GOPmajority

Rep. Thomas Massie, RKentucky,ispressing for the full chamber to vote on aresolution calling for the Epsteinﬁle releasewithout being ﬁrst approvedbythe House Rules Committee.

Rep. Ralph Norman, RSouth Carolina,asked on X on Tuesday for aﬂoor vote

on the resolution that the RulesCommitteedid forward but Johnson tied up.

“I led Republicans in aserious resolution —that protects victims— to expose the truth about the Epstein ﬁles, just like President Trump promised. Butleadership is stalling,” Norman said. “The American people deserve action,not excuses. Let’s vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!”

Thena subcommittee askedfor andreceivedpermission from theGOP majority House Oversight and Government Reform committeeonTuesday to subpoenaGhislaine Maxwell, who is serving aprison term after being convictedofhelping Epstein ﬁnd young girls.

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate. com.

Israeli troops target Gaza residents as hunger worsens

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights ofﬁce said Tuesday

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according to local health ofﬁcials.

Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries.

Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid — without providing evidence of widespread diversion — and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The military says it has only ﬁred warning shots near aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, rejected what it said were “false and exaggerated statistics” from the United Nations

The Gaza Health Ministry which is part of the Hamasrun government and staffed by medical professionals, said Tuesday that 101 people, including 80 children, have died in recent days from starvation.

The deaths could not be independently veriﬁed, but U.N. ofﬁcials and major international aid groups say the conditions for starvation exist in Gaza. During hunger crises, people can die from malnutrition or from common illnesses or injuries

that the body is not strong enough to ﬁght.

Israel eased a 21/2-month blockade in May, allowing a trickle of aid in through the longstanding U.N.-run system and the newly created GHF Aid groups say it’s not nearly enough.

Dozens of Palestinians lined up Tuesday outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City, hoping for a bowl of watery tomato soup. The lucky ones got small chunks of eggplant. As supplies ran out, people holding pots pushed and shoved to get to the front.

Nadia Mdoukh, a pregnant woman who was displaced from her home and lives in a tent with her husband and three children said she worries about being shoved or trampled on, and about heat stroke as daytime temperatures hover above 90 degrees.

“I do it for my children,” she said. “This is famine — there is no bread or ﬂour.”

The U.N. World Food Program says Gaza’s hunger crisis has reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation.” Ross Smith, the agency’s director for emergencies, told reporters Monday that nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and a third of Gaza’s population is going without food for multiple days in a row

MedGlobal, a charity working in Gaza, said five children as young as 3 months had died from starvation in the past three days.

“This is a deliberate and human-made disaster,” said Joseph Belliveau, its executive director “Those children died because there is not enough food in Gaza and not enough medicines, including IV ﬂuids and therapeutic formula, to revive them.”

The charity said food is in such short supply that its own staff members suffer

dizziness and headaches.

Of the 1,054 people killed while trying to get food since late May, 766 were killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the U.N. human rights ofﬁce. The others were killed when gunﬁre erupted around U.N. convoys or aid sites.

Thameen al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the U.N. rights office, says its figures come from “multiple reliable sources on the ground,” including medics, humanitarian and human rights organizations. He said the numbers were still being verified according to the office’s strict methodology Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces regularly fire toward crowds of thousands of people heading to the GHF sites. The military says it has only fired warning shots, and GHF says its armed contractors have only fired into the air on a few occasions to try

to prevent stampedes.

A joint statement from 28 Western-aligned countries on Monday condemned the “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians.”

“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” read the statement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, France and other countries friendly to Israel. “The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.”

Israel and the United States rejected the statement, blaming Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting Israeli terms for a ceaseﬁre and the release of hostages abducted in the militant-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the ﬁghting.

Hamas has said it will release the remaining hostages only in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will keep ﬁghting until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed.

Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people Tuesday across Gaza, according to local health ofﬁcials. One strike hit tents sheltering displaced people in the built-up seaside Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties.

The Israeli military said that it wasn’t aware of such a strike by its forces. The dead included three women and three children, the hospital director, Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, told The Associated Press. Thirty-eight other Palestinians were wounded, he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Wall Street ticks up to another record

Wall Street inched to another record Tuesday following some mixed proﬁt reports, as General Motors and other big U.S. companies gave updates on how much President Donald Trump’s tariffs are hurting or helping them.

The S&P 500 added 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 179 points, or 0.4%, though the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.4% from its own record.

General Motors dropped 8.1% despite reporting a stronger proﬁt for the spring than analysts expected. The automaker said it’s still expecting a $4 billion to $5 billion hit to its results over 2025 because of tariffs and that it hopes to mitigate 30% of that. GM also said it will feel more pain because of tariffs in the current quarter than it did during the spring. That helped to offset big gains for some homebuilders after they reported stronger profits for the spring than Wall Street had forecast. D.R. Horton rallied 17%, and PulteGroup jumped 11.5%. That was even as both companies said homebuyers are continuing to deal with challenging conditions, including higher mortgage rates and an uncertain economy So far, the U.S. economy seems to be powering through the uncertainty created by Trump’s on-and-off tariffs. Many of Trump’s proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and the next big deadline is Aug. 1. Talks are underway on possible trade deals with other countries that could lower the stiff proposals before they kick in.

LA Times owner plans to take paper public

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times since 2018, said this week that he intends to take the newspaper public in the coming year

During an interview on Monday’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Soon-Shiong said the move would allow the Times “to be democratized and allow the public to have ownership of this paper.”

Soon-Shiong said he’s working with “an organization that’s putting that together right now.” He didn’t identify the organization or say whether the deal would involve an initial public offer to sell shares of the company or another investment arrangement.

“Whether you’re right, left, Democrat, Republican, you’re an American. So the opportunity for us to provide a paper that is the voices of the people, truly the voices of the people, is important,” he said.

Soon-Shiong, a biotech billionaire, acquired the Times as part of a $500 million deal, returning it to local ownership two decades after the Chandler family sold it to Tribune Co. Soon-Shiong’s purchase raised hopes after years of cutbacks, circulation declines and leadership changes.

Altman warns of AI voice fraud crisis

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned of a looming fraud crisis in the ﬁnancial industry due to AI’s ability to mimic voices. Speaking at a Federal Reserve conference Tuesday, Altman criticized ﬁnancial institutions still using voiceprints for authentication.

He called this practice outdated, as AI can now create voice clones that are nearly indistinguishable from real voices. Voiceprinting became popular over a decade ago for wealthy clients but is now vulnerable to AI-driven fraud. Altman emphasized the need for new veriﬁcation methods.

The central bank’s top regulator Michelle Bowman suggested exploring partnerships to address these challenges.

equitySweet

Coca-Cola has sold Mexican Coke — which uses cane sugar — in the U.S since 2005, but it’s positioned as a trendy alternative and sold in glass bottles. Coke with cane sugar likely will be more widely available.

What to know about soda sweeteners as sugar returns to American Coke

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN and JONEL ALECCIA Associated Press

President Donald Trump teased the announcement last week, but the Coca-Cola Co. confirmed it

Tuesday: A cane sugar-sweetened version of the beverage maker’s trademark soda will be released in the U.S. this fall.

For decades, Coke and the makers of other soft drinks have generally used high fructose corn syrup or artiﬁcial sweeteners in their products manufactured in the U.S. But American consumers are increasingly looking for food and drinks with fewer and more natural ingredients, and beverage companies are responding.

PepsiCo and Dr Pepper have sold versions of their ﬂagship sodas sweetened with cane sugar since 2009.

Coca-Cola has sold Mexican Coke — which uses cane sugar — in the U.S. since 2005, but it’s positioned as a trendy alternative and sold in glass bottles. Coke with cane sugar likely will be more widely available.

Many consumers know that consuming too many sweets can negatively affect their health, but soda drinkers sometimes debate if either cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup is better (or worse) than the other

The short answer is that it doesn’t make a difference, said Marion Nestle, one of the nation’s top nutrition experts and professor emeritus at New York University

High fructose corn syrup is made of the simple sugars glucose and fructose in liquid form. Cane sugar, also known as sucrose, is made of glucose and fructose

bonded, but quickly split, Nestle explained. Both are still sugars, with about the same amount of calories.

Whether a can of Coca-Cola contains one or the other, it will still be a sugary drink with about the same amount of calories and the same potential to increase welldocumented health problems from obesity and diabetes to tooth decay

Why the switch?

High fructose corn syrup costs less. According to price data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the wholesale price of HFCS-55, the type of corn syrup most commonly used in beverages, averaged 49.4 cents per pound last year. The average wholesale price of reﬁned cane sugar was 60.1 cents per pound, while the average wholesale price of refined beet sugar was 51.7 cents per pound.

But high fructose corn syrup has advantages beyond price. According to a 2008 paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, high fructose corn syrup is more stable than sugar when added to acidic beverages, and it can be pumped directly from delivery trucks into storage and mixing tanks.

Why a cost difference?

Tariffs are one reason. The U.S. has had barriers on sugar imports almost back to its founding; the ﬁrst went into place in 1789, according to the Cato Institute, a think tank that advocates free markets.

Since the passage of the Farm Bill in 1981, the U.S. has had a system in place that raises duties

on sugar once a certain amount has been imported. The U.S. also has domestic production controls that limit supplies, keeping prices higher

But high fructose corn syrup is also cheaper because of the federal government’s billions of dollars in subsidies for corn farmers. Loans, direct payments, insurance premium subsidies and surplus crop purchases all lower farmers’ costs — and the price of the corn they grow

Other sugar replacements

While cutting back on added sugars has documented beneﬁts, replacing them with artificial sweeteners is complicated, too.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, introduced in 2017, uses the artiﬁcial sweetener aspartame and the natural sweetener stevia in its recipe. But research suggests that aspartame may be linked to cancer In 2023, a committee for the World Health Organization determined that aspartame should be categorized “as possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

While that doesn’t mean that diet soda causes cancer the scientiﬁc committee concluded that there may be a possible link between aspartame and liver cancer, and that the issue should be studied further

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration disagreed with the WHO panel, citing “significant shortcomings” in the research that backed the conclusion.

FDA ofﬁcials noted that aspartame is one of the most studied food additives and said “FDA scientists do not have safety concerns” when it is used under approved conditions.

Stevia, a plant-based sweetener, appears to be “a safe choice,” according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.

Hood Container says move will boost production

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

Hood Container said it will spend

$118.9 million to expand its St Francisville paper mill, a move that will boost production capacity at the facility

The expansion, set to begin in summer 2026, will retain the 295 jobs at the mill, Louisiana Economic Development announced Tuesday. The work will create 650 construction jobs.

The work will involve upgrading the primary paper machine at the mill, boosting production capacity by 80,000 tons per year This will boost the amount of wood chips and recycled boxes the plant buys each year Hood Container acquired the 61-year-old former Crown Zellerbach and Tembec mill in 2015, after it emerged from federal bankruptcy protection ﬁled by an interim owner Since then, the company has invested more than $160 million

said investments like the one Hood Container is making boost the manufacturing base and the timber economy, two industries that have deep roots in Louisiana.

“The timber industry plays a key role in growing Louisiana’s agribusiness sector, which is one of

Investors breathe life into new batch of memestocks

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE AP business writer

NEWYORK As the stock market pushes into record territory and bargains become harder to ﬁnd, investors are once again turning to some of Wall Street’s beaten-down companies in hopes of a quick score.

The latest so-called meme stocks are the department store Kohl’s, which has surged this week, and the onlinebased real estate company Opendoor Technologies, which has skyrocketed this month. Both companies have been struggling in their respective sectors. Wall Street defines a meme stock as a stock that gains signiﬁcant popularity and trading volume, primarily driven by social media hype and online communities, rather than the company’s fundamental ﬁnancial performance. Think GameStop and AMC Entertainment in 2021, and a few subsequent instances. Often, meme stocks are initially the target of “short sellers,” or investors betting against the stock. If other investors start buying the shares and boost the price, that could prompt the people betting against the stock to buy more shares to cushion their own losses.

Kohl’s

Kohl’s, which operates 1,600 stores across the country, has risen almost 50% this week. It is wrestling with a number of challenges, including a revolving door of CEOs and weak sales. In May, it announced it had terminated its new CEO Ashley Buchanan after an investigation determined that he directed the retailer to engage in vendor transactions that involved undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Kohl’s named Chairman Michael Bender as interim CEO as it searches for a replacement. Buchanan’s appointment marked the third CEO for Kohl’s in three years as the department store struggles to reverse sluggish sales. Its middle-income shoppers have pulled back on discretionary spending in the face of still-high prices for necessities. It’s also faced stiff competition from Walmart and Amazon, which have been improving their fashion offerings at affordable prices. Now, like many retailers, it’s facing higher costs from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Opendoor Technologies

Opendoor shares are up 28% this week after nearly tripling last week. Overall, they are up more than ﬁvefold in July, closing at $2.88 per share Tuesday That’s still far below their peak of $35.88 in early 2021.

The stock’s recent gains come as hedge fund manager Eric Jackson touts the stock on X, formerly known as Twitter On July 14, he said his hedge fund, EMJ Capital, took a position in Opendoor and expects growth over the next few years.

The real estate services company, which also buys and ﬂips homes, has yet to notch an annual proﬁt. Analysts polled by FactSet expect it to continue posting losses in 2025 and 2026. The company faces a tough housing market. Soaring interest rates and a low supply of homes on the market have made it difficult for homebuyers. Those same factors have also made it less likely for current homeowners to sell their homes, especially those with lower interest rates.

the priority areas we’ve identiﬁed for future growth in our Comprehensive Statewide Strategic Plan,” Bourgeois said in a statement. The work is expected to be completed in May 2027, when the mill has its annual outage.

The state offered the company an incentive package that includes a $800,000 Modernization Tax Credit spread over a five-year period. Hood Container is also expected to use the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program.

Email Timothy Boone at tboone@ theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NAM y. HUH

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Jonescampaignsurviveschallenge

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Awoman running to become East Baton Rouge Parish’snext district court judge will remain on the ballot, ajudge decided Tuesdayafter listening to arguments that she should be disqualiﬁed for allegedly not livinginthe parish.

Veronica “Vicky” Jones is one of four candidates whoqualiﬁed earlier this month to runfor a19th Judicial District Court judge’sseat

Howell Park pool closes

BREC cites safety concerns

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

The Howell Community Park pool is closed indefinitely due to safety concerns stemmingfrom a recent incident of trespassing by armed juveniles.

TheWinbourne Avenue facility, run by the Recreation and Park Commission forEastBaton Rouge Parish,isone of several community poolsinthe Capital Region. BREC spokesperson Robyn Lott stated in an email Tuesday that the park systemclosedthe pool becauseofsafety concerns, pointing to trespassing by four juveniles on Sunday.

“This group of juveniles possessed handguns and thankfully, once staff approached them, they ran away without any confrontation,” she wrote. “The decision to close the pool was madetoensure the safety of all visitors and to allowfor athorough assessmentof the situation.”

Acommunity meetingtodiscuss the incident is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the park, Lott said. It will convene local pastors, city ofﬁcials and community members to develop asolution to prevent similar incidents in the future, she wrote.

“BREC is committed to maintaining asafe environment for its community and willcontinue to evaluate the circumstances surrounding the incident,” she added.

The Capital Region has been left with few swimming options this summer

In May,Blue BayouWater Park announced it would not open for the 2025 season. Its sister attraction, Dixie Landin’ Theme Park, opened for about aweek before closing permanently Leisure Sports and Recreation will assume operations of Blue Bayou, rename the water park to Soak’n Fun and open in May.The Mandeville-based company operates Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Mississippi

That campaign could have been cut short prematurely by aresidency challenge to hercandidacy District Judge Will Jorden held a short hearingTuesday,four days after BatonRouge residentByronSharper ﬁled thepetitionto get Jones kicked outofthe race, alleging she doesn’t live in the parish where she is running to be elected.

Sharper gave abrief opening statement where he asked the judge to boot Jones from the race or issue an injunction that prohibits herfrom appearing on the Oct. 11 ballot. Jones, arguing on her own behalf,cited a 2003 Louisiana SupremeCourt decision thatsaid “election laws should be interpreted to give

the electorate the broadest possible choice of candidates.” She said anyone objecting to aqualified entrant’scandidacy mu st present enough initial evidence to support the claim that the candidate should be disqualiﬁedfrom the race.

ing that it be involuntarily dismissed,”Jones arguedduring the hearing. Jorden agreed that Sharper failed to provide evidence that Jones did not meet the one-year residency requirement to run for district judge and dismissed his petition.

“Alert theclerk of court that Ms.Jones is allowed to stay on the ballot,” the judge ordered. Jones is set to take on Elzie Al-

“Mr.Sharper’sopening statementisnot prima facieproof of hiscase. That’s whyI’m ask-

HOT DOGS

Farah shakes dry as she plays in apool ﬁlled with water

Students

Group’smission to teach kids practicallifelessons

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

As aboy,Chris Hill lived across the street from aNew Jersey branch of the PoliceAthletics League. At that time, theorganization only sponsoredboxing lessons for their students. But since Hill had an older brother who was an ofﬁcer,hejoined

theleague.

Shelter worker

Becca Foster hosesdown

water-loving dogMarilynin herkennel on Tuesdayatthe Denham Springs AnimalShelter as shelter workers combat rising temperatures with their adoptable dogs housedin outdoor kennels.

STAFFPHOTOSBy

HILARy SCHEINUK

As an adult, Hill becameapolice ofﬁcer,too, eventually training to be aU.S marshal before ﬁnally becomingCEO of the national PALorganization.

“If it wasn’tfor PAL, Iwould’ve been one of the kids you were chasing, not someone youwork alongside,” Hill once told one of his superiors. PAL, which now goes by thename the Police ActivitiesLeague,has expanded its scope beyond boxing.

Baton Rouge police are investigating aMonday ev en ing sho ot in g that left a 26-year-old dead near the intersection of Convention and 13th streets Police found Keion Johnsondead from gunshot wounds about 7:27 p.m. Monday

As of Tuesday morning, authorities didnot have any information on the motive or suspect and said theinvestigationis ongoing. Police are urging anyone with information on the shooting to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869 or Capital Region Crime Stoppersat (225) 344-7867.

Ex-WarrenEastonchoir director arrested

Gospel singer accusedof raping teen

BY MARIE FAZIO and MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Awell-known New Orleans gospel singer who recentlyserved as choir director at Warren Easton Charter HighSchool was arrested Tuesday morning, accused of grooming and raping a16-year-old boy,the New Orleans Police Department said.

