The Advocate 07-24-2025

Council wants more lobbying muscle

Move a reaction to Legislature passing EBR bills

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

After the Louisiana Legislature passed a wave of bills that specifically affected Baton Rouge, the Metro Council has taken steps to strengthen its voice at the Capitol. With unanimous approval Wednesday night, the council amended its contract with the cityparish’s lobbyists to ensure they also work directly at the council’s direction — not just the Mayor’s Office.

Several council members took issue with the city-parish’s contract with Courson Nickel, as the lobbyists prioritized the mayor’s agenda during the 2025 session, even as lawmakers advanced bills that tried to strip power from the council and reshape how the city and parish are governed.

“The lobbyist contract shifted from reporting to the Metro Council and the administration to solely reporting to the administration, and so that was a grave concern to me,” council member Cleve Dunn Jr said in an interview earlier this month.

The change happened during former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s administration.

“I want to publicly ask this be

La. cane farmers optimistic about Coca-Cola’s sugar push

Expert says move won’t have immediate effect on price, expansion

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Coca-Cola‘s announcement that it is releasing a cane sugar-based version of its primary soda — made with American sugar has Louisiana sugar cane farmers excited, but not yet making plans to expand.

“We’ve heard good things come and go before with no results,” said Travis Medine, who farms 3,500 acres of sugar cane between Iberville and West Baton Rouge Parish along with his dad

and brothers. “It’s easy to get optimistic about something like this, but at the same time you don’t want to count your chickens before they hatch.”

The beverage company said in its quarterly earnings report Tuesday that an offering with U.S. cane sugar would soon be available to American consumers. The move has generated significant conversation online including from President Donald Trump, who said in a Truth Social post last week that he had spoken with the company about a cane sugar option of the signa-

ture soda. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola,” Trump wrote. “This will be a very good move by them.”

Despite the splash made by the Coca-Cola announcement, it’s not clear whether and to what extent the Louisiana sugar cane industry will get a boost from the new drink.

If price or production are affected, those changes will likely be modest

BREAKING A SWEAT

As Saints training camp opens in the

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

ä Saints open training camp under new coach Kellen Moore.

heat of New Orleans, coaches and doctors offer tips and tricks on how to stay cool ä See SWEAT, page 4A

rectified for the next legislative session, where they don’t just represent the Mayor’s Office but they represent the entire council,” Hurst said. Dunn and Hurst — both Democrats said an unusual number of bills focused on Baton Rouge this year A bill by Sen. Rick Edmonds, RBaton Rouge, originally tried to

give the mayor-president authority to take over over blighted properties instead of the Metro Council.

The bill was later amended and signed by Gov Jeff Landry as Act 456. Metro Council keeps its authority over blighted properties in the enacted version.

Republican representative Lauren Ventrella sponsored a bill changing the makeup of the board that oversees

La. to join anti-DEI college accrediting initiative

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

ä See CANE, page 4A

Louisiana will join other Southern states that are developing a new accrediting agency for public colleges and universities, Gov Jeff Landry said Tuesday, echoing a conservative complaint that existing accreditors have imposed liberal values on the institutions they evaluate.

Accrediting agencies hold significant sway over universities, which must meet accreditors’ quality standards in order for students to receive federal financial aid. Lately, the littleknown private agencies have come under fire from conservative critics.

Southern states uniting to create new agency “This task force will ensure Louisiana’s public universities move away from DEI-driven mandates and toward a system rooted in merit-based achievement.”

GOV.

In April, President Donald Trump said some accreditors “abused their enormous authority” by requiring schools to meet standards related to diversity equity and inclusion, or DEI. Last month, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said the public university systems in Florida and five other Southern states — Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas will create a new accreditor to compete with the “accreditation cartel.”

On Tuesday, Landry signed an executive order creating a task force to explore adopting that new accreditor, which he said will offer “an alternative to the out-of-touch accreditation system.”

“This task force will ensure Louisiana’s public universities move away from DEI-driven mandates and toward

See COLLEGE, page 4A

during the first day of training camp on Wednesday in

Sweat flies off Saints quarterback Tyler Shough as he throws

Metairie.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

JEFF LANDRy

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The Louisiana sugar cane industry brings in approximately $4 billion annually

8 taken to hospitals after church concert

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Eight children at a church near Harvard University where a French youth choir was holding a concert suffered seizure-like symptoms and were taken to hospitals, possibly the result of fumes from cleaning supplies, officials said.

The symptoms were not lifethreatening, the Cambridge Fire Department said in a news release. About 70 other people in attendance at the concert Tuesday at St. Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square were not affected

The children, described as preteens and early teens, were doing fine Wednesday and were all released from local hospitals, according to the department.

The Cambridge Fire Department’s hazardous materials team determined fumes in the building could have come from cleaning supplies used shortly before the first complaint, the department’s release said.

USPS stamps honor Franklin, letter carriers

The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday marked its upcoming 250th anniversary with the release of new commemorative stamps, including an exclusive, modernized version of the nation’s first 5-cent stamp featuring Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster general

The event was held at the USPS headquarters in Washington and included an appearance by the 76th postmaster general. David Steiner, a former board member of the shipping giant FedEx, began in his new role last week.

“For the United States Postal Service, today is a milestone 250 years in the making,” Steiner said in a statement.

The U.S. mail service officially turns 250 years old Saturday

Established by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, the Postal Service was launched nearly a year before the colonies declared their break from British rule. It is seen by historians as crucial to the nation’s independence and to keeping the young country unified.

Franklin was chosen as the first postmaster general because he had previously served in the British postal service for North America, including as coPostmaster General from 1757 until 1774.

The new Forever stamp features a redesigned, modern interpretation of an 1875 reproduction of the original 5-cent stamp released in 1847. President George Washington was featured on the first 10-cent stamp.

The USPS has also released a commemorative sheet of 20 interconnected stamps, dubbed “250 Years of Delivering,” that portray a mail carrier making her rounds throughout a year 3 who went missing in Miss. River found dead

MEMPHIS Tenn. Three men who were reported missing while fishing and swimming on a sandbar in the Mississippi River have been found dead near Memphis, Tennessee, authorities said Wednesday Search and rescue teams with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and other Memphis-area agencies began looking for the men Tuesday after they were reported missing near a boat ramp at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, authorities said. The first two bodies were recovered about 11 a.m. and the third about 12:45 p.m., the sheriff’s office said. The three men were described as Hispanic, ranging in age from their 20s to their 50s, the county fire department said.

Groups warn of starvation in Gaza

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation as Israeli strikes killed another 29 people overnight, according to local health officials.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough.

Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023, attack. The head of the World Health Organization said Gaza is “witnessing a deadly surge” in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a “large proportion” of its roughly 2 million people are starving.

Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by U.N. agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed.

In an open letter, 115 organizations, including major international aid groups, said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, “waste away.”

The letter blamed Israeli restrictions and “massacres” at aid-distribution points. Witnesses, health officials and the U.N human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggerated.

The Israeli government’s “restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,” the letter said.

WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that criticism, telling reporters that acute malnutrition centers in Gaza are full of patients and lack adequate supplies. He said rates of acute malnutrition exceed 10% and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women, more than 20% are malnourished, often severely

The U.N. health agency’s representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, said there were more than 30,000 children under 5 with acute malnutrition in Gaza and that the WHO had reports that at least 21 children under 5 have died so far this year

The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism in the open letter and accused the groups of “echoing Hamas’ propaganda.” It said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May, and that more than 700 trucks are wait-

Ukrainians protest anti-corruption law

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and MEHMET GUZEL Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Activists on Wednesday called for more protests of a new law that they say weakens Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs, following the first major anti-government demonstration in over three years of war

The legislation, which has also drawn rebukes from European Union officials and international rights groups, has put increased pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and endangered his public support at a critical phase of the war

On Wednesday evening, delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months. The two sides agreed to exchange more prisoners of war

In the morning, Zelenskyy convened the heads of Ukraine’s key anti-corruption and security agencies in response to the outcry against his decision to approve the law that was passed by parliament

“We all hear what society says,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. But he insisted the new legal framework was needed to crack down harder on corruption. “Criminal cases should not drag on for years without verdicts, and those working against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune from punishment,” he said.

Zelenskyy said all government agencies agreed to work constructively and respond to public expectations for fairness and effectiveness. A detailed joint action plan is expected within two weeks,

aimed at addressing institutional weaknesses, removing legal hurdles and ensuring justice across the board, he said.

Thousands of people gathered in the capital and other cities Tuesday to urge Zelenskyy to veto the controversial bill. After he approved it, activists went on social media to call for another demonstration Wednesday night in central Kyiv Zelenskyy acknowledged the protests and criticism in his nightly address Wednesday, and he said government and law enforcement agencies had agreed to come up with specific steps to “strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine.” Those recommendations, he said, would lead to a bill he would propose to parliament to safeguard the autonomy of the agencies.

Critics say the step could significantly weaken the independence of those agencies and give Zelenskyy’s circle greater influence over investigations.

Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war

“Limiting the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency hampers Ukraine’s way towards the EU,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned in a post on X.

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, also on X, noted: “In war, trust between the fighting nation and its leadership is more important than modern weapons difficult to build and to keep, but easy to lose with one significant mistake by the leadership.”

Court allows Trump to fire CPSC members

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to remove three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who had been fired by President Donald Trump and then reinstated by a federal judge. The justices acted on an emergency appeal from the Justice Department, which argued that the agency is under Trump’s control and the president is free to remove commissioners without cause. That’s what Trump did in May providing no reason for removing all three

Democratic commissioners on the fiveperson board, despite a federal law that allows commissioners to be fired only for “neglect of duty or malfeasance.”

The court provided a brief, unsigned explanation that the case is similar to earlier ones in which it allowed Trump to fire board members of other independent agencies, whom Congress protected from arbitrary dismissals.

The three liberal justices dissented. The fired commissioners had been serving seven-year terms after being nominated by President Joe Biden.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox in Baltimore ruled in June that the dismissals were unlawful.

ing to be picked up and distributed by the U.N.

That’s an average of around 70 trucks a day, the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the U.N. says are needed, and which entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year

The U.N. says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions, ongoing fighting and a breakdown of law and order An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversy

An official familiar with the negotiations said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was traveling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations. The evolving deal is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Meta launches new teen safety features

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writer

Instagram parent company Meta has introduced new safety features aimed at protecting teens who use its platforms, including information about accounts that message them and an option to block and report accounts with one tap.

The company also announced Wednesday that it has removed thousands of accounts that were leaving sexualized comments or requesting sexual images from adult-run accounts of kids under 13. Of these, 135,000 were commenting and another 500,000 were linked to accounts that “interacted inappropriately,” Meta said in a blog post.

The heightened measures arrive as social media companies face increased scrutiny over how their platform affects the mental health and wellbeing of younger users This includes protecting children from predatory adults and scammers who

ask then extort them for nude images.

Meta said teen users blocked more than a million accounts and reported another million after seeing a “safety notice” that reminds people to “be cautious in private messages and to block and report anything that makes them uncomfortable.”

Earlier this year, Meta began to test the use of artificial intelligence to determine if kids are lying about their ages on Instagram, which is technically only allowed for those over 13. If it is determined that a user is misrepresenting their age, the account will automatically become a teen account, which has more restrictions than an adult account Teen accounts are private by default. Private messages are restricted so teens can only receive them from people they follow or are already connected to. In 2024, the company made teen accounts private by default.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BABENKO Protesters chant Tuesday while holding signs that read ‘I stand for you, and for those who are on the frontline,’

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Postmaster General David Steiner looks at a Benjamin Franklin stamp unveiled to mark the 250th anniversary of the Postal Service’s founding Wednesday in Washington.

House panel votes to subpoena DOJ for Epstein files

BY STEPHEN GROVES and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON A House subcommittee on Wednesday voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein after Democrats successfully goaded GOP lawmakers to defy President Donald Trump and Republican leadership to support the action.

The vote showed the intensifying push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation even as House Speaker Mike Johnson — caught between demands from Trump and clamoring from his own members for the House to act — was sending lawmakers home a day early for its August recess. The House Committee on Oversight also issued a subpoena Wednesday for Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex offender and girlfriend of the late Epstein, to testify before committee officials in August Meanwhile, Democrats on a subcommittee of the powerful House Oversight Committee made a motion for the subpoena Wednesday afternoon. Three Republicans on the panel voted with Demo-

to

Democratic

Wednesday at the Capitol about the decision by

R-Benton, to leave Washington early

crats for the subpoena, sending it through on an 8-2 vote tally

The Republican subcommittee chairman, Rep Clay Higgins of Lafayette, said that work was beginning to draft the subpoena but did not give a timeline for when it would be issued. “I’ve never han-

dled a subpoena like this. This is some fascinating stuff,” said Higgins, who voted against the motion. Democrats cheered the action as proof that their push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation was growing stronger The committee agreed to redact informa-

tion on victims, yet Democrats successfully blocked a push by Republicans to only subpoena information that was deemed to be “credible” — language that Trump has also used when discussing what he would support releasing.

“Democrats are focused on transparency and are pushing back against the corruption against Donald Trump What is Donald Trump hiding that he won’t release the Epstein files?” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee.

unsuccessfully implored his supporters to forget about.

“They’re fleeing our work, our job and sending us back home because they don’t want to vote to release these files. This is something that they ran on. This is something that they talked about: the importance of transparency, holding pedophiles accountable,” said Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa.

Democratic leaders are hoping to make the issue about much more than just Epstein, who died in his New York jail cell six years ago while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

Earlier Wednesday, Johnson, R-Benton, had said there was no need to vote on a separate piece of bipartisan legislation calling for the release of the Epstein files this week because the Trump administration is “already doing everything within their power to release them.”

Yet Democrats have delighted in pressing Republicans to support the release of the files. Their efforts halted the GOP’s legislative agenda for the week and turned attention to an issue that Trump has

“Why haven’t Republicans released the Epstein files to the American people? It’s reasonable to conclude that Republicans are continuing to protect the lifestyles of the rich and the shameless, even if that includes pedophiles,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a news conference. “So it’s all connected.”

Trump’s Justice Department has also sought the release of testimony from secret grand jury proceedings in the Epstein case, but a federal judge in Florida rejected that request on Wednesday A similar records request is still pending in New York.

Gabbard attacks Trump’s enemies on Russia investigation

BY DAVID KLEPPER, ERIC TUCKER and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON As the national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard is responsible for guarding America’s secrets and discovering threats from overseas. But when she made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room Wednesday, her targets were President Donald Trump’s political enemies.

Escalating her attempts to undermine the long-settled conclusion that Russia tried to help Trump beat Hillary Clinton for the presidency nearly a decade ago she unspooled what she called unshakable proof that thenPresident Barack Obama and his advisers plotted nothing short of a coup.

“They conspired to subvert the will of the American people,” she said, claiming they fabricated evidence to taint Trump’s victory. Little of what she said was new, and much of it was baseless. Gabbard said her investigation into the former Democratic administration was designed to stop the weaponization of national security institutions, but it spurred more questions about her own independence atop a spying system intended to provide unvarnished intelligence.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who ran for president herself before joining Trump’s idiosyncratic political ecosystem, seemed prepared to use her presentation to burnish her own standing. She was trailed by her cinematographer husband, who held a video camera to capture the moment.

Trump appeared satisfied. He posted a video of her remarks, pinning them at the top of his social media feed.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Wednesday in Washington.

It was a display that cemented Gabbard’s role as one of Trump’s chief agents of retribution, delivering official recognition of Trump’s grievances about the Russia investigation that shadowed his first term The focus on a years-old scandal also served Trump’s attempts to shift attention from the Jeffrey Epstein case and questions about the president’s own association with an abuser of underage girls.

Gabbard touts revelations

During her White House remarks, Gabbard said she has referred the documents to the Justice Department to consider for a possible criminal investigation

Obama’s post-presidential office declined to comment Wednesday but issued a rare response a day earlier

“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” said Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesman.

The White House rejected questions about the timing of Gabbard’s revelations and whether they were designed to curry favor with Trump or distract attention from the administration’s handling of files relating to Epstein.

Still, Trump was quick to reward Gabbard’s loyalty this week, calling her “the hottest person in the room.”

On Wednesday, she released a report by Republican staff of the House Intelligence Committee during the first Trump administration. It does not dispute that Russia interfered in the 2016 election but cites what it says were tradecraft failings in the assessment reached by the intelligence community that Russian President Vladimir Putin influenced the election because he intended for Trump to win.

Gabbard went beyond some of the conclusions of the report in describing its findings from the White House podium She, along with the report, also seized on the fact that a dossier including uncorroborated tips and salacious gossip about Trump’s ties to Russia was referenced in a classified version annex of an intelligence community assessment released in 2017 that detailed Russia’s interference.

The dossier was not the basis for the FBI’s decision to open an investigation in July 2016 into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, but Trump supporters have seized on the unverified innuendo in the document to try to undercut the broader probe.

Timing prompts questions

Responding to a question from a reporter about Gabbard’s motivations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused journalists of looking for a story where there wasn’t one.

“The only people who are suggesting that she would release evidence to boost her standing are the people in this room,” Leavitt said.

Trump, however, has said he wants the media, and the public, to focus on Gab-

Trump told he’s mentioned ‘multiple times’ in Epstein files, reports say

BY DAVE GOLDINER New york Daily News (TNS)

President Donald Trump was told by Attorney General Pam Bondi that he’s mentioned “multiple times” in files related to the probe of notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to multiple reports. Bondi told Trump in May that his name appears alongside many other prominent people in Justice Department documents about the Epstein case, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported Wednesday

The crucial meeting at which Bondi briefed Trump came shortly before she released a controversial memo declaring the Trump administration wouldn’t release any more information about the bombshell investigation, the outlets said, citing several officials with knowledge of the exchange

Since being told he’s in the files, Trump, who admits to once being a close friend of the notorious pedophile, has repeatedly sought to quiet the firestorm over the Epstein case and even called it a hoax hatched by his political opponents.

In a statement in response to questions about the May meeting, Bondi confirmed the

president had been made “aware of the findings,” but said “nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung would not address questions about the briefing, but said Wednesday that any suggestion Trump engaged in illicit activity related to Epstein is “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”

Outside the White House on July 15, Trump denied a specific question about whether Bondi told him he was included in the Epstein files. “Specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?” a reporter asked Trump. “No, no. She’s given us just a very quick briefing, and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they’ve seen,” Trump responded.

As public furor over the Epstein files has exploded in recent weeks, Trump has sought to deflect criticism. He ordered Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony in the case, which experts say is likely to be much more tame than the materials in the DOJ’s files.

bard’s report and not his ties to Epstein.

“We caught Hillary Clinton. We caught Barack Hussein Obama you ought take a look at that and stop talking about nonsense,”

Trump said Tuesday

The CIA declined to comment on Gabbard’s remarks

Wednesday

Other recent releases

On Friday, Gabbard’s office released a report that downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the presidential race that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump’s favor

But Obama’s Democratic administration never suggested otherwise, even as it exposed other means by which Russia interfered in the election, including through a massive hackand-leak operation of Democratic emails by intelligence operatives working with WikiLeaks, as well as a covert influence campaign aimed at swaying public opinion and sowing discord through fake social media posts.

Dems call on her to resign

Lawmakers from both parties have long stressed the need for an independent intelligence service Democrats said Gabbard’s reports show she has placed partisanship and loyalty to Trump over her duty and some have

called for her resignation. “It seems as though the Trump administration is willing to declassify anything and everything except the Epstein files,” Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Wednesday Warner predicted Gabbard’s actions could prompt U.S. allies to share less information for fear it would be politicized or recklessly declassified.

But Gabbard enjoys strong support among Republicans. Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said she was working to put the intelligence community “on the path to regaining the trust of the American people.”

Johnson

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y. flanked by Rep. Katherine Clark D-Mass., left, the House minority whip, and Rep. Pete Aguilar D-Calif., chair of the House

Caucus talks

reporters

Speaker Mike Johnson,

Department of Health So far this year, five people have died and nearly 1,900 have visited an emergency room for heat-related illnesses.

Keeping football players cool during the sweltering days of training camp is critical, and the strategies they use can be adapted for anyone spending time outdoors, especially those most at risk: young children, the elderly, people on certain medications or with underlying medical conditions, and those who work outside.

Saints staff closely monitor the heat index (“feels like” temperature), humidity, sun angle and a measurement called “wet bulb globe temperature” to determine how long outdoor practice is safe. Sometimes, that might look like 15- or 30-minute stretches.

“We start practice inside for a walk-through or stretch, then shrink the time we’re exposed outside,” said Ted Rath, director of sports performance for the team. During practice, players rotate through two large air-conditioned tents and a “cooling box,” which Rath said can be chilled to as low as 35 degrees. Even a few minutes in these spaces can help reduce players’ core body temperature before they return to the field.

For people without personal walk-in freezers, cooling

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down might look like stepping inside a gas station or sitting in an air-conditioned vehicle for a few minutes, said Rath

Beyond air conditioning, the Saints use a variety of tools to cool the body quickly. Rath recommends a method backed by Stanford research: palm cooling. Professional football players use glove-like devices to rapidly cool the blood in their palms, which lowers core temperature. For those without hightech gear, Rath suggests a low-cost version: “Throw a couple water bottles in the freezer,” he said. When you start to heat up, holding the cold bottles in your palms can offer a quick cool down. Other simple tactics, like placing cold towels on the

board members appointed by the School Board and planning commission with members appointed by the mayors of Baker, Central, Zachary and St. George. It also reduces the number of members appointed to the parish parks commission by the Metro Council from six to four, while leaving a seat appointed by the mayor-president. Dunn said the BREC bill may not have passed if it was introduced as a Metro Council ordinance, but in-

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a system rooted in meritbased achievement,” he said in a statement.

Known as the Commission for Public Higher Education, the new accreditor must still be approved by the U.S. Department of Education, a process that typically takes at least two years. Depending on the recommendations of Louisiana’s new 13-member task force, which is expected to meet for the first time next month, the state’s public university systems could pursue dual accreditation from their current accreditor and the new agency while it awaits federal approval.

University leaders in states that joined the effort for a new accreditor say they want a streamlined process that’s less burdensome and more focused on student outcomes.

Higher-education experts say that developing an accreditor specifically to serve public institutions could offer some advantages. But some have raised concerns about college accreditation becoming overly politicized, with politicians wielding the

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and over the long term, said LSU agricultural policy professor Michael Deliberto. That’s partly because beverage products make up only 8% of total sugar consumption in the U.S., he said.

“When you look at beverage use, it can begin as a long-term driver for the industry,” Deliberto said. “I don’t think it’s going to have any kind of immediate effect on price or immediate expansion in our state just from increased use in the beverage category.”

neck or keeping a cloth handy to wipe away sweat, help to maintain the body’s natural cooling process

Wearing lightweight, lightcolored and loose-fitting clothing also helps sweat evaporate and heat escape. Hats offer protection but can trap heat; removing them during breaks, like players remove their helmets, helps release body heat more quickly

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke can escalate quickly especially when humidity interferes with the body’s ability to sweat and cool itself, said Dr Gregory Stewart, team physician for Tulane Athletics.

“You’re already getting hot. Now you’re getting dehydrated on top of that,” Stewart said. The humidity in

stead, it circumvented the parish’s governing authority and became law by way of the Legislature.

“I thought we had a good makeup of the BREC board but now, look at the potential racial flip that could occur,” Dunn said. “Will they reflect the demographics in which BREC serves? I firmly believe, like the council, our governing agencies should reflect the demographics of the parish.”

Hurst also asked the Mayor’s Office to take positions on more legislation that will impact Baton Rouge in future sessions, explaining that “no position is still a position.”

“We’re not going to let people go

process — which Trump has called his “secret weapon” — as a cudgel to reshape higher education.

“Accreditation is getting caught up in the culture wars,” said John Przypyszny, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who specializes in higher education law “When you start looking at accreditation through an ideological lens, it’s just not a healthy dynamic.”

Until recently, college accreditation was a bureaucratic process that mostly played out behind the scenes.

Nonprofit accreditors — which are recognized by the federal government but operate independently assess school quality by looking at finances, curriculum, faculty, student achievement and other factors.

Louisiana and surrounding states are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACS. Some university administrators call the accreditation process an expensive box-checking exercise that does little to improve student outcomes. Critics on the right have slammed some accreditors for assessing colleges’ efforts to enroll students from diverse back-

Future production is also difficult to predict because the U.S regulates the crop through its sugar program, designed to maintain stable sugar prices for domestic producers that typically run higher than those on the world market.

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said it will “remain to be seen” how much additional sugar is needed because of the quota system in place. But prudence doesn’t stop the industry from feeling enthusiastic about the possibilities, he said. “Overall, I think it’s go-

Louisiana makes it difficult for sweat to evaporate, leaving the body with fewer ways to release heat.

As dehydration progresses, Stewart explained, fluid shifts inside the body Swelling in the hands and feet is common. So are cramps and lightheadedness, the early signs of heat exhaustion. In severe cases, when the body can no longer compensate, core temperatures can spike to dangerous levels, “essentially cooking some of your internal organs,” he said.

Heat illness typically develops in stages The earliest is heat cramps, which are painful muscle spasms in the legs or abdomen caused by the loss of fluids and electrolytes through sweating. That can progress to heat exhaustion, marked

down to the Capitol and duke it out and not have a say when they’re trying to circumvent us,” Hurst said.

The amendment to the contract with Courson Nickel was added to Wednesday’s agenda by Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel, a Republican.

“The way I see this being utilized going forward would be we would obviously meet with the administration, we would meet with Courson and Nickel and have discussions about what we want to see,” Noel said. “When there’s items that (Metro Council) wants to see action on or the administration, we would bring it for a resolu-

grounds and ensure they feel welcomed and supported on campus. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to “fire the radical left accreditors.”

In April, he issued an executive order directing the U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to rescind approval of any accreditor that requires colleges or universities to adopt diversity equity or inclusion practices, which he called “unlawful discrimination.” Trump, who eventually wants to eliminate the Education Department, also ordered McMahon to approve new accreditors.

Florida and its partner states seized on Trump’s call for new accreditors, announcing in June their plan to establish the Commission for Public Higher Education.

According to the group’s business plan, the new accreditor will be a nonprofit incorporated in Florida and initially funded by $4 million from that state’s Legislature It aims to begin accrediting institutions next year while working to obtain approval from the U.S. Education Department by 2028. The plan follows earlier disputes between Florida and SACS, the Southern

ing to mean long-term stability, better prices for our farmers and potentially an increase in the amount of sugar that we can grow here in Louisiana,” Strain said.

Medine said “cautious optimism” comes naturally to cane farmers, for whom variability is a lifestyle, and the same mindset applies to the Coca-Cola announcement.

“Just to have the spotlight on the fact that we make a good, stable, reliable domestic product, that’s enough for me,” Medine said.

Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

by fatigue, dizziness, nausea and heavy sweating. If not addressed, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke, a medical emergency defined by confusion, loss of consciousness and a core body temperature above 104 degrees.

At University Medical Center, emergency physician Dr Peter DeBlieux sees the consequences of waiting too long to cool down. The escalation from heat exhaustion to heatstroke can take “nanoseconds,” he said.

DeBlieux urges immediate action by removing the person from the direct heat, getting them cool liquids and cooling them down through airflow and evaporation. The most effective approach, he said, is brushing the skin with cool towels and then fanning it, creating an artificial sweat mechanism.

Inside the hospital, doctors use cooling blankets, misting fans and specialized IVs that chill the blood directly But outside the ER, basic steps like rest, shade, airflow and misting are what make the difference.

He also advises people to monitor hydration by watching their urine. “If you can’t force yourself to go urinate every two hours, you’re not drinking enough,” he said “Your urine should be light yellow like watered-down lemonade.”

Sugary, caffeinated or alcoholic drinks can worsen dehydration because they increase urine output.

It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact temperature that can

tion, individually, before this body to decide where we stand.”

With the amended contract, Dunn and Hurst now hope to be able to voice these concerns as bills move through the Legislature in 2026, not afterward. Dunn was less concerned about having the lobbyists serve solely at the pleasure of the mayor-president under Broome, a Democrat. But with Republican Mayor-President Sid Edwards now leading City Hall, the council member said it was imperative for lobbyists to voice the council’s thoughts to legislators.

“We had someone who was unapologetic about protecting the

states accreditor, which in the past has raised concerns about political interference in Florida’s public university system. In June, DeSantis said the accreditor had told the state’s universities, “You’re not going to get accredited unless you do DEI,” the online publication Inside Higher Ed reported.

SACS, unlike some accreditors in other regions, does not list diversity, equity and inclusion in its standards.

“I don’t really think that’s an issue that SACS has had strong, or really any standards, in,” said Przypyszny, the higher-education attorney “DEI is a little bit of red herring, in my view.”

SACS President-elect Stephen Pruitt, who starts next month, said he appreciates Landry establishing a task force focused on accreditation.

“Accreditation is central to quality education,” he said in an email Wednesday

become dangerous, because heat affects people differently and risk depends on activity, environment and overall health.

DeBlieux said those at greatest risk are the very young and the very old, those with heart conditions, people who use alcohol or drugs, and anyone taking medications that affect hydration or thermoregulation, including diuretics, beta blockers, psychiatric medications and stimulants. Even a heat index in the 80s can be dangerous in the wrong conditions, said DeBlieux.

Acclimating to extreme heat also takes time A player coming from a dry, high-altitude climate like Utah needs more time to adapt than someone who’s already used to Gulf Coast conditions, Stewart said. The same goes for high school band members, athletes or young children starting summer programs after months spent mostly indoors.

The first week to 10 days is the most critical. Tulane players begin with minimal gear and gradually build up to full pads as their bodies adjust. Even pro athletes with medical teams and cooling tents can get “borderline” to overheating, Rath said. Telling a family member or friend your plans to be outdoors in hot weather can be a simple but important precaution.

“It’s a team effort,” Rath said.

interest of East Baton Rouge Parish and protecting the interests of the city of Baton Rouge,” he said “I don’t think that we have that in Mayor Sid Edwards.” Dunn said that contrast has been especially clear in the mayor’s approach to the breakaway city of St. George.

“Any mayor-president should be unapologetic about protecting that interest,” Dunn said. “I think Mayor Sid Edwards doesn’t want to have that perception of himself. He wants to be perceived as a unifier And that’s fine But you can’t try to be a unifier at the cost of the parish.”

adding that “accreditors are held to high standards and must themselves be reviewed.” Before Louisiana’s public universities can change accreditors, the consortium of states must get their agency up and running — a potentially heavy lift.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation, an advocacy group, said on its website this week that the six states seeking to establish a new accreditor must still hire a staff for the agency, set its standards and complete the review process for several institutions.

“All these steps must be successfully completed before the new accreditor can apply for recognition,” the group wrote.

Landry’s order says the new Task Force on Public Higher Education Reform should assess the potential benefits of switching to the new accreditor and identify

any laws or administrative actions needed to make the move. The new accreditor will focus on student outcomes and efficiency, while preventing the “imposition of divisive ideological content on institutions,” the order states. The task force will include the commissioner of higher education; the chair of the Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public university systems; the board chairs of the LSU, Southern, University of Louisiana and Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges systems; and several lawmakers and members of the Landry administration. The group, whose chair Landry will appoint, must hold its first meeting by the end of August and issue recommendations by Jan. 30.

Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr left, and running back Alvin Kamara cool off in the cooling trailer during the first day of training camp in Metairie on Wednesday.

Victims’ families address Idaho killer

Bryan Kohberger receives four life sentences

BY REBECCA BOONE and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho Police released doc-

uments Wednesday detailing their investigation into the murders of four University of Idaho students. Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the yearslong case. In one of the documents, Moscow Police Department’s lead detective, Brett Payne, described walking through the crime scene and discovering the victims, each of whom had multiple stab wounds. Other documents describe police interviews with friends and acquaintances of the victims Some names have been redacted from the documents.

During a sentencing hearing earlier Wednesday, one after another, the friends and family of the four University of Idaho students murdered by Bryan Kohberger vented their emotions in sobs, insults and curses before a packed courtroom Wednesday as he was sentenced to life in prison.

Ben Mogen, the father of Madison Mogen, credited her with helping to keep him alive through his

Dylan

fight with addiction. He called her “the only thing I’m proud of.”

Dylan Mortenson, a roommate of the victims who told police of seeing a strange man with bushy eyebrows and a ski mask in their home that night, called Kohberger “a hollow vessel, something less than human.” She shook with tears as she described how Kohberger “took the light they carried into each room.”

“Hell will be waiting,” Kristi Goncalves, the mother of Kaylee Goncalves, told the killer

Judge Steven Hippler ordered Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole for firstdegree murder in the deaths of Mogen, Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The defendant was also given a 10-year sentence for burglary and assessed $270,000 in fines and civil penalties. Kohberger, 30, pleaded guilty just weeks before his trial was to start in a deal to avoid the death penalty Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed on the sentence.

When it was his turn to speak in court, Kohberger said, “I respectfully decline,” shedding no light on why he slipped into the rental home in Moscow Idaho, through a sliding glass door early on Nov 13, 2022, and brutally stabbed four of the students inside.

The crime horrified the city, which hadn’t seen a homicide in about five years, and prompted a massive search for the perpetrator Some students took the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe. Kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at nearby Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, roughly six weeks later

A Q-tip from the garbage at his parents’ house and genetic genealogy was used to match Kohberger’s DNA to material recovered from a knife sheath found at the home, investigators said. They used cellphone data to pinpoint his movements and surveillance camera footage to help locate a white sedan that was seen repeatedly driving past the home on the night of the killings.

But investigators told reporters after Wednesday’s hearing that exhaustive efforts had failed to find the murder weapon, the clothes Kohberger was wearing at the time, or any connection between the killer and the students.

“This world was a better place

with her in it,” Scott Laramie, Mogen’s stepfather, said. “Karen and I are ordinary people, but we lived extraordinary lives because we had Maddie.” Goncalves’ father, Steve, taunted Kohberger for getting caught despite his education in forensics.

“You were that careless, that foolish, that stupid,” he said “Master’s degree? You’re a joke.”

Kernodle’s father, Jeff, recalled that his daughter hadn’t been feeling well that night, and he thought about driving the 7 miles to the rental home to be with her He decided against it because he had been drinking.

Mortenson and another surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, described crippling panic attacks after the attack.

“I slept in my parents’ room for almost a year, and had them double lock every door, set an alarm, and still check everywhere in the room just in case someone was hiding,” Funke wrote in a statement read by a friend.

Alivea Goncalves’s voice didn’t waver as she asked Kohberger questions, including what her sister’s last words were. She drew applause after belittling Kohberger, who remained expressionless.

“You didn’t win, you just exposed yourself as the coward you are,” Alivea Goncalves said. “You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser.”

Exhibit near Independence Hall under Trump scrutiny

submit materials for review

Displays address slavery at President’s House

BY EVGENIA ANASTASAKOS The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

PHILADELPHIA At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the Trump administration will soon decide whether to remove displays addressing the history of slavery.

The park is home to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall and the President’s House memorial that commemorates the nine enslaved people who George Washington brought from his home at Mount Vernon to Philadelphia.

The site will play a key role in the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026, which have received millions of dollars in state and municipal investment and are expected to attract scores of out-of-state visitors.

The displays were flagged for review in accordance with a Trump administration order directing National Park Service staff to identify language and historical depictions that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living,” according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times.

The order also directed the secretary of the Department of the Interior to provide “sufficient funding, as available” to restore Independence Hall ahead of the upcoming semiquincentennial celebration.

The Trump administration gave parks and historical sites until last week to

Judge bars ICE from immediately taking Abrego Garcia into custody

BY BEN FINLEY Associated Press

A federal judge in Maryland has prohibited the Trump administration from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into immediate immigration custody if he’s released from jail in Tennessee while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, according to an order issued Wednesday

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the U.S. government to provide notice of three business days if Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to initiate deportation proceedings against him

The judge also ordered the government to restore the federal supervision that Abrego Garcia was under before he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador in March. That supervision had allowed Abrego Garcia to live and work in Maryland for years, while he periodically checked in with ICE.

“Defendants have done little to assure the Court that absent intervention, Abrego Garcia’s due process rights will be protected,” Xinis wrote in her order

President Donald Trump’s administration violated a U.S. immigration judge’s order in 2019 that shields Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador because he likely faces threats of gang violence there

The smuggling case stems from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding, during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with

By The Associated Press

nine passengers. Police in Tennessee suspected human smuggling, but he was allowed to drive on.

Abrego Garcia’s criminal attorneys in the Tennessee case want him released from jail to await trial, but only if he won’t be taken into ICE custody and deported. A federal judge in that criminal case on Wednesday affirmed that Abrego Garcia is eligible for release. U.S District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled that appropriate release conditions will mitigate any risk of flight or any danger to the community Crenshaw then sent the case back to U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes, who originally held that Abrego Garcia is eligible for release last month. On Wednesday, Holmes signed yet another order putting off his release from jail, this time for 30 days.

U.S. officials have said they’ll try to deport Abrego Garcia to a country that isn’t El Salvador, such as Mexico or South Sudan, before his trial starts in January because they allege he’s a danger to the community.

U.S. officials have argued that Abrego Garcia can be deported because he came to the U.S. illegally around 2011 and because a U.S. immigration judge deemed him eligible for expulsion in 2019, although not to his native El Salvador Following the 2019 decision, Abrego Garcia was released under federal supervision, received a federal work permit and checked in with ICE each year, his attorneys have said.

Last month, it also instructed staff to display QR codes and signs asking visitors to report “inappropriate content.”

In the documents reviewed by the Times, Independence National Historical Park employees raised concerns about an exhibit panel discussing the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which required all states, including “free states,” to return enslaved people who had escaped from other states. They said an illustration depicting George Washington’s hands signing the act, while

a group of White men attack four Black men in the background, “may need revision.”

Another exhibit, about freedom and slavery at the President’s House, was also submitted for review

Meanwhile, at the Liberty Bell, staff highlighted a panel discussing the bell’s extensive travels to expositions and celebrations around the country during the post-Reconstruction period, saying it referred to “systemic and violent racism and sexism that existed at the time.”

Trump’s executive order also called out Independence

National Historical Park, in particular, claiming that the Biden administration had “sponsored training by an organization that advocates dismantling ‘Western foundations’ and ‘interrogating institutional racism’ and pressured National Historical Park rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they convey history to visiting Americans because America is purportedly racist.”

The Trump administration has said it will remove “inappropriate” content by Sept. 17.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KyLE GREEN

Mortensen gets a hug Wednesday after speaking at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago.

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER PHOTO By TOM GRALISH

The President’s House memorial in Independence National Historical Park tells the story of the paradox of liberty and enslavement that existed in the same house.

BUSINESS

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Feds cancel $4.9B loan for energy project

JEFFERSON CITY Mo. — The U.S. Department of Energy has canceled a conditional $4.9 billion loan for the 800-mile Grain Belt Express transmission line that developers have sought to build for over a decade.

The Department of Energy said in a news release dated Wednesday that the conditions necessary to issue the loan guarantee were unlikely to be met and that “it is not critical for the federal government to have a role in supporting this project.”

It added that the loan, issued by the Biden administration in November, was “one of many conditional commitments that were rushed out the door” in the administration’s final days.

The project has long been a target of Missouri Republicans, with U.S. Sen Josh Hawley calling for its cancellation this year Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been investigating the project.

Bailey on Wednesday celebrated the decision to cancel the loan. In a statement, he called the Grain Belt Express a “massive green energy scam,” saying it was “propped up by the Biden administration to benefit corporate interests at the expense of family farms.”

Uber will allow women to pick drivers, riders

Uber is rolling out a new program for women in the U.S. that allows them to choose female riders or drivers, the company said Wednesday

“Across the U.S. women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips,” Uber said in a statement.

Women customers will see an option called “women drivers” and choose a different driver based on the pick-up time. Female riders will also be able to pre-book trips with women drivers Only 1 in 5 Uber drivers are women, according to the company

Women drivers will be able to choose the “women rider preference” option in their settings to get paired with female customers

“When we make our platform better for women, we make it better for everyone,” Camiel Irving, Uber’s vice president of U.S. and Canada operations, said in a release. “It’s about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive.”

Rival Lyft started a similar program in 2023 for women and nonbinary users.

Apple launches monthly AppleCare plan

Apple Inc. is launching a new product-insurance plan that bundles coverage for as many as three devices, part of a broader effort to drum up subscription revenue. The new offering is called AppleCare One and costs $20 a month, the company said Wednesday The service also includes battery replacements, all-hours customer support and coverage for accidental damage, such as drops and spills. Any additional products added to the plan will cost an extra $6 a month. Customers can sign up for the plan on their iPhone, iPad or Mac, or in person at a retail store. The service, which will be limited to the U.S. for now, launches widely on Thursday The new program will cover all products already offered under the existing AppleCare+ plan, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, watches the Vision Pro headset, displays, headphones, TV set-top boxes and HomePod speakers. The service covers any product model or variation, so users can bundle for example — an iPhone 16 Pro with the Vision Pro and a newermodel MacBook Pro, without it affecting the cost.

It also includes theft and loss coverage, which lets customers get a new iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch if their device is lost or stolen.

BY ALEX VEIGA Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slid in June to the slowest pace since last September as mortgage rates remained elevated and the national median sales price rose to an all-time high of $435,300.

Existing home sales fell 2.7% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.93 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday

Sales were flat compared with June last year The latest home sales fell short of the 4.01 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet

Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 24th consecutive month to reach record heights.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since early 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Home sales fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years.

Sluggish home sales led to a lackluster spring homebuying season, traditionally the busiest period of the year for the housing market Stubbornly high mortgage rates

and rising prices have intensified the hardships for would-be homebuyers who had already been pummeled by a real estate market that overheated during the pandemic. And while the number of homes on the market has increased sharply from a year ago, it remains well below normal levels, meaning prices continue to rise even as sales slow

“The second half of the year really depends on what happens with mortgage rates,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. High mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting their purchasing power So far this year, the average rate on a 30-year mort-

gage has remained relatively close to 7%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. Homes purchased last month likely went under contract in May and June, when the average rate on a 30-year mortgage ranged from 6.76% to 6.89%. Yun estimates that if the average rate on a 30-year mortgage were to fall to 6%, that would lead to an additional roughly half-million more homes sold.

The housing market’s affordability crunch is keeping many aspiring first-time homebuyers on the sidelines. They accounted for 30% of homes sales last month, unchanged from May NAR said.

Stocks soar to more records following U.S.-Japan trade deal

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocks set more records on Wednesday following a trade deal between the world’s No. 1 and No. 4 economies, one that would lower proposed tariffs on Japanese imports coming to the United States. The S&P 500 added 0.8% to its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 507 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.6% to hit its own record Stocks jumped even more in Tokyo, where the Nikkei 225 rallied 3.5% after President Donald Trump announced a trade framework that would place a 15% tax on imports coming from Japan. That’s lower than the 25% rate that Trump had earlier said would kick in on Aug. 1.

“It’s a sign of the times that markets would cheer 15% tariffs,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “A year ago, that level of tariffs would be shocking. Today, we breathe a sigh of relief.”

Trump has proposed stiff taxes on imports from around the world, which carry the double-edged risk of driving up inflation for U.S. households while slowing the economy

But many of Trump’s tariffs are currently on pause, giving time to reach deals with other countries that could lower the tax rates.

Trump also announced a trade agreement with the Philippines on Tuesday

U.S. automakers are concerned about President Donald Trump’s agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15%, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors.

“We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,” said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis.

Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers “definitely are at a disadvantage” because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020.

The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be

Trump’s

BY MATT O’BRIEN and ALI SWENSON Associated Press

sold.

But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6% share in Japan raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient.

“Tough nut to crack, and I’d be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,” Blunt said So far, the U.S. economy has seemed to hold up OK despite the pressures on it. And tariffs already in place may be having less of an effect than expected, at least when it comes to the prices that U.S households are paying at the moment.

“The main lesson about tariffs so far is that passthrough to consumer prices is tracking somewhat lower than in 2019,” according to Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle.

Tariffs are certainly having an effect, to be sure, as big U.S companies across industries have been showing through their profit updates in recent days.

Hasbro took a $1 billion non-cash hit to its results for the spring to write down the value of some of its assets following a review triggered by the implementation of tariffs. It said tariffs have had no impact yet on how

much profit it’s making from each $1 of its sales, but it expects to see costs ramp during the current quarter Texas Instruments’ stock fell despite delivering results for the latest quarter that were above analysts’ expectations It gave a forecasted range for profit in the current quarter whose midpoint fell a bit shy of Wall Street’s.

Analysts pointed to some cautious commentary from Texas Instruments executives about how the uncertainty created by tariffs could slow demand.

Most of the stocks on Wall Street nevertheless rose, including a 14.6% jump for GE Vernova. The energy company not only delivered a stronger profit than analysts expected, it also raised its forecasts for revenue from its power and electrification businesses.

Lamb Weston rallied 16.3% after the supplier of French fries and other potato products delivered better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected and said it expects customers will continue to eat fries even with an uncertain economy It also announced a plan to cut at least $250 million in costs by cutting about 4% of its workforce and making other moves.

AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley industry ideas

President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping new plan for America’s “global dominance” in artificial intelligence, proposing to cut back environmental regulations to speed up the construction of AI supercomputers while promoting the sale of U.S.-made AI technologies at home and abroad. The “AI Action Plan” introduced Wednesday embraces many of the ideas voiced by tech industry lobbyists and the Silicon Valley investors who backed Trump’s election campaign last year Trump was also expected to sign three executive orders at

an afternoon event. The unveiling was co-hosted by the bipartisan Hill and Valley Forum and the “All-In” podcast, a business and technology show hosted by four tech investors and entrepreneurs, which includes Trump’s AI czar, David Sacks. The plan includes some familiar tech lobby pitches. That includes accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad and making it easier to construct the energy-hungry data center buildings that are needed to form and run AI products. It also includes some of the AI culture war preoccupations of the circle of venture capitalists who endorsed Trump last year Trump had given his tech advisers six months to come up with new AI policies after revoking President Joe Biden’s signature AI guardrails on his first day in office. The plan prioritizes AI innovation and adoption, urging the re-

moval of any “red tape” that could be slowing down adoption across industries and government. But it also seeks to guide the industry’s growth to address a longtime rallying point for the tech industry’s loudest Trump backers: countering the liberal bias they see in AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini.

Trump’s plan aims to block the government from contracting with tech companies unless they “ensure that their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias.” A Biden-era framework for evaluating the riskiest AI applications should also be stripped of any references to “misinformation, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and climate change,” the plan said.

The plan says the nation’s leading AI models should protect free speech and be “founded on American values,” though it doesn’t de-

fine which values those should include.

Sacks, a former PayPal executive and now Trump’s top AI adviser, has been criticizing “woke AI” for more than a year, fueled by Google’s February 2024 rollout of an AI image generator that, when asked to show an American Founding Father, created pictures of Black, Asian and Native American men.

Google quickly fixed its tool, but the “Black George Washington” moment remained a parable for the problem of AI’s perceived political bias.

Chief among the plan’s goals is to speed up permitting and loosen environmental regulation to accelerate construction on new data centers and factories. It condemns “radical climate dogma” and recommends lifting a number of environmental restrictions, including clean air and water laws.

Student in arrest video says he was scared

He was punched and dragged from his car by Florida law officers

BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

A Black college student shown on video being punched and dragged from his car by Florida law officers during a traffic stop faces a long recovery from injuries that include a concussion and a broken tooth that pierced his lip and led to several stitches, his lawyers said Wednesday

At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side.

“That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,” he said. “I knew I didn’t do nothing wrong. I was really just scared.”

McNeil is a biology major who played in the marching band at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina, Livingstone President Anthony Davis said.

The encounter with law enforcement happened in February, but the arrest didn’t capture much attention until the video from McNeil’s car-mounted camera went viral over the weekend That’s when the sheriff said he became aware of it and opened an internal investigation, which is ongoing.

The sheriff said a separate probe by the State Attorney’s Office cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing — a finding fiercely criticized by McNeil’s lawyers.

Video shows him being punched

Footage of the violent arrest has sparked nationwide outrage, with

civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report.

The video filmed by McNeil’s camera shows him sitting in the driver’s seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville officers’ supervisor, when they broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle and punched him again. He was then knocked to the ground by an officer who delivered six closed-fist punches to the hamstring of his right thigh, police reports show Florida Republican Gov Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended law enforcement officers and implied the video was posted to advance a “narrative and generate attention on social media.

“That’s what happens in so many of these things,” DeSantis said.

“There’s a rush to judgment. There’s a, there’s a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.”

DeSantis hasn’t seen the video

DeSantis said he hasn’t reviewed the viral video but has “every confidence” in Jacksonville Sheriff

T.K. Waters, who has urged the public not to cast judgement based on the footage alone.

“If people get out of line, he’s going to hold them accountable,” DeSantis said.

Body camera footage of the encounter shows McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle. And, though he earlier had his car door open while talking with an officer, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the officers forcibly removed him, the video shows. The vantage point of the body camera footage that was released makes it difficult to see the punches.

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.

On Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said his client had every right to ask why he was be-

ing pulled over and to ask for a supervisor

Report of knife is disputed

A point of contention in the police report is a claim that McNeil reached toward an area of the car where deputies found a knife when they searched the vehicle after taking him 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.

Crump called that police report a “fabrication,” saying McNeil “never reaches for anything.” A second officer observed that McNeil kept his hands up as Bowers smashed the window

“After Ofc. Bowers opened the door, the subject refused to exit the vehicle, but kept his hands up,” the second officer wrote.

Sheriff: Officers are cleared

The State Attorney’s Office determined that the officers did not violate any criminal laws, the sheriff said. No one from the State Attorney’s Office ever interviewed McNeil, Crump said.

Daniels called their investigation

“a whitewashing.”

“But for that video, we would not be here,” Daniels said. “And we thank God Mr McNeil had the courage to record.”

Asked about the criticism of the State Attorney’s review, a spokesperson for the office said Wednesday that “a memo to McNeil’s file will be finalized in the coming days that will serve as our comment.”

Shortly after his arrest, McNeil pleaded guilty to charges of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, Waters said.

Call for accountability

“America, we’re better than this, we’re at a crossroads,” Crump

said. “We are a Democracy, we believe in the Constitution. We are not a police state where the police can do anything they want to citizens without any accountability.”

Crump said his client remained calm while the officers who are trained to deescalate tense situations were the ones escalating violence. He said the case harkened back to the Civil Rights movement, when Black people were often attacked when they tried to assert their rights.

“What he exhibited was a 21stcentury Rosa Parks moment where an African American had the audacity to say ‘I deserve equal justice under the law I deserve to be treated like a human being with all the respect that a human being is entitled to.’”

The sheriff has pushed back on some of the claims by Crump and lawyer Harry Daniels, saying the cellphone camera footage from inside the car “does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

“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.”

Many of the speakers at Wednesday’s news conference said they hope the Florida case results in accountability so that what happened to McNeil doesn’t happen to others.

“It’s incumbent upon everyone to understand that this could have been us, this could have been me, this could have been you,” civil rights lawyer Gerald Griggs said.

Columbia agrees to pay more than $220M in deal with Trump

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus, the university announced Wednesday Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay a $200 million settlement over three years, the university said. It will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” acting University President Claire Shipman said. The Trump administration pulled the funding, because of what it described as the university’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the IsraelHamas war that began in

October 2023. Columbia then agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university’s student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism Wednesday’s agreement which does not include an admission of wrongdoing — codifies those reforms while preserving the university’s autonomy, Shipman said The school had been threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support, including more than $400 million in grants cancelled earlier this year

“The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track,” Shipman said As part of the deal, Columbia agreed to a series of changes previously announced in March, including reviewing its Middle East curriculum to make sure it was “comprehensive and

balanced” and appointing new faculty to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. It also promised to end programs “that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotes, diversity targets or similar efforts.”

The university will also have to issue a report to a monitor assuring that its programs “do not promote unlawful DEI goals.”

The pact comes after months of uncertainty and fraught negotiations at the more than 270-year-old university It was among the first targets of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus protests.

Columbia’s own antisemitism task force found last summer that Jewish students had faced verbal abuse, ostracism and classroom humiliation during the spring 2024 demonstrations

Other Jewish students took part in the protests, however and protest leaders maintain they aren’t targeting Jews but rather

Effort to end birthright citizenship unconstitutional, appeals court says

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s order seeking to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, affirming a lower-court decision that blocked its enforcement nationwide.

The ruling from a threejudge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes after Trump’s plan was also blocked by a federal judge in New Hampshire. It brings the issue one step closer to coming back quickly before the Supreme Court.

The 9th Circuit decision keeps a block on the Trump administration enforcing the order that would deny citizenship to children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily

“The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order’s proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons

born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree,” the majority wrote.

The 2-1 ruling keeps in place a decision from U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle, who blocked Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship and decried what he described as the administration’s attempt to ignore the Constitution for political gain.

The Supreme Court has since restricted the power of lower court judges to issue orders that affect the whole country, known as nationwide injunctions.

But the 9th Circuit majority found that the case fell under one of the exceptions left open by the justices. The case was filed by a group of states who argued that they need a nationwide order to prevent the problems that would be caused by birthright citizenship only being the law in half of the country

“We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the States com-

plete relief,” Judge Michael Hawkins and Ronald Gould, both appointed by President Bill Clinton, wrote.

Judge Patrick Bumatay, who was appointed by Trump, dissented. He found that the states don’t have the legal right, or standing, to sue.

The Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment says that all people born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to U.S. jurisdiction, are citizens.

Justice Department attorneys argue that the phrase “subject to United States jurisdiction” in the amendment means that citizenship isn’t automatically conferred to children based on their birth location alone.

The states Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon argue that ignores the plain language of the Citizenship Clause as well as a landmark birthright citizenship case in 1898 where the Supreme Court found a child born in San Francisco to Chinese parents was a citizen by virtue of his birth on American soil.

criticizing the Israeli government and its war in Gaza. Columbia’s leadership a revolving door of three interim presidents in the last year — has declared that

the campus climate needs to change. Also in the settlement is an agreement to ask prospective international students “questions designed to elicit

their reasons for wishing to study in the United States,” and establishes processes to make sure all students are committed to “civil discourse.”

PHOTO PROVIDED By WJAX

This image taken from video shows William McNeil Jr., center, listening as his attorney Ben Crump, right, speaks Wednesday during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla.

U.N. court issues landmark climate change opinion

It says countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to act

BY MOLLY QUELL and MIKE CORDER Associated Press

THE HAGUE,Netherlands

The United Nations’ top court in a landmark advisory opinion Wednesday said countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, and nations harmed by its effects could be entitled to reparations.

Advocates cheered the International Court of Justice opinion on nations’ obligations to tackle climate change and the consequences they may face if they don’t

“Failure of a state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system may constitute an internationally wrongful act,” court President Yuji Iwasawa said during the hearing. He called the climate crisis “an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet.”

The nonbinding opinion, backed unanimously by the court’s 15 judges, was hailed as a turning point in international climate law

Notably, the court said a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right. That paves the way for other legal actions, including states returning to the ICJ to hold each other to account as well as domestic lawsuits, along with legal instruments like investment agreements.

‘Today, the tables have turned’

The case was led by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and backed by more than 130 countries.

All U.N. member states including major greenhouse gas emitters like the United States and China are parties to the court.

Climate activists had gathered outside the crowded court with a banner that read: “Courts have spoken. The law is clear. States must ACT NOW.”

“Today, the tables have turned.

The world’s highest court provided us with a powerful new tool to protect people from the devastating impacts of the climate crisis — and to deliver justice for the harm their emissions have already caused,” former U.N human rights chief Mary Robinson said in a statement.

Island nations led the lobbying

After years of lobbying by vulnerable island nations who fear they could disappear under rising sea waters, the U.N. General As-

The Hague, Netherlands, outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don’t.

sembly asked the ICJ in 2023 for an advisory opinion, an important basis for international obligations.

Its panel was tasked with answering two questions: What are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? Second, what are the legal consequences for governments when their acts, or lack of action, have significantly harmed the cli-

mate and environment?

“The stakes could not be higher

The survival of my people and so many others is on the line,” Arnold Kiel Loughman, attorney general of the island nation of Vanuatu, told the court during a week of hearings in December

In the decade up to 2023, sea levels rose by a global average of around 1.7 inches, with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 2.3 degrees Fahr-

enheit since preindustrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels. Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s minister for climate change, called the ruling a “very important course correction in this critically important time. For the first time in history, the ICJ has spoken directly about the biggest threat facing humanity.”

He said the ruling exceeded his expectations. “I didn’t expect it to be good. It’s good. And it did go above and beyond,” he told reporters in The Hague.

Ruling could be leverage

Activists could bring lawsuits against their own countries for failing to comply with the decision, which ran to over 130 pages.

The senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, Erika Lennon, said the ruling also can be used as leverage at the next U.N. climate conference later this year in the Brazilian city of Belém.

The United States and Russia, both of whom are major petroleumproducing states, are staunchly opposed to the court mandating emissions reductions. The Trump administration has again withdrawn the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and has made it harder to find scientific assessments of how climate change endangers the U.S. and its people.

BY GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA Associated Press

The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is pushing back on criticisms of the federal response to the central Texas floods that killed at least 136 people earlier this month.

“I can’t see anything we did wrong,” David Richardson told a House panel of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday He called the relationship between state and federal agencies “a model for how disasters should be handled.”

Lawmakers used the hearing about improvements to FEMA disaster response to address re-

ports that FEMA support was impaired by bureaucratic delays that slowed the deployment of urban search and rescue teams and left the agency’s call centers unstaffed, which Richardson denied. The response “brought the maximum amount of capability to bear in Texas at the right time and the right place,” he said. Richardson’s appearance came after a wave of criticism and fallout over the response, including the resignation Monday of FEMA’s urban search and rescue leader. President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have touted the robust federal support for Texas despite their past support for eliminating FEMA.

Reports of delays denied

The acting administrator denied reports that FEMA urban searchand-rescue teams were delayed over 72 hours because of a new rule imposed by Noem that she must personally approve any contract of $100,000 or more. Richardson said a Texas-based FEMA task force was on the ground on July 4, along with other Homeland Security assets like the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, and that additional support came within “24 hours” of being requested.

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. pushed back on FEMA’s readiness, asking why more of the 28 FEMA urban search-and-rescue teams

located around the country were not on standby ahead of receiving a request from the state of Texas.

“It haunts me that we could have had more urban search and rescue pre-positioned in place,” said Stanton. “That was a choice.” The leader of FEMA’s urban search-and-rescue effort, Ken Pagurek, expressed frustration with the delays to colleagues before resigning Monday according to CNN. In response to Pagurek’s resignation, a DHS spokesperson told The Associated Press, “It is laughable that a career public employee, who claims to serve the American people, would choose to resign over our refusal to hastily approve a sixfigure deployment contract without

basic financial oversight.”

The Texas Division of Emergency Management did not respond to a request for comment on whether search-and-rescue efforts were impacted by delayed deployment of the FEMA teams.

Richardson also denied a report from The New York Times that 84% of calls to FEMA went unanswered on July 7, three days after the July 4 floods, because Noem let lapse contract renewals with outside call centers. The contracts were renewed July 10, according to The Times. “The vast majority of phone calls were answered. There was never a lapse in the contract,” said Richardson, echoing Noem’s statements that the report was “fake news.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETER DEJONG Activists demonstrate Wednesday in

Man takes plea deal in death of girlfriend

Victim was stabbed 39 times, officials say

BY MATT BRUCE | Staff writer

2020,

tors laid out the details of the crime.

District Judge Colette Greggs sentenced Regan to 40 years for the manslaughter charge and tacked on 15 years apiece for both counts of tampering with evidence as part of the plea deal.

Regan, 32, was indicted for second-degree murder and would’ve faced a mandatory life sentence if he’d been convicted of that offense. Prosecutors allowed him to plea to the reduced manslaughter charge in exchange for his guilty plea. The state added the two obstruction of

Bloom with a view

40 years ago, officials bowed to community pressure

BY MARGARET DELANEY | Staff writer

Iconic frontman for pioneering metal band Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, died Tuesday at age 76, surrounded by family in England. He was born Dec. 3, 1948. The rocker, with his black-lined eyes and a charismatic sense of danger, was notorious for his no-care, lawbreaking, bat-biting behavior in the 1980s — including not one, but two canceled concerts in East Baton Rouge Parish.

ABOVE: Groups of people browse orchids for sale during the Baton Rouge Orchid Society’s Annual Show & Sale at LSU Rural Life Museum on July 12. LEFT: Jason Teh gets a close look at a first-place winning orchid during the orchid show

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Newtron Group founder dies

Electrical contracting giant Newton Thomas also LSU hall-of-famer

BY QUINN COFFMAN | Staff writer

Newton Thomas, an LSU hall-of-famer and founder of a $1 billion Baton Rougebased specialty industrial engineering contractor, died Saturday at the age of 81.

Coined during his time as an electrical engineering student at LSU, Thomas’ nickname of “Newtron” would go on to also title his awardwinning company, The Newtron Group, ranked as one of the nation’s leading providers of industrial electrical instrumentation.

Thomas

Thomas was named LSU’s Alumnus of the Year in 2015, having graduated from University Lab School in 1962 and earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from LSU in 1967. As a student, Thomas played for the LSU baseball team, was a cheerleader and a member of Sigma Chi fraternity Before founding The Newtron Group with two other LSU grads, Thomas worked for the electrical instrumentation firm Southern Instruments from 1967 to 1971, including two years as president.

At its founding, Thomas laid down The Newtron Group’s core values: All employees should be treated with respect and dignity The values hung in all of The Newtron Group’s offices and job site trailers across the country

“Employees should have an enjoyable environment in which to work,” the document reads, “and should find that when they do what they think is right, it will be consistent with the values of the company.”

See THOMAS, page 2B

Newspaper archives show Ozzy Osbourne’s March 3, 1982, concert at the Riverside Centroplex facility (now Raising Cane’s River Center) was canceled after public pressure from anti-rock ’n’ roll enthusiasts.

ä See OZZY, page 2B

According to the newspaper archives, Osbourne’s March 3, 1982, concert at the Riverside Centroplex facility (now Raising Cane’s River Center) was canceled after public pressure from anti-rock ‘n’ roll enthusiasts. The reasoning stemmed from a Jan 20, 1982, incident in Des Moines, Iowa, when a teenage fan tossed a live bat onto the stage during his “Diary of a Madman Tour.” Osbourne, who later explained he believed it was a fake

Regan

STAFF FILE PHOTO By VERONICA DOMINACH

ä See PLEA, page 2B

Manfound fatallyshotidentifiedbyBRpolice

Baton Rouge police have identified aman foundfatally shot near Howell Community Park on Tuesday evening. Officers found Meliqiue Etienne, 22,deadfromseveral gunshot wounds at a home near the 3700block of Cathedral Drive. Etienne wasreportedly wearing aski mask and was armed with an AR pistol when officers found him shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.Baton Rougepolice detectives believe Etienne was shot while attempting arobbery Awitness reportedseeingtwo people leave the scene and then return.

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Shortly after the incident,police said they had detained two people.

Twokilled in crash on Highland Road

Baton Rouge police are investigating acrash that killed two

young passengers after their vehiclelostcontrolonHighland Road and crashedinto atelephone pole lateTuesday Dakota Carter,20, the driver,and Justin Howard, 21, the passenger, were dead on the scene when first responders arrived at 11:54 p.m. and found a2011 Infinity G37 struck atelephone pole. The incident happened at the 9100 block of Highland Road,near St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church. Initial investigations by Baton Rouge traffic homicidedetectives found that the twowere driving west at high speeds on Highland Road, when,for unknown reasons, Carter lost control of thevehicle and crossed into the eastbound lane. TheInfinity then veered off theroad and struck the telephone pole, according to BatonRouge police. Carter and Howard were both wearing seat belts, and authorities

Twoartists lead north BR artcommunity

Moore, Henryshare theircreativity

BY IZZY WOLLFARTH

Louisiana State University

For arecent meeting, Darlene Moore wore amulticolored dress, painted with strings of lime and forest green, hot pink, and hints of orange and black. Pinned on her right shoulderwas ayellow and pink fabric flower.Moore embodied apainting much like that of her unique art style

Aformerpastorfor Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge,a published writer and artist, Moore uses mixed media collage and acrylic. Alongtime resident of north Baton Rouge, sheseeks community connection whenever she can. Her community often inspires her art.

“Normally it starts with me,” she said of her artisticprocess.

“I have alittle sketchbook that is just paper and pen, and I’ll kinda just see some drawings that God will inspire in my heart or from a scene that I’ve seen, and I’ll kind of sketch it out, and Imay even write some words creatively by it.”

For the past two decades, Moore has been fiercely dedicated to the northBaton Rouge art community.In2005, Moore was named the Ambassador of the Year for New and Emerging Artists by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge Herart was previously selected to hang in formerGov.Kathleen Blanco’soffice. The ArtsCouncil also selectedher for two grants, which enabled her to host creative workshops at middle schools and at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired.

Asmall exhibitatthe Carver Branch LibraryhighlightsMoore’s work. She was joined thererecently by her friend and frequent collaborator,RandellHenry, distinguishedbyhis handlebar mustache, colored silver-white, extending to each side ofhis face. Even motionless, his eyes sprout lines at their corners, suggesting adecorated past of vibrant facial expressions.

Henry,who is from NewOrleans, is aprofessor of art and curator of theSouthernUniversityVisual Arts Gallery and has beenpart of the arts community in Baton Rougefor more than 40 years. He completed his undergraduate degree at Southern and attended LSU forhis master’sinfine arts.His art style relies on paint, graphic media, and his own uniquely made pieces used to create collages.

Selected worksfromhis collection have been shown in exhibitions across Baton Rouge, the Art Copenhagen in Denmark, theNew Orleans MuseumofArt, and the University of Science and Technology in Ghana, to name afew

The inspiration for Henry’sart lies in his love for libraries.

“I started my career offinlibraries,” he said. “In alibrary at my elementary school and then at my junior high school, Iwasone who went to search for the art books, reading about artists, andlooking up artworks and just learning all I can about art.” Mooreand Henryoftenjoin forces to share their creativity with others.

Henry recalls one moment while hosting aworkshop at anursing home,where residentsinitially insisted that they were too old to make art.

believe their driving speed played afactor in their deaths.

Satsuma man found guilty of video voyeurism

ASatsuma man was found guilty of video voyeurism afterhewas discovered to have recorded more than 300 videos from ahiddencamera placed in abathroom in his home.

Ajury found Christopher Johnson, 41, guilty July 10 on six counts of videovoyeurism after deliberating for under two hours, accordingto21st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perrilloux.

Johnson was arrested August 2022 after Sheriff’s Office investigators were contacted by a victim in 2021 who discovered a memory card with more than 300 videosfroma hidden camerainside one of Johnson’shome bathrooms, according to court documents.

THOMAS

Continuedfrom page1B

“Finally they came to sit with us and startedmaking artwork,” he said. “The lady, 90-something years old, started dappling on the paint like this (he mimics the gesturewithhis hands), and she got really into it and was having fun painting. Aman tried to make artwork. All of asudden it was time for us to leave, but we couldn’tget them to putthe brushes down.

Moorealsoreflects on herwork in penal facilities.

“Wegoinand when you find peoplewho reallyhave aheart to reenter society and give their gifts outside of the system,” Moore said.

“The system tries to stifle that, and they do it ongoingly,and so it’s so to discourage.”

Each artist finds that art can move hearts and minds in unexpected corners of communities There are no bounds to the impact that creativity can have.

“I’ve been apastor and still an elder infull connection in the Methodistchurch, an artist and a writer,” Moore said. “I neverknew or was expected to be in anybody’s boxorlimited by gifts that God gives to help communitiesand families bestrong.”

Henry ties the impact of thearts to an intimate moment that he says was life-defining —when he saw Pablo Picasso’s1937 oil painting “Guernica” in person. As he stood in front of the painting, 12 feet tall by 26feetlong,hefelt like the only person in the world, Henry said.

“I want everybody to see artworks and beinspired by it,” Henry said. “Picasso made apainting, ‘Guernica,’hopingthat painting can stop wars. Look at the creativity in that painting. Every world president should standinfront of that paintingand look at it.”

With this moment in mind, Henry encouragesothers to use art to come closer to each other and their communities. Community can be found through art, where opportunities for learning and connectionflourish. Moore notes. “Young can learn from the old,old can learn from the young, and we have to take timetohave conversation. We have to have time to collaborate. We have to have time to listen, and so we don’tknow it all. We’re always learning.” Moving forward, Moore’sand Henry’sindelible influence in the art worldwill notcease. Moore’s art is set to appear in the Glassell Gallery in acoming exhibition,“FELT,”atdowntownBaton Rouge’sShawCenter for theArts. Theshow is set to run through Aug.23.

Henry’s next artshowing will be at the Arts Council Gallery of Greater Baton Rouge beginning in September.

With each art exhibition, both artistscontinue to inspire others and invite others to contribute to the evolving Baton Rouge art scene.

Detectivesreviewedthe footageand identifiedtwo victims from thevideos, Perrilloux said in anews release.

Johnson’scellphone wasseized during arrest anddetectivesfound an apponthe phone used to hide photos and videos. He used his phone to operate the hidden camera, according to court documents.

Perrillouxsaid they found “a trove” of digital images that led to the identification of four additional victims, including one juvenile.

Johnson has an upcoming sentencing date Aug. 5.

Forall sixcounts, Johnson could face up to amaximum of 26 years in prison, said AssistantDistrict Attorney Brett Sommer,who prosecutedthe case for the state Twoofthe counts have aminimum of one-year imprisonment. Theone count due to juvenile involvementhas aminimum of twoyear imprisonment, Sommer said.

was ranked as ENRMagazine’s seventh-largest industrial electrical contractor in the country

Second victim in South Sherwood shooting dies

Asecond victim has diedfollowing ashooting that targeted men in aparkedcar in the6000 block of South Sherwood ForestBoulevard last week. Jordan Scott, 22, was the passengerina vehicle in the 6000 block of South Sherwood at 2:30 a.m.on July 13, whenmultiple shots were fired, Baton Rouge police said. He succumbed to his injury Monday

The driver,44-year-old Byron Howard, wasalso shot multiple times and was taken to ahospital where he died.

The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been identified by Baton Rouge police detectives.

Anyone with information on the shootings is asked to call BRPD’s Violent Crimes Unit, at (225) 3894869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Today,The Newtron Group has morethan 4,500 employees across Louisiana, California, Texas and Nevadaand is a$1billion company Newtron haswon theBusiness Report’sLarge Private Company of the Year Award, the Louisiana Free Enterprise Companyofthe Year Award, andthe first Baton Rouge Better Business Bureau Manship Ethics in Business Award.

In 2012, The Newtron Group

PLEA

Continuedfrom page1B

justicecounts this week as partof the deal.

“This was avery heinous crime which took the life of avery young lady who had apromising future,” East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said. “While I feel, as do all involved in this case, that this defendant deserved alife sentence, our concernswere withthe 4,367 pagesofdocumented mental healthrecords that we believe had asignificantchanceofbeing presented at trial. Andused to successfully sway ajury to amanslaughter conviction, which would have resulted in amaximum sentence of 40 years.”

The company also provided electrical instrumentation for many chemical plants andoil refineries along the banks of the MississippiRiver in theBaton Rouge area.

“Newton believed that longterm, committed employees werethe key to asuccessful company,and he instilledinusthe belief that every employee and customer deserves to be treated withdignity and respect,” amemorial post from the company states. “Our world hasbeen forever changed duetoNewton’s

wanted to pursue alaw degree. Thosedreamswere shattered thenight of June 6, whenprosecutorssaid Regan killed her during an argument inside their shared residence at the Arts Apartment at Jefferson Heights in the 8900 block of Jefferson Highway According to avideotaped confession, Regan told Baton Rouge detectives he and Smith began fighting after she roused him from his sleep. Regan detailed his andSmith’s16-monthrelationship andtoldpolice he sufferedfrombipolar disorder.

Mooreadded that becauseofthe potential for Regan to get alesser conviction andsentence in atrial, his office allowed himtoplead guilty.

Smith majored in international studies at LSU, andhad hopedto travelthe world in her 20s.She dreamed of making adifference in hercommunity.While working as an intake specialist at Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers several weeksbefore herdeath,she confidedinher supervisor that she

OZZY

Continuedfrom page1B

bat, bent thebat’swings andbit its head off.

One month later,inSan Antonio, the Black Sabbathsinger was arrested and posted$40 bail “ona chargeofpublic drunkenness after allegedly urinating on the grounds of the Alamo,” according to newspaper archives.

Nicknamed “The Prince Of Darkness,” Osbournewas banned from performing for 10 years in the Alamo City.Baton Rouge officials canceled his appearance in the Red Stick.

“Ozzy Osbourne will not use the Centroplex facility, period,”said then-East Baton Rouge Parish District AttorneyOssie Brown in a 1982 article in The Advocate.

“He can go somewhere else and do thesekindofthings, butheis notgoing to do them in East Baton Rouge Parish,” Brown continued in the article. “This is adisgrace Oneplace he bitthe head off of a bat. He might expose some of our young people to rabies.” Osbourne did appear in Baton Rouge on March 5, 1983, at the BatonRouge StateFair Grounds with Blue OysterCult.

Ayear later,one week before Osbourne and Black Sabbath were once againset to appear on stage in BatonRouge on June 5, 1984,a Baton Rouge minister launched a crusade to keep thesingerout of the city,according to aJune 7, 1984,

“The defendant, Connor Regan, advised that Kinnedy had ahabit of waking him up whenshe could not sleep. It was normally not aproblem, but on this night it was,” Assistant District Attorney Angelica Torrance said while reading the facts of the state’scase against Reganat Wednesday’splea hearing. Regan told investigators he was upset with Smith because he thought she called his mother and told her mother he had suicidal ideations theday prior.Heattacked Smith when she woke him up andshe threatenedtocallthe police. Regan saidthat angered him andhewent downstairs to thekitchen,armedhimself with aknifeand cameback to the bed-

article from The Advocate.

The Rev.David Diamond, who claimed creditfor the cancellation, allegedly organized church members to call the Baton Rouge Centroplex to demandOsbourne’sban from the facility.

“I’msure they can have other events in there,” Diamond said. “We’re not against rodeos, iceskating, basketball and those kinds of things. We’rejust against those groups cominginhere.”

Centroplex’sthen-director Mike Pierce later confirmed that therewere500 to 700callerseven though previous city concerts “had no problems,” he said in aJune 2, 1984, article in The Advocateonthe canceled concert.

“Wedon’tneed rock ‘n’roll,”said Diamondofthe Word Fellowship Churchinthe 1984 story. “It promotes alcohol, sex, drugs, fornication—all that stuff.”

Although Osbourne played in New Orleanstwicebetween theincident at theAlamo and his bat-biting, BatonRouge officials “finally bowed to extreme community pressure” andcanceled theconcert. Piercesaidthe Centroplex would refund money for the approximately 1,400 tickets sold.

Osbourne gained another round of famewhenhis family participated in “TheOsbournes,” an American reality television series that featured the aging rocker with his family living livesofdomesticity His wife Sharon, their daughter Kelly,and their son Jack played prominent roles in the popular series, which premiered on MTV on

life, his vision for the company and the values he instilled in everysingle oneofus.” Thomas was the founding chairmanofthe Dean’sAdvisory Councilofthe LSUCollege of Engineering and was inducted into the LSU College of Engineering Hall of Distinctionin1994. He wasalsothe past chairman for AMIkids of Baton Rouge, a nonprofit rehabilitationprogram foradjudicated youth in thejuvenile justicesystem, serving as the national board of trustees chairmanaswell.

Email Quinn Coffmanatquinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

room with the weapon. He said he stabbed Smith multiple times as she lay in bed facing away from the door.After Smith managed to get out of the bed, Regan told detectives he walked over and stabbed her several more times. He took her phoneand his and fled theapartment,calling 911 hours later and telling emergency dispatchers he stabbed his live-in girlfriend and washeading to Texas. Patrolofficers responded to the apartment and found Smith’sbody in the couple’sbedroom,Torrance said.

Reganturnedback around and headed toward Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Police made contact with him near Crowley He was taken to Ochsner Acadia General Hospital to be treated for defense wounds to his hands and ankles that he suffered while stabbing Smith.

Detectivesquestioned himthere andhegavehis confession. Medical examiners determined Smith suffered39stabwounds, according to prosecutors.

Before the fatal stabbing, Regan was arrestedinPointeCoupee Parish in November 2019 followingreports from acouple that said they saw him physically abusing Smith on the side of the road. Pointe Coupeeprosecutors chargedhim with amisdemeanor count of battery of adating partner

March 5, 2002. In itsfirstseason, the realityshow was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV The finalepisode airedonMarch 21, 2005.

Osbournemellowedsignificantly in his later years. In 2015, Osbourne apologizedfor the incident at the Alamo andreturned to SanAntonio.Later thatsame year,Osbourne performed in New Orleans at VoodooFest.

During the course of his career, he was nominated for12Grammys andwon five.

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

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Darlene Mooreand Randell Henry showtheir artatthe Carver Branch Library.

Smith

Bringol,Chris

St.Alphonsus Catholic Church

14040 Greenwell Springs Rd.at11am.

Cicero, Joan

St.Michael theArchangelChapel, adjacenttothe CathedralofSt. John BerchmansinShreveport, at 3:30 p.m

Frisby,Frederick Hall Davis& SonFuneralHome, 9834 Scenic Highway,atnoon.

Hill, Monica

St.Jude theApostle Catholic Church 9150 HighlandRoad, at 10 a.m.

Louis, Genell

WilbertFuneralHome, Plaquemineat

1:30pm

Pollard,John

OursoFuneralHome, 13533 Airline

Hwy,Gonzales,Louisianaat11am.

Rabalais,Beverly

St.Thomas More Catholic Church at 1p.m

Sawyer,Thomas

FirstPresbyterianChurch of Baton Rouge,763 NorthBoulevard, at 11 a.m.

Songy,Rosa

St.Charles Borromeo, 13396 River Road in Destrehan, at noon. Tricou, Virginia Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBlvd., BatonRouge,LAat2pm Webster, Jessie Full Gospel United Pentecostal Church,6729 MickensRoad, Baton Rouge,LAat11am.

Obituaries

Broussard, Rose B.

Rose B. Broussard passed away on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at the age of 93. Rose was bornto Virginia Breaux on July 7, 1932, in Port Barre, LA. She was raised by her maternal grandmother. After the death of her beloved grandmother, Rose went to live with Wallace and Mary Key of Lafayette, LA. She married Nicholas Wilmot Broussard, Sr., on March 20, 1954. She earned her GED in 1972. Rose worked at Methodist Hospitalin New Orleans as anursing assistant and physical therapy assistant. Until her retirement in 2002, she worked as aphysical therapy assistant at St. Bernard Physical Therapy Clinic. After moving around as amilitary family, Nicholas, Roseand their children moved to New Orleans in 1972 where Rose and Nicholas remained until moving to Baton Rouge due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Rose lived in Baton Rouge until her death. Rose is survived by her children, Nicholas W. Broussard, II, Myra A. Broussard, Lisa B. Stewart (Malcolm), Gail B. McCelos (Jarvis), Paul A. Broussard; grandchildren, Brandon Durel, Bryant Stewart (Pa), Carmen Stewart, Marisa Stewart, Mia Thomas(Anthony), Desmond Stewart, Elena Stewart, Dominique Broussard, Brandi Broussard (Jerome Carter), Ashleigh Broussard, Courtney Broussard, Jasmine Roussell, Antonio Duncan, Percy Broussard (Emily), and Caliyah Broussard; 14 great grandchildren; siblings, Eartha Mae, Dora, Maxima (JC), Jeanette, Jackie, John, and Zachary; and ahost of other loving family members. Rose is preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Nicholas W. Broussard, Sr.; grandsons, Joshua J. Roussell andPaul Allen; mother, Virginia Breaux; and numerous siblings. Visitation will be at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 11441 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA, on Friday, July 25, 2025, from 9am until the Mass of Christian Burialat 10am. Burial willimmediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.greenoaksfunerals.c om

Whittle, andLawana Carter; 2sons, Ronald Breeland(Beth)and Keith Carter; sons-in-law, David Fontenotand Skip Di‐mauro;sister, EmilyMcMil‐lan;16grandchildren,43 great-grandchildren,and 2 great-great-grandchildren Preceded in deathbypar‐ents, Sebieand MamieVar‐nado; 2daughters,Sandra Fontenotand Jean Di‐mauro;son-in-law, Roy Whittle; grandson,Travis Whittle; 2sisters,Beatrice NewmanAnn Carrier; 2 brothers, SebieVarnado,Jr. and JamesVarnado.Visita‐tionatMcKneelyFuneral Home, Kentwood,from6:00 p.m.until 9:00 p.m. on Fri‐day and from 9:00 a.m. until religiousservicesat 11:00 a.m. on Saturday,July 26, 2025. Services con‐ductedbyRev.Scott Spinks. IntermentWood‐landCemetery, Kentwood, LA. Foranonlineguest‐book visithttp://www mckneelys.com.

Chambers, Judith 'Judy'

Judith Judy" DayleDevall Chambers, 82, of Smithdale, Mississippi, went home to be with her Heavenly Father on Friday, July 18, 2025, followinga longillness. BornonJuly 20, 1942,inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, she graduated from Istrouma High School in 1960. Judy was awoman of deep faith, having been alongtime memberof Comite Baptist Church in Baton Rouge before joining ThompsonBaptist Church in Smithdale, Mississippi, whereshe continued to worship and serve faithfully. Her joywas found in life's simplepleasures—most especially sitting by the water with afishing pole, cork, and cricket, waiting fora bite. She found peace in nature,joy inlaughter, and purpose in loving others deeply. Her faith and lovefor theLord wereapparent throughout her entire life.Judy's life was marked by kindness, generosity, and aheart full of lovefor her familyand friends. Her laughter—genuine,contagious,and often unforgettable—was agift to allwho knew her.Her legacy livesoninthe many livesshe touched. She was preceded in deathbyher parents, ThelmaTurner Devall and Fred James Devall. Left to cherishher memory areher devoted husband of 63 years, LawrenceLee "Larry" Chambers Jr and their three sons:Donnie Chambers and wifeCindy, Lee Chambers, and Eric Chambersand wife Amie. Judy was the proud and lovinggrandmother of eight: DianaChambers, MichaelBerthelot, Eric Chambersand wife Jamie, Shane Chambers and wife Shawntel, Bradley Chambers and wifeJenny,Brittney Heineand husband Jeremy, Brandy Pense and husband Casey,and Lillie Chambers. Shewas also blessedwith seven greatgrandchildren who brought her endless joy: Cavin Chambers, Nadalyn Rodriguez, Ivana Chambers, Hayden Chemin, Emma Heine,Micah Pense and Elliot Pense.She is survived by her sister,Jane Springer and husband Jeff, and brother,Keith Devall and wifeGail, along with numerous nieces, nephews, extended family, and dearfriends.A celebration of Judy's lifewill be held at Thompson Baptist Church, 5422North Greensburg Road,in Smithdale, Mississippi,on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Visitation willstart at 10:00 A.M. with amemorialservice to be held at 11 A.M ledbyPastorJim Bradford. In memoryofJudy—and all those we hold dear—may we live eachday as agift, fulloflove, laughter,and grace.

Jarreau, Maryalice

Maryalice Jarreau,87 years of age, loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July19, 2025, surrounded by family at her home in Highland,Utah.

Maryalice was born October12, 1937, in Birmingham, Alabama. She was thesecond youngest of five siblings. She is preceded in death by her parents, Georgeand Alice Burch, her sistersKathy and Helen, and her brothers John and Lee She is survivedbyher sister, Rosalee.

Maryalice married Lysle JarreauonSeptember 15, 1957, in El Paso, Texas,and immediately left to go to BatonRouge, Louisiana, whereLysle had grown up.OnAugust 16, 1959, they were baptizedmembers of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and on June 21, 1962, they went to theMesa, Arizona Temple,where they and their threechildren were sealedfor Time and AllEternity.

Maryalice served and had many callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, includingBranch, Ward and Stake Relief Society and Primary. She lovedher callings and worked diligently to fulfill them. She was involvedinmany communityand civic activitiesand associations.

Maryalice lovedbeing outdoors, travelingand dancing. She had azeal for life and an infectious laugh. She was happiest when she was walking with her husband,Lysle and when her family was near. She loved spending time withher grandchildrenand greatgrandchildren.

Maryalice is survived by her husband,Lysle,three children -Allison, Lynn, Lysle; seven grandchildren -Trent, Jaclynn, Justin, Cody, Leah, Alyssa, Tanner; and 15 greatgrandchildrenTayvee, Baleigh, Cru, Addison, Ozzy, Chloe,Hayden, Audrey, Brodie, Hannah, Russ, Aria,Gracie, Kinsey, and Paige. Funeralservices were heldWednesday, July23, 2025.

Jordan Tyson, Patricia Viola

Rouge Chapter. She served as President of ULS's Mom's Club from 19961997.Shevolunteered with Baton Rouge Green and fulfilledthe remainder of her husband's term on the Baton Rouge GeneralMedical Center BoardofDirectors after hispassing.Her activitiesand engagementsreflected her commitment to motherhood, her passionfor service, and thedeepvalue she placed on friendship and social bonds. As her children matriculated through highschool and college,Patricia decided to resume her own education. She completedher Bachelor of Educationdegree in 2000 and her MasterofEducationin2002, bothfromSouthern University. She joined thestaff of Park Elementary School as afourth-gradeteacherin thelate1990s. After Park Elementary she taught fifth grade at University Terrace Elementary School.

Patricia was adedicated servant at St. Francis XavierCatholicChurch. Over theyears she served as aEucharistic Minister and processed collections every Sunday after church. She volunteeredactively with theSt. Francis Xavier FoodBank, the100thAnniversary Planning Committee, theAnnual Parish Fair, and taught Catechism for over adecade. She was adedicated member of St. Francis Xavier's Moms Who P.U.S.H. (Pray Until SomethingHappens) PrayerGroup.She is survivedbyher children, ChristopherJ.Tyson; Todd M. Tyson(Kelsey Hardy); and Dr. Cara E. Tysonof Baton Rouge;Ralph E. Tyson, Jr. (Reem Labib)of Washington, DC;grandchildrenCamilleTyson, Jordan Tyson, Landry Tyson, and Alexander Tyson; nephews TroyTyson and Patrick Tyson; cousins Alfreda Polk, Jonathan White,Terrence White,and Sean White;and godchildren Mia Mays, Dr. ChandaD McGhee,Robbin Quiett, Magan Green, and Carson Mack. She is preceded in death by her parents, Felton Jordanand LulaM.Shavers Williams, her husband Ralph E. Tyson, Sr.,motherin-law Theresa Tyson, father-in-law Julio Tyson brother-in-law Gregory Tyson, sister-in-law Josie Tyson, and ahost of close family and friends who havejoined theeternal family of God Services are as followed: Visitation,Friday, July25, 2025, 9am until Rosaryat10:30am, Mass at 11am. St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church 1120 MyrtleWalk, Baton Rouge, La 70802. Interment at Southern Memorial Garden. Services areentrusted to Desselle FuneralHome263 Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive, Baton Rouge, La. 70802

Louis, GenellDaigle

held at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine on Thursday July 24th, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. until religiousservicesat1:30 p.m. conductedbyPastor Jacob Douglass. Interment will follow at GraceMemorial Park, Plaquemine.

Betty Ruth Williams Rinerpassed away peacefully in herart studio in Baton Rouge on July 15 at the age of 85. In herlast days, shewas visited by her friends and surroundedby herpaintings.

Born in Bastrop,LA, she wasa 1957 graduate of Baton Rouge High School and a1961 graduate of LSU, whereshe wasa member of DeltaGamma sorority. At 42, she graduatedfrom theOur Lady of the Lake School of Nursing After livingand working in Louisiana, California, Taiwan,and Texas, she retiredfromhome health psychiatricnursing and becameanaccomplished artist. Herpaintings broughtjoy to herlifeand to thepeople forwhom she paintedportraits of theirloved ones and pets. Herlove of landscapes is demonstrated through her recent work depictingnature,swamp scenes, and forests. Sheispreceded in death by hermother, Birdie Lee Williams anddevoted husband George A. Stuart. She is survived by herson, StevenR.Boutwell, daughter-in-law,Mary Hunt Boutwell, and granddaughter, RosemaryRuth Boutwell, whom she adored andadmired. Acelebration of herart andher life willbeheld in herhomeand studio on July 26 from 5-7 pm. In lieu of flowers, please considera donation to CancerServicesofGreater Baton Rouge or to theBaton Rouge General Hospital's ArtinMedicine Program.

GenellDaigle Louis, a belovedwife,mother,Nanna,and great-grandmother,passed away peacefully at herhomeinBaton Rouge on July 22, 2025, surroundedbyher loving family. Shewas 72 years old born in WhiteCastle, Louisiana on August 10th, 1952. Genell lived afulland vibrantlifeinher home state. Genellissurvivedby herdevoted children, Ronnieand JanetRockforte, Jr Nikki andJason Mark Rusty Louis andLynette "Sissy" Anders, Dwayne andBrandi Louis, andAngela Louis; hereleven grandchildren, Kayla Lasserre,Sammi Louis, Alyssa Seo, Trey Rockforte, RileyLouis, DelaneyLouis, Brant Rockforte,Trent Rockforte,Ruby Louis, Jack Louis, andSarah Rockforte; as well as ninegreat -grandchildren; sister,NettieMichel;brother,Barry andBelinda Daigle,and Kirk and Amanda Daigle; numerousnieces and nephews. Born to Alvin Joseph Daigle Sr.and Elnora Margaret Sanchez,she is nowreunitedineternal peace with herbeloved parents; heroldest brother,Alvin "Peta" Daigle;her brother, KerryEugene Daigle; andher precious infantdaughter, andher belovedhusband, Russell N. Louis. Adevoted memberofMaranathaFellowship Church of God, Genell'sfaithwas acornerstone of herlife. Shecherished time spentwith familyand friends, particularly at City Cafe, agathering place wheremanycherished memories were created Shededicated manyyears of herlifetonurturing and caringfor children as the directorofMaranathaDaycare.With awarm heart, steady hands, and apassion for shapingyoung lives,she left alastingimpactoncountless families. Hercalmand caringnature created aspacewhere everychild felt safe and loved. Outside of herwork, she found great joyincontinuing acherished family tradition—making and sellinghomemadehot tamales.Handeddown from hermother-in-law therecipebecame asignature partofher life, feedingnot just stomachs but hearts. Hertamales were more than just food—they were alabor of love shared during familygatherings, holidays, andcelebrations. Hergreatest source of pride andjoy, however, washer family. Shepouredher love into herchildren, grandchildren,and great-grandchildren,always cheering them on withunwavering support andaffection.Her legacywill live on through thelives she touched—both in herfamily andher community. She will be deeply missed but neverforgotten. Acelebration of Genell'slifewill be

Hamilton Sr., DavidT. Funeralservicesfor David T. Hamilton Sr will beheldFridayJuly25, 2025 atRoseHillChurch,3213 Groom Rd.A public visita‐tionwillbeheldfrom9:00 a.m.until 11:00a.m.with religious services begin‐ningat11:00 a.m. Inter‐ment: Southern Memorial Gardens.Professionalser‐vices entrustedtoCharles MackeyFuneralHome. Carter,Molly Varnado MollyVarnado Carter,a residentofKentwood, LA, passedawayonSunday, July20, 2025ather home She wasbornAugust 7, 1931inKentwood,LA and was 93 yearsofage.She is survivedbyher 3daugh‐ters,Linda Carroll, Deborah

Patricia Viola Jordan Tyson was born to the unionofFeltonJordan and LulaM.Shavers Jordanon July31, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois. She spent her early childhoodinChicagoand Poughkeepsie, NewYork before moving to her mother's hometown, Baton Rouge. She attended Park Elementary, Capital Middle School, and began high schoolatCapital High School in the fallof1963, thehistoric year when school integrationbegan in Baton Rouge. Two years later,in1965, Patricia was selected to attend Baton Rouge HighSchool as part of theschool'sthird integrated class. She graduated fromBaton Rouge High School in 1967 and enrolled in Louisiana StateUniversity.There she studiedsociologybefore suspending her studies to pursue acareer in Chicago. In 1970 she moved to Chicagoand beganworkatEncyclopedia Brittannica on Michigan Avenue She later returned to BatonRouge following the proposal of her boyfriend, Ralph EricTyson, Sr. The twowere wed in acandlelit ceremony at St. AgnesCatholic Church in December of 1972. To this unionfour childrenwere born: ChristopherJordan Tyson, Todd Michael Tyson, Ralph EricTyson, Jr., and CaraElizabeth Tyson. She wasanactivememberofthe Bench and Bar Spouses (formerlyBarristers Wives); Jack and Jill of America, Inc.,Baton Rouge Chapter; La Capitale ChapterofThe Links, Inc.;and Circle-Lets, Inc.,Baton

Clerice M. "Clo" Lacy,a nativeand resident of Port Allen, Louisianaentered eternal rest on July5,2025 at theage of 49. She was born on October 31, 1975 to AudreyLacy and thelate FreddieMcKinley.Clerice, aformerat-largecouncilwoman for thecity of Port Allen, worked tireless advocatingonbehalfofthose whose cries go unheard. She was coineda "battle ax"byAttorney Benjamin Crump.Clerice was the mother of AngelVeal, the lateDarrell Carter, Jr. and L'BellaCarter. She is survivedbyher daughters, Angel and L'Bella; her mother, AudreyLacy; a brother, Dedrick (Rachel) Broussard;and asignificant other, JosephStewart. Clerice willbegreatly missed by her bonus daughters, nephews nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation willbeheldonFriday, July 25, 2025 at HallDavis and SonofPortAllen,1160 LouisianaAvenue,Port Allen, Louisiana from 3:00pm- 6:00pm. Viewing willcontinue at Hall's CelebrationCenter, 9348 Scenic Highway, BatonRouge LouisianaonSaturday, July 26, 2025 from8:00am10:00am until her Celebration of Life Service at 10:00am conducted by PastorJames Morrise of KingdomLife Church of Port Allen, Louisiana. Entombment at HeavenlyGates Cemetery of Baton Rouge Arrangements entrusted to Hall Davis and SonFuneral Service

Riner, Betty Ruth Williams

Thomas, Newton Buckner

Newton Buckner Thomas,age 81, passed away peacefullyonSaturday, July 19, 2025, at his home in Baton Rouge surroundedbyfamilyand friends. He was, above all

Lacy, Clerice Michelle'Clo'

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Tariffs threaten a cherished morning ritual

The bite of tariffs is beginningtobefeltin an importantpartofthe daily routine formany Americans—their morning coffee.Perhaps as you are reading this, you areenjoying acup of your favorite brew.Ifso, you may have noticed thatsomecoffee shops and store brands have raisedtheir prices in recentweeks as they grapplewithtariffs on imported coffee beans

In Louisiana, coffee isn’tjust acherished ritual, it’salso big business. J.M. SmuckerCo., which roasts coffee for Folgers, Dunkin’ and Café Bustelo, employs nearly 700 people at its facilitiesinNew Orleans. BatonRouge-based Community Coffee has been roastingand distributing its beans for more than 100years. The Port of New Orleans handles 16,000containers of coffee beans ayear,makingitthe largest containerized commodity at theport.

So it’snostretch to say that much isatstake for Louisiana as President Donald Trumppursues atrade strategy thatisincreasing prices on this key commodity.Since April, a10% tariff on all imports has left businesses scrambling Community and J.M. Smucker increased prices last month in response. Some brands, like French Truck Coffee, aNew-Orleans-based chain, are trying to be creative, addingsurchargestocoffee purchases. The chainsaysit will remove those extra charges when andifthe tariffs are lifted.

But another worry is on the horizon. President Trump recently threatened to impose a50% tariff on Brazil as punishmentfor howithas treated its former presidentJair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally facing trial for plotting acoup to remain in power after losing a2022election. Brazil supplies about 30%ofthe Americanmarket, and there is no way any other sourcecould easily fill the gap.

For Port NOLA and the manywell-known Louisiana coffee brands,the effects could be devastating.That’sto say nothing of thehundreds of small business owners operating local coffee shops in towns and cities across the state.Many have said they have triedto sparecustomers the effects of these price increases foraslong as they could. But ultimately,theyhavetolook at the bottom line.

If the goal of tariffs is to strengthendomestic industry and bring manufacturing back to our shores, we can support that. But coffeeisa commoditythatisn’t producedinthe UnitedStates, largely.Only Hawaii and Puerto Ricohave any sizablecoffee-growing regions. The coffee industry is amajor contributortoour economy that relies on an importedproduct.

Some entrepreneurs have spent yearsbuilding businesses based on this globalcommodity Now they face uncertainty as forcesbeyond their control put all they built in jeopardy.We urge our political leaders tokeep them in mind as they make decisions whose effects reach all the way down to our coffee cups.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A

What wouldJesus think of ‘Alligator Alcatraz?’

Regarding “Alligator Alcatraz,” I have seen memes that aresupposed to be funny,trading cards withDonald Trump’spicture on them, assorted merchandise and horrific comments supporting this cruelty.The depths thatthis country has fallen to continue to astound, mortify,depress and anger me all at the same time. Not only are we OK with immoral, inhumane treatment of humans, whose only “crime” may be seeking abetter life for themselves and their families,but we are makingfun of it and celebrating it. Humansinliteral cages, in theheat of the swamp, unprotected from the elements, treated worse than we treat animals in this country.This makes us no better than thepeople who jeered and laughed at Jesus on the cross. Have we no shame? No dignity? Have we completely abandoned basic human decency? Howinheaven’s namecan we even get our mouths

to form theword “Christian” in conjunction with the actions being taken?

Ifeel the tears and pain of Jesus as he looks upon us, wondering how we could even claim him. Ikeep saying there are no words for what is happening, for what our country is becoming, but Iamworking hard to find away to let the world know this is not me, this is not who Iam, not whomy friends are, not what America is supposed to be. If my heart is broken, I can’teven contemplate how Jesus is feeling about His people right now Iknow he loves us all, all the time. Led by his love, Iwork to love all, all the time. Butthat just adds to the profound sadness and disappointmentwhen those you love act reprehensibly Iamconstantly praying forareturn to decency

ANGELE GIVENS NewOrleans

Disconnect of left is drivingits deathspiral

The American political left is in a free fall —morally,intellectually and electorally.Once positioning itself as the voice of the working class and commonsense reform, themodern left now claims an unearned monopoly on both morality and intelligence. Butthe resultsoftheir actions —and therejection they face from everyday Americans—tell adifferent story

Instead of addressing real concerns like rising crime, economic instability and the erosion of national pride, theleft doubles down on identity politics,climate alarmism and censorship. The result?They’ve becomenot aparty of progress, but amovement marked by arrogance, intolerance and delusion.

The modernleft appears to despise everything America standsfor: free speech, individual liberty, secure borders and national pride. They tear down statues of our founders,rewrite history through thelens of grievance and teach our children to be ashamed

of their own country.Tomany,itfeels as though their goal isn’t to improve America —but to dismantle it. In contrast, theleadership of President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise has reignited American strength. Together,they represent acoalition that honors faith, family, freedom and theConstitution. Under their guidance, America is seeing a return to common sense, patriotic spirit and the belief that this nation’s best days are still ahead

The left’sdownfall is not just political —itisphilosophical.The more they mock American greatness, the moreAmericans turn away.The future belongs to those wholove this country and are willing to fight forit. Under the leadership of Trump, Johnson and Scalise, America is great again —and only getting greater God bless America.

ADRIAN BRUNEAU chairman, Orleans Parish Republican ExecutiveCommittee

When Iread that people often think it is OK to treat prisoners badly,I realize that manyhave no concept of “there but forthe grace of God, go I.”They have often broken the law because they were abused as children. Ninety-eight percent of the prison population has at least one adverse childhood experience. Add to the fact that we do not have community mental health care, enough child care social workers or enough foster care homes, and we have ahigh incidence of unwanted and unviable births (often born addicted). Ninety-five percent of Medicaid recipients work. Many do not have ahome. They live in the back seat of acar In the U.S., 52% of female prisoners (and 49% of maleprisoners) have experienced sexual abuse. Sixty percent have experienced physical abuse. The rates are higher in Louisiana, where 80% of the incarcerated experience substance abuse disorder along with multiple medical problemsand suicide attempts. Add to this that over 50% of prisoners have IQswell below 90 because of the conditions they wereborn into, such as drug addiction, alcohol withdrawal syndromeand general lack of prenatal care (even moresoinLouisiana). As an ex-social worker,I have had manyofthese people tell me they wished they had never been born. How much moredoyou think they need to sufferinprison?

CINDYKENDALL youngsville

Iread and reread the article on about CBS editing Kamala Harris’ answer.This article wasatleast as slanted as washer response. It’s just another example of shading, twisting and weasel wording. This is not news. It’s another editorial and should have been moved to that page. JOHN BANQUER Belle Chasse

COMMENTARY

What will higher ed’s troubles mean forpolitics?

Nine months after the 2024election, we’ve been graced with definitive dissections of the electorate and howit has changed since that escalatorride 10 years and one month ago. There’swide agreement in the analysesofThe Associated Press/Fox News Vote Cast, the Democratic firm Catalist’sWhatHappened and the Pew ResearchCenter analysis.

comingyearsand that theirreduced or vanishing Democratic margins are bad newsfor that party. But will thatbeoffsetbythe continuing growth of White collegegraduates casting relatively steady Democraticmargins?

had some effect in shaping the political views of college graduates and widening the chasmbetween thoseofWhite graduates and nongraduates.

All three conclude that President DonaldTrump owed his first popularvote plurality to gains from racialminorities, especially Hispanics, and from the young, especially men. The result, as aPew chart shows, is alessracially polarized electorate,contrary to the many earlier analyses that Trump’s supposed “racism” would repel minority voters. This also confounds the optimistic projections of Democrats like pollster Stan Greenberg that Democrats wouldbenefit from an “ascendantmajority” of groups —Hispanics, millennials and college graduates —destined to be agrowing shareof the electorate.

The Associated Press, Catalistand Pew reports also take note of what is nowold news: the sharppolarization of White college graduates and White nongraduates. That came as asurprise in 2016: There was so little difference between these groups in previous elections that most pollsters didn’tdisaggregate results according to levels of education.

Now,the contrast is stark. The Associated Press’ Vote Cast showedformer Vice President Kamala Harris carrying White college graduates 53-45 and Trump carrying noncollege White people by awhopping 65-34.And while White college graduates moved slightly toward Trump in 2024, the education gaphasn’tnarrowed nearly as muchas the racial and ethnic gap.

There’snodoubt that Hispanic,millennial and Generation Zvoterswill be an increasing proportion of voters in the

COURSE PRO

Don’tcountonit. Current trends suggest the population of college graduates may be starting to decline, after more or less constant growth since World War II,from 5% of theadult population in 1940 to 38%in2022.

Now,the population of future college graduates looks settodecline. Births in the United States peaked in 2007 at 4.32 million, almost identical to the baby boompeak of 4.31 million in 1957.

The numberofbirths thendropped through the Great Recession, down to 3.62 millionin2024, a16% drop. That means fewer Americans graduating fromhigh school and applying to college in 2025 and 2026, with numbers declining into the 2040s

That’s notjusta projection; it’sa continuation of adozen-year trend. Higher education (college and university) full-time enrollment peaked in 2012 at 11.6million, dropped to 10.1 million in COVID-19-stricken 2020, a13% drop, andhas reboundedonly slightly since.

Moreover,the job market for recent graduateshas been declining over the last dozen years, as Derek Thompson noted in The Atlantic this spring, and maycontinuetodeteriorate as artificial intelligence becomes morecommon. As he noted, the lifetime earnings gap between college and high school graduatesstopped widening in 2010

Young people may be getting the news. An increasing number of teenagersare expressing interest in trade schools and apprenticeships, which can lead to higher-paying workthan many collegemajors. Young men, especially, maybetaking this route, avoiding 60%plus female colleges with, as one conservative put it,campuses patrolled by the feminist thought police.

There seems little question that the “woke”perspective of bothhigh-paid professors andlow-paid adjuncts has

Mini golf is asummer favorite for kids and adults everywhere.But something alittle strange is happening here. youtell me. Be witty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeepitclean.There’sno limit on the number of entries. The winningpunchlinewill be letteredinto the word balloon and runMondayinour printeditions and online. In addition, thewinner will receiveasigned print of the cartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt! Email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com

There’salso littlequestion that many young people are not wired to benefit from higher education. The G.I. Bill of Rights, beginning in the1940s,and the post-Sputnik scholarship school aid, beginning in the1950s,enabled many people withthe requisiteskills and temperament toearncollege and professionaldegrees,togreat national benefit.

But suchpeople arenever going to be 100% of the population, and if 5% is too low,perhaps 38% is too high. Generous student loans and promised loan forgiveness may have overshot themark, and today,the Biden loan forgiveness program is gone, and Trump’slimits on student loans have become law

For the larger society, subsidizing “woke” colleges and universities,with their speech codes and racial quotas, may have become not avalue-addedbut avalue-detracted segment of the economy.Higher education, long agrowth industry,isatrisk of decline.

In any case, in electoral politics, the promise of an ever-increasing body of college graduates permanently swelling an ascendant Democratic majority seems uncertain of fulfillment,even as longstanding nine-to-one majorities among Black people and two-to-one among Hispanic people have been regressing towardthe national mean.

That doesn’tmean that Republicans areguaranteed anything like apermanent majority. Far from it. It means that our partisan politics will continue to be sharply divided, with developmentsthat help one partywithone group sooner or later helping theother partywithanother.And election resultswill continue to be affected, in ways that almostno one anticipates,bydevelopmentslike those thatfollowed that escalator ride 10 yearsand one month ago.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Recently,the Trump administration laid off about 1,350 employees at the State Department. Anumber of news reports describedthe staff cuts as “devastating.” Others suggested the downsizing will endanger U.S. nationalsecurity The New York Timessaid the cuts “demote longtime U.S. values,” while The WashingtonPost said they “will degrade America’sstanding in the world and curb U.S. soft power.”

First, alittle perspective. According to State Department documents, the total numberof department employees has grown significantly over the years. In 2007, there were 57,340. By 2015, there were 72,895. By 2024, there were 80,214. That is an increase of 22,874 employees in the course of 17 years. After the addition of 22,874 employees, can acut of 1,350 be “devastating”?

Nearly three months ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said big changeswere coming. The hiring of thousands of newemployees over the last decade and ahalf, Rubio said, not only made operations cumbersome and less efficient, but it also distracted from the department’score goals.

“In its current form, the department is bloated, bureaucratic and unable to perform its essential diplomatic missioninthis new eraof great power competition,” Rubio said in astatement on April 22. “Over the past 15 years, the department’sfootprint has had unprecedented growth, and costs have soared. But far from seeing areturn on investment, taxpayers have seen less effective and efficient diplomacy.The sprawling bureaucracy created asystemmore beholden to radical political ideology thanadvancing America’score national interests.”

The cuts are focused and not across-the-board. Asignificant number appear to be at the department’sBureau of Democracy,HumanRights and Labor,known as DRL.

Rubio has long believed that the State Department has become sidetracked from its main mission. In 2023, when he wasinthe Senate, he published, along with Rep. Brian Mast, abrief report entitled “Diversity Over Diplomacy: How Wokeness Is Weakening the U.S. State Department.” Rubio noted that the BidenState Department seemed to be more concernedwith promoting diversity than with dealing with the threat posed by China.

“Why did the Biden administration create internal Offices of Diversity and Inclusionat both the State Department and USAID?” Rubio asked. “Why did State and USAID request $83.3 millionfrom Congress for their FY2024 budget, afull 26.9% increase from their 2023 budget request for diversity recruiting initiatives? Surely such resources would be betterspent countering Beijing, yet to date there has been no institutionwide messaging in the State Department on China.”

FRANKFORT,Ky. The Republican Party was declared moribund after its1964 presidential nominee,Sen.Barry Goldwater (Arizona),lost 44 states and 61% of thepopular vote. But the party won five of the next six presidential elections, 1968-1988. Democrats interrupted their losing streak in 1976 by nominating aSouthern governor, Jimmy Carter,and ended their losing ways in 1992 and 1996 by nominating aSouthern governor,Arkansas’ Bill Clinton, whose running mate was aSouthern senator, Al Gore. Kentucky Gov.Andy Beshear might remind his party’snominating electorate of this.

He is agreeably uncoy about his interest in becoming president, soon.His electoral and governing achievements are impressive. He won statewide to become attorney general, then defeated aRepublican incumbent governor whosesandpapery personality rubbed Kentuckians the wrong way and made them relish Beshear’smeliorative style thathas earned him the title of Kentucky’sMr. Rogers He has twice won the governorship of astate that Donald Trump won three times by an average of 29 percentage points. Republicans hold allother statewide offices, and they control the legislature.

This column favors aconstitutional amendment: “No person shall be eligible to be president whoisoreverhas been asenator.” Governors administer things rather larger than aSenateoffice and are individuallyaccountable forresponding to large challenges. Beshear is much admired for his handling of some of the most serious floods and tornadoes

in his state’s recorded history. His fluency in the political art of saying justenough to stop short of imprudent claritymight owe somethingto the fact that he is to themanner born: His father wasa two-termgovernor He is, however,specific in his denunciation of theRepublican-controlled Congress’s enactment of Trump’sagenda in the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Attached to legislation, thephrase “big beautiful” is invariably oxymoronic: Suchbills are jumbles of pork, and most members of Congressprobably would flunkaquiz about what is in this one. If Beshear is right about its consequences, he is rightly incensed.

One-third of Kentuckians and half of thestate’schildren, he says, are on Medicaid,which covers40% of the state’sbirths and 70% of long-term elderly care. He says that under his administration, 600,000 are no longer uninsured. The legislation will reverse many gains and will mean a$1billion hittothe state’shealth care. He says Medicaidcutsput 35 rural hospitals at risk.Inmany small communities, thelocal hospital is second only to the school system in terms of the number ofpeopleitemploys. Apregnant woman near her due date might have a three-hour drive to ahospital, and then perhaps the expense of ahotel stay To compete for his party’snomination, Beshear must, as all Democratic candidates must, run thegantlet of “the groups.” (For three more years, Republicanswill not have asimilar problem, because they are membersless of a partythanofa personalitycult.) These factions are ideologically contentious andpronetobeadisproportionate share of the voteinprimaries. They often haveagendas that strike many peopleoutsidethe groups as cultural

aggression.

In 1992, Clinton underscored his credentials as acentrist by publicly rebuking Sister Souljah, aBlack rapper with apenchant for extreme racial rhetoric. In 2028, Democratic candidates might seek their Sister Souljah momentsby conspicuously saying “no” to one or moreitems on the agendas of one or moreof“thegroups.”

Consider an issue thepolitical salience of which was missed by many Democratic candidates in 2024: biological men competing in women’ssports. Explaining his veto of abill (a veto since overridden) that would have prevented this, Beshear says it was meanspirited, and he doesn’twant governmentmaking the rules (ingovernment schools?),and he wants local communities to decide these things. Such dusty answers will not get him through Nov 7, 2028.

Kentucky’stransition from reliance on coal and tobacco has been facilitated by being aright-to-work state (no thanks to Democrats) and by diversification that, he says, includes $2.7 billion in Toyotainvestments producing 10,070 new jobs during Beshear’s governorship, and soon will include two largebattery plants. There alsois theBourbon Trail: Touristscome from around the world to stroll, or perhaps stagger,through themany distilleries. Kentucky,which is contiguous to seven other states, is alaboratory for learning to speak Middle American, a skill that has atrophied in aDemocratic Party with coastal obsessions. Beshear is the great-grandson and grandson of Baptistpreachers. Hiscadences will be heard.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

Rubio and Mast listed some of the same questionable expenditures from the State Department that, two years later,were eliminated by the DOGE effort. There was the funding for drag theater in Ecuador; support for an “LGBT activist group supporting prostitution in Colombia”; the “film festival featuring incest and pedophilia in Portugal”; the memo fromthenSecretary of State Antony Blinken that“could be construed to classify Sweden, Finland and the United Kingdomashuman rights abusers for their association with ‘conversion therapy’ treatment for gender dysphoria”; the grant to “promote social acceptance of LGBTQI+ persons” in Botswana; and more. Projects like that “distracted State Department leaders from their duty to protectand promote America’snational security,” Rubio wrote. Now Rubio, with amandate from President Trump, is in aposition to act on his beliefs. Afew of the laid-off workers left messages taped to walls and mirrors. “Here satAmerica’s experts on democracy,human rights (yes, which includes women’s, LGBTQ+, &minorities’ rights), elections security,freedom of expression, privacy,oncountering corruption, violent extremism and disinformation, and more,” said one message. “You’ve just released them and hundreds of their colleagues into the wild in the United States of America.”

It seems likely the creators of those flyers were nottotally on board with Secretary Rubio’s new direction. Maybe it is best that they leave. In any event, the cuts, which amount to about 1.6% of State Department staff, can hardly be described as “devastating.” Of course, theyare upsetting for those who lost their jobs. But this kind of thing happens every day in the private sector,sometimes involving many more people, without the kind of hand-wringing thathas characterized media coverage of the State Department. Now,ashetakes the heat in the coverage, it’s time for Rubio to keep going, to put into place the reforms he envisioned for the department. In politics, such opportunities do not last long. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.

Byron York

Michael Barone

George Will

else, adevoted husband, father, grandfather, and family man. He was acaptivating leader in the Baton Rouge community and across the United States, a masterful storyteller, anda true Southern gentleman. He was born in Baton Rouge on June 11, 1944. Raised by his parents, Buck and Katherine Thomas, alongside his older brother, John, he grew up in aloving and freespirited household that valued and encouraged the pursuit of academic achievement. His father Buck, worked as an employee of the Esso plant in Baton Rouge, now known as Exxon, and his mother, Katherine (affectionately known as "Cappo"), wasa professor in library sciences at Louisiana State University and an English teacher. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Elizabeth "Betsy" Reich Thomas, his children, Katherine Thomas Inzer and her husband Jim Inzer, of Baton Rouge, and Lindsey Thomas Easterly and her husband Tom Easterly, of Baton Rouge; and six grandchildren, Harper Inzer, James Inzer, Thomas Inzer, Sydney Easterly, Benjamin Easterly, and Madeline Easterly. He is also survived by his brother who he dearly love and admired, Dr. John Thomas, aformer SEC baseball champion who played shortstop for LSU and an accomplished orthopedic surgeon in Baton Rouge,as wellashis niece and nephews, Julie Thomas Hessand her husband Simon Hess (of Miami, FL), John Thomas, Jr. and his wife Debra (of Boerne, TX), and Andy Thomas and wife Anne (of Baton Rouge,LA), as well as many grandnieces and grandnephews. Newton graduated from Louisiana State University Laboratory School in 1962, and then enrolled at Louisiana State University on afull athleticbaseball scholarship. He played catcher for the LSU Tiger baseball team. He separately participated as a Varsity football cheerleader for the LSU Tigers. Newton graduated from LSUin 1967 and received abachelor's degree in electrical engineering with aminor in business administration.

During college at LSU, Newton picked up anickname -"Neutron" -which his college engineering

DEATHS continued from buddies cleverlyand joviallycoined forhim becausethey claimedhewas "all massand no energy." The nickname was shortened to "Tron,"and eventually, with aslight variation,servedasthe genesis forthe name of the company he later co-founded in 1973. After graduating from LSU, Newton took ajob with SouthernInstruments, Inc. in Baton Rouge, an industrialcontrols contractor specializingincontrol systems in the petrochemical, refining, paper, and powergeneration fields. He startedthereas an estimatingengineer. Fouryears laterin1971, at the ageof27, Newton took over as the company's President.

Between 1967 andearly 1973, Newton spent most of his days working for Southern Instruments, but he maintainedanenviable work life balance. He developeda passion forflying airplanes and sailing In his late 20'sand 30's, via his sailboat "Katherine" that he named afterhis mother, he frequented Pensacola,Key West,the Bahamas, and many other nautical destinations, wherehelived aboardhis sailboat. Newton'sstories from that era, which he artfully delivered formore than 50 years, are nothing short of legendary. But therewerethree landmarkevents thatforever changedNewton's life. Two of thoseinvolved his family. At the ageof 34, he fell in love with and married Betsy Reich, the love of his life, who was the daughterofRobert Reich of Baton Rouge, the founderand namesake of the RobertReich School of Landscape Architecture. Next, shortly after marriage, Newtonand Betsy wereblessed with two daughters, Katherine and Lindsey. Newton'sfondest 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 island in the Bahamas -preferably with adarkrum drinkin his hand. Thethird landmark event occurred inMay 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 keydifference,however, which was that Newton enjoyed operational and managerial controlover his new business venture. That enabledhim to create and implement aunique corporateculture predicated upon his corevalues. Newton was determined to place responsibility,authority, and decisionmaking intothe handsofthe employees closest to the task at hand,witha corporaterecognition that thefinancial success of the company shouldbeliberally shared with theemployees. Newton's vision for thecompany was always that theemployees be rewarded fortheir efforts He designed theculture to promote and fosterineach employee asense of selfmotivationtosucceed, whilesimultaneously ensuring corporate responsibility,honesty, and integrity. The business model he created and refined over many years emphasizes theretentionofemployees on along-term basis, which he viewedasthe company's greatest strength.According to Newton, "long term committed employees are the key to our success."The company's Core Values and Beliefs(which are publishedinall officesand job sites)serveashis blueprint forhow to conduct business.

Today, thecompany is known as The Newtron Group,which celebrated its50thanniversary in 2023. It presently operates across theUnitedStates throughmultiple subsidiaries with offices throughout thecountry,including offices in Louisiana, Texas,Nevada, and California. The group of companies collectively employapproximately 5,000people. Newton established annual events, including crawfish boils and picnics at each local office,where employees and their family members gather in afamily atmosphere. Newtonhardlyever missed one.After Newtonacquiredsoleownership of thecompany in 1996, he steadilygrewitinto one of thelargest industrial electrical and instrumentationspecialty construction companies in in theUnitedStates.

Newton Thomas received numerous awards and recognitions during his career including induction intothe LSUCollege of Engineering's HallofDis-

tinction. In 2015, Newton was namedasLSU's Alumnus of theYear. In 2018, Newton was inducted into theBaton Rouge Business Report's HallofFame.In 2019, Louisiana Public Broadcasting honored Newton with its"Louisiana Legend" award,which salutesthe state's most influential, visionary,and successfulcitizens.

Between 1994 and 1996, Newton periodically traveled to Cambridge, MA to attend aHarvard Business School ExecutiveEducation Program to sharpen his managementand leadershipskills. The Harvard educators were impressed by The NewtronGroup. They viewedits commitment to employees and social good as comparable to other modern company philosophies, buttheyconcluded it was moreadvanced duetothe emphasisoncharitable giving.

In 2002, Newton founded The NewtonB.Thomas SupportFoundation. It served as anon-profit company throughwhich Newton engaged in extensive philanthropy throughout the remainder of his life.His past charitable endeavors includethe LSU Center forRiver Studieslocated on theBaton Rouge WaterCampus, theKnock Knock Children's Museum in Baton Rouge, and the Our Lady of theLakeChildren's HospitalinBaton Rouge -which nowincludes The Newton &Betsy Thomas Family Center for Newborn &Infant Intensive Care.

Newton, who was selfmade, had adream to continue his commitment to thecompany'semployees and to charitable giving even after hislifetime. Accordingly, he left The Newtron Group to the foundationhecreated, the Newton B. Thomas Support Foundation, which will holdand preserve hiscompany for generationsto come. The NewtronGroup willcontinue to operatefor thebenefitofits employees, while simultaneously furthering his commitment to promote social good The end result fulfillsNewton's dream, and it will positivelyimpact communities across theUnited States, especiallyincluding thecommunities in which thecompany operates, througha limitless continuationand advancement of theeconomicand charitablegoalscherished and fulfilledbyNewton during his truly incredible life

Newton a/k/a"Tron" a/ k/a "Pop" was alifelong outdoorsman,anavid hunter andfisherman,a passionate sailor and boating enthusiast, an enthusiastic golfer, and an accomplished pilot. He lovedmusic by The Eagles, old cypress, and thesound of agobbling turkeyat sunrise.Hewas avoraciousreader whonever stopped learningand a winner of many sudoku puzzles.Hewas less than fondofrules (in general), government bureaucracy, andgame wardens. He wasespecially fond, though,ofPortEads, Louisiana, at themouth of theMississippi Riverbelow Venice,where hispaternal grandfather, Dr.Thomas wasoncestationedasthe immigration doctor.There, Newton positioneda houseboat he designed, commissioned,and towed downrivertoSouth Pass. In theyearsinand around 1978 to 2005, Newton and hisfamilyand friends frequentedPortEads to enjoy worldclass fishing and duck hunting. On June 14, 1986, Newton andcrew wonthe Baton Rouge Big Game Fishing ClubInvitational Bluewater TournamentinSouth Pass aboard "Betsy" taking home the Top Boat trophy and1st place in the BlueMarlin, Wahoo, andYellowfinTuna categories.His preferred andfavorite angler was none otherthanhis belovedwife,Betsy, who reeled in manyofthe tournament winners that year andinmanyothers.

Thefamilywishesto thank everyemployee of theNewtron Group, and the familywould also like to thank everyoneaffiliated with the Newton B. Thomas Support Foundation He wasmentor to acollectionofengineers,businessmen, businesswomen, andfriends too many to count. He will be dearly missed by those whohad thefortune to have himas partoftheir lives.Tales of Newton Buckner Thomas however, will live on forever,aswill hislegacy.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 26, at St JamesEpiscopal Church, 205 North 4th Street in Baton Rouge,from2:00 p.m. until4:15 p.m.,with a Memorial Service at 4:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the familywould be grateful for contributionsto AMIkids Baton Rouge,5555 Beechwood Drive, Baton

Rouge,LA70805, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation 402 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge,LA70802, or the charity of one'schoice.

EliWebb, "PoWebb", entered into eternalrestat WestFeliciana Parish Hos‐pital on July 16, 2025. He was a65-year oldnative and resident of St.Fran‐cisville, Louisiana. Viewing atMiller &DaughterMor‐tuary on Friday,July25, 2025 from 4-6pm; viewing resumes at Sherobee Bap‐tistChurch on Saturday, July26, 2025 at 8:00 am until CelebrationofLife Service at 11:00 am con‐ductedbyRev.Glasper Cobb; intermentatBeech Grove B.C. Cemetery.Sur‐vivorsinclude hiswife, JacquelineWebb; children, LaDreakaBailey, Regina Burrell andJakitaJolla; other relativesand friends.

Webb, Eli'Po Webb'

Quietfirst dayatSaints’ camp reflects show-me attitude

The Kellen Moore era officially kicked off Wednesday as the Saintsopened trainingcamp at the team’straining facility in Metairie.

Always atime of optimism, Day One was atypically lightand energetic affair, as players and coaches workedefficiently through acrisp workout of alittle morethananhour in helmets and shells

But as opening days go, this one noticeably was low-key

Maybe fans were trying to familiarize themselveswith all the new facesorsimply were content to enjoy the cloudy skies and unseasonably temperate weather conditions, but they were reserved. The Who Datchants were infrequent and less enthusiastic than usual. The costumes andhandmadesigns were left at home.

We all know the Who Dat Nation takes a backseat to no fan base whenitcomes to passion and support, so its reticence speaks volumes about the current state of the Saints. After years of declining results and unrealized potential, fans appear to be takingashow-me approach to the upcoming campaign.

At times Wednesday,the practice wasso quiet you could hear the communicationon the walkie-talkies of security personnel on the sidelines.

The muted environmentwas partlyby design. Week 1isaninstallment phase of camp, andMoore clearly wantedplayers

ä See DUNCAN, page 5C

PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints quarterback TylerShoughruns a drill during opening dayoftrainingcamp Wednesdayatthe team’spractice facility

Saints open camp acknowledging newreality

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

Mickey Loomis cameclose to saying the quiet part out loud.

The New Orleans Saints general manager,tobeclear,still rebuffs the ideathat his team is completely rebuilding. Loomissees adistinction between outside expectations —which peg the Saints as one of the NFL’s worst teams —and aspirations —whichinvolve striving to win the NFC South and seeing what happens after that.

But for the first time publicly,Loomis acknowledgedthat,yeah, the Saints arein abit of atransition.

“Well, clearly it’sa transition because we’re going to have achange of quarterback,” Loomis said. “And that’sobviously the most important position on the field forany team.” On the firstday of training camp, that transition was more thanevident when the Saints took the field Wednesday.The Saints not only have three quarterbacks —first Spencer Rattler,followed by Tyler Shough and Jake Haener —rotate reps but also an entirely new coaching staff in place. The way coach Kellen Moore handledthe practice looked abit differentfrom past years, from the variety of drills to thecrisp session

FON OF

MathieuisLSU football’s greatest,and rarest,No. 7

iveyears ago, when compiling thenames of thegreatest players in LSU footballhistory to wear each number for thebook “LSU By theNumbers,”Ihad one huge dilemma: Whotopick for No. 7?

More great players for theTigers have worn No. 7than any other number.Noless than seven All-Americanshave worn it,including such immortals as Bert Jones, Patrick Peterson and Leonard Fournette.

There wasnowronganswer but just oneright answer Tyrann Mathieu

Why? I’ve been covering LSU football for along time, much longer thanIcaretoadmit,going back to 1992. In that time, I’ve never seen amoredisruptive defensive player wear the purple and gold. Aforce of nature and colossal game-changer both on defense and special teams.

His retirement from the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday at the age of 33 makes this afine time to remember how amazing Mathieu was as an LSUTiger

He streaked across the sky of LSUfootball like ameteor,shining briefly but oh so brightly fortwo seasons. Butinthat time, he leftan indelible mark.

Every big play on defense, it seemed, Mathieu madeit. Every timethe Tigers needed abig stop, he got it. There were times his knack forthe ball, and ball carriers, seemed miraculous, like he had somefootball ESP on display forall to see on ESPN

“I think I’ve seen guys makeplays like this every year,” LSU coach Les Miles said then. “Tyrann Mathieu ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu celebrates an overturned call on the fieldduring agame against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 26, 2011, at TigerStadium. STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

On Wednesday,coach BrianKelly did it again. He found another way— after sixmonths of searching for others—to give LSU’sseason opener vs. Clemson the weight he thinksitdeserves. Rather thanlet audio issuesinterfere with hisannualvisittothe BatonRouge Rotary Club, Kelly ditched thefaultymicrophone he was given, choosinginstead to shout the entirety of his 25-minute address to the gathered crowd. The move allowed his voice to match theurgency of his message: that theTigersare focused on picking up awin on Aug. 30 at Clemson’sMemorial Stadium —a place he slyly called “DeathValley junior.”

“When we talk about what adjustments we were making in 2025 into 2026,” Kelly said in his final public commentsbefore preseason camp, “it’s No. 1, let’sput outa goal. For thefirst time, let’snot talk about anything else but 1-0 against Clemson.”

Kelly,ahead of his fourthyear in Baton Rouge, wants his LSU team to snap its five-game losing streak in season openers. Stopping that skid is officially an acute

adorn punching bagsinthe weightroom, and the screens inside carry an accompanying message —aclear,direct “1-0.”

concern. Kelly has thefirst game on the docket “circled”for the first time in his career,ashesaid at SEC media days and reiterated Wednesday LSU’spractice facility nowreflects that change in mindset. Clemsonpaw prints

“I know the mainidea is that that could be too much,” Kelly said, “but not this time.Because ourguys have aspecific goal. It’sattainable. It’s achallenge, and they are driven individually to get that done.” Kelly’soptimism is notunfounded An offseason fundraising push allowed LSU to acquire the financial resources it needed to builda roster he thinks can compete for aspot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Tigers couldn’t contend before,Kelly has said. Now they can,thanks in large part to the $1 million he put forward in December to drum up interest in acampaign thatraised$3.3 million. LSU used that influx of cash to solidify a top-10 freshman class and sign one of the nation’sbest groups of transfers. Now returning quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has more weapons, particularly those who can stretch the field, and second-year defensive coordinator

Scott Rabalais

STAFF

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

coach Brian

speaks during

Jeff Duncan

Waiting for clarity

Coaches want more info on how third-party collectives will affect NIL, recruiting

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

LAS VEGAS Next week, college football coaches can put the recruiting promises they have made to high school seniors on paper Then the question becomes whether they can keep them.

Uncertainty over a key element of the $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that is reshaping college sports has placed recruiters on a tightrope.

They need clarity about whether the third-party collectives that were closely affiliated with their schools and that ruled name, image, likeness payments over the first four years of the NIL era can be used to exceed the $20.5 million annual cap on what each school can now pay players directly Or, whether those collectives will simply become a cog in the new system. Only until that issue is resolved will many coaches know if the offers they’ve made, and that can become official on Aug. 1, will conform to the new rules governing college sports.

“You don’t want to put agreements on the table about things that we might have to claw back,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said at this week’s Big Ten media days. “Because that’s not a great look.”

No coach, of course, is going to fess up to making an offer he can’t back up

“All we can do is be open and honest about what we do know, and be great communicators from that standpoint,” Oregon’s Dan Lanning said.

Aug. 1 is key because it marks the day football programs can start sending written offers for scholarships to high school prospects starting their senior year

This process essentially replaces what used to be the signing of a national letter of intent It symbolizes the changes taking hold in a new era in which players aren’t just signing for a scholarship, but for a paycheck, too.

Paying them is not a straightforward business. Among the gray areas comes from guidance issued earlier this month by the newly formed College Sports Commission in charge of enforcing rules involved with paying players, both through the $20.5 million revenue share with schools and through third-party collectives.

The CSC is in charge of clearing all thirdparty deals worth $600 or more.

It created uncertainty earlier this month when it announced, in essence, that the collectives did not have a “valid business purpose.” if their only reason to exist was ultimately to pay players. Lawyers for the players barked back and said that is what a collective was always met to be and if it sells a product for a profit, it qualifies as legit. The parties are working on a compromise, but if they don’t reach one they will take this in front of a judge to decide. With Aug. 1 coming up fast, coaches are eager to lock in commitments they’ve spent months, sometimes years, locking down from high school recruits.

“Recruiting never shuts off, so we do need clarity as soon as we can,” Buckeyes athletic director Ross Bjork said. “The sooner we can have clarity the better I think the term ‘collective’ has obviously taken on a life of its own.

“But it’s really not what it’s called, it’s what they do.” In anticipating the future, some schools have disbanded their collectives while others, such as Ohio State, have brought them in-house. It is all a bit of a gamble. If the agreement that comes out of these negotiations doesn’t restrict collectives, they could be viewed as an easy way to get around the salary cap. Either way, schools eyeing ways for players to earn money outside the cap amid reports that big programs have football rosters worth more than $30 million in terms of overall player payments.

“It’s a lot to catch-up, and there’s a lot for coaches and administrators to deal with,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said, noting the terms only went into play on July 1. “But I don’t think it’s unusual when you have something this different that there’s going to be some bumps in the road to get to the right place.”

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

WELL-ARMED

ACC teams turn to transfer portal for high-level QBs

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE,N.C.— Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami because he viewed himself as a great fit in the Hurricanes’ explosive offensive scheme. Miller Moss left USC for Louisville after learning of coach Jeff Brohm’s history of developing transfer quarterbacks And Tommy Castellanos moved on from Boston College to Florida State for a crack at beating national power Alabama in the season opener And then there’s Gio Lopez, who wouldn’t mind becoming Bill Belichick’s next Tom Brady at North Carolina.

In all, eight of the top 25 quarterbacks in 247Sports’ transfer-portal rankings landed in the Atlantic Coast Conference. By comparison, the Southeastern Conference has six of those top-level transfer QBs, while the Big Ten has four and the Big 12 three.

It’s why the ACC has spent this week touting itself as the “conference of quarterbacks” while pointing to being the only league with at least one QB drafted in the first round of six different drafts since 2018.

Each QB has his own story and reasons for leaving for greener pastures — and no doubt about it, NIL money played a huge factor but each comes with aspirations of replicating what Miami transfer Cam Ward accomplished last season.

Ward left Washington State for the Hurricanes and in one season developed into the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, securing a fully guaranteed $48.7 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. Beck, who was the No. 2-ranked QB in the transfer portal behind only former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava at UCLA, left Athens despite going 24-3 as a starter for the Bulldogs.

He called it a “very difficult decision,” but said it’s one that has worked out well so far leaving him excited about the future.

“What Cam was able to do is undeniable,” said Beck, who said he’s fully recovered from an elbow injury he suffered in last year’s SEC championship game.

“The last school I was at, I followed up the two-time national champion, so I didn’t really feel any pressure there. It’s a game; I’ve played football my whole life I’ve played quarterback since I was 7 years old. I’ve got a lot of good talent around me and really good coaches in position to be really successful.”

sold in Alex Box Stadium. It’s the 26th time since 1996 the Tigers finished No. 1 in total attendance. LSU was also No. 1 in average attendance with a figure of 11,186 per game, just two shy of the school record of 11,188 in 2023. The Tigers posted a home record of 35-6. LSU set a school single-game attendance record of 13,376 for an April 26 game versus Tennessee, and its attendance exceeded 12,000 six times during the 2025 season. The top schools for total attendance were: LSU 458,606; Arkansas 407,196; Ole Miss 344,364; Mississippi State 330,009; South Carolina 251,414; Texas 250,754; Tennessee 235,035; Florida 226,903; Texas A&M 206,577; and Auburn 201,703.

Ohtani ties Dodgers record with HR in 5th straight game

LOS ANGELES Shohei Ohtani homered for the fifth consecutive game on Wednesday, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record. Yankees star Aaron Judge was the last player to homer in five consecutive games, accomplishing that feat last year

Ohtani, who leads the National League with 37 home runs, homered in the first inning off Minnesota Twins starter Chris Paddack. He hit a slow curveball 441 feet to center He carried the bat midway down the first-base line and then did a bat flip.

QUARTERBACK MOVES

Miami coach Mario Cristobal couldn’t resist the temptation of adding such a proven commodity, saying “everything” drew him to recruiting Beck.

“He’s played in monster games and he’s played at a high level,” Cristobal said.

“He is ultra competitive, and his football IQ is off the charts. It didn’t take long to realize that he’s a team player, and that his work ethic is also through the roof.”

Moss threw for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns last season for the Trojans, but needed a change of scenery and couldn’t wait for the opportunity to work with Brohm, who’s viewed by many as a quarterback whisperer for his efforts in developing the likes of Aidan O’Connell, Tyler Shough of the Saints and Jack Plummer

“Obviously different coaches try to sell you on different things, but when there’s consistent proof of your ability to do something, that kind of transcends any words you hear in a meeting,” Moss said of Brohm’s history

Castellanos hasn’t played a snap at Florida State but has already created a stir nationally when he told On3 that he doesn’t believe Alabama can stop him in the Aug 30 season opener — in part because the Crimson Tide no longer has Nick Saban running the show

He didn’t back down from those comments on Wednesday at the ACC media days.

“We stand on what I said,” said Castellanos, who’ll look to lead the Seminoles back to national prominence following a miserable 2-10 season.

“But there’s no disrespect between that team or anything like that. It’s just the confidence that I have in my teammates and the way we’ve been preparing and putting this preparation together this offseason. I just feel confident in the guys and the work that we’ve been putting in.”

Among the other QB newcomers in the ACC include Cal’s Jaron Sagapolutele, who was ranked fifth in the transfer portal after his decision to leave Oregon. Duke landed a key transfer in Tulane’s Darian Mensah, and Syracuse coach Fran Brown signed a pair of bigschool transfers in Rickie Collins from LSU and Steve Angeli from Notre Dame. Collins is projected to start and attended the league’s preseason media days on Wednesday, and will look to build on Kyle McCord’s success last season after McCord himself a transfer from Ohio State — threw for a national-best 4,779 yards for the Orange The ACC has some highly touted returning quarterbacks as well, most notably 4,000-yard passer Cade Klubnik at Clemson and the versatile Kevin Jennings at SMU. Both led their teams to the ACC title game and College Football Playoff berths last season.

Georgia Tech’s Haynes King transferred from Texas A&M after the 2022 season, said he never entertained the idea of leaving despite two successful seasons with the Yellow Jackets in which he’s thrown for nearly 5,000 yards and

for

The Dodgers won 4-3 on Freddie Freeman’s two-run, game-winning single in the ninth. This is the seventh time in Dodgers history that a player has homered in five consecutive games. Ohtani joins Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Shawn Green and Roy Campanella in that club.

Italian sprinter Milan powers to Tour stage win VALENCE, France Sprint specialist Jonathan Milan pounced at the finish to win the 17th stage of the Tour de France after a crash in the last mile derailed rivals’ hopes on Wednesday Italian rider Milan, the green jersey holder consolidated his lead in the points classification with an explosive finish to get his wheel just over the line ahead of Jordi Meeus, Tobias Lund Andresen, Arnaud De Lie, Davide Ballerini and others in a rain-soaked sprint finale. It’s Milan’s second stage win of the Tour after his victory in similar fashion in Laval on Saturday But it was arguably more dramatic with rival sprinter Tim Merlier and others involved in a crash in the final mile.

Cardinals first-round pick Nolen sidelined with injury GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals rookie first-round pick Walter Nolen has a calf injury and is expected to “miss some time,” coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday, putting a slight damper on the team’s first day of training camp.

The defensive lineman was the No. 16 overall pick out of Ole Miss in April’s draft.

Gannon said that Nolen injured the calf while working out and preparing for the season. The 21-yearold is expected to be a big part of the Cardinals’ revamped defensive line as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Cardinals were 8-9 last season, which was a four-win improvement over the previous season.

Brother of late NFL star Tillman to undergo tests

SAN JOSE Calif. The brother of late NFL star-turned-soldier Pat Tillman will undergo a mental competency test before his trial on arson and vandalism charges, a judge ordered Wednesday Richard Tillman, 44, of San Jose was arrested after he allegedly rammed a car into a post office in a San Jose, California, strip mall around 3 a.m. Sunday He then set the car on fire inside the building, which went up in flames, San Jose police said. No injuries were reported. During his arraignment Wednesday his attorney raised doubts about Tillman’s ability to stand trial. The judge ordered a competency test and set bail at $135,000. Tillman told the judge he didn’t want his court-appointed defense attorney, calling him “incompetent.”

combined

68 TDs.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEVE REED

Miami quarterback Carson Beck, who transferred from Georgia, speaks at the Atlantic Coast Conference media days on Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C. Beck is one of eight of the top 25 quarterbacks in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings that landed in the ACC.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah transferred to Duke.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK Former LSU quarterback Rickie Collins transferred to Syracuse.

Venus Williams, 45, shows excellence despite her age

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

WASHINGTON There are plenty of reasons why this particular victory by Venus Williams in this particular tennis match — just one of hundreds resonated with so many folks.

That she’s 45 for one thing. Only one woman, Martina Navratilova, ever has won a tour-level singles match while older; her last victory came at 47 in 2004. That Williams hadn’t entered a tournament anywhere in 16 months.

That she needed surgery for uterine fibroids

And when asked Tuesday night — after beating her 23-year-old opponent, Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open — what message others might take away from that performance and that result, Williams was quick to provide an answer

“There are no limits for excellence. It’s all about what’s in your head and how much you’re able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally physically and emotionally, then you can have the result,” said Williams, who will face 27-year-old Magdalena Frech on Thursday “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Doesn’t matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space, for you.”

Williams — who received a wild-card invitation on Wednesday for next month’s Cincinnati Open — has been winning at tennis for decades. Her pro debut came when she was 14. Her first Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2000, less than a month after her 20th birthday She accumulated four major singles trophies before Stearns was born and eventually wound

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seems to make them every game himself.”

A radio call from the 2011 LSUKentucky game bears that out. In the third quarter Mathieu blitzed from the left side for a strip sack, forcing the ball out of the hands of quarterback Maxwell Smith. Mathieu picked it up on a hop and dashed in for a touchdown as Tiger Stadium roared.

“He’s going to be hit and the ball is knocked loose,” then LSU play-by-play announcer Jim Hawthorne said. “It’s at the 23-yard line, picked up you want me to tell you who it was?”

“No,” LSU color analyst Doug Moreau answered, “we know already.”

“Tyrann Mathieu!”

He even had the best nickname ever, the Honey Badger, an honorific bestowed upon Mathieu by one of the most unlikely of phrase-makers: crusty, curmudgeonly LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis.

Mathieu didn’t care for it until Chavis found a wildlife video that described a honey badger’s attitude.

“The honey badger,” the narrator said, “takes what it wants.” It was perfect. Mathieu started only one game as a freshman, but what a season. He led the Southeastern Conference with five forced fumbles, tied for first in the

KELLY

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Blake Baker has more depth, especially in the secondary and at the edges.

Three new edge rushers from power-conference teams are in the mix, as well as Virginia Tech transfer corner Mansoor Delane, Houston transfer safety AJ Haulcy and North Carolina State transfer safety Tamarcus Cooley

— a trio of versatile, experienced defensive backs expected to carve out important roles in a revamped secondary

up with seven, five at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open, plus another 14 in women’s doubles — all with her sister Serena — and two in mixed doubles.

“I have so much respect for her to come back here and play, win or lose. That takes a lot of guts to step back onto court, especially with what she’s done for the sport,” said Stearns, who is ranked 35th and won NCAA singles and team titles at the University of Texas “You have a lot behind you. You have accomplished a lot. And there is a lot of pressure on her and to kind of upkeep that at this age So massive credit to her for that.”

There were challenges along the way for Williams, none more public than the diagnosis in 2011 of Sjögren’s syndrome, an energy-sapping auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain.

More recent was the pain from fibroids — noncancerous growths and shortly before the DC Open, Williams said:

“Where I am at this year is so much different (from) where I was at last year It’s night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery ”

The event in the nation’s capital is her first competition in more than a year Williams also entered in doubles with Hailey Baptiste, and they won their first-round match Monday before losing Wednesday DC Open chairman Mark Ein said it took him about two seconds to respond “Of course” when Williams’ representative reached out in April to ask whether a spot in the field might be a possibility A reporter wanted to know Tuesday whether Williams took any satisfaction from proving doubters wrong.

“No, because I’m not here for anyone else except for me And I also have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero,” she said “I’m here for me, because I want to be here.”

after scoring the opening goal during the Women’s Euro 2025 semifinals match between Germany and Spain at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich on Wednesday.

Late goal pushes Spain past Germany at Women’s Euro

BY DANIELLA MATAR AP sportswriter

ZURICH Aitana Bonmatí scored in extra time to send Spain to its firstever Women’s European Championship final with a 1-0 win over Germany on Wednesday, setting up a repeat of the 2023 World Cup title match.

A stubborn Germany performance had seen it take the world champions to extra time, and Spain needed a superb strike from the two-time Ballon d’Or winner to secure a first-ever win over Germany

“I feel so proud. We deserved this,” Bonmatí said. “We have played a great tournament throughout. We had a hard fight tonight, of course, because we were playing Germany First to beat Germany and then to advance to the final of the Euros. Who could ask for more?”

In the 113th minute, Athenea del Castillo threaded the ball through to Bonmatí, who got past Rebecca Knaak with a clever dummy and turn before squeezing home an audacious attempt from the tightest of angles.

“We had analyzed her with our analysts and our goalkeeping coach and knew that she would leave the

near post unprotected, and that is what happened. I just slotted it home,” Bonmatí said.

Spain moved closer to adding the European Championship trophy to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years.

Montse Tomé’s team will face reigning champion England on Sunday in a repeat of the World Cup final that Spain won 1-0 two years ago.

England also needed extra time to snatch a 2-1 win over Italy on Tuesday

It was a miserable end to a stellar tournament for Berger who had been the hero of Germany’s dramatic quarterfinal win against France.

“I take the blame for that. The near post must be shut, absolutely,” Berger said. “That’s why I’m even more disappointed in myself.

“I can make as many saves as I want, but that one should have been mine, and that’s why I’m incredibly sorry For the team, not for me, but for those who gave their all.”

Germany was bidding for a record-extending ninth European title but it was up against the world champion and pre-tournament favorite.

conference with three fumble recoveries and had two interceptions In the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M alone, Mathieu had seven tackles (including a sack), forced two fumbles, recovered one, had an interception and broke up a pass. Turned out he was just preparing the football ground for the

On offense, transfer receivers Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky) will compete for targets with returners such as Aaron Anderson, Chris Hilton and tight end Trey’Dez Green. The Tigers even landed Virginia Tech transfer Braelin Moore and Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson two offensive linemen expected to step into prominent roles as part of a unit that’s replacing four starters.

“On paper,” Kelly said, “this is the best roster that we will put out there since I’ve been here. And I’m excited about that.” LSU still has a few key questions

Atlanta.

2011 season. Back in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium for the colossal opener between No. 3 Oregon and the No. 4 Tigers, Mathieu gave LSU its first lead early in the second quarter when he stripped punt returner Kenjon Barner of the ball and scooped it up for a touchdown. The Tigers drove from that

to answer in preseason practices. Kelly and his staff will use that time to sort out, for example, their base group of receivers and defensive backs. How healthy is Nic Anderson after he sat out most of spring practices? How much is prized freshman corner DJ Pickett ready to contribute this season?

LSU also will use the opportunity to evaluate its new-look offensive line The only returning starter redshirt sophomore DJ Chester, may switch positions, moving from center to guard. Two tackles took most of the first-team reps in the spring, but one (Tyree Adams) has started only two career games,

game to the SEC championship and a berth in the BCS final against Alabama, Mathieu leading the way He recorded a team-high 76 tackles, broke his own school record with six forced fumbles (recovering five) with two interceptions. If anything, he expanded on his repertoire and reputation with

and the other (Weston Davis) took a redshirt during his 2024 true freshman season. Those questions are important, but on Wednesday they each took a backseat to the ones at the forefront of Kelly’s mind. How can he prepare LSU to beat Clemson on the road to avoid a sixth straight season-opening loss? How can the team begin a new year without the burden of climbing out of an 0-1 hole against a daunting eight-game SEC slate?

It almost surprised Spain early on when Klara Bühl ran onto a long ball from goalkeeper Berger but her angled drive went narrowly past the right post.

Germany managed to stifle Spain’s stellar attack, which didn’t have a real sight of goal until the 21st minute when Berger pulled off a fantastic save to tip a shot over the bar from the tournament’s top scorer Esther González.

Giovanna Hoffmann should have given Germany the lead in the 29th minute but she completely missed the ball right in front of goal, with a fresh air shot, after excellent play by Jule Brand.

Spain ended the half strongly and came closest to breaking the deadlock shortly before the interval when Irene Paredes headed a corner off the post and González’s attempt at an overhead kick was blocked.

Berger also had to make two smart saves in stoppage time, to deny first González and then Clàudia Pina.

Cata Coll had little to do all night, but the Spain goalkeeper kept her team in the tournament with a superb double save right at the end of normal time, first to parry from Bühl and then to deny Carlotta Wamser

two punt return touchdowns, including one in the SEC championship game against Georgia as the Tigers shook off an early 10-0 deficit to win in a rout, 4210. Mathieu was the MVP

Soon he would be a Heisman Trophy finalist (he finished fifth) and winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

“Tyrann Mathieu,” ESPN’s Chris Fowler said, “is instant impact.”

Unfortunately for Mathieu and LSU, his impact was over after LSU’s sobering 21-0 BCS title game loss to Alabama in the Superdome. Instead of another incredible season as a junior, he was kicked off the team just a month before the 2012 campaign started, reportedly for repeat violations of the school’s substance abuse policy Mathieu was drafted in the third round by Arizona in 2013 and went on to a dozen stellar seasons with the Cardinals, Texans, Chiefs and Saints.

A 12-year NFL career is something rare. But rarer still was Mathieu’s brief and brilliant career as an LSU Tiger

Now that he is retired from football, hopefully Mathieu will return to Tiger Stadium this fall and have a chance to be honored on the field where he had perhaps his greatest glory And was the best No. 7 anyone at LSU ever saw

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

Does Kelly think the new focus will pay off? Will LSU, for the first time since 2019, win its season opener?

“Well, you can see my excitement,” Kelly said, “and if I’m excited, you should be excited too because it’s gonna be an exciting, exciting time for us. There’s no doubt.”

“I’d get on a plane or a bus or a train,” Kelly said, “and I would go watch (the Clemson) game Because it’s gonna be exciting. Because our players set that as a goal and a goal that is attainable. It’s specific, it’s challenging, and they are driven for it.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING

LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu basks in the confetti-filled atmosphere after winning the SEC championship in a game against Georgia on Dec. 3, 2011, in

Aitana Bonmati of Spain celebrates

V. Williams

‘There are no limits for him’

If first pass of camp any indication, Commanders QB Daniels poised for another great year

BY BEN STANDIG Associated Press

ASHBURN,Va. Picture what Jayden Daniels can do for an encore now that he’s experienced against NFL opposition. Teammate Bobby Wagner has seen enough to imagine it

“The confidence will grow Understanding what teams are trying to do, the mixing of coverages. Playing against those defenses is going to serve him really good (now),” said Wagner, a linebacker entering his 14th season in the league. “I think he’s going to make a big, big leap.”

It took just one pass on Day One of the Washington Commanders’ training camp Wednesday to justify the belief in the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU and 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

On his first toss in 11-on-11 drills, Daniels, working from just outside the red zone, looked left for one of his newest targets, Deebo Samuel. The design — two receivers on

crossing routes, with Samuel running a slot fade — isolated the former 49ers Pro Bowler in a one-onone matchup Tight coverage from second-year safety Tyler Owens left Daniels with a minuscule margin for error

Still, Daniels threaded a perfect ball into the tightest of windows, landing it over the shoulder in stride.

Even with the understanding that the no-pads practice is closer to a walkthrough than live game action, the pass had onlookers gasping. Daniels’ brilliance in leading Washington to its first NFC championship game appearance since 1991 raised expectations to the point where maybe no bar is high enough

“One thing I’ve learned over the year from Jayden,” coach Dan Quinn said, “(is) there are no limits on him.”

Whether the same can be said for the Commanders, coming off a surprising 12-5 regular season,

Giants open camp with rookie Dart in spotlight but Wilson still starting

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J Jaxson Dart is squarely in the spotlight as someone the New York Giants hope will be their quarterback of the future

The future is not here yet. For all the attention Dart is getting as a first-round draft pick, coach Brian Daboll made it clear when training camp opened Wednesday that the plan has not diverted from Russell Wilson being the guy at football’s most important position.

“These guys will be out here competing, but Russ is our starter,” Daboll said.

Wilson took all the first-team snaps in the first practice of camp, with Dart and journeyman Jameis Winston alternating going second and third. Dart threw an interception on his first throw of 11-on-11 team drills, Wilson told his younger teammate to focus on the next play and the rookie’s subsequent throw went for a touchdown.

“I think they’re working well together,” veteran defensive tackle

Dexter Lawrence said. “Russ is a great leader, Jameis is a great leader and I see them talking to him a lot. Russ handles his business really well, so for (Dart) to learn from that and them to be unselfish to teach that to him, it’s only on an up trajectory.”

There’s little direction to go but up for the Giants, who tied for the worst record in the NFL last season at 3-14. That is one reason fourthyear general manager Joe Schoen turned over the quarterback part of the roster almost completely — with local cult hero Tommy DeVito the lone holdover Wilson at age 36 got a contract for this season worth up to $21 million with $10.5 million guaranteed. And New York traded a second-round pick and two third-rounders to move up to take Dart 25th, several weeks after signing Winston.

Scouting Dart from afar at Ole Miss and watching him up close in offseason workouts, the Giants like what they’re witnessing so far

“You saw leadership, you saw arm talent, you saw athleticism and he’s a rookie,” Schoen said

followed by playoff wins at Tampa Bay and Detroit, is another question. Having the preternaturally poised and athletically gifted Daniels keeps optimism high for 2025 and beyond.

That’s in part because of Daniels’ mentality. Despite the massive attention following his dynamic debut — Daniels became the only rookie quarterback in league history with at least 3,500 yards passing (3,568) and 750 yards rushing (a rookie-record 891) — he arrived at camp with his feet firmly on the ground.

“That’s kind of just who I am: gratitude and humility,” Daniels said about focusing amid an increasingly chaotic world around him. “I don’t really look too much into everything, but I would just say just my inner circle, the people I talk to, the people closest to me — they help me stay grounded.”

Daniels said he spent the offseason focused on fundamentals. Footwork in the pocket. Keeping his

eyes on the field. Scenarios where he might need to break a tackle or escape pressure.

Washington’s offense soared last season with tone-setters Daniels and Terry McLaurin. The secondteam All-Pro receiver — who can become a free agent after this season skipped a chunk of the offseason program because of a contract dispute and remained away from the team as camp opened.

Washington placed McLaurin on the reserve/did not report list Tuesday

Daniels supports his teammate

“We know he’s working; he’s still our brother,” the QB said — while downplaying any notion of a chemistry calamity from McLaurin’s absence.

“I think it’s an overstated thing,” Daniels said. “Obviously, me and Terry have a very good relationship. That’s just the business of the NFL. Whenever that time comes, and he’s back out on the field, I don’t think we’ll miss a beat.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

New york Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart throws as quarterback Russell Wilson watches during practice Wednesday in East Rutherford, N.J

“He’s got a long way to go, and he’s got a really good supporting cast in there to help. We’ve got a really good coaching staff as well, so he’s in a good spot right now.”

That spot is in reserve, though Daboll would not say if the backup job is up for grabs between Dart and Winston. Only that when the season starts on Sept 7 at NFC East rival Washington, Wilson will be under center if healthy Nabers’ toe saga

The toe injury that kept standout receiver Malik Nabers off the

field this spring has healed enough that he was full go for the start of his second pro training camp. But Nabers said he does not know if it eventually will go away or even if surgery might be needed.

“(There has been) talk about it, just never really came to a complete thought in mind for me to do it,” Nabers said. “But I’ve been managing it well, been running around feeling pretty good. Everything has been going good with the rehab, so my toe’s feeling better I’m just happy to be out there with my guys.”

Burrow optimistic despite tough day

BY CHARLIE GOLDSMITH Associated Press

CINCINNATI Quarterback

Joe

Burrow said that the Cincinnati Bengals offense played “poorly” on the first day of training camp Wednesday But with a healthy unit that’s fully participating in practices this season, Burrow said he’s more optimistic than he has ever been about the offense hitting the ground running during the regular season.

“When we have guys back like we do, you know, it should be seamless,” Burrow said. “Year in and year out, game in and game out. It wasn’t today So we’ll watch the tape and get better from that, but you know, we have the guys in the room that have done it before, and that feels good.”

Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 yards passing and 43 touchdowns last season, but he said that statistically his focus this year is on completion rate even after having a career-best 70.6% accuracy in 2024, which was fourth in the league. With all of the offense’s top players from last season returning, Burrow has a strong supporting cast around him. As the unit practices this summer, coach Zac Taylor said that the group is balancing building on its strengths with staying fresh and adding new elements.

“You want to continue to do the things we think we’re excellent at and make people prove they can stop it,” Taylor said. “But at the same time, you have to evolve what you’re doing. We feel people are going to spend a lot of time studying us in the offseason to make sure they can hit the ground running if they play us early in the season.”

Unlike previous seasons, Burrow will get a lot of time and reps in the training camp and in the preseason to go through that process. In 2020, training camp was shortened because of the pandemic. In 2021, Burrow was limited during the summer as he recovered from a torn ACL. In 2022, Burrow had an emergency appendectomy during training camp. In 2023, he strained his calf. At this point last year, he was limited during several practices as he worked back from a wrist injury

“Right now there is none of that,” Taylor said. “He will participate every day like he normally would fully healthy Then anticipate playing him more in games than we ever had.” Burrow has said for years that he wants to play more in the preseason, and he’ll get that opportunity this season.

That’s one of several changes in place to help the Bengals have a stronger start to the season The Bengals have dropped their first two games in each of the past three seasons. Cincinnati is practicing in the morning during training camp, implementing more physical practices and also playing its starters more in the preseason.

“I’m excited for the chance to get better,” Burrow said. “Those are valuable reps that we haven’t had in the past for good reason.

“I think we’re making the right decision this year, and I think that’s gonna benefit us in the long run.”

Reeves headed to Charlotte; assistant Lazare Memphis-bound

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Charlotte Hornets, ESPN reported The Pelicans drafted Reeves in the second round out of Kentucky last season. He played 44 games as

a rookie, peaking toward the end of the season. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds and shot 39.5% on 3-pointers He averaged 15.4 points over the last 10 games of the season Reeves scored a season-high 34 points in November in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite his success down the stretch, the Pelicans waived Reeves in early July. But they kept him on their Summer League roster, which allowed Reeves the opportunity to showcase his talent for other teams. He started all five games for the Pelicans in Summer League play and averaged 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in those games. He shot 46.2% from the floor (31.3% on 3-pointers).

“I think (Antonio) really fought and had a really good Summer League,” said Summer League

coach Corey Brewer after the team’s final game in Las Vegas “I think he helped himself. I don’t know what’s going to happen with him. That’s not my position, but I think he’s a really good player.” In other Pelicans’ news, assistant coach Darnel Lazare is joining the Memphis Grizzlies staff, according to a report by The Daily Memphian. Lazare, a Lafayette native who played at LSU, is returning to Memphis, where he served as the team’s video coordinator in the 2018-19 season. Lazare worked with the Pelicans’ post players and played a key role in the development of center Yves Missi this past season. Missi blossomed

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels throws during practice at the team’s training camp Wednesday in Ashburn, Va

Saints QB competitionstartsinearnest

QUARTERBACK OBSERVATIONS

n Tyler Shough: 3-5

n Jake Haener: 2-3

Let the battle begin. The New Orleans Saints opened training camp Wednesdaymorning at their Metairie facility with ashort practice that lasted roughly 68 minutes, signaling not only the start of their 2025 season but also the nextstep in deciding who will start at quarterback in the seasonopener New Orleans currently is deciding among three options in Spencer Rattler,Tyler Shough and Jake Haener.Rattler took the first spin with the first-team offense, but coach Kellen Moore said Shough will work with the firstteam for Thursday’spractice, and the quarterbacks will be rotated throughout camp. We’ll keep tabs on the quarterback competition with daily notes and observations throughout training camp until the Saints name astarter,includingtrackingtheir daily statistics from 11-on-11 drills (seven-on-seven periods won’tcount towardthe numbers, but they will be included in the observations).

It should be noted that these numbers don’talways translate —the players could be working on aspecificskill, and it’ssometimes hard to separate what is or isn’tasack since the passers wear non-contact jerseys —but they’re still ahelpful tool to gauge general performance. Here’show the quarterbacks performed on Day1:

n Spencer Rattler: 4-4

Going beyond the numbers, every quarterback hadsome snapsthey’d like to have back —though that was something Moore said hewas looking forward to, because he wantsto see how they respond to bad moments.

Each of Rattler’scompletions in the team periods came within about5yards of the line of scrimmage.Heopened it up alittle bit more in thesevenon-seven setting, hitting Juwan Johnson on anice intermediate out-breaker with his firstrep, then drilling Chris Olave down theseam for abig gain later on.

The only down moment for Rattler was abotched shotgun snap on the first play of thefinal team period. It looked like the ball got on himtoo quickly,maybe catching himbysurprise,and theplay had to be stopped.

Shough and Haenerwere more up and down.

For Shough, theNo. 40 overall draft pick, there was aatleast one clear sack and acouple of poor throws. He skippedone at tight end Treyton Welch’sfeet while navigatingpressure duringone team period,thenlet a pass drift toward the middle of thefieldonacurl route during seven-on-sevens that was nearly intercepted

Shough didhave acouple of impressive throws, including one on an incomplete wheel route to

undraftedrookie running back

Marcus Yarns deepdownfield.

Yarns hadtoturn his hips to try to make the catch,but it wastoward the sideline and away from the safety,giving Yarns the only attemptatmaking acatch Haener, whomissed mostofthe summer while recovering from an oblique injury,looked rusty to start. His first two reps were interrupted by pressure,with both likely resulting in sacks. His

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler throws during the first day of training camp in Metairieon Wednesday.

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

third wasapoorlythrown over route to an open DantePettisthat left abig playonthe field. He rebounded in theseven-onsevenperiod, then made some nicethrows in thefinalteam period— completing an on-therun sideline throw to Michael JacobsononanRPO, then layering apass over thecoverageto hit Jacobson forabig gain on his ensuing throw Howthe quarterbacksperform as passers is obviously going to be weighed heavily in theSaints’ evaluation,but Moore also is placing emphasis on how thequarterbacksoperate theoffense. Thatside of things should become moreclear as training camp progresses andthe Saints getintolonger, morephysical practices

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Bearsdefense readyto‘hunt’for newcoordinator Allen

BY GENE CHAMBERLAIN Associated Press

LAKE FOREST,Ill.— Chicago Bears

quarterback Caleb Williams fired his first pass of training camp in Wednesday’sscrimmagedirectly to Tremaine Edmunds, and the veteran middle linebacker took the interception up the field. This was how coach Ben Johnson’sera unfolded on Day One of practices. For the other side of the football it was much different as the Bears defense under new coordinator Dennis Allen seemed to pick up where it left off in its offseason work, even withoutinjured cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

“I thoughttoday,for thefirst day out there, was prettygood, Allen said. “I thought the retention from what we did in spring to what we saw out there today, Iwas pleased with what Isaw there. And yet we stillhavealong way to go. We’re going to keep working every day,continueto battle, and continue to improve and get this defense better.”

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

that took roughly 70 minutes Even if the Saints don’twant to comeout and say they arerebuilding, the vibes indicate apotential long road ahead.

Thequarterbackcompetition will take its time, withMoore telling reporters he plans to rotate first-team reps by the day up until at least the team’sAug. 10 preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. But there also has been an influx of newfaces and ajettisoning of old ones. This offseasonalone, the Saints have had four players fromlast year’sroster retire —including their former quarterback (Derek Carr), and two others(safety Tyrann Mathieu and tight end Dallin Holker) this week.

“Rightnow,we’re just building,” running back Alvin Kamara said. “Wehave to build. We have to earn the respect of each other We have to earn the respect of these coaches, get backthe respect of these fans. And shoot, on Sunday,it’ll take care of itself We’ve got talent. We just got to get our vibe back, we just gotto get our spark back.”

In some ways, that’sbeen Kamara’sapproach every year.The 29-year-old is entering his ninth season, and the sport’sroutine leans into the concept ofhaving to start from the bottomof the mountain and climb up. Kamara said last year’s5-12 record doesn’trequire New Orleans to build more than usual. Striving to be better than the previous year is an essential part of thesport he said.

Allen has installed adefense along the lines of thosehehad in New Orleansashead coach and coordinator,with an emphasis on attacking and playing more manto-man coverage.

Onekey torestoring adefense thatdroppedlastseason to 27th in yards allowed will be getting therun defense back to the2023 level when it led the league.From that end, the addition of defensive tackle GradyJarrett seemscritical

“His vocal leadership’sbeen awesome,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “He’saguy who’s been doing that since OTAs, been here every daylocked in and ready to go

“An older guy (32),but you can see it when he’s out there. He’s got so much juice in him and he’s just readytogo.”

After10years with Atlanta and seeing Allen’sdefensesagainst theFalcons twice aseason, Jarrettanticipated theattacking emphasis they’re using.

“The grittiness, the attentionto

Tyler

during training camp on Wednesdayatthe team’s practice facility

Kamara also said the Saints had lost their “corevalues” in recent years. Though he did not specify what thosevalues were, therunning back indicated they were “sticking” consistently throughout the team. Those values, if theyindeed needtobereset,are nowset mainly by Moore. As afirst-time head coach, Moore long has envisioned how he wants to runa team.Hesaid he keeps notes on themethods that work best, borrowing bits and pieces from his pastthree coaching stops with the Philadelphia Eagles,Los AngelesChargers and Dallas Cowboys, andadvice fromother coaches —including his own father.

Moore recognizes theSaints still have core veterans who know whatit’sliketowin at a high level —and strive for that. So,Moore said he’sformed a

detail, the knowledge of knowing what everybody should be doing from fronttoback andhow it all works togetherand communicatingtous, as adefense, what his expectationsare on adaily basis have all been something that I’ve been appreciating,” Jarrettsaid.

“Itdefinitely is going to make

“leadershipcouncil”madeupof 12-14 players to lean on.

“I want wins,”defensive end CamJordan said. “I’ve had as much success in theleague as anybody in the league.Right now, Iwant wins.”

Across theleague, people don’t expect many wins from the Saints this season. ESPNrecently ranked New Orleans as having theworst roster in theNFL. Oddsmakers put theSaints right in themix for theNo. 1pick.

The players have heard the noise. Kamara said his family sends him all sorts of narratives, even though he tries to actively avoid them. ChrisOlave said he sees thepredicted last-place finish, the doubt about the team’s quarterbacks and the concern about the team’sdepth.

Fornow,Kamara said he sees hunger.Hesaid he can tell that the quarterbacks arehungry to maketheir mark in the league, guys who are willing to take criticism and “don’twant to let their teammates down.”

If the Saints do surpass expectations, thequarterback will play asignificant roleinthat

But if they don’t, and the Saints go onto have the season that most expect, the processisjust getting startedfor this coaching staff.

“It’snot something that happens overnight,”Loomis said, referring to ateam’sidentity. “I mean, look at what (Lions coach) Dan Campbell and(general manager) Brad Holmes didinDetroit. That didn’thappen overnight. Most of thetime, it takesawhile to build that.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

us all better,and he is definitely somebody who’s as hungry as ever just to go out there and competeand play football and he has someplayers that’sready to go out there and hunt for him.”

Allensaid it doesn’thurt having a6-foot-5 linebacker manning the middle regardless of coverage

DUNCAN

Continuedfrom page1C

and coaches to focus on the task at hand, so the traditional in-practice soundtrack from the sideline sound system wasturned off during drills.

Still, Ican’trecall amore subdued atmosphere forthe opening day of aSaints’ training camp.

“Right now,we’re just building,” veteran running back Alvin Kamara said. “Wehave to earn therespect of these coaches and get back therespect of these fans and on Sunday,itwill take care of therest. We’ve got talent. We’ve just got to get our vibe back.”

That might take awhile if you believe outside observers.

Pundits have picked the Saints to finishlastinthe NFC South and miss the playoffs for afifth consecutive season.ESPN analysts rankedthe roster as the leasttalented in the league. And Vegas oddsmakers have settheir over-under win totalat5.5,tied with the Giants, Browns and Titansfor lowest in the league.

It’sbeen awhile since the Saints opened aseason with such low expectations. Decades, maybe.

Predictably,these dire predictionselicited scoffs and smirks from Saints players and coaches this week.

“I’ve never been afan of the noise,” Kamara said.

Cam Jordan echoed those sentiments, saying he doesn’tcare if people are for or against the team

“What’simportantright nowis how we feel aboutus,” Jordan said. Aday earlier,general manager Mickey Loomis said: “I don’tpay attention” to preseason predic-

emphasis, as Edmunds showed in Wednesday’spractice.

“I’m anticipating him beingan exceptionalplaymakerfor us,” Allen said. “He’sgot size. He’s got range. He’sgot speed, alot of the things we’re going to look for in termsof—look,it’shard to throw over him. He’sgot length in the middle of the field.”

It could be Allen whosupplies the extra edge the defense needs to bounce back.

He had the defense doing exhaustingup-downsinindividual work Wednesday, adrill normally associated with lower levels of football.

“It took me back to like seventh, eighth grade alittlebit,” Edwards admitted.

It was an extra bit of unanticipated “fun” for the defense on a 95-degree day

“It’sall part of building the culture of whattype of defense we’re going to be,” Allen said. “You have to pay the toll. Youhave to pay the price. It’sa privilege to be on this defense.”

tions, saying manyofthe team’s critics are “unqualified” to make such comments.

Perception, though, is often reality.And the perception of the Saints right now is the worst it’sbeen in years. And there are tangible signs that go beyond the slings and arrows of pundits and talking heads.

The club struggled to attract top free agents this offseason, and many of the ones they did sign had local ties to the region. Keenan Allen, aveteran receiver who the Saints have courted heavily this offseason, remains in wait-and-see mode on the open market. Ditto cornerback Asante Samuel Jr Likewise, the sudden retirements of Tyrann Mathieu, Derek Carr and Dallin Holker are indicative of ateam in flux. Each decision was madeautonomously, but collectively they reflect something bigger.Ifthe Saints were division favorites or Super Bowl contenders, you have to think one or two of them would have strapped on their cleats forat least another season rather than hanging them up.

Who knows, maybe the Saints will shock the world and winthe division like they did in 2000 and 2006 under Jim Haslett and Sean Payton, respectively.Worst-tofirst turnarounds happen every year in the NFL. See: the 2024 Washington Commanders.

But moreoften than not, these things take time, especially with a first-year head coach and unproven quarterback. Until the Saints prove otherwise, I—like many of the fans in the stands Wednesday —will be in show-me mode. The best way for the Saints to quiet the noise about them is to make some of their own this season.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD Saints coachKellen Moore, right, talks with quarterback

Shough

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByERIN HOOLEy ChicagoBears safety KevinByard works out during practice at the team’s training camp on WednesdayinLakeForest, Ill.

Luke Johnson

Mango features in sweet, spicypork steaks

BYLINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

Ilove this time of year when large, juicy mangoes are in season. They’re perfect for creatinga sweet and spicy summer dinner— like using them as a fresh relish for pork steaks. The recipecalls for mango cubes, and here’saquick, easy way to prepare them: First, slice off each side of the mango as close to the seed as possible. Hold one half in your hand, skin side down, and score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern, beingcareful not to cut through the skin.Then, gently push the skin insideout so the cubes pop up and slice them away from the peel. Don’t forget to score and slice any remaining fruit around the pit —it’stoo good to waste!

HELPFUL HINTS:

n Ripe peaches can be used instead of mango.

n Any type of sugar can be used instead of brown sugar

Sauteed Pork Steaks with MangoRelish and Rice with BellPeppers

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer ½cup

(see above)

1½

1. Mix mango, brown sugar,onion and lime juice together in asmall bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Remove visible fat from the pork and cut into 1-inch slices, press them down with aspoon or bottom of apan to make ½-inch pieces.Heat oil in alarge skillet and addthe pork steaks. Saute 5minutes, turnsteaks over and saute 3minutes. Ameat thermometer should read145 F.

3. Divide in two and place on two dinner plates. Spoon mango relish over the steaks.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 273 calories(27 percent from fat),8.3 gfat (1. gsaturated, 3.6 gmonounsaturated), 108 mg cholesterol, 36.2 g protein, 12.1 gcarbohydrates, 1.0 g fiber,92mgsodium.

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

Imiss my husband when he’s out of town for work(of course), but come dinner time, Ican’thelp butappreciate being able tocook whatever Iwant for dinner without worrying about whether he’ll walk away from the table happy

Translation: Though Iusually steer clear because he’shighly allergic to shellfish, finally,I canfill up on something Ilove —shrimp! Fried, steamed, cooked withgarlic in ascampi or served over sushi rice as nigiri —Icould eat shrimp every day in one fashion or another and never get tired of it.

ä See BURGERS, page 2D

rocery stores and farmers markets are bursting right now withfruit and vegetables that taste their very best. It is certainly a time to eat tomato sandwiches why deny yourself something so traditional and so delicious? Those summertime sandwiches always bring back wonderful memories. But in addition to tradition, it is the season to try new vegetables and fruit,orat least new ways to eat the familiar ones. Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables. They make everythingyou eat with them taste even sweeter —yes, this is scientifically true. Andthey are wonderful alone. If you can get your hands on fresh artichokes, you will see how thetexture is different from canned and how theflavor is more pronounced. When Ihave fresh artichokes, I plan to cook too many,sothat Ican eat them with dipping sauce and still have morefor other dishes. If you scrape themeat off the leaves and mix that with the chopped

bottoms,you will have thebasis of many dishes. The bruschetta mixture on toast makes anice appetizer or accompaniment to soup for lunch. The special sweetness of figs and thesalty sourness of capers enhance arugula. Arugula is sturdy enough and has enough punch to round out this salad. It is great by itself, but if you have afew extra boiled or grilled shrimportuna (even from acan), it can turn this salad into ameal.

Let me recommend thatyou experiment withcapers— they come in all sizes. Some are as large as a grape. Ilike thesmall onesfor this salad, but youcould chop larger ones for variety,especially if you made this saladonrepeatduring

or walnuts

1. Removethe stems and slice the figs in half or quarters, depending on the size of the figs. Place the figs and arugula into a saladbowl. Drain thecapers and chop them on a cutting board. Add them to the salad bowl. 2. Add the nuts. Add the dressing and toss. Serve immediately

DRESSING: ¼cup olive oil 2tablespoonsbalsamic

minced

and peppertotaste 1. Place allingredients into aliddedjar.Shake well and then pour onto the preparedsalad.Tossand serve.

Arugula, Figand Caper Salad

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Sauteed Pork Steaks with Mango Relish and Rice with Bell Peppers

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, July 24, the 205th day of 2025. There are 160 days left in the year Today in history

On July 24, 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts — two of whom had been the first humans to set foot on the moon splashed down safely in the Pacific. Also on this date: In 1567, Mary Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate her throne to her 1-year-old son James.

In 1866, Tennessee became the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. In 1915, the SS Eastland, a passenger ship carrying more than 2,500 people, rolled onto its side while docked at the Clark Street

Bridge on the Chicago River An estimated 844 people died in the disaster In 1959, during a visit to Moscow, Vice President Richard Nixon engaged in his famous “Kitchen Debate” with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev In 1974, the U.S Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon had to turn over subpoenaed White House tape recordings to the Watergate special prosecutor In 1975, an Apollo spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific, completing a mission which included the first docking with a Soyuz capsule from the Soviet Union. In 2010, a stampede inside a tunnel crowded with techno music fans left 21 people dead and more than 500 injured at the famed Love

Parade festival in western Germany Today’s birthdays: Actor Dan Hedaya is 85. Actor Chris Sarandon is 83. Actor Robert Hays is 78. Actor Michael Richards is 76. Actor Lynda Carter is 74. Movie director Gus Van Sant is 73. Country singer Pam Tillis is 68. Basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone is 62. Retired MLB All-Star Barry Bonds is 61. Actor Kadeem Hardison is 60. Actor-singer Kristin Chenoweth is 57. Actor Laura Leighton is 57. Actor-singer Jennifer Lopez is 56. Director Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”) is 54. Actor Eric Szmanda is 50. Actor Rose Byrne is 46. Country singer Jerrod Niemann is 46. Actor Elisabeth Moss is 43. Actor Anna Paquin is 43. Actor Mara Wilson is 38. TV personality Bindi Irwin is 27.

Rice and Green Bell Pepper

Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

1

1. Make rice according to package instructions and measure 1½ cups Reserve any remaining rice for another meal.

2. Add the green bell pepper, oil and salt and pepper to taste. Divide in half and serve on the plates with the pork steaks.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 235 calories (23 percent from fat), 6.1 g fat (1.1 g saturated, 2.7 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 4.5 g protein, 40.9 g carbohydrates, 3.2 g fiber, 8 mg sodium.

1.

use an outdoor grill if you are grilling something else. It will give a smoky flavor to the bruschetta.) Grill the bread on both sides until grill marks develop, but do not make

Makes one 8-inch tart 3 cups

of

Serves 2. Recipe is from “Craveable: All I Want to Eat” by Seema Pankhania. FOR

1. Very finely chop half the shrimp (or blitz in a food processor) and roughly chop the

2. Put into a bowl with green onions, egg white, white pepper soy sauce, salt and half of the breadcrumbs.

3. Divide the mixture in half and shape into patties They’ll be sticky so press them into the remaining breadcrumbs to coat evenly 4. Chill the patties on a plate in the fridge while you make the sauce.

5.

BURGERS

Continued from page 1D

This easy recipe for fried shrimp patties served burger-like on a squishy bun satisfied my craving for the seafood. Pulled from food creator Seema Pankhania’s cookbook “Craveable: All I Want to Eat” (Ten Speed, $30), the dish is both easy to pull

chop them; I used a food processor). 6. Heat a generous glug of oil in saucepan (about 2 tablespoons) and saute the onion mixture for 5 minutes. Add chili powder black peppercorns, ketchup, soy sauce and 6 tablespoons water

7. Cook for 2 minutes, mix well, and once combined, turn off the heat. Taste and season with salt.

8. Heat about 1½ inches of oil in a skillet and gently shallow-fry the shrimp patties for 5 minutes or until golden on all sides.

together — if you hustle, you can have dinner on the table in about 20 minutes — and packed with flavor It’s based on a sweet and savory chile crab dish the social media star (and Lucky Cat alum) enjoyed in Singapore and then reimagined with shrimp to make it a little easier on the pocketbook. I doubled the patty recipe to make four burgers (I shared two with a

colleague for his dinner), and substituted one large jalapeño pepper for the three long red chilies. Even with double the number of patties, there was more than enough sauce for all four servings, with some leftovers for sandwiches. Unless you slather it on like cream cheese on a bagel, the recipe also makes more than enough mayo for four sandwiches.

THE FILLING:

1. Scrape the meat off the leaves of the artichokes into a bowl. After all of the leaves are scraped, discard the choke and chop the artichoke bottoms. Add to the bowl.

2. Add the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, grated Parmesan cheese and the oregano

and dry. Then rub the toasts with the garlic clove on one side. Set the toasts aside until ready to use.

Rustic Berry Tart

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.

2. Place the berries into a bowl. Add the cornstarch, sugar and orange zest. Toss well.

3. Place the crust on a piece of parchment paper. Place the berry mixture on the crust, leaving a 2-inch edge free. Turn up the edge over the berry mixture. Turn the parchment paper and continue to turn the crust over the berry mixture until it is complete.

4. With a brush, paint the turned-over edge of the pastry Sprinkle the edge lightly with sugar Place on a cookie sheet with the parchment paper Place into the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cut slices and slices and serve.

5. Serve the tart plain or with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or with plain or vanilla yogurt, if you like.

FRESH

Continued from page 1D

to the bowl. Stir until well combined. Use a fork to mash any big lumps of artichoke bottom.

3. With a butter knife, spread each of the prepared toasts with the artichoke mixture and place on a plate. Using the lemon and a microplane grater, zest the lemon over each toast. Sprinkle with black pepper Place a Parmesan curl over each toast and serve.

PIE CRUST Everything, including the flour, should be as cold as possible.

1¼ cup flour ½ teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter (omit if using salted butter) cut into cubes of ¼ to ½

1. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of the food processor Add the butter and pulse for 5 to 8 times until the mixture is well mixed. Remove from the machine’s bowl into another bowl. It is best to use a cold stainless-steel

bowl if you have one.

2. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and mix with a large cold metal spoon. Incorporate all the water If the mixture seems too dry to hold together, add more ice water 1 teaspoon at a time.

3. Remove from the bowl and form into a ball with your hands. Then flatten the ball into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour

4. Unwrap the disk and place on a piece of parchment paper Using a rolling pin, roll out into a 12- to 13inch circular crust. Lift onto a cookie sheet. Follow the instructions above.

Each time it will be different, because your mix of fruit will be different as you select the fruit that is the ripest and available. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and any other berries that you may have seen in the market can all be mixed interchangeably And if you forage dewberries or mulberries, they can be added to the tart, too.

Liz Williams is founder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans. Listen to “Tip of the Tongue,” Liz’s podcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. Email Liz at lizwillia@gmail.com.

Artichoke Bruschetta

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE PHOTO By GRETCHEN MCKAy Singapore Shrimp Burgers

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Artichoke Bruschetta

Rustic Berry Tart

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) An open mind will lead to knowledge and new possibilities. Learn as much as you can and apply what you discover throughout your day. Engageintalksthatsatisfyyourpersonal and professional needs.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take on a challenge and do something to fix what concerns you. Actions speak louder than words; if you want others to listen, you must go beyond the call of duty. Be prepared to face opposition.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Make what you do count. Bulldozing your way forward isn't likely to work. Start by enlisting people who share your views and build a strong foundation to help carry your agenda forward.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Review all your options before you proceed. Expect to encounter people who are spouting halftruths and making innuendos that can make or break your plans. Don't be too accommodating or frivolous.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) A financial plan will ease your mind and help you save for something that will improve your life. Refuse to let anyone treat you poorly or force you to do things their way. Romance and personal gains are apparent.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) A change of heart will help you figure out which path isbestforyou.Don'tspendtoomuchtime pondering what you can and cannot do. Seize the moment!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) It's time to stop pontificating and start doing. What you

embrace will feed your soul and offer a multitude of opportunities to connect with like-minded people.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Savenothingfor later. If you don't take advantage of what comesyourway,someoneelsewillscoop it up. Distance yourself from unhealthy competition and focus on your goals. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Takingyourideas to the top or developing what you do best will encourage financial gain and interesting proposals. Don't expect everyone to be on your team. When someone opposes you, don't get angry; up your game.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Preparation, organization and focus will help you overcome distractions. An energetic approachtomanagingyourworklifewill ensure you enjoy downtime with friends and family.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) A positive attitude can change your life. Put a smile on your face. Offering help can lead to new friendships, opportunities and fresh beginnings. You'll meet with opposition if you project a disgruntled demeanor.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You may need backup if you take on too much today Rethink your schedule and consider how to achieve your goals more effectively. Timing and budget are crucial when trying to meet demands.

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

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: U EQUALS B

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

JimRohn, amotivational speaker and author, said, “The few who do are the envy of the many whoonlywatch.”

At the bridge table, the few whowatch are the envy of the many who look but do not take the next vitalstep Theplaytheme in today’sdealcatches outmanylessexperiencedplayers.They do not watch theirlosersorthen work out how to eliminate the one that they cannot afford.

South is in four spades. West leads theheart queen. How would awatchful declarer play? North used atransferbid.Onthe next round, he wasborderline between rebidding two no-trump andthree no-trump. He was swayed by the good spade-suit qualityintojumping to game. (Donot commityour side to ahigh-level spade contract unless you know of at leastan eight-card fit. Here, South might have only adoubleton spade.) South, despite his 4-3-3-3 distribution, corrected to the nine-card fit. Notethat three no-trump would fail after aheart lead. Those missing aces are fatal.

AnobservantSouthwillseefourpotential losers: one in each suit.Itisimpossible to do anything about thethree aces, so declarer must work out how to avoid conceding aheart trick.

IfSouthplaysatrumpattricktwo,East should win and return aheart, condemningthe contract. Instead, declarer must lead aclub at trick two. SupposeWest ducks this trick, takes the second club, and plays another heart. South winsand cashes hislastclub, discarding dummy’s remaining heart. Now, finally, it is time to tackletrumps.

©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional

or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAY’s WoRD LoGIstIcs: lo-JIS-tiks: The handling of the details of an operation. Average mark21words Timelimit

or morewords in LOGISTICS?

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

19TH JUDICIALENFORCEMENT DISTRICT OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATEOFLOUISIANA RESOLUTION

ARESOLUTION PROVIDING FORCANVASSING THE RETURNS AND DECLARING THE RESULTOFTHE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD IN THE 19TH JUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT DISTRICT OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE,STATE OF LOUISIANA (THE “DISTRICT”),ONSATURDAY, MAY3,2025, TO AUTHORIZE THE LEVY AND COLLECTION OF AFOUR (4) MILLS AD VALOREM TAXONALL PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATIONWITHIN THE DISTRICT FOR APERIODOFTWENTY (20) YEARS, BEGINNING WITH THE YEAR 2025 AND ENDING WITH THE YEAR 2044, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FUNDING FORTHE OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYFOR EAST BATONROUGE PARISH; AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. BE

returns and declarethe result of the Election.

SECTION 2. That aProces Verbal of the canvass of the returns of the Election shall be made and that acertified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who shall recordthe same in her of

ce; that another certified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the

of Court and ex-officio RecorderofMortgages in and for the Parish of

Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, who shall recordthe same in the Mortgage Records of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana; and that another copy thereof shall be retained in the archives of the Governing Authority SECTION 3. That the result of the Election shall be promulgated by publication in the manner provided by law

SECTION 4. In accordance with La. R.S. 18:1292(B)(2), the cost of holding the election was $91,591.00.

SECTION 5. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption.

WHEREUPON, this Resolution was declared to be adopted on this, the 15th day of July,2025.

/s/ Hillar C. Moore, III Honorable Hillar C. Moore, III, District Attorney of the 19th Judicial District and Chief Executive Officer of the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana

STATEOFLOUISIANA

PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

I, the undersigned District Attorney of the 19th Judicial District and Chief Executive Officer of the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, do hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes atrue and correct copy of aresolution providing for canvassing the returns and declaring the result of the special election held in the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “District”), on Saturday,May 3, 2025, to authorize the levy and collection of afour (4) mills ad valoremtax on all property subject to taxation within the District for aperiod of twenty (20) years, beginning with the year 2025 and ending with the year 2044, for thepurpose of providing funding for the office of the District Attorney for East Baton Rouge Parish; and providing for other matters in connection therewith.

Ifurther certify that this resolution has not been amended or rescinded.

IN FAITH WHEREOF,witness my official signatureofsaid Governing Authority on this 15th day of July,2025.

/s/ Hillar C. Moore, III Honorable Hillar C. Moore, III, District Attorney of the 19th Judicial District and Chief Executive Officer of the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana PROCES VERBAL

PROCES VERBAL OF THE CANVASS OF THE VOTES CAST AT THE ELECTION HELD IN THE 19TH JUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT DISTRICT OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATONROUGE,STATE OF LOUISIANA,ON

SATURDAY, MAY3,2025.

BE IT KNOWN AND REMEMBERED that on the 15th day of July,2025 at 5:00 p.m., at 222 St. Louis Street, 5th Floor,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Honorable Hillar C. Moore, III, District Attorney of the 19th Judicial District (the “District Attorney”), acting as the governing authority (the Governing Authority”) and Ex-Officio Chief Executive Officer of the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the District”), and being the authority ordering the election held therein on Saturday,May 3, 2025, did examine and canvass the returns of the election, therehaving been submitted at the election the following proposition, to-wit: PROPOSITION Shall the 19th Judicial Enforcement District of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “District”) be authorized to levy and collect atax of four (4) mills on all the property subject to taxation in the District (an estimated $24,400,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Taxfor an entireyear) (the “Tax”), for aperiod of twenty (20) years, beginning with the year 2025 and ending with the year 2044, in accordance with Louisiana law,with the proceeds of the Tax(after paying reasonable and necessary costs and expenses of collecting and administering the Tax) to be dedicated and used for the purpose of providing funding for the office of the District Attorney for East Baton Rouge Parish?

Therewas found by said count and canvass that the following votes had been cast at the said special election IN FAVOR OF and AGAINST respectively,the proposition as hereinabove set forth at the following polling places, to-wit:

WARD/ PRECINCT LOCATION FOR AGAINST

01/001 FireStation #12, 555 Government Street, Baton Rouge 70 63

01/002A Melrose ElementarySchool, 1348 Valcour Drive, Baton Rouge 517

01/002B Melrose ElementarySchool, 1348 Valcour Drive, Baton Rouge 217 01/003 South Blvd. FLAIM, 802 Mayflower Street, Baton Rouge 33 43 01/004 New St. John MissionaryBaptist Church, 1455 South

Baker 935

02/018 AZachary Elementary School, 3775 Hemlock Street, Zachary 30 56 02/018

Elementary School,3775 Hemlock Street, Zachary 34 59

02/019 Baker Municipal Center Auditorium, 3325 Groom Road, Baker 754

02/020 Bakerfield Elementary School, 2550 South Street, Baker 12 44

02/021 Rollins Place ElementarySchool, 4488 Rollins Place, Zachary 49 149

02/022 AAlternative Center At Beechwood, 2555 Desoto Street, Baton Rouge 16 52

02/022 BAlternative Center At Beechwood, 2555 Desoto Street, Baton Rouge 13 55

02/023 AMerrydale ElementarySchool, 6700 Rio Drive, Baton Rouge 21 70

02/023 BMerrydale ElementarySchool, 6700 Rio Drive, Baton Rouge 31 54

02/024 AlsenBREC RecreationCenter,601 Old Rafe Mayer Road, Baton Rouge 28 66

02/025 BParkRidge Academic Magnet School 5905 Groom Road, Baton Rouge 29 75 02/026 Grace Baptist Church, 4626 Rush Drive, Zachary

03/024 BNorthSherwood Forest ParkRecreation Center,3140 N. Sherwood Forest, Baton Rouge

03/025 ACentral HighSchool,10200 E. Brookside Drive, Baton Rouge

03/025 BCentral HighSchool,10200 E. Brookside Drive, Baton Rouge

03/026 ABellingrath Hills Elementary School, 6612 Audusson Drive, Greenwell Springs

Baptist Church, 5805 Jones Creek Road, Baton Rouge 105

Road Park, 14024

Road,Baton Rouge 44 79

HighlandRoad Park, 14024 Highland Road,Baton Rouge 47 62 03/005 Idea Innovation School, 7800 Innovation Park Drive, Baton Rouge 24 48 03/006 ACentral Middle School Gym, 12656 Sullivan Road, Baton Rouge 27 76 03/006 BCentral Middle School Gym, 12656 Sullivan Road, Baton Rouge 26 59 03/007 ABREC Cedar Ridge Recreation Center 13300 Cedar Ridge Avenue, Baton Rouge 48 68

03/007 BBREC Cedar Ridge Recreation Center 13300 Cedar Ridge Avenue, Baton Rouge 71 74

03/008 North SherwoodForestPark Recreation Center,3140 N. Sherwood Forest, Baton Rouge 20 87

03/009 ASt. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 14040 Greenwell Springs Road, Greenwell Springs 49 71

03/009 BSt. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 14040 Greenwell Springs Road, Greenwell Springs 41 68

03/010 Lutheran Church of Our Savior,3555 Jones Creek Road, Baton Rouge 50 85

FireStation, 11010

03/042 North Sherwood Forest ParkRecreation Center,3140 N. Sherwood Forest, Baton Rouge

03/043 AShenandoah Elementary School, 16555 Appomattox Avenue, Baton Rouge

03/043 BShenandoah Elementary School, 16555 Appomattox Avenue, Baton Rouge

03/044 ABen Burge Park, 9350 Antigua Drive (at Elvin Drive), Baton Rouge

03/044 BBen Burge Park, 9350 Antigua Drive (at Elvin Drive), Baton Rouge

03/045 AWoodlawn HighSchool, 15755 Old Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge

03/045 BWoodlawn HighSchool, 15755 Old Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge

03/046 Bellingrath Hills Elementary School, 6612 Audusson Drive, Greenwell Springs

03/047 ACrosspoint Baptist Church, 14965 Airline Highway,Baton Rouge

03/047

6, 2025, March 13, 2025, March 20, 2025 andMarch 27, 2025 in The Advocate,asset forth in the proof of publications attached hereto as Exhibit B. THEREFORE, the Honorable HillarC.Moore, III, District Attorneyof the 19th Judicial District (the“District Attorney”), acting as the governing authority (the“Governing Authority”) andEx-OfficioChiefExecutive Officer of the 19th Judicial EnforcementDistrictof the Parish of East Baton Rouge,State of Louisiana (the“District”), does hereby declareand proclaim in openand public session thatthe Proposition, as hereinabove set forth, wasduly FAILED by amajority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the election held in the District on Saturday,May 3, 2025, andthatthe result of said election be promulgated by the Secretary of State andbythe Clerk of Court in the mannerrequired by law. THUS DONEAND SIGNEDatBaton Rouge,Louisiana,onthis,the 15th day of July,2025.

/s/ HillarC.Moore, III Honorable HillarC.Moore, III, District Attorney of the 19th Judicial District andChiefExecutive Officer of the 19th Judicial EnforcementDistrictof the Parish of East Baton Rouge,State of Louisiana

EXHIBIT A NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION

(On file with the 19th Judicial EnforcementDistrict) EXHIBIT B PROOF OF PUBLICATIONS

(On file with the 19th Judicial EnforcementDistrict)

STATEOFLOUISIANA PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

I, the undersigned District Attorneyofthe 19th Judicial District and ChiefExecutive Officer of the 19th Judicial EnforcementDistrictofthe Parish of East Baton Rouge,State of Louisiana (the“Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the 19th Judicial EnforcementDistrict of the Parish of East Baton Rouge,State of Louisiana (the“District”), do hereby

In

Stateof Louisiana,and with par‐ticular referencetothe provisionsofTitle 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutesof1950, apublic hearing will be held in the HearingRoom,1st Floor,LaSalle Building 617 North3rd Street Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at9:00a.m.onTUESDAY AUGUST26, 2025, upon the applicationofCRES‐CENTPASSENERGY, LLC. At such hearingthe Com‐missioner of Conserva‐tionwillconsiderevi‐dence relative to theis‐suanceofOrdersper‐taining to thefollowing matters relating to the PettitFormation,Reser‐voirA,inthe BethanyLongstreet Field, Desoto Parish, Louisiana.

1. To create oneaddi‐tionaldrillingand pro‐duction unitfor theex‐ploration forand produc‐tionofgas andconden‐satefromthe Pettit For‐mation, ReservoirA,such unitbeing shownonthe platsubmitted with the applicationand being designatedPET RA SU65.

2. To forcepool andinte‐grate allseparately ownedtracts, mineral leasesand otherprop‐ertyinterestwithinthe proposedadditionalunit inaccordancewithSec‐tion10, Title30ofthe Louisiana Revised Statutesof1950, with eachtract sharinginunit productionona surface acreage basisofpartici‐pation.

3. To permit applicantto designate andutilize its Kraemer 24 No.1-D Well asthe unitwellfor the proposedadditionalunit, saidwellbeing located asshown on theplat submitted with theappli‐cation, in exceptionto the spacingprovisionsof Office of Conservation Order No.289-1, effective January 19,1956.

4. To extend,exceptasin conflictherewith, the provisionsofOrder No 289,effective October1 1954, as supplemented and amendedbythe 289 SeriesofOrders, to the proposedadditionalunit.

5. To redefine thePettit Formation,Reservoir A, INSOFARAND ONLY INSO‐FAR as to theexisting unitdesignatedPET RA SU50, said unitbeing shownonthe plat sub‐mittedwiththe applica‐tion, as beingthe strati‐graphic equivalent of thatgas andcondensate bearing zone encoun‐tered between the depthsof6,337’ and 6,630’ (electricallog mea‐surements) in theCres‐centPassEnergy, LLCMoseley,Jr. et al 26 No.1 Well, located in Section 26, Township 14 North, Range 16 West

6. To confirm theunit designatedPET RA SU50 asremaining in full force and effect as adrilling and production unitfor the explorationfor and productionofgas and condensatefromthe Pet‐tit Formation, Reservoir A,asredefinedinthe mannerset forthabove

7. To permit applicantto designate andutilize its Moseley,Jr. et al 26 No.1D Well as asubstitute unitwellfor thePET RA SU50, said well beinglo‐catedasshown on the plat submittedwiththe application,inexception tothe spacingprovisions ofOrder No.289-1, effec‐tiveJanuary 19, 1956. 8. To permit applicantto designate andutilize its Moseley,Jr. et al 25 No.1D Well as asubstitute unitwellfor thePET RA SU51, said well beinglo‐cated as shownonthe platsubmitted with the application,inexception tothe spacingprovisions ofOrder No.289-1, effec‐tiveJanuary 19, 1956. 9. To find that each of the wells proposed herein is necessary to efficiently and economically drain a portion of thePettitFor‐mation, ReservoirA,un‐derlyingthe units on which it is proposed to bedrilled which cannot beefficientlyand eco‐nomically drainedbyany existingwellonsuch units,willprevent waste, avoid thedrillingofun‐necessary wells,protect correlative rights and promote thefulland effi‐cient developmentofthe natural resourcesofthis

g g authority of theCity of Zachary,State of Louisiana (the "City"), did meet in open and publicsession to exam‐ine theofficial certified tabulations of votescast atthe specialelection heldinthe City on Satur‐day,May 3, 2025, anddid examine andcanvass the returns of thesaidelec‐tion, therehavingbeen submitted at said elec‐tionthe followingpropo‐sition, to wit: CITY OF ZACHARY HOME RULE CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSITION Shallthe amended HomeRuleCharter (the Charter")for theCityof Zachary (the "City")pre‐pared andsubmitted by the Home Rule Charter Commissionbeadopted, pursuanttoArticle VI Section 5ofthe Constitu‐tionofthe Stateof Louisiana,which amendedCharter may be i d h ffi i l

y reviewed on theofficial website of theCity (https://www.cityofz achary.org/) or maybe obtainedfromthe Clerk ofthe City Council, and which proposed amended Charteris herebyincorporatedby reference andmade a partofthisProposition? Therewas found by saidcount andcanvass thatthere wasa totalof 981 votescast IN FAVOR OF theProposition and a total of 1,495 votescast AGAINST theProposition ashereinabove setforth and that therewas ama‐jorityof 514 votescast AGAINST theProposition ashereinabove setforth Therefore,ithas been declaredbythe govern‐ing authorityofthe City thatthe Propositionas hereinabove setforth was duly DEFEATED by a majorityofthe votes castbythe qualified electorsvotingatthe said specialelectionheld i h i d

p intheCity on Saturday May 3, 2025. Resultsby precinctare available fromthe City Clerkofthe Cityduringregular busi‐nesshours or viathe Louisiana Secretaryof State’s website(voter‐portal.sos.la.gov). The actualcostofthe elec‐tions as determined by the LouisianaSecretary ofState in accordance withthe provisions of Chapter 8-AofTitle 18 of the LouisianaRevised Statutesof1950, as amended,is$10,469.00. City of Zachary, StateofLouisiana 151072 July 24, 1t $83.07

Proposed Flood Hazard Determinations forUnin‐corporated AreasofEast BatonRouge Parish, Louisiana, Case No.2406-2136P TheDepart‐mentofHomelandSecu‐rity’sFederal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA)solicitstechnical information or com‐ments on proposed flood hazarddeterminations for theFlood Insurance RateMap (FIRM),and where applicable,the Flood InsuranceStudy (FIS) report foryourcom‐munity.These flood haz‐ard determinations may include theaddition or modification of Base Flood Elevations,base flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Area boundariesorzonedes‐ignations,orthe regula‐tory floodway. TheFIRM and,ifapplicable,the FIS reporthavebeen revised toreflectthese flood hazarddeterminations throughissuanceof a f i i

g Letterof MapRevision (LOMR), in

Berthelot RESOLUTION

or the “Placement Agent”) and the use of the proceeds

ARESOLUTION MAKING CERTAIN FINDINGS WITH RESPECT TO AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF NOT TO EXCEED $18,000,000 LOUISIANA LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITIESAND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REVENUE BONDS (CITY OF GRETNA, STATEOFLOUISIANA -PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS) SERIES 2025; APPROVING THE FORM OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIONAND DELIVERY OF THE TRUST INDENTURE AND THE LOAN AGREEMENT; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIONAND DELIVERYOFTHE BOND PURCHASE AGREEMENT AND OTHERDOCUMENTS, CERTIFICATES OR CONTRACTS REQUIRED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH; AUTHORIZING THE PREPARATIONAND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PRELIMINARYOFFERING DOCUMENT AND THE OFFERINGDOCUMENT RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OFTHE BONDS; AND AUTHORIZING THE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF THE AUTHORITY TO DO ALL THINGSNECESSARYTOEFFECTUATETHIS RESOLUTION.

WHEREAS, theLouisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community DevelopmentAuthority (the “Authority”), is apolitical subdivision of the State of Louisiana established for public purposes pursuantto Chapter 10-DofTitle 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended(La. R.S. 33:4548.1 through 4548.16) (the “Act”); and WHEREAS, the Actand other constitutional and statutory authority empowers the Authority to issue bonds to provide funds to the beneficiary thereof to allow it to finance and refinance theconstruction of publicinfrastructureand public works of all types; and WHEREAS, the City of Gretna,State of Louisiana (the “City”) has requested that the Authority issue its not to exceed $18,000,000 Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority Revenue Bonds (City of Gretna, State of Louisiana- Public Improvement Projects) Series 2025 (the “Bonds”) for the purpose of (a) financing improvements to public utility infrastructureand equipping thereof and other capital improvements in the City (the “Project”); (b) paying all legallyincurred costs andexpenses in connectionwith the issuance of said Bonds; and(c) funding adeposit to the Reserve Fund, if required, for the sale of the Bonds; and WHEREAS, pursuanttoand in accordance with the Act and aloan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) to be entered into by and between the City of Gretna,State of Louisiana (the “City”) and the Authority,the Authority will loan to the City for the purposes described in the preceding paragraph under the terms and conditions morefully describedinthe Loan Agreement; and WHEREAS, in turn, for the payment and security of the Bonds, the Loan Agreementwill provide for the pledge of Lawfully Available Funds of the City,asdefined in the Loan Agreement; thereby obligating the City to pay to theAuthority amounts necessmytoallow the Authority to make principal and interest payments on the Bonds, as described in the Loan Agreement; and WHEREAS, the Authority is authorized by the Act to securethe Bonds by apledge of the income, revenue and receipts derived by or payable to the Authority under the Loan Agreement; and WHEREAS, the Authority has adopted aresolution on June 12, 2025 authorizing the issuance of its not to exceed $18,000,000 Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority Revenue Bonds(City of Gretna, State of Louisiana -Public

WHEREAS, allconsentsand approvals required to be given by public bodies in connection with the authorization, issuance and sale of the Bonds as authorized by the Indentureand as required by the Act have been or will be secured prior to the delivery of the Bonds; and WHEREAS, the Authority now desires to authorizeand approve the issuance, sale and delivery of the Bonds to the Underwriter/Placement Agent,subject to the sale parameters contained herein; to authorizethe execution and delivery of (i) the Loan Agreement; (ii) the Indenture; (iii) the Preliminary Offering Document; (iv) the Offering Document; (v) the Bond Purchase Agreement;and (vi) all other documents, certificates and contracts ancillmy theretoand required in connection with the transaction contemplated hereby; to authorizethe preparation and distribution of aPreliminaiyOffering Document and Offering Document relating to the issuance, sale and delivery of the Bonds; and to provide for the execution of allinstruments, documents and certificates in connection therewith.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Executive Committee of the BoardofDirectors of the Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Co1nmunity Development Authority,acting as the governing authorityfor saidLouisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and CommunityDevelopment Authority, that:

SECTION I. The Authorityhereby authorizes and approves the issuance of not to exceed $18,000,000 Louisiana Local Governn1ent Environmental Facilities and CommunityDevelopment AuthorityRevenue Bonds (City of Gretna, State of Louisiana- Public Improvement Projects) Series 2025 for the purpose of (a) financing improvements to public utility infrastructureand equipping thereof and other capital improvementsin the City (the “Project”); (b) paying all legally incurred costs and expenses in connection with the issuance of said Bonds; and (c) funding adeposit to the Reserve Fund, ifrequired, for the sale of the Bonds. The details of the Bonds and the other provisions of their issuance, security and payment shall be as set fo1ih in the Indenture, said Indenturetobesubstantially in the form submitted at this meeting and filedwith the official minutes of the Authority,with such additions, omissions and changes as may be approved by Bond Counsel and Counsel to the Authority.The Bonds will be issued only as fully registered bonds in the denominations of $5,000 or any integral multipleof$5,000 in excess thereof,ifpubliclyoffered, or in denominations of $100,000 or any integral multipleof$1,000 in excess thereof,ifprivatelyplaced. The Bonds shall maturenot later than twentyfive (25) years from their date of issue and bear interest at arate not to exceed six percent (6.00%) per annum, all as provided in and subject to the termsand conditions of the Indenture; and secured by payments under aLoan Agreement with the City,which payments will be assigned and pledged to the Authority for payment of principal and interest on the Bonds.

SECTION 2. The Bonds shallbesold and purchased pursuant to the termsofthe purchase agreement entered into by and between the Underwriters/PlacementAgentsand the Authority (the “Bond Purchase Agreement”) or through adirectplacement, provided that the parameters of the termsofthe Bonds set forthinthis resolution arenot exceeded, in form and substance as is acceptable to Bond Counsel and Counsel to the Authority.The Chairman,Vice Chairman, Executive Director and Assistant Secretaryare hereby authorized to executeand deliver the Bond Purchase Agreement and/or through adirect placement, aPlacement Agent Agreement

SECTION 3. The forms and terms of the Indentureand Loan Agreement arehereby approved substantially as submitted to the Authority and filedwith the official minutes of the Authority,all of the provisions of which arehereby made apart of this resolution, with such additions, omissions and changes as may be approved by Bond Counsel to the Authority

SECTION 4. The preparation and distribution of the Preliminaiy Offering Document and the Offering Document of the Authority relating to the Bonds containing securityfeatures, other pertinent information as may be deemed necessary,advisableordesirable

9. This Resolution shall supersede anyprior resolutions contrary to the provisions hereof andshall become effective immediately upon its adoption.

This resolution having been submitted to avote,the vote thereon wasas follows: MEMBER YEANAY ABSTAIN Mack Dellafosse,ChairmanX Jim Holland, Vice ChairmanX Mayor DavidCamardelle, X Secretary/Treasurer Mayor DavidC.Butler, II X Johnny Berthelot X DavidRabalaisX MaiyAdams X

ABSENT

And the Resolution wasdeclared adopted on this 10th day of July, 2025.

Assistant Secretary Executive Director /s/ Amy K. Cedotal /s/ Ty E. Carlos

STATEOFLOUISIANA

PARISHOFEAST BATON ROUGE

I, the undersigned Executive Director of the Louisiana Local GovermnentEnvironmentalFacilitiesand Community Development Authority,dohereby certify thatthe foregoing constitutesa true and correct copy of an excerpt of the proceedings taken by the Executive Committeeofthe BoardofDirectors of the Authority on July 10, 2025 with respect to:

ARESOLUTION MAKINGCERTAIN FINDINGS WITH RESPECTTO AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF NOT TO EXCEED $18,000,000 LOUISIANA LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITIESAND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REVENUE BONDS (CITY OF GRETNA, ST ATEOFLOUISIANA -PUBLICIMPROVEMENTPROJECTS) SERIES 2025; APPROVING THE FORM OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERYOFTHE TRUST INDENTURE AND THE LOAN AGREEMENT; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THE BONDPURCHASE AGREEMENTAND OTHERDOCUMENTS, CERTIFICATES OR CONTRACTS REQUIRED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH; AUTHORIZING THE PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PRELIMINARYOFFERING DOCUMENTAND THE OFFERING DOCUMENTRELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF THE BONDS;AND AUTHORIZING THE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF THE AUTHORITY TO DO ALL THINGS NECESSARYTOEFFECTUATE THIS RESOLUTION. Ifurthercertify thatthis resolution hasnot been amended or rescinded. IN FAITH WHEREOF,witness my official signatureonthis 10th day of July,2025.

should be uploaded to our electronic record,but may be mailedor emailedtothe desig‐nated OCMReviewer. All commentsmustcontain the appropriateapplica‐tionnumberand the commenter's full name and contactinformation Any person mayrequest inwriting,withinthe comment period speci‐fied in this notice,that a State or Federalpublic hearing be held to con‐sider this application. Re‐questsfor public hear‐ingsshall state, with par‐ticularity, thereasons for holding apublichearing and must containthe nameand contactinfor‐mationofthe requester. Below arethe referenced application(s): *OCM;P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA 70804-4487; Phone: (225) 342-0566; Email: lorna. putnamduhon2@la.gov; OCMRe‐viewer: LornaPutnamDuhon; CUPNUMBER: P20250428 Name:Town OfDelcambre c/oSellers & Associates,Inc.148-B EASYSTREET LAFAYETTE LA70506 Attn:Stephen Cormier Location:Iberia Parish, LA;POB:Lat 29 56 38.43N,Long9159-18W POE:Lat 29 56 38, Long 91 5859W;Section 5T13S R5E;Wilfred Landry Street,Delcambre,LA. Description:Proposedin‐stallationofapproxi‐mately1750' of 14" sewer PVC &PEforce main along WilfredLandry Street within theroad right-of-waytoits dis‐chargeatthe Delcambre Canal.Bulkheadim‐provementsatthe dis‐chargelocationatthe Delcambre Canal. Ap‐prox. 780 c.y. of material willbeexcavated and approx. 838 c.y. of mater‐ial will be used as fill. 151158-JUL24-1T $30.06

TIN, A/K/ASHARONMAR‐TIN,MARCUSJACKSON AND THEUNOPENEDSUC‐CESSION OF ANDUN‐KNOWN HEIRSOFTON‐NETTA STEWARTJACK‐SON,A/K/A TONNETTA STEWART JACKSON, A/K/A TONNETTAS.JACK‐SON,A/K/A TONNETTA JACKSON 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGESTATE OF LOUISIANA SUIT NO.49619 BY VIRTUE OF AWRITOF SEIZURE ANDSALETO ME, DIRECTED BY THE HONORABLE THEEIGH‐TEENTH JUDICIAL DIS‐TRICT COURT, FORTHE PARISHOFWESTBATON ROUGE,INTHE ABOVE ENTITLEDCAUSE,I WILL PROCEED TO SELL BY PUBLICAUCTION,IN FRONT OF THECOURT‐HOUSE DOOR,ONTHE 27THDAY OF AUGUST 2025 AT TENO’CLOCK

(10:00)A.M THEFOL‐LOWINGDESCRIBED PROPERTY: One(1) certainlot or par‐cel of ground,together withall thebuildings and improvementsthereon situatedinthe Parish of WestBaton Rouge, State ofLouisiana,inthatsub‐divisionknown as Aca‐dianCrossing,Second Filing, Phase2 andbeing designatedonthe offi‐cialplanofsubdivision on file andofrecordin the office of theclerk and recorder of said parishand state, as lot numberseventy-three (73),saidsubdivision saidlot having such size shape anddimensions and beingsubject to suchservitudesasare shown on said map.

MUNICIPALADDRESSIS: 7112 RUEDAPHINE STREET,ADDIS, LA 70710 SEIZED IN THEABOVE SUIT.

TERMS OF SALE:CASHTO THE HIGHESTBIDDER WITHBENEFIT OF AP‐PRAISEMENT, ANDAC‐CORDING TO LAW.

JEFF BERGERON,SHERIFF PARISHOFWESTBATON ROUGE BY:ANGIE DELAUNE DEPUTYSHERIFF ADVERTISEINTHE ADVO‐CATEON: 7/24/25 & 8/21/25 $31.72

BATONROUGE STATEOF LOUISIANA SUIT NO.49917 BY VIRTUE OF AWRITOF SEIZURE ANDSALETO ME, DIRECTED BY THE HONORABLE THEEIGH‐TEENTH JUDICIAL DIS‐TRICT COURT, FORTHE PARISHOFWESTBATON ROUGE,INTHE ABOVE ENTITLEDCAUSE,I WILL PROCEED TO

ADVERTISEMENT FOR HYDROGENFUELING BARGE

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS/SUPPLIERS

Sealed bids will be received on Thursday,August 28, 2025, until 10:00 a.m. CST at the PortofSouthLouisiana at the Administrative Office, 1720 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana, 70084 or at www.centralbidding. com .Subsequent to receipt, the bid/bids will be evaluated by the appropriate party/parties and will be presented to the PortofSouth Louisiana for handlinginaccordance with the Revised Statutes of the Louisiana Public BidLaw Biddocumentsare posted on http://www.centralbididng com/. To view these, download, and receive bid notices by e-mail,you will have to register with Central Auction House (CAH).Vendors/Contractors have the optiontosubmittheir bids and bid bonds electronicallyorbypaper copy For information about the electronic submittal process, contact Central

Auction House at 1-866-570-9620. Bids received prior to the timeofthe scheduled bid opening will be securely kept unopened. No bid received after the scheduled timefor opening will be considered.

Project Description:One non-self-propelled, doublehulled, and subdivided as shown on plans. The mid-body is subdivided into five (5) maincargo tank pairs. The completed barge shall be certified by the United States Coast Guard(USCG) forcarriage of Methanol, aGrade C flammable liquid cargo, and to comply with applicable USCG Regulations in effect at the timeofcontract signing. The hullofthe vessel is to be built of steel using the longitudinal system of framing. Decks aretohave straight sheer and camber as shown on Contract Plans. Completeoutfitting, piping, electrical,etc.,systems aretobeinstalled. The barge shallbecapableofcarrying the following Grade Cand lower liquids The barge shallbecapable of loading at 6,000 BBL/hr and discharging at 1,000 gpm to asingle vessel or 500

APump House containing the generators and

An Office shall be located near amidships on the starboardside of the vessel. Space shall be reserved at both ends of the vessel outside the deck containment for four (4) equipment lockers, each with afootprint of approximately 8’xl2’ generallyasshown on Reference (A).

pid=591. Copies maybe obtained upon payment ofcostofcopying.Writ‐ten comments, including suggestions formodifi‐cations or objections to the proposed work and stating thereasons thereof,are beingso‐licited from thepublic. Commentsmustbere‐ceivedwithin25daysof the date of publicationof thisnotice. Comments shouldbeuploadedto our electronic record,but may be mailed or emailed to thedesig‐nated OCMReviewer. All commentsmustcontain the appropriateapplica‐tionnumberand the commenter's full name and contactinformation Any person mayrequest inwriting,withinthe comment period speci‐fied in this notice,that a State or Federalpublic hearing be held to con‐sider this application. Re‐questsfor public hear‐ingsshall state, with par‐ticularity, thereasons for holding apublichearing and must containthe nameand contactinfor‐mationofthe requester. Below arethe referenced application(s): OCM; P. O. Box 44487,Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4487; Phone: (225) 342-7358; Email: ontario. james@la.gov; OCMRe‐viewer: OntarioJames; CUPNUMBER: P20250520 Name:JeanLafitte Land‐ing c/oByLandOrSea Construction, Llc6001 FRANCEROADNEW OR‐LEANS,LA70126 Attn: Leigh Bock Location:Jef‐fersonParish, LA;Lat.2940- 54, Long.90-06-14; Bayou BaratariaIntra‐coastal Waterway;Sec‐tion 2, T16S-R23E; JonathanDavis Planta‐tion; Privateer Blvd Barataria,LA. Descrip‐tion: Proposal to con‐structa u-shaped dock/pier to protectboat whennot in use. No dredgeor fill required for access. 151012-JUL24-1T $27.42 SHERIFF’SSALE SUITNO. 49917 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐ING, LLCVS. CLARENCE SHIRLEY DAVIS, JR. AND TRENIADIXON SANDERS, INDEPENDENTTESTA‐MENTARY EXECUTRIXOF THE SUCCESSION OF CLARENCESHIRLEY DAVIS,SR. 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURTPARISHOFWEST

DURING SAID15-DAYPERIOD. PLEASE NOTE YOUMUST SUBMITALL INFORMA‐TIONCONCERNINGTHE VALUE OF YOUR PROP‐ERTYTOYOURASSESSOR BEFORETHE DEADLINE FOR FILING AN APPEAL WITHTHE BOARDOFRE‐VIEW. THEFAILURE TO SUBMITSUCHINFORMA‐TIONMAY PREVENTYOU FROMRELYING ON THE INFORMATIONSHOULD YOU PROTESTYOUR VALUE ChristopherP.Guerin, CLA West BatonRouge Assessor 225-344-6777 www.wbrassessor.org

CHARACTERISTIC VALUE

Length Overall 297’-0” Length Molded 297’-0”

Breadth54’-0”

The barge is to be completed in all respects, fully equipped and fittedout in accordance with the Drawings and Specifications and complying with all applicablerequirements of the U.S. Coast Guard(USCG).

submit proposals arerequired to attend. Bidders shall become

with the requirements of this project prior to submitting abid. STATEREQUIREMENTS La.R.S. 38:2212.1(C): Whenever apublic entity desires to purchase technical equipment, apparatus, machinery,materials, or supplies of a certaintype andsuchpurchases areclearlyinthe public interest, the public entity mayspecify aparticularbrand, make, or manufacturer in the specificationslet out for public bid as provided by this Part. If aparticular brand, make, or manufacturerisspecified, the modelorcatalog number also shall be specified.

Wherever in specifications the name of acertainbrand, make, manufacturer,ordefinite specification is utilized, the specifications shall state clearlythattheyare usedonly to denote the quality standardof product desired andthattheydonot restrict bidders to the specific brand, make, manufacturer,orspeci

FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS