The Advocate 07-29-2025 by The Advocate

EMSpushesbackonforcedmerger

Proposal to combinewithFireDepartment putonhold

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Baton Rouge paramedics are uneasy about the future of their jobs and beneﬁts as East Baton Rouge

Parish Mayor-President Sid Ed-

wardsmoves to merge thecity’s EmergencyMedical Services agency with theFire Department.

Edwards’ administration and top leaders in bothdepartments insist the transition won’tjeopardize anyone’sposition and will save the

city-parish money

But current and former EMS employees wonder how that’spossible, andare askingfor aclear plan on how this movewill actually work.

“There was an announcement,

and nobody has said very much after that,” said formerEMS DirectorMike Denicola. “How is this going to work? This has been tried in thepast, and each time it’sfailed.” Since themergerwas announced alittle more than amonth ago, enough unease hasmounted inside EMS that Edwards’ administration has slowed downthe change.

“We’veheardsome concern, so we said,‘Hey, let’spause things andlet’s talk through it so everybody can feel comfortable,” said Edwards’ chiefofstaff, LonVicknair.“We want to allbeonthe same page.”

Thatpause is welcome news to

ä See MERGER, page 5A

Texasfirmrenews push forwater from Toledo Bend

ToledoBendReservoir,built

Agency facesrenewed opposition from thosewho live near lake

BY DAVIDJ.MITCHELL Staff writer

The agency overseeing the state’sshare of the huge Toledo Bend Reservoir in centralwestern Louisiana islooking again at whether to sell water to private Texas investors and is facing renewed opposition from people wholive alongsideorotherwise count on the lake’swaters. Built as ajoint project by Texas and Louisiana in the 1960s for hydroelectric power, water supply and recreation, the 186,000-acre reservoir created from dammingthe Sabine

River is theﬁfth largest manmade lake in thenation, accordingtoagency materials. Straddling the Louisiana-

Texasborder,the jaggededgedreservoir hasbecome aboating,fishing and campingspotrimmed with lakeside homes, but also remains an ample sourceofwater in an increasinglywater-thirsty world.

Thecontroversy ledGov Jeff Landry to weighinlast week in an attempt to offer assurances that any deal would get the close local and state scrutiny that’sbeen in the law for more than adecade.

“There’sbeensomefalse reports on social media about selling Louisiana water outof state,” he wroteonsocial me-

dia. “I’d like to letyou allknow these reports have no merit there have been no changes to this process!”

Some of thesameTexas investors approached the agency,the Sabine River Authority of Louisiana,nearly 15 years agofor 600,000acre-feet annually for 50 years —three times theamount of water being sought now —but couldn’t win approval from then-Gov Bobby Jindal. Over thepastthree years, theyrenewed talks on anew proposal that wouldhave

ä See WATER, page 4A

BY HALEYMILLER Staff writer

After ﬁve months of competitive bowling 21 hours aday,the party is over in Baton Rouge.

More than 58,000 bowlers competed from March 1toMonday in theUnitedStatesBowling Congress Open Championships, bringinginaround $125 million for the city,according to statisticsfrom Visit Baton Rouge. City leaders had onewordtodescribe the ending of the convention, which required years of preparation and coordination between the city’stourism providers: bittersweet.

“I think theyjust oughta stay here, myself,” East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards said at anewsconference Monday.“But Ican’twait forthem to come back together,because it’s atremendous feel-good story for our city.”

Through theglass behind Edwards, at Raising Cane’sRiver Center,many bowlers played their ﬁnal games. Outside the arena, the sound of the sport wasunmistakable —the rhythmic thud of bowlingballs hittingthe oiledlanes,the high-pitched clatter of pins.

“I always go downwhen going to lunch or going downtown to stop and visit with them,tolearn about them, to ﬁndout their culture and where they’re from and all the exciting things theyenjoyed while they werehere in Baton Rouge,” Edwardssaid. “I’m gonna miss that.”

Hoteliersmarveledatthe im-

Israelistrikekills dozens in Gaza as aiddeliveryremains chaotic

Agencies warn of worsening starvation

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes or gunﬁre killed at least 78 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Monday,including apregnant woman whose baby was delivered afterher death but alsodied,local

health ofﬁcialssaid. Dozenswere killedwhile seeking food,evenas Israel moved to ease restrictions on theentryofaid. Under mountingpressure over the spiraling hunger crisis in Gaza, Israel said over theweekend that themilitarywould pause operationsinGaza City,Deir al-Balah and Muwasi for 10 hours aday and designate secure routesfor aid delivery.International airdrops of aid havealso resumed. Aid agencies saythe newmea-

ä TwoIsraeli rights groups say Israelcommittinggenocidein Gaza. PAGE 7A

sures arenot enough to counter worsening starvation in the territory. Martin Penner,a spokesperson for theU.N. food agency,told The Associated Press that all 55 of its aid trucks that entered on Sunday

ä See GAZA, page 5A

Palestinians inspectthe site struck by an Israeli bombardment in Muwasi, Khan younis, GazaStrip, on Monday.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

in the 1960s as ajoint project by Texas and Louisiana, is the fifthlargest manmadelakeinthe nation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM DAGGA

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trump moves to lift visa restrictions for Argentina

BUENOS AIRES Argentina The United States and Argentina on Monday announced that they are working on a plan to allow Argentine tourists to again travel to the U.S. without a visa.

It will likely take two to three years before visa-free travel becomes a reality for Argentine passport holders, but the Trump administration’s move to kickstart the process marked a show of support for President Javier Milei, its staunchest ally in South America and a darling of conservatives around the world.

The gesture coincided with a visit by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to Buenos Aires for closed-door meetings with Milei and his ofﬁcials.

Noem signed the statement of intent alongside Security Minister Patricia Bullrich in Milei’s ofﬁce.

The Department of Homeland Security praised Milei for reshaping Argentina’s foreign policy in line with the U.S

“Under President Javier Milei’s leadership, Argentina is becoming an even stronger friend to the United States — more committed than ever to border security for both of our nations,” the statement quoted Noem as saying.

This ﬁrst step toward Argentina’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program, it added, “highlights our strong partnership with Argentina and our mutual desire to promote lawful travel while deterring threats.”

The department cited Argentina as having the lowest visa overstay rate in the U.S. of any Latin American country County votes to release Uvalde shooting records

HOUSTON Leaders of the county where 19 students and two teachers were killed in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, voted Monday to release records related to the massacre, ending a yearslong legal battle over disclosure of the information.

Uvalde County commissioners voted 2-1 to release the records and to stop appealing a 2022 lawsuit that a group of media organizations including The Associated Press, had ﬁled seeking to make the information public.

The decision by commissioners came a week after the Uvalde district’s school board voted to release its records related to the deadly rampage, one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history

The group of media organizations had sued both the county and the school district for the release of the records.

County commissioners and the school district voted to release the records after a Texas appeals court on July 16 upheld a judge’s ruling that had ordered the information be made public. Both the county and the school district have not said when the records will be released.

Michigan university has moo-ving day for cattle

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Dozens of dairy cattle were on the moo-ve Monday at Michigan State University

About 80 cows hoofed it to their new home, the Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center, a $75 million facility the East Lansing school says will allow agriculture, veterinary and other students to learn on a modern farm that’s equipped to replicate the most high-tech operations in the world.

George Smith, who heads up Michigan State’s AgBioResearch department, called it a “21st century cattle drive.” Crews erected a fence between the two buildings and herded the animals via claps, calls and whistles.

The remaining 180 cows are expected to be herded to the new building on Tuesday

Michigan’s dairy industry leads the nation in milk production per cow, according to Smith, adding dairy also is the No. 1 contributor to the state’s agricultural economy

The new complex is significantly larger than the existing dairy farm, which was constructed in the 1960s and was so limited in space and equipment that researchers have a backlog of up to two years on funded projects.

At least 5 killed in Manhattan shooting

Sources say N.y. police officer among the dead at office building

BY PHILIP MARCELO and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

NEW YORK A shooting at a midtown Manhattan ofﬁce building on Monday left at least five people dead, including an off-duty New York City police officer, sources told the The Associated Press

The suspect was identified as Shane Tamura, of Nevada, two people briefed on the investigation told the AP Sources said he fatally shot himself.

Law enforcement ofﬁcials located identification on Tamura’s body, including a concealed carry permit from Las Vegas, the people said. The people were not authorized to discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The Fire Department of New York said emergency crews were called to the

Park Avenue office building about 6:30 p.m. for a report of someone shot The building houses some of the country’s top ﬁnancial ﬁrms and the National Football League.

Jessica Chen told ABC News she was watching a presentation with dozens of other people on the second ﬂoor when she “heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the

ﬁrst ﬂoor.”

She and others ran into a conference room and barricaded tables against the door

“We were honestly really, really scared,” she said, adding that she texted her parents to tell them that she loves them.

Mayor Eric Adams said multiple people were injured. He posted a clip to social media urging people

Trump says he’s shortening deadline for Russia to end war

President giving Putin 10 to 12 days to end killing in Ukraine

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

EDINBURGH, Scotland

President Donald Trump said Monday he is giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 to 12 days to stop the killing in Ukraine, shortening a 50-day deadline he had given the Russian leader two weeks ago. Russia ﬁred an overnight barrage of more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said, as the Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities continued despite Trump’s pressure for it to end. U.S.-led peace efforts have also failed to gain momentum.

Trump had said on July 14 that he would implement “severe tariffs” on Russia unless a peace deal is reached by early September On Monday, Trump said he would now give Putin 10 to 12 days, meaning he wants peace efforts to make progress by Aug. 7-9.

The plan includes possible sanctions and secondary tariffs targeting Russia’s trading partners.

The formal announcement would come later Monday or on Tuesday, Trump said.

“No reason in waiting,” Trump said of the shorter timeline. “We just don’t see any progress being made.” Putin has “got to make a deal. Too many people are dying,” Trump said during a visit to Scotland.

There was no immediate

response from Russia.

Trump repeated his criticism of Putin for talking about ending the war but continuing to bombard Ukrainian civilians.

“And I say, that’s not the way to do it,” Trump said.

He added, “I’m disappointed in President Putin.”

Asked at a news conference about a potential meeting with the Russian leader, Trump said: “I’m not so interested in talking anymore.”

Still, he voiced some reluctance about imposing penalties on the Kremlin, saying that he loves the Russian people. “I don’t want to do that to Russia,” he said, but he noted how many Russians, along with Ukrainians, are dying in the war

Ukraine has urged Western countries to take a tougher line with Putin.

Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential ofﬁce, thanked Trump for shortening the deadline.

“Putin understands only strength — and that has been conveyed clearly and loudly,” Yermak said on Telegram, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared the sentiment

A Russian drone blew out the windows of a 25-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, the head of the city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram. Eight people were injured, including a 4-year-old girl, he said.

The attack also started a ﬁre in Kropyvnytskyi, in central Ukraine, local ofﬁcials said, but no injuries were reported.

The main target of the Russian attack was Starokostiantyniv, in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine, the air force said. Regional authorities reported no damage or casualties.

Western Ukraine is on the other side of the country from the front line, and the Ukrainian military is believed to have signiﬁcant airﬁelds as well as arsenals and depots there.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out an overnight strike with long-range, airlaunched weapons, hitting a Ukrainian air base along with an ammunition depot containing stockpiles of missiles and components for drone production.

Suspect in Mich. Walmart stabbings charged with state terrorism count

BY ED WHITE Associated Press

DETROIT A Michigan prosecutor filed a terrorism charge Monday against a man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart store. The charge has been rarely used in the state’s courts since it was adopted more than 20 years ago during the national outrage over the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle

Moeggenberg said she believes the charge ﬁts because the weekend attack was intended to “put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis.” But proving that could be difﬁcult. Bradford Gille, 42, has a history of mental health problems. A judge signed an order Friday, the day before the attack, telling police to find him and take him to a hospital because he was considered a risk to himself or others.

Police said they were unable to ﬁnd him. Moeggenberg also filed attempted murder charges, one for each Walmart stabbing victim. A notguilty plea was entered for Gille, and bail was set at $100,000. Tobacco companies are “selling cigarettes with Fiberglas and chemicals in ’em just to kill off the population You can’t really accuse me of anything if you’re doing that,” Gille said in court

cludes ofﬁces of Blackstone and the consulate general of Ireland.

Some ﬁnance workers at an ofﬁce building down the block were picking up dinner at a corner eatery when they heard a loud noise and saw people running.

“It was like a crowd panic,” said Anna Smith, who joined the workers pouring back into the ﬁnance ofﬁce building. They remained there for about two hours before being told they could leave.

The building where the shooting happened is in a busy area of midtown, located a short walk north from Grand Central Terminal and about a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

still inside the ofﬁce building to stay put because police officers were conducting a floor-by-floor search. The Democrat said he’s headed to the hospital to speak with the family and loved ones of those involved.

Local TV footage showed lines of people evacuating the office building with their hands above their heads. The building in-

The city’s emergency management alert system warned of traffic delays, road closures and disruptions to public transportation in the area.

Through late July, New York City is on pace to have its fewest murders and fewest people hurt by gunﬁre than any year in recent decades.

Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo contributed from New York.

2 kids killed in Miami after barge collides with boat, officials say

BY JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press

Two kids were killed and two more are in critical condition after a barge struck their boat and sent them overboard during a sailing camp in Miami on Monday, authorities said. All six people on the sailing boat were pulled from the water by responders, and four kids were rushed to a nearby hospital where two were pronounced dead upon arrival, said Petty Ofﬁcer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard.

The six — one adult and five children were in their last week of the sailing camp for kids from 7 to 15 years old, according to

the Miami Yacht Club.

“The entire MYC family is devastated by this terrible tragedy,” said Emily Copeland, the commodore of the yacht club, in a statement. Two of the six who were rescued were in “good condition,” Strasburg said. Last year, there were over 550 deaths in recreational boating of which 43 were caused by vessels crashing into each other, according to Coast Guard statistics.

The boats collided near Star Island, which runs between Miami Beach and Miami in Biscayne Bay, said Arielle Callender, a regional spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in a statement.

PHOTO PROVIDED By UKRAINIAN EMERGENCy SERVICE

Firefighters put out a blaze Monday in a fire department school after a Russian attack in Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANGELINA KATSANIS

A New york police officer stands watch Monday on 52nd Street outside a Manhattan office building in New york where at least five people were killed in a shooting, including a police officer, according to sources.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDy BARRON

Police respond Monday to a shooting outside the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev.

Authorities say a gunman killed two people and wounded three others before being taken into custody.

Police: Shooter opens fire at Reno casino

Authorities say 2 killed, 3 hurt; suspect in custody

BY ANDY BARRON and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

RENO, Nev A gunman opened ﬁre Monday outside the largest casino in Reno, Nevada, killing two people and wounding three others before being taken into custody, ofﬁcials said.

The suspected shooter at the Grand Sierra Resort was among those transported to a hospital, said Dr Chad Kingsley, district health ofﬁcer for the Northern Nevada Public Health Department.

Ofﬁcers arrived less than three minutes after the ﬁrst shots rang out and fired at the suspect, police said in a statement. Authorities did not release the conditions of the suspect or the three oth-

ers who were injured.

The resort is one of Reno’s most prominent venues, hosting concerts, sporting events and a campaign rally by President Donald Trump before the 2024 election.

Near the California border and just northeast of Lake Tahoe, the town is a popular summer tourist destination.

Hotel guests heard several shots coming from the resort’s valet area around 7:30 a.m.

Michael Sisco, 60, said he was in his room and about to head to the valet for his car when he heard popping sounds. He looked out his window and saw people screaming and running from the valet area

He said he saw a man holding his stomach and staggering before falling motionless next to a car. Sisco moved away from the window as the gunshots continued.

“A half-hour after the incident I started shaking because I realized I could’ve been there,” he said. “That’s

exactly where I was going.”

Christina Martinez heard the shots just as she was stepping onto an elevator in the lobby and they were still going off when she stepped out onto the 18th ﬂoor

Someone in a neighboring room told her there was a gunman right outside the main entrance, near where Martinez said she was getting coffee just moments before.

“I feel very blessed, but that’s kind of why I had a panic attack,” she said. “I was like, oh my God. I was just there.”

Hours after the shooting, the entrance inside the casino leading to the valet area was roped off to guests and privacy screens were placed in front of the glass doors to block the view outside.

In addition to those who were killed and the people taken to the hospital, three more were treated for minor injuries at the resort, according to Devon Reese, chair of the Board of Health in northern Nevada.

Trump says he ended friendship

with Epstein over stealing workers

President says disgraced financier ‘stole people that worked for me’

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Monday that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and threw the now-disgraced ﬁnancier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him. Trump did not say what his employees did or where they worked, and the White House declined further comment. But the White House had previously offered a different explanation for the falling-out. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement last week: “The fact is that the President

kicked him out of his club for being a creep.” Epstein killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafﬁcking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death before Trump returned to power and are now struggling to manage the fallout after the Justice Department said Epstein did in fact die by suicide and that it would not release additional documents about the case.

The president and his allies, some of whom are now in the administration, had promised to release the ﬁles.

The case has dogged Trump at home and abroad and even followed Vice President JD Vance during an appearance in his home state of Ohio on Monday A small group of protesters assembled outside a factory in Canton that Vance toured, holding signs that spelled out “JD Protects Pe-

dophiles” and indicating that “GOP” stands for “Guardians Of Pedophiles.”

The Republican president spoke at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland, as he sat with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after the leaders had met and were answering questions from U.S. and U.K. journalists. Asked to explain why the relationship had faltered, Trump said, “That’s such old history, very easy to explain, but I don’t want to waste your time by explaining it.”

He then explained, saying he stopped talking to Epstein after “he did something that was inappropriate.”

“He hired help and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’” Trump said. “He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.”

“I threw him out and that was it. I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth,” Trump added.

Judge blocks Trump’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

A federal judge on Monday ruled Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding as the nation’s largest abortion provider fights President Donald Trump’s administration over efforts to defund the organization in his signature tax legislation. The new order replaces a previous edict handed down by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston last week. Talwani initially granted a preliminary injunction specifically blocking the government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood members that didn’t provide abortion care or didn’t meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year

“Patients are likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable,” Talwani wrote in her Monday order “In particular, restricting Members’ ability to provide health care services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs.”

A provision in Trump’s tax bill instructed the federal government to end Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023, even to those like Planned Parenthood that also offer medical services like contraception, pregnancy tests and STD testing.

Although Planned Parenthood is not specifically

named in the statute, which went into effect July 4, the organization’s leaders say it was meant to affect their nearly 600 centers in 48 states However, a major medical provider in Maine and likely others have also been hit. In her Monday order, Talwani said that the court was “not enjoining the federal government from regulating abortion and is not directing the federal government to fund elective abortions or any health care service not otherwise eligible for Medicaid coverage.” Instead, Talwani said that her decision would block the federal government from excluding groups like Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements when they have demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success in their legal challenge.

U.N. report shows rise in Africa’s food insecurity

By The Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda Food insecurity is rising in many parts of Africa, with the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet surpassing 1 billion some two-thirds of the continent’s population — in 2024, according to a United Nations report published Monday

The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecu-

rity in Africa is more than double the global average of 28%, whereas ﬁgures from Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Oceania don’t reach that mark, the report said.

The annual report, produced by ﬁve U.N. agencies, analyzes trends in efforts to achieve the goal of zero hunger around the world by 2030 Those agencies include the World Health Or-

ganization, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program. An estimated 8.2% of the global population may have faced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022, a positive trend that “contrasts with the steady rise in hunger in most subregions of Africa” and in western Asia, or parts of the Middle East and South Asia, the report said.

By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Studiesconsistentlyshowthatteacher retention is an importantfactordirectlyimpacting student learning, school stability, andthe overallhealth of an educationsystem.Increased retentioncan lead to stronger relationships betweenstudents andeducators,improvedacademicoutcomes, and feweroverall disruptions. Fordistricts,itcan mean lowerhiringandtrainingcosts,andtheopportunity to create stronger career developmentpathways forteachers.

“The districtsthathavebeensuccessful aboutincreasingretention focusonmakingthe jobrewarding.Theyknowtheyhavetoprovide compensation,recognition,collaboration,and leadership to keep teachers,” said KristanVan Hook,seniorvicepresident of policy at theNational Institutefor Excellence in Teaching. “Thattrickles downtothestudents.Whenschoolshaveastructure with better supportfor teachers,there is astronger senseofteamwork. It shifts thefocus to creating a greatclassroom lesson forstudentsinthe room.”

TheEastBaton RougeParishSchoolSystem is facing significantchallengeswhenitcomes to teacherretention.ArecentreportfromSSA Consultantsshowedthatnearlyone in four East BatonRougeteachersleaveeachyear.Thatrepresents a23percent attritionrate, well aboveLouisiana’s statewide13percent Theconsultants foundthatamainfactordriving teachers outofEastBaton RougeParishschools is pay.Amongtheirﬁndingsisthatthedistrict’ssystem ofeducation-andlength-of-service-basedpayscales is notonlyoverlycomplex,but ultimately yields meager opportunitiesfor wage growth over time

“EBRPSSpayrangesareoverlycomplicated,”the report added. “There aretoo many payrangesfor singularpositions,whichcomplicatescompensation calculations andadministrative management of thepay scales.Current stepsonthe payranges arenot indicative of experience or skillwithin position.Theyare notaccurateindicatorsofwage growth over time andcan be difficult to convey to prospectiveemployees.”

In particular,the report showsEastBaton Rouge Parish strugglestoretainteachersearly in their career.Infact,sevenoutof10teachersinthedistrict leave within ﬁveyears of beinghired

Dr.Heather Peske, presidentofthe National CouncilonTeacher Quality, said otherdistricts that have struggledtokeepnewer teachers have createdmorenuanced compensation models Forexample, theremay be increasedsalariesfor teachers whoworkinsubjectsorgrade levels with themostneed, includingspecial education, schools with under-resourcedstudent populationsand STEM-related ﬁelds.

“Anotherstrategywe’veseenistoshiftthebiggest payincreases to earlier in ateacher’s career where it couldpotentially have more impact on retention,” Dr.Peske said.“Afterthree or ﬁveyears,teachers areoften lookingaroundwiththeir peersfrom collegeand seeing wheretheir compensation is.Itis astrategyinsomeplacestoshiftthosepayincreases toearlier yearswhenteachersaredebatingwhether to stay in theprofession.

LauraVinsant,executive director of Teachfor AmericaGreater BatonRouge,saidsomestates arealsoexploring ways to improvecompensation asidefrombasesalaries. In particular,Vinsant said thereisincreasingdialogueabout ensuring affordablehousing foreducators,especiallythose whoare newtothe profession “Inaworld wherewesometimes trytosolve forcompensationissueswithstipends, solutions

around housingorother ﬁnancial incentives can be helpful,”Vinsant said.“Thebeautyofasolution like that is that it engagesbusinessstakeholders andcommunity leaders.”

Inaddition,manydistrictsareworkingtoimprove otherbeneﬁts forteachers, such as paid parental leave.Vinsant said states such as Tennesseehave seen improved retentionbyenactingsuchpolicies.

“Itcanbediscouragingtofeellikeyourcompensation is lowerthanitwould be in anotherprofessionand then notfeelsupported when youwanttohaveand care foryourown children,” shesaid. “I think if Louisianacould ﬁnda waytoreallytakethatonand fund it,wewould seebetterretention.”

Dr.Peske said that asidefromcompensation, studieshaveshownthatteachersstayintheprofession longer when they beginwithastrongfoundation of teaching skills andhaveopportunities to buildon thoseskillsthrough collaborationand mentorship with fellow educators.

“Thatmeans making sure teachers have the knowledgetheyneedtoteach well once they get into theclassrooms, andhave access to highqualitystudent teachingexperiencestopractice andbecomestrongerteachers,”she said.“Once they areinthe classroom, districtsand schools canhelpbymatchingthemtohigh-qualitymentor teachers.Thisalsoincreases theirrates of staying in classrooms.Ithink it’s also importanttoensure astrongmatch betweenateacher’s knowledgeand interest with thesubjectsand gradelevelswhere they areteaching. In theirreporttoEastBaton RougeParish, SSA Consultantsoffered severalrecommendations to improveteacher retention. Themostsigniﬁcant suggestionisforthedistricttooverhaulitspayscale tobetteralignwithbestpractices,createpayranges that providefor appropriatecompensationgrowth over time,and create aprocess to review allwages annually,takingintoaccount factors such as cost of living andinﬂation.

AlthoughLouisianaasawholehasseenimprovement in teacher retention–the number of teachers who left droppedto13percent last year,compared to 15 percentthe year before–state leadersand educationadvocateshavealsorecognizedthatwhile compensation is important, it won’t solvethisissue alone. Launched by StateSuperintendentDr. Cade Brumley, theLet Teachers Teachworkgroup has issued acomprehensive list of recommendationsto improveteacher retention. Thegroup’s suggestions include:

•Tailorprofessionalgrowthplans

•Makecollaboration meetings worthwhile

•Ensureample time for classroompreparation

•Shift thetimingofmandatedtrainings,with possible exemptions forteacherswho pass certainpre-tests

•Giveteacherstheabilitytoremovestudentswho areregularlydisruptive,andplacestudentswith repeated behavior problems at alternativesites so they canreceiveadequatesupport

•Payteachersforadditionalnon-academicwork, such as extracurricularactivityduties.

•Eliminate theneedtoreadverbatimfrom teachingmanuals,givehighly-ratedteachers more professionalautonomyand modernize lesson plan requirements

Nationalexpertssaidthoseactionswouldrepresent positive stepsinthe rightdirection.Combinedwith equitablecompensationandbeneﬁtspackages,many areoptimisticthatEastBaton RougeParishand Louisianacan seemoreteachersstaying in more classrooms in thecomingyears

“Louisiana standsoutasastatethathasinvested inhigh-qualityinstructionalmaterialsandsupport topromoteteacherleadershipandcollaboration,”Van Hooksaid.“Now,weseethemtacklingevaluationon astate

BOWLING

Continued from page1A

pactofthe event, which brought EastBaton Rouge Parish hotel occupancy up by 6% compared with last year during aseason typically characterizedbyeconomic slowdown. Nathaniel Tannehill, general manager of theevent’sheadquarters hotel, Hilton Baton Rouge CapitolCenter,said his business

had more than 9,000 room nights and $1.5 million inrooms revenue from thebowlingchampionships.

“The heat of thesummer,it’s aslower time for thehospitalityindustry,” Tannehill said. The championships were “really able to drive June and July,seeing revenues that we typicallywouldn’t see and occupancies thatwetypically wouldn’t see.”

Before the championshipstarted,Visit BatonRouge officials said theevent would have theeco-

nomic impact of about seven big home LSUfootball games. Games against major rivals add about $18 million to thelocal economy This is thethird time Baton Rouge hashosted the giant national bowling event in the past 20 years. Thecity alsohosted theUnited States BowlingCongress Women’s Championship in 2017.

UnitedStates Bowling Congress communications manager Aaron Smithsaid this year saw

the organization’sbestevent attendance since 2012 —also the lasttime Baton Rouge hosted the tournament.

“That speaks to the drawing power of this community,” Smith said. “The bowlers want to come out to Baton Rouge.”

Salvageablematerials from tournamentsetup will be donated to the Baton Rouge community, Smith said, such as the stands erected for spectators. Bowling-speciﬁc structures, like

pin structuresand lanes, will be sold to bowling centers around thecountry,hesaid.

Thebowlingcongress is grateful to Baton Rouge residents and businesses for their hospitality over the past 150 days, Smith said.

“It’sbeen aphenomenal run,” Smith said. “We’re very thankful to everybody who’shelped support along the way.

Email HaleyMillerathaley miller@theadvocate.com.

graduallyincreased withdrawals over 30 years to 600,000 acre-feet, according to agency documents, but an earlier letter of intent for that deal expired lastfall.

Now the company,Aqueduct Partners LP of Dallas, is offering to seek one-third of the ﬁnal withdrawal total from the previous request, authority officials said. HenryGoodeauxII, the authority board chairman, appointed a six-member board committee last week to eventuallyrecommend whether to engage in renewed discussions with Aqueduct Partners.

Someresidents question the wisdom of selling Louisiana waterto another state, whether theamount agreed upon would eventually expand and if the price would be worth it. They also ask if the alreadywell-funded agency needs the new revenue and, most of all, are concerned water levels could be lowered too muchand harm the lakeand the recreation on it

“Once that valve opens, it will never closeagain because it’sbeing used for human consumption,” said Shane Sloane, 54, aLafayette insurance agent whose family has alongtime lake home.

The self-funded agency ended ﬁscal 2024 with anearly $110 million surplus, about $35.4 million of which hasn’tbeen set aside for speciﬁc needs, accordingtoanaudit.

Agency officials said the pipeline that the company is proposing could take eightto10yearsto build before the ﬁrst drop of water is withdrawn —and that would come after apotentiallylengthy review andstate approval process.

“When it comes down to it, they maysay,‘We can’t do that,’”Goodeaux said. Calls to thelisted agent forthe companyweren’treturned.

‘That’sthe difference’

Officials with the state authority say the 200,000 acre-feet per year being sought amounts to a small percentage that flows downstream throughthe reservoirfor powergeneration or theoverflow spillway

They argue water saleswould be many times more lucrativethan using the same volume for hydropower.Theyalsonoteitcould providea ﬁnancial hedgeagainst an aginghydroelectric system in a morecompetitive electricity market that has the authority down to onepower buyer

In arecent presentationonthe proposal, Warren Founds III, executive director of theauthority, explained that Louisiana’sshare of the water sales would generate $7.2 million per year. Water sales, already about half of theauthority’sannual revenue, would go up by 80%,accordingtoaudits.

The same volume of water currently generates$225,000 for the authority’sshare of electrical sales.

“So that’sthe difference that we’re talkingabout when we look at ouroperationsand why the river authorityand past boardswould have everdirectedwhoever was in my place right here to, ‘You ought to be looking at water sales towardsyourfuture,’”Founds said.

The full volumeofthe water sales would be worth $14.4 million peryear, authority ofﬁcials said, split with theauthority’scompanionagency,the Sabine RiverAuthority of Texas, as the electricity fees currently are.

TheLouisiana andTexas authorities split the reservoir water 50-50. Eachhas theright to sell about 1 million acre-feet of water from behind thedam but must divide the revenues, authority ofﬁcials said.

TheLouisiana authority sells around 36,000 acre-feet per year from its allocation to Louisianausers, International Paper and small local water systems, including for Many,Logansport and Mansﬁeld Theagencyalsosells water once it leaves thereservoir through a diversion canal to industrial plants andcommunities in the Lake Charles area.

The reservoir can hold nearly 4.5 million acre-feet of water and has, on average,another 4million acre-feet pass through thesystem each year.About 80% of that additional amount is used for electrical generation, according to authority documents.

Goodeaux explained that if the full year’sworth of proposed withdrawalsfor Texasweretaken allat once, this 200,000 acre-feet would lower thereservoir levels by 13 inches, or aboutaninchper month.

“I will lose more than that in evaporation this time of year,” he said. “This amountiskind of trivial on thelake.”

At thesametime,the reservoir has experienced droughts where ﬂowthrough thelakewas abouta quarterofthe 4millionacre-foot average.

During the 2011 drought, reservoir water levels dropped more than 12 feet from theoperational peak. Those reductions were exacerbated, however,because the lake was lowered by 3feet for previously planned reservoir repairs, authority ofﬁcials said.

Under state law and federal licensing requirements, the authority must maintain relativestability

in lake levels following legislative andother changes in the 2000s Thereservoir’s operationalrange for electrical power generation hasbeen narrowed from the designed 10 feet of play to 4feet during typical conditions. Exceptions exist for power and other emergencies.

Astatewide plan?

Toledo Bend isn’tthe only place where tensions have emerged over sharing water amongpeople, business and agriculture.

In BatonRouge,concernsabout saltwater intrusion into the region’sprimary drinking water aquifer havespurred years of debate over whether big industrial users should continue to use the underground resource when theMississippi River is nearby TheChicot andSparta aquifers in southwestand northeastLouisiana have hadtheir ownstresses over heavy use.

In 2020, seeing those problems and the potential for water-needy states to pursue Louisiana water, the state Legislative Auditor’sOffice recommended the state develop awater management plan, in part, to determine what Louisiana’sneeds would be in the future and the value of its water

Thereport speciﬁcally citedthe failed 2011 proposal to ship apiece of Louisiana’s share of Toledo BendReservoir water to Texas.

The state never created that recommended plan, state natural resource ofﬁcials said, but the Legislature added layers of approval for anyfuture out-of-state deal from Toledo Bend.

In additiontothe authority board,two-thirds of the six parishesthat borderthe reservoir must back thedeal, along with the House and Senate natural resource

committees and the governor.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commissionmust also weigh in if the volume ever exceeds 1million acre-feet per year

As news of renewed interest in the deal spread, state ofﬁcials reiteratedthatlaw in an attempt to address false rumors that recently adopted legislation, Act 458, vested total authority over such asalewiththe state Department of Energy and Natural Resources secretary

“The law does not weaken or eliminate any of the multiple safeguards or approval steps required by law,” the agency statement says.

Goodeaux, the authority chairman, said it will probably be ﬁve to six months before the committee and full board even decide whether to restart talks on aletter of intent with Aqueduct Partners.

The 78-year-old, whohas been on the board for19years and lives along Toledo Bend, says he’sasinterested as anyone in ensuring the lake remains as it is forhis grandchildren.

“Theycome up now, but Iwant them to comeupeven after I’m gone andstill have it just like it is now,” Goodeaux said.

Those assurances aren’t enough forsome residents.

Bernie Sloane, 77,who is Shane Sloane’s father andhas owned the family homeonToledo Bend for 27 years, said he can’tunderstand why authority officials haven’t already gotten the message that residents don’twantout-of-state sales.

“What has to happen to stop this once and forall is that we need to pass legislation,” he said. Email DavidJ.Mitchellat dmitchell@theadvocate.com.

names of allhouseholdmembers; theamount of income(before deductions fortaxes, Social Security, etc.)each household member receives; how oftenthe personreceives theincome; whereitisfrom, such as wages, retirement,orwelfare;the signatureofanadult household member certifying that theinformation provided is correct;and thelast four digits of thesocialsecuritynumberofthe adulthousehold member whosigned theapplication, or astatement that thehouseholdmember does not possess one.

Childrencategorized as foster,homeless, runaway,migrant,orenrolledinstate-funded Head Start or Even Start programs, if known,are automatically eligible forfreemeals. School officialswill determineeligibilityfor free mealsbased on documentationobtained directly from theprogram office and notify thehousehold of theireligibilityfor benefits.The household must notifythe school if it chooses to declinebenefits. The householdshouldcompleteanapplicationifthey arenot notified of free meal eligibilityby: September 18, 2025. If ahousehold member becomesunemployed or if thehousehold size increases, thehouseholdshouldcontact theschool.Such changes maymake thechildrenofthe household eligible formeal benefits

Underthe provisions of thefreeand reduced pricepolicy, AprilKurtz (DeterminingOfficial)will review applications and determineeligibility. If aparent or guardian is dissatisfied with therulingofthe official,hemay wish to discuss thedecision with thedeterminingofficial on an informal basis.Ifthe parent wishes to make aformalappeal,hemay make either an oral or writtenresponsetothe following AngelaSanders, 11576 Sullivan Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70818, phone225-262-1919.

Thepolicycontainsanoutlineofthe hearingprocedures.

In accordance with federalcivil rights lawand USDA civilrightsregulations and policies, theUSDA, itsagencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administeringUSDA programsare prohibited from discriminatingbased on race, color,national origin,religion, sex, disability, age, maritalstatus, family/parental status, income derived from apublic assistance program,political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation forprior civilrights activity, in any program or activityconducted or funded by USDA (not allbases applytoall programs).Remediesand complaint filingdeadlines vary by program or incident

Personswithdisabilitieswho requirealternativemeans of communicationfor program information(e.g.,Braille,large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.)shouldcontact thestate or local agency that administersthe program or contact

MERGER

Continued from page1A

Denicola and others, whosay they need clarity

“How is this going to be effective when nobody reallyknows? That’s what’sscary.Iworry it’samoney grab,” he said.

‘Rolloverand take it

More than amonth ago, Edwards announced the merger,callingita move that willreduce duplication between the two agenciesand create a“more unified and responsive” emergency services system in Baton Rouge.

Edwards, interimEMS Director Chris Landryand Baton Rouge Fire Department ChiefMichael Kimble have each repeatedly said that employeeswillnot lose their jobs. Edwards has said EMS employees will beneﬁt by entering the Fire Department’sservice system,

with more structured promotion and protections.

But East Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Services Paramedic Association President Janice Willard wondershow savingsare possible if everyone is keeping their jobs and beneﬁts.

“We’ve been told, ‘Your promotion potential andyourrankstructure won’t change.’ So, where is the money being saved then?” Willard said. “If nothing is changing other than we are now answering to the ﬁrechief, what’seven the point?”

Willard acknowledgedthat merging thetwo agencies might indeed be the best thing for Baton Rougeifitisdone correctly. But she andothers needtoknow more about how it’sgoing to work before they can endorseit, she said.

“Perception is reality,and right now, theperception for themajority of EMS is that we’re being told, ‘Thisiswhat’sgoing to happen,’ andwejust have to roll over and

comment on most of the strikes. It said it was not aware of one strike in Gaza City during thepause that health ofﬁcials said killed one person.

takeit,” she said.

Theparamedicsassociation issued asurvey following themerger announcementand the results echoed Willard’sunease.

Of the 139 employees surveyed, just 15 said they supported the merger,while 31% said they were against it and 58% said they needed more information.

Willard herself moved to BatonRouge from Idaho to work for the parish’ssystem,asitprovided moremodern servicesand trainings than what is givento paramedics in EMS systems elsewhere.

“We’re providing this really phenomenal service to the parish,” Willardsaid. “I don’twant to lose thosethings. Idon’twant to lose the continuation of those services moving forward.”

Will budgetschange?

In 2023, EMS renewed its10-year property taxof3.1 mills,which is worthabout $16 millioninrevenue

forthe department eachyear. A mill is $1 of tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.

On Monday,Edwards’ assistant chief administrative ofﬁcer Jeff LeDuff said that money will remain with EMS after the merger

“The merger is only intended to make EMSa division on the Baton Rouge Fire Department with the same duties and commitment to public safety,” he said.

Denicola —who retiredthis year after serving as EMS director for 41/2 years —said he’sworried about who will be in control of the agency’sﬁnances going forward.

“Wewere never in the red, we were in the black, and didn’towe anybody money,” he said, pointing out that EMS has kept its sametax ratesince the 1980s.

If the merger is completed, the former director wonders if EMS will eventually lose its financial controland move into the cityparish’sgeneral fund.

Outside of mutual aidagree-

ments for things like hazard mitigation and arson investigations, theFireDepartmentlargely serves the city of Baton Rouge, while EMS provides services parishwide. Denicola and Willard both say that the reconciliation of those two jurisdictions is another questionthathehopes theadministration will address.

The civil serviceboardwas set to vote on the next steps in the merger process on Monday.But, at the request of Edwards’ staff, it paused thatvotefor 30 daystogive more time to assuage EMS workers’ concerns.

Willard is thankful forthe deferment, but said it’snow timefor Edwards’ ofﬁcetotalkwith herand others in EMS whohave lingering worries about job security

“Awesome, we’ve pumpedthe brakes,” Willard said.“Butlet’s have an actual conversation. Right now,Ican’tgive anybody those assurances, because Idon’teven have them.”

were unloaded by crowds before reaching their destination. Another U.N. ofﬁcial said nothingonthe ground has changed and no alternative routes wereallowed Israel said it would continuemilitary operations alongsidethe new humanitarian measures.

Ababy girl died hours after being delivered in acomplex emergency caesarean. She hadbeen placed in an incubator and was breathing with assistance from a ventilator,according to AP footage. Hermother, Soad al-Shaer,who had been seven monthspregnant with her,was among 12 Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike on ahouse and neighboring tents in the Muwasi areaofKhan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.

Another strike hit atwo-story house in Khan Younis, killing at least 11 people, more than half of them women and children, according to the hospital.Atleast ﬁve others were killed in strikes elsewhere in Gaza, according to other hospitals.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to arequest for

Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deathson Hamas because the militants operateindenselypopulated areas.

The daily airstrikes across the territory frequently kill women and children

Images of emaciated children have sparked outragearound the world, includingfrom Israel’s close allies. President Donald TrumponSunday called theimages of emaciated and malnourished children in Gaza “terrible.”

Trump on Monday expressed concern over theworsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged Israel toget people food, seeminglyrecalibrating his stance on Gazaasimages of emaciated children have sparked renewed worries abouthunger in the war-

torn territory

Trump, speaking in Scotland on Monday, said that the U.S. and other nationsare giving money and food to Gaza but that Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has “got to sort of like run it.”

“I want himtomake sure they get the food,” Trump said. “I want to make sure they get thefood.”

His remarks marked anew di-

vergence from Netanyahu after thetwo leaders had become closer following theirnations’ join strikes in Iran.

The U.S. president was asked if he agreed withNetanyahu’scommentsonSundayinwhichthe Israeli leader said, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.”

“I don’tknow,” Trumpreplied Monday. “I mean, based on television, Iwould say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”

Israel has restricted aid to varying degrees throughout the war In March, it cutoff theentry of allgoods, including fuel, food and medicine,topressure Hamas to free hostages.

Israel partially liftedthose restrictions in May but also pushed ahead on anew U.S.-backed aid delivery system thathas been wracked by chaos and violence. Traditional aid providers have encountered abreakdown in law and order surrounding their deliveries COGAT, theIsraelimilitary body in charge of coordinating aid shipments, said U.N. agencies collected 120 trucksfor distribution on Sunday and that another 180 trucks had been allowed intoGaza. The United Nations andaid groups saythe territory needs 500-600 trucks aday to meet its

needs. Israel’sblockade and military operations have destroyed nearlyall food productioninthe territory of roughly 2millionPalestinians.

Also on Monday, twoair force planes from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped 17 tons of humanitarian aidinGaza —an amount that would ﬁllless than a single aid truck Aidgroups say airdrops are often ineffectiveand dangerous, with falling parcelslanding on people or in combat zones or other dangerousareas.

“Atthe moment, 2million peopleare trapped in atiny piece of land, which makes up just 12% of thewhole strip —ifanything lands in this area, people will inevitably be injured,” said Jean Guy Vataux, emergency coordinator in Gaza forDoctors Without Borders.

“If the airdrops land in areas where Israel has issued displacementorders, people will be forced to enter militarized zones —once again risking their lives forfood,” he added.

Thehead of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees,Philippe Lazzarini, warned thatairdrops are “expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,” and would not address the crisis.

At least 25 people were killed

by Israeliforces while seeking aid from atruck convoy passing through the southern Gaza Strip, accordingtohealthofﬁcialsand witnesses.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military

Four children were among those killed, according to records at Nasser Hospital,which received the bodies. The shooting occurred in amilitarycorridorIsrael has carved out between the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. It wasnot immediatelyclear who had supplied the convoy Survivors at the hospital said Israeli forces had fired toward the crowds. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killedbyIsraelifire while seeking aidsinceMay,according to the U.N. humanrights office, witnesses and local health officials.

The Israeli military has said it only ﬁres warning shots at people whoapproach its forces.

The Awda hospitalincentral Gaza said it receivedthe bodies of seven Palestinians who it said were killed by Israeli ﬁre close to an aid distribution site runbythe Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor.The hospitalsaid20others werewoundedclose to thesite. GHFdid not immediately respond to arequest forcomment.

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street ends

Monday nearly flat U.S. stock indexes drifted througha quietMonday after the United States agreed to tax cars and other products coming from the European Union at a15% rate, lower than President Donald Trump had earlier threatened. Many details of the trade dealare still to be worked out, andWall Street is heading intoaweekfullofpotential flashpoints that could shake markets.

The S&P 500 was nearly ﬂat and edged up by less than 0.1% to setanall-time high fora sixth straight day.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 64 points, or 0.1%,while theNasdaq composite added 0.3% to its ownrecord.

Tesla rose 3% after its CEO, Elon Musk, said it signed adeal with Samsung Electronics that couldbeworth more than$16.5 billion to providechips for the electric-vehicle company.Samsung’sstock in South Korea jumped 6.8%.

Other companies in the chip and artificial-intelligenceindustries were strong, continuing their run from last week after Alphabet said it wasincreasing itsspendingonAI chips and other investments to $85 billion this year.Chipcompany AdvancedMicro Devices rose4.3%, and server-maker Super Micro Computer climbed 10.2%

But an 8.3% drop forRevvity helped to keep the market in check.The companyinthe life sciencesand diagnostics businesses reported astronger proﬁt for the latest quarter than Wall Street expected, but its forecast for full-yearproﬁt disappointed analysts. Russian airline victim of cyberattack

Acyberattack on Russian airline Aeroflot has causeda major outage, leading to more than 100 flight cancellations and delays.

On Monday,Russia’s prosecutor’sofﬁce conﬁrmed the incident. Ukrainian hacker group SilentCrow and Belarusian group Belarus Cyber-Partisans claimed responsibility.The attack is one of the most disruptive since Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Images showed crowded scenes at Moscow’sSheremetyevo airport. Most affected ﬂights were domestic,but some internationalﬂightswerealso canceled.

Silent Crow claims to have accessed Aeroﬂot’snetwork for a year,copying sensitive data. Russia has opened acriminal investigation.

Tariffs threaten Asian beauty product boom

South Korea is one ofthe countries that hopes to secure atrade deal beforethe Aug. 1 datePresidentDonald Trump setfor enforcingnation-speciﬁc tariffs. Anot-insigniﬁcant sliceofthe U.S. populationhas skin in thegamewhen it comes to Seoul avoiding a25% dutyon its exports.

Asian skin care has been a booming global business for a more than adecade, with consumers in Europe,North and South America, and increasingly the Middle East, snapping up creams, serums and balms from South Korea, Japan and China

In the United States and elsewhere, Korean cosmetics, or K-beauty for short, have dominated the trend. Acraze for all-in-one “BB creams” acombination of moisturizer, foundation and sunscreen morphed into afascinationwith 10-step rituals and ingredients like snail mucin, heartleaf and rice water.

Vehicles and electronics may be South Korea’stop exportsto the U.S. by value, but the countryshipped more skincare andcosmetics to the U.S. than any other last year,according to data from market research company Euromonitor.France, with storied beauty brandslike L’Oreal and Chanel, wassecond, Euromonitorsaid.

U.S.-EUtrade deal wards offescalation

BY DAVID MCHUGH, SAMMCNEIL and SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press

FRANKFURT,Germany— U.S. President DonaldTrump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15%tariffsonmost European goods, warding off Trump’sthreat of a30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1.

The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buyEuropean productscouldraise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their

partners whobring goods intothe country Trump andvon derLeyen’s announcement,made during Trump’s visit to one of his golf courses in Scotland, leaves many crucial details to be ﬁlled in.

The headline ﬁgure is a15% tariff rate on about 70% of European goodsbrought intothe U.S., including cars, computer chips and pharmaceuticals. It’slower than the 20%thatTrump initiallyproposed, andlower than his threats of 50% and then 30%. The remaining 30% of goods are stillopen to further decisions and negotiations.

Vonder Leyensaidthatthe two sidesagreed on zero tariffs on both sides for arange of “strategic” goods: Aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, semicon-

ductor equipment, certain agricultural productsand some natural resources andcritical raw materials. Speciﬁcs were lacking. Shesaidthat thetwo sides “would keep working” to add more productstothe list. Additionally,companies in the European Union would purchase what Trump said was $750 billion worth of natural gas, oil and nuclear fuel over three years to replace Russianenergy supplies that Europe is seeking to exit anyway Meanwhile,European companieswould invest an additional $600 billion in the U.S. under a politicalcommitment that isn’tlegally binding, ofﬁcials said. Brussels and Washington will shortly issueajoint statementthat frames the deal but isn’tyet le-

gallybinding,according to senior ofﬁcials whoweren’tauthorized to be publicly named, according to European Commission policy

The joint statement will have “somevery precise commitments andotherswhich will need to be spelledout in different ways,” a senior European Commission ofﬁcial said.

EU officialssaidthat the zero tarifflistcould include nuts, pet food, dairy products and seafood. Trump said that the 50% U.S. tariff on imported steel would remain. Vonder Leyen said that the two sides agreed to further negotiations to ﬁght aglobal steel glut, reduce tariffs and establish import quotas—thatis, setamountsthat can be imported, often at alower rate or tariff-free.

BY DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The phone rings. It’sthe secretary of state calling. Or is it?

ForWashington insiders, seeing and hearingisnolonger believing, thanks to aspate of recent incidents involving deepfakes impersonatingtop ofﬁcials in President Donald Trump’sadministration.

Digital fakes are coming for corporate America, too, as criminal gangsand hackersassociated withadversaries including North Korea use synthetic video and audio to impersonate CEOs andlow-level jobcandidatestogain access to critical systems or business secrets

Thanks to advancesinartificialintelligence,creating realistic deepfakes is easier than ever,causing security problems for governments, businesses andprivateindividuals and making trust the most valuable currency of thedigital age.

Responding to the challenge will require laws,betterdigital literacy andtechnical solutions that ﬁght AI with moreAI.

“As humans, we are remarkably susceptible to deception,” saidVijay Balasubramaniyan, CEOand founderofthe tech ﬁrm Pindrop Security

But hebelievessolutionstothe challenge of deepfakes may be within reach: “Weare going to ﬁght back.”

This summer,someone used AI to createa

deepfake of Secretary of StateMarco Rubio in an attempt to reach out to foreign ministers, aU.S. senator andagovernor over text, voice mail andthe Signal messaging app. In May,someone impersonated Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

Another phony Rubio had popped up in a deepfake earlier this year,saying he wanted to cutoff Ukraine’saccesstoElonMusk’s Starlink internet service. Ukraine’sgovernmentlater rebutted thefalse claim.

Thenationalsecurityimplications are huge: People who think they’re chatting with Rubio or Wiles, for instance, might discuss sensitive information about diplomaticnegotiationsormilitary strategy

“You’re either trying to extract sensitive secrets or competitive information or you’re going after access, to an email server or other sensitive network,” Kinny Chan, CEO of the cybersecurity ﬁrm QiD, saidofthe possible motivations. Synthetic media can alsoaim to alter behavior.Last year,Democratic voters in New Hampshire received arobocall urgingthem nottovoteinthe state’supcomingprimary The voice on thecall sounded suspiciously likethen-President Joe Biden butwas actually created using AI. Their ability to deceive makes AI deepfakes apotent weapon for foreign actors. Both Russiaand China have useddisinformation andpropaganda directed at Americans as away of undermining trust in democratic alliances and institutions.

Steven Kramer,the politicalconsultant whoadmittedsending thefake Bidenrobocalls, said he wanted to send amessage of thedangers deepfakes pose to theAmerican

political system.Kramer was acquitted last month of charges of voter suppression and impersonating acandidate.

“I did whatIdid for $500,” Kramer said. “Can you imagine what would happen if the Chinese government decided to do this?”

The greater availability and sophistication of the programsmean deepfakes are increasingly usedfor corporate espionage and garden-variety fraud.

“The financial industry is right in the crosshairs,” said Jennifer Ewbank, aformer deputy director of the CIAwho worked on cybersecurity and digital threats. “Even individuals whoknow each other have been convinced to transfer vast sumsofmoney.”

In thecontextofcorporate espionage,they can be usedtoimpersonate CEOsasking employeestohandoverpasswords or routing numbers.

Deepfakes can also allow scammerstoapply forjobs —and even do them —under an assumed or fake identity.For somethis is away to access sensitivenetworks, to steal secrets or to install ransomware.Others just want thework and may be working a fewsimilarjobsatdifferent companiesat the sametime. Authorities in the U.S. have said that thousands of North Koreans with information technology skills have been dispatched to live abroad, using stolen identities to obtain jobs at tech ﬁrmsinthe U.S. and elsewhere. Theworkers getaccess to companynetworks as well as apaycheck. In somecases, the workers install ransomware that can be later used to extort even moremoney

Theschemes have generated billionsof dollars forthe North Korean government.

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

Venture Global haswrapped up ﬁnancing and made aﬁnalinvestment decisionfor itssecond liquefied natural gasfacilityin CameronParish.

The company said it closed on $15.1 billion in ﬁnancing for Calcasieu Pass 2, or CP2, from leading banks in the U.S., Europe and Asia such as Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, J.P.Morgan, Bar-

clays and Mizuho.

“Thisproject,fully ownedby Venture Global and our shareholders, is expected to deliver reliable AmericanLNG to the world beginning in 2027,” Mike Sabel, Venture Global CEO, said in astatement. Lastmonth, Venture Global startedconstruction on CP2. The facility is expected to employ around 400 direct, permanent workers and approximately 7,500 temporary construction workers.

Venture Global said it has purchaseagreementswithcompanies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and China Gas forthe LNGproduced at the plant. The LNGexport business has beenboominginLouisiana since at least 2010, when Cheniere Energy ﬁrstapplied to ship the fuel from itsthen-planned Sabine Pass terminalinsouthwest Louisiana Three other LNG terminals have opened in thestate sincethen, most recently Venture Global’s

Plaquemines LNG, whichstarted production in December.Venture Global announcedplans in March foran$18 billionexpansionof Plaquemines LNG, which would make it the largest exporter in North America. In April, Woodside Energy made aﬁnal investment decision to go ahead with the Louisiana LNG production andexportfacilityin Calcasieu Parish.The $17.5 billion facilityisexpected to start production in 2029

Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire

BY EILEEN NG, JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI and SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia Thailand and Cambodia agreed Monday to an unconditional ceasefire during a meeting in Malaysia, in a signiﬁcant breakthrough to resolve ﬁve days of deadly border clashes that have killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai agreed to a halt in fighting, starting at midnight, while appearing with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a meeting held under U.S. pressure in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya. The Cambodian and Thai leaders hailed the meeting’s outcome and shook hands at the end of a brief news conference.

An Associated Press journalist in Cambodia reporting from close to the border with Thailand where artillery duels had been taking place said the sounds of shelling stopped about 10 minutes before the ceaseﬁre came into effect. Reports from other fronts in the fighting were not immediately available

The ﬁghting began Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes, that have killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 260,000 people on both sides.

Anwar who hosted the talks as annual chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, said both sides have reached a common understanding to take steps to return to normalcy following what he called frank discussions.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MOHD RASFAN

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, right, shake hands Monday as Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim gestures after talks on a possible ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

“This is a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,” Anwar said.

The Malaysian meeting followed direct pressure from President Donald Trump, who warned that the U.S might not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continue, giving both sides a face-saving justification for backing away from the fighting In a statement later Monday on social media, Trump said the two sides had “reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE... I am proud to be the President of PEACE!”

As part of the ceasefire deal, military commanders from both sides will hold talks Tuesday to defuse tensions while Cambodia will host a border committee meeting on Aug 4. Anwar said. The foreign and defense ministers of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand have also been instructed to “develop a detailed mechanism” to implement and monitor the ceaseﬁre to ensure sustained peace, he added. Hun Manet said he hoped

that bilateral ties could return to normal soon so that almost 300,000 villagers evacuated on both sides could return home.

It is “time to start rebuilding trust, confidence and cooperation going forward between Thailand and Cambodia,” he said.

Phumtham said the outcome reflected “Thailand’s desire for a peaceful resolution.”

The joint statement on the agreement said that the United States was a co-organizer of the talks, with participation from China. The Chinese and American ambassadors to Malaysia attended the meeting that lasted over two hours.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was involved in arranging the meeting, applauded the ceasefire declaration. Rubio said he and Trump “are committed to an immediate cessation of violence and expect the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honor their commitments to end this conﬂict.”

Two Israeli groups say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

BY SAM MEDNICK Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel Two prominent Israeli rights groups on Monday said their country is committing genocide in Gaza, the ﬁrst time that local Jewish-led organizations have made such accusations against Israel during nearly 22 months of war

The claims by B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel add to an explosive debate over whether Israel’s military offensive in Gaza — launched in response to Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage — amounts to genocide.

The Palestinians, their supporters and international human rights groups make that claim, and the International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case ﬁled by South Africa against Israel.

But in Israel, founded in the wake of the Holocaust, even the government’s strongest critics have largely refrained from making such accusations due to the deep sensitivities and strong

memories of the Nazi genocide of Europe’s Jews. Many in Israel also view the war in Gaza as a justiﬁed response to the deadliest attack in the country’s history and not an attempt at extermination.

The rights groups, while prominent and respected internationally, are considered in Israel to be on the political fringe, and their views are not representative of the vast majority of Israelis. But having the allegation of genocide come from Israeli voices shatters a taboo in a society that has been reticent to criticize Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Guy Shalev, director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, said the Jewish-Israeli public often dismisses accusations of genocide as antisemitic or biased against Israel.

“Perhaps human rights groups based in Israel coming to this conclusion is a way to confront that accusation and get people to acknowledge the reality,” he said.

Israel asserts that it is ﬁghting an existential war and abides by international law It has rejected genocide

allegations as antisemitic. It is challenging such allegations at the International Court of Justice, and it has rejected the International Criminal Court’s allegations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant committed war crimes in Gaza. Both face international arrest warrants. Israel’s government on Monday said it rejects what it called an “obscene” and “politically motivated document.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the AP that the accusation is baseless and only emboldens Hamas. It said Israel only targets Hamas and not civilians.

The rights groups, in separate reports released jointly, said Israel’s policies in Gaza, statements by senior ofﬁcials about its goals there and the systematic dismantling of the territory’s health system contributed to their conclusion of genocide. Their claims echoed those of previous reports from international rights groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

Civil rights lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order against an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades say that “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been barred from meeting attorneys, are being held without any charges and that a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. The immigration at-

torneys argued Monday during a virtual hearing that the detainees’ constitutional rights were being violated and that 100 detainees already had been deported from “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Lawyers who have shown up for bond hearings for “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been told that the immigration court doesn’t have jurisdiction over their clients, and the civil rights attorneys demanded that federal and state ofﬁcials

identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detainees so it can start accepting petitions for bond. “This is an emergency situation,” Eunice Cho, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, said during the hearing in federal court in Miami. “Ofﬁcers at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ are going around trying to force people to sign deportation orders without the ability to speak to counsel.”

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Paddling ‘forest primeval’

As Henry W. Longfellow said,

“This is the forest primeval.”

Those words have stuck with me since Imemorized part of “Evangeline” in ninth grade, but they’ve rung truer since Iﬁrst paddled through one of Acadiana’sancient cypress forests. In late fall, winter and spring, canoeing on St. Martin Parish’s Lake Martin is one of my favorite things to do. Last week, against my better judgment, the forest primeval was calling. David D’Aquin, an old friend, was visiting, and Iconvinced him to join me on the adventure despite the July temps.

We met at Lake Martin at 10:15 a.m. It was already warm, but we set out in ared canoe. Most friendsprefer kayaks, but I’m an old-school canoe girl. We rented one from Champagne’son Lake Martin —$20 per person, per hour,with alicense held as deposit.

We paddled from the dock straight into the cypress forest Once there, we glided in asilence that’shard to ﬁnd when we aren’tsurrounded by towering, knobby-kneed cypress. The forest didn’tfeel as full as itonce did, but it was still majestic. David and Iare both talkers, but the beauty there is so overwhelming that, withoutaword, we both chose to be quiet and take it in.

Remarkably,inthe cypress forest, the temperature wasn’t so bad.

‘Perpetual summer’

As we quietly paddled through the trees, Itried to remember Longfellow’slines Ihad memorized long ago —words on the tip of my tongue, but Icouldn’t bring them to mind.

Ilooked them up —and was surprised how well they ﬁt a steamy July morning

Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic… They were approachingthe region where reigns perpetual summer Over their heads the towering and tenebrousboughs of the cypress Met in adusky arch, and trailing mosses in midair

Waved like banners that hang on the walls of ancient cathedrals.

Deathlike the silence seemed, and unbroken, save by theherons Home to their roosts. …”

Gliding through the water,I realized Longfellow did apretty good job of capturing Louisiana. He wrote the poem in 1847. Apparently,Longfellow never came to Louisiana. According to Maria Hebert-Leiter’s“Becoming Cajun, Becoming American:

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Family mourns pregnantmother

Shooting

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

at complexleft2 dead

Just over 24 hours after Kimberlyn Martin was shot Sundaymorning, hercousin, Kevin Carter, stood afew feet away from where herlife was taken, reﬂecting on

thelast words the two shared.

“I love you, cuz,”Carter said he told Martin afew days before she died. Their apartments sat adjacenttoeach otheronthe secondﬂoor balcony of aHighlandRoad complex. Martin was 29 and pregnant with her fourthchild, and Carter made aroutine of taking outher trash along with his.

“She would peep her head out andsay,‘Thank you, cuz; Ilove you for that,’”Carter said.

Martin’sthree young daughters and Carter’schildren would swim together at anearby pool and use their shared balcony as amutual play area. When asked to describe his cousin,Carter replied without hesitation.

“She was an outstanding mom. Every timeI saw her,she wasout with the kids,” he said.

Martin was originally from Donaldsonville and worked at a nearby Wendy’s. Cartersaidshe was raising her daughters alone.

“She was the hardest worker,”

Mental health matters

to students

JoeBurrowFoundationto launch programfor public schools

BY MARGARETDeLANEY Staff writer

Anew initiativeinBaton Rouge will provide Louisiana public schools with tools to treat anxiety, depression and ADHD on campus

BY ELLYNCOUVILLION Staff writer

Ateenager is behind bars, accused of orchestrating a Facebook Marketplacedirt bike holdup that ended with his masked, armedaccomplice being shot dead by the robbery victim,according to police. Aman looking to sell his dirt bike metwith abuyer,identiﬁed by police as 18-year-old Markle Burris, in the 3700 block of CathedralDrive of Baton Rouge on Wednesday. Once the men met, Burris be-

Robin Burrow, formerly an elementaryschool principal in Meigs County,Ohio, stepped downto serve as the foundation’ssecre-

The Joe Burrow Foundation and Nationwide Children’sHospital will launchThe Burrow Blueprint program at various public schools in the capitolregionbeginning this school year The Burrow Blueprint named Our Lady of the Lake Children’sHealth as the program’s ﬁrst-ever recipient in Louisiana to help empower trusted school-based providerstodeliver timely,compassionate mental health care. The idea to equip public schools and their clinics with mental health diagnostic and prescribing tools originated in Ohio, thehome state of theBurrow Foundation.

ganto“stall the sale of the dirt bike by asking strange questions, making phone calls and stating he had to call someone to dropoff the money,” according to aBatonRouge Police Department afﬁdavit for an arrest warrant. While the men werewaiting, another man, identified by policeasMarkEtienne, walked up with agun and demanded that the seller and afriend whoaccompanied him unfasten the dirt bike from its trailer,investigators said. Once Etienne had the dirtbike on theroad, he tried to start it but it stalled, investigators said.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Principal RobertWells, from left, talks withJimmy and RobinBurrowonMondayatBroadmoor High School in Baton Rougeastheyannounced The JoeBurrowFoundation’spartnership withNationwide Children’sHospital on aschoolbased mental health initiative.

BOOKED

Continued from page 1B

Etienne then got on the back of the bike, behind Burris, and threatened “to kill the victims if the dirt bike didn’t work,” according to the afﬁdavit.

The owner of the dirt bike then shot Etienne, 22, and Burris ﬂed on foot, police said. Responding officers found the body of Etienne at the scene, armed and wearing a ski mask.

Burris, 18, was arrested on counts of second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery, Baton Rouge police said Monday

“Based on all facts learned in

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

the case thus far, Markle Burris Jr is responsible for the death of his co-defendant,” the afﬁdavit states.

Police said Burris has an active arrest warrant for a previous armed robbery stemming from a Facebook Marketplace dirt bike sale in December

“There are several reports where Markle (Burris) is accused of luring sellers of dirt bikes off of Facebook Marketplace and stalling them until a second person comes along armed with a ﬁrearm, threatening to kill if the bike doesn’t work,” the afﬁdavit states.

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.

tary and treasurer in her son’s name. Since then, the Burrows have sought ways to address student mental health in Louisiana In Ohio, they partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to expand school-based primary care with behavioral services.

The program saw massive success increasing diagnosis and treatment of students without burdening a workforce plagued by shortages all while bypassing wait times of over four months per case.

“Like Louisiana, we have a workforce shortage problem in mental health,” said Mary Kay Irwin, senior director of school health services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio.

“There’s a lot of people working on pipeline programming to encourage more people to become mental health providers which is fantastic But those things don’t help address the problems right now.”

It can take months to get an appointment for behavioral health concerns. In addition

FAMILY

Continued from page 1B

he added. “She was just a bright person.” On Sunday morning, Carter had just gotten off the bus after a shift at Baton Rouge General Medical Center He was walking through the Walmart parking lot next to their apartments when his phone rang.

“Babe, something happened to your cousin,” his wife said on the other line. She was still inside the apartment a few hundred yards away, comforting their children who had heard the gunshots.

About 8:45 a.m., less than an hour before Carter received the call from his wife, Baton Rouge police were dispatched to 5151 Highland Road, where they found Martin shot in the chest She was taken to a hospital, but both she and her unborn child died from their injuries. An unidentified man was also shot in the leg, but his injuries are not life-threatening. By the time Carter arrived at the scene, police had enclosed the area with yellow tape.

“I never got to see her,” Carter said. “The EMS picked her up before I got there.”

Carter said he moved to the complex near the busy intersection of Highland Road and Lee Drive to get away from violence. He was aware of the place’s history, but other than a few arguments and noisy children, Carter said the apartments were relatively peaceful.

“This is not the hood,” he said.

“We moved out of those areas so we can live comfortably so we don’t have to hear gunshots and people wielding guns and shooting innocent pregnant women.”

Formerly known as The Hub at Baton Rouge, the complex has in recent years been seen as a hot spot for violence. In September, a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the address after shooting and killing another juvenile with a handgun. In August, a military

to the initial appointment, students will need to be evaluated over multiple sessions before determining if they need medication By that point, a struggling student may already be falling behind academically or socially

The program is a nine-module virtual series created for primary care providers in schools to learn how to diagnose, manage and integrate treatment for anxiety, depression and ADHD for students in school clinics.

“This is what Joe envisioned when we started this foundation,” Robin Burrow said “We are trying to think outside of the box in how we service the communities that mean so much to us.”

Hope Clary, a nurse practitioner at Broadmoor High School, sees students every day in the clinic — from minor headaches, to serious health concerns or even to students just stopping by to say hello to a friendly face.

In practice, nurse practitioners, like Clary will work closely with on-site social workers to assess and establish a diagnosis and treatment plan for a student. Over multiple sessions — and talks with parents the team of

providers will be able to provide prescriptions to mental health medications.

Beyond that, the clinician team at each school will provide follow-up appointments and assessments with students.

Sheryl Miller, the supervisor for behavioral health in the Baton Rouge school system, expects participating schools to be able to provide this on-site medical service by Labor Day, including:

n Broadmoor High School

n Glasgow Middle School

n Glen Oaks Magnet High School

n Istrouma Middle and High School

n Northeast High School

n Scotlandville High School

n Westdale Middle School.

This is the Burrow Blueprint’s ﬁrst footing in Louisiana to tackle behavioral health needs in students and children.

“None of this is possible if it hadn’t been for Joe (Burrow)’s experience at LSU,” Jimmy Burrow said. “LSU provided us the platform to do these things.”

As the mental health crisis among students grows, the Burrow Blueprint hopes to be a game-changer — one school clinic at a time.

The Acadian in American Literature from Longfellow to James Lee Burke,” the poet relied on “William Darby’s Geographical Description of the State of Louisiana” to provide insight to the ﬂora and fauna of the Bayou State On Jan. 7, 1847, Longfellow journaled: “Went to the library and got Watson’s Annals of Philadelphia, and the Historical Collections of Pennsylvania. Also, Darby’s Geographical Description of Louisiana. These books must help me through the last part of Evangeline, so far as facts and local coloring go. But for the form and the poetry — they must come from my own brain.”

Minutes after passing through the ﬁrst “grand cathedral” of cypress, D’Aquin and I ﬂoated by a giant egret nearly eye to eye. Unbothered by our presence, the elegant white bird stood still, waiting for us to pass before resuming its hunt

“This is so pretty,” D’Aquin said. “Now, I see why people like to do this.”

We paddled across a clearing to a tree with a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries sign saying the area beyond was restricted: “No boat entry: Feb. 15 to July 31.”

I was glad to see the sign and hopeful it could protect the rookery area.

As we turned back, I told my friend about my ﬁrst spring in Louisiana in 2002 — about how I had come out to Lake Martin that March and had seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of roseate spoonbills roosting.

They returned each spring for the ﬁrst several years we lived in Louisiana. Then, around 2006,

veteran who had recently returned home from Afghanistan was arrested for stabbing his wife and her sister in an apartment. Law enforcement was called out to The Hub more than 500 times between 2023 and 2024, according to a report by the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce and 19th Judicial District Court District Attorney Hillar Moore said the property was previously placed on notice for nuisance abatement Under Louisiana law, a district attorney can declare a property a public nuisance if a certain number of criminal acts occur there within a speciﬁc timeframe. The designation can lead to a lawsuit and ultimately result in the property being shut down if

additional steps aren’t taken.

“We did take that step. It’s still active,” Moore said. Moore said law enforcement has had multiple discussions with The Hub’s owners, Red Tail, since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January, Red Tail hired a new management firm, A.C. Lewis Management, to take over operations at the complex. Since then, Moore said calls for service to the apartments have decreased by 62% compared to the ﬁrst six months of 2024.

“With this new management company, there has been a lot less violence,” said Moore. “This management has been very cooperative about this investigation.”

Two weeks ago, the complex’s name was changed to Elevate at

Highland. On Monday, signs were plastered over the walls of the second floor advertising rooms for incoming college students.

“Since assuming management of the property on January 1, 2025, Elevate has remained focused on improving the overall living experience within the community,” wrote Mackenzie Sanders, director of operations for A.C. Lewis, in a statement. “We are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all residents.”

Sanders said Elevate has implemented more detailed screening for residents, including criminal background checks, credit score evaluations and rental history reviews of prospective tenants. They’ve hired off-duty police officers to patrol the complex

something happened — and they stopped coming for a number of years. I understand that they’ve returned in smaller numbers in recent years, but they’re still not there like they used to be.

All the birding talk reminded D’Aquin to tell me about his recent trip to Las Vegas.

“The strangest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, which apparently is common, but there was this woman who looked like a park ranger out by the pool,” he said. “She had on a leather glove. And I was like, ‘What is this lady doing?’ Then, I realized she also had a hawk. She kept releasing the hawk above the pool to chase away all the other birds.”

The hawk repeated the process time and again, returning to her gloved hand between rounds. Our conversation wandered as we paddled back onto the dock. We were sweatier but lighter somehow I thought again of Longfellow’s “forest primeval” and wondered how he had gotten it so right, even from far away Some places speak for themselves. You just have to be still long enough to hear them.

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

seven days a week, installed additional surveillance cameras, and are working to add license plate readers in their parking lots, she added.

“We remain dedicated to working in close partnership with District Attorney Hillar Moore’s office and Baton Rouge law enforcement to help prevent violence and promote safety across local apartment communities,” the statement said.

But Moore said the complex still remains a concern, adding that, once authorities learn more about the incident, officials with the Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Mayor-President’s Office and the Metro Council will once again meet again with the property’s owners to discuss next steps.

Meanwhile, Carter and the rest of his family are forced to grapple with Martin’s death, and the ﬂurry of unanswered questions likely to remain in the coming days.

“We are taking it one day at a time,” Carter said.

On Sunday, Baton Rouge Deputy Chief William Clarida said investigators did not believe the incident was domestic related. By Monday afternoon, no arrests had been made, and a spokesperson for the BRPD said investigators were still looking for witnesses.

While he waits for answers, Carter now keeps his children inside.

“She didn’t deserve any of that,” Carter said. “She didn’t deserve to get killed in cold blood.”

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

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Kimberlyn Martin, 29, was fatally shot Sunday at the Elevate at Highland apartment complex in Baton Rouge.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER David D’Aquin, of Atlanta, and Jan Risher canoe at Lake Martin in St. Martin Parish.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Robin and Jimmy Burrow, center stand Monday with representatives of Broadmoor High School, Our Lady of the Lake hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital following the announcement of a school-based mental health initiative.

from 11:00a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at New Sunlight Baptist Church, located at 1777 America Street, Baton Rouge,LA70802. Pastor Dell Flowers will officiate the service. Apublicviewing willalsobeheld at New Sunlight Baptist Church on the same day, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00a.m. Following the celebration,interment with military honorswill take place at the Baton Rouge National Cemetery, 303 W. Mt. Pleasant Road, Zachary, LA 70791.

In Loving Memory of Ira Jerry "PaPa"Bowen. Ira Jerry Bowen, affectionately known as "PaPa," passed away peacefully on July 27, 2025, at the age of 87. Born December 26,1937, in Bristol, Georgia, Jerry lived a life marked by intellect, humility, and unwavering devotion to his family.A proudgraduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, Jerrybuilt a respected career as a chemical engineer before retiring to spend more time with his loved ones. His sharp mind and steadfast work ethic left alastingimpression on allwho knew him. Jerry is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Bonnie Weber Bowen, whose partnership wasthe cornerstone of his life. He also leaves behind his treasured grandchildren, Nicholas Bethea (Erika) and Philip Bethea, and greatgrandchildren Carston and McKenzie Bethea, who willcarryhis legacyofwarmth, wisdom, and quiet strength. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Heather Bethea, whose memory remaineda cherished part of his heart.Jerry's love was felt deeply and generously, especially through his steady presence as "PaPa" -a title he wore with pride and affection. Beyond his roleas adevoted family man, Jerrywas alifelong history buff with an insatiable curiosity for the past. He enjoyed staying active, as long as his body allowed, through regular workouts and spent many joyful days' skeet shooting with friends.His diverse collections, too many to list, were each carefully curated and reflected his wideranging interests and meticulous nature. Jerry's memory willcontinue to be aguiding light to those who knew him best, inspiring alife of purpose, curiosity, and quiet generosity. -Jesus and Ilove you

Forrest, Willie James

Willie James Forrest, 79, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana passed awaypeacefully on Saturday,July 19, 2025, at Ochsner Medical Center, surrounded by family.

Born on June 12, 1946, to Charles and Edna Grant Forrest, Willie was aman of deep faith andstrong character. He accepted Christata young age and was baptized at Mount Mariah Baptist Church, where he was afaithful member for many years He sharedhis love for the Lord through music, singing in agospel group, and living alife of devotion, dignity, and grace.

Aproud U.S. Army veteran, Willieserved in the Medical Corps during the Vietnam War, earning severalhonors including the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. He later worked over 35 years for the U.S. Postal Service, receiving multiple safety and service awards, and continued serving the community post-retirement at the Baton Rouge Centroplex where he was fondly known as "Mr. Willie." He also attended Southern University. Willie's life was atestament to faith, love and quiet strength —a legacy that willlive on in all who knew him. AHomegoing Celebration honoring Willie's life willbeheld on Wednesday, July 30, 2025,

Frederic,Rebecca Gautreau 'Becky'

BeckyFredericpassed away Friday,July25, 2025, at herhomeinSt. Amant, La.She was 84 yearsold,a native of Gonzales andres‐identofSt. Amant. Visita‐tion will be at OurLadyof theHolyRosaryCatholic Church in St.Amant,onFri‐day, August 1, 2025, from 9:00am until Mass of Chris‐tian burial at 11:00am.En‐tombment in Holy Rosary Catholic Church mau‐soleum.Becky retiredwith over twenty-five years of servicefromAscension Parish School BoardFood Services as aworker, man‐ager and finallyanArea Manager. Shewas amem‐berofOur Lady of theHoly Rosary Catholic Church in St.Amant.She is survived by hersonsand daughters in law, Paul “Tony” (Stephanie), Keith“Black” (Melissa), Micheal “Fred” (Monica),Kyle(Leah)Fred‐eric;siblings, Elwood Gautreau (Peggy), and Gene (Noemie) Gautreau; grandchildren, Shaun, Jacob, Julia, Kate,Kyleah, JonMarc, Keri,Kris, and Trinity; greatgrandchil‐dren,Jolie,Jonah,and Freya. Preceded in death by herhusband of 61 years Joseph CareyFrederic, granddaughterChelsea MarieFrederic, parents, Noah andMamie Lanoux Gautreau,siblings, Ancil Gautreau Eldon“Butch” Gautreau,her twin Ramona “Mona” Madere,Mary Alice“Tippy” Braud. Becky wasa caretakerbynature knownfor heractsofser‐vice andwho putfamily first. Sheloved gardening, workinginthe yard,cro‐cheting, crossstitching andwas knownbestfor hercooking. Shewas a supportive wife,mother, grandmotherand friend Shewas active in her church spending many yearsteaching, on the prayer line,withMarriage Encounter andvolunteer‐ing. Thefamily wishesto expresstheir sincereap‐preciation andgratitude to Becky’scaregiversTamra Allen, JacobFrederic, Mary Moranand thestaff of Pin‐nacleHospice.Special thanks to Frankand Carol Frederic,familyand friends fortheir continuedsup‐port.ArrangementsbyAs‐censionFuneralHome. Please visitthe online guestbook at www.asc ensionfuneral.com.

LeBlanc, MarieAnn Carbo

Marie AnnCarbo LeBlancpassedaway peacefully at herhomeon July 23, 2025, at theage of 94. AnativeofDonald‐sonville,LAand aresident of Destrehan, LA forthe past 70 years. Preceded in deathbyher husband DurelClement LeBlanc, daughter BeverlyL Cazenave,parents Morris Carbo, Nellie Millien,God‐mother Lydia Usey Leblanc, brotherJosephCarbo,halfsiblings Nona Hebert,Di‐anna BRobinson, Helen Short, Martin C“Boogie”, Albert C. Babin, andson in laws Paul Lambertand KennethRobicheaux. Sur‐vivedbychildrenChristine L. Lambert, Dalton J. LeBlanc(Bridget),Becky L. Raiford(Jeff),Hilary L. Plauche(Steven)and MaisyL.Robicheaux. Also survived by soninlaw Ira Cazenave,15Grandchil‐dren and10Great Grand‐children,and half-siblings Buck C. Morrisand Priscilla

Newman.The familywould like to thankNolaHome Care forall thecareand compassion they showed Mom, especially Erykah Holmes andFranceAllen as well as CompassusHos‐pice.Relatives andfriends of thefamilyare invitedto attend theFuneralMassat St.Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,13396 RiverRoad, Destrehan, LA on Thursday,July31, 2025, at 12PM.Visitationwill begin at 10AM. Interment will be in St.Charles Bor‐romeoCemetery. Memorial donationsmay be made to St.Charles Borromeo Church or School

Lewis, Navoris Venester

NavorisVenesterLewis was born to theunionof Joeand Daisy Lewison April16, 1958. She entered intoeternal rest on July 18, 2025, at theage of 67. Her lively spirit and infectious smilelit up every room, endearing her to family and friends alike. She graduated fromBaker HighSchool in 1976 and attended UniversityofSouthwestern Louisiana. She is survived by her daughter Myisha Lewis, sisters Marian Williams and Flora Lewis, brotherLyonel Lewis(Marian), and ahost of family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents: Joeand Daisy Lewis, threebrothers: Sullivan Lewis(Semi Carla), Harold Lewis, JoeC.Lewis,one daughter: Melanie Lewis, and agrandson: Javier Lewis-Deemer. Visitation from9:00 AM until service at 11:00AMonSaturday August 2, 2025, at Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 1414 Sora St, Baton Rouge, La. Interment at Southern Memorial Gardens, 3012 Blount Rd.BatonRouge,La. Services are entrusted to Scott's Bluff Morticians,8546 Scenic Hwy BatonRouge, La. 70807.

TheresaMathews passedawayonSaturday, July 26, 2025, in BatonRouge, Louisiana, at theage of 63 Shewas born on Wednes‐day, July 11,1962 in Baton Rouge, LouisianatoMar‐garetUsryand thelate Curtis Usry.She wasa resi‐dent of Walker,Louisiana Theresafoughthardinher battlewithcanceroverthe past 10 yrs. Sheloved her family, includingher fur baby Tanzy, and ﬁshing. Theresawill be remem‐beredassomeone who nevermet astranger. Theresaissurvivedbyher loving husband of 45 years, Michael"Mike"Mathews; children,Eric(Paige) and Brian(Amanda)Mathews; grandchildren, Kayden and JayceMathews,Hunter, Haileigh,Payton, Preston, andBrennah;mother, Mar‐garetUsry; siblings,Terry (Melanie)and Mark (Wendy)Usry, andJan Smith(Tommy);father-inlaw, Roland Mathews; inlaws,Stephanie Meade (Jim)and Andrew Math‐ews, as well as numerous nieces andnephews.She wasprecededindeath by herfather, Curtis Usry; mother-in-law, Rita Math‐ews, andnephew, Thomas BradleySmith

Neyland, Bobbie Bennett

Born Feb. 12, 1936 &died July24, 2025 at theage of 89. She is survivedby daughters Betty Neyland and Patti Neyland Morgan of Central,son Mike Neyland &wife Lisa of Kentwood;grandchildrenJamie Neyland &wife Kris, Matthew Neyland&wife

Amanda, PatriciaNeyland, EliNeyland, Max Neyland & Chloe Neyland;greatgrandsons Mason, Liam & AidenNeylandand Colin Hano. Also survivedbyher sister-in-law Elaine Bennett. Precededindeath by her husband of 55 years, Pete Neyland,her parents, 8siblings, asister-in-law, 5 brothers-in-law, and daughter-in-law Vickie Neyland Gill Bobbie was thesecretary at Central Private School from1967-1972. She then workedatthe LA Dept.ofAgriculture as an accountant until she retiredin1996. The family sendsspecial thanksand ourforever gratitudetoSamantha Long Bonanno forher loving help and care during Mom's weeks in hospice. Thanks also to Hospice in HisCare, especially nurse Blake Tannerand CNABrenda McKenzieand MichelleRoach for sitting with Mom. Visitation willbeatCentral Funeral Home on Hooper Rd.from 9:30 -11:30 on Thurs., July31. Amemorial servicewillbegin at 11:30. In lieu of flowers,please donateinher name to Manning Family Children's Hospital,200 Henry Clay Ave.,New Orleans, LA 70118 attn: Development Dept.

Albert Hays Town, Jr. passed away during the early morning of Friday, July 25, 2025, at theage of 90. He diedashelived,wellgrounded in his Christian faith and surrounded by family.Hayswas bornon February 3, 1935, in Jackson, MS, thesecond child of Albert Hays Town and Blanche Anita Scharff Town. He livedmost of his life in Baton Rougewhere he graduated from LouisianaState University. He was amember of Kappa Sigma fraternity. At LSU, Hays met his wife of 68 years, Marguerite Gay May Town, who predeceasedhim.

Throughout hislife, Hays was beloved and well -known in thecommunity forhis tireless dedication to service and charitable work. In 1988, he and his wife started theSt. Elizabeth Foundation, anonprofit adoption agency, providing support and care to pregnant women in Louisianathathas placed more than 600 babies since itscreation. While earning hisMaster of Science in Geography from LSUin 2013, Hays establishedthe Baton Rouge Citizens to Save our Water organization, dedicated to preserving BatonRougeground water. He positively impacted countless peopleallinmeaningful ways, both small and large. For thelast several years, Hays spent his mornings between Thanksgiving and Christmas volunteering for theSalvation Army ringing thebell.

Hays earnedmany honorsover his lifetime, including Man of theYear fromthe national chapter of theAssociated Builders and Contractors, Angel in Adoption Award from Congress, and theLeadership for Life Award from LouisianaRight to Life. Hayswas honored as an LSUdistinguished alumni in 2019, for having made significant contributions in his career, personal achievements, and civic responsibilities.

Hayswas known forhis integrity, moral character, compassion, generosity and strong leadership

Haysissurvivedbyhis 6 children: A. Hays Town III, GeorgeWilton Town (Emily Hanchar), Christopher AshleyTown (Lisa Files), Gregory Harrell Town (Tammi McCallie),Marguerite Gay May Town Caryl (Theodore Caryl), and Jonathan Adam Town (MollyLaPrairie). He is survivedbyhis 21 grandchildren: Maria Town (Cheryl Lovelady), A. Hays Town IV, John Henry Town (Ana Arnone), Nanette Town Saia(Bart Saia), GeorgeWilton Town, Jr. (RachelO'Malley), Amelie Town Bernhard (Patrick Bernhard), Mignon Town (

Kastanos (Jonathan Kastanos), Gabrielle Town Ollendike (Phillip Ollendike,) MargoTownMathews (Michael Mathews), Lindsey Town Hardy (Elliot Hardy), ForrestTown(Stefanie Gillett), Mary Claire Town Stickle (Will Stickle), Gregory Harrell (Hal) Town, Jr Robert (Beau) Webster Town,Leigh Ann Town Podorsky (Micah Podorsky), MatthewTown, Marguerite Gay Mott Baruch (Satyam Baruch), Jonathan Adam Town,Jr. (CarolineMarks), Martha Buckner Town,and Sarah MayTown. Hays is also survived by his28great grandchildren, his3 sisters -in-law,Patricia MayDalton (John Dalton, Jr.), George MayJeansonne (Richard Jeansonne),and Mary MayStelly(Harry Stelly) as well as his sister, Blanche AnitaGladney.

Funeral serviceswillbe held on Thursday, July 31st and will include visitation from 9:00 to 11:00 at St Aloysius Catholic Church, followed by mass. In lieu of flowers, please send donationstoSt. Elizabeth Foundation,8054 Summa Avenue,Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. https://stelizabethfoun dation.org/donate/

Vince,Michael Joseph 'Mike' 'Mookie'

Michael Joseph "Mike or Mookie" Vince, 87, passed away peacefullyat11:20 PM. Friday, July 25, 2025, surrounded by hisfamily at hishomeinCentral. He is survived by his wife of 67 ½years, Yvonne Hubbs Vince, brothers Gerald Vince(Tammy), Ronnie Vince(Debbie), Donnie Vince; sons Michael D. Vince(Mary Kay), KeithJ Vince(Darla), DuaneM Vince(Trudy); and grandchildrenMatthew Vince (Amanda), KyleVince (Hudson), StevenVince (Mary), AimeeVince, Joshua Vince and Dakota Vince; great grandchildren Alexander Vinceand Nicholas Vince, andnumerouscousins, nieces andnephews. Mike was preceded in death by his

parents Pete andMary LamanaVince,a sister JosieMichelli, agrandson Marshall R. Vince. Pallbearers will be Gerald Vince, RonnieVince, DonnieVince, Matthew Vince, KyleVince, StevenVince, Joshua Vince, and Dakota Vince. Thehonorarypallbearer willbeMarshall Vince. Mike lived averyfull life. He retiredtwice, once as an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersLocal 995 for 68 years and again as an electricalmaintenancesupervisor for LSU Facility Services. While trained as an electrician, Mike couldperformmany types of construction and maintenance activities. He helped numerousfamily members andfriends with home electricalprojects andhelped eachofhis sons to buildtheir homes. He lovedfishingand over hislifeheowned quitea few different camps where he andYvonneenjoyed beinginthe outdoors.Mike wasa hunterinhis early life butgave that up for fishinginhis later years. Mike didnot toleratelaziness in hisown life and hadsimilar expectations for those withwhomhe worked. He neverbacked down from achallengeand wasalways ready to learn howtoaccomplish anew task. He was ahumble man whoquietly instilleda strongworkethicinhis sons and hiscoworkers. Mike wasproud of hisfamilyand lovedall of his grandchildrenand great grandchildrenverymuch. Special thanks to hiscaregiversKathy Wilsonand Keshia Jarrell,the care teams at Audubon Home Healthand Pinnacle Hospice,and thestaff at OLOL, especially Dr.Mark Kantrow,Dr. Curt Soileau andDr. Bryan Nuss. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests that you make adonation in Mike's name to either St.Jude Children's ResearchHospital or to the St.Alphonsus Catholic School. Visitationwill be on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at St.Alphonsus Catholic Church, 14040 GreenwellSprings Rd., from 9:30am untilMass of Christian burialcelebrated at 11:00am. Entombment will follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.

Mathews, Theresa

Town,AlbertHays

Bowen, Ira Jerry

La.courts cannot accept needless delays in justice

The agony of losing someoneclose to violent crime is unimaginable. Butitbecomes even worse when, afteranarrest is made,the justice system is slow,halting and oftenunpredictable

The loved ones of hundreds of victims in two of the state’sbiggest court systems, New Orleans and East Baton Rouge, knowitall too well. Repeatedly,their questsfor closure through the criminal justice system have faced lengthy delays, repeated continuances andtrials scheduled and then postponed.It’sled manyto despair

That’sthe conclusion of an exhaustive analysis of the justice systems in thosetwo parishes by this newspaper’sJillian Kramer andJeff Adelson. Their study,which looked at yearsof homicide case data, found that, in both places, murder cases move far slower thanwhatexperts recommend and similar cases in other cities with ahigh number of murders. Kramer and Adelson concluded that there was no single cause of the dysfunction: Stafﬁng shortages, inadequate funding,forensic testingdelays, repeated continuances and heavy workloads forcourt staffall contribute to the morass

More thanjust abstract terms, these have real-world effects.Taj Sullen spent years attending court hearings in New Orleansfor the men accused of killing her son, Sabastian,in February 2022. The trial has been resetmultiple times, andnow won’thappenuntil at leastSeptember Paulette Odom’s49-year-old son Keith was shot at atruck stop in East Baton Rouge Parishin2017. His case remains pending. Paulette Odom’s husband, Kenneth,died sixyearsafter their son was shot, still waitingfor justice. Sometimes the delays become serious or fatal to prosecutions.Witnesses’ memoriesfade, evidence is lost or misplaced, other cases pile up and turnover among prosecutors andjudges mean some casesend up ﬁzzling outoropting for reduced charges.

These problems are starkly laidout in the opening stories of the Longingfor Justiceseries, an in-depthlook at problems in thejustice system. It’sworth noting that the loved ones of victims arenot the only ones suffering.Defendants, too, sometimesare forced to spend years in jail just waiting for their day in court

Thestate’s“tough on crime” policiesare often justiﬁed by adesiretodoright by crime victims’ families. But as these storiesshow, all the punishment in the world can’tmake up for delaysinadjudicating crime.

We believe some systemic reforms arecalled for, including perhaps dedicatingmoremoney to prosecutors, forensic testing andpublic defenders.Increased funding forstrappedofﬁces would stabilize and speed investigationsinways that will beneﬁt the entire system.

In addition, the state should study waysto make the court systems more efﬁcient, even if that includes accountability andefﬁciency standards for elected judges.

These arebut small steps, but they could make abig difference. Crime victims’ families deserve at least the effort

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

OPINION

More moneywelcome for thecoast,but afew caveats

Mike Smithand his colleagues are doing agreat job covering environmental news, nicely ﬁlling thehuge shoes left behind when the great Mark Schleifstein retired. Loudkudos to you all. Icould not be happier that we are gettingmoremoney for coastal restoration. I’ve been working in that ﬁeld for years, and we need all thehelp we can get. Acouple of points on this issue need to be made, however.Innoway should this increase in resources for our coastal issues be perceived as agift, considering the federal government and the petrochemical industry share responsibilityfor our current land loss

In anation that prides itself on freedom and democracy,one group often fades intothe background after giving everything to protect those ideals: the U.S. veteran. These menand women endureunimaginable hardship and make tremendous sacriﬁces to serve their country.Yet when they hang up their uniformsfor the lasttime, too many areforgottenbythe very society they swore to protect

After the parades endand theapplause fades,veterans often face a silent battle:mental health struggles, unemployment and even homelessness. Thousands sleep on the streets each night. How can anation that calls them heroes allow them to be discarded so easily?

The wounds many veterans carry are invisible. PTSD, anxiety and depression affect alarge portion of this community,but care is often inadequate, and the stigmaaround mental healthmakes it

crisis.

Also, thenew $650 million annual cap (likethe former $500million cap) is not nearly enough tomakesigniﬁcant improvements to our coast as demonstrated by decades of scientiﬁc studies and data analysis and multiple Coastal Master Plans. Finally,since the current administration has accelerated oil and gas activity and reduced regulations and enforcement, the increased activity, pollution and physical damage will require even more resources forcoastal restoration going forward This is indeed good news. Sort of. ALVIN DUVERNAYIII NewOrleans

worse.Veterans areoften passed over for jobs because their military skills aren’t“relevant.” We wait months for careatoverwhelmed VA hospitals. Our pain is ignored, except on Memorial Day or Veterans Day,when they are brieﬂy remembered before slipping back into the shadows.

Being forgotten doesn’tmean being erased from history.Itmeans being excluded from the present. Veterans don’t want pity; we want dignity.Wewant fair access to healthcare, education, housing, and meaningful work. Veterans want to be part of the communities theysacriﬁced to protect not pushed aside and forgotten.

Yellow ribbons and patriotic slogans mean nothing without action. If we truly value their service, we must show it everyday,not justwhen it’sconvenient to wave aﬂag.

MARK BIRDEN Army veteran 2000-2011

As alicensed social worker,I can conﬁdently say,most of the time, people do not makeachoice to hurt someone without ﬁrst being hurt by someone. When someone is hurt in a traumatic waybefore the age of 18, it alters the structure of the brain and therefore changes the behavior of the person. Iamnot at all defending the action of murder,asitiswrong and violent. Iamsaying adjustments to the incarceration system need to be made. In America, 80% of those released from jail are rearrested, and the likelihood of that rearrest increases when there is alack of stable housing available to that person. Prisons are violent, unsafeand have unhealthy living conditions. We have twooptions: to believe people are overwhelmingly inherently bad or to believe that the system is ineffective and needs to be changed. The current prison system does little for the well-being of the person. I’dlike to challenge the perception that people in prison deserve nothing. Prison should be aplace for healing, not just punishment. The wayinmates are currently treated in prisons further traumatizes individuals and does not teach them to learn how to manage their bodies, causing them to be in the same, or worse, place when they are released, hence the 80% recidivism rates.

KATIE BOUDREAUX Gonzales

Iread with interest the guest column: “The Metaproject is hugefor northeast Louisiana. Let’skeep the momentumgoing.” Independent of concerns about big dataand AI, Iamconcerned about the fossil fuel footprint. The article acknowledges thehigh electricity demand. However,itdoes not mention that, in addition to asolar farm, according to multiple sources, thefacility will install three gas-turbine power plants. In atime of climate crisis, construction of any new fossil fuel power is counterproductive. “Natural gas” is methane. Methane often leaks unburned intothe atmosphere, where it is amore potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. When burned for fuel (oxidized), it is converted to carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global heating andextremeweather events. We need to stop burning fossil fuels andtransition to clean energy exclusively

MARION FREISTADT NewOrleans

Remember whopushed to pass The One Big Beautiful Bill. Afront-page headline on July 4 read “Johnson, Scalise push bill to finish” with aphoto of the giddy two celebrating. They madeitfinal by hook or by crook. Remember them when you find out whether the results of the bill are truly beautiful foryou and the people and services that affect you. Or not beautiful. You’ll know whom to thank.

FAYE LIEDER NewOrleans

VeritasgetsarebootatHarvard

It took threats to cut off itsfederal funding following anti-Semitic, antiIsrael and pro-Palestinian demonstrations for Harvard Universitytoconsider again pursuing what used to be the foundation of its motto “Veritas,” or truth The Wall Street Journal reports that leaders of the university are discussing whether to create acenter for conservative scholarship. It would mirror the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California. That thediscussion is taking place is atacit admission that Harvard has been excluding conservative thought from itscurriculum, not to mention most of itsprofessors who toe the liberal line and teach their students to do the same. Like the other old Ivy League schools, Harvard once had areligious and conservative foundation.Founded by Puritans in 1636, Harvard had its roots in the Puritan worldviewand way of life. Its stated purpose was to train ministers and prepare students forcommunity and civic leadership By the mid-18th century,Harvard had evolved into an increasingly secular institution, broadening itscurriculum to include amore liberal artseducation and establishing aresearch branch

While it still has aDivinity School, that too is liberal in its theology and more aligned with aliberal political agenda. Whenhewas president of Harvard (1953-1971), Nathan Pusey said: “The ﬁnestfruit of serious learning should be theability to speak theword God without reserve or embarrassment.”

Given what we’veseen in recent months on their and other campuses it would appear that God has become an embarrassment, unless Hisname is used as ablasphemy

The idea that there should be a separate institution to “study” conservatism will be an affront tosome conservatives.Itsounds like aform of “separate but equal.”

Are conservatives considered such a rare species at Harvard that their way of thinking must be studied in order to be understood? Arethey alife form from another planet that could infect others if not kept away from “normal” people? Will students who study conservatism be required to wear identiﬁcation badges or arm bands to identify them to liberal students and liberal professors so as to avoid possible “contamination”?Will this new branch of studies produceaconservative commencement speaker instead of the continuing stream of liberal speakers at graduation?

Over theyears there have been

manyconservative intellectuals whose ideas and policies have demonstrated far more positive results than secular liberalism. Such thoughts and history should be incorporated into mainstream learning and not put at the “back of the bus.”

Oneofthe toweringconservative intellectuals of the 20th century was thelate William F. Buckley Jr.While he graduated from Yale and wrote abook “God and Man at Yale,” he famously said this about Harvard: “Iwould rather be governed by theﬁrst 2,000 people in thetelephone directory than by theHarvard University faculty.”

Imagine what he might say now given all that has transpired at the university in recent months.

Better to have aplace where conservative thought can be studied and studentsexposed to adifferent way of thinking than to have nothing at all, but even better to have that line of thinking taught alongside liberal thought. That would give conservative thought and conservative thinkers the recognition they deserve, along with examination of why conservative economic, social and foreign policy ideas have produced mostly better resultsthan secular liberalism.

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditorstribpub.com

ZohranMamdani’sideas are Bernie.But his political maneuvers areDonald.

The similaritiesbetween the Democratic Socialist running forNew York City mayor and President Donald Trump —as well as their respective bases— arefascinating.

Like Trump, Mamdani’splaybook is heavyonculture and grievancesthathave little to do with the offices theyare seeking. Like Trump during his first campaign, Mamdani is acharismatic figure with no relevant experience running amassive government.

Both said extreme things thatwereperfume to their far-right or far-left bases, the voters who can dominate primaries. But once they faced abroader electorate, they had to clean up their messages.

Trump reposted QAnonmemes on his Truth Social site in 2022.

But during the 2024 campaign, he avoided mentioning the lunatic conspiracy theory while refusing to disavow it.

For ageneration, Americans have had ahistorically large number of expresidents around, apossible source of counsel from one of only 45 people who have exercised the broad powers conferred by Article II of the Constitution Youmight expect former presidents to supply elements of personal comity and institutional norms to current politics, and sometimes they do. Certainly,the few periods with no living former presidentshave been times of stress when incumbents might have called on seasoned predecessors for advice. Presidents in those periods faced threatened war with France (17991801), violent resistance toReconstruction(1875-77), the Great Depression (1933) and Watergate(1973-74) During the only quiet ex-presidentless period (1908-09), Theodore Roosevelt witnessed the return of theWhite Fleet’svoyage around the world. But having alot of ex-presidents around hasn’talways helped. The only period before the 1990s withﬁve living former presidents was between March 1861 and January 1862, when Abraham Lincoln faced secession of the Confederate states. None were Lincoln voters, and none gave him much support.

Americans didnot have ﬁve living ex-presidents again until Bill Clinton was inaugurated in January 1993, and we’ve had at least four,except for 25 months in 2006-09. Clinton, presumably aware of voters’ continued respect for the men he succeeded, seemed to carefully refrain from blaming them for his woes. George W. Bush, aware of his father’s respectfor Clinton,behaved similarly This was astark contrast of the hostility and noncommunication between the onetime confreres but thenrivals —Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower On the surface, that comity has continued. Five presidents, including the incomingand outgoing incumbents, attended the Trump inaugurations in 2017 and 2025.

But none had endorsedhim —not entirely surprising givenhis vitriolic attacks, going back to the 1980s, on the immigration and trade policies of both parties.

Barack Obama, taking office after the financial crisis of 2008 and the successful execution of the stillunopposed Iraq conflict he had long opposed, did notleave off his criticism of his immediate predecessor after his victory speech.

Nor did he deal with his party’sdefeat in the 2010 midterm elections by engaging with Congress successfully,

LETTERS TO

as Clinton had with then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s Republicans after 1994, and Bush didwiththen-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’sDemocrats after 2006.

Instead, his administration responded, as conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell recalls, with IRS persecution of TeaPartyactivists. AndObama himself, nettled by repeated charges by Trump and others that he was born in Kenya, after ﬁnally releasing his long-form Hawaii birth certiﬁcate, days later launched alengthy attack on Trump, seated in theaudience, at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.Some reporters believe that attack prompted Trump’s candidacy

Thenthere is thefact, underlined by documentsreleased by Director of National Intelligence TulsiGabbard last week, that inDecember 2016, after Trump’ssurprisevictoryover Hillary Clinton, the intelligence community “prepared to produce an assessment per the President’srequest” —italicsadded —“that pulls together the information we have on the tools Moscow used and the actions it took to inﬂuence the 2016 election.”

Within days, newspapersprinted leaked accounts of the bogus Steele dossier,paid for by theClinton campaign —critical fuel for theRussia collusion hoax.

Whether and how much the outgoing president was involved in theproject of delegitimizing theincoming president, based on fake documentation, is aquestion that the press has shown little or no interest in addressing, justasithas shown little interest in why he is the ﬁrst president since the invalidedWoodrow Wilson to stay in Washington, in ahouse bought for $8 million, after his time in ofﬁce.

Blaming your party’selection loss on foreign interference or collusion was once known as “red baiting” and “McCarthyism.” The norm in the past, observed by Bill Clinton in 2000, was for apresident to acceptthe result, however disputed, and not to cast a pall of illegitimacy over his successor. Obama, at the least, failed to fulﬁll what was arguably his duty to prevent that from happening.

Onemight reply that Trump failed much more grievously to uphold that normbychallenging theresult of the 2020 election and inspiring the proTrump crowd’s assault on the Capitol. Iagreed at the time and agree today “While Trump’sexact words to the crowd on the Ellipse didn’tconstitute acriminal incitement,” Iwrote then, “they were uttered with areckless disregard for the possibility they’d provoke violence that anyreasonable person could ﬁnd impeachable.”

Reversing this spiral may turnout to be atask for the next generation.

This has happened before. The ﬁve ex-presidents in 1993 were among the seven from the GI Generation (born 1908-24) who served over the preceding 32 years. The ﬁve presidents elected to servethe 36 yearsupto 2029 include three leading-edge baby boomers(all born in 1946), one late boomer (1961), andone pre-boomer (1942).

After electing 77- and 78-year-old candidates in 2020 and 2024, Americans are surelyready to choose someone from alater generation in 2028. Will that president, with several expresidentsintheir 80s plus one over 65, reverse the negative spiral?

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

That’sMamdani’sapproach to his controversialrhetoric against Israel. He refuses to disavowthe slogan, “Globalize the Intifada.” “Globalize” suggests the battle should notbelimited to conﬂicts in the Middle East but spread to the streets of Paris andNew York City

Not long ago, Mamdani called the New York City Police Department “a rogue agency” and“wicked andcorrupt.” He vowedtocut policefunding “annually towards zero.” (That 13 lawenforcementunions have endorsed his opponent, current Mayor Eric Adams, is no surprise.)

Many Democrats believe this defund-the-policebusiness, popularonly in the fringiest left precincts, was responsible for the Democrats’ losing controlofthe House in 2022. It notably causedlossofsupport among needed moderates, especially in “communities of color.”

“’Defund the police’ almost cost me my race because of an attack ad,” former Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger said. “Don’tsay socialism ever again,” she added. Mamdani hassince executed aU-turn on the matter —ortomakeitseem that way. He told arecentbusiness group that no, “I will not defund the police. Iwill work with the policebecause Ibelieve the police have acritical role.” Good thathenoticed.

To put furtherspace between this andpast statements, Mamdani said thatifelected mayor,hemight keep Adams’ popular police commissioner,JessicaTisch, in that job. “I believe thatit’spremature to make anypersonnel commitments at this time,” he said, “but it’sa considerationthatisreal? —and it’sinkeeping with the city that we’re fighting for.” Considerthe word “consider.” That’swhat Trump usestomakepeople think he’s going to do something he has absolutely no intention of doing. Exhibit A: his previous promises to “consider” releasing the Epstein files. One thing the MAGA right and MAGA left have in common is avague understanding of economics,specifically the lawofsupply and demand.

Trump frequently blamed Joe Biden for rising energy costs, when the price of gas was simply recovering fromthe COVID-era crash. Workplaces hadclosed, and Americans did far less driving.

Mamdani vows to freeze rents on approximately 1millionrent-stabilized apartments. Doing thatwould cause the opposite to happen. Landlords don’twin anypopularity contests, but history shows rent controlgreatly discourages the building of new apartments and maintenanceofolderones.

Rents arehigh because supply has not kept up with demand. Atlanta used to be amagnet for urbanAmericans seeking more affordable housing.

Thatinﬂux hasstalledasthe demand for housing causedAtlanta’s prices to skyrocket Home prices in Atlanta have doubledsince 2012, according to the S&P/Case-ShillerHome PriceIndex.

Cult-like followings canget drowned out when the normiesshow up for the general election. Thathappened to Trump in 2020. Let’ssee what happens in New York’supcoming mayoral race

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Former President Bill Clinton speaks during the Democratic National Convention in 2024.

Michael Barone

Froma Harrop

Mamdani

Cal Thomas

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

On his 30th birthday,AlvinKamara

watchedfromunder thebrimofa bucket hat as his New Orleans Saints went through atraining camp practice.

That it was his birthday was beside the point, but the early rest day was telling Undercoach KellenMoore,the Saints are factoring load management into the equation with their veteran players. For Kamara in particular,thatideamay leak into the regular season as well.

As he’sentering his ninth NFL season, Kamara hastallied three of hisfourhighest carrytotals in the lastfourseasons —228 last year,223 in 2022 and240 in 2021. Those seasons also largely have correlated with Kamara’s least explosive years in terms of yardsper carry

Which makescomments likethese from Kamara even more interesting

“I think balance is important,” Kamara said. “So, efﬁciency withhow I’m getting the ball and when I’m getting the ball

And we’ve got dogs on theteam, sohopefully those guys getsome spin and get the ball and loosen things up forme.

“I’m abig believer in hustle smart, not hard. So the best way Ican get theball

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

NEW YORK Baseball’sbiggest spenders are stumbling, slowed by injuries and scrambling to patch rosters with help for batteredbullpens and other positions ahead of Thursday’strade deadline. Opening the season with atop payroll of $326 million, the New York Mets have a11/2-game NL East lead entering Monday butare 17-20 since mid-June.

Just $200,000 behind them in spending, according to Major League Baseball’sfigures, the World Series champion Los AngelesDodgers are four games ahead in the NL West but are 5-13 since July 3. Third at $294 million, the reigning AL champion New York Yankees blew aseven-game division lead and trail AL East-leadingTorontoby51/2 gamesafter a22-28 skid that started in late May.

“It is in alot of ways agame of survival,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

While all three are in playoff positions, they have not had the seasons they hoped for to begin 2025. All three teams were considered “winners” of the offseason. The Mets luredJuan Sotofromthe Yankees for arecord$765 million, 15-year contract.The Dodgers

and the most productive Ican be in the most efﬁcient ways, that’swhat I’mlookingfor and Ithink Kellen’sgot that.” In an ideal world, Kamara’srole might look more like it did early in his career

added prizedpitcher Roki Sasaki

andleft-hander Blake Snell along withreliever Tanner Scott, outﬁelderMichaelConforto andsecond baseman Hyeseong Kim. The Yankees brought in MaxFried, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt andDevin Williams.

Projected lineups and the ones in box scores have been markedly different.

TheMetshave used 13 starting pitchers, losing Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning for signiﬁcant stretches.

“We’renot goingtosit here and feel sorry forourselves. Nobody will,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re facinga lot of adversity, but every team goes throughit.”

LosAngeles had 14 pitchers on the injured list in earlyJune and has used 16 differentstarters.

“Itwas very important to have thedepth. We went through alot lastyear,and Ididn’t think that we would kindof match what we didlast year,but sure enough we have,” Dodgersmanager Dave Robertssaid. “Tokind of manage it hasn’tbeen easy,but we re doing it.”

TheYankees lost ace Gerrit Cole andClarke Schmidt to torn UCLs, andLuis Gil to alat strain. They arenow withouttwo-time AL MVP

AaronJudge for at least 10 days because of aflexor injury Los Angeles leads themajor leagues with 1,495 player days on the IL, the Mets are fifth at 1,095 andthe Yankees sixth at 1,022. Philadelphia,11/2 games back of the Metsinthe NL East, has thefewest IL days at 214. In addition to relievers, theMets could use acenter fielder and an upgrade at third. The Yankees added infieldersRyan McMahonand Amed Rosario, boosting payroll and tax by $11.56 million. Modern MLBisa sportfor the

place he feels mostathome.

“I’m excited, man,excited to get back on that ﬁeld,” Olave said recently when asked about his anticipation for the ﬁrst day of fully padded practice.

The Monday practice was Olave’sfirst live action in football pads since being knocked unconscious from a hit by Xavier Woods during a23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Nov.3.The vicious head shot left Olave sprawled motionless on the field while teammates rushed to his side. He wastransported from the field on a cart and did not play again last season, missing the remaining eight games.

The concussion wasOlave’ssecond of the season, fourth of his NFLcareer and sixth since his playing days at Ohio State.

Olave’sconcussion issues had become career-threatening. But after getting cleared by specialists earlier this year,Olave said he’sexcited to resumehis career.And Monday was abig step in his comeback, albeit one that was moremental than physical, as he largely avoided any major contact during the 90-minute workout.

“It’sbeen along time, man,” he said. “It’sbeen just watching from the sideline, watching from the stands. It feels like along time, but it’sonly been like nine months. But just with me wanting to get back on that ﬁeld, it wastough forme.” Olave is not running from his health issues. He’sfacing them, forlack of a better term,head on.

He’schanged his diet to, as he said, improve his “brain health” and changed his helmet. He is wearing the Riddell Axiom 3D, the NFL’s top-rated helmet forreducing head impact severity.And like the rest of

See SAINTS, page 4C ä See DUNCAN, page 4C

wealthy.Just twoofthe currentdivision leaders were not among the top seven spenders as of opening day: Detroit (19th at $148 million) andthe Chicago Cubs (14th at $195 million). And the spending doesn’tinclude luxury tax, withseven teams are projected to pay. The Dodgers were on track at the season’sstart to owe arecord$151 million more than the payrolls of seven teams. They wereprojectedat $73million and the Yankees at $52 million, with Philadelphia, Toronto, San Diegoand Boston at lesser

amounts.

All seven teamsset to owetax would be in the 12-club playoffs if the season ended now along with Houston, currently just below the tax threshold. In the past decade, threeteams outside thetop-10spenders have wontitles: Atlanta in 2021 (14th), Houstonin2017 (18th) andKansasCity in 2015 (13th). While the biggest spenderhas wontwice, the Dodgers in 2020 and Boston in 2018, atop-six payroll has won six of the past 10 titles. Some owners say MLB should push for asalary capinnegotiationstoreplace thecollective bargaining agreement that expires in December 2026, aproposal the players’ association would ﬁght. “Payrolldisparity is such afact of lifeamongthe ownership group that there’snot alot of need for talking aboutwhetherwehaveit or not,” baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Weunderstand that it has becomeabigger problem forus.”

Last year,the top three spenders reachedthe League Championship Seriesalong with Cleveland, which ﬁnished at No. 25. Tenof20 LCS teamsinthe last

From 2017-20, Kamara averaged 249.5 touches per season, andinthat span he averaged 6.2 yards every time he touched

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saintsrunning back KendreMiller,left,and quarterback JakeHaener practice during training camp in Metairie on Sunday.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints running back Alvin Kamara, left, looks on during training camp in Metairieon Friday. The Saints gave Kamara arest dayonFriday.

Eligibility battles rage on for athletes

Wave of lawsuits over more eligibility seems to be slowing down

BY TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press

The stream of lawsuits across the country from college athletes trying to grab another season of eligibility appears ready to ﬁzzle out for a bit. With preseason football practice cranking up this week, players still hoping for a judge allowing them to take the ﬁeld may be left waiting for a ruling that likely won’t help them compete again.

“We’re at a point in the summer where I think any athlete out there is going to know that it’s probably too late to ﬁle a case and be able to get relief on it,” said Sam Ehrlich, a professor of legal studies at Boise State studying the 2021 Alston ruling’s effect on college athletics. Relief on a larger question surrounding eligibility may be a while coming, too: In cases from California to Wisconsin, judges have provided inconsistent results for players seeking legal help for another season, and it may very well be a topic settled for good by a higher court.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is perhaps the highest-proﬁle athlete to win his court ﬁght. The New Mexico State transfer

sued the NCAA last fall, arguing his junior college years should not count against his eligibility, citing the potential losses in earnings from name, image and likeness deals. U.S. District Judge William Campbell Jr in Tennessee granted a preliminary injunction, ordering the NCAA to allow Pavia to play

The NCAA is appealing Campbell’s decision but granted a blanket waiver that will allow an extra year of eligibility for Pavia and other athletes who played at nonNCAA Division I schools before enrollment if they were going to exhaust their eligibility this year Pavia won. Others, such as Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean, have lost or are in limbo.

Practice starts Wednesday for Southeastern Conference members Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Chris Bellamy and Targhee Lambson are among four football players waiting on the same federal judge who gave Pavia another season of football last December

Some schools have helped by ﬁling waivers. Others wait and hold a spot, letting the athlete ﬁght the legal battle.

“They’re just kind of in limbo in the transfer portal because schools don’t really know whether they’re going to have eligibility,” Ehrlich said. “It’s a really weird situation right now.”

The NCAA would like Congress to grant limited liability protection to help address all the law-

suits over eligibility NCAA President Charlie Baker noted in June that athletes had ﬁve years to play four seasons for about a century, a situation that changed recently Baker told The Associated Press then that the NCAA has won more of these cases than the association lost.

“But the uncertainty it creates, the consequences of this for the next generation of young people if you play this thing out, are enormous,” Baker said. “Moving away from an academic calendar to sort of no calendar for college sports is hugely problematic.”

Duke coach Manny Diaz thought such eligibility issues would be addressed after the House settlement, which took effect July 1.

“All I have been told is once they got House out of the way they are going to double back on a lot of these oddities and make sure eligibility is tied into a college career,” Diaz said at ACC media days. “We don’t want nine-year guys playing the sport.”

Thanks to the extra season added to careers for the coronavirus pandemic, the college eligibility calendar has been scrambled a bit. Pavia will be playing his sixth season after starting with two at New Mexico Military Institute, a junior college, then two more at New Mexico State.

Fullback Hayden Large played three NAIA seasons at Dordt before transferring to Iowa, where he will be playing his sixth season

this fall after being granted another year Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz sees a simple solution in giving players ﬁve years to play ﬁve seasons. He’s also in favor of players who start in junior college having an extra year, although he sees the need for a limit, even if he doesn’t know what that should be.

“If a guy during his ﬁrst year ends up being able to play ﬁve or six games, why not let him play?” Ferentz said. “It’s all about creating opportunity, in my mind. I’ve never understood the rationale for not doing that.”

Ehrlich is attempting to track all lawsuits against the NCAA, ranging from the House settlement; name, image and likeness litigation; college athletes as employees; and Title IX lawsuits, along with other cases. Ehrlich has tracked more than a dozen lawsuits involving eligibility, and common factors are hard to come by He saw three very different rulings from judges appointed by President Donald Trump. Standards of evidence for a preliminary injunction also have varied from judge to judge. Three cases have been appealed, with other motions helping delay some waiver requests.

Ehrlich said there remains the chance a case lands before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I don’t see these cases drying up anytime soon,” Ehrlich said.

Clase on leave as part of MLB betting probe

BY JAY COHEN Associated Press

Cleveland Guardians closer

Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting Clase, a three-time All-Star, becomes the second Guardians pitcher to be placed on leave in connection with a sports gambling probe. Luis Ortiz also is on non-disciplinary leave through Aug 31. It was unclear if the cases were related. The Guardians said in a statement that the organization “(has) been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted.”

The 27-year-old Clase is 5-3 with 24 saves in 48 games this year, but he also has a career-high 3.23 ERA. The right-hander led the AL in saves in each of the previous three years and was believed to be on the market ahead of this week’s MLB trade deadline.

“I’m not happy This stinks,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said before Monday night’s game against visiting Colorado. “It’s a different part of our game now because it’s legal. Two of our guys are being investigated — and it hurts. It’s an unfortunate situation.” Major League Baseball has been monitoring sports gambling

DERMER

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVID

Cleveland relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase reacts after the Guardians defeated the Athletics on July 18 in Cleveland. Clase is on paid leave as part of an MLB investigation into sports betting

more closely since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 struck down a federal law that had barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states.

MLB said in a statement that Clase — per an agreement with the players’ association — had been placed on leave while the league “continues its sports betting investigation.” It declined further comment. A spokeswoman for the Major League Baseball Players Association declined comment Monday Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the Guardians, said he was informed of the situation with Clase on Sunday He met with his coaching staff and the players before the series opener against the Rockies Cleveland began the day in sec-

Reports: LSU admin to become Rutgers AD

Rutgers reportedly is close to hiring a top-level LSU administrator as its next athletic director

According to multiple reports

Sunday, LSU executive deputy athletic director Keli Zinn is on the verge of following former LSU president William F. Tate IV to Rutgers.

Zinn, a West Virginia native, has worked at LSU since 2022. She has directly overseen the school’s football and gymnastics programs, while also helping its athletic department craft an athlete revenuesharing plan and plot the early stages of a potential construction project for a new arena.

Tate’s tenure as LSU president started in 2021 and ended in May, when he left the university to take the same job at Rutgers. Vice president for agriculture Matt Lee is LSU’s interim president.

Cubs legend Sandberg dies after cancer battle

CHICAGO Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Fame second baseman who became one of baseball’s best allaround players while starring for the Chicago Cubs, has died. He was 65.

Sandberg was surrounded by his family when he died at his home on Monday, according to the team. Sandberg announced in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer He had chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and then said in August that he was cancer-free.

But he posted on Instagram on Dec. 10 that his cancer had returned and spread to other organs. He said this month that he was still ﬁghting, while “looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends.” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said Sandberg “will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise.”

Source: Sutton, Broncos agree to four-year deal

ENGLEWOOD,Colo.— Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has reached agreement on a four-year, $92 million extension, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of the deal that runs through the 2029 season and averages $23 million and includes $41 million in guarantees.

Sutton has had his best two seasons of his eight-year NFL career under coach Sean Payton, who arrived in Denver in 2023. Sutton caught a career-best 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns last season, his first 1,000-yard campaign since 2019. He had a career-high 10 TD catches the year before.

Tigers acquire Paddack from division rival Twins

ond place in the AL Central. Vogt

said the plan is to go with a closerby-committee approach for now

“He’s a part of the team,” reliever Cade Smith said “It sucks for him to be not here today.”

The Ortiz investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by the righthander that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was ﬂagged by a betting-integrity ﬁrm and forwarded to MLB.

The pair of Cleveland pitchers on leave comes after MLB suspended five players for gambling in June 2024, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023. Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers — San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher Andrew Saalfrank and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez — received one-year suspensions. Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by MLB in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games, and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.

MINNEAPOLIS The AL Centralleading Detroit Tigers acquired starting pitcher Chris Paddack from the division rival Minnesota Twins in a three-player trade on Monday to plug another injurycreated vacancy in their rotation.

The Tigers announced righthander Reese Olson will miss the remainder of the regular season with a strained shoulder suffered during his most recent bullpen session, joining right-hander Jackson Jobe on the shelf. The Twins packaged Paddack and right-hander Randy Dobnak for catcher Enrique Jimenez, who was the Tigers’ 14th-best prospect in MLB’s preseason rankings.

Pitcher Lugo gets $46M guaranteed from Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Right-hander Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals agreed Monday to a $46 million, two-year contract for 2026 and ’27, a signal the team intends to push for a second consecutive playoff appearance rather than sell ahead of this week’s trade deadline.

Lugo, 35, could have become a free agent after this year’s World Series; he is in the second year of a two-year, $20 million deal that

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By AARON GASH

Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean’s eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA is in limbo.

Tulane hoops star Glenn dies

22-year-old drowned while swimming in Miami

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

Tulane men’s basketball player

Gregg Glenn, a well-liked senior from Pompano Beach, Florida, died Sunday, school officials announced Monday morning

Although details have not been made public yet, a source said Glenn drowned off the coast of Miami while swimming with a friend.

“He was a talented student-athlete who enriched our lives with his spirit, dedication and passion for both sports and academics,” Tulane vice president of student affairs Sarah Cunningham wrote in a letter to the Tulane community “Gregg was an outstanding athlete on our men’s basketball team and an individual who brought joy and light to those around him. His commitment to excellence inspired many of us.

“Let us remember Gregg not just for his achievements in sports, but for the kindness and warmth he shared with everyone. He will forever remain a part of our university family.”

Glenn, 22, started all 34 games last season, averaging 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He

scored in double ﬁgures 21 times and was expected to be a huge cog this year as the Green Wave tried to build on a one-point loss to American Conference champion Memphis in the semiﬁnals of the league tournament in March.

“Our program was devastated this morning as we learned of the passing of our Gregg Glenn III,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said in a statement. “He was not only an exceptional athlete but also a remarkable person who brought energy, dedication and kindness to our team and community Gregg’s spirit and passion will be deeply missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difﬁcult time. We will honor his memory by continuing to celebrate the impact he had on all of us. Rest in peace, Gregg.”

Glenn, who signed with Michigan before the 2022-23 season, was rated the 90th overall prospect in the country by 247Sports.

After playing in only four games for the Wolverines as a freshman, he transferred to Tulane and averaged 3.6 points in 9.7 minutes in 2023-24 while playing behind versatile forward Kevin Cross, before taking on a much bigger role last season as a 6-foot-7 ballhandler passer and post player

Frequently allowed to bring the ball up the court, he ranked second to point guard Rowan Brumbaugh

on the team with 106 assists, handing out a career-high 11 against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 15.

“I love to make my teammates shine,” he said. “That is the best feeling in the world.”

He had back-to-back games with double ﬁgures in rebounds in December, and he scored a personal-best 22 points against Tulsa in March. That was part of a stretch of eight consecutive games with 10 or more points to end the season. He averaged 14.3 points in nine games through the American Conference Tournament, learning how to play through the foul trouble that limited his effectiveness earlier in his career For the second consecutive year, he chose not to enter the transfer portal, joining Brumbaugh, the Green Wave’s leading scorer and third-leading scorer senior guard Asher Woods as returning starters on a team that added ﬁve transfers in the pursuit of an NCAA Tournament bid.

Very visible with his spiky hair rising well above his head, Glenn said his look reﬂected his relaxed personality “I’m from Florida, so it’s a natural,” he said “He (Hunter) is always talking about my hair ﬂying all over the place and stuff. Honestly, it’s just me. I can’t really do anything about that.”

Glenn was majoring in health and wellness.

Wallace’s new life perspective leads to career breakthrough

BY MICHAEL MAROT AP sports writer

INDIANAPOLIS Bubba Wallace spent three long years questioning everything about his racing world. During a 100-race winless streak, he saw teammate Tyler Reddick win five times and post three top-10 ﬁnishes in NASCAR’s ﬁnal standings. Wallace also watched team co-owner Denny Hamlin make regular trips to victory lane. The drought forced Wallace to contemplate what was wrong and whether he’d continue to be employed in racing — until he realized there was more to life than racing Sunday’s life-changing Brickyard 400 title reinforced that notion.

“When Amanda and I ﬁrst started dating, I was like, ‘Hey, racing is everything, right?’ I knew I made a mistake saying that,” Wallace said, referring to his wife Sunday night. “It took me all these years to realize this isn’t always going to be here. So I think it’s better to enjoy moments like this, but nothing can overcome the joyful times you have with your family.” Those aren’t just empty words, either After celebrating with his crew, a jubilant Wallace hugged his wife and hoisted their 10-month-old son over his head, an image that may far outlive Wallace’s reign as champion.

His second family, other Cup drivers, also embraced Wallace after the biggest victory of his career By becoming the ﬁrst Black driver to win a major race on In-

dianapolis Motor Speedway’s historic 2.5-mile oval, Wallace also locked up his second playoff appearance. But long before Sunday, there were indications Wallace was turning things around After posting just six top-five finishes and 12 top 10s in his first five Cup seasons, Wallace broke through with five top fives and 10 top 10s in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he had career bests of six top fives and 14 top 10s. And he won one pole in each of those three seasons, too. He also won two qualifying races leading up to this year’s Daytona 500, though those wins don’t count in the Cup’s official stats. Midway through last season, Hamlin noticed a change in Wal-

lace. “When I hired Bubba, I believed in his capability — not necessarily the results he had shown, but I understood his potential. And then there was a time where we were kind of wrestling with, ‘Do I want it worse than him? I can’t make him want it,’ “ Hamlin said “It just seems like something happened mid last year — maybe related to having a child or whatever but something happened where I saw a change in attitude that changed work for him.”

It was a new perspective on life. Suddenly, Wallace had more to think about than just racing. It freed him up to alleviate some of the pressure he put on himself and the brutal self-critiques.

Aces face critical stretch despite uneven season

BY MARK ANDERSON AP sportswriter

HENDERSON, Nev From management to coach Becky Hammon to the players, the Las Vegas Aces say they remain a championship team despite what has been, at best, an uneven season.

The Aces must keep their championship window open or major changes could come during what is expected to be a chaotic offseason given the number of pending free agents in Las Vegas and throughout the WNBA.

“I think as we look at big-picture decisions for the Aces, this stretch is very important,” team president Nikki Fargas said. “It’s where championship habits are going to be solidiﬁed, and there’s a lot of great talent that’s going to be available. Are you wanting to be a part of a championship legacy? We’ve found that that’s been a great opportunity for us to talk about that in free agency previously.”

The Aces, who in 2023 became the first WNBA team to repeat in 21 years, have been one of the league’s model franchises in recent seasons. They were on the short list of favorites to contend for another championship this season, but are in a ﬁght just to secure a playoff spot. They are 13-13, which puts them seventh in the standings. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason, and the Aces are for intents and purposes in playoff mode now because the ﬁfth through 10th teams were separated by 3 1/2 games entering Monday

“We’re just trying to string together some wins,” guard Jackie

Young said “We know every game’s important. We’re trying to go out there and build off of the past games, learn from our mistakes.” Falling short of the playoffs or getting bounced early could lead to major offseason changes that could be coming anyway given the number of free agents. Only Aaliyah Nye is under contract beyond this season, according to Spotrac. That’s largely the case around the league as well because the collective bargaining agreement ends after this season. Players timed their contracts to take advantage of what should be a much more lucrative CBA because of an 11-year media rights deal valued at more than $2.2 billion. “I think next year’s free agency is like the wild, wild West,” Hammon said. “There’s going to be people we’re obviously trying to keep their services here in Vegas, and then there are others we’re going to try to bring some people in. So I just think it’s about finishing the season well, keeping our culture and our character intact through the rest of the (18) games so we make this a destination that people want to come and play with and be competitive at.” Hammon quickly made the point she’s not the general manager, and the Aces remain without a GM since Natalie Williams was dismissed in October The organization chose to not ﬁll that position, with Fargas working with Tonya Holley, vice president of basketball operations, on personnel decisions with input from Hammon.

Sanders plans to coach after bladder-cancer ﬁght

BY PAT GRAHAM AP sportswriter

BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado coach

Deion Sanders disclosed Monday that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer but after surgery his oncologist has considered him cured, so he plans to coach this season.

Dr Janet Kukreja, director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center/ UCHealth University of Colorado hospital, said Sanders had his bladder removed as part of the surgical plan.

“It was dynamic. It was tough. It wasn’t a cakewalk. It wasn’t easy,” said Sanders, who arrived to his news conference wearing a cowboy hat and overalls along with sunglasses, which he removed after getting choked up.

“That was a ﬁght, but we made it.”

Sanders, who turns 58 next month, has drawn headlines for his health, but the focus largely was on two toes he’s had amputated and concerns over blood clots. He said he’s had 14 surgeries since 2021, when he was still the coach at Jackson State, but kept his cancer ﬁght private.

Sanders spoke on the eve of fall camp as he enters his third season overseeing the Buffaloes. He brought his medical team with him to discuss his diagnosis. It was revealed that a section of his intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder He won’t need radiation or chemotherapy, Kukreja said.

“The ‘C’ word, when we hear that word there’s normally a life sentence attached to it,” Sanders said. “But not this time. But not this time.” Sanders said he lost about 25 pounds, leading him to joke, “I was like Atlanta Falcons Prime at one point.” He later added: “I truly depend on Depend, if you know what I mean. I can’t control my bladder

Let’s not be ashamed of it. Let’s deal with it head on.”

Just Sanders being Sanders — he remained upbeat throughout the entire process, his medical team said.

“He never folded one time and never wavered,” team trainer Lauren Askevold said.

“You couldn’t ask for a better patient because he wants to get up and get going right away It’s been a hectic journey It’s been a lot But there’s a blessing in disguise with all

of this.”

Never once did Sanders waver in his belief that he would return to the sideline.

“I always knew I was going to coach again. It was never in my spirit, in my heart, that God wouldn’t allow me to coach again,” he said “I just didn’t want to be running down to the hospital once a week when I have all of this on my plate. I don’t want that. I was like, ‘OK, can they bring one of those machines and put them in the ofﬁce?’

Athletic director Rick George echoed Sanders.

“He’s so positive, and he said he’d be back,” George said. “I had every confidence that he would be.”

While he dealt with the cancer diagnosis, Sanders said he had plenty of friends and family check in on him. Among those who reached out was fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who took a leave of absence from ESPN in early December after having surgery for his cancer

“Randy Moss called me every other day to make sure I was straight,” Sanders said. “Randy Moss prayed for me — he and his wife. Told me what I needed to be doing.”

Sanders repeatedly stressed the importance of early detection. His cancer was discovered when he went for an annual CT scan as a precaution given his history with blood clots.

“We’re lucky to have found it at this stage where I could say the word cure,” Kukreja said, “because I don’t use that word lightly as a cancer doctor.”

The charismatic coach missed football camps in Boulder this summer amid reports that he’s been ill. He returned to campus last week and announced on social media, “Back and Feeling Great!”

On Sunday, the production crew of “Well Off Media,” which chronicles Sanders and the Buffaloes, posted a video on YouTube of the coach’s ﬁrst meeting with the team Included is a scene dated May 9 in which Sanders said: “I don’t know if I’m ready mentally, emotionally Last night was tough, yesterday was tough, because I had to make a will. That’s not easy at all, to think that you may not be here.” Sanders used humor Monday to talk about drafting a will, saying it was a chance to rank his kids. Jokes aside, he added: “You don’t want to be a fool and leave and not have your business affairs in order.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DARRON CUMMINGS

Bubba Wallace kisses the trophy after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday in Indianapolis.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Tulane forward Gregg Glenn, center, drives to the goal between SMU players Ricardo Wright, left, and Tyreek Smith on Feb 15, 2024, in Devlin Fieldhouse.

Sanders

QB Shough uneven as physicalityramps up

CAMP OBSERVATIONS

overall)

n SpencerRattler: 4of9(24 of 37)

Luke Johnson

Monday was abig opportunity for New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough,who operated the first-team offense as the teamdonnedpads for thefirst time in training camp. While there were some positives, Shough still is lacking abreakthrough performance through five days in Saints camp. The rookie effectively communicated andcommanded the offense, but he was often inaccurate and sometimes indecisive. His peers, SpencerRattler and Jake Haener,had better high moments but didn’texactly assert themselves in the competition for thestarting job, either.

“These guys will grow every day,” coach Kellen Moore said. “Every opportunity,especially for Tylerasaﬁrst-time rookie in training camp, every day there’snew install, new material that maybe is aﬁrst time for him. So he’sgoing through that process. Ithink he’s doing an excellent job.”

New Orleans ran two full-team periods, one of which focused on the rushing attack. Again, the Saints split thesquads between two practice ﬁelds at one point as away to maximize the snaps. Here is how the quarterbacks performed in Monday’spractice:

n Tyler Shough: 6of9(17 of 30

n Jake Haener: 2of3(13 of 18)

There is no denying Shough’s talent. He is aﬂuid athlete in a 6-foot-5, 219-pound frame, andhe again showed off his scrambling ability during Monday’spractice. It is always impressive when Shoughlets the ball ripontime and with conﬁdence. His pure throwing ability is probably the best on the team.

The question for Shough has been how he would hold up once real pressureisaddedto the equation. The earlyreturns were notpromising Monday when the padscame on andthe offensive and defensive linemen played with something approaching regular speed and physicality

Shough completed his ﬁrst two passes during 11-on-11 drills during aperiod meant to simulate third downs. Both of those passes movedthe chains as Shough navigated pressureinthe pocket, but both of them werealso low throws, requiringhim to be bailed out by Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed Shough’snext threepasses fell incomplete —anoverthrow on an outbreaker, another low throw he skipped at Shaheed’s feet as he was falling away in

the face of pressure,and what appeared to be abad overthrow on ascreen.Shough’sdrill ended when Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders split asack on him. Therealso was asomewhat strange sequence in the sevenon-sevenperiod,whenShough decidedtoholdonto the ball and run outofbounds on consecutive plays. It’snot entirely an indictment of Shough —the coverage was gluedtothe receivers, and

quarterbacks don’talways throw the ball during seven-on-seven drills —but it was odd to see it happenonconsecutive plays.

Mooredid not seem concerned aboutitafter practice.

“Obviously,we’d love to be on time and all that good stuff,” Moore said. “On acouple of those, the defense did anice job. We do really encourage the scramble drill because it comes up so much in ourleague. That is the second

part of aplay,and we really emphasize that is alive action, we’re trying to make an explosive play on offense and our defense has to plaster and match everyone out.”

If there’sone area where Rattler has been ahead of Shough during camp, it has been decisiveness. Now in his second season, Rattler clearly beneﬁted fromhis experience ayear ago. The ball is coming out quickly,and when he sees an opportunity for abig play he pulls the trigger —ashe did when he hit Shaheed for a big gain down the sideline on a go route

While Shough operated the offense on the main field, Rattler worked with the second team on aside field. He completed only one of his four passes in that setting, connecting with MasonTipton Haener again sawlimited practice snaps with the third-team offense. His lone incompletion in team drills cameonathrowaway after he was flushed out of the pocket to his right. He had an opportunity to connect with rookie tight end Moliki Matavao for abig play during seven-on-sevens, but he left his throw downfield just a bit short, allowing linebacker Isaiah Stalbird to jump and get ahand on it.

EmailLuke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Fitzpatrickwants to stay in Miamifor long haul

By The Associated Press

MIAMI GARDENS,Fla. It has been about amonth since Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Miami Dolphins organization that drafted him, and the All-Pro safety hopes to remain in Miami long term. Fitzpatrick spoke to reporters Monday for theﬁrsttimesince he returned to Miami, which drafted him in 2018 and traded him away at his requestin2019. He said his lack of public comment was not an expression of frustration with returning to the Dolphins.

“My silence was nota reflection of how Ifelt about this team or this organization,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that he wouldnot take any questions about “Pittsburgh or

previous coachesoranything like that.”

Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins agreed to arestructured contract Sunday that moved $2 million from his2026 salary tothis upcoming season and convertedsomeofhis salary into a$16.2 million signing bonus. It gave him araise to $17.5 millionthis seasonashis agent and the Dolphins work toward alongterm deal.

“I know it was reported that I wanted anew contract,” Fitzpatricksaid, “but Ijustwantedto know that Iwas going to be here for more than aseasonand Igot that And now, I’mgoing to go out there, play All-Pro, Pro Bowl leveland hopefullyearnthe respectofmy teammates and theorganization to have thatlong-termcontract.”

The Dolphins selected Fitzpatrick 11th overall in 2018, but thesafety became displeased withhis role underthen-coachBrian Flores, requesteda trade and wasdealt to the Steelers ayear after being drafted. Fitzpatrick quickly became one of the NFL’s top safeties in Pittsburgh, making ﬁve Pro Bowls and threeAll-Pro teamsduringhis time there

His new Dolphins teammates have praised his leadership in the short time he’sbeen in Miami. He came up withthe ﬁrst interception of training camp on Saturday with an athletic pickofquarterback Zach Wilson. “Minkahisvery quiet, but when he does talk,everybody listens,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “He’s got oneof(those) personalities

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

the ball. That number hasjumped to an average of 279.5 the last four seasons, includingacareer-high 296 last season. His average yards pertouch in thoseseasons dipped to 4.8.

Workload clearly is not the only factor.Kamara is older now,and early in his careerhesplit work with quality running backs such as Mark Ingram and Latavius Murray,meaning the team did not have to rely on him as much to carry the load.

Butthe Saintshope this year that they have someone who can alleviate the burden, allowing them to be more selective with how they deploy Kamara.

“When he (Kamara) is touching the ball, he’splaying at ahigh level, so as acoach, you’re like,‘I want him to touchthe ball more,’” running backs coach Joel Thomas said.

“We’ve got to ﬁnd that happy medium.”

Finding arunning mate forKamara in 2025 is in its “infancy stages,” Thomas said. NewOrleans has used the opening days of training

camp to steadily rotate running backs inthe lineup, getting alook at just about everyone moving behind the ﬁrst- and second-team offensive line.

That should start to crystallize soon.

“That’sgoing to be goingonhere fora couple moredays,and then we’ll let the thing start falling in place on how guys have played, howthey’ve protected, how they’ve caught the ball and how they took care of the ball in trafﬁc,”Thomassaid.

The Saints have amix of proven veterans and mostly unproven youthvying to becomeKamara’s No. 2. CamAkers andClyde Edwards-Helaire wereboth top-60 picks in the2020 NFL Draft who both have a750-yard rushing season under their belt. The Saints added Devin Neal in the sixth round thisyear and signed Marcus Yarns as an undrafted free agent.

But the biggest wildcardisKendreMiller Entering his third season, Miller is eagertoprovehis worth. Injuries have limited himtojust14ofa possible 34 gamessince the Saints selectedhim in thethirdround of the2022 draft, and he’s gained just 304 careeryardsrushing in those

contests.

Finally healthythis offseason, Millerchangedsome things up. He plans to playbetween 215-218 pounds this offseason, slightly less than his listed220, but he’s noticeably leaner.Healso ditched hisold No. 25 jersey in favor of No. 5.

“I wasinjured in (No.) 25,and I just wanted something new,”Miller said. “I feel good ﬁnally, andI wanttoleavethatold mojo in the past andmoveon.”

Millerhas hadanunevenstart to trainingcamp —during Sunday’spractice, he slippedonone play and was penalized for afalse start on another.But if the Saints can gethim to realizehis talent, he may prove to be thecomplement for Kamara that hasbeen missing.

Whether it’s Miller or someone else, the most important role is getting Kamara in position to be as productive as possible.

“Whether it’s 10 rushes andﬁve catches, or 10 catches and five rushes —ifthose spots are good, we’re rolling and it puts me in the best positiontohelpthenthat’s what I’mlooking for,” Kamara said.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

when he gets on the ﬁeld —just got that dog, brings that energy.He’s been herea couple days but it’s just like the defense gravitates towards him. He made acrazy play today,soeverybody gothyped. It’sgreat.”

The Dolphins addedmoreexperience to their secondary Monday when they signed former Bengals andSteelerscornerback Mike Hilton.

Hilton hasmade 56 starts in eight seasons with Pittsburgh (2017-20) andCincinnati (2021-24), making 520 tackles (386 solo), 111/2 sacks and13interceptions, onereturned for atouchdown.

The 31-year-old had 73 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and an interception as one of the leaders of the Bengals defense last season.

DUNCAN

Continued from page1C

his teammates, he is wearing a Guardian cap during practice, although he said he doesn’tplan to wear one during games. What won’tchange, he said, is his mindset and playing style. Olavesaidheplans to run every patterninthe route tree, including crossers, seamsand posts that take him into harm’s way. The only concession to his injury history,hesaid, will be to avoid unnecessary contact by getting down quicker after receptions.

“If Igoout there nervous or go out there alittle scared, it’sgoing to makemeplay alittle slower and make me play worse, so I’m not really scared to get hit,” he said. “I’mnot scared to go over themiddle. I’mnot scared to do none of that.”

So far,Olave has lived up to his word. Earlyincamp, he went up high to snare apass from Spencer Rattler on acrossing route over the middle of the ﬁeld during seven-on-seven drills. Safety Justin Reid zeroed in on him but slid past at thelast instant without making contact. Olave knows thingswould have been different in full-contact work.

During team drills afew days later,Olave took ahandoff on a jet sweep andraced lefttothe sideline with amob of defenders in hotpursuit. As he turned upﬁeld, linebacker Pete Werner leveled him with amassive hit that smashed him to the ground.

Several of his offensive teammates took exception to the hit, which came during non-contact drills.

This is how it’sgoing to be for Olave. Every big hit or violent tackle is going to be ahold-yourbreathmoment forteammates, coaches, fans and maybe even Olavehimself.

“Obviously,noone wants to get abig hit, but it comes with thegame,” said veteran receiver Brandin Cooks, whoendured concussion issues of his own early in his career.“Instead of having that anxiety about it, just knowing andaccepting that it’s

going to come with the gameand then everything else will take care of itself.”

It’s abig year forOlave. He needs aproductive, injury-free season to re-establish himself among the premier NFLreceivers. Before missing nine games last season, Olave wasenjoying one of the strongest starts of any receiver in Saints history.With atotal of 159 receptions and 2,165 yards in 2022 and 2023, he became only the third Saints receiver to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in his ﬁrst two seasons, joining Michael Thomas and Marques Colston.

The Saints picked up the fifthyear option on his contract this offseason, so, barring atrade, he’ll be with the club for at least two more seasons. But a life-changing, long-term extension like the four-year,$130 milliondeal his former Ohio State teammate, Garrett Wilson, signed with the New York Jets this year is on hold. Olave knows he needs to produce and stay injury-free to score asimilar payday “It’skind of obvious, just with my injury history (and) all the concussions, Imean, of course they’re going to be questionable about my future and all that stuff,” he said. “So (I’m)just trying to makeitobvious on the field every day,just trying to dominate everybody,bethe best player on the field and go into the season and try to play every game, really play 17 games so it’s going to be easy on them to make that decision when we get to the table.”

His teammates and coaches say Olave is in agood space right now,and his mindset has been impressive. He’sfocused on making the mostofhis comeback and is facing the future with eyes wide open.

Getting through his ﬁrst fullcontact practice was asigniﬁcant milestone. There will be more hurdles to clear along the way, but after nine months on the sideline, Olave knowssmallsteps are better than no steps at all. Email JeffDuncanatjduncan@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints running backCam Akersruns adrill duringtraining campatthe team’s facility in Metairie on Monday.

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, left, gets past strong safety Terrell Burgess during aplayattraining camp at the team’sfacility in Metairie on Monday.

AP PHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick runs drills at the team’s training camp on Wednesdayin Miami Gardens, Fla

Swinney rooting for Renfrow’s comeback

BY STEVE REED Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Hunter Renfrow remembers being cut by the Las Vegas Raiders on March 13, 2024, and not even caring all that much. He had no desire to play football.

Physically, he felt awful. He’d lost 35 pounds, went a week with a 103-degree fever and was completely zapped of the energy and ﬁre he was once known to bring to the football ﬁeld. Running routes, catching passes and being blasted by defensive backs were the last things on his mind.

But after being diagnosed with a severe case of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inﬂammatory bowel disease that causes inﬂammation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine and rectum, the 2021 Pro Bowler is now feeling like himself again. He’s trying to make an NFL comeback with the Carolina Panthers, the team he rooted for as a kid growing up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Dabo Swinney his college coach at Clemson, believes if anyone can make it back, it’s Renfrow

“You’re playing football at the highest level, and he just couldn’t eat,” Swinney said. “It affected him, and he was really done (with football). I didn’t think he was gonna play again.”

Neither did Renfrow

“I was like, ‘I’m never playing football again,’ ” Renfrow said “Like when you feel like that, you feel like you’re letting your teammates down.”

Renfrow’s problems surfaced late in the 2021 season, in which he caught a career-high 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns. He noticed his energy level had dropped off signiﬁcantly, and he could never seem to get it all the way back, even after taking a month off to prep for his ﬁrst Pro Bowl appearance.

The Raiders rewarded Renfrow with a two-year $32 million con-

tract extension that offseason, but he never came close to reaching that level of production again.

He caught just 36 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 and 25 passes for 255 yards and no touchdowns in 2023, leading to his release.

But after several hospital visits and a referral to a Charlotte-area doctor, Renfrow ﬁnally received a diagnosis. He began receiving treatment, started a new diet and saw his appetite return. By September, he’d put back on the 35 pounds he’d lost and then some.

His energy returned.

He played pickleball, basketball and golf, and the competitive juices began to return

As the 2024 NFL season went on without him, Renfrow privately began discussing a possible comeback with Swinney, who has remained a close friend and father ﬁgure.

“I was like, ‘Hunter, listen, you know you’re gonna be 40 one day,’ ” Swinney said “ ‘So if you got more left in you ..’ ”

In January, Renfrow took Swinney’s advice and began to work his way back into football shape

He asked his agent if the Panthers might be interested in giving him a workout. They were, and that ultimately led to a one-year, $1.22 million contract that included a modest $50,000 signing bonus.

It was a no-lose proposition for the Panthers.

But if Monday is any indication, Renfrow might just be a solid under-the-radar free agent addition for the Panthers.

With Swinney observing from the Panthers sideline as a guest of coach Dave Canales, the 5-foot10 Renfrow made two impressive catches reminiscent of the player who went from walk-on to catching the game-winning touchdown pass with 1 second remaining in Clemson’s dramatic 35-31 win over Alabama in the national championship game in the 2016 season.

Renfrow said he feels appreciative as he continues “pushing toward something special.”

The unimposing Renfrow may look like an ordinary guy off the field, but Swinney said when he puts on the pads, he “turns into Superman.”

“He catches it. He makes plays,” Swinney said. “He understands the leverage and influence and route-running and break points and how to set things up and how to play with his hands at full speed. And he’s just got elite change of direction. But he’s a little guy that plays really big and is really crafty Just his ability to separate and change direction, that’s hard to ﬁnd.”

Renfrow is no lock to make the Panthers roster

The Panthers have upgraded their wide receiver position in recent years, drafting Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan in the ﬁrst round in 2024 and 2025, respectively They also have veteran wide receivers Adam Thielen and David Moore, and the team remains high on last year’s surprise undrafted rookie standout Jalen Coker

But Canales likes what he has seen so far from Renfrow

“He looks like the Hunter that I remember,” Canales said.

Canales said Renfrow began to show a burst during the team’s OTAs in the spring, and he has been pleased with his development ever since, citing the five-year NFL veteran’s knowledge of coverages and leverages and ability to attack defenses.

The next month will go a long way toward determining whether Renfrow is able to make it all the way back.

Either way, at least he has his health.

“I’m just pulling for him,” Swinney said. “He’s having fun again. He’s 29, and so I’m just happy that he’s back out here. If he stays healthy, he’ll do what Renfrow does. That’s just who he is.”

Jets QB returns to team drills

BY DENNIS WASZAK JR Associated Press

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields returned to team drills Monday, four days after dislocating a toe on his right foot. Fields participated in seven-onseven drills at training camp Saturday as the team eased him back into practice. Coach Aaron Glenn had said Fields had “a ways to go” before fully returning. But after a day off Sunday, Fields ran the offense during 11-on-11 drills — and on the ﬁrst day this summer the Jets wore pads.

an even more signiﬁcant injury

After sitting out completely on Friday, Fields threw passes in 7-on7 drills Saturday and showed no signs of his injured foot ailing him.

His ﬁrst pass in team drills Monday was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Byron Cowart, but Fields had an otherwise solid practice session.

“There are some things that he did today that I was very pleased with,” Glenn said. “But there’s also some things he’s got to get better at, too. He knows that.”

Harper reportedly confronts Manfred at team meeting

BY JAY COHEN Associated Press

CHICAGO Baseball commis-

sioner Rob Manfred and Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper had a spirited exchange during a question-and-answer session between the commissioner and the team, according to a person with direct knowledge of the conversation. The person spoke to the AP on Monday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos previously confirmed some details from the meeting in interviews with The Bandwagon and ESPN.

Speaking before Philadelphia’s game at the Chicago White Sox, Harper did not dispute the published descriptions of his confrontation with Manfred.

“I won’t be getting into the details of what happened or how I felt or anything else like that,” Harper said. “I don’t think it does any good for anybody for that to happen. So, for me, I just, you know, trying to worry about baseball, trying to worry about everything in here.” Manfred met with the Phillies and Red Sox during their series last week in Philadelphia The session with the Phillies lasted more than an hour Manfred spoke with the NL team about the media landscape and working together to grow the sport, according to the person with knowledge of the conversation. At some point, Harper told Manfred if he was there to talk about a salary cap, he could “get the (expletive) out” of the clubhouse. Baseball’s collective bargain-

ing agreement expires Dec. 1, 2026, and some players are concerned about a possible management push for a cap.

Harper is a two-time NL MVP and one of the game’s marquee names, making his conversation with Manfred more noteworthy The eight-time All-Star agreed to a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Phillies in February 2019.

“Obviously, I don’t want that to happen in those meetings,” Harper said. “I don’t want those things to be out there. I think, you know, when we have meetings with the commissioner or anybody else that comes to our clubhouse, those are good meetings to have.”

Manfred and some owners have cited payroll disparity as one of baseball’s biggest problems, while at the same time MLB is working to address a revenue decline from regional sports networks. Unlike the NFL, NBA and NHL, baseball has never had a salary cap because its players staunchly oppose one.

Manfred has been meeting with teams more often since he said in the aftermath of baseball’s March 2022 labor agreement that he needed to work on his relationship with players.

“When I talk to the players, I don’t try to convince them that a salary cap system would be a good thing,” Manfred said during the All-Star break. “I identify a problem in the media business and explain to them that owners need to change to address that problem. I then identify a second problem that we need to work together and that is that there are fans in a lot of our markets who feel like we have a competitive balance problem.”

Asked for his argument against a salary cap and why it’s such an important issue for players, Harper responded: “I don’t want to get into details as of right now.” He also said he planned to remain vocal about labor issues behind closed doors just as he has done in the past.

England coach calls for boost to women’s soccer

By The Associated Press

LONDON England coach Sarina Wiegman has called for greater investment in women’s soccer as her side celebrated Euro 2025 success at a “very, very special” reception at 10 Downing St.

The Lionesses successfully defended their Women’s European Championship title with a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain in the ﬁnal in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday Having become the ﬁrst England team to win a major tournament on foreign soil, the squad flew home to attend a reception hosted by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock in central London.

The team arrived just before 7 p.m., with the prime minister’s ofﬁce decorated for the occasion with St. George’s flags — also known as the ﬂag of England — draped over windows and bunting along the railings. As Wiegman rose to speak to those gathered in the Downing Street garden, she joked that “this is different from standing next to a pitch”.

She added: “I have to make my apologies (for giving) you lots of heart attacks. You all made it through, and we made it through, and that’s why we’re here now The team is just incredible. We won the Euros but making the final we’re already legendary, what the team has done and the team behind the team.

Euros and then straightaway sent a letter to you, the government, asking for attention and asking for access to football for all girls,” Wiegman said. “Steps have been taken, but we’re not done yet. We have to keep moving forward, and we need a little bit more.”

“We need some more investment,” she said. “We’re not there yet. In England we’re up there, but England needs to stay the trailblazer; it needs to be the big example. The players first but also the FA, the clubs, the government, the country, the fans — let’s keep being the trailblazers.” In her own speech, Rayner congratulated Wiegman’s team on defending their title “with grit, with determination and with skill.”

“You roared, and I know I wasn’t the only one roaring with you,” Rayner said.

Earlier on Monday, following almost a month of competition in Switzerland, the team’s airplane branded with the word “home” touched down at Southend Airport in southeast England. In a post on social media, the team shared a photo of the Euros trophy draped in an England ﬂag on a seat of the plane.

Holding the trophy, captain Leah Williamson was ﬁrst to step off the plane alongside Wiegman Outside the airport, crowds were lined up to welcome the team.

“He was limited, but he was limited the way that we want him to be limited,” Glenn said after practice. “He made some good throws out there. And again, when Justin gets on the ﬁeld, I mean, we’re going to let him be who he is.” Glenn wouldn’t specify what he meant when he said Fields was “limited” and was asked if perhaps the team doesn’t want him to run as much as he normally would.

“Just limit him the way we want him to be limited,” Glenn said. “I’ll just keep it at that.” Fields sent Jets fans and social media into a frenzy last Thursday when he dislocated a toe on his right foot early in practice. He was carted from the ﬁeld to the facility, where he had multiple tests before the team announced the diagnosis — relieving fears that it could be

Gus Hartwig injured Rookie center Gus Hartwig left late in practice with what Glenn said was a knee injury that was being evaluated. Hartwig, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue, went down during team drills and stayed down for several minutes as he was examined on the ﬁeld. Several teammates took a knee around him before he was able to get up and walk to the injury tent.

“Thank you so much for having us here. It’s very, very special to be here, and to be in this very nice garden with the way you set it up with all these pictures, it makes it more special. It’s the ﬁrst moment it sinks in a little bit because it was surreal what happened last night.”

Wiegman, speaking a few hours before the UK government announced a new package of measures to boost access to grassroots soccer, used the moment to call for further investment in the game. “This incredible team won the

On Sunday, fans erupted with joy across England after Chloe Kelly lashed in her spot kick to give her team a 3-1 win on penalties, after a 1-1 draw following extra time.

According to the BBC, a peak live audience of 12.2 million watched the game across its platforms, making it the most watched television moment of 2025 across all TV broadcasters. King Charles III said the team had the royal family’s “warmest appreciation and admiration” following its win.

“The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can,” he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEVE REED

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow speaks to the media on Monday in Charlotte, N.C. Renfrow is on the mend from a severe case of ulcerative colitis and his coach at Clemson, Dabo Swinney, says if anyone can make a comeback, it’s Renfrow

AP PHOTO By FRANK FRANKLIN II

Jets quarterback Justin Fields throws a pass during training camp Thursday in Florham Park, N.J Fields dislocated a toe last week.

Harper

Manfred

Stepstogiving your treesa checkup before peak hurricane season arrives

Hurricane season is ramping up In Louisiana, we know the drill: It’stime to pick up some extra canned goods and batteries, make sure the generator cranks and think over evacuation plans. But your checklist may be missing one important item: the trees in your yard Trees, especiallyifthey are unhealthy,can cause alot of damage during ahurricane —or even astrong summer thunderstorm. High winds can ripoff weakened limbs and turn them into projectiles. Sickly trees may topple in stormy conditions, smashing anything in their path. Identifying and addressing risks now can protect property and lives. Youcan perform a basic evaluation of your trees to decide if you need aprofessional to ﬁx problems. Here is an easy,four-step guide from Hallie Dozier, an associate professor of forestry with the LSU AgCenter,that will help you do apreliminary assessment of trees’health and potentialrisks.

Mowerdamagetoroots can lead to decayand aweakened tree.

Step1:Targets

Dozier suggests startingby looking around for targets anything that could be damaged if abranch or entire tree falls.

Move these items out of harm’sway if possible, especially if they are economically or sentimentallyvaluable. For example, if you normally park your car in adriveway beneath alarge tree, plan on moving the vehicle elsewhere if a storm is approaching.

But some targets —likeyour home and powerlines—can’t be moved. That’swherethe next steps come in.

Step 2: Canopy

Atree’scanopy is agoodindicator of its health.

“You want really dense

ä See TREES, page 2D

WRITTEN IN STONE

Kindness rocked at this programfor allagesin East BatonRouge Parish

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Harleigh Jones knows thenext rule in thecreative process would be to let the paintdry on therock.

But on this day,the 9-year-old is arulebreaker in the bestway,becauseshe alsoknows if sheapplies two or three wet layers of different color paints, she can swirl them around with her paintbrush. In the end, she’ll have amulticolor background on whichto writeher messages of hope,love and positivity

TheEast Baton RougeParish Library’s“Kindness Rocks” program is allaboutthose uplifting messages —spreading goodwill throughout thecommunity by way of colorfully painted rocks.

An ongoingproject

The ongoing project is being hosted at allofthe library’sbranches throughout July.During arecent summer Saturday,the eventwas happening in the MainLibrary on Goodwood Boulevard, where patrons sit at tables using library-supplied acrylic paints, Sharpie mark-

message on a flat-surfaced rock at the ‘Kindness Rocks’ program at the Main Library. The program’s rocks will be randomly placed at East Baton RougeParish Library branches and throughout the community to promote goodwill and positivity

ers andbrushestoslather small, ﬂat creek rocks in goodwill. Color schemes, designs and added messages are their choice. The library’sonly request is theaddition of the hashtag #ebrpl and email address programs@ebrpl.com. Once done, patrons are given the option of bringing their rocks home

or leaving them withlibrary staff forrandom placement around the grounds and surrounding areas.

Theidea is forpassersbytodiscover the rocks, take aphoto of it andpostitwhile tagging thelibrary on social media. If they don’t use social media, theycan send a photo of their ﬁnd to the email address on the back of the rock.

If theﬁnderalso appearsinthe photo, that is an added bonus. The ﬁnder is also free to keep the rock, pass it on to afriendorleaveitin place for another person to discover

Connecting thecommunity

“It’sjust apositive way to connect to the community,” said Megan Pugh, whoworks in the library’sDepartmentofCommunity Programming. “We’ve seen this done on various social media platforms, and it’sreally inspiring. So, we wanted to give alittle piece of inspirationtothe worldfromthe library.” Age is only anumber in this creative process. Eighty-somethings paint at the same tables as teens and children, and their enthusiasm

Ataleofapolarized America, ‘Eddington’becomes

BY JAKE COYLE

detached from one another,and from each other’ssense of reality

“We’re

movies.His

STAFFPHOTOSByROBIN MILLER

Johnette Roberts Ballard, left, of Baton Rouge, and her 9-year-old niece, Harleigh Jones of Baker prepare to paint rocks in the ‘Kindness Rocks’program at the Main Library.

Karen Fritz paints apositive

Joaquin Phoenix, left and Pedro Pascalstar in AriAster’s film ‘Eddington.’

Proper dishwasher use

Dear Heloise: After reading the letter from Pat D. in Irvine, California, about not putting dishesin the dishwasher with dried food on them, Iwould like to share my thoughts: Idon’thesitate to do this very thing. With the newer dishwasher detergent pods, they have enough enzymes in them to take care of dried-on food. Most newerdishwashersalso have soft food disposals in them, which easily takes care of whatever food particles are removed from dishes. One of the biggest problems with getting dishes clean in the dishwasher is that the water is not hot enough. Another thing is not loading it properly or overloading it. However,itis always best to read the use and care manual of any dishwasher to be certain that you are usingit properly —John S.,inBelton,Texas Dustinglampshades

Hints from Heloise

to dust lampshades. Thebest thing to usetodust asmooth lampshade is alintroller.Itpicks up the dust, whereas a paint brush will allow the dust to drop ontothe ﬂoor or on the furniture.All it does is move thedust from oneplace to another Alint roller also works well on upholstery. It picks up any grit or dust on thesofas, chairs, etc.

Debbie, in NorthCarolina

Bitterness in coffee

Dear Heloise: Recently you suggested using asmall paintbrush

By The Associated Press

Dear Heloise: Iused to be acoffee salesman, andI found that complaints about bitterness were due to using too littlecoffee for the amountofwater used. Coffee has alimited amount of solubles, which are the source of ﬂavor.Once the hot water removes the solubles,what comes next is oil and acid, which gives abitter taste and often leaves a ﬁlmofoil on top. —Ed, via email Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Tuesday,July 29, the 210th day of 2025. There are155 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On July 29, 1967, an accidental rocket launch on the deck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin resulted in aﬁre and explosions thatkilled 134 service members.

Also on this date:

In 1836, the newly completed Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in Paris.

In 1858, the UnitedStates and Japan signed the Harris Treaty, formalizing diplomatic relations and trading rights between the two countries.

In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of an apparent self-inﬂicted gunshot woundin Auvers-sur-Oise, France

In 1914, transcontinental telephone service in the U.S.became operational with the ﬁrst test conversation between New York and San Francisco.

In 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’(Nazi) Party

In 1954, the ﬁrst volume of JRR Tolkien’snovel “TheLord of theRings” (“The Fellowship of the Ring”) was published In 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was established.

In 1958, President DwightD Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act,creating NASA.

In 1981, Britain’sPrince Charles married Lady Diana Spencerinaglittering ceremony at St. Paul’sCathedral in London (They divorced in 1996.)

In 1986, afederal jury in New York found that the National Football League had committed an an-

TREES

Continued from page1D

foliage and good color,” Dozier said. “You want to see leaves. Youdon’twant to see alot of branches. Youdon’twanttosee a lot of sky through the canopy.”

Sparseleaves on atree that typically has afull canopy may hintathealthconcerns —raising questions about how it will fare during astorm.

Do you see any large, dead limbs in the canopy? Alsolook for branches that crossand rub against each other,which can cause wounds, decay and branchweakness. Overextended branches that reach way beyond the overall canopy may pose hazards, too. Dozier advises removingthese branches.

Step 3: Trunk

Look for cracks in the trunk —theymay run horizontally or vertically. Do yousee anymissing patchesof bark or oozing sap? Also check for the presence of fungi such as mushroomsor conks. These symptoms can be signs of disease, decay,tree decline and overall structural weakness.

Step 4: Root zone

Inspect the roots for mower damage,which can cause them to decay,aswell as girdling, which happens when roots cross over one another or encircle the base of the tree.

“As the crossed roots getbigger and bigger,they can choke

STONES

Continuedfrom page1D

titrust violation against the rival UnitedStatesFootball League, but the juryordered the NFL to pay token damages of just $3.

In 1994, abortion opponent Paul Hill shot andkilled Dr.John Bayard Britton and Britton’sescort, James H. Barrett, outside theLadies Center clinic in Pensacola, Florida.

In 1999, aformer day trader, apparently upsetover stock losses, opened ﬁre in two Atlanta brokerage ofﬁces, killing nine peopleand wounding 13 before shootinghimself; authorities said Mark O. Barton had also killed hiswife andtwo children.

In 2016, former suburban Chicagopolice ofﬁcer Drew Peterson was given an additional 40 years in prison fortrying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor whoput him behind bars for killing his third wife.

In 2021, American Sunisa Lee won the gold medal in women’s all-aroundgymnastics at the Tokyo Games; shewas the ﬁfth straight American womanto claim theOlympic title in the event.

Today’sbirthdays: Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum-Baker is 93. Former Sen.Elizabeth H. Dole is 89. Artist Jenny Holzer is 75. Documentary ﬁlmmaker Ken Burns is 72. Style guru TimGunn is 72. Rock singermusician Geddy Lee (Rush) is 72. Rock singer Patti Scialfa (Bruce Springsteenand the E StreetBand) is72. Actor Alexandra Paulis 62. Country singer Martina McBrideis59. Actor WilWheaton is 53. R&Bsinger WanyaMorris (Boyz II Men) is 52.Actor Stephen Dorff is 52. Actor Josh Radnor is 51. Hiphop DJ/musicproducer Danger Mouse is 48. NFL quarterback Dak Prescott is 32.

off thewater source to the tree,”

Dozier said Mushroomsgrowing directly from thetrunk or roots can signal aweakened tree.

“If you’ve gotmushrooms coming out of the roots of your tree, that spells trouble,” she said. What next?

Once you’ve completed these steps, you may decide to call an arborist for help.Dozier said it’simportant to hireone who is licensed in Louisiana

Getting aprofessional opinion is never abad idea. Even if your trees have weathered past hurricanes, that’snot aguarantee that they are still sound and ready for thenextstorm.

“If you don’tsee signs of problemsand it’sayoung enough tree, youcan probably get by,” Dozier said. “But if it’sanolder, mature tree in the landscape that’sbeen there avery long time, Idon’t care howmany storms it’ssurvived. It might be worth getting aprofessional, licensed arborist tohavea look at it.”

is off the scales.

Which is why Harleigh feels no constraintswhile swirling her paints. She sits beside her aunt, Johnette Roberts Ballard, whois already planningthe messages she’ll write on each rock.

“I’m thinking about putting ‘Love Life’ on the ﬁrst one, ‘God is Great’ on the second and ‘You are OK’ on the third,” Ballard said. “I attended aclass taught by aspecial lady and elderly dancer,who would often say to us at theend of class, ‘You areOK, you areenough.’ We need to spread that message.”

Ballard livesinBaton Rouge, where she is aconsultant in aprogram she’sdeveloped using music to teach math. Herniece is aresident of Baker Meanwhile, at anearbytable, adults CindeeMcKneely andMary Stewart workside-by-side on their rocks.

“This is my ﬁrst time doing this program,” Stewart said.

“I’ve attended other programs at the library,where I’ve listened to speakers, but Ihaven’t done anything like this program,” McKneely added.

Stewart has already covered several rocksinbright green, turquoise, orange and pink paint

“I like painting, and Ialso crochet,” she said, covering another rock in light blue. “This is agood

‘EDDINGTON’

Continuedfrom page1D

firstthree films— “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” “BeauIsAfraid” have vividly charted strange new pathways of dread and deep-rooted anxiety.Those fixations make Aster,amaster of nightmare and farce, uniquely suitedtocapturing thecurrent American moment.

“Eddington,”which A24released in theatersFriday,may be the most prominent American movie yet to explicitly wrestle with social and political division in theU.S. In a showdown between Joaquin Phoenix’sbumbling right-wing sheriff andPedro Pascal’s elitistliberal mayor,arguments over maskmandates, Black Lives Matter protests and elections spiral into ademented Western fever dream At atimewhenour movie screensare ﬁlledwithescapism andnostalgia,“Eddington” dares to diagnose something frightfully contemporary.Aster,ina recent interview at an East Village coffee shop he frequents, said he couldn’t imagine avoiding it. “Tonot be talking about it is insane,”hesaid. “I’m desperate forworkthat’s wrestling with this moment because Idon’tknow where we are. I’ve never been here before,” says Aster.“Ihaveprojects that I’ve been planningfor alongtime. They make lesssensetomeright now. Idon’t know why Iwould makethose right now.”

Predictablypolarizing

“Eddington,” appropriately enough,has been divisive. Sinceits premiere at the Cannes Film FestivalinMay,Aster’sﬁlm hashad one of themostpolarizing receptions of the year among critics.Even in Cannes, Asterseemed to grasp its mixed response. “I don’tknow what you think,”hetold the crowd. Some critics have suggested Aster’sﬁlm is too satirical of the left. “Despite apose of satirical neutrality,hemainlyseemsto want to score points off maskwearers,young progressives, anti-

bright colors.

Across theroomata back table, friends Karen Fritz and Marie Williamssteadily work on their creations. Both of them attend programsoffered at different library branches.

“The library is agreat resource forlow-income people,” Fritz said. “We’ve done crochet, book challenges, summerBingo andreading challenges.”

Nowthey’re workingonkindness rocks.

“And this is awesome,” Williams said. “I wrote, ‘BlessYou Marie’ on one of my rocks, andI’m going to write ‘Good times’ on another.”

Sealed andwaterproofed

Once rocks are completed, Pugh will seal and waterproof them with the water-based, glue sealer Modge Podge. But patrons arenever required to leave their rocks behind.

way to encourage kindness.”

So, what are Stewart’splanned messages?

“Oh, I’mthinking about ‘Be happy’ and ‘You’re doing agood job and ‘Smile all day,’”she said.

“And I’m going to put ‘Blessed’ on mine,” McKneely added.

McKneely andStewart sitnear ateen whoisalso participating in the “Kindness Rocks” programfor theﬁrst time.

Grandmotherhelps

And at theend of thetable,a grandmother supervises as her grandsons cover theirrocks in

racists and other targets beloved of reactionaries,”wrote TheNew Yorker’sJustin Chang. For The New York Times,Manohla Dargis wrote: “Aster knows howtograb your attention, but if he thinks he’s sayingsomething aboutAmerica, thejoke is on him.”

Aster was expecting adivisive reaction. But he disputes someof thediscourse around “Eddington.”

“I heard one person say it was harderonthe left than the right, and Ithink that’spretty disingenuous,” he says. “In theﬁlm, oneside is kind of annoyingand frustrating and hypocritical, andthe other side is killing people and destroying lives.”

For Aster,satirizing the left doesn’tmean he doesn’tshare their beliefs. “Ifthere’snoselfreﬂection,” he says, “how are we ever goingtoget out of this?”

Capturing‘what wasinthe air’

Aster began writing “Eddington” in June 2020. He set it in NewMexico, where his family moved when he was10. Asterwanted to try to capture the disconnect that didn’tstart withthe pandemicbut then reached asurreal crescendo. He styled“Eddington” as aWestern with smartphonesinplace of guns —though there are deﬁnitelyguns,too.

“The dread Iwas living with suddenly intensiﬁed. And to be honest, I’ve been living with that level of dread ever since,” Aster says. “I just wanted to see if Icould capture what was in the air.”

Scriptsthat dive headlong into politics are farfrom regular in today’scorporate Hollywood. Most studios wouldbeunlikely to distribute afilm like “Eddington,” though A24, the indie powerhouse, hasstood behind Asterevenafter 2023’s$35 million-budgeted “Beau Is Afraid” struggled at the box ofﬁce. A24 hasshown awillingness to engage with politicaldiscord, backing last year’sspeculative war drama, “Civil War.”

And Aster’sscreenplayresonated withPhoenix, who had starred in “Beau Is Afraid,” and with Pascal. In Cannes, Pascal noted that “it’svery scary to participate in amovie that speaks to issues like

“They cantake them home,but we hope that if they do, they’ll put them out in the community,where they’ll spread goodwill,” Pugh said. “But we do encourage them to leave their rocks so we can put them around our different branches. Iwould say we’ve placed hundreds of rocksinthe communityat this point.”

Pugh hopes “KindnessRocks” will be an ongoing programinthe libraries.

“I can see us doing this again,” she said. “It’sbeen successful, and it’sa great way to spread kindness throughout the community.”

this.” For Phoenix, “Eddington” offered clarity andempathy forthe pandemic experience.

“Wewere all terrified and we didn’tfully understand it. And instead of reaching outtoeach other in those moments, we kind of became antagonistic toward each other and self-righteousand certain of our position,” Phoenix earlier told The AP.“And in some ways it’s so obvious:Well, that’s not going to be helpful.”

‘A time of totalobscenity’

Since Aster made “Eddington” —itwas shot in 2024 —the second administration of President Donald Trump has usheredina new political reality that Aster acknowledges would have reshaped his ﬁlm

“I would have made the movie moreobscene,” he says. “And I would have made it angrier. Ithink the ﬁlm is angry.But Ithink we’re livinginatimeoftotal obscenity, beyond anything I’ve seen.”

“Eddington” is designed to be argued over.Even those whoﬁnd its ﬁrst half well-observed may recoil at the violent absurdism of its second half. The movie, Aster says, pivots midway and, itself, becomes paranoid and gripped by differing world views. Youcan almost feel Asterstruggling to bring anycoherence to his, and our,modernday Western.

But whatever you make of “Eddington,” youmight grant it’svitally importantthatwehavemore films like it —movies that don’ttiptoe around today in period-film metaphor or avoid it like the plague. Aster,atleast, doesn’tsound finished with whathestarted.

“I’m feeling very heartbroken about where we are, and totally lost, so I’mlooking forwaystogo into those feelings but also to challenge them. What can be done?” Astersays.“Because this is a movie about people who are unreachable to each other and completely siloed off, or fortressedoff, aquestionthatkept coming to me was: What would an olive branch look like? How do we ﬁnd away to reengage with each other?”

Ayoung patron, Liam, puts his paintbrush in aspot of purple painttoapplytohis rock, which he planned to coverinLSU colors during the ‘Kindness Rocks’ program at the MainLibrary.

STAFFPHOTOSByROBIN MILLER

Cindee McKneely and MaryStewart participate in the ‘Kindness Rocks’program at the Main Library. The duo painted flat-surfaced rocks then wrote positivemessages on them.

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Girdled roots can threaten tree health.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Take the initiative, explain your intentions and act with clarity and precision. A friendly gesture or kind word will help you get the response you need to advance.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A change may entice you, but first, ensure you have the necessary funds, time and energy to accommodate what's required to achieve your goal. Not everyone will play fair. Take the safe route.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Avoid excess and indulgent behavior, as well as taking on responsibilities that don't belong to you. Map out your schedule and stick to it. Choose self-improvement over criticizing others.

ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Look for an opportunity to discover what others have to offer that you can incorporate into your plans. Scrutiny is necessary to avoid mistakes. Watch, transform and conclude.

SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Refuse to let the little things upset you or hold you back. Embrace what life has to offer; apply your skills, and the impact you have will help you move in a positive direction.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Stop pondering over what to do next; do what's necessary and keep moving. The point is to stay busy and avoid criticism It's up to you to build your opportunities on solid ground.

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Share your thoughts and feelings with those who affect your life emotionally or finan-

cially. A change will provide a unique blend of learning and financial assistance.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Seekoutopportunities, and you can find them today. Put your energy and discipline behind your dreams, and you'll discover something or someone that extends your vision. Avoid taking physical risks. ARIES (March 21-April 19) It's up to you to take the lead in the conversation if you want to have a significant impact on how things unfold. Refuse to let emotions interfere with what's important to you.

tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Be careful what you share with associates. Personal information can put you in a vulnerable spot if you are too revealing. The best change you can make is in how you approach your responsibilities.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Learn from experience, and it will help you avoid confusion and uncertainty. Discipline and hard work will pave the way to a brighter future.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Overreacting will cost you. When in doubt, sit tight, say little, observe and consider how to utilize your energy to move forward. Do as much work as you can on your own to save money.

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: R EQuALS V

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

DenisDiderot,an18th-centuryFrench art critic, philosopher and writer, said, “There arethree principal means of acquiring knowledge: observation of nature, reflection andexperimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them;experimentation verifiesthe result of that combination.”

At thebridge table, declarer, after observing thedummy, collects facts winners and losers —and reflects by combining them. Then he tries to find the best lineofplay without experimentation.

In today’s deal, how should South play insixno-trumpafterWestleadstheclub jack?

As soon as North opened the bidding, Southknewitwas either asix or seven deal. But he started quietly with atwodiamond response. However, when Northraised diamonds, South launched Blackwood to learn that the diamond king wasmissing. South can afford one diamond loser, not two. If thesuit is splitting 2-1, there are no problems. So declarer should assumea3-0 break.

If South first cashes his ace, he loses two tricks when West discards.Similarly, if declarer starts by calling for dummy’squeen, he fails when East has the void. The guaranteed line is to take

wuzzles

thefirst trick on the board and play the diamond three. If East pitches, South winswithhis ace and leads back toward dummy’s queen. But when Eastplays the two, declarer covers with his four! Here,thatwinsthetrickandthecontract is safe. But if West takes the trick, the suit must be 2-1.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InStRuctIonS: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed

toDAy’S WoRD toMcAtS: TOM-kats:Male domestic cats

Average mark14words

Time limit 25 minutes

Can you find 19 or morewords in TOMCATS?

yEStERDAy’S WoRD —ScAPuLAS

salsa scalp scapula scaup scup slap casual causal clap clasp class cusp alas pass plus puss lass

acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity have Inot hid.

loCKhorNs

This is howtobeatpeace with yourself and with God. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

requirements and signage on the retail Sale of Tobacco, Vape, and similar products. By Councilman Rowdy Gaudet, Councilwoman Denise Amoroso, Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman, and Councilwoman Twahna Harris.

RESOLUTION

AResolution authorizing the East BatonRouge Sewerage Commission(the “Commission”), to make applicationtothe State Bond Commission for consent and authority to issue (a) not exceeding $497,925,000 Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2025A of the Commission, for the purpose of providing sufficient funds to refund all or aportion of the outstanding principal amount of (i) the Commission’s$224,900,0000 Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2020B (Taxable), and (ii) the Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority’s(the “Authority”) $361,325,000Subordinate Lien RevenueRefunding Bonds (East Baton Rouge Sewerage Commission Projects), Series 2020A (Taxable); and to pay the costs of issuance of the Series 2025A Refunding Bonds, and (b) notexceeding $277,115,000 Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2025B of the Commission, for the purpose of providing sufficient funds to refund all or a portion of the outstanding principal amount of the Authority’sSubordinate Lien Revenue RefundingBonds (East Baton Rouge Sewerage Commission Projects), Series 2020A (Taxable); and to pay the costs of issuance of the Series 2025B Refunding Bonds; authorizing the selection of the Underwriter and Dealer Manager in connection with the issuance, sale and delivery of theSeries 2025A Refunding Bonds and the Series 2025B Refunding Bonds; authorizing the execution and delivery of any and all other documents required in connection with the issuance of the Series 2025A Refunding Bonds and the Series 2025B Refunding Bonds, including, but not limited to, aBond Purchase Agreement with the Underwriter and aDealer Manager Agreement with the Dealer Manager; authorizing the preparation and distribution of a Preliminary Official Statement and Official Statement relating to the Series 2025A RefundingBonds and the Series 2025B Refunding bonds; and providing for other matters related thereto. By Bond Counsel.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement with the State of Louisiana for the State to provide funding in the amount of $1,025,000 from funding provided in Act 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session to support public service programs such as youth programming, community service, food and healthcaredisparities, and violence prevention programs, and appropriate funding for said purpose (B.S. 9119). By Community Development Director.

ORDINANCE

RESOLUTION

Amend the 2025 Allotment of Positions for the City of Baton Rouge andParish of East Baton Rouge, adopted by Ordinance #19434, dated 12/10/2024, so as to change the allotment of the Department of InformationServices effective August14, 2025. Information Services, add: (1)Chief Information Officer (Uncl), job code 3045 and delete: (1) Assistant Director of Information Services, job code 1332 and (1) Director of Information Services, job code 3044 (delete in 2026 when vacated through attrition). By Mayor-President’s Office and Human Resources Director

ORDINANCE

Amend the 2025 Pay Plan for the Classified, Unclassified, Non-Classified, Contract, Fire, and Police Employees of the CityofBaton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, adopted by Ordinance #19433, dated 12/10/2024, so as to make the following changes effective August 14,2025. Addnew classification: Chief Health Officer (uncl), jobcode3632, pay grade 2340, $77,527 -$129,404, Chief Efficiency Officer (uncl), job code 3636, pay grade 2380, $94,235 -$156,613, Executive Director/CommunityDevelopment, Federal Programs &Outreach (uncl), job code 3634, pay grade 2360, $85,474$142,346, Violence Prevention Administrator (uncl), job code 3635, pay grade 2310, $66,972 -$112,213. Title change: job code3084, from Assistant Urban Development Director (uncl) to Assistant Director of Community Development (uncl). By Mayor-President’sOffice and Human Resources Director

RESOLUTION

Amend the 2025 Allotment of Positions for the City of Baton Rougeand Parish of East Baton Rouge, adopted by Ordinance #19434, dated 12/10/2024, so as to change the allotment of the Mayor-President and the Mayor-President Office of Community Development, effective August 14, 2025. Mayor-President, add: (1) Chief Efficiency Officer (Uncl) ,job code3636 and delete: (1) Grant Administrator (Uncl), job code 3606. Mayor-President Office of Community Development, add: (1) Assistant Director of Community Development(Uncl), job code 3084, (1) Chief HealthOfficer (Uncl), jobcode 3632,(1) Executive Director/Community Development,Federal Programs&Outreach (Uncl), job code 3634, (1) Violence PreventionAdministrator (Uncl), job code 3635 and delete: (1)Assistant Urban Development Director (Uncl), job code 3084, (2) Program Specialist (Uncl), job code 3630, and (1) Urban Development Director (Uncl), job code 3082. By Mayor-President’sOffice and Human Resources Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing settlement of the pre-litigation claim of Thomas Hebert, Jr fordamages resulting from an auto accident caused by aPublic Works employee, in the amount of $14,500.00, which amount shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance –Auto Liability” (1000.4700.10.0550.0000. 0000.000000.644120). *This matter may be discussed in Executive Session. (Attorney of recordisGeorge E. Downing,Jr.). By Parish Attorney RESOLUTION

Authorizing settlement of the pre-litigation claim of Ivy Fleming for damages resulting from an auto accident caused by aPublic Works employee, in theamount of $15,500.00,which amount shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance -AutoLiability” (1000.4700.10.0550.0000. 0000.000000.644120). *This matter may bediscussed in Executive Session (Attorney of recordisGeorge E. Downing,Jr.). By Parish Attorney RESOLUTION

Authorizing settlement of the pre-litigation claim of KennethGriffith for damages resulting from an auto accident caused by aPublic Works employee, in the amount of $15,500.00, which amount shall be paid from the account designated “Insurance -Auto Liability” (1000.4700.10.0550.0000. 0000.000000.644120). *This matter may be discussed in Executive Session. (Attorney of recordisGeorge E. Downing, Jr.). By Parish Attorney. RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, to amend Contract 800006478 by adding $250,000.00 to the agreement between the City of BatonRouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, and Front Yard Bikes. This amendment further authorizesthe execution of all necessary documents.ByCommunity Development Director. RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services, Ryan White Program to amend asubrecipient contract with NO AIDS Taskforce in the

Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor President on behalf of theDivisionofHuman Development &Services,Ryan White Programtoamend asubrecipient contract with Family Services of Greater Baton Rougeinthe amount of $234,892, for atotal awarded amount of $393,892, which includes all funding under theRyan White Part AHIV Emergency Relief GrantProgram, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services,Ryan White Programtoamend asubrecipient contract with HIV/ALLIANCE FOR REGION TWO, INC. (HAART) in theamount of $51,551, for atotalawarded amount of $86,454, which includes all funding under theRyan White Part A-MAI HIV Emergency Relief GrantProgram, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services,Ryan White Programtoamend asubrecipient contract with HIV/ALLIANCE FOR REGION TWO, INC. (HAART) in theamount of $309,797, for atotalawarded amount of $523,580, which includes all funding under theRyan White Part AHIV Emergency Relief GrantProgram, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor President on behalf of theDivisionofHuman Development &Services,Ryan White Programtoamend asubrecipient contract with Capitol City Family Health Center (CareSouth) in theamount of $191,095, for atotalawarded amount of $320,345, which includes all funding under theRyan White Part AHIV Emergency Relief GrantProgram, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorize the Mayor-President to execute Amendment No. 1tothe Professional Services Agreement with SouthernEnvironmentalManagement &Specialties, Inc. (SEMS, INC) to increase the contract amount by $50,000, foratotal contract value nottoexceed $100,000. By DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President to execute Amendment No. 2tothe

Professional Services Agreement with Waste ProofLouisiana, Inc. for Debris Hauling Services, to increase the contract amount by $100,000, for atotal contract amount nottoexceed $300,000. By DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Receiving areport from theBaton Rouge Police Department on thestatusof crime in Baton Rouge, with current data and statistical analysisofthe pertinent categories/classifications, both generally within the City,and specifically in the highcrime areas. By Councilwoman Carolyn R. Coleman.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No. 800006401 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andCatholic Charities —Joseph Homes, increasing thecontract amount by $33,750.00 for arevised total not to exceed $83,757.00, funded through theFY2024-2025 HUD Emergency Solutions Grant(ESG)Program, and further authorizing theexecution of all necessary documents. By Community DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No. 800006405 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andCatholic Charities—Sanctuary for Life, increasing thecontractamount by $42,175.00 for arevised total not to exceed $105,631.00, funded through the FY 2024-2025 HUD Emergency Solutions Grant(ESG)Program, and further authorizing theexecution of all related documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President to execute an agreement between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, and St. Vincent de Paul, in an amount nottoexceed $205,247.44, with aterm beginning August1,2025, and ending September 30, 2026, and further authorizing theexecution of all related documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No. 800006286 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andHIV/AIDS Alliance for RegionTwo (HAART), increasing thecontract amount by $600,000.00 for anew total nottoexceed $1,053,288.00, funded through the FY 2024-2025 HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) GrantProgram, and further authorizing theexecution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No.

800006423 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andLaRoque, LLC dba Brightside Clinic, increasing thecontractamount by $125,000.00 for anew total nottoexceed $275,000.00, funded throughthe FY 2024-2025 HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) GrantProgram, and further authorizing theexecution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No. 800006285 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andVolunteers of America, increasing thecontractamount by $485,000.00 foranew total nottoexceed $904,755.00, funded throughthe FY 20242025 HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Grant Program and further authorizing theexecution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No. 800006292 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andStart Corporation,increasing thecontract amount by $355,990.50 for a new total nottoexceed $655,990.50, funded throughthe FY 2024-2025 HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Grant Program, and further authorizing theexecution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President, on behalf of theOffice of Community Development, to execute Amendment No. 1toSub-Recipient Contract No. 800006302 between the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge, andBaton Rouge Black AlcoholismCouncil dba MetroHealth, increasing the contract amount by $310,000.00 for anew totalnot to exceed $600,258.83, funded throughthe FY 2024-2025 HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) GrantProgram, and further authorizing theexecution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing an increasetothe professional services contract with EisnerAmper LLPfor the2024 City-Parish Comprehensive Annual Audit and the Raising Cane’sRiver Center Management Agreement Audit by $45,000 for atotal amount of $458,530.

Station 889 Force Main Upgrade, in an amount not to exceed $275,000.00. By Environmental Services Director CONDEMNATION INTRODUCTIONS Michael LyronDupuy 18115 Plank Rd. (Abandoned, Unsecured Building and Mobile Home),Sec. 5 (4.42 Acres Designated as Tract 5Subdiv.ofthe Tract Cont. 126.93 Acres and Being aPartofLot 3, Sec. 9, T5S, R1E), WD 2, Dupuy Tract -CouncilDistrict 2- Kenney

Tiffany O. Prater 288 Nancy Dr.(Main House, Any Auxiliary Structure, and Any Abandoned Vehicles), Lot 41 River Oaks Subdivision-CouncilDistrict 4-Moak

Christen D. Lewis 296 PonderosaDr. (House and Rear Shed), Lot 112 Oak ManorSubdivision, 3rdFiling-CouncilDistrict 4-Moak

Naomi Jean Bell, Sandra K. Mayfield,Angela I. Bel ,And Sylvester Toston 4928 Peerless St. (Abandoned Dwelling withRear Shed), Lots 14, 15, &16, Sq. 13 Fortune Addition Subdivision -CouncilDistrict 5- Hurst Wanda Gail Tate Myles 5025 Maple Dr.(Only 5025 Maple), Lot 9, Sq. 3 Schorten Place Subdivision -CouncilDistrict 5-Hurst

Thelma Davis Epps 4133 Pocasset St. (Houseand Rear Shed), Lot 15, Sq. 21

ProsperityAddition Subdivision -CouncilDistrict 10 –Coleman

Lillie Vallery Williams 1133 N47th St., Lot 35, Sq. 53 Greenville Extension Subdivision -CouncilDistrict 7-Harris

Vote Louisiana 2254 Scenic Hwy (Roofless,

Authorizing the Mayor President on