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
Charlie the 10-year-old yellow Lab likes surfing so much, he’ll grab his surfboard and run toward the water His humans sometimes have to hide his board if they want to chat with friends on the beach.
Charlie joined about 15 to 20 other canine wave riders in Pacifica, 14 miles south of San Francisco, on Saturday at the World Dog Surfing Championships, an annual contest that draws thousands of spectators to Pacifica State Beach.
Pooches competed against similarly sized peers for a chance to appear in the finals. Additional heats featured multiple dogs surfing tandem or riding with people. Labs, terriers and spaniels in monogrammed life vests dogpaddled out into the Pacific. Once out on the waves, their owners helped them hop on colorful boards and hang ten as the crowd cheered from the beach
Judges scrutinized how long the dogs remained on their boards, how long they held their balance and whether they performed any tricks, like turning around while riding Charlie, who has his own Instagram page, entered the extralarge single surfer heat. He also rode tandem with two other dogs in what their humans called “The Dream Team.”
“He loves the crowd,” owner Maria Nieboer said.
Nieboer’s husband, Jeff Nieboer, and Charlie prepare for waves together When Jeff spots a good one, he turns the board around and tells Charlie to “get ready.” He pushes the board forward, and Charlie scrunches down and rides the wave as long as he can. Charlie can even steer the board by leaning and surfs toward an awaiting Maria on shore.
“Charlie does what Charlie wants to do once we’re in the water,” Jeff said.
Contest winners received 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 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
Deputies spent Saturday traversing a rugged mountainous area of Montana with helicopters overhead as a manhunt for a military veteran suspected of fatally shooting four people at a bar stretched into a second day with no capture.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup before ditching it at some point, according to 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
Authorities released a photo of the suspect said to be taken as he fled after the shooting: Gaunt, barefoot and wearing nothing but black shorts, he is seeing walking down what appears to be a flight of outdoor concrete steps.
“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.
The search was still focused on an area off Stumptown Road west of Anaconda, both on the ground and by air, and included multiple local, state, and federal agencies.
Ukraine claims drone attacks on 2 Russian oil refineries
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-
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 home to roughly 9,000 people. Hemmed in by mountains, it was founded by copper barons who profited from nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that is no longer operational looms over the valley
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIEL SCHALIT
Families of hostages protest Saturday at the plaza known as the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, demanding the release from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.
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
Pope thrillsyoung CatholicsatHolyYearfestival
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
ROME Pope Leo XIV urged hundreds of thousandsof young people on Saturday to have the courage to make radical choices to do good, as he presided over his firstbig encounter with the next generation of Catholics during the highlight of the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year
Leo encountered asea of people as he arrivedbyhelicopter at the TorVergata field on Rome’soutskirts for avigil 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 andwatercannons spritzed them to cool them down from the 85-degree temperatures.
Leodisplayedhis fluencyin speaking to the kids in Spanish, Italian and English about the dangersofsocial 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 apath to peace,” he said. “How much the world needs missionariesofthe Gospel who are witnesses of justice and peace!”
But history’sfirstAmerican 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 athird washospitalized, Leotold thecrowd 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 thepast week, these bands of young Catholics from around the world have poured into Rome fortheir special Jubilee celebration, in aHolyYear in which32 million people are expected to descend on the Vatican to participate in acenturies-old pilgrimage to the seat of Catholicism.
LOS ANGELES Afederal appeals court ruled Friday nighttouphold alower court’stemporary order blocking the Trump administration fromconducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California.
Athree-judge panel of theNinthU.S.CircuitCourt of Appeals held ahearing Monday afternoon at which thefederal government askedthe court to overturn atemporary restraining order issued July 12 by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, arguing it hinderedtheir enforcementofimmigration law
Immigrant advocacy groups filedsuitlast month accusing President Donald Trump’sadministration of systematicallytargeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during the administration’scrackdown on illegal immigration. The lawsuit included three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs.
In herorder,Frimpong said there was a“mountain of evidence” that federal immigration enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. She wrote the government cannot use
factors such as apparent race or ethnicity,speaking Spanish or English with an accent,presence at alocation such as atow yardor car wash, or someone’soccupation as the only basis for reasonable suspicionto detain someone.
The appealscourt panel agreed and questioned the government’sneed to oppose an order preventing them from violatingthe constitution.
“If, as Defendantssuggest, they are notconducting stops that lack reasonablesuspicion, they can hardly claim to be irreparablyharmed byaninjunction aimed at preventing asubset of stopsnot supported by reasonable suspicion,” the judges wrote
TheDepartment of HomelandSecuritysaidbeing in thecountry illegally is what makes someone atarget of immigration officers, not theirskincolor,raceorethnicity
“Unelected judges are undermining the will of the American people,” department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Saturday in an emailed statement. “President Trump and Secretary Noem are putting the American peoplefirst by removing illegal aliens who pose athreattoour communities.”
The young people have been traipsing down cobblestoned streets in color-coordinated T-shirts, praying the rosary andsinging hymns with guitars, bongo drums and tambourines shimmying alongside. Using their flags as tarpstoshield 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 confesstheir sins to 1,000 priests offeringthe sacramentinadozen different languages.
“It is something spiritual, thatyou can experience only
every 25 years,”saidFrancisco Michel, apilgrim from Mexico. “As ayoung person, having the chance to live this meting withthe pope Ifeel it is aspiritual growth.”
It allhas thevibe of a WorldYouth Day,the Catholic Woodstock festivalthat St. John Paul II inaugurated andmadefamousinRome in 2000 at the very same TorVergata field.Then,before an estimated 2million people,JohnPaultoldthe young pilgrimstheywere the “sentinels of the morning” at the dawn of the thirdmillennium.
Officialshad initiallyex-
Indiaindicates it will keep buying Russianoil
By The Associated Press
NEWDELHI— Indiahas indicated that it would continue buying oil from Russia despite threats by President Donald Trump.
The Indianforeign ministry said its relationship with Russia was “steady and time-tested,” andshould notbeseen through the prism of a thirdcountry
Addressing aweekly presser on Friday,spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said India’sbroader stance on securing itsenergy needs was guided by theavailabilityofoil in the marketsand prevailing global circumstances.
The comments follow an announcement by President Donald Trump that he intends to impose a 25% tariff on goods from India plus an additional import tax because of NewDelhi’spurchasesof Russian oil.
The threat cameasthe U.S. president has increasingly soured on Russiafor failingtoagree to aceasefire in Ukraine and hasthreatened neweconomicsanctionsifprogress is not made.
India bought 68,000 barrelsper dayofcrude oil fromRussia in January 2022, but by June of same year oil imports rose to 1.12 millionbarrels per day. Thedaily imports
peaked at 2.15 million in May2023 andhavevaried since.
Supplies rose as high as nearly 40% of India’simportsatone point, making Moscow thelargest supplier of crudetoNew Delhi, the PressTrust of India reported, citing data from Kpler,a dataanalytics company
pected 500,000 youngsters this weekend, but Leo and organizers from the stage said the number could reach 1million. The Vatican didn’t immediately provide afinal estimate.
“It’sabit messed up, but this is what is nice about the Jubilee,” said Chloe Jobbour, a19-year-old Lebanese Catholic who wasinRome with agroup 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 aKFC overwhelmed by orders Friday night. TheSalesianschool that offeredher group housing is an hour away by bus.
But Jobbour,like many in Rome this week, didn’tmind thediscomfort: It’s allpartof the experience.
“I don’texpect it to be better than that. Iexpected 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 TorVergata.
Those Romans who didn’t flee the onslaught have been inconvenienced by the additionalstrain on the city’snotoriously insufficient public transport system. Residents are sharing social media postsofoutburstsbyRo-
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 GiorgiaMeloni offered avideo welcome, marveling at the “extraordinary festival of faith, joy and hope” that theyoung people had created.
“I think it’smarvelous,” saidRome hairdresser Rina Verdone,who livesnear the TorVergata field and woke up Saturday to find a gaggle of policeoutside her homeaspart of themassive, 4,000-strong operation mounted to keep thepeace. “You think the faith, the religion is in difficulty, but this is proof that it’snot so.” Verdone had already made plans to take an alternate route home Saturday afternoon,thatwould require an extra half-mile walk, because she feared the“invasion” of kids in her neighborhood would disrupt herusual bus route. Butshe saidshe was morethanhappy to make the sacrifice.
“You think of invasion as something negative. But this is apositive invasion,” she said.
AP reporter Paolo Santalucia contributed to this story
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDREW MEDICHINI
Pope Leo XIV holds aprayervigil Saturdaywith young peopleparticipating in the youths Jubilee at the TorVergata 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 growing pains from the rapid transformation caused by Trump and that stronger growth will return —orthey may be apreviewofeven moredisruption to come.
Trump’saggressive use of tariffs, executive actions, spendingcuts and tax code changes carriessignificant political risk if he is unable to deliver middle-class prosperity.The effects of his new tariffsare still several
President DonaldTrump disembarks Air Force OneonFriday at Lehigh ValleyInternational AirportinAllentown,Pa.
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 their allies, akey partof managing the expectations and politics of the Trump economyismaintaining vigilancewhenitcomes to public perceptions,” said Kevin 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 difficultiesthatTrump might face if the numbers continue on their current path:
n Friday’s jobsreport showed that U.S. employers have shed 37,000 manufacturing jobssince Trump’s tariff launch in April,undermining priorWhite House claims of afactoryrevival.
n Net hiring hasplummeted over the past three months withjob gains of just 73,000 in July,14,000 in June and19,000 in May— acombined 258,000 jobs lower than previously indicated.Onaverage lastyear,the economy added 168,000 jobs amonth.
n AThursdayinflation re-
Authoritiesinvestigating former TrumpprosecutorJackSmith
HatchAct
violations alleged
BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
BRIDGEWATER, N.J Federal
officials have opened an investigationinto Jack Smith, the former special counsel who investigated then-candidate Donald Trump before his reelection, for allegedillegal political activity
The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, on Saturday confirmed the investigation after reporting by other news organizations. Smith was named special counsel to investigate Trump by then-Attorney General Mer-
rick Garland in November 2022.
Trumpand hisRepublican allies, including Sen. Tom Cotton, have —without offering evidence of wrongdoing —accused Smith of violating the Hatch Act, a federal lawthat banscertain public officials from engaginginpolitical activity Smith prosecuted two federal cases against Republicancandidate Trumpinthe lead-up to the November 2024 presidentialelection. Smithultimately dropped the cases —neither onehad gone to trial —after Trump was reelected, which would have shielded himfrom prosecutionaccording to long-standingJusticeDepartment practice. Smith
thensubsequently resigned as special counsel.
Cotton, R-Ark on Wednesday asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate Smith, alleging that his conduct was designed to help then-President JoeBiden and his vice president,Kamala Harris, both Democrats. Biden had dropped his own bid for reelection following his disastrous performance in acampaign debateagainstTrumpand tapped Harris to succeed him on the ticket.
Trumpwon the election.
TheWhite House hadno immediatecomment on the investigation.
The New York Postwas first to report on theinvestigation into Smith.
port showed that prices have risen2.6% over the year that endedinJune,anincrease in thepersonal consumption expenditures price index from 2.2% in April. Prices of heavily importeditems, such as appliances,furniture, and toys and games, jumped from May to June.
n On Wednesday, areport on grossdomesticproduct —the broadest measure of theU.S.economy —showed thatitgrewatanannual rate of lessthan 1.3% during the first half of theyear,down sharply from 2.8% growth last year
“The economy’s just kind of slogging forward,”said Guy Berger,senior fellow at theBurning GlassInstitute, which studies employment trends. “Yes,the unemploymentrate’snot going up, but we’re adding very few jobs. The economy’sbeen growing very slowly.Itjust looks like a‘meh’economy is con-
tinuing.”
Trumphas sought to pin theblame forany economic troubles on Federal Reserve Chair JeromePowell, saying the Fed should cut its benchmark 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
Histariff policyhas changedrepeatedly over the last sixmonths, with thelatest import tax numbersserving
as asubstitute for what the president announced in April, which provokeda stock market sell-off. It might not be a simple one-time adjustment as someFed board members andTrump administration of-
ficials 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.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON
Callais, who is also aprofessional actor,isinhis fourth yearteaching at the performing arts school. He worked in arundown“waspinfested” temporary building on the old demolished performing arts campus— it was Walnut Hills Elementary when it opened in 1954 until it became BRCVPAin 1996. And for the past two years, he occupied ascience lab at Kenilworth that he painted black.
Now, Callaisisrevelingin his new digs, both whatis new and what has been preserved fromthe past.
“I love that Ican sit at my desk and have this big beautiful tree out there,” he said.
“And I’m like, ‘I know where Iam. I’m home.’
Jada Goss had similar sentiments. Her daughter started at the performing arts center in 2016 and nowher son Jaden is starting fifth grade. She said the Kenilworth campus had its pluses, but it wasdistant, meaning alonger journey to and from schooleach day
“It was spacious, but it just wasn’tBRCVPA,” Goss said Friday’seventwas packed. Twolong lines quickly formed, as people convergedonthe rebuilt school ahead of the1 p.m.opening of the doors.
They were greeted one by one by asmiling Principal Louis Moore
Teachers first saw the schoolonly two days earlier, on Wednesday,and raced to gettheir classroomsready for Friday’sshow-and-tell.
In addition to her books andsupplies, first grade teacher Jenny Couvillion brought hertrustyanimal companions, Gumbo and Paddington. The two guinea pigs spend their day in cages by the door to classroom 144. Their names are not by accident.
“Since Iteach ELA (English language arts) and social studies, ‘Paddington’ is akids book and then Gumbo, that’sfor Louisianaculture,” Couvillion said.
One of Couvillion’snew students is Wilder.The 6-yearold boy’s mother, Kathryn Jameson, said her son has autism. In his case, that means he is advanced in math but is prone to overstimulation, which can lead him to nod offoccasionally.She saidthe arts performance school has looked outfor Wilder in ways she appreciates.
“They treatedhim like he was aspecial person, not a special problem,” she said Jameson said sheisexcited about the new facility,especially the new auditorium
“I can’twaittohear the acoustics and seethe productions,” Jameson said. “I think it’sreally gonna bring things to awhole new level.”
Soon after Moore took over in 2021 as the performing arts school’sprincipal, he shared his ideas for the planned reconstruction of thepopular magnetschool. While not an artist,hemade his own drawings of what he wanted and handed them to the generalcontractor, Ratcliff-VPG, ajoint venture,
and thearchitects,RHH Architects-Tipton Associates, also ajointventure.
“Oh my goodness, when they cameout with their drawings, it blewmymind,” Moore recalled. “Itwas like 95% what we wanted.”
“The No. 1priority was to address the car pool issue,” he said Theold arts schoolwas notoriousfor its hellaciouscar poollane, which would tie up traffic twice aday in bothdirections on Acadian.
Thenew siteplantackles the problem in multiple ways. It has separate car and bus entrances,and parking during the day has dramatically increased to 189 spots
The new car pool lane is actually threelanes wide andwill accommodate up to 158 cars, far more than previously. To limit any continued stackingupon Acadian, motorists will be able to enter thecar pool entrance only by heading south on Acadian. And to prevent peoplefrom crossingAcadian, anew trafficbarrier has beenerected.
“The traffic on South Acadian won’tbenearly as long,”Moore said The newschool is almost 80,000 square feet,and its capacity has increased from about 450 to morethan 600 students.
The school will immediately beput into action. East BatonRouge Parishschools open up for staff Monday and students return Thursday.Monday is also a”Districtwide Enrollment Day” where school officials are pressing families thathave not already enrolled to make abeeline to the school their children plan to attend.
Construction is mostly completeatthe school. The onlyexceptions are anew exterior fence and thepermanentrailing for the main staircase to the secondfloor That upper floorisreserved for the older kids in fourth andfifth grades. Melissa Jackson’sclassroom is at theend of the hall on thesecond floor.She is starting her fifth year at the school.She hastaught kindergarten, second grade and now fifth grade.
“I’ve moved everywhere,” shesaid joking
Compared with Kenilworth, she loves thenew campus “It’sa major difference,” she said. “The windows, the openness. It’smoreinviting.”
Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Third gradeteachers, including Eukira Septs, left, and Monique Taylor,second fromleft, mingle with students and their family members Fridayatthe newBaton RougeCenter for Visual and Performing Arts campus.
BIRTHS
That’sa17% drop from 2013, when more than 63,000 births were recorded. It’sthe lowest number of births the state has seen in decades. The decline began gradually around 2015 but has accelerated in recent years.
While fertility rates are falling across the country, Louisiana’strend is amplified by aloss of women in their reproductive years.
“There would be two reasons: Some moved out of state and some aged out of that age 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 more than 29,000, a3.1% decline.Nationally,that group grew by nearly 5%.
Louisiana still has ahigher fertility rate than the national average at about60births per 1,000 women, compared with 54.5 nationally. That means women in their reproductive years are more likely to have kids here than elsewhere.But even here, the fertility rate fell by 10.3% overthe past decade
Experts point to several reasons why peopleare having fewer children: economic uncertainty, thehigh cost of child care and housing, changing attitudes toward parenting, and growing infertility.
Over half of Louisiana adults have post-high school credentials now, arecord high, according to the state Board of Regents. But jobs in the statehaven’tkept up.
“You’ve improved the educational opportunityand the levels of education butnot the jobs available for the educated groups,” said Anita Raj, aprofessor at Tulane University’sNewcomb Institute.“So you’ve given people more choices —and the choice that they’re taking is to leave.”
It’shard to say exactly who is leaving Louisiana 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 statehas incredibly weak economic growth.”
Since 2000, jobs in Louisiana have grown by just 2%, comparedwith a20% increase nationwide.
“Wejust don’thave enough jobs to keep people here,” Plyer said.
Population loss
Between 2020 and 2024, about 129,500 more people left Louisiana for otherstates thanmovedin. Thepopulation loss wasrecovered, in part, by anet gain of 59,000 international migrants during the same period, accordingto census data, but still resulted in aloss of more than 70,000 people.
Migration —both domestic and international —tendsto peak in people’s20s, which is also when people aremost likely to have children.
“The flow of births into a place is verysensitiveto the number of reproductive-age people,” said Jenna Nobles, a professor of demographyat the University of California,
Births by thenumberinLouisiana
Female populationages 15-44
Berkeley
The recent drop in birthsin Louisiana, she said, reflects notjustashift in fertility patterns, but the exit of thousands of young adults, and the future children theymight have had in the state.
TheTrump administration has renewed efforts to limit immigration by increasing deportationsand tightening rules for entry.InLouisiana, which is hometoseveral largeimmigration detention facilities, such policies could have outsized effects.
Of Louisiana’s54,927 births in 2023,6,190 were born to mothers not from the United States —a little more than one in 10 babies born in the state.
“Actionsthatdiscourage in-migration aregoing to be much more consequential for thenumberofbirthsinLouisiana,” Nobles said.
Infrastructure impacts
In the short term, fewer birthsput financialpressure on hospitals, one of biggest employers in the state.
Hospital systems have long relied on labor and delivery and pediatricservices as an entry point for lifelongpatients, even though the services themselves often don’t make muchmoney.The idea is thatsomeone whois bornin acertain hospital system will continue to use that system as they need care from which the hospitalcan make more money
Butasbirths decline, that long-term strategybecomes harder to justify,said Jillian Torres, aprofessor of health policy and management at Tulane University.Hospitals arespending heavily to maintain delivery units, but the number of patients entering through them is shrinking.
“The only way hospitals could see aneutral or positive effect from falling birth rates would be if they actively consolidate or close labor and delivery services,” Torres said.
For patients, that might look like traveling farther for services of all typesashospitals consolidate certain services or shrink the number of specialiststhey hire.Conversations aboutpopulation loss are “absolutely”happening in hospitalexecutive meetings, Torres said, pointing to trends of expansion to other states.
Ochsner Health, forexample, has expandedtoMississippi and Alabama.
Ripple effects
The effects of this population shiftare already being felt in public schools. Louisiana’spublic school enrollment is at its lowest level 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 get funded per seat, and thelack of students cost theaverage school an estimated$830,000infunding, accordingtoaNew Schools for New Orleans report on sustainability Statewide, the population hasbeen shrinkingfor several years. In 2024, nearly two-thirds of Louisiana parishes lost population, including severalamong the fastest-shrinking large countiesinthe country according to census estimates.
While the most recent estimates show aslight uptickinthe state’stotal population, that increase is largelydue to changes in how international immigration is calculated. In reality,New Orleans and its suburbs have lostpopulation faster than anyother large metro area in the country since2020.
But beyond hospitals and schools, ashrinking numberofbabiesand young people —the state’sfuture workers— could strain Louisiana’slabor force and
erodeits taxbase. It’s unclear what the impact will be on everythingfrom the housing market to caregiving for aging adults, said Emilio Parrado,a demographer at the University of
Pennsylvania. “We’re entering aphase in humanhistorywe haven’tseen before —population decline and population aging,” said Parrado. “We’re already seeing it in
schools. We don’treally knowhow this is going to play out.”
Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com
STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD
Kenyia Boyd reads to Noah Hall at the HeavenlyCare Child Development Center 3in Alexandria on May30. Louisiana’sbirth rate has dropped to itslowest point in decades. Fewerbirths, fewerwomen and more peopleleaving the state is reshaping the population.
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First conservative who will be a reliable Trump ally Cassidy, who formally announced his reelection campaign Friday in an event at Drago’s in Metairie, notes he supported Trump’s cabinet nominees, provided a decisive vote for the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill and works directly with Trump.
“I’m the only one who actually speaks to the president,” he said during a news conference Wednesday
Trump is casting a looming shadow over a race in which the candidates in January will qualify for the April semi-closed primary.
“All the Republican candidates are trying to be the Trump candidate in the Senate,” said John Breaux, the former Democratic senator “But only one can be that candidate. It’s a different world now.”
Breaux noted that, when he won Senate elections in 1986 1992 and 1998 what mattered most was winning key local endorsements, raising lots of money and spending most of that money on TV advertising. He also noted that senators were elected in prior decades by traveling from parish courthouse to parish courthouse and locking up the support of sheriffs, assessors, district attorneys and police jury members and having those local officials rev up their political machines to back the senator.
Now, Trump plays a decisive role in Republican Senate primaries through his endorsement. He backed such winners as JD Vance in Ohio and Ted Budd in North Carolina, both in 2022, and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania and Tim Sheehy in Montana in 2024.
Trump’s powerful pulpit
Through his verbal attacks, Trump also sidelines Republican senators seeking reelection who don’t sufficiently toe the line. That happened most recently after he blast-
last week signed the senator’s bill that aims to reduce fentanyl abuse.
“He says it might be the most important bill he signs all year,” Cassidy said.
He noted he played a key role in adding $50 billion to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill for rural hospitals that are facing revenue losses from the Medicaid cuts.
ed 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’t run for reelection.
Speculation is rife that Trump won’t back 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 again under an impeachment article that accused him of “inciting violence against the government of the United States” with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Cassidy’s decision led to praise that he had taken a vote of conscience, but Trump belittled him as “wacky Bill.”
Jeff Flake knows what it’s like to feel Trump’s wrath.
A Republican senator from Arizona Flake criticized Trump for spreading the lie that President Barack Obama was born outside of the United States. Flake also called on Trump to withdraw from the presidential race in 2016 after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, which showed Trump making obscene comments about women.
In October 2017, a year before he would be on the ballot, Flake announced he would not seek reelection. “It was pretty clear that
the voters wanted someone who was with the president all the time,” Flake said in a recent interview. “That could not be me. It was never an option for me to bend and say, ‘These policies that I said I didn’t agree with, I now agree with them,’ or ‘this behavior that the president has exhibited that I decried now is OK.’ No job is worth that.”
Cassidy courts Trump
Cassidy has faced criticism that he is bending his principles to try to get back in Trump’s good graces. Trump endorsed Cassidy when he won a second term in 2020.
Cassidy seems to be doing everything he can to at least get Trump not to endorse one of his 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 his MAGA qualifications, telling reporters that he played a key role in getting three cabinet members confirmed Pete Hegseth at the Defense Department, Robert F. Kennedy Jr at the Health Department and Lori Chavez-DeRemer at the Labor Department.
in the House representing northwest Louisiana. During that time, he helped create the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.
He also noted that he was about to visit the White House that day for the seventh time this year
“Other people like to talk,” Cassidy said “I actually do the walk. The president and I have been working very well together.”
Fleming touts role
But Cassidy’s three Republican opponents see a political opening because of his vote to convict Trump and are angling for the president’s endorsement.
Fleming notes that he worked in the White House during the final year of Trump’s first term, as assistant to the president for planning and implementation.
In that position, Fleming said he served as the White House’s liaison on planning for the 2020 Census and on a weekly task force led by Vice President Mike Pence that oversaw the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I handled everything that came in the door not handled by the chief of staff,” Fleming said. He spent the three preceding years working first as a deputy assistant secretary of Health for Information Technology — reducing regulation for doctors and then as an assistant secretary for commerce for economic development In that position, he said, he worked to reduce barriers to investment.
Cassidy also noted that he stood directly behind Trump when the president
Before his four years in the Trump administration, Fleming served eight years
“We were, in my view, the forerunners of the MAGA movement,” said Fleming, who gave up his seat in 2016 to make a failed bid for the Senate in a race won by Sen. John Kennedy
He said he backs Trump’s moves to raise tariffs, supported the One Big Beautiful Bill and backs the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Fleming said he’s undecided on two other issues of importance to Trump and his supporters: whether humans are responsible for global warming and whether Trump won the 2020 election over Joe Biden, as he claims.
Fleming said he hasn’t spoken with Trump since leaving the White House in January 2021.
Still, he added, “There are people running in this election who don’t have a record in Washington, and we could easily end up with another Cassidy I’ve been consistently pro-MAGA and proTrump. I’m a known factor.”
Skrmetta’s position
Skrmetta, who has been a member of the Public Service Commission since 2008, representing the parishes 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 a speech by Trump in February 2016 to speak at the River Center in Baton Rouge and a visit several months later for Trump and Pence to show their concern for flood victims in Baton Rouge.
Skrmetta said he believes that humans are playing only a small role in global warming but added that Trump clearly won the 2020 election.
Skrmetta said he last spoke with Trump when
they briefly crossed paths at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser in April for former Gen. Michael Flynn, who briefly served as Trump’s national security adviser during his first term.
“My dedication to the president’s policies have been unwavering,” Skrmetta said. “I think he is a brilliant man, a brilliant economist who shows his love for America. I can’t think of a better man for the country.” Miguez plays up MAGA Miguez did not respond to several requests for an interview
He was elected to the state House from New Iberia in 2015 and the state Senate in 2023. His Senate campaign website proclaims he is “The MAGA Choice,” but the details are sketchy “We’re done being fooled by weak Republicans like Bill Cassidy who only support President Trump to get elected,” Miguez says on the website. “Bill Cassidy had his shot. He missed. I won’t.” His comments play on Miguez being a world-class competitive sharpshooter In a campaign video, he blasts a bottle labeled “food dyes” and says “ultra-processed foods are slowly poisoning our children,” echoing a view of Robert F. Kennedy Jr
“President Trump is already saving America, but he needs our help,” Miguez adds.
Skrmetta said Trump will play such an important role in the Senate campaign because “every few generations, someone rises up who has personality and capacity and ability to surpass other people. Donald Trump has done that.”
Fleming said Trump is proving to be the most consequential president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served from 1933-45.
“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.”
Letlow
Democratslimited in countering Texasredistricting
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
on
wanted to retaliate because the stakesare so high.
Wisconsin Gov.Tony Evers, whohas pushed for anonpartisan redistricting commission inhis state, said Democrats must “do whatever 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
hasacommission, the state constitution barsanother map this decade. Democrats have moved for achange, but that could not happen until 2027 at the earliest, and then only withvoter approval.
In other stateswhere Democratscontrol 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 hascalled 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 commis-
Canadian wildfiresbring unhealthyair to Midwest
BY CAROLYN THOMPSON and DORANY PINEDA Associated Press
Smoke from Canadian wildfires hovered over several Midwesternstates Saturday,bringing warningsof 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. Canadianenvironmental officials said smoke from forestfires that was causing reduced visibility and poor
qualitywouldpersist into Sunday for someareas.
The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir,whichassesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worstair pollution in the world since Friday
TheAir Quality Index is expected to reach thered or unhealthycategory in alargeswath of Minnesota and will likely remain through Saturday. AQI is a system used tocommunicate how much air pollution is in the air. It breaks pollutiondown intosix categories and colors, and advice on what isn’tsafe to do. They range from “good” (the color green) to “hazardous” (maroon).
“What’sbeen unique in this go-aroundisthat we’ve
had this prolonged stretch of smokeparticulates towardsthe surface, so that’s wherewe’ve really had the air quality in the red here for thepast few days,”said Joe Strus, meteorologist withthe National Weather Servicein the Minneapolis-SaintPaul area in Minnesota.
“We’vesort of been dealing withthis, day in and day out, whereyou walk outside and you can tastethe smoke, you can smell it,” he said. “Sometimes we’vebeeninhigher concentrations thanothers. Othertimes it’s just looked a little hazy out there.”
The airquality on Saturday was improving, specifically acrossthe Twin Cities and southwestern Minnesota, he said, but state health officials warned the air could remainunhealthy for sensitive groups through Monday.
sions, 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 Nevada,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 redistrict just as aggressively as the GOPifnot held
in check,depriving voters of avoice in districts whose winners would essentially be selected in advance by political leaders.
“We’re very desperate we’re looking for anyport in astorm,” said Emily Eby French,Common Cause’s Texas director.“This Democratic 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, DanVicuña, 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 hasurged newmaps in GOP-controlled states such as Indiana and Missouri, while Ohio Republicansare poisedtoreshape political linesafterneutralizing a push to create an independent redistricting commis-
sion. 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. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy,another potential 2028 contender,did not express regret over past changes that have put in place independent redistricting boards in Democratic states, saying the party “should never apologize for beingfor the right thing.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERICGAy Awoman holds asign
July 24 during arally to protest against redistricting hearings at the TexasCapitol in Austin, Texas.
LOUISIANAPOLITICS
Epstein, taxes, Medicaid ring outintownhalls
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.
Cassidy
“Louisiana and our countryface serious challenges,” Cassidy said. ”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 were asking 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.
BY MATT SEDENSKY
AP national writer
NEWYORK As achild, Heidi
Barley watched her family pay for groceries with food stamps. As acollege student, she dropped out because she couldn’tafford tuition. In her 20s, already scraping by, she was forced to take apay cut that shrunk her salary to just $34,000 ayear But this summer,the 41-year-old hit amilestone that long felt out of reach: She became amillionaire.
Asurging number of everyday Americans now boast aseven-figure net worth once the domain of celebrities and CEOs. But as the ranks of millionaires grow fatter,the significance of the status is shifting alongside perceptions of what it takes to be trulyrich.
“Millionaire used to sound like Rich Uncle Pennybags in atop hat,” says Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors, awealth management firm in El Segundo, California.
“It’snolonger abackstage pass to palatial estates and caviar bumps. It’sthe new mass-affluent middleweight class, financially secure but two zeros short of privatejet territory.” Inflation, ballooning home values and adecades-long push into stock markets by averageinvestors havelifted millions into millionairehood.
AJune report from Swiss bank UBS found about onetenth of American adults are members of the sevendigit club, with 1,000 freshly mintedmillionaires added daily last year
Thirty years ago, the IRS counted 1.6 million Americans with anet worth of $1 million or more. UBS—using data from the United Nations, World Bank, InternationalMonetaryFund and central banks of countries around the globe —put the number at 23.8 million in the U.S. last year,a nearly 15-fold increase. The expanding ranks of millionaires come as the gulf between rich and poor widens. The richest 10% of Ameri-
cans holdtwo-thirds of household wealth, according to the FederalReserve, averaging$8.1 million each.
Thebottom 50% hold 3% of wealth, with an average of just $60,000 to their names. Federal Reserve data also shows there are differences by race. Asian people outpace White peopleinthe U.S. in median wealth,while Black and Hispanic people trail in their net worth
Barley was working as a journalistwhenher newspaper endedits pensionprogram and she got alumpsum payout of about$5,000.
Acolleague convinced her to invest it in aretirement account,and ever since, she’s stashed away whatever she could
Theinvestmentsdippedat first during theGreat Recessionbut eventually started growing.
In time,she came tofind catharsis in amassing savings, goinghomeand checking heraccount balances when she had atoughday at work.
Last month, after onesuch day, sherealized the moment hadcome. “Did you know that we’re millionaires?” she asked her husband.
“Good job, honey,” Barley says he replied, unfazed It brought no immediate change. Like many millionaires, much of her wealth is in long-term investments and her home, not easy-toaccess cash.She still lives in her modest Orlando, Florida, house, socks away halfher paycheck, fills the napkin holderwith takeoutnapkins and linestrash cans with grocery bags
Still, Barley says it feels powerful to cross athreshold she never imagined reaching as achild.
million-dollar threshold, but he still sees it as amarker that brings acertain level of
security
“It’spossible, even with a regular job,” he sa ys “You just have to be diligent and consistent.”
The resilienceoffinancialmarkets andthe ease of investing in broadbased, low-fee index funds hasfueledthe balances of manymillionaires whodon’t earn massive salaries or inherit family fortunes.
Among them is aburgeoning community of younger millionaires born out of the movement known as FIRE, for Financial Independence Retire Early Jason Breck, 48, of Fishers, Indiana, embraced FIRE and reached the million-dollar marknine years ago. He promptly quit his job in au-
tomotive marketing, where he generally earned around $60,000 ayear but managed to stow away around 70% of his pay Now, Breck and his wife spendseveralmonthsayear traveling. Despitebeing retired, they continue to grow theirbalance by stickingto atight budget and keeping expenses to $1,500amonth when they’reinthe U.Sand afew hundreddollars more when they travel.
Hitting their goal hasn’t translated to luxury. There is no lawn crew to cut the grass, no Netflix or Amazon Prime, no Uber Eats.They fly economy. They drive a 2005 Toyota. “It’snot agolden ticket like it was in thepast,” Breck says. “For us, amillion dollars buys us freedom andpeace of mind. We’renot yachtrich, butfor us,we’re timerich.”
“But it’snot as glamorous as theideas in your head,” she says.
Allwealth is relative.To thousandaires, $1 million is the stuff of dreams. To billionaires, it’s arounding error.Either way,ittakes twice as much cash today to match the buying power of 30 years ago.
Anet worthof$1million in 1995 is equivalent to about $2.1 milliontoday,according to the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Aseven-figure net worth is, to some,asoutdated a yardstick as asix-figure salary.Nonetheless, “millionaire” is peppered in everything from politicsto popularmusic as shorthand for rich.
“It’s anice round number but it’sapoint in alonger journey,” says Dan Uden, a41-year-old from Providence, Rhode Island, who works in information technology and who hit themillion-dollar mark lastmonth.
“It definitely givesyou some room tobreathe.”
No other country comes close to theU.S. in the sheer number of millionaires, though relativetopopulation,UBS found Switzerland and Luxembourg had higher rates
Kenneth Carow,afinance professor at Indiana University’sKelleySchoolof Business, says commonalities emerge among today’s millionaires
The vast majority own stocks and ahome. Most live below their means. They value education and teach financialresponsibility to their children.
“The dream of becoming amillionaire,”Carow says, “has become more obtainable.”
Jim Wang, 45, asoftware engineer-turned finance blogger from Fulton, Maryland, says even if hitting $1 million wasessentially “a non-event” for him and hiswife, it stillheldweight for him as theson of immigrantswho saved money by turning the heat off on winter nights.
The private jets he envisionedasa kid maynot have materialized at the
‘Gut punch’ of teacher firings after Katrina
the city’s first public high school to enroll Black students. Over a century later, in 2018, it was the city’s last public high school to be turned into a charter school.
BY MARIE FAZIO
Staff writer
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Lee Green and his family fled to Houston. It was there that Green, then the head football coach and African American studies teacher at Warren Easton High School, got the news.
He, along with more than 7,000 other New Orleans public school teachers, had been unceremoniously fired by the district in the wake of the 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 moved to other school districts. But Green came back to New Orleans, drawn by his family, his Lower 9th Ward church and his love for the city.
The system he returned to was fundamentally different After the storm, the state took over low-performing schools across the city and left only a few under the authority of the Orleans Parish School Board, a longstruggling school district plagued 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 led several of the city’s revamped schools, including Edna Karr McDonogh 32, ReNew Live Oak and Andrew Wilson Charter School. He retired in June 2024 as principal of the storied McDonogh 35 Senior High School, which in 1917 became
In an interview with the TimesPicayune about the last two decades in New Orleans education, Green recognized the academic improvements that accompanied the post-Katrina changes but also mourned the loss of the loss of traditional neighborhood schools and the mass firing of veteran teachers who were replaced by an influx of largely White and inexperienced teachers — a sharp contrast from the 71% Black teaching force before the storm.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity
What drew you to a career in education?
Growing up in the Florida projects, people in our neighborhood saw something in me and my siblings we didn’t even see.
I was educated in so many ways, and by so many influences, but the biggest was my mother and my brother Thomas and my older sister Carolyn. She would go to school and bring back papers and sit us down the three youngest — and she would work with us on skills. We had no idea what we were doing, but she kept putting it in front of us and engaging us.
Tell me about the start of your teaching career in New Orleans in the years before Hurricane Katrina I started as a student teacher working with an experienced teacher Back then, we were mentored by experienced teachers with almost 20 years in the profession. She guided me through the teaching process, the struggles, writing lesson plans, preparing for lessons.
(By the time of) my first teaching job, I had enough experience to write my own curriculum and lessons.
What are your memories of the storm?
A few 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.
I called (Warren Easton’s assistant principal at the time) Alexina Medley and she said to send the kids home. So they got on the bus and I told them I would see them Monday That didn’t happen. The kids are spread all over the United States. What happened to New Orleans teachers after the storm? For teachers that got jobs in other states, there was a stigma attached. (They were associated with) that perception of bad management by the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.
ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
(For teachers who returned) to New Orleans, some staterun schools and some charters wanted teachers to take a written test when they came back. It was demoralizing.
When Katrina hit — that gut punch, that moment we found out we were released and the state of Louisiana was cheering about it — we had to rebrand ourselves as “educators” and make sure we were seen as professionals. So we did. That’s one good thing that came after Katrina.
Why did you come back?
I came 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 change after the storm?
Once Katrina hit, there was a push to get top graduates from universities and bring them down here. What we did was a travesty to those young professionals who were coming out here. Some of them made it, but a lot of them struggled — not because they didn’t have the skill sets to do it, or they didn’t have the content knowledge, but it was the 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 move the students, is not true. The weakness before the storm was not the teachers.
That narrative hurt us a lot. Before the storm, we had veteran teachers, middle-class teachers that had the pedagogy down. After the storm, we had new teachers who were very intelligent but they didn’t understand the teaching part of it. It has since shifted back to a lot of African Americans back in the classrooms, but they’re still not receiving a clear understanding of the pedagogy of teaching. What do you see as the trade-offs of going from traditional to charter schools?
Before Katrina, parents would drop their kids off to me at 7 a.m. They trusted me to make sure they’re safe early in the morning. I think we lost that trust.
But the charter schools got the ability to make decisions close to the students and that made a difference.
Where are we now in New Orleans education and where are we going?
We had a burst after Katrina when the funds came in
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Lee Green, a former principal of McDonogh 35 Senior High School, retired in 2024.
THE GULF COAST
Unique flying saucer home stands test of time
Futuro home hovers over PensacolaBeach
BY POET WOLFE Staff writer
Abrightwhite house shaped like aflying saucer hovers over Panferio Drive on Pensacola Beach, drawing puzzled glances from drivers and beachgoers alike. Few homes in the world resemblewhat
locals call the UFO house Built in 1966, the bulbous property has withstood astring 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 amobile vacation home for ski trips in remote destinations, according to an archival website that focusesonthe
history of Futuro houses.Made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic, it wasdesigned to survive sub-zerotemperatures while being easilytransportable and cheap to
construct The houses quickly garnered widespread attention.Within several months, Surronen received 400 inquiriesfor licensed production,
B-Bob’sopenedin
downtown Mobile in 1992
BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer
Abeloved gay bar known for hostinglarge events and “RuPaul’sDrag Race” stars has hit the marketindowntown Mobile,Alabama, withmany in the city’sLGBTQ+ community hoping it will remain an inclusive spaceafter the sale.
B-Bob’sfirstopened inWest Mobile in 1992 and is one of the longest operatinggay bars in Alabama. Owner Jerry Ehlen moved the watering hole downtown to 213 Conti St., in 2002. After morethan 30 yearsinbusiness, Ehlen said he’sready for anew chapter.The bar will remain open during theprocess.
“I hope to retire,”he said onFacebook. “It’sbeen along run.”
As gay bars close across the U.S., Gulf Coast cities —known to be socially progressive despite being alargely conservative
votingblock —buck thetrend.
After LGBTQ of Mobile Bay, aFacebook page thatshares news and events for the gay community in Mobile andBaldwin County, shared the listing Monday,regulars paid tribute to B-Bob’sand questioned if it would remain aqueer space.
“Hopefully whoever buys it,itstaysa gay bar,” one commenter said on Facebook. Others suggested crowdsourcing to keep B-
he said in the1998 documentary “Futuro:A NewStance For Tomorrow.”
Thedesign also reflected thefuturismofthe 1960s —anera of optimism, when technological progress stirred the American imagination andmanyboldlyenvisionedafutureofflying carsand moon colonies.Its flying saucer shapeand spindly stilts embodiedsociety’s enchantment with the very idea of the future.
“It’saheavenly feeling of action andtogetherness, the here and now,” said Matti Kuusla, owner of the first Futuro house,inthe documentary Butthe oilshocks of 1973 sent the costs of raw materials skyrocketing, forcing the production of Futuro houses to cometoanend, thearchival website said. By then, there were around 100 in the world.
Thereare only around 60 left now, andthe house on Pensacola
Bob’sopen andpossibly add acommunity resource center
The building and business werelisted for salethisweek,daysafter B-Bob’shosted the annual Bear Leather weekend that brought visitors fromBiloxi, Pensacola and even Atlanta for twonights of parties and events there and at neighboring gay bars including Gabriel’s, Flipside Bar and MidtownPub. Together,the property and business are listed for $1.895 million but can be purchased separately.Cameron Weavil is the real estateagent handling the sale.
Arooftop bar was added in 2022, with three levels offering different vibesfor patrons. On the first floor,guests cansit at tables andconverse and play pool in acasual atmosphere.The second floor,with astage and large bar,iswhere thedancing, drag shows andcontests happen. And thepatio offers abreak from theclub or apicturesque selfie with views of downtown.
When B-Bob’sfirst opened in 1992,there were 17 businesses listed as gay bars in the state of Alabama,AL.com reported.In2022, eight remained open
Beach is one of them
Newspaper archives show owner Victoria Clarkinpurchased it in 1998, at one timesaying she felt a magnetic pull to the peculiar home since seeing it forthe first time in high school.
“You wouldn’tbelieve 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 apicture of it.”
Clarkincould notbereached 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 cametofruition.
Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.
Mobile hasthe most gaybarsofany Alabama city,even more than towns with larger populations. In the Gulfport-Biloxi metro area, Sipps andJustUsboth host drag queensfrom acrossthe Deep South andhavedaily events like karaoke, pool tournaments and trivia. Bars andrestaurantsacrossthe Mississippi Coast are more frequently hosting LGBTQ+ nights featuring drink specials and guest bartenders. At White Pillars, afine dining restaurantinBiloxi, James Beardnominated owners Austin and Tresse Sumrall host amonthly drag brunch that almost always sells out. The brunches have been going strong since2019 andare hostedbyLexis Redd D’Ville, aGulfport native now living in New Orleans, and IvyDripp of Cut Off. In 2021, D’Ville explained to the Sun Her-
Satellitetotrack minisculechanges to Earth’sland, ice
NASA,India join forces to collect data
BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.— NASA and India paired up to launch an Earth-mapping satellite last week capable of tracking even the slightest shifts in land and ice.
The $1.3 billion mission will help forecastersand first responders stay one stepaheadoffloods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and other disasters, according to scientists.
Rocketing to orbit from India, the satellite will survey virtually all of Earth’sterrain multiple times. Its two radars —one from the U.S andthe otherfromIndia will operate dayand night, peering through clouds, rain and foliagetocollect troves of datainextraordinaryde-
The
satellitewill operate dayand night,
throughclouds, rain and foliagetocollect trovesofdata in extraordinarydetail.
tail.
Mi cr owa ve s ignals beameddown to Earthfrom thedualradarswillbounce back up to thesatellite’s super-sized antenna reflector perched at theend of a boom like abeach umbrella. Scientists will comparethe incomingand outgoingsig-
nals as the spacecraft passes over thesame locations twice every 12 days, teasing outchangesassmallasa fraction of an inch.
“CongratulationsIndia!” India’sministerofscience and technology,Jitendra Singh, said via Xonce the satellitesafelyreachedor-
PROVIDED PHOTO
Submersiblediscovery revealslifeintrenches
Creatures thrive in deepestocean
BY ADITHIRAMAKRISHNAN
AP science writer
NEW YORK An underwater voyage hasrevealedanetwork of creatures thriving at the bottom of deep-sea ocean trenches.
In these extreme environments, the crushing pressure, scant food and lack of sunlight can make it hard to survive.
Scientists know that tiny microbes prosper there, but less is known aboutevidence of larger marine life.
Researchers traveling along the Kuril–Kamchatka and Aleutian trenchesin the northwest Pacific Ocean used asubmersible to find tubeworms and mollusks flourishing at over 31,000 feet deep. The deepest part of the ocean goes down to
about36,000 feet. Scientists had surveyed this area before andhad hintsthat larger creatures might live at such depths. Thenew discovery confirms those suspicions and shows just howextensive thecommunities are, said Julie Huber,a deep-sea microbiologist with WoodsHole Oceanographic Institution.
“Look how many thereare, look how deep they are,” said Huber, whowas not involved withthe research. “They don’tall look the same and they’re in aplace that we haven’t had good access to before.”
Thefindings were published lastweek in the journalNature.
In theabsenceoflight to make their own food, many trench-dwellersbig and small surviveonkey elementslikecarbonthat trickle down from higher in theocean.
Scientiststhink microbes
in this newnetwork may instead be capitalizing on carbon that’saccumulated in the trench over time, processing it to create chemicals that seep through cracks in the ocean floor
The tubeworms and mollusks may survive by eating those tinycreatures or livingwiththemand snacking on the products of their labor,scientists said.
With this discovery,future studieswill focus on how these deep-seacreatures adapted to survive in such extreme conditions and how exactly they harness chemical reactions for food, study authors MengranDuwith the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vladimir Mordukhovichwith the Russian Academy of Sciences said in astatement.
Their existence challenges “long-standing assumptions about life’spotential at extremedepths,”the authors said.
bit. Themission“will benefit the entire world community.”
NASA’s deputy associate administrator Casey Swails, part of asmalldelegation that traveled to India for the launch, said it “really shows the world what our two nations can do.But more so than that, it really is apathfinderfor therelationship building.”
It will take afull week to extend the satellite’s30-foot boom andopenthe 39-foot diameter drum-shaped reflector made of gold-plated wire mesh.Scienceoperations should begin by the end of October Amongthe satellite’smost
pressingmeasurements: melting glaciersand polar icesheets;shiftinggroundwater supplies; motion and stress of land surfaces prompting landslidesand earthquakes; andforest and wetland disruptions boosting carbon dioxide and methane emissions.
It’s“afirst-of-its-kind, jewel radar satellite that will changethe way we study ourhome planetand better predict anatural disaster before it strikes,” NASA’s science mission chief Nicky Fox said ahead of liftoff. She was part of the NASA delegation that attended the launch in person.
NASA is contributing $1.2
billion to the three-year mission; it supplied the low-frequency radar and reflector
The Indian Space Research Organization’s$91 million share includes the higherfrequencyradar and main satellite structure, as well as the launch from abarrier island in the Bay of Bengal. It’s thebiggest space collaboration between the two countries. The satellite called NISAR —short forNASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar— will operatefrom anear-polar-circling orbit464 miles high. It will joindozensof Earthobservation missions alreadyinoperation by the U.S. and India.
TheGolden Deeds awardisthe
Coupee
To purchase tickets, contact RichardFlicker at flicker@premier.net or 225-931-1626 THESEARCHISONFOR OUR2025 GOLDENDEEDS AWARDRECIPIENT
Explainwhy your nomineeshouldreceive theGoldenDeeds Award. Tell us in your ownwords aboutthe most memorable things they’vedoneinservice to thecommunity Tell us howtheir actionstouched your heart; howtheymadea difference Give specificexamplesofwhatthey’ve done Maximumof750 words. Nominationsmustmeet specificrequirementstobeconsidered.
•BATON ROUGE Tickets$50 each •Group tables available
Mail nominationletters to The Advocate attn: Ellen Ducote P.O. Box 588 Baton Rouge,
PROVIDED PHOTO By NASA
NISAR
peering
An underwater voyage in the Aleutian trenchesinthe northwest PacificOcean has revealed anetwork ofcreatures thriving at the bottom of deep-sea ocean trenches, including tubeworms.
Behind the scenes of BR policing
Reality show ‘On Patrol: Live’ premieres with local episodes
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
On July 18, Officer Charleston
Armstrong with the Baton Rouge Police Department interviewed a suspect as she sat on the concrete of a gas station parking lot following a traffic stop. The night also happened to be BRPD’s premiere on the reality television show “On Patrol: Live.”
Data says 42% of La. teachers highly effective
BY MARGARET DELANEY
Staff writer
Of 44,930 Louisiana public schoolteachers, 42.2% were evaluated as “highly effective” for the 2023-24 school year according to data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
At the end of each school year, Louisiana teachers are grouped into one of four categories: ineffective; effective: emerging; effective: proficient; and highly effective.
Half of a teacher’s score is determined by two classroom observation scores, and the other half is determined by student outcomes, including value-added and student learning targets. (Not all public schoolteachers are evaluated on
ä See TEACHER, page 2B
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
A worker at a Hammond poultry plant is challenging a nearly 100-year-old federal labor policy that blocked him and his co-workers from petitioning to leave their union before their current contract runs out.
Coty Hally has worked since 2019 at the Wayne Sanderson Farms chicken plant, which is represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 455. The plant has been represented by the union for decades and most
ä See UNION, page 2B
As Armstrong walked around his unit and began to read the woman her Miranda rights, she saw the cameraman behind him.
Before Armstrong could remind her she had the right to remain silent, the woman gestured to the camera and asked, “Y’all are starting that new thing?”
In that time, officers have been filmed making traffic stops and drug arrests, searching abandoned buildings for a fleeing suspect and assisting motorists after accidents.
Police Chief Thomas Morse, who championed to bring “On Patrol: Live” to Baton Rouge, said
Yes, they were. In the first few weeks at least five BRPD officers were featured on six episodes of “On Patrol: Live,” documenting their exploits to an audience of tens of thousands across the country
the show so far has succeeded at providing what its brand of livefilmed police television promises: showing the day-to-day realities of being a cop.
“It’s just basically where the calls take them; (we’re) not micromanaging that at all,” Morse said.
“I really do want people to see the kind of full shift and average night of an officer.”
After a contract between the department and the show was approved by the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council in June,
Morse put a call out to his officers to see who was interested in representing the department before a national audience.
Interviews were conducted, similar to the process for promoting uniform patrol officers to a specialized division. Then, Morse and his senior officers made their selections.
“What I look for is really just somebody that will represent Baton Rouge Police Department well,
TOP: Volunteers dump a box of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into a box while preparing care packages to send to military members overseas at Baton Rouge Soldier Outreach on Saturday
Over the course of an hour, over a dozen volunteers prepared 20 boxes, each weighing 24.5 pounds, were stuffed with bags of snacks, candy and thank-you letters to be shipped abroad. ABOVE: Candy is added to care packages.
RIGHT: Volunteers Jennifer Summers, left, and Kim Gibson tape shut boxes.
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
ä See BEHIND, page 2B
Cyclist killed in crash was gifted singer
Miron Lockett remembered for his voice
BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer
Miron Lockett’s life in theater began in the basement of Gallier Hall, where he took the stage in a NORD Theater Summer Teenage Workshop production of “Annie Get Your Gun.”
“I’m happy here,” the 13-year-old told The Times-Picayune in 1973.
“It’s all show business.”
The grandson of Mardi Gras Indian “Chief of Chiefs” Tootie Montana, Lockett cultivated a powerful baritone voice that launched his career in New York. There, he forged a career as a singer actor and songwriter He performed with Opera Creole, toured Europe in a production of “Porgy and Bess” and called a rent-controlled apartment in midtown Manhattan home for decades. Only the desire to care for his cherished 98-year-old mother called him back to New Orleans
“He gave up New York to be there for her I give him everything all the praise for that,” said Vivian Reed, a Tony-nominated Broadway performer. “As far as his voice is concerned, I have never heard a voice that resonant, that deep. There was no mistaking his voice.
“He was a great man.”
Deadly thoroughfare
Lockett was cycling about a mile from his mother’s house when he was fatally struck by an 18-wheeler at St. Claude and Franklin avenues on July 24. New Orleans police said Lockett was in the driver’s blind spot when the 6,500-gallon liquid tanker trailer turned right onto Franklin from St Claude’s westbound lanes. The driver called 911 and stayed on the scene of what NOPD classified as an auto accident fatality Lockett was pronounced dead on the scene from blunt force trauma. He was the second cyclist killed in as many weeks on the deadly thoroughfare, which since 2020 has
UNION
Continued from page 1B
recently negotiated a collective bargaining contract that took effect at the start of 2023.
Hally said he has not been satisfied with the union and organized a petition to decertify it as the Hammond plant’s representative. According to Hally, his petition gathered signatures from a majority of the plant’s 550 union production, maintenance and trucking staff.
“UFCW officials have been dragging their feet and have not been negotiating good contracts for me and my co-workers,” Hally said in a statement provided by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit that is providing pro bono legal aid. The petition to decertify was dismissed by the New Orleans office of the National Labor Relations Board, based on a labor board policy that bars decertification elections from being organized during the first three years of a collective bargaining contract between a union and employer
“The rationale for it is basically to provide stability to a collective bargaining agreement that, for all
BEHIND
Continued from page 1B
and bring that law enforcement professional spirit,” Morse said. Those criteria describe no officer better than Cpl. Scott Hinson, a six-year veteran with BRPD known for his success as a field-training officer, certifying rookies in their Taser and DUI-stop training. Hinson received the 2024 Officer of the Year award from the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police for helping keep a young woman from jumping off the Mississippi River bridge.
“This job isn’t all catching bad guys and driving fast with red and blue lights,” Hinson said. “One minute you may be responding to a shooting, one minute you may be doing CPR on somebody, the next minute you’re changing a light bulb at an elderly person’s home You never know what your next call is going to be, and it’s just a lot more than what people think the police actually do.”
In the first few episodes, Hinson has been partnered with Cpl. Wendolyn George, a sevenyear veteran with BRPD.
George wanted to show BRPD is more than just the “bad reputation” she said it has developed in the past. And she wanted to be an example of a successful woman on the force.
only mode of transportation. Soon, the boy was performing stilted translations between George and his parents. He struggled with some words and concepts, and George can be seen trying to comfort him. Eventually, she let them off with a warning. George said she usually ends up giving out one “freebie” per shift.
“I thought, if I take the car for these people, it’s only going to cause more hardship,” George said. “I was well within the law to (impound the car), because it’s not legal to drive around like that, but in this case, I just thought let’s give this guy an opportunity to try to get things straight.”
George said being able to offer that kind of officer discretion when deciding whether arrest suspects allows her to connect better with the community
At a stop of their own, Armstrong and his partner, Cpl. Blake Welborn, caught a “hardworking man” with a small amount of weed in his car They allowed him to snuff it out on the ground and avoid a possession arrest.
seen 74 such crashes, five fatal and 13 involving serious injuries, according to Bike Easy’s ”Safer St. Claude” report, which calls for a parking-protected bikeway raised to sidewalk level, among other safety features. Lockett’s is one of two additional deaths since the report was published, bringing the total cyclist crash fatalities to seven.
“I can’t even believe he is dead,” said Paula Marie Seniors, who teaches ethnic studies at Virginia Tech University. “I can’t wrap my mind around it.”
An avid cycler, deep thinker Lockett moved to New York to attend Pace University Seniors said, and first performed there as a singer at Brooklyn’s Billie Holiday Theatre. In 1996, he scored a rent-controlled apartment on 42nd Street He never learned to drive and hated taking trains, friends said, preferring to walk or bike.
“He would take bike rides from Midtown Manhattan all the way to Westchester, the cloisters,” said Linda Dorsey, who performed alongside Lockett in 2004 in the New York International Fringe Festival’s debut of “Ellen Craft.” “The irony — that the very thing that kept him so young and vibrant is the thing that caused his demise.”
During his long bike rides, he would call Dorsey and other friends
other purposes, is valid,” said Rafael Gely, a professor of labor law at the University of Missouri.
While not written into the National Labor Relations Act, which gives the legal basis for the labor board to exist, the “contract bar” has been a precedent in federal labor policy since 1939, according to Gely
In comments provided to The Advocate, Brandon Hopkins, president of UCFW Local 455, connected the decertification petition to an effort from Wayne Sanderson this year to offer a “lump-sum bonus payout” to senior nonunion workers.
Hopkins said communication from the company regarding the bonus, which was meant for those with seniority at the plant caused confusion among workers — especially when they were told it was not available to workers in the local’s bargaining unit.
“Since Wayne Sanderson Farms refused to offer seniority bonuses to all of its workers, we look forward to addressing the issue when contract negotiations begin later this year,” Hopkins said. “Our members work hard to make sure their value is reflected in their union contract with good pay, strong safety protections, and
to share everything from Broadway gossip and audition song suggestions to his insights on Ghanaian and Nigerian political alliances. She described him as “a complete encyclopedia of musical theater and opera — and straight theater as well,” while Seniors described him as a voracious reader and an “organic intellectual.”
He took pride in his appearance, with waist-length dreadlocks and a complexion that belied his 65 years.
“He was just so flashy He loved to look beautiful,” Seniors said. “He was a very stylish dresser, and he would never tell me how old he was.”
Actor Edward R. Cox was among the few friends who knew Lockett’s real age, having performed with him as a teen at NORD before Lockett changed the spelling of his name from Myron to Miron.
“He always did have an incredible light,” Cox said. “Growing up with him, he was a talent with an amazing baritone bass voice. It was almost comical to see this young boy with this strong adult voice, and that carried and grew with him over the years.
“This is an extremely terrible loss to many, many people, not just in New Orleans, but in New York and elsewhere. We have lost one of our natives who went off and made a well-respected performing career.”
quality benefits. They are proud to have union standards at the Hammond plant, as they’ve had for the past 40 years and are committed to building on them.”
The offer of a bonus reportedly came in May The labor board’s regional office in New Orleans received Hally’s petition in June.
Following the three-year wait for the “contract bar,” employees have 30 days before the expiration of their union’s agreement to submit decertification petitions before another three-year contract bar period begins.
Mark Mix, president of National Right to Work, said this window is too short and too seldom for workers to show they want a change in representation. His organization has filed a request for review challenging the contract bar on Hally’s behalf.
“They have to thread the needle perfectly in order to get that (petition) in,” Mix said. “So they’re basically stifled from having any kind of election, even though a majority of workers have said ‘We want to vote to find out whether or not we want the union here.’ But they can’t get that vote because of the contract bar.”
A spokesperson for the labor board told The Advocate the board
“I wanted to be an example to other women, because I think law enforcement could benefit from having strong women more interested in the field,” she said. So far, the pair have made a handful of traffic stops during their segments, only one of which ended in an arrest.
This is part of the conceit of “On Patrol: Live”: It is broadcast live with up to a 30-minute delay What’s being shown is what crime actually took place that night. If one city in the show’s roster of departments is having a slow night, it cuts to another So far, nothing as eye-catching as a car chase or a fistfight has yet been captured in Baton Rouge for the show In one of their stops George stopped a couple and their young son for being in a car with no back license plate. As she started the interaction, she found that the couple did not speak English, the wife was pregnant, and the car was their
TEACHER
Continued from page 1B
the value-added model, which is a calculation of a student’s success compared with similar peers year to year.)
Across Louisiana, less than half of evaluated public schoolteachers were rated as “highly effective” with Beauregard Parish as the highest-ranking parish at 78.4% of teachers with top marks and Madison Parish as the lowest at 10.4%. The parishes with the highest percentage of “highly effective” teachers, in descending order, in the 2023-24 school year include: n Beauregard Parish — 78.4%
n Bossier Parish — 73.1% n Jefferson Davis Parish — 72% n Livingston Parish
Cameron Parish — 61.9%
does not issue comments on ongoing disputes. Since the start of 2025, the labor board has had too few members to form a quorum, after President Donald Trump dismissed board member Gwynne Wilcox and the board’s general counsel.
Until another member is nominated and confirmed, Hally’s challenge of the contract bar will have to wait on the docket.
“This union doesn’t represent us, and it’s ridiculous that the UFCW is manipulating this one dated NLRB policy to keep us trapped in the union, even though most of us have expressed interest in voting the union out,” Hally said. “My colleagues and I — not union officials — should be deciding whether the union stays or goes.”
A previous attempt to challenge the contract bar was put forward by poultry workers at a Delaware facility in 2020 that was also represented by a UFCW local. The NLRB ruled with UFCW in that case, but the union was decertified by workers when an election was held later on.
Both Hally’s decertification petition and the seniority bonuses for nonunion workers come only months before Wayne Sanderson and Local 455 are due to begin ne-
“We let him go on his way. He stomped out the marijuana, and he’s going home to his kids,” Welborn told cameras immediately after the stop. In one segment, Armstrong and Welborn demonstrated for the audience how to properly clear a building while looking for a suspect. In another, they ruled in on a dispute between two men in a parking lot over the price of a turkey neck one had sold to the other.
While Morse is happy with how the show has given the department an opportunity to show the reality of their work, he says there is a lot left to see.
“There’s so much more we can show off and we’re just barely scratching the surface,” Morse said. “I mean, we haven’t been able to really highlight our canine units. We haven’t really been able to highlight our drones.”
Now, after seeing a few episodes, which air at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays on the Reelz network, Morse said other officers are reconsidering their decisions to not be featured on the show
“It’s catching on,” he said.
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@theadvocate. com.
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.
gotiations on a new contract.
In the past, Wayne Sanderson has sued or been sued by worker advocacy organizations at other plants in the South.
In 2023, the poultry giant settled out of court in a disability-discrimination lawsuit from the U.S Equal Opportunity Employment commission that cost it over $62,000. Wayne Sanderson also sued a Mississippi local of the Laborers’ International Union of North America in 2012 for allegedly filing frivolous Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaints against a plant.
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.
ARCHIVE IMAGE
Miron Lockett, right, appears in The Times-Picayune in the NORD Theater Summer Teenage Workshop’s August 1973 production of ‘Li’l Abner.’ The grandson of Mardi Gras Indian ‘Chief of Chiefs’ Tootie Montana who cultivated a powerful baritone voice and launched his career in New york was fatally struck by a 18-wheeler while riding his bike.
PHOTO PROVIDED By VIVIAN REED
Miron Lockett appears in an undated photo with Vivian Reed.
U.S. 90 bridge shutdown leaves Mississippi town isolated
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 Louisiana-Mississippi 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 popu-
lar 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, RSlidell. “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 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 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
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.
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 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 pur-
pose and dignity,” Carriere said.
A few years ago, Refinery Mission added a 54-bed facility, bringing the organization to a total of 120 beds
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.
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 wait-
ing, 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
“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.”
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.
Obituaries
Babin, Mayola Breaux 'Tut'
Mayola "Tut" Breaux Babin aloving mother grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, August 1, 2025, at theage of 99. She was a resident of Plaquemine and native of Addis, LA. Visitation willbeheld at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine on Tuesday, August5, 2025, from 9am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11am, celebrated by Father Martin Lawrence. Entombment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Tut is survived by her daughters, Darlene Coleman, Liz Rivet and husband Lin, and Karen Myers and husband Greg; son, Allen "Puggy Babin, III; grandchildren, Chantel Coleman Williams, Erin Coleman, Michael "Cole" Coleman, Trey Rivet and wife Taylar, Brant Rivet and wife Blasia, Lindsey Rivet Goode,Marc Myers and wife Lark, and Alannah Myers Swarner and husband Dex; sixteen great grandchildren; two greatgreat grandchildren; numerous loving nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her husband, Allen "Pappy" Babin, Jr.; parents, Gillieand Mable Smith Breaux; grandson-in -law, Dustin Goode; and siblings, Earl Breaux, Bessie Brown, Dot Distefano, Nean Comeaux, Saddie LeMay, Nolan Breaux, Harold Breaux, and Curtis "Coodie" Breaux. Tut was avery talented seamstress who made many garments and costumes.Special thanks to her sitters Dianna Sandifer and Sandra Windham. Please share sympathies, condolences, and memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.
Lucy A.
Lucy A. Baudry entered eternal rest on July 29, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family. Born on January 19, 1928, in Port Allen, LA. Lucy was the beloved wife of 34 years to the late Kenneth Joseph Baudry. She is survived by her sister, Josie Zito Messina; her brother-in-law, Vince Misuraca;and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Anthony Zito and Annie Mancuso Zito; sisters, Rose Zito, Anna Mae Misuraca, and Mary Fontana; brothers, Joseph John Zito and Placito Henry Zito; brothers-in-law, Jim Fontana and Salvador "Bubbie" Messina; sisterin-law, Alice Genusa Zito; nephew, Joseph A. Misuraca; and her parents-in-law, Chester and Delphine OckmanBaudry. Visitation will be held on Monday, August 4, 2025, at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in 14040 Greenwell Springs Rd., from 11:30am until the Mass of Christian Burialat 1:00pm. Interment willfollow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.
arms of her beloved daughteronJuly26, 2025 and is now in the arms of her Lord Jesus Christ. She was borninBaton Rouge on October23, 1950. Her legacy is one of quiet strength, unwaveringloyalty and deep lovefor familyand friends. She wasa devotedwife, motherand grandmother. Prioritizing family aboveall, she traveled for months at atime to be with her grandchildren. Sheexpressed thoughtfulnessinthe consistent way she sent cards, newspaper clippings and memorabilia to those she loved. Debra was afaithful worshipperand memberof First PresbyterianChurch, acommunitythatembraced, encouragedand prayedfor her.Her small group Bible study, Circle 11, was especially important to her Debra graduatedfrom Broadmoor High School in 1968.She was employed by the Louisiana Department of PublicSafetyinNew Orleans,the U.S. PostalService, and H&RBlock.Her extended battlewithcancer was difficult, yetshe remained optimistic and cheerful in that fight. Debrawas precededin deathbyher father, WilliamH.Adams Jr., mother, Doris A. Fox and brother Thomas Adams. Sheissurvived by her husband of 57 years, RobertB Cooper;daughter Diane Cooper Fielding(Russell); grandchildren, Conrad and Margaux Fielding; brother, WilliamH."Bobby"Adams III (Libby); step-sister Donna Jo Donahoe;nieces and nephew: Brittany Adams, Quincy A. Vincent (John), WilliamH.Adams IV (Bonnie), Claire A. Stafford (Will), Chris Davis(Luis) and numerous greatnieces and nephews. Special thanksfromthe family to the ICUstaffofBaton Rouge General HospitalBluebonnet for their expert care Visitation willbeat10 a.m. followed by the Celebration of LifeServiceat11 a.m.,Monday,August 11th, 2025,atthe Dunham Chapel at First Presbyterian Church, 763 North Blvd. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First PresbyterianChurch, Baton Rouge
Cowart,Joyce Crochet
JoyceCrochet Cowart, 98, aresidentofZachary, LA, died on Wednesday, July30, 2025 at herhome. She wasa former em‐ployee of Sam’sClub, where sheworkedasa demonstrator. Therewill bea visitation on Monday August4,2025 at theFirst Baptist Church of Zachary from9:00amuntil funeral servicesat10:00 am.Burial willbeatPortHudsonNa‐tionalCemetery. Sheissur‐vived by threedaughters: JaneCrochet St.Germain; Betty CrochetBrashierand husband DavidBrashier; Pat CrochetBorskey and husband DavidBorskey; ten grandchildren, eigh‐teen great-grandchildren, and four great-greatgrandchildren.She was precededindeath by fif‐teen siblings;her husband L.J.“Buddy” Crochet; hus‐bandWallace “Bud”Cow‐art;son-in-lawLee John‐ston; herparents;and two grandsons.Pallbearers will beJoeySt. Germain, Ben‐ton Foster,Michael Jones, Caleb Borskey, Patrick Johnston, KrisCowart. Honorarypallbearers will beDavid Borskey, David Brashier, Nick St.Germain, and ShaneGarcia. Share sympathies, memories, and condolencesatwww CharletFuneralHome.com.
tered—fun, witty,and endlessly loving. To know Anne was to feelcherished.
BorninPonchatoula, Louisiana, and raised in Wesson, Mississippi,Anne spent most of her life in Napoleonvillebeforesettling in BatonRouge. Her roots ran deep,and her heart was always open.
Anne devoted over forty years to Triche Law Office in Napoleonville, where she builtlasting friendships and collected memories that brought her joy. Her colleagues became family,and her work was morethan ajob—it was a testament to her loyalty, wit, and grace. She is survivedbyher belovedhusband,Ronny "Bird"Daigle, and their threechildren:
-Ronny (Jeanne) Daigle, with grandchildrenLandon, Alexandra "Lexie", Andrew, and Parker, Daughters: HollyDaigle, with partner Charlotte, and BethMassengale (William Trent), with grandchildren Phoenix, Lincoln, and Tatum Anne also leavesbehind her siblings:
-Malcolm"Skipper" Munson (JoAnn) of Napoleonville, Keith Munson (Jennifer) of Ponchatoula, Robbie Thibodaux of Metairie
She wasprecededin death by her parents, Malcolmand Hattie Mae Munson; her sisters,Joel Smith and Mary Louise "Mickey" Munson; and her brother, William "Billy" Munson.
Anne's love extended far beyond her immediate family.She adored her nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends—especially her children's friends, whom she embracedasher own. To say Anne was extraordinary is an understatement.She had agift formaking everyone feel like themost important personinthe room. Her selflessness, humor, warmth, and wisdom will live on in theheartsofall who were luckyenoughto knowher.
ACelebrationofLife Service willtakeplace at Grace Life Fellowship 10210 Baringer Foreman Road,Baton Rouge, La 70809, Monday, August 4th at 11:00 am with areception immediatelyfollowing
Dubuisson, Richard Travis 'Dickey'
Richard "Dickey" Dubuisson, alifelong resident of Slidell, Louisiana, passed away peacefully in his sleep,athis home at Azalea Estates on Sunday, July20, 2025, at theage of 90.
Richard was bornin NewOrleans, to SimonPeterand LuraMary Pichon Dubuisson. Four months after his birth, his father passed away. Richard was raisedonBayou LibertyRd, alongsidehis five siblings.
Richard served his country in theUnited States Army, spending most of his twoyear enlistment in Germany. There he worked as botha Petroleum Supply Specialist and aDispatch Clerk forthe Motor Pool
Upon returning home, he metand married Dorothy Jean Goins of Shreveport,Louisiana on October11, 1959. They shared 59 wonderful years of marriage until Dorothy's passing on August 10, 2018.
Richard had alongcareer as awelderfor various shipyardsthroughout theSlidell and NewOrleans areas. After retiring he channeled his entrepreneurial spirit into starting his own recycling business.
Fishing was Richard's greatest passion. He spent every possible moment on thewater, whether it was for pleasure or to provide forhis family.Later in life when he could no longer fish, he became an avid football fan, cheering passionatelyfor his beloved LSUTigersand theNew Orleans Saints.
Known to many in the Slidellcommunity,Richard was afriendly and outgoing gentleman who always had astore to tell,a fish tale to share, or apiece of wisdom to impart.
Richard is survived by his twodaughters, Deborah Dubuisson and Jody DubuissonJohnson; and hissiblings, Janet Bourgeois, Hal Stratton, Pam Levy, and KevinStratton He was preceded in death by hissister, Joan Gardina. Following his wishes, Richard willbecremated and hisasheswillbein-
terned at Honaker Forest Lawn Cemetery and Dubuisson Cemetery in Slidell. No serviceswillbe held
DucheinIII,Charles Francis
It is in loving spirit that we announce thepassing of Charles FrancisDuchein, III, ("Chip") on July 21, 2025. Chip transitionedand ascended peacefullyof natural causesinhis belovedhome in St. Francisville,Louisianaatthe ageof81.
SonofMajorGeneral Charles F. Duchein,IIand Marjorie Francioni Duchein, Chip grew up in BatonRouge where he spent every spare moment roaming thewoods behind theDuchein family home. He attended BaylorSchool in Chattanooga where he excelled in sports Chipwas atrue nature lover. At Baylor, he managed to sneakinhis pet owl "Mojo"who became thevarsityfootballteam mascot and rode on the schoolbus with theteam to games. Chip then went on to earnhis undergraduatedegree fromLouisiana StateUniversity and Juris Doctoratefrom LoyolaLaw School.
Aproud Marine, Chip served hiscountry with honorinthe Judge Advocate Division of theUnited States Marine Corpsduring the Vietnam War. After his militaryservice,he dedicatedhimself to the practiceoflaw, earning a reputationfor fairness and integrity.Beyond hisprofessional accomplishments, he was known for his deep love of animals and nature, especially fly fishing in theWest, hunting at Beech Grove Plantation, and cycling,where he found both joyand camaraderie.
Chip had aprofound affectionfor St. Francisville and thepeople who call it home. The townand its community brought him greatcomfort and enjoyment over theyears, especiallyhis cycling friends. Aproud parent,grandparent, and aloyal sibling, Chipissurvivedbyhis sisters Hilary Duchein Slaughterand husband John, AntoinetteDuchein LaGrone and husband Don, beloved childrenHilary Lauren Ducheinand Jordan B. Duchein andwifeMariya, and grandchildren Jonathan Alexander Duchein and Benjamin Nicholas Duchein,his former spouse Mary Annette Duchein,and many adored nieces and nephews whom he thrilled and delighted as "UncleMonkey" up until his final days.His wisdom, humor, and storieswillbe deeply missed by allwho knew him.
Amemorial willbeheld in November to celebrate Chip'slife.Inlieuofflowers, thefamily suggests contributions to the Wounded WarriorProject or Trout Unlimited, two causesthat reflect his enduring values and passions. Semper Fi Chip!
Caroline Noelle Fazende was born on July 18, 2003 in Baton Rougetoher adoring parents,Brent andJill Fazende.She passedaway onJuly28, 2025. Caroline was trulyone of akind. Evenfroma young age, she embracedwhatmadeher different andfound joyin being uniquelyherself.She wasn’tinterestedinfollow‐ing trends or doingwhat everyoneelsewas doing. She gravitated toward thingsthatfeltspecial and meaningfultoher,espe‐cially anything rare,cre‐ative,orquietly beautiful. She lovedcollectingunique items,including stuffed animals,rocks,gems, and tinyminiature objects. She had an eyefor thesmall thingsmostpeopleover‐looked andfound magicin them. Shehad avivid imagination anda rich innerworld.Carolinewas anincrediblytalented artistand writer.She could createcharactersand sto‐riesthatwerefulloflife and feeling. Shewould oftenhand-draw intricate
cardsinpencilfor herpar‐ents, each one filledwith detailand love.She hada lovefor videogames and could beat just aboutany gameshe played.She also had agrowing interest in psychology andloved learningabout personality types,especially the Myers-Briggs system.She was brilliantina quiet, deeply thoughtful way. Carolinehad averyspecial bondwithanimals.She connected with them in a way that felt gentle and natural.Animals were often thesubject of Caro‐line’samazing artwork, es‐peciallycats. Themany catsinCaroline’slifeal‐waysseemed to gravitate towards her. It washardto not catchCarolineathome without acat in herlap or curledupclose by.She alsoenjoyed horseback ridingwhenshe was younger andloved study‐ing animalsofall kinds. Along with real animals, Carolinealsoenjoyed cre‐ating herown mythical creatures andfantasy worldsthrough herimagi‐nationand amazingart‐work. Caroline hada dry sense of humor andan amazing,infectiouslaugh thatwould catchyou by surpriseinthe best way. She wasn’t loud or flashy but whenshe spoke, her words stayed with you. She had acalmpresenceand a way of beingunapologeti‐cally herself. Herunique‐nesswasn’tsomething she hid.Itwas somethingshe lived fullyand proudly. Carolinegraduated from The Brighton School in 2023 and hadrecentlycom‐pletedher associate’sde‐greeatBRCC. Shehad plans to continue studying ina fieldthatallowed her imagination to flourish, likegamedesignorcre‐ative writing. Caroline was a beloveddaughter, grand‐daughter, sister,niece cousin, andfriend. She shareda closebondwith her siblings,especiallyher brother Carson,and was deeply lovedbyher par‐ents, who always sought to support andunderstand her.Thoughshe livedqui‐etly, Caroline’s presence was deeply felt.She re‐mindedall who knew her ofthe powerofauthentic‐ity,the comfortofsolitude, and thebeautyinsimply being yourself.She will be rememberedfor herbril‐liant imagination, herrare and specialsoul, andthe quiet love shegavetoher family. Caroline Fazendeis survivedbyher parents, Brent andJill Fazende; sis‐ter KyleeFazende Purcell and herhusband Mike Pur‐cell; sister Emma Fazende Museand herhusband Blake Muse;and her brother,CarsonBrent Fazende.She is survived by paternalgrandmother,Bet‐tie Fazende; andmaternal grandfather,Rev.Byron Comishand hiswifeSabra Comish. Sheisalsosur‐vived by many loving aunts, uncles,and cousins. Carolinewas preceded in death by maternal grand‐mother, DeeDee Comish and by paternal grandfa‐ther, IrwinFazende.Visita‐tionwillbeheldatCharlet FuneralHomeofZachary onMonday, August 4, 2025 from10:00 am -12:00 pm Intermentwillbeheldat the FazendeFamilyCeme‐teryfollowing thevisita‐tion. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequeststhatdona‐tions be made to The BrightonSchool,12108 ParkmeadowAve., Baton Rouge,LA70816, Compan‐ion Animal Alliance,2550 GourrierAvenue, Baton Rouge,LA, 70820 or Cat Haven,11130 N. Harrells Ferry Rd BatonRouge,LA 70816.
John "Jack" E. Flowers, Jr aged78, passed away at hishomeonJuly27, 2025. He wasa native of Boston,MAand wasa residentofDenhamSprings, LA. He lovedhunting, fishing, andfixing things.If anyone needed something fixed, John could probably fix it.Hewas an HVAC mechanic for 58 years and ownerofJ.E. FlowersJr. Service Co.Hewas also a member of theAir National Guard. He is survived by hiswife of 57 years, Diane Gaudin Flowers;brother Bruce Flowers (Rhonda); sister-in-law,Margaret Caplinger; brother-in-law WayneGaudin(Kathy); nephew,Joseph Austin Flowers (Kimberly); and nieces: Hannah Caplinger Evans (Jeff), NicoleVillemarette(Jason), andJori Neese (James). He is pre-
cededindeathbyhis parents, John E. Flowers,Sr. andBeatrice Hayward Flowers. Hisfamilywould like to express kind thanks to thestaff andcaregivers of Hospice of Baton Rouge andtohis niece, Hannah CaplingerEvans. As instructedbyJohn, there will be no services.
Fox, FrancesIda
Rhodes 'Fran' Frances Ida Rhodes Fox, age 74, anative of Baton Rouge,LA, anda longtime residentofPrairieville,LA, passedawaypeacefullyon July 26, 2025. Sheispreceded in death by herloving husband, Steve Fox; her parents, Feltus Louis Rhodes Jr.and Mary Edythe Kinberger Rhodes; andher sister,Kay Rhodes deGeneres. Sheissurvived by hernieces andnephew: Dawn(Mike)deGeneres Bennett,Dana (Kevin)deGeneres Telano, and Buddy (Palmyre) deGeneres; great-nieces andgreatnephews; great-greatnephews; and numerous extendedfamilymembers andfriends, shecherished. The familywould like to extendtheir heartfelt gratitude to everyoneatThe ParcSenior Living for their compassionatecareand for embracingthe family duringthisdifficult time Special thanks also go to Clarity Hospice,Baton Rouge General Ascension, and especially Dr. Carofor theirsupport.A very special thank you to Fran'sdevotedcompanions and caregivers—TerryLeBlanc, Alima Harry,MelinnaCarrero, Brandi Jarreau,and others—who providedunwaveringcareduringthe past twoyearsofher declining health. ACelebrationofFran's Life will be held at alater date. Please visit www.oursofh.com for updated service information. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made to Mary BirdPerkins CancerCenter.
Larkin, Constance Marie 'Connie' In Loving Memory of our Sister, Constance "Connie" Larkin. We are heartbroken to announce thepassing of oursister,Connie, wholeft us on 7/29/25 from Life PathHospice HouseinSun CityCenter, FL. Connie was akindand compassionate soulwhose warmth, laughter, andlove illuminated thelives of everyoneshe knew. Hergentlespirit and generousheart willbe deeply missed but forever cherished Connie is survivedby hersiblings, JaniceLarkin Owens andGinger Larkin Moniotte from Baton Rouge,LA, andmany friends wholoved her dearlyinApolloBeach, FL whereshe lived heradult life. Connie opened her ownbusiness many years ago in Apollo Beach called "Connie'sClassic Touch massage therapy clinic andwas averyactive member in the localChamberOfCommerce. Her legacyofkindnessand her vibrantspirit will continue to inspireuseveryday. ACelebrationOfLife will be held in Apollo Beach in September. Connieloved to dance andwetake comfortin knowing shewill forever be "dancing in the sky"...
Akindand generous servant of Jehovah, she will be deeply missed by herhusband, Bennett Mackie Sr,her daughter, Charlene Wilson, andmany beloved familyand friends. Guests canattendthe memorial service in-personorvia Zoom Meeting ID:852 2542 8416 Passcode: 088369. The memorial service will be held from5:30 PM to 6:30 PM on 2025-0804 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 4415 Groom Road.Norepast
McCray,Travis LivingstonCountry Club in
Baudry,
Fazende, Caroline Noelle
Flowers Jr., John E. 'Jack'
Mackie, Antonia Vallet
Daigle,Anne Munson
In Loving Memory of Anne Munson Daigle Anne Munson Daigle passedawaypeacefully on July 25, 2025,surrounded by the love of her family. Shewas aradiant presence in every roomshe en-
Cooper, Debra Adams
Debra Anne Adams Cooper, "Derby" to her grandchildren, passed away peacefully in the
McCain, Marian Lynn
Lynn was born November 14, 1955, and passed away on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, after ahard fought battle with cancer. Lynn was preceded in death by her parents Bob and Ann Holcomb, asister Nancy Sonnier, anda great grandson Gabriel Delaney. She is survived by her husband of 28 years, TerryMcCain, children, Rebecca (Tasha) Delaney, son Robert Delaney, stepsons Justin (Tracee) and Austin McCain, Sisters Beth (Kevin) Malone and Cathy (Jerry) Kleinpeter. Also survived by her greatest joy, her grandchildren Brandon, Anna, Madison, DavieJean Delaney, Maddok,Lorcan, Breken, Ava and Noah McCain. Three great grandchildren Brilynn, Hayes & Weston Delaney and numerous nieces and nephews
Lynn loved to be with family, especially the children.She caredfor her husband tirelessly for over 13 years who had adebilitating condition, all the while working at Channel Realty and being the best wife, Mother, Sister and Grandmother afamily could ask for. She loved to travel withTerry reaching mountains across the Country. She thrived on family gatherings where the children enjoyed many special occasions with their NaNa and no one left her home abletoeat another bite.
Lynn helped all people in need she met, akinder soul you willnever know. She will be missed by so many. Visitation will be at RabenhorstFuneral Home, 825 Government Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana,on Monday, August4,2025, starting at 3pmwith aservice to follow at 7pm.
W.
Albert Wanner Perez II, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2025, at the age of 80. Al was born on January 22, 1945, in NewOrleans, Louisiana, son of the late Dorothy Walton and Albert W. Perez. Al graduated from Louisiana State University, where he earned botha Bachelor of Science and Master's Degree. He proudly dedicated 28 years of his life to serving his country as aUnited States Air Force pilot, retiring with the rank of Colonel. Throughout his service, Al earned numerous accolades, including the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Medal with 8devices, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with device, LegionofMerit VietnamService Medal with 3devices, Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with 2devices, Combat ReadinessMedal, ArmedForces Expeditionary Medal,Republicof Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gal-
among others. Al was a dedicatedmember of the LSU Cadets of the Old War Skule and completed three marathons during hislifetime, demonstrating his passion forexcellencein allhis pursuits. He wasa devout member of St. George CatholicChurch and volunteered histime with St. VincentdePaul and Habitatfor Humanity, embodying the spiritof service and compassion. Hisgenerous heart and unwaveringkindness touchedthe livesofmany. Albert issurvived by his beloved wifeof57years, Joyce Greer Perez;daughters, Melanie PerezSchrieffer (Steven), Stacy Perez Lukens (Kreg), Heather Celeste Perez, and Ashley Joyce Rutkowski(Shane); brother, AndrewWalton Perez; Grandchildren, Caroline Joyce Schrieffer, John Steven(Jack) Schrieffer, BroderickWilliam Lukens, Clayton Nicholas Lukens, Grace-Morgan Marie Lukens, Cade Matthew Lukens,and Aimée Jacqueline Bourgeois. The family wouldliketoinvite allwho knew and lovedAltojoin them as we commemorate his life.A visitation will be held on August 6, 2025, at 1:30 PM at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817Jefferson Hwy, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,untilFuneral Services at 2:30PM. A Graveside Service will follow at ResthavenGardens of Memory. The family wouldliketoextendtheir heartfelt gratitudetothe Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice for their compassionate care during this difficult time.Al willberemembered not only forhis remarkable achievements and service but also for the love and joyhebrought into the livesofthose around him. He willbedeeplymissed Family and friends may signthe online guestbook or leave apersonal note to the family at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com
Eric Anthony Robertson passed awaypeacefully on Wednesday July 23, 2025 at OurLady of the Lake Regional Medical Center,BatonRouge,LA. He was a native of Port Allen,LA. and along-time resident of Baton Rouge, LA. He leaves to cherish his memories: two children, ToreyKeith KirbyofBaton Rouge,LA. and PaulaPaul (Kentro)Taylor of PortAllen Louisiana;two brothers, Johnny Lynn Robertsonof Port Allen, LA.; andElliott Donald Robertson of Houston, Texas; two sisters, Shelia Emell Robertsonof Detroit, Michigan, and Tanya Robertson Perkins (PastorRandy Perkins) of Zachary, LA., and ahost of otherloved ones, and friends. Precededindeath by his parents Johnny and Jessie BrownRobertson. VisitationFriday, August 08, 202510:00amuntil religious service at 11:00am Hall Davisand Sons CelebrationofLifeCenter 9348 Scenic Hwy,Baton Rouge, LA. 70807. Burial Louisiana National Cemetery Zachary, LA. 70791. Pastor Garrett BrownVictory Baptist Church Plaquemine, LA. and Pastor Hank Henagan Bethany Church South Campus Baton Rouge, LA. officiating.
Roth,Elizabeth
Myrtle Millet
ElizabethMyrtleMillet RothpassedawayonJuly 27, 2025, at theage of 88 after ashort illness. She was born in NewOrleans onOctober 2, 1936. Sheis survivedbyher daughter PamelaRothGoodnerand husband,MarkAlanGood‐ner;her grandchildren, BenjaminAlanGoodner and wife,Rebecca Ford Goodner, Margaret Eliza‐bethGoodner, andCaroline RothGoodner; hergreatgrandchildren,Michael AlanGoodner, WilliamFord Goodner, andCarolineEliz‐abeth Goodner; hersister, Carolyn Valentineand hus‐band, LeoValentine;and sisters-in-lawRitaMcKee and husband Robert McKee, Rosemary Lawless, and BerniceRoth; special niecesand nephew Re‐becca LeBlanc, Patricia Craig,and JeffreyValen‐tine. Myrtle waspreceded indeath by herhusband of 65years,James Roth,and her parents, ClintonJoseph Milletand ElizaLouqueMil‐let.She grew up in Gramercybut livedmostof her life in BatonRouge.She was adevoutCatholicand a foundingmemberofSt. Patrick’s Catholic Church She lovedspendingtime withher family, andnoth‐ing made herhappier than a nightatSuperiorGrill She will be dearly missed byall who love her. Apri‐vatefamilyfuneral will be heldata laterdate. Dona‐tions in herhonor canbe madetothe Building Fund for St.Patrick Catholic Church,12424 Brogdon Lane, BatonRouge,LA 70816 (https://stpatrickbr weshareonline.org/) or a charity of your choice
Vivian
Vivian"Beth" Thibaut Scott, age80, of Covington, Louisiana passed away surrounded by her loving family on July28, 2025. She wasborn on September 9, 1944, in Donaldsonville, Louisiana to JamesH.and Shirley M. Thibaut Bethissurvivedbyher beloveddaughter, Debra ScottDeLony;Debra's husband, Bradley; and her grandson, Garrett -to whom she was fiercely devoted. She is also survived by twobrothers, James D. Thibaut(Valerie) and Charles L. Thibaut (Barbara); her brothers-in-law, Kevin Causey and Ward Scott;several nieces and nephews; and her loving companion, David Sanchez.
Beth was preceded in death by her husband, WalterI.Scott,III;her parentsJames H. Thibautand Shirley Munson Thibaut; and twosiblings, William H. Thibautand Mary ThibautCausey Bethspent themajority of hercareerworking with herbrother BillatGeneral Computer ServicesinDonaldsonville. Upon retirement,she moved to Covingtontobenear Debra and otherfamily.Although Bethalways had apassion forgardening,bird watch-
David,nothing provided her morejoy or filled her heart with more pridethan being "Grammie" to Garrett. Beth's generosity, loyalty, and joie de vivre left an indelible mark on a host of extendedfamily and friends. She willbe sorelymissed. Relatives and friends are invited to acelebration of Beth's life to be heldon Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at Ourso Funeral Home, 134 Houmas Street,Donaldsonville,LA. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.,followedbya short memorial service Burial will be at alater date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Vivian Scott may be madetothe American Heart Association. Donationinformationisfound at www.heart.org., under Ways to Give, Honor a LovedOne.
Albert Hays Town,Jr. passed away during the early morning of Friday,July 25, 2025, at theage of 90. He died as he lived,wellgroundedinhis Christian faith and surrounded by family.Hays wasbornon February 3, 1935, in Jackson, MS,the second child of Albert Hays Town and Blanche Anita Scharff Town.Helived most of his life in Baton Rouge where he graduated from Louisiana StateUniversity. He wasa member of Kappa Sigmafraternity.At LSU, Hays methis wife of 68 years,Marguerite Gay MayTown, whopredeceased him.
Throughout hislife, Hays wasbeloved and well -knowninthe community forhis tireless dedication to service andcharitable work. In 1988, he and his wife started the St. ElizabethFoundation, anonprofit adoptionagency, providing support and care to pregnant womenin Louisiana that has placed more than 600 babies since its creation. While earning hisMaster of Science in Geography from LSUin 2013, Hays established the Baton RougeCitizens to Saveour Waterorganization, dedicated to preservingBatonRougeground water. He positively impacted countless peopleall in meaningfulways, both small and large. For thelast several years, Hays spent hismornings between Thanksgivingand Christmas volunteering for theSalvation Army ringing thebell.
Hays earned many honorsover hislifetime, includingMan of theYear from thenational chapter of theAssociated Builders and Contractors, Angel in AdoptionAward from Congress, and theLeadership forLife Award from Louisiana Right to Life. Hays washonored as an LSU distinguished alumni in 2019, forhavingmade significant contributions in hiscareer, personal achievements, and civic responsibilities.
Hays wasknownfor his integrity, moral character, compassion, generosity andstrong leadership.
Hays is survived by his6 children:A.Hays Town III, George Wilton Town (Emily Hanchar),Christopher Ashley Town (Lisa Files), GreyHarrellT (Tammi
is survivedbyhis 21 grandchildren: MariaTown (Cheryl Lovelady), A. Hays TownIV, John HenryTown (AnaArnone),Nanette TownSaia(BartSaia), George Wilton Town,Jr. (Rachel O'Malley), Amelie TownBernhard (Patrick Bernhard), Mignon Town Kastanos (Jonathan Kastanos), Gabrielle TownOllendike(Phillip Ollendike, ), MargoTownMathews (Michael Mathews),LindseyTown Hardy (Elliot Hardy), ForrestTown (Stefanie Gillett),MaryClaire TownStickle (Will Stickle), GregoryHarrell (Hal) Town, Jr Robert(Beau) WebsterTown, Leigh Ann TownPodorsky (Micah Podorsky), Matthew Town, MargueriteGay Mott Baruch(Satyam Baruch) JonathanAdam Town,Jr. (Caroline Marks), Martha Buckner Town,and Sarah MayTown. Hays is also survivedbyhis 28 great grandchildren, his3 sisters -in-law,PatriciaMay Dalton(John Dalton,Jr.), George MayJeansonne (Richard Jeansonne),and Mary MayStelly (Harry Stelly)aswellashis sister, BlancheAnitaGladney.
Funeral serviceswill be heldonThursday, July31st andwill includevisitation from9:00 to 11:00 at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, followedbymass. In lieuof flowers,please senddonationstoSt. Elizabeth Foundation,8054 Summa Avenue, SuiteA,Baton Rouge, LA 70809. https://stelizabethfoun dation.org/donate/
Roland J. Trahan,bornin Lafayette and aresident of Denham Springs, LA passedawayJuly31, 2025 at the age of 89. Roland wasa graduate of Cathedral High School. After high school, he went on to serve hiscountryinthe United States Marine Corps. Histenacityand unwaveringhard work led himtoa career as a projectmanager in theoil field formanyyears. Duringhis free time, many of hisfavorite momentswere spent outdoors.Whether it wasfishing, huntingor playing golf, he lovedembracing all that naturehad to offer.His loving spirit andkindheart will be dearlymissedbyall those whoknewand lovedhim.
He is survived by his daughters, Rolane Hughes, Jan Trahan andPerky Allen; grandchildren, RachelLester, Randy Lester,Lane Berry, Erin Berry andKyleAllen;great -grandchildren, Kiara Azua, MasonAzua, Gracelyn Lester,James Lester,Mia Berry, and Kinzley Allen; he is also survived by numerousnieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by hiswife of 57 years, Betty Trahan;daughter, PatriciaBerry; parents, Voohriesand Antoinette Trahan,sister,Clara Dwyer; andbrothers, FrancisTrahan,Norman A. Trahan, andWayne Trahan Thefamilywould like to thank Mark Trahanfor his constantlove andWayne Dunn for being his Ride or Die.
Rouge. Afuneral service willbeheldatSt. James Episcopal Church 208 N4th Street,70801 on Friday,Au‐gust8 at 1:00 PM.Visita‐tionbeginsat12:00 PM in the church.A privateinter‐mentwilltakeplace later. For online condolencesand additional servicedetails, pleasevisit www.churchf uneralservices.com
Wolfe,BridgetNutter
Bridget L. (Nutter) Wolfe wasbornonOctober 9, 1957, and slipped peacefully into the arms of herSavior on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bridget endured herjourney with Alzheimer'sdisease with gracetrusting in God to carry herthrough herillness. Bridgetissurvived by herloving husbandof 37 years, David L. Wolfe; hersiblings, Leslie Nutter andTim Nutter (Melanie); aniece-EmilieNutter and six nephews: NicholasNutter, Adam andMartin Planche,Timothy, Scott andLuke Schleicher.Bridgetwas preceded in death by her parents NicholasJ.Nutter andMary Lois Keefe Nutter andher brother, Fr. Jack Nutter and hersister,Patricia(Tricia) Nutter Planche.Visitationwith thefamilywill be at St Thomas More Church 11441 Goodwood Blvd.Baton Rouge,LAonMonday, August 4, 2025, from 9:0011:00 am witha Mass of Christian burialat11:00 am, celebrated by Fr. Jerry Martin. Intermentwillimmediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, thefamily requests donations in Bridget's memory to Alzheimer'sServicesofthe Capital Area (3772 North Blvd.Baton Rouge La 70806.) The familyisdeeply grateful to JackieGallmann, familyfriend, who saw to Bridget'sdaily needsand to Gerry Shropshire, oneofher caregivers, whobecame partof herfamily. Thank you to everyonewho walked this journeywith theirlove and prayers.
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,
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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. 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
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.
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:
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.
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;
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?
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
Many Americans arefortunateto
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Look forcoverage that helps pay formajor services. Some plans may limitthe numberof procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.
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especially theservicespeople over 50 oftenneed.
Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup .$190 for afilling. $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.
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SPORTS
Sharinghighschoolstories wasmycalling
Howdoyou sum up alife and a career?
I’ve had weeks to ponder this topic. Memories and thoughts circulated through my mindasIpreparedfor my time as the full-time highschoolsportswriter forThe Advocate to end.
I’ll start with the thoughtforemost on my mind. I’ll also share things you may not know,and some hopes forthe future as well.
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, including at least one sack in 11-on-11. Though LSU signed three experienced transfer defensiveends, Reliford continuestoget alot of work with
First and foremost,ithas been an honor to cover high school sports throughout theBaton Rouge area for 34 years. Recently,I’ve been asked why Inever sought another role. Why —because Ihad afront row seat towatch generations of athletes and coaches. Ilove college and professional sports as much as anybody, but this is thebody of work Iwas called to do.
I’vetold stories of triumphs and tragedy
JOHNSON
Seeing accomplishments and hardships takeplace on afield or in an arena is one thing.Viewing it through the eyes of those living it brings clarity,knowledge and truthonadifferent level. Finding my voice to share those stories began during my time in Thibodaux. I wrote about the late Kenny Guillot, who at the time was acollege assistant coach navigating life and raising twoyoung daughters after his first wife, Betty,died of cancer
While writing that story Iforged abond with Guillot that continued through his years at Parkview Baptist and until his death. Sharing his story was privilege. Whereitbegan Iwas born twomonths premature at a timewhen preemies did not always survive. The granddaughter of acoal miner in western Kentucky and daughter of ameat salesman in Louisville, Kentucky.Married to Kevin Fambrough for44years. Proud mother of Megan, and “grammy”tothe
See
NE R
BY TOYLOY BROWNIII Staff writer
Sean Wallace‘s name still rings throughout theSouthern footballprogram It’s heard when playersinunison close huddles with “Sean strong,”and mentionhim in daily conversations.
the former s talk about or Wallacedie was 52 The l of Fame in 2
“Some of theother playerswere justtalkingabout him earliertoday,” coach TerrenceGraves said of afeties coach before Wednesday’spractice. “There’s notaday that goes by that we don’t think abouthim, wishing we couldhear that voice comingdownthe hall.” dFeb.20after abattle with pancreatic cancer,which he publicly shared in 2023. He ate Jaguars coach and player was inducted into the Southern UniversitySportsHall 011.
Redshirt sophomoresafetyHerman Brister said theteam, especially thesecondary,ismorefocused than ever to excel this season.
“He gave us all he had until his last breath,” Brister said. “That just motivates us. It’s emotional for us because he meantsomuch to us. We know what he wouldwantustodo and what he wants us to be this year This year is 2025, and he wore 25, so this year is special.”
Graves senses this new fervor
“They love him andrespect him
Southern safety Stadium STAFF
and want to do everything in their power to not let him down,” Graves said. “They’re using that as motivation as well to makesure they’re their best selves.
The defensive backs havebeen the best version of themselves through twoweeks of preseason camp. Graves didn’thesitate to say that they are themost polishedposition so far as the team approaches its season opener against North Carolina Central at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 in Atlanta.
Loaded secondary
Star talentand experience are at the core of whythe secondary has impressed. Theyreturn graduate student HoracioJohnson andBrister, whomade preseason firstand secondteamAll-SWACdefense, respectively.Johnson had 74 tackles andtwo interceptionsand Brister had62tacklesand twointerceptions. Other contributors whoplayed at
HermanBrister holds the ball after making acatchduring practiceonThursday at A.W. Mumford
PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Fambrough
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
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.
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 play-
Continued from page 1C
boy we lovingly call “V.”
My dad started a business selling beef/poultry to restaurants, schools, etc. when I was about 10 years old. Sports — basketball in particular — were a big thing in the family
My mom was a cheerleader who would proudly tell you her high school in Central City, Kentucky, led the nation in boys basketball wins for many years The gold basketball charm she wore now sits in a glass dish on my dresser. Growing up there was always a game on TV or on the radio. If there was a ball of any type I played with it. There were no organized sports for girls at the time But I saw the Louisville Colonels/Redbirds (AAA baseball) and Kentucky Colonels (ABA basketball) play in person When Title IX ushered in women’s sports in 1972, I spent part of a season on my school’s first basketball team. More importantly, I covered the team’s first win two years later for the school newspaper After I graduated from West-
er 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 motiva-
tion for success.
“Why is what makes you different; 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
ern Kentucky University, I came to Louisiana as a sports information graduate assistant at Nicholls State. Kevin and I got married and there were multiple job-related moves after that. In late 1989, we landed in Baton Rouge with a toddler in tow Stability was needed, and I found it at The Advocate covering high school sports. The rest, as they say is history Looking forward The response to news of my retirement has been humbling. I’ve received enough “flowers” over the past month to populate a
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.
virtual nursery I thank you. Without the support from a great family, co-workers and bosses, babysitters, coaches, athletes and friends none of this would have been possible. Now I look forward to what’s next. As a parting gift, I recently got my own championship trophy (thank you again, LHSAA) and there may be a trip to Disney World in the coming months — the perks of having a toddler grandson. High school sports in Baton Rouge owns a piece of my heart. I will continue to follow the schools, the teams and the LHSAA. I will still follow the athletes and coaches on their journeys, just from a different view As time goes on, challenges, some new and others familiar, will continue for high school sports. Change is inevitable and growth is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, but there’s always ways to adjust. There will always be “haves and have nots” in someone’s eyes. Ultimately, keeping the focus on what is best for the athletes in every situation should be
It should always be the
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.
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.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
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.
Saints change up QB rotation
Bengals’ cornerback competitionheats up
BY CHARLIE GOLDSMITH Associated Press
CINCINNATI At Bengals training camp,noposition has had more players rotating through with the first-team unit than the cornerback spot.
“I wouldn’tread anything these first couple of weeks into who’s lining up with who,because oftentimes it’s so fluid withusat 9:52 a.m. before a10o’clock practice,” coachZac Taylor said. “That’sjust part of training camp.There’splentyoftime for abunch of these battles to shake out.”
Cam Taylor-Britt, DaxHill and DJ Turnerwerethe starters for most of last season.WithTaylorBritt being managed abit forprecautionary reasons, Hill coming back from atorn ACL and Turner coming off of asubpar 2024 season, first-team snaps have been up for grabs.
Josh Newton is making astrong pushfor the starting slot cornerback spot, andDJIveyhas impressed while getting regular reps with thefirst-team defense.
Taylor-Britt has been astarter for the Bengals sincethe middle of the 2022 season. While 2024 was the worst season of his career,he’ssimplifying his approach entering 2025 andhas a fresh start with newdefensive coordinator Al Golden.
corner,it’salot of mental. Knowing your matchup. Knowingthe offense, that’sthe biggest thing at corner. Week-to-week at corner, there’sadifferent mindset you have to go into the gamewith.” Turnerhad been struggling in camp,running withthe secondteam defense and regularly allowing receptions until last Thursday.Then during that practice, he astoundingly recorded five pass breakups, including highlight plays against Ja’Marr Chase and TeeHiggins. Turner has always showngreat athleticism and the abilityto track receiversdown thefield Thenextstepfor himismaking more plays on theballwhenquarterbacks challenge him downthe field.
“It’sjust football,”Turner said. “There arebig names here. Joe Burrow.Ja’Marr.Trey.Big names. Youhave to look at it as normal people and just play football. You’re here fora reason,too. It’s just the mental aspect of going against people you watched growing up.”
There was aslight change to the Saints‘ pecking order for their quarterbacks Saturday Over the first eight days of camp, Spencer Rattler took second-team reps on days thathe didn’t run with the starters. But when the group reconvened in the morning, and with Tyler Shough getting starting reps, it was Jake Haener —not Rattler —running with the second team.
“Just balancing out the rotations,” coach Kellen Moore said when asked why he wanted to switch the order.“Really,just looking at the numbers on an off day and making sure we keep rotating these guys and going through that.” Rattler,because his reps had come withthe first and second teams, was significantly ahead of the other two quarterbackson pass attempts. Saturday’s session was an opportunity to narrow the gap.
Here’sa furtherlook:
n Shough: 8of10(33 of 54 overall)
n Haener: 8-12 (41-59)
n Rattler: 6-7 (50-71)
Afteranelectric practice Thursday,all three quarterbacks —and the offense as awhole were more sluggishfollowing an
off day.The Saints focused on situational work, with one drill emphasizing starting inside the team’s own 5-yard line and another that required the offense to seal thegame on afour-minute drill. As aresult, thequarterbacks resorted mostly to short throws, which partly explains whythe completion percentages were so high.
Buteach quarterback had moments. Despite hisinjury history Shough hasn’tbeen hesitant at taking off to run —and he had an impressive gain when he stepped up in thepocket following aplayaction fakeand sprinted past the defense Haener,onthe other hand, seems to recognize the defense in front of him. On apassto Jack Stoll, Haener read the oncoming firezone blitz before gettingthe ball out quicklytoneedle the throw betweentwo defenders in atight window Rattler,meanwhile, wasn’t nearlyasaggressive as he had beeninpast practices, but he was sharp. His lone incompletion in team drills was the result of a KendreMiller drop.
Still, none of the quarterbacks seemed to have thekind of performance thatwill go toward shaping this coaching staff’s decision on the starting job. Yes, coaches need tosee how each signal-caller performs in situ-
ational work, but this practice may be asmall datapoint for the final call.
If anything, Saturday’ssession felt more consequential toward theSaints’ punting battle. After adding Kai Kroeger on Thursday to makeitarare three-man race, New Orleanshad James Burnip and Kroeger take several punts throughout themorning —even outside dedicated punting periods. For theSaints’ drill inside the 5, for instance, the coaching 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 and Co. while Kroeger punted after astalled Haener series.
MatthewHayball was the lone punter who got aday off, but Moore said theincumbent would punt on Sunday.Then, after another off day Monday,Moore indicated all three could rotate in practice after that.
The Saints’ quarterback battle has been well underway.The punting battle, it appears, is just beginning.
“Wefeel like we’ve got three talented punters that can all compete and so it’ll be afun opportunityfor all those guys to go for it,” Moore said. “We’ll get the reps that we need.”
Cowboysowner Jonesdoesn’t plan to tradeParsons despiterequest
JOSEPH HOYT
The Dallas Morning News (TNS)
OXNARD,Calif. Micah Parsons is thefirstDallasCowboys player in recent memorytoevermake apublic trade request. Things said in private during negotiations? That’sadifferent story, according to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
“That’snegotiation,” Jones said after Saturday’spractice and after chants in supportofParsons were heard loudly.“I’ve heard that so many times in my 30 years in the NFL from not just players, butagents, of course.Weall understand contracts. We’re under contract. That’swhat we’re doing.” What Joneswillnot do isoblige Parsons’ request. Jones,when asked multiple timesonSaturday, said he hasn’tand will not consider trading Parsons.
“I don’treally place that with any real seriousness,” Jones said. “Micah’s got abad back.” Parsonshas been in Oxnard,Calif., with the team, buthehasn’t practiced. He spoke publicly once since he’sbeen here and said that he wouldn’tpractice until his tweaked back had healed Parsons wrote alengthypost on Friday,citing atimeline of the negotiation and multiple reasons why he wanted to leave the Cowboys. The big sticking point has been the lack of conversations between Jerry and Stephen Jones and Parsons’ agent, David Mulughetaof Athletes First.
“I no longerwant to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. Inolonger want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on theline for theorganization, our fans andmy teammates. Inolonger want narratives created and spread to the mediaabout me.Ihad purposely stayed quiet in hopes of getting something done. But since there is confusion out there let me clear some things up.”
Parsons and Jones met in March.
Jones has said previously that he and Parsons went over “every detail” of acontract. He believed an agreementwas had. Parsons, however,wouldnot do adeal without hisagent’s approval.
When asked when he would start negotiating with Mulugheta, Jones cited that conversation.
“I started negotiations in March.
I’venegotiated double handfuls of contracts just likeIdid in March,”
Jones said Jones was later asked if the contract Jones offered in March is still on the table.
“Micah took it off,” Jones said. “He took it off.”
Jones later continued: “The key is that we’ve got an agreement.
Let’sreally do understandthat: we’ve got an agreement. Now,if we’re going to adjust that agreement, then he’samust and I’ma must —not the organization. I’m a must in this case.
“It’svery important that if you’re going to change the contract that we have right now, which this
would,thenthat Iagree to what we’ve changed. That’swhy it was so good when we sat down together andspent alot of time goingback and forth andadjusting and we had that exercise together.”
Jones said that thereweren’t negotiations withParsons last season. Parsons saidinhis letter that he wanted to startthose aseason ago, but theCowboys weren’twilling.
“It could very well be,” Jones said when asked if Parsons told him he wanted tonegotiate. “If it’s what he wants, thatcould cover a lot of ground.”
Jones also expressedthathis history would suggest thatthe Cowboys and playerscome to deals despitetough negotiations.
“Itseems like we forget less than ayear Ipaid the highestthat’s been paid in the NFL to Dak [Prescott], and Ipaid abig price for [CeeDee] Lamb. Anybody that saysI’m not interestedinfinancially rewarding my players hasn’tbeen looking at the tealeaves.There’salways, always negotiation, and the negotiation is to putthe bestteamonthe field.”
In terms of puttingParsons on someother team’sfield, Jones said he won’tdoit. “I enjoy these players. Ienjoy Micah, but as always, in any relationship, there are different moods at different times of your relationship. That’s what it is. Don’tlose anysleep over it. That’sone thing Iwould say to ourfans: don’tlose any sleep over it.”
Taylor-Britt went back to the drawing boardduring theoffseason.Hewatched all of his bad plays.
“You can seemyeyes,” TaylorBrittsaid. “You can see why the ball was caught. It wasbad eyes. It wasn’ttechnique or anything. I have to slow downatthe line and be myself. Stay confident. Stay the same guy no matter what’s going on.” Hill moved from safety to cornerback entering the2024 season, andheimmediatelyimpressed at his newposition. But the formerfirst-round picktore his ACL in Week 5.
This year,he’sa candidate to start at outside cornerback or in the slot, and he’sthe Bengals’ mostversatile defensive back.
“It’s good foreveryone to know different spots,” Hill said. “At
Newton, the Bengals’ fifthround pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, made six starts last year after Turner’sseason-ending shoulder injury.His intensity, tackling abilityand physicality in coverage have really been on display during avery strong training campfor him. He’sconsistently running with the first-team defense.
“Wehavethe biggest question mark(in the secondary),” Newton said. “It’sanhonor to have thatquestion markbecausewe have apencilready to answer it.”
Iveywas oneofthe best tight end stoppers in the NFLlast season and regularly played on third downs. He has great size forthe cornerback positionand hasbeen getting plenty of opportunities to developasa true outside cornerback with the first-team defense.
“I think growth is agood word (for him),” Taylor said. “DJcontinues to ascend in alot of areas on defense and special teams, and I’m excited to watch him continue to compete in training camp. He’saguy who is ajoy to be around. Ilike what he’sabout.”
Glennemotional as the realityofbeing Jets’head coach‘hitmeprettyhard’
BY DENNISWASZAK JR. AP pro football writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J.— The reality of the situation finally hit Aaron Glenn. More than seven months after being hiredbythe New York Jets, the first-timeNFL head coach gotsurprisingly emotional Saturday.And it hadnothing to do with the12penalties called on his teamduring practice.
“I’m sure this is goingtohit at somepoint, but Itold the players this: The first time since Ibecamehead coach, today was the first dayitreally hitme,”Glenn said to open his post-practice news conference. “And it hit me once Iheard the fans give the ‘JE-T-S’ chant.
“And Idon’tknow why,but it just hitme.”
The53-year-old Glenn was drafted by the Jetsinthe first round in 1994 and played for the franchise for eight of his 15 NFL seasons. The three-time Pro Bowl cornerback was also apersonnel scout for NewYork for two seasons and alongtime assistant coach, most recently as Detroit’sdefensive coordinator for four seasons, before getting the chance to lead his former team.
“It hit me pretty hard,” Glenn said, his voicecracking slightly.“Man, Iamsothankful. I’m thankful forthisorganization thatgavemeashot. I’mthankful for this organization that gave me my second shot at becoming acoach.
“I don’tknow why,fellas. But it hitmeand hitmeprettyhard, and, man, Ijust feel grateful. Grateful to be in this position.”
Glenn, alongwithnew general manager Darren Mougey, faces the task of turning around the fortunes of afranchise that has the NFL’s longest active playoff droughtat14seasons. He has talked several times
sincebeing hired in January about changing the culture aroundthe Jets and building them into aconsistent winner by stressing fundamentals and competition. But with the team practicing in front of packed stands for its annualscrimmage at the facility,Glenn couldn’tshake his emotions —especially whenhe heard the fans.
“Yeah, Iwas,” Glenn said when asked if he wassurprised he felt that way.“Ithought it had already hit me.”
One thing Glenn hasfocused on duringtraining campiscutting down on penalties after the Jets were called forthe mostin the league in each of the past two seasons. He hasofficialsatevery practice to trytoget players to understand how plays will be called. But it didn’tseem to help much Saturday
The Jets had 12 penalties calledonthem during what Glenn calleda“pseudo scrimmage,” including severalholding calls.
“There are alot of things we’ve got to clean up and the one thing I’msureeverybody saw is the penalties,” the coach said. “I’m glad we had the refs out there because that’sone thing we want to hit —wewant to make sure we hit those hard. And Iwant them to ref it just like it was agame and Ithought they did agood job of that.”
It made forasloppy practice as Justin Fields and the rest of offense, including the backups, struggled throughout the session. Some calls even had the fans booing. “There’s no excuses,”Glenn said. “Our players understand that. We know penalties, they’re discipline issues and we’ve got to make sure we are more disciplinedinaspectsonbothsides of the ball. We will getthose cleaned up, Ipromise youthat. But there’salot of worktodo.”
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN MCCUSKER
Saints quarterback JakeHaenerlooks to makeapass during adrill at Saturday’spractice at theteam’spractice facility
Matthew Paras
Retzlaff-Tulane unionlooks promising
Shotgun weddings rarely work. But the pairing of Jake Retzlaff and Tulane has the potential tobe the rare one that’ssuccessful. If ever ateam and aquarterback needed each other,this was it.
Retzlaff needed ateam after his old school, Brigham Young, suspended him for violating the school’shonor code. Retzlaff didn’twant to sit out seven games in his senior season, so he decided to transfer in late June.
Tulane, meanwhile, needed a quarterback. The Green Wave’s 2024 breakoutstar, Darian Mensah, transferredto Duke, and the leading candidate to replace him, T.J. Finley,left in June after beingarrested and suspended Retzlaff and Tulane desperatelyneeded each other.And despite the unusual timing and circumstances, thefit, at least initially,looks ideal for both parties.
“Jake’sfitinreally well,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said.“Our quarterback room explodedafter last year.And so when you’re rebuilding it, there is acomponent to what fits more. It’snot just, does the guy have abig arm. And aswe went through that process with Jake, Ifelt good about adding him to that (quarterback) room.”
For his part, Retzlaff said the transition to Tulane has been “great,” despite his lack of familiarity with the South and New Orleans. ACalifornia native, he said he’swearing awristband for the first time in his playingcareer to combat the infamous Louisiana heat and humidity.
“I stepped into adifferent world, adifferent galaxy,” he said. “This is polar opposite of Provo (Utah). …The team is awesome.The guys on the team have been nothing but great to me, especially the quarterbacks. I’m excited.”
Tulane fans should be, too. Retzlaff isn’tyour ordinary transfer.The 6-foot-1 redshirt senior started andwon 11 games at Brigham Young last season
The Cougarswere rankedashigh as No. 7inthe nation and finished theyear at No. 13. Among their wins were road victories at SMU, Baylor and Utah,along with a3614 beatdown of Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
Tulane has atrio of solid quarterbacksonthe depth chartin Brendan Sullivan, Kadin Semonza andDonovan Leary.But there’s no one with Retzlaff’s credentials or pedigree “He’sareally bright guy,and he’s played high-level football,” Sumrallsaid.“Jake’s got timeon task.There’snosubstituteatthat position forhavingbeen in the saddle and looked across theline
at another team in adifferentcolored jersey.He’sa very calm poised guy.Idon’tthink he’sgoing to get rattled.”
Retzlaff does not arrive without baggage. His suspension followed allegations of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit that was later dismissed. Retzlaff’s admission that he had engaged in premarital sex, which BYU prohibits, created thedomino effect that led him to Tulane.
In thewake of the Finley debacle, Tulane can’tafford another misstep withRetzlaff. Because of his high-profile background, he’ll be under scrutiny from Day 1and will need to liveatthe corner of Straight and Narrow for this situation to work out.
“The circumstances are what they are (at BYU), and Ileft,” he said. “I’ve got alot of love for
that program, and BYU wasan amazing place. But Iamwhere my feet are, and I’m excited to be in this program and winalot of ballgames this year.”
Retzlaff will have to play catchup in offensive coordinator Joe Craddock’soffense, but Sumrall said he believes he has the aptitude, work ethic and experience to get it done. And while Retzlaff will have to earn the starting job over the next fewweeks in practice, it would be amajor upset if he didn’tstart Tulane’sopener against Northwestern next month
Retzlaff,after all, didn’tcome to Tulane to ride the bench. He could have gone to Notre Dame to do that. In the end, he chose the Green Wave over OklahomaState and Wake Forest, in large part, because he knew the quarterback
position wasopen and astarting spot wasthere forthe taking. If Retzlafftakes care of business, he has achance to become acult hero at Tulane. Unlike Brigham Young, aMormon school with only ahandful of Jewish enrollees in its enrollment of 33,000, Tulane has one of the largest Jewish enrollments in the nation. The Jewish population makes up roughly 37% of the school’s 13,078 students.
Assuming Retzlaff wins the job, he’ll be the first Jewish starting quarterback at the school in the modern era. Youhave to go back to the early 1930s when Dick Baumbach was under center to find another Jewish quarterback in the 121-year history of the program.
That’snot insignificant, and certainly not lost on Retzlaff, whose faith is amajor part of his lifeand identity.Retzlaff was amember of the congregation at Temple Beth Israel, Reform synagogue in Pomona, California, near his hometown of Corona. He wears a silver Star of David amulet on his necklace and famously scored a lucrative sponsorship deal with Manischewitz, the popular Jewish food and wine brand.
In that regard, Retzlaff said he has already been given contact information for local rabbis and has even heard afew early attempts at nicknames, among them:Bayou Jew; the Hucking Hebrew; Shabbat Shotgun; and Kosher Kannon.
“It’sacool deal,” Retzlaffsaid of Tulane’srich Jewish heritage. “My faith is super important for me. And so that fact just madeit so much sweeter to come here.”
Time will tell how the RetzlaffTulane pairing works out. But it’seasy to see whythe parties wereattracted to each other and swiped right. And if things go as expected, they won’t be able to keep the Bayou Jew T-shirts in stock on Willow Street.
Email JeffDuncanatjduncan@ theadvocate.com.
Floridaquarterback Lagway practicesfor first time in camp
BY MARK LONG Associated Press
GAINESVILLE,Fla.— Florida quarterback DJ Lagway practicedSaturdayfor the first time since camp opened,asign of progress for the highly touted and oft-injured sophomore. Lagway is dealing with a strained calf and was expected to take limited practice reps. He wore asleeve on his left leg, the same one that caused him to miss agame and ahalf last season. He strained ahamstring against rival Georgia and missed the following week’sgame at Texas. Coach Billy Napier hasoffered no timetable on hisstarplayer’sreturn. It’sthe latestinjury issue for
SOUTHERN
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least nine games were graduate students Eric Reed andXavier Spencer and senior Elijah West, who tied a SWAC-high 10 passbreakups.Altogether,the groupled aJaguars pass defense that allowed 152.3 passing yards per game, which was No. 1in theSWACand fifth in theFCS. The team anticipates the 6-foot, 195-pound Johnson to be just as sound atackler and adisruptor in coverage as he was last season
“He brings the firetothe defense,” West said of Johnson. “Horacio is like afirecracker playing on thefield. He’s everywhere.Heruns to theball, he gets to the ball, he makes plays.”
Potentially,Johnsonand Brister, who transferred from the Air Force in 2024, can be even better as they will have asecond season together
“Thoseguys are experienced, they work well together,”Graves said. “Those guys communicate well. They’re great safeties and we’re looking forward to seeing how those guys play even better this year.”
Brister and his teammates watched an abundance of filmthis offseason which was an emphasis for defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Henry Miller.First-year safeties coach Lemuel Stinson is also aproponent of studying tape. The Jaguars arealso getting accustomed to hearing what he learned from his 69-game NFL career from 1988-92.
The film watching is intended to help the secondary improve in their one weakness: getting interceptions. The Jaguars had seven interceptions, which was the second fewest in the SWAC.
Lagway,who missed spring practice with ashoulder injuryafter undergoing sportshernia surgery
TheGators opened training camp Wednesday.Napier,unlike in previous years, closed viewing periods to media for thefirst three days
Lagway, whowent6-1 in seven startsasafreshman in 2024, is widely considered aHeisman Trophycontender heading into this season. But he has barely been on the field at atime when he couldbe making significantstrides.
He was limited during spring practice because of the right shoulderinjury that couldeventually need surgery.Heresumed throwing in late April and said earlier this month at Southeastern
“Ifwecan catch thefootball a little more, getsome interceptions and putitinthe endzone, Ithink we candefinitely separate ourselves from some of the other teams,” Graves said.
To potentially help in that effort,Southern brought in transfers such as redshirtsophomore Treylan James from PrairieViewand graduate student Zay Franks from Southern Miss. Coach Millersaid before the preseason that the pair is supposedtooffset thelossof6-2 cornerback Rodney Johnson, who transferred to Louisville for his seniorseason
Both James andFranks have a chance to contributeasa pair of 6-3defensivebacks withplaying experience. James had 15 tackles, apass deflection anda forced fumble in seven games last year.In 2023, Frankshad 14 tackles and one interception in 14 games, making fivestarts. Lastseason, he played in only onegame after suffering a neck injury
“They’re smart players,” West said.
“They’re older guys so they already know the game …it’skind of easy to teach them thesystem that we’re already running because they already got the IQ of what we’re looking for.”
Southernfootballisexcited about itsreturnersanditsdepth.Whatcould give the secondary the edge it needs to beelite is the deeper purpose of making their late coach proud.
“That’sour motivation thisyear, Sean strong,” Bristersaid. “We’re gonna come out here and give 100% like he did every timehecame out here. Iknow that’swhat he would want and no matter what we’regoingthrough, we’re gonna keep our headhigh and we’re gonna smile like he always had that big smile on his face.”
Conference mediadayshewould fully participate in camp. But then he strained acalf musclewhile running with theteam last week.
Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024.
Lagway took over the starting role after Graham Mertz tore a knee ligament at Tennessee in October BehindLagway arejourneyman Harrison Bailey and sophomore Aidan Warner.Bailey played at Tennessee, UNLVand Louisville before transferring to Floridaearlierthis year.Warner subbed for Lagway last year and was mostly ineffective.
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the starters. He and Perkins forced quarterback Garrett Nussmeiertoescapepressure and throw the ball away at one point.
Perkins added anice pass breakup in one-on-ones against tight end Bauer Sharp. He ranwith Sharp throughout adrag route before knocking the ball down Later, Perkins burst around theedgefor awin against left tackle Tyree Adams in one-on-onesbetween theoffensive and defensive line. Defensive coordinator Blake Bakerappeared to test his pass rush package for parts of practice. At one point,LSU put threedefensive ends on the field with FloridaState transfer Patrick Payton, redshirt freshman Kolaj Cobbins and Florida transfer Jack Pyburn, who lined up inside. Goodenand sophomore AhmadBreaux were thedefensive tackles in that formation. When thebackups took the field in oneofthe full-team periods, freshman safety CJ Jimcoily gotpressure on quarterback MichaelVan Buren.Itmight have been a sack, but VanBurenwas allowed to get athrow away He sailed one deep down the middle, and it wasintercepted by sophomore cornerback PJ Woodland. Woodland also got some work with the starters later in practice, and
“He’sstill working his way back, but he’s been getting alot of reps, doing alot of stuff. He’sjust trying to be smartwith it and nottry to do somethingdumb with it right now. Obviously,we’ve still gotamonth to go.”
WEST WEEKS,LSU linebacker on his brotherWhit
he popped Zavion Thomas’ helmet off while breakingupa pass near thesideline.
After apromising first day from thepassing attack,itstruggled on Saturday and the running game never got going. Thoughthe offensehad afew solid moments, it was clunky The defense wonthe day.
Injury updates Redshirt juniorwide receiver Aaron Anderson didnot practice for the third straight day. Anderson, LSU’s leading receiver last year with884 yards, wore asleeve on his left leg when he came out to watch part of practice.
Junior linebackerWhitWeeks was limited. As he comesoff his ankle injury, Weeks participated in individual drills and 7on7,but he was not on the field when LSU went to contact periods.
Instead, LSU played senior West Weeks, redshirt freshman Tylen Singleton andsophomore Davhon Keys at inside linebacker
“He’s still working hisway back,but he’sbeen getting alot of reps, doing alot of stuff,” West Weekssaidofhis brother.“He’s
just trying to be smart with it and not try to do something dumb withitright now.Obviously, we’ve still got amonth to go.” Meanwhile, Oklahomatransfer receiver Nic Anderson had his most active daysincecoming to LSU. Afterbeing limitedinthe spring by ahamstring injury, Anderson hadtoclear concussion protocol at the start of camp. He madeseveral catches Saturday including an impressive leaping grab over likelystartingcorner Mansoor Delane in one-on-ones. Position battlesongoing
The safety battle is fluid right now. NC State transfer Tamarcus Cooley and redshirt senior JardinGilbert werethe first ones out there, but Gilbert was later replaced by Houston transfer AJ Haulcy.JavienToviano and Dashawn Spearsalsoworkedin thefirst twogroups. It couldtake some time to settlethatrotation
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, leftguard DJ Chester,center Braelin Moore, right guard Josh Thompson andright tackle Weston Davis. Redshirt freshman Coen Echols got somefirst-team reps at leftguard.
Davis, aredshirt freshman in line to startfor the firsttime, looked solid.Hepancaked Pyburn and pushed Cobbins downfield, earning praise from running backs coach Frank Wilson. Davis also handledPayton and Reliford in one-on-one reps.
For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO Florida’sDJLagwaywarms up before agame against Ole Miss on Nov. 23 in Gainesville,Fla.Heisdealing with astrained calf thispreseason.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByBRETT MARTEL
NewTulane quarterback JakeRetzlaff, atransfer from ByU,shows off the Star of David on hisnecklaceafter football practiceatyulman Stadium in NewOrleans on Friday
Jeff Duncan
11. Oliver Bearman, England, Haas, 1:15.694. 12. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Ferrari, 1:15.702. 13.
70-73-72—215 1
Harry 70-72-74—216 E Jin Hee Im 76-70-70—216 E Lydia Ko 73-73-70—216 E Nelly Korda 70-72-74—216 E
Martin Sampedro 72-74-70—216 E
Pano 69-77-70—216 E
Buhai 73-73-71—217 +1 In Gee Chun 69-76-72—217 +1
+1
Thorbjornsen
Whaley
Justin Lower 67-69-73—209
Matthieu Pavon 66-69-74—209 -1 Paul Peterson 65-71-73—209
Matthew Riedel 67-68-74—209 -1 David Skinns 70-66-73—209
Peter Malnati 68-68-74—210 E Henrik Norlander
Aaron Baddeley
+1 Eric Cole
+5 Auto racing NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Lineup At Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
Lap length: 0.88 miles (Car number in parentheses)
37. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, .000. NASCAR Xfinity HyVee Perks 250 At Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa Lap length: 0.88 miles (Start position in parentheses)
38. (38) Dawson Cram, Chev., vibration, 93, 1. Formula 1
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Lineup At Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary Lap length: 4.38 kilometers Third session
1. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1 minute, 15.372 seconds.
2. Oscar Piastri, Australia, McLaren, 1:15.398.
3. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren, 1:15.413. 4. George Russell, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:15.425.
5. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Aston Martin, 1:15.481.
6. Lance Stroll, Canada, Aston Martin, 1:15.498. 7. Gabriel Bortoleto, Brazil, KICK Sauber, 1:15.725.
8. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing, 1:15.728. 9. Liam Lawson, New Zealand, Racing Bulls, 1:15.821. 10. Isack Hadjar, France, Racing Bulls, 1:15.915. Eliminated after second session
Doncic agrees to contract extension with Lakers
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Luka Doncic’s
first six months with the Los Angeles Lakers were more than enough to give him a vision of a glittering long-term future with his new team. He sees championship banners, trophies and team success while living in a cosmopolitan city and playing for a world-famous team
He envisions his name and number in the rafters alongside every other transcendent great to wear the Lakers’ gold jersey
So Doncic took the next step toward turning his dreams into reality Saturday when he agreed to a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension through 2028 with the Lakers, bypassing a chance at free agency next summer
“Being a Laker is an honor and I wanted to be here,” Doncic said during a news conference under the title banners and retired numbers festooning the gym at the Lakers’ training complex. “When you look up here, so many great names and what they’ve achieved. I want to be up there too one day.”
The deal should keep the
Los
Doncic on his three-year, $165 contract extension at the
Saturday.
26-year-old Doncic with Los Angeles through 2028 under a player option for the final season, after which he’ll be eligible for a massive five-year extension that could allow him to recoup the max money he lost by getting traded by Dallas The Slovenian superstar had a player option for the 2026-
27 season under his previous contract. A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed the terms to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers don’t publicly announce the details of contracts.
The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavericks last February in a seismic trade for Anthony Davis. The five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game last season while teaming up with LeBron James for 50 victories and the No.
3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Although his debut season in Los Angeles ended with a first-round playoff loss to Minnesota the high-scoring guard says he greatly enjoyed his first months in Hollywood — enough to commit to the Lakers for the rest of his 20s, and almost certainly beyond.
“It’s an honor playing for this organization,” Doncic said. “Many, many great players played here, so obviously I want to add one more up there. That’s what we’re working for.”
In another sign of his reinvigorated passion, Doncic confirmed that he has been doing extensive summer conditioning and strength work after the Mavericks’ questions about his physical commitment to the sport reportedly played a role in his shocking departure from Dallas
Doncic looked trim and athletic at his news conference, and he chuckled while saying he’ll “obviously be a little bit faster” next season.
“Just trying to help the team condition-wise,” Doncic said. “Playing a lot of minutes, a lot of games, so I think it’s going to be the best for me.”
Yamashita’s lead shrinks to 1 shot over Kim in British Open
By The Assocaiated Press
PORTHCAWL, Wales
Miyu
Yamashita was crooked off the tee and struggled on the greens, a rough combination that led to a hard-fought round of 2-over 74 on Saturday that shrunk her lead to one shot over A Lim Kim in the Women’s British Open Yamashita, who led by three shots going into the third round, did not hit a fairway over the last 11 holes and still managed to stay in front at Royal Porthcawl, though it wasn’t easy She was on the verge of losing the lead on the 17th when she blasted out of a pot bunker all the way across the green to the fringe, some 40 feet away She holed that putt for par, and then missed a birdie chance from just inside 6 feet on the par-5 closing hole. That put Yamashita — who turned 24 on Saturday at 9-under 207.
“Today I’ll be just looking at what went wrong and what went right and analyzing the day and make the improvements that hopefully will lead to a better round tomorrow,” Yamashita said Kim put on a fabulous display as the wind got stronger with a 5-under 67 She had a chance to tie for the lead when she hit a 335-yard drive on the 18th hole with a helping wind and fast links turf. She went just long, used her putter from off the green and took three putts for par.
Even so, it puts her in the final group with Yamashita as Lim goes for her second major, having won the U.S. Women’s Open in 2020 in Houston without fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Honestly I’m not focused on the leader I focus on my process and my shot and then my position,” Kim said.
And it’s not just Kim with a chance.
Yamashita’s struggles brought several possibilities in the final round, including the always entertaining Charley Hull of England. She shot a 66, going from 11 shots behind to within three shots of the lead as Hull goes for her first major “I just kind of enjoy chasing,” Hull said of playing from behind. “It’s more fun that way.”
Andrea Lee had a 67 and was two shots behind, followed by Hull, Megan Khang (68), Rio Takeda (74) and Minami Katsu, whose 65 matched the low score of the tournament.
“I think there will be a little bit of extra pressure on whoever is the 54-hole leader,” Lee said. “Tomorrow is going to be pretty tough. Anything can happen out there. I think anyone within five shots has a chance at this championship honestly, so I’m just going to try and keep my head down and stick to my own game plan and try not to look at the leaderboard.”
The Women’s British Open had the look of a Japanese duel, with Yamashita three shots ahead of Takeda and no one else closer than seven shots. But it was a struggle for Yamashita early with her putting, and then one of the straightest drivers lost her way
PGA Tour
YOUNG BUILDS FIVE-SHOT LEAD AT WYNDHAM: In Greensboro, North Carolina, Cameron Young ran off four straight birdies on the front nine and stretched his lead to eight shots Saturday before he settled into a series of pars for a 5-under 65, giving him a five-shot lead in the Wyndham Championship as he goes for his first PGA Tour victory
GOLF ROUNDUP
Young capped off a bogeyfree 65 in the storm-delayed second round in the morning. Then he stretched his lead with his four straight birdies, including a 30-footer on No. 4 and a two-putt birdie from 20 feet on the par-5 fifth.
“Just played some really nice golf there for about an hour,” Young said. “Had some opportunities on the back nine, too, just didn’t make as many putts But kind of cruised along with hitting some average shots through the middle of the round, and nice to finish up the way I did.”
Nico Echavarria of Colombia cut the margin to four shots with three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine. A final birdie gave him a 64.
Young, who had gone 39 straight holes without a bogey at Sedgefield Country Club until missing a 6-foot sliding par putt on the 14th hole, responded with a beautiful lag for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th, and a 10foot birdie on the 17th to put the lead at five.
“I’m just going to worry about what I’m doing. As I said, try to hit the best shots I can and try to hole the putts and we’ll add it up after 18,” Echavarria said.
Young is widely considered the best player to have never won on a main tour, a runner-up seven times since his rookie season in 2021. That includes a World Golf Championship and more notably the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews.
finished second a bunch.
“I
I’ve gotten beat a lot. I’ve played some good golf on Sunday in really all those cases,” Young said. “So that’s all I’m trying to do tomorrow I’m starting in a
Gonzalez hits a first-inning homer and Red Sox go on to beat Astros
BY KEN POWTAK Associated Press
BOSTON Romy Gonzalez homered over the Green Monster on the first pitch faced by a Boston batter, Trevor Story added a tworun shot, and the Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-3 on Saturday Abraham Toro added a two-run drive — one of three homers the Red Sox hit over Fenway Park’s fabled left-field wall and Story added an RBI double as Boston won its third straight. Houston’s Christian Walker homered for the second straight day, a two-run shot off Walker Buehler in the first inning. The benches and bullpens
cleared when Astros reliever Héctor Neris yelled at the Red Sox dugout and third-base coach Kyle Hudson at the end of the seventh. But order was quickly restored.
After beating the AL West leaders on Roman Anthony’s walk-off single in the series opener on Friday night, the Red Sox erased a quick 2-0 deficit when Story hit his drive in a three-run third against Colton Gordon (4-4) that pushed Boston ahead 4-2. Story’s shot hit the top of a billboard over the Monster seats and bounced out of Fenway after Rob Refsnyder’s RBI single. Justin Wilson (3-1) came on in the fifth inning with runners on second and third
with Boston leading 6-3 and struck out the only two batters he faced. Aroldis Chapman got the final two outs for his 20th save. Gordon gave up six runs in four-plus innings.
Key moment
The Astros loaded the bases in the eighth against Jordan Hicks, but Carlos Correa struck out looking on a 99 mph fastball.
Key stat
Boston’s bullpen went 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Up next
Astros LHP Framber Valdez (11-4, 2.62 ERA) is set to face Red Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (7-2, 3.80) on Sunday in the series finale.
nice spot, so I’m just looking to try to beat second place by as many as I can.”
He was at 20-under 190, needing a 67 on Sunday to set the tournament scoring record. What matters to Young is a PGA Tour title, especially now with his ultimate goal of being on the Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black.
He was No. 9 in the Ryder Cup standings in 2023 and left off the team.
Young grew up in New York at Sleepy Hollow, where his father was the longtime head pro. He had this Ryder Cup circled the day the PGA of America announced it was going to the Long Island public course.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREG BEACHAM
The
Angeles Lakers, from left, coach JJ Redick, Maxi Kleber, Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent, Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, Adou Thiero, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and general manager Rob Pelinka congratulate
Lakers’ training complex in El Segundo, Calif., on
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG Miyu yamashita of Japan chips out of a bunker on the 17th green during the third round of the Women’s British Open at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Porthcawl, Wales, on Saturday.
Saltwater lovers take note
Vibrio infections have been more severe this summer
BY JOE MACALUSO Contributing writer
The Louisiana Department of Health issued an advisory last week building on an Advocate Outdoors story published in June about Vibrio infections.
Notebook
LDH reported documenting abnormally high numbers of cases and deaths from Vibrio vulnificus this year 17 reported cases, which resulted in four deaths. That’s much higher than the usual seven cases and one death.
Of the 17 cases, 75% were tied to wounds and exposure to seawater Summer is the worst time. Vibrio is everywhere along the coast.
Something as minor as a scratch, when exposed to seawater is an open pathway to this bacteria.
Swallowing seawater can lead to intestinal problems along with eating raw seafood — mostly oysters especially in folks with compromised immune systems.
If you’re fishing along and near the coast, then protect open wounds, even small scratches, and if you have a puncture wound or a cut while fishing then treat it immediately with hand sanitizer or with an antibacterial soap and water Apply an antibacterial ointment, then cover the wound. Something as benign as heading/ peeling shrimp can lead to Vibrio exposure.
Most veteran coastal anglers carry a mixture of bleach and water to wash hands and exposed skin.
If you see an infection in and around a wound, seek immediate medical attention. This is a flesheating bacteria and spreads rapidly
Shrimp season
Early last week, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set the opening dates for the fall inshore shrimp season, which centers around the catch of white shrimp. The open season in waters from the Louisiana/Mississippi line to South Pass and from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island to the Louisiana/Texas line will open at 6 a.m. Aug. 11. That same day, at 6 p.m., inside waters from South Pass to the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel will open
For our veterans
All Louisiana-resident honorably discharged veterans will be able to take advantage of Act 321 passed this year by the state Legislature
It allows veterans to purchase the $100 Sportsman’s Paradise license for $20. The license covers fishing and hunting licenses and all needed hunting and access stamps. This new license went on sale Friday Disabled veterans will continue to receive free licenses. Veterans will have to complete Harvest Information Program (HIP) to hunt migratory birds/ waterfowl and have a Federal Waterfowl Stamp to hunt ducks and geese.
Snapper count
Through July 13, LA Creel’s estimates the private recreational red snapper catch stands at 516,946 pounds. That’s near 58% of our state’s 894,955-pound allotment for this year
SUNDAY ADVANCED FLY CASTING/ THE DOUBLE HAUL: 3-4 p.m., Orvis Shop, Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge. Fee free. Bring your own rod. Call Shop (225) 757-7286.Website: orvis.com/batonrouge
FRIENDS OF NRA/SOUTH LOUISIANA BANQUET: 6 p.m., Evergreen Cajun Center, 4694 West Main Street, Houma. Call Jeff DeBlieux (985) 855-9619. Email: jeffdeblieuxiv@gmail.com
THURSDAY
LA. WILDLIFE & FISHERIES
COMMISSION MEETING:
9:30 a.m., Joe Herring Room, state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters, Quail Drive, Baton Rouge.
Shrimp season around the corner
Doran Caufield prepares freshly caught shrimp for shipping at Bundy’s Seafood in Lafitte on Dec. 13, 2023. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set the opening of fall indoor shrimp season for Aug. 11. Most of the fall shrimping season centers around white shrimp
That count covers an increase of 109,093 pounds taken during the Fourth of July holiday
With 378,009 pounds remaining, and with school beginning this week, which triggers a noticeable drop in weekly landings, Louisiana offshore anglers should make it through Labor Day weekend without altering the season nor the four-per-day daily creel limit
Not here, thankfully
If you want to catch red snapper off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, you can apply for an Atlantic Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permit. Florida received one of three of these permits issued by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
The permitting process, issued by the Florida Wildlife Commission, began Friday for the second year of these EFPs Yes, a total of three for federal fisheries folks to study this program that allows the take of red snapper “for specific purposes that are otherwise prohibited under current federal regulations,” during the short Atlantic red snapper season. The FWC issued permits to more
than 1,600 fishermen last year, and the results were used to “provide better data on Atlantic red snapper and other reef fish species to improve management in the south Atlantic.”
Gray triggerfish
The Gulf Council is asking offshore fishermen for feedback on gray triggerfish.
This study wants active anglers who “notice trends or interesting things happening in the Gulf that the scientists and managers may not be aware of yet,” and comes in advance of the council’s stock assessment of this species.
The season on gray triggerfish began Friday and runs through Dec. 31. To provide information, go to gulfcouncil.org, then scroll down to the Gray Triggerfish news release, then click on “Fisherman Feedback Tool for Gray Triggerfish.”
The deadline is 4 p.m. Aug. 29.
It’s August
Hunters take note. The dove and teal seasons are coming in September. Now is the time to get out shotguns and make sure your firearms are ready to take to fields and
marshes. Knowing summer’s heat is a problem, you can go to a local range, pay a small fee and make sure your shotgun is in working order That way you will have time for needed repairs well in advance of these seasons. Just know that gunsmiths are overwhelmed the week before these seasons and might not have time to service your gun, even if you only need a complete cleaning.
It’s also time to visit your local sports shop to make sure you can find the right shotgun shells After a check, most shops are well stocked now — a turnaround from two and three years ago when shells were in short supply — and before the rush the week before season openers.
The same is true for archery hunters. A handful of deer-hunting areas in our state have midSeptember openers and the other areas open Oct. 1. Don’t take the chance your local sporting goods store can service your bow the week before the season.
For modern and primitive-weapon firearms hunters, you have nearly two months before your deer seasons open.
Briscoe in familiar spot after pole win
BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press
NEWTON, Iowa Chase Briscoe is starting on the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway Finishing up front on a regular basis is his next goal.
FRIENDS OF NRA/FLORIDA PARISHES BANQUET: 6 p.m., Carter Plantation, 23475 Carter Trace, Springfield. Call Marcell Parker (225) 229-5751. Email: la29friendsfp@gmail.com
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES: Lake St. Clair, Macomb County, Michigan. Website: bassmaster.com
MLF BASS PRO TOUR: Saginaw Bay, Bay City, Michigan. Website: MajorLeagueFishing.com
SATURDAY
FRIENDS OF NRA/CENLA
BANQUET: 5 p.m., Randolph Riverfront Center, 707 Second Street, Alexandria. Call Rickey Parish (318) 3081419. Email: rickeyparish@ bellsouth.net
ONGOING
CCA STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS’ RODEO/ S.T.A.R.: Summer-long fishing contest through Sept. 1. Multiple species categories. CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com
HUNTING
BLACK BEAR LOTTERY: Aug. 28 deadline. 26 permits for Dec. 6-21 hunts. Limited to properly licensed Louisiana residents. Applications ($50 fee) on Wildlife & Fisheries’ website: louisianaoutdoors. com/lottery. If drawn, must attend Bear Hunting Training Course. Call David Hayden (318) 487-5353 or email: dhayden@wlf.la.gov. AROUND THE CORNER
AUG. 11—RED STICK FLY FISHERS MEETING: 7 p.m., Regional Branch Library 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public.
Email Brian Roberts: roberts. brian84@gmail.com Website: rsff.org AUG. 13—BUGS & BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois Street, New Orleans. Fly tying. Open to the public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com
AUG. 14—JUNIOR SOUTHWEST BASSMASTERS MEET-
ING: 7 p.m., Seminar Room, Bass Pro Shops, Denham Springs. Boys & girls agegroup bass tournaments for ages 7-10, 11-14 & 15-18 anglers. Call Jim Breaux (225) 772-3026.
FISHING/SHRIMPING
SHRIMP: Spring inshore season closed except in Breton/ Chandeleur sounds. All outside waters remain open. Fall inshore season opens Aug. 11 statewide.
OPEN RECREATIONAL SEA-
SONS: Red snapper, gray triggerfish, flounder; lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers & wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath & Nassau groupers in state/ federal waters.
CLOSED SEASONS: Greater amberjack (opens Sept. 1), bluefin tuna and gag, goliath & Nassau groupers in state/ federal waters.
LDWF UPDATES
n CLOSED: Hope Canal Road/ boat launch (Maurepas Swamp WMA, levee construction); Dobbs Bay Road & all roads on the Mississippi River batture east of La. 15 (Richard Yancey WMA, flooding).
n DRAWDOWNS: Henderson Lake drawdown begins Monday through Nov. 2 and Aug. 11 on Lake Bistineau. Underway on Saline, Kepler, Iatt, Black & Clear lakes and Wham Brake impoundment.
Briscoe won his sixth pole position of the season during Saturday’s qualifying, running a lap of 136.933 mph. Despite his qualifying success this season he has just one win this year
“You getting tired of this?”
Brad Keselowski joked with Briscoe in the media center after qualifying.
Briscoe got almost the same question when his news conference began.
“It’s definitely better than starting mid-pack or whatever,” Briscoe said.
“It’s getting old not converting them to race wins, though, that’s for sure.”
Briscoe noted the benefits of starting up front.
“It just typically gives you a great opportunity to get stage points and all those things,” he said “Obviously there’s a great pit-stall selection.”
He then added another joke.
“I would love it if we can make a new system where if you get five poles, you can trade them in for one race win,” Briscoe said, smiling.
Briscoe, who was also on the pole for last week’s race at Indianapolis, had won just two poles in his first four seasons in the Cup Series. He had a streak of three consecutive pole wins earlier this season.
“The race cars are really, really good, truthfully,” he said. “I felt like my entire career even at (Stewart-Haas Racing) in Cup, we’d always kind of over-exceed where we probably should qualify And qualifying has always been, I feel, probably my strongest thing. And now I’m just in race cars that let me go run really fast lap times. I don’t do anything different from what I’ve been doing the last four years of my Cup career Just now, my cars are faster.”
Wallace relaxes
Bubba Wallace emphasized he didn’t party too much after winning last Sunday’s race at Indianapolis. Never mind that it broke a 100race winless streak and secured a spot in the playoffs. The realities of life, Wallace said, limited his celebration.
“I’ll tell you, I did not go hard after the win — I’m getting older and realize hangovers suck, and also having a kid that doesn’t care you’re hungover,” Wallace said with a smile during Saturday’s media availability at Iowa Speedway. “That made me stop after two beers.”
Wallace, who will start 15th, comes into Sunday’s 350-lap race with a different attitude, knowing he has his spot in the postseason after recent seasons in which he headed into the final weeks of the regular season scrambling for points to try to get into the playoffs.
“I told my team right before we started our meeting (this week), I said, ‘Man, y’all say fatherhood looks good on me. Just wait until you see how Bubba locked into the playoffs looks good on me, because it’s gonna be fun,’ ” Wallace said.
Busch’s crash
Kyle Busch will start 37th after not making a qualifying run following a crash in practice. Busch’s car went nose-first into the wall in turns 1-2 after the car bobbled heading into the first turn.
“Got a little bit loose and overcorrected, and smacked the fence,” said Busch, who is 15th in points and doesn’t have a win this season.
“Any time you overcorrect and go head-on, it’s not good. So, definitely, not one of my favorite (crashes), but not one I haven’t had before.”
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
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
As Symphony Week brings live musictomultiple locationsinBR, meet themusicians behind theorchestra
Take note
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
To play music together, some people travel hundreds of miles, give up weekends andwakeat dawn after midnight drives.
Lastyear,Ana Sofia Suarez was afull-timestudent at the Universityof SouthernMississippi and a violist in theBaton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, carpoolingtopracticeacross state lines.
During concert weeks, she and nine others would pile into two cars, drive thealmost three hours from Hattiesburg to Baton Rouge, have two rehearsals on Sunday and then drive back to Mississippi.
Some were back in classby8 a.m. Monday.And the back-and-forth continued. They made the same drive on Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday of concert week.
“It was exhausting, but it’svery rewarding,”she said. “I wouldn’t do it if Ididn’tlove it.”
The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra has 72 musicians each time the full orchestra performs. During the 2024-25 season, thesymphony contracted 65 musicians. They will soon audition for the seven open positions. The symphony’snew season starts in September, but fromAug. 5-9, the orchestra is bringingback Symphony Week —aset of free pop-up events featuring string quartetsperforming in sixdifferent locations across the city
Musiciansofall ages
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1947. Today, thegroup is theoldest performing arts institutioninthe region and the oldestprofessional orchestra in the state.
Of the65contracted musicians, about half arelocal to Baton Rouge, while the other half travel from out of state, like Suarez, or commute from other cities in Louisiana. The
furthest contracted musician travels to Baton Rouge from Nevada. Musicians in the organization range from college age to 80 years old. The longest serving memberis Bill Hunsinger,who plays bass. He joined the symphony in 1977.
Suarez joined last year,and this year,she’sgoing to be the principal viola, the leader of her section. She’s in theprocess of moving to BatonRouge,and sheisparticularlyexcited to play theorchestra’sseason finale: “Mahler’sFifth Symphony.”
She’snever performed it —and thescore includes solosfor both viola and trumpet.
Meet andgreet
Symphony Week will feature a mix of classical andpopularmusic In yearspast, they’veplayedhits by ABBA, the Beatles and Queen. Each concert features the same program,isfree to attend, and runs about 30 to 45 minutes. Afterward, people are encouraged to engage with the players and ask questions.
Whydid FolgersCoffee buildits roasting facility in N.O.?
BYPOET WOLFE Staff writer
PROVIDED PHOTOByAARON HOGAN
Baton RougeSymphonyOrchestra is
up for their 2025-26 season with SymphonyWeek.
DannyHeitman
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 summertimeplaygrounds, these six quiet GulfCoast beaches offer the bestodds 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 sand dunes 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 famouslytricky at popular Florida state parks. Slotsopen10months in advance for nonresi-
dents. Butlate-to-the-game travelers can usually book one of three in-park glamping sites run by Topsail 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 visitorscan 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-
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.
Christopher Elliott
Irented acar from Sixt in Texas recently.While drivinginBig Bend NationalPark, Igot two flat tires and had to replace them. Sixt told me they would reimburse me $385 for the new tires. Isent them receipts and my bank information.They emailed back saying the wire transfer had been processed and Ishould receive the money in three to 15 business days. More than amonth later,I still hadn’treceived my refund, so I
emailed them again.They sent another emailsaying the refund was beingprocessed Weeks went by,and stillno refund. Iemailed andcalledrepeatedly,and each time, theyasked for my bank informationagain.Then they askedfor my creditcard number.I even providedthe details for a second bankaccount. My bank confirmed my account informationwas correct, but the money never arrived. I filed acomplaint with theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau, but they didn’ttakeany action.I’m at my wits’ end. Can you help me getmy$385back? —Ray Cook, Invercargill, New Zealand
This is aclassic case of a company giving acustomer the runaround. Sixt made apromisetorefund you, apromiseitshould have honored.
Before we figure out what happened to your refund, let’srewind to the national park where you had your flat tires. Youcalled Sixt, which couldn’tswitch out your vehicle because of your location. Big Bend is beautiful, but it’sinthe middle of nowhere. The next best option was to get you to repair thetires
and to send Sixt thebill. So that’swhat Sixt asked you to do. It promised you arefund in writing, and to your credit, you kept the email. Nice work! What went wrong? As Iread between the lines, here’swhat Ithink might have happened. Youwere renting acar from aGerman rentalcompany in the United States, but you’re based in New Zealand. Somewhere along the way, Sixt might have confused some of your banking codes. It probably should have just credited the money back to
LA Wallet canbeusedasIDatairports, officialssay
BYHANNAH LEVITAN
Louisianans can now use the LA Wallet app as adigital ID at TSA checkpoints nationwide, Gov.Jeff Landry announced recently For the nextthree 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 fulfillsfederal REAL ID requirementsto use the app at airport security checkpoints.
“If you forget your wallet, no worries. You’re nevergoing to forget your phone,” Landry said in avideo announcement with Office of Motor Vehicles Director
theTSA website.
“However,all passengers must still carryanacceptable compliantphysical ID for verification,” the TSA site says. At an airportsecurity checkpoint, Louisiananscan usethe LA Wallet QR code, and aTSA readerwilltake your picture to confirm it’s an identity match.
gettinga driver’slicense maybegetting easier,but they didnot share further details
“Wejust finalized acontract for anew systemthat will take Louisiana into the 21st century,” Adams said.
Bryan Adams. Last year,the TSA expanded its digital ID acceptance program to include Louisiana-issued mobile driver licenses at the27airports that have checkpoints with digital ID readers. Now it’sacceptedatover 250 airports, according to
“Weare thrilledtosee Louisianautilizinginnovative technology to allow for amore flexible and accessible TSAexperience,” TSA Deputy Administrator AdamStahlsaid in anews release.
To obtain adigital ID, state residents can download the LA Wallet appfromthe appstore on asmartphone Landry and Adams alsosaid Mondaythatthe process of
“After many fits and starts, theLouisiana Office of Motor Vehicles has successfully stabilized itssystem, making services more efficientand reliable forour citizens, meaning no more long lines,” Landry said.
In March, OMV locations acrossthe state experienced several computer system outages because of outdated software.
Officials have said they believed an increased volume of trafficintheir database may have contributed to theoutages
your card instead of trying to do abank transfer If you ever run into a problem with Sixt again, you can also escalate your case to amanager.Ilist the names, 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 reviewthe case. Afew weeks later you received an email from Sixt, and finally,after eight months, Sixt refunded your $385.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, anonprofit organization that helps consumerssolve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.
STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETTDUKE Kade Cline,7,plays in the water on the beach in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Krewe of Cypress debutantes
PROVIDED PHOTO
Four debutanteswere honored at asummer social at the home of Kitty andDean Martin in St.Francisville on July 27. Shown are, from left, AidanCamille Dooley, Ryleigh McHenry David, KinsleyPaigeSeneca and Amelia Cate Allemond
Krewe of Cypress
honors4debutantes
The Krewe of Cypress of Plaqueminehonored its fourdebutantes at asummer social at Kitty and Dean Martin’s home in St. Francisville on July 27.
The four young women will be presentedthis fall and serve as maids in the krewe’sannual Carnival ball.
Attending the brunch with thedebutantes were theirmothers,grandmothersand sponsors. Also present were the mothers and sponsors of theyoung men who will serve as dukes for the 2026 Carnival ball.
The ball’stheme and costume designswere shared. Lauren Leach is the ball captain.
The debutantes honored were Amelia Cate Allemond, Ryleigh McHenryDavis, Aidan Camille Dooley and Kinsley Paige Seneca
Special guests werepast debutantes of thekrewe: KimNadlerDavis (1990), Mercedes Doré Dooley (1991), Dr Clare Maddox Berthelot, Nina Sanchez Seneca, Leslie Schwartz Mullowney and Lauren Stein Leach (all from 2001).
The presentation ball will take place Nov.28, and the Carnival ball is scheduled for Jan. 31, both at the Carl F. Grant Civic Center in Plaquemine.
At BatonRouge Gallery Baton Rouge Gallerycenter for contemporary art, 1515 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge, is showing work by artist membersMary Ann Caffery,Jessica Sharpe, Michaelene Walshand Beth Welsh through Aug. 24
The gallery will host aFirst WednesdayOpening Reception 6p.m. to 9p.m. Aug. 6 and an Articulate Artists Talk at 4p.m. Aug. 10. Gallery hours arenoon-6 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Sunday. Admission is free. Call (225) 383-1470 or visit batonrougegallery.org.
Encore at UpStage
UpStage Theatre’s July
PROVIDED PHOTO
Krewe of Cypress debutantes of 2001
The Krewe of Cypress hosted asummer social at the home of Kittyand Dean Martin in St. Francisville onJuly 27. Special guests were 2001 debutantes, from left, seated, Leslie Schwartz Mullowney and Nina Sanchez Seneca; standing,Dr. Clare Maddox Berthelot and Lauren Stein Leach.
COMMUNITY
RotaryClub of Baton Rouge
The RotaryClub of Baton Rougeinstalled newofficers at Drusilla Restaurant on July9.Gathered are, from left, Ian Melancon, sergeant-at-arms; CindySeghers, director;Nancy Ellis, director; MaryErlingson, secretary;Michael Tipton, vice president; SusanNelson, president-elect; Todd Schexnayder,president; Darrel Papillion, past president; Greg Wood, immediate past president; RobertDouglas, director; Rhaoul Guillaume, director;Vanessa Graham, director;and Robert Daigrepont, director
Monday,9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
production of “The Old Settler”was sopopular that the companywill stageanencore performanceat3 p.m.Aug. 9 on its stage at 1713 Wooddale Blvd., Baton Rouge. Tickets are$25. Call (225) 924-3774 or visit upstagetheatre.biz.
Endlesssummer
The Gallery at theManship Theatreinthe ShawCenter of the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. Baton Rouge,iscelebrating thelaid-back freedom of summertime with New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos’exhibit,“Michalopoulos:HappyTimes,Summer in The City.”
The showruns through Oct. 10, andadmission is free. Hours are9 a.m. to 4p.m.
Tuesdaythrough Thursday, 9a.m.to11p.m.Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5p.m.Sunday. Call (225) 344-0334 or visit manshiptheatre.org.
‘NoisesOff!’
Tickets areonsale for Sullivan Theater’s production of the comedy “Noises Off!,” opening Aug. 15 at the theater, 8849 Sullivan Road, Central.
Tickets are$23-$29. Visit sullivantheater.com.
At Glassell Gallery LSU’s Glassell Gallery in the ShawCenter of the Arts, 100 Lafayette St Baton Rouge, is showing work by 31 artists in
its “2025Summer Contemporary:FELT,”running through Aug. 23. This year’s showwas juried by New Orleans-based curator Emily Wilkerson from morethan 300 submissions. The selected work embraces the sensuous —touch, temperature, vibration,aura —and connectsthe haptic, emotional and somatic.
Hours arenoon to 5p.m Saturday, Sunday,Tuesday and Wednesdayand noon to 7p.m.Thursdayand Friday. Admission is free. Call (225) 389-7180.
‘Footloose’tickets
Tickets areonsale for Playmakers of Baton Rouge’s production of the musical
“Footloose,” opening Aug. 15, in theReilly Theatre, Tower Drive,LSU campus, Baton Rouge
Tickets are$20-$30. Visitplaymakersbr.org.
At thePoydras Center
The PoydrasCenter,500 W. MainSt., NewRoads, is showing “Plein Wild,” acollaboration exhibit between L. Charleville and EllenOgden, through Sept. 30.
Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 2p.m. Mondaythrough Wednesday. Formoreinformation, call (225) 638-6575 or visit pointecoupeehistoricalsociety.org.
Choirenrollment
Enrollment is open for the
100-item food challenge
Members of the CCL Pokeno Posse donated 200 items for the foodchallenge involvinglocal food banks around the state. Shown are, fromleft, KayLusk,Tammie Dufrene, Paulayegge, CathyBlack, LorieSpring, AnitaJhunjhunwala, Jackie Dennis, Karen Corkern, Pam Richardson, Wanda Chase, Deann Matson and Mary Carmouche.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Namaste Baton Rouge Volunteers
Members of the Namaste Baton Rouge Volunteers donated 200 items forthe 100item food challenge
fall semester of theGreater Baton Rouge Children’sChoir, avibrant and inclusiveyouth choir dedicated to artistic excellence and community engagement Forinformation about times, fees and requirements, call (225) 412-3021. To enroll, visit gbrccmusic.org.
Workshop Show
The Art Guild of Louisiana’s members“Workshop Show” will open July 10 at Independence Park Theater, 7800 Independence Park Blvd Baton Rouge.The show runs through Sept. 11. Hours arefrom10a.m. to 5p.m. Tuesdaythrough Friday.Admission is free. Visit artguildlouisiana.org.
PROVIDED PHOTO
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
Cajun historian tells of life spent in the Vatican — Louisiana
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
In rural Lafayette Parish, in one of the most Catholic regions of the country, a little village called Vatican sits on La. 93 between Scott and Cankton.
Some of Vatican’s principal streets are Vatican Road, Pope Drive and Bishop Street. It’s about 5 miles away from St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro, but there’s only one church in Vatican itself — Vatican Baptist Church.
And while Pope Leo has Creole roots that stretch back to Opelousas, there’s no evidence that the first American pope has any connection to this Louisiana outpost of the Holy See.
A new book by Cajun historian and folklorist Barry Ancelet shines a light on this conundrum of a place “Vatican,” a short memoir written in Cajun French verse, is a collection of stories from Ancelet’s childhood at the home of his 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.
PROVIDED PHOTO FROM BARRy ANCELET
‘Vatican’ is a short memoir written in Cajun French verse depicting author Barry J Ancelet’s childhood at his aunt and uncle’s farm in Vatican in the 1950s and ’60s.
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 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.
“I spent a lot of time on this farm where my father’s sister and her husband and his parents all lived together, and of those people, only my aunt spoke a little English,” said Ancelet.
“So I started jotting down these memories, and they came in French, because that’s the language of the world I was in. I wanted to capture the musicality of the way they spoke.”
“Vatican” depicts the world of Ancelet’s aunt and uncle — Saul Benoit and Lena Ancelet Benoit, who was known by her lifelong nickname, “Petite.” Lena was a tall woman at 5 feet, 11 inches, but Cajuns love carrying childhood nicknames like “Tee-Jean” (or “Little John,”) through adulthood. It’s a linguistic expression of a quirky sense of humor that denotes family and familiarity. Actually it’s thought that the community of Vatican got its name thanks to that Cajun talent for fun 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
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
“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.
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.
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
SYMPHONY
Continued from page 1D
According to Taylor Hollyer, director of artistic operations for the symphony, the goal of the performances is to highlight that orchestra musicians are everyday people. People might have questions, he said, but they don’t always know where to get the answers.
Hollyer said people often have questions — like when the musicians started playing or what kind of music they like but aren’t sure how to ask. Symphony Week creates a relaxed space for those conversations.
“What we like to try to highlight is a lot of these musicians live in your community, they go to the same grocery store as you,” said Hollyer “They’re people.” Symphony Week brings music to the community, with the goal of drawing new audiences — so they try to select music that will be accessible for the public.
Borislava Iltcheva is the concertmaster of the orchestra, the lead violinist and the liaison between conductor and musicians. She says the accessibility of Symphony Week’s music is the beauty of the occasion. The pop-up concerts are a chance for people who may have never experienced live music before.
“But we also bring pieces that they can really relate to,” Iltcheva said. “This breaks barriers in many different ways.”
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.
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 supermarkets, surpassing both Nestle and Kraft Foods, The Times-Picayune 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
Iltcheva has been the concertmaster for 26 years, playing violin for 41 years. She, like many in the orchestra, practices two to four hours a day She estimates that she plays 70-80 concerts a year
When she plays the Symphony Week music, she likes to joke that she and the other musicians tap into their “inner rockers.”
Try something new
Even as she prepares to share more familiar music with new audiences, Iltcheva encourages people to step out of their comfort zone and give classical music a try
There’s a stereotype that classical music is stuffy Sometimes, Iltcheva said, people are scared that they’ll feel out of place or that they’ll need to know a lot about the music to properly enjoy it, but music doesn’t require a great depth of knowledge.
“You do not have to know anything to feel something,” she said.
“If you come to a classical concert,” she said, “it’s probably one of the most magical experiences that you will have.”
Members of the orchestra, like Iltcheva, have long been in love with music. Through meticulous practice, late nights, and early mornings, they’re ready to invite others into that magic — one concert at a time.
Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher contributed to this report.
Email Serena Puang at serena. puang@theadvocate.com.
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 selfdeprecating 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.
TUESDAY, AUG. 5
n 12:30 p.m. at River Center Branch Library (250 North Blvd.), under the awning by the front entrance n 1:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (5000 Hennessy Blvd.), in the cafeteria
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 6
n 1 p.m. at Ochsner Medical Center — O’Neal (16777 Medical Center Drive), in the lobby
THURSDAY, AUG. 7
n 5:30 p.m. at Capitol Park Museum (660 N. Fourth St.), by the front entrance.
FRIDAY, AUG. 8
n 12:30 p.m. at Pennington Biomedical Research Center ( 6400 Perkins Road), in the cafeteria
SATURDAY, AUG. 9
n 2 p.m. at Perkins Rowe (Corner of Bluebonnet Boulevard and Perkins Road), exact location to be announced
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.
Ancelet
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
DININGSCENE
ing oven and inexpensive wine on abusy Friday pizza night
and wharves. Asense of adorable imperfection abounds.
I Ian n
a McNulty
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.
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
STAFF PHOTO By IANMCNULTy
The sun setsoverSt. Louis Cathedral and the French Quarter,seen from AlgiersPoint in NewOrleans.
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
‘Beautiful
BY GERALDINEWYCKOFF
Contributing writer
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.”
andUglyToo’a poet’s reflection in essay, verse
“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
Manforbids wife to sitbyanyoneelse
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.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
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.
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.
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
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 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
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
Love forargan oilstraining Moroccoand itstrees
BY SAM METZ Associated Press
SMIMOU,Morocco Arganoil runs through your fingers like liquid gold—hydrating, luscious, and restorative. Prized worldwide as amiracle cosmetic, it’smore than that in Morocco. It’salifeline for rural women and abyproduct of a forest slowly buckling under the weight of growing demand.
To make it, women crouch over stone mills and grind down kernels. One kilogram—roughly two days of work —earns them around $3, enough for amodest foothold in an economy where opportunitiesare scarce.Italso links them to generationspast
“Wewere born and raised here. These traditions come from nature, what our parents andgrandparents have taught us and what we’ve inherited,” cooperative worker Fatma Mnir said.
Long astaple in local markets, argan oil today is in luxury hair and skin care products lining drugstore aisles worldwide. But its runaway popularity is threatening argan forests, with overharvesting piled on top of drought straining trees once seen as resilient in the harshest of conditions.
Hafida El Hantati, owner of one of the cooperatives that harvests thefruit andpresses it foroil,said thestakes go beyond thetrees, threatening cherished traditions.
“Wemust take care of this tree and protectitbecause if we lose it,wewill lose everything that defines us and what we have now,” she said at the Ajddigue cooperative outside the coastal town of Essaouira.
Aforestout of time
For centuries, argan trees have supported life in the arid hills between the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlas Mountains, feeding people and animals,holdingsoilinplace and helpingkeep the desert from spreading.
The spiny trees cansurvive in areas with lessthan an inch of annual rain and heat up to 122Fahrenheit. They endure drought with roots that stretch as far as 115 feet underground. Goats climb trees, chomp their fruit, and eventually disperse seeds as part of the forest’sregeneration cycle.
Moroccans stir the oilintonut butters and drizzle it overtagines. Rich in vitamin E, it’slathered onto dry hair and skin to plump, moisturize andstave offdamage. Some use it to calm eczema or heal chicken pox.
But the forest has thinned. Trees bear fewerfruit,their branches gnarled from thirst. In many places, cultivated land has replaced them as fields of citrus and tomatoes, many grownfor export, have expanded. Communities once managed forests collectively,setting rules for grazing and harvesting.Now the system is fraying, with theft routinely reported What’s wrongwiththe forest
But aforest that covered about 5,405 square miles at the turn of thecentury has shrunk by 40%. Scientists warn that argantrees are not invincible.
“Because argan trees acted as a green curtain protectinga large part of southern Morocco against
the encroaching Sahara, theirslow disappearance has become considered as an ecological disaster,” said Zoubida Charrouf, achemist who researches argan at Université Mohammed VinRabat.
Shifting climate is apart of the problem. Fruit andflowerssprout earlier each year as rising temperatures push theseasonsout of sync.
Goatsthathelp spread seeds can be destructive, too, especially if they feed on seedlings before they mature. Overgrazing has become worse as herders andfruit collectors fleeing drierregionsencroach on plotslongallocated to specific families.
The forests also face threats from camels bredand raised by theregion’swealthy.Camels stretchtheir necks into trees and chomp entire branches, leaving lasting damage, Charrouf said.
Liquidgold, drypockets
Today,women peel, crack and press arganfor oilathundreds of cooperatives. Much makes its way through middlemen to be sold in productsbycompaniesand subsidiaries of L’Oréal, Unilever,and Estée Lauder
But workers say they earn little while watching profits flowelsewhere. Cooperatives say muchof the pressure stemsfrom climbing prices. A1-liter bottlesells for $60, up from $2.50 three decades ago. Products infused with argan sell for even more abroad.Cosmetics companies call argan the most expensive vegetal oil on the market.
The coronavirus pandemic upended global demand and prices andmanycooperativesclosed Cooperative leaders saynew competitors have flooded themarketjust as drought hasdiminished howmuchoil canbesqueezed fromeachfruit
Cooperativeswere setuptoprovide women abase payand share profitseach month. But Union of Women’sArgan Cooperatives
President Jamila Id Bourrous said few make more than Morocco’s minimum monthly wage
“The people who sell the final product arethe ones making the money,” shesaid.
Some businesses say large multinational companies use their size to set prices andshut othersout
“Don’t competewiththe poor for the one thing they live from,” she said. “When you take their model and do it better because you have money, it’snot competition, it’s displacement.”
One company,Olvea, controls 70% of theexport market, according to data from local cooperatives. Cooperativessay fewcompetitors can match its capacity to fill big orders for global brands. Representatives forthe company did not respond to requests for comment.
Limitedsolutions
On ahill overlooking the Atlantic, agovernment water truck weavesbetween rows of trees, pausing to hose saplings that have just started to sprout.
The trees areaproject that Morocco beganin2018, planting 39 square miles on private lands abutting theforests. To conserve water andimprove soilfertility, argan trees alternate rows with capers, atechnique known as intercropping.
The ideaistoexpand forest cover and show that argan, if properly managed, canbeaviablesourceof income. Officials hope it will ease pressure on the overharvested commonsand convinceothers to reinvest in the land. The trees were expected to begin producing this year but haven’tduring a drought Another issueisthe supply chain.
“Between the woman in the village andthe finalbuyer, thereare four intermediaries. Each takes acut.The cooperativescan’t afford to store, so they sell cheap to someone whopays upfront,” Id Bourrous, the union president, said.
The government has attempted to build storage centers to help producers holdonto their goods longer and negotiate better deals. So far,cooperatives say it hasn’t worked, but anew version is expectedin2026with fewer barriers to access.
Despiteproblems,there’smoney to be made.
During harvest season, women walk into the forest with sacks, scanningthe groundfor fallen fruit. To El Hantati, the forest, once thickand humming withlife, feels quieter now.Only the winds andcreaking trees areaudible as goats climb branches in search of remaining fruitsand leaves.
“When Iwas young, we’d head into the forest at dawn with our food and spend the whole day gathering. The trees were green allyear long,”she said. She paused, worried about the future as younger generations pursue educationand opportunities in larger cities
“I’m the last generation that lived our traditions —weddings, births, even the way we made oil. It’s allfading.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByMOSA’AB ELSHAMy
Goatsclimbthe large, spinyargan trees, chomp their fruit and eventually disperse seeds as part of the forest’s regeneration cycle.
Argan seeds are placed in abasket after getting cracked at a cooperativethat extracts and produces argan oil and products
Women crackargan nuts at acooperativethat extracts and produces arganoil and products, in Essaouira, Morocco.
Cosmeticscompanies call argan the most expensivevegetal oil on the market.
STARTUPSTAMINA
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.
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 tea andLouisiana 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”
FKTea, an energy drink inspired by endurancerunning but intendedfor everydayuse, is made with Japanese green tea andLouisiana honey. ä See DRINK, page 2E
But when the event wasunderway aweek later,Shears showed up for his friends, providing food and drink at pit
La.’semployers bracefor insurancehikes
es,” saidDrake, an employee benefits consultant with Gallagher. “It’sgoing to be avery tough year.”
plansprovide healthinsurance to more than60% of all non-elderly people in the U.S.
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
As he does every summer, BatonRouge-basedinsurance broker Kerry Drake has started meeting with the local companies on his client list to talkabout renewing theiremployeehealth plans. This year,the conversations are especially difficult.
“We’re seeing renewals for 2026 at double-digit rate increas-
Rising health care costs are nothing new.But avariety of factors —including inflation and pricey prescription drugs have pushed them even higher over the past few years. In 2025,the cost of health care is on target toriseabout 8% over 2024,whichwas up 8% over2023, according to industry estimates. For employers, theyear-overyear premium increases that arealready stretching company budgets are about to getworse. Company-sponsored benefit
“Employers are telling us they’re seeing someofthe 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 11.8 millionpeople 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 they aregoing to do?” Drake said. “Theyare goingtopass it on to employers, who will have to pass it on to their employees.”
2026 ‘going to be averytough year’ ä See INSURANCE, page 4E
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.
VenusWilliams’ health care joke showsevenrichstars need coverage
Tennis great Venus Williams drew laughter from the stands at the DC Open recently when she quipped shewas returning to tennis for the health insurance. Williams, 45, entered as awild card but smashed her way to become the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match. In apostmatch interview,ajubilant Williamschuckledasshe answered why she returned to the court after a16-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 autoimmunedisease that can cause joint pain.
“You guys know what it’slike, and let me tell you, I’m always at the doctor,soIneed this insurance,” she said.
Given hersubstantial earnings from tennis and endorsements, I’m doubtful that Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, would be struggling to cover her health care needs. She’s earned nearly $43 million in career earnings, according to the
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 on the idea. To launch FKTea, he experimented with recipes in his own kitchen, sending blends to food labs to test for caffeine levels, while the team built the e-commerce platform, connected withwholesalers and designed branding. The company name is aplay on words: in racing parlance, “FKT” is an abbreviation for “fastest known time,” refer-
Women’sTennis Association. ButWilliams’comments have drawn attention to apressing issue for millions of Americans. I’ve had many conversations with people worried that ahealth crisis could bankrupt them. I’ve worked with couples and individuals tohelp them determine how to handle medical bills into their already-tight budgets.
Oneofthe top reasons people file for 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 theConsolidatedOmnibus Budget Reconciliation Act,the law that allows workers to continue to get coverage at their former employer’sgroup rates. In the Women’s Tennis Association, player members can enroll in abest-in-class health insurance plan, with dental and vision coverage, and are notified of their eligibility to sign up for the following year after the release of the year-end rankings. Players who are no longer eligible but were previously on the plan still have access under COBRA for up to 18 months.
Butthe problem for everyone whether tennis stars or average Americans— is that theymust pay the full premium,including the share thatthe employer previously covered, plus a2%
administrative feeonce they’re on COBRA. This makes it unaffordable for many people.
And COBRA is just one part of a muchbigger financial burden.
KFF, aleading nonpartisan authority on the cost of healthcare, released polling data in May that highlighted the challenges people face in affording care.
Nearly half of adultssay it’s hard to afford healthcare costs.
About athird of adults report that in the past 12 months, theyhave skipped or postponed medical care because it was tooexpensive.
People skip their medication because theycan’tafford to fill their prescriptions. Some are forced to split their pills in half or miss doses due to the cost
Even having medical insurance doesn’tfree you from concerns about rising monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
“For many years, KFF polling has found thatthe high cost of health care is aburden on U.S. families, and thathealthcare costsfactor intodecisions about insurance coverage and care seeking,” KFFsaid in arecent blog post. “These costs and the prospect of unexpected medical bills also rank as the topfinancial worries for adultsand their families.”
These pressures are likely to worsen due to recent policy changes. The Congressional Budget Office projects thatby2034, more than10million people will
be uninsured because of the Medicaid cuts that President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress included in their massive tax bill.
The CBO also estimates that the bill’snew restrictions on the Affordable Care Act marketplace mean that4.2 millionpeople will lose insurance because they won’t get subsidies intended to make their coverage more affordable. Is there anything you can do besides worry?
No matter the source of your coverage —private employer, COBRA, self-purchased, Medicaid or Medicare —the more informed youare, the better
If an employer plan covers you, it’simportant to review all the information you receive during open enrollment. The choices from the previous year might not be the best for you or your family in the new plan year.Take advantage of informational sessions. Many companies have made it easier to compare plan options, and thiscould affect your out-ofpocket costs. Forexample, some workers choose high-deductible plans. Yes, the monthly premium might be lower,but you’re responsible for paying alarge amount of out-ofpocket costs before your insurance begins to cover nonpreventive care. This can be especially challengingifunexpected medical emergencies occur There may also have been
changes in co-pay amounts, deductibles or preferred medical providers. Review your prescription drug plan to make sure your medications are covered. If adrug you take isn’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 the link for “Find health &drug plans.” There’salso alink where you can talk to someone. Or you can get guidance by calling (800) 633-4227. TTY users can call (877) 486-2048.
“It’ssorewarding to comeback after alayoffand injuries,” Williams said in amore serious moment. “And, also, Ididn’thave to comeback to play.I’m back here because of the encouragement from my team.”
Even if she can easily afford her insurance premiums, Williams, who lost in the second round at the DC Open, highlighted the financial stress many Americans 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 for some, nearly impossible, leaving them vulnerable and unprotected.
EmailMichelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.
ring 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 manufacture afew thousand cans, which were ready for sale in December
Next month, the company will make its fourth batch with adifferent contract brewer bringing the total number of cans produced to about 30,000. They have two flavors, one sweeter than the other,and anew formulaonthe way,alongwith aversion in the slim cans associated with energy drinks. They are looking for ways to build the business, including spon-
soringteamsathigh-profile races around the world. Recentstopsinclude Scotland andFrance. A200mile relay race in Oregon is on the books for August Food andbeveragefocus
New Orleansishome to iconic beverage brands. Luzianne, owned by Jefferson Parish-based Reily Foods,isthe No. 1selling bagged tea brand in thecountry.Virtually all of Folgers coffee is roasted at facilities in New OrleansEast. Now anew generation of startups hopestofind space on store shelves alongside thosehousehold names.
Level Water,a9-year-old venture, sells “ultra-purified” drinking water at special events and in retail nationwide. The company,
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.
The four partners, alldads and afew years on either side of 40, also share aloveofrunning and an appreciation of the need to stayproperly hydrated during endurance races.
whichhas three manufacturing partners nationwide,alsolaunched ahome water delivery service in the New Orleans area. Dreamland Koffucha, founded in 2021, makes afermented coldbrew coffee drink that provides alighter caffeinehit combinedwith the“good” bacteria and antioxidants found in traditional kombucha beverages, agrowing category.It’savailable at Robert Fresh Market stores and about 50 Gulf Coast retailers. Five-year-old Reju Juice makes cold-pressedjuice without preservatives or addedsweeteners. Founder KelleyWolfe works out of Pra Lees restaurantinGentilly and sells herwares locally The2021 sale of local beverage company Big Easy Bucha no doubt serves as inspiration to these entrepreneurs and others like them —but they see the challenges of starting big brands in a small town
“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 FKTea guyscreated aproduct that they describe as acleaner,greener version of popular energy drinks, which have long lists of ingredients.
“New Orleans has the most renowned food culture in the world that you think would translate into
On arecent Saturday morning, Jones cracked open his owncan of FKTea while he was stretching before training on thehilly,5-mile trailat Bogue Chitto State Park in WashingtonParish. He wasthere 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 for his support the previous year
“Wedefinitely have alot of bro’d out Xboxenergy,” Meeks said. “But we can switch to Care Bears modewhen necessary.”
Email RichCollinsatrich. collins@theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Kevin Shears completes the Leadville Trail 100 RuninAugust 2024 in Leadville,Colo.
STAFFPHOTO By RICH COLLINS
FKTea co-founders Quest Meeks left, and KevinShears are two of aquartet developing FKTea.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Quest Meeks, from left, Kevin Shears,Trey Monaghan and Wayne Jones founded FKTea after bonding over training for an 100-mile ultramarathon race Wolfe
Honoré
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 be a
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
lion or more in projected annual costsavings.
Verizon Communications’ (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.
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,employerssay the biggest driver they’reseeing is the cost of pricey and highly effective prescription drugs. GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that control obesity and also Type II diabetes can cost upward of $1,200 amonth.
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.
Smallemployers whodon’t have the wherewithal to self-insure can still takestepstocurb costs,including working with insurers to create networks of less expensive providers.
“Weencourage employerstobe more thoughtful andaggressive withtheir network negotiations and to start having difficult conversations with their employees,” Gremmigersaid. “Maybe it’stime to tell themthey’re notgoing to have all threehospitals in their network any longer but just one or two 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 always out testing the waters on drug prices,” said Burke. “It’sincumbent on employers to negotiate.”
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.
Motley Fool
Landry administration lays out path to boosting state’s 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.
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, 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. 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
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILL
Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, left, was tasked by Gov. Jeff Landry, right, to create an innovative plan to boost Louisiana’s economy. At a meeting Tuesday, she 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.
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 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.
LED is also planning to increase the capital it provides to earlystage 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 developing energy plans for each of the state’s eight regions. Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.
Powering Commerce.
Baton Rouge
Dr Kaustubh Dongaonkar has joined the faculty of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Dongaonkar is an assistant professor of small animal surgery in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. He earned a bachelor’s in veterinary science and animal husbandry and a master’s in veterinary sciences, both from Bombay Veterinary College, and a master of science from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (Canada).
New Orleans
Susan Maclay has been named executive director of Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses Ma cl ay ha d served as interim director since October Before that, she served as the interim director of the Louisiana State Museum. Maclay also held fundraising roles with the Louisiana Museum Foundation, the Preservation Resource Center and the Bureau of Governmental Research.
She earned a bachelor’s in history and political science and a master’s in public administration, both from the University of Southern California.
Chris Hannan has been named as a partner with Jones Walker Hannan works in the Maritime Practice Group and is a member of the maritime litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution team.
He earned a bachelor’s in classics, summa cum laude, from the College of the Holy Cross, and a law degree, magna cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law While in law school, Hannan was editor-in-chief of the Loyola Law Review and a member of the moot court team.
Landon Hunter has been hired as funeral director of Lake Lawn Metairie
Funeral Home & Cem-
eteries.
Hunter spent nearly eight years working as a funeral director, embalmer primary arranger and advance planning manager at Laughlin Service Funeral Home Inc and Crematory in Huntsville, Alabama.
He earned an associate’s degree in funeral service from John A. Gupton College.
Dr Keith Isaacson has joined Audubon Fertility as a reproductive surgeon and physician. Isaacson has more than 30 years of experience in women’s reproductive health. He has served as a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and is the founding director of the Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
Christopher Caplinger has joined Kean Miller as senior counsel. Caplinger’s practice is focused on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, marine insurance coverage and oil and gas. He earned a bachelor’s in politics and religion from William & Mary, a master’s in religious studies from Loyola University New Orleans and a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Alicia M. Bendana has joined Fishman Haygood as special counsel on the bankruptcy and restructuring team. Her practice is focused on commercial litigation and complex bankruptcy She earned a bachelor’s in political science from Hollins College and a law degree from Tulane University Law School.
•End-to-enddesign,
Dongaonkar
Maclay
Hannan
Hunter
Isaacson
Caplinger
Bendana
PICKETT
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
EXAMINE AN ASSESS‐MENTISREQUESTED TO CALLDURINGSAID15 DAY PERIOD BRIANWILSON, ASSESSOR EAST BATONROUGE PARISH 150029-AUG1-15-14 $194 PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TheLouisiana Depart‐ment of Culture, Recre‐ation& Tourism, Office of StateParks (State Parks) is issuinga Requestfor Information(RFI) to so‐licitany andall project ideastoadd or improve facilities, operations,or services at Lake Clai‐borneState Park (the Park)and/orincrease revenueorincreasecost savingsand efficiencies forthe Park.The objec‐tivesinsolicitinginfor‐mation aretopromote theState Parksmission, achieveproperbalance of
packet,which in‐cludes a timeline,in‐structions forproposal submission,and selec‐tion criteria,isavailable at http://www.opportu nitiesinlouisiana.com. It mayalsobepickedup between 9a.m.and 4 p.m. weekdays at theOf‐fice of StatePark, Capitol Annex, ThirdFloor,1051 NorthThird Street,Baton Rouge, LA,70802. Written Proposalsmustbere‐ceived by StateParks at this addressnolater than 4:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, October1 2025. StateParks will continue itscommitmenttoen‐
LEGAL NOTICE
Persons who werelocated in or near the Dow Chemical/Blue Cube plants in Plaquemine on April 18-19, 2022 may be affected by aproposed classactionsettlement. Asettlement has been reachedinaclass action lawsuit involving the Blue Cube Operations, LLC (Blue Cube) chemical manufacturing plant located at 21255 LA-1,Plaquemine, Louisiana 70764 (Plant). The settlement has been reachedwith Blue Cube and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) (collectively Settling Parties). The lawsuit and settlement areabout the chlorinereleasethat occurred at the Plant between approximately 8:30 pm on April 18, 2022, and 5:22 pm on April 19, 2022, and the resulting shelter-in-place from 9:06 pm on April 18, 2022, until 12:10 am on April 19, 2022 (Incident). Asettlementfund will be created to pay amounts to holders of valid claims as well as lawyers’ fees and costs approved by the Court. The 18th Judicial District Court of Louisiana, Iberville Parish, will have ahearing to decide whether to give final approval to the settlement so thatpayments can be made from thesettlement fund. Those included in the class action, together called a“Class,” may submit aclaim, or may exclude themselves from, or object to, the settlement, and eligible Class members may receiveapayment from it. Thereis adetailed notice with moreinformation about the settlement available by calling 1-225-3706769 or going to the website listed below
WHO’S INCLUDED? Generally,you maybeincluded in the Class if, during some period between approximately 8:30 pm on April 18, 2022, and 5:22 pm on April 19, 2022, you: (a) werelocated in aspecified geographic area in or near the Plant (Area) and (b) claim to have experienced damages, including
WHATDOES THE SETTLEMENT PROVIDE?
A$3,500,000 settlement fund will be established by Blue Cube. To receive apayment, you
www.plaquemine2022incident.com 1-225-370-6769
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
13
8
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
4
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.
6
30,000
Peak estimated evacuees in the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina
52
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.
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.”
9
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
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.
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MARY’S STORY
“Asacouple with an only child, we thoughtaWill wasall we needed. WRONG! My husband died, and Ihad to go through Probate-anightmare, andvery costly.Italsotook over9 months.I didn’t want ourchild to go through that, so Igaveher an ad to aPoche’Law Firmworkshop,and sheand herhusband were impressed. They had Lauraset up aparticular kindofTrust that took care of their estate planning, butwhat aboutme? Idecided to go to aworkshop,and made my appointment.Lauraansweredall of my questions, andevengot my financial advisor in on aconferencecall. Icould nothave been morepleasedand relieved that my estate plan is nowinorder.Kudos to Lauraand her professional staff. Ihighly recommend her forall estate planningneeds.”
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IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOROUR WORKSHOPS:
Workshopsare open to FIRST-TIMEATTENDEES ONLYand aregearedtowards people whowant or need your legal estate plan in placequickly Pleasehaveyourpersonal calendarhandy at the workshop so youcan choose to startyourplan NOW! If married, both spouses mustattend a workshop to ensurethat alldecision-makers are involved in your family’scoordinated plan
All people who attend willreceiveaFREE copy of theupdated2nd edition of LauraPoche’s Book, “Estate Planning AdvicebyaWoman forLouisiana Women: AGuide forBothMen and Women About Wills,Trusts,Probate, Powers of Attorney, Medicaid, Living Willsand Taxes.”
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.
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.
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.
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
“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
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 possible treatment opportunities for patients with little time to wait.
Desai
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, streaming stuff on Netflix. But I love jazz. I like old school jazz. I’m a John Coltrane fanatic. As a matter of fact, I frequently will play old-school R&B
Weighted vests are trending. But do they boost your workout?
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
HEART
Continued from page 1X
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.
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.
However, scientists aren’t entirely convinced “The research on weighted vests and bone health is not as clear as we’d like,”
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.
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
training and interval workouts more challenging — without having to lug around dumbbells.
“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.”
That said, if you’re generally healthy and don’t have joint, back or balance issues,
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
Weight Vest: Recommended by Men’s Health for its rugged design, secure fit and versatility for strength or cardio training.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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 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
This allows for early intervention and a reduction of hospitalizations for patients. Use of any heart pump doesn’t “fix” heart failure
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.
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.
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
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 theU.S
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
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
JanRisher
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.
Q&A WITH HELyA MOHAMMADIAN
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.
Sign up for notices for the Louisiana Inspired Book Club, which
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.”
GETTy IMAGES PHOTO By VINAyAKJAGTAP
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.
LEARN MORE
Kelechi Akamiro,MD Sports Medicine
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
By
Bruno, of the Willow School, does a dance with Myles Stewart, of St. Thomas High School of Houston, and Dominic Palmintier, of Catholic High School, after finishing part of a communication challenge on July 21 at the Louisiana youth Seminar at the 4-H Mini Barn in Baton Rouge.
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.
PHOTO PROVIDED By By FAIRFAX COUNTy
A family experiences the lights and sounds of a sensory room in Fairfax, Va
STAFF PHOTO
MICHAEL JOHNSON Sadie
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
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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!
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.
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"
jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly
