The Times-Picayune 08-05-2025

Nicolas Floc’h: Fleuves-Océan, Mississippi

GOINGA NEWROUTE

Shutteredauto-repairshopisturning into alocal farmersmarket

BY STEP HANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Aformer auto-repair shop in Mid City across from the Lafitte Greenway will be the site of anew market where farmers from around south Louisianawill be able to sell fresh produce, meat,seafood and dairy productsonaconsignmentbasis, seven days a week.

The market, known as Farmer’sand located in the former R&S Auto Service on atriangularlot between North Hagan Avenue and Moss Street, will be a“farm stop.” It’sanew concept gaining popularityaround the country thataims to give small farmers greater access

to peopleinterestedinbuying locally grown produce, thereby strengthening regional food systems. At afarmstop,farmers

deliver aweek’sworth of produceorsoatatime, set their own price for thegoods and turn over the marketing and sales to the store, which

is open year round. The farm stop owner keeps aportion of thesales to cover overhead —30% in the case of the local store —and the rest goes to thefarmers.

“It’saneveryday brick-andmortar grocery store thatis 100% local,”said Caroline Rogers, who, with herhusband Mike Bertel,isbehind the MidCity iteration of the concept.“Everybody knows exactly where their food is coming from andwhere the money is going.”

The local farm stop will be located across the street from the site of the Crescent City Farmers Market’sThursday market, which is held from

TexasDemocrats preventstate mapvote

President Donald Trump to shore up Republicans’ 2026 midterm prospects as his political standingfalters.

their seats. Democratscounter thatAbbott is using “smoke and mirrors” to assert legalauthority he does not have.

BY BILL BARROW and NADIA LATHAN Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas TexasDemocrats on Monday preventedtheir state’sHouse of Representatives from moving forward, at least for now,with aredrawn congressional map soughtby

Convention Center receives 2-year permit extension

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

TheErnestN.MorialConvention Center on Monday was granted a two-year extensiononcitypermits it would need to revive the Topgolf project long planned forthe River District neighborhood, extending the saga of the $50 milliongolfentertainment complexless than twomonthsafter developers said the project had been scuttled. The zoning variances, which were originally passed in 2023, allowed Topgolf to move apart of MelpomeneStreet andtobuild 165-feet poles and netting to enclose its driving ranges. They were due to expire later this month but will now run untilAugust 2027, following the Board of Zoning Adjustments’ 4-1 vote in favor of the extension.

At Monday’szoning board meeting, the Convention Center’srepresentative, Zack Smith, said the

Nonprofitfaces lack of access to federalmoney

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

After dozens of Democratsleft the state,the Republican-dominated House was unable to establishthe quorum of lawmakers required todobusiness. Texas Gov.Greg Abbott has madethreats aboutremoving members who are absent from

The Republican-dominated House quicklyissued civil arrest warrants forabsent Democrats and Abbottordered state troopers to help find andarrest them,but lawmakers physically outside Texas are beyond thejurisdiction of stateauthorities.

“If you continuetogodownthis road, there will be consequences,” House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows said from the chamber

floor,latertelling reportersthat includes fines. The Democratic revolt and Abbott’sthreats ratcheted up a fight over congressional maps that began in Texasbut nowincludes Democratic governors who have floated the possibility of

reproductive health clinicsinBaton Rouge andNew Orleans, part of awave of closures of the organization’sclinics across the U.S. due to funding issues and moves by theTrump administration to cut offaccess to federal money

The nonprofit, whichhas operated in Louisiana formore than 40 years, said in astatement thatit informed its staffonFriday of the

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRISGRANGER

Caroline Rogers andher husband, MikeBertel, clean Mondayinsideanold gasstation and auto-repair shop on BayouSt. John in NewOrleans. The twoplan to open afarmstand that sells local and regional produce

CarolineRogers and her husband,MikeBertel, plan to open a farmersmarket at this old gasstation and auto-repair shop on BayouSt. John in NewOrleans.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Israeli AG dismissed; standoff builds

JERUSALEM The Israeli Cabinet on Monday voted unanimously to fire the attorney general, escalating a long-running standoff between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the judiciary that critics see as a threat to the country’s democratic institutions.

The Supreme Court froze the move while it considers the legality Netanyahu and his supporters accuse Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of exceeding her powers by blocking decisions by the elected government, including a move to fire the head of Israel’s domestic security agency, another ostensibly apolitical office. She has said there is a conflict of interest because Netanyahu and several former aides face a series of criminal investigations.

Critics accuse Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, of undermining judicial independence and seeking to concentrate power in the hands of his coalition government, the most nationalist and religious in Israel’s history Netanyahu denies the allegations and says he is the victim of a witch hunt by hostile judicial officials egged on by the media.

3rd accused of helping Tenn. fugitive

JACKSON, Tenn. — Police in Tennessee have charged a 23-yearold woman with assisting a man wanted in the murders of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found alive miles away from the crime scene.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Dearrah Sanders, of Jackson, Tennessee, was arrested on Monday and charged with being an accessory after the killings Investigators have also arrested two men on similar charges, alleging they helped 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond after the July 29 killings Drummond remained on the run on Monday afternoon, the TBI said in a news release.

Over the weekend, police in Jackson warned that they didn’t know Drummond’s whereabouts and advised residents to lock their doors and “remain alert.” The U.S. Marshals Service said recently that Drummond could have fled the state. Authorities have left many questions unanswered, including how the three people allegedly helped Drummond, the manner in which the victims were killed and how the baby ended up in a car seat in the Tigrett area, roughly 40 miles from the bodies.

Henriette forms; Dexter churns in Atlantic

MIAMI A tropical storm formed in the Pacific Ocean on Monday at the same time a different tropical storm was churning in the Atlantic Ocean but moving away from land, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Henriette was announced by the Miamibased National Hurricane Center The storm was centered in the eastern Pacific about 895 miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Henriette had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving to the west-northwest at 15 mph. Forecasters said there were no threats to land and no watches or warnings in effect, but Henriette was expected to strengthen over the next couple of days. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Dexter was churning in the Atlantic Ocean about 275 miles north-northwest of Bermuda. It also had maximum sustained winds at 45 mph on Monday, the hurricane center said Dexter was moving northeast at 15 mph and was expected to continue in that direction, however forecasters expect the tropical storm to weaken into a post-tropical cyclone by the middle to latter part of the week No watches or warnings were associated with Dexter, and forecasters said there were no hazards affecting land

Video adds pressure for Gaza ceasefire

Father of hostage distraught as group releases images of emaciated son

BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM Ofir Braslavski

watched as his emaciated son Rom writhed in anguish on a dirty mattress somewhere inside the Gaza Strip in video footage released by Palestinian militants in recent days showing the agony of Israeli hostages.

“You see your child dying before your eyes, and you can’t do anything,” he said Monday from his home. “It drives you crazy, it’s unbearable.”

New images of two skeletal hostages have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas, even as his government considers another expansion of the war, which has already destroyed much of Gaza and pushed it toward famine.

In the video released by the Islamic Jihad militant group, Rom Braslavski says injuries in his foot prevent him from being able to stand In another video, released by Hamas, Evyatar David says he is digging his own grave and speaks of days without food.

The Associated Press does not normally publish videos of hostages filmed under duress, but is publishing brief excerpts after receiving consent from their families.

The videos led tens of thousands of Israelis to take to the streets on Saturday night and demand a ceasefire deal, in one of the largest turnouts for the weekly protests in recent months.

Braslavski said Rom looks much worse than he did in a video released four months ago.

“There, he also looks terrible, but he had this hope in his eyes where he felt he was still going to get out and it would be OK,” Braslavski said. “Now, in the last video, he looks completely turned off, it’s as if he’s waiting for death His eyes are turned off, he probably doesn’t

Ofir Braslavski shows a video Monday from militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, published last week of his son Rom gaunt and emaciated in captivity in Gaza, in Almon, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

want to endure this suffering anymore.”

Braslavski said his son, who was working as a security guard at a music festival in southern Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war, is usually a strong happy-go-lucky kid

The video released last week, in which his son sobs and begs for his life, is the first time he’s seen his son cry Netanyahu said Monday that he will convene the Cabinet this week to discuss how Israel can meet the three goals he has set for the war: defeating Hamas, returning the hostages and ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

But his plans to potentially increase military operations are meeting staunch opposition from within Israel, including letters of protest from leading security leaders and cultural figures.

The footage of the Israeli hostages has stirred condemnation. U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “very shocked” by the videos and “this unacceptable violation of human dignity,” U.N. deputy

spokesman Farhan Haq said.

The videos were released as international experts say a “worst-case scenario of famine” is unfolding in the coastal territory, where Israel’s offensive has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food and other humanitarian aid. Images of starving Palestinians have drawn international condemnation of Israel’s conduct. Families of the hostages fear that the lack of food threatens the remaining hostages, too. Fewer than half of the 50 remaining hostages are believed to be alive, the rest either killed during the October 2023 attack or while in captivity

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “appalled by the harrowing videos” and called for access to the hostages.

Israel has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the hostages, which will take place on Tuesday Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he will travel to New York for the meeting.

Floris’ winds batter Scotland, disrupt travel and festivals

By The Associated Press

LONDON — Authorities in Scotland canceled trains, closed parks and warned people to tie down backyard trampolines as an unusually strong summer storm toppled trees, felled power lines and disrupted travel across northern Britain.

The U.K.’s Meteorological Office on Monday issued an “amber” wind warning in Scotland for Storm Floris, meaning there is potential risk to lives and property, especially from large waves in coastal areas.

Network Rail Scotland said wind gusts of up to 90 mph had brought down trees across lines and damaged overhead wires. More than 22,000 properties were without electricity, operator Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said

After reports of mobile homes being blown over on the Isle of Skye off Scotland’s northwest coast, police Scotland said that “anyone with campervans should remain parked in sheltered areas until the wind speed reduces.”

The wind and heavy rain hit at the busiest time of year for tourism, with hundreds of thousands of

Members of the public battle against the wind as they walk along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Monday Storm Floris is expected to cause severe travel disruption to road, air and ferry services, and close bridges.

people flocking to the Edinburgh Fringe and other arts festivals. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, one of the city’s biggest tourist draws, canceled Monday’s scheduled outdoor performance by massed ranks of bagpipers and drummers at Edinburgh Castle.

Train companies canceled services across much of Scotland and some ferry crossings were also scrapped. Floris, named by weather authorities, also hit parts of Northern Ireland, Wales and northern England, the Met Office said.

Scottish government minister Angela Constance urged people to be careful if traveling and “consider this a winter journey as opposed to a summer journey.”

“Please make sure you’ve got warm clothes, food, water, plenty of fuel and that your mobile phone is charged up,” she said.

Train operator ScotRail urged “anyone with garden equipment, such as tents, trampolines or furniture, to secure items so that they don’t blow onto the tracks and interfere with lineside equipment.”

High court puts Brazil’s former president on house arrest

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press

SAOPAULO Brazil’sSupremeCourtonMonday

ordered the house arrest for the country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election a case that has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case against Bolsonaro before the top court, said in his decision that the 70-year-old former president had violated precautionary measures imposed on him by posting content on the social media channels of his three lawmaker sons. On Sunday, Bolsonaro addressed supporters in Rio de Janeiro through the phone of one of his sons, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro.

Thetrialofthefar-rightleaderisreceivingrenewed attention after President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally Trump has called the proceedings a “witch hunt,” triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Following news of the arrest order, a staffer with Brazil’s federal police told The Associated Press that federal agents were at Bolsonaro’s residence in the capital of Brasilia to seize cellphones,asorderedbydeMoraesinhisdecision. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak about the matter publicly Bolsonaro is expected to remain in Brasilia for his house arrest as he is not allowed to travel. He also has a house in Rio de Janeiro, where he held his electoral base as a lawmaker for three decades. Brazil’s prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill Lula and de Moraes after the far-right leader narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2022. Monday’s order followed one from the top court last month that ordered Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings are underway De Moraes added in his ruling that Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022, has spread messages with “a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court and a blatant support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary.”

Bolsonaro

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JANE BARLOW

Cassidy, rivals forSenateseatlaud firing

Trumpaxed commissioner afterunfavorable jobs report

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, and the three Republicans challenging his reelection support President Donald Trump’sdecision to fire the person whooversees the federal government officethatcollects jobs figures. Trump sacked Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics,onFriday after her office reported feeble job growth in July and revisedfigures that nearly erased the job gains previously given in May and June.

Together,the job figures indicate that theU.S.economy is slowing down,the exact opposite of what Trump has been claiming The job numbers, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans,and

ME, look bad.”

Trump’sdecision to fire McEntarferhas prompted strong condemnation from economists, former government officials and Democraticlawmakers. They say his move calls into question thereliability of the Labor Department’s future reporting and seemsreminiscent of howauthoritarian leaders try to squashbad news.

That’snot the view of Cassidy and histhree opponents: state Treasurer John Fleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta. They willcompete in aRepublican primary in April, andeach onewants

Trump’sendorsement

“McEntarfer’sremoval is understandable,” Cassidy saidinastatement. “Jobs reports have always required revisions, but theinitial reports have become significantly less accurate under McEntarfer’s leadership.Asthe lead Republican on theSenate HELPCommittee, I senther aletterlast yearduring the Biden administration asking why therevisions were so large. Now, the initial reports are even less accurate and the revisionseven greater.”

Skrmetta offereda morepro-

Texasdistricts dispute highlights nation’s long partisan history

BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

When Democratic lawmakers left Texas to try to prevent the Republican-led Legislature fromredrawing the state’scongressional districts, it marked the latest episode in along national history of gerrymandering.

The word “gerrymander”was coined in America more than 200 years ago as an unflattering means of describing political manipulation in legislative mapmaking.

Thewordhas stood the test of time, in part, because American politics has remained fiercely competitive.

Who is responsible for gerrymandering?

In many states,like Texas, the state legislature is responsible for drawing congressional districts, subject to the approval of the governor.District maps must be redrawn every 10 years, after each census,to balancethe populationin districts.

But in some states, nothing prevents legislatures from conducting redistricting more often.

In an efforttolimit gerrymandering, some states have entrusted redistricting to special commissions composed of citizens or bipartisan panels of politicians. Democratic officials in some states with commissions are now talking of trying to sidestep them to counter Republican redistricting in Texas. How does agerrymander work?

If apolitical party controls both the legislature and governor’soffice —or has such alarge legislative majority that it can override vetoes —itcan effectively draw districts to its advantage

One commonmethod of gerrymandering is for amajorityparty to draw maps that pack voters who support the opposing party into afew districts, thus allowing the majority party to win agreater number of surrounding districts. Another common method is for the majority party to dilute the power of an opposing party’s voters by spreading them among multiple districts

Whyisitcalled gerrymandering?

The term dates to 1812, when Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerrysigned a bill redrawing state Senate districts to benefit the Democratic-Republican Party Some thoughtanoddly shaped district looked like asalamander. Anewspaper illustration dubbed it “The Gerry-mander” —aterm that later came to describe anydistrictdrawn forpolitical advantage. Gerry lost

reelection as governorin 1812 but won electionthat sameyearasvice president with President James Madison. Is political gerrymanderingillegal?

Not under theU.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court, in a2019 case originating from North Carolina, ruled thatfederal courtshave no authority to decide whether partisan gerrymandering goes too far.Chief Justice John Robertswrote: “The Constitutionsupplies no objectivemeasure forassessing whether adistricting map treats apolitical party fairly.”

TheSupremeCourt noted that partisan gerrymandering claims could continue to be decided in state courts under their own constitutions and laws. But some statecourts, including North Carolina’shighest court, have ruled that they also have no authority todecide partisan gerrymandering claims.

Are there anylimits on redistricting?

Yes. Though it’sdifficult to challenge legislativedistricts on politicalgrounds, theSupreme Court has upheld challenges onracial grounds. In a2023 case from Alabama, the high court said the congressionaldistrictsdrawnbythe state’sRepublican-led Legislature likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting thevoting strengthof Black residents. Thecourt letasimilarclaim proceed in Louisiana.Bothstates subsequently redrew their districts What does data show about gerrymandering?

Statisticians and political scientists have developed avariety of ways to try to quantify thepartisan advantage thatmay be attributable to gerrymandering. Republicans, who control redistrictinginmore states thanDemocrats, used the 2010 census data to create astronggerrymander.An Associated Press analysis of thatdecade’s redistrictingfound that Republicans enjoyed agreater political advantage in more states than either party had in the past 50 years. But Democrats responded to match Republican gerrymanderingafter the 2020 census. The adoption of redistricting commissions also limited gerrymandering in somestates. An AP analysis of the 2022 elections —the firstunder new maps —foundthat Republicans won just one more U.S.House seat than wouldhavebeen expected based on the average share of the vote they received nationwide. That was one of the most politicallybalanced outcomes in years.

nounced statement than Cassidy “President Trump’sdecision to terminate CommissionerMcEntarfer from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was asolid,bold and justifiedmovetosafeguard the integrity of economicdata against prior administration partisanmanipulation,” Skrmetta, who represents suburbanNew Orleans,said in atext.“It’sthe right decision for President Trumptoquestiona pattern of BLS reports underCommissioner McEntarfer’s tenure—one of consistently over-reportingjob gains during theBiden era, only to

regularlyrevise them downward later.”

Miguez, of New Iberia, also applauded Trump’smove, writing in atext that “the American people elected President Trump because theytrust he will make decisions that always put America first.The president hasaright to fire her,and he was right to fire her.Heknows what he is doing. Idon’tfault him one bit for nottrusting this Biden appointee.”

Fleming, who served in the U.S. House from 2009-17, said he has been concerned about the statistics agency’srevisions.

“She neverseemstoget it right,” Flemingsaid. “President Trump feels like she wasmanipulating the numbers to make Biden look good andnow it’s theopposite. It seems appropriate to replace heratthis time.”

Trump, in his TruthSocial post on Friday, claimed McEntarfer’soffice hadrevised jobs figures downward for several months at one point last year —but only after the November election,toboost thecandidacy of then-Vice President Kamala Harris

Trump’sstatement wasfalse. In fact, thestatistics agency revised the figures downward in August, before the election.

McEntarfer was nominated by then-PresidentJoe Biden last year and confirmed by the Senate, with then-senators Marco Rubio and JD Vance among those who votedyes. Rubio is now Trump’ssecretary of state, while Vance is vice president. William Beach, whowas appointed by Trump and served as McEntarfer’spredecessor,called the reasons behind Trump’smove “totally groundless,” writing it “sets adangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau.”

Stephen Sheffrin, aveteran economics professor at Tulane University,dismisses complaints that thestatisticsagencyunderMcEntarferhas tiltedtowardDemocrats.

But he believes that the office could do abetter job of compiling and reporting its numbers.

“Fromtime to time,it’sworth looking at this,” Sheffrin said. “A better thing might have been to say it was ridiculous,and we’lltakea look at the BLS or to have the Labor Department do an overall review of their procedures.”

EmailTyler Bridges at tbridges@ theadvocate.com.

Poll points to stress over grocerycosts

BY CORA LEWIS and LINLEYSANDERS Associated Press

NEW YORK The vast majority of U.S.adults areatleast somewhat stressedabout the costofgroceries,anew poll finds, as prices continue to rise andconcerns about the impact of President Donald Trump’stariffs remain widespread.

Abouthalfofall Americans say thecost of groceries is a“major” source of stress in their life right now, while 33% say it’sa “minor” source of stress, according to the poll from TheAssociated Press-NORC Center for Public AffairsResearch. Only 14% say it’snot a sourceofstress, underscoringthe pervasive anxiety mostAmericans continue to feel about thecost of everyday essentials.

Other financial stressors —like the cost of housing or theamount of money in their bank accounts —are also broadlyfelt, butthey weigh more heavily on younger Americans, whoare less likely than older adults to have significant savings or own property

The survey also found that about 4in10Americansunderage 45 saythey’ve used what are known as “buy now, paylater” serviceswhen spending on entertainment or restaurant meals or when paying for essentials like groceries or medical care.

Adam Bush, 19, basedin Portland, New York, is one of those younger Americans who has used pay-later services for things like groceries or entertainment. Bush works as awelder, fabricating parts for trucks for Toyota, and makesunder $50,000 per year

“I just keep watching the prices go up, so I’m looking for the cheapestpossible stuff,”hesaid. “Hot pockets and TV dinners.”

Stressed aboutgroceries

Groceries are one of the most far-reaching financial stressors, affecting the young and old alike, the poll finds. While Americansover age60are less likely than younger people to feel major financialanxiety abouthousing, theirsavings, child care, or credit card debt, they are justasworried about the cost of groceries.

Esther Bland, 78, who lives in Buckley, Washington, said groceries area“minor” source of stress —but only becauseher local food banks fill thegap. Bland relies on herSocial Securityand disabilitypayments each month to cover her rent and other expenses —such as veterinary care for her dogs —inretirement, after decades working in an office processing product orders.

“I have no savings,” she said. “I’m notsure what’s going on politically when it comes to the food banks, but if Ilost that, groceries would absolutely be amajor source of stress.”

tion hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and makes between $85,000 and $100,000 a year,said she’sstarted shopping for groceries at less expensive stores.

“It’sanadjustment,” she said. “Sometimes the quality isn’tasgood.”

‘Buy now, paylater

Bland’smonthly income mainly goes toward her electric, water andcable bills, she said, as wellascare of her dogs and other household needs.

“Soap,paper towels, toilet paper.Ibuy gas at Costco, but we haven’tseen $3 agallon here in along time,” she said.“Istayhomea lot. Ionly put about50milesonmycar aweek.”

According to the poll, 64% of thelowest-income Americans—those whohavea household income of less than $30,000 ayear —say the cost of groceries is a“major” stressor.That’scompared with about 4in10Americans whohavea household income of $100,000 or more.

Buteven within that higher-income group, only about 2in10say grocery costs aren’t aworry at all.

Women, Hispanic adults

Housing is another substantial source of worryfor U.S.adults —along with theirsavings, theirincome and the cost of health care. About half of U.S.adults say housing is a“major”

source of stress, according to the poll, while about 4in 10 say that about the amount of money they get paid, the amount of money they have savedand the costofhealth care.

About 3in10say credit carddebtisa “major”source of stress, while about 2in10 say that about the cost of child care and student debt. But some groups arefeeling much more anxiety about their finances than others. Women, for instance, are morelikely than men to report high levels of stress about their income, savings, the cost of groceries and the cost of health care. Hispanic adults arealso particularly concerned about housing costsand both creditcard and student debt. About twothirds of Hispanic adults saythe costofhousing is a “major” source of stress, compared with about half of Black adults andabout4 in 10 white adults.

Some people aremaking changes to theirlifestyle as a result of high costs. Shandal LeSure, 43, whoworks as a receptionist for arehabilita-

As they stretch limited budgets, about 3in10U.S. adults overallsay they’ve used “buy now,pay later” services such as Afterpay or Klarna to purchase groceries, entertainment, restaurant meals or meal delivery, or medical or dental care, according to the poll. Bland, the Washington state retiree, said she’spaid for petsurgery with apaylater plan. Younger Americans are muchlikelier than older people to have used pay-later plans forentertainment, groceries or restaurant meals, but there’snoage gap on medical care. Black and Hispanic people are also especially likely to adopt the plans. An increasing share of “buy now,pay later” customersare having trouble repaying their loans, according to recentdisclosuresfromthe lenders. Theloans aremarketed as asafer alternative to traditionalcredit cards, but there are risks, including alack of federal oversight. Some consumerwatchdogs also say the plans lead consumers to overextend themselves financially LeSure said she’sused pay-later services for things like new clothes, while she balances debt payments for acar loan,student loans and medical bills. She’salso turned to them to cover hotel costs after being evicted. “That’sbeen able to help me stretchmydollar,”she said.

Cassidy Miguez Fleming Skrmetta

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARKET

Continued from page 1A

3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the greenway Bertel said he doesn’t want to compete with the Thursday market but to complement it.

“We want to collaborate with them and be an extension of them in any way we can and vice versa,” he said “We both share the same mission of growing the local food economy.”

Need a platform

Bertel and Rogers said they know firsthand about the challenges local farmers face getting their products to market and building sustainable businesses.

Though their full-time home is in Mid City and Bertel’s day job is with his family’s longtime business, Toulouse Street Millworks, the couple spend weekends and summers on their Three Fires Farm in Poplarville, Mississippi.

The farm cultivates blueberries along with beef and pork that they sell to

TEXAS

Continued from page 1A

maps in retaliation, even if their options are limited. The dispute also reflects Trump’s aggressive view of presidential power and his grip on the Republican Party nationally, while testing the longstanding balance of powers between the federal government and individual states. At the center of the impasse is Trump’s hope of adding five GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas before the upcoming midterms. That would bolster his party’s chances of preserving its U.S. House majority, something Republicans were unable to do in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first presidency Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’ 38 seats. That’s nearly a 2-to-1 advantage and already a wider partisan gap than in the 2024 presidential election, when

TOPGOLF

Continued from page 1A

extension was needed to give time for lawsuits over the project to be resolved He suggested — despite statements from the developers in June indicating that they were pursuing a different project for the land that Topgolf was still coming.

“The development team is looking forward to starting construction as soon as possible,” once those lawsuits are resolved, Smith told the board. The move confused and angered some residents who live near the proposed project site in the Lower Garden District and who have long opposed it. They noted that the consortium working in partnership with the Convention Center the River District Neighborhood Investors, said in June that Topgolf wouldn’t be built on that site and that they were pursuing a different project there

The 3.5-acre site is on

CLOSE

Continued from page 1A

closures that will take effect

Sept. 30. Planned Parenthood’s Louisiana clinics provide birth control, tests for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screenings and other health care services. Over the past year, the organization provided care to more than 10,600 patients. They have never been licensed to provide abortions in the state “This is not a decision we wanted to make,” said Melaney Linton, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, adding that “political warfare” on the nonprofit by its opponents forced the closures

The closures come as the organization’s national af-

and her

onto Bayou St John in New Orleans on Monday. The

to open a farm stand that sells local and regional

the Brennan’s restaurants

One of the first lessons they learned was that while farming is hard, finding a market and selling is much harder, Rogers said.

“There is such an abundance of small farmers in our area, but they don’t have

Trump won 56.1% of Texas ballots, while Democrat Kamala Harris received 42.5%.

Speaking Monday on the Fox News show “America’s Newsroom,” Abbott essentially admitted to the partisan power play noting the U.S. Supreme Court has determined “there is nothing illegal” about shaping districts to a majority party’s advantage. He even acknowledged it as “gerrymandering” before correcting himself to say Texas is “drawing lines.”

More than 1,800 miles away from Austin, New York Gov Kathy Hochul appeared with Texas Democrats and argued that their cause should be national.

“We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law breaking cowboys,” Hochul said Monday, flanked by several of the lawmakers who left Texas. “If Republicans are willing to rewrite rules to give themselves

Tchoupitoulas Street, between Euterpe and Melpomene streets and abuts The Saulet apartment complex.

“We are very disappointed in this outcome,” said Suzy Lamore, who is on the board of the Lower Garden District Association, a neighborhood organization representing 165 residents. The association has been among the most active opponents of the Topgolf project, which they have argued was forced through without going through the normal approvals required for developments

The residents have said they were promised early on that the site would have apartment units and retail, including a grocery store, but that it was changed to a Topgolf and given special zoning privileges later without proper neighborhood consultation.

“We suspect that we’ve been lied to from the start and there’s never been transparency from the city related to this site,” Lamore added.

filiate, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, wages a legal battle against efforts by the Trump administration to end Medicaid payments to its clinics. More than half of Planned Parenthood patients rely on Medicaid the federal health care program that serves millions of low-income and disabled Americans A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts.

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast announced last month that it would also shutter two of its six clinics in Houston and hand over the remaining four clinics to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.

Planned Parenthood began serving Louisiana in 1984, when the organization’s New Orleans affiliate opened a clinic on Magazine Street. In 2016, the organization

a platform and the means to sell their goods,” she said. They are modeling their establishment after the Argus Farmstop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which opened in 2014 and has since grown to three locations. It’s one of several dozen

an advantage, then they’re leaving us with no choice: We must do the same. You have to fight fire with fire.”

Abbott insisted ahead of Monday’s scheduled session that lawmakers have “absconded” in violation of their sworn duties to the state.

“I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state Legislature because they are not doing the job they were elected to do,” he said in the Fox News interview, invoking his state’s hallmark machismo to call the lawmakers “un-Texan.”

“Texans don’t run from a fight,” he said.

Democrats said they had no plans to heed the governor’s demands.

“He has no legal mechanism,” said Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones, one of the lawmakers who was in New York on Monday “Subpoenas from Texas don’t work in New York, so he can’t come and get us. Subpoenas in Texas don’t work in Chicago. He’s putting up smoke and mirrors.”

The six-year effort to build a Topgolf in the River District has drawn controversy since it began. The original deal was quietly slipped into a Convention Center board meeting agenda and sparked a rebuke from then-Gov John Bel Edwards shortly after It resulted in developer Joe Jaeger, a former partner of the Convention Center in developing its upriver acreage, to pull out of the partnership because it would compete with his own driving range concept

Local residents have filed several lawsuits challenging the validity of the approval process, two of which are still active Earlier this year, the rival Five-O-Fore golf-entertainment complex opened 3 miles away on Howard Avenue.

Legal moves

It isn’t clear if the Convention Center has firm plans to follow through with the Topgolf project or is merely fulfilling legal obligations.

It was a party to a deal covered by a “side agreement”

moved into a 7,000-squarefoot clinic on South Claiborne Avenue, following a drawn-out battle with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which opposed the project.

The facility was built to provide abortions but the state Department of Health refused to approve the licenses needed to do so. That led to a yearslong legal battle, which continued up until the U.S Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and Louisiana enacted a near-total ban on the procedures. Unable to provide abortions, Planned Parenthood continued to provide other services while helping Louisianans access out-of-state abortion care, covering costs including airfare, lodging and child care. The legal battle over fund-

local products like bakery goods and condiments.

Bertel and Rogers will also apply for a liquor license so they can sell local craft beer and wine produced at the handful of northshore wineries.

‘A little worried’

The couple acquired the site for their new store fo $800,000 in a sale that closed last week. The small building sits on a triangular parcel that was originally a gas station before it became home to an auto-repair shop.

The location was attractive because of the high volume of pedestrian and bike traffic in the area.

“Gas stations transition well to grocery stores because they are so centrally located,” Bertel said.

doesn’t have just one retail store.”

With 130 farmers in its network and three weekly markets at the Lafitte Greenway on Thursday, City Park on Sunday and the Batture Uptown on Tuesday, Harrison said a big part of her job is to educate farmers about how to reach more consumers.

“Our small-scale producers have very few opportunities to sell their produce,” she said “Much as I hate to say it, the farmers market model isn’t the most convenient for producers or consumers. So, more access is good for everybody and we’re fully supportive of this concept.”

around the country, according to the 2026 Farm Stop Conference, which promotes the farm stop model. While farm stops predominantly sell fresh produce, meat and dairy products, this one will also sell locally sourced seafood and other

A refusal by Texas lawmakers to show up is a civil violation of legislative rules. As for his threat to remove the lawmakers, Abbott cited a nonbinding legal opinion issued by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton amid an partisan quorum dispute in 2021. Paxton suggested a court could determine that a legislator had forfeited their office.

Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, said on X that Democrats who “try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.”

University of Houston law professor David Froomkin cast doubt on Abbott’s and Paxton’s interpretation, saying it’s “baseless” to claim the lawmakers in question have abandoned their seats when their absence is clearly tied to the current legislative debate.

Still, the Republican response is accelerated compared with the 2021 dispute, when weeks passed before

in 2023 that obligated it to step in as the direct landlord on the Topgolf deal if RDNI terminated its lease, according to a copy of that agreement obtained by The TimesPicayune. It was signed by the former Convention Center board Chair Jerry Reyes.

On Monday, a spokesperson for RDNI said they still are expecting to close a deal with a different tenant for that parcel of land. Louis Lauricella, the developer leading the consortium, said in June that a new tenant “is ready to go” on the Topgolf site, and would be announced in the next week.

“They continue to pursue their options on parcel 1A (the Topgolf site), that hasn’t changed,” said spokesperson Amy Boyle Collins. She said RDNI is close to signing a letter of intent with “a promising tenant” but said they had no comment about any other deals that may be in place.

Topgolf said in an emailed statement that the company remains “active with RDNI and (the Convention Center) to potentially restructure the

ing for Planned Parenthood centers around a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump in July which instructed the federal government to end Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023.

Although Planned Parenthood is not specifically named in the statute, which went into effect July 4, the organization’s leaders say it was meant to affect their nearly 600 centers in 48 states.

Federal law already bars taxpayer money from covering most abortions, but some conservatives argue abortion providers use Medicaid money for other health services to subsidize abortion.

Lawyers for the government argued in court docu-

The couple met on Monday with Crescent City Farmers Market Executive Director Angelina Harrison to discuss ways they can work together

“We’re a little worried about competition,” Harrison said. “But a comprehensive food system doesn’t just have a farmers market and

the GOP majority opted for civil arrest warrants.

Froomkin said Abbott could be using the mere possibility of legal wrangling over their jobs to intimidate lawmakers into returning to Austin. The lawmakers who left declined to say how long they will hold out.

“The magic of a quorum break is you never telegraph the how long or what you’re going to do,” said Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, who has served in the Legislature since 2001. “We recognized when we got on the plane that we’re in this for the long haul.”

Texas House Democratic Caucus leader Gene Wu said his members “will do whatever it takes” but added, “What that looks like, we don’t know.”

Legislative walkouts often only delay passage of a bill, including in 2021, when many of the same Texas House Democrats left the state for 38 days to protest new voting restrictions.

Once they returned, Repub-

lease agreement.”

They still plan to “bring the Topgolf experience to New Orleans” but declined to respond to further questions. Neither the Convention Center’s acting chief executive, Alita Caparotta, nor the chair of its oversight board, Russell Allen, responded to multiple requests for comment.

New tenant

Two sources who have been directly involved in discussions about plans for the Topgolf project said the Convention Center may be pursuing the variances in an effort to limit its legal liability as opposed to again pursuing the Topgolf project, which was due to start construction more than two years ago.

“The Convention Center is trying to do everything they can to keep this within the four corners of the original legal agreement,” said one official who has been in discussions on the project but wasn’t authorized to be quoted. “But they’re not naive enough to think that anything good would happen on

ments that the bill “stops federal subsidies for Big Abortion.”

“All three democratically elected components of the Federal Government collaborated to enact that provision consistent with their electoral mandates from the American people as to how they want their hard-earned taxpayer dollars spent,” the government wrote in court filings.

In her statement, Linton blamed the political push against the nonprofit for the closure of the clinics in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

“Anti-reproductive health lawmakers obsessed with power and control have spent decades fighting the concept that people deserve to control their own bodies,” Linton said. “These extremists have done everything they can to ‘defund’ Planned

Bertel said he is open to the possibility of closing early on Thursdays to avoid taking customers from the Thursday farmers market. Another idea is to help showcase regular vendors at the Thursday market.

Bertel and Rogers won’t say how much they’re investing in the renovation of their new farm stop but they hope to be open by Thanksgiving.

licans still passed that measure.

Lawmakers cannot pass bills in the 150-member Texas House without at least two-thirds of them present. Democrats hold 62 of the seats in the majorityRepublican chamber, and at least 51 left the state, said Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus.

The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders had the authority to “physically compel the attendance” of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served. Republicans answered by adopting $500 daily fines for lawmakers who don’t show up for work as punishment.

The governor meanwhile, continues to make unsubstantiated claims that some lawmakers have committed felonies by soliciting money to pay for fines they could face for leaving the state to deny a quorum.

this if they try to forge their own path going forward.”

Another official who wasn’t authorized to be quoted said RDNI is close to signing PopStroke, a chain of upscale, tech-infused miniature golf entertainment venues, combining Tiger Woods-designed putting courses with a restaurant, bar and outdoor gaming environment.

Matthew Ryan, a Lower Garden District resident who has led three of the lawsuits against the project said Monday that he and other residents are disappointed that public officials, including the Convention Center leadership and Lesli Harris, whose City Council district covers the River District, haven’t been clear about plans for the site.

“We’ve been asking everyone we could talk to but nobody would give us a straight answer,” he said. Harris didn’t respond to a request for comment. Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate. com.

Parenthood, dismantle public health infrastructure, and block patients from the care they rely on. This cruelty and failed leadership are the reasons we are here today.” It’s unclear what will happen to Planned Parenthood’s South Claiborne property, which was funded by millions of dollars in donations.

In July, a group of longtime donors sent a letter to Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast arguing that efforts to sell the building would interfere with the conditions of their donations and that legal action could follow Planned Parenthood, which also has a clinic on Government Street in Baton Rouge, will continue to keep its doors open in Louisiana until the end of September The Associated Press contributed to this report.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Caroline Rogers, right,

husband, Mike Bertel, open the car garage that looks out

two bought an old gas station and plan

produce.

Sean Combs denied release on bail

BY JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

NEW YORK Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t go home from jail to await sentencing on his prostitutionrelated conviction, a judge said Monday, denying the rap and style mogul’s latest bid for bail. Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into having drugfueled sex marathons with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them.

He was acquitted last month of the top charges — racketeering

and sex trafficking — while being convicted of two counts of a prostitution-related offense.

The conviction carries the potential for up to 10 years in prison.

But there are complicated federal guidelines for calculating sentences in any given case, and prosecutors and Combs’ lawyers disagree substantially on how the guidelines come out for his case.

In any event, the guidelines aren’t mandatory, and Judge Arun Subramanian will have wide latitude in deciding Combs’ punishment. The Bad Boy Records founder now 55, was for decades a protean

figure in pop culture.

A Grammy-winning hip hop artist and entrepreneur with a flair for finding and launching big talents, he presided over a business empire that ranged from fashion to reality TV

Prosecutors claimed he used his fame, wealth and violence to force and manipulate two now-exgirlfriends into dayslong, druggedup sexual performances he called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”

His lawyers argued that the government tried to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes that played out in complicated relationships. The defense

acknowledged that Combs had violent outbursts but said nothing he did came amounted to the crimes with which he was charged.

Since the verdict, his lawyers have repeatedly renewed their efforts to get him out on bail until his sentencing, set for October They have argued that the acquittals undercut the rationale for holding him, and they have pointed to other people who were released before sentencing on similar convictions.

Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo suggested in a court filing that Combs was the United States’ “only person in jail for hiring adult

male escorts for him and his girlfriend.”

The defense’s most recent proposal included a $50 million bond and travel restrictions and expressed openness to adding on house arrest at his Miami home, electronic monitoring, private security guards and other requirements.

Prosecutors opposed releasing Combs. They wrote that his “extensive history of violence — and his continued attempt to minimize his recent violent conduct — demonstrates his dangerousness and that he is not amendable to supervision.”

Tenn. set to execute inmate with defibrillator

BY JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press

wouldn’t feel them, the state has added.

BY JENNIFER PELTZ

Associated Press

NEW YORK The New York Post is launching a California tabloid newspaper and news site next year, the company announced Monday, bringing an assertive, irreverent and conservative-friendly fixture of the Big Apple media landscape to the Golden State In the process, it is creating a 21st-century rarity: a new American newspaper with a robust print edition.

Adding another title to Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire, The California Post is setting out to cover politics, local news, business, entertainment and sports in the nation’s most populous state, while drawing and building on the venerable New York paper’s national coverage. Plans for the Los Angeles-based paper call for a print edition seven days a week plus a website, social media accounts and video and audio pieces.

“There is no doubt that the Post will play a crucial role in engaging and enlightening readers, who are starved of serious reporting and puckish wit,” Robert Thomson, chief executive of Post corporate parent News Corp., said in a statement. In typically brash and punchy Post fashion, he portrayed California as plagued by ”jaundiced, jaded journalism.”

California, with a population of nearly 40 million, still has hundreds of newspapers, including dailies in and around Los Angeles and other major cities. But the nation’s second-mostpopulous city hasn’t had a dedicated tabloid focused on regional issues in recent memory, according to Danny Bakewell, president of the Los Angeles Press Club.

“It’s really an untested market here,” said Bakewell, who is editor-inchief of the Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly focused on the city’s Black population. “L.A. is always ready for good-quality news reporting, and particularly in

this moment when so many other papers are shrinking and disappearing, it could be a really unique opportunity.”

The 224-year-old New York Post was founded by no less a luminary than Alexander Hamilton, the country’s first treasury secretary, an author of the Federalist Papers, the victim of a duel at the hands of the vice president and the inspiration for the Broadway smash “Hamilton.” Murdoch, News Corp.s founder and now its chairman emeritus, bought the Post in 1976, sold it a dozen years later, then repurchased it in 1993. The Post is known for its relentless and skewering approach to reporting, its facility with sensational or racy subject matter its Page Six gossip column and the paper’s huge and often memorable frontpage headlines — see, for example 1983’s “Headless Body in Topless Bar.” At the same time, the Post is a player in both local and national politics. It routinely pushes, from the right, on “wokeness” and other culture-war pressure points, and it has broken such political stories as the Hunter Biden laptop saga. The Post has an avid reader in President Donald Trump, who gave its “Pod Force One” podcast an interview as recently as last month With the Los Angeles readership second only to New York’s The California Post “is the next manifestation of our national brand,” Editor-in-Chief Keith Poole said in a statement.

He’ll also be involved in overseeing the California paper with its editor-inchief, Nick Papps, who has worked with News Corp.’s Australian outlets for decades, including a stint as an L.A.-based correspondent.

The company didn’t specify how many journalists The California Post will have.

Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz contributed from Los Angeles.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is set to execute an inmate Tuesday without deactivating his implanted defibrillator, as uncertainty lingers about whether the device will shock his heart when a lethal drug takes effect.

Barring a late reprieve requested from the governor, Byron Black’s execution will go forward after a legal backand-forth over whether the state would need to turn off his implantable cardioverterdefibrillator The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it’s unaware of any other cases in which an inmate was making similar claims to Black’s about ICDs or pacemakers. Black’s attorneys said they haven’t found a comparable case, either

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected several appeals by Black. The execution would be Tennessee’s second since May, after a pause for five years, first because of COVID-19 and then because of missteps by the Tennessee Department of Correction.

Twenty-seven men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and nine other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death.

Black’s condition

Black, 69, is in a wheelchair, suffering from dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions, his attorneys have said.

In mid-July, a trial court judge agreed with Black’s attorneys that officials must have the instrument deactivated to avert the risk that it could cause unnecessary pain and prolong the execution. But the state Supreme Court intervened July 31 to overturn that decision, saying the other judge lacked the authority to order the change. The state has disputed that the lethal injection would cause Black’s defibrillator to shock him Even if shocks were triggered, Black

Black’s attorneys have countered that even if the lethal drug being used, pentobarbital, renders someone unresponsive, they aren’t necessarily unaware or unable to feel pain.

Black’s case

Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya Clay, 9, and Lakeisha Clay, 6. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting Clay’s estranged husband.

Linette Bell, whose sister and two nieces were killed, recently told WKRN-TV: “He didn’t have mercy on them, so why should we have mercy on him?”

“It feels like it is never-ending,” Bell told the news outlet. “They aren’t even resting in their own grave.”

Medical considerations

An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is a small, battery-powered electronic device that is surgically im-

planted in the chest, typically near the left collarbone. It serves as a pacemaker and an emergency defibrillator

Black’s attorneys say the only way to be sure it’s off is for a doctor to place a programming device over the implant site, sending it a deactivation command, with no surgery required.

The legal case also spurred a reminder that most medical professionals consider participation in executions a violation of health care ethics.

While the judge’s order to deactivate the device was in place, state officials said Nashville General Hospital practitioners would do the procedure the day before at the hospital, but wouldn’t travel to the prison on execution day as the court required.

The judge offered some leeway, allowing the procedure at the hospital on the morning of the execution

But Nashville General then released a statement saying the state’s contractor didn’t reach out to proper hospital leadership and that there had been no agreement to do the work

Intellectual disability claim

In recent years, Black’s le-

gal team has also tried and failed to get a new hearing over whether he is intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

His attorneys have said that if they had delayed a prior attempt to seek his intellectual disability claim, he would have been spared under a 2021 state law

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk contended in 2022 that Black is intellectually disabled and deserves a hearing under that 2021 law but the judge denied it. That is because an inmate can’t get an intellectual disability hearing under the 2021 law if they have already filed a similar request and a court has ruled on it “on the merits.” In Funk’s attempt, he focused on input from an expert for the state in 2004

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

OPEC+ countries to boost oil production

NEWYORK—

A group of countries

that are part of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries has agreed to boost oil production, a move some believe could lower oil and gasoline prices, citing a steady global economic outlook and low oil inventories.

The group met virtually on Sunday and announced that eight of its member countries would increase oil production by 547,000 barrels per day in September

The countries boosting output, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, had been participating in voluntary production cuts, initially made in November 2023, which were scheduled to be phased out by September 2026. The announcement means the voluntary production cuts will end ahead of schedule.

The move follows an OPEC+ decision in July to boost production by 548,000 barrels per day in August. OPEC said the production adjustments may be paused or reversed as market conditions evolve.

When production increases, oil and gasoline prices may fall.

But Brent crude oil, which is considered a global benchmark, has been trading near $70 per barrel, which could be due to a potential loss of Russian oil on the market and a large rise in crude inventories in China, according to research firm Clearview Energy Partners.

China pushes back at oil demands by U.S.

WASHINGTON U.S. and Chinese officials may be able to settle many of their differences to reach a trade deal and avert punishing tariffs, but they remain far apart on one issue: the U.S. demand that China stop purchasing oil from Iran and Russia.

“China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests,” China’s Foreign Ministry posted on X on Wednesday following two days of trade negotiations in Stockholm, responding to the U.S. threat of a 100% tariff.

“Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests,” the ministry said The response is notable at a time when both Beijing and Washington are signaling optimism and goodwill about reaching a deal to keep commercial ties between the world’s two largest economies stable — after climbing down from skyhigh tariffs and harsh trade restrictions.

It underscores China’s confidence in playing hardball when dealing with the Trump administration, especially when trade is linked to its energy and foreign policies.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, emerging from the talks, told reporters that when it comes to Russian oil purchases, the “Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously.

Thousands of Boeing workers go on strike

NEW YORK — Several thousand workers at three Midwest manufacturing plants where Boeing develops military aircraft and weapons are on strike early

The strike started early Monday at Boeing facilities in St. Louis; St. Charles, Missouri; and Mascoutah, Illinois, after about 3,200 local members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted to reject a modified labor agreement.

It included a 20% wage increase over four years and $5,000 ratification bonuses. The walkout potentially complicates Boeing’s progress in regaining its financial footing following a bruising 2024. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told analysts last week that the impact would be much less than a walkout last year by 33,000 workers who assemble the company’s commercial jetliners

Tesla gives Musk $29B in stock

The 96 million shares a reward for growth, company says

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press

Tesla gave Elon Musk a stock grant of $29 billion on Monday as a reward for years of “transformative and unprecedented” growth despite a recent foray into rightwing politics that has hurt its sales, profits and its stock price.

In giving its billionaire CEO 96 million in restricted shares, the electric car company noted that Musk hasn’t been paid in years because his 2018 compensation package has been rejected by a Delaware court. The award comes eight months after a judge revoked the 2018 pay package a second time. Tesla has appealed the ruling. Tesla on Monday called the grant a “first step, good faith” way of retaining Musk and keeping him focused, citing his leadership of SpaceX, xAI and other companies.

Musk said recently that he needed more shares and control so he couldn’t be ousted by shareholder activists.

“Rewarding Elon for what he has done and continues to do for Tesla is the right thing to do,” the company said in a regulatory filing, citing an increase of $735 billion in Tesla’s value on the stock market since 2018.

Tesla shares have plunged 25% this year largely due to blowback over Musk’s affiliation with President Donald Trump. But Tesla also faces intensifying competition

from both the big Detroit automakers, and from China. In its most recent quarter, Tesla reported that quarterly profits plunged from $1.39 billion to $409 million. Revenue also fell and the company fell short of even the lowered expectations on Wall Street. Investors have grown increasingly worried about the trajectory of the company after Musk had spent so much time in Washington this year, becoming one of the most prominent officials in the Trump administration in its bid to slash the size of the U.S. government.

BETTING ON THE UNION

All major Las Vegas Strip casinos are unionized, defying national trend

BY RIO YAMAT Associated Press

LASVEGAS When Susana Pacheco accepted a housekeeping job 16 years ago at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip, she believed it was a step toward stability for her and her 2-yearold daughter

But the single mom found herself exhausted, falling behind on bills and without access to stable health insurance, caught in a cycle of low pay and little support. For years, she said, there was no safety net in sight until now

For 25 years, her employer, the Venetian, had resisted organizing efforts as one of the last holdouts on the Strip, locked in a prolonged standoff with the Culinary Workers Union. But a recent change in ownership opened the Venetian’s doors to union representation just as the Strip’s newest casino, the Fontainebleau, was also inking its first labor contract

The historic deals finalized late last year mark a major turning point: For the first time in the Culinary Union’s 90-year history, all major casinos on the Strip are unionized. Backed by 60,000 members, most of them in Las Vegas, it is the largest labor union in Nevada. The union’s success on the Strip is a notable exception in a national landscape where

union membership overall is declining. And this summer contracts have provided workers with added security as the city’s tourism dips. Visitation was down 11% in June compared with a year earlier, and the Strip’s occupancy rate also fell from 88% last June to 82%, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

“Together, we’ve shown that change can be a positive force, and I’m confident that this partnership will continue to benefit us all in the years to come,” Patrick Nichols, president and CEO of the Venetian, said shortly after workers approved the deal.

Pacheco says their new contract has already reshaped her day-to-day life. The housekeeper no longer races against the clock to clean an unmanageable number of hotel suites, and she’s spending more quality time with her children because of the better pay and guaranteed days off.

“Now with the union, we have a voice,” Pacheco said.

The Culinary Union is also seeing gains despite Republican-led efforts to curb union power

About 10% of U.S. workers belonged to a union in 2024, down from 20% in 1983, the first year for which data is available, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

President Donald Trump in March signed an executive order seeking to end collective bargaining for certain federal employees that led to union leaders suing the administration. Nevada and more than two dozen other states now have so-called “right to work” laws that let workers opt out of union membership and dues.

GOP lawmakers have also supported changes to the National Labor Relations Board and other regulatory bodies, seeking to reduce what they view as overly burdensome rules on businesses.

Ruben Garcia, professor and director of the workplace program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas law school, said the Culinary Union’s resilience stems from its deep roots in Las Vegas, its ability to adapt to the growth and corporatization of the casino industry, and its long history of navigating complex power dynamics with casino owners and operators.

He said the consolidation of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip mirrors the dominance of the Big Three automakers in Detroit. A few powerful companies — MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts now control most of the dozens of casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard.

“That consolidation can make things harder for workers in some ways, but it also gives unions one large target,” Garcia said. That dynamic worked in the union’s favor in 2023, when the threat of a major strike by 35,000 hospitality workers with expired contracts loomed over the Strip. But a lastminute deal with Caesars narrowly averted the walkout, and it triggered a domino effect across the Strip, with the union quickly finalizing similar deals for workers at MGM Resorts and Wynn properties.

The latest contracts secured a historic 32% bump in pay over the life of the fiveyear contract. Union casino workers will earn an average $35 hourly, including benefits, by the end of it.

Dow leaps 585 points as stocks win back most of Friday’s loss

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocks rallied on Monday and won back most of their sharp loss from last week, when worries about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs may be punishing the economy sent a shudder through Wall Street. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5% to follow up its worst day since May with its best since May The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 585 points, or 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite leaped 2%. Idexx Laboratories helped lead the way and soared 27.5% after the seller of veterinary instruments and other health care prod-

ucts reported a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected. It also raised its forecast for profit over the full year Tyson Foods likewise delivered a bigger-than-expected profit for the latest quarter, and the company behind the Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farms brands rose 2.4%.

Stocks are coming off their worst week since May not so much because of that criticism but because of worries that Trump’s tariffs may be hitting the U.S. economy following a longer wait than some economists had expected. Job growth slowed sharply last month, and the unemployment rate worsened to 4.2%.

They helped make up for a nearly 3% loss for Berkshire Hathaway after Warren Buffett’s company reported a drop in profit for its latest quarter from a year earlier The drop-off was due in part to the falling value of its investment in Kraft Heinz. The pressure is on U.S. companies to deliver bigger profits after their stock prices shot to record after record recently The jump in stock prices from a low point in April raised criticism that the broad market had become too expensive.

The Fed has instead been keeping rates steady this year, in part because lower rates can send inflation higher, and Trump’s tariffs may be set to increase prices for U.S. households.

Friday’s stunningly weak jobs report did raise expectations on Wall Street that the Fed will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September That caused Treasury yields to slump in the bond market, and they eased a bit more on Monday The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.19% from 4.23% late Friday

Trump reacted to Friday’s disappointing jobs numbers by firing the person in charge of compiling them. He also continued his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which could lower interest rates in order to pump adrenaline into the economy

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN LOCHER

Diplomacy tests friendship of Modi, Trump

BY SHEIKH SAALIQ and RAJESH ROY Associated Press

NEW DELHI The men shared bear

hugs, showered praise on each other and made appearances side by side at stadium rallies — a big optics boost for two populist leaders with ideological similarities. Each called the other a good friend.

In India, the bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump was seen as a relationship like no other That is, until a series of events gummed up the works

From Trump’s tariffs and India’s purchase of oil from Russia to a U.S. tilt toward Pakistan, friction between New Delhi and Washington has been hard to miss. And much of it has happened far from the corridors of power and, unsurprisingly, through Trump’s posts on social media.

It has left policy experts wondering whether the camaraderie the two leaders shared may be a thing of the past, even though Trump has stopped short of referring to Modi directly on social media. The dip in rapport, some say, puts a strategic bilateral relationship built over decades at risk.

“This is a testing time for the relationship,” said Ashok Malik, a former policy adviser in India’s Foreign Ministry

The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Simmering tensions

The latest hiccup between India and the U.S. emerged last week when Trump announced that he was slapping 25% tariffs on India as well as an unspecified penalty because of India’s purchasing of Russian oil. For New Delhi, such a move from its largest trading partner is expected to be felt across sectors, but it also led to a sense of unease in India — even more so when Trump, on social media, called India’s economy “dead.”

Trump’s recent statements reflect his frustration with the pace of trade talks with India, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal administration thinking. The Republican president has not been pursuing any strategic realignment with Pakistan, accord-

ing to the official, but is instead trying to play hardball in negotiations.

Trump doubled down on the pressure Monday with a fresh post on Truth Social, in which he accused India of buying “massive amounts” of oil from Russia and then “selling it on the Open Market for big profits.”

“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,” he said.

The messaging appears to have stung Modi’s administration, which has been hard-selling negotiations with Trump’s team over a trade deal by balancing between India’s protectionist system while also opening up the country’s market to more American goods.

Many expected India to react strongly considering Modi’s carefully crafted reputation of strength. Instead, the announcement prompted a rather careful response from India’s commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, who said the two countries are working toward a “fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement.” India’s Foreign Ministry also played down sugges-

tions of any strain.

However, experts in New Delhi wonder “Strenuous, uninterrupted and bipartisan efforts in both capitals over the past 25 years are being put at risk by not just the tariffs but by fast and loose statements and social media posts,” said Malik, who now heads the India chapter of The Asia Group, a U.S. advisory firm Malik also said the trade deal the Indian side has offered to the U.S. is the “most expansive in this country’s history,” referring to reports that India was willing to open up to some American agricultural products. That is a politically sensitive issue for Modi, who faced a yearlong farmers’ protest a few years ago.

A tilt toward Pakistan?

The unraveling may have gained momentum over tariffs, but tensions have been palpable for a while. Much of it has to do with Trump growing closer to Pakistan, India’s nuclear rival in the neighborhood.

In May India and Pakistan traded a series of military strikes over a gun massacre in disputed Kashmir that New Delhi blamed Islamabad

Faced with hardships, Ethiopians risk perils at seas for a better life elsewhere

Immigration challenges underscored after ship overturns, killing dozens

BY AMANUEL GEBREMEDHIN

BIRHANE and SAMUEL

GITACHEW

Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia The deadly shipwreck in waters off Yemen’s coast over the weekend is weighing heavily on the hearts of many in Ethiopia. Twelve migrants on the boat that carried 154 Ethiopians survived the tragedy — at least 68 died and 74 remain missing.

When Solomon Gebremichael heard about Sunday’s disaster, it brought back heartbreaking memories — he had lost a close friend and a brother to illegal migration years ago.

“I understand the pain all too well,” Gebremichael said at his home in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Although Ethiopia has been relatively stable since the war in the country’s Tigray region ended in 2022, youth unemployment is over 20%, leading many to risk dangerous waters trying to reach the wealthy Gulf Arab countries, seeking a better life elsewhere.

Mesel Kindeya made the crossing in 2016 via the same sea route as the boat that capsized on Sunday, traveling without papers on harrowing journeys arranged by smugglers from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia.

“We could barely breathe,” she said of her own sea crossing. “Speaking up could get us thrown overboard by smugglers. I deeply regret risking my life, thinking it would improve my situation.” Kindeya made it to Saudi

for Pakistan denied the accusations.

The four-day conflict made the possibility of a nuclear conflagration between the two sides seem real and the fighting only stopped when global powers intervened

But it was Trump’s claims of mediation and an offer to work to provide a “solution” regarding the dispute over Kashmir that made Modi’s administration uneasy Since then Trump has repeated nearly two dozen times that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan

For Modi, that is a risky — even nervy territory Domestically he has positioned himself as a leader who is tough on Pakistan. Internationally, he has made huge diplomatic efforts to isolate the country So Trump’s claims cut a deep wound, prompting a sense in India that the U.S. may no longer be its strategic partner

India insists that Kashmir is India’s internal issue and had opposed any third-party intervention. Last week Modi appeared to dismiss Trump’s claims after India’s Opposition began demanding answers from him. Modi said that “no country in the world stopped” the fight-

ing between India and Pakistan, but he did not name Trump. Trump has also appeared to be warming up to Pakistan, even praising its counterterrorism efforts Hours after levying tariffs on India, Trump announced a “massive” oil exploration deal with Pakistan, saying that some day, India might have to buy oil from Islamabad Earlier, he also hosted one of Pakistan’s top military officials at a private lunch Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, an expert at New Delhi’s Jindal School of International Affairs, said Trump’s sudden admiration for Pakistan as a great partner in counterterrorism has “definitely soured” the mood in India.

Chaulia said “the best-case scenario is that this is just a passing Trump whim,” but he also warned that “if financial and energy deals are indeed being struck between the U.S. and Pakistan, it will dent the U.S.-India strategic partnership and lead to loss of confidence in the U.S. in Indian eyes.”

Oil from Russia

The strain in relations has also to do with oil.

India had faced strong pressure from the Biden administration to cut back its oil purchases from Moscow during the early months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Instead, India bought more, making it the second-biggest buyer of Russian oil after China. That pressure sputtered over time and the U.S. focused more on building strategic ties with India, which is seen as a bulwark against a rising China.

Trump’s threat to penalize India over oil, however, brought back those issues.

On Sunday, the Trump administration made its frustrations over ties between India and Russia ever more public. Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House, accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow, saying it was “not acceptable.”

Some experts, though, suspect Trump’s remarks are mere pressure tactics. “Given the wild fluctuations in Trump’s policies,” Chaulia said, “it may return to high fives and hugs again.”

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed reporting.

Arabia and worked as a maid for six months before she was captured by authorities and imprisoned for eight months By the time she was deported back to Ethiopia, she had barely managed to earn back the initial cost of her journey

“Despite the hardships of life, illegal immigration is just not a solution,” she said.

Over the past years, hundreds of migrants have died in shipwrecks off Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country that has been engulfed in a civil war since September 2014.

“This shows the desperation of the situation in Ethiopia for many people,” said Teklemichael Ab Sahlemariam, a human rights lawyer practicing in Addis Ababa.

“They are pushed to head to a war-torn nation like Yemen and onward to Saudi Arabia or Europe,” he said “I know of many who have perished.”

And many of those who get caught and are sent back to Ethiopia try and make the crossing again.

“People keep going back, even when they are deported, facing financial extortion and subjected to sexual exploitation,” the lawyer said.

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry in a statement on Monday urged Ethiopians “to use legal avenues in securing opportunities.”

“We warn citizens not to take the illegal route in finding such opportunities and avoid the services of traffickers at all cost,” the statement said.

African Union spokesperson Nuur Mohamud Sheek called for urgent collective action in a post on social media “to tackle the root causes of irregular migration and the upholding of migrant rights and to prevent further loss of life.”

Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa countries.

About 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen last year, down from 97,200 in 2023 — a drop that has been attributed to greater patrolling of the waters, according to a March report by the U.N.’s migration agency, the International Organization for Migration.

In March, at least two migrants died and 186 others were missing after four boats capsized off Yemen and Djibouti,

ASSCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAJANISH KAKADE

A student of Gurukul School of Art completes artwork of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Friday in Mumbai, India.

according to the IOM.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By NARIMAN EL-MOFTy

Ethiopian migrants walk on the shores of Ras al-Ara, Lahj, yemen, after disembarking from a boat in 2019. At least 68 people were killed and 74 remain missing after a boat carrying migrants wrecked off the coast of yemen over the weekend.

Your hearing is an integral part of your overall health and wellbeing. Studiesshow that untreated hearingloss has been linked to many health issues, including cognitivedeclineand dementia.1

We are hosting aSpecial Eventduring the month of March! During this event, we will be offering these FREE services:

•FREE Hearing Consultations

•FREE Video Otoscope Exam: Hearinglossorjust earwax?

•FREE Clean &Check on currenthearing aids

•FREE Baseline Audiogram Assessment

•FREE Familiar Voice Test

•FREE Demo of Audibel’s latest hearing technology!

AreYou or Anyone YouKnow Experiencing the Following?

1. Asking people to speak up or repeat themselves?

2. Turning theTVuploud tounderstandwhat is being said?

Audibelis NOW Offering...

3. Ringing or noises in your ears? AUGUST2025

•Hearingaids at NO COST to those who qualify!•

• That’s Right. No Co-Pay!NoExamFee! No AdjustmentFee! If youhavethiscard, youmay qualifyfor free hearing aids! Call today to verifyyour benefits

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

La.summer in ashanty boat

WesModes emailedinthe spring about his plan to spend the summer in ashanty boat on therivers of south Louisiana.

My first question was obvious: Why plan this trip for the summer?

On Thursday night, in an air-conditioned,upstairs bar overlookinga marina and campground on theInner Harbor Navigation Canal near Lake Pontchartrain, Ilearned the answer: He’sateacher and has thesummer off.

Technically,he’sanart professor,and Dotty,his shanty boat —built over two years using the remains of a100-year-old chicken coop —looks like something Disney might design if asked to build ashanty boat. Modes will hate that comparison, but it’s true.

With clothes hanging to dry from the small back porch, walls lined with books andrusted signs, avase of flowers on the table, the boat is beautiful and rustic all at once.

His attention to detail and use of space are amaster class for tinyhouseconstruction Cleansheets?

Aboard his shanty boat, Modes is the director of “A Secret History of American River People,” adecadelongparticipatory project documentingoverlooked river communities. Since his first trip, he and his crew have collected175 oral histories and traveled 3,000 river miles and 30,000 miles on land. He’straversed the Upper Mississippi River, the Tennessee, the Sacramento,

See RISHER, page 2B

City unveils parking benefit

N.O. hospitality workersget breakdowntown

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

Discounted parking downtown is now available for New Orleans hospitalityworkers thanks to anew program city officials launched Monday that aims to address along-standing complaint from those serving at the heartof the city’s$9billion tourism industry The city’sOffice of Nighttime Economy created the program in partnership with Premium Parking, LAZ Parking and Parking Management Services Inc. It includes over 1,000 parkingspaces at 27 participating parking lots and garages in the Central Business District, FrenchQuarter,Marigny and Tremé. Eligible employees can apply to receive daily parking discounts that average 43%off or $140 off amonthlysubscription, according to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’sadministration. “New Orleans runs on the

Courthalts sheriff’ssentencing

Hutson convictedofignoringtransport order

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer

ALouisiana appealscourt has halted thesentencing of Orleans ParishSheriff Susan Hutson after her conviction last monthoncharges that she ignored acourt order to transportjail detainees for court appearances

The ruling Friday from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal is atemporary reprievefor Hutson, whose July 16 conviction on contemptof courtcarries up to six months of imprisonmentora fineupto$500.

a-week courttransportssince2023.

Hutson appealed that decision,a so-called “en banc” judgment from CriminalDistrict Court Chief Judge Tracey FlemingsDavillier that was co-signed by six other district court judges.

The decision Friday from apanel of three appeals court judges puts apause on alllower court proceedings in Hutson’s contemptcaseuntil theappeals court can reach adecision in her

case. The decision was authored by Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott, Judge Karen K. Herman andJudge Monique G. Morial.

WWL-TV first reported on theappeals court decision Monday Hutson wascalledintocourt in July after Flemings-Davillier accusedher office of ignoring aJune 18 court order to transport arrestees to Magistrate Court on weekends and holidays.

Thechief judge said the court has been asking theOrleans Parish Sheriff’s Officetoresume its prepandemic practice of seven-days-

Hutson insisted that theagency doesn’thave the money or staffing to meet that request. She offered to instead hold weekend and holiday court sessionsatthe jail, which has two courtrooms on thefirst floor ButFlemings-Davillier was unpersuaded by the sheriff in July’s heated,two-hour hearing, in which Hutson’scounsel fielded questions from ajury box full of judges. “The sheriff doesnot getto decide when defendants are brought to court,” FlemingsDavillier said. “Thesheriffhas no authority over the jurisdiction of theCriminalDistrict Court.”

SCHOOL yEAR TO BRING CHANGES

Statetorampup accountability system

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

Kelly Batiste walked down the carpoollineatFannieC.Williams Charter School on Mondaymorning, opening doors and greeting each child witha warm smile and ahug as theyreturnedfrom summer break.

Batiste, longtimeCEO of theNew Orleans East elementary school, told students how much she had missed them. She complimented onegirl on herfreshly done nails and warmlywelcomed anotherboy, Jeffrey,who rubbedhis eyes as he slunk out of the back seat.

“Gooninside, have agreat year! shecalledafter him.

By CHRIS GRANGER Cleveland ‘Officer Friendly’Johnson, of the NewOrleans Police Department, holds up awelcome back signtostudents being dropped off by their parents for the first dayofschool at FannieC.Williams Charter School in New Orleans on Monday.

Students gathered in the gym at Fannie C. Williams for aback-toschool school pep rally followed by aspecialceremony to honor the new eighth graders, before headingoff to class. Thefirst dayof class varies across NewOrleans, where independent charter school operatorsrun the schools, but nearly all will be in session by the last week of August.

Thisschool year will bring some big changes, includingthe ramping up of the state’snew school accountabilitysystem,which already is spurring some schools to shift their practices. Meanwhile, 13 charter schools are up forrenewalthisyear,teeing up difficult decisions as thedistrict grapples with whethertoclose or combine schools as thestudent population is expected to declineinthe coming years.

Schools mostly avoided major

cuts during the district’sfinancial crisis lastschool year,but officials have warnedschools to prepare for declining local taxrevenues. Coupled with the end of pandemic relief funds, that may mean schools have tighter budgets this year “It’sreally an uncertain time for every district in the country, said OrleansParishSchoolBoard member Olin Parker.“We have the added local context of anticipated local revenues decreasing and an-

ä See SCHOOL, page 2B

’22killing

Completion of U.S. 190river

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

St. Tammany Parish drivers awoke Monday to the most tangible sign yet that abridge widening project in Covington will indeed become realityin thecomingmonths. Anew overpass on U.S. 190 over the Bogue Falaya River,designedtosolve one of theparish’sworst traffic nightmares, is nowopentonorthbound traffic. While it’sjust asingle lane for now,

state Department of Transportation andDevelopment spokesperson DanielGitlin said, “Obviously,it’sa huge step forward.”

“If you like it,great, it’sonly going to get better,” Gitlin said. “But you’re still going to be in aconstruction zone for thenext few months.”

U.S. 190 has long been acongested messacross sections of St. Tammany Parish. Thestretch that runs north from Interstate 12 and into Covington might be the worst, particularly as the 50,000 or so vehiclesthat travel the road each day get closer tothe Bogue Falaya. For decades, several lanes of northbound traffic have been squeezed

See BRIDGE, page 2B

Harris settobe sentenced Sept.3

MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

AJefferson Parish jury deliberatedfor aboutthree hours Friday before voting to convictaTerrytown man in the shooting deaths of a Belle Chasse couple. Michael Harris, 36, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of being aconvicted feloninpossession of afirearm, according to Jefferson

Parish court records. Harris was charged with killing David Sumera, 36, and Alexxis Eymard, 26. According to Sumera’s relatives, Harriswas no stranger to the victims. Sumera and Harris were well acquainted. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Officeinvestigators say Harris was riding in theback seat of apickup that Sumera and Eymard drove to ahouse in the 2600 block of Bay AdamsDrive in Marrero on the afternoon of Sept. 24, 2022. Authorities have said the visit was

See GUILTY, page 2B

ä

STAFFPHOTO

Hutson

Coroner identifies victims

St. Roch sees two fatal shootings within minutes

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

A 14-year-old New Orleans boy was one of two victims in deadly weekend shootings that occurred minutes apart from each other in the St. Roch neighborhood. The shootings were reported at 4:16 and 4:24 a.m. Thursday, ac-

SCHOOL

Continued from page 1B

ticipated population loss in New Orleans.”

All this comes as this month’s 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina puts New Orleans’ unique school system, which was converted into all charter schools after the 2005 storm, back in the national spotlight.

Here are three big issues to watch in New Orleans education this school year New accountability system

This year, NOLA Public Schools celebrated the fact that none of its schools were labeled as failing. That could change under the state’s new accountability system, which state officials say holds schools to higher standards by putting greater weight on student test scores.

District officials have been warned that many schools will likely see lower grades when the new system takes effect in 2026.

For example, New Orleans would go from having 15

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

the Hudson, the Ohio and now the Atchafalaya River system. Along the way this summer Modes has had friends join him, including Adrian Nankivell for the last leg of the trip. Nankivell came from a cold New Zealand winter for a river trip that was sure to heat things up. When I asked how comfortable or uncomfortable the weather was this summer, Nankivell said the rain had helped, but still. Nankivell slept in a hammock diagonally stretched from one corner of the living quarters to another Modes slept in the “captain’s quarters,” a loft above the living quarters with about 16 inches of clearance.

“You know when you have clean sheets and they’re all dry and slightly warm and they have that really crisp feel?” Modes asked me. “And then you like feel like you don’t deserve those sheets, so you go and you take a hot shower — and you’re all completely new You’re like a new person?” I said, “Yes, I love that feeling. I know it well.” He continued.

“And then you get into your sheets and it’s like perfect, and all is right

BRIDGE

Continued from page 1B

into a single lane crossing the old bridge, which could only handle one lane in each direction. The new bridge, made of 4,800 cubic yards of concrete and 1.1 million pounds of steel, will carry multiple lanes of traffic northbound, and the current bridge will be dedicated to carrying southbound traffic.

cording to the New Orleans Police Department. Police have not said whether the killings were related

The first victim, identified by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office as 34-year-old Elbert E Recasner, was found at the intersection of Mandeville and North Miro streets and died on scene.

Jacarin Scott, 14, was shot at least once in the 1600 block of Franklin Avenue. He was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Scott’s family described

him as a “a kind, respectful, and joyful young soul who had a deep love for riding bikes, playing with dogs, and being outdoors.”

His loved ones have created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses

”He brought light to everyone around him with his smile and energy,” the post states. “His sudden and senseless passing has left our family heartbroken and overwhelmed.”

The NOPD has not released more information related to the killings.

schools with A” or “B” ratings in 2024 down to six under the new system, according to projections by the district. And it would change from having no “F”rated schools to five.

Some schools may look to adjust time spent on certain subjects Sabrina Pence, CEO of FirstLine, which operates four New Orleans charter schools, said her students will spend more time learning science and social students because those scores will count more than they did before.

Batiste said her school implemented daily “What I Need,” or WIN, time to help students in subjects where they are struggling The aim is to catch up the bottom 25% of students whose scores hold more weight under the new system, she said. For high schools, endof-course tests will count for 75% of their rating under the new system and just 25% will be based on graduation rates and college-and-career readiness measures, such as the ACT or job training. That’s a big change from

with the world? The sheets are dry and smooth,” he said.

His clean-sheet description was so nicely done that it had me smiling and nodding along.

He paused. “This summer was 100% not like that,” Modes said.

Along the river

But other than the hot nights above the shanty boat, the summer was full of adventures, problems and searches for solutions.

Over the years on rivers, Modes has noticed how many towns exist because of rivers — but now have little to do with them.

On June 21, Modes put the shanty boat in the Red River in Colfax to start his 2025 river journey

“We came down through the locks and Alexandria. Alexandria’s like one of those towns that now has no river culture,” Modes said. “Like there’s nothing there along the river, other than a weak attempt at a dock. There’s no way to like stop there when you’re, you know, so it’s just like, ‘Alright, you just move on by.’”

They came down the Red River which becomes the Atchafalaya River near Simmesport — specifically where the Red River joins with water flowing from an outflow channel of the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya.

In addition to the new bridge, the $30 million DOTD project will widen U.S 190 to La. 437, more commonly known as Lee Road. Set to wrap up sometime this fall, the project is part of a five-phase plan that will eventually widen U.S. 190 to La. 25, with roundabouts at several intersections to improve traffic flow Gitlin cautioned motorists to drive safely across the new bridge, noting that it’s still not fully operational and that there could be lane shifts in the future as contractors work to complete the project. “But,” he added, “we’re probably past the worst part of the traffic.”

the past, when end-ofcourse scores counted for just 25% of a high school’s rating.

For the first time, the system also gives points for students who complete internships.

Focus on attendance

Schools across Louisiana are making a push to improve attendance as student absenteeism has been on the rise in recent years.

Batiste said the staff at Fannie C. Williams tries to incentivize students to come to school with positive reinforcement, such as credit to spend at the school’s “Warrior Store” on snacks and goodies, homework passes and extra recess time

“Attendance is really a challenge for us, so we try to come up with incentives for kids, because if you give the kids something they’ll beg their parents,” she said. “At our level, it’s up to their parents to get the kids here on time.”

The district also will launch a new attendance office that will centralize

Claiborne Avenue Bridge reopens early

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

After nearly three weeks of closure, the Judge William Seeber Bridge partially reopened this weekend to alleviate traffic woes, according to the state Department of Transportation and Development.

The span, also known as the Claiborne Avenue Bridge, will remain open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, there will be intermittent daytime closures for maintenance, DOTD said, which officials will an-

attendance efforts It’s modeled off a student discipline office that handles suspension and expulsion hearings for charter schools across the city

“The more kids are in school, the better they perform because they have more opportunities,” NOLA

Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore said at Fannie C Williams on Monday morning.

Enrollment challenges

Like urban schools districts across the country, New Orleans is planning for a future with fewer students.

Fulmore told the School Board in July that there are 1,600 excess high school seats and 1,600 excess elementary school seats, meaning some hard decisions could be on the horizon as the district looks to shrink its footprint. Last year, Fulmore praised Community Academies of New Orleans CEO Myrialis King for proactively merging Esperanza Academies and Foundation Preparatory Academy

This year, 13 charter schools in New Orleans are

nounce as they are scheduled.

Closed since July 14, the bridge, which spans the Industrial Canal in the 9th Ward, was scheduled to be out of commission through Friday while Lafayette-based contractor C.E.C completed maintenance work.

The drawbridge wasn’t properly resetting after being lowered from the upright position, DOTD said. The structure’s bearing pedestal and pads, which support the bridge’s driving span when it is down for vehicle traffic, required repairs.

up for renewal, an annual process in which the Orleans Parish School Board votes on the superintendent’s recommendations on whether or not to renew a charter school’s contract with the district. The renewal decisions, which are based on schools’ academic results and their financial and organizational strength, determine if they can continue operating or must close.

The schools are up for renewal this year are: n Arthur Ashe Charter School n Audubon Gentilly n Booker T. Washington (KIPP) n Dorothy Height Charter School n Edward Hynes Charter School at Parkview n Homer A. Plessy Community School n KIPP Believe n KIPP Central City n KIPP Morial n Langston Hughes Charter Academy n Livingston Collegiate Academy n Morris Jeff Community School n Young Audiences at Crocker

The shanty boat stopped in Simmesport, where they had a bit of excitement by docking on the river’s edge, walking into town and meeting, by chance, a nice young man who drove them back to their boat. Shortly thereafter, Modes said that two other young men dressed in full militia gear, with sidearms and patches that said, “Always be ready,” and locked and loaded AR-15s.

“And so they were. They were like, ‘Hey, this is private property.’ We’re like,

GUILTY

Continued from page 1B

drug-related.

Harris was accused of killing shooting Sumera and Eymard in the back of the head shortly after they pulled into the driveway Home surveillance video collected by investigators show a man, later identified by detectives as Harris, getting out of the seat with a T-shirt wrapped around his head to conceal his face, authorities said.

The man opened the front passenger and driver’s side doors before walking away

‘That’s fine. We’ll get out of here.’”

The situation, as they say, escalated from there, with trips to the police station, citations issued, threats made and more. Things became friendlier once they were south of Interstate 10. By the time they reached the bayous near Houma and Dulac, the heat hadn’t let up, but Modes says they had found their groove and the way that even tenuous connections in Louisiana can open doors. The stories

with a black backpack, according to investigators. Sumera and Eymard’s bodies remained in the pickup parked in the driveway for almost four hours until a resident in the Bay Adams Drive house walked outside and discovered them, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The man seen exiting the pickup discarded the Tshirt that had been wrapped around his head a few blocks away Detectives identified Harris as a suspect through DNA testing of the shirt, which was recovered by authorities, according to the Sheriff’s Office. While combing through

Continued from page 1B

strength and dedication of our hospitality workers, the cooks, servers, bartenders, concierges, and culture-bearers who keep our city vibrant and welcoming,” Cantrell said in a news release.

“Downtown Discount is more than a parking program. It’s a commitment to equity, affordability and valuing the very people who make our city worldfamous.”

Under the program, workers must be employed at a restaurant, cafe, coffee shop, bar, museum, hotel, hostel, bedand-breakfast, tour service or live entertainment venue in the Quarter, CBD, Marigny or Treme. The city and its partners are also working to accommodate gig workers, such as musicians, who tend to work nontraditional hours. Local musician Bryce Eastwood said parking can be a “nightmare” for bands who also have to account for several hours of setup time before gigs. Parking downtown has gotten him towed and ticketed, he said, because there’s often unclear signage.

“It’s definitely a consideration I think about when taking those gigs, and will turn down gigs just for that reason,” he said. Fern Castille works fulltime at Leah’s Pralines by Jackson Square and typically bikes from Gentilly But to drive, they park a block off North Rampart Street and walk the rest of the way

“I don’t even try to attempt to park in the Quarter because I don’t wanna pay the cost of an 8-hour time frame, and I’m afraid of getting a ticket,” Castille said.

Parking costs vary widely downtown and increase during special events. Premium Parking, a private company with lots across the city, offers rates ranging from $7 an hour to $40 a day, according to its website.

Metered par king through the city is about $3 an hour, except for Sundays when parking is free, and fines for nonpayment start at $30.

That can add up for industry workers who frequently struggle to afford their basic needs, including housing, child care, food and health care.

The average hourly wage for Louisiana restaurant workers ranges from $11.36 to $14 an hour — well below the estimated $20.51 an hour required for a single adult to meet their basic needs, according to a report the New Orleans Health Department released last month.

had gotten deeper, and the river and its people, for the most part, gentler Modes is spending a few more days in New Orleans. He’s simultaneously still processing the trip, getting ready for the next semester of teaching and already looking forward to his next river adventure History doesn’t live in comfort — it lives in stories. And rivers still have plenty to tell.

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

cellphone data for a phone registered to Eymard, detectives learned that several calls made before and after the killings were to relatives of Harris or people connected to him, according to authorities. That cellphone was never recovered. Detectives obtained a warrant for Harris’ arrest, but he had already skipped town. Harris was arrested at a bus stop in Memphis about four months later Harris is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 3.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

“Our aim from the beginning was to work with parking providers to support the industry, specifically the workers who support them and all of New Orleans,” Robert Henig Bell, community projects manager for the Office of Nighttime Economy said in the release “We’re gratified to provide some much-needed relief to the people who make and serve the food, clean the sheets and fill up the dance floors of New Orleans.” Workers can apply online at nola.gov/downtowndiscount. Employment information, including workplace address, position and name of supervisor is required, and verification can take up to 10 business days. There will also be an outreach event from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday in the French Quarter, where workers will help assist with sign-ups.

Email Joni Hess at joni. hess@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Adrian Nankivell and Wes Modes remove a shanty boat from the side of the Almonaster Avenue Bridge in New Orleans after they were pushed onto it by a storm while waiting for the bridge to open on Wednesday.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Lowe,Rufus

Pippin,Aubrey

Remetich, Diane

Sunkel, Stephen

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Pippin,Aubrey

NewOrleans

Charbonnet

Lowe,Rufus

Lake Lawn Metairie

Espinoza, Carmen

West Bank

Mothe

Remetich, Diane

Obituaries

Keefe Melvin "Uncle Bud" Condoll, Sr. was born on October 18, 1958. He was the eldest son of the late Gerald Condoll, Sr and Jacqueline Hayes Condoll On the evening of June 4, 2025, Keefe peacefully transitioned afterspendinga love-filled weekend surrounded by his family. Keefe attended New Orleans publicschools and was aproudgraduate of theMcDonogh35 Bicentennial Class of 1976. Immediatelyafter graduation, Keefe began working for BellSouth, which merged into AT&T. He worked at AT&T until his retirement. After retirement from AT&T, Keefe started asecond career working for Home Depot Corporate in Atlanta, GA, until health issues forced him to retire permanently.

Keefe loved jazz and could often be found meditating while playing soft jazz in the background.He was quite sociable and enjoyed agood conversation with anyone he encountered. Keefe was aloving father and grandfather and enjoyed spending time with his family. He especially enjoyed his daily calls to his four "girls" in New Orleans: hisaunts Mary Ann, Ethelyn, Ruby and Lenora.

He wasprecededin death by hisparents GeraldSrand Jacqueline HayesCondoll; his grandparents Augustand Earline Condoll, Doris "Hollywood" Williams and his grandson Marquise Applewhite II. Keefeleavestocherish his memoryhis childrenBethany (Marquise),Keefe Jr and Brenton (Tabitha) Condoll, asister Jenelle Cosey(William), two brothersGerald Jr(Zelda) and Christopher(Michelle) Condoll,six grandchildren Bria, Avante, Anaya, Kirstyn, Davinand Taryn and his devotedfriend and caretaker SylviaCox. "...And Ishall dwellin the houseofthe Lord forever Psalm23:6

Espinoza, Carmen Gladys

Dr. Carmen Gladys Espinoza passed away peacefully in herhome on Thursday, July 24th, 2025. Dr Carmen Espinoza was born January 24th, 1943 in Ferrenafe, Lambayeque,Peru. Shewas preceded in death by herhusbandof50 years, Dr. Luis Rolan Espinoza,her mother Aura JulietaGonzalezPasco de Gonzalez, her father ManuelOswaldo Gonzalez Orbegozo and her sister Julieta M. Cotner. Sheissurvived by her daughter Dr Gabriela Mabel EspinozaMaclin and son Dr.LuisManuel Espinoza. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren,Luis Manny" EspinozaJr, Elyana Martha Espinoza, Melvin Maclin III, Miguel A Maclinand Gabriel D. Espinoza. Sheisalsosurvived by her dear cousin, Elsa A.Lumenti. Dr. Carmen Espinoza graduated at the top of her medical schoolclassfrom NationalMajor University of SanMarcos (1963-1969) in Peru. Her training brought hertothe United States in 1970whereshe began arigorous yet fulfilling career in Pathology. After internship atSaint Luke'sHospital, Saint Louis, MO,she completed an Anatomical Pathology andResearch Fellowship at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St.Louis. Shethen completedresidencyatRoyal Victoria Hospital, McGill University and residency in Clinical Pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Her fellowship trainingin Dermatopathologywas completed at New York University Medical Center, NY. After holding afaculty positionatthe University ofSouth Florida College of Medicine,she made her home nestled in the Garden District of New Orleans,Louisiana in 1991. At LSUHSC, she becamea

Professor of Pathology holding positions as Chief of SurgicalPathology as wellasspecializing in Dermatopathology. She retired fromLSUHSCin2011 butremained activeon staff for theDepartment of Veterans Affairsasa Dermatopathologyand Surgical Pathology consultant until December 2023. Dr. Carmen "Mama Espinozataught many and remained aconstant scholar. She willberemembered forher unparalleled energy and selflessnessinall that she did Always alovingpresence,she found joy in teaching,gardening, sewing,crocheting,cooking and crafting.Her hands were never still, andwe will cherish her genuine way of alwaysinspiring others through her kindness. Services willbeheldon Saturday, August 9th, 2025, at LakeLawn Metairie Funeral Home in Metairie. Visitation willbeheld from12-2 pm. Mass will follow from2-3 pm.

RufusLowe, age77, passedawaypeacefully on Tuesday, July 29,2025 with hisdaughterbyhis side He wasbornonAugust5, 1947 in Franklinton, LA to thelateBufus Warren and Weda Lowe.Beloved father of AaronLowe(Tiffany),Dr. Angela Hall (Calvin),Dar‐renPeters, thelateRonald Peters andBrian Lowe Belovedbrother of Joyce Carriere,Dorothy Martin andFeltonLowe, thelate Gildaand LionelLowe. Also survived by ahostof grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, otherrela‐tivesand friends. Rufus wasdedicated to hisca‐reer of drivingand running hisown business forsev‐eral decades. He wasan avid fan of football.Inhis sparetime, he enjoyed watching westerns and spending time with his familyand friends. A memorial servicehonoring thelifeand legacy of the late Rufus Lowe will be held in theChapelofChar‐bonnet LabatGlapion Fu‐neralHome, 1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Wednesday, Au‐gust 6, 2025 at 12 noon.In honoring Mr.Lowe'sre‐quest, he will be cremated andthere will be no view‐ingorvisitation. Please sign online guestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com.CharbonnetLabat

Aubrey Earl Pippin,88, of Kenner,LA, passedaway peacefully on Wednesday, July 30,2025. Born May7, 1937 in Mobile,AL, he was theonlychild of Helen (Vautier)and HomerPip‐pin, loving husband of 65 yearstoEvelyn(Rosine), proudfatherofKevin and Donna,grandfather of Amanda andgreat grand‐father of Abigail (Gumpert). He wasalsoa treasuredfriend, neighbor andcolleague to many throughouthis life.After earninghis engineeringde‐gree at Auburn University (War Eagle) andcomplet‐ingmilitaryservice in the AlabamaNationalGuard, he hada long andaccom‐plishedcareer as apetro‐leum engineer at ShellOil of which he wasvery proud. He neverlostfaith in hisNew OrleansSaints andenjoyed over 30 years as aseasonticketholder with hisson Kevin. He had aninsatiablecuriosity abouthow things worked He wasanardentsup‐porter of hisfamily’smyr‐iadinterests andeven joined hiswifeand daugh‐terintheir passionfor clogging with theDouble Step Cloggers.Heloved to fish andduckhunt.Gener‐ousand goodhearted, he wasa true gentlemanand hada kind word anda quicksmile foreveryone he met. He is already missedtremendously. He is survived by hiswifeand children,his daughter-inlawPilarand hisgreat granddaughter. He was preceded in deathbyhis parentsand hisgrand‐daughter,Amanda. A memorial servicewillbe held Thursday,August7, 2025 at 2:00 pm at theGar‐denofMemoriesFuneral Home andCemetery, 4900 AirlineDr. Metairie,LA. 70001. Informationcan be found at www.gardeno fmemoriesmetairie.com Memorial contributions maybemadeinAubrey’s name to theAlzheimer’s Associationatwww.alz org.

Remetich,Diane Evelyn HelenAnne Wattigny

DianeEvelynHelen Anne WattignyRemetichpeace‐fully passedawayFriday August 1, 2025 in NewOr‐leans, Louisianaat OchsnerHospitalWest‐bank at 80 yearsofage Dianewas born Sunday, August 13, 1944 in NewOr‐leanstoLouis andAn‐toinette Wattigny andwas thesisterofthe late Gerald Wattigny. Dianeissurvived by herlovinghusband of 61 years, JamesA.Remetich marriedonJanuary11, 1964. Together they lov‐inglyraisedtwo sons JamesM.Remetich(Re‐becca)and Jarrod M. Remetich (Christina), both residing in NewOrleans Dianewas theloving Grandmotherof; Emma Remetich Szabo(Marcel), Joshua Louis, Andrew Michael, Noah Jamesand MicahLouis.Sister-In-Law of thelateDel Erickson George “Bubby”Remetich andFredStout.Survivedby Sister-In-LawLeora Erick‐son, Regina Remetich and Kathleen Stout. Dianecher‐ishedtimewithher Family especially with herGrand‐children,spendingThanks‐giving in theSmokey Mountainsand playing cardsafter Holidaygather‐ings.Relatives andfriends areinvited to attend the Visitation at St.Andrewthe ApostleChurch in Algiers, 3103 Eton Street,New Or‐leans, LA 70131 on Wednes‐dayAugust6,2025 from 9AMuntil 11AMwitha Fu‐neralMasstofollow. Inter‐ment with an escorted pro‐cessiontoWestlawn Memorial Park,1225 Whit‐neyAvenue,Terrytown, LA 70056. MotheFuneralHome is assistingthe familydur‐ingthisdifficult time.For directions or to view and sign theonlineguest book please visit: www.mothefu nerals.com

Conrad

peacefullyon

2, 2025 at his home in Birmingham, Alabama. Steve lived hislifeinthe fast lanebut hadtoslow down when diagnosed with several chronic illnesses and dementia. He andhis wife, Anne,moved to Birmingham from the

Florida Keys in 2017 so he couldaccessexcellent healthcare servicesatUAB clinics andHospital and benefit from nearby family support.

Steve wasborninNew Orleans, LA, July 26, 1949, the son of Adrian Conrad Sunkeland Patricia Phillips Sunkelwho both predeceased him. He attended schools in NewOrleans: Sam Barthe School for Boys, then graduatedfrom NewOrleans Academy. He next graduatedfromthe University of Miami, FL, with aBSinFinance.Steve easily made lifelong friends throughout his youth andyoung adult life andmanyofthosefriends remained untilhis death. Steve wassmart, competitive, took risks and became asuccessful businessman in several ventures. Hisearly years in NewOrleans were working for, then owning andoperating afamilybusiness, the AC Sunkel Confectionery Company, that he later mergedwith a foodbrokerage company in NewOrleans,Specialty Sales andMarketing. His boyhood passion for cars, especially fast cars, led himtoacquire exoticvehicles and he competed in vintageracing. He also raced catamaransonLake Ponchatrain. Steve wasa member of thesocialclub, theKrewe of Hermes, and rode floats in Mardi Gras paradesinNew Orleans. In 1998, he and his wife took a giant leap of faithwhen they relocatedtoKey West, Fl. There,Steve successfully developedboth residential andcommercial real estate withtwo friends andpartners. Life in KeyWestalso found Steve spendingmanysunny days fishingand boatinginthe tropical turquoise flatssurroundingthe islands.

Steve willbegreatly missed. He is survived by hisdevoted wife of over 50 years, Anne ReichSunkel, andtwo sisters, Lynn SunkelMoore of Calgary, Alberta Canada, andSue Sunkel Axsmith of Albert Lea, Minnesota: hisniece, Allison Moore of Calgary Alberta Canada, nephew ChristopherAxsmith, niece, JamieLynnWallin, andthree great niecesall in Minnesota.NoServices are planned, buthis ashes will be scattered at afuture dateinNew Orleans andinKey West as Steve wished. Hiswife thanks hismanyattentive and skilledphysiciansatUAB andhis supportive caregivers: Independentcaregiver GraceOcholla and EbonyCammon from Care First Agency, whoprovided servicesathis home thepast few years, as well as loving care by members of theextended Reich familyinBirmingham, AL

Pippin, Aubrey Earl

Keefe

Sunkel, Stephen Conrad

Stephen

Sunkel passedaway

July

Condoll, Keefe M.

Lowe,Rufus

Give LA DOGE a chance

There’slikely little disagreement that government at all levels should operateefficiently.All taxpayers surely want their dollars to be spent wisely and frugally

That’swhy we are cautiously optimistic about Gov. JeffLandry’sLouisiana Department of Government Efficiency,orLADOGE. Approached correctly,this initiative has the potentialto benefit both state workersand the residentswho interact with government.

The reason for our caution should be obvious to anyone whofollows nationalnews. Landry’s interest in reexaminingstate government dates back to his days as attorneygeneral,but he rebranded the initiative “LA DOGE” to piggyback on the Trump administration’scontroversialeffort, headed initially by ElonMusk.

We are hardly the first to criticizehow DOGE in Washington has carriedout its mission. Under Musk, the initiative —itwas never aformal department, as Louisiana’s is not— belittled government workers and slashed jobs and programs without fully understanding orappreciating the value they provide. The wreckageand hard feelings have been widespread, somelayoffsand programcutswerechaotically reversed, and so far, there’slittle evidence ofactual savings It doesn’thave to be that way.Wefervently hopethat, in Louisiana, it won’t be

We’re glad to hear Landry and his appointed “fiscal responsibility czar” Steve Orlando say LA DOGE’sgoal is not to cut government jobs or services for the sake of cutting, but to useabusiness-mindedapproach to help agenciesspend taxpayer dollars wisely

We believe any largeorganizationcan benefit from such periodic review.Bureaucraciescan become stuck on the way things have always been done, even if there are betterapproaches For those who work within the system, attemptingchange can pose frustrating institutional obstacles.

That doesn’tmean we have no concerns.A major one is that LA DOGEdoesn’tplan to follow public meetings laws thatrequire government actions take place in public. We urge it notto adopt aculture of secrecy in doing what is clearly the people’sbusiness.

But we are encouraged that it’sstarting off by lookingatthe perennially troubledDepartment of Children and Family Servicesand atthe sprawling Health Department, which will face major challenges once Medicaid cuts outlined in theOne Big Beautiful Bill kick in.

If LA DOGE effectively modernizes operations,eliminatesunnecessary contracts and ensures thatonlythose whodeserveservices are gettingthem without hurting those whoqualify, that’d be awin for everyone

So as it undertakes its work, weurgeLADOGE to approach it with humility,anopenmind and respectfor thosewho work in government. And we encourage state employeesand citizens to receive itsrecommendationsinthe same spirit. Done right,thisinitiative doesn’thave to be divisive.

In the coming years, Louisiana government will have to dig deep to fulfill its citizens’ many needs. We hopethis new effort will make that challenge easier

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

StudyonMississippi bridge projectneeds to startover

The editorial published on July 9on theMississippi River bridge project ended with the statement, “Commuters and travelers,from Louisianaand everywhere, deserve to know when their long traffic nightmare will finally be over ” The short answer is never,based on thethree location alternatives currently being proposed.

Far removed from theexisting bridge and the Interstate 10 and Interstate12travel corridor and likely to be atoll facility,any such new bridge will not solve thetraffic congestion prob-

lem on the existing I-10 bridge. Only alocation close to the existing bridge that serves theI-10/I-12 corridor traffic would substantially relieve the traffic congestion that currently exists. New Orleansused the parallel bridge concept when the Crescent City Connection bridge was expanded, and it was implemented successfully.The ongoing study should be refocused on abridge location that would truly address the I-10/I-12 corridor traffic congestion problem.

KENNETH A. PERRET Baton Rouge

Fine businesses who employ undocumented workerstopay forICE

At atimewhen the U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement budget has tripled, and we are spending billions on new detention facilities, Ifind myself wondering if someof this additional expense could be recouped by fining businesses and labor contractors that hire immigrants without workpermits.

Ibelieve that if the twopolitical parties could stop politicizing immigration and craft legislation that would allow in only the number of immigrants needed to supplement the American workforce, impose tight controls on the issuing of immigrant work permits and penalize any employer whohires undocumented workers, illegal immigration would slow dramatically

Icalled U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s Washington office withthe following question, however,Iwas rebuffed by thestaffer on the phone and instructed to fill out an online form instead. In apress release on June 27, explaining his opposition to the war powers resolution introduced by U.S. Sen. TimKaine of Virginia after President Donald Trumpunilaterally decided to bombIran, Cassidy wrote, “In thetime in which Congress would debate, the nuclear weapons could be deployed or moved andhidden.”

Cassidy seems to be referring here to nuclear weapons allegedly in Iran’s possession; however,nocredible source has claimed that Iran had or aspires to have nuclear weapons. Rather, in its latest Annual Threat Assessment issued in March, the Office of theDi-

There is an incorrect assumption by thepeople of Louisiana that one of their representatives is third in line for thepresidency.But based on how Mike Johnson pushed through theBig BeautifulBill, Iamforced to conclude that not only does he not represent the people of Louisiana, but also that he’s never actually been to this state. Louisianaisroutinely ranked in the top five of most impoverished states, with apopulation that is either aging, unemployed or underemployed. The entire state of Louisiana is held aloft by millionsoffederal dollars that fund our health care and hurricane recovery.And yet Johnson is behaving as if

rector of National Intelligence wrote that “we continue to assess Iran is not building anuclear weapon.” Why,then, did Cassidy refer to nonexistent nuclear weapons to justify his decision to votenoonS.J. Res. 59? What information does Cassidy have that contradicts the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community? If there is no such countervailing information, why is Cassidy basing his voting decisions on false premises? We have been told these sortsofWMD lies before, to disastrous effect Ironically,Congress taking the time to debateand authorize awar is meant to forestall thekind of dangerously fallible decision-making Cassidy seems to have employed in this case.

JOHN C. O’DAY NewOrleans

no one in Louisiana’s4th District has even heard of the federal government and that the rest of the state has goldplated rimsontheir tires. Johnson put up almost no fight against abill that will strip Louisiana of its health care while enriching this country’sbillionaire class. That’s because Johnson’sreal constituency is madeupofonly this country’sbillionaires, and only three of those live in Louisiana. All threeofLouisiana’s billionaires live in NewOrleans, by theway,which is 325 miles away from Mike Johnson’soffice in Bossier City

DANGALLO

Metairie

Our country must enforce its laws and its borders, but to engage in wholesale roundups using masked ICEagents wearing no identification is undermining the civil liberties of every American. Iwould rather see our health care budget tripled.

MARCIA B. COOKE NewOrleans

Scalise’said in case to be lauded,but more is required

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise wasinstrumental in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’srelease of Mandonna Kashanian from ICE custody.I’m sure the congressman agrees that ICEseizing this person was atravesty of justice. The fact that acongressman had to “pull strings” to secure her release is but asymptom of the dangers we faceinour republic.

While Scalise certainly gains political credit forhis role in her release, as an experienced Washington politician whoiswell-versed in public policy and the use of power,I would hope that he would recognize that this wasnot an isolated incident and makeastatement to that effect. Of course, such an action would require him to moveoutside of his political comfort zone. However,itwould be the moral and ethical thing to do.

PHILIP FRADY NewOrleans

COMMENTARY

KATRINA YEARS 20 THEESSAYS

Dr.Michael G. White on improvisation

ArtbyChandra McCormick and KeithCalhoun

Clarinetist Dr.Michael White, left,plays withthe Tuxedo Brass Band withmusicians JosephTerregano, also on clarinet, and LucienBarber on tuba, during an UptownNew Orleansprocessioninthe 1990s. The imagefrom the photography archiveofKeith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick was waterlogged in Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters, rescued and then restored by the artists in 2010.

What ourmusic teaches us aboutrecovery

WhenHurricane Katrina arrived in late August 2005, it was awarning to the entire worldthatclimate change andits results, likecoastal erosion,risingtides and more devastatingsuperstormsand tsunamis, wouldbethe new order forthe planet.

To this nation and state, Katrina andits aftermath revealedthe need for anew approach to disaster preparation andaid, levee reconstruction andcoastal restoration, damage cleanup andreparation, financial assistance anda widerange of necessary social services. Forthe citizens of New Orleans, Katrina’sfierce winds blew the roof off our celebratory lives. Its lingering flood waters drowned our innocence and indifference. There would be no return to normal for many of us. Life as we had known it would neverbethe same.

In some ways, the storm washed up surprising revelations and questions about government agencies, ourfalsely imagined safety,response time,responsibility and accountability. Many ofus have lived nearly twodecades through the lingering effectsofstorm-related trauma, stress and devastating losses of loved ones, property, valuables and lifestyles.

In some ways, Hurricane Katrina was achance to use —orconsider —the lessons found in our traditional jazz culture Amain musical characteristic of New Orleans-style jazz is improvisation

To play jazz, you useyour hearing and knowledge of asong’smelodyand chord structure to spontaneously give your personal take on atune, itsfeeling and its meaning. That individualaspect used in ensemble playing and featured solos, teaches us to dig down deepinside ourselves to make the best of our present surroundings, whether it bethe song form, conditions under which we are playing or the quality of accompanying musicians.

In many aspects of Katrina recovery, anew level of improvisation became a necessary part of life thatweused to repair homes, find lodging, cope with illness and death, seek assistance and deal with the complexities of ouraltered daily lives.

Katrina forced us to playa new tune, to

beginanew life song. We had to replace our characteristic resistance to change by embracing new and different ways of existingand going about daily activities. That is like what happens in jazzimprovisation.

New Orleans jazz is characterized by its more communal nature. Our authentic Black community parade tradition of social club members, brass bands and endless second-lines achieves aspiritually powerful spectacle of sight,sound and movementcreated by mutually inspired layers of improvisation.

While individual improvisation is important in all jazz, our original jazz style also emphasizes collective improvisation. Each instrument of thetypical horn section of trumpet,trombone and clarinet is free within its specific roleto improvisetogether in call-and-response musical conversations above asteady rhythm section pulse to create ahigher, more powerful and more exciting sonic patinathanany one individual could.

Thelesson here is that unity is important in gaining the strength to overcome and rebound from tragedy.Many witnessed thesame kind of coming together found in our jazztradition in thepeople of New Orleanshelping and inspiring each other to rebound from Hurricane Katrina’saftermath.

The spirit of our old Sunday church parade tradition, in which brass bands played up-tempo jazz versions of hymns as well-dressed proud congregations paraded through community streets, added the elements of religious faithand prayer to the idea of unity and strength to overcome tragedy.Iwroteand recorded thesong “Sunday Morning” shortly after Katrina with those parades and our long recovery in mind, combining faith, unity and prayer: “Come together,Sunday morning When thelight moves darkness from thesky Sunday morning, when Isee you

We shall march together bye and bye.”

The traditional New Orleansjazzfuneral offers apsychologically healthy way of viewing and dealing with existence-altering disasters, like Katrina.

Thefirst part of the funeral is aprocession that acknowledges and embraces

loss and grief, reflected by the slow, sad hymns of abrass band. After burial or “cutting thebody loose,” there is a second-line withup-tempo music and dancing by family,friends, social club membersand acrowd of anonymous followers. The faster music and joyous dancing symbolize thehappiness that we should feel for thedeceased person, who is now free of life’stroubles and earthly burdens. We celebrate their transition to anew and better existence in union with theCreator.Katrina was adeath, an end of life as we knew it. Butitwas also a transition into anew life, an opportunity to begin again.

As the20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’sdevastating visit to our area approaches, it is atime to reflect on all that has happened since that fateful Monday,Aug. 29, 2005. It is atimeto honor thedead and remember all our suffering and losses. It is atimetoappreciatewhat is right about ourcommunity, and seek positive ways to fix what isn’tright. Ourtransition from pre- to post-Katrina life, our survival,recovery and renewal have been —like in the jazz funeral —away of transitioning closer to theCreator

For many, theKatrina experience taught us to be stronger,tobethankful for what we had and have.

It is areminder that we must remain strong and prepare ourselves to lessen losses and grief in the future, as the truthabout our geographic location and climate conditions remains afrightening reality.

It is atime for us to uniteinprayer, encourage strong leadership and find positive ways toteach our young. It is also atime to reflect upon the unique cultural traditions that make New Orleans amagical and special place; their true meaning and purpose, their authentic noncommercial forms,theirvalue to our community,and theways in which they continue to define, inspire, challenge, uniteand free us.

Avaluable resource for how we can deal withdisasters like Katrina, the COVID epidemic and personal tragedy is found through prayer and something as close and personal as our authentic jazz tradition.

Dr.MichaelG.White is an accomplished clarinetist, composer, historian, producer and songwriter. He graduated from St.Augustine High School and Xavier University of Louisiana, and he has a master’sand adoctoratefrom Tulane University.Heisthe founderofthe Original Liberty Jazz Band. He lost nearly everything to Hurricane Katrina, and he’s been building anew life since

Chandra McCormick and Keith Calhoun are artists bornand raisedinNew Orleans’ Lower 9thWard.Amarriedcouple, theyhavebeen documenting the culture of Louisiana and its people formore than four decades and have received numerous awards fortheir work.

STAFF FILE PHOTO

STAFF FILE PHOTO

NewOrleans Forecast

Mankilled in OldJeff housefire ID’d

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s

Office has identified the man found dead followinga fire ata home in OldJefferson early Saturday morning. Firefighters discovered the body of Edgar Dixey III, 74, inside his house in the 3000 block of D’Aquin Street. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said he was found suffering from “fire-related injuries.” Crews with the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department responded to the scene about 12:55 a.m. after receiving areport of house fire at the single-family home, said Sgt. Brandon Veal,spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.

Firefighters found Dixey’sbody in aroom after extinguishing the blaze. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Though authoritiescharacterized the fire as “accidental,” the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, according to the Sheriff’sOffice Email Michelle Hunterat mhunter@theadvocate.com.

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Agroup of Baton Rouge judges and residents is asking afederal court to reopen a1986 voting rightscase,arguing the Legislature’sdecision this year to redrawelectionmaps for the 19th Judicial District illegally diminishes minority voting strength.

Chief Judge Don Johnson, Judge Colette Greggs, Judge Gail Horne Ray andJudge Ronald Johnsonalong with retiredJudge Trudy Whiteand former judicial candidateGideon Carter III are listed plaintiffs in thecase.

So are Orscini Beardand Voter InformationProject LLC,two of the original plaintiffs in the 1986 lawsuit against the state of Louisiana, known as Clark v. Edwards.

Theplaintiffs argue thenew voting map for the 19th JDC, whichhas the same boundaries as East BatonRouge Parish, violatesa decades-oldfederal court order and consent decreeissued in the case. It does so, theyargue, by eliminatingone of the two majority-Black districts and using an at-largevoting district.

“Defendants’ open defianceof theClark decree warrantsimmediate relief,” the plaintiffs argue in alegal filing dated July 1, in which they ask the court to block themap passed this year

Supporters of the new districts have argued the old voting map, which hadn’t changed since the 1990s, didnot accountfor shifts in population over the past few decades.

U.S. DistrictJudge John deGravelles denied arequest to temporarily blockthe newmap while the litigation plays out.

Callaisredistricting case looms

He also put the entire matteron hold until the U.S. Supreme Court issues adecision in themuchanticipated redistricting case Louisiana v. Callais, which deals with requirements of the Voting RightsAct, a1965 federal law aimed at ensuring Black people aren’tdenied the right to vote.

Thestandard that could be usedtodecide the Baton Rouge plaintiffs’ request,deGravelles said,“hasasignificant potential to change followinga decision in Callais.”’

He ordered the plaintiffs and the state of Louisiana to, within 30 days of aSupremeCourt decision, file short briefs “describing the impact of Callais on theissues remaininginthis case.”

Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill said the SupremeCourt’s decision“may have consequences forall pending redistricting litigation.

“Webelieve the judge was prudent to stay thecasepending further instructions from the Supreme Court,”she said. “That will be beneficialtoeveryone,but mostofall, to Legislatures around the country who are taskedwith

thejob of drawing these maps.”

The plaintiffs several months earlier originally sought to reopen thecasetoask thefederal courttodraw new voting districts forthe sectionofthe 1st Circuit Court of Appeal that coversEastBaton RougeParish. They argued the current district lines there illegally dilute Black voting strength.

After the Legislature passed the new 19th JDC voting mapin June, they returned to askthe court to address concernsrelated to thedistrict court as well.

New19thJDC Map

House Bill 124, now Act 243, created anew mapfor the 19th JDC that has two voting subdistricts, one majority-Blackand onemajority-White, each of which will elect 7judges. Subdistrict1 roughly covers the west portion of the parish includingdowntown andthe northside of Baton Rouge, and Subdistrict 2 coversthe southern andeastern portion of the parish.

In addition, one at-large judicial seat will be elected by East Baton Rouge Parish as awhole.

Previously,the map wasdivided into three voting subdistricts, with each districtelecting 5of the15total judges on the bench. Twoofthose districts weremajority-Black, andone wasmajorityWhite.

According to U.S. Census estimates of the parish from 2023, thepopulationis41% Whiteand 43% Black.

Rep. Barbara Freiberg, aBaton

RougeRepublican who sponsored the bill, said the mapneeded to be redrawn to address population shifts. She andother supporters argued that in the absence of a newmap,the court could have a two-thirds majority of Black judges in aparish whose populationis roughly evenly divided between White and Black residents.

“WhenIproposedthe legislation, Iwas threatened that there would be opposition,” Freiberg said. “Talking to many in the legal profession, Ifelt the courts would uphold the map as we passed it this session.”

Detractors, however,calledpassageofthe 19th JDC map hypocritical in light of the fact that the Legislature for years has refused to redraw the lines of District 2of the 1stCircuit Court of Appeal, whichalso hasthe same bounds as East Baton Rouge Parish but currently hasone Black judge and three White judges.

Theplaintiffsinthe 19th JDC case have also argued the voting mapfor that appeals court district violates the Voting Rights Act. Don Johnson,one of theplaintiffs, said that appeals court district and the 19th JDC have “identical demographic data.”

“The state has not acted consistentlyorfairlyinensuring equal opportunity to elect candidates of choice,” he said. “This is evident in theselective redistricting of some state courts while exempting others.”

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse pfeil@theadvocate.com.

SPORTS

Sumrall: ‘We’ve gottoget better’

Nussmeier commands another sharpday of offense

LSULBPerkins continuesto shineatpreseasoncamp

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Once he used ahard count to fool apairof overeager edgerushers, Garrett Nussmeier’seyes lit up. The veteran LSUquarterback knew he had earnedhis offense afree play,sochoosing his nextmove was easy. Nussmeier would snap the balland throw to Trey’Dez Green —the 6-foot-7 tight end running afade pattern down the right sideline. Once Green snatched the pass in tight coverage and tapped his foot in bounds, he had completed aplay representativeofthe preseason practice the Tigers’ offenseheld on Monday morning —a smoother session thanthe uneven one it turnedinonSaturday Nussmeier fit afew impressive throws into tightwindows.Running back Caden Durham broke off along run.The offensive line —alargely unsettled unit with four new starters —showed signs that it was improving in pass protection.

The defense still made plays, such as an interception by Harold Perkins orpass break-ups by cornerbacksPJWoodland andDJPickett.But thefirst-team offense controlled the day —justlike it did in the Tigers’first practice of the preseason Nussmeier completed fiveofthe eight passes he threw in 7on7repsthat simulated third-and-medium situations. Then hewent 6for 9inteam drills, work that included completions withfive different receivers. On one notable play, Nussmeier evaded

ä See LSU, page 5C

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier STAFF FILE PHOTO

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

The best play in Tulane’s up-and-down

Monday morning football practice cameon the final snap

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff, operating inside the10-yard line,hit tight endJustyn Reed for atouchdown on acrossing pattern after he beat freshman cornerbackJoshua Sims to the corner of the end zone. The offense celebrated,the whistle blew and, within seconds coach Jon Sumrall screamed a scathing review during theteam meeting in themiddle of thefield.

Aboutfive minutes later,heexplained what upset him.

“It was pretty average today,” he said.

“After aday off we were alittle sluggish on some things. It wasn’t awaste of aday,but it justwasn’t crisp thewhole wayaround. We’ve got to get better.Ifour expectation is to be achampionshipcaliberteam, that’snot the kind of practice we can have.”

Thefirst order of business is finding a starting quarterback. As was the caseSaturday at the Shrine on Airline, Retzlaffand Brendan Sullivan handled aheavy majority of the first- and second-team repetitions at Yulman Stadium. Again, Sumrallcautioned not to read too much into the rotation. He said Retzlaff, who showed up less than two weeksago as alate transfer from BYU, and Sullivan, asummer transfer from Iowa, needed the work more thanJanuary arrivals Kadin Semonza (BallState)and Donovan

Leary (Illinois). With someslight tweaks, thenewestguyswillget most of theaction this weekuntil all four participate in Saturday night’spivotal scrimmage.

“It (the rotation) is not about anything that wasdone last week,” Sumrall said. “It’s more, hey,Donovan and Kadin had awhole spring practice. For Brendan and Jake, this is their spring practice if you will. We’ll get through the Saturdayscrimmage,havea little bit of are-evaluation and recalibrate next week.”

Sullivanand Retzlaff combinedfor 10 consecutive completions at the start of asevenon-seven drill. Sullivan hitrunning back Zuberi Mobley in the flat, threw underneath

have four starters whowere drafted in the

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

Erik McCoy is surrounded by firstrounders. On his left,there’sTrevor Penningand Kelvin Banks —the New Orleans Saints’ first-round picks from 2022 and 2025, respectively.Then, to his right,there’sCesarRuiz and Taliese Fuaga—from the 2020 and 2024 classes.

Not many centers —let alone teams can say thesame.

The Saintsare one of just two teams projected to have four starting offensive linemen whowere taken in the first round. TheLos Angeles Chargers are the other,but in that case, oneofthe four playersisn’t homegrown. Mekhi Becton, picked 11th overall in 2020 by the Jets, joinedLos AngelesinMarch after asuccessful year withthe Philadelphia Eagles. Does it matter?

Sincearriving to coach the Saints, Kellen Moore has consistently vowed to build his team through thetrenches. But he isn’talone in that trainofthought

coaches across the NFL love to tout the importance of offensive (and defensive) line play.And New Orleans is coming off aseason in whichits line playwas relatively poor,despite having three firstrounders.

The difference, it seems, might be the distinction between general platitudes andwhether ateam actually continues to makeaninvestment in the position year after year.And to start the Moore era, the Saints drafted Banks ninth overall, switched Fuaga back to right tackle and moved Penning inside to play leftguard.

The Saints are banking on their changes up front suddenly turning one of their biggest weaknesses into oneoftheir biggest strengths.

“You can havethat statusand you canhaveall that, butyou’vegot to go outthere andplay football at the same time,” Banks said. “The guys on our line, we were picked in the first round. They believedinusfor areason andobviously, we have talent. Andthey believe we have thetalent to go out there and do it.

Youcan have that status and you can have allthat, but you’ve gottogoout there and play football at the same time. The guys on our line, we werepicked in the first round. They believed in us for areason and obviously,wehave talent. And they believe we have the talent to go out there and do it.”

KELVIN BANKS, Saints tackle

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

The Saints offensiveline prepares for asnap in team drills during training camp on Wednesday.The line is projected to

first round.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN MCCUSKER

Tulane quarterback JakeRetzlaff runs adrill during Friday’spractice at yulman Stadium.

TULANE, page 5C

NASCAR pivots after MLB Speedway

BY TERESA M. WALKER AP sportswriter

BRISTOL,Tenn. — The instant the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds cleared the baseball diamond inside the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway, a new clock started

“The Last Great Colosseum” has to switch from hosting the MLB Speedway Classic and be ready for NASCAR’s return to the historic racetrack hosting a playoff chase race Sept. 13.

“As soon as the last pitch is thrown, the last hit’s hit teams do their thing, postgame’s taken care of, pads will start coming off the wall, and they’ll work through the night to basically start disassembling so we can reassemble for the NASCAR race,” said Steve Swift, Speedway Motorsports’ senior vice president of operations.

Major League Baseball used BaAM Productions, a creative production company, for every-

thing from clubhouses complete with showers, strength and conditioning rooms, and coaches’ and trainers’ offices to batting cages, grandstands and broadcast booths.

Pit walls taken down to keep the Reds and Braves from crashing into them have to be rebuilt. Swift said pouring concrete walls does take time and then more time to cure properly. Additives can help concrete cure faster, but that’s just one of the reconstruction issues causing obstacles.

Swift said Bristol has had great partners planning for all the details of making this happen. Now

it’s time for Bristol Motor Speedway to go from hosting the first MLB regular-season game in the state of Tennessee and setting a record with a paid attendance of 91,032 back to its racing roots.

“It is difficult, but it’s things that we like,” Swift said “It gives us a challenge and we like challenges.”

The transformation to a baseball

diamond in the infield required 17,500 tons of gravel to level the infield, then 340 tons of Pennsylvania clay for the playing surface. Braves first baseman Matt Olson said Saturday that he couldn’t believe Bristol was transformed all for one game. Well, everything that can be recycled will be used somewhere after the baseball diamond is removed.

Some of the gravel will be used in Bristol Motor Speedway’s parking lots. Swift said they have found groups to help use some of the materials to help people still recovering from the damages left by Hurricane Helene. That includes 2x4s and plywood used for the grandstands.

“A lot of stuff is going to go to good use as far as the rebuild portion,” Swift said. “We just need to get it out of the way so we can put back asphalt and concrete.”

This new renovation schedule has a couple of days built in for protection. The target date for be-

ing finished is Sept. 7.

“There may still be some paint drying whenever they roll in with the Goodyear haulers, but we’ll definitely shoot for that (Sept 7) day,” Swift said “And at the latest, we’re looking at Tuesday.”

Bristol hosted a college football game in 2016 that drew 156,990. Now the NHL might be in Bristol’s future after Sportico reported Friday that league officials would be checking out how the racetrack handled Major League Baseball.

When asked about possibly hosting an outdoor hockey game, Swift only said a hockey rink would be similar to a football field and that Speedway Motorsports has big dreams for what is possible at places like Bristol.

“We’ve shown with football and now baseball being here, that things can take place and we can do the the things that nobody would even think about,” Swift said.

Byron looks to build momentum for playoffs

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press

NEWTON,Iowa William Byron was already locked into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and was second in the regular-season point standings heading into Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway

Still, Byron didn’t like how things were going heading into the closing stretch of the regular season.

Byron had five finishes of 27th or worse in the last eight races, and coming to a track where he has had success in the past, he wanted to regain some confidence with the playoffs approaching “I think we’ve been fast every weekend,” Byron said. “I mean, I can’t think of a week when we’ve been slow, it’s just the results haven’t come together And it was starting to wear on us a little bit and starting to create some kind of, ‘What’s going to happen next?’” What happened next, though, was Byron getting his second win of the season on Sunday, gambling on fuel mileage for a win that he thought had changed the momentum of his season. Byron went the last 144 laps of the 350-lap race without a stop, and a third stage filled with caution flags helped him conserve enough fuel to get to the finish. He left Iowa Speedway, where he has now won in all three of NASCAR’s series, with an 18-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for the regular-season title. “This is going to kind of put the pendulum the other way,” Byron said. Byron won the season-opening Daytona 500, and has eight top10 finishes this season, including three second-place finishes. But he had a 37th-place finish at Atlanta, a 40th-place finish at the Chicago street race, and 31stplace finish at Dover He was 16th last week at Indianapolis, when he had to make a late pit stop for fuel Surviving to win this one is something that crew chief Rudy

Fugle expected. “He’s an awesome driver,” Fugle said. “I think he’s the best driver, all-around, in the field right now He’s mine, and I should say that. But I really think he’s maturing and getting the experience to show that off. He’s very welldiversified, and then he’s a fighter He’s got a hard line and fights through anything. There’s no quit in him.” Byron had fuel-mileage issues late at Michigan, and again last week at Indianapolis. Even with that, Fugle knew he could still

Astros’ Paredes will avoid season-ending surgery

MIAMI Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes will rehab his right hamstring injury instead of undergoing surgery in hopes of returning before the season is over, general manager Dana Brown said Monday Paredes suffered what Brown described as a “severe” right hamstring strain in a loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 19. He’s had multiple rounds of imaging done since then and received a second opinion last week from a doctor, who told him his two choices were to rehab the injury or undergo season-ending surgery Paredes received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his hamstring and will begin rehab, which will mostly take place in Houston, Brown said. He added that the immediate course of action will be a “long period” of resting the hamstring.

Spurs, Fox agree to $228M, four-year deal

SAN ANTONIO San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox has agreed to a four-year, $228 million maximum contract extension, a person with knowledge of the situation said

Monday

Fox is under contract this season for the final year of his five year, $163 million deal. The extension starts in 2026-27, said the person, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Spurs have yet to announce the agreement. ESPN first reported the deal.

The move was expected after the Spurs made a big splash at the trade deadline last season by getting Fox from the Sacramento Kings. Fox has career averages of 21.5 points and 6.1 assists in eight NBA seasons. He averaged 19.7 points with the Spurs last season.

Cowboys DT Smith leaves practice early with injury

OXNARD, Calif. Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith left practice early on Monday because of an apparent lower-body injury Smith, a 2023 first-round draft pick who has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons in the NFL, appeared to be favoring his right leg as he walked down the sideline midway through the workout. He was examined in the trainer’s tent for several minutes before leaving the field under his own power Smith is entering his third season in the league, and cannot afford to miss time. He’s been struggling to hold down a starting spot and enters the preseason in danger of losing his job.

Djokovic withdraws from Cincinnati Open

CINCINNATI — Novak Djokovic pulled out of the Cincinnati Open on Monday for what officially was listed as a “non-medical” reason, meaning he will head to the U.S Open without having played a match in about 1 1/2 months.

gamble with his driver

“Those are things that he’s gotten better as well over the years, rolling with the punches and what happens next,” Fugle said. “And next thing you know you’re leading and you get a chance to win.”

Byron admitted he was nervous as the laps dwindled on Sunday

“I knew what to expect,” he said.

“I knew what to look for and all that in terms of if I ran out of fuel. But I was just thinking about preserving as much as I could, doing a lot of different things in the car, lifting early and just not using a lot of throttle percentage. So just the guys did a really good job coaching me on what to do.”

Byron thought there was a little fuel left in the tank at the end.

“I felt like if I could get off of (turn) four, come into the white (flag) I could win the race,” he said. “So that’s kind of what was in my head. And that was mostly true. When I did the burnout, at the tail end of the burnout, I had the fuel pressure come up So I don’t know how many laps that would have been.”

Now, Byron said, he has new fuel to get to the playoffs.

“I really feel like we needed to win a race like this, we deserve to win a race based on how we’ve grown all year and it just wasn’t happening,” Byron said. “It’s is just a big relief for us to have one kind of go our way We’ve just been running so well this year, I feel like this is going to be a big momentum boost for our team.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t competed since losing in the Wimbledon semifinals to eventual champion Jannik Sinner on July 11. That straight-set defeat against Sinner at the All England Club came two days after the 38-yearold Djokovic took what he described as a “nasty” fall in the last game of his quarterfinal victory Djokovic was clearly compromised against Sinner and unable to move at his best.

Star RB Barkley declined Trump sports council

PHILADELPHIA Saquon Barkley has declines President Donald Trump’s invitation to serve on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, which was part of an executive order he signed on Thursday

The All-Pro running back said Monday that given his busy schedule with the NFL season impending, he and his family decided it would be in his best interest to decline the position.

Barkley said that the White House approached his management team “a couple months ago” to discuss the opportunity but that he isn’t “too familiar” with it. “Was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned, but I’m assuming it’s something great,” Barkley said. “So, I appreciate it. But was a little shocked when my name was mentioned.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRyON HOULGRAVE William Byron takes a bite out of a sweet corn in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton Iowa.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Fans cheer during a flyover before the MLB Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday in Bristol, Tenn. The track is being transformed back into a racetrack ahead of a race Sept. 13.

Eastbank All-Stars one win from LLWS

Kenner-based team to play in region final in Waco, Texas

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

The Eastbank Little League AllStar team based in Kenner is only one win away from a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The Eastbank All-Stars are representing Louisiana in Little League Baseball’s Southwest Region with the region winner advancing to the World Series. Eastbank advanced to Tuesday’s region championship game with a 7-5 win over Texas East on Sunday The 2019 Eastbank All-Stars

ä Eastbank All-Stars vs. Texas East, 6 P.M.TUESDAy,ESPN

based in River Ridge were the last Eastbank Little League team to reach Williamsport, and they became the first Louisiana-based team to win the Little League World Series.

Tuesday’s region championship is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in Waco, Texas, and can be watched on ESPN. Eastbank will face Texas East for the second time in three days on Tuesday after the Lamarbased team defeated Oklahoma 5-2 on Monday

Eastbank is currently 3-0 in the Southwest Region. Its first game was a close 8-7 win over Mississippi last Thursday, and the team followed that up with a command-

ing 8-1 win over Oklahoma in their second game Sunday Eastbank’s latest triumph over Texas East to advance to the Southwest Region championship marked its first appearance on ESPN in 2025. Eastbank had a 7-2 lead in the sixth inning and was able to hold on after Texas East scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth.

The 2025 Louisiana Little League State Tournament in July saw Eastbank win to return to Waco and represent Louisiana in the Southwest Region for the first time since 2022.

This year’s Eastbank Little League team is coached by Scott Ledet, who was on the Eastbank coaching staff in 2022.

Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

Raleigh’s ‘staggering’ season leads an offensive surge by MLB catchers

BY DAVID BRANDT

Associated Press

Seattle’s Cal Raleigh — better known by the catchy nickname “Big Dumper” has lived up to the moniker, dropping baseballs into the outfield seats all over the big leagues this season.

Manager Dan Wilson has been in awe of his talents

“That’s what you get from Cal,” Wilson said. “Night in, night out, blocking balls, calling the game, leading a pitching staff, throwing runners out that’s what Cal does, and he does it very well.” Oh wait a second. Wilson obviously wasn’t taking about Raleigh’s prodigious power — he’s talking about how the 28-year-old handles the most demanding defensive position on the baseball field: catcher Raleigh has smashed 42 homers this season, putting him on pace for 60, with a chance to catch Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62 That would be fun to watch under any circumstance. The fact that the All-Star and Home Run Derby champion is also responsible for guiding the Mariners’ pitching staff on most nights makes it even more impressive. Seattle (60-53) is in the thick of the American League playoff race, and the Mariners are relying on Raleigh’s bat and his brain to try and make the playoffs for just the third time since 2001.

There’s the mental side of the job meetings, film study, calling pitches — but there’s also the wear and tear of the physical side. The 2024 Gold Glove winner is also squatting, handling the run game, taking painful foul tips off all parts of his body, putting his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame through the ringer four or five nights a week All while hitting those homers.

The fact that it took Raleigh a few years in the big leagues to emerge as a true superstar — this is his fourth full season with the Mariners — isn’t surprising The learning curve for young catchers can be severe, and the defensive part of the job takes precedence. There’s a long list of backstops who couldn’t hit a lick yet carved out long MLB careers. Raleigh is a man of many talents, and his power was always evident. He hit 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 last season. Now he’s on pace for 50 long balls and maybe more. There are only five other players in big league history who have hit

crouches in the one-knee down defensive stance that has become popular with MLB catchers.

at least 40 homers while primarily playing catcher: Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers.

It’s evidence of a player at the top of his game — and one who has come through plenty of experience.

“I don’t think I’m trying any harder or doing any more than I have in the past,” Raleigh said.

“Maybe a little more focused on the right things and not constantly trying to tweak or change something that I have been in the past.

So, I think that’s been the biggest part to the success, and just trying to keep that consistent and steady.”

Wilson was more direct, putting into perspective what Raleigh has accomplished through the first four months of the season.

“It’s pretty staggering,” Wilson said.

Raleigh’s big numbers are part of an offensive surge for catchers: Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O’Hoppe, Shea Langeliers, Alejandro Kirk, Salvador Perez and William Contreras are among roughly a dozen at the position who are more than holding their own at the plate.

Veteran catcher Carson Kelly is on pace to have his best offensive season in the big leagues at 31, batting .272 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs. He’s been in the big leagues for 10 years and said the balance between offense and defense is

Tempers flare at U.S. championships as sprinters feud

Lyles wins 200 final, gets shoved by Bednarek after jawing

BY EDDIE PELLS AND PAT GRAHAM Associated Press

Noah Lyles landed the day’s biggest blow on the track, passing Kenny Bednarek for the win, then looking his way to talk some trash.

Bednarek’s answer was a twohanded shove in the back after the finish line, some more heated words and a challenge for a rematch.

U.S. track championships turned physical Sunday, with Lyles and Bednarek getting involved in a shoving and shouting match as they crossed the finish line of a hotly contested 200-meter final at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

“Like I’ve said before, Noah’s going be Noah,” Bednarek said.

“If he wants to stare me down, that’s fine.”

Lyles reeled in Bednarek and crossed in 19.63 seconds for a .04-second victory that sets up a rematch at world championships on Sept. 19 in Tokyo.

The best action in Round 1 came after the finish line. There was jawing, the shove and, then, Lyles turning around, backpedaling, reaching his arms out and bouncing up and down like a boxer before lobbing a few more choice words at Bednarek.

Their argument bled into the start of what is normally a celebratory NBC winner’s interview

“I tell ya, if you’ve got a problem, I expect a call,” Bednarek said, as the network’s Lewis Johnson moved the mic between the runners.

Lyles replied: “You know what, you’re right. You’re right. Let’s talk after this.”

make it four in Tokyo. Bednarek was asked what Lyles said as he turned around and gloated after securing his fifth national title at his favorite distance.

“What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did,” Bednarek said.

“Unsportsmanlike (expletive) and I don’t deal with that. It’s a respect factor He’s fresh. Last time we lined it up, I beat him, that’s all I can say Next time we line up, I’m going to win. That’s all that matters.”

Asked to expand on his role in the tiff, Lyles was less forthcoming: “On coach’s orders, no comment.”

Bednarek has won silver and beaten Lyles the past two times they’ve lined up in the 200 at the Olympics, even though Lyles has had issues at both in Tokyo with his mental health, then in Paris with COVID.

Bednarek referenced some long-simmering issues between the two.

“Just some personal stuff we’ve got to handle,” he said.

The 200 final was Bednarek’s fifth race of the week, counting the three heats of the 100 meters, where he won the final Friday Lyles, who has an automatic spot at worlds in that event as the defending champion, only ran one heat of the 100.

“We’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens,” Bednarek said. “Because I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say.” Elsewhere around the track

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the 200 in a personal-best time of 21.84 seconds, while Olympic champion Gabby Thomas placed third.

tough for young players.

“It’s almost like you’re drinking from a firehose with how much information you have,” Kelly said.

“And I think, as you see catchers, as the years go on, you get smarter.”

One major factor for the increased offensive production for catchers could be the one-knee down defensive stance that’s been adopted by nearly every MLB catcher over the past five years.

The argument for the stance is it’s helpful for defensive reasons, including framing pitches on the corners. But there’s also the added benefit that it’s a little easier on the knees than squatting a couple hundred times per game.

“A hundred percent,” said Goodman, the Rockies primary catcher who is hitting .279 with 20 homers.

“You think about back in the day when everybody was squatting being in a squat for that long can be hard on your legs.”

Statistical trends suggest he has a point. Catchers have accounted for 12.2% of all MLB homers this season, making a slow climb from 10% in 2018.

Raleigh’s been the best of the bunch, and fans along with his catching peers — are noticing.

“It just seems like on both sides of the ball, when he’s behind the plate he’s really focused on his pitchers and calling a good game and all the things that a catching position entails, and then when he comes up to the plate, he can do damage,” Kelly said.

Though they shook hands during that tense post-race, Bednarek was fired up well after the sprinters had left the track.

“The summary is, don’t do that to me,” he said “I don’t do any of that stuff. It’s not good character right there. That’s pretty much it.

“At the end of the day, he won the race. I’ve got to give him props He was the better man today.”

The win itself was no big surprise for Lyles, the three-time defending world champion who will have to get past Bednarek to

It was a winning weekend for Jefferson-Wooden, who also captured the 100 on Friday She will be joined in the 100 at worlds by former LSU standout Sha’Carri Richardson, who has an automatic spot as the defending champion. Richardson didn’t advance to the final in the 200.

The women’s 400 hurdles was wide open with Olympic champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone electing to focus on the open 400 (she won the event Saturday). Dalilah Muhammad, 35, took control and cruised to the win.

One of the afternoon’s most exciting finishes was in the men’s 800 meters, where 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier used a strong kick to hold off 16-yearold Cooper Lutkenhaus and Bryce Hoppel.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GENE J PUSKAR

The El Segundo, Calif., and Curacao teams line the baselines before the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., on Aug. 27, 2023. The Eastbank All-Stars will play for a region championship Tuesday, which would send them to the World Series.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS yOUNG

Toronto’s Joey Loperfido hits an RBI single in front of Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez on Sunday in Toronto. Perez, who hit 48 homers in 2021,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By WILLIAM LIANG

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels on July 27 in Anaheim, Calif. Raleigh has hit 42 home runs this season.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS Kenny Bednarek pushes Noah Lyles after the men’s 200-meter finals during the U.S Championships meet in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday

49ers’ Saleh leads list of new coordinators for contenders

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers went back to a familiar face when coach Kyle Shanahan looked to revive a defensive unit that had gone from dominant to mediocre in recent years.

The Niners brought back Robert Saleh for a second stint as coordinator in hopes that he could once again build back the defense in similar fashion to what he did in 2019 when San Francisco’s stingy defense helped carry the team to the Super Bowl.

“His commanding presence in defensive meetings is what we needed,” star defensive end Nick Bosa said.

The 49ers aren’t the only contender that made a change at playcaller on offense or defense headed into 2025. How all of those work out will go a long way to determining which teams are playing deep into January

Some teams were forced to make changes they didn’t want to with Detroit needing to replace both coordinators after Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn got head coaching jobs and Super Bowl champion Philadelphia needing to replace offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after he became Saints head coach. Tampa Bay is in a similar boat for a second straight season after losing an offensive coordinator to a head coaching job with Liam Coen leaving for Jacksonville one year after Dave Canales left for Carolina.

Other teams such as Houston, Cincinnati and Seattle made changes in hopes of finding a spark

Here’s a look at some of the key new coordinators around the NFL: 49ers DC Robert Saleh

The 49ers ranked 29th in the league in scoring defense last season, allowing 25.6 points per game, and were tied for the seventh-fewest takeaways with 17 as the unit looked nothing like the dominant ones under Saleh and DeMeco Ryans from 2019-22

That led to Shanahan making another change at coordinator, bringing back Saleh after he was fired as head coach of the New York Jets to replace the fired Nick Sorensen.

During Saleh’s last two full seasons with the Jets in 2022-23 New York ranked first in yards passing allowed per game (178.9) and yards per play allowed (4.7), and second in total defense (301.7 yards per game).

Lions OC John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard

Detroit became the third team in the past 15 seasons to lose both

coordinators to NFL head coaching jobs in the same offseason with it also happening to Philadelphia following the 2022 season and Cincinnati after 2013. Both those teams went back to the playoffs the following season, losing in the wildcard round.

The Lions have their sights set higher after making it to the NFC title game in 2023 and losing in the divisional round as the top seed last season. Whether that happens will depend heavily on if Morton can keep the offense in the top five in scoring for a fourth straight season after Johnson helped make it one of the most dynamic in the league with his trick plays and schemes.

Morton has only one year of playcalling experience in the NFL in 2017 with the Jets, finishing in the bottom 10 in scoring with an offense that lacked the playmakers he has in Detroit.

Eagles OC Kevin Patullo

QB Jalen Hurts will have a fourth play-caller in as many years with Patullo getting promoted from passing game coordinator following Moore’s departure.

The offense improved under Moore in 2024 after stagnating the previous season when Brian Johnson replaced Shane Steichen as OC.

Buccaneers OC Josh Grizzard

Tampa Bay’s offense got even better last season when Coen replaced Canales with both the running game and screen passing showing major improvement.

Grizzard will try to build on that as he moves from passing game coordinator to OC. He was heavily involved with the third down offense

last season when the Bucs led the NFL by converting 50.9%.

Texans OC Nick Caley

Coach DeMeco Ryans made a change after last season even though Houston made it back to the divisional round. That came in spite of the offense taking a big step back thanks in large part to shoddy line play that hindered the growth of QB C.J. Stroud.

Caley comes over after spending the past two seasons on Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams and is being counted on to bring some of Los Angeles’ successful wrinkles to Houston to help make Stroud’s job at quarterback easier He will need to do it with an overhauled offensive line that lost stalwart Laremy Tunsil in the offseason.

Bengals DC AL Golden

The Bengals went to the college ranks to hire Golden away from Notre Dame to replace Lou Anarumo. Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl with Anarumo leading the defense in the 2021 season but regressed the past few years and were ranked in the bottom 10 in most categories last season.

Golden spent the 2020-21 seasons as linebackers coach for the Bengals and brings a man-heavy scheme to the NFL.

Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak

Seattle hired Kubiak to replace Ryan Grubb in hopes that his scheme heavy on zone blocking and play-action passing can help the Seahawks offensive line.

Kubiak was OC in New Orleans last season when the Saints got off to a fast start before injuries led to a downfall.

Falcons rookie Walker returns and hopes to play in preseason opener

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — After missing much of the first week of training camp with a minor hamstring injury, Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Jalon Walker returned to practice on Monday

Walker said he hopes to play in Friday night’s first preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

“I feel good,” Walker said. “I’m feeling so happy to be back out here Happy for the week It’s a big week of this first preseason game and excited to get things going.”

The Falcons selected Walker from Georgia with the No. 15 overall pick in the draft. Walker won the 2024 Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and has the potential to play a hybrid role in the NFL as a linebacker and edge rusher For now, the Falcons want Walker to focus on edge rusher but plan to utilize his versatility Coach Raheem Morris said Monday the opportunities at linebacker will come “pretty quickly, you know, as soon as he gets more comfortable out there moving around.”

Morris said Walker (6-2, 245) is “already starting to pick some of those things up, cross training on some of those things already He’s very smart, very sharp, very detailed guy So nothing you worry about from that standpoint. But I just want to give him a chance to be comfortable doing something first, see that happen, come to life.”

Morris said the Falcons were careful to protect Walker from aggravating the injury last week even though the rookie was impatient to join his teammates The caution continued on Monday as Walker’s exposure to practice was limited.

After drafting Walker, the Falcons traded with the Los Angeles Rams to add Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr at No. 26.

Penix, Cousins to sit out opener

Morris said starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr and backup Kirk Cousins will not play in the preseason opener against Detroit. Easton Stick and Emory Jones will share the snaps.

Penix said he might be considered for preseason games if not for his starts in the final three games of his 2024 rookie season.

“He feels confident in what I can do on game day,” said Penix of Morris. “So he didn’t feel like I needed to play this week. I’m going to be ready Week 1.”

Morris said other decisions will be made following the team’s scrimmage on Wednesday Morris takes a tumble Morris lined up as a defensive back against wide receiver Drake London during practice. The coach didn’t fare well, as he was pushed back and landed on his backside.

Penix, who threw the pass to London on the play, paused when asked about Morris as a player

“He’s a coach now,” Penix said with a smile. “He’s got to leave the DB stuff back from when he was playing.”

Pearce lands in another scuffle Pearce continued to build on his reputation for aggressive play by landing in another practice scuffle, this time with offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr The rookie had encounters with right tackle Kaleb McGary and right guard Matthew Bergeron last week.

“It’s just the competitor in him,” said Walker of Pearce. “You get after it. And like I said, we’ve got that one speed and once we click it on, it’s on.”

Asked about Pearce’s early impact in practice, Penix said “I notice his love for the game. He works extremely hard each and every day Whatever happens after the play, we definitely want to clean that stuff up. But at the same time he’s a competitor and he wants to compete at a high level. That’s what he does each and every day and that’s what we appreciate and that’s what we’re going to love come game day.”

Former LSU tight end Taylor misses Jets’ practice with an ankle injury

BY DENNIS WASZAK JR.

AP pro football writer

FLORHAM PARK, N.J New York

Jets rookie tight end and former LSU standout Mason Taylor sat out practice Monday with an ankle injury and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor didn’t participate due to a knee ailment.

Coach Aaron Glenn spoke to reporters before the session, and neither player’s injury was mentioned. Glenn is expected to provide updates after practice Tuesday.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

“Now we’ve got to put it all together.” Draft status, as Banks said, isn’t everything. It could be said the reason the Saints have taken so many offensive linemen over the past few years is because they haven’t hit on enough of those picks. Penning was taken to be a star left tackle, but the 26-year-old has had a tumultuous pro journey that has included several benchings, a move to right tackle and now a kick to the inside. As well as Fuaga played at times last year, his struggles in pass protection — his pass block win rate of 84% ranked 57th out of 66 qualifying tackles, according to ESPN — perhaps explain why the Saints’ new coaching staff wanted to move him back to right tackle, the position he played in college.

But the Saints’ tendency to build their line through the draft is also a philosophy — a through-

Former LSU player Taylor has been one of the Jets’ standout performers during training camp, with the second-round draft pick out of LSU expected to play a major role in the offense with quarterback Justin Fields.

Tyrod Taylor was on the field and in uniform throughout the session, but didn’t take any snaps as Brady Cook and Adrian Martinez worked behind Fields during team drills Glenn said wide receiver Xavier Gipson and cornerback/special teams ace Kris Boyd will be out this week after they both injured

line that has existed during all of general manager Mickey Loomis’ 23-year tenure. Loomis strongly believes in homegrown talent, and indeed, the Saints are one of seven teams projected to have a starting offensive line that does not include a player who has played elsewhere in the NFL. The other six? Atlanta, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Dallas, Detroit and Seattle. Because the Saints have invested so many draft picks in the line of late, the unit isn’t that expensive for 2025. McCoy and Ruiz are the team’s only starting linemen who are on their second contracts, and according to Over The Cap, the Saints have the eighthsmallest number of cap dollars allocated toward the offensive line this season. Consider this: Ryan Ramczyk — who retired in June and hasn’t played since 2023 — has a higher cap number this coming season than any other lineman on the roster Still, plenty of concerns exist. Take a glance at any annual offensive line ranking, and the

a shoulder during the Jets’ scrimmage Saturday. Neither will play in New York’s preseason opener at Green Bay on Saturday night.

“We will re-evaluate those guys going into next week,” Glenn said.

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (calf) and left guard John Simpson (back) will also sit out this week.

Rookie safety Malachi Moore, who has been sidelined with an oblique issue, will be worked back into practice this week.

It’s unclear how Glenn will approach the preseason opener, as

Saints tend to fall in the No. 2225 range Offensive line expert Brandon Thorn, one of those rankers who had the Saints

far as who might play, after he declined to provide details on his thinking.

“I will answer that question later on in the week,” Glenn said.

The Jets’ passing offense has struggled in the past few practices, with Fields looking out of sync at times with his receivers.

It hasn’t all been on Fields, who dislocated a toe on his right foot early in camp. There have been drops, bad routes and mental errors. But it hasn’t been smooth lately for Fields, who was unofficially 4 of 16 in team drills Monday

ranked 22nd for Establish The Run, said that while there’s promise at all five spots along the line, he thinks that New Orleans’ line is better suited for run blocking than pass protection. He said he thought Fuaga was “pretty shaky” in the pass game as a rookie, but believes the switch to right tackle will help raise the 23-year-old’s floor Thorn was also “a little bit skeptical” on the Banks selection — not because he disliked him as a player, but because he’s concerned about the rookie’s play strength and whether he can sustain blocks. And then there’s Penning — whom Thorn called one of the sport’s five best run blockers before citing the “very stark” disparity in pass protection. Thorn said he’s “cautiously optimistic” on Penning’s move to guard.

“If all three hit, then yeah, I mean maybe the Saints could be top 10,” Thorn said, later adding, “For me, it was easier to poke holes and ask questions than actually have solid answers. That’s why I’m going into the year with them as a below-average unit.”

“I think he’s really improving, I really do,” Glenn insisted. “I’m excited about that player I’m excited about the things that he is going to be able to create for us. And every day, man, he’s just got to continue to keep chopping wood. And the type of person that he is, he’s going to continue to do that.”

Second-year cornerback

Qwant’ez Stiggers echoed his coach’s sentiments — and took it a step further

“He’s very athletic, he’s very fast,” Stiggers said, “and he’s going to take us to the playoffs.”

Health, of course, will also be an important factor Last year’s line was decimated by injuries, none more impactful than McCoy’s groin and elbow injuries that caused him to miss nine games. The Saints’ depth up front appears to remain a huge problem, and training camp hasn’t eased those concerns. Both backup centers, Will Clapp and Kyle Hergel, have had consistent snapping issues, while guard Nick Saldiveri, a 2023 fourthrounder, is already lost for the season with a knee injury

But as much as the Saints were hurt last year, New Orleans hasn’t deviated from the Banks-PenningMcCoy-Ruiz-Fuaga lineup in camp — at least in a practice setting. The Saints’ goal, for now, is to establish as much continuity as possible. Consider the plan another way Moore is trying to invest in the unit.

“It’s about building inside-out, ultimately,” Moore said.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

AP PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT Saints tackle Kelvin Banks lines up

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF CHIU

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, left, talks with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, middle, and head coach Kyle Shanahan during practice at the team’s training camp on July 23 in Santa Clara, Calif.

AP PHOTO By MIKE STEWART Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker works out during practice at minicamp on June 11 in Flowery Branch, Ga.

FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Kellyimpressed by transfer DT Gooden

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Aweekintopreseasonpractice, LSU coach Brian Kelly has been impressed by one of the new transfers.

Kelly said Monday that senior defensive tackle Bernard Gooden “has really flashed” in his first practices since transferring from South Florida.

“He’sdoing alot of good things,”

Kelly said. “You know,hebrings a high motor.He’saguy that brings energy to the group, intensity to the group. Ithink that’sbringing up everybody in terms of the competition level.”

Gooden, anative of Montgomery, Alabama, has consistently gotten first-team reps and made several playsduring 11-on-11periods. He disrupted two inside runs Saturday,and when LSU practiced again Monday,Gooden stuffed sophomore running back Caden Durham in the backfield at one point

Though listed at 6-foot-1 and 268 pounds, Gooden has impressed LSU’scoaches with his twitchiness

LSU

Continued from page1C

the rush, stepped up in thepocket, adjusted his arm angle and fired to receiver Chris Hilton, afifth-year senior who had run into athrowing window in the middle of the field. On another,Nussmeier found Hilton again, this time dropping aperfectly thrownballover his shoulder,along the sideline and in between two defenders

Here’swhat else stood out from the hour-long viewing window that LSU opened to reportersatits fifth preseasonpractice—thelastsession before the Tigers put on the pads. Perkinsdisruptiveagain

On one of Monday’s7-on-7 reps, Perkins floated into coverage and locked his eyes onto Nussmeier, positioning himself to dashbackward and undercut apass over the middle intended forfreshman receiver TaRonFrancis Nussmeier thought he had a throwing window But Perkins was leaving it open, only so he could slam it shut once the ball was out and come down with an interception.

“He baited Nussmeier into it,” coach Brian Kellysaid. Through fivepractices, Perkins is disrupting the LSUoffense. All indications are that he’snot only recoveredfromthe ACLinjury that cut his junior season short,but also comfortable in his Star position —the do-it-all role assigned to him in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’sscheme.

By all accounts, the inside linebackerexperiment is over Perkins is now free to use his freakish speed and athleticism all over the field.

“I think it’safamiliar role for him,” Kelly said, “one that now he has acomplete knowledge of the linebacker position. He’snot justa guy outthere running around making plays. He’ssomuch more intentional. He knows the game.He knows the nuances of it.”

On Monday,afterPerkinsintercepted Nussmeierinthe secondary,helined up on the edge in team drills, crashed the pocket and

LSUrankedNo. 9in

From staff and wire reports

USAToday released the preseason coaches poll forthe 2025 season on Monday,and the LSU football team has earned aspot in theTop 10.

Coaches voted LSU at No.9in this year’spreseason poll after theTigers finished the 2024 season unranked in the final coaches poll.

Texas holds the top spot,receiving 28 of the67first-place votes.Defending national champion Ohio StateisNo.2 after receiving 20 first-place votes, followed by No. 3Penn State, No. 4Georgia and No.5 NotreDame. Texasleads nine Southeastern Conference teamsinthe poll. Clemson is the top team from theAtlantic CoastConference at No. 6, with No. 7Oregon, No. 8 Alabama, No.9LSU and No.10 Miami (Fla.) following theTigers.

yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Tulane didnot make the preseasonTop 25 butdid receive 31 votes.

andexplosiveness as an interior pass rusher.When he transferred in April, they believed those traits would match defensive coordinator BlakeBaker‘s aggressive style.

“His abilities fit the defensive structure that Blake likestorun,” Kelly said. “Hejust has agreat sense interms of gettingoff blocks. Sometimes, that’sahard trait to teach. Youjust can or you can’t, and he’svery difficult to block.”

After beginning his career at Wake Forest, Gooden transferred to USFfor the past two seasons. While starting 11 games last season, he recorded 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 11/2 sacks toreceivehonorablemention all-AAC honors fromthe league coaches.

LSU also has fifth-year senior JacobianGuillory and sophomores Ahmad Breaux and Dominick McKinley at the front of its defensive tackle rotation

“Heliterally does notget tired,” Guillory said of Gooden. “Even though he looks tired, he doesn’t gettired.Thatman has atremendous get-off.I can’twait to see

what he does in Week 1.” What to do with Ju’Juan?

LSU is open to using aredshirt season on sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson this year,Kelly said Monday Johnson—who hasplayedina variety of roles on both sidesofthe ball in his short time at LSU —had seven carries for 14 yards and five receptions for 22 yards as arunning back last season. He appeared in everygame, not using his redshirt as afreshman.

“He’sgoing to playfourgames,” Kelly said. “The questioniswhether he plays five, andthatwill be dictated as he performs andasthe offense kind of works around him.”

Johnson arrived at LSUasa defensive back after playing quarterbackatLafayette Christian for four years. He then returned to theoffensivesideofthe ball andplayed running back starting in Week 2.

This preseason,Johnsonhas worked at quarterback, running back and wide receiver

“He’sgiven everything we’ve askedhim (and) probablymore,” Kelly said. “He’sa specialkid.”

LSU linebackerHarold Perkins takes abreak during practice on Aug. 17. Perkinsshowedflashes of his speed and athleticism during Monday’s practice

knocked the LSU quarterback off balance, forcing him into an errant throw.Onanother 11-on-11 rep, he recognized apass to theflat sprinted toward the line of scrimmage, duckedunder ablock from Green and dropped transfer tight end Bauer Sharp —all before he could turn upfield to pick up positiveyards.

“He just knows that this is his year,” Kelly said, “and allthose things have allowed him to be really,reallyfocused andnot distracted by anything.”

Interior offensiveline

VirginiaTech transferBraelin

Moore has solidified LSU’sstarting center position, Kelly saidMonday and four players are still competing for the two guard spots next to him on the first-team offensive line.

So far,returningstarter DJ Chester has taken most of thetop reps at left guard, with Northwestern transfer Josh Thompsonreceiving the bulk of the same snaps at right guard. Kelly said, however, that they’reeach competing with returners such as redshirt sopho-

more Paul Mubenga and redshirt freshman Coen Echols. Mubenga took first-team reps at left guard on Mondaywhile Chester worked as the Tigers’ secondteam center “It’safour-manrotation right now withthose guys,”Kelly said. Thetackleshaven’t changed. Redshirtsophomore Tyree Adams is stillliningupasLSU’s topleft tackle. Weston Davis, aredshirt freshman, is still thefirst-team right tackle.

Attendance

Neither receiver AaronAnderson(knee),nor transfer safety TamarcusCooleypracticed on Monday. Kelly said that LSU is hoping to have Anderson —a redshirt junior whorecentlyhad work done to address inflammation in his knee— back on thefield by Wednesday

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

Arizona State is the highestranked Big12team at No. 11. Boise State, at No. 25, is the only Group of Five team in the poll.

LSU opensthe season on Aug. 30 at Clemson in abattle of Tigers. LSU is led by senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier,who is tied forthe second-highest odds to win theHeismanTrophy this year,according to FanDuel.

In 2024, Nussmeier completed 337 of 525 pass attempts for 4,052

The coaches poll is aweekly ranking published throughout theregular seasonthatuses a panel of head coaches at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Each coach sends in a Top25, with afirst-place vote receiving 25 pointsand going down one point each ranking on the list.

The Associated Press preseason Top25poll will be released Monday

LSUfootballfeaturedin newSEC documentary

BY SCOTTRABALAIS Staff writer

The Southeastern Conference is going Hollywood this week, and LSU football will have astarring role.

“Any Given Saturday,” asevenpartdocumentaryonSEC football, debuts Tuesday on Netflix. Conferenceofficials provided apreview screening of the first episode in July during SEC Media Days in Atlanta,anepisode that focuses on this past season’s wild 36-33 LSU victory at South Carolina.

Unlike “SEC Storied”documentaries that appear on the SEC Network, “Any Given Saturday” takes an unvarnished look behind the scenes in the first episode as the Tigers and Gamecocks prepare forand play in this past September’s crucial earlyseason contest Thelanguage gets salty at times, but the emotions and intensity are real.

LSU coach Brian Kelly said this pastweek he had not seen the finished series, but that he liked

TULANE

Continued from page1C

to tight endAnthony Millerand connected with wideout Anthony Brown-Stephens for amore sizable gain over the middle. Retzlaff found tight end Johnny Pascuzzi downthe sideline, threw underneathtorunningbackJamauri McClure and Pascuzzi, hit wideouts TreShackelford andOmari Hayes in the middle,dumped off to running back MauriceTurnerand featheredapass to receiver Jimmy Calloway fora touchdowninthe back of the end zone. The streak endedwhenRetzlaff aimed oneatReid, whonever looked for theballand hadit clank off the back of his helmet. Sullivanwentback in, but safety Bailey Despanie broke up his pass for Shaun Nicholas in the end zone.

Sumrall is notoffering daily evaluationsofthe quarterback competition, but he likes the progress of Sullivan and Retzlaff, who are on their third and fourth schools, respectively

“Eventhoughthey arenew, theyare veteran collegeplayers,” he said. “They have been exposed to alot of different things in their background, so they are quick learners. They workreally hard andtheystudy alot, so there’s probably more experience in that room,albeit not being at Tulane.” Facing apass rush, those two

the reality of the documentary’s style.

“Wesaid, ‘Let’sbewho we are,’ ”Kelly said. “Thereare narratives that people have that are based upon what they see on the sideline They don’t get areallygood sense of what your program is about. Howyou operate. We thought this would be agood waytochange those narratives about how people perceive the wayitisand the wayitreally is.”

Theseries is produced by a company called Box to Box Films. It has produced anumber of other sports documentaries forNetflix, including the popular “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” “Full Swing” on pro golf, and“Sprint” on the world of professionaltrack that includes LSU Olympic gold medalist Sha’Carri Richardson. Netflix also debuted an NFL documentary seriesinJuly called “Quarterback: Season 2” that features former LSU Heisman-winningquarterback Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

plus Semonza were less successful in 11-on-11 work until Retzlaff’s last-playtouchdown toss. That portion of practice became chippy,with two fights breaking out in quick succession.

Sumrall was less upset about the flare of tempers than the general lack of execution, pointing out one of the players involved in ascufflelined up in the wrong spot twoplays later

“I’d muchrather have to say, ‘whoa, whoa,’ than giddyup,” he said. “I want ourguys to be alittle fiery and alittle heated,but let’s channel that and play the game the right way.Itirritates me because you’re allreadytostart a fight and you don’tknow where to line up on acertain call.

“This team’sgot talent and ability.Can it cometogether? Can it be consistent? Can we practice betterthanwedid todayevery day? We have to be at ahigher level than we were today.”

Lagniappe

Tulane will practiceTuesday at the Shrine on Airline, skip Wednesday andreturn to YulmanStadium on Thursday before working out in the Saints indoor facility on Friday.…While Omari Hayes is set at the punt returner, the replacement forthe departed RayshawnPleasant at kickoffreturner is unclear.Hayes, BrownStephens,McClure, Mobley and defensive backs TJ Smith and MichaelIgbinoghenetookturns on Monday during akickoffdrill.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFF

LSU coach Brian Kelly blowsthe whistle to enddrills during spring practice on April 12. Kelly wasimpressed with South Florida transfer Bernard Gooden’sperformance in Monday’s preseasonpractice

The spice of life

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

Want alittle autumn in your August? You’re in luck. Starbucks said Mondaythat its Pumpkin Spice Latte will return to store menus in the U.S. and Canada on Aug. 26. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is Starbucks’ most popularseasonal beverage, with hundreds of millions sold since the espresso drink’s2003 launch. It’salso produced ahost of imitations. Dunkin’ introducedpumpkin-flavored drinks in 2007; it will beat Starbucks to market this year when itsfallmenudebutson Aug. 20. McDonald’sintroduced apumpkin spice latte in 2013 Here’sa lookatthe Pumpkin Spice Latte by the numbers:

100 Number of Starbucks stores that sold the Pumpkin Spice Latte during a test run in Vancouver and Washingtonin2003. The following year it launchednationally

79 Numberofmarkets where Starbuckssold the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2024. At the time, the company had stores in 85 marketsaround the world. It now operates in 88 markets.

$36.2B Starbucks’ net revenue in its 2024 fiscal year,which ended lastSeptember.Starbucks’ net revenue was $4.1 billionin2003, when the Pumpkin Spiace Latte first went on sale.

33.8% Increaseinmentions of pumpkin spice on U.S. menus between the fallof2014 and the fall of 2024, according to Technomic.

4 Number of spices in McCormick’sPumpkin Pie Spice. Theyare cinnamon,ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

2022 The year Merriam-Webster added “pumpkin spice” to thedictionary.Less common, it said,is the term “pumpkin pie spice.”

3 The Pumpkin Spice Latte was the third seasonal beverage introduced by Starbucks, afterthe Eggnog Latte and the Peppermint Mocha.

Sept.8 Date the Pumpkin Spice Latte went on salein2015. The on-sale date has edged earlier since then.

24% Amount foot traffic rose at U.S. Starbucks last yearonAug. 22, the day the Pumpkin SpiceLatte went on sale, according to Placer.ai. Thecompany compared traffic that Thursday to the previous eight Thursdays.

45.5% Amount foot traffic rose at Starbucksstores in North Dakota on Aug. 22,2024, themost of any state, according to Placer.ai. Foot traffic in Mississippi rose the least, at 4.8%.

42,000 Number of members of the Leaf Rakers Society, aprivateFacebook group Starbucks created in 2018 to celebrate fall all year long.

The ChicagoCubs’ Ryne Sandberg slugs atriple during agameagainst the Cincinnati Reds in ChicagoonAug.29, 1984

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JON SWART

ForNew Orleanskidsinthe

New Orleans has never beenmuch of abaseball town, though we’ve had our moments. Onewas in the 1980s,when baseball fandom for lotsof kids here fit like aglove.

The reason was the seemingly strange circumstances of ateam playing hundreds of miles to our north becoming alocal favorite. Andthe best playeronthat team —one of the best players of that era —was Ryne Sandberg, the Chicago Cubs second baseman who died July 28 at age 65.

While it may seem unlikely,we actually know how New Orleans became Cubs fans back then Chicago station WGN, which broadcast thegames, was part of thebasic cable package in theNew Orleans area in thosedays. On top of that, WrigleyField still hadno lights, which meant all Cubs home games wereplayed in thedaytime.

Therewere few options for kids in the summertime then.Video games were basic. There wereno smartphones. No internet.Days were spent riding bikes, getting into trouble, playing baseball and, thanks to WGN, watching baseball.

BYKELVIN CHAN Associated Press

LONDON Is it The Velvet Underground or Velvet Sundown?

Thefictitious rock group, Velvet Sundown,which comes complete with AI-generated music, lyrics andalbum art, is stoking debate about how thenew technology is blurring thelinebetween the real and syntheticinthe music industry,and whether creators

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByAARON GASH

The Cubs’ Ian Happ wears apatchhonoring Ryne Sandberg before a baseball game against the Brewers on July29inMilwaukee.

The uniqueness of the Cubs also helped. Though they wereoften bad in thosedays, and the 162gameseason could dragon, home games seemed like an event. Wrigley Field looked ancient, with its ivy growing across its brick outfield walls. Fanswatched from windows and rooftops of neighboring buildings, giving you asense of thesurrounding city

Andofcourse, there was Harry Carey,the bombastic broadcaster

should be transparent with their audience. Computer software is widely used in music production, and artificial intelligence is just the latesttool that disc jockeys, music producers and others have added to theirproduction pipeline. But the rise of AI song generators such as Suno and Udio is set to transform the industry because theyallow anyone to create songs with just afew prompts.

belting out “Holy cow!” and serenading the crowds with “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch —which WGNalways aired before cutting to commercials. But beyond the spectacle surrounding the games, there was good baseball to be viewed. Ihave memories of watching Rick Sutcliffe and ayoung Jamie Moyer

While somepeople do not care whether they’re listening to AIgenerated music, others might be curioustoknow If youencounter anew song thatleaves you wondering whether it’s100% made with AI, there are some methods that could reveal how it wascreated. Do abackgroundcheck If you’re wonderingwho’s behind asong, trysomeold-fash-

ioned detective work.

The“mostobviouscues” come from“externalfactors,” said ManuelMousallam, head of research anddevelopment at streaming service Deezer Does the band or artist have social media accounts?Lack of asocial presence might indicate there’snoone there. If they do exist online, examine the kind of

Mike Smith

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,Aug. 5, the 217thday of 2025. There are 148 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On Aug. 5, 1962, South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without avalid passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment.

Also on this date:

In 1861, AbrahamLincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861, which levied the firstincome tax on Americans (a flat tax of 3% on those making over $800/year) to help fund the Union’sCivil War effort.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in theBattle of Mobile Bay,Alabama.

In 1884, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty’spedestal was laid onBedloe’sIslandin New York Harbor

In 1914, what’sbelieved to be the first electric traffic lightsystem was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of East 105th Street and EuclidAvenue

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the UnitedStateswon the200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.

In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom.

In 1957, the music and dance show “American Bandstand ” hosted by DickClark, made its nationalnetwork debut, beginning a30-year run on ABC-TV

In 1962, Marilyn Monroe, 36, wasfounddead in herLos Angeles home;her death was ruled aprobable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.”

In 1964, U.S. Navypilot Everett Alvarez Jr.became the first American flyer to beshot down andcaptured byNorth Vietnam; he washeldprisoneruntil February 1973. In 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed taperecordingsshowing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, haddiscussed aplan in June 1972 to use theCIA to thwart the FBI’s Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’sresignation

In 2010, 33 workers were trapped inacopper mine in northern Chile after atunnel caved in (all were rescued after beingentombed for 69 days)

In 2011, the sun-powered robotic explorer Junorocketed toward Jupiter on afive-year quest to discoverthe secret recipe for making planets.(Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016.)

Today’sBirthdays: Countrymusic songwriter Bobby Braddock is 85. Actor LoniAnderson is 80. Pop singer SamanthaSang is 74. Actor-singer Maureen McCormick is 69. Rock musician Pat Smearis66. Author David Baldacci is 65. Actor Janet McTeer is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 63. ActorMark Strongis62. Directorscreenwriter James Gunn is 59. Actor Jonathan Silverman is 59. Actor Jesse Williams is 44. Actor/singer Olivia Holt is 28. NBA guardAnthony Edwards is 24. Actor Albert Tsai is 21.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ANDRESKUDACKI Awoman walks whileusingher headphones in Newyork.

SONGS

Continued from page1D

content they post, and how longit goes back. Is there any sign that the artist or band exists in reallife? Are there any upcoming concerts and can you buy aticket foragig? Is there footage of past concerts on YouTube? Has an established record labelreleased their singles or albums?

Trygoing to thesource. Song creatorsoften —but notalways —publish their generated tunes on the Suno or Udio platforms, where they can be found byother users

Song tags

Deezer hasbeenflaggingalbums containing AI-generated songs, as partofits efforts to be more transparent as it battles streamingfraudsterslooking to make quick money through royalty payments. The Deezer app and website will notify listeners with an onscreen label —“AI-generated content” —topoint out that some tracks on an album were created with song generators. The company’sCEO says the system reliesonin-house technology to detect subtle butrecognizable patterns found in all audio created by AI song generators. The company hasn’tspecified how many songs it hastagged since it rolled out the featurein June, but says up to 18% of songs uploadedtoits platform each day are AI-generated.

Song scanners

There are afew third-partyservices available online that promisetodeterminewhethera song is human-made or generated by AI. Iuploaded afew songs Igenerated to the onlinedetector from IRCAM Amplify,asubsidiary of French music and sound research institute IRCAM. It said the probability that they were AI-gener-

Nice try: It’s stillrudeto stareatsomeone’s chest

Dear Miss Manners: Increasingly these days, both men and women wear T-shirtswith messages, mottos andinsultsemblazoned on them. Presumably,atleast part of the intent is to communicatesomething. Ienjoy looking at them and trying to decipher themessages. However,todosowith women mayinvolve a prolonged and possibly unwanted stare at their chests, especially since Iamaslow reader.What would Miss Manners recommend in such situations?

also have manyseparate acquaintances, co-workers and friends.

ated ranged from 81.8% to 98% andaccurately deduced that they were made with Suno.

As across-check, Ialso uploaded some old MP3s from my song library,which got averylow AI probability score.

Buta handful of results shouldn’tbetaken as asign of overallaccuracy.“The AI detectorcan make mistakes.Itisrecommended to verify the results,” thedetector warns.

Checkthe lyrics

AI song toolscan churn out both musicand lyrics. Many serioususers like to write theirown words and plug theminbecause they’ve discovered that AI-generated lyricstend to bebad.

Casual users, though, might prefer to just let the machine writethem. So badrhyming schemes or repetitive lyrical structuresmight be acluethat asongisnot man-made. But it’s subjective.

Some users report that Suno tends to usecertainwords in its lyrics like “neon,” “shadows” or “whispers.”

If asongincludes thesewords, it’s“adead giveaway” that it’sAI, said Lukas Rams, aPhiladelphiaarea resident. He has used Suno to create threealbumsfor his AI band Sleeping with Wolves but writes his own lyrics. “I don’t know why,itloves to put neon in everything.”

No easy answers

AI technology is improving so quicklythatthere’snofoolproof way to determineifcontentis real or notand expertssay you can’t just rely on your ear “Ingeneral, it canbedifficult to tell if atrack is AI-generated just from listening, and it’s only becoming more challenging as thetechnology gets increasingly advanced,” said Mousallam of Deezer.“Generative models such as Suno andUdioare constantly changing,meaningthatold identifiers —such as vocals having a distinctive reverb —are not necessarily valid anymore.”

Gentlereader: Miss Manners agrees that people who turn themselves into billboards must expect to be read. Butshe finds it disingenuous of you to suggest that T-shirt messages are so long or dense as to require thereader to give them prolonged attention.

Youare allowed one glance and no leaning in closely,even if you are nearsighted. Then move on.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave atwin sister who lives in the sametown that Ido. We look reasonably similar,especially tothose who don’t know us well. We share some social circles, but of course we

My dilemma is that often, when someoneinpublic greets me or begins aconversation with me, I either don’tknow them at all or Ivaguely recognize them as an acquaintance of my sister’s(say,a member of her church or extended family). There’s always the slight chance (and fear) that this is someoneI do know and have failed to recall, but chances are that this person has mistaken me for my sister

Ican neverthink of apolite way to clarify the situation. Occasionally an easy solution will present itself, such as them asking about my twin’shusband or child, but mostoften Iwind up giving short, awkwardanswers and exiting the situation as quickly as possible. I’m sure this leaves people thinking I(or rather,mytwin sister) was rather rude.

On theoccasions that Ihave helped them realize their mistake, they usually feel really embarrassed and upset.

Iknow she must have the same problem;I often will have people

More than agut

Dear Annie: Iama43-year-old

woman witha 6-year-old daughter Her father is 50. We werenever in aserious relationship, just friends with benefits, until Ibecame pregnant.At first, he wanted nothing to do with the baby and even pushed for an abortion. I chosetocontinue the pregnancy,and eventually he came around and was there during thattime. When Igave birth, he dropped me off at thehospital but didn’tcome in. He was at home when Ireturned with our daughter.Hestayed with us for thefirst six monthsand then went to jail. After he got out,hewasn’tconsistently involved. He would show up when it suited him As our daughter got older and started forming abond with him, he moved in with me. Ilive with my elderly father,and we are technically together,but it’s really only for our daughter’ssake. Here’sthe problem. He has aserious porn habit. He spends hours in the bathroom watching explicit videos and following women online

tell me, “I ran into you at the grocery store last week and you acted as if you didn’teven know me!” Is there apolite waytohandle a case of mistaken identity without making others feel flustered or uncomfortable fortheir mistake?

Gentle reader: No doubt you have to put up with countless tedious remarks and jokes, forwhich Miss Manners offers her your sympathy

But these are honest mistakes. Youneed only say,“No,that must have been my sister.” Or,ifyou have some doubt, an ambiguous but good-natured, “Sorry —I’m so often mistaken for my twin sister.” Besides, can you honestly tell Miss Manners that you have never enjoyed playing tricks on people by switching identities? Even as children? (But not, she trusts, by taking each other’sexams in whichever subject each of you happened to be stronger.Just harmless fooling.)

She is only suggesting that there may be charms, as well as nuisances, to twinship.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.

feelingoverman

—women whosebodieslook nothing like mine. I’ve also overheard him talkingdisrespectfully about other womentohis friends He brushesitoff as jokes or says I’mbeing insecure. Recently,I checked his phone (I know Ishouldn’t, but Ihad agut feeling), and Isaw amessage to a friend where he said he wanted five minutes with awoman forsex. When I confronted him,hecalled it immature behavior and claimed it meantnothing. He promised to stop, but I’ve heard that before. I’m tired of the lies, the disrespect and feeling like I’mnot enough. But he tells me I’m overreacting andbeing too emotional. Am Iwrongfor feeling this way? Or is hegaslighting me? —WornOut and Wondering Dear Worn Out and Wondering: You are not overreacting. Youare being disrespected andemotionally worn downbysomeone who refuses to take responsibility for his behavior.Constantly watching porn, lying and making crude comments are not just signs of

immaturity.They may indicate a deeper problem like compulsive porn use or sex addiction, both of which require professional help. Whether or not he chooses to get help is up to him.Your responsibility is to protect your emotional health and create astable, respectful environment foryourself and your daughter.You deserve better than this. If he is willing to seek help, he can start by contacting the following resources: n Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA): 1-800-477-8191 or visit saarecovery.org n Porn Addicts Anonymous (PAA): https://www.pornaddictsanonymous.org/ n National Helpline forMental Health and Substance Use: 1-800662-HELP (4357) —free, confidential, and available 24/7. Please also consider speaking with atherapist for yourself.You are not alone, and you are not crazy forwanting honesty,loyalty and peace.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

Dear Heloise: Both my wife and I are in our 80s, so I’ve created a detailed list of things that need to get done once we pass. My list includes all of my insurances (home, earthquake, car,life, etc.) with names and phone numbers. In my list, Ialso include my latest will along with things like my checking and savings account numbers. In addition, I have my Social Securitynumber and the phone numbers needed to contact them to stop payments.

My sons will have to pay our stateand federal taxes, so Ihave my accountant’s number avail-

SANDBERG

Continuedfrom page1D

pitch, Andre Dawson hit homers and Shawon Dunston dive for groundballs. Sandberg was at the center of it. He could hit and field with thebest of them,winning Gold Gloves and an MVP,but was never flashy.Heshowed up day in and day out, holding down his position and always threatening to hit one intothe Wrigley stands.

I’ve mostly lost touch with baseball these days, though I still check in from timetotime. It doesn’tfeel the same, though Iknow alot of that is tinted by nostalgia. Still, while it may seem miraculous now,it’sworth noting somethingthat occasionally happened then: We agreed on things. For lots of kids in New Orleans and its suburbs in the1980s, one of those things was that the Cubs, no matter how bad their record, were our team. We were lucky that the era coincided with the

able. Included are the names and numbers of allmyhomeexpenses, suchasthe housekeeper,gardener andpool man,along with the reverse mortgage company.Plus, my list includes all my doctors, and Ieven have my list of passwordstoget into my computer and cellphone. Iread your columnevery day and find the items very useful. Keep them coming!

—Howard Zeff, in Mission Viejo, California

Openingplastic caps

Dear Heloise: Ithink Iprobably read this hint in your column before, but it is worth repeating:

Iwas trying to twist the smooth, plastic cap off asmallbottle and just couldn’topen it. Ifinally grabbed arubber band and wrapped it around the lid, and I wasimmediately able to grip it and twist it off! —Debra V.,via email Cold butter pats

Dear Heloise: Ihad to smile when I read the hint about holding refrigerated pats of butter in your hand to soften them.I learned this (as well as manyother things) at our church lunches. Others assumed that Iwas praying! —Jo, in Little Rock,Arkansas

Email heloise@heloise.com.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

career of Ryne Sandberg, who helped teach us how to play the game. Email Mike Smith at msmith@

in front of

statue of ChicagoCubs’ Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg outside WrigleyField in ChicagoonJuly 29.

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Your high energy will meet with resistance and competition. Time is on your side, and patience will be necessary to outmaneuver any opponent you encounter.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Networking events will alter your perspective on professional progress. An interesting turn of events will allow you to utilize your skills in more ways than you thought possible.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Participate in events that offer insight into how you can best contribute and make a difference. Establish yourself as a frontrunner, but don't jeopardize your physical or emotional well-being.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Avoid letting someone take advantage of you. Don't sell yourself short. What you sacrifice will lead to other limitations on your time, skills and ability to move forward.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep tabs on job postings and career options Domestic problems will arise if there is no compromise. If you can't meet in the middle, you may have to rethink your long-term plans.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Emotions will overflow if you let others drag you into their drama. You'll gain more ground if you focus on money, contracts and partnerships with people who share your agenda.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb 19) Emphasize your talents and utilize them to get the best results. Direct talks are preferable when dealing with information that comes from unfamiliar sources.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Get in the game. Stand tall and refuse to let anyone steal your thunder. Opportunity knocks; let your charm lead the way. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Dedication meets innovation, and the sky's the limit. Refuse to let anyone step in and disrupt your plans. Expect someone to be jealous of your accomplishments.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Engage in topics of interest. Take precautions to maintain your rights while standing up for your beliefs. Refuse to let a stubborn attitude get in the way of common sense.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Go where the action is, learn all you can and choose to experience life. What you do will make a difference. Set high standards and leave no room for error. Take charge.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Proceed with caution, and when in doubt, sit tight and watch. Timing is crucial if you want to maintain your reputation and effectively address the concerns you have.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: c EQuALs V

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Herbert Beerbohm Tree, an English actor and theater manager who died in 1917, said, “A committee should consist of three men, two of whom are absent.”

So, a male bridge declarer is a committee. In this deal, how should the committee play in three no-trump after West leads the heart jack?

Most authorities recommend not using Stayman when responder has 4-3-3-3 distribution with a four-card major. And that will be right most of the time. However, when there is a 4-4 fit and opener has 4-4-3-2 distribution, the suit in which the partnership has only five cards could prove to be a fatal weakness. (Note that in this deal four spades has no chance, but if West had a second spade, it would be makable.)

South starts with eight top tricks: one spade, three hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. His order of business is to collect a second spade trick. And there is a guaranteed line of play. After taking the first trick, declarer should cash his spade ace. Here, the queen drops from West, so South continues with a spade to dummy’s jack. But if the ace collects only low cards, declarer still plays another spade and must eventually establish that second winner.

Note that initially playing a spade to the 10 is fatal here. The tempting finesse must be deleted from the agenda. Finally, here is another question: Suppose South needs three spade tricks.

InstRuctIons:

toDAy’s

Average

loCKhorNs

Don’t fret. God is the final bookkeeper — G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

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.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

PUBLIC NOTICE REQUESTFOR STATE‐MENT OF INTEREST AND QUALIFICATIONS TheCoastal Protection andRestoration Author‐ity(CPRA)gives public notice that it is request‐ingStatementsofInter‐estand Qualifications from interested,qualified personsor firms(includ‐ingpublicagenciesand institutions) to provide themeans for“General EngineeringServicesfor CoastalProtectionand RestorationAuthority Projects”. •RSIQNo. 2503-26-01 is availablehttp://coastal. la.gov/resources/rfpsrsiqs-contracts/ contracts-and-grants/. They also maybeob‐tained by emailingCPRA‐Contracts@la.gov •Proposals must be re‐ceived no laterthan3:00 p.m.

ingStatementsofInter‐estand Qualifications from interested,qualified personsor firms(includ‐ingpublicagenciesand institutions) to provide themeans for“Coastal EngineeringServicesfor CoastalProtection and RestorationAuthority

•Proposals must be re‐ceived no laterthan3:00 p.m. CSTonSeptember 12, 2025 after whichtime anddatetheywillnot be accepted 152351-AUG5-11-18-3T $56.86

CPRA‐Contracts@la.gov •Proposals must be re‐ceived no laterthan3:00 p.m. CSTonSeptember 12, 2025 after whichtime anddatetheywillnot be accepted 152383-AUG-5-11-18-3T $56.02

PUBLIC NOTICE

FirstChoiceTransporta‐tion Of NewOrleans LLC is applying to theDepart‐ment of Health andHos‐pitals,Office of theSec‐retary,BureauofHealth Services Financing, P.O. Box91030, BatonRouge Louisiana70821-9030,for approval to enroll in the Medicaid Programas a non-emergencytrans‐portationproviderinthe parish(es) of Louisiana. FirstChoiceTransporta‐tion Of NewOrleans LLC will be locatedatthe fol‐lowing address. Ronald Wright d/b/aFirst Choice Transportation Of NewOrleans LLC 11120 Haynes Blvd NewOrleans,La70128 152576-AUG5-1T $99.43

PUBLIC NOTICE LouisArmstrong NewOr‐leansInternational Air‐port:MasterPlanUpdate Public MeetingNotice OrganizingBody: New OrleansAviationBoard Date &Time: August 12, 2025, 4pm–7 pm Location: SusanPark Gymnasium, 502 Veter‐ansMemorialBlvd, Ken‐ner, LA 70062 Purpose: TheNew Or‐leansAviationBoard and itsconsultants have un‐dertaken a20yearMas‐terPlanUpdate, which will outlinethe long-term vision,development pri‐orities, andinfrastruc‐ture improvements needed to accommodate future growth andopera‐tional demandsatanair‐port.ThisPlanalsoas‐siststhe airportasit