Joshua “Josh” Kagler,38, who rose to local acclaim withhis gospel group, Josh Kagler and Harmonistic Praise Crusade, was booked into Orleans Justice Center Tuesday morning. He faces five counts of trafficking a child for sexual purposes, five counts of indecent behavior with ajuvenile, one count of third-degree rape and one count of sexual battery

Accordingtopolice, Kagler enticedthe boy to his house with marijuana and then plied him with money, paying him sixtimes in

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ford Jr., Dele Adebamiji andVernon Thomas in the municipal primary

The winner will finish out former 19th Judicial District Court Chief Judge Wilson Fields’ term, which expires at the end of 2026.

Fields vacated the seatin March after beingelected to the 1stCircuit Court of Appeal.

Jones celebrated the victory with her son and

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Its mission is to prevent juvenile crimebyengaging students in all kinds of activities, teachingpractical life lessons, and building relationships between kids and cops On the weekend of July 12, Baton Rouge’sbranch of PAL, which is partnered with the local BRidge Agency,sent students to a national PALYouth Summit in Washington, D.C. The theme of the gathering was “Having aGrowth Mindset.”

“It’sabout being ableto allow yourself to grow into andtoexperience things, try something new,toput yourself on the right path to be successful in life,” Hill saidabout the threeday event. “Tobewilling to break that cycle of whatever: acycle of substance abuseorphysicalabuse, a cycle of poverty.” Madison Stewart chaperonedBRidge PAL’s contingent toD.C., taking students through law enforcement-led classesto help them understand the dangers of drugs, human trafficking, online predation and fake IDs.

An extended workshop on “psychological ﬁrst aid” taught students how to support aclassmate who might be goingthrough something traumatic and who is too afraid to speak to an adult.

“It helped our youth actuallyopen up and share with

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January and February as he “escalated the sexualacts.”

Kaglerstood silently in orange jail scrubs and shackles at his ﬁrst appearance Tuesday in Magistrate Court, where Commissioner Joyce Sallah orderedhim held without bail pending adangerousness hearing scheduled for Monday.

Sallah also granted astate prosecutor’srequest to seal Kagler’scourt documents. Kagler worked last year as achoir teacheratWarrenEaston CharterHigh School but is no longer employed there, school ofﬁcials saidinastatement. He also workedatGeorge WashingtonCarver HighSchool and McDonogh 35, police said.

12 counts

Police launched aninvestigation after the boy’smother reported March 8that a manwas “sexting” herson, according to anaffidavit supporting awarrant for Kagler’sarrest. In aforensic interview, theboy told investigators that Kagler hadpaidhim for sexualactivities on multiple occasions at thechoir teacher’shome, and that Kagler eitherdrove himthere or

campaignteam outside the courtroomimmediately afterthe hearing.

“I extendmysincere gratitude to the courtfor its careful consideration and just resolution of this matter,” she said in asubsequentstatement. “Now, we’re moving forward;focused, ready and stillcommitted to serving this community with integrity and fairness.”

State law mandates judicial candidates be domiciled in the districtsthey run in for at least ayear before to an election.

arranged arideshare.

Kaglerallegedly paid the youth to wear ablindfold and do pushups naked. His requestsescalated over several encounters, culminating in nonconsensual sexual contact,the afﬁdavit states At least six times, he sent Cash App payments to the youth. The teen said he repeatedly expresseddislike for theteacher’sactions but that Kagler kept offering moremoney “Kagler groomed (the boy) to perform sexual acts and used money as bait,” authorities wroteinthe afﬁdavit Magistrate Commissioner Jonathan Friedman signed thewarrant July 18.

On Tuesday morning, New Orleanspolice officers and a U.S. Marshals Service task force arrested Kagler Taslin Alfonzo, aspokesperson for NOLAPublic Schools, said Warren Easton “is fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation of Mr.Kagler.” School officials said Kagler hadbeena teacherduring the 2024-2025 school year and was no longer employed at the school. Kagler’sprofile on the school’swebsite was removed Tuesday

Sharper claimed in his petition thatJones’primary residence fordecades has been herhome in Prairieville, the same address she used when she mounted acampaign for district judge in Ascension Parish in 2023. He also claimed she registered tovoteinEast Baton Rouge Parish for the ﬁrst time lastOctober and used the address at her son’sBaton Rouge condo to establish local residency in order to qualify for therun in the19th judicial district seat.

Sharpersaid Jonesran

Gospel musiccareer

News of Kagler’sarrest shook atight-knit local musiccommunity Over theyears, Kagler andhis choirestablished themselves as mainstays at New Orleans Jazz &Heritage Festival, performing lively soulful sets. Kagler and his group were the 2013 regional winnersof“How Sweet theSound,” agospel choir competition, andappeared on the Oxygen reality television show “Fix My Choir”the following year Renowned for his vocal range, Kagler saidina2021 interviewwith the podcast Mic Check with Stylist B. that he had been directing choirs sincehewas 12. His current choir grew out of agroup he’d startedasa high school student at McDonogh 35, he saidinthe interview “He truly has agift,” said Megan Braden-Perry,a journalist who attended Dillard University with Kagler andcovered his 2013 Jazz Fest performance for Gambit Weekly.She described Kaglerasa“live wire” because of his spirited way of

as aRepublican candidate in 2023 and has switched herparty affiliation in the current race, where she’s listed as aDemocrat. He accused her of “trying to fool the people of EBR.”

The 58-year-old Baton Rougeman appeared at Tuesday’s hearing without representation.Sharper said amix-up at the clerk’s office ledhim andhis attorneys to believe thehearing had been rescheduled to take place Wednesday morning. Jorden explained from the bench that he

each otherabout issues that they werefacing at home, or situations thatthey weren’t really sure howto talktotheir parents about,” Stewart said.

The trip was also filled with excursions tofederal lawenforcement offices like theDepartment of Homeland Security andSecret Service headquarters Students with the BatonRouge groupgot to meet kids from other PAL branches in Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania and California.

Stewart said it is important for studentswith

BRidge Paltohave relationships withthose who “serve our community.”

“We’re trying to lower the stigma that cops are bad, or that cops don’tserve us well in our communities, especially our Blackcommunities,” she said.

Weekly BRidge PALactivities in Baton Rouge also try to instill skills in studentsthat will help them build generational wealth: financial literacy,homeownership and understanding wills and succession.

“Whenwe’re working withour youth, we’retrying to give them informa-

tion like life skills,but we also teachthem college and career readiness, how to regulate their emotions, their feelings, howtoget

directing theHarmonistic Praise Crusade —“jumping, dancing andcontorting his body.”

“It was Gospel, anditwas beautiful,”saidBradenPerry,who estimated she hasseen Kagler perform 15 to 20 times.

Thegroup also performed at an eventsponsored by the Mayor’sOfﬁce of Cultural Economy in 2021, and the following January at MayorLaToya Cantrell’s secondinaugurationatGallierHall.

In February,the group received aGrammy for their contributions to thealbum “Church” by Cory Henry, which won best roots gospel album.

The trafﬁcking counts for whichKaglerwas arrested carry alife prisonsentence upona conviction.

New Orleans police urge any other potential victims to contact the NOPD Sex Crimes Unit at (504) 658-5523 or submit an anonymous tip through Crimestoppers at (504) 8221111 or crimestoppersgno org.

WWL-TVreporter Paul Murphy contributedtothis report.

planned to push the court date back aday after learning he wasassignedthe case Monday,but election codes mandated he handle thepreliminary injunctive hearing by Tuesday morning.

“The judge ruled what he ruled; I’ve just got to take it andkeep moving,” Sharper said. “I’lltalktomyteam later on this evening, and we’ll decide if we’re going to appeal it. But chances are, 9out of 10, we probably won’t. We’re just going to have to beat her at the polls.”

throughday-to-day life,” Stewart said.

Payton Brown, 12 and a soon-to-be seventhgrader, attended the summit with BRidge PAL. It wasthe first time she had been to any city on the East Coast.

Her favorite part was meeting PALstudents from across the country.

“I kind of learned the skill of making new friends and notbeing as shy,”she said.

Herfavorite school subject,she said, is science, andshe wantstostudy to becomeachemist.

“Not everykid wants to be an athlete,”Hill said aboutwhy PALhas expanded the ways it connects with youth. “Wehavetothink about thosekids that want to be, you know,anartist, or akid that wants to be a doctor or adancer.Wewant to give thema platform and amentor,someone they can look up to. That’show our officers work hand in hand with kids on adaily basis.”

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

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Alittle morethan aweek later,BREC announced Liberty Lagoon wouldn’t open forMemorial Day because of alifeguard shortage.

“This announcement was delayed as long as possible in the hopes of assembling enough certiﬁed lifeguards for the holiday weekend,” BREC ofﬁcials said in anewsrelease, adding that the decision wasnot made lightly That water park opened earlierthis month. BREC thenadjustedits operating hours, having the facility close for an hour each day.Itinitially required paid reentry,but thepark system recently instituted new pricing for half-days at alower cost.

Amid the changes, Janet Simmonshas assumed the role as BREC interim superintendent and is holding aseries of community meetings across the parish. The next meeting is scheduled for 6p.m to 7:30p.m.Tuesday at North Sherwood Forest Community Park.

Buxton,Robert Dwayne 'Bones'

Robert Dwayne “Bones” Buxton, 60 yearsold beloved husband, son, fa‐ther, andpappy,was called tobewithhis Lord and Savior, JesusChrist, on July 21, 2025, surrounded by his lovingfamily. He entered thisworld on July 26, 1964, borntoMaryand John Buxton, in Zachary, LA.He was apassionatehunter and an amazingcook;he was knownfor hisloveof the outdoorsand cher‐ishedhis time spentwith

hisfamilyatthe deer camp. Hiscompassionand caringnaturewereevident ineverythinghedid,espe‐cially theway he adored his wife andgrandbabies Dwayne’scompassionex‐tendedbeyondhis family tohis greatercommunity reflecting hisgenerous spirit. He wasdeeplycom‐mittedtothe Tunnelsto TowersFoundation, an or‐ganizationdedicated to providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen firstresponder fami‐lieswithyoung children and catastrophically in‐jured veterans and firstre‐sponders. Dwayne is sur‐vived by hislovingwifeof 23years,GwenBuxton; daughters,Natalie Cowart (Luke), Dara Nolan (Everett),Lindsey Kling, Jessica Kling; ason,Daniel Kling (Charlotte); grand‐children, Colton Cowart MacyCowart, Paxton Cow‐art,Josie Cowart,Campton Cowart, CharleyNolan, AshlynKling, DevanEllis JaciEllis,DrewEllis,Kelsey Montgomery, Dalton Saucier,DaylanKling,Cole Kling,Shaun Kling, and HaidynKling; andgreatgrandchildren,Greyson, Layne,Jayce,and Aris; brothers, John Lynn Buxton (Toni), Steven LeeBuxton (Lisa), Darran Randall Bux‐ton (Tracy); asister, Dar‐leneHendrickson (Randy); and ahostofniecesand nephews.Dwayneispre‐ceded in deathbyhis fa‐ther, John T. Buxton.Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to join thefamilyfor the visitation at BakerFu‐neral Home,6401 Groom Road, Baker, LA on Thurs‐day,July24, 2025, from 5:00 PMuntil 9:00 PM.The visi‐tationwillcontinue at Baker FuneralHome, on Fri‐day,July25, 2025, from 10:00 AM until theFuneral Service at 2:00 PM,offici‐atedbyBro.Danny Grieg. The gravesideservice and burialwillfollowatHill‐crest Memorial Gardens, in Baker,Louisiana.Dona‐tions canbe made in Dwayne’shonor to theTun‐nelstoTowersFoundation byvisitingtheir website t2t.org.Familyand friends may sign the online guest‐book or leavea personal notefor thefamilyatwww bakerfuneralhomeonline. com

Cicero, Joan Joan Cardaronello Cicero, 88, adevoted wife and mother,passed away peacefully on July 20, 2025, in Covington, LA. Born in Independence, LA on November 9, 1936, Joan was the daughter of the late John and Mattie (Pecora) Cardaronello. She was predeceased by her husband,Frank J. Cicero Sr her son FrankJ.Cicero Jr., andher sister Victoria

Ann (BabyAnn) Candiotto.

After graduating from Independence HighSchool in May 1954, she enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.On June 15, 1957, Joan married Frank J. Cicero, thelongtime teacherand coach at St. John's, Jesuit, now LoyolaHighSchool in Shreveport

Joan was adevoted member of St. Mary of the PinesCatholicChurch, was afabulous Italian cook,as well as atalented horticulturalist and seamstress. She poured love intoevery dish she prepared, every plant that flourished under her care, and every stitch she sewed. Her love for serving her church, family and friends was aguiding light throughout her life and will be remembered by allwho knew her.

After 61 years of marriage, Joan moved to Covington, LA in 2018 after the passing of Frank Sr. The family wouldliketothank thecaring staff of St.Anthony's Gardens and ChristwoodSenior Living Facility Visitation willbeheldat 2:00 -3:15PMonThursday, July 24, 2025, at St.Michael theArchangel Chapel, adjacent to theCathedral of St.John Berchmans in Shreveport,LA. immediately followedbya 3:30 PM Mass of Christian Burial celebrating her life.The Celebrant willbeFr. Karl J. Daigle. The Interment will be held at 10:30 AM Friday, July 25, at Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Pineville,LA. She is survivedbyher sonand daughter-in-law, John (Jay) Cicero and Lisa Klein; her grandchildren Jasper,Adam, Jacoband Emilia Cicero; nieces Carolyn Dileo Nelson (Larry), Ginger Cicero Ridder (Ted), and Charity Candiotto; nephews Joe Paul Cicero (Karen), Vic Candiotto (Stephanie) and TomCandiotto (Phyllis); Godson Mark Nelson; step grandchildrenKaylieKlein and Emily KleinLewis (Austin); and step greatgrandchildren,Mollie Shockley, Kaia and Silas Poole. Pallbearers willbe Jasper Cicero,Adam Cicero,Jacob Cicero, Mark Nelson, ArtAdams and Tony Papa In lieu of flowers,the family requeststhat donations be madeinher name to be madetoLoyola College PrepBaseballProgram Osbornfuneralhome.net 318-865-8426

February 16, 1930, Margie was alifelong resident of Baton Rouge. Her final years were marked withsacrificial care coordinated by her daughter, Farin. The family extends itsgratitudeto caregivers Doris, Denise, Tramesya, and Alberta. Margiewas preceded in death by her devoted husband, Clifton "Clif" Frank Fabre, with whomshe shared alovingand faithful marriage. Together, they created ahome filled with warmthand hospitality.Her parents also predeceasedher, as didher brothers, Calvinand Isidore "Buddy" Larguier, and her sisters,Sue LarguierSpaht and Billy LarguierHamilton.

Educated at Grand Coteau and Baton Rouge HighSchool, followedby Business College, Margie was awoman of diverse talents. She builta successfulcareer as aRealtor, yether greatest achievement was her family role alongsideher belovedhusband, Clif. As cherished patriarch and matriarch, they offered guidance, comfort, and home-cooked meals. Their College Drivehome, known as "The Kool-Aid House," was avibranthub of acceptance, counsel, care, and community,leaving alasting legacy for family and friends.

Margie'szest forlife was matched by her love forentertainment. An avid singer,she never missed an opportunity to share her musical gifts. Whether leading askit withher sisteratFirst Presbyterian Church or entertaining at parties-anywhere amicrophone couldbefound Margiewas amember of theArt Leage, Circle group and theLiterary Club.

Margie'slegacy endures throughher five devoted children, Clifton II "Kip," John Bradford (wife, Sandy), David Larguier (wife,Lauren ), Farin(husband, Martin Ware),and CalvinIsidore (wife, Melissa ), and twocherished "chosen daughters," Anna "Banana" Babin Neal and Jill Bressler. Her life lessons and unending support shaped them intothe individuals they are today. The family circle extends to her seventeen grandchildrenand 21 greatgrandchildren. She was very close to her nieces and nephews, who included Johnnie Sue Larguier Creel, Melissa Larguier Bouygues, Becky Larguier,

BuddyLarguier,Fee Hamilton,Martha Hamilton Weaver,the Spahts and Fabres Visitation will be at First Presbyterian on Monday July 28th 10:00am and service at 11:00am

Harden, VeridineLorraine

VeridineB.Harden, 78, of Rosenberg, Texas passedaway on July 2, 2025. She wasbornonAugust 28, 1946 in Baton Rouge,LAtoPerry Bates Sr.and Malinda Bates. In addition to herparents, Veridine is preceded in death by twobrothers, Kevinand DoyleRay Bates. Survivors includeher son, George Harden, Jr andhis wife, Ruth;siblings, PerryBates Jr Elaine Baker,Don Bates and Douglas Bates; granddaughter, Dakota Harden; grandsons, Dalton& Brendan Harden; special family, Austen Hall, Daniel& Tristan Lentz, Brody Wetig, Hunter &Declan Lentz; alongwith numerousnieces, nephews, cousins, extendedfamily andfriends

Theservice willbeheld at 10:00 a.m., Monday, July 21, 2025 in theChapelof Davis-Greenlawn Funeral Home in Rosenberg.

Acelebration of Monica's life will be held at St Jude theApostle Catholic Church,9150 Highland Road at 10am on July 24, 2025, wherefamilyand friends willgather to honor hermemory andthe beautiful legacy she leaves behind

AnnMerrittLeBlanc Guercio,beloved wife, mother,and grandmother, passed away in the comfort of herlifelonghomeon July 19, 2025, at the age of 70, after fightinga courageous battle against cancer. Born andraised in Baton Rouge,Ann graduated from LouisianaState University in home economics, whereshe proudlyserved as Captain of theLSU Tigresses andmember of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Annworemany hats throughouther life, as an aerobicsinstructor andnutritionist,a personal shopper at MaisonBlanche -Goudchaux's, aprofessional model, an antiques dealer, acommunity volunteer,anentertainer,and a socialite— she wore each with elegance andpurpose.A fiercetennisplayer andloyal friend of Bocage Racquet Club, Annfound joyand communityonthe courtand beyond. She gave generouslyofher time and talents,supportingcauses such as Companion Animal Alliance, Cat Haven,Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge,to name only afew of the many close to herheart Annwas preceded in death by herparents,Paul James "Jimmy" Jr.and Jane LeBlanc. Sheissurvived by herdevoted husband of 39 years, Robert Guercio;her daughters, Merritt(Jim Voitier) andMimi (Foster deGeneres); andher preciousgrandchildren, Robert andJane Voitier. Sheisalso survivedbyher brother, Conway LeBlanc, hiswife,Terri,and their children, Benjaminand Susannah.She also leaves behind hercherished pets, treasured friends,and countless people whose

LeBlanc Guercio, Ann

Hill, Monica

■ Wednesday, July 23, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com

lives she brightened. Avisitation will start at 9:30am until mass at 11:30am Friday, July25, 2025 at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 2025 Stuart Ave. Immediate family willgather for aprivate internmentat

Roselawn Memorial Park Following the burial, the family wishes to have a private reception for relatives and close friends at their home. In lieu of flowers, the family kindlyrequests donations to CompanionAnimalAlliance, Cat Haven, Cancer Services of Baton Rouge, or Hospice of Baton Rouge.

Pollard, John R. John RPollard passed away at his home on June 27, 2025, after ashort illness. Services will be held on Thursday, July24, 2025, at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533Airline 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 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2025-0724 at Ourso Funeral Home 13533 Airline Hwy.

Afuneral service will be held from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 2025-07-24 at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy.

KennethMichael Reine, 80years old, beloved Spouseand Father,was calledtobewithhis Lord and Savior,Jesus Christ,on July19, 2025. He entered thisworld on August 20 1944, born to Gertrude and GeorgeReine,inBaton Rouge.Hewas amember ofSt. John TheBaptist Catholic Church in Brusly, Louisiana.Kenneth is sur‐vived by hislovingwifeof 58years,Lynette Reine; son,Kenneth Reine, II (Melissa); grandchildren, Mikayla ReineArchambeau (Geoffrey), Corbin Michael Reine;a great-grandchild Aurelia Rose Archambeau; brothers, RichardWayne Reine (Emily), Gerard Ray Reine (Nettie);a sister,De‐lores Jean ReineReed; and a host of nieces and nephews.Kenneth is pre‐ceded in deathbyhis fa‐ther, George AllenReine Sr; mother,GertrudeMarie Daigle; sons,Keith Wayne Reine andKyleMarkReine; brothers, George Allen Reine,Jr. andLawrenceLi‐onelReine;and asister, RitaAdeline Reine. The familywishestoexpress their gratitudefor thelov‐ing supportofKenneth’s nephew, Kenneth“Bubba” Reed andhis wife,Marilyn. Relatives andfriends are invited to join thefamily for thevisitationat St Isidore Catholic Church, 5657 Thomas Road,Baton Rouge,LA, on Friday,July 25, 2025, from 9:00 AM until the Mass of ChristianBur‐ial at 11:00 AM,ofﬁciated byFr. Arun John. The graveside serviceand bur‐ial will follow at Hillcrest MemorialGardens, in Baker,Louisiana.Family and friendsmay sign the onlineguestbook or leave a personal note forthe familyatwww.bakerfunera lhomeonline.com

Sawyer, Thomas Harry 'Tom'

Thomas Harry Sawyer, 84, was receivedinto the handsofJesus on Sunday, July 20, 2025,inBaton Rouge, LA. He was born in Lake Providence,LA, on January 14, 1941.Tom grew up in OakGrove,La, where he learned hard workand accountability in his dad's feed and seed business. He graduated from Oak Grove High School where he met highschoolsweetheart Barbara Richey.You know the scenario: football captain dates cheerleader. TomattendedLouisiana Tech where he earned his B.A. and M.B.A. While at Tech, he worked part-time at the Lincoln General Hospital. Upon graduation, he becamea full-time employee,thus beginning his love of hospital administration. In 1970, Baton Rouge General administrator ClaudeKirkpatrickrecruited Tom, where "Mr. K" becameamentorand friend until his retirement in 1981 when Tom succeeded him as CEO.Tom remained thereuntil 1997 working withall the wonderfulpeople who taught him so much aboutlife. His wonderful assistant Louise Brucewas aforce multiplier who kept him on track. Tomwas precededin death by his parents, N. H. (Tom) Sawyerand Billie Buatt Sawyer McCleary and foster sister Verlene Chapman Olinde. He is survived by his devoted wife of 65 years Barbara Richey Sawyerand two sons Richey(Dina), Paul (Lisa) and five lovinggrandchildrenThomas, Gillian, Christian, Holden, and RobertSawyer,who lovingly calledhim "Papa." Dr. Patricia Cruz Molina (Miguel) becamepart of their family in 1974 when she came to live with the Sawyers as an exchange student from El Salvador. Sheand her family remain part of the family. He is also survivedbyhis sisters GailThomas (Henry, dec.), CarolCostello(Mike), Maria Butler (Mike) and foster brother RogerChapman (Charlene). Barbara's brothersand sisterswere also abig part of his life: Duane Richey(dec.), Harvey Richey (Myrna), DonaldRichey(Nell), Ruth Morse (Marvin), Lynn Herlevic (Nic). Tomloved being apartofthe Mid City revitalization andwatching the BluebonnetGeneral become areality.Heloved working with all thewonderfulpeoplethere. He beganhis career at the Mid City Baton Rouge General and passed peacefully there in the ButterflyWing. HisdeepfaithinGod and his wonderful familyand friends made hisliferich and meaningful. He loved traveling with family and friends, teaching Sunday school,watching his two boysgrowinto wonderful Christian men, and loving his five precious grandchildren. Tomserved on numerous boards and served as an elderatFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge. His beloved Sunday School class co-taught with Jerry Stovall was amusingly referred to by many as the Tom and Jerry Show. His faith sproutedat the Chapel on the Campus under the leadershipof ld bb d fl

Donald Tabb and flourished under thepastorship of GerritDawson at First Presbyterian. What great care Tom received at the Baton Rouge General! He was thankful forall the doctors and nurses who were so attentiveand compassionate.And yes, those who cleaned his room and brought him brought hismeals. Thank you! Tomwas so grateful to allhis family and friends who supported him throughthisdifficult time during thepast year. His struggles were many, but he keptpushing. He loved allofyou so much! Visitation willbeheldonThursday, July24, from10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.,and a memorial servicefrom 11:00 a.m. to noon at First Presbyterian Church of BatonRouge at 763 North Blvd. in Baton Rouge. In lieu of flowers,donations may be madetoFirst PresbyterianChurch of Baton Rouge or theRheumatoid Foundation.

Scott, Julia

Julia JScott entered into eternal rest on July17, 2025, at theage of 92. Survivedbyher daughter, Penny (Matthew) Barrow, Sr.; son, Kevin (Charlene) Scott;5 grandchildren, 8 greatgrandchildren.Visitation Friday, July25, 2025, at 11:00 am until religious serviceat12:00 pm Mount Pilgrim FamilyLifeCenter, 9700 Scenic Highway, BatonRouge,LAReverend Tommy Cainofficiating,Interment LouisianaNational Cemetery, Zachary, LA Services Entrusted to Hall Davis and Son. www.halldavisandson.com

Thomas,NewtonBuckner

Newton Buckner Thomas, age 81, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July19, 2025, at his home in BatonRougesurrounded by family and friends. He was, aboveall else, adevoted husband, father, grandfather, and family man. He was acaptivating leader in theBaton Rouge community and across theUnited States, a masterful storyteller, and a true Southern gentleman He wasborn in Baton Rouge on June 11, 1944. Raisedbyhis parents, Buck and Katherine Thomas, alongsidehis older brother, John, he grew up in alovingand freespiritedhouseholdthat valuedand encouraged the pursuitofacademic

achievement. His father, Buck, worked as an employeeofthe Esso plant in BatonRouge,now known as Exxon, and his mother, Katherine(affectionately known as "Cappo"), was a professorinlibrary sciences at Louisiana State University and an English teacher He is survivedbyhis wife of 47 years, Elizabeth "Betsy"Reich Thomas, his children, Katherine Thomas Inzer andher husband JimInzer, of Baton Rouge, and Lindsey Thomas Easterlyand her husband Tom Easterly, of Baton Rouge; and six grandchildren, HarperInzer,James Inzer,Thomas Inzer,Sydney Easterly, BenjaminEasterly, and Madeline Easterly. He is also survivedbyhis brother who he dearlyloveand admired,Dr. John Thomas, aformerSEC baseball championwho played shortstop forLSU and an accomplishedorthopedic surgeoninBaton Rouge, as well as his niece and nephews, Julie Thomas Hess and her husband Simon Hess (of Miami,FL), John Thomas, Jr. and his wife Debra (of Boerne, TX), and AndyThomas and wife Anne (of Baton Rouge, LA),

as well as many grandnieces andgrandnephews. Newton graduated from Louisiana State University LaboratorySchool in 1962, and then enrolled at Louisiana State University on afullathletic baseball scholarship.Heplayed catcher for theLSU Tiger baseballteam. He separatelyparticipated as a Varsityfootball cheerleader for theLSU Tigers. Newton graduated from LSUin 1967 and receiveda bachelor'sdegree in electrical engineeringwitha minor in business administration During college at LSU, Newton picked up anickname -"Neutron" -which hiscollegeengineering buddies cleverly and joviallycoined for himbecause they claimed he was "all mass andnoenergy." Thenickname wasshortened to "Tron," andeventually, with aslightvariation,servedasthe genesis forthe name of the company he later co-founded in 1973.

After graduating from LSU, Newton took ajob with Southern Instruments, Inc. in Baton Rouge, an industrial controls contractor specializingincontrol systems in thepetrochemical, refining,paper

and power generation fields. He started there as an estimating engineer. Four years later in 1971, at the age of 27, Newton took over as thecompany's President. Between 1967 and early 1973, Newton spent most of hisdays working for Southern Instruments, but he maintainedanenviable work life balance. He developeda passion for flyingairplanes andsailing. In hislate20's and 30's, via hissailboat "Katherine that he namedafter his mother, he frequented Pensacola, KeyWest, the Bahamas, and many other nautical destinations, wherehelived aboardhis sailboat. Newton's stories from that era, whichhe artfully delivered for more than 50 years, are nothing short of legendary. Butthere were three landmarkevents that forever changed Newton's life. Twoofthoseinvolved hisfamily. At theage of 34, he fell in love with and marriedBetsy Reich, the love of hislife, whowas thedaughter of Robert ReichofBaton Rouge,the founder andnamesake of theRobertReich School of Landscape Architecture. Next,shortly after mar-

Reine, Kenneth Michael

riage, Newton and Betsy were blessed with two daughters, Katherine and Lindsey. Newton's fondest memories included days out on the water with "his three girls" -with Newton at the helm in some remote destination such as Key West or some islandin the Bahamas -preferably with adark rum drink in hishand.

The third landmark event occurredinMay 1973,when, with the help of two business partners, Newton co-founded Newtron, Inc. The early board meetings took place around aping pong table. At first, it was just another electrical instrumentation company similar to his previous job. There was one key difference, however, which was that Newton enjoyed operationaland managerial control over his new business venture. That enabled him to create and implement aunique corporate culture predicated upon his core values. Newton was determined to place responsibility, authority, and decision making into the hands of the employees closest to the task at hand, with acorporate recognition that the financial success of the company shouldbeliberally shared with the employees. Newton's vision for the company was always that the employees be rewarded for their efforts He designed the culture to promote and foster in each employee asenseofselfmotivation to succeed, whilesimultaneously ensuring corporate responsibility, honesty, and integrity. The business model he created and refined over many years emphasizes the retention of employees on along-term basis, which he viewed as the company's greatest strength. According to Newton, "long term committed employeesare the key to our success." The company's Core Values and Beliefs (which are published in all offices and job sites) serve as his blueprintfor how to conduct business. Today, the companyis known as The Newtron Group, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. It presently operates across the United States through multiple subsidiaries with offices throughout the country,including offices in Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, and California. The group of companies collectively employ approximately 5,000 people. Newton established annual events, including crawfish boils and picnics at each local office, where employees and their family members gather in afamily atmosphere. Newton hardly ever missed one. After Newton acquired sole ownership of the company in 1996, he steadily grew it into one of the largest industrial electricaland instrumentation specialty construction companies in in the United States. Newton Thomas received numerous awards and recognitions during his career including induction into the LSU Collegeof Engineering's Hall of Distinction. In 2015, Newton was named as LSU's Alumnus of the Year. In 2018, Newton was inducted into the Baton Rouge Business Report's Hall of Fame. In 2019, Louisiana Public Broadcasting honored Newton with its "Louisiana Legend" award, which salutes the state's most influential, visionary, and successful citizens. Between 1994 and 1996, Newton periodically traveled to Cambridge, MA to attenda Harvard Business

School Executive Education Program to sharpen his management and leadershipskills. The Harvard educators wereimpressed by The NewtronGroup Theyviewed its commitment to employees and socialgoodascomparable to othermodern company philosophies, but they concludeditwas more advanced due to the emphasis on charitable giving. In 2002, Newton founded The Newton B. Thomas SupportFoundation.It servedasa non-profit company through which Newton engaged in extensivephilanthropy throughout the remainder of his life. His past charitable endeavorsinclude the LSU Center for RiverStudies located on the Baton Rouge WaterCampus, the Knock Knock Children's Museum in Baton Rouge, and the OurLady of the LakeChildren's HospitalinBaton Rouge -which now includesThe Newton &Betsy Thomas Family Centerfor Newborn& Infant Intensive Care.

Newton,who wasselfmade, had adream to continue hiscommitment to the company semployees and to charitable giving even after his lifetime.Accordingly, he left The Newtron Group to the foundation he created, the Newton B.ThomasSupport Foundation, which will hold and preservehis company for generations to come. The NewtronGroup will continuetooperatefor the benefitofits employees, while simultaneously furthering his commitment to promote socialgood. The endresultfulfills Newton'sdream, and it will positively impact communitiesacross the United States, especially including the communitiesinwhich the company operates, through alimitless continuation and advancement of the economic and charitablegoals cherished and fulfilled by Newtonduring his truly incredible life.

Newton a/k/a"Tron" a/ k/a"Pop" was alifelong outdoorsman,anavid hunter and fisherman, a passionate sailorand boating enthusiast, an enthusiastic golfer, and an accomplishedpilot. He loved music by The Eagles old cypress, and the sound of agobbling turkeyat sunrise. He was avoracious reader who never stoppedlearningand a winner of many sudoku puzzles. He was less than fond of rules(in general), government bureaucracy, and game wardens. He was especially fond, though, of Port Eads, Louisiana,atthe mouth of the Mississippi Riverbelow Venice, where hispaternal grandfather,Dr. Thomas, was once stationedasthe immigration doctor. There, Newton positioneda houseboat he designed, commissioned, and towed downrivertoSouth Pass. In the yearsinand around 1978 to 2005,Newtonand his family and friends frequented PortEads to enjoy world classfishing and duck hunting. On June 14, 1986,Newton andcrew won the Baton Rouge Big Game Fishing Club Invitational BluewaterTournament in South Pass aboard "Betsy" takinghome the TopBoat trophy and 1st place in the Blue Marlin, Wahoo, and Yellowfin Tuna categories. His preferred and favorite anglerwas none otherthan his beloved wife, Betsy,who reeled in many of the tournament winners thatyear and in manyothers The family wishesto thankevery employee of the Newtron Group, and thefamily wouldalsolike to thankeveryoneaffiliat-

ed with theNewton B. Thomas Support Foundation. He was mentor to acollection of engineers, businessmen, businesswomen, and friendstoo many to count.Hewillbedearly missed by those who had thefortune to havehim as part of their lives. Tales of Newton Buckner Thomas, however, willliveonforever, as will hislegacy Visitationwillbeheldon Saturday, July26, at St James EpiscopalChurch, 205 North 4th StreetinBatonRouge,from 2:00 p.m. until 4:15 p.m., with a Memorial Service at 4:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers,the family wouldbegrateful forcontributions to AMIkidsBaton Rouge, 5555 BeechwoodDrive, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, theBaton Rouge Area Foundation, 402 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, or the charity of one's choice.

VirginiaSue Halbert Tricoudiedpeacefully, surrounded by her family,on Saturday, July19, 2025. She wasborn in Columbia,LA, on November 12, 1938, to Walterand Pauline (neè Thompson) Halbert. She was raised in Waterproof, LA,and was a1956 graduateofWaterproof High School. She attended Northeast LouisianaUniversityinMonroe, LA. She moved to Baton Rougein 1962 and worked for The Boy ScoutsofAmerica and NewYork Life.In1967 she met theloveofher life, GeorgeTricou. They married on Leap Day in 1968 and spent 56 wonderful years together, until his death in 2024. During their marriage, Sue and George lovedtohavea good time with friends, travel theUS, Europe,Australia, and New Zealand. Sue was an avid needlepointer; collecting canvases throughout their travelsand creating Christmas stockingsfor hergrandchildren.Sue was

an activemember of BroadmoorUnited Methodist Church for many years and served as theparsonage manager and TasteFairChair throughout the1980s. After George'sretirementin 1994, they moved to the Country Club of Louisiana, whereshe was amember of theGardenClub and ParcelRepresentative to theHOA.Sue is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, GeorgeTricou; parents, Walterand Pauline Halbert; beloved brother, BillHalbert; grandson, Bryan Tricou; and daughter-in-law, Andrea Bugea Tricou. She is survivedbyson, Mark Tricou and wife, Dawn Tricou; daughter, Lori Tricou Zachary and husband, John Zachary, Jr; grandchildren, Chris Tricou, Catherine TricouShelfer and husband Brian Shelfer, HannahZachary Kirsch and husband, James Kirsch, OliviaZachary, and Charlie Oliver; greatgrandchildren, Brenna Tricou, Brooks Shelfer, Bennett Shelfer, Diana Kirsch. Charlee Oliver, and Hollis Oliver. The family would like to thank Barbara Crutchfield,Sue's constant companionand exception-

al 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

Webster, Jessie Bell

Enteredintoeternal rest on July 14, 2025 at theage of 81. Survivedbyher hus-

band, Samuel Webster;2 daughters; 4grandchildren.VisitationThursday, July 24, 2025, Full Gospel United Pentecostal Church 6729 MickensRoad, Baton Rouge,LA., 9:00 am until religiousservice at 11:00 am. Entombment Heavenly Gates Cemetery of Baton Rouge.Funeral Service EntrustedtoHallDavis and Son.

Tricou, VirginiaSue

OUR VIEWS

Oakdale immigration probeis the rightkindof enforcement

We’d like to take amomenttocommendthe federal and state law enforcement ofﬁcersand agencies who were part of theinvestigation that led to several arrestslast week in asweeping case of immigration fraud thatshocked the state.

There areplentyofthreads topullhere, but ﬁrst, the basics. The roundupnettedthreecurrent and one former elected law enforcement ofﬁcer from acluster of small towns alonga 17-mile stretch of U.S. 165 in centralLouisiana

The four are accused of acceptingbribes from alocal businessman, alsoindicted, in return for creating police reports documenting crimes that neverhappened.

The police reports could then be citedby those seeking what are known as Uvisas, in which the petitionerclaims to be thevictim or awitness to acrime who is aidinglaw enforcement.

Granting of aUvisa often allows the petitioner to remain in the United States until the caseis resolved.

Accordingto the indictment, theowner of aSubway restaurant in Oakdale paid ofﬁcers from there as well as from the nearby towns of Glenmora and ForestHill tocreate the fake reports

Exactly who applied for the visas remains unclear,thoughthe federal indictment says that most of those who used thefakepolicereports were notresidents of Louisiana.

The indictment alleges that themen created hundreds of police reports. In return, theywere paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes, using the money to purchase acamp at anearby lake, vehicles and anRV, among otheritems. The 62-count indictment focuses on 2024, butthe conspiracy may go back adecade.

In adramatic twist, two of the arrestswere made while men attendeda police conventionin Baton Rouge.

It is always disappointing,ofcourse,whena sworn police ofﬁcer is accused of wrongdoing But it should serve as an importantreminder: The elderly man on his way to work inLafayette, the nursing mother in Baton Rougewho showed up for ascheduled immigration appointment or the woman gardeninginher NewOrleans yard are not the problem with thenation’s immigration system. Targetingthemisnot just cruel, but it does little to stem thetide of those who are here to do illegalthings.

Rather,investigatingtruebad actors, as these folks allegedly were, is amuch more worthyuse of time and resources We are glad that, in thiscase, it appears that’s exactly what happened.

It is also important to remember thatanindictment is only an accusation. Those charged in this scheme arepresumed innocent until proven guilty.They,like those sweptupinall the immigration raids that have taken place this year,deserve humanetreatmentand due process.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME.

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OPINION

Medicaid cuts will affect many who’ve worked alltheir lives

My grandmother was thebackbone of our family —caregiver,small business owner and wife totwo World WarIIveterans. She died penniless, but had Healthy Louisiana, our state’s version of Medicaid. That gave her dignityatthe end.

Even with coverage, her nursing care was stretched thin. She shared aroom with multiple patients. Now Republicans are cutting over $1 trillion from Medicaid —likely stripping 200,000 Louisianans of their care.

Many don’trealize Healthy Louisiana is Medicaid. It supportskids, seniors, disabled loved ones, small business owners and working people with no insurance.

It’snot acheck in themail —itreimburses hospitals and clinics for care already provided.

Leaderslike Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Julia Letlow,Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are spreading myths about abuse. The truth? Healthy peo-

The article about theAmistad Center laying off workers to be in line with “President Donald Trump’seffortsto end programs that promote diversity or prioritizethe experience of minority groups” is misleading on many levels. First,the Trumpadministration has not declared war on minoritygroups nor their historical research. It has declared war on “diversityequityand inclusion” or “DEI” programs, whose end effect was to divide students by race and promotethe tired Marxist rhetoric that the world is divided between two groups: theoppressor and oppressed. (Sorry,but in America, the sky’sstill thelimit.) TheAmerican public rejected DEI when it voted last November Secondly,all of the archives in the Amistad Center are housed at Tulane. If Tulane values this worthy research and preservation, why doesn’titfund it? As aprivateinstitution, witha healthy endowment, this would be a great use of itsfunds. The merefact that “grant-writing” is now ahigh-

ple don’tcost Medicaid anything. Sick people do. Cuttingthis meansfewer surgeries, prescriptionsand nursing beds —while billionaires get tax cuts.

Thirty-three rural hospitals in Louisiana could close. That’llraise premiumsfor everyone and stretch emergency roomstothe breaking point. Every other developed nation provides healthcare for less money with better results. We could, too —ifwe took theproﬁt motive out of people’s health. This is about morethan one program.It’sabout privatizing everything we rely on —Healthy Louisiana, Medicare, Social Security —socorporations can proﬁt from what was once public good. We’ve worked our whole lives. All we’re asking for is dignity in health. Say it withme: No more. We want change.

DUSTIN GRANGER LakeCharles

paying job demonstrates how deeply we have accepted that federal funding must support every project that any group deemsnecessary At one point in thearticle, there wasa quotethat “every parish” in Louisiana(andnodoubt county in the rest of the country) has “an Amistad.” Nothing screams inefﬁciency like duplication. The work of this center is aworthy endeavor.Kathe Hambrick, theexecutive director,toher credit, has gone to thepublictosolicit support from theprivate sector.Bravo to that, and how about afew of these museumsand research institutions consolidating? Cutting unnecessary staff, reducing facility costs, prioritizing core missions? With a$37 trillion debt, you can count on more cuts, or we’re going to drown in debt.Alittle context in this article would have gone along way. Please, just do better reporting. Stop advocating.

DONNA MASELLI Tulane Law1985

Why was astoryabout aUFC ﬁghter on the front page of the paper? Is there nothing moreimportanthappen-

ing in the world? This is ridiculous. EUGENIA RESS Ventress

Our founding fathers had astrong trust in Godand desire forfreedom.Starting with Patrick Henry’s “Liberty” speech in 1775: “Wemust ﬁght! We shall not ﬁght our battles alone. There is ajust God whopresides over the destinies of nations. As forme, give me liberty,orgive me death!”

The Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776, stated: “All Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights with aﬁrm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence.”

George Washington stated at his inaugural address in 1789: “Itwould be peculiarly improper to omit in this ﬁrst ofﬁcial Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being whorules over the Universe No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand morethan the People of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to an independent nation, seemstohave been distinguished by sometoken of providential agency —wemust understand that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on anation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”

This leads us to The Bill of Rights, which amended the Constitution in 1791 with Amendment Itoconﬁrm religious freedom: “Congress shall makenolaw respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Nowhere in the Constitution is there aprovision requiring the separation of church and state.

Fast forward to the 1970s after socialist intellectuals had invaded our law schools and courts and “wordsmithed” Amendment Itorequire the separation of church and state such that God was kicked out of our schools and public squares. What about “Congress not making lawsprohibiting the free exercise of religion” and “the propitious smiles of Heaven?”

STEVE GARDES Lafayette

WhileLa. patients suffered, health care CEOboughta yacht

Buried deep in the thousands of pages of one court case, asingle line of afew simple words lays bare what canhappenwhen bad actors apparently run amok in the American health care system.

“These insiders,” the line reads, “pilfered Steward’sassets for their own material gain, while leaving the Companyand its hospitals perpetually undercapitalized and insolvent.”

paid —by$200 million —for ﬁve hospitals in Miami because he wanted an “empire” there. It also accuses him of directing payments for Steward assets into acompany owned by himself andtwo other executives, again gaining millions while his hospitals failed.

Steward, in this case, is Steward Health Care LLC, the Texas-based hospital operator that ran hospitals around the country before collapsing into bankruptcy lastyear and being forced to sell off assets. One of the company’shospitals was Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe,amajor health care provider in Louisiana’s largely rural northeastern corner.

The “insiders” in the linerefers to the company’sformer CEO, Ralph de la Torre, and ahandful of other former Steward executives and board members.

Earlier this month, Steward ﬁled suit against those formerleaders in an attempt to recoup some of what they paid. According to the ﬁling, “through their greed and bad faith misconduct, (they) operatedStewardwiththe aim of enriching themselves.”

The most galling allegation is that de la Torre and others arranged for a$111 million dividend payout to executives and board members in January 2021, “ata time when the SHC System was alreadyinsolvent.”

In other words, even as their hospitals were failing, the company’sexecutives andboard members were paying out tens of millions of dollars themselves. De la Torre, the suit alleges, got$81.5 million in the deal, money he turned around and used to purchase a $30million yacht. The suit also alleges de la Torre over-

Even in dry legalese, theﬁling is infuriating.

While de la Torre was enjoyinghis very ﬁrst-world yacht patients in West Monroe were getting“thirdworld medicine,” according to what one doctor told a federal inspector The problems at Glenwood ranged from theannoying to thecritical. Sometimes, medical staff couldn’tperform basic diagnostic tests, such as for COVID, strep and staph. Some vendors hadn’tbeen paid. In one case, apatient complained of chest pain andadoctor recommended emergency surgery.But Glenwood didn’thave thepersonnel to operate and atransfer would have been unsafe. At least one doctor regularly sent patients outofstate because of the staffingproblems

Theproblems got so bad that state inspectors twice put the hospital on a restricted status after it determined that patients’ health and safetywere in “immediate jeopardy” due to supply andstafﬁngshortages

Thesecondtime, in early 2024, meant the hospital was allowed to operate at only aboutone-third of its capacity

Meanwhile, de la Torre may as well have been in the Bahamas, on hisyacht, dreaming up thenext big dividend paymentorplotting the next expansion of hisempire. Or maybe he wasputtinghis money in aCayman Islands bank. Or perhaps checking out islands with no extradition arrangements. Ican’tsay

Iampretty sure, however,that what he was not doing was worrying about whether people in West Monroe could

get aCOVID testora potentially lifesaving heart operation. At aSteward facility in Massachusetts, awoman died one day after giving birthwhen doctors learned during surgery that supplies needed totreat her had been repossessed, according toareport in The Boston Globe.

That makes De la Torre an avatar for everything that is wrong about the American health care system. For him,proﬁtsand personal wealthwere moreimportantthan his patientsin Massachusetts,Texas and northeast Louisiana.

Luckily for those in West Monroe, Glenwood, like the other hospitals Steward owned, has been sold as part of the bankruptcy.Its new owner, California-based Healthcare Systems of America, took over last year.On itswebsite, HSA says its mission is to “breathe new life intostruggling hospitals.”

That imagery can’tbeamistake. A company whose business is literally about breathing new life into human beings wantstodothe samefor struggling healthcare facilities.

Glenwood CEO and Chief Medical Ofﬁcer Mark Boersma, aphysician and longtime Glenwood employee, has said that’swhat HSA is doing. During atour with Monroe TV news station KNOE, he showed off stuffed supply boxes and insisted that shortages were not a problem

An industry group gave Glenwood an “A”for safety in thefourth quarter of last year,aﬁrst,Boersma said.

“Their emphasis was you will run the hospital locally.And we will assist you in any way that we can,” he told KNOE. HSA has been welcomed in West Monroe for obvious reasons. Andhopefully Glenwood continues its rebound. Butjust in case, let’s keep an eye on yacht purchases.

Faimon A. RobertsIII can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Netanyahutells thetruth in interview

Can you hear the canary in the economy’s coal mine singing her heart out?

Youknow that we are headed fortrouble when somemasses start buying groceries on the installment plan. That is the business model behind the popular “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) borrowing platforms—loans that spread out purchases into four payments. Troubles are growing in several credit sectors —incar loans, in credit card debt, in student loans.

Inflation driven by monstrous federal deficits, plus atrade war, has already led to higher borrowing costs, which makes paying borrowed money back all that harder BNPL seemstobecatnip foryounger consumers whoare digitally savvy and do alot of buying online. BNPL shoppers spent about $19.2 billion in the first quarter of this year Modest wages play apart, but so does the allure of online shopping, which makes the purchase of fancy steak knives or luxury handbags feel so seamless. Over half of BNPL users responding to aHarris poll admitted that splitting payments let them spend morethan they knew they should. Almost aquarter said their BNPL spending was “out of control” and that they couldn’tafford mostofwhat they bought without splitting payments.

BNPL lets people dig deeper into the debt hole, which “will be harder and harder to climb out of,” Ed deHaan, an accounting professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, told Bloomberg News.That happens more“easily when there’snotransparency.”

And there hasn’tbeen transparency.This huge form of borrowing hadn’tshownupin Americans’ credit scores. The BNPL giants say they don’twant to release that information because it could hurt credit scores needed to secure mortgages and other important loans. Why didn’tthese borrowers use credit cards instead? The answer,inpart, is that athird of them had already nearly maxed out on credit cards. BNPL traditionally attracts struggling low-wage earners and nowadays moremiddleclass customers.

During his visit to Washingtonrecently,Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interviewed for anhour by Fox News and radio host Mark Levin. The interview was arebuke to the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israelslantso many in the media convey to the public Asked about Iran and itsproxies, Netanyahusaid:“Aregime that chants ‘Death to America,’ that’skilled and injured thousands of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan through their IEDs that bombed your embassy that burned your ﬂag, that tried to assassinate President Trump, twice, bythe way, tried to assassinate me once, and they just put aprice on our head .this is ridiculous. These arethe enemies(of) America, sworn to your destruction. And, of course, President Trumpunderstands that. He understands that our enemy is your enemy,and that our victory is your victory.But he went further thanthat. He changedAmerican policy.Hesaid, if this is our common enemy,wecan have acommon victory.” About Iran following the bombing of its nuclear facilities:“This regime is in deep trouble. Imean theMiddle East without Iran, the Middle East with Israel and our Arab partners, the possibilities for economic cooperation, technological cooperation,energycooperation, A.I., tourism, trade. it’sa different world.”

As much of the American andespecially European media quickly pivoted from sympathy and support of Israel following the Oct. 7attack by Hamas, to its previous hostility towardthe prime minister and the Jewish state, Netanyahu debunked reporting that relies on Palestinian news releases which blame Israel for killingcivilians in Gaza: “Israel does everything in its power to avoid civiliancasualties. Hamas does everything in itspowerto have civilian casualties, civilian casualties on our side when theyrocket our cities and civilian casualties on their side when they prevent the civilian population, the Palestinian population, from leaving the combat zones.

LETTERS TO

“Sowesend millions of text messages, phone calls, leaﬂets, get out of the war zonebecause we don’twant youtobehurt. Hamas shootsthem. They shoot their own people, in order to have Western media cover this and say,whatare the Israelis doing? And this is horrible.”

Asked by Levin to comment on biasedmedia coverage, Netanyahu responded: “I think that’sthe other front. We have aseven-front war,and we’ve won on all fronts and winning on all fronts, but this is the eighth front, the disinformation campaign is amongus.... it takes asecond for alie to circulate the world, and then you have to battle it with theonly weapon youhave, which is thetruthand truth is slower than lies and moredifﬁcult to ascertain, because you have to get thefacts when you lie, you can say anything,and it’sinstantaneous. When you tell the truth, you have to ascertain thefacts and until you do that in the electronic age, boy,that lie could encircle theEarth athousand times

So it’s ahandicap, but we’ll ﬁght theinformation war,too Ithink we have to shamethe media that does this.” Does the prime minister thinkthe apparent success of the bombing mission by Israel and the U.S. against Iran’s nuclear sites will ease antisemitism in Europe and the U.S.: “In away,yes, because antisemitism targets the Jews, because they’re prominent, but (the stereotype is we are) weak. Well, we’re not weak, and the world has been habituated tothe Jews as avictim, perfect victim.During our centuries of wandering, we were massacred, pogromed, expelled and exiled and ﬁnally burned in the ovens of Auschwitz theworld got used to us as aperfect victim. Now, they have to get used to us as an equal among the nations, and we will not be slaughtered again.”

Truthhas apower of its own, and Netanyahu delivered it powerfully in that interview

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com

FICO (Fair Isaac Corp.) is the company behind the most-used credit scores. It plans to roll out anew model that factors these BNPL loans into their calculations. Apple Inc. is the ﬁrst big BNPL provider to give transaction and payment data to Experian, one of the big-three credit reporting agencies.

But things are getting tough all over in the consumer debt world. Credit card delinquency rates have recently reached the highest level since at least 2012. The number of auto loans that were at least 90 days late in the ﬁrst quarter wasupover 13% from the sameperiod a year ago, according to the NewYork Fed. The thing is, manyAmericans can’tget to work without their cars and trucks.

“When auto loan delinquencies are rising, it’s alikely sign that people are struggling,” LendingTree consumer ﬁnance analyst Matt Schulz told Fox News.“That’snogreat surprise, given stubborn inﬂation, high interest rates and general economic uncertainty.”

Schulz adds that these numbers are especially worrisomebecause unemployment rates are still relatively low

What about student debt? Nearly 25% of the $1.6 trillion in the federal student loan portfolio is at risk of default, according to Investopedia. TransUnion, another big credit-rating agency, reports that arecord-high 31% of federal student loan borrowers are already 90 or more days past due.

It’s hard to see the current leadership in Washington doing anything other than make the problem worse. Higher federal borrowing at higher interest is on track to makelifeinthis country moreexpensive. (Moody’srecently stripped the United States of its last triple-A credit rating.)

The Trumpadministration, meanwhile, is busy dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB put alid on some predatory lending practices.

The canary is singing “A Hard Rain’sA-Gonna Fall.” The U.S. economy is looking shakier No amount of bullying the Federal Reserve can change that.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCECENETA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Froma Harrop

Faimon Roberts

Cal Thomas

theirdog,Murphy.

credits hissupport system—led by

Ruff dayelixir

Golden retrieverhelps Saints QB Shough overcome adversity

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

All these months later,Tyler Shough still chuckles at the thought of his dog’s reaction on draft night

There werethe quarterback and his family,ecstatic after theSaintsselected him with the 40th overallpick. And there was Murphy,the dark red-haired golden retriever,jumping up and down. Murphymight nothaveknown exactly what was happening, but she knewit wasamoment to celebrate.

“She was just chilling thewhole time and wasn’treallydoinganything,” Shough said, “and then as soon as everyone got hyped, shewantstobeinvolved.”

Murphy’sexcitement went viral, with multiple outlets (including this one) proclaiming the dog stolethe show There wasalsothe adorable image of Murphy wearing aSaints-branded dog bandana, which the Shoughs put on once the quarterback foundout where he was headed.

Shough was glad the public enjoyed it, buthis companion’sreactionsigniﬁed something deeper.Itwas indicative, he said, of howmuchMurphy means to him and how her arrival coincided with the quarterback’swinding path to the NFL.

Tyler Shough’sdog,Murphy,was his constant companion while Shoughrehabbed fromabroken leg in college.

