The Acadiana Advocate 08-03-2025 by The Advocate

Trump’sinfluence loomsoverSenaterace

Cassidyand his challengersseek president’sbacking

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

U.S. Sen.Bill Cassidy and his three Republican challengers will begin drawing sharp distinctions among themselves at some point in the upcoming Senate primary.But

in the meantime, they are all competing for the endorsement of President Donald Trump. No one can say forcertain whether Trump will favor one candidate or when hemight do so.But everyone agrees that any endorsement from him will pack apunch. This has prompted the four Republican candidates to tout their MAGAcredentials at every opportunity

State Treasurer JohnFleming said he worked in the White House dur-

ing Donald Trump’sfirst term as president, 10 stepsfrom theOval Ofﬁce.

Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta said he chaired each of the Trumpcampaigns in Louisiana.

State Sen. BlakeMiguezstyles himself as an America First conservative who will be areliable Trump ally Cassidy,who formally announced his reelection campaign Friday in an eventatDrago’s in Metairie, notes he supported Trump’scabinet

Ringin school

Students return to the newstart times, dres

BY ASHLEY WHITE |Staff writer

Families are gearing up to send their students back to the classroom forthe start of the 2025-26school year

For LafayetteParish schoolsystem students, some of the larger changes implemented last year arestill in effect, and this year also will bringnew regulations, including changes tostart times.

The 2025-26 school year for the system will begin with astaggeredstart. Those days are not optional and will count toward astudent’sattendancerecord

Students are dividedintoA-day and Bday.A-day students are those who have

an odd are dress complex unitn Thursda garten eigh with school. Fri der grad with

nominees, provided adecisive vote for the president’sOne Big Beautiful Bill and works directly with Trump.

“I’m the only one who actually speaks to the president,” he said duringa news conferenceWednesday

Trump is casting alooming shadow over arace in whichthe candidates in January will qualifyfor the April semi-closed primary

sand B-day students an even home adlive in an apartment ed unit will use the r. .Students in kindergrade, seventhand 0th and 12th grades dress will report to Studentsinkinfth grade, sixth d11thgrades swill report to

STAFF FILE PHO

The Lafayette Parish school system is focusing on students returntoschool, beginning withastagg changes include starttime adjustmentsand allo wear jeans.

Statehas ashrinking number of women of childbearing age

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

For many families in Louisiana, staying close to home waslong the norm. Maw Maw and PawPaw might live just down the street, if not in the same house. “Where’d you go to high school?” is acommon introductory question. For years, population growth in

Births in La.droptolowestpoint in decades

Louisiana came more from the people whowerebornhereand stayed than from newcomers. Butthe patterns are shifting.

In 2024, just over 52,000 babies were born in Louisiana, according to preliminary data. That’sa17% drop from 2013, when morethan 63,000 birthswererecorded. It’s the lowest number of births the state has seen in decades. The decline began graduallyaround 2015 but has accelerated in recent years. While fertility rates arefalling across thecountry,Louisiana’strend is amplified by alossofwomen in their reproductiveyears.

“Therewould be two reasons: Some moved out of state andsome aged out of thatage bracket,” said Allison Plyer, chief demographer at The Data Center in New Orleans. From 2013 to 2023, the number of women aged 15 to 44 in Louisiana fell by morethan 29,000, a3.1% decline. Nationally,that group grew by nearly 5%. Louisiana still has ahigher fertility rate thanthe national average at about 60 births per 1,000 women, compared with 54.5 nationally.That meanswomen in their reproductive

Cassidy

Skrmetta Miguez Fleming

ä See SENATE, page 8A

U.K. man charged in sickening kids at camp

LONDON A 76-year-old man appeared in a court in central England on Saturday to face child cruelty charges after several boys at a summer camp were sickened by what prosecutors say was candy laced with sedatives Jon Ruben was ordered detained until a hearing on Aug. 29. He did not enter a plea during the brief hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.

Police say they received a report on Sunday that children had fallen sick at Stathern Lodge, a converted farmhouse with a sports hall and catering facilities about 120 miles north of London. Eight boys between 8 and 11 and one adult were taken to a hospital as a precaution. All were later discharged.

Ruben was arrested on Monday at a pub near the lodge Ruben, whose home address is about 15 miles from the lodge faces three charges of “willfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health,” relating to three boys at the camp. The lodge is owned by Braithwaite Gospel Trust, a Christian charity Police stressed that the owners “are independent from those people who use or hire the lodge and are not connected to the incident.”

Canines compete in dog surfing championships

PACIFICA, Calif. — Charlie the yellow Lab likes surﬁng so much he’ll grab his surfboard and run toward the water, so much so that his humans sometimes have to hide his board if they want to chitchat with friends on the beach.

On Saturday, Charlie was set to join about 15 to 20 other canine wave riders to vie for top dog in the World Dog Surfing Championships outside San Francisco. The annual contest draws thousands of spectators to Paciﬁca State Beach.

Participating pooches compete against similarly sized peers for a chance to appear in the finals. Additional heats feature multiple dogs surfing tandem on one board and dogs riding tandem with humans. Judges scrutinize how long dogs remain on boards, how long they can hold their balance and whether they perform any tricks like turn around while riding waves. Charlie, 10, was set to enter the extra-large single surfer heat. He would also ride tandem with two other dogs, on what their owners call “The Dream Team.”

“He loves the crowd,” said his owner, Maria Nieboer

In the ocean, Charlie and Maria’s husband, Jeff Nieboer prepare for waves together When Jeff sees a good wave, he turns the board around and tells Charlie to “get ready.” At that signal, Jeff pushes the board forward and Charlie scrunches down and rides the wave as long as he can He can even steer it, at times leaning on the board to ride toward Maria waiting on shore. He doesn’t have to be fed treats for any of this.

“Charlie does what Charlie wants to do once we’re in the water,” Jeff said. Contest winners get medals and bragging rights.

SpaceX delivers four to space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX delivered a fresh crew to the International Space Station on Saturday, making the trip in a quick 15 hours. The four U.S., Russian and Japanese astronauts pulled up in their SpaceX capsule after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center They will spend at least six months at the orbiting lab, swapping places with colleagues up there since March SpaceX will bring those four back as early as Wednesday. Moving in are NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov — each of whom had been originally assigned to other missions. “Hello, space station!” Fincke radioed as soon as the capsule docked high above the South Paciﬁc.

Israeli fire kills more Gaza aid-seekers

U.S. envoy meets with hostages’ families

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

Israeli forces opened fire near two aid distribution sites run by the Israelibacked Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as crowds of hungry Palestinians again sought food, killing at least 10 people, witnesses and health workers said Saturday The violence came a day after U.S. officials visited a GHF site and the U.S. ambassador called the troubled system “an incredible feat.”

Another 19 people were shot dead as they crowded near the Zikim crossing from Israel in the hope of obtaining aid, said Fares Awad, head of the Gaza health ministry’s ambulance and emergency service

Nearly a week has passed since Israel, under international pressure amid growing scenes of starving children, announced limited humanitarian pauses and airdrops meant to get more food to Gaza’s over 2 million people. They now largely rely on aid after almost 22 months of war

But the United Nations, partners and Palestinians say far too little aid is coming in, with months of supplies piled up outside Gaza waiting for Israeli approval. Trucks that enter are mostly stripped of supplies by desperate people and criminal groups before

reaching warehouses for distribution.

Experts this week said a “worst-case scenario of famine” was occurring.

On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry said seven Palestinians had died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, including a child.

Aid is “far from sufficient,” Germany’s government said via spokesperson Stefan Kornelius. The U.N. has said 500 to 600 trucks of aid are needed daily

Families of the 50 hostages still in Gaza fear they are going hungry too, and blame Hamas, after the militants released images of an emaciated hostage Evyatar David.

“The humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza, meant to alleviate suffering, must reach Evyatar Guy and all the other hostages too,”

David’s brother Illay told a large rally in Tel Aviv Near the northernmost GHF distribution site near the Netzarim corridor, Yahia Youssef, who had come to seek aid, described a grimly familiar scene. After helping carry three people wounded by gunshots, he said he saw others on the ground, bleeding.

“It’s the same daily episode,” Youssef said. Health workers said at least eight people were killed. Israel’s military said it ﬁred warning shots at a gathering approaching its forces.

At least two people were killed in the Shakoush area hundreds of yards from where the GHF operates in the southernmost city of Rafah, witnesses said Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received two bodies and many injured.

Witness Mohamed Abu

Taha said Israeli troops opened fire toward the crowds. He saw three people — two men and a woman shot as he ﬂed.

Israel’s military said it was not aware of any fire by its forces in the area. The GHF said nothing happened near its sites.

GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or ﬁred warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel ’s military on Friday said it was working to make the routes under its control safer The GHF — backed by millions of dollars in U.S. support — launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the U.N.-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas to siphon off supplies. Israel has not offered evidence for that

claim and the U.N. has denied it. From May 27 to July 31, 859 people were killed near GHF sites, according to a U.N. report Thursday Hundreds more have been killed along the routes of U.N.-led food convoys. Hamas-led police once guarded those convoys, but Israeli ﬁre targeted the ofﬁcers.

Israel and GHF have claimed the toll has been exaggerated.

Airdrops by a Jordanled coalition which is made up of Israel, the UAE, Egypt, France, and Germany are another approach, though experts say the strategy remains deeply inadequate and even dangerous for people on the ground.

“Let’s go back to what works & let us do our job,” Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote on social media, calling for more and safer truck deliveries.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with hostages’ families Saturday, a week after quitting ceasefire talks, blaming Hamas’ intransigence.

“I didn’t hear anything new from him. I heard that there was pressure from the Americans to end this operation, but we didn’t hear anything practical,” said Michel Illouz, father of Israeli hostage Guy Illouz. He said he asked Witkoff to set a time frame but got “no answers.” Protesters called on Israel’s government to make a deal to end the war, imploring them to “stop this nightmare and bring them out of the tunnels.”

Authorities seek suspect in bar shooting

Ex-soldier accused of killing 4 in Montana

BY MATTHEW BROWN, COLLEEN

SLEVIN and LISA BAUMANN Associated Press

Authorities were scouring a mountainous area of western Montana on Saturday for a military veteran who they say opened ﬁre at a bar, killing four people.

THE MONTANA STANDARD PHOTO By JOSEPH SCHELLER Police tape surrounds The Owl Bar on Friday in of Anaconda, Mont., where four people were killed in a shooting

Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup truck but ditched it at some point, said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case. He urged residents late Friday to stay at home and remain on high alert.

On Saturday authorities released a photo of the suspect, gaunt, barefoot and shirtless, walking down what appeared to be a ﬂight of outdoor concrete steps. The photo showed Brown, wearing nothing but black shorts, fleeing

after the shooting Friday, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation. “While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous,” Johnson said.

Ukraine claims drone attacks on 2 Russian

Bloomberg News (TNS)

Ukraine’s military claimed strikes on two oil reﬁneries and other infrastructure in Russia in what it said was a response to recent deadly attacks by Kremlin forces on Ukrainian cities. The Novokuibyshevsk plant in the Samara region and the Ryazan refinery were hit, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a Saturday Facebook post. Ukrainian drones also struck a fuel depot in Russia’s Voronezh region and an electronics facility in Penza, it said. All the targets were part of Russia’s war apparatus, the military said. The Ukrainian state security service said its long-range drones also at-

oil refineries

tacked a military air base in the Krasnodar region in Russia’s southwest, where storage and launch sites of Shahed drones were hit It wasn’t possible to independently verify the claims. Rosneft PJSC, owner of the Ryazan and Novokuibyshevsk reﬁneries, didn’t immediately reply to a WhatsApp message seeking comment on Saturday Ukrainian authorities said that at least 31 people were killed in a combined drone and missile barrage on Kyiv on Thursday that lasted for several hours President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said another 159 people were injured, including 16 children, in one of the deadliest strikes on Kyiv for the war to date. Samara regional Gov Vyacheslav Fedorischev

said in social media posts that an industrial facility had been attacked and that one man had been killed by falling drone fragments. Ryazan regional Gov Pavel Malkov said on Telegram that debris from a unmanned aerial vehicle had fallen on the premises of an enterprise, without providing more detail. Three people were killed in the various incidents, Russian ofﬁcials said. With the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine almost halfway through its fourth year, Kyiv’s forces have repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure, including some Rosneft facilities, in a move to curtail Russia’s ability to send fuel to the front line and limit Moscow’s revenue from oil sales.

Anaconda-Deer Lodge Police Chief Bill Sather said Saturday that businesses in the area could open, but he urged caution. Authorities said they would release the names of the victims once all of their families have been notiﬁed.

“This is a small tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,” Johnson said. Anaconda, about 25 miles northwest of Butte, is hemmed in by mountains. The town of about 9,000 people was founded by copper barons who proﬁted off nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that is no longer operational looms over the valley

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIEL SCHALIT

Families of hostages protest Saturday at the plaza known as the hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, demanding the release from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Pope thrills young Catholics at Holy Year festival

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME Pope Leo XIV urged hundreds of thousands of young people on Saturday to have the courage to make radical choices to do good, as he presided over his ﬁrst big encounter with the next generation of Catholics during the highlight of the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year

Leo encountered a sea of people as he arrived by helicopter at the Tor Vergata ﬁeld on Rome’s outskirts for a vigil service of the Jubilee of Youth. Hailing from early 150 countries, the pilgrims had set up campsites on the ﬁeld for the night, as misting trucks and water cannons spritzed them to cool them down from the 85-degree temperatures.

Leo displayed his ﬂuency in speaking to the kids in Spanish, Italian and English about the dangers of social media, the value of true friendship and the need to have courage to make radical choices like marriage or religious vows.

“Friendship can really change the world. Friendship is a path to peace,” he said.

“How much the world needs missionaries of the Gospel who are witnesses of justice and peace!”

But history’s ﬁrst American pope also alerted them to some tragic news: Two young people who had made the pilgrimage to Rome had died, one reportedly of cardiac arrest, while a third was hospitalized, Leo told the crowd

during the vigil service Leo was to return to the field for an early morning Mass on Sunday morning to close out the celebration.

For the past week, these bands of young Catholics from around the world have poured into Rome for their special Jubilee celebration, in a Holy Year in which 32 million people are expected to descend on the Vatican to participate in a centuries-old pilgrimage to the seat of Catholicism.

The young people have been traipsing down cobblestoned streets in color-coordinated T-shirts, praying the

Rosary and singing hymns with guitars, bongo drums and tambourines shimmying alongside. Using their ﬂags as tarps to shield them from the sun, they have taken over entire piazzas for Christian rock concerts and inspirational talks, and stood for hours at the Circus Maximus to confess their sins to 1,000 priests offering the sacrament in a dozen different languages.

“It is something spiritual, that you can experience only every 25 years,” said Francisco Michel, a pilgrim from Mexico. “As a young person, having the chance to live this

Canadian wildfires bring unhealthy air to Midwest

BY CAROLYN THOMPSON and DORANY PINEDA

Associated Press

Smoke from Canadian wildﬁres hovered over several Midwestern states Saturday, bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day Air quality alerts were in effect in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Forecasters said the smoky skies would remain for much of the day People with lung disease, heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant women are most susceptible to the poor breathing conditions.

Canadian environmental officials said smoke from forest ﬁres that was causing reduced visibility and poor quality would persist into Sunday for some areas.

The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday The Air Quality Index is expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota and will likely remain through Saturday AQI is a system used to communicate how much air pollution is in the air It breaks pollution down into six categories and colors, and advice on what isn’t safe to do. They range from “good” (the color green) to “hazardous” (maroon).

“What’s been unique in this go-around is that we’ve had this prolonged stretch of smoke particulates towards the surface, so that’s

where we’ve really had the air quality in the red here for the past few days,” said Joe Strus, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area in Minnesota.

“We’ve sort of been dealing with this, day in and day out, where you walk outside and you can taste the smoke you can smell it,” he said. “Sometimes we’ve been in higher concentrations than others. Other times it’s just looked a little hazy out there.”

The air quality on Saturday was improving, speciﬁcally across the Twin Cities and southwestern Minnesota,

he said, but state health ofﬁcials warned the air could remain unhealthy for sensitive groups through Monday The smoke could start to dissipate Saturday before spreading as far south as Tennessee and Missouri.

The EPA’s Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number The lower the number, the better Anything below 50 is classiﬁed as “healthy.” Fifty to 100 is “moderate” while 100-150 is unhealthy for “sensitive groups.” Anything above 150 is bad for everyone Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number on Saturday

meting with the pope I feel it is a spiritual growth.” It all has the vibe of a World Youth Day, the Catholic Woodstock festival that St. John Paul II inaugurated and made famous in Rome in 2000 at the very same Tor Vergata field. Then, before an estimated 2 million people, John Paul told the young pilgrims they were the “sentinels of the morning” at the dawn of the third millennium. Officials had initially ex-

pected 500,000 youngsters this weekend, but Leo and organizers from the stage said the number could reach 1 million. The Vatican didn’t immediately provide a ﬁnal estimate.

“It’s a bit messed up, but this is what is nice about the Jubilee,” said Chloe Jobbour, a 19-year-old Lebanese Catholic who was in Rome with a group of more than 200 young members of the Community of the Beatitudes, a France-based charismatic group.

She said, for example, that it had taken two hours to get dinner at a KFC overwhelmed by orders Friday night. The Salesian school that offered her group housing is an hour away by bus.

But Jobbour, like many in Rome this week, didn’t mind the discomfort: It’s all part of the experience.

“I don’t expect it to be better than that. I expected it this way,” she said, as members of her group gathered on church steps near the Vatican to sing and pray Saturday morning before heading out to Tor Vergata.

Those Romans who didn’t ﬂee the onslaught have been inconvenienced by the additional strain on the city’s notoriously insufﬁcient public transport system. Residents are sharing social media posts of outbursts by Ro-

mans at kids ﬂooding subway platforms and crowding bus stops that have delayed and complicated their commutes to work.

But other Romans have welcomed the enthusiasm the youngsters have brought.

Premier Giorgia Meloni offered a video welcome, marveling at the “extraordinary festival of faith, joy and hope” that the young people had created.

“I think it’s marvelous,” said Rome hairdresser Rina Verdone, who lives near the Tor Vergata field and woke up Saturday to ﬁnd a gaggle of police outside her home as part of the massive, 4,000-strong operation mounted to keep the peace.

“You think the faith, the religion is in difﬁculty, but this is proof that it’s not so.”

Verdone had already made plans to take an alternate route home Saturday afternoon, that would require an extra half-mile walk, because she feared the “invasion” of kids in her neighborhood would disrupt her usual bus route. But she said she was more than happy to make the sacriﬁce.

“You think of invasion as something negative. But this is a positive invasion,” she said.

AP reporter Paolo Santalucia contributed to this story

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDREW MEDICHINI

Pope Leo XIV holds prayer vigil Saturday with young people participating in the youths Jubilee at the Tor Vergata field in Rome.

Newnumbers offerwarning signsfor economy

BY JOSH BOAK AND CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press

WASHINGTON For allof President Donald Trump’s promises of an economic “golden age,” aspate of weak indicators this week told a potentially worrisome story as the impacts of hispolicies are coming into focus.

Job gains are dwindling.

Inﬂation is ticking upward.

Growth has slowed compared with last year

More than six months into his term, Trump’sblitz of tariff hikes and his new tax and spending bill have remodeled America’strading, manufacturing, energy and taxsystems to his own liking

He’seager to take credit for any wins that might occur and is hunting for someone else to blame if the ﬁnancial situation starts to totter

But as of now,this is not the boom the Republicanpresident promised, and his ability to blame his Democratic predecessor,Joe Biden, for any economic challenges has faded as the world economy hangs on his every word and social media post.

When Friday’sjobs report turned out to be decidedly bleak, Trump ignored the warnings in the data and ﬁred the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs ﬁgures.

“Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’tbemanipulated for political purposes,” Trump said on Truth Social without offering evidence for his claim. “The Economy is BOOMING.”

It’spossible that thedisappointing numbers are grow-

ing pains from the rapid transformationcaused by Trump and that stronger growth willreturn —orthey may be apreview of even more disruption to come.

Trump’saggressive use of tariffs, executive actions, spendingcutsand tax code changescarriessignificant politicalrisk if he is unable to deliver middle-class prosperity.The effects of his new tariffsare still several months away from rippling through the economy,right as many Trump allies in Congress will be campaigning in the midterm elections.

“Consideringhow early we areinhis term, Trump’shad an unusually big impacton the economy already,” said Alex Conant, aRepublican strategist atFirehouse Strategies. “The full inﬂationary impactofthe tariffs won’tbe felt until 2026. Unfortunately for Republicans, that’salso an electionyear.”

The White House portrayed the blitz of trade frameworks leadingupto Thursday’stariff announcement as proof of his negotiatingprowess. TheEuropean Union, Japan, South Korea, thePhilippines, Indonesia and other nations that the White House declinedto name agreedthatthe U.S. could increase its tariffs on their goods withoutdoingthe same to American products.

Trump simply set rateson other countries that lacked settlements

The costs of those tariffs taxespaid on importstothe U.S. —will be most feltby many Americans in the form of higher prices, but to what extentremains uncertain.

“For the White House and

PresidentDonald Trumpdisembarks Air Force OneonFridayatLehigh ValleyInternational AirportinAllentown,Pa.

theirallies, akey part of managing the expectations and politics of the Trump economy is maintaining vigilancewhen it comes to public perceptions,” saidKevin Madden, aRepublican strategist.

Just38% of adults approve of Trump’shandling of the economy,accordingtoa JulypollbyThe Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. That’sdown from the end of Trump’sﬁrst term when half of adultsapproved of his economic leadership.

The White House paints arosier image,seeing the economy emerging from a period of uncertainty after Trump’srestructuring and repeating the economic gains seen in his ﬁrst termbefore the pandemic struck.

“President Trump is implementing the very same policy mixofderegulation, fairer trade, and pro-growth tax cuts at an even bigger scale —asthese policies

takeeffect, the bestisyet to come,” White House spokesman KushDesai said.

The economic numbers over the past week show the difﬁcultiesthat Trump might face if the numbers continue on their current path:

n Friday’sjobs report showed that U.S.employers have shed 37,000 manufacturing jobs sinceTrump’s tariff launch in April, undermining prior White House claims of afactory revival.

n Net hiring has plummeted over the past three months with jobgains of just 73,000 in July,14,000 in June and19,000 in May—a combined 258,000 jobs lower than previously indicated. On average last year,the economy added 168,000 jobs amonth.

n AThursday inﬂation reportshowed that prices have risen 2.6% over the year that ended in June, an increase in the personal consumption expenditures priceindex

from 2.2% in April. Prices of heavily imported items, such as appliances, furniture,and toys andgames, jumped from May to June.

n On Wednesday,areport on gross domestic product —the broadest measure of the U.S. economy —showed that it grew at an annualrate of less than 1.3% during the ﬁrst half of the year,down sharply from 2.8% growth last year

“The economy’sjust kind of slogging forward,” said GuyBerger,senior fellow at the Burning Glass Institute, whichstudiesemployment trends. “Yes, the unemployment rate’snot going up, but we’re adding very few jobs. Theeconomy’s beengrowing very slowly.Itjust looks like a‘meh’economy is continuing.”

Trumphas sought to pin theblame forany economic troubles on Federal Reserve Chair JeromePowell, saying the Fed should cut its bench-

mark interest rates even though doing so could generate more inﬂation.

Trump haspublicly backed two Fedgovernors,Christoper Waller andMichelle Bowman, for voting for rate cuts at Wednesday’smeeting. But their logic is not what the president wants to hear: Theywere worried, in part, about aslowing job market. But thisisamajor economic gamblebeing undertaken by Trump and those pushing for lower rates under the beliefthat mortgages will also become moreaffordable as a resultand boost homebuying activity His tariffpolicy has changedrepeatedly over the last six months, with the latestimport taxnumbers serving as asubstitute for what the president announced in April, which provokeda stock market sell-off.Itmight not be asimple one-time adjustmentassome Fed board members and Trump administrationofﬁcials argue

Of course, Trump can’tsay no one warned him about the possible consequences of his economic policies.

Biden, thenthe outgoing president, did just that in a speech last December at the Brookings Institution, saying the cost of the tariffs would eventually hit American workers and businesses.

“He seemsdetermined to impose steep, universal tariffs on all imported goods brought into this country on the mistaken belief that foreign countrieswill bear the cost of those tariffs rather than the American consumer,” Bidensaid. “I believe this approach is amajor mistake.”

Authoritiesinvestigating ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

BRIDGEWATER, N.J.— Federal

Smith HatchAct violations alleged

ofﬁcials have opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former specialcounsel who investigatedthen-candidate Donald Trump before his reelection, for alleged illegal political activity

The Ofﬁce of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency,onSaturday conﬁrmed the investigation after reporting by other news

organizations. Smith was namedspecialcounsel to investigate Trump by thenAttorneyGeneral Merrick Garland in November2022.

Trumpand his Republican allies, including Sen. TomCotton, have —withoutoffering evidence of wrongdoing —accused Smithofviolating theHatch Act,afederal law that bans certainpublic ofﬁcials from engaging in politicalactivity. Smith prosecutedtwo fed-

eral cases against RepublicancandidateTrump in the lead-up to the November 2024 presidentialelection Smith ultimately dropped the cases —neither one had gone to trial —after Trump was reelected,whichwould have shielded him from prosecution according to long-standing Justice Department practice. Smith then subsequently resigned as special counsel. Cotton, R-Ark., on Wednesday asked the Ofﬁce of Special Counsel to investigate Smith, alleging that his conductwas designedtohelp then-President Joe Bidenand

his vicepresident, Kamala Harris,both Democrats Bidenhad dropped his own bid for reelection following

his disastrousperformance in acampaign debate against Trump andtappedHarris to succeed him on the ticket.

White House had no immediate comment on the investigation.

By The Associated Press

NEW DELHI India has indi-

cated that it wouldcontinue buying oilfrom Russia despite threats by President Donald Trump.

The Indian foreign ministry said its relationship with Russia was “steady and time-tested,” and should not be seen through the prism of athird country

Addressing aweekly presser on Friday,spokesman RandhirJaiswal said India’s broader stance on securing its energy needs was guided by the availabilityofoil in the markets and prevailing globalcircumstances.

The threat came as the U.S president has increasingly soured on Russia for failing to agree to aceaseﬁre in Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.

The comments follow an announcement by President Donald Trump that he intends to impose a25% tariff on goods from India plus an additional importtax because of New Delhi’spurchases of Russianoil.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByJULIADEMAREE NIKHINSON

Trump won the election. The

Democrats limitedincounteringTexas redistricting

BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON As Republicans move to redraw legislative maps in red states to pad their narrow House majority in Washington, some Democrats are rethinking their embrace of anonpartisan approach to line-drawing that now complicates their party’sability to hit back before nextyear’smidterm elections.

In many Democratic-controlled states, independent commissions rather than the state legislature handle redistricting, the normallyonce-a-decadetaskofadjusting congressional and legislative districts so their populationsare equal. Parties in the majority can exploit that process to shape their lawmakers’ districtsso they arealmostguaranteed reelection.

The commission model limits parties’ ability to game the system, leading to more competitive districts. Notall redistricting commissions were created at Democrats’ insistence.And,likeRepublicans, the party has exploited line-drawing for its own gain in the handful of states where it controls the process.But unlike Republicans,many Democratic Party leaders have embraced the nonpartisan model.

That means Democrats have fewer options to match Republicans, who are redrawing the U.S. House map in Texas at President Donald Trump’surging to carve out as many asﬁve new winnable seats for the GOP.That could be enough to prevent Democrats from winning back the majority next year

The GOP plan cleared a stateHouse committeeSaturday Democrats have threatenedpayback.Duringa gatheringFriday in Wisconsin of Democratic governors, several of them saidthey wanted to retaliate because the stakes are so high.

WisconsinGov.Tony Evers, who has pushed for anonpartisan redistricting commission in his state, said Democrats must “do what-

ever we can” to counterthe Republicanefforts to redraw congressional maps

“When you have agun against your head, you’ve got to do something,” he said.

Despite theambitious talk, Democrats largely have their hands tied.

California Gov.Gavin Newsomhas saidheand the Democratic-controlledLegislature will try to redraw his state’scongressional map. But they would need to repeal or defythe 2008ballot measurecreatinganindependent redistricting commission. Voters extended its authority to congressional districts twoyears later Newsom supported the constitutional amendment at thetime,whenhewas mayorofSan Francisco. The Texas redistricting, which is expected to pass theLegislature nextweek, led him to modify that position.

“Wecan act holier than thou,wecan sitonthe sidelines, talk about the waythe world should be, or we can recognize theexistential nature that is this moment,” Newsom said earlier this month.

In New York, which also hasa commission, the state constitution barsanother map this decade.Democrats have moved for achange, but that could not happen until 2027 at theearliest, andthen only with voter approval.

In other states where Dem-

Appealscourt

BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Afederal appeals court ruled Friday night to uphold alower court’stemporary order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrestsinSouthern California.

Athree-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held ahearing Monday afternoon at which the federal government asked the court to overturn atemporaryrestraining orderissued July 12 by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, arguing it hindered their enforce-

ment of immigration law.

Immigrant advocacy groups ﬁled suitlast month accusing President Donald Trump’sadministrationof systematically targeting brown-skinned peoplein Southern California during the administration’scrackdownonillegal immigration. The lawsuit included three detained immigrantsand two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs In her order,Frimpong said there was a“mountain of evidence” that federal immigration enforcement tacticswereviolating the Constitution. She wrote the government cannot usefactors suchasapparent race or ethnicity,speaking Spanish

ocratscontrol the governor’s office andlegislature,including Colorado and Washington, theparty has backed independent commissions thatcannot redraw, let alone rig, maps in the middle of the decade.

When theredistrictingcycle kicked off in 2021, after the last census, independent commissions wereincharge of drawing 95 Houseseats that otherwisewould have been drawn by Democrats, but only 13 that would have been created by Republicans In amarker of the shift among Democrats, former AttorneyGeneral Eric Holder,who headsthe party’sredistricting effort and has called repeatedly for a more nonpartisanapproach seemed to blesshis party’s long shotefforts to overrule their commissions.

“Wedonot oppose —ona temporarybasis —responsible, responsive actions toensure that the foundations of ourdemocracy are not permanently eroded,”Holder said in astatement last week. In states where they weren’tchecked by commissions, Democrats have redistricted just as ruthlessly as Republicans. In Illinois, they drew amap that gave thema14-3 advantage in the congressional delegation. In New Mexico, they tweaked themap so they control all three House seats. In Ne-

vada,theyheldthreeofits fourseats in November despiteTrump winning the state

Even in states where they have alopsided advantage, Democrats are exploring ways to maximizeit.

On Friday,Maryland’s HouseMajorityLeader, Democratic Del. David Moon,saidhewould introduce legislation to trigger redrawing of the congressional linesifTexas movesforward. Democrats hold seven of the state’seight congressionalseats

“Wecan’thaveone state, especially averylarge state, constantly trying to one-up andalterthe course of congressional control while the other states sit idly by,” he said.

Advocates of anonpartisanmodel arealarmed by theshift among Democrats. They say thepartywould redistrictjust as aggressively as the GOP if notheld in check, depriving voters of a voice in districtswhose winners would essentially be selected in advancebypolitical leaders.

“We’reverydesperate we’re looking for any port in astorm,” said Emily Eby French, Common Cause’s Texas director.“This Demo-

cratic tit for tat redistricting seems like aportbut it’s not aport. It’sajagged rock with abunch of sirens on them.”

The group’sdirector of redistricting, Dan Vicuña, said using redistricting for partisan advantage —known as gerrymandering —ishighly unpopular with the public: “This is about fair representation for communities.”

Politicians used to shy away from discussing it openly,but that has changed in today’spolarizedenvironment.Trump earlierthis month told reporters about his hopes of netting ﬁve additional GOP seats in Texas and more out of other Republican-controlled states.

He hasurgednew maps in GOP-controlledstates such as Indiana andMissouri, while Ohio Republicans are poised to reshape political lines after neutralizing apush to create an independent redistricting

commission. In asign of the party’sdivide, Democrats have continued to push for anational redistricting panel that would removepartisanshipfrom the process, even as some call for retaliation against Republicans in defiance of state limitations. “No unilateraldisarmamenttill both sides are following the law,” said ArizonaSen.Ruben Gallego, like Newsom apossible 2028 presidentialcontender, wrote on X. Gallego’s post cameaday before his Democratic colleagues gathered to announce they werereintroducing abill to create the national commission. An identicalbilldiedin 2022 whenitcouldn’tovercomeRepublican objections despite Democrats controlling Congress and the presidency.Ithas no chance now that the GOPisinchargeof both branches.

or Englishwith an accent, presence at alocation such as atow yard or car wash, or someone’soccupationas the only basis for reasonable suspiciontodetain someone.

The appeals court panel agreed and questioned the government’sneed to oppose an orderpreventingthem from violating the constitution.

“If,asDefendants suggest,they are not conductingstops that lack reasonable suspicion, they can hardly claim to be irreparably harmed by an injunction aimed at preventing asubset of stops not supported by reasonable suspicion,”the judges wrote.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERICGAy

Awoman holds asign on July 24 during arally to protest against redistricting hearings at the TexasCapitol in Austin, Texas.

“All the Republican candidates are trying to be the Trump candidateinthe Senate,” said John Breaux, the former Democratic senator “But onlyone canbethat candidate. It’sadifferent world now.”

Breaux noted that, when he won Senate electionsin 1986,1992and 1998,what mattered most was winning key localendorsements, raising lots of moneyand spending most of that money on TV advertising. He also noted that senators were elected in prior decadesby traveling from parish courthouse to parish courthouse and locking up the support of sheriffs, assessors,district attorneys and police jurymembers —and having those local ofﬁcials rev up their politicalmachines to back the senator.

Now,Trumpplays adecisive role in Republican Senate primaries through his endorsement. He backed such winners as JD Vance in Ohio and TedBudd in North Carolina, both in 2022, and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania and TimSheehy in Montana in 2024.

Trump’spowerfulpulpit

Through his verbal attacks, Trump also sidelines Republican senators seeking reelection who don’tsufficientlytoe the line. That happened most recently after he blasted Sen. Thom Tillis,R-North Carolina,for opposing the One Big Beautiful Bill, which reduces taxes and partially pays for the lost revenue by cutting Medicaid spending and other programs.

Tillis announced last month that he won’trun for reelection.

Speculation is rife that Trump won’tback Cassidy because he committed the cardinal sin of being one of seven Republican senators who joined all Democrats in voting in 2021 to prohibit Trump from holding ofﬁce

SCHOOL

Continued from page1A

school. All ﬁrst through 12th graders will report to schoolon Aug. 11. Pre-K and kindergarten students will still follow a staggered startonAug.11, an A-day,and Aug. 12, aBday All students will report to school on Aug. 13. Change to starttimes

The Lafayette Parish School Board voted in April to change start times, keeping mosthigh schools at the same start and changingelementary and middle school times.

The schedule is: n Elementary schools (including Milton Elementary-Middle and J. Wallace James): 8:10 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

n ACE elementary schools (Alice Boucher,Dr. Raphael

Trump’sOne Big Beautiful Bill for rural hospitals that are facing revenue losses from theMedicaid cuts.

He alsonoted that he was about tovisit the WhiteHouse that day for theseventh time this year

“Other people like to talk,” Cassidy said. “I actually do the walk. The president and Ihave been working very well together.”

Flemingtouts role

But Cassidy’s three Republican opponents seea political opening because of his vote to convict Trump and are angling for the president’sendorsement.

to makeafailed bid forthe Senate in arace wonbySen. John Kennedy He saidhebacks Trump’s movestoraise tariffs, supported the OneBig Beautiful Bill andbacks the president’scrackdown on illegalimmigration.

Fleming said he’s undecided on two other issues of importancetoTrump andhis supporters: whether humans are responsible for globalwarming and whether Trump won the 2020 election over Joe Biden, as he claims.

“My dedication to the president’spolicies have been unwavering,”Skrmetta said. “I think he is abrilliantman,a brillianteconomistwho showshis love for America. Ican’tthink of a better man for thecountry.”

againunderanimpeachment article that accused him of “inciting violence against the government of the United States”with the Jan. 6attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Cassidy’sdecision led to praise that he hadtaken avote of conscience, but Trump belittledhim as “wacky Bill.” Jeff Flake knowswhat it’s like to feel Trump’swrath.

ARepublican senator from Arizona, Flake criticized Trump for spreading the lie that PresidentBarack Obamawas born outside of theUnited States. Flake also called on Trump to withdraw from the presidential race in 2016 after therelease of the “Access Hollywood” tape, which showed Trump making obscene comments aboutwomen In October 2017,ayear before he would be on the ballot, Flake announcedhe would not seek reelection.

“It was pretty clear that thevoters wanted someone who was with the president allthe time,”Flakesaidin arecentinterview.“That could not beme. It was never an option for metobend and say,‘These policies that IsaidIdidn’tagree with, I nowagreewiththem,’ or ‘thisbehavior that the president has exhibited that Idecried now isOK.’ No job is worth that.”

Baranco and J.W.Faulk):

7:50 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. n Middle schools: 7:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m

n Highschools(including the Early CollegeAcademy): 7:05 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.

n DavidThibodaux STEM MagnetAcademy:7:15a.m to 2:45 p.m

n Early childhood education centers:8:20 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

Abellscheduleby school can be found on the system website.Bus routes and times havealso changed to accompany thenew schedules. Updated transportation information can be found on the systemwebsite.

Focusonabsenteeism

The Louisiana Department of Education is pushing astatewideattendance strategy called the“Power of Presence.” The guidelines released over thesummer focusondistrictand community-level prevention and interventionefforts, rather

CassidycourtsTrump

Cassidy hasfaced criticism thatheisbending his principles to try to getback in Trump’sgood graces. Trump endorsedCassidy when he won asecondterm in 2020.

Cassidy seems to be doing everything he can to at least get Trump not to endorse oneofhis challengers. With Fleming, Skrmetta and Miguez already in the race, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, is seriously considering joining them, according to Republican political insiders.

On Wednesday, Cassidy brandished hisMAGAqualifications, telling reporters thathe played akey role in getting three cabinet members confirmed —PeteHegsethat the Defense Department, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.atthe Health Department andLori Chavez-DeRemer at theLabor Department

Fleming notes that he worked in the White House during thefinal year of Trump’sfirst term, as assistant to the president for planning and implementation

In that position, Fleming said he served as theWhite House’sliaison on planning for the 2020 Census andon aweekly taskforce led by Vice President Mike Pence that oversaw thefederal government’s response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

“I handled everything that came in the door not handled by thechief of staff,” Fleming said. He spent thethree preceding years working first as a deputy assistant secretary of Health for InformationTechnology —reducing regulation fordoctors —and then as an assistant secretary for commerce for economic development.Inthatposition, he said, he worked to reduce barriers to investment.

Fleming said he hasn’t spokenwith Trumpsince leaving the White House in January 2021.

Still, he added, “There are people runninginthiselection whodon’thave arecord in Washington, and we could easily end up with another Cassidy.I’ve been consistentlypro-MAGA andproTrump. I’maknownfactor.”

Skrmetta’s position

Skrmetta, whohas been amember of the Public Service Commission since 2008,representing theparishes around New Orleans, not only co-chaired Trump’s campaigns in Louisiana,he also chaired the Louisiana delegation at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Skrmetta said he helped organize aspeech by Trump in February 2016 to speak at the River Center in Baton Rouge and avisit several months later for Trump and Pence to show their concern forflood victims in Baton Rouge.

Miguez playsupMAGA Miguezdid notrespond to several requests foraninterview. He was electedtothe state House from New Iberia in 2015 and the state Senate in 2023. HisSenate campaign website proclaims he is “The MAGA Choice,” butthe details aresketchy

“We’re done being fooled by weak Republicans like Bill Cassidy who onlysupport President Trump to get elected,” Miguez says on the website.“Bill Cassidy had his shot. He missed. I won’t.”

His comments play on Miguezbeing aworld-class competitive sharpshooter In acampaign video, he blasts abottle labeled “food dyes” and says “ultra-processed foods are slowly poisoning our children,” echoing aview of Robert F. Kennedy Jr “President Trumpisalready saving America, but he needsour help,”Miguez adds.

Skrmetta said Trump will playsuchanimportant role in the Senate campaign because “every few generations, someone rises up who has personality and capacityand abilitytosurpass other people.DonaldTrump hasdonethat.”

Cassidy also noted that he stood directly behind Trumpwhen thepresident last week signed the senator’s bill that aims to reduce fentanyl abuse.

“He says it might be the mostimportantbill he signs all year,” Cassidy said.

He notedheplayed akey role in adding $50 billion to

than punitive measures.

The 31-page guidebook also offers standard deﬁnitionsofchronic absenteeism, which is when students miss10% or more of a school year,and truancyto createconsistency across school districts.Italso emphasizesconsistent data collection and reporting so districtscan better track atrisk students.

While truancy takes into account excused absences such as doctor notes, absenteeismdoes not Lafayette Parish Superintendent Francis TouchetJr. is making absenteeismone of his focus pointsfor the school year

“We’re going to really crack down —and you’regoing to see alot of different things happening fromusall theway down to theschools —inreference to absenteeism,” he said during the district’sJuly School Board meeting.“We need tomake sure that kids are in school.”

Before hisfouryears in the Trumpadministration, Fleming servedeight years in the House representing northwest Louisiana. During thattime, he helped create the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.

“Wewere, in my view,the forerunners of the MAGA movement,” said Fleming, who gave up his seat in 2016

Skrmetta said he believes that humans areplaying only asmall roleinglobal warming but added that Trumpclearlywon the2020 election.

Skrmetta said he last spoke with Trumpwhen they briefly crossed paths at aMar-a-Lagofundraiser in April for former Gen. Michael Flynn, who brieﬂy served as Trump’snational security adviser during his ﬁrst term

Fleming said Trump is provingtobethe most consequentialpresident since Franklin D. Roosevelt, who servedfrom1933-45.

“People really believe in him,” Fleming said. “His base certainly does. He has tremendous impact. His word when it comes to endorsements is very powerful.”

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

Jeans, outerwearchanges

The Lafayette Parish School Boardalsovoted on achange to its dress code to allow studentstowear navy blue or khaki pants or slacks, or blue or black jeans.

Students are notallowed to wear “spandex pants or shorts,cutoffs, andshortsor pantswithholes, or frayed, fringed or unhemmed pants.” Students cannot wear yoga pants or jeggings

The board also voted to change the district’sjacket/ coat/sweater/sweatshirt policy to include: n Jackets, coats and sweaters thatunzip or buttonall the way up of any color n Sweaters and sweatshirts thatfollow color guidelines by school, but high schoolers can wear community collegeand university sweatshirts without hoods n Pre-Kthrough fifth

grade students can wear hooded jackets, coats, sweatersorsweatshirts outside of theschool building and on the bus of any color or print n Thesuperintendenthas the ability to determine and announce when extenuating weather circumstances should allow students to wear sweatpants.

Free lunch

All system students can receive lunch and breakfast at no charge for the entire school year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision program.

The traditional Meal Beneﬁt Application, which was forindividualstudents, will be replaced with an economicdata survey. The survey will be usedbythe districttoobtainstate and federal funding and will be sent to households thatdo not receive SNAP,tempo-

rary assistance for needy families or Medicaidbeneﬁts

Policies still in place

Big changes rolled out last year that are still in effect this year

Allnonschool-issueddevices, including cellphones, smartwatches ande-readers, must be powered off andstowed in abackpack They can’tbeinastudent’s pocket. Students can use phones on busesbut must turn them off before walking through the front door The district’spolicy on clear or mesh backpacks also remains active. To increase safety on campuses, studentsand visitors will have to walk through weapons detectionmachines each time they arrive on campus. For more information about uniforms, discipline andother regulations, refer to the system 2025-26 student handbook.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President DonaldTrump’sendorsement could be decisive in aLouisiana U.S. Senate race featuringincumbent Bill Cassidy, Eric Skrmetta, John Fleming and BlakeMiguez Kennedy

Letlow

yearsare more likely to have kidshere than elsewhere. But evenhere, the fertility rate fell by 10.3% over the past decade.

Experts point to several reasons why people are having fewer children: economic uncertainty,the high cost of child care and housing, changing attitudes toward parenting, and growing infertility

Over half of Louisiana adults have post-high school credentials now,a record high, accordingto the state Board of Regents. But jobs in the state haven’t kept up.

“You’ve improved the educational opportunity and the levels of education but not the jobs available for the educatedgroups,” said Anita Raj, aprofessor at Tulane University’sNewcombInstitute. “So you’ve given people more choices —and thechoicethat they’re taking is to leave.”

It’shard to say exactly who is leavingLouisiana or why,Plyer said, but one reason consistently stands out.

“The No.1reason people move long distances is for job opportunities,” she said. “And the state has incredibly weak economic growth.”

Since2000, jobs in Louisiana have grown by just 2%, compared with a20% increase nationwide.

“Wejust don’thave enough jobs to keep people here,” Plyer said.

Population loss

Between 2020 and 2024, about 129,500 morepeople leftLouisiana for other states thanmoved in.The population loss was recovered, in part, by anet gain of 59,000 international migrants during the same period, according to census data, but still resulted in aloss of more than 70,000 people. Migration —both domestic and international —tends to peak in people’s 20s, which is also when people are most likely to have children.

“The ﬂow of births into a place is very sensitive to the number of reproductive-age people,” said Jenna Nobles, aprofessor of demography at the University of California, Berkeley.

The recent drop in births in Louisiana, she said, reﬂects not just ashift in fertility patterns, but the exit of thousands of youngadults, and the future children they might have had in the state.

The Trump administration has renewedefforts to limit immigration by increasing deportations and tightening rules for entry.InLouisiana, which is home to several large immigration detention facilities, such policies could have outsized effects.

Of Louisiana’s54,927 births in 2023, 6,190 were born to mothers notfrom the United States —alittle more thanone in 10 babies born in the state.

“Actions that discourage in-migration are going to be

Female

populationages 15-44

Louisiana’sfemale population ages 15-44 dropped over 3% over the last decade, whilethe U.S. populationgrewover5%.

945,000

Mississippi and Alabama. Ripple effects

The effects of this population shift are already being felt in public schools. Louisiana’spublic school enrollment is at its lowestlevel since 2006, according to state data, and has declined for eight straight years.

In 2021, New Orleans schools enrolled only 84% of their target, leaving 7,200 seatsempty.Schools getfundedper seat,and the lackofstudents cost theaverageschool an estimated $830,000 in funding, according to aNew Schools forNew Orleans report on sustainability Statewide, the population has been shrinking for several years. In 2024, nearly two-thirds of Louisiana parishes lost population, including severalamong thefastest-shrinkinglarge counties in the country, according to census estimates.

sure on hospitals,one of biggest employers in the state.

tain delivery units, but the numberofpatients entering through them is shrinking.

Hospitalsystems have long relied on labor and delivery and pediatric services as an entry point for lifelong patients, even though the services themselves oftendon’t make much money.The ideais that someone who is born in acertain hospital system will continue to use that system as they need care from which the hospital can make more money

But as births decline, thatlong-term strategy becomes harder to justify,said Jillian Torres, a professor of health policy and management at Tulane University.Hospitals are spending heavily to main-

“The only wayhospitals could see aneutral or positive effect fromfallingbirth rateswould be if they actively consolidate or closelabor anddelivery services,” Torres said.

Forpatients, thatmight look liketraveling farther for services of alltypesas hospitalsconsolidate certain services or shrink the number of specialists they hire.Conversations about population loss are “absolutely” happening in hospitalexecutive meetings, Torressaid, pointing to trends of expansion to other states. Ochsner Health, forexample, has expanded to

While the most recent estimates show aslight uptick in thestate’s total population, that increase is largely due to changes in how international immigration is calculated. In reality,New Orleans andits suburbshave lost population faster than anyotherlarge metro area in the country since 2020. But beyond hospitals and schools, ashrinking number of babies and young people —the state’sfuture workers —couldstrain Louisiana’slabor force and erode its tax base. It’sunclear what the impact will be on everything from the housing market to caregiving for aging adults, said Emilio Parrado,ademographer at the University of Pennsylvania.

“We’re entering aphase in humanhistory we haven’t seen before —population decline andpopulationaging,” said Parrado. “We’re already seeing it in schools. We don’treally know how this is going to play out.”

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com

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BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

After Hurricane Katrinahit

New Orleans, Lee Green andhis family fled to Houston. It was there that Green, then thehead football coach and African American studies teacher at Warren Easton High School, got thenews. He, along with more than 7,000 other New Orleans public school teachers, had been unceremoniously fired by the districtinthe wakeofthe storm. Some termination letters were delivered to mailboxes that had been washed away in the floodwaters. Teachers who already had lost their homes now lost their livelihoods, too.

Many took early retirement or movedtoother school districts. But Green came back to New Orleans, drawn by his family,his Lower 9th Ward church andhis love for the city

The system he returnedtowas fundamentally different. After the storm, the state took over low-performing schools across the cityand left only afew under the authority of theOrleans Parish School Board, alongstruggling school districtplagued by low academic achievement and ﬁnancial mismanagement. Eventually,all of the city’s public schools were converted into independently operated charter schools. Green taught at or ledseveral of the city’srevampedschools, including Edna Karr,McDonogh 32, ReNew Live Oak and Andrew Wilson Charter School. He retired in June 2024 as principal of the storiedMcDonogh 35 Senior High School, which in 1917 became

EDUCATION

thecity’sﬁrst public high school to enroll Black students. Over a century later,in2018, it was the city’s last public high school tobe turned into acharter school.

In an interview withthe TimesPicayune aboutthe last two decades in New Orleans education, Green recognized the academic improvements that accompanied the post-Katrina changes but also mournedthe loss of the loss of traditional neighborhood schools andthe mass ﬁringofveteran teachers whowere replaced by an inﬂuxoflargely White and inexperiencedteachers —asharp contrast from the71% Black teachingforce before the storm.

This interview has been condensedand edited for clarity.

What drew you to acareer in education?

Growingupinthe Florida projects, people in our neighborhood saw something in me and my siblings we didn’tevensee.

Iwas educated in so many ways, and by so many inﬂuences, but the biggest was my mother andmybrother Thomas and my older sisterCarolyn. She would go to school and bring back papers andsit us down —the three youngest —and shewould work with us on skills. We had no idea what we were doing, but she kept puttingitinfront of us and engaging us.

Tell me aboutthe startofyour teaching career in NewOrleans in the years before Hurricane Katrina.

Istarted as astudent teacher working with an experienced teacher.Back then,wewere mentored by experienced teachers with almost 20 years in theprofession. Sheguided me through theteaching process,the struggles, writing lesson plans, preparingfor lessons.

(By the time of) my ﬁrst teaching job,I had enough experience to write my own curriculum and lessons.

What are your memoriesofthe storm?

Afew days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, our (Warren Easton) football players were in the locker room before the jamboree (game) against St. Augustine High School. Icalled (Warren Easton’sassistantprincipal at the time) Alexina Medley and she said to send the kids home. So they got on the bus and Itold them Iwould see them Monday That didn’thappen. The kids are spread all over the United States. What happened to New Orleansteachers after the storm? For teachers that got jobsin other states, there was astigma attached. (They were associated with) that perception of bad management by thecity of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

(For teachers whoreturned) to New Orleans, somestaterun schoolsand somecharters wanted teachers to take awritten testwhen they came back. It was demoralizing. When Katrina hit —that gut punch, that momentwefound out we were released and the state of Louisiana wascheering about it —wehad to rebrand ourselves as “educators” and makesure we were seen as professionals. So we did. That’sone good thing that came after Katrina.

Whydid you come back?

Icame back in 2006 because this is my home. My children came back and had to go to school in Jefferson Parish. My church, my community How did New Orleans’ teaching force changeafter the storm?

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKLE THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA SCHOOLS.

Once Katrina hit, there was a push to get top graduates from universities and bring them down here. What we did was atravesty to those young professionals who werecoming out here. Someof them madeit, but alot of them struggled —not because they didn’thave the skill sets to do it, or they didn’thave the content knowledge, but it wasthe development of the pedagogy that was missing.

The idea that the teachers prior to the storm did not have the knowledge, did not have the ability to movethe students, is not true. The weakness before the storm was not the teachers.

That narrative hurt us alot. Before the storm,wehad veteran teachers, middle-class teachers that had the pedagogy down. After the storm,wehad new teachers whowere very intelligent but they didn’tunderstand the teaching part of it. It has since shifted back to alot of African Americans back in the classrooms, but they’re still not receiving aclear understanding of the pedagogy of teaching. What do yousee as the trade-offs of going fromtraditional to charter schools?

Before Katrina, parents would drop their kids off to me at 7a.m. They trusted me to makesure they’re safeearly in the morning. Ithink we lost that trust.

But the charter schools got the ability to makedecisions close to the students and that madeadifference.

Where are we nowinNew Orleans education and where are we going?

We had aburst after Katrina when the funds came in and the data showskids are moving but the state is moving the scale (now), which gives the appearance that New Orleans schools aren’tsuccessful.

We’re nowhere near perfect, but we’ve come so far.

STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Lee Green, aformer principal of McDonogh 35 Senior High School, retired in 2024.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

WASHINGTON —Armed with talking pointsand instructionsfrom their leaders, Democratic and Republican U.S. House members spreadout across the nation last week hawking their versions of whether the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is bad or good.

Republicans are callingthe bill that they alone passed ahistoric law for its tax breaks, immigration enforcement spendingand regulatory rollbacks that they say will energize the nation’seconomy like jet fuel.

Mark Ballard

Democrats, who are rampingupa town hall offensive, are focusingon the megalaw’s$1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps to pay for tax breaks they say primarily beneﬁt the rich At issue are the narrow majorities Republicans hold in the House and Senate going into the November 2026 midtermelections.

Democrats received alittle lagniappe before leaving Washington from the upheaval among Republicans caused by the delay in releasing the investigation records of Jeffrey Epstein. MAGA conservatives, who are responsiblefor electing PresidentDonald Trump and the GOP majorities in the House and Senate,are angered that Trump hasn’treleased the records.

AJuly 25 Emerson CollegePolling national survey of 1,400 voters found only 16% approved of the way Trump was handlingthe release of the Epstein ﬁles. Only 33% of those polled thought the One BigBeautiful BillAct would have apositive impact on them Much ofTrump’sbase accepted conspiracy theories that the

Cassidy officially launches reelection campaign

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidyformally announced Friday that he is running for reelection at an event at Drago’sinMetairie.

“Louisiana and our countryface serious challenges,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy

”I’m running for reelectiontowork with the people of Louisiana and my fellow Americans to not just face these challenges, but to make our state and our country even greater.”

Cassidy also on Friday received the endorsement of Sen. John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader,and Sen. TimScott, chairman of the Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the primary fundraising arm to help GOPSenate campaigns.

Cassidy’s team has emphasized his strong fundraising,saying he raised over $2.1 million in the last quarter and has $9 million cashon hand.

Cassidy also played up his productive working relationship” with President DonaldTrump. Political observers believe Cassidy’sbiggest potential weakness his votein2021 to convict Trump on impeachment charges related to theJan. 6attack on the U.S.

Biden administration was hiding evidence that would reveal highly placedelites, particularly Democrats, had sex withchildren the deceased financier had pimped. Trumpand hissubordinates promised to make thefiles public, comewhat may But thepresident’sappointees in the Department of Justice andFBI issued acurtmemo that debunked themore outrageous assertionsand didn’trelease the files.

Speaker MikeJohnson, RBenton,sidetracked resolutions to force disclosure when he sent House members home early on July 23. They return to Capitol Hill on Sept. 2.

Capitol.

Cassidy is facing challenges from threefellow Republicans: TreasurerJohnFleming; Public ServiceCommissionerEric Skrmetta;and state Sen. Blake Miguez.

Landry,Murrill blastNew Orleans’ ID program

TopRepublican Louisiana ofﬁcials took aim Wednesday at aNew Orleansprogram to distribute identiﬁcation cardstohomelesspeople, immigrants and others who don’thave IDs, with Gov Jeff Landrycallingit“the stupidest ideaI’ve ever seen”onsocialmedia.

“Thecity of New Orleans is underthe stateof Louisiana,” Landry added in ajoint statement with Attorney General LizMurrill, plus the heads of Louisiana State Police and the state’s Ofﬁce of Motor Vehicles. “It is notits own country.”

Back home, Johnson has received the most guff about Epstein.

StateRep.Danny McCormick, R-Oil City,last week condemned theU.S. House speaker for criticizing House memberswho sought to release the ﬁles, as ﬁrst reported by theShreveport Times

Andnear Johnson’sBossier City ofﬁce is abillboardthat reads:

“Speaker Johnson, stop the Epstein Cover Up.” Johnson spent Wednesday giving speeches from Ruston to Bossier City, saying Democrats were misleading voters about the OneBig Beautiful Bill.

“Wedid not cut Medicaid,”

Orleans does not negatively impact the integrityofour elections.”

The ofﬁcials were criticizing the Crescent City ID program, apending initiative calling on residents to apply for municipal ID cards using birthcertiﬁcates and passports. The cards will unlock accesstocityfacilities and offer discountsatsome local businesses

Though theyare available to all comers, supporters have said theprogramis geared towardhomeless people, immigrantsand other vulnerable populations. They toutthe cards’potential for helping domestic violence and trafﬁcking victims to accesscity services.

CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

Murrill questioned the “motive or need for these cards” and said she wasconcerned they could be used to “confer or infer legalimmigration status or driving privileges.”

In astatement, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said shewas workingwith Murrill’s ofﬁce to “ensure that today’s announcement by the CityofNew

Mayor LaToya Cantrell’spress ofﬁce did not immediately respond to arequestfor comment on the state ofﬁcials’criticisms Wednesday

At an event Monday announcing the program, Cantrell said the cards would seek to accommodate LGBTQ+ people, too, by allowing themtoselect cards that list their preferred gender and name.

“Making sure thatthe city is as welcoming as possible, and having the ability to meet ourpeople wheretheyare,regardlessof wheretheycome from, regardless

Johnson said. “What we did was strengthen the program because of fraud, all kinds of waste, and abuse” that needed to be rooted out to keepservices available for truly needy Americans.

ButJohnson still had to address theEpsteinentanglement.

“If Ihad the Epstein ﬁles, I would release them,” Johnson told reporters in Bossier City.He wantsthe victimsprotected and perpetrators prosecuted.

Johnson added that if the ﬁles are still an issue when Congress returns to session, the House “will act accordingly.”

Interestingly,the Epstein issue has been discussed little, if at all, at the six townhalls Democratic

Rep. Troy Carter,ofNew Orleans, has hosted.

Instead, the questions revolved around the pending cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Carter pointed out that the workrequirements aren’tnecessarily onerous. But the new policy to verify eligibility every six months would knock thousands in Louisiana off the rolls once the GOPprovisions start kicking in after the midterm 2026 elections.

“Donald Trump’s‘Big Ugly Law is raising prices on everyday Americans, making them less healthy and less wealthy with the largest cut to health care and food assistance ever,all to cut taxes forthe richest billionaires. Louisianans are fedupwith these bad policies, plain and simple,” Carter said.

Rep. Julia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge, defended the Medicaid changes during apanel at the University of Louisiana at Monroe on Tuesday.Nobody deserving would lose their beneﬁts, she said. Instead, Republicans madetargeted changes, such as removing immigrants whoentered the country without proper authorization.

“I believe in work requirements,” Letlow told KTVE/KARD Monroe after the event. “I know the president does, as well as making sure illegals are not on the Medicaid rolls. That is really all we wereasking in that big, beautiful bill. Ithink the majority of Americans would agree with the president on this, as does Congress, so that’sreally all that we wereasking as farasthe Medicaid goes.”

Senators stayed in Washington, trying to conﬁrm Trumpnominees.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

of who they are and who they love —thatwas apriority,” Cantrell said at the event at Gallier Hall. Immigration and homelessness aretwo issues on which Landry aconservative Republican whose national proﬁle has risen during his governorship, has been quick to criticize the Crescent City’ssolidly Democratic leadership. Landryasgovernor has intervened repeatedly in the city’shandling of its homelessness crisis, busing homeless people to astaterun shelter in Gentilly ahead of the Taylor Swift concert series last fall and again before the Super Bowl in February

Murrill sued the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce in February,arguing that aSheriff’s Ofﬁce policy restricting cooperation with federal immigration agents violates a state ban on so-called “sanctuary” cities.

Though Landry has criticized New Orleans at times since taking ofﬁce last year,political observers say he has forged working relationships with local leaders that crystallized in the run-up to the Super Bowl.

At the event announcing the new ID program, Cantrell said residents would be able to begin signing up for the cards in September

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

KahlidaLloyd, with the Mayor’sOffice of Human Rights &Equity,explains the newCrescent City ID Program on July28atGallier Hall.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, speaks during an event withPresident DonaldTrump on July 2.

THE GULF COAST

Unique flying saucer home stands test of time

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

A bright white house shaped like a flying saucer hovers over Panferio Drive on Pensacola Beach, drawing puzzled glances from drivers and beachgoers alike. Few homes in the world resemble what locals call the UFO house Built in 1966, the bulbous property has withstood a string of natural disasters that battered other parts of Escambia County in Florida — just how Finnish architect Matti Suuronen intended when creating the Futuro style home.

Suuronen was commissioned in 1965 to design a mobile vacation home for ski trips in remote destinations, according to an archival website that focuses on the

history of Futuro houses. Made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic, it was designed to survive sub-zero temperatures while being easily transportable and cheap to construct. The houses quickly garnered widespread attention. Within several months, Surronen received 400 inquiries for licensed production,

he said in the 1998 documentary “Futuro: A New Stance For Tomorrow.” The design also reﬂected the futurism of the 1960s — an era of optimism, when technological progress stirred the American imagination and many boldly envisioned a future of ﬂying cars and moon colonies. Its flying saucer shape and spindly stilts embodied society’s enchantment with the very idea of the future.

“It’s a heavenly feeling of action and togetherness, the here and now,” said Matti Kuusla, owner of the ﬁrst Futuro house, in the documentary

But the oil shocks of 1973 sent the costs of raw materials skyrocketing, forcing the production of Futuro houses to come to an end, the archival website said. By then, there were around 100 in the world.

There are only around 60 left now, and the house on Pensacola

Beach is one of them.

Newspaper archives show owner Victoria Clarkin purchased it in 1998, at one time saying she felt a magnetic pull to the peculiar home since seeing it for the ﬁrst time in high school.

“You wouldn’t believe how crazy people are about that spaceship,” Clarkin told the Pensacola News Journal in 2005. “In any given afternoon in the summer I’ve counted up to 500 people who stop and take a picture of it.” Clarkin could not be reached for comment.

Though few stood the test of time, including another in Florida and others scattered across the U.S. and Europe, its now-iconic design still feels innovative, even after a future of ﬂying cars and lunar colonies never came to fruition.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

A beloved gay bar known for hosting large events and “RuPaul’s Drag

has hit the market in downtown Mobile Alabama, with many in the city’s LGBTQ+ community hoping it will remain an inclusive space after the sale.

B-Bob’s first opened in West Mobile in 1992 and is one of the longest operating gay bars in Alabama. Owner Jerry Ehlen moved the watering hole downtown to 213 Conti St., in 2002.

After more than 30 years in business, Ehlen said he’s ready for a new chapter. The bar will remain open during the process.

“I hope to retire,” he said on Facebook. “It’s been a long run.”

As gay bars close across the U.S., Gulf Coast cities — known to be socially progressive despite being a largely conservative

Bob’s open and possibly add a community resource center

Mobile has the most gay bars of any Alabama city,

voting block — buck the trend.

After LGBTQ of Mobile Bay a Facebook page that shares news and events for the gay community in Mobile and Baldwin County, shared the listing Monday, regulars paid tribute to B-Bob’s and questioned if it would remain a queer space.

“Hopefully whoever buys it, it stays a gay bar,” one commenter said on Facebook. Others suggested crowdsourcing to keep B-

The building and business were listed for sale this week, days after B-Bob’s hosted the annual Bear Leather weekend that brought visitors from Biloxi, Pensacola and even Atlanta for two nights of parties and events there and at neighboring gay bars including Gabriel’s, Flipside Bar and Midtown Pub.

Together the property and business are listed for $1.895 million but can be purchased separately Cameron Weavil is the real estate agent handling the sale.

A rooftop bar was added in 2022, with three levels offering different vibes for patrons. On the first floor, guests can sit at tables and converse and play pool in a casual atmosphere. The second floor with a stage and large bar, is where the dancing, drag shows and contests happen. And the patio offers a break from the club or a picturesque selfie with views of downtown.

When B-Bob’s ﬁrst opened in 1992 there were 17 businesses listed as gay bars in the state of Alabama, AL.com reported. In 2022, eight remained open.

PROVIDED By PENSACOLA’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

The Futuro home on Pensacola

is one of 60 left in the world

Hurricane season has quiet start

Past two months least active in 16 years

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

The

ﬁrst two months of what is expected to be a busy 2025 hurricane season have already come and gone without much brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. But don’t let your guard down just yet.

Lafayette Concert Band conductor to retire

Gerald Guilbeaux to be replaced by Scotty Walker

BY JOANNA BROWN

Staff writer

Gerald Guilbeaux joined the Lafayette Concert Band as its conductor in 1993, and for the past 30 years, he has played a key role in developing Lafayette’s celebrated concert band and symphonic community

Guilbeaux announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he will retire from the conductor position after the Lafayette Concert Band’s “Fall Festival of Sound” on Oct 12. The concert will open the band’s 43rd season, and after that event, Scotty Walker will become the organization’s seventh conductor

ä See CONDUCTOR, page 2B

Opelousas Christian group to expand

Refinery Mission awarded grant for new facility

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The Reﬁnery Mission in Opelousas was awarded $2.5 million Friday to begin construction on a new facility that will provide emergency and transitional housing for men in need. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Catalyst Bank awarded the organization $2 million, with the Stuller Family Foundation giving an additional $500,000.

ä See GROUP, page 2B

But Lowry and other hurricane forecasters are warning that the worst of the season is yet to come, and how a storm season starts is not an indicator of how it will end.

Miami-based meteorologist and hurricane specialist Michael Lowry wrote in his weather and climate newsletter this week that Thursday closed out the least active start to a hurricane season in 16 years, a quiet two months that feel even more unusual when compared with the theatrics of the last few summers.

“So we stay vigilant,” Lowry said, “and don’t let the early whims of the hurricane season fool us.”

Data collected by Colorado State University shows that June and July 2025 saw more named storms than average during the last 30 years, though just barely: Three named storms had formed by Thursday afternoon, compared with the historical average

of 2.7 named storms. But the ﬁrst two months of the year were below normal in all other parameters, including the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or more that had formed, and the number of days that named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes were active. This season is also behind so far in accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, a metric scientists use to quantify a season’s intensity that considers the duration and strength of

each named storm that forms in a season.

While seasons of the last three decades would have garnered an ACE of 9.6 by the end of July this season had only accumulated a score of 1.5, according to CSU. A near normal season would end on Nov 30 with an ACE score of 73 to 126, according to NOAA’s deﬁnition. Paul Miller, an associate professor of coastal meteorology at

ä See HURRICANE, page 2B

TOP: Marshall Reggie Thomas hands out backpacks Saturday during the ﬁfth annual Drive-Thru Backpack Giveaway at Destiny of Faith Church in Lafayette. The drive, hosted by Lafayette City Marshal Reggie Thomas, handed out 900 backpacks ﬁlled with school supplies for the upcoming school year

ABOVE: Backpacks loaded with school supplies wait to be handed out.

RIGHT: Students with the Marshal Explores help hand out backpacks

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Shutdown leaves town isolated

U.S. 90 bridge over West Pearl closed since 2022

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

It’s a slow Wednesday afternoon at the Turtle Landing Bar and Grill, the conversation among the handful of regulars sipping beer at the bar interrupted only brieﬂy when someone new walks through the doors

“You liked the burger, eh?” owner Janyne Crapeau asks a customer “Everybody loves our burgers. They come from all over.”

Just not today And, Crapeau says wistfully, not on most weekday afternoons.

Business at the Turtle has taken a nosedive in the three years that a series of closed bridges along U.S. 90, just to the west, has cut the ﬂow of trafﬁc into tiny Pearlington, Mississippi and past Crapeau’s tavern on the banks of the Cowan Bayou.

“As you can see, my daytime business has gone to hell,” she said.

“Three years. It’s been three years!”

Indeed, when the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development shut down a 3.3-mile stretch of U.S. 90 at the LouisianaMississippi state line in May 2022, few in the area likely thought the highway would be closed this long. The state had determined that a series of 1930s-era bridges over the various branches of the Pearl River were unsafe and beyond repair, forcing the closure.

While that stretch of Highway 90, as it’s commonly called, didn’t see the huge volume of trafﬁc some other highways carry, its closure has been acutely felt by locals in eastern St. Tammany Parish and in Pearlington, a community of less than 1,000 people just to the east of the state line.

Though a far cry from its heyday as the major roadway linking the communities through south Louisiana and along the coast, U.S. 90 was a popular shortcut for some Louisiana drivers headed to the Mississippi Coast casinos or beaches.

It’s also an important evacuation or alternative route if the far-busier Interstate 10 to the north is closed for some reason, St. Tammany Parish’s legislative delegation has argued to the state highway department.

“It’s the No. 1 issue I hear about,” said state Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell. “People want that highway open again.”

But that won’t come cheaply DOTD estimates for the removal and replacement of the ﬁve deteriorating bridges have hovered in the range of $300 million to $350 million. And that’s money the highway department says isn’t available.

“The interest in moving forward with a project remains very high, and nothing has changed regarding DOTD’s commitment to a replacement solution,” DOTD spokesperson Daniel Gitlin said in an email.

“It’s frustrating that a solution, because of the immense cost, isn’t easily within reach,” Gitlin added. Berault said there could be some light at the end of the financial tunnel, however

HURRICANE

Continued from page 1B

The state is working with Mississippi on a joint grant application to the federal government seeking special money for the project That grant application will be submitted later this fall, she said.

“The Governor’s Office has recognized how urgent this is,” she said. “The good news? We’re past the point of shrugging our shoulders and saying we don’t have the money.”

Sen. Bob Owen, R-Slidell, said having influential members of Congress such as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise will help with the grant application

“It’s obviously going to take federal money,” Owen said. “DOTD ﬂat-out doesn’t have the money.”

Feeling isolated

Not far from the Turtle Landing, Michael Mavevyengwa sits at a desk behind the counter of his convenience store, Pearlington Rockets, just a stone’s throw from the “Road Closed” sign sitting in the scarred and sun-baked asphalt of U.S. 90. He took over the store in 2017, eventually boosting revenue to $150,000 or more most months.

“It was good money We had gas and everything,” Mavevyengwa said.

But after the road closed in 2022, a lot of that business dried up, he said. Revenue shrank, and now the store hangs on with a fraction of the customers that used to pass through it.

The gas pumps outside no longer work — there’s not enough business to cover the costs of gasoline shipments, he said.

“We are barely breaking even,” he said, noting that he’s tried to keep his fourperson staff with a steady 30 hours each week. “We stay here because the community needs us. But we are drowning.”

The community of Pearlington has always been somewhat isolated cut into the woods and bayous just across the Louisiana line. Nearly 20 years ago, the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over the region, leaving the

LSU, said that despite all the analytics, this season’s start is still fairly close to the historical norm.

It’s really the last few hurricane seasons, which ranked among the most active on record and kicked off with massive storms, that have made this year’s near-normal start feel abnormally quiet.

“If you think about last year, we had Hurricane Beryl, which was a Category 5 storm, in June,” Miller said “And here we are on the verge of August and we’re still without our ﬁrst hurricane.”

Ghosts of seasons past

Though Louisiana made it

CONDUCTOR

Continued from page 1B

community in a shambles and, Crapeau said, driving many residents away Crapeau and some others say the closure of U.S. 90 makes the isolation feel that much heavier “You do feel forgotten,” she said, running down a list of longtime customers that have faded into memory since the highway closed.

There were groups that came from Venetian Isles in New Orleans and Slidell, she said. And a lot of the classic cars headed to Cruisin’ on the Coast up and down the Mississippi Coast each October

“Now we’re too far out of their way,” she said. And the traffic flowed in both directions, Crapeau says.

“I think some of those Slidell businesses are hurting, too,” she said, noting that Pearlington residents take their grocery shopping to Bay St. Louis or other places along the coast now instead.

Crapeau said she’s thankful she still has a decent night and weekend business. “It’s keeping us open,” she said.

Anybody want a bridge?

Gitlin, the DOTD spokesperson, said the agency’s engineers and designers have “gone back to the drawing board” time and again to reduce the price tag.

“If there is a perception that the department is simply sitting on the $300 million estimate and waiting, not understanding the urgency of the situation, that’s not accurate,” he said in the email.

The highway department even marketed the old bridges through its Historical Bridge Inventory Program, which allows interested parties to have them for free if they can come up with another use for them.

There were no takers.

Back at the Turtle Landing, Karl Davis sipped a longneck at a corner of the bar The trip from his Slidell home to Pearlington used to take 10 minutes or so.

“Now it’s at least 20 minutes on the interstate,” he said. “And it’s the interstate. It’s a headache. But all my friends are here.”

through last year largely unscathed, it was dubbed an ”extremely active” season by NOAA, with 18 named storms and 11 hurricanes, five of which were major

Before that, the 2023 season was one of the busiest in the last 70 years, though El Niño, a climate pattern typically associated with fewer Atlantic storms, helped turn most of the cyclones away from the U.S. La Niña had the opposite effect in the two years before that, helping to foster more tropical activity than normal, including Hurricane Ida in 2021.

All of those seasons saw named storms before the end of June. But Miller said that’s unusual, not the so-called quiet start to this season so far

Walker, who is currently the associate conductor for the Lafayette Concert Band, is known throughout the state as a dedicated musician, instructor and bandleader

As the longtime Lafayette High School band director, Walker led the program to multiple championships, and after retiring from LHS in 2023, he announced this year that he would return to teaching as the band director at St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette.

“Over the past 32 years, leading this remarkable organization has brought me immense fulfillment,” wrote Guilbeaux on Facebook. In addition to serving as LCB conductor, Guilbeaux was the founding conductor of the Acadian

Wind Symphony, which he started in 1994 to be a home to some of Acadiana’s top instrumentalists.

From Carencro, Guilbeaux was a member of the Pride of Acadiana marching band as a student at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now UL. For over 40 years after graduation, he also served as the voice of the Pride of Acadiana at UL football games. In 2021, Guilbeaux won the American Prize in Conducting in the community band/wind ensemble division.

The Lafayette Concert Band was started in 1982 by Guilbeaux and others looking to expand opportunities for musical growth in the area, in a formal concert atmosphere. The band features 80 musicians from across Acadiana, playing woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

The Lafayette Concert

Band’s last performance conducted

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

GROUP

Continued from page 1B

The $3 million facility, dubbed the Rig, will house an additional 57 emergency and transitional beds along with ofﬁce space and a common area for sermons, job training, events and sports, said Executive Director Johnny Carriere.

The Reﬁnery Mission, a faith-based Christian organization founded in 1988, has grown tremendously over the past two decades. When Carriere entered 16 years ago, they had only

Peak activity ‘yet to come’

A vast majority of tropical activity happens after Aug. 1, Miller said. In the last 30 years, more than 80% of named storms formed after Aug. 1, according to data collected by NOAA, along with 90% of hurricanes and 96% of major hurricanes.

On average, the ﬁrst Atlantic hurricane of the season forms on Aug. 11, Miller said.

“About 85% of hurricane season is still yet to come,” he said. “So even though school might be starting in a couple weeks and college football season is ramping up, that’s really when the tropics start to wake up.”

Along with help from La Niña, Miller said near-record-breaking sea-surface temperatures

one building and 12 beds, falling far short of the needs of the Acadiana community

The group connects with men on the streets, leaving prison, rehab and hospitals. They then help house men and connect them with stable work.

“We walk with men through some of the hardest seasons of their lives, helping them heal, rebuild, reenter society with purpose and dignity,” Carriere said.

A few years ago, Reﬁnery Mission added a 54-bed facility, bringing the organization to a total of 120 beds.

in the Atlantic contributed to heightened storm activity in recent years. Warm ocean water is, after all, a hurricane’s fuel.

While water temperatures are slightly above average this year, he said they’re not ”shock and awe warm” like they were in 2024. That could be contributing to this year’s slower start.

But Miller and other researchers have warned that tropical activity in the Atlantic could start to pick up in the coming weeks, as a climate cycle known as the Madden-Julian Oscillation shifts to a pattern often associated with an uptick in storms.

Some global hurricane models, he said, are showing the possibility for activity somewhere in the Atlantic during the ﬁrst half of August.

With the new facility, they will be able to house up to 180 men. And the need is growing, Carriere said.

“Right now and over the last however long I can remember, we were only able to accept about 50% of the men that applied to get into our program,” he said.

Construction is expected to begin soon and will last around 18 months. The facility provides services for the entire Acadiana region.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

“So reading the tea leaves,” Miller said, “it looks like we’re going to have some additional activity here coming up in the next couple of weeks.”

Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey bubnash@theadvocate.com.

FRIDAY,AUG. 1, 2025

3: 7-1-7

by Guilbeaux will take place Oct. 12 at the Lafayette High School Scotty Walker Concert Hall.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Gerald Guilbeaux conducts the Acadian Wind Symphony in concert on July 2, 2018. Guilbeaux announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he will retire from the conductor position after the Lafayette Concert Band’s ‘Fall Festival of Sound’ on Oct. 12.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE Scotty Walker will become the organization’s seventh conductor

STAFF PHOTO By STEPHEN MARCANTEL

The Refinery Mission, located in Opelousas, recently announced the creation of a new facility that will offer more housing for men in need.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

The West Pearl River Bridge on U.S. 90 in St. Tammany Parish on Tuesday has been closed since May 2022, after state inspectors deemed the steel truss structure too deteriorated to remain open.

OPINION

Spaceprogram fundingisgood

news forLa., Gulf Coast

Among the many,many provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed last month by President Donald Trump is one that will have adirect, positive impact on Louisiana: an extra $9.9 billion for NASA space programs, including the one that is intended totake astronauts back to the moon.

Key elements of that program take place on the Gulf Coast at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in NewOrleans East and at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Those facilities support thousands of jobs, ranging from highly technical engineers to skilled tradesmen and laborers. Those industries and jobs have long been economic boons to our region.

The renewed funding avertswhat some had fearedcould be catastrophic cuts after some in the Trump administration, including Elon Musk, mused publicly about ending funding for government programstosupport space ﬂight.

Earlier proposals would have ended the program after Artemis 3, amanned mission tothe moon currently planned forMarch 2027. But the OBBB funds the program through Artemis 4and 5and into the 2030s.

Getting the funding put back into the budget was largely the work of Texas Republican Sen. TedCruz, who argued that cutting it would put the United States at acompetitive disadvantage to China.

We are, of course, grateful thatthe programs, especially Artemis, will be fully funded. Important parts of every Artemis mission, including the main stage rocket, are assembled at Michoud, and the program’srocket engines are tested at Stennis.

The bill’spassage has come at the same time as other good news for Michoud and Stennis. After aNASA contractorﬁled notice with the state that it intended to lay off hundreds of workers in Louisiana when itscontract ended at the end of June, the new contractor,Nova Space Solutions, announced last monththat it had rehired almost all of those workers.

What’smore, the company went above a NASA-imposed requirement that it honor an existing deal with unionized workers at the facilities for one year andforged an additional three-year pact. The average hourly wage for United Auto Workers union members at Michoud will now be justunder $40 per hour Novaexecutives noted in astatement that they were both former union members, something that aided the negotiations.

In addition, earlier cuts announced by Boeing were smaller than expected. The company originally said it might have tocut 400 workers across three space facilities, including Michoud, but the company ended up cutting fewer than 200.

We are heartened by these developmentsand whatthey mean, not just for America’sforays into the ﬁnal frontier,but for us close to home. Beyond employment and salary numbers, our region can be proud of its contribution to mankind’s boldest explorations.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

There are so manyquestions still lingering after the arrests of several central Louisiana police chiefs and others in what prosecutors allege was abrazen and clever schemetodefraud theU.S. immigration system For instance, why did the schemehappen in those places? What was it about Oakdale, ForestHill and Glenmora, three small townsalong a17mile stretch of U.S. 165, that madethem thecenter of this plan? Is this sort of thingmorewidespread? Is it part of abroader,more organized effort?

that likely won’tbeaddressed in a courtroom: Why do Glenmora and Forest Hill even have police chiefs?

entire police department on the books?

Those townsare so small it makes little sense forthem to have their own PD. Oakdale, which has around 6,000 residents, Ican understand.

How did thefeds learn what was going on? What brought it to their attention?

Wasthere something in the federal immigration system that triggered adeeper look? Were thefeds tipped off by somebody within those departmentsortowns that knew what was going on?

Many of these questions will be answered as the court case against themen —all of whom have pleaded not guilty—unfolds in thecoming months.

ButIhave one more question, one

This August and September,Louisianans will remember the2005 hurricanes that devastated our state.

In theOpinions section, we hope the20th anniversary of Katrina and Rita will be an opportunitytoreﬂect on how far we have come and what is left to be done.

ButGlenmora? It has around 1,000 residents. As of last week, per theLouisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, its police force consisted of one part-timeofﬁcer.Why does that tiny town even need apolice chief or apolice department? ForestHill has even less of aneed. The village —which is hometoacluster of wholesale nurseries —has about 600 residents. Yetits police force, per theLouisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, has three full-timeofﬁcers and one working part-time. Do they seriously have such acrimeproblem in ForestHill that they need three fulltimecops? Isuspect not.

There is an obvious answer here: They have police departments to enforce speed limits on the highways through town.Those ﬁnes are likely an important source of revenue. But is that really ajustiﬁcation forhaving an

This whole thing should prompt a hard inward look by plenty of rural residents across the state. Having your own police department is asign of status, apoint of pride forsome small towns. But is that worth it? It’s timetotalk about abolishing someofthese small departments. It just doesn’tmake sense ﬁnancially or crime prevention-wise. Abita Springs (pop. 2,700) did it years ago and has never looked back.

Ionce wasatahigh school basketball gameinRosepine (pop. 1,400) and noticed anumber of local ofﬁcers standing in the gym.I asked the chief how manyofhis ofﬁcers wereatthe game.

“All of them,” he said.

“Who’swatching the town?” Iasked. “The Sheriff’sOfﬁce,” he replied. In other words, he could have every ofﬁcer at ahigh school basketball gamebecause they weren’tneeded to patrol the streets. And Ibet that same thing was largely true when there wasn’tagame going on, too.

Faimon A. Roberts III canbe reached at froberts@theadvocate. com.

It’snoexaggeration to say that in the immediate aftermath of those storms, the outlook for our state was bleak. Butthanks to thehard work of ahost of dedicated folks —some local, some whocame from miles away —our statebegan to put thepieces together and build anew future.

conversation on the lessons we learned from that time, lessons that we may be losing as the years progress. Certainly,itwas atimewhen manyLouisianans came together and helped one another, sharing resources and knowledge needed to rebuild. It also was atime when the national spotlight shone on our state for good and ill, forcing us to address long-festering issues, or at least no longer deny them

pened and honor the lives lost. On the Opinion pages, you will see reﬂections we hope will spark thoughtful conversations about what the stormsmeant forLouisiana. Please feel free to add your thoughts to the mixbysending us aletter

We,ofcourse, want to hear from you about what you felt or experienced during that time, and where you think thestate still has worktodo.

We know manylost loved ones and lives were upended by the storms Rather than simply reawakening trauma, we hope our coverage will open a

Andwhile there were manyfailures that the storm exposed —inthe levees, in emergency response, in sheltering —wealso must acknowledge the successes that subsequently ﬂowed into our state with renewedenergy and effort coming from all quarters. As themonths progress, we know there will be manynews outlets that will feature stories about the storms. This newspaper has planned comprehensive coverage as well. It’s importantthat we never forget what hap-

Turning to our letters inbox forJuly 10-17, we received 72 letters. Immigration enforcement continues to be atop concern forreaders. We received eight letters on the topic, and another four letters speciﬁcally about the Mandonna Kashanian case. The next topic that interested readers was the content on the Opinion pages, with somecommenting speciﬁcally on the letters section. Then, there were two topics that received twoletters each: the plans foranew arena on LSU’s campus and the federal cuts to public broadcasting.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa Garrett

Faimon Roberts

COMMENTARY

‘One Door’willmakeMedicaidworkbetter

Good news: Louisiana is better situated than almost every other state to implement new work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps.

Still, at an individual level, misplaced fears remain that the new work requirements and related paperwork burdens will be particularly devastating for Louisiana’sunusuallylarge percentage of low-income residents.

comes than Medicaid does.

ly as they write the regulations.”

Part of the fear was stoked by an Urban Institute study released in May —before some crucial provisions for Louisiana were included in the bill —predicting that some 139,000 Louisiana adults could lose coverageinthe ﬁrstyear alone

Now that the proverbial smoke is clearing, though, the picture is much better

As it turns out, states will have agrace period all the way to the endof2026 to implementthe work requirements for bothMedicaid and for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (still colloquially known as “food stamps”) —and states may be

granted anextensionofanother yearbyfederal ofﬁcials if they meet certain conditions.A year andahalf (at least)isplenty of time to create efﬁcient service-delivery systems. Here, though, is where Louisiana has aparticular advantage. In June, Gov Jeff Landrysignedthe “OneDoor” bill, an initiative of the Pelican Institute think tank that was passed unanimously by bothchambers of the Louisiana Legislature in responsetoLandry’srequest.

The BayouStatethusbecomes the nation’ssecond(after Utah) to provide asingle point of entry for individuals seeking all themajor types of public assistance. Instead of fillingout multiple forms at multiple offices,needy Louisianans will gotoone place whereone assignedcaseworker will help them navigate the various systems to figure out which formsofhelp they qualify for and how to secure that assistance.

So, whether itisSNAP,Medicaid,Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (what once was known as traditional “welfare”),

housing assistance or job training, the paperwork and bureaucratic rigmarole will be reduced to aminimum.

Meanwhile, thewhole point of the “job requirements” is to be helpful, not harmful. The mandateisfor just 80 hours per month of either paid work, training or charitable volunteering —40monthly hours less than the work requirements in the tremendously successful 1996 welfare reform that Democratic President Bill Clinton and Republican membersofcongress all spent years, quiterightly,boasting about.

Andthe new requirementsfor Medicaid apply only to people who are above thepoverty line and able-bodied and under 65 years old and who are neither pregnant nor caregivers for the elderly or for children under age 15. In other words, those to whom therequirements apply should not just be able tobut actually want to work —and, for that matter,togain skills and experiences that will earn them jobs where private insurance markets provide much better medical out-

Because of One Door, that process leading to renewed self-sufﬁciency,spurred on by the Medicaid and SNAP reforms, should —atleast in Louisiana —beless daunting than ever before.

“The governor’smantra from thetransition [into ofﬁce] forward has been helping Louisianans move from dependence to independence, and [One Door] is one of themost classic examples,” said Bruce Greenstein, Secretary of theLouisiana DepartmentofHealth. “Wehave a lot of job openings. We have alot of people that are not participating in jobs… and [now] those individuals get the opportunity for what is really ‘concierge service’ to apply to get jobs… and be gainfully employed.”

Greenstein said Louisiana officials alreadyhave established acollaborative relationship with federal officials to give feedback on how to makethe Medicaid and SNAPrequirements fit in with the OneDoor model.

Indeed, he said Thursday,“Ijust met withfederal ofﬁcials yesterday,and we’re going to work close-

Moreover,Greenstein said, of the approximately 540,000 Louisianans to whom the work requirements would apply,nearly half,about 265,000, “already meet the work requirements” without needing to do anything more. Surely,hesaid, the One Door program should makeitfar easier forthe other half to meet the requirements, too.

“So our goal,” he said, “is that not one person loses Medicaid eligibility” if the person “is going to participate in this new relationship.”

With all that in mind, the doomsayers are probably wrong. From where Isit, the health-and-welfare reforms in the new federal law,combined with One Door, look likely to reduce Louisiana poverty in the next decade, while actually leading to better health availability and outcomes statewide.

Time, and Louisiana’sgovernmentand people, will soon start testing that diagnosis.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com.

To save himself, Cassidyjoins Team Trump

Bill Cassidy won’tsay what hetalksto

President Donald Trump about.

“I actually don’ttalk aboutprivate conversations thatIhavewiththe president,” the Republican senatorsaid on arecent call withlocal journalists, “because if you start talking about private conversations,you don’thave more private conversations.”

But oh, does he ever want Louisiana voters to know theytalk. And you know who doesn’ttalk to Trump? All the people runningagainst him in next year’sRepublican primary,the ones who claimtobemore MAGA than a senator who, not all that longago, votedto convict Trump for his horrid incitement of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. This, clearly,isCassidy’s version of the lay of the land half ayear into Trump’s second term.

up backhomeduring theSenate’ssummer break. Andheclaimed credit for being the keyvotetoconﬁrm no fewer than three Trump nominees —most notably Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is nowbusydismantlingfederal health care practices that Cassidy,asa physician, knows full well are vital to American citizens’well-being.

Just last week, he voted to conﬁrm yetanother questionable nominee, Emil Bove, to alifetime appointment to an appeals court in Pennsylvania, despite whistleblower assertions that he’d recommended that Trumpignore judicial orders on immigration.

Bottom line: If there’sa loyalty test(and with this president, there always is),Cassidy is acing it. He’s Team Trump, all the time, all in.

“Other people like to talk.Iactually do the walk,” he said.

Oneiswhether it will work. Cassidy will face voters next spring under anew system of party primaries, devised by theLegislature at least in part due to anger in Republican ranks toward him

So instead of having to win majority support from all voters, he needs to ﬁnish ﬁrst in aprimary among only registered Republicans (thesame folks mostlikely to hold theimpeachmentvote against him) and voters registered in neither major party.

Alarge and possibly still growing ﬁeld of challengers —sofar state Treasurer John Fleming, stateSen. BlakeMiguez and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta —might be normally good newsfor an incumbent under these circumstances, except that lawmakers wrote aprimary runoff intothe plan.

likely somegoodwill from voters whoappreciate what he’sbeen doing lately and also somegrudging understanding from those wholiked his former independent streak and are furious at him forhis recent votes, but still think he’d be better than any of the alternatives.

Still, his hopes rely upon awhole lot of forgiving and forgetting from Trump’s base.

Second question: What will Trumphimself do?

How is the current “I’m with him”campaign playing with aman whoisfamously vindictive but just as famously susceptible to ﬂattery?

Cassidy reminded reporters that he’s been invited to the White House seven times, and that the presidentsigneda bill he authored to crack down on fentanyl trafﬁcking while he stood rightbehind Cassidy said he enthusiastically backed the One Big Beautiful Bill and is talking it

So rather than being aguardrail, this is thepath he’schosen.

Or to putitanother way,this is theprice he’s willing to pay to convince the primary voters who’ll decide his future that he’s their guy,because he’swith their guy

Whichraises afew obvious questions:

So, unless Cassidy ﬁnishes with 50% plus one in the ﬁrst round of voting, he’ll face a head-to-head contest withone of the candidates claiming tobemoreMAGAthan he is, despiteeverything that’s happened since inauguration day Cassidy does enter with some advantages. He’sgot statewide name recognition; nearly $9 million at last count to spend on therace, raised largely outside Louisiana;

And did Cassidy get something from Trumpinexchange forshepherding the Kennedy nomination during those private conversations? Maybe acommitment to back him,ortoatleast stay out of it? Or has he just unilaterally disarmed and decided to do whatever it takes to win six moreyears?

All of which prompts the mostburning question of them all: Why would anyone wantsix moreyears of this?

Email StephanieGrace at sgrace@ theadvocate.com.

Grapplingwithidentityafter fraternity’s expulsion

forcement.

Just the other day Iwas talking with my Omega Psi Phi Fraternity brother,John Jones.Hewas happytohear from me, but sad nonetheless.

Like me, Jones has beena member of our beloved frat for decades. Like me, he’sstill active and engaged. Like me, we don’t drink the Omega oil,step, party and socialize as we oncedid as younger frat brothers. When you’re an Omega, people expect the brothers in purple and gold to bring the funk. But at 85, those days are far in hisrearview mirror.Yet,like most Omega men,Omega friendship is essential to his soul.

Jones was asocial studies major when he was initiated intothe Beta Sigma Chapter of Omega at Southern University and A&M College in 1961. He had amilitary career and settled in New Orleans some time ago,until Hurricane Katrina.He’sbeen in Baton Rouge since. Until recently,Jones would proudly tell anyone that he wasmade at Beta Sig.

Now he’snot sure what to say.

Southern has expelled Beta Sigma, our fraternity chapter on

thecampus since its founding in 1936. Next year would’ve been thechapter’s90th anniversary. Wouldhave been. Nowthereis no Omega chapteratSouthern. The university announcedthe expulsion on July 18, several months after mechanical engineering student Caleb Wilson, 20, collapsed in a Baton Rouge warehouse. He had been repeatedly punchedinthe chestand died. This was done off-campus. It was not an authorized activity

After an ofﬁcial investigation, thechapterhas received “permanent termination,” it is “ineligiblefor reinstatement” and it “forfeits all rights and privileges associated with recognition at Southern University,” accordingtodocuments provided after apublic recordsrequest. That included removing all fraternity banners, bulletin boardpostings and signage, including “the fraternity plot,” apatch of grass with the Omega shield on it, by July 15, 2025. According to the university,failure to do so could result in ﬁnancial penalties and could include involving law en-

That’sserious Jones doesn’tvisit thecampus as much as he used to these days When he and other Beta Sig Omegas do, thefratplot is amagnet for Ques, anickname for Omega brothers, especially during homecoming weekends.

Now there is no ofﬁcial plot.

Just afew days ago, ablue tarp covered what had been theBeta Sigmaplot Beta Sigma—and somegraduate men who were Omegas when Wilson died —messedup. The frat expelled some from membership. Southerntook its own expulsion step.

Higher education institutions thrive when studentspursue their academic paths with the addition of authorized student activities.That authority is granted to student groups that agreeto conduct themselves according to astudent code of conduct.Beta Sigmadid not.Thereare 89 ofﬁcially registered student organizations representing morethan 800 studentsoncampus.

The Bio Jags, Peach State Jags and the West Connection groups have to abide by therules. The Beta Beta Beta honor society,the

African Student Association, the Indian Student Association and theBaptist Collegiate Ministry agree to abide by the rules. So do Greek groups. Without Beta Sigma, there are 12 authorized Greek organizations, including theAlpha TauChapter of Delta SigmaTheta Sorority Inc., the Beta Alpha Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the Alpha Eta Chapter of Iota Phi Theta FraternityInc. Oftentimes, ofﬁcially sanctioned student activities come with funding. Like any investment, thefunder wants to know that thereceiving entity understands that it is agood faith transaction. Violate the rules and various degrees of penalties or sanctionsare often attached. For auniversity student group, that might include individual or group ﬁnes, probations or suspensions.The ultimate is expulsion. Southern’s monthslong investigation determined that the chapter was “responsible” (there is no guilty or not guilty) for hazing, violent behavior,physical assault, negligent bodily injury coercion andaiding and abetting. Anyone of those things is bad.

All of them equal aﬁrst-class motherlode of unacceptable behavior

Consider it awell-earned erasure. Like Jones, I’m disappointed and Ifeel for my Beta Sigma brothers whonolonger have a chapter home. But Southern did the right thing. No one can erase the Beta Sig memories Jones has. Certainly no one can erase his Beta Sig love. Jones is now amember of the Rho Phi graduate chapter in New Orleans. Still, when asked where he was“made,” Jones has proudly responded “Beta Sigma.” Now,he’screstfallen. And he’s struggling and uncertain what he’ll say as he’sasked the same question.

“I just don’tknow what I’mgoing to say now,” Jones told me. “If Ido, I’ll have to explain. Over and over again.” That’sasad reality forJones and other Beta Sigma-made Omegas —and Omegas everywhere. Afew “brothers” messed things up —for Jones and so manyothers.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Quin Hillyer

Stephanie Grace

Will Sutton

LSU’s defensive fronthas good day

WR Anderson sits out practice forthird straightday

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

As LSU went through individualdrills Saturday morning, linebacker Harold Perkins worked with the edge rushers. It wasa sign of thingstocome on the fourthday of preseason camp.

Perkins, playing from his new Star position, got in the backﬁeld acouple times as part of the pass rush during LSU’sfullteam periods. It was agood day for thedefensive front, which made it difﬁcult forthe offense to consistently run the ball or complete throws.

LSU has not worn full pads yet —thatwill come next week —but the physicality is ramping up. The Tigers have aday offSunday before they return to the ﬁeld.

Acoupleother players stood out along the defensive front, especially South Florida transfer Bernard Gooden. He got in the backﬁeld acouple times on run plays,and he ﬂashed in aone-on-one rep against redshirt sophomoreguardDJChester.Goodenisnot big for adefensive tackle at 6-foot-1 and268 pounds, but he has aquick get-off. Sophomore defensive end Gabriel Reliford also made plays, includingatleastone sack in 11-on-11. Though LSU signed three experienced transfer defensiveends, Reliford continues to get alot of work withthe starters. He and Perkins forced quarterback GarrettNussmeier toescapepressure and throwthe ball away at onepoint. Perkins added anice pass breakup in oneon-onesagainsttight end BauerSharp. He ranwith Sharp throughout adrag route before knocking the ball down. Later,Perkins

UNG OOD

Cajuns open camp with three-wayquarterback battle

Itwas almost 12 minutes intohis 16-minute session at UL’s mediaday news conference when someoneﬁnally brought up thequarterback position to offensive coordinator TimLeger Thequestion suggesting how surprising it was that no oneyet hadasked him about the key position.

Leger agreed, revealing he expected it to be ﬁrst on the agenda.

Wasitreally surprising? Sort of, largelybecause that position always seemstobehigh on everyone’s mind.

Really surprising?Not at all.

It’sjust suchanunusualquarterback scenario going into preseason camp.The truth is, there’sjust nota whole lottosay or analyze at this point. Most are assuming junior WalkerHoward transferred here to be the starter.Hewas considered oneofthe nation’sbest dual-threat quarterbacksout of St. Thomas More andhas spent the past three seasons backing up ﬁrst-round draft picks Jayden Daniels at LSUand Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss.

Coach Michael Desormeaux said he didn’tpromisehim anything but areal opportunity and that’sexactly how Howard wants it.

Still, we all saw how sharp Howard looked in the spring game. At Sun Belt media days in late July, Desormeaux said Howard would start if the season began on August 1, but it doesn’t. So it’s just amatter of letting the process play itself out.He’ll ofﬁcially namethe starter when he’s ready,but there’slittle mystery entering camp.

“I feel refreshed,” Howard said Friday.“Ifeel happy,I feel in a great spot. Headspace is great, super excited coming to fall camp, ready to get going and super excited about the season.”

We also realize where this year’s quarterback room is these days, however.Not one of them has thrownatouchdown pass on the collegiate level.

Howard has thrown10passes for 63 yards and run it six times for 33 yards in his three seasons. Redshirt sophomore Lunch Winﬁeld hasn’tthrownapass with ﬁve carries for19yards rushing.

ä See FOOTE, page 3C

Saints change up quarterbackrotationonsluggishday

andmaking sure we keep rotating these guys andgoing through that.”

Haener takesrepswith thesecondteamduring situationalpractice Saints quarterback

Therewas aslight changetothe Saints‘ pecking order for their quarterbacksSaturday.

Rattler,because his reps had come with theﬁrst and second teams, was signiﬁcantly ahead of theother two quarterbacks on pass attempts. Saturday’ssession was an opportunity to narrow thegap. Here’safurther look:

n Shough:8of10(33 of 54 overall)

n Haener: 8-12 (41-59)

n Rattler: 6-7 (50-71)

Matthew Paras

Over the ﬁrst eight days of camp, SpencerRattler took secondteam reps on days that he didn’trun with the starters. But when the group reconvened in the morning, and with Tyler Shough getting starting reps,itwas Jake Haener —not Rattler running with the second team.

“Just balancing out therotations,” coachKellenMoore said whenasked why he wanted to switch the order. “Really just looking at the numbersonanoff day

After an electric practice Thursday,all three quarterbacks —and theoffense as a whole —were more sluggish following an off day.The Saintsfocused on situational work,with one drill emphasizing starting inside theteam’sown 5-yard line and another that required theoffense to seal the gameonafour-minute drill. As aresult, the quarterbacks resorted mostly to short throws, which partly explains why the completion percentages were so high.

practice at the team’s practice facility

JakeHaener looksto makea pass during adrill at Saturday’s

STAFF

PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

Kevin Foote

ä See LSU, page 2C

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL quarterbacks from left, Walker Howard, Lunch Winfield and Daniel Bealegothrough drills during spring practiceon March 25. Howard, Winfield and Beale areina three-way battle for the starting job

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

7:55

HOF brothers share gold jacket

Sterling Sharpe inducted into HOF along with three others

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

Sterling Sharpe stood at the podium a few feet from his bronze bust, took off his new gold jacket and gave it to his fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame brother Shannon Sharpe had given Sterling his ﬁrst Super Bowl ring and now big brother was returning the favor on stage after the crowning moment of his football career

“This is why I played football,” Sterling said, referring to his younger brother, who wrapped his arm around him and had tears streaming down his face. “This is why I got out of bed; it wasn’t work. It was because of this right here. Before I leave you, I want to do two things. The most precious gift I’ve ever received is the Super Bowl ring. I wear this ring because of love. You gave me this not knowing you were going to get another one. And I prayed to God: ‘Please, God, let him get another.’ God blessed him with two.

“The second thing is, the last time I was here, you said that you were the only pro football player in the Hall of Fame that could say that you were the second-best player in your own family I agree with that statement, but it would

be an extreme privilege. for you to be the only player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with two gold jackets. You see, you have to learn to follow before you can lead.”

Eric Allen, Jared Allen and Antonio Gates joined Sterling Sharpe as the Class of 2025 was inducted into football immortality during a ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium where the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Detroit Lions 34-7 on Thursday night to kick off the NFL preseason.

Sterling Sharpe averaged 85 catches and 1,162 yards, ﬁnishing with 65 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

The wide receiver was named to ﬁve Pro Bowls and earned ﬁrstteam All-Pro honors three times A neck injury cut his career short and he waited a long time to get the call from the Hall.

Shannon Sharpe, who played tight end for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, was inducted in 2011 They are the ﬁrst brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jared Allen was the ﬁrst player among the new class to take the stage after Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to former Bills coach Marv Levy, who turns 100 on Sunday Wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Allen talked about his motivation for success.

“Why is what makes you differ-

sophomore cornerback PJ Woodland. Woodland also got some work with the starters later in practice, and he popped Zavion Thomas’ helmet off while breaking up a pass near the sideline.

burst around the edge for a win against left tackle Tyree Adams in one-on-ones between the offensive and defensive line. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker appeared to test his pass rush package for parts of practice. At one point, LSU put three defensive ends on the ﬁeld with Florida State transfer Patrick Payton, redshirt freshman Kolaj Cobbins and Florida transfer Jack Pyburn, who lined up inside Gooden and sophomore Ahmad Breaux were the defensive tackles in that formation.

When the backups took the ﬁeld in one of the full-team periods, freshman safety CJ Jimcoily got pressure on quarterback Michael Van Buren It might have been a sack, but Van Buren was allowed to get a throw away He sailed one deep down the middle, and it was intercepted by

After a promising ﬁrst day from the passing attack, it struggled on Saturday and the running game never got going. Though the offense had a few solid moments, it was clunky The defense won the day

Injury updates

Redshirt junior wide receiver Aaron Anderson did not practice for the third straight day Anderson, LSU’s leading receiver last year with 884 yards, wore a sleeve on his left leg when he came out to watch part of practice.

Junior linebacker Whit Weeks was limited As he comes off his ankle injury, Weeks participated in individual drills and 7 on 7, but he was not on the ﬁeld when LSU went to contact periods. Instead, LSU played senior

ent; it’s your long game,” he said.

“It’s the motivation that drives you to do all necessary action steps to achieve your goal. My why can be summed up in three things: fear, respect and the pursuit of greatness. I apply my why to everything in my life, to my walk with Christ, my marriage and being a father.”

Jared Allen made five Pro Bowls was a four-time All-Pro and had 136 sacks in 12 seasons with the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears and Panthers. His ﬁnal game was Super Bowl 50, a loss by Carolina against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Eric Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback who played for the Eagles, Saints and Raiders, was presented by one of his four sons. Allen, who had 54 career interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns, gave the obligatory “Fly! Eagles! Fly!” to support the Super Bowl champions who drafted him in 1988.

“I grew up in Philadelphia. I became a man there. I have a special gratitude for the organization,” Allen said. Allen also thanked current Raiders owner Mark Davis, who was in attendance.

“Al Davis had a statement: ’Commitment to excellence,” Allen said. “It’s all over our building in Las Vegas. We are trying to make sure we fulﬁll that destiny, we fulﬁll what Al Davis was about.” Gates closed out the day with a

West Weeks, redshirt freshman Tylen Singleton and sophomore Davhon Keys at inside lineback-

“He’s still working his way back but he’s been getting a lot of reps, doing a lot of stuff,” West Weeks said of his brother. “He’s just trying to be smart with it and not try to do something dumb with it right now Obviously, we’ve still got a month to go.”

Meanwhile, Oklahoma transfer receiver Nic Anderson had his most active day since coming to LSU. After being limited in the spring by a hamstring injury, Anderson had to clear concussion protocol at the start of camp. He made several catches Saturday, including an impressive leaping grab over likely starting corner Mansoor Delane in one-on-ones.

Position battles ongoing

The safety battle is ﬂuid right now. NC State transfer Tamarcus Cooley and redshirt se-

LSU football lands four-star DL Geralds LSU continued to stack its 2026 defensive line class Saturday with a commitment from four-star Deuce Geralds. Geralds made the announcement during a ceremony at Collins Hill High in Suwanee, Georgia. Geralds, who’s listed at 6-foot2 and 275 pounds, became the fourth interior defensive lineman to choose LSU in this recruiting class. He is the No. 95 overall prospect and the 12th-best defensive lineman in the country, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Before making his announcement, Geralds’ dad told a story about how he said he wanted to be in the Hall of Fame when he was 4 years old. Geralds’ dad, Daverin Geralds, played center at Ole Miss from 2006-10.

Americans set relay world record; Ledecky wins again

SINGAPORE The United States set the world record in the 4x100 mixed relay on Saturday, clocking 3 minutes, 18.48 seconds in the swimming world championships.

The relay team members were: Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske.

It was only the second world mark set in these championships. It came on a night when the United States won three gold medals, by far its best performance in what had been a lackluster championships for the team. Katie Ledecky won the 800 freestyle and Gretchen Walsh took the 50-meter butterﬂy

The Americans now have eight gold medals, one ahead of Australia with the championships closing on Sunday The Americans have 26 overall and Australia has 17.

23-minute speech that began with him saying he wouldn’t cry but included several emotional moments. Gates, who was presented by Chargers owner Dean Spanos, never played a single down of college football yet ended up becoming the 23rd of 382 Hall of Famers who were undrafted by NFL teams. He thanked former Chargers tight ends coach Tim Brewster for discovering him after he led Kent State’s basketball team to the Elite Eight.

“Tim Brewster saw something special in me. He was pretty sure that I could make the team. He was adamant that I’d be All-Pro in three years,” Gates said. “You see, the thing is when switching sports or careers for that matter, it can be life-changing. The unexpected are often the most powerful ones because it can completely redirect your life if you’re ready to take advantage and you’re ready for the opportunity Thank you to Coach Tim Brewster and Coach Marty Schottenheimer They gave me an opportunity to play tight end in the NFL. Because of you, Coach Tim Brewster, NFL teams and NFL scouts will never look at college basketball players the same again.”

Gates played all 16 of his NFL seasons with the Chargers, ﬁnishing with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 TDs. He made the Pro Bowl eight times and was AllPro three times, the ﬁrst in just his second season.

nior Jardin Gilbert were the first ones out there, but Gilbert was later replaced by Houston transfer AJ Haulcy Javien Toviano and Dashawn Spears also worked in the first two groups. It could take some time to settle that rotation. The offensive line, on the other hand, has not changed since the start of camp. The first unit still consisted of left tackle Tyree Adams, left guard DJ Chester, center Braelin Moore, right guard Josh Thompson and right tackle Weston Davis. Redshirt freshman Coen Echols got some first-team reps at left guard. Davis, a redshirt freshman in line to start for the first time, looked solid. He pancaked Pyburn and pushed Cobbins downfield, earning praise from running backs coach Frank Wilson. Davis also handled Payton and Reliford in one-on-one reps.

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Connecticut Sun sold, will relocate to Boston in ’27 UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million and move the team to Boston, according to a person familiar with the sale.

The franchise wouldn’t play in Boston until the 2027 season Pagliuca also would contribute $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston for the team, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the deal hasn’t been publicly announced. The sale is pending approval of the league and its Board of Governors.

“Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” the league said in a statement.

Rangers put OF Carter on IL with back spasms

SEATTLE Texas Rangers outﬁelder Evan Carter was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of back spasms and outfielder Alejandro Osuna was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to replace him on the active roster

The 22-year-old Carter went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts during Friday night’s loss to the Seattle Mariners, and had gone only 4 for 34 since the All-Star break. He also missed time this season because of a right quad strain. Carter is hitting .238 with four home runs and 21 RBIs this season

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy lamented the loss of Carter ahead of Saturday’s game, especially in conjunction with third baseman Josh Jung continuing to miss time because of calf soreness.

Chargers LB Perryman arrested, remains in jail

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman was arrested on weapons charges during a traffic stop for vehicle code violations and remained in jail on Saturday, law enforcement officials said. During the traffic stop on Friday evening, Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies discovered five firearms, including two assault weapons, in Perryman’s vehicle, the agency said in a statement. Perryman, 32, was cooperative with deputies during the traffic stop, the report said. Perryman was booked on felony charges and is being held without bond at the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station, according to the sheriff’s department. Agent Ron Butler confirmed that his client has not been released from jail.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI

Former NFL wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, left, watches as his brother Shannon Sharpe kisses his bust during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.

SCOREBOARD

-12

-10

66-65-69—200 10

-9

64-64-73—201 -9 Alex Noren 62-70-69—201 9

Woodland 67-64-70—201 -9

Castillo 65-67-70—202 8

Fishburn 66-71-65—202 8

Goodwin 65-71-66—202 -8 Mark Hubbard 63-66-73—202 8

McGreevy 66-66-70—202 -8 J.T. Poston 67-67-68—202 -8

Schmid 69-65-68—202 8

Valimaki 69-66-67—202 -8

Grifﬁn 67-67-69—203 7

Lipsky 70-67-66—203 -7

Matsuyama 70-66-67—203 7

McCarty 66-65-72—203 -7

65-67-71—203 7

-7

-6

66-69-69—204 6

65-71-68—204 6

-5

Casper Ruud (8), Norway, 6-4, 7-5. WTA National Bank Open At IGA Stadium & Aviva Centre, Montreal

Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Women’s singles Round of 16 Marta Kostyuk (24),

p.m. St. Louis (Pallante 6-7) at San Diego (Cease 3-10), 3:10 p.m. Detroit (Morton 7-8) at Philadelphia (Sánchez 9-3), 6:10 p.m. Pro football NFL preseason glance

Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 136.429.

(2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 136.358.

(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 136.252.

(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 136.063.

(77)

-5

-4

-3

Redshirt freshman Daniel Beale is 13-of-30 with 126 yards and two interceptions. As camp opens, the quarterback issue is about that trio learning and then proving it on the ﬁeld once the season arrives.

“I think the thing that you have to do is you have to put them in the most stressful, difﬁcult situations that you can and expect that to carry over to games,” Desormeaux said. “I mean, that’s the closest way that you can do it.”

The good news is there’s something to like about all three.

For one, Desormeaux pointed out they all earned high school state championships, even fourth-stringer Sam Altmann has.

“It’s three really talented players, and it’s three guys that are winners,” Desormeaux added.

Howard can run and throw Winﬁeld could potentially be utilized for his rushing skills even if he doesn’t win the starter or backup job and the staff has raved about Beale’s knowledge of the offense since he arrived.

Secondly Leger said all three are popular on the roster

“I think our team likes all three guys,” he said “You know sometimes that thing can people start picking sides and in scrimmages at different times, they all played at a really high level. And so I think we feel really good about that position.

“That room is talented and we feel like we have three guys that we can win with. They’re all unique and their own way.”

The really important things are Howard seems to be more comfortable now, Winﬁeld is ﬁnally healthy and Beale is settling in.

Desormeaux suggested this race was similar to the one he began his head

coaching career with in 2022.

“We had like seven quarterbacks on scholarship and none of them had played,” Desormeaux remembered.

This August, it’s not so much about determining a starter although that has to be done because you never really know what could happen — it’s about getting the entire quarterback room ready It almost seems like jinxing it every time it’s brought up, but we all know UL hasn’t been a one-quarterback offense since Levi Lewis left.

Again, not a lot to say right now — learn and then prove it when it’s time.

“I hope we don’t have to use more than one, but history over the last four or ﬁve years says that we’re going to need more than one,” Leger said Leger also reminded us the Desormeaux era is pretty used to quarterback competitions, and most realize the early-camp hype is overblown

For Beale, though, it was a new process in the spring.

“Daniel’s been a starter since the ﬁfth game of his freshman year (at CatholicBR),” Leger explained

“This spring was really the ﬁrst time that he was in a battle. I think what you saw early on was him trying to do more than outside of

the offense or outside of his physical ability just different things that are outside of who he is.

“I think he’s more prepared for that battle, and I think that’s going to lead to a very interesting August camp.”

Another good thing for all three is if the coaching staff is right about the talent at wide receiver, there should be plenty of help around whoever is behind center

“They’re all different and it’s a really good difference,” Howard said of the wide receivers. “The receivers, I think we’ve done a great job. They’ve all worked their tails off. Rob (Williams) can make big plays, and you got Shelton (Sampson), and all of these guys really that are going to make big plays for us. It’s super exciting.”

Desormeaux hopes each quarterback practices each day with that mindset of not having to be Superman.

“You’re not expecting them to go out there and win the game by themselves,” he said. “Hey, just do your 1-11, do your job really well,

2024: 8-4

2023:14-0 (state champions)

2022: 13-1 (state champions)

2021:8-5

2020: 10-0 (state champions)

Offense

WR Christian Breaux (6-2, 185,Sr.)

WR Aiken Bond (6-0, 170, Sr.)

WR Jared Quoyeser (5-9, 170,Jr.)

TE Mason Mouton (6-0, 195,Sr.)

TBraxton Latiolais (6-2, 220,Sr.)

GTyler Ritz (6-4, 290, Jr.)*

CMyles Sherrill (6-0, 255, Sr.)*

GJayden Brown (6-3, 245, Jr.)

TGrayShivers (6-0, 203, Sr.)

QB Cole Bergeron (6-4, 210,Sr.)*

RB Carter Melancon (5-6, 170,Sr.)

Defense

DE Cayden Dartez (6-0, 210, Sr.)*

DT Conner McAtee (5-10, 275, Sr.)*

DT Austin Pellerin (5-11, 225, Sr.)

DE DrewVoorhies (6-0, 205, Sr.)

LB Ian Holeman (6-0, 200,Sr.)

LB Tristan Klock (5-9, 200, Sr.)

LB Sawyer Roberts (5-11, 180,Sr.)

LB LandonBienvenu (5-10,195, Sr )*

CB Xarian Babineaux (5-11,175,Sr.)

CB John David (5-9, 155, Jr.)

FS Landen Ortte (6-2, 190, Jr.)*

*Returning starter

Head coach: Jim Hightower (482-133-1 overall; 378-109-1 at STM)

Assistant coaches: Shane Savoie (OC),Terry Tidwell (DC), David Leblanc(OL/S&C),Lance Strother (WR),Eric Miller (RB), MichaelHeintz (WR), Kelvin Mamou (TE), BeauHughes(OL), BradleyWright (WR), RowanCline(OL), Corey Arceneaux (DT),Chris Klock (OLB), Ryan Fredrick (SAF), RayMartin (DE), DustyCollette (CB), Sam Kinnard (DB).

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

But each quarterback had moments. Despitehis injury history, Shough hasn’tbeen hesitant at taking off to run —and he had an impressive gain when he steppedupin the pocket following aplayaction fake and sprinted past thedefense.

Haener,onthe otherhand, seems to recognize the defense in front of him. On a pass to Jack Stoll,Haener read theoncoming ﬁre-zone blitz before getting the ball out

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

St.ThomasMore

St. Thomas More offensivestandouts include, standing from

Bergeron,Myles Sherrill and Mason Mouton. Kneeling

Carter Melancon.

What we know

There’snot alot of returning starters on either side of the football forSt. Thomas More, but there is enough for them to establish afoundation to build upon.

Ayearafter going 8-4and reachingthe Division Iselectquarterﬁnals,the Cougars expect to pick up where they left offfrom last season.

The Cougars willbuild around quarterback Cole Bergeron, oneofthe topquarterback recruits in the country.Bergeron will line up behind two experienced offensive linemen in senior center Myles Sherrill and junior right guard TylerRitz.

Although the Cougars have severaloptions at receiver,expect them to lean on the running gameled by senior running backCarter Melancon early on

“Our running game should give us time to get back to where we werepassing the ball,” offensive coordinator Shane Savoie said.“Cole’s development with this year’s receiving corps has been really good. We have seven to 10 guys whowill playatreceiver,soitisaverydeep group.”

Defensively,the Cougars have four returningstarters in seniordefensive linemen Conner McAtee andCayden Dartez, juniorfree safety Landon Ortte and senior linebacker Landon Bienvenu.

“Our defensive line is definitely a strength for us withConner and Cayden coming back,” Savoie said. “The other starters on the defensive line also have some playing experience. So,itisall going to start with them.”

What we don’tknow

Like most teams thistimeofyear,the Cougars have several question marks they

quickly to needle the throw betweentwo defenders in a tightwindow

Rattler,meanwhile, wasn’t nearly as aggressive as he had beeninpast practices, but he wassharp.His loneincompletion in team drills was the result of a KendreMiller drop

Still, none of thequarterbacks seemed to have the kind of performance that will go toward shaping this coaching staff’s decisiononthe starting job. Yes, coaches need to see how each signal-caller performs in situational work, but this practice may be asmall data point for theﬁnalcall. If anything, Saturday’s

COLE BERGERON

QB,6-4, 210, SR

Atop-30recruit nationally, Bergeron has agreat combination of size athleticism and armstrength Combinethose attributes withhis ability to make great decisions withthe ball and it’snosurprise the Cougars expect abig year from him

CARTER MELANCON

RB,5-6, 170, SR

Avarsity playersince his sophomore year,Melancon has shown the ability to be elusiveintight spaces. His size allows him to getlost behind the Cougars’ big offensiveline,but his overall strength —third on the team in every lift —allows him to runwith power.

must answer on both sidesofthe ball.

On the offensive side, the Cougars need to establish depth at running back behind Melancon andneed their receivers behind seniorChristian Breaux to developasexpected

Defensively,the Cougars don’thave the luxury of an experienced starter returning at inside linebacker,soitisgoing to be imperative that someone steps up. One player to keep an eye on is senior IanHoleman, who will likely getthe ﬁrst chance to winthe job.

“The biggest question markfor us is at inside linebacker,” Savoie said. “Wehave had multiyear starters at that position each of thelastsix years. Although we don’thave areturning starter there,Ian receivedsigniﬁcant playing timeatthe position last year.But everyone else (is an) underclassman.

Knowing what they have in Bergeron and up front on the offensive and defensive lines, Savoie said he is conﬁdent the Cougars will ﬁll in the blanks in time.

“Offensively,the questions are how well will we developatreceiver, andcan we develop some depth at running back,” Savoie said. “Defensively, if ourdefensive line holds up,wecan have guys at otherpositions growing into theirroles.But if our defensive line can’t(hold up), then guys are going to have to growupquicker.” Howwesee it

The Cougarshave established themselves as aperennial power and while they willagain competeintough DivisionIselect, there’snoreason to doubtSTM will againcontendfor thestate title Eric Narcisse

session felt more consequential toward the Saints’ punting battle. After adding Kai Kroeger on Thursdaytomakeitarare three-man race, NewOrleans had JamesBurnip andKroeger take several punts throughout the morning —evenoutside dedicated punting periods. For the Saints’ drill inside the 5, for instance, thecoaching staff would bring on the punters if the offense failed to gain aﬁrst down. In that setting, both men got opportunities: Burnip trotted on the ﬁeld after athree-and-out from Shough andCo. while Kroeger puntedafter astalled Haener series.

Matthew Hayball was the lone punter who got aday off, but Mooresaid the incumbent would punt on Sunday. Then, after another offday Monday, Mooreindicated allthree could rotate in practiceafter that.

The Saints’ quarterback battle hasbeen well underway. The punting battle, it appears, is just beginning.

“Wefeel like we’ve gotthree talented puntersthat can all compete and so it’ll be afun opportunity for allthose guys to go for it,” Mooresaid. “We’ll get thereps that we need.”

Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

CHRISTIAN BREAUX

WR,6-2, 185, SR

Amultisportathlete,Breaux does utilizeshis long frame to make contestedcatches. While he isn’t aburner, Breaux createsseparation withhis elite route-running ability

CONNER MCATEE

DT,5-10, 275, SR

Athree-yearstarteralong on the defensivefront, McAtee has proventobequite the disruptor.He’sbig and athletic forhis size and play afterplaymakes it difficult foropposing teamstoblock him one-on-one.

CAYDEN DARTEZ

DE, 6-0, 210, SR. Anothermultisportathlete at STM, Dartez is athree-year starter.At one point, Dartez wasmerelya speed rusher, but overthe years he has establishedhimself as a playerthat can stop the run also.

Saturday’s practice.

STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints coach Kellen Moore chats with staffduring training camp on Wednesday at the team’spractice facility.Moore changed the quarterback’srotation during

Melancon

Breaux

McAtee

Dartez

Bergeron

STAFF PHOTO By ERIC NARCISSE

left, Christian Breaux, Cole

from left are Aiken Bond and

LIVING

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

In amuggy Louisiana summer, bright life still shines

When the dill weed in our herbgarden began swaying some weeks ago, my wifehurried outside, worried that a squirrel was tipping it over. But as she arrived on the patio, there was no marauder in sight. Theplant had simplybeen stirred by the wind, apresence so rare these days that we’d forgotten toaccount for it. As wind detectors go, dill is apretty good instrument,its feathered leavesasﬁne as the strokes on an old willow plate. They can pick up the slightest current and dance abit as the air moves, but thereare hours during summer here in Louisiana when the airseemsto move not at all.

As we part the bedroom curtains on most mornings at this time of year,the view of the gardenoften looks strangely motionless, like one of those museum dioramas in which scenesofthe wild are artfully arranged and feel almost real —ifnot for the fact that not a single thing twitches with the quick pulse of life.

We rise early each morning and eat on the patio to catch whatever breeze might come. It’sanodd way to live, keen as old sailors to every small gust, but our vigilancesometimes yields arare reward. Iwas just ﬁnishing my coffee the other day when acool draft grazed my cheek. It lasted no more than afew seconds, but Ismiled and touched my face as if I’d been surprised with a kiss.

On days this still, even small vibrations in the garden can register vividly.Ahummingbird passed above my head while Iwas nibbling toast last month, the whir of its wings fiercelike aheartbeat, itsflight fanning my scalp as faintlyas breath on amirror Mostly,though, the morning simply sits over the yard like a bell jar,suspending us andeverything else beneath adense cloud of heat. Ibegin to think as aturtle might in the depths of each August, and maybe even look like one,too —my gaze fixed toward the distance, conserving energy to wait things out.

The looking and the waiting bring their own satisfactions. For afew weeks, we watched the slow march of caterpillars along the dill, about adozen of them running up and down the stems like pirates scaling amast. Slowly,they devoured all the leaves beforesealing themselves up in little green tombs, asleep for awhile until they emerged as swallowtail butterﬂies.

We had afront-row seat as the swallowtails worked

ä See AT RANDOM, page 4D

It was alittle worldwhere my aunt could standon the front porch and seeall of the stories of the neighbors playing out.” BARRYANCELET,Cajun historian and folklorist

By JOANNA BROWN

Asign for the unincorporated community of

between

‘ITSTILL HAS AN IDENTITY’

Cajunhistorian tellsoflifespent in theVatican —Louisiana

BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer

Inrural Lafayette Parish, in one of the most Catholic regionsofthe country,alittle villagecalled Vatican sits on La. 93 between Scottand Cankton. Some of Vatican’sprincipal streets areVatican Road, Pope Drive and Bishop Street.It’sabout 5milesaway fromSt. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro, but there’s only one churchinVatican itself Vatican BaptistChurch. And while Pope Leohas Creoleroots that stretch back to Opelousas, there’s no evidence that theﬁrst American pope has any connection to thisLouisiana outpost of the Holy See. Anew book by Cajun historian and folklorist Barry Ancelet shines alight on this conundrum of a place. “Vatican,” ashortmemoir written in CajunFrench verse, is acollection of stories from Ancelet’schildhood at thehomeofhis

aunt and uncle, who were subsistence farmers in Vatican. The stories, which take place through the 1950s and 1960s, preserve the original language and sounds of their telling.

“I spent alot of time on this farmwhere my father’ssister and herhusband and his parents all lived together,and of those people, only my aunt spokea little English,” said Ancelet

PROVIDED PHOTOFROMBARRy ANCELET

“SoIstarted jotting down these memories, and they cameinFrench, because that’sthe language of the world I was in. Iwanted to capture themusicalityofthe way they spoke.”

‘Vatican’ is ashortmemoirwritten in Cajun French verse depictingauthor Barry J. Ancelet’s childhood at hisaunt and uncle’s farminVaticaninthe 1950s and 60s

Actually,it’sthought that the community of Vatican got its name thankstothatCajun talent forfun

ä See VATICAN, page 4D

“Vatican”depicts theworld of Ancelet’saunt anduncle —SaulBenoit and Lena Ancelet Benoit, who was known by herlifelongnickname, “Petite.” Lena was atall woman at 5feet, 11 inches,but Cajuns love carryingchildhood nicknames like “Tee-Jean” (or “Little John,”) through adulthood. It’s alinguistic expression of aquirky sense of humor that denotes family and familiarity

Whydid FolgersCoffee buildits roasting facility in N.O.?

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

STAFFPHOTO

Vatican, in north Lafayette Parish, stands on La. 93 near Vatican Road.Vatican sits

Ossun and Cankton, justsouth of the St.Landry Parish line.

Ancelet

TRAVEL

SixGulfCoast beachesoffer sun, sand andserenity

Getawayfromthe crowds at these hidden spots

BY JESSICA FENDER

Contributing writer

For those who can relate to Jean-Paul Sartre’s

famous line “hell is other people,” aday at the beach during peak seasonis, well, no day at the beach. As thousands ﬂock to regional hot spots each summer weekend, boomboxes drown out seabirds and reveling crowds overpower the sound of crashing waves. But fear not, serenity seekers. While there’sno way to avoid the multitudes altogether,there are relatively empty strips of sugar-white sand waiting not too far from south Louisiana

Whether remote reaches or peaceful oases in popular summertime playgrounds, thesesix quiet Gulf Coast beaches offer the best odds for beating the crowds. Just don’teverybody go all at once.

TopsailHill Preserve StatePark

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

The dash of extra effort it takes to reach this 3-mile stretch of vibrantly aqua shoreline backed by rolling white sanddunes keeps beach days relatively chill.

Getting there: Just41/2 hours east of New Orleans,ditch the car at the park’son-site parking lot ($6 fee) and hop the open-air trolley to the beach boardwalk. Note: There’snoadmission when the lot’sfull, so arrive early and avoid holiday weekends.

To do: Fifteen miles of trails loop past rare dune lakes, gopher tortoises and carnivorous plants. Topsail Outﬁtters at the camp store rents bikes,kayaks, paddleboards and lounger setups. Spend the night: Snagging a campsite is famously tricky at popular Florida state parks. Slotsopen10months in advance for nonresi-

dents. Butlate-to-the-game travelers can usually book oneofthreein-park glamping sites runbyTopsail Outﬁtters, which come with bike rentals,freebreakfast andtemperature-controlled safari tents.

Morgantown Beach Gulf Shores,Alabama What visitors give up in beachfront bars andattractions, they makeup forin quiet time surrounded by nature in unincorporated Baldwin County’s far western reaches. Getting there: Located just over three hours from New Orleans, Morgantown is oneofahandfulofpublic

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

access points heading west from Gulf Shores toward FortMorgan. Asmall onsiteparking lot leads to a raised boardwalk.

To do: This beach abuts both aresidential community and some of Alabama’s last remaining undisturbed coastal habitat, which is protected within Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. (Therefuge’sown beach boardwalk is currently being replaced.) Ambitious visitors can head 10 moreminutes west to tour historic Fort Morgan or venture10minutes east to hike the Jeff Friend Nature Trail or kayak on Little Lagoon.

Spend the night: Accom-

getmy$385back? —Ray Cook, Invercargill, New Zealand

modationsabound in Gulf Shores, through visitors will only ﬁnd rental homes close to Morgantown. The nearest hotels begin about 25 minutes away in the city proper

JohnsonBeach

Perdido Key, Pensacola, Florida

Where do Pensacolans go to escape crowds? This Gulf Islands National Seashore gem.And arecent raft of renovations has madeiteven moreaccessible.

Getting there: Located at the easternmost end of Perdido Key,abarrier island that’s nearly 60% parkland, Johnson Beach’s champagnecolored sand continue for miles beyond three new parking lotsand seven new boardwalks. Acredit cardonly $25 fee per vehicle is good for seven days at any of several National Seashore sites.

To do: On site, the recently reopened Discovery Trail loops atenth of amile through salt marsh, dunes and wetland. Or,just outside thepark gates, bike a new 6.5-mile routealong theisland past eateries and through aseparate state park. Bonus: The bike path ends at iconic beach bar Flora-Bama.

Spend the night: Perdido Key is largely rental home territory.The Purple Parrot

Village offers low country beach cottages around a community pool. And locally owned Southern Vacation Rentals offers an array of new and unique properties.

HendersonBeach StatePark

Destin, Florida

Nobody’sever called summer in Destin quiet, at least not in recent memory. But this mile-long band of sand backed by towering dunes and lush coastal forest is an oasis amid the seasonal thrum

Getting there: Located about four hours east of New Orleans, the small park offers limited on-site parking ($6 fee). Plan to arrive early or bike in.

To do: With no in-park outﬁtters, it’sBYO umbrella, chairs and beach toys. A pet-friendly nature trail and picnic pavilions are available on site.

Spend the night: Campsites here are few,but neighboring indie properties

Henderson Beach Resort and the historic, adults-only Henderson Park Inn abut the state park, giving hotel guests an easy jumping off point for aquieter day at the beach. Bonus: The luxurious pair share three on-site pools, alazy river,awardwinning spa and recently revamped dining options.

West EndBeach

DauphinIsland,Alabama

Nearly half of this off-thebeaten-path barrier island’s 15-mile length lies beyond where the road ends to the west, giving intrepid beachgoers access to an all-butprivate paradise, if they’re willing to work forit.

Getting there: Drive the 2.5 hours to asizable beach parking lot and walk out to asecluded spot in the sand.

(A $10.35 feepaid through the ParkMobile app works forall three of the island’s beaches all day.) Or pop into Dauphin Island Marina to rent afew kayaks and paddle out.

To do: In season, ﬁnd food and chair rental vendors near the parking lot. Elsewhere, nature lovers can

explore the coastal ecology at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama Aquarium and 137-acre Audubon Bird Sanctuary

Spend the night: Find a beach house or condo via the dozen local property companies operating on the island. Or opt forasuite at the family-run and renovated Gulf Breeze Motel on Dauphin Island’squieter sound side.

Ship Island

Gulfport,Mississippi

Accessible only by boat, this golden-sand strip 11 miles off the Mississippi coast is one of the last undeveloped barrier islands in the country.And, as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, it’slikely to stay that way.

Getting there: Keep an eye peeled fordolphin an the hourlong ferry ride via Ship Island Excursions, afamilyrun operation celebrating nearly acentury of service. During summer months, twodepartures aday start at 9a.m. from Yacht Harbor in Gulfport’sJones Park. And returns begin at 2:30 p.m.Adult round trip tickets start at $44. To do: In season, ﬁnd a lifeguarded swimming beach, chair and umbrella rentals and areasonably priced snack stand. Be sure to bring cash foronisland purchases, internet —like cell service —isspotty that farout. Showers, drinking water and bathroom facilities are available as are free tours of historic Fort Massachusetts. Spend the night: There’sno camping allowed on the island, so book aroom at Gulfport’snewest boutique accommodation, the art deco-chic Hotel Vela, which is walking distance to Jones Park. Bonus: Itsswankonsite restaurant, Siren Social Club, recently madeSouthern Living’stop 20 new restaurants thanks the James Beard-nominated team at the helm

JessicaFenderwrites about travel.Email her at Fender@TravelerBroads com.

LA Wallet canbeusedas

BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer

Christopher Elliott

but the money neverarrived I filed acomplaint with theConsumerFinancial Protection Bureau, but theydidn’ttakeany action. I’m at my wits’ end. Can youhelpme

This is aclassic case of acompany giving acustomer therunaround. Sixt made apromise to refund you, apromise it should have honored. Before we ﬁgure out what happened to your refund, let’s rewind to thenational park where you had your ﬂattires. Youcalled Sixt, which couldn’t switch out your vehiclebecause of your location. Big Bendisbeautiful, but it’sinthe middleofnowhere.

The next best option was to get youtorepair thetires and to send Sixt the bill. So that’swhat Sixtasked you to do. It promised you arefund in writing, andtoyour credit, you kept the email. Nice work! What went wrong? As Iread between thelines, here’swhat Ithink might have happened.You were renting acar from aGerman rental companyinthe United States, but

you’re based in New Zealand. Somewhere along theway,Sixt might have confused someofyour banking codes. It probably should have just credited the money back to your card instead of trying to do a bank transfer

If you ever run into aproblem with Sixt again, you can also escalate your case to amanager.Ilist thenames, numbers and email addresses of the Sixt customer service executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

Icontacted Sixt on your behalf. Arepresentative said they would review thecase. Afew weeks later, you received an email from Sixt, and ﬁnally,after eight months, Sixt refunded your $385.

Christopher Elliott is thefounder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@ elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

Louisianans can now use the LA Wallet app as adigital ID at TSA checkpoints nationwide,Gov.Jeff Landry announced recently For thenext three years, TSA has approved LA Wallet as avalid form of identiﬁcation at airports, federal facilities and federal courthouses that accept digital IDs

Residents must have identiﬁcation that fulﬁlls federal REAL ID requirements to use the app at airport security checkpoints.

“If you forget your wallet, no worries. You’re nevergoing to forgetyourphone,” Landry said in avideo announcement withOfficeof Motor Vehicles Director Bryan Adams.

Last year,the TSA expanded itsdigital ID acceptance

program to include Louisianaissued mobile driver licenses at the 27 airports that have checkpoints withdigital ID readers. Now it’saccepted at over 250 airports, according to the TSA website.

“However,all passengers must still carry an acceptable compliant physical ID for veriﬁcation,” the TSA site says. At an airport security checkpoint, Louisianans can usethe LA WalletQRcode, and aTSA reader will take your picture to conﬁrm it’san identity match.

“Weare thrilled to see Louisiana utilizing innovative technology to allow for amore flexible andaccessible TSA experience,” TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahlsaid in anews release. To obtainadigital ID, state residents can download the LA Wallet appfromthe app store on asmartphone.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Kade Cline,7,plays in the water on the beach in Gulf Shores, Ala.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Aug. 3, the215thday of 2025.There are 150 days left inthe year

Todayinhistory

On Aug. 3, 2019, agunman opened ﬁre at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 23 people; after surrendering, the gunman told detectives hetargeted“Mexicans” and had outlinedthe plotinascreed published online shortly before theattack.

Also on this date:

In 1492, Christopher Columbusset sail from Palos,Spain, on his ﬁrst voyagethattook him to the present-day Americas.

In 1852, in America’sﬁrst intercollegiate sporting event, Harvard rowed past Yale to win the ﬁrst Harvard-Yale Regatta.

In 1916,Irish-bornBritish diplomatRoger Casement, astrong advocateofindependence for Ireland, was hanged for treason

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the ﬁrst of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-metersprint.

In 1972, the U.S. Senate ratiﬁed theAnti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the UnitedStates and the Soviet Union.

In 1977, the Tandy Corporation introduced the TRS-80, one of the ﬁrst widelyavailable home computers.

In 1981, U.S. air trafﬁc controllers went on strike, seeking pay and workplace improvements (two days later,President RonaldReaganﬁredthe 11,345strikingunion members and barred them from federal employment).

In 2004, the pedestal of theStatue of Liberty opened to visitors for the ﬁrst time sincethe 9/11 attacks.

In 2018, Las Vegas police said they were closing theirinvestigation into the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting thatleft 58 people dead at acountry music festival without adeﬁnitive answerfor why Stephen Paddock unleashed gunﬁre from ahotel suite onto the concert crowd

In 2021, New York’sstate attorney general said an investigation intoGov.Andrew Cuomo found that he had sexually harassed multiple current and former state governmentemployees; the report brought increased pressure on Cuomo to resign, includingpressure from President Joe Biden and other Democrats. (Cuomo resigned aweek later.)

Today’sbirthdays: FootballHall of Fame coach Marv Levy is 100. Actor Martin Sheen is 85. Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth is 85. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 84. Film director John Landis is 75.Actor JoMarie Payton (TV: “Family Matters”)is75. Hockey Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne is 74. Actor John C. McGinley is 66.Rock singer/guitarist James Hetﬁeld (Metallica) is 62. Actor Lisa Ann Walter (TV:“Abbott Elementary”) is 62. Rock musician Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) is 55. Former NFL quarterback TomBrady is 48. Actor Evangeline Lilly is 46. Olympic swimming gold medalist Ryan Lochteis41. ModelKarlie Klossis33.

Manforbids wife to sitbyanyoneelse

bothsides. But generally,I believe it sounds weird and mildly insulting to refer to aserving tray as a“silver-plated serving tray” —especiallywhen it was agift.

Dear Miss Manners: If Ifound my that my wife and Iwere to be seated separately at aparty,Iwould move my place card or leave the party with her There are two primary duties that married couples —and, arguably,dating couples —have that supersede their “duty” to thehost of agathering: protection of and ﬁdelity to their spouse, neither of which is served by splitting couples up. Parties areoften not safe in either respect, especially when alcohol is involved.

When Iwrote my thank-you letters for my wedding gifts, Inever mentioned what the gifts weremade of. But Istill keep wondering if it wasrude or not.

Gentle Reader: It is not clear whether the problem here is that your acquaintances are dangerous, your wife is untrustworthy,orthat all of you are apt todrink out of control. Perhaps it is all of these.

MissManners can offer you only her sympathy.General social customs presuppose people of goodwill, not such extreme and unfortunate cases.

Dear Miss Manners:: Ihave mulled over this question for years, and have seen

This happened to my mother-in-law whom Iloved and cherished. She was widowed at ayoung age and worked hard to have amodest income. She managed to have apleasant, happy life—it was just her and her son (myhusband). She also had amazing taste andalways worked hard to give thoughtful gifts.

Her brother was very afﬂuent, and after he passed away,myMIL had a tense relationship withhis wife and kids. There was alot of jealousy and resentment. When his daughter (myhusband’s cousin) got married, my MILdidn’tattendthe wedding, but sent alovely serving tray as agift. The bride sent athank-you card saying, “Thank you for the silver-plated tray.”

Wasthat aveiled insult? My motherin-law was very hurt and offended, and that sealed it. She had nothingmoretodo with her brother’sfamily

Gentle Reader: It would be of no help, Miss Manners supposes, forher to point out that silver plate can be valuable, even (in the case of early Shefﬁeld pieces) moresothan certain itemsof sterling silver The distinction that should have been madehere is between amere description, apossible slight and an insult so vicious as to require afamily rupture. The beneﬁt of the doubt would have been the best choice. But rather than ponder this, you could have urged your mother-in-law not to react as she did, but to let it go —or, if that wasnot possible, to ask the niece if she wasunhappy with the present.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to heremail, dearmissmanners@ gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners,Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO64106.

Dear Heloise: Most spam callers are not criminals, and if you say thewords “Do Not Call List,” you will never hear from them again. However, some of them are criminals and just want to record your voice so that AI can use it for fraud. In this case, just hand thephone to another member of your family and have them say “DoNot Call” list. I almost never get spam calls anymore. —Roger K., via email Roger,itmight be abetter idea to simply not answer the phonewhen it’s anumber you don’trecognize. —Heloise Handykitchen hints

Dear Readers: Did you know:

n The cap of certain small bottles of vanilla can hold 1teaspoon, and with larger bottles of vanilla, thecap can hold 1tablespoon.

n If you save yogurt cups,

theyusually hold exactly 8 ounces and arerecyclable. This way,there are no messy cups to wash!

n Got grapefruit spoons you never use? Trycoring an apple or atomato with them.

n Wooden spoons need to be seasoned. First,washall your wooden spoons in hot, soapy water.Towel them dryand let themsit overnight.Next, heat some cooking oil to medium/ hot and dip thespoons in the hot oil. Let them cool, then wipe the spoons dry. (Seasoning wooden spoons keeps themfromabsorbing cooking odors.) —Heloise Stop,thief!

Dear Heloise: Yearsago, a woman was shopping in a grocery store, and aman ranpassedher;asheran, he grabbed her purse and kept on going. She screamed, “Stop, thief!”The guy nearly made it outside, but theexit doors opened slowly,and he ran into one, knocking himself out. The woman was me! Iused

On hersecond album, singer ReneéRapppunches back

BY ELISE RYAN Associated Press

NEWYORK Reneé Rapp was clear on her intentions for her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” from the start.

“I wanted to love this,” Rapp says. “I wanted to be able to walk away from this and be so proud of myself and impressed,nomatter what anybody else thought.” Her first album, 2023’s “SnowAngel,” had been an experiment in figuring out her sound (a mix of pop, R&B and heart-wrenchingballads), and assembling acollection of songs that worked together.This album, out now,offered the chance to do it again, with an eye toward the way her life had changed in the intervening years

“That intention, and also wantingtoprove it to myself, was really grueling,” Rapp said. “And also really fun.”

The writing process gave Rapp, 25, an outlet to work through theburnout-inducing whirlwind that was her career in those two years.

Uncharacteristically restrained in its vocal styling, the album’slead single, “Leave Me Alone,” is strikingly open —clever zingers allude to her departure from HBO’s“SexLives of College Girls,” the media frenzy that surrounded her turn as Regina in the 2024 remake of “Mean Girls,” and the external pressure she felt to put out more music after the positive reception of “Snow Angel.” Basically,anything that’sbeen said about her in the last few years? She reframes it, poking fun at her reputation and the industry

“Leave Me Alone”felt like aproper introduction to the album, Rapp says, and “Bite Me” —both awarningand atease —the appropriate title. Paris Hilton and Monica Lewinsky were among the famousfaces that teased the albumupon its announcement, donningmerch emblazoned with the title in bold

Me,’isout now.

print.Rappherself posed in front of anewsstand ﬁlled with mock tabloids depicting herasadiva, concealed behind big sunglassesand a furcoat, to promotethe second single, “Mad.” (“That’s aRapp!” theheadlineread.)

“It really feels just like a time capsule of those two years of my life, alot having to do with the business and the industry and people’sexpectations of me,” Rapp says of thealbum. “And then also me wanting things formyself and being confused where those two roads diverge.”

Rapp’s conﬁdenceand humorisevident across the album, justasitisonstage —“Iwrite lyrics in theway that Italk,” she says. Many of thetracks tackle the destabilizing emotions that accompany the beginning andend of relationships, whether platonic or romantic,and how her now-very public career has ampliﬁed thechallengesofcreating, andmaintaining,those connections.

“I’m so surrounded allthe time, but Ifeel so lonely, and it feels really heavyand isolating. And Ithink alot of that isjust being an artist. AndIalsothink alot of that is just likethe nature of likethe business, forbetter or for worse,” shesays. The can’t-be-botheredattitude heard on “Leave Me Alone” is counteredbythe ache of

ashoulder bag back then, but now Iuse across-body bag. No one hastried to steal my purse since then —MaggieG., in Newark, NewJersey Youwentwhere?

Dear Heloise: This week, I read an articleabout whyyou shouldpick acollege based on price:

n Avoid high student debt.

n Youcan give your parents abreak from having to pay for all your expenses.

n You’ll get abetter return on your investment. With all the jobs I’ve had, where Iwent to college was never an important factor.It waswhat Icould do forthem now that Ihad adegree.

Lloyd, in Kansas Toughtangles

Dear Heloise: Ihave to wash several aprons(maybe 6-10 or more) at one time formy business, and they often come out of the dryer in aknotted mess of apron strings. The strings are long enough to

wrap around the back and tie in the front. Do you have any hints to avoid this annoyance? —Carolyn, via email Carolyn, there are afew options foryou. Pop afew aprons into amesh lingerie bag; this will lessen the tangling. Another option if the aprons are white is to throw several white towels in the load. The towels will create a buffertoreduce tangles. Agentle slipknot may also help. —Heloise Travel advisories

Dear Heloise: If any of your readers are planning to travel outside the United States, their ﬁrst step should be to consult the travel advisory section online at travel.state. gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html. In every country,travel conditions can change rapidly,sotravel advisories can help you determine where to go. —Thomas D.,inNew York Email heloise@heloise.com.

PHOTO

“That’sSoFunny,” which recountsthe end of adeeply affecting, but ultimately toxic friendship.

That doesn’t mean Rapp isn’talso having fun. The cheeky “At Least I’m Hot” features Rapp’sgirlfriend, the singerand guitarist Towa Bird. “I love when artists give youa clue into their lives, and the people who make theirlivesfull,”Rapp said. The track, she says, is also just funny: “Who better to put on that thanlike the funniest person alive?”

Thealbum’smix of emotions is something the AP Breakthrough Entertainer alum has been exploring since her 2022 EP,“Everything to Everyone.” She wantslisteners to feel the conﬂict, too —and knowthat they aren’taloneinexperiencing it.

In June, Rapp servedasa grand marshal of the World Prideparade in Washington, D.C., alongside Laverne Cox and Deacon Maccubbin. “It can be difficult to feel resilient and empowered as a queer person,” Rapp said. “BecauseWorld Pridewas in D.C., Iwas like, well, I can’tnot be there.”She recalleda conversation with Cox, who dispelled some of Rapp’sfears of comingoff as self-important in the role by emphasizingthe power of showing up, andshowing face.

am to 11:30 am

Hilton Lafayette 1521 West Pinhook Road

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

PROVIDED

Reneé Rapp’s second album, ‘Bite

Solari’s in the Quarter was a ‘foodie’ emporium

BY MYRNA B BERGERON Contributing writer

Anticipation rose whenever I stood at the façade of Solari’s on the corner of Royal and Iberville streets in New Orleans’ French Quarter

Human Condition

The heavy wooden double doors had glass inserts etched with the name Solari’s, and through them, you could see the bustling interior. Once you pushed the door open, the happy sound of clattering dishes, clerks talking and people enjoying themselves could be heard. Suddenly, you were aware of the delightful scents in the air, hot loaves of bread coming from the oven, coffee being brewed and spices from around the world.

Solari’s was known for imported exotic foods, spices and wines as well as local produce, meat and seafood. There were chocolates and cheeses from Holland, Switzerland and Belgium; pastas from

Italy; ales from England; and barrels of olives from Spain. It was a “foodie” paradise then and would also be popular in today’s world. Solari’s was like our specialty food stores magniﬁed — it provided for every culinary desire. All the items were displayed in

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D

before corporate coffeehouse chains emerged and fueled a higher demand.

Folgers comes to New Orleans Folgers started in San Francisco before establishing roots in New Orleans.

In the mid-19th century, founder J.A. Folger left Massachusetts for California during the gold rush. Folger had originally set out to mine gold, but instead partnered with a coffee company that he would eventually acquire and elevate to become one of the nation’s leading roasters.

In 1959, Folgers representatives stood in New Orleans City Hall with then-mayor DeLesseps “Chep” Morrison to announce Folgers’ plans to build a modern, 20-acre processing plant on Old Gentilly Road.

Folgers president Joseph Atha told The Times-Picayune the company chose New Orleans for “the available port facilities, the proximity to the coffee-producing countries of South and Central America, and the diversity of transportation to the Mississippi Valley.” In February 1961, full production began. Green coffee was regularly trucked directly from docked ships to the one-story, 200,000-square-foot building, according to The New Orleans States-Item. The company was acquired by Procter & Gamble two years later Its launch came during a period of industrial progress in New Orleans — particularly in the East, where real estate agents promoted available sites in full-page advertisements with the slogan “the most complete in the nation for your plant location.”

Folgers expands operations

Like the East itself, Folgers expanded its operations in 1998 when it bought the former Nestle plant for $10 million and invested another $30 million for improvements.

The decision to grow the Folgers coffee empire made sense: The company controlled about 39% of the U.S. market for roasted coffees sold at super-

AT RANDOM

Continued from page 1D

an attractive manner, including fresh ﬂoral arrangements placed throughout the store.

In the center of Solari’s was an oval-shaped marble lunch counter where you could enjoy a lunch or a slice of their unique cheesecake and a cup of café au lait.

Our bus stop from downtown back home was a block away from Solari’s, so I often enjoyed a treat there. My dad’s office was downtown and I remember him bringing home bakery treats from Solari’s. One of the most memorable things about shopping at Solari’s was the sawdust-covered tile floor I suppose the sawdust absorbed spills and such, was inexpensive and smelled good when freshly applied. It also was thought to prevent customers from slipping and falling. Every night, the floor was swept clean and fresh sawdust put down the next morning. Solari’s opened in 1864 when that area was a neighborhood filled with families. After several years of success, Joseph B. Solari moved his store to another location on Royal and Iberville streets. It burned in the 1880s, and Thomas Sully, a famous architect of the day, was hired to design a new four-story building on

the site. The new and larger store advertised the fact that Solari’s had a telephone line for home delivery and shipping.

The family sold the business in 1961 and it closed in 1967. Today, the same Sully building houses Mr B’s, a Brennan’s restaurant, on the ﬁrst ﬂoor and a parking garage above. It is sad for those of us who are native New Orleanians to witness the demise of so many interesting and important stores and restaurants in our city Solari’s is one of them.

It would be nice to be able to push on that shiny brass panel and enter the grocery again, sit at the counter and have a cup of coffee.

— Bergeron lives in Baton Rouge.

Human Condition submissions of 600 words or fewer may be emailed to features@ theadvocate.com. Stories will be kept on ﬁle and publication is not guaranteed. There is no payment for Human Condition.

UNDER THE BANNER

After the Jan. 1 terror attack in New Orleans, Chris Peet made a flag that said ‘love’ and set out through the Quarter. He’s still running.

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

It was a normal Friday evening on Bourbon Street. Kids banged on plastic buckets for tips, a brass band blared, a comedian/knife juggler drew a crowd, and tourists sipped slushy cocktails as they surveyed their eccentric surroundings. Through the cheerful chaos bobbed Chris Peet, a jogger carrying a home-made ﬂag that bore the word “love.” There’s was no further explanation, just “love.”

markets, surpassing both Nestle and Kraft Foods, The TimesPicayune reported.

After J.M. Smucker Company acquired Folgers in 2008, the brand’s footprint in New Orleans only grew As facilities in Sherman, Texas, and Kansas City closed, Folgers announced a $69 million investment to expand capacity at its two local plants and the distribution center in St. Tammany Parish In 2020, Folgers sought $25 million in tax breaks in New Orleans for upgrades made to its roasting plants a contentious yearslong effort ultimately denied by former governor John Bel Edwards and city leaders. Evolving reputation, coffee scene

In recent years, the Folgers brand has worked to shed its grandmotherly reputation, one created in part by its iconic 1980s jingle, “the best part of wakin’ up is Folgers in your cup.”

In 2022, the company released a new commercial featuring local musician Trombone Shorty sipping on a steaming mug of Folgers before the camera cut to jazz bands trotting down the streets of New Orleans.

Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” blared in the background, a self-deprecating but playful approach acknowledging the brand’s need to evolve.

Like Folgers’ image, New Orleans’ coffee scene has transformed over the past century, with a surge in roasters and coffeehouses that have grown from local staples to national brands.

Once available only in Louisiana, Community Coffee now sells to grocery stores and restaurants across the country Similarly, PJ’s Coffee has expanded beyond its local roots, with over 160 locations in the United States, reﬂecting the inﬂuence Folgers had and continues to have — on New Orleans’ coffee culture.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet wolfe@theadvocate.com. Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

the future.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

Peet had been running the same route down Bourbon Street, at the same time, four nights a week, more or less, for seven months, carrying his love ﬂag. Now, as he dodged through the meandering crowd and the vehicle barriers, the doormen and other denizens seemed to recognize his passing as part of the routine.

Peet’s mission to spread love had begun as a spontaneous expression of empathy after the Jan. 1 terrorist massacre on Bourbon Street. In the dark early morning hours of New Years Day, a radicalized veteran used his pickup truck as a weapon to murder 14 random pedestrians in the heart of the heart of New Orleans.

Doing something

Like everyone else in the city, Peet was numbed by the news. It was unbelievable. Especially eerie was the fact that the attack had taken place on his regular running path. For years, Peet had jogged down Bourbon Street as part of his circuit through the Quarter He’s passed the exact site of the killings hundreds of times. “I said, ‘Wow, that’s my route,’” he recalls.

Peet says he’s not sure why he was moved to personally mark the moment. Maybe it was just to overcome the widespread feeling of helplessness that permeated the population’s collective mindset. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said. From time to time, Peet said, he’d carried a flag as he ran, a Saints ﬂag on game days, and an American flag on the Fourth of July Peet was thus inspired to unhook his shower curtain and spray-paint the word ‘love’ on it in purple and green — two-thirds of the Mardi Gras colors — thereby

VATICAN

Continued from page 1D

and nonsense. Yes, it is a reference to Vatican City, but according to Ancelet the joke started around the time St. Peter Catholic Church was being constructed in Carencro in the early 20th century Area residents thought it would be apropos, and hilarious, to call their community “Vatican,” and the name stuck when people started listing it on maps.

“Cankton got named for a joke, too,” said Ancelet. “Dr Guidry, who delivered me, was the doctor around there forever His nickname was ‘Cank’ because he could call ducks without a duck call, using just his voice. Someone made the joke, it was ‘La Ville de Cank.’” After growing up in the Lafayette and Vatican area, Ancelet

producing an ad hoc memorial flag, which he attached to his telescoping fishing rod. On the hem of the flag he penned the names of the attack victims.

As soon as the police announced that Bourbon Street would reopen, Peet set out, ﬂuttering through the French Quarter, symbolically demonstrating sympathy and pleading for healing.

‘He’s putting in the sweat’

“The people who saw me were happy with the flag,” Peet said. They seemed to appreciate his intentions. A Times-Picayune photographer captured a stirring image of Peet waving the ﬂag near the site of the tragedy

“We were all in a state,” said Stahili Glover, who sells Lucky Dogs from his cart on Bourbon Street “It felt like a funeral out here, everybody was so sad,” he said. But Peet’s athletic activism was a balm.

“Love is something that’s hard to achieve” Glover said. “As he runs, he’s slowly but surely subconsciously spreading the love.”

Symbolically, Peet’s physical exertion is the important thing, Glover said. “You can tell me you love me, but unless you show me you love me, you’re just talking. He’s putting in the sweat, he’s putting in the hard work.”

A metamorphosis

Somewhere along the line, as his feet pounded the sticky Vieux Carre pavement, a metamorphosis took place. By mid-July, the otherwise ordinary man had woven

went on to study Cajun French culture and language as an academic discipline, bringing together the threads of language, music, storytelling and place to explain a part of the world that had primarily been studied and written about by outsiders. Ancelet founded the Cajun and Creole music festival Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in 1974, and is now a retired Professor Emeritus of Francophone Studies in the modern languages department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In visiting memories from his childhood and writing “Vatican,” Ancelet said that he wanted to preserve the world he grew up in for his grandchildren. Today Vatican is a crossroad carrying people from the city of Lafayette to the more rural backroads of Acadiana, where old homesteads still mark the places where generations made a living from the land.

himself into the ever-exotic fabric of the French Quarter. Peet’s ﬂag became a local icon and he became a public persona. Rose “Sinister” Andresen, a vampire tour guide and novelist, understands the phenomenon perfectly

She’d seen Peet running lots of times and one day chatted with him as he took a breather in Jackson Square. “It was nice to make an actual connection,” she said. “I think it’s cool and I love that he does it,” she said Andresen left the conversation aware that “he does what he does because he thinks it’s important.” The only people who don’t dig what he’s doing “are the disgruntled curmudgeonly sorts,” she said Andresen said that, based on her experience as a tour guide, Peet may derive “an intangible sort of profit” from his project. As he repeatedly shows the flag, “he get’s positive feedback,” she said. Yes, Peet said, he enjoys the extemporaneous interactions. The truth is, he said, he’s not one of those always-upbeat, alwaysgregarious dudes. So, he especially values “getting something back” for his effort, “be it a hug or wave.” On a recent jog, a man shouted “amen brother,” as Peet passed, another sang “all you need it love,” and the line of patrons waiting outside the House of Blues nightclub erupted into cheers. Hugs, waves and more Recognition aside, at its core, Peet’s project remains a one-man, continuing memorial. “People think its birds, happiness and butterflies and it is,” he said, “but the genesis is what happened on January first.” Though inspiration was local, Peet views his love flag as universal. He’s taken it with him when he travels and has run with it in several cities. He’d like to carry it in all 50 states, and even, maybe, abroad. Peet is angry that graffiti now mars the terrorist attack memorial plaque on Bourbon Street. He wants someone from the city to clean it. He’s working on a sixth flag to replace the fifth, and he’s hoping to ceremoniously run the killer’s route in the wee hours of New Year’s Day 2026. Peet has no plans to stop.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

“It was a little world where my aunt could stand on the front porch and see all of the stories of the neighbors playing out. They grew everything they ate. They saw very little money in a year, but I never ate so well in my life,” said Ancelet. “Vatican doesn’t have the grocery store anymore. It doesn’t have the two places to play cards, and the saloon. But it still has an identity People from Vatican still feel like they’re from Vatican.” “Vatican” can be purchased online through Centenary College’s Louisiana French press, Les Éditions Tintamarre Ancelet will hold a reading and book launch at Cavalier House Books in Lafayette on Friday Aug. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., moderated by Cajun French linguist Amanda LaFleur, who wrote the book’s introduction. Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews enjoys a cup of Folgers in a national advertising campaign that features him, the Kinfolk Brass Band and Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation.’

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Chris Peet jogs on Decatur Street with his love flag in New Orleans.

AROUND NEWORLEANS

N.O. staycation to eat, drinkand sink into ariverfront

They instantly made us for tourists —the bouncer,the guy at the bar,the lady at the boutique —and cheerfully asked where we were visiting from. “The other side,” Itold them

ing oven and inexpensive wine on abusy Friday pizza night

and wharves. Asense of adorable imperfection abounds.

I Ian n

My home in MidCity was about four miles away,asthe pelican ﬂies. But we were across the river in Algiers Point, savoring a wonderfully disproportionate sense of travel for thedistancelogged.

a McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

My partner and Ihave been pursuing daytrips and staycations to break up the summer

The Gulf Coast is agimme, and there was an overnightertoOld Mandeville, only a40-minute drive but at least in adifferent parish.

This trip was to apocket neighborhoodinour owncity,one that feels like the character of New Orleans distilled and alsototally of itself. If New Orleans was shrunk to atiny riverfronttown it would be AlgiersPoint.

The contours of the river make akaleidoscope of the street grid, lined by cottagestrimmed in gingerbread. Sidestreet sight lines end at thegreen riseoflevees. Superstructuresofoceangoing vessels glide over rooftops. The riverboat calliopesongs drift on the humidity,ship horns bellow as if from just next door,the courthouse bell tower tolls the hour It feels different in the Point. It was just the place to lift outof routine,without actually leaving the city It turns out there’s alot to eat and drink too.

In the years since the pandemic there’sbeen aburst of new restaurants and bars close together in the Point. Icharted this twonight staycation to tour them, interspersed with asmattering of stalwarts and some pool time and weekend reads in between This itinerary couldn’teven take in everything new around here, never mind all the long-

running eateries. The restaurant SaintClaire opened two weeks prioroutside thePoint proper, three miles downriver in greater Algiers.

But for this trip Iwanted to sink into the neighborhood, not just drop into different spots. We were taking thePoint on its own terms, arrivingvia ferry andexploring on foot.

Ferrytofoot

Theﬁve-minuteride on the Canal-Algiersferry leaves each side twice an hour,and it clicked like clockwork.Through the summer, the RTAistestinganextended schedule, running until midnight; making that permanent could be aboon to thebudding hospitality scene in the Point Theferry terminals right now are Spartan at best, especially on theAlgiers side where pop-up tents on the rampstry to shield peoplefrom the sunand rain.

Butthe ride itself is ajoy,putting you close to the massive currents and bringing river breezes on theopen top deck. Stepping off theferry gives the thrill of arrival somewhere new,the levee view presenting apreview of the

neighborhood below

Three blocks away we found our lodging, the House of the Rising Sun Bed &Breakfast (335 Pelican St.). In an era of contactless check-in, this is the old-school opposite.

Not just renting aroom, we felt like we were being hosted in alocal home by theEnglish innkeeper and his Cajun wife.

There’sa lovely pool and cozy covered patio. Breakfast is agenerous spread of fruit and croissantsinthe dining room.Otis thedog is eager to show guests around, like acanine cruise director

Wine bar, destinationsake

From ourFriday afternoon arrival, there was time still to hit theweekday happy hour (4 to 6p.m.) at the Little House (640 Bouny St.), apetite wine bar with alarge outdoor area. It feels like avillage common with kids and dogs, snacks, wine, chat and a neighborliness that proved acommon thread in the Point.

Dinner was at Nighthawk Napoletana (141 Delaronde St.), close to theferry landing, for charedged pies from thewood-burn-

Under the sameroof, adoor that looks like it might open to a closet instead reveals the sake bar Rice Vice (143 Delaronde St.). Party buses are bigger than this 18-seat bar, lined with wood panels,feeling like astereo speaker ad torn from avintage Playboy magazine. It would lure sake aﬁcionados anywhere it was found. Here in Algiers Point, it’saworthy inspiration for aferry ride all on its own. Start with atasting ﬂight, an excellent value forthe quality Everything is close in the Point, and the Crown&Anchor (200 Pelican St.) was too close to the B&B to bypass on the way “home.” Thus, this English pub in ashotgun house provided anightcap of pints under the timbers and light exercisewith the yard games out back.

Worthy wandering, finds

The return of Congregation Coffee (240 Patterson St.) was greeted nowhere morewarmly than in the Point, hometoits first location,and it feels like acommunity hub again.For manyday trippers, this is thefirst stop off the ferry, unless they’re going right in for abeer at the DryDock Café(133 Delaronde St.) instead. Algiers Point is not exactly ashopping paradise, but afew blocks from the ferry Bargeboard Mercantile &Millshop (530 Powder St.) is aunique find. It’s amultifaceted complex with an event space and aretail store full of curios, art and repurposed furniture and fixtures from acrew of local craftsmen. If getting to the Point by ferry is part of the fun, so is getting anywhere while you’re here. A central part of avisit is simply admiring the neighborhood on a walk or bike ride. The wide-open skies over the levee are apainter’sdream.Every other house seemstohave an avid gardener contributing to the streetscape. Walk the levee, and you can discern different neighborhoods across theriver by their steeples

This Saturday wander led to lunch at 14 Parishes (801 Patterson St.), where even on aslow shiftthe large, colorful dining room looks like it’sready to host aparty.The jerk chicken wassuperb, the fried ﬁsh bites juicy and the bar ready to mixrefreshing island-style rum drinks.

Mobile happyhour, BYOB dinner

An inbound downpour chased us back to the B&B. But as soon as rain turned to sunny steam, margaritas beckoned ablock away at the Barracuda Taco Stand (466 Pelican St.), built around an old ﬁlling station across from the storybook-like Confetti Park play spot.

We madego-cup cocktails into a mobile happy hour forthe meandering walk across the neighborhood to dinner

Plume Algiers (1113 Teche St.) is an Indian restaurant with regional specialties I’ve not found anywhere else, very different from the curry house standards. It’s BYOB right now (so another visit to Little House en route fora bottle). The operators are appealing city ﬁnes from alapsed liquor license that they say could kill the restaurant.

In the meantime, Plume remains aneighborhood bright spot just off the Point proper,where the sidewalks turn shaggy and, to put it optimistically,opportunities formore reinvestment abound. After dinner,the return walk took us along the levee forthe glory of sunset over the river

This led to adifferent kind of show at the Old Point Bar (545 Patterson St.), where local rocker Jamie Lynn Vessels took the stage surrounded by the bar’s weathered woodwork and local characters.

On Sunday,stepping off amidday ferry with overnight bags over the shoulder,webrimmed with stories to tell friends back on the other side. Email IanMcNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

Onemembershipopens many doorsduringMuseumMonth

Membersget in free to almost30 N.O. attractions

Museum Month, aNew Orleans &Co. promotion that runs through August, offers members of participating institutionstwo free admissions at all of the nearly 30 museums taking part, which range from the Backstreet Cultural Museum in Treme to the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park to the Warehouse District’s National WWII Museumto the members of the French Quarter Museum Association. Dedicated museumgoers can save hundredsof dollars in admission fees while also supporting their favorite museum or attraction.

This year,New Orleans& Co. has added apassport promotion that allows participants to track their progress from museumto museum and potentially collect a prize, which could include afree one-yearmembershipatthe museum of their choice. But the beneﬁts of museum membership are just beginning whenAugustturns to September and beyond —for both members and museums. First-look exhibit opening receptions, museum store and public-programming discounts, and informative print and digital publications and communications are just afew of the beneﬁts museum members can access.

Several local museumsoffer the membership beneﬁt of free admission at the more than 1,400 North American Reciprocal Museum Association institutions, which include art and history museums, botanical gardens, zoos and more. At the Historic New Orleans Collection, for one example, membership at the $100 Merieult Society level “allows you into hundreds of museums across not just the U.S. but Canada and Mexicoaswell,” said Mandi Cambre, HNOC’sdevelopment

director.“And so, it’skind of like having Museum Month all year round.”

Here are afew recommendations for this New Orleans Museum Month, with an emphasis on exhibits that have recently opened or closingsoon.

TheCabildo

Marking the 200th anniversary of theMarquis deLafayette’striumphant tourofAmerica (to celebrate thenew nation’s50years of independence),“Bienvenue Lafayette” especially concentrates on hisﬁve-day residency in New OrleansinApril 1825. He was billeted in thesame Cabildo rooms theexhibit occupies. 701 Chartres St

TheHistoricNew Orleans Collection

See“Making ItHome: From Vietnam to New Orleans,” an exhibit markingthe 50th anniversary ofthe fallofSaigon and the local impact of the displaced Vietnamese population, and “The Trail They Blazed,” an overview

of the local Civil RightsMovementofthe 20thcentury 520 RoyalSt.

TheMuseumofthe Southern Jewish Experience

“Most FortunateUnfortunates: theJewish Orphans’ Home of New Orleans” uses objects, images, and oral histories to tell the story of the home that Yellow Fever madenecessary 818 Howard Ave.

TheNationalWWIIMuseum

“Fighting for theRight to Fight: African American Experiences in World WarII” closes Aug. 24. Elsewhere on campus, ﬁnd the changing exhibit “On American Shores: The Aleutian Islands Campaign.” 945 Magazine St. TheNew OrleansMuseumofArt

The striking “New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovationsand Collaborations”closes Aug. 10. The photography exhibit “Nicolas Floc’h:Fleuves-Océan, Mississippi Watershed” surveys life on and under the Mississippi

PROVIDED PHOTO

Artist VinceFraser,inamask, attendsthe opening of the NewOrleans AfricanAmerican Museum’sAncestral Odyssey.

River and its tributaries. 1Collins Diboll Circle, City Park

TheOgden Museum of Southern Art

“KeithDuncan: Battle of the Bands,”a colorful and compelling artistic survey of HBCU marching band imagery,closes Aug. 10. “Hoa Tai: (Flower Hands): Southern Artists of theVietnamese Diaspora” closes Sept. 21. Newly

opened at the Ogden: the exhibit

“Looking Back: Hurricane Katrina at 20” features the work of six artists whoaddress the storm and its aftermath. 925 CampSt.

TheNew OrleansAfrican American Museum

Anew permanent exhibit, “Vince Fraser: Ancestral Odyssey,” is on view.The work applies artiﬁcial intelligence editing tools to animate images and video of Mardi Gras Indians. 1418 Governor Nicholls St.

TheOld Ursuline Convent Museum

Researched by the Ofﬁce of Archives and Records at the Archdiocese of NewOrleans, “Rooted in Faith: Pope Leo XIV’s Louisiana Lineage” features afamily tree and document reproductions that trace Robert Frances Prevost’s deep Catholic roots through his maternal family tree and connects him to the region’shistory back to the early 1700s. 1112 Chartres St.

ThePresbytere

An update is underway on the exhibit “Living with Hurricanes: Katrina &Beyond” to markthe storm’s 20th anniversary.Reopening is scheduled forAug. 29. Upstairs, see “Pioneers of Women’sCarnival,” which features one of the ﬁrst Muses shoes. 751 Chartres St.

In addition, several museums, including the 1850 House and HNOC (where admission is free), are offering specialty tours and pop-up lectures during August to serve Museum Month visitors.

Anew episode of the Museumgoer Podcast, available on most platforms,further explores membership beneﬁts at several local museumsand offers an overview of how membership programs help museumsbuild an engaged core audience.

DaveWalker focusesonbehindthe-scenes coverage of the region’s many museums here andatwww.themuseumgoer com. Email Daveatdwalkertp@ gmail.com.

STAFF PHOTO By IANMCNULTy

The sun setsoverSt. Louis Cathedral and the French Quarter,seen from AlgiersPoint in NewOrleans.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Abrass band performs in front of the Cabildo,partofthe Louisiana State Museuminthe French Quarter

Dave Walker

BETWEEN THEPAGES WITH RICKy RICCARDI

Before SatchmoSummerFest, brushuponyourLouis

BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer

“Stomp Off, Let’sGo: The Early Yearsof Louis Armstrong” by Ricky Riccardi, Oxford University Press, 488 pages.

Ricky Riccardi, the preeminent Louis Armstrong scholar,has become oneofthe highlightsof the annual Satchmo SummerFest music festival. This year Riccardi will discuss the newestand last bookinhis trilogy of Armstrong biographies: “Stomp Off,Let’s Go.” The book details the first three decades in Satchmo’slife and career,from his New Orleans beginnings, his tutelage under and eventual rivalry with King Oliver in Chicago, his Hot Five recordings and early contributions to pop culture, to his firstyears in New York City Along the way,Riccardi provides his own exquisitely researched takes on several of the historical snags that have plagued scholars for decades, including Armstrong’sactual birth date, the origins of his first cornetand why he never had children.

Alifelong Satchmo devotee, Riccardi has worked for theLouis Armstrong House Museum since 2009, where,asthe director of researchcollections, he oversaw thedigitization of the museum’s immense collection of reel-to-reel tapes, photographs and correspondence —all of which is available online.

Alongside his critically acclaimed biographies, Riccardi has won two Grammys forhis liner notes and teaches a15-week “Music of Louis Armstrong” class at Queens College, which hecalls “the most gratifying of all my Armstrong-related exploits.” This interviewhas been condensedand edited.

“Stomp Off, Let’sGo” is Louis Armstrong’s

origin story.Tell me about how you cameto specialize in him.

This year actuallycelebrates the 30th anniversary of my Big Bang. WhenIwas 15 years old, Istarted hearing NewOrleans music in movies, and therewas somethingjust kind of pulling me in Aroundthat same time, Isaw “The Glenn Miller Story,”the old Jimmy Stewart movie. Armstrong comes outand does “Basin Street Blues.” It wasn’tatotal life-changing moment, but it was enoughfor me to sit up, pay attention,and say,“All right, Ineed to hear moreofthat guy.”

My mother took me to thelocal library here in Toms River, New Jersey,and Ichecked out acompilation of Armstrong’s 1950s recordings, and that was thelife-changing moment. Ididn’t envision acareer,I just thought, “I have anew favorite musician. Letmegoback to the library and learn about this guy.”

Every book Ipulled off the shelf hadthe samenarrative that he was ageniusasa young man,he changed thesoundofjazz and American popular music. Butby 1929, hehad chosen to go commercial and sellout.Bythe end of his life, he’sanUncle Tom, a clown singing“Hello Dolly” on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” What a

waste of talent.

Something was stirring inside of me that was saying they’re gettingthe storywrong, something was missing. Ihad adream back in high school to write abook about Armstrong’slater years that would clear up some misconceptions. Andthat happened in 2011. What did your peers think about your Armstrong fixation?

At ﬁrst,Ikind of kept it under wraps. ButIdoremember by the end of freshman year calling my

best friend on thephone, and I had this “Louis Armstrong California Concerts” box set, and I just blasted it over the phone. By sophomore, junior year,I was getting the reputation as the jazzguy.I wasone of the ﬁrst in my friend group to drive, and the driver controls the music. If you were riding with me, you had to get used to Louis Armstrong and FrankSinatra and Duke Ellington. Iwas very fortunate to have a close friend group. Noneofthem becamefull-ﬂedged jazz fans or

music historians, but they all realized that this was good stuff

We’reseveral generations removed from Armstrong’slife and career:125 years since his birth, 50-plus since his passing Howdoweanswerthe question, especially foryoung people: Whydoes Louis Armstrong matter?

He matters because he is the defining figure of the 20th century,atleast forthe first 70 years. If you just take the music alone: right up from NewOrleans, then conquering every popular sound, hit records every decade, changing the waypeople play music with their instruments, changing the waypeople sing. He conquers records, conquers movies, conquers radio, conquers television, and there’ssomuch footage, you can chart it decade by decade. Then there’sthe rags-to-riches angle. There’srace, which is anchored to every aspect of this country’shistory.Perceptions of Armstrong, White perceptions, Black perceptions, modern-day perceptions. Now we see him as this complex figure whotranscended his upbringing, race relations, international relations and everything in between. Yourealize that this guy’slifeand music is the story of the 20th century The good newsisthat moreand morepeople are waking up to that. Ispent twodays this week at aconference run by Queens College and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. They put together an institute at the Louis Armstrong House Museum inviting about 40 teachers from the Queens and New York City area to learn about Louis Armstrong forfive straight days in order to insert Armstrong into their teaching.

Maybe it’sgoing to take 100 years after he dies, but eventually,people are going to say,“Who are the greats?” And it’sgoing to be Shakespeare, Mozart, Dr Martin Luther King and Louis Armstrong.

Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, mostrecently, “Brown Pelican.”

‘Beautiful andUglyToo’a poet’s reflection in essay, verse

BY GERALDINEWYCKOFF

Contributing writer

“I was never agangster,Inever sold drugs, Inever carried agun …Iworked every day since the ageofﬁfteen. Iknew my virtues couldn’tsaveme. I smelled the residue of violence.

The excerptfrom apoem called “When BusFare Ain’t Enough,” tells muchabout Chuck Perkins, the author of “Beautiful and Ugly Too,”and the duality of his life growing up as a Black boy in his hometown of New Orleans as well as his adult experiences. Perkins, apoet, spoken word artist, essayist, social and political activist and owner of the Bywater’s popular Cafe Istanbul, stands as awell-respected, admired and likable man particularly in the city’scultural and musical communities.

He’sknown for his warm smile until, as his poems and essays reveal, he meets up with racism,

injustice anddiscrimination. Unfortunately,suchencounters have been frequent, started early in his life andcontinue to this day

It’ssad to read Perkins’ simply titled essay,“Police,” one of 10 essays that punctuatethe 50-plus poems throughout thebook. He clearly recalls when, as asecondgrader,hewas making aventure outofNew Orleans that resulted in arun-in with racism. Hisfather was behind thewheel of his beige

Pontiac takingPerkins’grandmother,“Big Mama,” back to her homeinMonroe, while he and his brother Charles rode in theback seat.Their vehicle was stopped by acounty sheriff who was soon joined by two other police cars.

“Regardless how nervous this might makeaneight year-old kid, everything intensiﬁes when your family is Black and big, {and} White, tobacco-spitting cops approach your car in the middle of nowhere,” Perkins writes.

The result was just aspeeding ticket though reﬂecting on theincident,the author views it as an “overkill for driving while Black.”

“She’sthe Queen Cityofthe South, Butshe ain’tnosouthern belle,”Perkins writes about the place of his birthinhis poem “We Ain’t Dead Yet.”

The page includes ablack and white photo, one of several that grace thepages, with an unmasked Perkins playing tambourine alongside Irving “Honey” Banister of theCreole Wild West Mardi Gras Indian tribe.

As described in his essay “Murder Capital” it’s awonder that Perkins and his two friends made it through an extremely frighten-

READING, SIGNING

ing night when, as young men they somehow survived bullets raining down on theircar.The three all went on to enjoy successful careers, but manyoftheir Black brothers did not.

Expanding on that reality,in thepoem “Believing YouWill Die Young,” Perkins asks: “Isevery day beyond the age of twenty-ﬁve an unearned bonus?”

When addressing issues such living under Jim Crow restrictionsthat severely limited his and the freedoms of African-Americans across the nation, Perkins tackles them like adetermined defensive fullback.

Yet, he also shares the brighter days of hisyouth as told in “From Back-A-Town to St. Charles, on Foot.” It offersasnapshot of his family’stypical Carnival Day— thefood, their trek from their Grandma Lit’s“back-a-town” house nearthe Calliope public housing project to the mainat-

traction on St. Charles Avenue.

“This is formyartist of virtuosity,Who keep the music in mystery,” writes Perkins in “Melody Makers.” The poem gives shoutouts to stalwarts like trumpeter Kermit Rufﬁns and drummer Shannon Powell as well as social and pleasure clubs, Black Indians and more.

He devotes an entire poem to the great guitarist, banjo man, vocalist and composer Danny Barker

“He could jive with the jivers, And trade philosophies with the intellectuals. Areal New Orleans character,With the chapeau to prove it.”

Throughout “Beautiful and Ugly Too,” Perkins, 60, offers his perspective of life in NewOrleans through his eyes as aBlack man

Astreet-wise and well-educated poet and essayist, he moves naturally between the vernacular of the ’hood to morereﬁned prose. Whether in performance or by pen, Perkins strongly delivers his often controversial messages with such charm and intelligence that they can be considered and enjoyed by all those with the gift of an open and curious mind.

Riccardi

PHOTO By CHARLES GRAHAM/PROVIDED By RICKy RICCARDI

Louis Armstrong plays in his den

STARTUP

STAMINA

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Kevin Shearswas running on amountain trail in August 2023, when he tripped, tumbled and fractured his right foot.

The painful injury came as Shearswas trainingwith friends Quest Meeks and Trey Monaghan for a100-mile “ultramarathon” scheduled to start aweek later in Leadville, Colorado.

The grueling trail run is one of the world’smost high-proﬁle —and high-altitude —competitions for runners who think astandard 26.2-mile marathon is too much of ajog in the park. Andabroken foot meant Shears couldn’tcontinue training or compete in therace.

But when the event wasunderway aweek later,Shears showed up for his friends, providing food and drink at pit

stops, cheering them on and offering congratulations at the ﬁnish line.

The experience made the friends realize how well they worked together as ateam and got them thinking they’d also work well together in business.

Twoyears later,with the help of afourth running friend, Wayne Jones, they launched FKTea, an energy drink inspired by endurance running but intended foreveryday use. The canned caffeinated beverage —made with Japanese green teaand Louisiana honey —debuted last December and is now in the early stages of development, available for purchase onlineand at adozen specialty retailers. It joins ahandful of otherNew Orleans-based startups entering thenearly $200 billion global “functional”

La.’semployers bracefor insurancehikes

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

es,” said Drake,anemployee benefitsconsultantwithGallagher. “It’sgoing to be avery toughyear.” Rising health care costs are nothing new.But avariety of factors —including inflation andpricey prescription drugs have pushed them even higher over the past few years. In 2025, the cost of healthcare is on target toriseabout 8% over 2024, whichwas up 8% over 2023, according to industry estimates. For employers, theyear-overyear premium increases that are already stretching company budgetsare abouttoget worse. Company-sponsored benefit

plansprovide healthinsurance to more than60% of all non-elderly people in the U.S.

“Employers are telling us they’re seeing some of the largest increases they’ve seen in decades,” said Shawn Gremmiger,president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance of Health Purchaser Coalitions, which works with businesses to control healthcare costs. Those increases are averaging about 15%, he said.

Adding to the concern is the potential impact of President Donald Trump’sOne Big Beautiful BillAct,which contains more than $1 trillionincuts to Medic-

aid beginning in 2028, while adding new eligibility requirements to the program. An estimated 11.8million people could lose their governmentbacked health insurance over the next decade as aresult of thechanges,according to some industry estimates, which could shift the cost to hospitals.

“It is going to put tremendous pressure on hospitals, and what do youthink theyare goingto do?” Drake said. “They are goingtopassitontoemployers, who will have to pass it on to their employees.”

STAFFPHOTO By RICH COLLINS

FKTea founders Wayne Jones, from left, Trey Monaghan, Kevin Shears and Quest Meeksrun the5-mile trail in Bogue Chitto State Park.

PROVIDED PHOTO Quest Meeksvisits atea farminJapan in March. Meekshas long dreamed of creating atea-based energydrink.

Even rich starsneedhealthcarecoverage

Tennis great Venus Williams drew laughter from the stands at the DC Open recently when she quipped she was returning to tennis for the health insurance.

Issued July 16-22

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

Williams, 45, entered as awild card but smashed her way to become the second-oldest woman to win atour-level singles match. In apost-match interview,ajubilant Williams chuckled as she answered why she returned to the court aftera 16-month absence.

“I had to come back for the insurance because they informed me earlier this year I’m on COBRA,” she said. “So Iwas like,‘I got to get my beneﬁts on.’ ” In the past, she has been candid about her health challenges, including uterine ﬁbroidsand Sjögren’ssyndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain.

“You guys know what it’s like, and let me tell you, I’m alwaysat the doctor,soIneed this insurance,” she said.

Given her substantial earnings from tennis and endorsements, I’m doubtful that Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, would be struggling to cover her healthcare needs. She’searned nearly $43 million in career earnings, according to the Women’sTennis Association.

But Williams’ comments have drawn attention to apressing issue formillions of Americans. I’ve had many conversations with people worried that ahealthcrisis could bankrupt them. I’veworked with couples and individuals to help them determine how to handle medical billsinto their already-tight budgets.

DRINK

Continued from page1E

beverage industry,which includes energy drinks, sports drinks, fermented teas anddairy-basedprobiotics.

These homegrown food andbeverage entrepreneurs have along road aheadasthey try to build proﬁtable businessesthatcan compete with global conglomerates. An emerging local infrastructure is helping to support them.

Propeller,the nonproﬁt business accelerator,has prioritized food andbeveragestartups for training and investment and the Jefferson ParishEconomic Development Commission recently announced plans to build anew $4.2 million food and beveragebusiness incubator in Avondale.

The FKTea guys will take all the help they can get.

“Weselected ‘Life is an endurance sport’ as our tagline fora reason,” Meeks said. “Launching astartup whilejuggling family responsibilities and careershas been likerunning an ultramarathon.” Brewingabusiness

TheFKTea founders bringinteresting back stories andskill sets to their new entrepreneurial endeavor

Meeks is alawyer andanexecutive at anational professional sports league. Monaghan is the third-generation operator of Molly’s at the Market barinthe French Quarter.Jones, former creative director at French Truck Coffee, created the streetwear brand Likesushi and works for afoundation preserving Bayou Road.

Shears, the only FKTea partner from outside New Orleans,had a nearly two-decadecareer in the U.S. Air Force, and he is one of the co-founders of the boutiqueskateboard and apparel brand Snake Farm.

“Our diverse viewpoints are a great mix,” Meeks said. “Kev’s always goingtobeonthe gas. I’m in my world of strategy and risk mitigation. Then layer inTrey with financials and Wayne with the branding, and that’sour secret sauce.” The four partners, all dads and afew years on either side of 40, also sharealoveofrunningand an appreciation of the need to stay properly hydrated during endurance races.

The idea to build abetterhydration drink initially came from Meeks,who lived in Japan as a child and developed an interest in Japanese green tea as an adult “The first time Iever went to Quest’shouse, he pulled out atea cart, and Iwas like, ‘What the hell is that?’”Monaghan said. Meeks had long dreamed of creating atea-based energy drink, but theplanets didn’talign untillast fall, when he pitched his friends

Oneofthe top reasons people ﬁlefor bankruptcy protection is medical debt.Even highly compensated professional athletes, especially once they retire, can face challenges in managing health care expenses.

Take COBRA, which Williams referenced. It’sthe acronym for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act,the law that allows workers to continue to get coverage at their former employer’sgroup rates. In the Women’s TennisAssociation,player members canenrollinabest-in-class health insurance plan,with dental andvision coverage, and are notiﬁed oftheir eligibility to sign up for the following year after the release of the year-end rankings. Players who are no longer eligible but werepreviously on the plan still have access under COBRA for upto18months.

But theproblem foreveryone whether tennis stars or average Americans —isthatthey must paythe fullpremium, including theshare that the employer previously covered, plusa 2% administrative fee once they’re on COBRA. This makes it unaffordable for many people.

AndCOBRA is just one part of a much bigger ﬁnancial burden.

KFF,aleadingnonpartisan authority on thecost of health care, released polling data in May that highlighted the challenges people face in affordingcare.

Nearly half of adults say it’s hard to afford health carecosts. About a thirdof adults report that in the past 12 months, they have skipped or postponed medical care because it was too expensive.

People skip their medication because they can’t afford to ﬁll their prescriptions. Someare forced to split their pills in half or miss dosesdue to the cost.

Even having medical insurance doesn’tfree you from concerns about rising monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

“For many years, KFFpolling has found that the high cost of healthcare is aburden on U.S. families,and that health care costs factor into decisions about insurance coverage and care seeking,” KFFsaid in arecent blog post.“These costs and the prospect of unexpected medical bills also rank as the top ﬁnancial worries for adults and their families.”

These pressures are likely to worsen due to recent policy changes. The Congressional Budget Ofﬁce projects that by 2034, morethan 10 million people will be uninsured because of the Medicaid cuts that President Donald Trumpand theRepublican-led Congress included in their massive tax bill.

The CBO also estimates that thebill’snew restrictions on the Affordable Care Act marketplace mean that 4.2 million people will lose insurance because they won’t get subsidies intended tomake their coverage more affordable.

Is there anything you can do besides worry?

No matter the source of your coverage —privateemployer COBRA,self-purchased, Medicaid or Medicare —the moreinformed you are, thebetter If an employer plan covers you, it’simportant to review all the information you receive during open enrollment. The choices from theprevious year might not be thebest for you or your family in thenew plan year.Take advantageofinformational sessions. Many companies have madeit easier to compare plan options, and this could affect your out-ofpocket costs.

For example, some workers

choose high-deductible plans. Yes, themonthly premium might be lower,but you’re responsible for paying alarge amount of out-ofpocket costs before your insurance begins to cover nonpreventivecare. This can be especially challenging if unexpected medical emergencies occur There may also have been changes in co-pay amounts, deductibles or preferred medical providers. Review your prescription drug plan to makesure your medicationsare covered. If adrug you takeisn’tcovered anymore, consider switching plans. If you’re on Medicare, explore its online tool, which makes it easier to comparison shop. Log in to medicare.gov and select thelink for “Find health &drug plans.” There’salso alink where you can talktosomeone. Or you can get guidance by calling (800) 633-4227. TTY users can call (877) 486-2048.

“It’s so rewarding to come back after alayoff and injuries,” Williams said in amore serious moment. “And, also, Ididn’thave to come back to play.I’m back here because of theencouragement from my team.”

Even if she can easily afford her insurance premiums, Williams, who lost in the second round at theDCOpen, highlighted theﬁnancial stress manyAmericans experience regarding health care.

For many people, ﬁnding affordable and adequate health insurance is as difﬁcult as returning one of Williams’ serves. It’s extremely hard, and forsome, nearly impossible, leaving them vulnerable andunprotected.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.

on theidea. To launch FKTea, he experimented with recipes in his own kitchen, sending blends to food labs to test for caffeinelevels, while theteam built thee-commerce platform, connected with wholesalers and designed branding.The company nameis aplay on words: in racing parlance, “FKT” is an abbreviation for “fastestknowntime,”referring to the speed record on agiven route. The budding beverage makers purchased tea from awholesaler in Japan and Louisiana honeyfrom Bernard’s Apiaries near Lafayette.

They partnered with aNew Orleans brewer to manufactureafew thousand cans, which were ready for sale in December Next month, the company will make its fourth batch with adifferent contract brewer bringing thetotal numberofcansproduced to about30,000. They have two ﬂavors, onesweeter than the other,and anew formula on the way, alongwith aversion in the slim cans associated withenergy drinks. They are looking for ways to build thebusiness, including sponsoringteamsathigh-proﬁle races

Newcommercial GAS STATION: 4319 VerotSchool Road, description, More4Less gas station/convenience store; applicant, Jas Singh; contractor, Singh PetroSolutions;$800,000.

Commercial demolition OTHER: 2905 Kaliste Saloom Road, description, interior demolition of old Lafayette Health Club building; applicant and contractor, ChaseGroup Construction; $5,000. Newresidential

1015 JENKINS ROAD,SCOTT: Mastercraft Builders, $423,900.

307 N. GIROUARD ROAD,BROUSSARD: Jacob &Nicole Vidrine $336,510.

405 VENNARD AVE.: Morgan Ruppert, $281,430.

334 WHITE PINEDRIVE: DR Horton, $179,010.

214 GUNTER GRASS COURT: HomesbyHeritage Builders, $520,200.

149 VFW ROAD,DUSON: Manuel Builders, $212,670. 910 E. BUTCHER SWITCH ROAD: Wayne J. HebertInc.,$737,010.

223 CAMERONS COVE DRIVE, CARENCRO: ManuelBuilders, $163,620. 110 BLUSHINGGROOM DRIVE CARENCRO: ManuelBuilders, $190,170.

126 GRENADINE DRIVE: Manuel Builders, $193,050.

300 WAKELYCOURT: DSLD $201,510.

96 SETTLERS TRACE BLVD.: Momentum Design Build,$470,700.

207 AMSTERDAM AVE.,YOUNGSVILLE: Legendary Contractors, $375,000.

206 CENTRAL VILLAGE WAY, YOUNGSVILLE: ManuelBuilders, $199,000.

403 LAST QUARTER DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Francez Builders, $325,000. 602 BRECK AVE.,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$163,200.

306 APPLEBYWAY,YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD,$163,200.

in 2021, makes afermented coldbrew coffee drink that provides alighter caffeine hitcombined with the “good” bacteria andantioxidants found in traditional kombucha beverages, agrowing category.It’savailable at Robert FreshMarket stores andabout 50 Gulf Coast retailers.

Five-year-old Reju Juice makes cold-pressed juicewithout preservatives or added sweeteners. Founder Kelley Wolfe works out of Pra Lees restaurant in Gentilly and sells her wares locally

The 2021 sale of local beverage company Big Easy Bucha no doubt servesasinspirationtothese entrepreneurs andothers like them —but they see the challenges of starting big brands in asmalltown.

PHOTO By RICH COLLINS

FKTea co-founders Quest Meeks, left, and KevinShears are two of aquartet developing FKTea. The four partners, alldads and afew yearsoneither side of 40, also share aloveofrunning and an appreciation of the need to stayproperly hydrated during endurance races.

around the world. Recent stops in-

clude Scotland and France. A200mile relay race in Oregon is on the books for August.

Food andbeveragefocus

New Orleans is home to iconic beverage brands. Luzianne, owned by Jefferson Parish-based ReilyFoods is theNo. 1selling bagged tea brand in the country Virtually allofFolgers coffee is roasted at facilities in New Orleans East.

Now anew generation of startups hopes to ﬁnd space on storeshelves alongside those householdnames.

“New Orleans has the most renowned food culture in the world that you think would translate into big consumerpackaged goods brands, but we still have along way to go,” DreamlandKoffucha founder Dalton Honoré said. “Stridesare being takentomake us amore appealing place.”

‘Cleaner greener’ energy drink Endurance running pushes competitors to their mental and physical limits. To fuel their overworkedmetabolisms, runners consume lots of high-carb, high-calorie foods that range from energy gels to gummy bears, fresh fruits and pizza.

“Runners have spreadsheets showing howmuch caffeinethey want to takeinatwhattime,” Jones said. “The night before the race, they pack up and label their supplies. There’sa keen science to success.”

It’sinthis context that the FKTeaguys created aproduct that they describe as acleaner,greener version of popular energy drinks, which have long lists of ingredients.

Level Water,a9-yearold venture,sells “ultrapuriﬁed” drinking water at special eventsand in retail nationwide. The company, whichhas threemanufacturing partnersnationwide,also launched ahome water delivery service in the NewOrleans area. Dreamland Koffucha,founded

On arecent Saturday morning, Jones cracked open his owncan of FKTeawhile he was stretching before training on the hilly,5-mile trail at Bogue Chitto State Park in Washington Parish. He was there with all his business partners. Shears, who was walking the trail in Birkenstocks thatmorning, did so with theaddedswaggerof someonewho hasproven he belongs there. Last August, ayear after his training injury, he completed theLeadville 100himself His threeFKTea business partners were there to help himreach the ﬁnish line in time, paying him back forhis support the previous year “Wedeﬁnitely have alot of bro’d out Xbox energy,” Meeks said. “But we can switch to Care Bears mode when necessary.”

Email RichCollins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Wolfe

Honoré

PROVIDED PHOTO

Kevin Shears completes the Leadville Trail 100 RuninAugust 2024 in Leadville,Colo.

STAFF

PROVIDED PHOTO

QuestMeeks, from left, KevinShears, Trey Monaghan and WayneJones founded FKTea after bonding over trainingfor an 100-mile ultramarathon race.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Diverse staging is key for nearly 100-year-old Saenger

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

The Saenger Theatre’s status as a symbol of New Orleans’ resilience is hard to overstate.

Q&A WITH DAVID SKINNER

It has undergone not one but two rebirths in the past halfcentury, with both revitalizations led by civic-minded locals who were determined to return the venue to its original Jazz Age pomp after a period of midcentury decline, then again after the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.

David Skinner has run the theater since the $52 million post-Katrina restoration was completed in 2013. For more than a decade, the revived baroque, Mediterranean-Renaissance gem has hummed along, consistently bringing in the crowds and generating between $50 million and $60 million of yearly economic impact.

Though it rarely garners accolades of Superdome mega events, like last autumn’s Taylor Swift concerts, consider this: The four-week Broadway engagement of “The Lion King” at the Saenger in early 2017 grossed a record $7.5 million at the box ofﬁce, entertained nearly 80,000 theatergoers and was estimated to have generated $24 million in broader economic beneﬁt to New Orleans. Not every production breaks records. But month in and month out, the Saenger is a consistent workhorse for the New Orleans economy It stages about 160 productions every year mostly touring Broadway shows, but also short stands by musical acts and comedians, as well as private corporate events. In the past few years, it regularly exceeded 300,000 theatergoers a year, who spill out onto lower Canal Street after the shows and into nearby restaurants and bars.

Skinner, a West Virginia native, was born into the world of venue management — his father ran the 7,000-seater Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia during his youth After a brief ﬂirtation with dentistry, he changed his major to business and graduated from Old Dominion University.

His ﬁrst gig out of college in the early 1970s was working at The Omni in Atlanta, where experience of Ticketron (a precursor to Ticketmaster) at his dad’s venue got him through the door Eventually, Skinner landed in New Orleans in 1977 working for the ﬁrst private sector company to run the Superdome, HMC.

Skinner is now looking forward to celebrating the Saenger’s centennial in 2027 Here, he discusses those plans and the outlook for “The Jewel of Canal Street,” as the Saenger is frequently called. The interview has been edited for

length and clarity.

Ambassador Theatre Group the UK-based company you work for, runs the Saenger for the city, and the deal is the theater puts on a minimum number of shows annually — 80, which you far exceed — and pays a base $100,000 annual rent, though that too has regularly been exceeded in recent years with attendance triggering revenue-sharing bonus payments. What has been the programming philosophy to get that kind of consistency?

We work closely with our co-presenter, Broadway Across America, on our Broadway shows. So, we’ll do 88 to 110 of those a year depending on the touring routes, with fewer some years when we have a megahit running three or four weeks. Concerts and comedians, we’ll do 50 to 55 shows a year, and typically we’ll present those ourselves, that is risking our money to bring those shows here. If we lose money that comes out of our pocket; that’s the risk of being a promoter You’re risking $250,000 a night for a little

2,800-seat theater That’s a big risk for us. Hopefully, eight or nine times out of 10 you’re on the positive side. The third side of the business is private events. For example, the NFL Honors Program, we hosted that in January. Or a show for Jaguar car dealers with a star performer I won’t name any names. We work closely with New Orleans & Co. on bringing in the ones that are a ﬁt for us. What about the duds?What hasn’t worked? I’ve been in the business a long time and worked with people across the country, and everyone will tell you that New Orleans is unique. We know that because we live here. But, when it comes to the entertainment side, typically what sells in nine out of 10 cities may not sell in New Orleans. I have a very experienced programmer, and we know what works and what doesn’t Country does not sell in New Or-

leans, except for maybe big superstars like Garth Brooks. It will sell in Baton Rouge, but New Orleans normally is a tough sell for country And I’ve had to lick a few wounds. How do you split between locals coming to the theaters and tourists? With rare exception do we rely a great deal on the tourist trafﬁc; we rely more on the locals. The only time it’s more visitors is during Jazz Fest There used to

I would

to 35% of our business is probably tourists coming in for Jazz Fest. But mostly our business comes from locals and our trading area, which goes from west of Baton Rouge, maybe as far as Lafayette, north up to Hattiesburg, and east, probably over to Mobile. The Saenger is

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabeliefthathas poweredusfor over80years

We areJones Walker LLP,a firmdrivenbyanentrepreneurial spirit,adeepsenseofcommunity,and afierce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor our clients. Since1937, ourfirm hasbeencommitted to workingwithcommunityleaders to develop business opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing ourdedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

William H. Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000 201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

General Manager David Skinner is looking forward to celebrating the centennial of New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre, which stages about 160 productions every year

Fool’sTake: Verizon for income

Verizon Communications’

lion or more in projected annual costsavings.

(NYSE: VZ) mobile and broadband businesses generate lots of recurringrevenue as customers pay their bills. That provides the telecom giant with funds to expand its 5G and ﬁber networks and support its high-yielding dividend.

Motley Fool

The company expects to generate $17.5 billion to $18.5 billion in free cash ﬂow this year after investing asimilar amount in capital projects. That’splenty of money to cover the roughly $11 billion per year Verizonspends on its lucrative dividend, which recentlyyielded 6.3%

Thecompany uses thecash it retains to strengthen its solid balance sheet. That givesitthe financial flexibility to make acquisitions as the right opportunities arise. Last year,itagreed to acquire Frontier Communications in a$20 billion deal. Thetransactionwillsignificantly enhance and streamline Verizon’sfiber operations, generating$500 mil-

Pricey drugs

Since2000, health care costs in theU.S. have increased 250%, more thandouble the cost of wages and inﬂation. Since 2023,the increases have been particularly sharp, according to Gremmiger

Among the factors he points to are inﬂation, labor shortages and hospital consolidations, which reduce competition andcan lead to price increases. Verticalintegration —where large insurersbuy pharmacies,clinics and specialty hospitals —isalso contributing to the problem.

Locally,employers saythe biggest driverthey’re seeingisthe cost of pricey and highly effective prescription drugs. GLP-1drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that control obesity and also Type II diabetes can cost upward of $1,200 a month.

Verizon’sgrowing business and strong freecashﬂow put it in an excellent positiontocontinue increasing its high-yielding dividend.

Verizon’sstock may not grow rapidly, but it can still grow. The company is aleading telecom provider,and over time, consumers will upgradetheir phones and plans,which can spark more revenue growth in thefuture. Buying Verizonstock today could prove to be agood move for the long term. (The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications.)

Fool’sSchool: IRAs and 401(k)s

If you’resavingfor retirement, as mostofus should be doing, it’s smarttomake the mostofIRAs and 401(k)s, if you can. Here are somethings to know IRAs comeintwo keyvarieties: traditionaland Roth. With atraditional IRA, you put in pretax dollars and get an upfront taxbreak. So if youcontribute, say,$7,000 to onein 2025,you’ll be able to deductthat$7,000 from your taxableincome for 2025, shrinking

Certain cancer drugs andgene therapy treatments can cost 10 timesasmuchormore.

Given those kinds of prices,even ahandful of sick employees can drive acompany’sutilization rates andcosts through theroof, negatively impacting theirpremiums forthe following year

“What has really impacted employer-sponsored care over the past three to four years has been cancer treatments ”saidDan Burke, vice president for benefits at Turner Industriesand afounding member of theEmployer CoalitionofLouisiana,a group of large,self-insured companies focused on controlling health carecosts.“Theinnovations have come so far,but it’sextremely expensive.”

Potentialimpacts

Adding to the pressureonnext year’spremiums is uncertainty around recent policychanges at thenational level. According to an analysis bythe nonproﬁt health policyﬁrm KFF, insurers plan to raise

your taxbill. When you withdraw money from your traditional IRA in retirement,that money will become taxableincome.

Roth IRAs arefunded with post-tax dollars, offering no upfront taxbreak. Contribute $7,000 in 2025, and you’ll get no 2025 tax break. But if you follow therules, you’ll eventually be able tomake withdrawals from your RothIRA tax-free.

IRAcontributionlimitsare $7,000 for 2025, with those50 and older able to contribute an additional $1,000. The IRAcontribution deadline for 2025 is April 15, 2026.

Meanwhile, 401(k) accounts— sponsoredbyemployers—also existinboth traditional and Roth forms, but they have much larger contributionlimits. For 2025, you can contributeupto$23,500, with mostpeople 50 and older able to chip in $7,500 moreand those aged 60 to 63 able to chip in an extra $11,250 instead. And 401(k) plans frequently offer matching contributions from your employer.That’s free money,soaim to contribute at leastenough to max out any available match.

With an IRAopened at abrokerage, you’ll be able to invest your contributions in just about

premiums by an additional 4% next year than they otherwise would have because Congress opted not to renewenhanced tax credits for those insured through theAffordable CareAct.

Those credits madehealthinsurance more affordable for millions, andinsurers expect alargeshare of healthierenrollees to leavethe market, leavingthe risk pool sicker, the KFF study found.

Some insurers also are planning for thepotentialimpactoftariffs on prescriptiondrugpricesand are baking the anticipated increases into next year’spremiums.

AndifCongress doesn’twind back anyofthe recentMedicaid changes, doctors, hospitals, insurersand privately insured patients —employers andemployees— will allget stuck picking up agreater share of the tab.

“Rightnow,wedon’tknowhow it’s goingtoplayout,” Drakesaid. “But if allthese changeseventually go through, it’sgoing to put pressure on the entiresystem.”

any stock, as well as gobs of mutualfunds and exchange-traded funds. With a401(k) account, though, your choices will be more limited. Typically,there will be a menu of funds to select from. Chances are, you’ll be able to contribute to one or more IRAs as well as to your workplace 401(k) account,and perhaps invest in aregular taxable brokerage account as well. Read up on how to invest at Fool.com/investing/howto-invest

Ask theFool: Buyinginto bankruptcy?

AcompanyI’m interested in has filed for bankruptcy protection, and itsstock has crashed.Woulditmakesensetoinvest in it now,atalow price? —G.C.,Warsaw, Indiana No, no, no —for avariety of reasons.First, acompany ﬁling for bankruptcy is acompany in trouble. Why invest in that? When acompany ﬁlesfor bankruptcy protection, it typically gets some timetoreorganize and to try to pay off its creditors as muchas it can. It might sell off some assets to payholders of its secured debt, and it might negotiate with holders of its unsecured debt perhaps offering less than what’s

Strategies?

To cope with thecost pressures, agrowing numberofcompanies are self-insuring, which enables themtocontract directly with doctors and hospitals to provide health care beneﬁts and, therefore, keep a tighterlid on costs.

In the past, only large companies like Turner Industries, with nearly 20,000 employees,could afford to self-insure. Recently,however, medium-sized companieswithbetween 500 to 1,000employees are exploring the option, Burke said.

Companies are also banding together through coalitions of selfinsured employers to create “narrow networks” of select doctors and hospitals that agree to provide careata certain discount.

The Employer Coalition of Louisiana, whichhas seen its membership growfrom sixcompaniesto33 sinceits founding three years ago, is working on aplan to create such anetwork, according to its CEO, Cindy Munn, though it’sstill in the early stages.

owed, and maybe also offering shares of newly mintedstock. In most bankruptcies, holders of the company’scommonstock end up with little or nothing, with their shares of stock essentially discontinued. Many companies emerge from bankruptcy with new shares of stock, leaving the old ones worthless (or nearly so).

Iknow that Google(now partofAlphabet) owns YouTube.What other businesses or brands are parts of other companies? T.S.,Norwalk, Connecticut

There are far too many to name, but here are some examples: Google also owns Nest and Fitbit, while Microsoft owns LinkedIn and Activision Blizzard; Amazon.com owns Whole Foods Market, Ring and Zappos. PepsiCo owns Quaker Oats and Gatorade. Comcast owns NBCUniversal and DreamWorks Animation, and Meta Platformsowns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Warren Buffett’sBerkshire Hathaway owns Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom,See’sCandies, Pampered Chef, GEICO and the BNSF railroad.

To ﬁnd out about any particular company (or division or brand), you can check out its website, search online or even call it and ask.

Small employers who don’thave the wherewithal to self-insure can still takesteps to curb costs, including workingwithinsurers to create networks of less expensive providers.

“Weencourageemployerstobe morethoughtful and aggressive withtheir network negotiations and to start having difﬁcult conversationswiththeir employees,” Gremmiger said. “Maybe it’s time to tell them they’re notgoing to have all three hospitalsintheir network any longerbut just oneortwo of them.”

Employers can also work with employers to structure plans that carve outcertainspecialtydrugs, either limiting their availability or working outdealstopurchase them from specialty pharmacies in Canada “We’re alwaysout testingthe waters on drug prices,” said Burke. “It’sincumbent on employersto negotiate.”

EmailStephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Landry administration lays out La.’s plan to boost economy

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Earlier this year, Gov Jeff Landry’s administration unveiled an ambitious plan to transform Louisiana into the most innovative, high-growth economy in the Southeast.

Now, Louisiana Economic Development says it has a game plan to get there.

LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois, at a meeting Tuesday outlined more than a dozen concrete steps her agency plans to take over the next 18 months to attract new investment, grow existing businesses and reshape how state government thinks about economic development.

Bourgeois said. The agency is calling the work plan “Nine by Ninety,” in recognition of LED’s 90th anniversary next year One focus area involves elevating existing Louisiana businesses.

long-term payback agreement like a loan or equity position. That’s so LED doesn’t have to go back to the Legislature each year to ask for more money she said.

That to-do list includes creating a database of Louisiana businesses to help connect out-of-state companies with local vendors, launching a media campaign to promote the state’s economic opportunities, recruiting C-suite executives to serve as LED advisers and increasing the amount of capital it deploys to Louisiana’s early-stage tech companies

The work is the next phase of LED’s new economic development strategy, which was adopted in March and calls for a greater emphasis on fast-growing sectors like technology and life sciences while also doubling down on legacy industries like energy and manufacturing. The initiatives are organized under nine “key focus areas,” and the goal is to achieve each of them by the end of 2026, with the hope that they will become standard practice going forward,

LED is planning to conduct “economic stewardship visits” with at least 800 “driver companies” annually Those are companies that LED has identiﬁed as having a signiﬁcant impact on the economy The goal is to open a line of communication so LED can figure out the best ways to support their expansion and respond to any needs that may arise, Bourgeois said. LED is also working on promulgating rules for its new site development fund, which received $150 million in the most recent legislative session.

Bourgeois said the money will be distributed to private sector projects only where “there’s a deﬁned return to the fund itself” through a

BUSINESS BRIEFS

LED is also planning to increase the capital it provides to early-stage technology companies by 200% and create three seed-stage capital funds through a new division of LED called Louisiana Innovation, or LA.IO. Its ﬁrst fund, called the Louisiana Growth Fund, is using $50 million in federal support to boost homegrown tech companies rather than recruiting new ones from out of state.

LED is seeking to recruit 20-30 C-suite executives to serve as subject matter experts and support the agency’s work.

In the coming weeks, LED plans to launch a “mini” marketing campaign to promote the state’s economic development wins to Louisiana residents. Consultants who put together LED’s economic

development strategy found that people living in Louisiana had a worse perception of the state than those living elsewhere. The Legislature gave LED $5 million to fund the campaign and the agency plans to eventually target audiences outside of Louisiana. Bourgeois outlined the work plan at a meeting of the Louisiana Economic Development Partnership Board. The panel of private sector leaders was created last year to advise LED.

Other initiatives include revamping LED’s international strategy to focus on generating leads in Japan, Australia and Europe; developing an easy-to-use tool to allow private sector partners to notify LED of potential leads; adopting artiﬁcial intelligence tools across the agency; and devel-

Small-business resource office taps new director

Ryan Devillier was named director for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Devillier spent the last two years with the organization, most recently serving as a business consultant, and has four years of experience working directly with Louisiana entrepreneurs.

He ﬁlls the post vacated by Heidi LeBlanc, who is now the center’s associate state director

Devillier earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Nicholls State University and is a certiﬁed workforce developer He was named a 2025 LSBDC Rising Star Award for his dedication to smallbusiness growth in the Acadiana region.

“I’m truly excited about stepping into this new role and continuing to serve the small-business commu-

nity in Acadiana,” Devillier said.

“There’s so much potential here, and I’m eager to collaborate with our local partners to help businesses thrive and make an even greater impact.”

PostalAnnex to open in former Orchard space

A Lafayette couple will open a PostalAnnex location in the former Orchard space, 4415 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Suite 4900.

The location is owned by Shane and Chrissi Broussard and offers services such as shipping with UPS, FedEx and USPS along with packing, private mailbox rental notary public, copy and printing services and others.

Annex Brands, the franchisor of PostalAnnex and based in San Diego, has over 850 locations in North America. Other brands include Pak Mail, AIM Mail Centers, Parcel Plus, Sunshine Pack & Ship,

Navis Pack & Ship and Handle With Care Packaging Store.

Salad Station location tops $1M in sales

Louisiana-based Salad Station, which has a location in Lafayette, had a single store top $1 million in sales in 2024, a ﬁrst for the brand.

The Hammond-based company reported the milestone along with a 6.5% increase in average gross revenue among half of its 24 reporting locations, according to a report from QSR Magazine.

Salad Station credited the increase to limited-time offerings such as chicken shawarma, hot honey chicken and fajita chicken, which helped drive check average up $1.46 from a year ago.

A new rice bowl offering is currently in testing, driving frequency and dinner business, while house-made flavored pita chips have been introduced systemwide.

Salad Station has 30 locations

across the southeast. Its Lafayette location, 4510 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, opened in 2019.

Acadian Ambulance now in Concordia Parish

Acadian Ambulance Service is now providing ground ambulance emergency and nonemergency transportation services to Concordia Parish.

The company’s comprehensive Emergency Medical Services system includes fully equipped and staffed ground ambulances, air medical transportation by Acadian Air Med, advanced dispatch and communications systems and local crews within the parish.

Acadian Air Med launched Friday, ofﬁcials said.

The partnership with Trinity Medical Center in Ferriday will ensure residents of Concordia Parish have access to high-quality, reliable and compassionate emergency medical care.

Powering Commerce.

First Swig

store opens in Lafayette

The Swig store in Lafayette, the first in Louisiana for the Utahbased brand, opened Wednesday The store, 4533 Johnston St. Suite 100, will hold a grand opening Aug. 18 in The Forum shopping center, franchisee Chase Herbert said. Swig is a Utah-based drink shop that is home to the “dirty soda” trend that has taken TikTok by storm. Its more popular options include the Dr Spice, which includes Dr Pepper, cinnamon, coconut, cinnamon stick and half and half; the Cinnamon Cider, which features ginger ale, lemonade, cinnamon, apple and cinnamon stick; and the Autumn Blush, which features a blend of water, mango puree, apple, raspberry and vanilla cream. Herbert, whose Swig locations are all in the Orlando Florida, area, signed a deal to open next year at Bonin Road and Milton Avenue in Youngsville.

Gallagher: ALouisiana StoryofGrowth, Community andResilience

Gallagher,one of the world’slargestinsurancebrokerage,risk managementand consulting ﬁrms, has asigniﬁcantpresencein Louisiana, with arich history andadeep commitmenttothe local community. With roots in the statedatingback decades, Gallagher has grownintothe largest broker inLouisiana, providing awide array of services to businesses of allsizes acrossvarious sectors

“WhereIthink we areuniquelypositioned is thatwedon’t have that institutional mindset. We haven’talwaysbeen big.We’vealwayshad to be alittle morenimble, creativeand client-centric, said” Numa “Bumpy” Triche,regional president. “The result isthatwehavethe sizeand scale of anybody in the world, with robustdataanalytics and modeling capabilities. But our local operations arevery much integrated within the local market.”

Founded in 1927,Gallagher has expanded globally and reports $11.3 billion in total adjustedbrokerage andrisk managementrevenues in 2024 and amarket capitalization of $76.1billion as of January 30,2025.

Thecompanyhas aworkforce of nearly56,000 employees worldwide morethan 970officesglobally,and servesclients in over130 countries.

In Louisiana, Gallagher’s journeybeganwithanacquisition in Baton Rouge,which led to theestablishmentofofficesinNew Orleans and Monroe,Louisiana. Thecompanyhas strategically acquired local ﬁrms overthe years, integrating their employees and maintaining alocal focus. This growth has resulted in 18 officesstatewide and asigniﬁcant regional market share. Thecompanyhas grownits businessbyworking withpeople and organizations who sharecommon values and vision. “Gallagher has one of thelargest operations within ourSoutheastregion in terms of our footprint acrossthe stateand the various markets, Triche said. “Atthe same time, we arealwaysclient-focused, withthe people in the statebeing the ones who work with the local teams and businesses. People work with us because we provide awhite-glove service experiencewitheasyaccessibilitytoour team and our broader tools and resources. We have invested heavily in areas relatedtodata analysis and forensicaccounting in order to provide the technical and detailed support to our teams.Whatwedoisoffer ourclients access to global expertise tailored to their needs.”

As proud as Gallagher is of its growth,theyare prouder to have been able to maintainits unique culture. This cultureissummed up in 25 tenets called TheGallagher Way, aset of shared values thatemphasize ethics, integrityand aclient-centricapproach. These values were articulatedbyRobert E. Gallagher backin1984and have sinceguided the company’soperations and relationships. Keyprinciples include providing excellentrisk managementservices,supporting and respecting colleagues, pursuing professional excellenceand fostering open communication. Thecompanyculturevalues empathy, trust, leadership and teamwork, with astrong emphasis on treating everyone with courtesyand respect

Gallagher’s commitmenttoLouisiana goes beyond business. The companyhas alocalpresence, with employees deeply embedded in the community.

“Our employees see theirclients at church on Sundays,play golf with them on Saturdays,and go to lunch with them on Wednesdays,” said William Jackson, ExecutiveVicePresidentof Gallagher’s SoutheastRegion and leader of the NewOrleans operation and the region’s specialtyproducts.Our local connection is akey differentiatorfor Gallagher,combining the resourcesand capabilities of alarge global ﬁrmwith the personalized serviceofa communitybroker.

“Weteam up withlocalpartnerstomakeevery communitywejoin a morevibrantone.Fromfundraisersfor localcharities to crawﬁshboils and hurricane relief,our officesgivebacktothe peopleand places in whichwelive. As we grow larger,wemaintain close ties to the communities we serve.

Gallagher serves adiverse range of industries in Louisiana,including manufacturing, agribusiness, public sector,higher education, aerospace, energy,entertainmentand lifesciences. Thecompanypositions itself as athought leader when it comes to riskmanagementguidance on topics suchascyber risks, healthcare,marine construction AI, social inﬂation and other inﬂuences thatimpactinsurance claim costs, leading to higher premiums and impacting the insuranceindustry’srisklandscape.The team prides itself on providing expertiseand insights on keyindustries and currenteventsimpacting this region.

WILLIAM JACKSON ExecutiveVicePresidentSoutheast Region, Gallagher

Gallagher is poised forcontinued success in Louisiana,driven by its strong values, localfocus and expertise in keyindustries. Thecompany’s emphasis on client-centric service, combined with its global resources, positions it as atrustedpartner forbusinesses andindividuals seeking insurance, risk managementand consulting solutions.AsGallagher continues to grow and adapttothe evolving needsofthe market its commitmenttothe local communities remains acornerstone of its identity

Anicon turns

Commemorating 50 yearsofsports, culture and politics from ‘the

greatest building in the history of mankind’

John McKeithenwas right. The Superdome is the greatest stadiumeverbuilt.

JEFF DUNCAN |SPORTSCOLUMNIST

Wehaven’tdone alot rightin NewOrleans overthe last50years.But the Superdome is certainlyone of our city’sgreatest achievements, something we canboast about with unabashed civic pride.

The Superdome is not onlyone of themost iconic buildingsinthe world; it also is arguablythe greatest stadium ever built. An architecturalwonder and engineering marvel since openingin1975, theDome stands as amonument to the ambition, ingenuity and creativityofour state.

In stumping forits construction in thelate1960s, Louisiana Gov. John McKeithen boldlypredicted thatthe Superdome would be “the greatest building in the history of mankind.” Ahalf-century later, the Dome hasn’tjust delivered on thosegrand expectations.Ithas exceeded them.

In acitythathas never minded living in thepast, the Superdome thrustNew Orleans into the future, transforming thecity’simage,psyche and skyline.

“It glistens likeagiantdewdrop diamondonthe throatofNew Orleans,anawesome skyline-crowding structurethatisbeyond tomorrow,” Houston Chronicle columnist Stan Reddingwrote after touring the stadium in 1975

Othersechoed his sentiments:

“Houston’sAstrodomecompares to the Superdome likeLindbergh’s Spirit of St.Louis to a747 jumbo jet.It’sthe damndest thingI ever saw,”wrote Ed ComerfordofNewsday after touring thestadium beforeits opening in 1975.

The NewYork Times boldly proclaimed,“The Louisiana Superdomewill make all other stadiums in existence as obsoleteasRome’sColiseum.”

And JepCadou opined breathlessly in theSaturdayEvening Post,“TheState of Louisianahas come mighty closetoerectingaGarden of Eden forthe delectation of its citizensand visitorsinNew Orleans.(It) will befuddle our speculativefriends of the future, the archaeologists.”

Standing 27 storieshigh,weighing 300,000 tons and covering 13 acres,the Superdome’s massive sizerequired an undergroundforestof3,000 pilings, each 160feet longand 10 inches in diameter,to support it.The building’smulti-purposefunctionalityallowedittoshowcaseeventsofall kinds, from monster truck competitionsand MardiGrasballs to

graduation commencements andhome andgarden shows.

The Superdome instantly became amagnet for major sporting events and amajor economic generator forthe state, validatingthe visionofthe dreamerswho championed its construction.Itput New Orleans on the map, fuelingthe city’stourist businessand bolstering its reputation as adestination location

Over the years, the Superdome hasplayedhost to popes andpop stars, presidents and professional sports legends,while providing thestagefor some of themost memorablemoments in sportshistory MuhammadAli, TomBrady and Michael Jordan —three of the greatest athletes of all time —competed andwon championshipsinthe Superdome. Can anyother venue in theworldmakesucha claim?

JoeBurrow,Carmelo Anthony, BrettFavre,AnthonyDavis,Jon Montana,Terry Bradshaw,Len Dawsonand RogerStaubachalsowerecrowned championsinthe Dome, while some of sports’ greatest mentors and leaders—Nick Saban,Eddie Robinson, MikeKrzyzewski, Bill Belichick, DeanSmith, DonShula,Bob Knight,Joe Paterno,JohnCalipari andBear Bryant, amongothers— have coached there.

The roster of entertainmentstarswho have per-

formedunder its iconic whiteroof includes Frank Sinatra, MickJagger,WhitneyHouston, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Prince, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

In its 50-year existence, the Superdome has generated billions of dollarsindirect and indirect spending forthe region. It alsohas generated hundreds of jobs,revitalized the PoydrasStreet business corridor and attracted professional sportstothe city.

Today, the Superdome stands as the most importantcapital project in Louisiana history and the city’s most valuable commodityother than the French Quarter

While its domed peersinHouston, Detroit,Indianapolis,Minneapolis and Seattle have long since become obsoleteand demolished, the Superdome has endured the test of the time and remains astateof-the-art facility, recently hosting its recordeighth Super Bowl

ForNew Orleanians,the Dome is morethan just abuilding. It’sa belovedlandmark and cultural icon that, in times of need, has alsosheltered citizens during major tropical storms.Most of all, the Superdome has served as acommunal living room forthe city, agathering place forlocals to sharejoyous celebrations and makeindelible memories

It’sthe best$160million Louisiana ever spent.

TheNew Orleansskylineand theCaesars Superdome, thesite of theNFL SuperBowlLIX, shot from aJeffersonParishSheriff’s Office helicopterbyCaitlynReisgen,Thursday Feb. 6, 2025.

From unforgettablegames toconcerts,there’s no place quitelikethe Superdome

RODWALKER |SPORTSCOLUMNIST

The ticket stub from my ﬁrst ever trip to theSuperdome is still tucked away in my highschool memory book.

Section 628.Row 16.Seat3

Truth be told, Idon’tevenremember whowon that Dec. 6, 1987,game between the NewOrleans Saints and Tampa BayBuccaneers.

All Iremember is thatmynext-door neighbor JudgeA.J.Peyton— loadeduphis Cadillac with me, his sons Edd and Gerald and his granddaughterRuthie and made the drivedownI-55 Southtoour ﬁrst NFL game.

Myonlyrecollectionofthegameitselfwasarookie named VinnyTestaverde, who had wonthe Heisman Trophya year before, making his ﬁrst start forthe Buccaneers. Forthe purposeofthiscolumn, Ilooked it up and sawthatthe Saintswon 44-34 thatday.

But fora teenagerfromMississippi,the ﬁnalscore wasn’timportant.

Whatwas importantwas thatIwas sitting inside one the most iconic venues in the world.Little did I knowatthe time that this placewould becomemyofﬁce on Sundays

It wascalled the Louisiana Superdome back then, long beforeMercedes-Benz andlater Caesarsspent millions and millions of dollarstohavetheir name on the place.

This building wasimmaculate,especially to a wide-eyedkid from Mississippi whohad neverseen football playedindoors.

The three hoursspentthatSundaywas just the precursorofmanymoreDome memories.Someof thosememories were made as Iwatched from an 18inch TV screen from home three hours away.Others

were in personfroma pressbox wherethe temperatures often leave me wondering if I’minNew Orleans or Green Bay.

And thereare thoserareoccasions when Iget to sit in the Domeand just be afan.

In 1982, Iwatched from home as Michael Jordan buried ajumper to beatGeorgetown forthe NCAA title. Twoyearsbeforethat, Iwatched on television as Roberto Duransaid “NoMas” in his welterweight ﬁghtagainst Sugar RayLeonard.

In early July,I watched as thousands of fans at Essence Fest ﬁguratively said “NoMas” andheaded towardsthe exits long beforeLauryn Hill ﬁnished her setat3:37a.m

It made foralong exhausting night. Icould have used atimeout,but likeChris Webber andthe MichiganWolverines 32 yearsearlier,I didn’t have one.

STAFFPHOTO BY CHRISGRANGER

STAFFPHOTO BY VERONICA DOMINACH

So Iendured until the end.

It wasworth the wait,which is usually thecase when it comes to this place.

Saints fans had to wait 21 seasons from the birth of the franchisein1967, including the firsteight seasons playing at Tulane Stadium,toget their first tasteofthe playoffs. Theywaited another 13 yearstoget aplayoff win. And then another nine yearstosee “pigsflyand hell freeze over” as Garrett Hartley’s40-yard fieldgoal soared through the uprights to punch the Saints’ ticket to their first and only Super Bowl.

Some cheered.

Some cried.

Just liketheyhad done on thatmagical night in September of 2006 when SteveGleasonstretchedout to block apuntsymbolizing the rebirth of acitythatayear earlier had felt the devastationofHurricaneKatrina. The home to the NewOrleans Saints all of asudden became the home to the homeless, the thousands of people who were affected by the worstnatural disaster this country had ever faced. The imagesfromthe Dome told the rest of the world just howdirethingswerein the city.

In typical NewOrleans fashion, the citybounced

Super Bowl LIX crews resumed building tents, barricades, and other related setups around the CaesarsSuperdome and PoydrasAvenue in NewOrleans on Thursday, January 23, 2025, days after amajor snowfall coveredsouth Louisiana.

back. And thecity’smost recognizable venue bounced back, too.

Drew Brees rewrotethe NFL recordbooks, doing forthe Saints offensewhatRickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson and PatSwilling once did forthe Saints defense. Theywerethe DomePatrol, aquartet of linebackerswho made WhoDatsremove thosepaper bags from their headsand stick theirchests outjusta little bit further

The DomePatrolmadeSaints fans start dreaming big. And when it comes to dreaming big, there’snoplace quitelikethe Dome.

Just ask every high school football playerinthe state of Louisiana.Yeah, theyall love playing under the Fridaynightlights in their respectivehometowns.But the ultimate high school football games areplayedinthe Domewith astate championship on the line in December

Or ask anyfan of SouthernUniversityorGrambling, thetwo schools that playonthe Saturday afterThanksgiving every year in the BayouClassic. Bragging rights forthe next 365 days areatstakewhen the Jaguars and theTigersclash. At some point, Southern’sHumanJukebox will playthe tune “Do WhatYou Wanna,” which seems ﬁttingwhen Ithink back on some of the strangemoments witnessedinthe Dome.

Do whatyou wanna is whatthe refs did thatJanuary afternoon in 2019 when the referees decided not to throwa ﬂagonwhatshould have been an obvious pass

interferenceinthe NFCchampionship game between theSaints and Los Angeles Rams.

Therewas the night the Undertaker’s21-match winningstreak at WrestleMania came to an end with a losstoBrock Lesnar

Therehavebeen epic Sugar Bowls,including ones withamascot feud between UniversityofTexas steer, Bevo,and the UniversityofGeorgia’s bulldog,Uga.

Therehavebeen memorable Super Bowls with epic halftime performances,includingone thatwas followedupbythe lights goingout in the Dome andinterrupting the thirdquarter of Super Bowl XLVII. The game wasput on pause for34minutes

Eventually,the lights came back on.

ThereweremoreSuperdome memories to be made.

Ayear later, Prince performed at Essence, his ﬁnal performance in NewOrleans.

It wasa night I’ll neverforget, which is often the case every timeIstepfoot in the Dome.

My ﬁrst time wasa football game in 1987.The most recenttime wasthe ﬁnal night of EssenceFest 2025.

The ﬁnal song of the night wasBoyzIIMen singing their hit “Endofthe Road.”

Essence Fest had cometoanend

But the Superdome, farfromthe endofits road,is still going strong.

Happy50th!!!

STAFFPHOTO BY CHRISGRANGER

The Superdome’s changing lightscelebratethe city. Here’s a look behind the scenes.

DOUG MACCASH| STAFFWRITER

Fromthe time its massiveskeleton rose over PoydrasStreet,the Louisiana Superdome –nowknown as the CaesarsSuperdome –was acenterpiece of the Crescent City Skyscape. Its mushrooming minimalist architecturecouldn’tbe missed. Except maybe when thesun went down.

Back in 2010, as theChampionsSquare plazawas being installed beside the greatarena,Gary Solomon Jr., CEO of the Solomon Group design ﬁrm, and the late architectAlan Eskew noticed something. Despiteits massiveness, at night, Solomon said, “the Dome vanished into the nightsky.”

Solomon and Eskew setout to changethat. Soon the Superdome wouldbeilluminatedwithacomplexhigh-tech lightingsystemthatjazzed up the downtown cityscape afterdark like neverbefore.

The enormous Dome hadbeen custom lit at least twice, forthe 2002 Super Bowl and forthe wind-blasted arena’sresurrection after Hurricane Katrina on Sept.25, 2006. Thosetemporaryilluminations provided inspiration, but the permanent

lighting systemthatSolomon andEskew envisioned would go further.

On Oct.20, 2011, ahugecrowd assembled to watchSaintsownersTom and GayleBenson throw theswitch thatignited thenew Superdome lighting system, splashing the metallic walls of the building withashifting light showsynchronized to music

As reported in The Times-Picayune at the time, thenew $1.6million illumination wasproduced by “26,000 LED lights in 288 ﬁxtures thatare capableofreproducing every color of therainbow on all96concave aluminum panels that ring the building’s exterior.”

Of course, Solomon said, thenew lightsset the Dome aglow,but theydid morethan that.“There was such energy inside the Dome thatwewantedtotake that outside,”Solomon said.

Soon the Superdome staff began keyingthe exterior colorstosporting events,concerts, andspecial tributes.

The Dome waslit in purple forPrince’sappear-

anceatEssence Fest in 2014. It has been turned pink during breast cancer awarenessmonth, blue in tributetoNOPD officerswho died in the line of duty, green forTulane University, the colorsofthe ﬂag for apresidential visit,Christmas colorsand on and on.

As Solomon put it,with the newlighting system, the Dome became asort of communitybeacon that “speakstothe moment.”

Solomon said thateye-catching,coded architectural lighting has become more common over the past 14 years, but when it ﬁrst appeared on the Dome, it wasa game-changer.Now,hesaid, largescale parts of the city’sarchitectureand infrastructure, such as the awning over the World War II Museum and the CrescentCityConnection have followedsuit.“The Dome,”hesaid “mayhaveinﬂuenced other architecture.”

Solomon said thatin2021, when the arena was rebranded the CaesarsSuperdome, the whiteroof of the structurewas lit forthe ﬁrst time to allowthe companylogotobeseen from the air at night.

STAFFPHOTO BY DAVIDGRUNFELD

Life at 50

The legendary Superdome by the numbers

ZACH EWING| STAFFWRITER

Reported attendancefor aRolling Stones concert on Dec. 5, 1981, known fordecades as the world’slargest indoor concert

The Superdometurns 50 this month, and while that’s the big number,there’s plentyofways to tell the story of thefamous stadiumusing other figures. hostedbyt twomorethan times the football champion crowned Superd with Pitt in Bowl and including fi national

Super Bowls

87,500

quarefootage of aluminum makes up the Superdome roof

273 height of the Superdome, in feet

400,000 et, lot

69,000

Current maximum seating capacity forafootballgame. Forbasketball, it’s 67,500, and forconcerts, 83,000.

229

LED lights in theSuperdome’s exterior lighting system 26,000

503

NFL games played at the Superdome: 384 Saints regular-season games,97 Saints preseason games, 14 Saints playoff games and eight Super Bowls

High school state football championship games in the Superdome, starting in 1981 and played thereevery year except for2005 and 2020.

Times in 50 yearsthe Bayou Classic hasbeen held at the Superdome. The onlyexceptions were the2005 game in Houston and the 2021 game in Shreveport.

30,000

Peak estimated evacuees in the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina

Escalatorsinthe Superdome, along with 22 elevators. The longestescalator is 120 feet.

Men’s Final Foursat theSuperdome,from MichaelJordan’s coming-out party in 1982 to MikeKrzyzewski’s farewell in 2022

191,000

Three-day attendancefor Taylor Swift concerts at the Superdome in 2024, thehighest-attended concert series in thestadium’shistory

As the Superdome turns 50, we look back at the biggest Domeconcerts of all time

DOUGMACCASH

|STAFF WRITER

The Allman Brothers, etc.,1975

In addition to greatmusic, theconcert alsogenerated controversy. The AllmanBrotherslatersued theconcert promoters, the Superdome andthe ticket-taking companyfor $1.3 million, claiming the band did not receivemoneyfor morethan 25,000 tickets sold

The Times-Picayune’sJohn AlanSimonreported thatthe audience numbered80,000.A1979 Times-Picayune story liststhe attendance as 55,000 Day of Rock &Roll, 1979,1980, 1981

The Days of Rock &Roll concerts featured Sammy Hagar, Nazareth, VanHalen, Boston, Heart, Blue Oyster Cult,and the Granati Brothersin1979. Eagles, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, and Christopher Cross playedin1980.And REOSpeedwagon, TedNugent, Heart,and Foghatplayedin1981.

The Times-Picayune’sKelly Tucker reported that the audience reached 63,800 in 1979.

Budweiser Superfest, 1979 to 1999

The traveling R&B and soul concertsdrewwhat Times-Picayune reporter BunnyMatthewsdescribed as “absurdly gigantic” crowds to theLouisiana Superdome. No wonder (pardon the pun), since the 1982 show, forexample, included Stevie Wonder, Maze,Quincy Jones,Ashfordand Simpson, andKool and the Gang.

The Rolling Stones,1981

A total of 87,500 fans attended the concert,including PatAdams of the tennesseeconcerts. com website, who wrote: “The opening bandswerethe Neville Brothers, followedbyGeorge Thorogood andThe Destroyers. Both acts were good. Theyﬂashed up on the sign thatthe concert hadset arecordfor the largest indoor concert ever held.” The Stones also playedthe Dome in ‘78(with 80,173 in attendance), ‘89 and ‘94.

Prince,1985

The late pop phenomenon reportedlydrew50,000 fans to the NewOrleans stop on his“Purple Rain” tour.

Frank Sinatra, SammyDavis Jr., and Liza Minnelli, 1989

NewKids on the Block, 1990

As The Times-Picayune wrote: “The Aug. 23 New Kids on the Block concerthas been movedfrom the (8,933-seat) LakefrontArena to the Superdome to accommodate“excessive” ticket demand ... all tickets forthe sold-out Lakefront Arena concertwill be honored at the Superdome, and another 20,000 tickets will go on sale.”

GunsN’Roses N’ Metallica,1992

The pair of heavy metal juggernauts must have sold well. The Times-Picayune’sScottAiges reported that one fanstood in line 43 hourstosecureaseat.

Paul McCartney,1993

Pink Floyd,1994

Bette Midler,1994

U2,1997

TheBlues Brothers, ZZ Top, James Brown, 1997 Actors Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, and James Belushi in the roles of the Blues Brothers, at theSuper Bowl XXXI halftimeshow. Attendance: 72,301.

Janet Jackson,1998

George Strait,1998 and1999

The manwhoseexesliveinTexas playedthe Dome in 1998 drawing 43,000,then again in 1999,drawing arespectable 34,000 according to ﬁgures providedby the Dome management.

Cher,1999

Cher,withhelp from Cyndi Lauper,turned back time for13,000fans

Note:The Smoothie King Center,then knownasThe NewOrleans Arena,was completed in 1999,providing asecond, smaller concertvenue at roughly the same siteasthe Louisiana Superdome.

NSYNC, 2000

BritneySpears, 2000

KeithSperareported Spears’ Superdomesales reached 30,000.

U2,Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show, 2002

U2’sstirring tributetothe victimsofthe September 11 terrorist attacks. Attendance: 72,922.

LutherVandross at Essence Fest,2002

EssenceFestival ﬁlls the Superdome annually with attendees from across the country. Since the fest takesplaceovera three-dayperiod, with events in the Ernest N. MorialConventionCenteraswell as the Dome, it’sdifficulttoarriveatanexact attendanceﬁgurefor asingle concert.But it’sprobably fair to saythatagood percentageofthe 2002 audience, reported by the Dome managementtobe138,000 strong,was on hand forLuther Vandross

KennyChesneyand TimMcGraw,2012

The countrycomrades told 35,000 fans to do whatever it took to make them feel likerock stars, according to Superdome representatives

Beyonce and Destiny’sChild, SuperBowlXLVII halftime show, 2013

Attendance: 71,024.

One Direction, 2014

Beyonce and JayZ,2014

The popmusic powercoupleplayedto42,000

Prince at Essence Fest,2004 and 2014

Prince’sSaturdayconcert certainly attracteda large shareofthe approximately 140,000 weekend Dome attendees in 2004. Same could be said forhis Essenceappearancein2014.

The Rolling Stones,2019

In 2019,the Rolling Stones most recent appearance at the Domedrew40,000

Beyonce in 2016and 2023

In 2016Beyonce sold 45,000 tickets to her Superdome show, whichset arecordasthe highest-grossing, single concert with $5.3 million in ticketsales Beyonce’s2023Superdome appearancehad an unofficial, estimatedattendanceof50,000.

Taylor Swift in 2024

In 2024, TaylorSwift’sthree-nightstand at the Superdome, drew an averageof64,000 fans per show, totaling 191,000 fans overall, setting official revenue and multi-dayattendance records.Accordingto Dome representatives,80% of the ticketsales went to out-of-state buyers.

50 years, one rivalry, countless memories: The BayouClassic’s enduring role in theSuperdome’ssuccess

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Thisarticle is broughttoyou bythe organizersofthe Bayou Classic

When the CaesarsSuperdome was in the planning stages,three major events were instrumental in convincing lawmakerstobuild the stadium:Saints games,the Sugar Bowl, and the Bayou Classic.

Among the “Big Three,”the Bayou Classic stands out.This annual rivalry between Grambling State University and Southern Universitymade history in 1975asthe ﬁrst collegefootball game playedinthe Superdome.

Over the years, the game hasdelivered unforgettable moments:Southern’s14-7 win in 1979thatended Grambling’s ﬁve-game winning streak, a31-30 Southern victory in 1991thatmarked the ﬁrst nationally televisedHBCU football game, and the 2016clash of two then-undefeatedpowerhouses, where Grambling lit up the scoreboard with a 52-pointvictory.

“The Superdome is so tied to the

game’s legacy,” said Dottie Belletto, founder and CEOofNOCCI, aleading eventmarketing and logisticsﬁrm.

“We’re the only classic thatisplayed every year in an NFL stadium and airs on national televisionevery year.I don’t knowthatyou would seethe numbers andvisibilitythe BayouClassic has withoutthe Superdome.”

With the Superdome as its cornerstone, the BayouClassic is a multi-daycultural celebration. From eventslikeaparadealong Canal and Poydrasstreetstothe Battle of the Bands,the weekend drawsthousands of fans,alumni and supporters.

“It’salmostlikeahugefamily reunion,”Belletto said. “You seefamilies from split households,wheresome cheer forSouthern and some cheer forGrambling. We’vehad parentswho did not attend either school who bring their children so they canexperience the HBCU culture. It’salwaysfun to see differentgenerations who enjoybeing together throughout the weekend.”

The 52nd annual BayouClassic will takeplace on Saturday, November 29,2025.

Congratulations to the superdome on 50 iconic years.

Bayou Classicisproud to be part of itsstory...andits soul.

Howthe Superdome gotits name in the 1960s

The name Superdome came fromthe building’s chief promoter,visionary businessmanDave Dixon, who is responsible forsomanychapters of the history of the building nowcalledthe Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

On Nov. 4, 1965,Dixon joinedNew Orleans Mayor Victor Schiroinannouncing plans fora $24million multipurpose, enclosed, air-conditioned stadium The Houston Astrodome,the world’sﬁrstdomedstadium, had opened sevenmonthsearlier.

PeterFinney’sNov.5,1965article in The StatesItem explained that“ﬁfty percentofthe construction costs have been pledged …providedthe city is granted afranchiseineitherthe National or American Football League.”Thathappenedone year later.

In 1965,Dixon predicted thestadium would revolutionizesports in the city. “It willbeanall-purpose stadium foruse by the community, notjust apro football team,”hesaid, envisioning ahome notjust forfootball but alsobaseball, basketball, boxing and track. In aFeb.3,1966 Times-Picayune article, Gov.

John McKeithen, an enthusiastic proponent of the project,proclaimed “this stadium will be the ﬁnest in the world.”

In his2008 book, “The Saints,the Superdome and the Scandal: An Insider’s Perspective,” Dixon explained thehistory of the building’s name, callingitan“easy” choice. “I selected the nameearly on, right at thebeginning of our stadium and (NFL)franchise efforts,” he said. “Actually,I chosethe name while the Astrodome wasamammoth hole in the ground overinHouston. Iconsidered only twonames,Superdome or Ultradome. To my ear,‘Superdome’ sounded farbetter than ‘Ultradome.’”

Dixon points out thathis useofthe word “super” even came before the ﬁrst Super Bowl, which was playedin1967.

After yearsofconstruction delays and apricetag thatballooned to $163 million,the LouisianaSuperdome openedtoravereviews on Aug. 3, 1975. In

HoranceH.Hayden, right, chiefofdesign, presents completeddrawings, totaling450 sheets of paperand representingthe work of about300 people through30 months,toDaveDixon,onOct.30, 1970.

July of 2021, CaesarsEntertainmentInc. reached an agreementwith the Saints to purchasethe naming rightstothe Superdome.

–Blake Pontchartrain

in the of the

biggest Superdome the histmoments ory

TheCaesars Superdome is in its 50th year afteropening in 1975, and thereare plenty of momentsoverthe last five decades that areworth remembering.

Frompoliticstosports,the Superdomehas oftenbeenthe center of attentionover the last five decades.

These are30 moments thatstandamongthe most prominentinthe history of the Superdome.

STAFFREPORT

Superdomegroundbreaking

The construction ofamajordomed stadiuminLouisiana began nearly ﬁveyears after the NFL awarded afranchisetothe cityofNew Orleans. LouisianabusinessmanDave Dixon ﬁrst pitchedthe idea to Louisianagovernor John McKeithen, who promised thatadomed stadium wouldbebuilt

Louisiana legislatorsapprovedthe dome’sconstruction by the largest margin in state history onNov.8,1966, sevendaysafter NFLcommissioner Pete Rozelle awardedthe league’s25th franchisetoNew Orleans.The dome project faceddelays buteventually brokeground in 1971indowntownNew Orleans, taking nearly four yearstocomplete.

Superdomeopens

The LouisianaSuperdome became thenew home forthe NewOrleans Saints forthe 1975 NFL seasonafter opening in August.The ﬁrst Saints game playedinthe new indoor stadium wasapreseason contest against the Houston OilersonAug.6

The massivesteel structure becamethe largest ﬁxed dome structureinthe world, which remains true to this day. The Superdome took the placeofTulane Stadiumas ahostsiteofSuper Bowls and major collegefootballgames. TheDome hashosted the Sugar Bowleveryear since 1975aswell as the BayouClassic between Southern Universityand GramblingState

FirstSugar Bowl

The SugarBowlhad been playedinNew Orleans every year since 1935atTulane Stadium, but it wouldhaveanew home forthe ﬁrst time in over 40 yearswith the Louisiana Superdome becomingthe newpermanent host sitefor the highly anticipated postseason collegefootball matchup

The ﬁrst SugarBowlinthe Superdome wasbetween SEC championAlabama and Penn State,aDivision IIndependentatthe time. Coached by the legendary Bear Bryant, Alabama wonalow-scoring 13-6 contest to ﬁnish the season as the No. 3-ranked team in the country withan11-1record.

Super Bowl XII

The ﬁrst SuperBowlplayedinthe Louisiana Superdome featured the NFCchampion Dallas Cowboys and the AFCchampion DenverBroncos.

Super Bowl XII sawthe Cowboyslead from starttoﬁnish in adominant27-10 victory overthe Broncos.Dallas quarterback RogerStaubachbeathis former teammate in Broncos QB Craig Morton. Staubach passedfor 183 yardsand one touchdown in the win,which includedfourDallas interceptions ofMorton. TheSuper Bowl victory wasthe second in Cowboys franchisehistoryand their second in NewOrleansafter winning their ﬁrst title at Tulane Stadium.

Muhammad Alidefeats Leon Spinks

The heavyweightboxing bout deemed “September to Remember”featured Muhammad Aliand Leon SpinksasAli looked to become the ﬁrst three-time undisputed heavyweightworld champion in frontofa crowd of 65,000 people at the Louisiana Superdome.

Ali wasdefeatedbySpinksintheir first fightearlier thatyear in Las Vegas, butAli avenged his losstoSpinks via a15-round unanimous decision in NewOrleans to become theheavyweightworld championonce again. Thefamousfightwas one of the last of Ali’sstoried career,ashewas 36 yearsold at the time.

SugarRay Leonarddefeats RobertoDuran (NoMas

fight)

RobertoDuran defeatedSugar RayLeonardinaunanimous decision in Montreal just ﬁvemonths priortothe twobeing matched up again at the Louisiana Superdome on November 25,1980,withthe WBCwelterweightchampionship on the line. Duran hadtaken the championship from Leonard, but Sugar Rayreclaimed the title withadominantperformance in NewOrleans.Leonardlanded severalpunches to Duran,who turned to thereferee in the eighth round and supposedly said, “nomas” beforebowing out of theﬁght. Duran’ssurrender resulted in an eight-round TKOfor Leonard.

Super Bowl XV

Super Bowl XV between theOaklandRaidersand Philadelphia Eagles wasthe secondSuper Bowl playedinthe Louisiana Superdome.

RaidersquarterbackJim Plunketthad arollercoaster NFL career up to that point, buthefound successearly on against the Eagles after connecting with widereceiver Cliff Branchfor atwo-yardtouchdown on the Raidersﬁrstdrive

The Raidersdefensemadelifetough on Eagles quarterback RonJaworski, withRaiderslinebacker RodMartin intercepting Jaworski aSuper Bowlrecordthree times.The result wasa27-10 Raidersvictory –their second Super Bowl win in franchisehistory

Rolling Stones concert in frontof87,500 fans

The Rolling Stones playedinfront of 87,500 people at the Louisiana Superdome as part of “The American Tour 1981” thatsaw the band visit various stadiums andarenasthroughoutthe U.S. to promotetheir newalbum “TattooYou.”

Tickets to the concert in NewOrleans were under $20,which included The Neville Brothers, George Thorogood and The Destroyers as opening acts.The attendancenumber brokethe recordfor themost attended indoor concertin theworld, whichstood for33yearsuntil George Strait playedinfront of over 100,000 people at AT&T Stadium in Dallas in 2014.

NCAA Tournament title game

The ﬁrst men’sNCAAFinal Four at theLouisiana Superdome featured plenty of futureNBA starsinthe championship game between NorthCarolina and Georgetown.

North Carolinawas led by James Worthy, SamPerkinsand freshmanMichaelJordan. On the Georgetown side, PatrickEwing and Eric Floyd were among the standouts. Trailingbyone pointinthe closingseconds,NorthCarolinacoach Dean Smithcalled atimeoutand drew up aplayfor Jordan, predictingthatGeorgetownwould heavily defend Worthy, who had agame-high 28 points.

North Carolinawon 63-62 after Jordan nailed ajump shotwith 17 seconds remaining.

SuperBowlXX

The thirdSuper Bowl at theLouisiana Superdome sawthe NFCchampion Chicago Bearsdominatethe AFCchampion NewEngland Patriots. The Bearshad an elitedefensecoached by legendarydefensivecoordinatorBuddy Ryan,and theycame up withseven sackswhile holding the Patriots to just 10 points Bearshead coach Mike Ditka made the controversial decision to hand the ball off to William “The Refrigerator”Perry fora 1-yard touchdown late in whatended up a 46-10 blowout insteadofgivinglegendary running back Walter Payton ashot at the end zone, adecision Ditkalater said was“agross mistake.”

1988 1990 1995

Papalvisit

Pope John Paul II visited NewOrleans on Sept.11-13,1987,aspart of a10-daytripto theUnited States.

He spent36hours in the cityafter ShepherdOne, the pope’sjet,touched down in Louisiana on Sept.11.

Thepopevisited St. LouisCathedral forareception withclergymembers. He then traveled in his “Popemobile” to theSuperdome, wherehespoke to BlackCatholic leadersand Catholic educators. He alsospoke at ayouth rally on the ﬂoor of the Dome, featuring amini-Mardi Gras parade andthe St.Augustine Marching 100band.

Republican National Convention

NewOrleans again showed the world that it knows howtoput togetheraparty, hostingthe 1988 Republican National Convention at the Superdome.

Local leadersworkedfor months to prepare the city foropeningnight, which included aspeech from PresidentRonaldReagan at the Dome.

Vice PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush, the presumptivenominee, hadn’t revealed his running mate.Hesurprised many when he introduced Indiana Sen. DanQuayleashis vice presidential pick at arally at Spanish Plaza

Bush’s speech at theSuperdome is remembered foralinethatlater contributed to his 1992 defeat: “Read my lips, no newtaxes.”

Super BowlXXIV

TheDenverBroncos soughtredemption in Super Bowl XXIV in the Superdome after losing in their previousthree Super Bowl appearances,two of whichwerewith legendary quarterback John Elway.

Elway’sthird trip wasn’t anybetterina 55-10defeattothe San Francisco 49ers, dropping the Broncos to 0-4 in the NFL’sbiggest game. Elwaycompleted 10-of-26 passesfor 126yards with no touchdowns and apair of interceptions

It wasthe second timethatthe Broncoslosta Super Bowl in NewOrleans. Elwaywouldn’treturntothe Super Bowl until1998,ﬁnally breakingthrough to lead theBroncos to back-to-backchampionships

NCAA Tournament title game

The1993 NCAA Tournament titlegame is remembered as “TheTimeout Game” after Michigan’sChris Webber —whoseteam wastrailing NorthCarolina by twowith 11 secondsremaining—was double-teamed andcalled atimeout the Wolverines didn’thave. Atechnical foul wascalled, helping NorthCarolina expand itslead. The TarHeels wonthe championship,77-71, to claim their secondtitle in NewOrleans. Webber’s mistakefollowedhim throughout the remainder of hiscareer andbeyond, but he provedtobeaﬁve-time NBAAll-Star. In the semiﬁnals,NorthCarolina beat Kansas 78-68 and Michigan took down Kentucky 81-78

FirstEssenceFest

TheEssence Festival wasoriginally arrangedtobeaone-timesalutetoEssence magazine onits 25th anniversaryofservinganaudience mostly madeupofAfricanAmerican women. From atourism standpoint, the event, scheduled duringthe July 4 weekend, wasdesigned to boost thecityduringits traditionalslowseason. In the end, 142,000 people showed up to hearpowerhouseperformerslikeAretha Franklin and B.B. King at theSuperdome. Thefestival,whichbills itself as “the party with apurpose,”isstill goingstrongall theseyearslater,becominganannualJuly4 tradition in NewOrleans.

SuperBowlXXXI

The Green Bay Packerswerebeing challenged by the NewEngland Patriots in thesecond half of Super Bowl XXXI until Desmond Howard stole the showin theSuperdome.

The Patriotscut the Packerslead to 27-21after aCurtis Martin touchdown run, butHowardresponded by returning the ensuing kickoff 99 yardstothe house. Howard’s return wasthe ﬁnal touchdown scored in a35-21 Packerswin. Patriots headcoach Bill Parcells said thatHoward’stouchdown “broke our back.” The former Heisman Trophy winner racked up 244returnyards in the game and became theﬁrstplayertowin Super Bowl MVP becauseofspecial teams contributions.

Eddie Robinson’s final game

For56yearsasGrambling’s head coach, Eddie Robinson setthe standardfor collegefootball. His 408 career victories rank thirdall-time among collegecoaches While thediscussion leadinguptothe 1997 BayouClassic wasall about it being Robinson’sﬁnal game, it wasthe rival Southern Jaguarswho came out victorious, 30-7.

The win securedthe SWAC championship forthe Jaguarsand locked up their ﬁfth straightBayou Classic victory,but it wasadifficult and emotional end foran incredible career forRobinson.

The legendary coach wasinductedintothe CollegeFootball Hall of Fame thatyear

NCAA BCS title game

Asellout crowd of 79,280 wasinside the Superdome to watcha pair of unbeaten teams,Florida Stateand Virginia Tech, face off in the BCSnational title contest in theSugar Bowl.

After theSeminoles jumped outtoa28-7second-quarter lead, it wasMichael Vick and the Hokies’ turn. Behind some big plays by the speedy QB,the Hokies rallied to a29-28 leadtoend thethirdquarter.

The Seminoles responded to scorethe ﬁnal 18 points to claim a46-29 victory. Vick helped the Hokies amass503 yardsofoffense, the most ever by alosing team in theSugar Bowl.

Saints win firstplayoff game

The Saints claimed their ﬁrst playoff victory in franchisehistory with a31-28 victory over the St.Louis Rams in the Superdome.

Saints QB Aaron Brooksthrew forfour touchdownsand widereceiver Willie Jacksontied an NFL postseason recordwith three touchdown catches,but the momentthatSaints fans will remember the most wasagame-clinching turnover on special teams.

Rams puntreturner Az-Zahari Hakimfumbled the ball and veteranfullback Brian Milne wastheretoleap on the ball at the Rams’ 18-yard line and ﬁnish off a long-awaited momentinNew Orleans.

The crowd of 64,900wentwild as the Saints ended a34-year postseason drought

SuperBowlXXXVI

The NewEngland Patriots seemed to have bad voodoo placed on them during their Super Bowl trips to NewOrleans until TomBrady and Bill Belichick joined forces

The Patriotslost both of their priorNew Orleans Super Bowl appearances by a combined 81 points,and theywereunderdogsagainst the St.Louis Rams

The Patriots’ Super Bowl legacy wasreversedafter Brady’s fourth-quarter heroics setupa 48-yard ﬁeld goal by Adam Vinatieritosend the Patriots home as Super Bowl champions.

It wasthe ﬁrst of six Super Bowl wins forBrady,and it’sthe Patriots’ only one in NewOrleans

BCS title game (LSU wins)

The return of LSUfootballasanational powerwas completed when the Tigers defense, led by Nick Saban, dominated the nation’s topoffenseina 21-14victory over Oklahoma. LSUheldHeisman Trophy-winning quarterback JasonWhite to 13-of-37 passing, and Marcus Spears’ 20-yard pick-six gave the Tigers their ﬁnal points and their ﬁrst national championship (sharedwithUSC)since 1958

It began aspecialrelationship between the state’s ﬂagship school andthe Superdome —LSU’s next twonationaltitles, after the 2007 and2019 seasons, also came via victories at the Dome.

Hurricane Katrina

The images areindelible. The Superdome, which wasdesigned to withstand major storms,was used as a“shelter of last resort”inthe aftermath of HurricaneKatrina, and no one whohas seen the damaged roof,the crowdspressing to getinorthe cots crowding the Domeﬂoorwill ever forget them.

As manyas30,000 people sheltered in the building, butitwasn’t exactly asafehaven; between the lack of airconditioning, ﬂoodingthatreachedthe ﬂoor andsanitation issues,the Dome becameunsanitary and dangerous,and eventually the crowds were evacuatedelsewhere.

Saints returntodome

After Katrina,therewas speculationthe Superdome would neveropen again. But the state and SMGdecided in early 2006 that it wasworthrenovating,and afterspending the entire2005 season elsewhere,the Saints returnedhome on Sept. 25,2006. Even considering theSaints’ NFCchampionship victory and countlessbig victories of the DrewBrees-Sean Payton era, the“Rebirth” victory over the Falcons is one of the most emotional in the building’s history.Steve Gleason’searly blockedpunt, now immortalized in astatue outside theSuperdome, led the Saints to a23-3win that relaunched football feverinNew Orleans

LSUwins BCS title

Atriple-overtime loss to Arkansas theday afterThanksgiving appearedtoend LSU’s chances forthe nationalchampionship,but chaos over the next eightdaysallowed LSUtoslip into anothernational-title game at the Superdome. That included losses from No. 1Missouri and No.2West Virginia,aserious ﬂirtation between Les Miles and theMichigan joband an SEC championship victory overTennessee. The Tigers and MVP Matt Flynn took full advantage,usinga 21-pointsecond-quarter outbursttorace past Ohio State 38-24and win the program’sthirdnational title, allof which were clinched with victories in NewOrleans

Saints win NFCtitle

“Pigshaveﬂown. Hell has frozen over.The Saints areontheir waytothe Super Bowl!” Thus spokeJim Henderson, longtime play-by-playvoice of the Saints as Garrett Hartley’sgame-winning40-yard ﬁeld goal sailed through the uprights in the 2010 NFCchampionship game to defeatthe Vikings.

The wild ending to awild game setoff intensecelebrations in the Superdome and acrossNew Orleans.The Saints ﬁnished the jobtwo weekslater, defeating the Colts in SuperBowlXLIVand completing ajourney that began with Drew Brees andSean Payton joining theteam after HurricaneKatrina

BCStitle (Bama beats LSU)

Once again, with the national championship game in NewOrleans,the LSU Tigers found their wayontothe stage, this time with ease.

However, the game didn’tgoaccording to script.Nick Saban, whowon LSU’s national title in 2003 but nowcoached their archrivals,orchestrated adefense thatallowedthe Tigers to crossthe 50-yardline only once in a21-0 victory LSU,which had wonthe teams’ﬁrstmeeting 9-6,held the Crimson Tide out of the endzonefor sevenquartersthatseason but ultimately wilted with no marginfor error

Super Bowl XLVII

This Super Bowl will foreverbeknown as the nightthe lights went out.Early in the thirdquarter,a partial poweroutage caused by equipmentfailureshrouded the Superdome in near darkness, causing the game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens to be delayed for34minutes

The outage overshadowed(punintended) an entertaining and competitivegame. NewOrleans nativeJacobyJones returned the second-half kickoff aSuper Bowlrecord108 yardsfor aBaltimore touchdown,and the Ravens stopped the 49erson fourthdowninthe ﬁnal twominutes to hang on fora34-31victory.

CFP national title game (LSU beats Clemson)

If you’re counting,this made four times the Superdome hosted anational championship in the BCS/CFP era, and four times the game featured LSU This time, the title game wasmoreofa coronation forthe 2019 Tigers,who are considered one of the greatest collegefootball teams of all time.

QuarterbackJoe Burrow and the offenseset numerous SEC and national records, Burrow wonthe Heisman Trophy in alandslide and the Tigers defeateda record seventop-10teams.The last wasClemson, whichallowedLSU 628 yardsina42-25 Tigers rout with PresidentDonald Trump in attendance.

NCAAmen’s Final Four

2, 4

All six of the men’sFinal Foursheld in the Superdome have been memorable, and the most recentisnoexception: Four blue-blood programs congregatedin NewOrleans,withKansas emerging with its fourth national title after beating Villanova in the semiﬁnals and erasing a16-pointdeﬁcit in the title game to top North Carolina 72-69.

The other reason the weekend wassignificant? UNC’ssemifinal victory over archrival Dukewas the final game forlegendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, who came up short in aquest forhis sixth national title and walked off the Superdome floor and into retirement.

Super Bowl LIX

After a12-year gap—the longest in the history of the Superdome —the Super Bowl returned withamarquee matchup.The Kansas CityChiefs soughthistory in the form of their third consecutivechampionship,while the Philadelphia Eagles looked forrevengefroma painful Super Bowl losstwo yearsearlier It wasthe Eagles who ﬂipped the script,using MVP Jalen Hurts and adominating defense to ﬂuster Patrick Mahomes and Co.ina40-22 win.Moreimportantly for the Superdome, NewOrleans showcased thatit’sstill amarquee place foraSuper Bowl in the modern NFL.

My list of the 10 GREATEST

sports momentsinSuperdome history

JEFFDUNCAN|SPORTSCOLUMNIST

‘Pistol’Petepoursin68

February 25, 1977

Old-school basketball fans will neverforget the night“Pistol” Pete Maravich lit up the NewYork Knicksfor 68 points in theNew Orleans Jazz’s 124-107win

Maravich riddled the Knickswith circus shot after circus shot en routetohis career night. At the time, it wasthe most points aguardhad ever scored in an NBA game. Forty-eightyearslater,it is still the 17th-highest scoring output in league history

Maravich sank 26 of 43 shots from the ﬁeld and went 16-of-19fromthe free-throw line to break the previous high of 63 points setbyLakers guardJerry West in 1962.KobeBryantnow has the recordfor guards at 81 points,set in 2006. The Pistol scored 17 points in the ﬁrst quarter,14 in the second, 17 in thethirdand 20 in the fourth.

“Therewas no waywecouldstophim,” Knicks forwardBob McAdoo said thatnight. “The Pistol washot tonight. He wasreally goingoff.The man beatusbyhimself.”

Maravich likely could have setthe bar even higher,but he fouled out with 1:18 remaining.

“I could have scored more,”Maravich said. “I missedalot of easyshots early in thegame.”

RobertoDuran utters “Nomas,nomas” vs. Sugar RayLeonard

November 25, 1980

Billed as “The Super Fight,”the rematchbetween Sugar RayLeonardand RobertoDuran wasone of the most anticipatedtitle ﬁghtsofthe 1980s.But no onecould have anticipatedwhattranspired in the ringthatnight.

During the eighthround, Duran, the WBCwelterweight champion,suddenly threw up his handsinsurrender, uttering to the referee, “Nomas,nomas.Nomorebox,” after 2 minutes,44seconds had elapsed.

Leonard, who had lost the title to Duran in June, leaped in celebration,and the crowd erupted in disbelief after aﬁght withsomuchfanfareended in surrender.Leonard wonby technical knockout.

It marked the ﬁrst time achampion had voluntarily surrendered his title since Sonny Liston quit to Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, in 1964, claimingashoulder injury Duran had held the lightweightchampionship foryears and had lost only onedecision in 72 boutsbeforetaking the 147-pound title from LeonardJune20, 1980,inMontreal Duran latercited stomach cramps as the reason forhis surrender buthis manager Carlos Eletasaidhewas simply frustrated as Leonardconsistentlybeathim to the punch and then tauntedand mocked him throughout the ﬁght.Leonard wasahead on all of the judges’ scorecards

“Duran didn’t quit becauseofstomach cramps,”Eleta said. “Hequit becausehewas embarrassed.”

Patriotsupset

“Greatest ShowonTurf”

February 3, 2002

The NewEngland Patriots entered Super Bowl XXXVI as two-touchdown underdogstothe high-octane St.Louis Rams, a.k.a.“The Greatest ShowonTurf.” But the upstart Patriots shocked the world, escaping with a20-17 victory on a48-yard ﬁeld goal by Adam Vinatieriastime expired.

It wasthe biggest Super Bowl upset since the NewYork Jets upended the Baltimore Colts in 1969.

This wasthe coming-out partyfor Tom Brady,aformer sixth-round draft pick who had taken over forinjured starter Drew Bledsoeinmidseason. Despitehis inexperience, Brady calmly led the Patriots on an eight-play53-yard drivewith no timeouts to setupVinatieri’swinning ﬁeld goal. Brady wasthe MVP after completing 16 of 27 passes for145 yardsand one touchdown.

This Super Bowl, whichwas playedinthe patriotic backdrop as the ﬁrst since the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, wasthe beginning of the Patriots’dynasty.

I‘Bama’s goal-line stand denies Penn State

January 1, 1979

nthe defactonational championship game between No. 1Penn Stateand No.2Alabama, only inches separated the NittanyLionsfrom the goal line and perhaps their ﬁrst national title.

Trailing 14-7 and facing afourth-and-goalat the Alabama goal line with six minutes to play, the top-ranked Nittany Lions(11-0) needed only afoot to scorethe potential game-tyingorgamewinning touchdown.

But Alabama linebacker Barry Kraussmet Penn State running back MikeGuman at theline scrimmage fornogain,preservinga dramatic 14-7 Crimson Tide win.Krausswas knocked unconscious andtemporarily lost feeling in his extremities after the big hit, but he eventually ranoff the ﬁeld under his ownpower.Krauss’ tackle is considered the most dramatic goal-line stop in collegefootball history

The stop preventedPennState andlongtime head coachJoe Paterno from winningtheir ﬁrst national title.

Bama’sBear Bryant, meanwhile, wonhis ﬁfth national title.

7 5 6

Brees breaks NFL’s all-time passing record

October 8, 2018

Withthe nation watching and asellout crowd anticipating history,DrewBrees delivered one of the hallmarkperformances of his Hall of Fame career, passingfor 363passingyards in arout of Washington and breaking the NFL’scareer passing record.

Brees’ 62-yard touchdownpasstoTre’QuanSmithjust before halftime pushed him past Peyton Manning in the NFL record book and delivered awow momentfor the national viewing audienceonMonday NightFootball.

The game wasinterrupted foraceremonial presentation by ProFootball Hall of Fame PresidentDavid Baker on the Saints sidelineand arecorded congratulatory speechbyManning displayedonthe video board. Brees sharedanemotional momentwithhis family on the sideline, telling his four children, “You canaccomplish anything in lifeifyou arewilling to work forit.”

On the game’sbiggest regular-season stageagainst the league’stop-ranked passdefense, Brees recorded the ﬁfthbest passerefficiencyrating (153.2) of his 18-year career. “I don’tthink it could have happened in anybetterfashion than it did,”anemotional Brees said afterward.

This game haditall: drama, executionand impact.An unforgettable momentfroma legendary career.Classic Drew Brees.

Aliwhips Spinks in Battle of NewOrleans

September 15, 1978

The Battle of NewOrleans” wasthe first greatfightinSuperdome history and attracted acrowd of 63,382, at the time, the largest ever foranindoor boxing match. ABCbroadcast the fightlivetoanational audience of 90 million views,another record. Muhammad Ali reclaimed the WBA heavyweightcrown he had lost to Leon Spinksmonths earlier by winning a unanimous decision in 15 rounds over the 25-year-old slugger.

Ali became the first man to win the heavyweighttitle three times in whatwas supposed to be his final fight. He returned to the ring acouple of yearslater forapair of fights.

The extravaganzaattracted an arrayof stars. Sylvester Stallone, Liza Minnelli, Kris Kristoffersonand Lorne Greene satringside and were among the crowdof70,000

Former heavyweightchampion JoeFrazier sang the national anthem beforethe ﬁght.

Pigs flyasSaints advance to firstSuper Bowl tSuper

January24, 2010 January 24,

Infootball terms,there’snever been amoreimportantSaintsgame in the Superdome thanthe 2009 NFCChampionship Game.

GarrettHartley’s40-yard ﬁeld goal capped anerve-rackingovertime victory thatpropelled the Saints to Super Bowl XLIVand touched off amassive celebration throughout the city.

The Vikingsoutplayedthe Saints forfourquartersbut could notovercome ﬁveturnovers,including onebyBrett Favreinthe waning minutes of regulation thatprevented apotential game-winningﬁeldgoalattempt.

In manyways, this wasmoreimportantthanthe SuperBowl. When Hartley’s kick split the uprights,sending the Saints to theSuper Bowl forthe first time in franchisehistory,the outpouring of joy, relief and shock inside the building wasunprecedented. Pigshad flown.Hellhad frozen over.Theyweregoingto the Super Bowl. Everythingafter thatmomentwas lagniappe forthe Saints and their loyalfans.The Saints had finallygottenoverthe hump.

Jordan delivers title to Carolina

March29, 1982

Michael Jordan signaled his emergence as afuturesuperstar with agamewinning jump shot to beatGeorgetown 63-62 in the 1981-1982 national championship game. The precocious freshman upstaged upper-classstars James Worthy,Sam Perkins and Patrick Ewing with his heroics Jordan’sgame-winner ended the long suffering of legendaryNorthCarolina coach Dean Smith, who had areputation as the coach whocouldn’twin the big one.

With the TarHeels trailing by one point, Jordan sank abaseline jumper with15seconds remaining to giveNorthCarolina a63-62 lead, beforea crowd of 61,612.The Hoyasstillhad achance to win,but Fred Browninadvertently passedthe ball to Worthyonthe ensuing possession with sevenseconds left Smith, who designed the playfor Jordan against Georgetown’s 1-3-1zone, wonhis ﬁrst national titleafter coming up emptyinsix previous Final Four trips.NorthCarolinawon its ﬁrst national championship since 1957

TLSU punctuates tuates perfectseason

January13, 2020 uary 13, 2

he Tigers punctuatedtheir perfect season with an exclamation point. Their 42-25 rout of Clemson in the CFP national championship game capped the greatest season in LSUhistory andone of the most dominantcampaignsin collegefootball annals

Apartisan LSU crowd watched JoeBurrow riddlethe ACCchampions’ defensefor 463 passing yardsand fivetouchdowns as theTigersroared back from an early 17-7 deficit.Star receiversJa’Marr Chaseand Justin Jefferson each caughttouchdown passes to captheircollege careersbeforemoving on to NFL stardom. Chasefinished with nine catches for221 yards.

Under ashowerofsparkling white, gold andpurple confetti,Burrowraisedthe CFP championship trophytowardthe Superdome roof to araucouscelebration from the sellout crowd.

“This is whatIwantedtodofromthe time Iwas 5years old, washoist this trophy,”Burrow said.“We weren’tgoing to letsomeone come in hereand steal this from us in our homestate.”

Rebirth fora city andits team te

September 25,2006 Se

The magical and emotional reopening of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrinawill foreverbethe most meaningful momentinSuperdome history.It wasessentially acelebration of the Dome itself and amountedtoaSuper Bowl for locals.A sellout crowdpackedthe stadium, manyofthe fans with signs celebrating its reopening.

Former PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush, Gov. Kathleen Blanco,NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Snoop Dogg and SpikeLee were among the VIPsand luminaries in attendance. The NFLusedits most powerful platform –MondayNightFootball –toshowcasethe city’srecovery and the team’simpact on the regionand lured a Super Bowl-worthy musical lineup –U2, Green Day, the Goo Goo Dolls and popular localacts TromboneShorty, Irma Thomas,Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins and the RebirthBrass Band –toperform.

The emotionand electricityinside the Dome were palpable at kickoff,and the energy detonated when SteveGleason blocked Michael Koenen’spunt90seconds into the game, and Curtis Deloatchscooped it up fora touchdown.Bymost accounts, the crowd’s emotional reaction to the playgenerated the loudest noise ever heardinthe Superdome. The Falcons neverhad achance. The Saints rolled a dominant23-3win.

Gleason’splaywas acathartic momentfor Saints fans and the cityofNew Orleans,one that has since been commemorated with abronzestatue on the Superdome apron.

LOUISIANA

Study may help doctors address diabetes

BY JIA H. JUNG The Mercury News (TNS)

SAN JOSE, Calif.

— On a recent summer afternoon, Randy and Vera Tom prepared a stir-fried lunch in their Redwood City, California, home with their “sous chef,” a 17-year-old Bichon Frise named Munchies, afoot. Randy, 70, recently overhauled his lifestyle after the couple participated in a Stanford Medicine study tracking their metabolic responses to carbohydrates in real time with a continuous glucose monitoring device.

HEART HELPERS

New pumps extend life, bridge treatment opportunities for heart failure in Louisiana

BY MARGARET DeLANEY

Staff writer

In heart failure, the necessary oxygen levels and nutrients do not meet the body’s demands, setting off a domino effect of congestion in the lungs, kidneys and other areas.

About 6.7 million adults in the U.S. currently have heart failure — with nearly 1 in 4 Americans expected to develop heart failure at some point in their life, the Heart Failure Society of America says.

In 2020, rates of heart disease (including heart failure) and stroke were 29.6% higher in Louisiana than the national average, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Ochsner’s heart failure and transplant team looks to new devices to extend possible treatment opportunities for patients with little time to wait.

time to wait. For congestive

Desai

A common misconception is that heart failure means that the heart has stopped working, according to Dr. Sapna Desai, a heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Ochsner Health.

heart pump devices

transplants.

The recently published research tracked the glucose levels in the blood of 55 study subjects as they consumed precooked meals starring different carbohydrates such as grapes, jasmine rice, potatoes, pasta and bread. It was led by genetic deep data specialist Mike Snyder, metabolic expert Tracey McLaughin and research dietitian Dalia Perelman at Stanford. The results could lead to better prevention, diagnoses and treatment of prediabetes, diabetes and other metabolic diseases that lower quality of life and raise health care costs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 38.4 million people, or 11.6% of the U.S. population, had diabetes in 2024. The most common is Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body develops resistance to insulin because of diet, lifestyle, weight and family history Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease attacking cells of the pancreas, disabling the body’s production of insulin, the hormone that orchestrates the body’s food-processing functions. Both types of diabetes are life-threatening without intervention.

According to the CDC, more than a third of the 250 million people 18 or older in the U.S. and almost half of the 60 million who are 65 or older are prediabetic — the vast majority unknowingly

See STUDY, page 3X

help

“It actually means that the heart’s pumping power is weaker than normal, causing blood to move through the heart and body at a slower rate resulting in increased pressure,” Desai said.

Cardiogenic shock, a heart failure condition that is a lifethreatening emergency, typically results in a significant decrease in blood pressure leading to multi-organ failure. This heart failure condition can occur following an acute heart attack, open heart sur-

gery, cardiac disease or from a viral infection. For congestive heart failure patients who can no longer rely on earlier-stage treatment options, new heart pump devices can help their weakened heart as they await further treatment, including heart transplants.

The waiting list for a heart transplant, the primary treat-

ment of heart failure, can last anywhere from months to years, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. “Heart pump devices can play a critical role in heart failure treatment during this waiting period,” Desai said. “A heart pump can help extend

Molly Kimball

BAy AREA NEWS GROUP PHOTO

Randy Tom, left, and his wife, Vera, share a laugh as Randy stir-fries pork, bok choy, and bean sprouts for lunch recently at their Redwood City, Calif., home.

PHOTOS PROVIDED By OCHSNER HEALTH

Ochsner’s heart failure and transplant team looks to new devices to extend

treatment opportunities for patients with little

HEALTH MAKER

La. surgeon loves to play jazz in the operating room

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

Dr Brian Pettiford is a surgical oncologist with a focus on thoracic surgery

Pettiford, originally from Tifton, Georgia, is an honors graduate of Morehouse College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in biology He earned a doctor of medicine from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he continued his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery training.

He has authored or coauthored over 40 journal articles and book chapters. Pettiford also served in the U.S. Navy Reserve Medical Corps from 1998 to 2006, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.

His professional interests include robotic surgery for the treatment of lung cancer and benign lung disease. He also has extensive experience in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma and the minimally invasive treatment of esophageal cancer as well as benign esophageal conditions such as gastroesophageal reﬂux and esophageal achalasia

Pettiford earned an MBA from the University of Miami Herbert School of Business in 2018. In 2023, he earned a master’s of medical management degree from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In his spare time, Pettiford enjoys exercising and listening to classic jazz.

Why medicine? Why hearts?

My mother, when she was working, was a licensed practical nurse at the local community hospital in my

hometown She worked on a surgical ﬂoor My father and his father were both auto mechanics they could ﬁx everything with their hands. I used to hang out with them at the gas station

And the combination of my mother’s stories from her time at the hospital, coupled I think with me working with my father and grandfather led to my interest in medicine.

But there was actually a specific moment I became interested in heart surgery specifically It was through tragedy My maternal grandmother, back when I was 8 years old, she had a stroke. That was followed by a massive heart attack, and she passed away It was an extremely difficult time for our family, especially my mother They were like two peas in a pod. It really hit her hard. I became intrigued about what was so important about the heart. I kept that interest throughout grade school. As I got older, I participated in summer enrichment programs to cultivate my interest, if you will. That led to me ultimately majoring in biology, premed in college and attending medical school.

What drew you to the U.S. Navy Reserve Medical Corps? Then to Louisiana?

I come from a very strong military family on both sides. My father is a veteran. He was in Vietnam in the Air Force. All of his ﬁrst cousins served. Both grandfathers served in World War II. I think that, had I not gone into medicine, I certainly was looking at possibly go-

ing into the military

After 11 years as a fully trained surgeon in practice, someone that I considered a friend and a bit of a mentor contacted me and said, “Hey, look, I just moved down here. I need help rebuilding the program.”

I came down to New Orleans and said, “Man, there’s a lot of opportunity here.”

The state is a hotbed of cancer but an underserved community between New Orleans and areas in the bayou. I thought I could certainly make a big difference here. So decided to take the leap. What’s new in robotics surgery?

The robotic technology, I think, we’ve probably just scratched the surface. There’s a new iteration of the robot that’s come out

with software there’s so much more potential. It’s kind of an untapped frontier, if you will.

A year from now, the manufacturer could add some new technology to it, whereas with the previous generation, it was maxed out at its inception. Any additional updates would probably require some type of a hardware attachment.

The other area where there’s going to be immense growth is going to be in artiﬁcial intelligence. I think it is going to help us better diagnose people at a much earlier stage, so that patients can have a better outcome.

Many of the spots in lungs are interpreted by or reviewed by radiologists, and having the A.I. as an

adjunct to the radiologist, I think, will greatly advance our ability to diagnose tumors at a much earlier stage.

In your career what was the biggest ‘aha’ moment or game changer in technology?

I think the Da Vinci XI robot was a major game changer The previous its predecessor, in 2010, was good conceptually, but it had a lot of limitations in a thoracic surgical space.

The reason why I say that is that prior to that, I was doing something called VEHS with the scope. It’s also known as thoracoscopic surgery It had limitations due to its instruments — some of the monitors, the resolution on the scopes and cameras wasn’t all that great. It’s like a night and day comparison between

the VEHS technology and the robotic technology

The alternative to both of those minimally invasive methods is something called a thoracotomy That’s where you’re making a larger incision in a patient’s chest, cutting through the chest wall, through muscle. Then you’re cutting a piece of the ribs, sometimes a half- to a one-inch piece of rib, and you’re spreading the ribs apart with a stainless steel instrument. You’re cranking the ribs apart. You can imagine that is pretty darn uncomfortable, and it’s fairly debilitating.

What does life look like outside of the operating room?

I’m a gym rat. I like to work out a lot. As I’ve gotten older, it’s harder and harder to do what I was doing as a younger person. So, if I’m not in the gym, I’m sadly at home watching YouTube videos,

BY AVERY NEWMARK

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

If you’ve scrolled through social media or even just glanced out the window you’ve probably seen them: people wearing sleek, tactical-looking weighted vests. They’re not just for show users claim these vests are a shortcut to staying strong, lean and ageless. But are they really worth the hype? Or just another consumerism-fueled fad? Here’s what the science (and experts) say

Weighted vests are often marketed as tools for building muscle and improving bone density — especially for women, who experience a sharp drop in bone strength after menopause, according to Women’s Health The idea is that by adding weight, you force your body to work harder which could lead to stronger bones and muscles over time.

Dr Sharon Hame, a professor of orthopedic surgery at UCLA, told The New York Times.

Although a few small studies have shown mild improvements in bone density when people wore vests during exercises like lunges or squats, others found no signiﬁcant difference at all.

training and interval workouts more challenging — without having to lug around dumbbells.

experts say there’s little harm in giving a weighted vest a try just ease into it. When shopping for a vest, opt for one that ﬁts snugly, distributes weight evenly and stays in place without chafing or bouncing. Here are a few expert-approved picks:

n TRX Duraballistic

HEART

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a person in heart failure’s survival while they await transplantation. The pump can also reduce symptoms related to heart failure and improve the function of other vital organs.” A heart pump, or left ventricle assist device, is a lifesaving device used to treat patients whose hearts cannot sufﬁciently pump oxygenated blood to vital organs. When medication management and other treatment methods fail to achieve optimal heart function, a heart pump can help to reduce the workload of the heart and provide the circulatory support needed to heal the organ.

Better survival odds with today’s LVAD devices have led to an increase in the number of people who receive them, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Each year, more than 2,500 people with heart failure receive a left ventricular assist device in the United States.

In cases of heart failure, there are both temporary and permanent heart pumps to consider — called bridgeto-treatment or destination therapies.

However, scientists aren’t entirely convinced “The research on weighted vests and bone health is not as clear as we’d like,”

Even if they’re not miracle workers for your bones, weighted vests can still beneﬁt your workout. Wearing one adds resistance to everyday movements, making walking, hiking, strength

“Weighted vests are great for boosting the cardiovascular and muscle-strengthening impact of workouts, but they’re not a one-stop solution for better bone health,” Dr. Michael Jaasma, who studies medical devices and bone health, told Women’s Health. They’re “not a cure for osteoporosis.”

Weight Vest: Recommended by Men’s Health for its rugged design, secure fit and versatility for strength or cardio training.

option that’s slim breathable and praised for comfort during walks, chores or light workouts.

n Zelus Weighted Vest: A budget-friendly pick favored by Real Simple, with reﬂective strips for visibility and pockets for keys or your phone.

Ultimately a weighted vest isn’t a quick ﬁx — but it can add an extra push to the workouts you’re already doing. If it helps you stay consistent and feel stronger, it might just earn a place in your ﬁtness lineup. Weighted vests

That said, if you’re generally healthy and don’t have joint, back or balance issues,

Temporary pumps, like those inserted via a catheter, or small tube, remain in the body until a successful heart transplant is completed. At that time, the pump is removed.

For people with end-stage heart failure, those who have LVAD devices tend to live longer than those who receive medical therapy alone, the Cleveland Clinic says By increasing blood ﬂow to the body a left ventricular assist device:

n Improves the function of kidneys, liver, brain and other organs;

n Reduces symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling;

n Improves strength and ability to take part in activities patients couldn’t do before, such as cardiac rehab;

n Reduces time at the hospital.

Insertion of these heart pumps can be done in a nonsurgical procedure that is performed in the catheterization lab. In the arm or groin, a small incision is made and a catheter is inserted into the artery to guide the pump into the heart.

Other temporary mechanical assist devices require a highly specialized procedure where the device itself is surgically implanted into the chest and attached to the heart.

Among patients who may not be candidates for heart

transplant the left ventricle assist device is now an alternative to heart transplant

n Hyperwear Hyper Vest Elite: A beginner-friendly

Various temporary heart pumps such as the Impella 5.5 from Abiomed, now use AI technology to achieve better patient outcomes — helping to identify heart failure sooner, assist with pump placement and allow physicians to continuously monitor blood ﬂow with the devices.

“AI technology is showing great promise in the management and treatment of advanced heart failure patients,” Desai said “However, it is still in its infancy, and more validation is needed to determine its true potential.”

There are some heart pump systems that transmit data to physicians that can detect changes in heart function often before the patient experiences any symptoms.

This allows for early intervention and a reduction of hospitalizations for patients.

Use of any heart pump doesn’t “fix” heart failure

in most cases, according to Dr. Selim Krim, a heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Ochsner Health However, these devices can provide support for a weakened heart to allow for some recovery of heart function while other treatment options are explored.

Although a left ventricular assist device improves quality of life for people with heart failure, it’s not a cure.

However, 80% of people who receive a left ventricular assist device are alive one year later Almost 50% are alive four years later, according to the Cleveland Clinic said.

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

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you.

Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Dr Brian Pettiford’s professional interests include robotic surgery for the treatment of lung cancer and benign lung disease with Da Vinci robotics machines.

Krim

PHOTO PROVIDED By OCHSNER HEALTH

EatFit Live Fit

BROUGH TT OY OU BY

SJuicing

houldIbejuicing?It’saquestionI getregularly,andit’seasytosee why.Juicebarshavebecomepretty mainstream,greendrinkslinegrocery coolers,andrestaurantsareevenserving upjuiceblendswithbrunchspecials. Peoplewanttoknow:Isitworththecost? WhatproduceshouldIbesipping?DoI reallyneedafancyjuicer?

Here’stheshortanswer:Amostlyveggiejuicedeliversaconcentrated doseofvitamins,mineralsandplant compoundsthatourbodiescanabsorb relativelyefficiently.Butit’snomiracle cure,andjuicingwon’t‘undo’ournot-sonutritiouschoices.

Juicingbasics

Ajuicerseparatesnutrient-richliquid fromﬁbrouspulp.Theupsideisthatwe candrinkthenutrientsofseveralpounds ofvegetableslikespinach,kaleorbeets inasingle8-to16-ounceglass—farmore thanmostofuscouldconsumeifwewere eatingthesesamefoods.Withoutthe ﬁber,though,thejuicewon’tkeepyoufull forlong.Italsohasvirtuallynoproteinor fat,sothinkoffresh-pressedvegetable juiceasanutrientbooster,notastandalonemealorsnack.

Blending,ontheotherhand,purées everything—ﬁberincluded.It’salsoeasy toaddprotein(Greekyogurt,protein powder)andhealthyfats(chia,almond butter,avocado)towhipupaversatile drinkthatcanstandinforbreakfast, snacksorevenalittlelunchonthego.

Veggiesvs.fruits

Myruleofthumb:sticktonon-starchy vegetablesandskipthefruitexceptfor asqueezeoflemonorlime.Ounce-forounce,fruitjuicecanrivalsodainsugar content.Aveggie-centricpourkeeps calorieslowandnutrientshigh.

Canjuicingthiswayboostnutrient intake?Absolutely—especiallyif veggies your can gap, pot vitamin and phyt it’s for vegetables And important your juice have mix. thes every spectrum Tip: juic beta-ca the every W Adding our ben cholest can microbi diverse Co regular

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

BY THENUMBERS

organic)producewell—anddrinkor freezejuicewithin24hours.Anddon’t tossthepulp!Saveittoaddtosoups, pastasauceandbetter-for-youbaked goods,orfreezeitinice-cubetraystouse laterinsmoothies.

Ifyoudecidetogothestore-made route,trytosteerclearofthemany bottled“green”juicesthataresugar bombsindisguise,withapplejuiceor pineapplejuiceastheﬁrstingredient. Instead,lookforbottlesthatlist vegetablesﬁrstontheingredientlabel, andsingle-digitgramsofsugarfora 12-ouncebottle.

HerearetwobrandsI’mlovingnow. •SujaOrganicTwelveEssentials (16oz.)isanall-veggieblendof cucumber,celery,chard,spinach, kale,collardgreens,herbs,lemon andmore.(55calories,6grams sugar)

•EvolutionFreshOrganicEssential Greens(15oz.)isanotherveggie blendwithcelery,cucumber, spinach,romaine,kale,parsleyand lime.(70calories,12gramssugar). HereinNewOrleans,weorderweekly fromTheGreenForkwheremyfavorite is“Balance,”ablendofcucumber,kale, spinach,parsley,cilantro,beet,ginger, spirulina,limeandadashofCelticsalt.My husbandandIusuallysplita16-ouncejar. TheGreenForkalsocollectsemptyjarsfor acredit.

Thebottomline

Ifyoudecidetogivejuicingawhirl,start small.Eightouncesofmostlygreenscan helptoheadoffamid-afternoonslump Payattentiontohowyoufeelandadjust fromthere.Thinkofjuicingasanutrition booster—tosupplementabalanced whole-fooddietthatincludeslean proteinsandplentyofcolorfulproduce withthepotentialtosupportahealthier bodyandmind.

LA.ISAMONG THECHEAPEST STATES TO GIVE BIRTHIN

In the United States, just over 2.4 million babies are bornbyvaginal delivery, according to 2022birth data from the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention. With an averagecost of $15,522 per birth,America spends over $37.7 billion on in-network vaginal deliveries. Louisiana has thefourth-lowest median cost for in-network vaginal deliveriesinthe nation at $11,346 FAIR Health, an independent nonprofit that collects data using health insurance claims, compiled state-specificmedian costs of childbirth including multiple services associated with deliveries including: inpatient and outpatient facility, pharmacy,nursery, labor and delivery, medical and surgical supplies, room and board, anesthesia, fetal nonstress tests, ultrasounds, lab work and breast pump charges.

The states with the lowest median costfor

STUDY

Continued from page1X

“How wouldyou know, if you can only know with atestthatyou get only if there seems to be aproblem?” asked Randy,cleaver in hand,choppingneatly organized piles of lean pork and Technicolor-green bok choy The opportunity to access more personalized health information while contributing to science attracted the Toms to Stanford’sgenomics studies about adecade ago. They’ve been in more than ﬁve long-term studies since —the latest was the ﬁrst involving food. When the research team asked Randy what he ate over Christmas after seeingspikesinhis blood sugar data, the culprit was tamales. Now, he enjoys just one of the corn-based

an in-network vaginal deliveryinclude, in ascending order: n Mississippi at $9,847 n Alabama at $9,987 n Arkansas at $10,827 n Louisiana at $11,346 n Missouriat $11,411

Thestates with thehighestmedian cost for an in-network vaginal deliveryinclude, in descending order: n Alaska at $29,152 n Newyork at $21,809 n NewJerseyat $21,757 n Connecticutat $20,389 n Oregon at $19,959

The data come fromthe September 2024 release of thevaginal deliveryFairHealth Total Treatment Cost benchmarkslooking at the total fee negotiated between an insurance planand aprovider for an innetworkservice.

treats per sitting. For Snyder,the advancement ofphysiologicallyspecificcare has been personal From 2009 to 2011, heand Stanfordprofiled hisown descent from prediabetes into Type 2diabetes—the first time thephenomenon was documented atthe molecularlevel Snyder, who is svelte and active, said, “When Ifirst became diabetic, everybody looked at me andsaid, ‘No way,it’sgonna go away.’”

But the proofwas in hisintegrative Personal “Omics” Proﬁle,oriPOP,anunprecedentedanalysisofbillions of individualbitsofmolecular genetic data collected by powerful cutting-edge technology

This levelofanalysis allows researchers to understandpeople by metabolic subtype and tailor treatment to match. Right now, doctors begin to classify metabolicshifts

or prediabetes when glucose levels in the blood exceed 5.7%, withnoinformation as to why the abnormality exists. But thereare four different pathwaystometabolic disease —two wherethe body doesn’tproduceenough insulin andtwo where the body doesn’trespond properly to insulin.

In the study,McLaughlin and Snyder looked for soft slopes in blood sugar.Jagged peaks aregenerally normal responses to food or sugar Everyone’sblood sugar spikes in response to grapes andrice. Butthe scientists found that people with metabolic problemsspiked higher and for longer to potato starch than people who lacked problems. The “potato-to-grape” reaction ratio correlatedwithdifferent underlying metabolic dysfunctions. These differencescall

Thecostofgivingbirth in

Themediancostofin-networkvaginal

Source:FairHealth

Themedian costs in each state include both theportiontobepaidbythe plan

forprecision medicineand targeted preventative measures. Somepeople might need weight loss. Others might need exercise.Yet othersmay needsleep —something that lowersblood glucoselevels acrossthe board.

“If we understand where theproblem lies,wecan treat it more effectively,” Perelman said.

Theresearchersare looking formarkers in cells that canidentify these problems more easily through simple blood tests.

In the meantime, continuous glucose monitoring offers actionable information for people who want to be proactive abouttheir metabolic health.

“You see what spikes you, yousee what doesn’tspike you, so you eat what doesn’t spike you,”Snyder said.

After thestudy wrapped, theToms obtained their own monitoring devices. Vera, 71, reacted moderatelyto

plan.

herdata; Randy took things further

He avoidedfoodsthat caused sustained spikes in hisblood sugar and joined amaster’s swimming team.

The retiree and part-time modeldropped 25 extra pounds, shed numbers from his high cholesterol count and reversed his prediabetic condition.

“I don’tthink people know that youcan reverse it,” he said. “It’sjust hard to do. You don’tjust take apill.”

Last fall, continuous glucose monitors became available over the counter.A drawback is the $80 monthly cost because insurance only coversthe devices fordiabetics.

Snyder,who wears multiple devices tracking his body’sfunctionsand removes them only before getting weighed, thinks everyone should try one. Perelman said the monitors are not areplacement

forclinical consultation McLaughlin addedthat the devices can yieldfalse metrics in certain situations. The next phase of the research will test different foods and“mitigators” proteins or fats that can lower blood sugar fluctuations when consumedwithcarbohydrates. Toasted bread, forexample,iseasieron the system for somepeople when eaten withmeat or a fat source like heavy cream Mitigators don’twork as well for people with metabolic disorders —another crumb for research. Cornﬂakes and milk? Bad for nearly everyone. This time, study participantswill receive interventions, from medicine to personalized instructionsfor dietand lifestyle modifications.

Perelman said, “I want people to know that there’s delicious food that’sincredibly healthy

in Southwest Louisiana three years in arow

Formorethan100years,OchsnerLafayetteGeneralMedicalCenterhascaredfor Acadiana-notjustashealthcareprofessionals,butasneighbors,friendsandfamily. We’vegrownbutourvisionremainsthesame:todeliverexceptionalcare,closeto home.Now,forthethirdyearinarow,U.S.News&WorldReporthasrankedusthe No.1hospitalinSouthwestLouisiana-andnamedusBestRegionalHospitalfor CommunityAccess.Thisrecognitionreﬂectsthecompassion,expertiseand dedicationofourentireteam.Weareproudtocontinueraisingthebarfor healthcareinAcadiana-andhonoredbythetrustyouplaceinuseveryday.

Formoreinformation,visitochsner.org/lafayette

TAPPINGIN

ALafayette danceteacher uses tapdancing as amemorylifehack

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

Shuffle ball changes echo around the Jill Listi dance studio in Lafayette, but instead of girls in black leotards and pink tights, the room is full of adults dressed in their casual tap dance attire. Each student exercises their muscles and their brains while learning new steps and practicing the routine.

Lisa Breaux, 70, is theadult tap teacher whohas been in dance since she was 2years old. Her mother,also adance teacher,owned ﬁve studiosin Acadiana, so Breaux has lived in the dance studio nearly her whole life.

Breaux is adance specialist who teaches students of all ages and awide variety of mental and physical disabilities. As anational certified dance instructor ofDance Masters of America in ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics, Breaux has been invited to teach tap at their National Convention in LosAngeles

She also is alicensed speech, language and hearing specialist having worked in the Lafayette Parish School System for several years.

She teaches aDance Challenge class for dancers with special needs on Tuesday nights after her adult tap classes.

These days, Breaux’sfocus is on teaching older dancers new tricks. She choreographs and teaches anew dance each week to her adult tap students. Instead of counts, she instructs by sound

Although tap is still Breaux’sfavorite dance style, she says it’sdifferent teaching adults rather than teaching children.

“When you teach with children, you’re counting, and it’s very repetitious,” she said. “With adults, Ican probably have abrand-newstudent in with somebody who’shad 10 to 15 years of danceand can make it work. Youcan always scale it to where it’sharder

or easier,and adults learnby sound. They learn patterns.”

The tap students range in age from 20 to 70, both men and women. She encourages her students to practice and use musclememoryfor the steps. Breaux mixes up the music —from Michael Jackson toThe EaglestoBobby Darin,and thepercussive tap rhythms evolve. She saysit takes hera couple of hours to choreograph anew routine, andsince shedoes this weekly,it’sgreat for her mentally Usually,Breaux takes the summers off, and this summer she spent June in Spain on areligious walking pilgrimage.Uponher return, her tap students were clamoring for classes, so Breaux held her ﬁrst summer class thesecondweek of July

While Breaux espouses the physicalbeneﬁts of tap dancing for adults, she insists that it’sthe mind that getsthe most workout during aclass.

“It’samental game, you know,”she says. “I go watch the adults, and when they’re doing stuff wrong, I’ll remind them thatthis hasnothing to do withyour feet, haseverything to dowith your head.” Claudia Campbell, atap

student in her 60s, was a non-tapperwhenshe began classes in 2019 before the COVIDpandemic. Onceclasses resumed, Campbell and her friendsreturnedonmost Tuesday nights. She credits Breaux with being an amazingteacher whoispatientand fun. “It’s really awonderful exercise, and we laugh, and it’s just having something in common withotherwomen

in my age group,” Campbell said. “Wehavelearnedso much, and the onething that Lisastresses alot is memory, like your muscle memory.” Breauxreminds her students, young and old, that they need to be fully focused.

Tapclass is not the time to think about dinner plans, phone calls, homework or what’s going on later.The

Five states to go for Postcard Project

Oh, Delaware, where art thou? And Kansas. And Kentucky, New Hampshire and West Virginia?

Those are the only ﬁve states we’re missing forthe 2025 Postcard Project —our fourth summer of collecting postcards, which ends on Labor Day.There’s still timetoreach our goal of all 50 states and as manycountries as possible.

If you’re visiting any of those ﬁve states —orknow someone wholives there —please consider sending apostcard. We’ve received postcards from all 50 states each of the last three years, and we’re hoping to keep the streak alive.

As Iwrite, we have received atotal of 174 postcards from 45 states and 24 countries. Acommon refrain this year? Postcards are surprisingly hard to ﬁnd.

Irecognize, appreciate and salute the people whotake their timeand energy to find postcards, address them, buy postage for them and figure out how to mail them wherever they are. Their efforts are atestament to what is required to build connection with others. Idon’ttake it forgranted. June B. sent apostcard from Lake Murray,South Carolina, and opened with, “This is the only SC postcard Icould find, so please excuse the unremarkableness of it!”

Pattie, whohas sent in several postcards on behalf of her uncle, Larry Landry,says that on her 10-state road trip, she has learned manyremarkable things. Including this funfact: the Buc-ee’sin Rockingham,Virginia, doesn’t sell postcards. On acard from Tennessee, she wrote that finding amailbox on the road is just as challenging as finding apostcard. On apostcard from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, she wrote that she saw abear at the park and has someadvice forfellow road travelers: “Don’tdrive the Blue Ridge Sky Parkway after dark!” Susan Pecue managed to find and mailapostcard from Bled Island in Slovenia. She wrote, “What abeautiful part of the world Ifind myself in —green and clean is the waylocals describe it. The water in the lake is crystal clear.Travel is about new experiences and spending time with those you love.”

R.C. Chapin heard that we needed aWyoming postcard and stepped up to the plate after visiting Fort Caspar in Casper,Wyoming. The Fort Caspar Museum features exhibits related to the history of the 1865 reconstructed fort located on the Oregon, Mormon,California, Pony Express and transcontinental trail corridor

Trish sent apostcard from Paris, where she is visiting her daughter.She writes, “Most places are not air-conditioned and it has been in the 90’s—feels like hometemps. Ihave been accomplishing my goal of eating anew kind of pastry daily.Oooh la la. Bread, cheese, wine and pastry!” Joann sent greetings from St. Louis, Missouri. She wrote, “St. Louis is an avid sports city Known forthe Arch on the riverfront. Enjoy toasted ravioli and gooey butter cakes.” Sonny Barksdale sent avintage New Orleanspostcard and wrote his missive in cursive as anod to my newsroom experiment

Lisa Breaux holdsa shoe before leading atap dancing class for senior citizens.

STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD BOWIE

Lisa Breaux leads atap dancing class for seniorcitizens recently at Jill Listi dance studios in Lafayette

Students takea breakbetween songs.

Slick Chick women’s underwear business born of surgery

BY RACHEL MIPRO Contributing writer

Helya Mohammadian prides herself on side-hooking briefs and front-fastening bras with Velcro:

A simple but revolutionary world of underwear for women with disabilities.

Mohammadian grew up in Ruston, studied fashion at LSU and then moved to New York City to work in fashion and retail. She turned her drive for inclusive underwear into a rapidly expanding company Slick Chicks. Her products now range from underwear and bras to activewear and loungewear

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length

Tell me a bit about your background.

I was born in Iran. We moved post-revolution, when things got really political, which we all are living through right now From an early age, I loved anything creative, drawing, fashion. I think my parents still have my sketch pads from when I was 7 and 8. Both of my parents were in small business, so I saw ﬁrsthand how they worked through building things from nothing, also moving to another country and having to really hustle. Seeing that entrepreneurial spirit in my family rubbed off on me.

I went to LSU, studied fashion, and then I really wanted to expand that knowledge. And what better place to be than New York City?

The product was inspired by your sister’s surgery, right? What year was that?

That was like 11 years ago. She was the inspiration behind my company, actually At that point, I was in my late 20s, working in New York for many different fashion companies and retail companies but wasn’t very fulﬁlled. My sister went through a C-section, which is very routine. Her post-surgery recovery was really hard on her I remember a conversation where she said something as intimate as bending over and putting on underwear was such a challenge. That really sparked something in me. And I got to researching what is now adaptive clothing. Everything was very medical and

geriatric and just not comfortable or fashion forward. That is where I got the idea about creating something that would be more empowering, more fun. I wanted to change what adaptive or accessible fashion looked like.

Tell me what that means to you.What is adaptive fashion?

Our mission is very simple, and it’s always been, “How can we meet people where they are in their life with clothing that helps them feel comfortable, digniﬁed and independent, while also solving a need for them?”

That’s always been something that has been ingrained in

our company: Being inclusive through and through and creating products that are beautiful but also serve a purpose.

Finding this sort of disabilityaccessible underwear wasn’t really a thing 10 years ago. I feel like we weren’t even having that conversation about underwear in general.

Has that ever been a subject that people don’t want to talk about? Is that something you had to navigate past, that sort of cultural taboo?

Yes, 100%. In the early stages of starting this company if I even got a meeting with an investor, it was an immediate “No.” No one saw the need for a product like this. No one understood it, because the market didn’t exist, and we were creating a market. We were sharing stats: There’s 1 in 5 people in the world with a disability, 1 in 3 people knows somebody with a disability, and so on.

It was really challenging, and it was also really challenging being a woman of color trying to raise funds. Women in general see less than 2% of funding. It’s educating the customers, educating even the retailers. We’ve had to hold our retailers’ hands throughout the merchandising and the messaging.

What was your first breakthrough on that, in terms of finding the funding, finally realizing you were getting through to people about this issue?

When I met my ﬁrst investor, who’s a female CEO of another brand, her sister had multiple sclerosis, and I was talking to her about the product. I wasn’t even trying to raise money We were working together on a side proj-

ect for how we could empower women together

And she immediately was like, “This is incredible. I 100% see the need for this.” Two weeks later, she cut me a check for $250,000. That was the ﬁrst funding that we got, and that was four years in. It was a long time coming, but that helped get us on our feet. For those first four years, how did you manage to keep going?

Everything, every dollar I made, I was putting it toward the company And it was really exciting, because I was, and I still am, very passionate about it. The more I got into it, the more I realized how underserved people were. For the accessible underwear in particular, how did you do that research to make sure it works for different body types?

Early on, it was all about ﬁnding people who needed the product the most. We found the right people who were living with disabilities, but we also worked with occupational therapists, caregivers and people with the lived experience. As an able-bodied person, I can design, but I didn’t have that ﬁrsthand experience, so it was important to work closely with people to make sure that our garments actually worked. On a personal level, how has this journey been for you?

This is not for the weak. Entrepreneurship is a roller-coaster ride of emotions. But it’s also super rewarding. Just seeing how far we’ve come is really incredible — to see the products on CVS shelves now, from packing orders in my apartment 10 years ago.

Louisiana Inspired Book Club selects its fall choice: Let’s get cooking!

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE

Staff writer

In looking for the next Louisiana Inspired book club pick, our team wanted to select a book unlike the ones we’ve discussed with readers in the past. With this goal in mind, we settled on a book we believe folks in Louisiana will know and want to discuss: “Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen” cookbook This was the legendary Louisiana chef’s ﬁrst cookbook, published in 1984, that changed everything — with its profound impact on American cuisine and food culture, both nationally and internationally The book put Cajun and Creole cuisine on the map. When it comes to Cajun and Creole food, there is before Prudhomme’s book and after His recipes particularly for dishes like blackened redfish, gumbo and jambalaya — brought the bold ﬂavors of Louisiana into kitchens across the country.

The chef was born on a farm in Opelousas. In his early career he worked in kitchens in New Orleans, including Le Pavillon hotel and Maison Dupuy In 1975, Ella Brennan hired Prudhomme as the executive chef at Commander’s Palace. He was the ﬁrst American-born chef to hold that position at the iconic New Orleans restaurant and transformed the menu by adding Cajun dishes. He worked at Commander’s until 1979, when he left to open his own restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, which closed in 2020 during the pandemic.

Prudhomme passed away in New Orleans on Oct. 8, 2015, at the age of 75. Even after his death, his cooking legacy reverberates throughout Louisiana and the country

We invite readers to join us in revisiting Prudhomme’s first cookbook. Make the recipes. Remember the heyday of restaurant scenes with blackened everything. Take a culinary trip down memory

lane. Leaf through its pages and create the dishes according to Prudhomme’s speciﬁcations. In October, we will host a virtual event to discuss the book and

Continued from page 1y

dance style requires total concentration.

“It keeps your mind so sharp, and that’s why I think I have so many in class They’re like, ‘This is the best exercise, mentally, I get in a long time,’” Breaux said. Over time, the students collect a repertory of steps that culminate into various routines.

Christy Leach, 73, has attended Breaux’s adult tap classes for almost 10 years. She ran into a friend

who told her about the class, and she said she thought it sounded like fun. Leach says she works out regularly and likes to stay in shape, but tap class offers fun aerobic exercise that helps her memory

“I always loved tap,” Leach said. “I took it in third or fourth grade, so it had been about 60 years since I’d done it. The ﬁrst time I went, I was a little overwhelmed because all the people knew what they were doing. I could just tell the feeling in the room was that everybody was having a good time. It was fun.” As she kept going, all the steps started to make sense, and the class became a source of joy and

connection. Even though the tap students may not see each other regularly outside of the studio, their bond is strong from their consistent attendance. “It doesn’t matter your ability level. No one’s watching you. Everyone is so accepting of each other and where you are,” Leach said. “Some of the dancers are really good, and then some of us aren’t, and it just didn’t matter We all connect and have the same spirit of joy.”

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

remember Prudhomme and his influence on Louisiana food and culture.

selects a book to read and discuss quarterly here.

Below is an excerpt from the introduction to Prudhomme’s “Louisiana Kitchen”:

“I think cooking is a very personal thing. You have to draw on the past, on what you’ve read, what you’ve tasted and what you’ve seen prepared. But I think that anyone can show imagination with food

First you need to build your conﬁdence. Start by reading cookbooks to see the different ways people combine foods. Keep in mind that there is only a limited number of foods available in this world to work with — which is fascinating, because people all over the world take these basics and make them taste completely different. People in your own neighborhood, the people next door, have the same products to work with, and yet each person ends up with a distinctive dish.”

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

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

testing the younger generation’s cursive ﬂuency. He wrote, “After your article this morning, I thought I should dust off my cursive skills. Checking my postcard collection, I found most all cards dated before 2000 were in cursive.”

Travis Cosban has sent multiple postcards from his travels around the globe From Istanbul, he wrote, “So unexpected stop here for a day Turns out ﬂight path goes over Iran at the worst time possible Made the best though and got some great food and chocolate. Not enough time for a hair transplant though!” From Malaysia, Cosban wrote, “Went to some water bungalows next to a converted oil rig for diving/snorkeling. Safety stan-

dards are a little different but all alive and well. We have dodged the sea kraits (10x more venomous than a rattlesnake) so far!” Speaking of rattlesnakes, Sue Keefa wrote from Colorado that “some of us up here eat (rattlesnake) in place of oysters, gator or crawﬁsh! It’s actually quite tasty!”

I’m glad she thinks so! And I appreciate the postcard!

So if you ﬁnd yourself near a gift shop in New Hampshire, do us all a favor: grab the least unremarkable postcard you can ﬁnd, scrawl a note and help complete the set. Delaware’s still waiting. If you would like to participate in the 2025 Postcard Project, all it takes is sending a postcard to: Jan Risher, The Advocate, 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.

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

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Lisa Breaux leads a tap dancing class for senior citizens recently at Jill Listi dance studios in Lafayette.

FILE PHOTO

Chef Paul Prudhomme with other chefs in Louisiana

STAFF

PHOTO By JAN RISHER

An array of postcards sent for the 2025 Postcard Project include, from top left around clockwise, postcards from Lake Murray, S.C.; Paris; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Fort Caspar Casper, Wyo.; St. Louis; and Bled Island, Slovenia.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Helya Mohammadian grew up in Ruston. Her Slick Chicks women’s bras and underwear are made for those who are recovering from surgery or living with disabilities.

Indiansturntoaromaticroots forcooling relief

BY SUSHMITAPATHAK

Contributing writer

During the scorching summers in Bharuch, acity on India’swest coast, Anjali Choudhary’sdrawing roomonthe ground ﬂoorbecame unbearably hot. With no air conditioning and temperatures surging to 110 degrees, it wasdifﬁcult even to sit in the room, shesays. Then, last summer,Choudhary came across aspecialtype of curtain, made of dried roots of vetiver grass,commonly known as khus.

Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is atallbunchgrassthatgrows abundantly in India. Its exceptionally dense root system can extend up to six feet deep in six months, making it an excellent solution to soil erosion.Out of the soil, the dried gnarled roots provide a whole new service: cooling Woven khus curtains or screens are typically hung in doorways or windows and sprayed with water. As hotair passes through thedamp screen, it undergoes evaporative cooling, significantly reducing indoor temperatures.The khus curtains Choudharyboughtonline came with apurple cloth border She hung two of them on the concrete awning of her drawingroom window,ata slight angle,and sprayedthem with water throughout theday

Generations of South Asians made curtains and matsout of these unassuming roots, incorporated them in refreshing beverages and extracted essential oils from them to beat the heat. But as risingtemperatures and rising incomes made mechanical cooling more common, khus began to disappear from homes.Now,experts say this low-cost, low-tech cooling solution is worth revisiting as Indiagrapples withextremeheat driven by climate change —and exacerbated by air conditioning

“The great irony of air conditioning is that it heats the planet,” says Sylvia Houghteling, an art historian at Bryn Mawr College specializing in South Asia who haswritten about the cooling historyofkhus. While simple ﬁxes like khus can neverfully replaceACs, shesays, “these modes of cooling that aren’t simultaneously emitting carbon (and) burning energy to produce, I

thinkare really important.”

ForChoudhary,the khus curtains have madeareal difference. “Afterputting (up) thekhuscurtains, the temperatureissomewhat regulated,wecan now easily comfortably sit,” she says. This wasn’tChoudhary’sfirst timeusing khus. When she was growing up, desert coolers, boxy devices consisting of afan,awater tankand wet wickorpadding, were acommon ﬁxture in Indian homes, including hers. The padding to soak thewater and cool the air drawn in by the fanwas often made of khus.

The curtains aren’tnew either Traditional SouthAsian blinds, knownaschicks,were made out of khus rootsand hung in places where you couldsprinkle them with water regularly without fear of ruining carpetsorfurniture, says Vibha Varshney,who heads thebiodiversity and food unit at theCentre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. They can help to keep people cool outdoors, too: They work great on balconies and verandas andcan also be used in public spaces. Earlier this year, Mahila Housing Trust, anonprofit that works onheatresilience, teamed up with city officials to retrofit somebus stops in Ahmedabad with khus blinds and ahigh-pressure mist system to bring relief to commuters.

Beyond evaporative cooling, khus also works in an unexpected way: through scent. “I sometimes place some rootsinanurli (traditional bowl), sprinkle water on them and keep them under the fan,” says Varshney.“Justthe fragrance makes the roomfeel cooler.”

Certainsmellscan feel warmor cool to us. Mintgives off adistinct coolness, while the smell of chili peppers or garlic is often associated with heat. Scientists saythis happensbecause some odorscan trigger sensorsinour face that detect temperature, pain and touch. Known as trigeminal perception, this phenomenonissometimes referred to as the“feel” of asmell.

Whensprinkledwithwater,khus effusesawoody,earthyaroma that many ﬁnd soothing. “When water is thrown on it, winter seems to arrive in the midst of summer,” one

16th-century historian wrote. In a 2021 study on vetiver oil’scomplex chemical composition, chemists wrote it hasa “quasi-pheromonelike effect”onperfumers and consumers alike, noting that it appearsinmorethan athird of all fragrances.

Khus has also been part of traditional South Asiansystems of medicine.Dr. Trupti Patil-Bhole,an associate professor in Ayurveda at Bharati Vidyapeeth University, describes arecipe from 100 B.C.E. to treat fever: Six herbs, including khus, are mixed with alarge quantity of water and boiled until the solution has been reduced to half its originalvolume. Drinking this, she says, aids in bringing down the burning sensation of the skin and internal organs. Research has shownthatthe

chemicals in vetiverroots have antimicrobial, anti-inﬂammatory and antipyretic (fever-reducing) impact, amongmanyothers, says Varshney: “Inﬂammation and infections tend to increase body temperature, and vetiver could be cooling the body by reducing these.” Studies suggest that vetiveroil inhibits the synthesis of fever-inducingsubstancescalled prostaglandins.

The most popular khus preparation these days is asweet, sticky emerald green concentrate available in bottles, which can be diluted with watertomakearefreshing beverage. “However,this is full of sugar and the green color is from the use of adye,” says Varshney. Instead, she recommends asimple cold infusion in water.Many people merely toss ahandful of dried

roots into aterracotta pot of drinking watertoenhancethe soothing effect of thenaturally cooled water inside the pot. When Mughal rulerswho came to Indiainthe 16th century missed the cool climes of their Central Asian homeland,khus came to their rescue.Inthe 18th century, khus screenssignaled privilege,and they appear in paintings depicting Rajput rulers,saysHoughteling.However, traditionalcoolingsolutions like khus were sidelined during the colonialera,she explains, when British ofﬁcials instead favored importing iceall the way from New England. “Thatkind of silences or overwrites along history of very intentional cooling that usedmorereadily available materialsand deep knowledge of moresustainable meansofcooling,” she says. Later on, the convenience of ACs—instant cooling at the press of abutton— made it amorepopular option than khus coolers or screensthat needed to be dousedwith waterand could make amess. “Our houses are no longer designed in away that we can put thekhus blinds,”says Varshney. Air conditioners becameastatus symbol for India’sburgeoning middle class, and now,the country is oneofthe world’sfastest-growing AC markets. To be fair,air conditioning is anecessity in India’s extreme heat andcan save lives. Solutions like khus screens work best as acomplement to air conditioning. Think about it, Houghteling suggests, “not as full climate control butasthe creation of microclimates so that you’re not just blasting everything withair conditioning but creating small spaces of coolness.”

Khus screens may also not work for all spaces.Choudhary first hung them over her bedroom window,from curtain rods indoors, but it madethe room too humid. The blinds may also not be effective if there’snoventilation, she says,and drenchingthemevery day can test one’spatience. But it’sworth theeffort, Choudhary says: Notonly does it reduce her electricity bill, but as she puts it, “you are contributing to your planet’shealth, so whynot.”

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Generations of South Asians have made curtains and mats out of the dried roots of vetiver grass, commonly known as khus, incorporated them in refreshing beverages and extracted essentialoilsfrom them to beat the heat.

FAITH & VALUES

Sensory rooms help for neurodivergent worshipers

BY KATHRYN POST Contributing writer

From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and handshakes, for folks who struggle to process sensory input, houses of worship can quickly feel anything but holy

That was the case for Lark Losardo’s son Percy, who in 2017 began attending Catholic Mass with his family at age 7. Percy, who is autistic, was often overwhelmed by the Brooklyn church’s open space, noise and crowds. At first, when he needed to move around or stim (engage in repetitive actions to selfregulate), he’d leave the service with a parent. Eventually, in part because of the barriers to attending as a family, they stopped coming altogether Then, in 2020, the Losardos moved to Maplewood, New Jersey After watching online services at a nearby Catholic parish called St. Joseph’s during the pandemic, Lark Losardo learned in 2024 that the parish was opening a sensory room equipped with regulation tools, including a weighted blanket, touch pillow ear defenders and sound machine. Thanks to that room, today Percy is back in the pews, using the room to regroup whenever needed.

“It speaks volumes,” Lark Losardo told Religion News Service “Not everyone needs this space, but just having it there sends a very clear message. Across the U.S., families like Percy’s who once thought worship was off-limits are returning to faith communities thanks to a small but growing number of sensory rooms in religious settings.

At St. Joseph’s, the Rev Jim Worth said the new sensory room, which opened in December, is a natural extension of the parish’s faith values. To him, the room is evidence that inclusion a principle Worth linked to Catholic social teaching — isn’t just given lip service.

“When you put intentionality behind something, it makes a world of difference,” said Worth.

On a 60-degree day in late March,

the church, located on a quiet residential street, had a front stoop featuring three signs: one quoting Martin Luther King Jr another quoting Pope Francis, and a third welcoming anyone in the community to visit the Still Waters Sensory Room.

Named after the biblical Psalm 23 passage — “he leads me beside still waters” — the sensory room was converted from an unused confessional. It was designed by Together We Bloom, a Maplewood-based nonproﬁt that helps make events and spaces more accessible. The room’s dark indigo walls match the comfortable chair glider and beanbag, each contributing to the soothing atmosphere The total cost of the room was under $2,000 and was largely paid for by church funds, plus some donations.

“This sensory room has really changed everything for us,” said Pavitra Makam, a St. Joseph’s parishioner and mother of two neurodivergent kids. Being able to worship together has been the biggest thing for our family.”

Jay Perkins, who has been in the sensory room business since 2009, said it’s often parents in need of a safe, supportive space for their kids who are spearheading the movement to build sensory rooms. When his daughter began exhibiting signs of aggression at age 4, places like libraries (too quiet), playgrounds (too loud) and trampoline parks (too crowded) were

inaccessible. That applied to his Episcopal church, too.

“There are so few places where special-needs kids with sensory integration disorders can enjoy it,” said Perkins.

The lack of accessible spaces for his family inspired Perkins to begin building the kinds of rooms his daughter would thrive in. In 2018 he ofﬁcially launched his company, The Sensory Room, which builds high-end, durable sensory rooms from start to ﬁnish and trains people on how to use them.

“It’s catching on,” said Perkins, whose company built roughly a dozen rooms in 2022 and 80 in 2023. Though The Sensory Room specializes in schools, Perkin’s company has also built rooms for a Broadway theater and an airport, and three in evangelical churches Most of his custom rooms, he told RNS, start in the $20,000 range.

One of those projects was the $35,000 transformation of a storage room into a state-of-the-art sensory room at Encounter Church, an evangelical congregation about 30 minutes from Dallas. Completed in February 2024, the renovation included interactive tactile and texture panels, bubble tubes, mirrors, new carpet, paint and electrical work, and an LED-star ceiling complete with a digital shooting star According to the Rev Chris Binion, who co-founded the church with his wife, Tracy the decision to create the room was prompted by

the Holy Spirit.

“I was in a season of prayer and fasting, and I felt like the Lord asked me how to take care of his ‘littles,’” Binion told RNS.

It’s not just churches that are revamping spaces to focus on sensory integration. Temple Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in Atlanta, has adapted two of its rooms to help folks process sensory input. A former cry room just off the main sanctuary was altered to become the Shalom Sanctuary a small space with a large window facing the main worship space equipped with fidget toys, beanbags and headphones.

The synagogue also received a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to improve the accessibility of a classroom. That renovation is almost complete, and the room, which features a wall of sensory engagement toys, ﬂexible furniture and alternative seating (think large rubber balls), will be especially helpful for children who need sensory breaks during religious classes or events such as the annual Purim carnival, according to Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, associate rabbi at the synagogue.

“Something important in Judaism is the idea that we are all created ‘b’tzelem Elohim,’ in the image of God,” said Klein Miller “And much of that is connected to the golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated and ﬁnding space for everybody in the community.”

According to Rebecca Barlow, a regional disability specialist in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, adding a sensory room to a house of worship doesn’t automatically make it accessible to those with sensory needs.

“It’s just one piece of a bigger machine that you’re trying to build,” said Barlow, disability specialist for the Desert Ridge Stake in Mesa, Arizona.

The first step to building that machine, Barlow said, is asking disabled individuals and their families what it would take to make church feasible for them. When she

ﬁrst became a disability specialist roughly ﬁve years ago, feedback was invaluable. “The biggest thing was listening. The parents of these children know what they need,” said Barlow, who is also the parent of a child with autism.

Based on the families’ input, she created a sensory room in her meetinghouse with new donated items. Knowing it would be used by kids who could become aggressive, she removed hard chairs and chalkboard lips that could pose safety risks. She also filled the room with the usual sensory items, added light-blocking curtains and included a night-light that projected a calming light pattern. Still, it took more than that to get families back in the door

“We, as parents of disabled children, often can become jaded, and we lack trust that our children are going to be cared for in a manner appropriate to how special they are,” said Barlow To build trust with families, church leaders invited some members of the ward to serve as one-on-one aides for each child with a disability The aides were trained in the homes of their assigned families and eventually accompanied the kids in the sensory room during church meetings Barlow also introduced the kids to the sensory room ahead of time via pictures and tours, and ward members, too, received basic training on understanding disabilities and how to use the sensory room. In the few years since that sensory room opened, the model has gained traction. Barlow says the seven wards in her stake now each have their own disability specialists and sensory rooms, and she routinely takes calls from LDS church members across the country and the globe seeking to set up sensory rooms of their own.

“It feels like we’re seeing a cultural shift toward understanding and accepting and integrating people with disabilities,” said Barlow “If we want to follow Christ, if we want to emulate him, if we want to be his disciples they need to be foremost in our mind.”

‘Magic combination’ transforms teen delegates

Kim Mulkey honored at Louisiana youth Seminar

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

For 55 years, the third week in July has brought high school students from all over the state and country to the Louisiana Youth Seminar to develop as leaders and make lifelong bonds.

First, the program was held in Natchitoches, then Lafayette, and since 1987 in Baton Rouge

This year, 300 teenagers wearing matching white T-shirts crammed into the 4-H Mini Barn on LSU’s campus to learn creative communication strategies and get to know each other They cheered They chanted.

Groups, formed to prioritize differences among delegates, were circled up near their team names, Louisiana foods that ﬁt in well with the theme — Cookin’ Up Leadership like boudin, sno-balls, poboys, pralines and beignets.

Jared Lane, a second-year delegate from West Feliciana High School, says LYS is a safe space for people to be themselves. His group celebrates inclusion by saying that differences bring them together

“People from all over the country come together to become better leaders at the great campus of LSU, right in our great state. I really love the environment and the

people — it’s the magic combination, or the gumbo, as we say.”

Each time a delegate finished presenting for their group, a chorus of “R-O-C-K! You rock! You rock!” rang throughout the room, accompanied with applause.

“We will do a cheer for anything,” said Sonja Pruitt-Lord, interim vice provost at San Diego State University and the executive director of LYS. “We are cheering for anybody Our wish for leadership isn’t always what the outcome is, but the effort that you put into it. And so our theme of the program, ‘No Man, No Woman, No Person Is an Island,’ embodies that idea that everybody can be successful here.”

From Sunday to Friday, the delegates stay in LSU dorms and attend activities in the LSU Union and the 4-H Mini Barn. Since 1971, when three Northwestern State students founded the organization, over 12,000 teenagers have participated in LYS. Most delegates have been from Louisiana, but teenagers from other states and other countries have attended as well, some from as far as Spain and Belgium.

Some of those teenage delegates return as counselors and staff. LYS only selects staff members who have been delegates.

Barbara Jo Pease, one of the founders of LYS, says that the counselor selection is very competitive because the executive committee chooses former delegates who represent the diversity

of those who attend. The counselors range from college freshmen to young professionals. Wearing red shirts, they encourage, enthuse, educate and corral their groups throughout the week.

Parker Stanford, an eight-year LYS veteran and the assistant program director, says he keeps returning because of the impact LYS has on young people. He experienced the program as a delegate from Catholic High, as a counselor and now as a program director

“It really kind of shaped me,” said Stanford, who now works in ﬁnance in Boulder, Colorado. “It taught me a lot of big skills that I use all the time in communicating. It’s pretty special to come back and give someone else that opportunity, even if it’s just one person every year, it’s worth it every time.”

The week consists of communication exercises, guest speakers, team competitions, speech writing, mock political parties (Whigs and Tories), parliamentary procedures, goal setting, creative expression sessions and one-on-one discussions.

Pruitt-Lord has attended LYS since 1995, when she came as a delegate from Riverdale High School in Jefferson. She worked as a counselor from 1996-1999 and has been involved since.

“You really see transformation happen in the delegates,” PruittLord said. “The ideal people to come to LYS are those that have demonstrated leadership and

with Myles Stewart, of St. Thomas High School of Houston, and Dominic

of Catholic High

after finishing part of a communication challenge on July 21 at the Louisiana youth

those who have yet to identify it in themselves, but other people see potential in them — the full range.”

Gonsoulin says that the tuition cost to attend is very low because LYS raises money to fund the difference. Most of the money spent is for LSU housing and food. Through donations, they keep it low so that there’s a variety of students who can attend. Not only does LYS develop leaders, but the seminar also recognizes leaders in the state each year LYS honored Kim Mulkey, the head coach of LSU Women’s Basketball, with the 2025 Life Achievement Award in honor of Roddy Richard during the seminar’s ban-

HOW YOU CAN HELP: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

quet on the last night, July 24. LYS has given the Roddy Richard Life Achievement Award since 1988 to native Louisianians whose character and purpose in life have lessened the burden of others.

Gonsoulin said that the board nominated and voted for Mulkey because they thought she was a perfect ﬁt for the award, as it is a recognition of someone who has done something throughout their career that has made the world a better place.

“What an honor!” Mulkey said when asked about the recognition. “I have been blessed to lead young people my entire career but it is really special to come back home and do it in my home state of Louisiana. Young people are our future! As adults, we should always try to be good role models and always know young people watch us.”

At the beginning of the week, Gonsoulin says that the “No Man Is an Island” motto is a concept, but it becomes a reality in life for these participants at the end of the seminar

“Here we make an environment where you cannot fail,” Gonsoulin said, “and you are encouraged to be the best version of you. We don’t ignore the other things in the world. We embrace those, and we say that we all want to work together, so that no man is an island.” Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher contributed to this story For more information about LYS, visit louisianayouthseminar org

Louisiana Inspired highlights volunteer opportunities across south Louisiana If your organization has speciﬁc volunteer opportunities, please email us at lainspired @theadvocate.com with details on the volunteer opportunity, organization and the contact/registration information volunteers would need.

Acadiana Lafayette Parish Foster Grandparent Program, 160 Industrial Parkway, Lafayette, offers seniors age 60 and older opportunities to serve as mentors, tutors and loving caregivers for children and youth with special needs. Foster Grandparents serve 20 hours a week, usually four hours a day Monday through Friday, serving children with one-on-one, direct services.

For volunteer opportunities, visit laf-coa.org Baton Rouge

The Arthritis Association, Louisiana, 4939 Jamestown Ave.,

Baton Rouge, has a mission to boldly pursue a cure for America’s No. 1 cause of disability while championing the fight against arthritis with life-changing resources, science, advocacy and community connections.

To volunteer call (225) 761-8230 or visit volunteermatch.org

New Orleans The Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, 1340 Poydras St., New Orleans, is a private, nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to eradicating housing discrimination through education, investigation and enforcement activities.The organization promotes fair competition throughout the housing

marketplace — rental, sales, lending and insurance. To volunteer, visit lafairhousing.org.

Shreveport/Bossier City

The American Red Cross has a mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.The North Louisiana office of the American Red Cross, 805 Brook Hollow Drive, Shreveport, is seeking volunteers.

To volunteer, call (318) 865-9545 or visit redcross.org/local/ louisiana/about-us/locations/north-louisiana.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Sadie Bruno, of the Willow School, does

dance

Palmintier,

School,

Seminar at the 4-H Mini Barn in Baton Rouge.

PHOTO PROVIDED By By FAIRFAX COUNTy

A family experiences the lights and sounds of a sensory room in Fairfax, Va

SUNDAY, AUgUSt 3, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — deLicAte: DEL-ih-ket: Not robust in health or constitution.

Average mark 44 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 67 or more words in DELICATE?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

wuzzLes

Solving the problem

Today’s deal is from a match between a team from Denmark and a team from France. At the other table, the French West player chose to raise hearts at his first turn. North-South found their spade fit and played in the unhappy contract of four spades, down four At this table, West chose to bid one spade, picking off the North-South spade fit. Three no-trump was not such a happy contract either, but it was played by French star Catherine D’Ovidio, sitting South.

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL SURNAMES Each answer is a

D’Ovidio won the opening heart lead with her ace and assessed her chances. A successful spade finesse would give her two spade tricks and two hearts. She would needfivetricksfromthediamond suit. Assuming East had the king of diamonds for the opening bid, it would have to be doubleton. She couldn’t play the ace of diamonds andthenplayalowdiamondfrom both hands, as she would have no entrybacktoherhandfortheking of hearts and to take the spade finesse. If she cashed the high heart, and took the spade finesse before playing on diamonds the opponents would have enough winners to defeat her She solved the problem neatly by leading a low diamond away from her ace

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep an open mind and prepare to act quickly to bring about positive change. It’s up to you to participate if you want to have a say. Your passion will inspire others to lend a hand.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept 22) Be careful what you sign up for Someone will take advantage of you if you are too accommodating. Refuse to let love cost you financially, physically or emotionally LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Look at the job market. Don’t rely on secondhand information or trust someone else to look out for your interests.

and playing low from dummy

She still had the ace of diamonds as an entry for the king of hearts and the spade finesse. When the king of diamonds fell under the aceandthespadefinesseworked, she had nine tricks Beautifully done!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

Take control and do whatever it takes to achieve your desires.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) It’s what you do that counts. You can make a difference if put in the effort. Talk is cheap, but actions speak louder than words. Dig in and get to work.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Recognize your feelings and use them to instigate what you want to see happen. A positive attitude, combined with a push to move forward, will help you discover who’s in your corner CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Opportunities are apparent, but not all

are equal. Listen carefully, but don’t rely on what you hear Adjust an idea you come across and turn it into something that suits your needs.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A change looks promising. Home improvements will make you want to spend more time in the comfort of your home with the people you love. The sky’s the limit when you believe in yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) You can have fun without going overboard. Emotions will escalate if someone shares personal information about you with associates. Anger will

lead to regret. Choose peace over discord.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take charge before someone else dictates what you can and cannot do. Discipline and ingenuity will help you outmaneuver anyone who challenges you. Concentrate on what demands the most attention.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Someone in your circle has a hidden agenda. Dealing with issues that concern home, family and children will require your undivided attention. Refuse to let anyone pressure you into making a snap decision.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Pay attention to what’s happening at home and work. Mix business with pleasure, and you’ll multiply your chances to advance personally

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Take a moment to think before you act. Spontaneity will lead to mistakes and misunderstandings. A change of attitude will encourage better relationships.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact.

goren Bridge

1. Marilyn Monroe (James Monroe). 2. Michael Jackson (Andrew Jackson).3.GeorgeHarrison (William Henry Harrison).4.Elizabeth Taylor (ZacharyTaylor). 5. Harrison Ford (Gerald Ford). 6. Kate Bush (George H.W. Bushand George W. Bush). 7. HughGrant(Ulysses S. Grant). 8. J. Edgar Hoover (Herbert Hoover). 9. Steven Tyler (John Tyler). 10. Don Johnson (Lyndon B. Johnson). 11. Ansel Adams (John Quincy Adams and John Adams). 12. George "Gabby" Hayes (Rutherford B. Hayes). 13. Brian Wilson(Woodrow Wilson).14. George Kennedy (John F. Kennedy). 15.Guy Madison (James Madison).

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Ican't hear you,Ihave abanana in my ear! Ernie, "Sesame Street"