The Acadiana Advocate 07-31-2025

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served. And hopefully I’ve still got a little bit of juice left in me.”

JOSEPH SAVOIE, retiring president of the

UL’s Savoie steps down after 17 years at helm

Provost Hebert named interim president

BY MEGAN WYATT and ASHLEY WHITE Staff writers

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s longtime president Joseph Savoie is stepping down from his role after nearly two decades leading the university, having overseen expansions of campus research, upgrades to campus facilities and a major fundraising campaign.

Savoie, the university’s sixth president, has led the school since July 2008 and will transition Friday into

a new position as the university’s president emeritus. Mark Romero, the chair of the UL system Board of Supervisors, announced Savoie’s retirement on Wednesday during a board meeting.

”It’s been an interesting 17 years,” Savoie told the board after the announcement. “We’ve made some improvements. Hopefully we’ve left the university in a better place than when we found it and got a solid foundation to continue to grow and develop.”

Savoie’s decision to step down has likely been in the works for weeks and comes on the heels of the departure of the university’s longtime vice president for administration and finance, Jerry Luke LeBlanc.

Savoie met July 2 in his office with Romero and UL system President

Rick Gallot. While all three confirmed at the time that the meeting had taken place, they all denied that Savoie was leaving the university when a reporter reached out that day

His term was not set to end until June 30, 2026, according to a Jan. 27 letter of appointment that noted a recent satisfactory evaluation by the UL system board.

Savoie’s compensation package included an annual salary of $510,500, housing on the UL campus and the use of a vehicle or a vehicle allowance of $1,000 per month. He’ll keep the salary in his new role of president emeritus, in which he’ll work on “strengthening external partnerships,” according to an email sent

ä See SAVOIE, page 5A

New La. laws go into effect Friday

Changes affect kratom, window tint, frogging and more

BY ALYSE PFEIL

in enforcing the rules.

Those in violation of the law could now be fined $150 for the first offense and then $250 and $350 for subsequent offenses The penalty had been a maximum of

$100 or 30 days in jail. No phones while driving

Having your phone in your hand while driving is also illegal now under Act 288.

The new law targeting distracted driving makes it illegal to hold onto your phone and do things like texting, taking a call, scrolling through social media or generally using any cellphone app. It’s OK to pick up a phone while stopped at a red light or parked, however

Unless it’s a school or construction zone, drivers can only be penalized for violating the hands-free

ä See LAWS, page 4A

Fed keeps interest rate unchanged

Powell sticks with patient approach to cuts, brushing off Trump’s demands

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave little indication on Wednesday of bowing anytime soon to President Donald Trump’s frequent demands that he cut interest rates, even as signs of dissent emerged on the Fed’s governing board. The Fed left its key short-term interest rate unchanged for the fifth time this year at about 4.3%, as was expected. But Powell also signaled that it could take months for the Fed to determine whether Trump’s sweeping tariffs will push up inflation temporarily or lead to a more persistent bout of higher prices. His comments suggest that a rate cut in September, which had been expected by some economists and investors, is now less likely “We’ve learned that the process will probably be slower than expected,” Powell said. “We think we have a long way to go to really understand exactly how” the tariffs will affect inflation and the economy There were some signs of splits in the Fed’s

ä See FED, page 5A

Lafayette fire chief to retire

Benoit has been with department since 1979

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit chased a childhood dream of becoming a firefighter Fortysix years after joining the department, he is retiring.

His official retirement date is Aug. 15.

Benoit was hired by the Lafayette Fire Department on May 3, 1979, fulfilling that childhood dream. He rose through the ranks and on Aug. 7, 1993, 32 years ago, was appointed fire chief.

He “dedicated his life to public service,” Jamie Boudreaux, chief communication officer with Lafayette Consolidated Government, wrote in a

ä See CHIEF, page 4A

A new state law that goes into effect on Friday will allow some

window tinting for cars.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

darker

Benoit

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Faculty staff, and alumni bid farewell to Joseph Savoie following the announcement of his retirement as the sixth president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Wednesday.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Harris won’t seek Calif governor post in 2026

LOS ANGELES Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor next year leaving open the possibility that she could mount a third run for the White House in 2028.

“I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their governor. I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home,” Harris said in a statement released by her office Wednesday “But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for governor in this election.”

Harris didn’t mention President Donald Trump directly in her statement, but said “our politics, our government, and our institutions have too often failed the American people, culminating in this moment of crisis.”

Trump signs order to justify tariffs on Brazil

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose his threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil, setting a legal rationale that Brazil’s policies and criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency under a 1977 law

Trump had threatened the tariffs July 9 in a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But the legal basis of that threat was an earlier executive order premised on trade imbalances being a threat to the U.S. economy

But America ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A statement by the White House said Brazil’s judiciary had tried to coerce social media companies and block their users, though it did not name the companies involved, X and Rumble Trump appears to identify with Bolsonaro, who attempted to overturn the results of his 2022 loss to Lula. Similarly, Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election

The order would apply an additional 40% tariff on the baseline 10% tariff already being levied by Trump. But not all goods imported from Brazil would face the 40% tariff: Civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers are among the products being excluded

The order said the tariffs would go into effect seven days after its signing on Wednesday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO A loggerhead sea turtle enters the ocean after its release Wednesday in Juno Beach, Fla.

Massive sea turtle returns to the ocean

JUNO BEACH, Fla. — A massive sea turtle that was found injured along the Florida coast in May following a boat strike was returned to the ocean Wednesday

The adult female, named Pennywise and weighing 302 pounds, was deemed healthy and strong enough to return to the wild after being treated by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s veterinary team in Palm Beach County, Florida, for the past few months.

After a short ride from the center, six volunteers hauled the turtle on a gurney down the beach as dozens of people captured the moment with cellphone videos and photos. The volunteers then gently laid her down on the sand and the turtle slowly crawled back into the Atlantic.

The center had to transport the turtle to a horse clinic for diagnostic imaging because she was too large to fit inside more common CT machines. It was there that the team discovered she was full of eggs With nesting season underway, Pennywise has the chance to lay her eggs and continue her vital role in the marine ecosystem.

Tsunami fears decline after earthquake

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY MCAVOY Associated Press

HONOLULU Fears of a devastating tsunami faded Wednesday for the U.S. and Japan after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, but new alerts along South America’s Pacific coast forced evacuations and closed beaches.

Warnings in the first hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake sent residents fleeing to rooftops in Japan and forced tourists out of beachfront hotels in Hawaii, snarling island traffic. In Russia, several people were hurt while rushing out of buildings, including a hospital patient who jumped from a window.

Millions of people were told to move away from the shore or seek high ground because they were potentially in the path of the tsunami waves, which struck seaside areas of Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast but did not appear to cause any major damage.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the worst was over Later Wednesday, tsunami advisories for Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state were canceled but remained for parts of northern California where authorities warned to stay away from beaches and advised that dangerous currents should be expected through Thursday morning.

One of strongest recorded quakes

The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan’s nuclear plants were not affected this time.

Wednesday’s quake occurred along the “Ring of Fire,” a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean. It was centered offshore, about 75 miles from PetropavlovskKamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

Russia’s Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves of less than 20 feet were recorded near populated areas of the peninsula. Lava began flowing Wednesday from the Northern Hemisphere’s largest volcano in a remote area of Kamchatka, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ geophysical service said.

Around the Pacific Rim

Chile, a place highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, raised its warning to the highest level early Wednesday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and began evacuating hundreds of people.

Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted. Ecuador canceled classes at schools in the Galapagos Islands as well as communities along the coast.

Coastlines of New Zealand — about 6,000 miles from the quake’s epicenter — were experiencing strong currents and wave surges.

Neb. plant explosion killed 2 girls and an employee

Fire at biofuel facility still going a day later

BY MARGERY A. BECK and CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press

FREMONT Neb Two girls were waiting for a relative to finish work at a Nebraska biofuel plant when all three were killed in a massive explosion that shook the town, officials said Wednesday The fire was still smoldering more than a day later and crews say they can’t safely enter the building’s unstable wreckage to recover the remains.

Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said at a news conference that the children were at the Horizon Biofuels plant ahead of a doctor’s appointment, and although he wasn’t sure of their exact ages, he believed both were under age 12. Dodge

County Sheriff Sgt Brie Frank later confirmed the three were family

The plant makes animal bedding and wood pellets for heating and smoking food, using tons of wood waste. Spellerberg said authorities believe Tuesday’s blast was likely a wood dust explosion in the tall elevator tower

“That’s really the only thing that makes sense,” Spellerberg said. He said Horizon Biofuels is cooperating “as far as I know.”

The company did not immediately respond to phone calls seeking comment

The top of the elevator tower was torn apart, exposing a mangled concrete-andrebar core. Metal siding on the building below was left crumpled and charred, while wisps of white smoke drifted into the air Wednesday despite rain overnight Spellerberg said fire crews were evaluating whether the whole facility might collapse, making it difficult to get inside as they battle the fire.

“It’s going to be very slow,” said Carl Nielsen of the city’s volunteer fire department. He said authorities do not have a timeline for when they expect to bring the bodies out.

The company has 10 employees, according to the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

A 2014 fire at the building had damaged the electrical system but left the structure intact, according to reporting by the Fremont Tribune. Significant accumulations of wood dust particles can be a fire and explosion hazard, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Emily Anderson, who lives just blocks from the plant, said she heard “one really big boom” before police cars flooded in.

“There were just huge plumes of very, very black smoke,” Anderson said. “It was scary.”

Brown University strikes agreement to resolve discrimination complaints

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON Brown University on Wednesday announced a deal with the Trump administration to regain access to federal research funding and end investigations into alleged discrimination.

The Ivy League school agreed to pay $50 million to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island over 10 years as part of the agreement, along with other concessions in line with President Donald Trump’s political agenda Brown will adopt the government’s definition of “male” and “female,” for example, and must remove any consideration of race from the admissions process Brown President Christina Paxson said the deal preserves Brown’s academic independence. The terms include a clause saying the government cannot dictate curriculum or the content of academic speech at Brown.

The three-year deal has numerous similarities with one signed last week by Columbia University that the government called a roadmap for other universities.

Unlike that agreement, Brown’s does not include an outside monitor

The agreement with Brown restores dozens of grants and contracts that had been suspended during an investigation into Brown’s handling of allegations of antisemitism, including during pro-Palestinian protests on campus last spring. It also calls for the federal government to reimburse Brown for $50 million in unpaid federal grant costs.

The school said it will renew partnerships with Israeli academics and encourage Jewish day school students to apply to Brown. By the end of this year, Brown must hire an outside organization — to be chosen jointly by Brown and the government — to conduct a campus survey on the climate for Jewish students

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Brown’s deal ensures students will be judged “solely on their merits, not their race or sex.”

“The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions,” McMahon said in a statement.

In northern California, tsunami activity continued Wednesday morning with waves of 3.6 feet in Crescent City, which has a history of tsunami disasters.

Even waves of just several feet

high might pose a significant risk.

“It might only be 3 feet, but it’s a wall of water that’s 3 feet and spans hundreds of miles. Three feet of water can easily inundate inland and flood a couple blocks inland from the beach,” said Diego Melgar, director of Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center at the University of Oregon.

Limited damage in Russia

A video released by a Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room. Authorities on the sparsely populated Kuril Islands reported several waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and

Supervisor sold gunman the rifle used in deadly N.Y.C. attack, police say

BY JENNIFER PELTZ and DAVE COLLINS Associated Press

NEW YORK A man who killed four people at a Manhattan office building bought the rifle he used in the attack and the car he drove across country from his supervisor at a Las Vegas casino, authorities said Wednesday

Shane Tamura, 27, fatally shot three people in the lobby of the building that houses the NFL’s headquarters on Monday before taking an elevator to the 33rd floor and killing someone else before ending his own life, according to police. In a note found on his body he claimed to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known at CTE, and accused the NFL of hiding the dangers of brain injures linked to contact sports.

Tamura’s supervisor at the Horseshoe Las Vegas legally bought the AR-15style rifle he sold to Tamura for $1,400, the New York Police Department said Wednesday On Tuesday,

police mistakenly said the supervisor had supplied only parts of the rifle used in the attack, including the weapon’s lower receiver Tamura, who played high school football but never played in the NFL, worked in the surveillance department at the casino. It wasn’t immediately clear if the gun sale was legal. Tamura had a history of mental illness, police said without going into detail.

The supervisor who sold Tamura the rifle hasn’t been charged with any crimes, said police. Authorities haven’t released the supervisor’s name, but they said he’s the person Tamura apologized to in the note found in Tamura’s wallet after he killed himself.

During a search of Tamura’s studio apartment in Las Vegas, investigators found psychiatric medication and a suicide note in which he said he felt his parents were disappointed in him and apologized to his mother, police said.

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OMAHA WORLD-HERALD PHOTO By CHRIS MACHIAN Firefighters battle a fire Tuesday after an explosion in an industrial area in Fremont, Neb BRIEFS

60 years after its creation, safety net faces cuts

Trump has begun to chisel back Medicaid and food stamps

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation into law that launched Medicaid, creating a U.S. health care safety net for millions of low-income Americans in what would become one of the crowning achievements of his domestic legacy

A year earlier he did the same for food stamps, drawing on President John F Kennedy’s first executive order for the development of “a positive food and nutrition program for all Americans.”

This summer, with the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump began to chisel them back.

The Republican Party’s big tax and spending bill delivered not just $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for Americans but some of the most substantial changes to the landmark safety net programs in their history

The trade-off will cut more than $1 trillion over a decade from federal health care and food assistance, largely by imposing work requirements on those receiving aid and by shifting certain federal costs onto the states.

While Republicans in Congress argue the trims are needed to rightsize the federal programs that have grown over the decades and to prevent rising federal deficits, they are also moving toward a long-sought GOP goal of shrinking the federal government and the services it provides

“We’re making the first changes to the welfare state in generations,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said in a recent podcast interview

As the tax breaks and spending cuts law begins to take shape, it is unleashing a new era of uncertainty for the safety net programs that millions of people in communities across the nation have grown to depend on, with political ramifications to come.

Big safety net changes ahead

Polling shows most U.S. adults don’t think the government is over-

spending on the programs. Ameri-

cans broadly support increasing or maintaining existing levels of funding for popular safety net programs, including Social Security and Medicare, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

Local governments are scrambling to figure out how they will comply with the new landscape, calculating whether they will need to raise their own taxes to cover costs, trim budgets elsewhere or cut back the aid provided to Americans.

“The cuts are really big, they are really broad and they are deeply damaging,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a research institute in Washington.

“The consequences are millions of people losing health care coverage,” she said. “Millions of people losing food assistance. And the net result of that is higher poverty, more hardship.”

At the same time, certain people who receive aid, including parents of teenagers and older Americans up to age 64, will have to prepare to work, engage in classes or do community service for 80 hours a month to meet new requirements.

All told, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates 10 million more people will end up without health insurance. Some 3 million fewer people will participate in the Supplemental Nutri-

tional Assistance Program, known as SNAP

“People are really concerned what this means for their fiscal health,” said Mark Ritacco, chief governmental affairs officer at the National Association of Counties, which held its annual conference the week after Trump signed the bill into law

The organization had pushed senators to delay the start dates for some Medicaid changes, and it hopes that further conversations with lawmakers in Congress can prevent some of them from ever taking hold. At its conference, questions swirled.

“We’re talking about Medicaid and SNAP these are people’s lives and livelihoods,” Ritacco said. Health care, food aid trimmed

Republicans insist the law is adhering to Trump’s vow not to touch Medicaid as the changes root out waste, fraud and abuse. A memo from the House GOP’s campaign arm encourages lawmakers to focus on the popularity of its new work requirements and restrictions on benefits for certain immigrants.

“Those safety nets are meant for a small population of people — the elderly, disabled, young pregnant women who are single,” Johnson said on “The Benny Show.”

He said the years since the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, came into law, “everybody got on

the wagon.”

“All these young, able-bodied, young men who don’t have dependents, riding the wagon,” the speaker said.

Medicaid then and now

When President Johnson established Medicaid alongside Medicare — the health care program for seniors as part of the Social Security Amendments of 1965, it was meant for low-income families as well as the disabled.

And it quickly took off. Almost every state signed on to participate in Medicaid by 1970, according to the KFF, an organization focused on health policy It soon went beyond covering its core population to include pregnant women, schoolage children and not just the very poor but also those with incomes just over the federal poverty limit, which is now about $15,650 annually for a single person and $26,650 for a family of three.

In the 15 years since the Affordable Care Act became law under President Barack Obama, Medicaid has grown substantially as most states opted to join the federal expansion. Some 80 million adults and children are covered.

While the uninsured population has tumbled, the federal costs of providing Medicaid have also grown, to more than $880 billion a year “There are a lot of effects Med-

icaid has on health, but the most stark thing that it does is that it saves lives,” said Bruce D. Meyer, an economist and public policy professor at the University of Chicago who co-authored a pivotal study assessing the program. The law’s changes will certainly save the federal government “a substantial amount of money,” he said, but that will come at “substantial increases in mortality And you have to decide what you value more.”

Food stamps, which had been offered toward the end of the Great Depression but were halted during World War II amid rationed supplies, launched as a federal program when Johnson signed the Food Stamp Act of 1964 into law Today, SNAP provides almost $200 in monthly benefits per person to some 40 million recipients nationwide.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who delivered the longest speech in House history while trying to stall the bill, said the changes will hurt households and communities nationwide.

“Who are these people?” Jeffries said. “Ripping health care away from the American people. The largest cuts in Medicaid in American history Ripping food out of the mouths of children seniors and veterans who are going to go hungry as a result of this one big, ugly bill.”

BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

WASHINGTON The agency responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportations is launching a recruiting campaign to entice “brave and heroic Americans” to serve as new deportation officers, lawyers and investigators as the government gears up for a major expansion of immigration enforcement thanks to a recent infusion of money from Congress.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign, which rolled out late Tuesday, recalls recruiting posters from World War II with images of Uncle Sam and the words “AMERICA NEEDS YOU.” There also are photos of Trump and top homeland security officials with the words “DEFEND THE HOMELAND” across the images

immigration activists and Democratic lawmakers for wearing masks while carrying out their duties.

On the recruitment webpage, the link to learn more about applying to be a deportation officer shows a photo of an armored vehicle rolling down a street with officers in military gear hanging onto the sides of the vehicle.

The government is also seeking criminal investigators and lawyers who will prosecute immigration cases.

The agency said it will advertise at college campuses, job fairs and law enforcement networks, starting this week. But the recruiting drive has raised concerns about what happens if the agency grows too fast

Staffing is a long-standing challenge

ICE staffing has long been an issue, said Jason Houser, a former agency chief of staff during the Biden administration.

“Your country is calling you to serve at ICE,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a news release “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland ” In addition to appealing to prospective applicants’ patriotic fervor, Homeland Security is making a pocketbook pitch The agency is promising up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, the potential for lots of overtime for deportation officers and other benefits such as loan repayment or forgiveness options.

Lots of money is coming to ICE

All of this is made possible by a big infusion of money to ICE.

The package of tax breaks and spending cuts that Trump signed into law this month includes about $170 billion for border security and immigration enforcement, spread out over five years

ICE is set to get $76.5 billion, nearly 10 times its current annual budget. Some $45 billion will go toward increasing detention capacity Nearly $30 billion is for hiring 10,000 more staff so the agency can meet its goal of 1 million annual deportations. New hires include deportation officers responsible for tracking down, arresting and removing people who the administration determines no longer have the right to remain in the United States.

Under the Republican president, those officers are high-profile roles, making arrests at immigration courts, in the streets and at businesses. They often are criticized by

At the beginning of the Trump administration there were roughly 6,000 officers within ICE tasked with monitoring noncitizens in the country, then finding and removing those not eligible to stay

Those staffing numbers remained largely static over the years even as the caseload ballooned. During the Biden administration, when the number of people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border skyrocketed, ICE workers were often pulled from their regular duties to go to the border

“ICE does need more employees to handle the volume of what they’re handling,”

Houser said.

But he is concerned about whether the rush to increase staffing could mean lower standards for recruits and training.

The Border Patrol’s rapid expansion during the early 2000s serves as a cautionary tale. To meet hiring goals, hiring and training standards were changed. Arrests for employee misconduct rose.

“If they start waiving requirements there like they did for Border Patrol, you’re going have an exponential increase in officers that are shown the door after three years because there’s some issue,” he said At the same time, Houser noted the Department of Homeland Security has dismantled some of the key agencies that have provided some level of oversight over ICE and other DHS arms.

Houser estimated it would take three years to four years to actually hire and train that number of new ICE staffers. In the meantime, he worries that

and

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

President Lyndon B Johnson uses the last of many pens to complete the signing of the Medicare Bill into law at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., July 30, 1965, with former President Harry S Truman at his side.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

President Donald Trump signs his bill of tax breaks and spending cuts July 4 at the White House in Washington while surrounded by members of Congress including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, left, and U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, behind Trump.

news release

Benoit, she wrote, called his service in firefighting “an exciting and rewarding career,” filled with opportunity growth and purpose.

Over the past 30 years, Benoit has led the fire department “with integrity and vision, fostering a financially sound department supported by a team of educated, disciplined and deeply committed professionals. Under his leadership, the department has maintained its focus on excellence, innovation, and service to the community,” according to Boudreaux Benoit led the department when the city and parish governments were consolidated into Lafayette Consolidated Government in the 1990s The fire department remained a city entity

“I’m proud to leave behind a department that is not only strong and stable, but one that reflects the

LAWS

Continued from page 1A

law as a secondary offense, which could lead to a $100 fine.

Window tints for cars

Window tinting can now be done a little darker in Louisiana with the passage of Act 143.

The front driver and passenger windows of a vehicle can now have a tint level of 25%, which lets less light through, down from the previous limit of 40%

The limits for tint levels of windows behind the driver as well as rear windows didn’t change and are 25% and 12%, respectively

Banning kratom

Kratom will be illegal in Louisiana, thanks to Act 41. An herbal supplement that comes from a plant native to Southeast Asia, some say kratom can treat pain, anxiety and drug dependence, but others argue it is addictive.

Crackdown on ‘poppers’

Lawmakers also tightened a ban passed last year on the inhalation of popular party drugs commonly known as “poppers,” “snappers” or “whippets.”

Gas forms of nitrates can produce a high when inhaled, but they are also used in pressurized canisters in settings like medical facilities, restaurants and auto shops.

Act 106 clarifies that only people age 21 or older can handle such products, outlaws the sale of the drugs by online retailers, and increases penalties for businesses that illegally traffic the drug, including fines up to $25,000 and the revocation of a business license.

Cajun Night Before Christmas

The official state children’s Christmas book is now the 1973 South Louisiana classic “Cajun Night Before Christmas,” written by J.B. Kling Jr and illustrated by James Rice.

passion and professionalism of the people who serve in it,” he said in a news release. While it’s bittersweet to close this chapter, I look forward to new opportunities and continuing to support the people of Lafayette in a new capacity.”

After his retirement, Benoit will join Acadian Ambulance as fire liaison supervisor and support the parish through ongoing emergency preparedness work in coordination with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Mayor-President Monique Boulet said Benoit has led with “visionary leadership.”

“He has built a department that leads the state and sets the standard for others to follow,” Boulet said. “While he will be missed, he will remain as a liaison and an asset to Lafayette Parish.”

Benoit is expected to assist a search committee in finding his replacement.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com

Act 172, sponsored by Lafayette Republican state Rep. Annie Spell, adds the beloved tale to a long list of other official state symbols, like alligator as official state reptile, Cajun accordion as official state musical instrument and the Natchitoches Meat Pie as the official state meat pie.

No Independent Party

The official Independent Party of Louisiana no longer exists under a new law, Act 84, which was passed to avoid confusion by voters and allow for greater participation in new closed party primary elections that begin in April for a handful of political offices.

The roughly 151,000 who registered as members of the Independent Party are being moved to the designation “no party,” a group of voters that is not affiliated with any political party and currently numbers about 658,000 of the state’s nearly 3 million registered voters.

Leaders of the minimally active Independent Party of Louisiana agreed to the change because unaffiliated voters will have the choice to vote in either the Republican or Democratic Party primary elections in spring. And many who registered as “Independent” did not realize they were indicating affiliation with an official po-

litical party

Abortion

What constitutes the crime of “coerced abortion” is expanding under Act 275.

The law previously said the term applies when someone threatens or uses physical force to compel a pregnant woman to have an abortion against her will. The law now says that crime occurs in instances of “physical force, control, or intimidation,” which is defined by a list of actions that includes assault, battery, kidnapping, extortion, and false imprisonment, which refers to illegally confining another person.

Under a separate law, Act 383, pregnant women are now able to sue anyone who provides or helps provide her drugs like mifepristone or misoprostol for an illegal abortion.

Immigration enforcement

Private residents and public officials or employees could face criminal charges for interfering with ICE or other federal immigration enforcement agencies under Act 399.

Anyone who knowingly tries to interfere with federal immigration enforcement efforts could be charged with obstruction of justice. State public employees, officers or officials who hamper federal immigration efforts

could be charged with malfeasance in office.

Other new laws

n Parents of elementary and high school students will have online access to review curricular instructional materials under a law that expands that access beyond

in-person review (Act 103)

n Doula services for pregnant women before, during and after childbirth must now be covered by Medicaid. (Act 228)

n Concealed carry of a firearm without a permit is now allowed within 1,000 feet of a school. (Act 420)

n Paradegoers are now expressly exempt from restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun under state law, a regulation that had been disputed in the past. (Act 271)

n Betting on elections is now illegal. (Act 4)

n Hallucinogenic compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms, muscimol and ibotenic acid, are now illegal. (Act 154)

n Frog hunters who ven-

by

and local law enforcement, in addition to federal

forcement. (Act 170) n Weather modification techniques are now outlawed in Louisiana (Act 95). Staff writers Julia Guilbeau and Meghan Friedmann contributed to this report.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Fire Chief Robert Benoit speaks during the

Wednesday across campus.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served,” Savoie told the board. “And hopefully I’ve still got a little bit of juice left in me.”

Jaimie Hebert, UL’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, was named interim president of the university during Wednesday’s board meeting

“I am both humbled and confident in the task that I have ahead of me,” Hebert, a UL alum told the board. “I’m confident because I believe to the core in the transformative power of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I’ve experienced it myself personally.”

After the board meeting, university staff and alumni lined up in front of Martin Hall and greeted Savoie and Hebert with a roar of cheers.

“It’s heartwarming and totally unexpected,” Savoie said. “We have a family environment here at the university among faculty and staff. That’s what families do for one another.”

Savoie said Hebert was “exceptionally prepared” to take over the university and that, as an alum, he “loves the place like the rest of us do.”

After stepping down from the presidency Savoie said he’ll help with projects that include the current capital campaign and fundraising opportunities. He’ll also help with “whatever Dr Hebert and the board asks me to do.”

A UL graduate

UL employees received an email Wednesday afternoon with a letter from Savoie announcing his decision to step down.

“Higher education has changed immensely in the past two decades,” Savoie said in the letter.

“The expectations on colleges and universities are as great as they have ever been and meeting those responsibilities to our community today — and to generations that follow — requires new ideas and fresh approaches.”

Savoie is a UL alum, having attended the university in the 1970s and early 1980s, and has a background in educational leadership Under his leadership, UL earned the prestigious Carnegie R1 classification, which puts it among the top 5% of the nation’s research

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Continued from page 1A

ranks: Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman voted to reduce borrowing costs, while nine officials, including Powell, favored standing pat. It is the first time in more than three decades that two of the seven Washington-based governors have dissented One official, Gov Adriana Kugler, was absent and didn’t vote.

The choice to hold off on a rate cut will almost certainly result in further conflict between the Fed and White House, as Trump has repeatedly demanded that the central bank reduce borrowing costs as part of his effort to assert control over one of the few remaining independent federal agencies

Powell has in the past signaled during a news conference that a rate move might be on the table for an upcoming meeting, but he gave no such hints this time. The odds of a rate cut in September, according to futures pricing, fell from nearly 60% before the meeting to just 45% after the news conference, the equivalent of a coin flip, according to CME Fedwatch

“We have made no decisions about September,” Powell said. The chair acknowledged that if the Fed cut its rate too soon, inflation could move higher and if it cut too late, then the job market could suffer Major U.S. stock indexes, which had been trading slightly higher Wednesday, went negative after Powell’s comments.

“The markets seem to think that Powell pushed back on a September rate cut, said Lauren Goodwin, chief market strategist at New York Life Investments. Powell also underscored that the vast majority of the committee agreed with a basic framework: Inflation is still above the Fed’s target of 2%, while the job market

institutions. Research and development spending at the university increased by 193% between 2013 and 2021, according to the Higher

Education Research and Development Survey Savoie also oversaw significant enhancements to campus facili-

ties, including the construction of a more modern student union.

Romero and Gallot lauded Savoie’s achievements Wednesday, with Gallot describing him as “a once-in-a-generation leader who has served his alma mater faithfully and well during a period of extraordinary change and challenge.” Romero told the board that Savoie had positioned the university to build on his momentum and thanked him for his service.

Savoie previously served as the state’s commissioner of higher education. He also was a cabinet member in the administrations of three governors M.J. “Mike” Foster, Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal. Savoie is the second high-profile figure to leave UL in the past three months.

LeBlanc, who also was appointed to his position as vice president of administration and finance in 2008, resigned in May. His resignation came three weeks after a heated meeting of the UL system

board during which Romero and other members questioned Savoie and LeBlanc about why UL had repeat findings in a March report from the Louisiana legislative auditor

The board also named an interim replacement for LeBlanc during the board meeting Wednesday, putting Edwin Litolff in the role of interim vice president of finance.

Litolff previously served as vice president and chief financial officer for the UL system and, most recently, served as vice president for finance and administration of the University of New Orleans during a financial crisis.

He told the board it was “a bittersweet moment” to leave UNO, which he said is now on the right track.

“It’s disappointing for me not to be able to continue that on and see that success go because there’s so much opportunity there,” Litolff said. “But to have the opportunity to come to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is an exciting opportunity and I look forward to working with everybody there to do my best to make the institution better and to help in every way possible.”

Audits raised questions

Of the four findings of concern noted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office for records for the 2023-24 fiscal year two had been issues for four consecutive years. One was a repeat finding for three consecutive years and one was a new problem.

The findings were related to the university’s late billing of grants and contracts and inadequate controls for personnel expenses related to research and development awards.

The audit also flagged improper documentation related to grants and untimely billing of costs to grants. Auditors noted in each finding that failing to comply with the proper protocol means the university risked not receiving the money it claimed it was owed. In messages back to the auditor, UL staffers largely blamed the findings on staffing shortages and turnover Savoie’s departure will leave Louisiana’s two largest universities looking for new leadership at the same time. LSU President William Tate announced in May that he was leaving to become president of Rutgers University

is still mostly healthy so the Fed should keep rates elevated. On Thursday, the government will release the latest reading of the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge and it is expected to show that core prices, excluding energy and food, rose 2.7% from a year earlier

Gus Faucher chief economist at PNC Financial, says he expects the tariffs will only temporarily raise inflation, but that it will take most of the rest of this year for that to become apparent He doesn’t expect the Fed to cut until December

Trump argues that because the U.S. economy is doing well, rates should be lowered.

But unlike a blue-chip company that usually pays lower rates than a troubled startup, it’s different for an entire economy. The Fed adjusts rates to either slow or speed growth, and would be more likely to keep them high if the economy is strong to prevent an inflationary outbreak.

Earlier Wednesday, the government said the economy expanded at a healthy 3% annual rate in the second quarter, though that figure followed a negative reading for the first three months of the year, when the economy shrank 0.5% at an annual rate. Most economists averaged the two figures to get a growth rate of about 1.2% for the first half of this year

The dissents from Waller and Bowman likely reflect jockeying to replace Powell, whose term ends in May 2026. Waller, in particular, has been mentioned as a potential future Fed chair Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients this week that if the pair were to dissent, “it would say more about auditioning for the Fed chair appointment than about economic conditions.” Bowman, meanwhile, last dissented in September 2024, when the Fed cut its key rate by a half-point. She said she preferred a quarter-point cut instead,

and cited the fact that inflation was still above 2.5% as a reason for caution.

Waller said earlier this month that he favored cutting rates, but for very different reasons than Trump has cited: Waller thinks that growth and hiring are slowing, and that the Fed should reduce borrowing costs to forestall a rise in unemployment.

There are other camps on the Fed’s 19-member ratesetting committee only 12 of the 19 vote on rate decisions. In June, seven members signaled that they supported leaving rates unchanged through the end of this year, while two suggested they preferred a single rate cut. The other half supported more reductions, with eight officials backing two cuts, and two — widely thought to be Waller and Bowman supporting three reductions.

The dissents could be a preview of what might happen after Powell steps down, if Trump appoints a replacement who pushes for the much lower interest rates the White House desires. Other Fed officials could push back if a future chair sought to cut rates by more than economic conditions would otherwise support.

Overall, the committee’s quarterly forecasts in June suggested the Fed would cut twice this year There are only three more Fed policy meetings — in September, October and December

When the Fed cuts its rate, it often — but not always — results in lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

Some economists agree with Waller’s concerns about the job market. Excluding government hiring, the economy added just 74,000 jobs in June, with most of those gains occurring in health care.

“We are in a much slower job hiring backdrop than most people appreciate,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Jaimie Hebert, right, shakes hands with well-wishers after the announcement Wednesday that he will serve as interim president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette after Joseph Savoie stepped down.

Joseph Savoie treats himself to ice cream following the announcement of his retirement as the president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Wednesday.

Energy assistance program targeted

Aid, which helps thousands of La. residents, declared ‘unnecessary’

BY ALENA MASCHKE alena@thecurrentla.com

As temperatures creep toward triple digits, electric bills have long crossed that threshold. With light bills at times rivaling the cost of a house note, those with low incomes struggle to keep their homes at a safe and comfortable temperature — combating the scorching Louisiana heat in the summer and countering unprecedented temperature drops in the winter

‘I have to pour back into it’

Northside alumna returns to lead volleyball team

BY ASHLEY WHITE

Staff writer

Northside High School’s volleyball team will have a familiar face on the sideline as alumna Claudasha Watson returns as the team’s coach. Watson, who graduated in 2018, played volleyball and ran track throughout high school This summer, she accepted a position as a physical education teacher and the volleyball coach. “Northside poured into me. The community helped me get to where I’m at,” she said. “I have to pour back into it.”

While an athlete at Northside Watson earned MVP honors and was named the 2017 Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year At the 2018 New Balance Nationals Indoor meeting in New York she set a personal record — 7.59 seconds — for the 60-meter dash. During her senior volleyball season, she was named player of the game four times, and the school placed second in the district. She received a full track athletic scholarship to Louisiana Tech, where she studied psychology and graduated in three and a half years. The COVID-19 pandemic and an injury meant she still had eligibility to compete and received a scholarship for Northwestern State University, where she received her master’s in clinical psychology But a hip injury means she can’t competitively run anymore.

When she graduated, she returned to north Lafayette She said she missed her family, especially her nieces and nephews who were growing up between visits.

during the 2024 season. She will take over coaching duties this year

People like Sheryl Doiron.

“I was able to get by, and here you hit a stumbling block,” she said.

She was quickly faced with a choice: Should she buy the food that helps keep her diabetes in check, or pay her utility bill?

The St. Mary Parish resident has been receiving assistance from the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program for the past 10 years, since she had to retire from her job as a social services worker with the St Mary Community Action Agency the very agency processing applications for the program to take care of her severely disabled daughter

Now, she and others dependent on the program may face another stumbling block: The Trump administration has declared the program “unnecessary” and is urging legislators to cut it. This came after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services laid off the entire staff administering the program. They have since been terminated.

For Doiron, the administration’s assessment couldn’t be further from reality

“Utility assistance was the biggest help — it’s really the only help I’ve ever received from the government,” she said.

And she’s not alone. In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, more than 17,000 households in Louisiana received assistance through the program, most

A MEETING OF MATEyS

Public library offers resources to students

College IDs can be used for free access

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Using only their school ID, students, faculty and staff at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and South Louisiana Community College soon will have access to all materials and programs of the Lafayette Public Library system, including free 24/7 online tutoring and résumé and job search assistance.

“At SoLAcc, we know student success doesn’t start and stop at our campus threshold,” spokesperson Anne Falgout said. “While our students already benefit from the college library connecting them to the Lafayette Public Library gives them a powerful advantage: Extended hours, career-focused programming and Makerspaces combined with personal enrichment opportunities like museum

access, book clubs and genealogy resources — create countless ways for students to grow both in and out of the classroom.”

ABOVE: James Buckler, left, and Patrick Dirks, who make up the duo Buckler & Dirks, Traveling Troublesome Troubadours, perform Saturday at the inaugural Acadiana Pirate Festival at the Sidecar LEFT: Attendees dressed as buccaneers gather in Lafayette.

The program, which is expected to kick off in September, will allow about 17,000 people at UL and 5,000 at SoLAcc to use parish public libraries without obtaining a library card, Library Director Danny Gillane said.

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

“That’s 22,000 more people we can automatically provide access to these materials,” he said. Students studying medical technology at SoLAcc, for instance, can access free study guides and practice tests. Students may use study rooms, public computers and check out reading materials, including downloading books for leisure reading, he said.

For almost a year a Lake Charles-area 15-year-old has owned an ice cream

and

PROVIDED PHOTO Claudasha Watson, right, talks with a Northside High volleyball player while volunteering with the team

Gillane

OUR VIEWS

Step up andsupport public broadcasting

It’sbeen difficult to watch the fallout in Louisiana from cuts to public broadcasting without asense of bewilderment.How did we get here? For ageneration at least, public broadcasters havebeen providing news and information to every corner of the state while celebrating its unique culture. The list of contributions is broad and varied. On television, Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s newsmagazine. “Louisiana: The StateWe’re In,” has been featuring newsmakers discussing critical issues since 1976.

On the radio, New Orleans’ world-renowned WWOZ has been the go-tofor broadcasts of Jazz Fest and other festivals for decades, and WWNOboosts local restaurants and chefs on “Louisiana Eats.” In Lafayette, KRVS’ Radio Acadie airs showsinLouisiana Creole that are unique in the nation. Shreveport’s RedRiver Radio and affiliatesfeature the call-in show “Health Matters,” to answer any medical questions listeners may have.And in Baton Rouge, WRKF’s“Talk Louisiana” gives residents a chance daily to hear frommovers and shakers at the Capitol.

When Congress voted earlier this monthto claw back $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporationfor Public Broadcasting, we heard all the stated reasons. Some felt that National Public Radio, which provides content to local stations for afee, was biased in itsnews coverage.Others felt that the government should not be funding radio and television stations at all. But none of that changes how we feel about Louisiana public radio and television.

Now these stations are facing the daunting task of raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to fill the federal funding gap. NPR gets about 2% of its fundingfrom CPB, while many localstations, which produce shows we love, get around 8% to 10% of their budgets from federalfunds. Most of that goes to infrastructure like transmitters or generators, not NPR programming.

The urgency in the voices of station managersasthey ask for public support is real —but so is the determination. It’suptowewho value all that Louisiana public broadcasting has given us to stepup.

In the days since the cutswere announced, localstations have seen asurge of support.At WWOZ, which faces $400,000 in cuts, donors so far have contributed $80,000. At WRKF,which was dealt a$150,00 blow,general manager Paul Maassen says he is grateful for the listeners clamoring to donate but the solution will be long-term.AtKRVS, which lost $200,000 or about athird of its revenue, station general manager Cheryl Devall says it has received around 500 contributionsand counting, some from current donors who are digging deeper RedRiver Radio assistant general manager Ranae Moran said it too is seeing itsaudience, agood portion of which is rural, donatetokeep the station going. It’sencouraging that so many have contributed, but much more is needed.

Our public broadcasters have lifted up our state for so long. Now it’sour turn.

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.

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OPINION

YOUR VIEWS

Fans from Acadiana made UFC318 special

On behalf of New Orleans& Company and our city’shospitality community, thank you to all the fans from Lafayette andAcadiana who helped makeUFC 318 an unforgettable night. When theUFC took over theSmoothie King Center on July 19, we expected abig event —but we didn’tanticipate thewave of energy,loyalty and pride that poured in from across Louisiana. Youshowed up for Dustin Poirier in a way only this state can. Andindoing so, you reminded us what it means to stand behind our own.

Aspecial thank you to Dustin for choosing New Orleansfor his farewell fight.He’sa Louisianalegend, and bringing his final bout to his home statemeant everything to him, to us and to the thousands who filled the arena to cheer him on. He represented our roots on aglobal stage, and we couldn’tbeprouder Together,weall madehistory: UFC

318 sold out with 18,138 fans and generated over $8 million—the highestgrossing event ever at theSmoothie King Center

More than 65% of attendees came from out of state and nearly 85% came from outside the greater New Orleansarea, manyfrom Lafayette. Youpacked our hotels, filled our restaurantsand broughtyour spirit to every corner of the city.That support doesn’tjust lift an event—itfuels our economy and showcases the best of Louisianatothe world. Lafayette andNew Orleans share a deep love for culture, cuisine, music and people. That weekend proved how powerful our bond really is. Youbrought your passion. We hope we matched it with our hospitality Come back soon —our doors are always open.

WALT LEGER III president &CEO,New Orleans &Company

As ayearpasses, more answers needed in deathofLPD officer

July 25 marked the first anniversary of Lafayette Police Sr.Cpl. Segus Jolivette’suntimely death. Every time Iread one of Claire Taylor’sarticles, it grieves me even morebecause it raises so manyquestions that, in my mind, arestill unanswered Why was the Lafayette Police Department’sSWATunit even there? Arethere any LPDrules that spell out which events warrant an LPD SWAT unit responsetoanevent 35 miles away in the town of Jeanerette?

The Iberia ParishSheriff’s Office has aSWATunit and is amere 11.5 milesaway from Jeanerette. Likewise, theSt. Mary ParishSheriff’s Office has aSpecial ResponseTeam which is 13.6 miles away.Were they not able to handle this?Ifnot, why not? Taylor’sarticles allude to the fact that other units responded but do not give manyspecifics. Exactly how manylaw enforcement officers from Iberia, St. Mary or other parishes closer to Jeanerette responded to thecall of ahostage situation? Ihave read no specific information or comment from either of their sheriffs.

Igreatly value thelives of every single police officer whoputs his or her life on the line to protect us, and just as in the military,the judicious use of personnel is amain priority of those who authorize themen and womenunder their command. Keep in mind that this massive response was toarrest one single man holding two hostages in amobile home. Wasitreally necessary to send multiple agencies, all armed with long guns, to address this situation? Would not askilled negotiator be what was necessary and appropriate?

We all mourn the loss of Segus Jolivette. He was afine husband, father and respected law enforcement officer.All of the particulars of this event will eventually come to light, but Iwould implore the Lafayette City-Parish Government, along with theLafayette Police Department, to investigate this eventand formulate somehard-written rules regarding the use of our precious men and womenin blue outside of Lafayette Parish. AL KARRÉ Lafayette

Howmuch clearercan it be that immigration raidsatoddswith Christian beliefs?

“Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily Isay unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” Matthew 25:45. It’s timefor us to put our Christianity where our mouths are. Immigrants are being persecuted in our nation in the nameof“enforcing the law.”

In somecases, U.S. citizens have been deported. As St. Augustine said, “an unjust law is no law at all.”

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ require us to address this issue. 1 John 3:18 commands us as follows: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement must be abolished.

JASON SAVOY Mamou

Firedfederal workers should consider military

Forall the federal employees who have been relievedofemployment with the government and would like to continue in the federal system, youshould give serious considerationtothe armedforces. You probably have asecurity clearance thatshould be transferable to the military andwith afew more years in the armed forces, you would have sufficient time for federal retirement.

In addition, the military has schooling to fit your civilian qualifications.

The Army cutoff date for enlistment is 35 yearsofage, the Marines is 28, the Navy is 41,the Coast Guard is 41, the Air Force is 41 and the Space Forceisunknown. There is no doubt you have the educationtoqualify forany branch of the military,and the security clearance givesyou afootinthe door for immediate enlistment.

Your government still needs you. LINK SAVOIE U.S. Army,retired Sunset

La.gives moneytoSaudisbut

Thestate of Louisiana should not be spending $7 million to bring aLIV Golf tournament to New Orleans.And thestate Legislature should not have declined to hold asession to consider overriding Gov. Jeff Landry’svetoes of important local projects such as safety improvements for roads and bridges. And yes, there is aconnection between those two stories. Of the $7 million for LIV,$5million would be a“hosting fee” paid to LIV itself, meaning to LIV’s Saudi backers already basking in arguably ill-gotten wealth. All for atournament that, as ace sports columnistJeff Duncan convincingly explained, is not likely to do much goodfor the city and might evendetract from the health of thecherishedNew Orleans PGA tournament, the Zurich Classic,that next year will celebrate its 80th edition.

The state should not, despite Landry’srequest, pay $5 million to a “public investment fund” chairedby Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who the U.S. officiallyconcluded has ordered the murders of several innocents. Instead, it should be spending $4.2 millionfor safer accessto Parkway High School in BossierCity $105,000 to repairabridge in Metairie’sLafreniere Park, $685,000 for a sewer project in Minden and $20,000 for atutoring programinCrowley.(Or at least half of the latter,ifyou want the arithmetic to work exactly).

Those four projectswereamong 14 infamously vetoedbyGov.Jeff Landry without evena word of explanation —which is unusual, becauseall of Landry’sother vetoesinclude explanatory notes. The lack of explanation is telling: There are virtually no conceivable substantive justifications for those line-item vetoes, whichare universally seen as Landry’smethodofpunishing fellowRepublicans for failing to back himonanentirely unrelated bill.

All 14 projects originally were passed unanimously by both the state House and the state Senate. Any decent legislature —any legislaturewith the slightest appreciation for its own, independent authority as abody of duly elected representatives of distinct constituencies— would feel obliged to stand up for its own memberswho are unjustly targeted by the governor’s ire.

Thestate Constitution, after all, gives the Legislature the power to call itself backfor asession to consider overriding agovernor’svetoes.Ina state that already givesits governor

Joaquín Niemann, center left, and others celebrate individual and team victories at LIV Golf United Kingdom at JCB Golf &CountryClub on Sunday in Rocester,England.

inordinately expansiveauthorities, the veto-override session is one of the only waysthe Legislature can guarantee the proverbial “checks and balances” of power that are the hallmarkofAmerican government. While veto overridesessions are historically rare, they actually should be parfor the course (no pun intended). Notably,the Republican legislature didhold three such sessionsinthe final term of Democratic Gov.John Bel Edwards. If legislativeRepublicans can muster theeffort against Edwards, there is no excuse for them abandoningtheir own Republican colleagues this time by failingtostand up to a governor of their own party

Frankly,this is agrowing problem all across the country at all levels of government including Congress: legislatures forfeitingtheir coequal status in the constitutional design because they cower before themight of apresident, governor or mayor.Indoingso, they lose track of thehistorical basis of the distinctly American tradition of governmentwhich, againstkings androyal governors, rooted primary power in deliberative, representative assemblies.

As aresult, every member of the Legislature —exceptfor the16Representatives (of 105) and 10 Senators (of 39)who did not vote against the veto-

override section —deservedly will have some explainingtodo. Why did they approve $5 million in what amounts to apolitical payoff to the Saudis, while opposing bridges and tutoring programs andpark improvements? Why paythe Saudis rather than paying forIberiaParish road improvements?Why the Saudis but not the Community CaregiversofNorthwest Louisianaor“training, substance abuse counseling, and career readiness” for at-riskyouth?

To legislate is to make choices.To legislate as an elected representative of, or delegate for,aparticular constituency is to assume an obligation to serve the justifiableneeds of that constituency.Tochoose not to choose at all, out of some misbegotten deference to agovernor, is to abdicate that obligation. When legislaturesdefer too often and too obsequiously to executive authority,representative democracy erodes and thepublicgood takes aback seat. By avoiding aveto-overridesession, legislatorsevade theirinstitutional duty.Bygiving $5 million to the Saudis, they failed their fiduciaryduty In combination,that’sanegregious double-bogey.

Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com.

President Donald Trumpmet with reporters in Scotland Monday to tout his new trade deal with the European Union. Accompanied by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trumpheld court formore than an hour taking questions on trade, China, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and more.

Thomas Paine’spamphlet “Common Sense” galvanized support for the American Revolution. It mocked the English monarchy,calling hereditary succession “a degradation and lessening of ourselves” and “an imposition on posterity.” Were he still with us, Paine might weep at the sight of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.heading the Department of Healthand Human Services. President Donald Trump had two reasons to put this crackpot in charge of aworld-renowned medical powerhouse.

attorney general. Afew years later, Robert F. Kennedymoved to New York to claimaU.S. Senate seat. He established residency there aday or twobefore he declared his candidacy He was elected and amere three yearslater ran for president.

One was that “Bobby” was wellsuitedtotear down another revered American institution. Why would Trump want that? Ask ashrink.

The other is that he finds Bobby Jr entertaining. RFK Jr.plays a“Kennedy” —the windswept hair,the jawline, the three initials. He thus comes with off-the-shelf celebrity, which boosts airtime for his destructive misinformation.One can easily buy into Bobby’sown contention that his brain is worm-eaten. Intellectually,he’ssubdelta. Paine would shudder that media routinely refers to the Kennedy clan as “America’sRoyal Family.” Bobby is Exhibit Aatwhat could go wrong when public servants are elevated by reasonofbirth.

“The Kennedys” have always been amixed bag. In ascandalous act of nepotism, President John F. Kennedy made his brother,Bobby’sfather,U.S.

After RFK was assassinated, the Kennedys drove amovement to rename New York’s Triborough Bridge after what manylocals regarded as a carpetbagger.Itwas successful and has since served as a taxpayer-supported advertising for the Kennedy family ASenate seat should not be afamily heirloom, but when HillaryClinton gave up her Senate seat from New York to serve as Secretary of State in 2009, the Kennedys lined up. After all, Robert F. Kennedyhad held it, however briefly His brother,Sen. TedKennedy from Massachusetts, championed John’s daughter,CarolineKennedy,asareplacement. He reminded Democrats that Caroline wouldbebacked by “theKennedy family’sextensive fundraising network.”

Ted’snephew,Bobby Jr., of the worm-hole brain, was saidtoalsobe eying the seat. (Then-Gov.David Paterson eventually gave thejob to Rep Kirsten Gillibrand.)

In 1969, Uncle Tedpleaded guiltyto fleeing the scene of afatal accident afterhedrove acar into apond. He and

ayoung aide had just left aboozed-up party in thewee hours. Leaving the aide to drown, Tedwalked amile and ahalf to achannel and swam 500 feet to Edgartown.Hereturned to his hotel and neglected to call police. In 2002, Tedjoined efforts to kill an offshore wind farm on Nantucket Sound. This was an environmentally needed project favored by 84% of Massachusetts residents. “Butdon’t you realize,” Tedexclaimed royally, “that’swhereIsail!”

It’snotable that the country that invented moderndemocratic rule would let itspoliticians claim some sort of nobility.

Rome’sinternational airport is named after agreat artist, Leonardo da Vinci. London’sairportiscalled Heathrow,after theformerly rural hamlet whereit’slocated.

In this country,hundreds of schools are named after John F. Kennedy Thereare JFK boulevards in Tampa, Houston andelsewhere. The name of Bobby’sfather graces public schools in Los Angeles,Albuquerque, Chicago and elsewhere. Andofcourse, the RFK signs confuseNew Yorkers who still think of theirbridge as the Triborough. We fought theAmerican Revolution to endthis sense of hereditary entitlement, the notion that children of politicians were born to rule. Sorry,Tom. We messed up.

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

One subject that barely came up, about 50 minutes into the newsconference, wasthe dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Spoiler alert: No newswas made on that front.

If you follow things, you’re probably seeing alot of stories suggesting somesort of undefined scandal involving Trumpand Epstein, whowere friends in the 1990s and remained so until 2004, two years before Epstein wasfirst charged with acrime. You’re seeing it not because reporters have discovered new information to change the substance of what is already known, but because Democrats and their allies in the media hope that repetition of the story will bring downTrump’sapproval rating and perhaps shake loose somecurrently unknown, damaging revelation they hope exists.

At least so far, it’snot working, and anew poll showshow farDemocrats are falling short. In aWall Street Journal survey taken July 16-20, respondents consistently expressed moreconfidence in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party to handle key issues, and they expressed morepositive feelings toward Trump and Republicans than toward Democrats. First the favorable/unfavorable ratings. The poll found that 45% of those surveyed had a very or somewhat favorable impression of Trump, versus 52% whohad avery or somewhat unfavorable impression. For the Republican Party,the numbers were43% favorable versus 54% unfavorable, and forDemocratic Party,the numbers were33% favorable and 63% unfavorable.

The big newsinthat? The Democrats’ 33-63 rating —the worst forthe party since 1990. Indeed, the headline of the article was“Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds.”

The poll suggests that Democrats’ current strategy,focused mostly on Trump-bashing, hasn’tpaid off in higher ratings. The reason: While manyvoters might not like Trumpand Republicans, or be ambivalent about them, they have less confidence in Democrats.

“On the whole, voters disapprove of the president’shandling of the economy,inflation, tariffs,and foreign policy,” the Journal reports. “And yet in each case, the new Journal poll found, voters nonetheless say they trust Republicans rather than Democrats to handle those sameissues in Congress.”

Start with Trump’sratings on handling issues. For the economy,the Journal found him at 44-53 —that is, with 44% approval and 53% disapproval. On the specific issue of inflation, he was44-55. On tariffs 40-57. On foreign policy,47-51.

Then look at the Republican vs. Democrat version of those questions. When asked which party is best able to handle the economy,39% said Republicans, while 27% said Democrats. On inflation specifically,38% said Republicans and 28% said Democrats. On tariffs, 37% said Republicans and 30% said Democrats. On foreign policy,39% said Republicans and 31% said Democrats.

The numbers suggest Democrats, whoare happy targeting Trumpfrom dawntill dusk, are not convincing voters they can do abetter job than the president and his party

That’swhere Epstein comes in. Much as they did from 2017 to 2019, when they accused Trumpofcolluding with Russia, manyDemocrats appear ready to makethe case against Trumpbased on the Epstein matter acenterpiece of their opposition to the president. Will that rile the voters? And morespecifically,will it makevoters angry in the absence of any powerful revelations about Epstein and continued accomplishments by Trump? Democrats appear to hope so. During this summer break, the Journal reports, Democrats “are hoping forarepeat of this spring’srecess, when angry voters flooded into town-hall meetings, heckling Republican lawmakers and challenging them to do moretopush back against Trump.”

Maybe so. But success changes things. And Trumphas had anumber of significant successes in his first six months in office, enough to satisfymany independent or on-the-fence voters that he is doing good things forthe country.Ofcourse, hard-core Democrats and their allies in the Resistance are apoplectic about Trumpbecause they are always apoplectic about Trump. What the new poll suggests is that forDemocrats, anger is just not enough. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.Email him at byronyork@yorkcomm.com.

Byron York

Froma Harrop

Quin Hillyer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATEOVILLALBA

Golfer

ENERGY

Continued from page1B

of themwithhousehold incomes significantly below the federal poverty level.

For many of those households, the programisa lifeline,especiallyatatime when the cost of livinghas soaredacross the board.

“A lot of elderlypeople havetodecide whetherto pay their light bill, medication or food,” said Carleen Bellard, director of the Evangeline Community Action Agency,which processes applications forthe program for Evangeline Parishresidents

The demand is so significant, Bellard said, that the agency routinely has to turn applicants away,even if they may meet the program’seligibility requirements.“We have to cutitoff

VOLLEYBALL

She started working at an inpatient psychiatric facility and is enrolled in an online licensed professional counselor program

Her passion for sports and love of Northside pushed her to volunteer at the school, helping thevolleyball team. The team didn’t win asinglegame last season, but “the girls wanted it,” Watson said. Then this summer,Watson kept hearing from people while she was out and about. The volleyball coach was leaving Northside.She should applyfor theposition, they told her Afterpraying aboutit, Watson talkedwith the school’sprincipal, who offered her the position at the end of June.

“I was nervous at first because I’m like, ‘I don’tknow where to start because you can know the sport, but can you coach it?’”Watson said. “But I’m gonna step out on faith.” Over the past month, Watson has held practices with

at some point.Wecan’thelp everyone,” she said. In aparishofroughly 31,000residents, the agency’swaitlist for the program usually counts around 200 households, according to Bellard.

Especially forelderly residents, the excessive heat combinedwith aloss of power is dangerous and potentially deadly

Those with preexisting medical conditions, including seniors, are moresusceptible to the negative health effects of extreme heat and often have medical equipment powered by electricity.

And with the looming threat of record-breaking heat —three out of the state’stop fivehottest summers on record occurred in thepast 15 years —the issue of cooling homes is only expected to become more pressing.

Oneofthe Trumpadministration’sarguments fordeeming theprogram unnecessary is that many states, including Louisiana, have laws that prohibit power companies from shutting off electricity for nonpayment.

However,inLouisiana, that protection only kicksin when the NationalWeather Services issuesaheat warning, thethreshold for which are temperatures of 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, or extreme cold of 32 degrees or lower.Meanwhile, temperatures above90de-

grees are considered dangerousfor the elderly,especially when accompanied by high humiditylevels.

In short,“It’simportant for seniors to have access to power,” said Shannon Broussard,executive director of theCajun Area Agency on Aging.

And while there is emergencyassistance available to households that have had theirpower cutoff due to nonpayment, asignificant amount of that assistance comes from LIHEAP crisis funds.

The Louisiana Housing Corporation, which receives Louisiana’sannual allocation —just under$60 million for the current fiscal year —declinedtoanswer specific questions regarding changes in eligibilityrequirementsincluded in the federal budgetbill, its ability to administer the program locally following the

girlswho are interested in joining the team. Players send her videos of drillstheysee on social media and send notes from their own practices at Girard Park. “I seethe change.I seethe discipline,” shesaid. “They

definitely want it.They want to be different.They want to grow.”

But it’s going to be abuilding year,Watson said. Some of the girls have never played volleyball before, and the team will need to work on solidifyingthe ba-

sics.

Watson saidsuccessthis yearwill be measurednot in wins but in growth— for her playersand for her “Wejusthave to be better than we were lastyear,” she said. “Even if that’sbetter at

firings of all program staff on thefederal level, or the potential effects should the programbediscontinued.

“LHC has closely followed developments in potential funding changesthat could affectprograms administeredbythe agency.As changes are approved, the agency will do its best to fulfill its mission towards safe, affordable, and energy-efficient housing,”the agency said via email.

So what’sgoing to happen to energy assistance for low-income households?

Despite the Trump administration’sdeclared goal to endthe program,its fate is yettobedecided.

Funding for the program was notincluded in the “Big, Beautiful” budgetbill, andit’snow up to the House andSenateappropriations committees to decide on funding forthe upcoming fiscal year

practices andnot winning a game. Consistency is just as important.”

Beyond that, the team needs jerseys and other practice equipment. And most of the students don’t have the best tennis shoes fora volleyball court. Watsonisturning to thecommunity to pitch in where theycan to support the team.

Thatsupport can come financially or through volunteering time to mentorthe girls.

At the very least, Watson hopes the community will support the team by coming to games once the season starts in September.

“Getting those resources for themisimportant. They don’thave what everybody else has,” Watson said. “It’s about making adifference, being impactful and giving agirl something that they didn’thave.”

Anyone interested in working with Watson can email claudasha.watson01@ gmail.com or call(337) 3222764.

Email AshleyWhiteat ashley.white@theadvocate. com.

Continued from page1B

“No one has done this before,” Gillane said. “We’re thefirst university or college to do this.” Lafayette Parish public school students,Gillane said, have been able to use the public libraries’ resources using their school IDs since 2018. Shreve Memorial Library,whichserves Caddo Parish, wasthe first to allow the use of public school IDs at thelibrary Lafayette Parish, he said, wasthe second. Lafayette Parish publicelementary andhigh schoolskickoff the202526 school term next week. SoLAcc classes start Aug. 18. Thestate and Lafayette Public Library system, Gillanesaid, subscribe to a24/7 tutoring service that’sfreetostudents with aschool ID card. It can be accessedthrough HomeworkLa.org/Lafayette, accessible from homesorpublic libraries on computers, tablets and cellphones.

“They help if you’re looking fora job,ifkids need mathhelp,” he said. Check outotherlibrary resourcesathttps://www lafayettepubliclibrary org/home and click on “Your Resources.” Library cardsare free to residents of Lafayette Parish, to people who attend school or work in Lafayette Parish and to people who own property in Lafayette Parish. Those whodon’tfall into oneofthe abovecategories pay $20 per year for aLafayette Public Library card.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate. com.

“Everybody we saw,he toldthathewould get an ice cream truck,” Megan Muller said. “He just manifested his dream. He just spokeitinto reality.”

Since then, the Mullers have been regularly taking out King Liam’sIce Cream Truck and learning the ins and outs of owning the business

The food truck has made appearances in the community at many local places and events, as well as at Port Wonder and at applied behavior analysis, or ABA, centers. These centers provide therapy for individuals with developmental conditions

“I think it’sjust very special because he’s been in ABA all of his life, and then here we are serving ice cream to ABA centers,” Megan Muller said. “He is still in ABA, and sometimes they have asession on the truck because what better wayto learn life skills than in an ice cream truck.” Megan Muller said that while on the truck, Liam learnslife skills like manners,interactions and more.

Thecommunity hasbeen very supportive of Liam and his truck, according to Megan Muller Afew timesthroughout the week, mother and son can be found working the truck, but there are also additional drivers who take the truck around.

“He doesn’tlike working it as much as we had hoped, but Iguess just with anyone who wants to see instant gratification, he wants to see instant rewards,” Megan Muller said.

“So, we’ll say,‘OK, you work in the truck five days, and then you get something you want.”

While there are additional employees and other costs associatedwith operating the ice cream truck, abig portion of the money goes

to aspecial-needs trust for Liam

“Thiswas just adream of histhathehad; we made it cometrue early forhim,” Megan Muller said. “It wasn’tjust going to,like, a toystore andbuying hima toyhewanted. This is something thatwewanttogive him his own independence.”

She saidtheyare stilllearning.

“I’m still trying to figure outroutesand whatare good sellingtimes and all that,” she added. “I’m always open to suggestions.” Anyone interestedinhav-

ing King Liam’s come to an event or locationcan reach out via Facebook

LOTTERY

PROVIDED PHOTO

Claudasha Watson,left, talks withaNorthsideHigh volleyball playerwhile volunteering with theteam during the 2024 season.

BY REED DARCEY Staffwriter

The elements of an explosive vertical passing attack spent most of last season hidden inside the LSU offense.

The speed. The arm strength. The pass protection. It wasall there,but one injury kept it stunteduntil it was toolate.

Now big-play wide receiver Chris

Hilton is healthy, andthis time, he’s not alone.

Garrett Nussmeier tested out his revamped, speed-centric offense Wednesday,when theTigers held their firstpreseason practice of the 2025 season —a quick tune-up session that lasted about an hour.The full-contact, padded practices are awaysaway,whichmeansthatfirm conclusions are better left for later in August.

Onething wasclear almost immediately

“We’ve got guys thatcan run,” coach Brian Kelly said. In LSU’sfirstteamdrillsofcamp, Nussmeier completed two quick passes before he connected with Kentucky transfer Barion Brown on adeep touchdown. Brown ran asimple vertical route, using

As Pete Werner tells it, the New Orleans Saints defense probably should get penalized fortoo manymen on the field when No.92isout there. No. 92 is Davon Godchaux, the Saints defensive tackle who is making lifea whole lot easier forlinebackers such as Werner

“He looks like there are twoplayers, an extra D-lineman out there,” Werner said. Godchaux, obtained in aMarch trade with the New England Patriots, could be the biggest acquisition this offseason.

And not just because of his 6-foot-3, 330-pound frame.

More so for the run-stuffing strength that comes with that body

The Saints were one of the worst teams last season in stopping the run. Opponents gashed through the defense with ease, averaging 141.4 yards rushing per game. Opponents were basically half way to a first down (4.92 yards per carry) every time they ranthe ball. The Carolina Panthers were the only team in the league worse than that in defensive yards per gameand yards per carry The Saints are counting on Godchaux to help fix that.

“My bread and butter is stopping the run,” he said. Just seven practices into training camp, he’salready earned the respect of his teammates.

“He’sadouble-team eater,” center Erik McCoy said. “He’sabeast.” Godchaux, aPlaquemine native who played at LSU, is entering his ninth NFLseason. He recorded 67 tackles last season, good enough forfourth among all defensive tackles.

He credits his success to his experience in the league, but that strength helps, too.

“I’m in Year 9, so Ithink it’ssome of that old man strength,” Godchaux said. “Just keeping it going and just knowing different techniques to stay dominant upfront. It’s really about leverage and how to use your leverage. Ifeel like I’ve seen everything when it comes to run defense. Iknow the schemes and how teamsare going to try to attack.”

Godchaux showcased his physicality in Wednesday’spractice, fighting off

The New OrleansSaints easily could have had Jake Haener takehis share of first-team reps on Tuesday when the team conducted a walkthrough instead of aregular practice. Coach Kellen Moore said his three quarterbacks in contention for thestartingjob would rotate until Aug. 10’spreseason opener,and Tuesday’ssession was set to be Haener’sturn.

ButMoore and theSaints insist they are taking Haener seriously in this competition. And their actionsbacked it up Wednesday: The Saints ran Haener with the first team for thesecond-padded practice of camprather than trottinghim out there aday earlier in aslow-paced, no-helmet setting. Haener seized theopportunity. He looked crisp on aday when he threw acamp-high 16 passes in team drills. Anditwas agood thingfor him that he was on top of his game: Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough were also sharp. The three appeared to have their collective best day of training campsofar Here were thenumbers:

Haener:

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier throws apassduring

Rod Walker

Godchaux

STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints quarterback Jake Haener throws the ballduring training camp in Metairie on Wednesday.

Lions, Chargers kick off preseason

BY ROB MAADDI Associated Press

CANTON, Ohio Fifteen wins. No.1

seed Super Bowl betting favorites.

The Detroit Lions fell way short last season, going one-and-done in the playoffs after having the best regular season in franchise history

They still have a loaded roster stacked with talent and plenty of unfinished business.

The Lions kick off their quest for their first Super Bowl title when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame game, which opens the NFL’s preseason schedule.

The Chargers are also coming off a season that ended with a loss in their playoff opener, a wildcard game against Houston. But it was a different vibe in Los Angeles, where Jim Harbaugh came in and led a six-win improvement. Harbaugh, who led Michigan to a national championship before leaving for the NFL, guided the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season in 2012. Can he do it again with the Chargers? They haven’t won any titles since capturing the 1963 AFL championship. Expectations are high for both teams, but it’s a long road to the Vince Lombardi trophy It starts in the exhibition opener, two days ahead of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony

“It’s a new season, it’s a new beginning,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said as he enters his fifth season in charge. “You understand what that road looks like, and there’s going to be nothing easy about it. But I think it’s — every year you do this and you just realize, ‘Hey man, just get in.’ Win this division — that’s always going to be the goal. Find a way to win your division because now you’re automatically in and then once you’re in, it’s the matchup. And don’t worry about the — OK, maybe we have to go on the road, so be it, or if something happens

“You take your best unit, you put your best practice that you can together, find the guys that you’re going to use to try to go win that game and then let it ride. No, I’m still as enthusiastic as ever I know these guys are. There’s a price to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RyAN SUN

Lions coach Dan Campbell gestures during a news conference at training camp on Saturday in Allen Park, Mich. Campbell’s team faces Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers in the preseason Hall of Fame game Thursday in Canton, Ohio.

ä Chargers vs. Lions, 7 P.M.THURSDAy, NBC

be paid to get yourself back into the dance, back into the tournament, and that will never change, and if we let that slide at all, then we’re going to be sitting here at home in January, and that’s not what we want.”

Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Penei Sewell and the rest of Detroit’s star-studded offense won’t see any action against Los Angeles. Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen will play quarterback for the Lions as they battle to be Goff’s backup

Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ veterans also will watch from the sideline. Trey Lance will start at quarterback for Los Angeles. Lance, the 25-year-old third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, is on his third team after stops in San Francisco and Dallas.

“He’s had a heck of a camp,” Harbaugh said “I just want to get Trey Lance game experience. With his career and then in college, he doesn’t have as much as

Rookie running back Omarion Hampton, selected by Los Angeles 22nd overall, and wide receiver Tre Harris, a second-round pick, are expected to play But Detroit’s top two draft picks, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Ratledge, aren’t scheduled to play

The game features the debut of Detroit’s two new coordinators. OC John Morton replaced Ben Johnson, who left to coach Chicago. DC Kelvin Sheppard took over for Aaron Glenn, who went to coach the New York Jets.

Arenas arrested on illegal poker game charges

LOS ANGELES Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday along with five other people, including a suspected member of an Israeli organized crime group, on suspicion of hosting illegal high-stakes poker games at a Los Angeles mansion owned by Arenas, federal prosecutors said.

All six defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They were all scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

Arenas, 43, is also charged with making false statements to federal investigators, the statement said.

Chiefs place WR Worthy in concussion protocol

ST JOSEPH, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the concussion protocol Wednesday, one day after the second-year pro banged his head while trying to make a catch during training camp at Missouri Western State University Worthy is expected to be a big part of the Kansas City offense after a dynamic rookie season in which he took advantage of the long injury absences of Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice to put up some big numbers. He finished with 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns, then had 19 catches for 287 yards and three more scores in three playoff games. Brown also missed practice Wednesday after hurting his ankle the previous day

Source: Bills CB Hairston has a sprained knee

most guys.”

Rookie DJ Uiagalelei, who signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent, is scheduled to play the second half. Veteran Taylor Heinicke will serve as the emergency third QB.

“I’ve said this before, it hurts to lose two guys that, man, have been here from the beginning, have a lot of trust and faith in,” Campbell said. “There’s a lot of communication that’s not even said because once you get to that, you understand each other A look, a nod, body demeanor says it all. And that’s just a little bit of what we have to gain together between myself, Johnny Morton and Shepp But that takes a minute, it takes time. We’ll get it, it’ll come. That’s what practice is about, that’s what preseason games early in the year, all of that. We’ll be good.”

NFL rule changes include kickoffs, OT

BY JOSH DUBOW Associated Press

The NFL’s one-year experiment with the new kickoff rule becomes permanent this season with a new tweak that the league hopes will lead to a bigger increase in the rate of returns.

The league also approved changes to the overtime rule, expanded replay assist and made a few other technical changes for this season that will first be on display starting with the exhibition opener Thursday night between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers.

The league experimented with the so-called dynamic kickoff in 2024 in hopes of more returns while also making the play safer. Owners voted in April to make the change permanent while moving touchbacks on kicks that reach the end zone on the fly from the 30 to the 35, which is expected to lead to more kicks in play and more returns. There was no change in the tush push play that Philadelphia used so successfully on the way to winning the Super Bowl last season Here’s an explanation of some of the new rules that will be in place. What’s new with the kickoff?

The league was mostly pleased with the experimental kickoff put in place for 2024 that led to the rate of kickoff returns increasing from a record-low 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% last season, while reducing the rate of injuries on what had been the game’s most dangerous play The rule made kickoffs more like scrimmage plays by placing

the coverage players and blockers close together to eliminate the high-speed collisions that had contributed to so many injuries on the play The league said the rate of concussions dropped 43% on returns, with a significant reduction as well in lower-body injuries

The problem last season was many teams still opted to kick the ball in the end zone because the touchback wasn’t punitive enough. The average starting field position on a touchback was only 2.4 yards further than the average starting position after returns, which was the 27.6-yard line.

By moving the touchback to the 35, the league projects the return rate will rise to somewhere between 60% and 70%, with a similar increase in long returns, adding more excitement to the game.

How about onside kicks?

Teams will still need to declare their intention to try an onside kick because of the different formation. But a new change will allow trailing teams to try one before the start of the fourth quarter after Kansas City had to kick deep while down 28 points in the final minute of the third quarter in the Super Bowl.

Coverage players will also be allowed to line up 1 yard closer in hopes of increasing the rate of recovery from about 6% over the past three seasons to at least 10%.

How will overtime change?

The league approved a proposal to make the regular season overtime more like the postseason, with both teams getting a chance at a possession, even if the team

that gets the ball first scores a touchdown.

The NFL added regular-season overtime in 1974, adding a 15-minute sudden death period that ended on any score. In 2010, the rule was tweaked to a modified sudden death that required an opening possession touchdown to immediately end the game instead of only a field goal. That was in effect in the regular season and the playoffs Overtime then was shortened for the regular season to only 10 minutes in 2017. A rule change in 2022 for the playoffs only gave both teams the chance to score even with a touchdown on the opening possession. Now that will be the case in the regular season, after the improved field position on kickoffs made winning in OT on an opening possession TD easier

According to Sportradar, six of the 16 overtime games last season ended on an opening-drive TD, which was the most overtime games ended on the first drive since the rule change went into effect in 2010.

In all, teams that won the overtime toss won 75% of the time last season, according to Sportradar, and have a .606 winning percentage in overtime since it was cut to 10 minutes. The league kept the 10-minute overtime period instead of expanding it back to 15 minutes like was originally proposed by Philadelphia, which could lead to teams opting to go for 2 and a win if they match an opening-drive TD with one of their own since there might not be time for another possession.

Replay assist

The NFL expanded its replay assist system to overturn objective calls if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn’t occur The calls could include facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles and tripping.

Replay also would be able to overturn a roughing-the-kicker or running-into-the-kicker penalty if video showed the defender made contact with the ball.

The league has been using replay assist in recent years to overturn obvious errors on aspects such as whether a pass is caught or where the ball should be spotted without the referee needing to stop the game for a review

The Competition Committee says there’s no interest in allowing replay assists to call penalties on plays missed by officials on the field.

Other changes

Referees will no longer use the chains to determine first downs, opting instead for a virtual measuring system. This won’t eliminate the officials who manually spot the ball and use chains to mark the line to gain. The optimal tracking system notifies officiating instantly if a first down was gained after the ball is spotted by hand. There were some procedural rules changed in regard to injured reserve. Teams can place two players on injured reserve with the designation to return when rosters are reduced to 53 players instead of after

Buffalo Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston is out indefinitely after the first-round draft pick was diagnosed with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, a person briefed on the injury told The Associated Press on Wednesday

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team is off and hasn’t provided an update on Hairston’s injury NFL.com first reported the diagnosis. No timetable was provided for how much time Hairston will miss. The injury opens the door for former LSU standout Tre’Davious White to begin the season as the starter White was the Bills’ 2017 firstround pick.

German biathlete dies in a climbing accident

PESHAWAR, Pakistan German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain in northern Pakistan after a climbing accident at a remote site that rescuers struggled to reach because of bad weather, a local government spokesman said Wednesday Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medalist, was ascending Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks while climbing with a partner who survived.

Rescuers were able to confirm Dahlmeier’s death on Wednesday but not retrieve the body because of unfavorable weather said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.

LSU gym adds Boise St. transfer to complete team

The LSU gymnastics program has completed its 2026 roster, announcing the signing of Boise State transfer Courtney Blackson. A native of Elk Grove, California, Blackson competed for the Broncos from 2021-24, then sat out the 2025 season in retirement. She has chosen to return to gymnastics, using a fifth season of eligibility to compete for the Tigers. Blackson was a two-time AllAmerican on vault and bars, finishing as national runner-up on the former event at the 2023 NCAA championships. She also competed at the 2024 NCAAs on uneven bars. Blackson was nominated for the AAI Award in 2024, given to the nation’s top senior

and

to

AP PHOTO By ERIC THAyER

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh runs a drill Monday at training camp in El Segundo, Calif.

DL McKinley has Kelly’s attention this offseason

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Preseason practices just began, but LSU coach Brian Kelly has been impressed by sophomore defensive lineman Dominick McKinley this offseason.

Kelly said McKinley has gotten stronger since the end of last year, enough so that the LSU weight training staff ran out of weights for him to use on his max squats.

“It was 650 pounds, max squat,” Kelly said. “And so I just throw that out to you as how powerful he is, and he’s such a great kid.

“He’s so grounded. He wants to get better every single day, and he has elite, you know, strength and numbers from that perspective.”

McKinley had seven total tackles and three sacks for the Tigers last season. He attended Acadiana High and was the No. 14 overall prospect in the nation in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite.

O-lineman out for month

LSU freshman offensive lineman and former four-star recruit

Solomon Thomas will be out for a month with a foot injury, a source

confirmed with The Advocate on Wednesday Thomas was not spotted at LSU’s opening preseason practice Wednesday morning. He broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot, Kelly told WNXX, FM-104.5.

Thomas was the No. 41 overall recruit and the No. 2 interior of-

LSU

Continued from page 1C

his high-end speed to gain a step on cornerback Ashton Stamps The small window of separation was wide enough for Nussmeier, who pump-faked left and turned back right to loft a perfectly thrown pass to Brown in the end zone.

Later, in a seven-on-seven drill, Nussmeier found Hilton on a deep fade pattern on the sideline. His pass had just the right touch, and Hilton angled back to grab it.

Those plays weren’t available to LSU very often last season. Nussmeier completed only 36% of his passes that traveled at least 20 yards and he averaged just 7.7 yards per attempt the 12th-best mark among Southeastern Conference quarterbacks.

If Nussmeier raises that average — like both Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels did in their second years as the LSU starter — then he can unlock a more dangerous version of the offense that he led last season. Brown and Hilton, alongside Oklahoma transfer wide receiver Nic Anderson, are there to help him. The earliest returns are promising.

“You’ve got some depth there,” Kelly said, “but the real deal here is that we’re gonna get over the top

Saints defensive tackle Davon

Godchaux, right, and center Erik McCoy run a drill during training camp in Metairie on Wednesday.

LSU defensive

LSU NOTEBOOK

fensive lineman in the nation in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, Thomas originally was committed to Florida State before flipping his pledge to LSU.

Thomas was part of a freshman group that included four offensive linemen, including four-star recruit Tyler Miller four-star prospect

Carius Curne and three-star recruit

Brett Bordelon

Taking it slow

LSU redshirt junior wide receiver Nic Anderson did not participate in contact drills — 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven — but did fully dress for the opening day of preseason practices on Wednesday

Anderson is recovering from a July 11 car crash Kelly told reporters Wednesday that Anderson passed LSU’s concussion protocol and is set to take part in contact drills beginning Thursday

“He got into a little fender bender,” Kelly said “and so we wanted to make sure (he’s OK).”

Anderson was a limited participant in spring practices because of a balky hamstring. He was also sidelined for nearly the entire 2024 season with an injury

He transferred to LSU from Oklahoma this past winter Anderson had 798 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns for the Sooners in 2023.

“We didn’t want to get into a

of a lot of defenses with those two guys.”

Here’s what else stood out from LSU’s first preseason practice of the season. Reporters could view the full session, which was split between the indoor facility and the outdoor fields.

Position battles

After practice, Kelly held up a notecard that listed every player and his number, then said he was still trying to figure out which number belongs to whom. The remark, though somewhat tongue-in-cheek, was meant to illustrate that LSU only has begun finalizing its starters for the season opener

“Let’s have a conversation that bears that in mind,” Kelly said. The first-team offensive line Wednesday from the left side to the right — was redshirt sophomore Tyree Adams, redshirt sophomore DJ Chester, Virginia Tech transfer Braelin Moore, Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson and redshirt freshman Weston Davis. Chester is the only returning starter, but he began camp in a new position — a fact that encapsulates the wide-open nature of the races for each of the five starting spots. Almost all of the linemen on Wednesday’s second team, Kelly said, are competing for everydown roles. Paul Mubenga and Coen Echols will push for the top guard spots. Carius Curne and Bo

situation where, as you know, the medical issues with him at Oklahoma were real,” Kelly said at SEC media days earlier this month. “So, we just wanted to be careful with him.”

Zinn introduced at Rutgers

Former LSU deputy athletic director and chief operating officer Keli Zinn was introduced as the new athletic director at Rutgers on Wednesday Zinn, who has been with LSU since 2022, followed former LSU President William F.Tate IV to Rutgers Tate’s tenure as LSU president ended in June. “Keli Zinn brings the strategic

drive, operational excellence and championship pedigree we need right now for Rutgers Athletics,” Tate said in a news release Wednesday “Her leadership style resonates deeply with Rutgers’ mission competitiveness on the field, integrity in our practices and excellence in the student-athlete experience.”

Zinn’s responsibilities at LSU included direct oversight of LSU football and gymnastics. She also assisted LSU with its revenuesharing efforts and helped organize the early stages of building a new basketball arena. She arrived at LSU from West Virginia, where she was the depu-

Bordelon will battle for the firstteam tackle jobs.

“We have to evaluate them as a group of five and then individually who makes up that best five,” Kelly said “So I think you’ll see some of that happen over the next couple of weeks.”

On defense, LSU rotated the starting safeties and the outside cornerback opposite Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delane. It also toyed with different combinations along the defensive line. One team drill had Stamps at corner, with NC State transfer Tamarcus Cooley and returner

WALKER

Continued from page 1C

a McCoy block to halt running back Kendre Miller in his tracks on one play

Handling offensive linemen is the easy part. Handling all the ticket requests when you’re now playing just 85 miles from family and friends is the hard part

“Everybody wants tickets to the games,” Godchaux said “I can only give this amount every game. We can’t have 30 people at every game.” Godchaux is figuring out how to disperse his allotment of tickets. Meanwhile, his teammates

are figuring out how to play with him. Werner recalls a recent conversation he had with fellow linebacker Demario Davis.

“Man, with this D-line play, I don’t even know where my gap is sometimes,” Werner said to Davis. “I’m just fitting on the ball because they are doing so well upfront. To have a guy like that who can play two gaps is really good for our defense.”

Godchaux is just as good for the locker room, giving the unit another veteran leader After Sunday’s practice, a few of the other defensive linemen were headed to get some of the snowballs that were provided by the team. Godchaux brought that to a halt and told them to save that

until after they did their developmental session to end practice. They obliged, a sign that Godchaux’s voice already holds weight among his peers. Now he wants to throw his weight around on the football field. His ability to do that can go a long way in the Saints run defense improving.

“When you say D-line, you think tone-setters,” Godchaux said. “You think about guys coming to wreck some shop. Coming to make their lives a living ‘H’. I’m excited to set the tone and let people know that New Orleans Saints football is back.”

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

Jardin Gilbert at safety behind him. Another one later in Wednesday’s session had Houston transfer AJ Haulcy next to Cooley at safety with sophomore PJ Woodland at corner Transfer edge rushers Patrick Payton (Florida State), Jack Pyburn (Florida) and Jimari Butler (Nebraska) each took first-team reps, as well as returning sophomore Gabe Reliford. Sophomore Ahmad Breaux took most of the first-team snaps at defensive tackle, with sixth-year senior Jacobian Guillory, sophomore Dominick McKinley and South Florida transfer Bernard Gooden rotating into

PARAS

Continued from page 1C

he hit Kevin Austin for a first down after cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry had broken up a deep shot to Rashid Shaheed just one play earlier Haener tested McKinstry again immediately, and the completion helped set up a 63-yard field goal attempt that Charlie Smyth missed. Like the last time Haener received first-team reps, however, Rattler made sure he wouldn’t be forgotten. Rattler, running with the second team, was nearly perfect in 11-on-11s, with his only incompletion coming on a short pass that running back Devin Neal arguably should have caught. In seven-onseven, Rattler did throw his third interception of camp when Quincy Riley picked off an underthrown deep ball, but unlike his previous turnover, Rattler did not appear to be bothered by it. Instead, Rattler’s overall composure led to several flashy plays. Even before the interception, Rattler played to the crowd after a notable gain with his legs by nodding his head to the fans and yelling, “Yeah!” on the sideline. After the turnover, Rattler bounced back with a dazzling deep throw to Mason Tipton that resulted in a touchdown. Rattler also did something that Haener did not: He led the Saints to a touchdown drive during the team’s situational work, capped off by a long run from running back Velus Jones

ty athletic director for the Mountaineers.

“Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities, and I look forward to working with our campus leaders, student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors and fans,” Zinn said in a news release, “to build on Rutgers’ strong tradition, amplify opportunities to support our athletic programs, maintain top-tier compliance and pursue excellence both on and off the field.”

Staff writer Wilson Alexander contributed to this report

Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

the spot next to him.

Back from injury

Both Harold Perkins (torn ACL) and Whit Weeks (broken fibula), as expected, are fully recovered from the serious injuries they suffered last season. Each linebacker logged a full practice Wednesday with the first-team defense. Perkins manned the Star position — the linebacker-defensive back hybrid role in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme. Weeks started at inside linebacker next to his older brother West Weeks. Guillory is back on the field, too, 11 months removed from the torn Achilles he suffered in a game against Nicholls state. Anderson, the Oklahoma transfer, did not practice, but Kelly said he was in the final stages of clearing concussion protocol after he was recently involved in a “fender bender.” He’s expected to begin seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 work Thursday

The only player not spotted at Wednesday’s practice was freshman offensive lineman and top-50 national recruit Solomon Thomas. He’s sidelined for a month, a source confirmed, with a foot injury Wilson Alexander contributed to this report.

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

With Haener and Rattler each showing out, Shough showed flashes — albeit with a more limited workload. The rookie, for instance, did not get a chance to run the Saints’ situational drill until the development period of practice near the end. (The Times-Picayune does not chart these passes toward the thirdstring quarterback’s stats since the session is more controlled by coaches, and the media is often escorted to conduct interviews when it takes place.)

But Shough demonstrated more of a willingness to be aggressive, something he’s avoided since camp began. Shough found Shaheed on a corner route with the wide receiver maintaining the completion through hard contact from cornerback Rejzohn Wright He also hit Brandin Cooks near the sideline on a tough throw, although the play would have been called back for holding.

As camp develops, it will be interesting to monitor whether Shough’s day was the start of letting it fly a little more. That hasn’t been an issue for either of the other quarterbacks, but then again, they also have more experience than the rookie Shough.

On Wednesday, all three quarterbacks ran a relatively smooth operation. The penalties were limited, and when there were incompletions, they tended to be the result of drops, smart throwaways or good plays by the defense. The Saints will take that kind of progress.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

LSU players complete running drills during practice at the indoor practice facility on Wednesday.

tackle Dominick McKinley, right, sacks Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold on Nov. 30 in Tiger Stadium. LSU coach Brian Kelly said McKinley has impressed him during the offseason.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

good, White has already developed a special appreciation for the roster

“I told my wife this two weeks ago, and friends of mine in the business as well, I said, ‘This is my favorite team that I’ve ever coached,’” White said. “It’s not because I’m the head coach. It’s because of how close these guys are. The landscape of college basketball, as we all know, is constantly changing, but these guys that we have on this team are all about the right things.”

For one, he likes the way they fight for each other

“Whether it was on the field at 5:30 a.m. in the morning or on the court at 6:30, these guys have been consistently pulling for each

the line

Houston Astros center fielder Chas McCormick catches a line drive by Washington third baseman Paul DeJong during the fourth inning Wednesday in Houston. The Astros won 9-1

Aiming to keep what they have

Coaches race to master art of retention amid NIL, revenue sharing, portal challenges

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.

Arkansas

WTA National Bank Open At IGA Stadium & Aviva Centre; Montreal Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Women’s singles Round of 64 Madison Keys (6), United States, def. Laura Siegemund, Germany, 6-2, 6-1. Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia, def. Magda Linette (25), Poland, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. McCartney Kessler (28), United States, def. Maya Joint, Australia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 Naomi Osaka, Japan, def. Liudmila Samsonova (13), Russia, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Clara Tauson (16), Denmark, def. Lucia Bronzetti, Italy 6-1, 6-2. Iga Swiatek (2), Poland, def. Hanyu Guo, China, 6-3, 6-1. Caty McNally, United States, def. Rebecca Sramkova (31), Slovakia, 6-2, 6-2. Jelena Ostapenko (22), Latvia, def. Renata Zarazua, Mexico, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

Women’s doubles Round of 32 Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina, Kazakhstan, def. Daria Kasatkina, Russia, and Linda Noskova, Czechia, 6-4, 6-0. Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Olga Danilovic, Serbia, def. Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva (5), Russia, 7-6 (4), 6-4 Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini (1), Italy, def. Leylah Annie Fernandez and Bianca Jolie Fernandez, Canada, 6-4, 6-2 Hao-Ching Chan, Taiwan, and Xinyu Jiang, China, def. Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko, Canada, 6-3, 7-6 (0).

Golf

PGA Tour statistics

Through Monday FedExCup season points: 1, Scottie Scheffler, 4,806. 2, Rory McIlroy, 3,444. 3, Sepp Straka, 2,595. 4, Russell Henley, 2,391. 5, Justin Thomas, 2,280. 6, Harris English, 2,232. 7, Ben Griffin, 2,212. 8, J.J. Spaun, 2,144. 9, Tommy Fleetwood, 1,783. 10, Keegan Bradley, 1,749. Scoring average: 1, Scottie Scheffler, 68.314. 2, Rory McIlroy 68.976. 3, Tommy Fleetwood, 69.756. 4, Sepp Straka, 69.873. 5, Russell Henley, 69.895. 6, J.J. Spaun, 69.979. 7, Harry Hall, 69.981. 8, Chris Gotterup, 70.058. 9, Justin Thomas, 70.072. 10, Ben Griffin, 70.076. Driving distance: 1, Aldrich Potgieter, 327.6. 2, Rory McIlroy 323.4. 3, Jesper Svensson, 319.8. 4, Niklas Norgaard, 319.3. 5, Michael Thorbjornsen, 318.6. 6, Nicolai Hojgaard, 318.4. 7 (tie), Rasmus Hojgaard and Kurt Kitayama, 317. 9, Chris Gotterup, 316.3. 10, Will Gordon, 316. Driving accuracy percentage: 1, Paul Peterson, 74.26%. 2, Aaron Rai, 73.37%. 3, Ben Kohles, 72.84%. 4, Collin Morikawa, 71.25% 5, Takumi Kanaya, 71.00%. 6, Andrew Putnam, 70.27%. 7, Zach Johnson, 69.47%. 8, Joel Dahmen, 69.13%. 9, Brice Garnett, 69.00%. 10, Lucas Glover, 68.43%. Total driving: 1, Rico Hoey, 59. 2, Thomas Rosenmueller, 71. 3, Michael Thorbjornsen, 72. 4, Isaiah Salinda, 79. 5, Alex Smalley, 86 6, Kevin Roy, 87. 7, Luke List, 90. 8, Kevin Yu, 103. 9, 2 tied with 104. SG-putting: 1, Taylor Montgomery, .854. 2, Sam Burns, .833. 3, Harry Hall, .789. 4, Rory McIlroy, 754. 5, Sam Ryder, .738. 6, Sami Valimaki, .625. 7, Jacob Bridgeman, .593. 8, Nico Echavarria, 580. 9, Denny McCarthy, .552. 10, Cameron Young, .534. Birdie average: 1, Harry Hall, 4.51. 2, Justin Thomas, 4.5. 3 (tie), Jake Knapp and Scottie Scheffler, 4.42. 5, Keith Mitchell, 4.38. 6, Kurt Kitayama, 4.37. 7 (tie), Akshay Bhatia and Sepp Straka, 4.35. 9, Nicolai Hojgaard, 4.33. 10, Michael Thorbjornsen, 4.31. Eagles (holes per): 1, Alejandro Tosti, 66.9 2, Steven Fisk, 78.9. 3, Scottie Scheffler, 82.3 4, Charley Hoffman, 84. 5, David Skinns, 86.7. 6, Rory McIlroy 90. 7, Karl Vilips, 94.5. 8 Antoine Rozner, 96.5. 9, Kurt Kitayama, 97.2. 10, Chan Kim, 99.8. All-around ranking: 1, Scottie Scheffler, 196 2, Keith Mitchell, 278. 3, Alex Smalley, 316. 4, Kevin Yu, 338. 5 Kurt Kitayama, 343. 6 (tie) Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka, 349. 8, Nicolai Hojgaard, 354. 9, Kevin Roy, 365. 10, Jake Knapp, 382.

other,” White said “All the things that they went through this summer, they just kept fighting and grinding. Things that we wanted to accomplish as a coaching staff (this summer), I think we did that.” White also admires the discipline his players displayed.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is for these last seven weeks, we haven’t had one guy be late – not one player,” he said.

“I just haven’t seen that in all my years of coaching That’s the kind of kids we’ve got. That speaks volumes about the kind of kids we’ve got and the character of those guys.”

The summer session wasn’t a walk in the park White said. For many players, it was the most work they’ve ever been asked to do.

“In order for you to accomplish the goals that we have, you have to go through something,” White

LPGA Tour statistics Through Monday Scoring: 1, Jeeno Thitikul, 69.24. 2, Nelly Korda, 69.61. 3, Angel Yin, 69.75. 4, Hyo Joo Kim, 69.88. 5, Minjee Lee, 69.98. 6, Somi Lee, 70.06. 7, Jin Young Ko, 70.23. 8, Hye-Jin Choi, 70.24. 9, 2 tied with 70.43. Driving distance: 1, Polly Mack, 289.17. 2, Julia Lopez Ramirez, 285.61. 3, Auston Kim, 283.72. 4, Emily Kristine Pedersen, 280.99. 5, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, 279.24. 6, Bailey Tardy, 278.72. 7, Bianca Pagdangnan, 277.9. 8, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, 276.69. 9, Madison Young, 276.28. 10, A Lim Kim, 276. Greens in regulation: 1 (tie), Haeran Ryu and Rio Takeda, .77%. 3, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, .76%. 4 (tie), Perrine Delacour, Yealimi Noh and Jeeno Thitikul, .75%. 7, 4 tied with .74%. Putts per GIR: 1, Jeeno Thitikul, 1.71. 2 (tie) Yuka Saso and Yahui Zhang, 1.72. 4, Minami Katsu, 1.73. 5 (tie), Ariya Jutanugarn, Hyo Joo Kim and Angel Yin, 1.74. 8, 11 tied with 1.76. Birdies: 1, Rio Takeda, 225. 2, Celine Boutier, 207. 3 (tie), Nelly Korda and Mi Hyang Lee, 205. 5, Minjee Lee, 203. 6, Minami Katsu, 202. 7, Somi Lee, 201. 8, Ayaka Furue, 198. 9, Auston Kim, 197. 10, Jin Hee Im, 195. Eagles: 1, Mi Hyang Lee, 10. 2, Madelene Sagstrom, 9. 3 (tie), Yealimi Noh, Rio Takeda and Ina Yoon, 8. 6, 6 tied with 7 Sand save percentage: 1, Xiaowen Yin, .67%. 2, Miyu Yamashita, .61%. 3 (tie), Minjee Lee and Jenny Shin, .60%. 5, Hyo Joo Kim, .59% 6, Ariya Jutanugarn, .58%. 7 (tie), Hannah Green and Jin Hee Im, .57%. 9, 2 tied with .56%. Rounds under par: 1, Rio Takeda, .70%. 2 (tie), Hye-Jin Choi and Somi Lee, .68%. 4 Mi Hyang Lee, .61%. 5, Minjee Lee, .67%. 6 Celine Boutier, .63%. 7, Ayaka Furue, .60%. 8 Jeeno Thitikul, .78%. 9, Jin Hee Im, .60%. 10, Miyu Yamashita, .63%. Transactions

BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Sent RHP Tyler Wells to Chesapeake (EL) on a rehab assignment. Optioned RHP Brandon Young to Chesapeake. CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Recalled LF Will Robertson from Charlotte (IL). Acquired RHP Gage Ziehl from the New York Yankees in exchange for LF Austin Slater. LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Designated LHP Jose Quijada for assignment. MINNESOTA TWINS — Recalled RHP Noah Davis from St. Paul (IL). Optioned RHP Pierson Ohl to St. Paul. NEW YORK YANKEES — Transferred RHP Clarke Schmidt from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. TAMPA BAY RAYS — Optioned LHP Ian Seymour to Durham (IL). Recalled RHP Paul Gervase from Durham. TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Optioned RHP Lazaro Estrada to Buffalo (IL) National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Placed RF Ronald Acuna Jr. on the 10-day IL. Recalled RF Jarred Kelenic from Gwinnett (IL) CHICAGO CUBS — Reinstated RHP Porter Hodge from the 15-day IL. Sent RHP Javier Assad to Iowa (IL) on a rehab assignment. Optioned RHP Porter Hodge to Iowa Designated 3B Vidal Brujan for assignment. Recalled C Moises Ballesteros from Iowa COLORADO ROCKIES — Acquired minor league RHP Austin Smith from Atlanta in exchange for RHP Tyler Kinley ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Sent LF Lars Nootbaar to Springfield (TL) on a rehab assignment. WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Acquired LHP Jake Eder and 1B Sam Brown from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for RHP Luis Garcia and LHP Andrew Chafin; Optioned LHP Jake Eder to Rochester (IL). Recalled RHP Zach Brzykcy from Rochester Minor League Baseball LONG ISLAND DUCKS — Reinstated RHP Tim Melville to the active list. Placed RHP Jonah Dipoto on the inactive list FOOTBALL NFL CINCINNATI BENGALS — Released RB Zack Moss. Activated C Seth McLaughlin from the active/non-football injury list. CLEVELAND BROWNS — Placed CB Martin Emerson on injured reserve. Waived WR Michael Woods II with an injury designation.

HOCKEY Minor League Hockey ECHL

WORCESTER RAILERS — Re-signed F Matt DeMelis to a one-year contract.

SOCCER Major League Soccer COLORADO RAPIDS — Loaned F Kimani Stewart-Baynes to Lexington SC of the USL Championship for the remainder of the 2025 season. They retain the right to recall Stewart-Baynes at any time. National Women’s Soccer League RACING LOUISVILLE FC — Exercised an option for coach Beverly Yanez for 2026.

said. “It’s not easy to win a game in college basketball, much less trying to win on the road.

“I think you have to be able to put your guys through some tests. That’s what we did this summer and they responded They responded well.

The team also made some good first impressions on the court, as well.

The floor leader will most likely be Oklahoma State transfer Jamyron Keller, but White said there are others capable of playing point guard, such as De’Vion Lavergne, a transfer from Purdue-Fort Wayne.

“We’ve got multiple guys who can initiate the offense and bring the ball up the floor,” White said.

“It won’t just be Jamyron. It’ll be by committee.”

White also likes the versatility provided by Pepperdine transfer Jaxon Olvera.

Its importance is clear to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who has seen all but five players from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.

“Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught,” Pittman said. “That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances, but you’d have to ask those guys.”

More than 3,000 Bowl Subdivision players reportedly entered the transfer portal in the spring, which would average out to about 22 players per team. For the Razorbacks, 10 starters will be back and one of them is senior defensive lineman Cam Ball He has remained with Arkansas his entire career, a somewhat rare occurrence for an NFL hopeful these days.

“I’m just a loyal guy I’m loyal to the state of Arkansas; Arkansas has been loyal to me,” Ball said. Arkansas, like many schools, is also trying to scare up more money from donors as it faces the financial ramifications of the $2.8 billion House settlement. Last fall, the athletic director said the school needed some $12 million more annually to “be in the NIL game from a football perspective.” Besides the money, the Razorbacks have to find talented players; Ball grew up in Atlanta, just barely within the regional footprint in which Pittman prefers to recruit.

“We have to go outside our state,” Pittman said. “In-state recruiting has changed over the last three or four years because of NIL. So you have to think about the talent — who it is versus what pay is expected. So that’s been a little bit more difficult in our state.” Pittman isn’t the only coach who wants prospects to be familiar with what their college experience will look like before making any life-changing decisions. Florida coach Billy Napier paints a clear picture of life in Gainesville, Florida, and the challenges and perks that come with it.

“We present our product in a way where we’re selling the degree, the alumni network, the Gator-made program, and you have to be up for the challenge of trying to get Florida back to where it’s been before,” Napier said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep it together.”

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class remains mostly intact, and from Napier’s perspective, hungrier than ever Compared to other SEC teams, the Gators have had more success with retention. Napier doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

“We told them when they came in you know look, it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows here. We’re in this thing for the long haul,” Napier said “I think

“A lot of people think he’s just a wing or a scorer, but Jaxon is really, really good out of pickand-rolls,” he said. “He’s got a high IQ. He reminds me of Kyler Edwards, who played for us at Houston and also at Texas Tech. Jaxon is very similar to that.”

The roster also includes two veteran 3-point shooters with size in Dariyus Woodson from North Dakota and Sean Elkinton from Louisiana Tech.

“Really good 3-point shooters, but also those guys have been doing work at attacking closeouts and making really good decisions,” White said. “I’m going to have Sean and Darius do multiple things They came in as really good 3-point shooters, but they’ve been really good at working on the post and developing their game there We’ll probably isolate these guys some, as well.” Sophomore Jeremiah Evans

seen all but five of the 30 signees from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.

a lot of this is how you pitch it in recruiting We’re going to continue to do that, and retention is more important than it’s ever been.” Coaches scrambling to prevent transfers and maintain consistency isn’t exclusive to the SEC. The approval of the House settlement is a double-edged sword when it comes to retention, and Power Four schools and beyond are feeling the effects. Third-party NIL deals are no longer the only negotiation tactic schools need to worry about.

Complex contracts are becoming common and legal risks grow for athletes and programs alike as college football increasingly resembles the pros. Some deals are being negotiated solely by athletes as young as 18.

As a senior Louisville linebacker TJ Quinn is used to the process.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous (to negotiate) because this is my third year of having to do that,” Quinn said. “You’ve got to kind of stand your ground with what you feel like is your worth. If you’re comfortable with their offer, then sign. Then you have some guys that’ll leave and go to schools to get more money and stuff. That was never really like a big pusher for me, to go out and get more money because I feel like I’m in a good situation here at Louisville.” Quinn’s loyalty could be the most convincing negotiation tactic of them all. While programs use revenue-share dollars to sway prospective transfers, coaches have begun to reward loyalty

“To some degree, it’s capitalism that you get what you earn. So the guys that go out and play well are going to get more than the guys who haven’t proven it yet,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Everybody on the team’s not going to make the same. Fair doesn’t always mean equal.”

But he also said the Mustangs are not going to add players “making a whole lot more than those guys who have already earned it here.”

“And I think that’s what helps us keep a good culture, is try to start with: Let’s retain first, and then whatever’s left, let’s go build the best team we can for those guys,” Lashlee said.

North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren doubled down.

“A guy that’s been on a team three years, that’s playing well and earned it on the field should make more than a guy coming in the door I think that’s a proper way to do business,” Doeren said, though he warned that might not be the case across the board. “Right now, common sense is not prevailing in college football.”

missed most of the summer with a wrist injury but White is excited about his future.

“His best basketball days are ahead of him,” White said of the 6-foot-10 Evans. “He’s nowhere near where he’s going to be. He can make an impact for us right away He was a freshman last year, and he’s continuing to grow

“He’s got a tremendous upside.

Two years from now the kid is going to be probably one of the best bigs in the country, if he continues to work.”

White also praised freshman Joshua Lewis and his progress.

“He’s a super talent,” White said.

“He’s

Napier

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

coach Sam Pittman has

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP End of

Dress success

BY LAURENCHERAMIE | Staff writer

When my brotherand Iwere young, ourhouse was known as “thehealthyhouse” —or thehouse with no snacks. Since then,the internet has come up with a different name forit: an ingredient household, ahomethat hasnoready-to-eat foods or snacks, onlythe ingredientstomake food. By thetime Iturned10, mymom was deep into herorganic phase. Bologna sandwiches were banished from thekitchenand were replaced with broccoli salad

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

(TNS)

As it turns out,though, the salad wasn’tsobad. In fact, it was surprisingly crave-worthy

This broccoli salad combines its namesake with cauliflower, green onions, Italian dressing, bacon, mayonnaise, cheese and spices to make something that is refreshing with abig crunch. This recipe may not be themost health-conscious, but adjustments can be made if necessary —the cheese can be taken out, and the mayonnaise replaced withavocado or olive oil.

The salad is also open to experimentation —adding croutons, sunflower seeds, dried cranberriesorpecans adds flavor and complexity. Justlike my family’sfruit saladrecipe, the flavors in broccoli salad develop over time, so it’sbestto let it sit for at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving. This dish translates well from one season to the next. It works just as well at asummer cookout as it does on aholiday buffet

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

Broccoli Salad

Serves 6

2bunchesofbroccoli (can use part broccoli and partcauliflower)

1 3 cup black olives, chopped ½bunch fresh green onions, chopped

¾cup Italian dressing Half apound, or 10 slices, of bacon, fried crisp, drained and chopped small

1 3 cup mayonnaise

1 3 cup sharp cheddar cheese Dash of cayenne pepper

1. Chop broccoliand cauliflower into alarge serving bowl. Add choppedblackolivesand greenonions.

2. Mix in Italian dressing, bacon, mayonnaise, cheese and cayenne pepper.Let the mixture chill in the refrigerator for at least 2hours, then serve.

NOTE: Topwith croutons, sunflower seeds, driedcranberriesorpecansif you desire.

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Lauren Cheramie prepares broccoli salad.

BY BETH DOOLEY The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Family feud:Comment sectionedition

Dear Miss Manners: Some time ago, one of my wife’snephews (a grown man in his 40s) came acrossanopinion Ihad writtenin adigital publication. He didn’tlike it, so he insulted me in the public commentary section. Ishrugged it off. The next day,hewent hunting online for another opinion of mine he didn’t like, and insulted me again so that all my familyand friends could read it. He was beyond vile. It took me agood 20 minutes to carefully construct astrong reply Idid not lowermyselftohis deranged level, keeping in mind that he was still my wife’snephew.I wantedall those who saw the in-

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

sult to also see my defense. However,whenItried to post my response, Icouldn’t, because he had deletedthe insult minutes after postingit. (Helater admitted his mom had told himtodelete it.) Idecided to take a screenshot of the whole interaction beforeitdisappeared, andthen Iposted it, with links, for his entire family to see.Iembarrassed him. He did not apologize. His mother unfriended me publicly.Some family members criticized me with indirect comments. Everyone elsestayed silent, which hurt me morethan the cowardly indirect comments. No one stood upfor me, de-

Lemon StrawberryCrumb Bars

Serves 16. Recipe is adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com.

3cups all-purpose flour,spoonedand leveled

1teaspoon baking powder

½teaspoon salt

1cup unsalted butter,verycoldand cubed

1largeegg

1largeegg yolk

1cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2cups chopped strawberries

2cups blueberries

1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

1½ tablespoons cornstarch

1teaspoon lemon zest FOR OPTIONAL GLAZE:

1cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1lemon)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom andsides of a9-by-13inchbaking panwith parchment paper,leaving an overhang on the sidestolift the finished bars out. (This makes cutting easier!)Set aside.

2. Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk flour,baking powder and salt together in alarge bowl.

3. Add cubed butter and using apastry cutter or two forks, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. (Iwhisked the ingredientstogether in afood processor.)

4. Whisk egg, egg yolk,brown sugar and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour over theflour/ butter mixture and gentlymix together until the mixtureresembles moist, crumbly sand.

5. Use your hands if needed —the mixture comes together

BERRYBARS

Continued from page5C

fended me or even said they were sorry for theuncalled-for insults. That showed me I’m not part of this family.I’m not blood; Iam just thein-law they can’tstand. That’sfine withme. Ican’texpect thewhole world tolike me. Iended my relationships withall of them: No more time or money from me for holidays, weddings, baptismsorfunerals across the country with my wife. I’m done with them. My wife is hurt,but understands Iwas the one done wrong. I’m curious about your thoughts on the matter Gentlereader: It is not Miss Manners’ habit to rank whose behavior was worse. But if she were to prioritize who appears most deserving of sympathy from

greatest to least, she would start with your wife,your sister-in-law, theother relatives, then yourself —and lastly, the nephew Etiquette generally seeks to repair damage such as that done by your nephew.But depending on thespecifics of what he said, that may never have been possible. Breaking up the family may have been theonly likely outcome. Nevertheless, you did lower yourself when you reposted the nephew’scomment after it was removed —and then wentona campaign of public humiliation. Youwere wronged, but once you piled wrongupon wrong, you put everyone else in an impossible situation.

Dear Miss Manners: How do Ipolitely and firmly convey to an in-

terested party that Imerely want to discuss business, and am not interested in meeting forcoffee or any other alone time that could be construed as romantic?

Ifeel that an abrupt “I do not drink coffee, but Iwill see you at the next official function” would not sufficiently discourage the interested party from inquiring further

Gentle reader: Perhaps not. But repetition will.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

Dear Heloise: Government and politics aren’tthe samething. All the “bickering” you hear and read is people spewing political opinions, someofwhich aren’tbased on any understanding of the Constitution.It’sfairly easy these days to learnabout thestructure of the United States government and the reasoning behind theform it takes under the Constitution. I’d advise reading it and paying attention tothe amendments. If you really are interested, you can read someofthe Federalist Papers, which lay out thereasoning behind parts of the Constitution. By knowing how thegovernment is structured and how it works (or is supposed to work), it makes it easier to understand current political issues. Muchofwhatpeople read online, on TV,oronapodcast is opinion. It’spolitical “bickering,” andyes, it’s disturbing. Reading or hearing opinions doesn’t lead to understanding but rather just shows howsome-

one feels. —Bonnie, via email DIYChristmas decor

By The Associated Press

easier with your hands thana spoon.You will haveabout 6cups of thecrust/crumble mixture. Set 2cupsaside.

6. Pour the remainingcrumble mixture into the prepared pan andflatten down with your hands or aflat spatula to form an even crust.Itwill be alittlecrumbly —that’s OK. Set aside.

7. Make filling: In largebowl, mix strawberries,blueberries, granulated sugar,cornstarch and lemon zest together.Spoon evenly over crust.

8. Crumble the remainingbutter/flour mixtureontop and gentlypress down so it’s snug on the strawberry layer

9. Bakefor 45-50 minutes or untilthe top is lightly browned and the strawberry filling is bubbling on the sides. (My bars took about 55 minutes.)

10. Remove from the oven and place the panona wire rack. Allow to cool completely

11. If addingaglaze,whisk theglaze ingredients together anddrizzle on top of the bars (or youcan drizzle on individual squares).

12. Lift the cooled bars out usingthe overhang on the sides. Cut intosquares.

13. Cover and store leftover bars (with or without icing) at room temperature for up to 2days, in therefrigeratorfor up to 1week and in freezer for up to 3months (arrange in even layers between sheets of parchment). To serve frozen bars, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperaturebeforeserving.

visually appealing in adessert than one. If you’re worried about the butter and sugar content, at least know this: Both fruits are fairly low-cal and packed with vitamin Cand other nutrients. Also, blueberries are famous for their high antioxidant content Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely on awire rack before slicing intosquares or they will crumble. The original recipe finished the bars witha simple lemon glaze, but Iserved them without.

Dear Heloise: Throughout the years, I’ve received somebeautiful Christmas cards. Isaved them because Ican’tbear to throw them away.Even the funny ones put asmile on aface during the hectic days leading up to Christmas dinner This year,instead of giving gifts to friends and family,I bought very pretty frames (gold colored, silver,pearls, etc.) and framed the cards I’ve received through the years. Iwill give it to them to use as a Christmas decoration on acoffee table, shelf, lamptable, etc. —C.L. Reid, in Bakersfield,California Brownguacamole

Dear Heloise: Itried everything to keep my guacamolefrom turning brown, but nothing worked until I tried this: Putthe guac into acontainer, leaving space on top and at one side. Placesomechopped onion

TODAYINHISTORY

thorities in Austria; he wasturned over to France, which later tried and executed him

pieces into the side area only and put an airtight lid on it. After about four days, it was perfect and delicious! Not brown-colored at all. —Charlotte, in Ventura, California Charlotte, Ihadn’theard of this one. Thanks forsharing! —Heloise No candles, please

Dear Heloise: Ihaveread your column foryears—literally,asI am over 90 yearsold. Forover70 years, Iwas acook anda baker, andImadehundreds of cakes forbirthdays with candlesontop Times change,and candlesshould notbeonthe topofthe cake. On a cupcakeora cookie is fine but nota cake. One blowand others can get sick. Imadethe change yearsago —Harriet P.,inNorth Bethesda, Maryland Microwavedilemma

Dear Heloise: Microwave ovens do not heat food evenly.Letting the food stay in the microwave after cooking allows the heat to spread moreevenly —EarlB., in Ohio Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.

Today is Thursday,July 31, the 212th day of 2025. There are 153 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory

On July 31, 2012, at the Summer Olympics in London, swimmer Michael Phelpswon his 19th Olympic medal, becoming the mostdecorated Olympian of all time. (Hewould finish his career with 28 total Olympic medals,23 of them gold.)

Also on this date:

In 1715, afleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during ahurricane off the east Florida coast; of some 2,500 crew members, more than 1,000 died. In 1777, the19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette received acommission as major general in the Continental Army by theSecond Continental Congress.

In 1919, Germany’sWeimar Constitution was adopted by the republic’sNational Assembly In 1945, Pierre Laval, premier of the pro-NaziVichy government in France, surrendered to U.S. au-

In 1957, the Distant Early Warning Line, asystem of radar stationsdesigned to detect Soviet bombers approaching North America, went into operation.

In 1964, the U.S. lunar probe Ranger 7took the first close-up images of the moon’s surface.

In 1971, Apollo 15 crew members David Scott and James Irwin becamethe first astronauts to use alunar rover on thesurface of themoon.

In 1972, vice presidential candidateThomas Eagleton withdrew from theDemocratic ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had received electroshock therapy to treat clinical depression.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush andSoviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic ArmsReduction Treaty (START I) in Moscow

In 2020, afederal appeals court overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, say-

ing the judge whooversaw the case didn’tadequately screen jurors forpotential biases. (The SupremeCourt reimposed the sentence in 2022.)

Today’sbirthdays: Jazz composer-musician Kenny Burrell is 94. Actor Geraldine Chaplin is 81. Former movie studio executive Sherry Lansing is 81. Singer Gary Lewis is 79. International Tennis Hall of Famer Evonne Goolagong Cawley is 74. Actor Michael Biehn is 69. Rock singer-musician Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets) is 68. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is 67. Rock musician Bill Berry (R.E.M.) is 67. Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan is 66. Actor Wesley Snipes is 63. Musician Fatboy Slim is 62. Author J.K. Rowling is 60. Actor Dean Cain is 59. Actor Jim True-Frost is 59. Actor Ben Chaplin is 56. Actor Eve Best is 54. Football Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden is 51. Country singer-musician Zac Brown is 47. Actor-producer-writer B.J. Novak is 46. Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware is 43. NHL center Evgeni Malkin is 39. NASCAR driver Kyle Larson is 33. Hip-hop artist Lil Uzi Vert is 30.

Yogurt Marinated GrilledChicken

Serves 4to6,but is easily doubled or tripled. Recipe is from Beth Dooley.This makes afine dinner paired with freshveggies and awonderful pitasandwich or pasta salad.

3clovesgarlic, minced Zest of 2lemons

1cup plain wholemilk yogurt

¼cup minced fresh cilantro, plus more forgarnish

¼cup extra-virgin olive oil

2tablespoons za’atar

1teaspoon coarse salt

Generous pinch freshly ground black pepper

1to2¼pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

CHICKEN

Continuedfrom page5C

1. In alarge bowl, stir together the garlic, lemon zest, yogurt, cilantro, oil, za’atar, salt andpepper. Remove 1/4 cup of the yogurt mixture and set aside.

2. Add the chicken to the remaining yogurtmixtureand thoroughly coat thechicken.Coverthe chickenand refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

4. Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for5minutes. Slice and serve with assorted vegetables; drizzle with the reservedyogurt sauce andgarnish with chopped herbs.

3. Removethe chicken, shaking off any excess marinade and bring to room temperature while preparing the grill or broiler to medium heat. Cook thechicken,until onesideischarred, about 3to5minutes. Carefully flip the chickenand cook through, another 5 minutes. Thechickeniscookedwhen the internal temperature reaches 165 F on ameat thermometer

challenge is how to stock up for such sweet spontaneity. What to keep on hand? Grilled chicken breasts. Ilike to cook two or three times morethan we’ll eat for dinner that night. What’sleft gets tossed with pasta, stuffed into pitas, served over rice. Boneless chicken breasts cook quickly but can be trickyasthey can dry out Marinating thechicken in sea-

soned yogurt helps keep the meat juicy and tender when it hits the heat.Ifyou’re not afan of grilling or in ahurry,abroiler has the sameeffect. Youcan marinate thechicken for as little as 30 minutes or as long as overnight. This also works wonderfully on thighs, wings or the whole bird. Once you’veprepared the marinade, hold someback to pass as asauce. It hums withza’atar, fresh herbs, garlic and lemon zest, plus alittlebit of salttohelpthe meat retain moisture. The lactic acid in yogurt is gentlerthanvinegar or lemon juice, so thechicken

will notturnsoft or mushy Of course the results depend on the quality of the chicken. Look forfree-range birds; thanks to their varied diet, the meat is flavorful and firm.I like to keep frozen chicken breasts on hand; they thaw out quickly,making last-minute prep easy Serve the chicken with whatever fresh veggies you have from the garden or farmers market —like sweet-sharp cherry tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers drizzled with the herbed yogurt. Don’tforget atoasted pita to sop it all up.

Hints from Heloise

THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS PHOTO By GRETCHENMcKAy

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Your input will inspire youtorevisit what motivates you. Get back to basics, adopt asmart lifestyle andengage in pastimes and activitiesthatbring you joy.

VIRGo(Aug.23-sept. 22) Take along, hard look at yourself.Achange of attitude will come if you feel good about howyou look andwhat you can contribute. Develop aplan and implement positive change.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Words matter, so chooseyourscarefully. Be quick to walk away from temptation or anyone trying to lead you astray. Offer hope to others, but protect yourself

scoRPIo(oct. 24-nov. 22) Refrain from traveling to destinations that maypose problemsdue to weather or other disasters. Take precautions regarding partnerships. Trying to buy love or loyalty will lead to consequences.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Direct your energyaccording to your needs. Useyour intelligence andoffer suggestions, but refrain from providing hands-on help. Your timeand effort should focus on self-sufficiency and personalcare.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Expect to face restrictions that affect your relationshipsoryourability to apply your skills properly. Utilize your intelligence and farm out tasks thatare beyond your capabilities.

AQuARIus (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Mixed emotions will surface. Envision the out-

come before you begin. Your attempts to improve will lead to professional opportunities and compliments.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Spend more time or money on activities or things that help ease stress. Makeyour surroundings comfortable and distance yourself from people or situations that damage your confidence.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Refuse to let uncertainty weigh you down or let someone's anger, distress or drama ruin your day. Remove yourself from unsavory situations and rely on your resources to help fill any void.

TAuRus (April20-May 20) Tidy up loose ends andtakerefuge in doing something thatyou enjoy. Refuse to let emotional misunderstandings develop when truth and transparency can eliminate such problems.

GEMInI (May21-June 20) You've gotnothing to lose andeverything to gain if you embrace change withasmile and the willingness to put in the effort. You will discover arite of passageifyou are helpful and resourceful.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) You'llhave to draw the line,set boundaries andbe clear regarding what you are willing to do. You'll face accusations if you don't do everything by the book.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Ciphercryptograms arecreatedfrom quotationsbyfamous people, past and present. Eachletter in thecipher stands for another ToDAy'scLuE: LEQuALs o

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe AndGrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The objectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the samenumber only once. The difficulty levelofthe Sudoku increasesfrom Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZardoFid

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

What did James Thurber believe is theone human achievement that made thelong trip up fromall fours seem well advised?

Youhavetwofour-cardsuits.Theplayer on your left opens one of another suit, your partner makes atakeoutdouble and rightypasses. Assuming you do not have enough high-card power to jump or to cue-bid, whichsuit would you bid first?

The question is easy to answer if one suit is amajor and the other aminor youbid themajor.But whatiftheyare both majorsorbothminors, like South’s hand in today’s diagram? Whichwould you bidnow?

The answer depends upon your pointcount.Ifyou have aweak hand, bid the lower-ranking. Butifyour hand is strong enough to bidtwice, start with the higher-ranking. Then, if the auctioncontinuesand partner does not raise your suit, show theother suit on the next round.

In this deal,you should advance with one spade. West will make atakeout double, North will pass, and East will run to twoclubs or twodiamonds.

Nowyou rebidtwo hearts as planned North might raise to three hearts or, likinghisgreatmajor-suitholdings,jumpto four hearts. If he bids only three hearts, you would like to raise to three-and-ahalf hearts!

The play in four hearts is easy, given thegreatfitandfriendlybreaks.Youwill lose two clubs and one spade. James Thurber thought that art made our move from all fours to upright walking well advised. ©2025 by NEA, Inc dist. By AndrewsMcMeel

Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place,saying, etc. Forexample: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

loCKhorNs

Areyou on the side of the Lord?Livelikeit. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Microsoft cloud revenue hits $75B

REDMOND Wash. — Microsoft said Wednesday that annual revenue for its flagship cloud computing platform rose 34% to $75 billion.

The Azure cloud business has been a centerpiece of Microsoft’s efforts to shift its focus to artificial intelligence. The software giant said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit was $34.3 billion, or $3.65 per share, beating analyst expectations for $3.37 per share. It posted revenue of $76.4 billion in the April-June period, up 18% from last year. Analysts polled by FactSet Research had been looking for revenue of $73.86 billion

Microsoft has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year even as its profits have soared.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees last week the layoffs were “weighing heavily” on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to reimagine the company’s mission for an AI era.

Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially as Microsoft and other tech giants are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology.

European economy sees 0.1% growth

FRANKFURT Germany Europe’s economy barely grew in the April-June quarter as frantic earlier efforts to ship goods ahead of new U.S. tariffs went into reverse and output fell for the continent’s biggest economy, Germany.

Gross domestic product grew an anemic 0.1% compared to the previous quarter in the 20 countries that use the euro currency, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Wednesday Growth was 1.4% over the same quarter a year ago. And prospects are mediocre for the coming months, given the 15% tariff, or import tax, imposed on European goods in the U.S. under the EU-U.S. trade deal announced Sunday The higher tariff will burden European exports with higher costs to either be passed on to U.S. consumers or swallowed in the form of lower profits.

“With the 15% U.S. universal tariff likely to subtract around 0.2% from the region’s GDP, growth is likely to remain weak in the rest of this year,” said Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics.

Spire to buy Tennessee utility for $2.5 billion

ST LOUIS Gas utility company Spire announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to acquire the biggest investor-owned gas utility in Tennessee for nearly $2.5 billion. The deal is expected to close early next year and requires regulatory approval in Tennessee. The move will give Spire control of Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Duke Energy Piedmont which will become known as Spire Tennessee after the deal closes serves more than 200,000 customers in the Nashville area. Spire, based in St. Louis, said in a news release that the move “significantly increases” the scale of its gas business, with Piedmont operating nearly 3,800 miles of pipelines and serving “one of the fastestgrowing regions in the U.S.” in the Nashville metro area.

“This acquisition is a natural fit for Spire, allowing us to expand our core utility business and increase our utility customer base to nearly two million homes and businesses,” said Scott Doyle, Spire’s president and CEO, in the release. “We look forward to serving customers in the Nashville area.”

Strong second quarter charges U.S. economy

A worker works on the roofing structure of new home under construction in Richardson, Texas. America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Reports suggests consumer uncertainty persists

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The U.S. economy expanded at a surprising 3% annual pace from April through June, bouncing back at least temporarily from a first-quarter drop that reflected disruptions from President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Still, details of the report suggested that U.S. consumers and businesses are wary about the economic uncertainty arising from Trump’s radical campaign to restructure the American economy by slapping big taxes — tariffs on imports from around the world.

“Headline numbers are hiding the economy’s true performance, which is slowing as tariffs take a bite out of activity,” Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic wrote.

America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday The first-quarter drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP as businesses scrambled to bring in foreign goods ahead of Trump’s

tariffs. The bounceback was expected but its strength was a surprise: Economists had forecast 2% growth from April through June.

From April through June, a drop in imports — the biggest since the COVID-19 outbreak added more than 5 percentage points to growth. Consumer spending registered lackluster growth of 1.4%, though it was an improvement over the first quarter’s 0.5%.

Private investment fell at a 15.6% annual pace, the biggest drop since COVID-19 slammed the economy A drop in inventories — as businesses worked down goods they’d stockpiled in the first quarter — shaved 3.2 percentage points off second-quarter growth.

A category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength weakened in the second quarter, expanding at a 1.2% annual pace, down from 1.9% from January through March and the weakest since the end of 2022. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.

Federal government spending and investment fell at a 3.7% annual rate on top of a 4.6% drop in the first quarter Wednesday’s GDP report showed inflationary pressure

easing in the second quarter

The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge the personal consumption expenditures price index — rose at an annual rate of 2.1% in the second quarter down from 3.7% in the first. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation rose 2.5%, down from 3.5% in the first quarter

On his Truth Social media platform, Trump heralded the GDP gain and stepped up his pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates: “2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! “Too Late” MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!”

Trump sees tariffs as a way to protect American industry, lure factories back to the United States and help pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into law July 4. But mainstream economists — viewed with disdain by Trump and his advisers say that his tariffs will damage the economy, raising costs and making protected U.S. companies less efficient. They note that tariffs are paid by importers in the United States, who try to pass along the cost to their customers via higher prices. Therefore, tariffs can be inflationary — though their impact so far has been modest.

Stocks fall as hopes weaken for interest rate cuts

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK Most U.S. stocks slipped on Wednesday after doubts rose on Wall Street about whether the Federal Reserve will deliver economy-juicing cuts to interest rates by September The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1%, coming off its first loss after setting all-time highs for six successive days The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 171 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%.

Stocks felt pressure from rising Treasury yields in the bond market after the Federal Reserve voted to hold its main interest rate steady The move may upset President Donald Trump, who has been angrily lobbying for lower interest rates, but it was widely expected on Wall Street.

Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff on imports coming from India, along with an additional tax because of India’s purchases of Russian oil, beginning on Aug. 1. That’s when stiff tariffs Trump has proposed for many other countries are also scheduled to kick in, unless they reach trade deals that lower the rates.

“The economy is in good shape, but it’s in an unusual situation,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said. He also said that the Fed will receive two months’ worth of data on inflation, the job market and other economic indicators before it meets again to vote on rates in September That could give the Fed more confidence that the risk of high inflation is no longer bigger than the risk of a weak job market, a combination that would prod officials toward lowering rates.

Powell’s comments drove traders to pare back bets on a cut in September They now see just a 45% chance of that, down from a nearly 65% probability a day earlier, according to data from CME Group. On Wall Street, Humana rose 12.4% after the insurer and health care giant reported stronger results for the spring than expected. It also raised its forecasts for profit and revenue over the full year Video-game maker Electronic Arts climbed 5.7% after likewise topping Wall Street’s expectations. Companies are under pressure to deliver solid profit growth. They need to in order to justify the big jumps in their stock prices during recent months, which has caused some critics to say the broad U.S. stock market looks too expensive. Starbucks slipped 0.2% after reporting a weaker profit than analysts expected as it tries to turn around its operations. The company is hoping to boost its performance through improved store operations and new products, including a cold foam protein drink.

There’s more to tech layoffs than meets the eye

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

If you read the typical 2025 mass layoff notice from a tech industry CEO, you might think that artificial intelligence cost workers their jobs.

The reality is more complicated with companies trying to signal to Wall Street that they’re making themselves more efficient as they prepare for broader changes wrought by AI.

A new report Wednesday from career website Indeed shows tech job postings in July were down 36% from their early 2020 levels, with AI one but not the most obvious factor in stalling a rebound.

ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022 also corresponded with the end of a pandemic-era hiring binge, making it hard to isolate AI’s role in the hiring doldrums that followed.

“We’re kind of in this period where the tech job market is weak, but other areas of the job market

have also cooled at a similar pace,” said Brendon Bernard, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “Tech job postings have actually evolved pretty similarly to the rest of the economy, including relative to job postings where there really isn’t that much exposure to AI.”

That nuance is not always clear from the last six months of tech layoff emails, which often include a nod to AI in addition to expressions of sympathy

When he announced mass layoffs earlier this year, Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach invited employees to consider the bigger picture: “Companies everywhere are reimagining how work gets done, and the increasing demand for AI has the potential to drive a new era of growth for Workday.”

Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost explained that a need to shift resources to “accelerate investments” in AI was one of the reasons the company had to cut 1,350, or about 9%, of workers.

The “Why We’re Doing This” section of CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz’s announcement of 5% job cuts said the cybersecurity company needed to double down on AI investments to “accelerate execution and efficiency.”

“AI flattens our hiring curve, and helps us innovate from idea to product faster,” Kurtz wrote.

It’s not just U.S. companies In India, tech giant Tata Consultancy Services recently characterized its 12,000 layoffs or 2% of its workforce, as part of a shift to a “FutureReady organization” that would be realigning its workforce and “deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves.”

Even the Japanese parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor has cited an AI shift in its notice of 1,300 layoffs at the job search and workplace review sites.

Microsoft has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year, even as its profits have soared. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

told employees last week that the layoffs were “weighing heavily” on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to re-imagine the company’s mission for an AI era. Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially from tech giants that are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology

“It’s this sort of double-edged sword restructuring that I think a lot of tech giants are encountering in this age of AI, where they have to find the right balance between maintaining an appropriate head count, but also allowing artificial intelligence to come to the forefront,” said Bryan Hayes, a strategist at Zacks Investment Research. Google said last week it would raise its budget for capital expenditures by an additional $10 billion to $85 billion. Microsoft is expected to outline similar guidance soon.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