Mathieu’s legacy extends well beyond

Tyrann Mathieu didn’tjust play for the Saints

He played for New Orleans.

He played for Louisiana.

He played for allthose kids across the countrywho grewupwanting to wear the same No. 7jersey Mathieu donnedwhenheburst onto the scene as anationalphenomduring hisplayingdaysatLSU.

Andheplayed for allthe boys, both Black andWhite who rocked blondmohawks because theywantedtolook like him

Most importantly to Mathieu, he diditfor the kids in hishometown of New Orleans, the ones he wantedtosee beat the odds just like he did.

“New Orleansiseverything I’m made up of,” Mathieu told me in a2020 interview during SuperBowl week when he was playing with the Kansas CityChiefs.

Andthat’swhatMathieudid,risingfrom the 7thward of New Orleanstoafifth-place finish in the Heisman race to becomingone of the most respected players in the NFL. Mathieu’s playingcareer came to asurprising endTuesday afternoon when he announced hisretirementonthe eveofthe Saints’training camp. His retirementleaves ahole at the safetyposition,giantshoes for someone to trytofill.

This wouldhavebeen Mathieu’sfourthseason with the Saints andhis 13thinthe NFL. Instead, he’s hanging up the cleats, as he showed us with an Instagram post of two Air Jordan cleatsdraped across awire.

Chances are, youcan’t name aLouisianaborn football playermore beloved thanMathieu. When he signedwith the Saints in 2022, the team put pre-orders for hisjersey on a website.The site crashed because of high trafﬁc.

“I justwanttoplay good ball, andI just want to do good things in the community,” Mathieu saidwhenhesigned.

He’ll probablybethe ﬁrst to admit he ended up doingmore of the latterinhis three seasons back home.

Mathieu,who turned33inMay,recorded 10 of his36NFL career interceptionswith the Saints.But the team neverreached the playoffs in hisreturn home. Off the ﬁeld,hewas astapleinNew Orleans, giving back justlike he didduring hisplayingdayswiththe Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans andChiefs. Theﬁrst timeImet Mathieu was about 10 years ago at one of his camps. Istill remember

ä See WALKER, page 5C

When training camp begins Wednesday for the Saints, Shough will step onto the ﬁeld as he seekstobecome the team’sstartingquarterback.Drafted in the second round out of Louisville, the 25-year-old is the franchise’shighest-selected signal-caller in 54 years. Althoughhemust ﬁrst win the competition against Spencer Rattler,Shough washandpicked by theSaints new coaching staff to guide the team into anew era.

led by his wife, Jordan, and Murphy for helping him push through. Among thebroken bones,grueling rehab and theascension of his sole season at Louisville, they were at Shough’sside.

The journey hasn’tbeen easy,given allofShough’sadversityincollege three schools, seven years and numerous injuries.

Shough credits his support system

“The biggestthing withMurphy is she doesn’tcare how your day went, whether youplayedgood or played bad,” Shough said.

The ﬁrst thingthat stood out was the

ä See SHOUGH, page 5C

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID

Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu intercepts apass intended for Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith on Sept. 22 in NewOrleans. Mathieu announced hisretirement on Tuesday.

Former LSURBHolly walksonatSouthern

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Former LSU running back Trey Holly hasenrolledatSouthern as awalk-on, a team spokesperson confirmed Tuesday night Holly participated in the Jaguars’ first preseasonfootballpracticeTuesday night,according to WVLA-TV.Southern coach Terrence Graves told reporters that Holly is eligible to play Holly,asophomore, hadbeen suspended by LSUfor more than ayear after he was allegedly involved in aFebruary 2024 shooting in his hometown of Farmerville. One woman and one man were injured by gunshot wounds,officials said at the time. Holly has been awaiting trial on one felony count of illegal use of aweapon or dangerous instrumentality.His attorney,Mike Small, said Holly would plead not guilty. Holly claimed his innocence in asocial media post after the shooting.

“I have been falselyidentified, accused, andarrested,” Holly wrote at thetime. “I am 100%innocentand the people that know me know this is not my character at all. Iwas not involved in the incident at all.” The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, which conducted the investigation,determinedthree people firedmultiple rounds.Itsaidthe shooting stemmed from earlier altercations at anearby apartment complex. After theshooting, Holly was arrested and booked on three felony charges. He originally faced onecount of attempted second-degreemurderand onecount of aggravated criminal damage to property,but those charges wererejected by a grand jury Holly’s trial was supposed to begin July 7, Small said, but it waspostponed because theair conditioning went out in theUnion Parishcourthouse. Small said he hopes atrialdate will be selected at their next court appearance Aug. 28.

Southern begins itsseason Aug. 23 against North Carolina Central in Atlanta.The Jaguars have six other running backs listed on their roster.They have to replace leading rushers Kobe Dillon, whotransferred to Incarnate Ward, and Kendric Rhymes. Holly wasstill listed on LSU’sonline roster Tuesday night. He was one of ﬁve running backs on the team heading into theseasonalong with sophomoreCaden Durham,junior KalebJackson, and freshmen HarlemBerry andJTLindsey. At Union Parish High, Holly set aLouisiana high school record with 10,523 career yards rushing. After signing as a four-star recruit, he rushed 11 times for 110 yards and one touchdown as afreshman. He didnot play hissophomore year because of the suspension. With his legalstatus still in question, Holly was notexpected to return to practice at LSU.The Tigers open preseason camp next week before their ﬁrst game Aug. 30 at Clemson.

Rod Walker

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Saints quarterback TylerShoughand his wife, Jordan, pose with

Shough

Jordan and Murphy— for helping him pushthroughtough times.

GRUNFELD

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

LSU running back Trey Holly carries foratouchdown against Army on Oct. 21, 2023, in TigerStadium. Holly practiced with Southern on Tuesday.

Big Ten leader doubles down

No support for SEC’s at-large bid preference for college playoffs

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

LAS VEGAS The Big Ten commissioner doubled down on the league’s preference for multiple automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday, increasing the likelihood of a showdown with the Southeastern Conference when the format for 2026 is decided.

At the league’s football media days, Tony Petitti said any change that adds at-large bids and increases the discretion and role of a selection committee — a format the SEC and others have shown a preference for — “will have a difﬁcult time getting support of the Big Ten.” Petitti also bolstered the idea of a weekend’s worth of conference play-in games for some of the four automatic bids that would go to the Big Ten in its preferred version of a 16-team playoff. He said the league favored this even though the games could put some of the Big Ten’s top-seeded teams in jeopardy of being shut out of the CFP

The likely slate for that would include a league title game between Nos. 1 and 2 and play-in games involving the 3-6 seeds.

“There are 18 members in the Big Ten, you have 17 possible opponents and you play nine,” Petitti said. “There’s a lot of discrepancy Let alone making comparisons across leagues, there’s a lot of issues about how you compare teams inside the Big Ten. Where we came down is we were willing to take that risk.”

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, whose team earned the 10th seed in last year’s playoff but lost 2717 to Notre Dame in a game that didn’t feel as close as the score, echoed the commissioner’s thoughts and pointed out that Ohio State ﬁnished fourth in the conference last season and went on to win the national title. If “you want to put the best teams in the playoffs, give the best leagues the AQ, but make them earn it with play-in games,” Cignetti said. Though there is a Dec. 1 deadline for expanding the playoff for 2026, Petitti said he wouldn’t put any ﬁrm date on it. That echoed a sentiment SEC commissioner Greg Sankey

voiced earlier this month when he said the 12-team format, which went into effect last season and offers automatic spots to ﬁve conference champions, could stay in place until the two leagues can agree.

Petitti said recent meetings between Big Ten and SEC athletic directors have produced good results on a variety of topics and he expects another such summit would do the same.

“The goal would be to bring people back together, have a conversation about what we think works, then kind of go from there,” he said.

The Big Ten and SEC will ultimately decide the new format, with input from the Atlantic Coast

and Big 12 conferences, along with Notre Dame and the five smaller conferences that are part of the system.

At his conference’s media days, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said his preference was a format with ﬁve automatic bids and the rest at-large, which is also what Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has said his league favors.

“Fairness and access should also be part of the equation,” Phillips said Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, while backing the work of the selection committee that would have a bigger role with up to 11 at-large selections to sort through.

Conferences currently earn $4 million for every team they place in the playoff, and that number could grow, which adds to the stakes of how the next version of the playoff takes form.

Embedded in the debate is the nine-game conference slate the Big Ten plays vs. eight for the SEC. That extra non-conference game, some believe, gives SEC teams a chance to bolster their schedules, which then adds value to any calculation the committee would consider in determining atlarge bids.

The SEC is exploring moving to nine conference games. Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman portrayed a Big Ten that is uniﬁed around the format of nine regular-season conference games, a new round of play-in games and something like four automatic spots in a 16-team playoff going to both the SEC and Big Ten.

“It means you’re going to have probably eight or nine, maybe ten schools that are jockeying for the fifth and sixth spots as you get into November,” Whitman said. “It’s so cool, when you just think about what it would mean for our fan bases and the enthusiasm around those games And it minimizes some of the subjectivity that would be placed around the selection committee.”

ACC moves past lawsuits and uncertainty

BY AARON BEARD

AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jim Phillips stood in the same spot Tuesday morning that he did exactly one year earlier as he ofﬁcially opened the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason football media days. Only now, the message and tone are far different.

The league has successfully quelled a rebellion in the form of the lawsuits by member schools Clemson and Florida State, which represented a threat fueling doomsayers’ chatter about the league’s long-term stability. Instead, the settlement that ended the legal fight spawned a new revenue-distribution model set to benefit the league’s biggest brands. There was also ESPN’s extension on its long-running partnership with the league.

And that sends the ACC into the 2025-26 sports season with the closest thing to peace as a college landscape churning with constant change can muster In an interview with The Associated Press, Phillips, the ACC commissioner, described recent months as “the restabilization of a great league that went through a very bumpy period.” He also talked about working to “make this a league that teams want to be in, not have to be in” at the start of the revenue-sharing era.

“We’re as healthy of a league as we’ve ever been based on having to go through some really tough moments,” Phillips told the AP “I give our presidents/board credit for it, and I give our ADs a ton of credit for it as well. So we’ve moved away from some of the legal issues that we’ve had and now we’ve been able to work on things that I think have been put on the backburner.”

A summer earlier FSU, Clemson and the league were entangled in a crossﬁre of lawsuits over the ACC’s ability to charge hundreds of millions of dollars in exit fees for schools that leave for another league.

That came amid the backdrop of the ACC’s ﬁnancial conundrum.

The league annually posts record revenue hauls ($711.4 million for 2023-24, with football-playing members receiving nearly $45 million). It also keeps lagging behind the Big Ten ($928.1 million revenue, $63.1 million payout) and Southeastern Conference ($839 million, $52.6 million), though it ranks ﬁrmly third among the Power Four leagues ahead of the Big 12 ($493.8 million $39.5 million).

Had the Clemson or FSU lawsuits proceeded, there was potential a ruling might defang the league’s exit fees. Or its grantof-rights deal, signed by all ACC schools to give the conference control of their media rights — and the TV money that comes with them — as a deterrent to moving elsewhere.

Either could have triggered more teams to exit and chase revenue elsewhere, with the 2024 disintegration of the Pac-12 offering a worst-case harbinger

The stakes were clear last summer when Phillips took an assertive stance that was downright pugilistic by his own measured-tone standards in promising the league would ﬁght “as long as it takes.”

He now touts a successful “reconciliation” and what he calls “a really good story about the ACC.”

“People had various opinions about how unstable it was I never felt ever that it was going to lose its way or anything like that,” Phillips said. “It was never going to have the demise that I had heard that may happen. I never believed that for a second.

“But you have a staff that you’re dealing with. You have other schools that you’re dealing with. So to me, part of my responsibility was to be incredibly level and strong and unwavering about (how) we would get to the place that we’re experiencing now, where we have stability.”

ESPN’s decision in January to pick up its base-rights option through 2035-36 provided a key perception boost, aligning that

deal’s timeline with a second covering the partnership for the ACC Network. The legal settlement followed in March, featuring a revised revenue-distribution model incorporating TV viewership as a way for top programs to make more money Throw in the last season’s implementation of a “success initiative” allowing teams to keep money generated by their own postseason success, and big-brand names like Clemson and FSU in football or Duke, North Carolina and Louisville in basketball, have avenues to offset the gap with Big Ten or SEC peers. That said, it didn’t sound like the legal ﬁght produced constant stress at the team level.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he never focused on uncertainty surrounding the conference’s future, while linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa said they essentially knew nothing about the lawsuits.

“I live in a cave,” Mauigoa said with a grin.

Still, reaching resolution was a welcome sign all the same.

Devers debuts at 1B after balking to do so

Rafael Devers was in the lineup at ﬁrst base for the San Francisco Giants at Atlanta on Tuesday night, the slugger’s ﬁrst start at the position that he refused to play for his prior team, the Boston Red Sox. Boston traded Devers to San Francisco in June after his relationship with management deteriorated less than two years into a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed in 2023.

The Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to designated hitter.

He balked before agreeing to the switch, but when Boston ﬁrst baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the position and he declined.

Rays put second baseman Lowe on 10-day injured list

The Tampa Bay Rays placed second baseman Brandon Lowe on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and acquired outﬁelder Stuart Fairchild from the Braves for cash considerations.

Lowe has been dealing with tendinitis in his left ankle. He exited Saturday’s game and was initially diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. The injury was later clariﬁed as tendinitis.

His IL placement was retroactive to July 20, indicating he could return before the July 31 trade deadline.

The 29-year-old has appeared in 87 games this season, batting .269 with 19 home runs, 11 doubles and three stolen bases. He’s driven in 58 runs while striking out in just over 25% of his plate appearances.

Paul to wear No. 3 jersey in return to Los Angeles

Chris Paul will be wearing his No 3 jersey in his return to the Los Angeles Clippers. Newly acquired Bradley Beal has agreed to give Paul the number that Beal has worn his entire NBA career, according to Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations. Paul played last season in San Antonio and forward Keldon Johnson gave up wearing No. 3 so Paul could have it. Paul has worn the number since he entered the NBA in 2005. Paul, a free agent, signed with the Clippers for what is expected to be his 21st and ﬁnal NBA season, citing a desire to return to Los Angeles where his family lives. He played 82 games for the Spurs, but will come off the bench for the Clippers.

Venus Williams becomes 2nd oldest woman to win

Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tourlevel singles match in professional tennis, delivering some of her familiar big serves and groundstrokes at age 45 while beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open on Tuesday night.

“For me,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said, “really to see the commissioner stand up there and have conﬁdence and say the things he’s said just gives me conﬁdence.”

Longer-term questions await, though. The settlement included a rollback of the ACC’s grantof-rights provision that ensured schools would bring no TV value to a new league. It also created a schedule of declining exit fees from its current nine-ﬁgure status to $75 million for the 2030-31 season, then leveling off there through the duration of the ESPN deals.

That 2031 date would largely align with expiration of media deals for the Big Ten (2029-30 season) and the Big 12 (2030-31), while the SEC’s deal runs through 2033-34. That conﬂuence could set up a potential countdown for massive realignment impacting all Power Four leagues, maybe even through the formation of super league.

Asked about that looming potential, Phillips could only chuckle.

“We’re trying to get through this next year,” he said, “and all the rest of it.”

This was the first singles victory for Williams in nearly two years. The only older woman to win a match was Martina Navratilova at 47 in 2004. The former No. 1-ranked Williams had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, missing time while having surgery to remove uterine fibroids. She hadn’t won in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati. Until this week, she was listed by the WTA Tour as “inactive.”

Baker-Finch to retire from golf coverage on CBS

Ian Baker-Finch is retiring after CBS ends its PGA Tour golf coverage next week after nearly 19 years of his friendly Australian voice contributing to the network’s broadcast.

Baker-Finch, best known for his British Open victory in 1991 among his 16 victories worldwide, joined CBS in 2007.

He had worked the previous decade in golf announcing with ESPN and TNT “Golf has been an enormous part of my life,” Baker-Finch, 64, said in a statement “I was fortunate to compete against the best players in the game and more recently work with the very best in television.”

CBS ends its 2025 coverage of the PGA Tour next week at the Wyndham Championship.

Petitti

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith celebrates after scoring against Notre Dame during the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO JACOB KUPFERMAN

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney look on after Clemson wins the ACC championship against SMU on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, N.C.

announcer Dan Borne works during an LSU game against Alabama in 2008.

PROVIDED

LSUaccepting applications to replacePAannouncer

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

Everdreamed of your voice

booming out across Tiger Stadium as LSU scores atouchdown?

Now is your chance.

LSU is accepting audition tapes from people interested in becoming the next voice of Death Valley, according to sports information director Michael Bonnette. Theschool is lookingfor someonetoreplace legendary,longtime public address announcer Dan Borne. He held thejob since 1986, but on Thursday LSU announced that the 79-year-old Borne was retiring from hisrole as PA announcer for football and men’sbasketball

Bonnette said LSU is not necessarily lookingfor someonetodo both sports. In fact,anew PA person for men’sbasketball likely is to be announced atalater date.

“Our priority is to ﬁnd theright voice forTiger Stadium,” hesaid.

Bonnette added that interest in succeeding Borne is signiﬁcant

Borne took aleave of absence from hisrolebehindthe micduring the 2024 football season and 2024-25basketball season because of health issues.

He wasreplaced by Bill Franques, the longtimePAannouncer atAlex Box Stadium and publicist for LSU baseball.

Overthe past 70 years, Tiger Stadium has had only three PA announcers: Borne, Franques and

thelate SidCrocker,aweathermanatWAFB who manned the mic at LSUfootballgames from 1955-85.

Borne’ssignature phrase before each kickoff was: “Chance of rain …never!”,anallusion to the myth that it neverrains in TigerStadium on an LSUhome game. During histenure,the Tigers won three national championships (2003, 2007, 2019) and seven Southeastern Conference titles (1986, 1988, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2019).

Bonnette said LSU plans to honor Borne at agame during the upcoming season.

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

EnglandbreaksItaly’s

heart in Women’s Euro semiﬁnal

BY GRAHAM DUNBAR

Associated Press

GENEVA— England is livingonthe brinkand survived anothernearinevitable elimination all theway to another Women’sEuropean Championship ﬁnal.

The defending championbroke Italy’shearts —twice—ina 2-1 winafter extra time in theirsemifinal on Tuesday Chloe Kelly scored the decisive goal in the119th minute,shooting home the rebound only after Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani saved her penalty kick. Italy was forced into extra time because another substitute, Michelle Agyemang,leveled the game deep into stoppage time Kelly and Agyemang alsowere crucialfor Englandinanother great escape in the quarterfinals againstSweden. Englandwill now defendits title in Sunday’sfinal in Baselagainst either worldchampionSpain or Germany. Their semifinalis Wednesday in Zurich.

“When it ﬁnishes like this, Iam enjoying it, but it’sa little bit dramatic,” said England coach Sarina Wiegman, who has never been eliminatedfrom the tournament She led her native Netherlands to the 2017 title before joining England. It wasall so cruel on unheralded Italy,which had led since Barbara Bonansea’srasping volleyed shot in the 33rd minute.

“It’sabitter defeat because we were oneminuteawayfromthe

ﬁnal,” Italy coach Andrea Soncin saidin translatedcomments.“But we havetobeproud.”

Either potential opponent is a title rematch for England, having beatenGermanyinthe Euro 2022 final —also decided by aKelly goal in extra time —and lost the 2023 World Cup ﬁnal to Spain.

Forthe second time in six days, England had stareddown what looked asure exit and survived into extra time.

Italy would have been aworthy winner just for theimmense defending of central backs Elena Linari and Cecilia Salvai as England pressed intensely in the second half.

But Agyemang firedinalow shot after Giuliani spilled across in arare handling error.The ball arrowed toward the net cruelly through the legs of bothLinari andGiuliani.

Afterthe final whistle blew, Giuliani lay flat out andface down against the turf all aloneinthe middleof Italy’shalf of thefield.

Thepenalty was conceded by substitute Emma Severinifor tangling with Beth Mead.

Severinihad aclear chance in the 86th to lift Italy into atwo-goal lead but her close-range shot after acorner was smothered by England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. The defending champion is takingabumpy road to asecond straight title match.

It started with ahumbling 2-1 loss to France in the opening game that was Wiegman’sfirst defeat at aWomen’sEurosinher

third tournament. It did, however, after routing theNetherlands and Wales by acombined score of 101, keep England outofSpain’shalf of the knockout bracket. England then trailed 2-0 to Swedenafter 78 minutesoftheir quarterﬁnal, and twice in the penalty shootout would have been out had the Swedes not failed with their next spot-kick.

Supersub Agyemang

At age 19, Agyemang is making an incredible start to her England career just afew yearsafter she was aball girl for theteam.

Her thirdgoal in just her fourth national-team game also was her secondcrucial equalizer in the Euro 2025 knockout rounds. The Arsenal forwardalmost won the game beforeKelly,but her deft lob in the117th rebounded off the Italy crossbar “I think that gave us anew lease of energy,” Kellysaidof Agyemang’simpact.“When your forwardisdoing that, it’sspecial.”

Carter’s return England defender JessCarter was not in England’sstartinglineup for the ﬁrst time, fortactical reasons, two days after revealing she was the target of racist abuse online during thetournament.

Carter came on for theclosing minutes to protect England’slead andgot arousing cheer from fans.

Kelly saidvictoryafter the team united behind Carter was “a powerful moment to show this is what we expect.”

WNBA tips off second half aftershort All-Star break

BYDOUG FEINBERG Associated Press

NEW YORK The WNBA tipped off the second half of its season Tuesday nightwith 10 of the 13 teams playing.

One player who won’tbecompetingfor the immediate future is Caitlin Clark, who is recovering from aright groin injury she suffered last week.

Clark missed Indiana’sfinal game before the All-Star break with an injured right groin and pulled out of Friday night’s 3-point contest as wellasSaturday’sAllStar Game.

Clarktoldreporters on Saturday night that she had been getting treatment during the festivities, which also took place in Indianapolis. While she is improving,Indianacoach Stephanie White said, the Fever intend to be cautious withClark, who missed 10 games during the ﬁrst halfofthe season with three different muscle injuries. Players weren’tthrilled having to play so soon after the All-Star break and hope to add more of abreakinthe next collective

bargaining agreementthattheyare currently negotiatingwiththe league.

Atlanta has back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday while New York and many other teams have threegames this week.

“It’s kind of thehealth and safety of it all,” New York star Breanna Stewartsaid. “Playershaving time to rest and recover, but alsoifwewant the product in theAllStar Game to be better,wehave to have time between games; like,there’s no way thatyou’re going to have asuper competitive All-Star Game when we play Tuesday.”

New York addedsome reinforcements forthe second half of theseason, getting acommitmentfromEmmaMeesseman to join the team once shegets her visa.

The Liberty also added Stephanie Talbot, who was waived by Golden State, strengthening the Liberty’sbench.New York also got backa healthy Jonquel Jones, who missed the last monthbeforethe break to recover from asprained ankle.

The defending champion Liberty currentlyare secondinthe standings behind Minnesota.

Scheffler mightbemore like Nicklaus than Woods

PORTRUSH, NorthernIreland Even with four majors, three legs of theGrand Slam and 20 victories around the world, it’salittle early to be making Scottie Schefﬂer comparisons. And yes, it’sabit silly Butone momentisworth noting.

His four-shot victory at the British Open complete, Schefﬂer saw 14-month-old son Bennett coming toward him on the 18th green at Royal Portrush. The toddler face-planted going up the slope.

Scheffler is relentless. He can take the dramaout of amajor without notice. He’sthe first player to wineach of his first four majors by at least three shots since J.H. Taylor morethan acentury ago.

Nicklaus picked up on this at the Memorial without ever talking to Schefﬂer about it.

Doug Ferguson

Schefﬂer eventually scooped him into his leftarm, his right hand holding the claret jug.

This was pure joy

It was reminiscent of Canterbury in the 1973 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus, whothat week brokethe record formost major titles, was coming off the 18th green after the second round when 4-year-old son Garyran out to meet him. The Golden Bear carried off his cub.

“My favorite photo in golf,” Nicklaus said years later in a Facebook post that he ended by saying, “Family ﬁrst, golf second.”

Sound familiar?

“He playsalot like Idid,” Nicklaus said in late May at the Memorial, and perhapsthat’swhere any similarities should start.

Comparisons with Tiger Woods are natural because they are separated by ageneration, and no one has been this dominant for such along stretch since Woods. Schefﬂer has stayed at No. 1 for thelast two years and two months.

Buttheirgames, their styles, their paths are not all that similar Everyone saw Woods coming when he was on “The Mike Douglas Show” at age 2, when he won theJunior Worlds six times and boththe U.S.Junior and the U.S. Amateurthree straight times. He madea hole-in-one in his pro debut.Hewon his ﬁrst PGATour event in his ﬁfth start.

Schefﬂer spent his ﬁrst year as apro on theKorn Ferry Tour

“I played with him alot in college, and he was not that good,” Bryson DeChambeau said with a laugh. He now refers to Schefﬂer as being “in aleague of his own.”

Woods was overwhelming, winning theMasters by 12 shots, the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open at St. Andrewsbyeight for thecareer Grand Slam at age 24.

Before the tournament, Nicklaus spoke about his approach to golf —more emphasis on the tee shot (left-to-right shape, like Schefﬂer) and the approach, less dependence on putting foragood score. And when he got the lead, Nicklaus did what was required.

Schefﬂer won that weekbyfour shots.

“Once Igot myself into position to win, then you’ve got to be smart about how you ﬁnish it,” Nicklaus said. “And that’sthe way he’splaying. He reminds me so much of the wayI like to play.”

There wasone other Schefﬂer comparison. Nicklaus doesn’t believe he could have achieved all that he did without his wife, Barbara, whom he honored this year at the Memorial and whois universally regarded as the ﬁrst lady of golf

Nicklaus played his 164th and ﬁnal major at St. Andrewsin2005 and said that week: “I’m not really concerned about what my legacy is in relation to the game of golf,frankly.I’m moreconcerned with what my legacy is with my family,with my kids and my grandkids. That’sbyfar more important to me.”

Scheffler’semotions began to pour out at Royal Portrush only when he saw Meredith, the girl he first met as ahigh school freshman and finally dated as asenior

He madehis PGATour debut at the Byron Nelson that year at 17. He recalled being at her house the weekbefore when a promotion about the tournament came on TV.Meredith said to him: “Wait aminute. Isn’tthat what you’re doing?”

Schefﬂer said she’safast learner

“Every timeI’m able to wina tournament, the ﬁrst person I always look forismywife,” he said Sunday.“She knowsmebetter than anybody.That’smybest friend. It takes alot of work to be able to becomegood at this game, and Iwouldn’tbeable to do it without her support.”

To the rest of golf world, he’s the No. 1player in the world, now the “champion golfer of the year.” Fame won’t escape him now even if it doesn’tdeﬁne him

Fambroughishanded an LHSAA

LHSAAhonorssportswriter Fambrough at coachesclinic

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LHSAA tooka moment

Tuesday at its annual coaches clinic to salute Robin Fambrough, the Hall of Fame journalist whose August retirement will end a34year tenure as The Advocate’s prep sports beat writer.

Alarge crowd of high school coaches from acrossthe state, seated in aCrowne Plaza ballroom for aQ&A session withLSU women’sbasketball coach Kim Mulkey,greetedFambroughwith astanding ovation. Then LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine asked Mulkey to presentthe veteranreporter with areplica championship trophy,complete with apersonalized message of gratitude for the decades she spent covering high school sports in Louisiana “(Fambrough) epitomizes the word and phrase ‘high school athletics,’ ”Bonine said. “It’snot just our championship games. It’snot

just the regular-seasongames.

She covers summer events as well, keepstrack of everybody and does everything that we thinkwe shoulddofor high school sports. She’sdone that professionally.Atruesportswriter.”

When Fambrough took the ﬂoor shesaidithas beenher “honor” to cover prep sports in Baton Rouge foraslong as shehas.She’s written uplifting and triumphant stories, she said, as well as some that were more tragic and heartrending Throughitall, she developed adeep respect for the coaches who nurture the lives and careers of theBaton Rouge area’shigh school athletes.

“You arethe people whomade it possible,” Fambrough said. “I’m lucky to count alot of people in this room as lifelong friends.”

Fambrough,68, is an inductee into both the Louisiana High School SportsHall of Fame (2019) andthe Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2020). In 2000, she was

named the ﬁrst female president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA). In 2022, she becamethe ﬁrst woman to receive the National SportsMedia Association’sLouisiana Sportswriter of theYear award.

In four different decades, Fambrough won theLSWA’sPrep Writer of theYear award.

The Louisville, Kentucky,native ﬁrst moved to Louisiana in 1981. She worked forThe Daily Comet in Thibodaux, The Town Talk in Alexandria and anewspaper in Hollywood, Florida, beforeThe Advocate hired hertocover Baton Rouge high school sports in thefall of 1991.

Fambrough’slastday on that job is Aug. 1. “God bless you all,” Fambrough said, “and keep doing what you’re doing because what you do at this levelissoimportant forthese kids.Theyneed you, and don’t ever lose sight of that. Iknow there are tough times for all of us but we need you every day.”

Contract squabblestop NFL storylines as camp begins

BY ROBMAADDI Associated Press

Contract squabbles. Quarterbackcompetitions. Comeback quests.

Thosewillbejusta fewofthe storylines to watchduring NFL training camp. When the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons report on Wednesday,all 32 teams will be ready to go. Each one is 0-0 and can dream about winning the Super Bowl. It’s amuch more realistic thought for some teams than others. Still, it’sa long road that requires key players staying healthy,plenty of luck and exceptional performances in the biggest moments. Here are ﬁve of the mostcompelling storylines to watch:

Contract issues

Micah Parsons is going to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history because Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have waited to give the twotime All-Pro acontract extension. Last year, Jones madeDak Prescott the league’sﬁrst $60 million man. How longwill it take to getthe deal done? Will it impact Parsons’ participation in practice?

All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson wants anew contract from the Cincinnati Bengals, who also haven’t signed first-round pick Shemar Stewart.

The Bengals are holding their ground. Something has to giveifthey want to compete for achampionship because their defense needs the help.

Commanders wide receiver TerryMcLaurinalso is seeking an extension.

Washington, which lost to the Eagles in the NFC title game, acquired Deebo Samueland reworked his contract. They’ll want McLaurin on board

to makethe offense even more dynamic.

Quarterbackbattles

TheClevelandBrownshave used40startingquarterbacks since 1999. Thatnumber will increase by Week 1unless veteran Joe Flacco wins afour-way competition againstKenny Pickett and rookies DillonGabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Flacco, theSuperBowl 47 MVP, was the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year when he led the Browns to theplayoffs in 2023. He’sthe favorite going into camp.

The Indianapolis Colts brought in veteran Daniel Jones to battle Anthony Richardson,the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 who has been injured oftenand has alingering shoulder problem. Rookie Tyler Shough,second-year pro SpencerRattlerand unproved Jake Haener will compete to replace Derek Carr,who retired after two seasons in New Orleans.

The New York Giants signed Russell Wilson andJameis Winston in free agency and then traded up to get Jaxson Dart in the ﬁrst round. General manager Joe Schoen andcoach BrianDaboll areinwin-now mode,sowhichever quarterback gives them the best chance to compete in adifﬁcult NFC East will get thejob.

Comeback kids

PrescottreturnsinDallasafter aserioushamstringinjury forced himtomiss nine games. After gettingthe richest contractin NFL history, Prescott hasplenty to prove forthe Cowboys, who haven’tplayedinNFC championship game since the1995 season.

Christian McCaffrey,the 2023 AP NFLOffensive Player of the Year,isback for the San Francisco 49ers, whowent6-11after losing the Super Bowl the previousseason.McCaffrey missed 13 games lastseason, ayear after ﬁnishing third in voting for the NFL

Bearscoach sets lofty goal forquarterback

Johnsonwants Williams to complete 70% of passes this season

BY GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Associated Press

LAKE FOREST,Ill. Chicago Bears

coach BenJohnsonset ahighbar for quarterback Caleb Williamsas the two began their ﬁrst training camp together TuesdayatHalas Hall.

It could be the key to how well theBears bounce back in Johnson’sfirst season from a5-12 record and last year’sfiring of former coachMatt Eberflus.

“Wecertainly have goals that we strive for; it’snot asecret,” said Johnson, the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator.“Itold him Iwould love forhim this season to complete 70% of his balls.

“So, you would like to think that over the course of practice that we’re completing 70% or more, or that’s hard to just magically arise in agame. It’sa lofty goal,but it’s onewe’regoing to strive for. Because of that, we’re going to use that as abenchmark and kind of work from there.”

TheBears have done alot to help Williamsimprove from aQBwho completed 62.5% to one with more consistency. GM RyanPolesadded guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman to avoid last season’s68-sack debacle.

“Obviously Ihave self-goals,” Williams said. “That’s being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history.That’sagoal of mine Seventypercentcompletion, that helps theteam keep on the ﬁeld, putsusinbetter positions.

“And then, other thanthat, just trying to go down andscorethe most points thatwecan with each drive that we have. That’skind of my self-goal and obviously, other than that, you’ve got to go win.”

Whether the mixisthere forlast season’slast-ranked offense to improve is the question. Johnson hasn’tbeenahead coach before,and Williamshasn’t

had pro success yet.

Even though it’srevamped, the offensive line may take timecoming together because left tackle Braxton Jones hasn’tpracticed all offseason.

However,when the team reportedfor camp Tuesday, he was deemed ﬁt for practice after rehabbing from ankle surgery Now it will be athree-way competition for the starting spot between Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo and second-year tackle Kiran Amegadjie. Johnsongives no favors to the incumbent.

“I would like to think his experience will help him,but we’re coming in with blank slates right now,” Johnsonsaid. “And so justbecause aguy has played and another guy hasn’tinthis league, we’re going to let the competition play out, and we’ll see where it goes.”

Johnsoncalledita casewhere Jones does need some time to “ramp up” afterbeing away all offseason.

“Every playmatters;itall is going to matter as we go through this thing,” Johnson said.“Andso Ican’ttell you I’ve been through a three-man race before and so each play is going to be evaluated, and they got to take full advantage of each opportunity that they get.” Rookie receiverLutherBurden and ﬁrst-round pick tight end Colston Loveland, both recovering from injuries at OTAs and training camp,also will be readyfor Wednesday’sﬁrst practice.

The only starter in question is cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who hasa leginjuryhesufferedwhile training on his own, and is on the non-football injury list fornow

The Bears gave Poles acontract extension before training camp so thatheand Johnsonboth have dealsrunning to 2029.They’re expecting progress to come much sooner

“The focus for us is going to be on continuous improvement, all right?” Johnson said. “Really,for thenextsix weeks, that’sall we careabout is getting alittle bit better every single day,day by day,brick by brick, and that starts today.”

U.S. Olympicofficials bartransgender women from women’ssports

By The Associated Press

MVPaward.The Detroit Lions welcome back star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson after going oneand-done in the playoffs following a15-win season.Hutchinson had 71/2 sacks in ﬁve games beforehe broke his leg.

QB J.J. McCarthy will make his NFL debut after sitting out his entire rookieseason because of aknee injury.McCarthy replaces SamDarnold, wholed Minnesota to 14 wins.

The TampaBay Buccaneers gave wide receiver Chris Godwin a$66 million, three-year contract despiteanankle injurythat ended his season after seven games. Godwin had 50 catches for 576 yards and ﬁve touchdowns before his injury.Dolphins QB TuaTagovailoa missedsix games last season, including theﬁnal two with a hip injury.Hemissed four games because of aconcussionand his history of head injuries has been aconcern.

Curtaincallfor Rodgers

AaronRodgers hasteamedup withMike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, aimingtohelpthe Steelers winanother Lombardi trophy.The fourtime NFL MVP couldn’tget the New York Jets to end their playoff drought. Now,he’slooking to go out on top and bring Pittsburgh its seventh Super Bowl.

Tomlin,the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, has neverhad alosing season, but the Steelers haven’twon aplayoff game since the2016 season.

Eagles prep forrepeat Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Eagles ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ bid for athree-peat with adominant victory in the Super Bowl. Philadelphia lost Josh Sweat and Milton Sweat,who combinedfor 41/2 of thesix sacks against Patrick Mahomes. But general manager Howie Roseman found ways to ﬁll holes and kept a dynamic offense together

COLORADO SPRINGS,Colo. The U.S. Olympic and ParalympicCommittee has effectively barredtransgender women from competing in women’ssports, telling the federationsoverseeingswimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligationtocomply” with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. The new policy,announced Monday with aquietchange on the USOPC’swebsite and confirmed in aletter sent to national sport governing bodies, follows asimilar step taken by theNCAAearlierthis year

The USOPC change is noted obliquely as adetailunder “USOPC AthleteSafetyPolicy”and referencesTrump’s executiveorder “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signedinFebruary. That order,amongother things, threatens to “rescind all funds” from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women’s sports.

U.S. Olympic officials told the national governing bodies they will need to follow suit, adding that “the USOPC hasengaged in aseries of respectful and constructive conversations with federal ofﬁcials” sinceTrump signed the order

“Asafederally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter

TheUSOPC oversees around 50 national governingbodies, most of which playarole in everything from thegrassroots to elite levels of their sports. That raises the possibilitythat rules might need to be changed at local sports clubs to retaintheirmemberships in the NGBs.

Some of those organizations for instance, USA Track and Field —havelong followed guidelines setbytheir ownworld federation World Athletics is considering changestoits policiesthatwould mostly fall in line with Trump’sorder

AUSA Swimming spokesman said the federationhad been made aware of the USOPC’s change and was consulting with the committee to ﬁgure out what changes it needs to make. USA Fencing changedits policy effective Aug. 1toallow only “athletes who are of the female sex” in women’s competition and opening men’sevents to “all athletes noteligible forthe women’s category,including transgender women, transgender men,nonbinary and intersex athletes and cisgender male athletes.”

The nationwide battle over transgendergirls on girls’ andwomen’s sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans portray theissue as a fight for athletic fairness. More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgenderwomen and girls from participating in certainsports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court after critics challenged the policies as discriminatory,cruel andunnecessarily targeting atiny niche of athletes.

The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assignedfemale at birth,whichchange came aday afterTrump signedanexecutive order intended to ban transgender athletes. Female eligibility is akey issue for the International Olympic Committee under its new president, Kirsty Coventry,who has signaled an effort to “protect the female category.” The IOC has allowed individual sports federations to set theirown rulesatthe Olympics— and some have already taken steps on the topic.

Stricter rules on transgender athletes —barring from women’s events anyone who went through male puberty—havebeen passed by swimming, cycling and track andﬁeld. Soccer is reviewing itseligibility rules for women and could set limits on testosterone.

Trump has said he wants the IOC to change everything“having to do withthis absolutelyridiculous subject.” Los Angeles will host the Summer Gamesin2028.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Robin

awardfor herdecades-long career covering highschool sports during an LHSAA coaches conventiononTuesdayatthe Crowne Plaza.

TEs Hill, Moreau not ready for start of camp

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

When the Saints take the practice ﬁeld for the start of training camp Wednesday, two veteran tight ends will watch from the sideline.

The Saints announced Tuesday that both Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau will begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. The news was expected, as both Hill and Moreau missed the summer program while recovering from knee injuries suffered late last year

While both Mickey Loomis and Kellen Moore struck opti-

mistic tones about Hill and Moreau’s recoveries, neither committed to a potential timeline for their return to the ﬁeld

Players are eligible to come off the PUP at any time during training camp, though it’s possible that one or both are not ready for the start of the regular season.

Hill suffered a torn ACL against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 1, while Moreau required offseason surgery after injuring his knee in the season ﬁnale. Hill had been in the midst

of a strong season before his injury, rushing for 278 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry He will turn 35 years old in August.

This summer, Moreau said he’d be happy with a timeline that put him back on the ﬁeld before the start of the regular season.

“The knee is doing great, and I’d have to say we are ahead of schedule,” Moreau said in May

TE Holker retires

Tyrann Mathieu isn’t the only New Orleans Saints player who retired on the eve of training camp.

WALKER

Continued from page 1C

being shocked at how small he was.

Nobody this size (he’s listed at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds) was supposed to wreak that much havoc on a football

ﬁeld. But Mathieu was living proof that you can’t measure the size of one’s heart.

His heart wasn’t just passionate about football He also was passionate about giving back to the city Those LSU days of hearing the phrase ”Honey Badger don’t care“ were long gone. Honey Badger indeed cares, which is why the kids in his hometown mean so much to him. He doesn’t want to see any of them fall by the wayside and become a statistic. He knows he easily could have when he was dismissed from the football team at LSU.

But New Orleans didn’t teach Mathieu to quit. He went to St. Augustine High School, where the ﬁrst lyrics of the school’s alma mater are “Rise, Sons of the Gold and Purple.” And he learned just as many lessons at the school of hard knocks, which is what life for Mathieu felt like growing up. He’s had family members who were locked up in jail. He’s lost friends to gun violence.

He’s seen it all.

But New Orleans taught him this:

“It’s ﬁghting, it’s surviving,” Mathieu said in 2022 “It’s celebrating other people and happiness. I think that’s who I am.”

On Tuesday, it was time for others to celebrate Mathieu. His peers ﬂooded social media with well-wishes to Mathieu. Former Saints receiver Michael Thomas summed it up well.

“He was must-see TV for me on Saturdays in high school,” Thomas posted on X. “Really for all of us. In my generation, we never really (had) seen anyone like him. Through all the adversity, he gave us a show every time. What an honor to call him a teammate.” Mathieu was a favorite of his teammates, and he was a favorite of the local media. Win or lose, we always knew we could go to Mathieu and he’d put the game in proper perspective. He

was voted the winner of the media award in New Orleans in 2023, an award that he also won at his other three NFL stops. “He is one of those guys that commands respect by his actions and his deeds,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. Very thoughtful. Intelligent Super smart player Did all the right things on the football field and with his experiences in life. He’s just fantastic.” It seems fitting that Mathieu finished his career in New Orleans. It’s the city that raised him. It’s the city where he got his first NFL interception, picking off a Drew Brees’ pass in the Superdome in 2013 during Mathieu’s rookie season with the Cardinals. He also got his final interception in the Dome in November, intercepting a Kirk Cousins’ pass. Is there a better way for a guy from New Orleans to finish off his career than to get his last interception against the rival Atlanta Falcons? In between those inter-

Dallin Holker also announced his retirement Tuesday after just one season in the NFL. The tight end, who made the Saints as an undrafted free agent last season, made the announcement shortly after New Orleans’ decision to release him.

“I can’t thank God enough for the opportunity to live out my dream,” Holker wrote on Instagram. “I’m incredibly grateful for my amazing wife and family your love and support have meant everything throughout this journey After a lot of prayer and conversations with my family and representatives, I’ve decided to

retire from the NFL.”

Holker, 25, appeared in 12 games last season and caught three passes for 21 yards. He latched onto the Saints after a breakout season at Colorado State.

Holker, who reportedly dealt with an ankle issue this offseason, becomes the fourth member of last year’s Saints team to retire this offseason, joining Mathieu, quarterback Derek Carr and tackle Ryan Ramczyk Mathieu’s replacement?

The Saints lost Mathieu, but they might have found his replacement. The Saints are working to

sign veteran safety Julian Blackmon, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Blackmon, 26, must ﬁrst pass a physical and is coming off a torn labrum that he dealt with last season. Blackmon suffered the injury in Week 1 but still managed to play 16 of 17 games. Blackmon, a third-round pick in 2020, spent the last ﬁve seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He started in 62 of 66 games, missing significant time in 2021 when he tore his Achilles. He had three of his 10 interceptions last season. The Saints hosted Blackmon on a free-agent visit earlier in the offseason.

ceptions, he was named to four All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls. He also was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2010s. And he won a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs. But around here, Mathieu won’t be remembered for any of those accolades He’ll be remembered for being arguably the most revered and electrifying player this state ever has produced, highlighted by some magical Saturday nights in Baton Rouge at Tiger Stadium. He was small in stature but played so big. He was bigger than just football, which is why even Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry weighed in on his retirement.

“There is no one like the Honey Badger,” Landry posted on X. “A Louisiana Legend!”

Chances are, there never will be another one like him.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1C

smell.

In December 2022, after his second season at Texas Tech, Shough had made up his mind that it was time for Jordan and him to get a dog. They both grew up in dog households, so Shough found a farm in Fort Worth where they could adopt a golden retriever puppy. On Jordan’s birthday, they made the ﬁvehour drive from Lubbock, Texas, to pick up 8-week-old Murphy

It was apparent right away they were adopting a farm dog.

“She smelled like cow poop,” Shough said.

“We (had) to immediately give her a bath,” Jordan said with a laugh. Jordan likes to refer to Murphy, named after a character in Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” movie, as a therapy dog. At the time, her husband was recovering from surgery for a broken collarbone that limited his year to seven games. Murphy she said provided a “disruption” that the couple could “pour everything into.” And Jordan even discovered how helpful having a dog could be.

At ﬁrst, Jordan was hesitant about whether the timing was right After playing soccer at Oregon, where she met Shough, she agreed to move to Texas with him and started her ﬁrst job out of college as a seventh-grade science teacher. She was worried about the commitment the dog would require, but Shough’s calmness convinced her

“That’s pretty much how our big decisions happen,” she said. “He’s the calm one that’s like, ‘It’s going to be OK. It’s gonna work out.’ And then I’m the one questioning it a little more. But yeah, it turned out to be the best thing ever.”

Murphy quickly became a fixture not just for the Shoughs but also in the Texas Tech community In the era of name, image and likeness deals, Murphy even got her own endorsement from a doggy daycare named WagBnb. The sponsorship gave Murphy a place to stay when the Shoughs traveled to road games.

For the first three days after Shough broke his leg four games into his 2023 season, Murphy stayed in the quarterback’s lap. Shough vividly remembers what he called the lowest point of his college career A defensive lineman had broken Shough’s leg on a hip-drop tackle, and though he tried to play through the pain, he was carted off one play after Shough couldn’t walk, wondered about his future and even brieﬂy contemplated retirement.

Murphy could tell Shough was in pain. Jordan remembers how Murphy would spend “all day” by her husband’s side.

By the fourth day Shough sensed a shift in the dog’s demeanor

“She was like, ‘All right, let’s get up,’ ” Shough said.

Over the next few weeks, that’s when the walks began. Initially, Shough was bound to a knee scooter Despite the limited mobility, the quarterback found comfort in the way his dog would get excited about those trips.

When dealing with a serious injury, Shough said

there’s a period of self-pity that kicks in. Factor in his two previous broken collarbones one in 2021 and another a year later — and Shough couldn’t be blamed if he wondered whether someone, or something, had it out for him. But it was on those walks with Murphy that Shough gained perspective, a sense of clarity that he said made him grateful for all that he endured.

As he progressed physically and worked his way back into shape, Shough was able to escape. Not just literally from the home he was cooped up in — but from football and that day’s workload.

Murphy wouldn’t allow Shough’s mind to wander, anyway Shough often had to keep his dog from chasing after squirrels, pointing at birds, or drifting off to trees for sticks and branches.

“That’s really the best part about it is going on those adventures,” Shough said. “To me, that’s what life is about.”

Jordan could see how Murphy was helping. After all, she knew better than anyone how the quarterback’s injury affected him. She was the one who bathed Shough with a wet rag when he couldn’t move, who helped him fall asleep on those restless nights after the injury This isn’t lost on Shough, either He credits Jordan as his “primary support,” thankful she was there.

But Murphy cared, too.

“It helped him a lot,” Jordan said, “just having this dog that just loves him regardless of everything else happening in his life.”

Shough didn’t know what to expect when he transferred to Louisville last year He said he certainly didn’t envision it would lead to him becoming a secondround draft pick.

All he wanted was a shot. He wanted to make it through a year healthy And he looked forward to coach Jeff Brohm’s pro-style offense, thinking it was a scheme in which he could thrive. He was ready for a new adventure.

“I was hopeful that he was hungry,” Brohm said.

Brohm’s hopes soon were realized The coach learned quickly that Shough was willing to put in the work and could process everything his offense required. Brohm wasn’t concerned about Shough’s injury history, either He had a plan to keep the quarterback out of harm’s way keeping him mostly in the pocket rather than on designed quarterback runs.

As they started to work together, Brohm saw how Shough’s adversity had shaped him. There was a maturity about him, Brohm said. And his work ethic fueled what was ultimately a successful pairing: For the ﬁrst time as a starter in college, Shough made it through the year completely healthy And he had results to show for it, leading Louisville to an 8-4 record with more than 3,000 yards passing.

Life in Louisville became normal as well. While Shough was ascending, he had Jordan and Murphy to fall back on. They had found their go-to dog park, their favorite pet store and plenty of other places where Murphy could roam.

“The nicest part is she’s just attached to us,” Jordan said. “Like, we’re our own little family We’re excited to go to new places because of her, (just) because she’s

so excited. She’s so resilient when she’s moved. We’ve driven across the country multiple times. She loves it.” Shough’s breakout caught the eye of NFL teams, including the Saints. Suddenly one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, Shough prepared for every team — with Jordan providing an assist by quizzing him on different playbooks and speciﬁc plays, a process that dated to their time in college.

The Saints made their interest apparent at Louisville’s pro day in March Quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien took Shough out for lunch, followed by what Shough said was “extensive board work” in a meeting with coach Kellen Moore and the rest of the Saints contingent on the trip. They later hosted him for a predraft visit.

“There was a lot to like on his tape,” said Tolzien, who raved about Shough’s accuracy “And then you see him in person, and it conﬁrms a lot of that stuff.” Now, another adventure begins. Shough has spent the last few months integrating into the city of New Orleans. He shucked an oyster and tried crawfish. He popped a tire on a pothole. He stuck around the area after offseason workouts concluded and volunteered at the Manning Passing Academy He has settled in, allowing him to focus mainly on football. The stakes are clear Even beyond the drama of a quarterback competition, Shough must play well enough this season to quiet chatter that the Saints could be in the market for another rookie signal-caller in 2026 if they finish with one of the worst records in the NFL. The projected top of next year’s quarterback class — Texas quarterback Arch Manning (grandson of Saints legend Archie Manning) and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) — hold strong ties to the organization as well.

“I got to see him through every kind of hard battle, every tough game, every big move across the country,” Jordan said. “He’s the same person. He’s pretty unshakeable The biggest thing I’ve noticed, especially in the last few years, is he loves this more than anything.

“It’s pretty evident, especially being somebody that lives with him.”

Shough gets home and often wants to put on ﬁlm, Jordan said And the quarterback lights up when talking about his day at the facility That conversation even ropes in Murphy, whom Jordan said Tyler addresses as if she were a person.

Shough said he isn’t sure how he’ll balance the grind of the regular season while ﬁnding time to take Murphy out on their usual walks And if his career truly takes off, the reality is he might become too famous to walk around the neighborhood with his dog, anyway But if the trips have to be put on pause, or if more challenging times lie ahead, Shough still can come home to a dog that is eager to see him.

Just as it has been from state to state, year after year

Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 10 in New Orleans, the last interception of his career

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu tackles Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers on Dec. 29 in New Orleans.

LIVING

Lauren Cheramie

BONVIVANT

BR farmers market holds last weekend of FreshFest

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand reﬁned tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

In theknow

Camp Merch is back at Overpass

Merchant,2904 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge. Enjoy camp specials like chili cheese tots,sloppy Joe, hot dogs and pickle spears. This year,the restaurant has partnered with Tito’sVodka to give back 100% of the proceedsfrom the “TimeSaver” cocktailtothe Red Cross efforts in and around the Texas Hill Country Newfood on theblock

Say hello to the black Angus burger at Tap65,Mouton St., Baton Rouge, made with aged cheddar,lettuce, tomatoes and asmoked jalapeño aioli.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Trythe black Angus burger at Tap65, Mouton St., Baton Rouge. The burger’smade with aged cheddar,lettuce, tomatoes and asmoked jalapeño aioli.

Marketsand more

Oh My Okra: 8a.m. Saturday at Red Stick FarmersMarket, 501 Main St., Baton Rouge

Enjoy everything okra at the last weekend of the farmers market’sFresh Fest, an eightweek celebration of the height of the state’sagriculture season. The event highlights adifferent product each weekwith cooking demonstrations from local chefs, food tastings, kids activities, live music and more. Food truck roundup: 6p.m. Aug.8 at Perkins Rowe,10001 Perkins Rowe,Baton Rouge Rain or shine, Perkins Rowe is hosting its food truck roundup with trucks lined up from Barnes &Noble to Kendra Scott and live musicfrom Caitlyn Renee Acoustic in Town Square. Some of the food trucks include Capitol Seafood, Chris’sSpecialty Foods, Marble Slab Creamery, Wings on the Run, Down Home Creole Cooking and more.

Mark your calendar

Woodstock in Baton Rouge: Aug.16 at Brickyard South, 174 South Blvd., BatonRouge Brickyard South is bringing Woodstock to Baton Rouge with live music, vendors and more

Stay tuned for more details.

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, email lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.Cheers!

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

Baton Rouge RestaurantWeek is back!For theuninitiated,Restaurant Week is an opportunity forBaton Rougeans to enjoy multicourse mealsataﬁxed, discounted price The week is run by Dig Baton Rouge and organized by Alex Lee. According to their website, the week was originally an initiative aimed at boosting local dining during slower periods in the year.The unique andlimited-time offerings canenticedinerstotry newplaces. This iteration of Restaurant Week will run from July 21-26. There are over 50 restaurants already signed up, but the ﬁnal number is uncertain because restaurants often sign up hours before theweek begins. During the week,each post on Instagram using thehashtag #eatbr will generatea$2donation to The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation, Louisiana HospitalityFoundationand theBaton Rouge Epicurean Society. Victoria Lloyd, who hasparticipated in RestaurantWeek for 13 years, uses aspreadsheet to narrow downher food choices. She and her family don’ttypically dine out very frequently, she said, but in January,she ateout six timesduring Restaurant Week, and the summer Restaurant Week frequently falls on theweek of herand her husband’srespective birthdays. Her strategyistoplan on Monday(whichiswhenmostrestau-

rants havetheir menusup). She looksfor uniquemenuitems that aren’toffered at therestaurants regularly,and she notes down who she might be eating withand their dietary restrictions/preferences so thatshe can get the best deal for everyone. For example,ifa restaurant’s menucomes with drinks, she won’tsuggest it as aplace to do aworking lunch withher coworkers.Ifshe’s going somewhere with hergrandma who doesn’teat spicy food, she makes sure there’s at least one non-spicy option. Heroverall tip is to find if arestauranthas participated in restaurant week before. If it’s theirfirst time,she recommends goinglater in the week but earlier in the day In herexperience, first time res-

taurants often have trouble balancingthe restaurantweekmenuwith their normal menu theﬁrst time they participate, but they ﬁgure it out by the end of the week.

Here are the restaurants signed up (so far):

n Cayard’s, Inc., 4215 Choctaw Drive, Baton Rouge

n Elsie’sPlate &Pie,3145 Government St., Baton Rouge

n SoLou, 2112 Perkins Palm Ave., Baton Rouge n Portobello’sGrill, 15440 George Oneal Road, Baton Rouge n Doe’sEat Place, 3723 GovernmentSt., Baton Rouge n AcmeOyster House, 3535 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge n Veracruz, 3510 Drusilla Lane, Baton Rouge n TheGrapevine Cafe,211 Railroad Ave., Donaldsonville n Bisto Byronz, 8200 Village Plaza Court, Baton Rouge n Pizza Byronz, 8210 Village Plaza Court, Oak Hills Place

n Brasserie Byronz, 515 Mouton St., Baton Rouge n Bullﬁsh Bistro, 14241 Airline Highway Suite 105, Baton Rouge

n Cecelia CreoleBistro,421 N. 3rd St., Baton Rouge

n Stroubes Seafood and Steak, 107 3rd St., Baton Rouge

n Capital City Grill, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge

n Library Wine &Provisions, 7530 S. Burnside Ave., Gonzales n LaContea Italian Restaurant,

Favorite mealssparkle with freshingredients,big

Habanero pineapple glazed salmon at BRQ

Lamb sirloin,madewith provencal sauce, asparagus, garlic herb mashed potatoes and blistered tomatoes, from Rouj Creole at 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge.

Eyeofthe Tigerpie at

Gettingrid of peskysnakes

Dear Miss Manners: After25 yearsatthe same company, my role was eliminated by the parent corporation. When it comes to former co-workers, who should call whom after such ajob loss?

Iconsider this something like a sympathy situation, and wonder if the remaining employees shouldcall or write me to offer their support. If Ishould want to keep in touch with some of my work associates, shouldI make the ﬁrstcontact? If Ihave not received anycontact, should Iassume no one wishes to do so? Is there any convention for this situation?

Gentle reader: There are multiple conventions, depending on whether the relationship between the current employeeand the departing one is personal or solely professional and also, unfortunately,on whether one wants to do what is proper or what is commonly done. All too often, employees pretend the person ﬁred never existed, which is both heartless and foolish, as it convinces bosses they will get the same response whether they make good

decisions or bad ones. ButMiss Mannersobjects to treating such departures like deaths. Besides being undulypessimistic, this makespersonalassumptions about the terms of the separation and the feelings of theformeremployee.Such assumptionsmay be inaccurate andeven condescending Employees whose jobs are eliminated should be treated the same as other departing employees. Youmay reach outtoactual friendsorthey mayreach outtoyou —just be prepared to ﬁnd out that some people you thought were friends are not so loyal when they do not see you atwork.

Dear Miss Manners: What is thebest way to communicate “dressy casual” on an invitation?

Gentle reader: With adecoder ring

Dear MissManners: Is it OK to give someone an itemthat onefound?I founda really nice bracelet at apark. I took it to my jeweler,who conﬁrmed that it wasmade of 14 karat white gold, with diamonds and garnets. Itried my best to ﬁnd the owner,placing an ad in alo-

cal online publication. It has been someweeks now,and no one has claimed it

Someone dear to me has abirthday soon, and her birthstone happens to be a garnet.The bracelet is in a style that Iimagine would appeal to her.She is not one to wear much jewelry besides her wedding rings —often just simple earrings when dressing up. But this piece is dainty and the stones are not ostentatious. Would it be OK to give the bracelet to her?

Gentlereader: As etiquette prohibitsyou from snatching agift back out of the recipient’shands, Miss Manners recommends against giving away somethingto which you do not have a clear title.

This will save you the embarrassment of having to explain to someone who sees the notice after returning from an extended stay abroad why you no longer have thebracelet.Orofexplaining to your friend how you camebyanexact replica of her grandmother’s bracelet,which thegrandmother lost on awalk in the park last month

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

BEST

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side of rice and beans and awarm tostada with guacamole for scooping up the perfectbite.

La Pagua offers popular Tex-Mex dishes like enchiladas, fajitas, tamales and more,but leans traditional in their style and ﬂavors, giving guests an exceptional experience that made me wonder why I’d never tried this spot before. The tamalesinparticular were aspecial treat moist and tender,cooked in some mix of savory and warm seasonings that left me going back for more. And don’tmiss La Pagua’s special, housemade margarita mixes. The fruity

Seven layer salad n Superior Grill, 5435 GovernmentSt.;7333 Highland Road, Baton Rouge

Dear Heloise: It’sthat time of year in theMidwest —snake season! Do you or any of your loyal followers have any ideas for keeping snakes away from my homeand garage without costing me amonth’sworth of paychecks? Please help! —Jan M., Moline,Illinois Jan, try one or all of these:

thing like atrash can with atight lid. Rodents get into the feed, and snakes love to chow down on rodents and lizards.

tangydrinks are theperfect complement to aMexican nightout.

—JoannaBrown, staff writer

The seven layer salad at Superior Grill is somewhat of ashowstopper Abed of lettuce is placed on adish while aserver balances aglass cylinder full of mesquite chicken, chipotle peppers, roasted tomatoes,avocado, queso blanco, roasted corn and black beans tossed with chipotle ranch on top. With alittle swirl, all of the components are released onto the plate. Yes, thetheatrics are there, but thesalad itself is delicious. It’s smoky.It’sa little spicy. It’severything one could want from asalad at aMexican restaurant.

—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator

Hints from Heloise

n Make sure tall grass is cut short or cut down. Also, trim bushes. Snakes love cool, shady places.

n Seal all cracks and openings such as holes with caulking or metal sheeting.

n Manage your trash; makesure garbage can lids are tightly closed.

n If you store bird feed, chicken feed, or any other type of feed for animals outside, store it in some-

n There are repellents like cinnamon oil, clove oil, garlic and lemongrass, all of which snakes hate.

n Gotany puddles on your property? Fill them with dirt, sand or pebbles. Snakes love cool, wetspots. This is especially important around air conditioners.

n Dilute ammonia and spray it around your property Ihope these tips help!

Heloise

Eggwhite facial

Dear Heloise: How often do you have to use your egg white facial forittobe effective? Thank you for your assistance. —Femy C., in

Laguna Woods, California Femy,asoften as you feel is needed. This is only atemporary ﬁx, and there is somecontroversy about facials. Many dermatologists discourage facials altogether.Itcauses tightening and relaxing of the skin, which they feel stretches the skin over time.

—Heloise No return needed

Dear Heloise: Ilove your helpful tips here in Universal City,Texas. Here’s mine: Ilike to pass on the good books I’ve read to friends. On the front, I paste asticky note that says “no need to return” if Idon’twant it back. This way, they can take their timereading it, and there’s no pressure to return it. Corrinne B.,inTexas

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE

The sevenlayer salad from Superior Grill

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN

Afajita platter fromLaPagua in Lafayette

Mom’sparenting confession hurtsreader

Dear Harriette: Out of nowhere, my mom conﬁded in me that she never really enjoyed being amother.She saidthat since Iam45years old, she feels like she can ﬁnally be honest about it. Shetold me she loves me and my siblings, but the day-to-day experience of raising us was overwhelming and exhausting. She said working full-time and then coming home to care for three children feltlike aburden she never really wanted. She even admitted that if she could go back, she wouldn’thave had kids at all.

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, July 23, the 204th day of 2025. There are 161 days left in the year

TodayinHistory

On July 23, 1967, the first of five days of deadly rioting erupted in Detroit as an early morning police raid on an unlicensed bar resulted in aconfrontation with local residents, escalating into violence that spread into other parts of the city and resulting in 43 deaths. Also on this date: In 1982, actor VicMorrow and two child actors, 7-year-old Myca Dinh Le and 6-year-oldRenee ShinYi Chen, were killed when ahelicopter crashed on top of them during filming of aVietnam Warscene for “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” (Director John Landis and fourassociates werelater acquitted of manslaughter charges.)

In 1983, an Air Canada Boeing767 ran out of fuel while ﬂying from Montreal to Edmonton; the pilots were able to glide the jetliner to asafe emergency landing in Gimli, Manitoba. (The near-disaster occurred because the fuel had been

WEEK

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7970 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge

n Frankie’sDawg House, 2318 Cedardale Ave.,Baton Rouge

n TioJavi’s, 4738 Constitution Ave., BatonRouge

n Bin 77 Bistro &Sidebar 10111Perkins Rowe Suite 160, Baton Rouge

n Solera Restaurant & Wine Bar,4205 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge

n City Pork Highland, 18143 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge

n City Pork Jefferson, 7327 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge

n Spoke &Hub, 5412 Government St., BatonRouge

n Proverbial Wine Bistro, 9659 Antioch Road, Baton Rouge

n Rouj Creole, 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge

n Beausoleil Coastal Cuisine, 7731 Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

I’m tryingtobeunderstanding. Iappreciate her honesty, and I knowparenting is hard, especially for women of hergeneration who had fewer choices and support systems, but Ican’tlie: Her wordsstung. Ikeep wonderingifthat’swhy sometimes she seemed distant orirritable when we were growing up. It’s like I’m reprocessing parts of my childhood with this newlens, andit’sbringing up a lot of complexfeelings.Should I talk to her about it more? Should Ibegrateful for her honesty, or is

it OK that I’m hurt by her admission? —Trying To MakeSense of It Dear Trying To MakeSense of It: Consider your mother’sadmission an opening for you both to speak candidly about the past. Be compassionate. It is abig job and a huge responsibilitytocare for children. Every mother has meltdowns, though it sounds like your mother’s stateofmind was more extreme than some. Let her know you appreciate her honesty, and describe how it has impacted you. Tell her you want to be able to share your reaction without her becoming defensive. Perhaps you can both

TODAYINHISTORY

heal by talking together about the past and thepresent. Dear Harriette: Imade abig mistake. Iamworking on ajob with agroup of people, and one is getting on my nerves. After monthsofdoing virtually nothing, she wrote anote to me about thingsthat need to get done, and Iresponded well, but at the end of the email Icalled her out for not being availablelike she had promised —not in amean way, but in adirect way.What Ididn’t realize is that Ihit reply all. Now everybody on the team knows that I’m ticked with her.That is not away to build morale. How

can Imake amends so that Idon’t have agrumpy contractor on the job? —Oops

DearOops: Write to the contractor directly or call her and apologize for sharing your complaint with the whole team. Explain that you were frustrated and didn’tshare your frustration well, but that you truly do need her to step up and do her part. Ask her whatshe needs in order to be successful. Do your best to provide that, even if you don’twant to do so. As the leader, encourage her to do her part.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

erroneously measured in pounds instead of kilogramsatatimewhen Canadawas convertingto themetric system.)

In 1990,President George H.W.Bush announced his choice of Judge David SouterofNew Hampshire to succeed the retiring Justice WilliamJ.Brennan on the U.S.Supreme Court. In 1996, at the Atlanta Olympics, Kerri Strug made aheroicﬁnal vault despite tornligaments in herleft ankleasthe U S. women gymnasts clinched their ﬁrst-ever Olympic team goldmedal.

In 1997, the searchfor Andrew Cunanan, the suspected killerofdesigner Gianni Versace and others, ended as policefound hisbody on a houseboat in Miami Beach, an apparent suicide. In 1999, the space shuttle Columbiablasted offwith the world’smost powerful X-ray telescopeand Eileen Collinsbecame theﬁrst woman to command aU.S. space ﬂight.

In 2003, Massachusetts’ attorney general issued areport sayingclergy members and othersinthe Boston Archdiocese had probablysexually abused

n Ruffino’s,18811 Highland Road, Baton Rouge

n Modesto Tacos Tequila Whiskey,3930 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge

n Rocca Pizzeria 3897 GovernmentSt., Baton Rouge

n Tallulah Crafted Food and Wine,7000 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge

n TheGregory,150 3rdSt., Baton Rouge

n DrusillaSeafood Restaurant, 3482 DrusillaLane Suite D., Baton Rouge

n Restaurant 1796, 7747 US-61, St. Francisville

n Mike Anderson’sSeafood,multiple locations

n Jasmines On TheBayou, 6010 Jones Creek Road, Baton Rouge

n Burgersmith, multiple locations

n Sullivan’sSteakhouse, 5252 Corporate Blvd Baton Rouge

n Nino’s, 7512 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge n Soji:Modern Asian,5050 Government St., Baton Rouge n Cheesecake Bistro, Bluebonnet Blvd. Suite 6171, Baton Rouge

morethan 1,000 people over aperiod of six decades.

In 2006, Tiger Woods became the ﬁrst player since TomWatson in 1982-83 to win consecutive British Open titles.

In 2012, Penn State’s football program was all but leveled by penalties for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal as the NCAA imposed an unprecedented $60 million ﬁne, afour-year ban from postseason play and acut in thenumber of football scholarships it could award.

In 2021, Cleveland’sMajor League Baseball team, known as the Indians since 1915, announced that it would get anew name, the Guardians, at the end of the2021 season; the change came amid apush for institutionsand teams to drop logos and names that were considered racist.

Today’sBirthdays: Retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedyis89. ActorRonny Cox is 87. Rock singerDavid Essex is 78. Actor WoodyHarrelson is 64. Rock musician Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)is64. Actor &director Eriq Lasalle is 63. Rock musician Slash is 60.

n 1717 Kitchen&Cocktails, 1717 RiverParkBlvd. Suite101, Baton Rouge

n Fleming’sSteakhouse, 7321 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge

n Albasha, 2561 Citiplace Court, Baton Rouge

n Colonel’sClub, 2857 Perkins Road,Baton Rouge

n Luna Cocina, 3109 Perkins Road,Baton Rouge

n Proud Mary’sSpeakeasy,5725 Commerce St., St. Francisville

n Restaurant 1796,7747 US-61, St. Francisville

n Schlittz &Giggles Downtown, 301 3rdSt., Baton Rouge.

Reservations are recommended as places areexpected tobook up quickly

DIG BR is constantly adding new restaurants and menus to thewebsite. Check out digbr.com/restaurantweek and their Instagram @digbatonrouge for the most up-to-date information

Email Serena Puang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com.

HallofFamer Gary Payton is 57. Modelactor Stephanie Seymour is 57. Democratic Sen.Raphael WarnockofGeorgia is 56.

ActorCharisma Carpenter is 55. Country singerAlison Krauss is 54. R&B singer Dalvin DeGrate (Jodeci)is 54. Actor-comedianMarlon

Simply

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

That’sright. As good as Medicare is, it wasnever meanttocovereverything. Thatmeans if you wantprotection,you need to purchase individual insurance.

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best waytopreventlarge dental bills is preventivecare.

Basketball

Wayans is 53. ActorKathryn Hahn is 52. FormerWhite House intern MonicaLewinsky is 52. ActorStephanie Marchis51.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Engage in events that stimulate themind and motivate you to be and do your best. Working alongside others will encourage new friendships and provide opportunities to experience differentlifestyle choices.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Take precautions when dealing withfinancial, medical or contractual matters. Pay attention to detail andnegotiate any changes you want to implement before proceeding.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Walk away from anyone demandingtoo muchtime, patience and talent. Concentrate on doingmorefor yourself.Changeyour work or living space to accentuate your lifestyle.

ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) If youwant more money, focus on careers that pay topdollar. Including educational pursuits on your resume when applying for your dream job will pay off.

SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec.21) Live, learn and appreciate whatever comesyour way. Let your charm work its magic on someone you wanttoget to know better. Persistence, playfulness and patience will pay off.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Take time to rethink your next move.Numerous outside influences can deter you from achieving what youwant. Bide your time, watch how others respond and learn from the experience you gain.

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Turnupthe volume, direct your energy and play

to win. Kindness andconfidence will carry you forward with the class and poiseofawinner. Believeinyourself and your actions.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) You'llthrive in environments that feature something you enjoy. Refuse to let anyone play with your emotions. Rise above it all, know your worthand use your energy to ensure every move is right on the money.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Pursue your interests. Don't wait for someone to beat youtothe finish line. Keep whatever you do simpleand affordable, and you will see long-term benefits

tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Tidy up loose ends andcomplete whatever taskor responsibility you receive from your superiors. What you do and how you do it will be what counts, not the promises or compliments you make.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Sticking to facts and figures will help liberate you from thepeople most likely to attempt to takeadvantage of you. Makingpersonal improvementswill boost your confidence.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Yourimagination will be in overdrive. Don't overreact; give others the benefit of the doubt, but keep your guard up just in case. A little charm will go along way.

bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

James Patrick Murray,a former sportswriter, said, “Show me aman who is agood loser, and I’ll show you aman who is playing golf withhis boss.”

That reminds me of astory about Sam Snead, who still has the most winsonthe PGAtour. While an office boy, he was playing golf with his boss. They reached adownhillpar 4that wasmore than 300 yards. Snead, whohad the honor,waited. His boss suggested that Snead should hithis drive. Snead pointed out that the foursome in front was still putting on the green.

“Doyou wantajob tomorrow?” asked his boss.

“Yes, sir.

“Then drive.”

Snead hit his ball onto the green into themiddle of thefoursome. Ihope the boss apologized to them. And Iguess that Snead won the match.

At thebridge table, it is important to track losers. In this deal, how should Southplayinfour spades afterWest leads thediamond queen?

Southhas five losers: three hearts and two diamonds. He can discard aheart on the club ace, but needs to trump a diamond in the dummy (unlessthe suit breaks 3-3)

Declarer should take the first trick on theboard, pitch aheart on the club ace, play adiamond to his ace, and lead another diamond. In amoment, he will ruff his last diamond withdummy’sspade 10, so that East cannot overruff. South will take six spades,two diamonds, oneclub and that diamond ruff in the dummy.

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 HEPAtIc: heh-PAT-ik: Associated with the liver

Average mark26words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find 35 or morewords in HEPATIC?

yEStERDAy’S WoRD —EPISoDES

episode epode espied espies pied poesies posies poise pose ides seed

seep side sped speed spied spies deep depose despise dispose does dope dose

today’s thought

“For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall alsothe coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew24:27

Jesus is coming back. Areyou ready?— G.E. Dean

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore