The Acadiana Advocate 08-08-2025

BACK TO CLASS

Students in LafayetteParish headed back to school on Thursday.The 2025-26 schoolyear forthe parish schoolsystem begins with astaggered start Half of the roughly 30,000students started Thursday, withthe other half startingFriday At LafayetteHigh School, students returned toa brand-new facility Other changes includethe former Lafayette Middle opening as an elementary school for thefirst time in its history It will house students from S.J Montgomery Elementary, which was closed

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

Louisiana’snew SNAP rules will ban soda, candy and energy drinks starting in 2026, and there are spe-

cific definitions of whatthat means for shoppers.

Candy bars are off-limits, but familiescan still buy chocolate chips. Energy drinks are not allowed, but Gatorade is, as long as it’sfullsugarand notthe artificially sweetened version. The rules apply to allofthe roughly850,000 SNAPrecipients in the state.

Thegoal, according to Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration, is to improve health outcomes and reduce thestate’sMedicaid costs by

limitingaccess to foodslinkedto chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity

“This is about getting Louisiana healthy again, whichisincoordination with the president’seffort to make America healthyagain, Landry saidon arecentpodcast recorded at Prejean’sRestaurantinBroussard. “Snickers is not forlunch.”

According to the federal waiver,Louisiana will prohibit SNAP purchases of soft drinks, which is definedas“anycarbonatednonalcoholic beverage containing high fructose cornsyrup or artificial sweeteners.”

Excluded are“flavoredcarbonated water,” drinks, those “that contain milk or milk products, soy, rice, or similar milk substitutes,” andbeverageswith“equaltoor greater than 50% of vegetable or

Pastor addedto library board

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Six people appliedtofill the soon-to-be vacated Lafayette Public Library Board seat, including alibrarianataLafayette Catholic high school who has attended and spoken at board meetings Instead, the Parish Council on Tuesdayvotedtoappoint aBroussard media consultant, agraduate in Christian ministry froma Baptist theological seminary who listed first among his various roles in the past 30 years as that of pastor Also on Tuesday,the council reappointed Rena Bradley to the board. She replaced James Thomas,the lone left-leaning library trustee who resigned because of workconflicts. Bradley addressed thecouncil Tuesday, lobbying in favor of appointing former librarian Carrieanne Ledet to the board.

The seat in question is being vacated by controversial former board President Robert Judge, whose term expires in September While eligible for reappointment, Judge declined to seek another term on the board.

The five-person Lafayette Parish Council, since 2020, has appointed predominantly right-leaning Christianconservatives, often passing over seemingly more qualified applicants for the nonpaying seven-member board.

Three menonthe Parish Council—JohnGuilbeau, Bryan Tabor and Kenneth Stansbury —voted Tuesday to appoint Christopher Holmes,CEO andfounder of Bayou Creative of Broussard, to replace Judge. Holmes’resume saysheearned an associate degree in 2017 and a bachelor’sdegree in 2023 in Christian ministry from New Orleans

fruit juicebyvolume.” Thatmeans adrink likeasmoothie containing sweeteners could be exempt if it also contains milk. Energy drinks —orbeverages “containing astimulant such as fortified caffeine, guarana, glucuronolactone, or taurine” —are also off-limits.The definitionincludes both carbonated and noncarbonatedproducts formulated to “enhance energy,alertness, or

STAFF PHOTOSByLESLIE WESTBROOK

Students walk throughthe newly painted hallways on Thursday on their first dayback at Paul Breaux Middle School in Lafayette.

Students pass through aweapons detector as theyarriveThursday for their first dayback to school at Lafayette High School in Lafayette.

Helicopter strikes power lines, crashes; 2 killed

Two people working on power lines near the Mississippi River died Thursday when their helicopter hit the lines, crashed into a barge and sparked a fire that belched plumes of black smoke, officials said.

The helicopter crew was near East Alton, Illinois, about 20 miles north of St. Louis, when it careened into the barge on the Missouri side of the river. Authorities said no other injuries were reported.

Adam Briggs was on the opposite shore when it all happened and filmed the crash scene.

“The helicopter was just working on these power lines, it hit the power line, blew up,” he said in the video as flames flashed through the rolling smoke.

“There was a pilot, there was a worker, the helicopter blew up and fell and crashed in that barge and it’s exploding right now.”

“They’re dead They have to be dead,” said Briggs in shock

A spokesperson for the power company Ameren said a contractor and its subcontractor had been repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls on lines.

Suspect who ‘ambushed’ Pa. troopers is dead

A suspect who ambushed and shot two Pennsylvania state troopers Thursday died and the troopers were hospitalized, officials said.

The attack took place in the rural area near Thompson after 11 a.m., state police Col Christoper Paris told reporters after he and Gov Josh Shapiro met with one of the wounded officers in a hospital. Both troopers were said to be in stable condition Paris said the two troopers, whose full names were not immediately released, “were dispatched to check the welfare of an individual. And there was additional information about shots being fired. We will have more information about the specifics of how that call came in. But upon their arrival, they were immediately fired upon and ambushed. They are very lucky to be alive.”

One trooper applied a tourniquet to another and a third trooper was able to help rescue them, Paris said The troopers’ police vehicles were hit by multiple bullets, he said.

Royal Mail stamps

celebrate Monty Python

LONDON And now for something completely different: Britain’s Royal Mail has issued stamps celebrating the absurdist comedy of Monty Python. The 10-stamp series announced on Thursday celebrates some of the troupe’s most iconic characters and catchphrases, from “Nudge, nudge” to “The Lumberjack Song.” Six stamps depict scenes from the sketch-comedy 1969-74 TV series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” including “The Spanish Inquisition,” “The Ministry of Silly Walks,” “Dead Parrot” and “The Nude Organist.”

Another four mark the 50th anniversary of the cult classic 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” including one showing the limb-losing Black Knight

“’Tis

FBI forces out more officials

Ex-director who fought demand for Jan. 6 agents’ names among those fired

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The FBI is forcing out more senior officials, including a former acting director who resisted Trump administration demands to turn over the names of agents who participated in Jan 6 Capitol riot investigations and the head of the bureau’s Washington field office, according to people familiar with the matter and internal communications seen by The Associated Press.

The basis for the ouster of Brian Driscoll, who led the bureau in the turbulent weeks after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, were not immediately clear but Driscoll’s final day at

the FBI is Friday, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss the personnel move by name and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity

“I understand that you may have a lot of questions regarding why, for which I have no answers,” Driscoll wrote in a message to colleagues. “No cause has been articulated at this time.”

Another high-profile termination is Steven Jensen, who for months had been the assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, one of the bureau’s largest and busiest. He confirmed in a message to colleagues Thursday he had been told he was being fired effective Friday

“I intend to meet this challenge like any other I have faced in this organization, with professionalism, integrity and dignity,” Jensen wrote in an email.

Jensen did not say whether he had been given a reason, but his appointment to the job in April was sharply criticized by some Trump

supporters because he had overseen a domestic terrorism section after the 2021 riot at the Capitol.

The FBI has characterized that attack, in which the Republican president’s supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to halt the certification of election results after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, as an act of domestic terrorism.

Spokespeople for the FBI declined to comment Thursday

The news about Driscoll and Jensen comes amid a much broader personnel purge that has unfolded over the last several months under the leadership of FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino.

Numerous senior officials including top agents in charge of big-city field offices have been pushed out of their jobs, and some agents have been subjected to polygraph exams, moves that former officials say have roiled the workforce and contributed to angst.

Driscoll was named acting director in January to replace Christopher Wray and served in the po-

It will be world’s longest suspension bridge

BY COLLEEN BARRY

Associated Press

MILAN Italy cleared the way Wednesday to build the world’s largest suspension bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive $15.5 billion infrastructure project that has been long delayed by debates over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the specter of mafia interference.

The Strait of Messina Bridge will be “the biggest infrastructure project in the West,” Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome, after an interministerial committee with oversight of strategic public investments approved the project

Preliminary work could begin between late September and early October, once Italy’s court of audit signs off, with construction expected to start next year Despite bureaucratic delays, the bridge is expected to be completed in 2032-33, Salvini said.

The Strait of Messina Bridge has been approved and canceled multiple times since the Italian government first solicited proposals in 1969 Premier Giorgia Meloni’s administration revived the project in 2023, and this marks the furthest stage the ambitious project— first envisioned by the Romans — has ever reached

The Strait of Messina Bridge would measure nearly 2.2 miles, with the suspended span reaching more than 2 miles, surpassing Turkey’s Canakkale Bridge, currently the longest, by 4,189 feet.

With three car lanes in each direction flanked by a double-track railway, the bridge would have the capacity to carry 6,000 cars an hour and 200 trains a day — reducing the time to cross the strait by ferry from up to 100 minutes to 10 minutes by car

The project could provide a boost to Italy’s commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defense-related, helping it to meet a 1.5% security component. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment to NATO’s southern flanks, qualifying it as a “security-enhancing infrastructure.

Environmental groups have lodged complaints with the EU, citing concerns that the project will impact migratory birds, noting that environmental studies had not demonstrated that the project is a public imperative and that any environmental damage would be offset.

The original government decree reactivating the bridge project included language giving the Interior Ministry control over anti-mafia measures. But Italy’s president insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects in Italy

BY TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press

The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers.

President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no money for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, which can precisely show where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed and how well crops are growing.

NASA said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the missions were “beyond their prime mission” and being terminated “to align with the President’s agenda and budget priorities.”

But the missions — a free-flying satel-

lite launched in 2014 and an instrument attached to the International Space Station in 2019 that include technology used in the Hubble Space Telescope — still are more sensitive and accurate than any other systems in the world, operating or planned, and a “national asset” that should be saved, said David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist who led their development.

They helped scientists discover, for example, that the Amazon rain forest emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, while boreal forests in Canada, Russia and places where permafrost is melting absorb more than they emit, Crisp said. They also can detect the “glow” of photosynthesis in plants, which helps monitor drought and predict food shortages that can lead to civil unrest and famine, he said.

sition as Patel’s nomination was pending.

Driscoll made headlines after he and Robert Kissane, the thendeputy director, resisted Trump administration demands for a list of agents who participated in investigations into the Jan. 6 riot. Many within the FBI had seen that request as a precursor for mass firings, particularly in light of separate moves to fire members of special counsel Jack Smith’s team that prosecuted Trump, reassign senior career Justice Department officials and force out prosecutors on Jan. 6 cases and top FBI executives. The FBI has moved to aggressively demote, reassign or push out agents seen as being out of favor with bureau leadership or the Trump administration.

In April, the bureau reassigned several agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

Air Force to deny early retirement to trans members

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it would deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and would instead separate them without retirement benefits.

The move means they will be faced with either taking a lump-sum separation payment offered to junior troops or being removed from the service.

An Air Force spokesperson told The Associated Press that “although service members with 15 to 18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved.”

About a dozen service members had been “prematurely notified” that they would be able to retire before that decision was reversed, according to the spokesperson who

spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Air Force policy All transgender members of the Air Force are being separated from the service under the Trump administration’s policies. The move comes after the Pentagon was given permission in early May by the Supreme Court to move forward with a ban on all transgender troops serving in the military Days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a policy that would offer currently openly serving transgender troops the option to either volunteer to leave and take a large, one-time separation payout or be involuntarily separated. In late July, transgender troops told Military.com that they were finding the entire separation process, which has included reverting their service records back to their birth gender, “dehumanizing” or “open cruelty.”

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insisting,

but a scratch.”

IMAGE PROVIDED By WEBUILD/EUROLINK IMAGE LIBRARy

This rendering shows a bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily, a long-delayed $15.5 billion project, that an interministerial committee with oversight of strategic public investments has approved, the Italian Transport Ministry said Tuesday

PHOTO PROVIDED By ADAM BRIGGS Smoke fills the air from a barge after a helicopter crash in the Mississippi River on Thursday.

IMAGE PROVIDED By ROyAL MAIL Royal Mail has issued a stamp for the anniversary of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Putinsayshehopes to meet with Trump

BY DASHA LITVINOVA,BARRY

andMICHELLE PRICE

HATTON

Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursdayhehopes to meet next week with U.S. President Donald Trump, possibly in the United Arab Emirates, although a White House officialcast doubton the summit occurringunless the Kremlin leader also agreed to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Putin’sannouncement came on the eve of aWhite House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine or suffer additional economic sanctions.

The U.S. wasstill expected to impose those sanctions Friday on Russia, according to aWhiteHouse official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke oncondition of anonymity.The same official said aU.S.-Russian summit would not happen if Putin doesnot agree to meet with Zelenskyy

The official did not specify whether the condition was for Zelenskyy to be present at the possible U.S.-Russia summit or at a

subsequentmeeting.

Speaking of possibledirect talks withZelenskyy,Putin said he has mentioned severaltimes that he wasnot againstit, adding: “It’s a possibility,but certain conditions needtobecreated”for it to happen.

TheKremlin has previously said Putinand Zelenskyyshouldmeet only whenanagreement negotiated bytheir delegations is close.

Although Putin said the United ArabEmirates was onepossible venue, no location or other details had been determinedThursday morning,according to the White House official.

Ukrainefears being sidelined by directnegotiationsbetween Washington and Moscow,and Zelenskyy said he hadphone conversations with severalEuropeanleaders Thursday amidaflurry of diplomatic activity

Putin’sforeignaffairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov,earlierbrushed aside the possibilityofZelenskyy joining the summit, something the White HousesaidTrump was ready to consider.Putin has spurned Zelenskyy’s previous offers of ameeting to clincha breakthrough.

“Wepropose, first of all, to focus

on preparing abilateral meeting with Trump, and we consider it most important that this meeting be successful and productive,” Ushakov said, adding that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s suggestionofameeting including Ukraine’sleader “was not specifically discussed.”

Putinmade the announcement in the Kremlin aboutapossible meeting with Trumpafter meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE.

Asked who initiated the possible talks with the American president, Putin said thatdidn’tmatterand “both sides expressed an interest.”

Kirill Dmitriev,the head of Russia’ssovereign wealth fund who metwithWitkoffonWednesday, saida Trump-Putin meeting would allow Moscow to “clearly convey its position,” andhehoped asummit would include discussions on mutually beneficialeconomicissues, including joint investments in areas suchasrareearth elements

The meetingwould be thefirst U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.

The war has killed tens of thou-

sands of troops on both sidesand morethan12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the UnitedNations.

Western officials have repeatedly accused Putin of stalling in peace negotiations to allowRussian forces time to capture more Ukrainian land. Putin previously hasoffered no concessions and said he will accept asettlement only on his terms.

At the start of his second term, Trump was conciliatorytoward Putin, for whom he has long shown admiration, and even echoed some of his talking points on the war But he recently has expressed increasing exasperation with Putin, criticizing the Kremlin leader for his unyielding stance on U.S.-led peace efforts, andhas threatened Moscow with new sanctions.

Zelenskyy said European countries must also be involved in finding asolution to the warontheir own continent.

“Ukraineisnot afraid of meetings and expects the samebold approach from the Russian side. It is timetoend the war,”headded.

Aceasefire and long-term security guarantees are priorities in

potential negotiation withRussia, he said on social media. Securing atruce,deciding aformat for asummitand providing assurances forUkraine’sfuture protection from invasion —aconsideration that must involve theU.S. andEurope— are crucial aspects to address, Zelenskyy said.

Anew Gallup poll published Thursday found that Ukrainians are increasingly eager forapeace settlement. In the survey, conducted in early July,about seven in 10 Ukrainians said their country should seek to negotiate asettlementassoon as possible.

In 2022, Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keepfightinguntil victory Nowonly about one-quarter hold that view,with support for continuing the war declining steadily across all regions and demographic groups.

The findings were based on samples of 1,000 or morerespondents ages 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories under entrenched Russian control, representing about 10% of the population, were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access.

Cassidydenouncesend of fundingfor mRNA vaccines

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —U.S. Sen.

BillCassidy is admonishingHealth Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’sdecisionto cancel about $500 million in vaccine research —one of his first public conflicts with Kennedy since helping him win confirmation to the job.

“It is unfortunate that the Secretary just canceleda half abillion worth of work, wasting the money which is already invested,” Cassidy wrote on X. “He has also conceded to Chinaan important technology needed to combat cancer and infectious disease.President Trump wants to Make America Healthy Again and Make America Great Again This works against bothof President Trump’sgoals.”

stances in the past, that this is the health secretary’sbiggest moveyet to undermine the nation’svaccination program. They argued that Kennedy provided no evidence to support his opinion on mRNA vaccines.

theirsuburbs —contracted to conduct mRNA clinical trials for flu, RSV and norovirus treatments.

million in vaccineresearch.

Cassidy then linked to a ment Kennedy’s“coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccinedevelopmentactivities” redirected aboutalmost

first term. mRNA medicines fight diseases in adifferentway than traditional medicine. An mRNA vaccine can teach the

“mRNAismorethan avaccine technology —it’saplatform for modern medicine. It enables faster,moreflexible responsestoemerging healththreatsand is helping to transform treatment optionsacross infectious diseases andoncology,”saida statement by Moderna Inc., apharmaceutical research firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that wasone of the first to come up with a COVID vaccine Moderna has 15 sites in Louisiana —mostlyinBaton Rouge, New Orleansand

Cassidyinthe pastsix months hasquestionedsome of Kennedy’spolicies and made suggestions. But he has seldom criticized an act so directly

For instance in June,Cassidy wanted to wait to judge the replacements’ credentials when Kennedy fired theentireboard of civilian scientists who advise the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention on vaccines. And in late July,Cassidy opposed joining Democrats in the health community in their investigation of Kennedy’sactions.

Cassidy,more than any other senator,isresponsible forthe confirmation of Ken-

nedy,aprominent vaccine skeptic. Several senators turnedtoCassidy forhis opinionaschair of the Senate Health Education Labor &Pensions committee and a physician for30years. The Baton Rouge Republican endorsedKennedy and mentions it often to underline aproductive relationship with PresidentDonald Trump.

Cassidy faces several opponents to his reelection who are claiming the incumbent is not conservative enough. Cassidy is one of the Republicanstovote to convict Trumpofimpeachment chargesstemming fromthe Jan.6riotatthe U.S. Capitol Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate. com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

By JOHN McDONNELL

Committee Chair Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, left, this week publicly criticized SecretaryofHealth and Human Services RobertF.KennedyJr.,right, for cancelling about $500

Trumpseeks to change howcensuscollectsdata

He’s againtrying to excludeimmigrants in U.S. illegally

BY JOSH BOAK, MIKE SCHNEIDER and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON— President Donald

Trump has instructedthe Commerce Department to change the way the U.S. CensusBureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants who are in theUnited Statesillegally,hesaidThursday

The census’ data collections will be based on “modern day facts and figures and, importantly,usingthe results and informationgained from the Presidential Election of 2024,” the Republican president said on his socialmedia platform, an indication he might try to inject his politics into ahead count that determines political powerand how federal funding is distributed.

Trump stressed that as part of the changes people in “our Country illegally” will be excluded from census counts.

Experts said it was unclear what

exactly Trump was calling for whether it was changes to the 2030 censusora mid-decade census, and, if so, whether it would be used for a mid-decade apportionment,which is theprocess of divvying up congressional seatsamong the states basedonthe population count

Anew census?

Anychangesinthe conductofa national census, which is thebiggest non-military undertakingby the federal government,would require alterations to the Census Act and approval fromCongress, which has oversight responsibilities, andthere likely wouldbea fierce fight. While the Census Act permits amid-decade census for things likedistributing federal funding,itcan’t be used for apportionment or redistricting and must be done in ayearending in 5, said Terri Ann Lowenthal, aformer congressional stafferwho consults on censusissues.

“He cannot unilaterally order anew census. Thecensus is governed by law,not to mention the Constitution,” Lowenthal said. “Logistically,it’sahalf-baked idea.”

It would be almost logistically

impossible to carry outamid-decade census in such ashort period of time, New York Law School professor Jeffrey Wice said.

“This isn’tsomething thatyou can do overnight,”saidWice, a censusand redistricting expert. “Toget all the pieces put together, it would be such atremendous challenge, if not impossible.”

Trump’sTruth Social post fitsinto an overall pattern in which he has tried to reshapebasic measures of how U.S. society is faring to his liking, aprocessthat ranges from monthly jobsfigures to how congressional districts are drawn goingintothe 2026 midterm elections.

Acensuscitizenship question

In a2019 decision, theSupreme Court effectively blocked Trump from adding acitizenship question to the 2020 census. The14th Amendmentsays that “thewhole number of persons in each state”should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment, the process of allocating congressional seats and Electoral College votes among the statesbased on population.

The last time the census included aquestion aboutcitizenship was

in 1950, and the Census Bureau’s ownexperts hadpredicted that millions of Hispanics and immigrants would go uncounted if the census askedeveryone if he or she is an American citizen.

Changes to the census could also play intothe efforts by Trump to urge severalRepublican-led states, including Texas, to redraw their congressional mapsahead of schedule in ways that would favor GOPcandidates.

Redistrictingefforts

Redistricting typically occurs once every 10 yearsfollowing the census, as states adjust district boundaries basedonpopulation changes, often gaining or losing seatsinthe process.

Despite Texas having redrawn its mapsjust afew yearsago, Trumpispressuring Republicans in the statetoredistrict again, claiming they are “entitled” to five additionalRepublican seats. Texas Republicans have cited population growthasjustification forredrawing thecongressional map. The statecurrently has38House seats, 25 held by Republicans. Last Friday,Trump firedthe

head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics,Erika McEntarfer, after standard revisions to the monthly jobs report showed that employers added258,000 fewerjobsthanpreviously reported in May and June. The revisions suggestedthathiringhas severely weakened under Trump, undermining his claims of an economic boom

The White House insists that the problemwas the size of the revisions and that it wants accurate numbers. But outside experts disagreed with that assessment.

“Trumpisbasicallydestroying the federalstatistical system,” said Margo Anderson, aprofessor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukeewho haswritten extensively on the history of the census. “He wants numbers that support hispolitical accomplishments, such as he sees them.” After the citizenship question was stoppedbythe Supreme Court in 2019, Trump made another effort in 2020, announcing aplan to exclude people living in the countryillegally from theapportionmentfigures. After states, cities andorganizationssued, lower courts ruled the plan was illegal.

Congressionalredistricting fightspreading to otherstates

BY BILL BARROW,ISABELLA VOLMERT and TOMMURPHY Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS As President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Republican-run states to redraw congressional boundaries, he has dispatched Vice President JD Vance to Indiana and called foranew federalcensus— moves reflecting his intent to maximize the GOP’spartisan advantages in coming elections.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said FBI Director Kash Patel had granted his request for the agencyto get involved in corralling Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state to deny the Republican majoritya quorum necessary to vote on aU.S. House redistricting plan at the forefront of Trump’s initiative. The FBI has not detailed whatrole it might attempt to play The developments reflect rising intensity in afight that began in GOP-dominated Texas, spread to Democratic-run California and now seems to be mushrooming. The dynamics could embroil the 2026 midterm campaign in legislative andcourt battles testing Trump’spower over theRepublicanParty, Democrats’ ability to mount opposition and the durability of the U.S. system of federalism that balances power between Washington and individual states. Texas has been the epicenter of Trump’spush to gerrymander congressional maps to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority in 2026. At atime when competitive House districts number just several dozen, Democrats are three seats short of aHouse majority under the current maps. Trump wants five moreseatsout of Texas to potentiallyavoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when Democrats reclaimed theHouse and proceeded to

thwart hisagenda and impeachhim twice.

Republican Indiana Gov Mike Braun has seemingly affirmed Democrats’ warnings that Texas is atest case for the GOP to scale nationally.“It lookslike it’sgoing to happen acrossmany Republican states,” he told reporters ahead of Vance’svisit, though he’smade no promises about his own state.

Vanceholds meetings

Vance metprivately with Braun and othersatthe Indiana Capitol on Thursday Afterward,Braun sidestepped redistricting— contrasting Texas Gov.Greg Abbott’senthusiastic embrace of Trump’sdemands.

“Wediscussed anumber of issues,and Iwas pleased to highlight some of the great things happening in Indiana,” Braun said viahis official socialmedia account.

Around 100 people protested at theCapitol. “I’m 75, and Inever,never thought Ihad to worry about our democracy being taken apartfromthe inside,” said Linda Linn of Indianapolis, as sheheld asignwarning

Braun not to disenfranchise her Braunwould have to call aspecial session to start the redistricting process, but lawmakershavesole power to draw new maps.

Republican U.S. representatives outnumber Democrats in Indiana 7-2, limiting possibilities of squeezing out another seat.

While Braun is astaunch Trump ally in astate the president wonby19percentage points in 2024, Indianalawmakershaveavoided the national spotlight in recentyears —especially after a2022 special session that yielded astrict abortion ban. Former Vice President Mike Pence, apast Indiana governor, also holds sway over manystate lawmakers andhas amore measured approach to partisan politics than Trump.

Indiana’sRepublican legislativeleaders praisedexisting boundaries after adoptingthemfouryears ago. “I believethese maps reflect feedback from the public and will serve Hoosiers well for thenext decade,” Senate President ProTem Rodric

Bray said at the time.

Rep.André Carson, one of two Indiana Democrats in the U.S. House, saidhehas not seen any alternate maps, callingthem theoretical for now.“If Republicans get too cute, theymay hurt themselves,” he warned.

Still, Republicans hold a supermajority in theGeneral Assembly,meaning Democrats could not thwart aspecial session by refusing to attend, as Texas Democrats are doing.

“StatehouseDemswilldo everything within our power to work with Hoosiers to make sure the checks and balances remain and we remain to be the firewallnot just for Indianabut for the entire country,” said state Senateminorityleader Shelli Yoder,though she acknowledgedthere is little

the party could do to stop redistrictingifRepublicans choose to please Trump.

In Florida, House Speaker Daniel Perez said his chamberwill take up redistricting thisfallthrough aspecial committee. State Senate leaders have not yet followed Perez’slead. Gov. Ron DeSantis previously told the public to “stay tuned.”

TexasDemsstill absent

Pressure has intensified on Texas Democratic lawmakers —dozens of whom remain in other states and outside thejurisdiction of civilwarrantsissuedbythe Republican majority for their return.

Under Texas legislative rules, they face $500 daily fines that exceed their compensation and cannot be paid, legally,bytheir campaign

accounts. Political contributions are being used to cover some costs of their travel, lodging and meals.

TexasDemocrats hope to run out the clock on aspecial session that wouldend Aug. 19. But Abbott could call anothersession, increasing prospects foranextended stalemate.

California’sGavin Newsom wants Democraticgerrymandering in hisstate if Texas proceeds, though voters would have to bypass an independent redistricting commission. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and NewYork Gov. Kathy Hochul, both of whom have appeared alongside TexasDemocratswho relocated to theirstates, have also declared theirintentto push new maps if theyare necessary to neutralize Republican maneuvers.

Netanyahusays Israel plansto take over Gaza

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

TEL AVIV,Israel PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday thattodestroy Hamas Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip and eventually transfer its administration to friendly Arabforces, as the Security Cabinet discussed awidening of its 22-month offensive. Expandingmilitaryoperations in Gaza would put the livesofcountless Palestinians and the roughly 20 remaining Israeli hostages at risk while further isolating Israel internationally Israel alreadycontrols around three-quarters of the devastated territory Families of hostages held in Gaza fear an escalation could doom their loved ones, and some protested outside the Security Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.Former top Israeli security officials have also come out against the plan, warning of aquagmire with little added military benefit.

An Israeliofficial had earlier said the Security Cabinet would discuss plans to conquer all or parts of Gaza not yetunder Israeli control. The official,speaking on condition of anonymity pending aformal decision, said that whatever is approved would be implemented gradually to increase pressure on Hamas. Israel’sair and ground war

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physical performance.”

Shoppers can still buy black coffee, cold brew, lattes and other traditional coffee drinks, but not if they are enhanced with any kind of added vitamins or supplements for energy

Finally,candy is on the banned list and is defined as “a preparation of sugar, honey,orother natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces.”

Not included are“protein bars, granola bars or baking ingredients such as sprinkles, chocolate melting wafers, toffee bits, or chocolate chips.”

ACliforKINDbar is allowed, but peanut M&M’sor chocolate-covered nuts are not.

Bruce Greenstein, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, said that soda purchases alone account for about $350 million of the program’stotal costof $1.9 billion.

“When we eliminate that, we’re basically freeing up money for families to go ahead and buy better foods, whether it’sgoing to be rice and beans …meats, veg-

haskilled tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyedvastareasandcaused severe and widespread hunger.Palestinians arebraced for further misery

“There is nothingleft to occupy,”saidMaysaa al-Heila, whoisliving in adisplacement camp. “There is no Gaza left.

At least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeliairstrikes and shootings across southern Gaza on Thursday, accordingtolocal hospitals.

Asked in an interview with Fox News ahead of the SecurityCabinet meetingifIsrael would“take control of all of Gaza,”Netanyahu replied: “Weintendto, in orderto assure our security,remove Hamas there, enable the populationtobefreeofGaza.”

“Wedon’twant to keep it. We wantto have asecurity perimeter,”Netanyahu said in the interview.“We wantto hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly withoutthreatening us and giving Gazans agood life.”

The Security Cabinet, which would need to approve such adecision, beganmeetingThursday evening, accordingto Israelimedia, and it was expected to stretch into the night.

Israel’smilitary chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned against occupying Gaza,saying it wouldendangerthe hostagesand put fur-

etables, dairy products but more real food, rather than synthetic candies and drinks,” Greenstein said.

But some advocates that work to combat hunger worry that the new SNAPrestrictionscould createconfusion at theregister.

“Wecan allenvisionsomebody coming to the checkout counter ready to buy their groceries, and all of asudden you can’tbuy this, that andthe otherthing with the SNAPcard,” said John Sillars, chief strategy officerat Second Harvest Food Bank. “I thinkthatwill be challenging for them.”

Sillars said his organization supports healthy eating, but the newrules “willmean somefamilies are goingto have fewer choices that align with their needsand budgets and theavailability of items in nearby stores.”

Eatingpatterns are “influenced by several factors, including access to food, education and affordability,” he said,and should be paired with education and incentives for healthy purchases.

Recent changes to SNAP at the federal level eliminated funding that would go toward nutritioneducation.

Jessica Elliott, executive directorofthe Louisiana Retailers Association, saidinan email that her members are concerned about the short timelinebefore the new rules

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Palestinians carry aman whowas hurtThursday while rushing to collect humanitarianaid airdropped by parachute into Gaza Cityinthe northernGaza Strip.

therstrain on the military afternearlytwo yearsofwar according to Israeli media reports.

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack thattriggered the war.Mostofthe hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remaininside Gaza, around 20 of thembelieved by Israel to be alive.

Almosttwo dozen relatives of hostages setsailfrom southern Israel toward the maritime border with Gaza on Thursday, where they broadcastmessages from loudspeakers.

Yehuda Cohen, thefather of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza, said from theboat that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to satisfy extremists in his governingcoalition. Netanyahu’sfar-right allieswant to escalatethe war,relocate most of Gaza’spopulation to other countriesand reestablish Jewish settlements that weredismantled in 2005.

“Netanyahu is working only for himself,”Cohen said.

take effect on Jan. 15, with “many operational changes to consider.”

Thereisaneed for clear communication to avoid confusionatthe register she said, but “retailerswill continue to providea positive shopping experience for SNAP customers.”

What’s newlyallowed

For the first time, thestate will alsoallow SNAP recipients to purchase rotisserie chicken, ashift from longstanding federal rules banning hot food under the program, Greenstein said.

“Allowing rotisserie chicken or prepared food allows a parent on the wayhome from work to pick up foodsthatthe kids could eat right there, instead of snack foods or sugar foods and pop,” Greenstein said during thepodcast.

However,the waiverfrom theUnited States Department of Agriculture specifically states it does not authorizehot foodsorother changes to the program. It’s not clear how Louisiana will implementthatchange. A representative forLandry did not respond to questions.

Othergrocery stapleslike meat,fresh andfrozen fruits, and vegetables,grains, dairy and snacks like chips,crackers and ice cream are still available underthe program.

TheUSDAapprovedthe waiver as atwo-yeardem-

Israel’smilitary offensive haskilledover61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry,which does notsay howmanywere fightersorcivilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionalswho keep and share detailed records.

TheUnitedNations and independentexpertsview the ministry’sfigures as the mostreliable estimateofcasualties.Israel hasdisputed them withoutoffering atoll of itsown.

Of the 42 people killedon Thursday,atleast 13 were seeking aid in an Israeli military zoneinsouthern Gaza where U.N. aid convoys are regularlyoverwhelmed by looters anddesperate crowds. Another two were killed on roadsleading to nearbysitesrun by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor,according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies GHF said there were no violent incidentsatornear itssites on Thursday.There was no immediatecomment from the Israeli military

onstration project through January 2028. The statewill be requiredtosubmitquarterly reports tracking purchasing trends, complaints and health outcomes. The program can be renewed for an additional three years

LIBRARY

Continued from page1A

Baptist Theological Seminary

Ledet,who also applied, has degrees in Englishand secondary education. Since August 2021, shehas been alibrarian at Teurlings Catholic High SchoolinLafayette, having taught at the school from 2008 to 2021. It was notthe first time Ledet applied for and was rejected for appointment to the board.

Judge, nominated by formercouncil member Josh Carlson over six candidates thatincludededucators, was appointed to the board in February 2021.

Judge was controversial fromthe start, attempting to change thelibrary’s missionstatement almost immediately.Helater successfully removed the words diversity andaccess from the statement. Known for wearing alarge crucifix outside his shirt duringmeetingsand reciting prayers before and after the meetings, Judge led the charge to bring conservative values into the library system, with such moves as removing LGBTQ+ themed books and an LGBTQ+ documentary from the library David Pitre of Lafayette, aformer faith-based school administrator, was selected in December 2021 from alistofeightpeople whowanted to serve on the board. He was nominated by Carlson. Citing work conflicts, Pitre resigned in August 2023, before his term ended.

ShaneLanders wasappointed to the board in December 2021, also resigning before his term was over His social media page identified him as amember of KingdomWarrior Christian group and showed aphoto of him with Carlson, who nominated him. In June 2022, Daniel Kelly was appointed. His résumé said he was senior pastor of TheHarvest Church in La-

fayette. He signeda letter with other pastors opposing DragQueen StoryTime in 2018. He is currently board president. The church’s website advertised aseries by Kelly titled “Culture Wars!” with weekly topicsthatinclude “Abortion, LGBT agenda” and “Hip Hop, Hollywood,Government.”

Tenpeople applied for a vacantboardseat in October2022, includinga school librarian and two former university professors. The Parish Council chose Erasto Padron Jr., whoworks in cybersecurity.Heremains on the board but hasmissed several recent meetings. Ella Arsement, who foryearswas afixture at Lafayette Parish School Board meetings and acommunity and school volunteer,was appointed in May 2023. She has often backed Judge’sproposals, includingendingthe library’s affiliation withthe American Library Association. Chairwoman of thecommitteelooking at building anew Northeast Regional Library,she spoke to the council Tuesday about concerns forbuilding the library on land ownedby Holy Rosary Allan Moore of Broussard, whocurrently serves as vice president of the library board, replaced Pitre in November 2023. Moore is aformer youth pastor who was nominated by Carlson. Before the council vote, Moore said he doesn’tbelieve libraries should help push “thelatest social agenda.” The council passed over aformer professor who volunteered on theLafayette PublicLibrary Foundation, raising money forthe library In November,the council appointed Eric Baquet to the board, passing over 10 other candidates, including Ledet, the Teurlings High librarianwho wasagain passed over on Tuesday in favor of Holmes. Baquet is aclinical therapist who worked as aforeign missionary forseven years.

United Airlines issue fixed; snarls continue

A disruption to a system housing United Airlines’ flight information that delayed more than 1,000 flights and caused hundreds of flights to be canceled has been resolved, but travel disruptions continued into Thursday across the U.S

The system, called Unimatic, houses flight information that is fed to other systems including those that calculate weight and balance and track flight times, according to United. It’s not clear what caused the problem, which was resolved late Wednesday While residual delays were expected, United said its team was working to restore normal operations.

About 35% of all the airline’s flights on Wednesday were delayed and 7% — 218 flights — were canceled, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

By Thursday afternoon, 11% of United flights for the day were delayed and 5% were canceled. Around the same time, FlightAware reported 42 cancellations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport All but one were United flights.

EPA cancels $7B solar energy program

WASHINGTON The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday terminated a $7 billion grant program intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income U.S. households, in the latest Trump administration move hindering the nation’s shift to cleaner energy.

The funding, part of the Biden-era’s Solar for All program, was awarded to 60 recipients including states, tribes and regions for investments such as rooftop solar and community solar gardens.

Under Republican President Donald Trump, officials have pursued dozens of deregulatory measures related to federal rules intended to protect clean air and water

Only $53 million of the $7 billion awarded has been spent, according to a tally by the research firm Atlas Public Policy Several recipients said their programs were in planning phases.

Stephanie Bosh, senior vice president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said the EPA has no legal authority to terminate grants already appropriated by Congress.

“These grants are delivering billions of dollars of investment to red and blue states alike,” she said.

The EPA has argued that tax and policy law allows the agency to rescind the money it has already obligated The recipients of that money disagree, saying the bulk of the money had already been disbursed and is not affected by the law

Trump to nominate aide to Federal Reserve board

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate a top economic adviser to the Federal Reserve’s board of governors for four months, temporarily filling a vacancy

Trump said he has named Stephen Miran, the chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, to fill a seat vacated by governor Adriana Kugler, a Biden appointee who is stepping down Friday Miran, if approved by the Senate, will serve until Jan. 31. The appointment is Trump’s first opportunity to exert more control over the Fed. Trump has relentlessly criticized the current chair Jerome Powell, for keeping short-term interest rates unchanged, calling him “a stubborn MORON” last week on social media. Miran has been a major defender of Trump’s income tax cuts and tariff hikes, arguing that the combination will generate enough economic growth to reduce budget deficits. He also has played down the risk of Trump’s tariffs generating higher inflation, a major source of concern for Powell.

Settlement proposed for merger

164 facilities would be divested in Amedisys, UnitedHealth deal

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

The U.S. Department of Justice proposed a settlement Thursday requiring Amedisys and UnitedHealth Group to divest 164 home health and hospice facilities the biggest divestiture of outpatient health services to clear the way for a merger

The proposal, if approved, would end the legal battle that followed

the DOJ’s lawsuit to stymie Amedisys and UnitedHealth’s attempted merger in November, fearing it would limit access to health services. The department also proposed that Amedisys pay $1.1 million to the United States for false certification that they provided accurate documents to the United States.

“In no sector of our economy is competition more important to Americans’ well-being than health care. This settlement protects quality and price competition for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable patients and wage competition for thousands of nurses,” Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater, of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, said in the release. “I commend the Antitrust Division’s Staff

for doggedly investigating and prosecuting this case on behalf of seniors, hospice patients, nurses, and their families.”

UnitedHealth announced plans in 2023 to purchase Baton Rougebased Amedisys for $3.3 billion, or $101 a share. Amedisys said it would divest from some home health centers before the deal closing.

The deal calls for Amedisys to continue as a wholly owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth, with an office in Baton Rouge and operations in Nashville, Tennessee.

The proposed divestiture would impact home health and hospice locations in 19 states. The only affected location in Louisiana is Amedisys Hospice in Lake Charles, according to a map of divestiture

locations. In total, the 164 proposed divestiture locations account for $528 million in revenue, according to the release.

The settlement also would require UnitedHealth to be monitored for compliance to the divestiture and enact regulations that would prevent the company from obstructing the divested locations’ buyers. They must also present resources for buyers to compete in areas in which they overlap.

If UnitedHealth does not receive regulatory approval for divestiture, it must divest from eight more home health and hospice facilities, according to the release.

The U.S. District Court in the District of Maryland will determine the settlement’s final judgment.

Trump’s

new tariffs go into effect

U.S. economy shows signs of strain

BY JOSH BOAK and STAN CHOE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump began imposing higher import taxes on dozens of countries Thursday just as the economic fallout of his monthslong tariff threats has begun to cause visible damage to the U.S. economy.

Just after midnight, goods from more than 60 countries and the European Union became subject to tariff rates of 10% or higher Products from the EU, Japan and South Korea are taxed at 15%, while imports from Taiwan, Vietnam and Bangladesh are taxed at 20%. Trump also expects the EU, Japan and South Korea to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States.

“I think the growth is going to be unprecedented,” Trump said Wednesday He said the U.S. was “taking in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs,” but did not provide a specific figure for revenues because “we don’t even know what the final number is”

regarding the rates.

Despite the uncertainty, the White House is confident that the onset of his tariffs will provide clarity about the path for the world’s largest economy. Now that companies understand the direction the U.S. is headed, the Republican administration believes it can ramp up new investments and jump-start hiring in ways that can rebalance America as a manufacturing power So far, however, there are signs of self-inflicted wounds to the U.S. as companies and consumers brace for the impact of the new taxes.

Hiring began to stall, inflationary pressures crept upward and home values in key markets started to decline after the initial tariff rollout in April, said John Silvia, CEO of Dynamic Economic Strategy

“A less productive economy requires fewer workers,” Silvia said. “But there is more, the higher tariff prices lower workers’ real wages. The economy has become less productive, and firms cannot pay the same real wages as before. Actions have consequences.”

Many economists say the risk is that the American economy is steadily eroded.

“It’s going to be fine sand in the gears and slow things down,” said Brad Jensen, a pro-

fessor at Georgetown University

The lead-up to Thursday fit the slapdash nature of Trump’s tariffs, which have been rolled out, walked back, delayed, increased, imposed by letter and renegotiated. Trump on Wednesday announced additional 25% tariffs to be imposed on India because of its purchases of Russian oil, bringing its total import taxes to 50%.

A leading group of Indian exporters said that will affect nearly 55% of the country’s outbound shipments to America and force exporters to lose long-standing clients.

The Swiss executive branch, the Federal Council, was expected to meet Thursday after President Karin Keller-Sutter and other Swiss officials returned from a hastily arranged trip to Washington in a failed bid to avert a 39% U.S. tariffs on Swiss goods.

The president’s use of a 1977 law to declare an economic emergency to impose the tariffs is under a legal challenge. Even people who worked with Trump during his first term are skeptical, such as Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who was House speaker

“There’s no sort of rationale for this other than the president wanting to raise tariffs based upon his whims, his opinions,” Ryan told CNBC on Wednesday

Trump

BY KEN SWEET Associated Press

NEW YORK Millions of Americans saving for retirement through 401(k) accounts could have the option of putting their money in higher-risk private equity and cryptocurrency investments, according to an executive order signed ThursdaybyPresidentDonaldTrumpthat could give those financial players long-sought access to a pool of funds worth trillions. There is no immediate change in how people invest part of

in alternative assets, particularly private equity cryptocurrencies and real estate. The Republican president’s order directs the Labor Department and other agencies to redefine what would be considered a qualified asset under 401(k) retirement rules. Americans’

bond investments, and to a much lesser extent, cash and heavily traded commodities such as gold. Trump’s move rewards both the $5 trillion private equity industry, which for decades has wanted to compete for a role in retirement plans, and the cryptocurrency industry whose executives strongly supported Trump’s 2024 campaign as they aimed for more mainstream acceptance among Americans. The price of bitcoin has nearly doubled since Trump was elected Under Democratic President Joe Biden, federal regulators were to treat cryptocurrency investments with “extreme care” because of the extreme volatility of crypto. For cryptocurrency companies, which donated millions to Trump’s campaign as well as his inauguration, one goal was to get their industry qualified under ERISA. Coinbase, one of the largest crypto companies in the United States, was also a major donor toward Trump’s military parade in Washington this summer Under Trump, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its lawsuit against Coinbase, where the Biden administration said crypto should be treated as a security

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORIO BORGIA Stacks of containers stand Thursday near a cargo ship in the Civitavecchia Harbour, Italy.

La. chocolate maker sold

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Elmer Chocolate, the Louisiana candymaker best known for its seasonal boxed chocolates and Gold Brick and Heavenly Hash eggs, has been sold to a familyowned conglomerate based in Florida, ending local ownership of the Ponchatoula manufacturer after nearly two centuries.

Hoffman Family of Companies, which describes itself as a “family equity” firm that operates 120 different companies and brands, including hotels, wineries, airlines and newspapers, declined to disclose what it paid for Elmer, which has estimated annual revenues of around $100 million.

But Hoffman co-CEO Geoff Hoffman said his firm’s investment philosophy is to buy strong local brands and help them expand while keeping existing management and employees in place.

“This is a pure expansion and growth play for us, so no local job cuts, no local losses,” said Hoffman, who shares the CEO title with his brother, Greg Hoffman. “If there were a need for reductions, this wouldn’t be a company we wanted to invest in.” Elmer Chocolate, which first began producing candy in New Orleans before the Civil War, now sells some 40 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate every year

Longtime Elmer CEO Rob Nelson, whose family has owned the company since the early 1960s, said he and his brother, Michael Nelson, will remain in their roles as CEO and president, respectively, and that the investment from the Hoffman acquisition will enable Elmer’s to grow beyond Valentine’s Day sweets and other seasonal goodies.

“There’s been a lot of consolidation in our industry,” Rob Nelson said. “To be successful, businesses have to be larger, and I knew we needed to be larger than we are. Hoffman will help us get there.”

Rich history

Elmer is one of the oldest companies still operating in the New Orleans area. It was founded in 1850 by a German immigrant and pastry chef named Christopher Henry Miller, who opened the Miller Candy Company in the Lower Garden District.

The company changed its name after Miller’s son-inlaw, Augustus Elmer and, later his children, became part of the business In 1914, it moved to a factory in the Warehouse District In 1963, Roy Nelson and his son, Allan Nelson, purchased the company from the Elmer family The elder Nelson was a born salesman while the younger was an engineer who knew manufacturing, said Rob Nelson, Allan’s son and Roy’s grandson. In 1970, they built a new 30,000-square-foot factory on the northshore and relocated there.

In the mid-20th century, the candy industry operated differently than it does today with regional distributors supplying local retailers with most of their products.

“So, if you went to K&B or Schwegmann’s, most of the candy hard candy bagged candy, mints and stuff, was made by Elmer’s, which also managed the whole candy aisle for the retailer,” Rob Nelson said

But that began to change as retailers consolidated and national companies got bigger To remain competitive, the Nelsons decided in 1982 to get away from everyday candies and snacks and focus on only seasonal chocolates — a category that refers to boxed chocolates sold mostly from late November until Valentine’s Day along with Easter candy.

In 2016, the company invested $45 million in an expansion and upgrade of its Ponchatoula facility, adding 70,000 square feet and more automation.

Today, Elmer’s is the second-largest manufacturer of heart-shaped box candy in North America.

Valentine’s, Easter candy

The seasonal candy business accounts for more than 90% of Elmer’s revenues, Rob Nelson said. That includes candy it makes under a licensing agreement for Hershey’s Gold, as well as an agreement it has with other candy companies that Rob Nelson cannot discuss because of nondisclosure agreements.

Easter candy sales make up about 7% of company revenues, which may come as a surprise to Louisianans who grew up on Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick Eggs. But they’re mostly a local thing, Rob Nelson said, with distribution limited to the Gulf Coast from Houston to the Florida Panhandle. Operating under a seasonal model means the company works year-round making products that only sell during a few months of the year

Since interest rates and inflation spiked after the pandemic, doing business that way has become more difficult, which was one reason the Nelsons started looking for a new partner

“We work way out in advance but you don’t get paid for that and you have to fi-

nance that and there is this whole cycle where you borrow for half the year, get paid for half the year,” Rob Nelson said. “We are trying to find the most efficient way to grow the company in this world.”

The new owners

Hoffman Family of Companies is also a family owned business, which made them an attractive partner as Elmer started looking for a buyer or investor, he said.

Though technically a private equity firm, Hoffman doesn’t have outside investors. Rather, the Hoffman family owns 100% of the 120 companies in its portfolio. Though it’s not clear what the companies’ collective value is, earlier this year, founder David Hoffman was named to the Forbes World’s Billionaires list with a net worth of $2 billion.

Also unlike traditional private equity firms, which sometimes break apart and merge companies within their portfolio with plans to eventually sell them off for a profit, Hoffman has only ever sold one company, according to Geoff Hoffman, David Hoffman’s son.

“We look for businesses and management teams we can partner with over the long haul,” he said.

Geoff Hoffman said they want to help Elmer grow into new types of markets and diversify the products it makes.

“What we are going to bring to Elmer is additional stability, resources, avenues for growth and capital resources so that company can continue to thrive for many, many years,” he said. Trend?

The acquisition is the fourth recent sale by a longtime local company to a private equity firm.

In the New Orleans area, Canal Barge and Gallo Mechanical announced deals with private equity firms earlier this year In Baton Rouge, CSRS announced it has sold.

“The basic thing is it reinforces the importance of nurturing local companies and helping to foster new ones,” said GNO Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

Judge orders temporary halt to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ construction

BY DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

MIAMI A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to construction at an immigration detention center — built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” — as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws.

The facility can continue to operate and hold detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but workers will be barred from adding any new filling, paving or infrastructure for the next 14 days.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued the ruling during a hearing and said she would issue a written order later Thursday Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe

have asked Williams to issue a preliminary injunction to halt operations and further construction. The suit claims the project threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars’ worth of environmental restoration. Plaintiffs presented witnesses Wednesday and Thursday in support of the injunction, while attorneys for the state and federal government were scheduled to present next week.

Following Thursday’s testimony, Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups, asked Williams to issue a temporary restraining order that would at least prevent any new construction at the site while the preliminary injunction was argued.

Williams asked Florida attorney Jesse Panuccio if the state would agree to halt construction so that she wouldn’t need to issue the restraining order She pointed out that anything built at the site would likely remain there permanently, regardless of how the case was ultimately decided. Panuccio said he couldn’t guarantee that the state would stop all work. Schwiep said the purpose of the facility is for immigration enforcement, which is exclusively a federal function. He said the facility wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the federal government’s desire for a facility to hold detainees. Williams said that the detention facility was at a minimum a joint partnership between the state and federal government.

SeveralScott police officers suspended

Recordsshowconduct ledtoseven beingplacedonleave

Several Scott Police Department officers havebeen suspended or placed on administrative leave in the past 60 days.

Thesuspensions includesix fulltime officers and one reserve officer,accordingto arecords request submitted to the department. All officers were suspended for professional conduct and insubordination

Scott Police Chief Chad Leger declined to comment.

Amedia outlet,citing an unnamed source, claimed the suspensions were related to adeadly shooting that occurred on June 7af-

ter afight broke out near Cowboys Nightclub in Scott. The fight happened in the early morning hours following aconcert at thenightclub.Policesaid the fight movedtoanearby gas station in the200 block of North Ambassador Caffery whenseveral shots were fired, leaving KylonCalais,

20, dead. No officers were involved in the shooting. Three people have been arrested in connection with the shooting.

Louisiana State Police said there arenocurrent investigations into the Scott Police Department or its officers.

WELCOMEBACK, STUDENTS

Students arrivetostarttheir school year at the

BELOW: Senior Karla Valenzuela shares ahug withChoir Director Holly Grefeasshe arrives to startthe school year on Thursday.

West FelicianaParishpresident backsAngolause

ICEdetentions weighedatsite

BY QUINN COFFMAN

Staff writer

FelicianaParish

West

President Kenny Havard is backing the possibility of housingimmigrant detainees at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Havard said this week the parish is “ready to do our part” after Louisiana officials were found to be in talks with the Trump administration about housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detaineesatAngola as part of apush to meet the de-

mands of the president’swideningimmigration crackdown.

He also said he is glad that the attention on Angola as asite for apossibleLouisiana versionof “Alligator Alcatraz”has pushed Gov.Jeff Landry to expedite repairsatthe stateprison. West Felicianawould also love to host President Donald Trump “with open arms” if he decided to make avisit to Angola, Havard said Along-abandoned and currently emptywing at Angola called “Camp J” has beenidentified as where the immigration facility might operate, accordingto sources with knowledge of the talks between Louisiana officials

and the Trumpadministration. Landry also issued an executive order lastmonth allowing the state to sidestep procurementand public-bidding rules for renovating Camp J, which has been closed since 2018. Criminaljusticeadvocates applauded the prison’smoveto close Camp J, and have said that the wing is not suitable for human occupation. Thepossibility of aportion of Angola becoming an immigration facility similar to “Alligator Alcatraz” in Ochopee, Florida, came after July comments from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in whichshe said herdepart-

mentwas in talks with multiple Republican governors to open similar facilities. For his part, Havard said he was awarethat there wereconversations about getting Camp Jopen again and that he had heardrumors it wastoeventually house ICE detainees there. However,hesaidhehadn’thad any conversations withLandry’s staff about the possibility Otherparishofficialssaidthey hadnot heard of thepossible change at Angola. West Feliciana Parish Sheriff BrianSpillman’s office declined to comment Wednesday

Former police chiefdies

youngsvillefor 27 years Staff report

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff writer

Earl Menard, alongtime former Youngsville chief of police, died on Wednesday Menard, 80, died Tuesday at East Jefferson GeneralHospital due to medical complications, according to aYoungsville Police Department announcement. He served as police chief forYoungsville from 1987 until his retirement in 2014. After retirement, Menard servedasa community liaison officer “Chief Menard’s contributions to the community,his leadership, andhis unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of the citizens of Youngsville will not be forgotten. He leaves behind alegacy of dedication to law enforcement and community service,” Youngsville Chief Jean Paul “JP” Broussard wrote in astatement. He is survivedbyhis wife of 30 years, Phyllis Akins Menard; seven children,Phyllis Menard, Rachelle Menard Boudreaux, Dawn MenardDurke,Jarrid Menard andwife Shey,Lance Menard and wife Shannon, Tarrah Menard Reauxand husband Brock, Kayla Menard Reaux; one stepdaughter,Erin Reeves Dore and husband Edward; 17 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; six siblings,Betty Menard Vallot,Gail Menard Cormier,Kenneth Menard and wife Giselle,Ray Menard and partner Robert Smith, Robert Menard andwife Lisa, Carolyn Menard Landry and husband Michael Landry He is also survived by ahost of nieces, nephewsand countless friends. Afuneral will be held at David’s Funeral Home at 316 Youngsville Highway on Sunday.Visitation and service will be from 2p.m. to 6p.m.

CRIME BLOTTER Advocate staff reports

ASt. Landry Parish employee working in the parish jail was charged with allowing inmates to use her cellphone to make calls, send text messages andconverse via FaceTime. One inmate awaiting trial in ahomicide, according to anews release from Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, used the cellphone to attempt to convince awitness to change their testimony in his case. ToiLazard, 32, of 2325 Ledoux Circle,Opelousas, was charged with malfeasance in office and bringing contraband to and from apenal institution, according to the release. The Sheriff’s Office wasnotified by

STAFF PHOTOSByLESLIE WESTBROOK

Students and faculty starttheir school year in thebrand-newLafayette High School on Thursday.

Principal TiaTrahan walks withseventh grader Giselle Kees, center, and hersister, eighth grader Mila Kees, during their first dayatPaul Breaux Middle School on Thursday.

newLafayette High.

Menard

OPINION

Medicaid cuts will hurt mothers,especiallyrural ones

Medicaid is the backboneof maternal and childhealth in Louisiana.Nearly two-thirds of births in Louisiana are paid for by Medicaid and more than half of children are covered by Medicaid among the highest rates in the country.But that lifeline is now in jeopardy following sweeping federal cuts to the program. Congress recently passed abill that will slash federal Medicaid funding by imposing work requirements andtightening eligibility.InLouisiana, 100,000 people —about 44% of current Medicaid enrollees —stand to lose coverage when these rules takeeffect in December 2026. Even though 69% of adults in Louisianawith Medicaid coverage are already working, many may stilllose coverage due to red tape and burden-

some reporting requirements.

Proponentsclaim these requirementswill curbfraudand restore the“dignity of work.”

families.

In reality,states where work requirements were previously implemented didnot haveincreases in employment. They did, however,lead to coverage losses andworse health outcomes.

To preserve current Medicaidcoverage levels, Louisiana would need to increase its own Medicaid spending by 400% —a financial impossibility in astate alreadystrugglingtomeet basic health care needs. Without a federal fix,Louisiana will face impossible trade-offs: raise taxes, cuteducation and infrastructure budgetsorreduce Medicaid enrollment or services even further —all of which harm working

These cuts would fall hardest on pregnant women and young families. Louisiana already ranks 48th in maternal and child health outcomes and has one of the highestrates of maternal mortality in the U.S. Gutting Medicaid would turn apublic healthcrisis intoa catastrophe.

More than half of Louisiana parishes are considered maternity care deserts —places where obstetric care is absent or dangerously limited. Over athird have no obstetric provider or hospital unit at all. Medicaid cutswould force more rural hospitals to close or eliminate obstetric care entirely,leaving entire regions without providers for prenatal or postpartum care. The consequences aren’t theoretical. Apregnant woman in rural Avoyelles Parish may soon have to travel even further

Return of politics to east bank leveeboard will lead to dysfunction

The 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina should be atime to remember historic reformsthat have made our region stronger,safer and moreresilient

Instead, Gov.Jeff Landry has reintroduced politics into the governance of our leveesand flood protection systems. Last year,the Legislature passed alaw giving the governor sweeping authority to handpick the presidents of over 150 state boards. Landry has used that power three times at the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East. Most recently,heremoved his previous pick for board president, Roy Carubba, after achaotic tenure marked by high-profile resignations, retirementsand terminations.

his finger in theface of former commissioner Clay Cosse and shouted expletives. Thegovernor was right to removeCarubba as president, but replacing him witha brand-new boardmember with no institutionalknowledge is not theanswer

than 30 minutes to her closest birthhospital. Amother in New OrleansEast might forgo postpartumvisits because she no longer qualifies forMedicaid under new eligibility rules.

This will be especially devastating for Black women in Louisiana, who are already 2.5 times more likely to diefrom pregnancyrelated causes. These proposed cuts would deepen racial and geographic inequities and decimate care in the very communities that rely on it themost.

Louisiana policymakers must act swiftly to blunt the impact of these federal cuts. That includes maximizing state funding to preserve coverage for pregnant womenand families, pursuing federal waivers to maintain access forvulnerable groups and minimizing red tape that could cause eligible residents to lose care. Leaders should also

invest in community-based outreach and enrollment assistance to ensure families understand the new rules and don’tfall through the cracks. Doing nothing is not an option —the health of thousands of Louisiana women and children is on the line.

The bill may be signed, but the fight is farfrom over.State leaders must do everything in their power to shield Louisiana families from its worst effects.

That starts with protecting, not slashing, Medicaid. Our health, our economy and our future depend on it.

Melissa Goldin Evans is on thefacultyatthe Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health&TropicalMedicine at Tulane Universityand a member of theNew Orleans Maternal andChild Health Coalition advisory board.

Kratom banabad move forthose in chronicpain

Longago, when Iwas young and invincible, Iwould snowboard in Colorado and occasionally hit the “kicker,” a sloped rampthat would launch me into theair to soar above the world below

His replacement, PeterViacri,had only attended one boardmeeting before being elevated to the top post.

Carruba’sleadership drove four of nine board members to resign. Three members addressed their resignation letter to Shane Guidry,alarge political donor to Landry with no approvedofficial role at the flood authority or in government.In atroubling pattern, Carubba has repeatedly asked areporter forthis paper to get Guidry’sapproval before publishing his comments. Who is really in charge?

Landry’sintention to stack theSLFPAEboard could not be clearer.Atthe end of the last legislative session, his office quietly withdrew or failed to submit for Senate confirmation the name of aboard member who publicly opposed his legislation designed to dismantle post-Katrina levee reforms. This is textbook political retaliation. Only two of the nine board members from ayear ago remain.

One key question remains unanswered by Guidry and Landry.What are they trying to accomplish with this SLFPA-Etakeover? What problems do they seek tofix?

Carubba and Guidry have claimed they are trying to cut wasteful spending. Yet, payroll costs at SLFPA-E have increased by $2 million in just the past year.One particularly questionable expense is the $208,000 salary of PoliceSuperintendent Joshua Rondeno.

The dysfunction reached alow point in June, when Carubba ended aboard meeting by accusing fellow board members of self-dealing and racism while providing no evidence. As he left, Carubba turned back, pointed

This is not what the people of southeast Louisiana fought for after Katrina. In theaftermath of thestorm, Citizensfor 1Greater New Orleans, ledbyfounder Ruthie Frierson, organized agrassroots movement to reform flood governance. Hundreds of citizens in red coats flooded the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, demandingchange. Their efforts culminated in a constitutional amendment, approved by 81% of voters statewide and 94% in Orleans Parish, to depoliticize levee boards and prioritize public safety

Thesereforms have worked for nearly 19 years,underevery administration except, without explanation, the current one.

This past legislative session, our organization proposed an amendment to restore the board’sauthoritytoelect itsown chair and insulate it from further political interference.

Most lawmakers we met agreed with the ideainprinciple, but saidthe governor must agree. He didnot.

Canyou imagine what people around the country will think when they hear Louisiana has reintroduced political influence into flood protection in New Orleans? Will the federal government come to our aid again in the face of adisaster of ourown making?

How are citizens better off if we revert to the pre-Katrina days of poor flood management and political influence? What message does it sendthat theboard overseeing our flood protection system may be taking orders from aprivatepolitical donor?

We cannot afford to return to thepolitically compromised systems that failed us so catastrophically in 2005. Flood protectionisthe mostexistential threat we collectively share, transcending all other diversity in our colorful and unique community

Citizens have avital roletoplay.We must insist that our elected officials correct this crucial error beforethis dysfunction resultsina crisis.

Blair duQuesnay is the chair of Citizens for 1Greater New Orleans

Once, while landing, Ihurt my back. It was sore for afew days and then thepain vanished, as injuries do when you are 22. But unbeknownst to me, aprocess had been set in motion.Over the next two decades, that back ache would evolve into arthritis andeventually adisc herniation, which produced nerve pain that would ripple downmy legs.

ences that mirrored my own. Troy D’Albor,anITspecialist from St. Martinville, testified how he had been using kratom for10years to manage crippling back pain. D’Albor waspreviously prescribed hydrocodone, which led him to addiction, but now he’sadecade sober and able to manage his pain with kratom alone. Most kratom users appear to fit asimilar profile. Asurvey published by Johns Hopkins in 2023 found that out of 2,798 kratom users, 91% were taking it to alleviate pain.

Isaw doctors, physical therapistsand chiropractors to find relief. Some things madeitbetter,others made it worse, but today Iamone of tens of millions of Americans with chronic pain.

Andlike most, I’ve tried numerous drugs for relief. Yet, the one that has been mosteffective isn’tanover-thecounter anti-inflammatory or adrug prescribed by aphysician

It’sa controversial Southeast Asian leaf called kratom, which has painkilling properties. Ihave been taking it mostdays for five years without any side effectsordependency issues. And it’sbeen agodsend, allowing me to function despite my injury YetonAug. 1, I’mforced to make achoice due to thehandiwork of the LouisianaLegislature, which criminalized kratom during its mostrecent session. Ieither break the law,orI grimace in pain. Thousandsofother Louisianaresidents are in asimilar situation.

The criminalization of kratom is acounterproductive act that stems from acommendable impulse: keeping people safe from potentially dangerous drugs. At alegislative hearing in April, thebill’ssponsor,Sen. Jay Morris, R-WestMonroe, said people have overdosed on kratom, while astate physician testified that he treats more people for addiction to kratom than crack.

Andtwo families told lawmakers that they believed thedrug had damaged their children irreparably,one of whom blamed their son’ssuicide on kratom addiction. The testimonials wereheartbreaking, and Ican understandtheir desire for aban.

Butalso present at the hearing were those who described the drug ridding them of long-standing pain and providing anewfound quality of life, experi-

D’Albor pointed out that much of the kratom flooding the marketplace now is synthetic and concentrated.

While traditional kratom contains only traces of 7-hydroxymitragynine, concentrated extracts and synthetic products artificially boost levels of this alkaloid, which studies show can be up to 13 times morepotent than morphine.

To put it simply: Somepeople are sipping light beer while others are guzzling Jack Daniel’s.

There was afixfor this problem.A House bill, moving through the Legislature at the sametime, would have prohibited high-concentration formulations and adulterated products while requiring better package labeling so consumers could understand what they’re taking. It’s the path that many states, including Mississippi, have pursued. It wasalso the preference of manykratom users, myself included, whogotogreat lengths to makesure they are taking products that are pure. But instead of operating with a scalpel, the Legislature opted forthe sledgehammer.The result will likely be aflourishing black market, enriching drug dealers and shady operators while forcing people with pain issues to enter into the criminal underworld. So manypeople in this state suffer from chronic pain. It’s not just the excruciating sensations that haunt them; it’sthe unrelenting dread of losing core parts of their identity,their jobs, their hobbies, the things they enjoy doing, because it simply hurts too much to do them anymore. Of course, the biggest indignity is when those in power have the presumption to tell them how they can and can’ttreat their own health issues. And that’sexactly what Louisiana lawmakers did.

DanLawton lives in Mandeville.

ACONVERSATION WITH JON BATISTE

can enact that culture.

Jon BatisteisaKenner native whowent to St. AugustineHigh Schooland the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.Hewas amember of the Purple Knights’ Marching 100 and became a young professional New Orleans entertainerand musician before rising to international fame. He has had 22 Grammy nominations, winning seven Grammys. He’swon an Oscar and aGolden Globe award. Columnist Will Sutton interviewed Batiste about his Hurricane Katrina experience and how the storm has shaped New Orleans and music. Theconversation has been edited for length and clarity

SUTTON: Let’sgoback to summer 2005. Where wereyou? What were you doing that summer?

BATISTE: Ihad returned home for summer break from my first year at Juilliard. Ihad finished at St. Aug and NOCCA, and wentto Juilliard for ayear and returned This was for the summer break, andIwas home through theday that Hurricane Katrina hit landfall.

SUTTON: So you were here (in New Orleans) on Aug. 29?

BATISTE: Iwas in New Orleans on Aug. 29 andIhave a... Idon’t think I’ve sharedthis story publicly.Ihave avery interesting story about returning back to Juilliard afterKatrina.

SUTTON: Tell me about it

BATISTE: Youknow,wehad amoment as all New Orleanians who have lived through hurricanes know.Wetaped our windows, boardedthe windows.Sometimes youtough it out. We didn’tthink it would be what it obviously became. We werethinking of staying until that day,and alot of people made that same choice. Then it seemed likeit’sa little different. Let’sleave. And we got on thefreeway.Once we got on the freeway,you just saw bumperto-bumper traffic, cars thatwere all heading out, and we were all going in the same direction —to Texas.

We had to figure out where we were going to stay,atwhathotel. We tried to book some place. A lot of places were booked.Aswe got furtherand further down the road, you could just feel the energy,this full-blown energy of the storm reaching our city.Wedidn’t know how we were going to get out, but we knew we had to get out. We were on the road. My late grandmother was in the back seat next to me. My sister,myparents, were in the front seat. We were in acaravan with my uncle. We found aplace in Texas.

We get to Texas, and we’re watchingitunfoldonthe news outlets.

Anythingthatyou werewatching to do with news,any sort of coverage, was out of New Orleans. Iremember CNN coverage showing some of theneighborhoods that Iknow.Even where our house was. Therewas asense of mounting tension and despair andasense of questioning. Who’s gotout? Who’s decided to leave? Who’sstill there? What’sgoing on with everythingthat we left behind and all those who we left behind? There were so many things we didn’tthink about.And thisiswhere the Juilliard piece comesin. Ididn’tbring aset of luggage formore than two or three days. Every single year, those who go to Juilliard know with the music program, there’sareal audition. Youhavetore-audition to get backin. Some folksre-audition andthey’renot let back in. There’savery small chance that youcan make it in to begin with, butthen therigor of doing what we call ajury audition keeps up the wholefouryears you’re there. Forme to get back into school, I hadtoaudition.

This was theend of August.We start thesemester in September Iwasn’t ready.And Ihad to do my audition for Juilliard for my second year.Overthe phone. In the lobbyofthe hotel. On thepiano that was in thelobby

SUTTON: Wow. So there was a piano in thelobby?The hotel’s lobby piano?

BATISTE: The lobbypiano at the hotel. Idomyaudition over thephone. Iget in. IgofromTexas up to New York for the semester with

theclothes that Ihave on my back. Ileft my family behind. They encouraged me to go. I didn’twant to go, but they said, “You got to go. You’ve got to finish your school, and we’ll be all right Everybody’saccounted for.Go ahead.”

So that audition to Juilliard was in thewake of Katrina, over the phone from thehotel lobby piano.

SUTTON: Let’sleap forward. I want to get your reflections on what it was like experiencing Hurricane Katrina as you started your professional career

BATISTE: Ihad experienced my first year as aprofessional in New York. At Julliard. Starting aband. So in my second year and on, there was areal palpable ambassadorship of the citytothe rest of theworld.

Beingsomeone who is generations deep in thecity,the lineage and the roots of my family go deep. Beinginthe city in my adult life and having been aculture bearer and inheriting this incredible gift of inheritance of this culture at atime when all eyes were on New Orleans, it established a sense of mebeing arepresentativeofthe best of who we are. Twenty years later,Istill take that responsibility very seriously

SUTTON: So how has Katrina over thelast 20 years had an impact on you and inspired you in your music career?

BATISTE: Iremember New Orleans growing up and what it was. I’ve seen how it’schanged. It’s inspired me to keep thereal authentic elements of the city that were part of my upbringing, to keep those alive. What Irealize is that alot of it is in the people and bringing people together,bringing people into aspace where we

Beforethe Super Bowl, Iput together afestival in the 9th Ward, bringing together alot of family and friends and artists. We’re all so deeply rooted in the city,but rarely,ifever,dowehave an occasion to get together.And not just get together,but get together in the heart of the community.It’s great to have people come and visit thecity,who want to be a part of it,connect to the culture and express gratitude and joy and experience it. I’ve always really taken alot of the responsibility with my platform to share the actual experience that Ihad growing up and the experience that I inherited and to not let that ever die out

SUTTON: Iwas there that day.I enjoyed the day,Ienjoyed your energy and Ienjoyed how you included theother artists and musicians. Youlive in NewYork now What are someofthe things that, because of Katrina, you miss? What are someofthe things that you’re thankful still exist?

BATISTE: One thing Imiss that is not by way of Katrina necessarily, but Imiss the blessing of being able to move through the city with anonymity.I’m often in the city unannounced because of that. I’m often with family and in close quarters with folks whoknow I’m in thecity but everybody else doesn’tknow.I missed those sort of experiences. Iremember when we were in theeighth or ninth grade, Troy er Trombone Shorty —wewould sneak intoclubs. Just thinking about those kinds of experiences, Ithink changed the city.There’s alot more of arestriction on the music in the communal space in thestreet during the second-lines. That was such abeautiful, multigenerational connectivity that came through all of our social practices andthe musical culture. It definitely changed. We took ablow.A lot of the elders were displaced anddidn’tcome back to thecity.Alot of the institutions and the creative forces behind them weren’table to stay in the sameway We’retalking about the range of different things legitimized by us, thingsthat we weren’table to carry on in the sameway,oratall. Youfeel that spirit shift. There’s been alot of new blood that’s come. We see alot of changes to thefeel of the city.And alot of new opportunity,aswell, which Ithink is great. Don’tget me wrong. But Idothink there is a sense whenwewere kids we were almost the last generation to really have that sort of experience. Iremember feeling that shift. I was just coming into manhood when Katrina hit. Iremember it very clearly. The first five years

afterward, you would drive around and you would still see the slashes on the front of people’s doors and windows. Iremember going to Hamilton Street to my grandparents’ house in Hollygrove where Ispent my summers. That’sthe spirit and the feel of the city that we lost. It’s come back in adifferent form But it’snot the same.

SUTTON: In the 20 years since Katrina, professionally,you’ve growntoincredible heights, you’ve played alot of places and visited lots of places. How often does the word Katrina come up?

BATISTE: There’salways different ways that it’sbrought up. If it’s not brought up, Ialways like to bring it to the forefront and find ways of keeping the conversation, keeping the memoryofitalive. It maybebiased to say,but I believe it’strue: New Orleans is the soul of America. What has happened in our city is important forusinour collective memory. Iremember when, it must have been at the Emmysin2017 or 2018, the anniversary of Katrina wasthe day of the Emmys. Idecided that Iwould wearasuit that wasaprint of an aerial shot of NewOrleans. In the aftermath of Katrina, it becamesomething that wasaconversation. It’s moreonustocontinue to keep that conversation alive so that we can learn from the mistakes. We still have alot of things that we can do. Iurge folks in the position to do it with the engineering of our levees and understanding the one-of-a-kind oneness of the city.Weneed to protect that at all costs. If people don’tmention it, Imention it.

For the full conversation, go to www.nola.com/opinions

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

JonBatiste performs with the TBC Brass Band during JonBatiste’sLove Riot Festival, at GeorgeWashington CarverHigh School in NewOrleans’ 9thWard on Feb.8

ART By CHANDRA MCCORMICK

Artist-photographerChandra McCormick captured this imageofTrombone Shorty playing among others during an annual paradein 2000. Likeotherphotographs in the Chandra McCormick-Keith Calhoun photography archives, thephotographwas waterlogged by HurricaneKatrina floodwaters, rescued and then restored in 2010.

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.

STAFFFILE PHOTO

Will Sutton

Mosquito with West Nile virusfound in WBR

Parish will increase spraying

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

West Baton Rouge detected its firstmosquito of the season withWestNilevirus, parish mosquitocontrol announced Monday The bug was found in the north end of the parish, around Bueche, according to the department. The parish will be taking extra precautions in that area, including daytime larviciding and multiple sprays at night.

“It’sabalanced approach for us,” George Bragg, superintendent of mosquito and animal control, said.“We’re certainly not looking to panic anyone,but wealsobelieve in letting the public know as much as wecan so that they’ll takeproper precautions.” Mosquito controlisalso initiatingaparishwidespray, lastinguntil Wednesday night.

Braggsaid he encourages residents to practice normal mosquito precautions: applymosquito repellent, limit outside activityatdusk and dawn, wear long clothing and be sure to empty containers

that could hold standing waterweekly

Theparishmosquitocontroloffice in Port Allenoffers freelarvicide products to residents, he added.

“Just do everything you can to avoid getting bit by mosquitoes,” Bragg said.

West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-transmittedvirus in the U.S.,accordingtothe ClevelandClinic Symptoms include fever headaches, muscle aches and rash, but most people infected do not show symptoms. In rare cases, West Nile virus can causeencephalitis and meningitis.

Therewere 57 human cases and three deaths from West Nile virus in Louisiana in 2024, according to the state Health Department.

Bragg said West Baton Rouge was “latetothe game” this year,with theparish typically detectingthe virus in June.

“It’sactually kind of latein the season to have ourfirst, Braggsaid. “Rightnow,it’s looking like aless active year thanwhat we had last year.”

Theparish’sexperience does not reflect thestate numbers, Bragg said, which are showing relatively high activity.Hesaid hot, dry

weather breedsthe virus, as water driesout in ditches and mosquitopopulationsbecome moreconcentrated

“It’skind of aparadox,” Braggsaid. “Wesee higher mosquito populations with wet weather but less virus overall. When things start to dry down,weactually see more virus, maybe notas manymosquitoes, but the viruslevelstend to go up.Right now,environmental conditionsare prime for West Nile activity.”

Email HaleyMillerat haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

Body foundinPortAllen identified as Houstonman

lice andwas last seen alive on July 25. His body was found Aug. 4.

tors with the LouisianaState Police Crime Scene Unit, an LSU entomology professor also assisted in the case.

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

Abody found Monday near aPort Allen pipeline access road has been identified as a 22-year-old man from Houston, according to the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. Xavier Drake was reported missing by Houston Po-

BLOTTER

Continued from page1B

the St. Landry Parish District Attorney’sOffice about possible inappropriate conduct by aparish employee.

Lazard was assigned to the parish jail supervising the kitchen and trustees assigned to work in the kitchen, according to the release.

Man accused of aggravated arson

AVille Platteman has been arrestedinconnection with allegedly setting fire to aunit in asenior living apartment complex for elderly and disabled residents. William McBride, 56, was charged with aggravated arson, accordingtothe State Fire Marshal’sOffice.

The Ville Platte Fire Department shortly before 9a.m. Friday respondedto the senior living apartments in the 1000 block of North Reed Street in Ville Platte, accordingtothe Fire Marshal’sOffice news release. Residents of the facility were unharmed.Smoke alarms alerted the residents, who were able to evacuate thebuilding.

Deputies with the State Fire Marshal’sOffice were asked to investigate, according to the release states, and determined the fire was intentionallyset.The investigation pointed to McBride as the suspect.

Man arrested in drive-by shooting

Opelousas police arrested an Opelousas man in connection with aMonday drive-by shooting that left one woman

Thereason Drake was in Port Allen remains unknown, and the investigation isongoing, said Sgt. Landon Groger with the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies do not suspect any foul play,but said a cause of death will need to be determined by acoroner’s full autopsy

Thebodywas found around 2:30 p.m. Mondayoff LobdellHighway In additiontoinvestiga-

injured andthreatened several other people.

Jarlan Richard,21, was arrested Monday night and faces one count of assault by drive-by shooting andthree counts of attemptedfirstdegree murder,according to an Opelousas Police Department announcement

The Mondayshooting occurred at theintersection of Jefferson and Oakstreets and left onewoman injured. Thewoman was taken to alocal hospital, where her condition is unknown

Richard is alleged to have fired multiple shots, endangering several other people in the area.

Detectives were able to arrest Richard following reviews of surveillance footage andwitness statements.

An investigation is ongoing.

Richard is beingheldat theSt. Landry Parish Jail.

Police responded earlier in the day to aseparate shooting in the 800 block of St Cyr Street that left oneman injured after beingshot multiple times.

No arrestshave been made in connection with that shooting

Anyone with further information should contact the Opelousas PoliceDepartment or submita tip anonymouslythrough Crime Stoppers at(337) 948-TIPS

Man charged with staging vehiclecrash

ABaton Rouge man has been accused staging a crash on the Atchafalaya BasinBridge.

In June, investigators with theBreauxBridge Field Office of theLouisiana State Police Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft Unit launched an investigation

Kristen Healy,who specializes in the medical and forensic study of insects, uses the presence of flies and maggots to estimate a time of death for bodies.She said law enforcement calls upon her expertisearound once ayear

The process works by studying the “predictable succession of insects” that are attracted to abody once

into asuspectedstaged crash. The findings resulted in thearrest of 34-year-old WilliamBaker,ofBaton Rouge.

The investigation began after troopers on June 24 respondedtoacrash on Interstate 10 West near the intersection with La. 3177.

The crashoccurred shortly before 10 a.m. and involved apassengervehicle driven by Baker and an 18-wheeler transporting liquid nitrogen gas.

Troopers determined that Baker passed the commercial vehicle in theright lane of I-10, then intentionally straddled thecenter line andabruptly appliedhis brakes, despitenovehicles being in front of him.The maneuver caused the commercial vehicle to strikethe rear of Baker’svehicle.

Althoughthe 18-wheeler’s driverprovided dash camera footagethatsupported the troopers’ findings, Baker submitted afalse written statement that contradicted the recordedevidence, according to police.

Baker was arrested Tuesday and booked intothe St MartinParish Correctional Center on one count of staging of amotor vehicle crash

LOTTERY WEDNESDAY, AUG. 6, 2025

PICK 3: 8-6-1

PICK 4: 2-6-9-5

PICK 5: 1-4-5-5-3

EASY 5: 3-5-18-24-34

it begins to decay.Asthe smellofdeath spreads, flies arrive andeventuallylay eggs that hatch into maggots.

Healysaidifascientist knows the species of insect andthe climatewhere the body was found, they can estimate atimeofdeath from the presence of insects in the body

“When you see these maggots, as long as youknowthe temperature andthe species we’re lookingat, we can actually tell the development

andone countoffilingor maintaining false public records.

Mancharged in child, animal sexual abuse

ABreauxBridgeman was arrested in connection withsexually abusing an animal and possession of child sexualabuse material, authorities said.

Kerwin Theriot, 56,of Breaux Bridge was arrested Wednesdayand charged withfour felony countsof

rate. Development is based on temperature, so at this temperature, we can say: ‘Oh, it would’ve taken the maggots this many days to reach this particularstage,’”

Healy said. “It makes things very predictable.”

Healy said she plans to submit areport to the Sheriff’s Office in aweek, including estimates forhow long ago Drake died.

EmailQuinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

child sexual abuse and 21 felony counts of sexual abuse of an animal, according to astatement from the state attorney general.

The arrest wasaresult of ajoint investigation between the LouisianaBureau of InvestigationCyber CrimeUnit, St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Officeand HomelandSecurity Investigations.

Kerwin wasbooked into the St. Martin Parish CorrectionalCenter. No bail details were released.

ANGOLA

“There’sbeenneeding to be work done on our prisonsystems around thestate,” Havard said.

“So I’m glad to see that the governor hastaken initiative to put some money andsometimeand effort into the prison system in the state.”

He said his time in the Legislature— Havard was astate representative from 2012 to 2018 —and as part of the governor’s transition team gave him perspective on the issues state prisons face, namely being understaffed, underfunded andrequired to housetoo many mental health patients without the proper facilities.

“I thinkweshouldbe focusing our efforts on trying to build some mental health hospitalsinthis state and try to keep those folks out (of prisons),” Havard said.

And if talks are successful and West Feliciana eventually hosts its own facility for ICE detainees, Havard said the parish will do its part to help the country

“Angola is probably one of the mostsecure places in the country,” he said. “And people who do end up in prison, whether they’re ICE detainees or whoever they are, if you end up in prison it’s probably because you deserve to be there.”

“He really should come to Louisiana, because you can’t drain theswamp if you don’tstart here,” he said of Trump.

Email QuinnCoffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

SPORTS

Breesexcited to seeSaintsQBbattleplayout

Former star quarterback hasbeenfollowing team’s ‘eventfulcamp’

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Drew Brees is no different than anyother New Orleans Saints fan these days. He’s watching the team’squarterback competition from afar and following every pass with interest from his California home. The Saints legend is as eager as everyone else to see how the trainingcamp battle between Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattlerand Jake Haener plays out.

ä Saints at Chargers 3:05 P.M. SUNDAy,KATC

“It’sapretty unique situation, if you just look at theyouth across theboard,” Brees said Thursday,while in town to promote the NOLA Pickleball Event taking place this weekend at theErnest N. Morial Convention Center.“Obviously,there was alot of excitement in draftingTyler Shough, and Ifelt like Spencer Rattlerdid somegreat things last year. And Jake Haener,his (playing)style, hisstature,everything reminds me of alot of myself. …Sowe’ll see how the competition shakes out. It seems like it’sbeen a pretty eventful camp so far.” Becauseofthe trio’s lack of experience

Former Saints quarterback DrewBrees signs memorabilia during abreak frompromotional activities at the NOLA Pickle Fest event on Thursday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center STAFFPHOTO By JEFFDUNCAN

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It’s possiblenoone on UL’s rosterhas bigger shoes to fill than whoever wins the place-kicking jobfor the Ragin’ Cajuns. Redshirt senior Logan Klotzishopingto take on thatrole.

“I think Ijusthave to treat each rep, give it life and then move on from it,” the Slidell native. “SoI think I’llbeready for the opportunity when itpresents itself.” Klotz has been behind the most accomplished kicker in school historyinKenny Almendares, and he’slearned manylessons from last year’sLou Groza Award winner

“I’ve beendoing it for awhile,” Klotz said. “Me and Kennyalways had thatconversation as far as just like, we’ve been kickingforever. This is no differentthan when we were kicking in thefront yard, when we were younger and, you know growing up playing soccer,playing agame on aSaturday,you know,this is really no different than that.”

All that perspective aside, the task of attempting to replicate the best kicking performanceinthe nationlastseason isn’t lost on Klotz, redshirt junior Tony Sterner or freshman Brek Schultz.

“Him winning that award obviously was really no surprise to us because we go to work with him everyday,” Klotz said. “It really,really elevated the thought process on our endsasfar as there’snoreason that we can’tdoitaswell.

“Just seeing him go through that process and do things the right way and get rewarded for it, he definitely kind of just gave us alittlebit moremotivation for this upcomingseason.”

Thosethoughts are thebig picture. These days, it’sa matter of winning the starting kicker spot in preseason camp.

Klotzperformed some kickoff duties last season, but has never attempted a field goal during his college career.Sterner did makea 27-yarderlast season forthe Cajuns.

Ithink Ijust have to treat each rep,give it life and then move on fromit. So Ithink I’ll be ready for theopportunity when it presentsitself.”

LOGAN KLOTZ, UL kicker

Scott Rabalais

They’re swimming in the Seine this summer in Paris. For the first timein102 years, the famously romantic and famously polluted river that winds sensuously through the City of Light is clean enough forParisians to plunge into —ifthey dare. It’s alegacy of the 2024 Olympic Games, which weregoing on this time last year up, downand yes, in the Seine. In 2024, thirty-five athletes with LSU and/or Louisiana ties competed for20 countries during the Paris Games,which ran from July 26-Aug. 11. Before we pass the one-year marksince the Olympic flamewas extinguished (to be relighted again Feb. 6for the start of the Winter Olympics in Italy), we thought we’dget an update on how someLouisiana Olympians are faring these days: MondoDuplantis

The Lafayette native dramatically broke his ownpole vault world record on the last of three attempts the night of Aug. 5, 2024, inside the Stade de France, clearing the bar at 20 feet, 6inches. Since then, the former LSU All-American has nudged the bar higher atotal of three times to 20-7, his most recent record leap coming June 15 in Stockholm, Sweden, the country he represents (his mother Helena is from there). It was his 12th time to break the world record —only Sergei Bubka had more world record performances with 14. But Mondo is far from done. Leading up to Paris, Mondo’sfather and coach Greg Duplantis told me they thought 21 feet was feasible. At only 25, still arguably not at his peak by pole vaulting standards, that once impossible height seems within Duplantis’ grasp. He aims to be the first three-time Olympic gold medalist in men’spole vault in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

UL senior LoganKlotz, right, is the most experienced

See BREES, page 3C

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

USA Gymnastics is entering a new era

BY WILL GRAVES AP national writer

There was a time, not that long ago really, when Joscelyn Roberson would combat the nerves that inevitably popped up before a major gymnastics meet by reminding herself of one very simple fact

“I could be like, ‘Oh no one’s watching me,’ ” the 19-year-old said with a laugh. “Like they’re watching Simone (Biles). They’re watching Jordan (Chiles). They’re watching Suni (Lee) and Jade (Carey). Like, they are not watching me.”

Well, they are now Biles, Lee, Carey and Carey are all on sabbatical from elite gymnastics, perhaps for good. And when Roberson salutes the judges during the first night of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Friday in New Orleans, the world championship gold medalist and Olympic alternate will be one of the few athletes on the floor with experience on the sport’s biggest stage.

“Maybe they are kind of watching me (now), so it adds a different level of nerves, but I love it,” Roberson said.

Good thing, because she’ll probably have to get used to it. Not just for Roberson, but the athletes who will find the spotlight pointing their way now that the icons who commanded it so completely have stepped aside, at least for now A year after sending the oldest team in modern Olympic history to Paris, the average age of the competitors who will spend the weekend at Smoothie King Center taking their first tentative steps toward the 2028 Los Angeles Games is under 18.

Hezley Rivera helped the Americans capture gold last summer Now, the 17-year-old finds herself thrust into the role as one of the standardbearers for one of the marquee programs of the U.S Olympic movement, and the external pressure that comes along with it.

“I definitely know that people have certain expectations, but I don’t really care what people have, like, expectations-wise for me,” she said. “I know what I want and my goals, so it’s kind of just focusing on what I’m doing in the gym

and what I am doing on the competition floor.”

Rivera’s elite 2025 debut was bumpy She tied for 12th at the U.S. Classic last month, well behind WOGA club teammate Claire Pease, who showed uncommon poise in her first major competition at the senior level.

Yes, it wasn’t the meet Rivera wanted, but the reality is the year following an Olympics is all about adjusting to the sport’s updated Code of Points and plotting out what the run-up to the next Olympics might look like.

That’s perhaps even more true this time around, not just on the floor but off it. While a new wave of athletes who grew up idolizing Biles and Lee step towards the forefront, the organization they will represent is undergoing a significant change of its own.

A ‘bittersweet’ departure

Li Li Leung, who nimbly guided USA Gymnastics out of the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, is stepping down at the end of the year. During her final “State of the Sport” address on Wednesday, Leung grew uncharacteristically emotional during what she called a “bittersweet” milestone.

Asked if she’s had any second thoughts since announcing her plan in June, Leung shook her head.

“I’ve accomplished everything that I set out to do when I took this role,” she said “It takes quite a bit of work to build up to an Olympic Games, and it would be so unfair if I made my decision a couple of years from now and not giving the next CEO the runway to be able to build successfully into LA.”

Much of the groundwork has already been laid.

While the organization is certainly on much stronger footing — earlier this week USA Gymnastics and NBC Sports announced they were extending their partnership through 2032, and the high-profile corporate sponsors who bailed in the aftermath of Nassar have returned Leung stressed the job she and the rest of an organization that was in tatters when she arrived in early 2019 is hardly finished.

Bhatia shoots career-best 62 to grab lead at St. Jude

The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Akshay Bhatia had a blazing finish to get his PGA Tour postseason off to a good start, closing eagle-birdiebirdie for an 8-under 62 to post his career low and take a oneshot lead over Tommy Fleetwood in the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Scottie Scheffler, playing for the first time since winning the British Open for his second major of the year, made bogey on the final hole for a 67, his 10th straight round in the 60s.

Bhatia comes into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 45, with only the top 50 advancing to the second of three tournaments in the lucrative postseason. The idea is to be among the top 30 who reach East Lake for a shot at the $10 million bonus.

He was paired with Harry Hall of England, who is at No 44. Hall was matching Bhatia until the final two holes, when Bhatia rolled in a 25foot birdie putt on the 17th and stuffed a short iron into 2 feet on 18.

Bhatia said he has been spending too much time thinking about numbers, whether it’s his score or his world ranking or his position in the FedEx Cup The goal is to keep his mind peaceful.

“I felt pretty relaxed, and I’m just not trying to force anything,” he said. “It’s OK to get mad at golf shots but not at yourself.”

Justin Rose and Bud Cauley, who is at No. 53, also were at 64 on a TPC Southwind that has 18 new greens and a course with much thicker rough.

Fleetwood is all but set for the FedEx Cup finale at No. 9, though he would love to get that first PGA Tour title to go along with European tour wins against strong fields. He hit 13 out of 14 fairway, and the one he missed led to a birdie when he holed a bunker shot on No 9.

“People talk about this golf course as a second-shot golf course, but it’s only a secondshot golf course if you’re in the fairway,” Fleetwood said. “I hit the ball so well off the tee that I was always giving myself an opportunity.”

And then it helped to see the putts drop, four straight birdies to close out his round.

Fleetwood has the right outlook for this postseason series

Asked if he looked at the three weeks as one big event or each tournament on its own, Fleetwood said, “It really day to day.”

Projections can fluctuate with shots from anyone on any part of the course. Rickie Fowler, who missed the top 70 who qualify for the postseason last year, came in at No. 64 and shot 66, which projects him inside the

top 50. Jordan Spieth was at No. 48. He had to rally on the back nine for a 69 that put him out of the top 50, and then back to No. 50 by the end of the day

Scheffler is assured the No. 1 seed for at least another week. He looked plenty sharp, giving himself a lot of looks at birdie and converting four of them. He missed out on a good birdie chance at the par-5 16th when he drove into the rough and sent the next shot into a bunker about 100 yards short of the green. He also took three putts from 70 feet on the final hole.

“Today was a good day I did some solid stuff,” Scheffler said. “Felt like I was close to playing a really great round but ended up with a solid round. Overall a decent start.”

This is one of the more important weeks of the PGA Tour because of what’s at stake. Not only do the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship, they are assured of being in all the $20 million signature event for next year

Among those on the bubble, Si Woo Kim (No 46) opened with a 65 and former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 67.

“It’s kind of like dicey spot right now,” Kim said. “And started struggling, so I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can get through to next week.’ But tried to keep it as simple as possible, and that helps me a lot. I had a great round so hopefully I’ve got more room the next couple days. Just trying to make it simple and not much think about next week.”

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who might be the first playing captain since 1963, opened with a 72 Bradley is No. 10 in the Ryder Cup standings. He played with Maverick McNealy, who is 11th in the standings. McNealy shot 66.

UL men, women to open, close league play on the road

BY KEVIN FOOTE

Staff writer

The Sun Belt Conference released the league’s men’s and women’s basketball schedules on Thursday First-year men’s coach Quannas White will be playing his first two Sun Belt games on the road before Christmas at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Dec. 18 before traveling to UL-Monroe on Dec. 20. The Cajuns home opener in league play will tip off a fourgame homestand on New Year’s Eve against South Alabama. The rest of the homestand will provide immediate rematches with Southern Miss on Jan. 3 and ULM on Jan. 8, before taking on reigning Sun Belt champion Troy on Jan. 10. That home stretch will be followed by a four-game road trip involving a ton of traveling. First, UL will go to Texas State on Jan. 14, before going to South Alabama three days later The Cajuns will then hit the East Coast — at Appalachian State on Jan 22 and then at Old Dominion on Jan 24.

Five of the last eight league games will be in the Cajundome. After the two Georgia schools come to town to end January, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State and Texas State visit in mid-February after a long trip to James Madison on Feb. 4. The Cajuns then finish on the road at Troy on Feb. 24 and at Arkansas State on Feb. 27. Like the men, UL’s women open league play on the road with a rough trip to Texas State on Dec. 17 and then go at Southern Miss on Dec. 20. Coach Garry Brodhead’s crew

then has a four-game homestand against Troy, South Alabama, ULMonroe and Texas State beginning New Year’s Day and finishing up on Jan. 10. The long trip comes in late January for the women at James Madison on Jan. 29 and at Marshall on Jan. 31. The rematch with Troy is Feb. 12 coupled with the Jan. 14 visit to Mobile, Alabama, before finishing with home games against Southern Miss and Arkansas State in mid-February and then at Georgia State in the finale on Feb. 27.

Texans’ Gardner-Johnson suffers injury at practice

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W Va

Houston safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson appeared to suffer a significant leg injury Thursday as the Texans practiced at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. According to reports, GardnerJohnson tried to tackle receiver John Metchie and after making contact fell to ground and began writhing in pain. The medical staff tended to him as the team and coaches surrounded him. He was eventually helped by the medical staff to a cart while it appeared that he couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg.

Coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t have any update on his condition, but said it was difficult to watch it happen.

Gardner-Johnson is in his first year in Houston after he was acquired from the Eagles in March.

Mystics trade Edwards to Sun for Sheldon

WASHINGTON The Washington Mystics traded forward Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun for guard Jacy Sheldon on Thursday

The move announced by the teams includes an option for Washington to swap 2026 firstround picks with Connecticut. That would be a Minnesota Lynx pick acquired by Washington in a previous trade for a New York Liberty pick acquired by Connecticut in another previous trade.

Washington general manager Jamila Wideman said in a news release that Sheldon has built on a “solid” rookie campaign by establishing herself as a shooter who can “read the game on both ends of the court.”

Chargers star LT Slater out for season with knee injury

LOS ANGELES — Rashawn Slater, the Chargers’ star left tackle who became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history last month, sustained a torn patellar tendon in practice and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team announced Thursday Slater went down in team drills after going up against edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. As Slater planted his left foot, he collapsed to the ground and immediately grabbed his leg. A quiet hush fell over the Chargers’ facility while Slater stayed down for several minutes before trainers and teammates helped him onto a cart. Slater appeared visibly distraught — throwing his helmet, slamming his hand on the cart and burying his face in his hands. Several teammates walked over to console him before he left the field.

Williams loses in straight sets at Cincinnati Open

CINCINNATI Venus Williams, who returned to tennis last month after being away from the sport for more than a year, lost to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. Next up for the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion is the U.S. Open, where she received a wild-card entry with Reilly Opelka to play mixed doubles beginning Aug. 19. Williams has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Serena and another two in mixed doubles.

The 51st-ranked Bouzas Maneiro advanced to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal match last week in Montreal.

Courage fires coach, cites ‘a multitude of factors’

A “multitude of factors” went into the firing of North Carolina Courage soccer coach Sean Nahas, franchise sporting director Ceri Bowley said Thursday but would not elaborate.

The team released a terse statement on Wednesday night that said Nahas’ contract had been terminated.

“The North Carolina Courage remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters,” the statement said.

Bowley then spoke at a news conference Thursday morning during which he said: “There’s always a multitude of factors that are considered, and a multitude of factors were considered in this situation.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL WOODS Arkansas gymnast Joscelyn Roberson competes on the floor against LSU during an NCAA gymnastics meet on Jan. 24 in Fayetteville, Ark.

AP PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Akshay Bhatia hits out of the bunker on the second hole during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn.

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There’s that mindset popping off again in the New Orleans Saints offensive line’s postpractice film review

“We ran like a little sweep play, and all I see is Trevor (Penning) driving a guy into the dirt,” said rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks.

Listening to players talk, it seems like these sorts of plays are a regular occurrence for Penning, who switched positions to left guard this season. A very large man with a very physical mentality meshing those two attributes, resulting in other large men being driven into the turf against their will That mentality is real, and it is not common

“Every play, he’s literally trying to put people in the ground,” said fellow lineman Will Clapp. “You’d like to have that mindset every play as an offensive lineman, but a lot of guys don’t. This dude truly wants to physically destroy people.”

That combination of brute force and aggressiveness didn’t always work at offensive tackle, a position that somewhat neutralized Penning’s nature and asked him to play more passively The Saints tried him first at left tackle, benched him, then tried him out at right tackle. The results were better on the right side, but some of the old issues persisted. Drive off the ball and bury someone? Penning could do that. Take a pass set in naked space against some of the NFL’s premier athletes? That experiment ran its course for a player who is more brawler than technician.

“I honestly thought he was one of the five best run-blocking right tackles in the entire league, if not top three in the NFL last year,” said offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn.

“Like after Penei Sewell, Lane Johnson, just pure run game. I thought he was awesome last year But the disparity between that and pass pro is very stark, and it’s a problem.

“At tackle, he really struggled with positional leverage. Also his pad level, his hands, syncing his hands and feet together when he was in pass protection, having to set out to a spot and deal with a lot of space. It always looked a little off for him, and he never quite turned the corner. And it always resulted in just a very erratic player.”

By moving him inside to guard the Saints hope to benefit from the best of Penning while minimizing the worst.

“It’s definitely a natural spot for him,” said Cesar Ruiz, the starting right guard.

“Trevor is a very gifted human being physically His frame and his mentality is built for guard. It’s just, ‘I’m going to smash you, I’m going to dump you in the ground, I’m going to bully you.’ That’s Trevor’s M.O. At guard, there’s no better place to do it.”

After first-time head coach Kellen Moore assembled his staff this offseason, the group assessed the roster and made a decision about Penning. The 2022 first-rounder was coming off his best season by far, but he was still a work in progress at tackle

They saw traits that could play better on the inside and broached the topic with Penning, who was all for the position switch

“It’s more up my alley,” Penning said.

BREES

Continued from page 1C

and the new Saints’ coaching staff’s relative lack of familiarity with each play, Brees said he expects the club to play each quarterback extensively during the preseason. The Saints open the exhibition season Sunday with a game at the Los Angeles Chargers.

“I’m sure the Saints will take a much different approach than most teams do when it comes to starters, mainly the QBs,” said Brees, whose Brees Dream Foundation benefits from the pickleball event’s proceeds. “Some teams barely play their QB starters trying to keep healthy for the regular season. But (with) these guys, every rep is so valuable, both in practice and scrimmages. All those (reps) are so valu-

Continued from page 1C

“Very competitive,” Klotz said of the battle. “We have a couple of guys who can do it at a high level. I think we’re all ready to be a game-changer for the team and help give us the best chance to win this year.”

The idea is that the competition will drive the last man standing to a higher level of execution.

“I think that’s the best part about having a few guys who can really do it is we’re all going to get the best versions of ourselves,” Klotz said. “So at the end of the day, I think the best person’s going to be out there just because we all elevated our games to compete with one another.”

That’s certainly what UL coach Michael Desormeaux is hoping for, but kicker battles can be tricky The Cajuns’ coaching staff has gone through plenty of quarterback races, but there are many more snaps involved in that competition.

“I think the numbers have more to do with it,” Desormeaux suggested. “The data kind of tells you, but the sample size is naturally much smaller So, yes and no, it’s kind of the numbers tell you what you need to do, but it’s a small sample size.

“We’ve got three capable guys, so that’s

“Stuff that I do well. Just getting up on guys, mauling people.”

Offensive line coach Brendan Nugent described it this way: Penning is now playing with “bumpers” on each side of him in the left tackle and the center Instead of being asked to play in space, they’re narrowing his focus to a smaller area, where they hope his truly special traits play up.

“He’s got really strong hands, so we’re focusing on that with him,” Nugent said.

“Man, if you can get your footwork right and get your hands on them, you’re going to win a lot more than you’re going to lose because you’re so strong up top.

“He likes to be in a phone booth, he likes to get his hands on people, and that’s how he wins. So let’s eliminate some of that space, let’s give him bumpers and let’s let him do what he’s good at.”

The transition hasn’t been seamless. Everything happens faster when the space is condensed, and Penning is still hammering out the technical aspects of his new position.

Asked what he needs to improve, Penning said his hands and feet need to be quicker because the interior defensive linemen get on you in a hurry

But the signs are there. Nugent sees someone who gets a little better every time he puts the pads on — he sees a quick game starting to slow down for Penning.

And it shouldn’t go without saying that Nugent also sees a confident player That had been an underlying current for Penning’s first few years. As he struggled on the field, as he was benched in his second season, even as he was finding his way at right tackle, Penning’s belief appeared to take a hit.

When Moore and his staff arrived, they emphasized a clean slate for the players in the locker room. The old regime and their thinking was gone, and everyone would have a chance to make a first impression.

The version of Penning that Nugent has gotten to know this season is one who is more self-assured, which is exactly what Nugent wants to see in his players.

“The big thing we talked about is there’s this mindset of if I take a pass set, I’m going to set to win; I’m not going to set not to lose,” Nugent said. “Or if I come off the ball, I’m not going to go, ‘I just don’t wanna lose.’ He’s had the mindset of ‘I’m going to win.’ He’s embraced that I think that’s helped with his confidence.”

This is a make-or-break year for Penning in New Orleans. The Saints declined his fifthyear option this offseason — a decision that was almost certainly informed by his position switch, because Penning would’ve been paid like a tackle had they picked it up. But that means he is set to be a free agent in 2026.

If the change doesn’t hit the way the Saints believe it can, the team can move on from Penning next offseason without penalty.

But if the change truly does get the most out of him?

“Worst case you’re going to have an asset in the run game,” Thorn said. “And if his pass game gets to a functional level, then you’ve saved his career — not just saved his career but you actually gave him a ceiling to where he can become a really good guard potentially.”

able just to feel like you’re getting gamelike reps.”

Saints head coach Kellen Moore has not announced the playing time yet for Sunday’s game. The quarterbacks have alternated reps with the starting unit throughout camp, which began July 23 at the club’s training facility in Metairie.

The Saints traveled to Irvine, California, on Wednesday and were scheduled to conduct their first practice at the University of Cal-Irvine on Thursday afternoon.

“The fact that you don’t have a veteran QB in that room at this point (is unique), and yet you’ve got a guy like (former NFL quarterback) Kellen Moore, and you’ve got a great staff of offensive coaches that have a lot of football experience playing experience, I think all these (quarterbacks) are in good hands,” Brees said. “But nonetheless, nothing replaces just real life (game) experience.”

what you want. I think between the three of them, we got one that can do it for us.”

On paper, it’s Klotz’s turn if he can make enough kicks during preseason camp. Klotz said he feels comfortable in place-kicking and kickoff duties.

“I think that I’ve kind of worked while I’ve waited,” he said. “That’s kind of how I’ve treated my career each year I think you just send me out there to hit a field and I’ll make it. That’s how I kind of keep it simple, don’t overthink it.”

Even more than the kicker, UL must also replace one of the top holders in school history, as well in Dalen Cambre.

Snapper Hunter Sims has been practicing with Klotz for years and there’s certainly a bond there.

“Right now probably the leader in the clubhouse as far as being my holder,” Klotz said of Sims. “He got here a few months after I did back in 2020, so that’s somebody I have a lot of trust in, that’s somebody who I spend time with off the field and one of my best friends on the team, too. So there’s a lot of trust in that guy.”

As for his range Klotz said that would be determined over time if he wins the job, but he’s currently thinking a “high 50s range.”

“I’ve always felt like I have a really strong leg, and that’s kind of one of my best facets of my game is leg strength,” he said.

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

The former LSU sprinter took home gold in the women’s 4x100-meter relay, blazing from fourth place on the anchor leg to first place, and got silver in the 100-meter dash. For all her glory in Paris, 2025 has been something else entirely Richardson has run times of 11.47 and 11.19 in her two international meets so far this season, far off her best of 10.65 that won her gold at the 2023 world championships. Then came her arrest July 27 at the Seattle airport for domestic violence against her boyfriend, fellow U.S. sprinter Christian Coleman, who declined to press charges. Richardson scratched in the 100 at the recent U.S. Track and Field championships in Eugene, Oregon, and didn’t qualify in the 200. She is still qualified in the 100 in this year’s world track and field championships, next month in Tokyo, because she is the reigning champion from the 2023 worlds. But currently ranked outside the top 10 in the world in the 100 this season, it’s highly questionable whether she can regain the form in time to make the podium in Tokyo. Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher No, New Orleans native and LSU AllAmerican beach volleyballer Kristen Nuss hasn’t broken up with long-time partner Taryn Kloth. The latter, an AllAmerican blocker at LSU, got married

earlier this year and now goes by her married surname (Nuss, a defender is engaged to be married in January).

The pair has slid slightly from No. 2 entering Paris to No. 8 in the world currently, but mainly because they have played fewer events (five) than anyone else in the top 32. Still, when they have played the quality has shone through: two victories, most recently last month in Switzerland, a second- and a third-place showing.

Jere Hribar

The Tiger swimmer from Croatia finished 11th in the men’s 50-meter freestyle earlier this month at the World Aquatic championships in Singapore with a time of 21.79 seconds. It’s significant by LSU standards as it eclipses the best time by a Tiger swimmer previously 21.84 by U.S. gold medalist Brooks Curry (4x100 freestyle relay, 2020 Tokyo).

Hailey Van Lith

The one-time Tiger finished her collegiate career at TCU after helping the U.S. win a bronze medal in 3x3 basketball in Paris. The 2024-25 Big 12 player of the year, Van Lith was drafted 11th overall in April by the Chicago Sky, reuniting HVL with former LSU teammate Angel Reese. Van Lith has played sparingly so far in Chicago, averaging 4.1 points per game and 13.3 minutes of playing time in 23 games. Van Lith has missed time with an ankle injury but reportedly was set to play Thursday against Atlanta. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

Sha’Carri Richardson

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR

Former LSU standout Sha’Carri Richardson, right, competes in a women’s 200-meter semifinal heat on Sunday at the U.S championships meet in Eugene, Ore.

Sept. 4

Home

2024: 7-4

2023: 6-5

2022: 10-2

2021: 13-1

2020: 8-1

PAST FIVE YEARS PROJECTED STARTERS

Offense

WR Noah Wiltz (6-0, 170, Jr.)*

WR Damarcus Boast (5-6, 150, Jr.)

TE Wesley Kirkpatrick (6-0, 180, Jr.)*

OL Slade Stelly (5-11, 290, Jr.)*

OL Dax Murphy (6-2, 275, Sr.)*

OL Jeremy Salazar (5-8, 180, So.)*

OL Brandt LeJeune (5-10, 230, Jr.)*

OL Hebert Willoughby (6-3 295,

QB Luke Baudoin (6-1, 175, Sr.)*

RB Blathon Citizen (5-11, 185, Jr.)*

WB Jarrison Reese (5-7, 160, Sr.)*

Defense

DL Jeramiah Boyd (5-10, 275, Jr.)*

DL Elijah Sovoie (6-0, 290, Jr.)*

LB David Jenkins (5-9, 175, So.)*

LB Jordan Grisson (5-7, 170, Sr.)*

LB Chad Brooks (6-0, 225, Sr.)*

LB Kingston Bellard (5-10, 180, Jr)

LB Beau Bellard (5-11, 190, Sr.)

DB Devin LeJeune (6-1, 180, Sr.)*

DB Ky’Lan Monroe (5-9, 170, So)*

DB Jordan Hebert (5-6, 140, So)*

DB Caiden Boudreaux (5-9, 165 So )

* Returning starter

COACHES

Head coach: Rob Pool (23-39)

Assistant coaches: Alfred Dickens (LB/DC), Eddie Bergeron (DL), Jamal Broussard (S), Bart Baudoin (Corners), Andre Bedel (OLB), Darrien Pace (OL), Traye Jones (TE), Josh Moreau (WR), Casey Benoit (RB), Josh Brown (QB).

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Church Point

What we know

The Bears will be one of the most experienced teams in the area with a total of only five new starters. A few are playing different positions, but there shouldn’t be a lot of guessing on the field this season.

“It’s a weird situation,” Church Point coach Rob Pool said. “It’s almost like (in the) NFL where you had to return to the same people. You usually don’t get the experience in high school. I feel like we’ve got tons of competition at every position.”

On offense, Church Point will be filled with offensive firepower beginning with senior wingback Jarrison Reese, who defenses will see at multiple positions.

“He’s dynamic in the passing game on plays down the field because of his basketball background,” Pool said of the 5-foot-7, 160-pounder

“He knows how to position his body, even though he’s not very big, to catch the ball in traffic. Last year, we averaged like 8.3 (yards) on perimeter screens to him, like bubble screens and stuff because he’s too hard to catch.

“He’s kind of that perfect slot guy for me because I can give him the ball, he can run the ball inside the tackles, and he’s going to also play on the perimeter.”

On defense, Jeramiah Boyd is moving to nose guard at 275 pounds and Elijah Savoie (290) provides some bulk as well. Seasoned tackling machines return at linebacker including Jordan Grissom, David Jenkins and Chad Brooks.

“Defensively, we should be able to play with a higher motor because of experience, but it’s yet to be seen,” Pool said.

What we don’t know

The truth is there aren’t any real trouble spots on paper

At this point, it’s simply about execution for the Bears. That starts at quarterback with senior Luke Baudoin.

“Just ball security mainly,” Pool said of Baudoin. “You know, making good decisions consistently I felt like he completed a high percentage of his balls, but the misses were the ones that were problematic.

“Sometimes he thinks every play is supposed to be a touchdown. Sometimes, it’s OK to just punt So not forcing the ball into coverage, taking what they give you.

The Bears also moved junior Blathon Citizen to the primary running back position to complement Reese’s varied contributions.

“We moved him the running back to give us another guy that can score,” Pool said of Citizen. “He’s very fast, and I think he’s going to be able to run inside. He’s fast and he’s physical.”

How we see it

It may be as simple as not turning over the ball for the Bears. A roster nearing 80 players for the first time in recent memory gives Pool’s staff enough talent and depth in every area to compete for the district championship.

“So I feel like we’ve got tons of competition at every position, which keeps the monotony of practice minimal because they know if they don’t perform that somebody’s going to take their position,” Pool said.

Church Point could also be helped by recent district contenders Iota and Northwest missing more key figures than the Bears.

SCOREBOARD

England, 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s games N.Y. Giants at Buffalo, noon Houston at Minnesota, 3 p.m. Dallas at L.A. Rams, 6 p.m. Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 6 p.m. Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m. Kansas City at Arizona, 7 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Green Bay, 7 p.m. Denver at San Francisco, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday’s games Miami at Chicago, noon New Orleans at Los Angeles, 3:05 p.m. Pro tennis

Cincinnati Open results

Thursday At Lindner Family Tennis Center

Cincinnati Purse: $9,193,540 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Men’s singles Round of 128 Arthur Rinderknech, France, def. Nuno Borges, Portugal, 6-3, 6-3. Joao Fonseca, Brazil, def. Yunchaokete Bu, China, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Roberto Carballes Baena, Spain, def. Hugo Gaston, France, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Pedro Martinez, Spain, def. Nicolas Jarry Chile, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Benjamin Bonzi, France, def. Matteo Arnaldi Italy, 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4. Coleman Wong, Hong Kong, China, def. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, France, 6-3, 6-2. Roman Safiullin, Russia, def. Alejandro Tabilo, Chile, 6-3, 6-3. Zizou Bergs, Belgium, def. Jacob Fearnley Britain, 6-1, 6-4. Daniel Elahi Galan, Colombia, def. Vit Kopriva, Czechia, 6-2, 6-4. Terence Atmane, France, def. Yoshihito Nishioka, Japan, 6-2, 6-2. Women’s singles Round of 128 Maya Joint, Australia, def. Greet Minnen, Belgium, 6-2, 6-3. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, def. Donna Vekic, Croatia, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Anastasia Potapova, Russia, def. Laura Siegemund, Germany, 6-4, 6-4. Marketa Vondrousova, Czechia, def. Jaqueline Cristian, Romania, 6-3, 6-1. Aoi Ito, Japan, def. Elena-Gabriela Ruse,

LUKE BAUDOIN

QB, 6-1, 175, SR.

A three-year starter for the Bears, Baudoin appears ready to turn that experience into a huge senior season with many weapons around him and a focus on protecting the ball.

JARRISON REESE

WB, 5-7, 160, SR.

Essentially Reese will be a Mr Everything for the Bears’ offense this season. He’ll primarily be running it out of the wing and trying to turn short passes into big plays in the passing game.

CHAD BROOKS

LB, 6-0, 225, SR.

The three-year starter is moving to Mike linebacker this year and is expected to be among the Bears’ leading tacklers. He’s high on the list of eight returning starters on defense.

JEREMIAH BOYD

DL, 5-10, 275, JR.

The Bears have a lot of numbers and seasoned performers but not a lot of size.Boyd provides that for Church Point’s defense that also features Elijah Savoie at nose guard.

BLATHON CITIZEN

RB, 5-11, 185, JR.

After playing rover on defense last season, the Bears moved Citizen to running back this season to provide speed and athleticism to the backfield. He’s displayed the strength to handle the workload.

Romania, 6-2, 7-6 (6). Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Spain, def. Venus Williams, United States, 6-4, 6-4. Renata Zarazua, Mexico, def. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Eva Lys, Germany, def. Bernarda Pera, United States, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Pro golf FedEx St. Jude Championship par scores Thursday At TPC Southwind Memphis, Tenn. Purse: $20 million Yardage: 7,288; Par: 70 First Round Akshay Bhatia 31-31—62 8 Tommy Fleetwood 33-30—63 -7 Bud Cauley 33-31—64 6

-4

Kevin Foote

STAFF PHOTO By KEVIN FOOTE

Church Point offensive standouts include, from left, Jarrison Reese, Blathon Citizen, Jeremiah Boyd, Noah Baudoin, Noah Wiltz and Slade Stelly

‘Fixing MisterB’

Agroup of Lafayette actors will giveatheatrically staged reading of this new play by DanielPovinelli at 3p.m. Saturdayatthe CarySaurageCommunity Arts Center, 233 St.FerdinandSt. The performance is partofthe Arts Council of GreaterBaton Rouge’sArtSpacesprogram. artsbr.org.

LIVING

Best of the blues

In ‘Sinners’ and hismusic,Buddy Guyiskeeping the bluesalive.It hasn’t been easy

BY MARIA SHERMAN AP music writer

THE ADVOCATE.COM | Friday, august 8, 2025 5CN

NEW YORK For Buddy Guy— a stalwart and staunch defender of theblues —there’snothing more important than keeping his chosen genre at theforefront of conversation.Itcomes naturally: Louisiana-born Guy is one of America’sgreatest guitar players, asingular artistwith a thick roster of A-list super fans —Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Gary Clark Jr.among them. The list also includes innovative writer and director Ryan Coogler, who tapped Guy for his critically acclaimed film

Guy

“Sinners”earlier this year, and artists like Peter Frampton and theEagles’ JoeWalsh, who feature on his new album

“Ain’tDone with the Blues.” It released July 30, on Guy’s 89th birthday For the eight-time Grammy Award-winningmusician, those recognitions aren’tpriority.The longevityofthe music that made his life is his primary concern.

“LikeIpromised B.B. King, Muddy Waters and all of them,” he tellsThe Associated Press over the phone, “I do thebest I can to keep the blues alive.”

He’sconcerned that radio stations no longer play theblues, and that the genre might miss out on connecting with younger listeners. It’sone of the reasons

“Ain’tDone withthe Blues” is a strong collection of classics that run the risk of being forgotten —likeonthe album closer“Talk to Your Daughter,” arendition of the J.B. Lenoir tune.

In Guy’sperformance, there’s an undeniable universality. “Blues is based on everyday life,” he says. “A good time or abad time.”

Or,another way Guy explains it:“Music is like abowl of real good gumbo. They got all kinds of meat in there. Yougot chicken in there, you got sausage in there. Yougot aseafood in it. When we play music, we puteverything in there.”

It’sresonating. In its 2025 midyear report, Luminate, an industry data and analytics company, found that U.S. on-demand audio streams of blues music has climbed this year due to the success of Louisiana-shot “Sinners. Jaime Marconette, Luminate’svicepresident of music insights and industry relations, describes the current moment as a“resurgence of the blues,” following “Sinners.”

“Several artists featured on the film’ssoundtrack, which includes works from real-life blues, folk and country musicians, saw spikes the week of

16 concerts to look forwardtoinBaton Rouge andLafayette this fall

BY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer

Fall doesn’tbring crisp weather to Louisiana, but it does bring homecomings, musical ones included.

Twoofthe top concerts in Baton Rougewill soon bring home reigning queen of country LaineyWilson, of Baskin, and chart-topping rapartist Kevin Gates, of BatonRouge. They’ll bothbeatthe River Center Arena, in addition to more shows taking place at theManship Theatre andthe L’Auberge EventCenter in Baton Rouge. Meanwhile, in Lafayette, get set for country music heavyweights Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean to make tour stopsatthe Cajundome. Other national actswill take the stage at the city’s Acadiana Center for the Arts and Heymann PerformingArts Center.Note that Andrew Duhon’sSept. 5concert and “OneHundred Years of Clifton Chenier” featuring C.J. Chenier on Sept.18, both at the AcA,are sold out Here arethe highlights by date, with ticketsavailable at ticketmaster.com unlessotherwise indicated:

Fromleft,Camrie Bynum is Lou Bessie, Trey Townsel is Husband, Brittany Evans is Elizabeth and Kyesolyn Byrd is Quilly in UpStage Theatre’sproduction of ‘The Old Settler.’

PROVIDED PHOTO By UPSTAGETHEATRE

SEPT.5

SARA EVANS, 8p.m., L’Auberge EventCenter, 777L’AubergeAve., Baton Rouge, $55.65 and up

SEPT.9

CARLA BONOFF, 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St,$40-$60 (including fees), manshiptheatre.org

SEPT.11

LUKE BRYAN: “COUNTRY SONG CAME ON TOUR,” 7p.m. Cajundome,Lafayette,$35 and up.

SEPT.11-12

LAINEY WILSON: “WHIRLWIND WORLD TOUR,” 7p.m., Raising Cane’s RiverCenter Arena, 240 St. Louis St., Baton Rouge, $76 and up, theBell Bottoms Up VIP Experience,$651 or $674.

ä See CONCERTS, page 6C

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The year is 1943. The place is Harlem,the lifelong home to Elizabeth,who spenther youth dreaming of love and happiness. Then camelife’ssecond act, when Elizabeth realized that the love of her lifeleft her for another.She clung to that love long after it lefther Maybe too long.

This is why the people around Elizabethcallher an old settler,some behind her back,others to her face. It’s just another way of saying she’sanold maidorspinster And she’s settled forthatlot in life. Or has she? Just when Elizabeth has given up on love, sheand hersister, Quilly,take in ayoung boarder named Husband Pierce.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,Aug. 8, the 220th day of 2025. There are 145 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On Aug. 8, 2023, aseries of wind-drivenwildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui, destroying the town of Lahaina and killing more than 100 people. Also on this date: In 1814, during the Warof 1812,peace talks betweenthe United States and Britainbegan in Ghent, Belgium.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend theremainder of his days in exile.

In 1876, Thomas Edison received apatent for his electric pen— the forerunner of the mimeograph machine.

In 1908, Wilbur Wright makes the Wright Brothers’first public flying demonstration, at Le Mans racecourse in France.

In 1911, President William Howard Taft signed ameasure raising the number of U.S. representatives from 391 to 433, effective with the next Congress, withaproviso to add twomore when New Mexico and Arizona became states.

In 1963, Britain’s“GreatTrain Robbery” took place as thieves madeoff with 2.6 millionpounds in bank notes.

In 1969, photographer Iain Macmillan took the iconic photo of TheBeatles that wouldappear on the cover of their album“Abbey Road.”

In 1974, President Richard Nixon, facing damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal, announced he would resign the following day

In 1988, Chicago’sWrigley Field hosted its first-evernight baseball game; the contest be-

CONCERTS

Continued from page5C

SEPT.24

BEN FOLDS &A PIANO TOUR, 7:30 p.m., Heymann Performing Arts Center,7373 S. CollegeRoad, Lafayette, $52.79 and up, benfolds. com/tour

SEPT.25

JASON ALDEAN: 7p.m., Cajundome, Lafayette, $75 and up

SEPT.26

FANTASIA &ANTHONY HAMILTON, 8p.m., Raising Cane’sRiver Center Arena, 240 St. Louis St.,Baton Rouge,$82 and up.

OCT. 4

BILLYBOB THORNTON AND THE BOXMASTERS, 8p.m., L’Auberge Event Center,777 L’AubergeAve., Baton Rouge, $34 and up.

OCT. 10

CHASE MATTHEW, 8p.m., L’Auberge Event Center,777 L’AubergeAve Baton Rouge, $44 and up.

OCT. 11

THE ROCK ORCHESTRA BY CANDLELIGHT, 8p.m., Raising Cane’sRiver Center Performing Arts Theatre, 240 St. Louis St., $67 and up.

tween the ChicagoCubs and PhiladelphiaPhillies would be rained out in the fourth inning.

In 2000, the wreckage of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley,whichsankin1864 after attackingthe Union ship Housatonic, was recovered off theSouth Carolinacoast and returned to port

In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the U.S.Supreme Court’sfirst Hispanic and third female justice.

In 2022, FBI agents executed a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’sresidence at Mar-a-LagoinPalm Beach, Florida; over 13,000 government documents,including 103 classified documents, were seized. Today’sbirthdays: Actor Nita Talbot is 95. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 88. Actor Connie Stevensis87. Actor Larry Wilcox is 78. Actor Keith Carradine is 76. Moviedirector Martin Brest is 74. RadioTV personality Robin Quivers is 73. Percussionist Anton Fig is 72. Actor Donny Mostis72. Rock musicianDennis Drew (10,000 Maniacs) is 68. TV personality Deborah Norville is 67. Rock musician The Edge (U2)is64. Rock musicianRikki Rockett (Poison) is 64. Rapper Kool MoeDee is 63. Rock singer Scott Stapp is 52. Country singer Mark Wills is 52. Actor Kohl Sudduth is 51. Rock musician TomLinton (Jimmy Eat World) is 50. SingerJCChasez (NSYNC) is 49. Actor Tawny Cypress is 49. R&B singer Drew Lachey(98 Degrees) is 49. R&B singer Marsha Ambrosius is 48. Actor Lindsay Sloaneis48. Actor Countess Vaughn is 47. Actor Michael Urie is 45. Tennisplayer RogerFederer is 44. Actor MeaganGood is 44. Britain’sPrincess Beatrice of York is 37. Actor Ken Baumann is 36. Pop singer ShawnMendes is 27.

OCT. 16

ALABAMA, 7p.m., Raising Cane’s RiverCenter Arena, 240 St. Louis St.,Baton Rouge, $61 and up.

OCT. 24

KEVINGATES:“THE AMILIO TOUR,” 8p.m., Raising Cane’sRiver Center Arena, 240 St. Louis St.,Baton Rouge,$76 and up

OCT. 30

BLACKBERRYSMOKE: “RATTLE, RAMBLE AND ROLL TOUR 2025,” 8p.m., Raising Cane’sRiver Center Performing ArtsTheatre, 240 St. Louis St ,$60 and up

NOV. 7

AARON LEWIS &THE STATELINERS: “AMERICAN AS IT GETS TOUR,” 8p.m., L’AubergeEvent Center,777 L’Auberge Ave., Baton Rouge, $61 and up.

NOV. 9

CAINWITH JON REDDICK,CALEB &JOHN, HOSTED BY ANNIEF DOWNS, 7p.m., RaisingCane’s RiverCenter Performing Arts Theatre, 240St. LouisSt., $34 and up

NOV. 21

ZZ TOP, 7:30 p.m Raising Cane’s RiverCenter Performing Arts Theatre, 240St. LouisSt., Baton Rouge, $88 andup.

GUY

Continued from page5C

the film’stheatrical release,” he explains.“And they’re allenjoying asustainedrise in listenership even two-plus months following release.” Guy has noticed theshift,too “I walk in the grocery store or the drugstore and people recognize me.‘Man, youknow, Iheard that ’Sinners’ music, man. Man, it sounds good,’”hesays. “They ain’tnever gonna comeinand

Solution forpesky bugs

Dear Heloise: Ikeep aspray bottle filled withisopropyl alcohol that is set to shoot astream not amist —atany cockroaches Isee in my house. The alcohol is absorbed through their exoskeleton and internalized so that they quickly die. Anyoverspray of alcohol evaporates unlike commercial bug sprays, so cleanup is just asoap and water swipe for any roach detritus. —H.E., in Tucson, Arizona

Thereisverylikely someone in your readership who can suggest abook thatcould be of help.

ASSOCIATED

say,‘Iheard it on theradio.’”

That’s partofthe reasonwhy Guy decided to participate in the movieinthe first place. “I hope this will give the blues aboost, because my worry right now is, like Isaid,ayoungperson don’tknow how good agumbo is —you’ve got to taste it.”

Fornow,he’sexcited to see how peoplerespondtohis new album

“Ain’tDone with the Blues” —but he’s not listening to it.

“I listen to everything but Buddy Guy,” he says. “I already know Buddy Guy.Ican’tlearn anything from that.”

Findingthe brighter side of life

Dear Heloise: Ihave agreat-granddaughter that is being raised by asingle father and two brothers. (She’sa girl sandwich.)

Unfortunately her father is the hostile type (“thewhole world can take aflying leap at itself”), and if he didn’tthink of it, it’s abad idea. She could use some help becoming thecharming, thoughtful, well-received social individual (which isn’tlikely to happen without alittlehelp).

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan CompanyPie Bar New Iberia, 5p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson,6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

BUTCH TINKER &RICHARD COMEAUX: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

PAPER JAM: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

THE LAST MANGOS: Adopted DogBrewing, Lafayette, 6p.m

HUMAN INSTINCT/SUNGRAZ/BRAX/SWAMPBANEPORCHSQUAD: Feed

NSeed, Lafayette, 6p.m

KEITH MEYERS: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m

HEMLOCK: Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

JULIAN PRIMEAUX: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8p.m

FIRSTSTREET HOOLIGANS/NOBLE APES/THE

SCHISMS: Artmosphere, Lafayette, 8p.m

GUTS/TRANSFUSION/ FRAGILE STATEOFMIND: Freetown Boom Boom Room, Lafayette, 8p.m

DAVID HERNY: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

ROUGAROU STOMP: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7p.m

BAGOFDONUTS: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub,Scott, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY

LIL POOKIE&ZYDECO SENSATION: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8a.m

DONNY BROUSSARD BAND: Fred’s, Mamou,8 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

SESSIONS: Savoy Music Center,Eunice,9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park Lafayette, 9a.m

CAMELIAN: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

ZYDECO CAPITALJAM: St Landry Parish Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1p.m

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC

JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m

SCHOOL OF ROCK SUMMER CONCERT: The Grouse Room, Lafayette, 1p.m

SWAMPLAND STRING BAND: BayouTeche Brewing,Arnaudville, 4p.m

JERRYDIAZ &THE REEF: Lakeview Park,Eunice, 5p.m

‘SETTLER’

Continuedfrom page5C

Iamanative of San Antonio and have enjoyed you andyour mother’ssuggestionsall my life. (I’m 97.) Thank you. —Beryl L., in Texas Beryl, youmight have to speak to the girl’sfather about his sour attitude. It’sa verytouchy subject, but ask him to be more encouraging and positive around his daughter.Ifher father has asister, perhaps she can step in to showhis daughter abrighter side of life and how to look for the good in other people.

—Heloise

Destinationwedding soundoff

Dear Heloise: I’dlike to think that thedestination wedding couple considered the pros and cons of a wedding in Hawaii, but in this day of impulsive actions, it’sreasonable to believe that they did not.

Maybe they’re from an affluent

family where expenses aren’ta concern, but expecting people to fork out thousands of dollars and take aweek out of their schedule just to attend awedding is asking forabit much. Making all the arrangements foralocal wedding can be mindnumbing, so Icannot imagine trying to pull together avenue, caterer,photographer,etc., afew thousand miles away at probably double the cost! And let us hope that both sides are 100% understanding of each other’ssituations and not offended by the outcome. They need to wish each other well and celebrate together after the fact.

An alternative would’ve been to have alocal wedding, then honeymoon in Hawaii. I’msure they could’ve arranged avery simple ceremony on the beach and restate their vowswith only close family and friends whoare able to take part. —MikeF., via email Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.

SHOWSTOWATCH —ACADIANA

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s Broussard, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s, Breaux Bridge, 6p.m.

AMELIA RYLAND: Adopted DogBrewing,Lafayette, 6p.m

DAREL GROS: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

YVETTE LANDRYTRIO: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: TapRoom, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

BUDDYANDREWS&THE BRANDED: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m

T.A.C.K. +TEENAGE LABOTOMY +SPEECHFUZZ + CLEMENTINE +JAMBALAYA +BLOODHOUND: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7p.m

GENO DELAFOSE &FRENCH

ROCKIN’ BOOGIE: La Poussiere, Breaux Bridge 8p.m

LUKE LOOPS &THE IMPARTIALS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m

THE MOJOES: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

WAYNE TOUPS: Rock’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m

Yes, Husband is his first name, andhe’sa gentleman. He’sshy Andheloves talking to Elizabeth.

Could he be her second chance at love? Well, that question will be answered when UpStage Theatre stages its encore of JohnHenry Redwood’sdramaticcomedy, “The OldSettler,” at 3p.m. Saturday on its stageat1713 Wooddale Blvd.

“Westaged the play in July,and it was the third time we’ve performed it,” said AvaBrewster Turner,the company’sfounder and artistic director.“It was so

SUNDAY GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey &Vine,Lafayette, 11 a.m. CAJUN JAM: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2p.m.

KEKE BOURQUE: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3p.m.

GREGG MARTINEZ50TH

ANNIVERSARY: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 4p.m.

DINGER: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 4p.m.

JUSTIN CORNETT: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club,Henderson, 4:30 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m. STOP THE CLOCK/COUNTRYJAZZ: Feed NSeed, Lafayette, 6p.m.

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

TUESDAY TERRYHUVAL &FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMERJAM: St. Landry

popular that we decidedtodoan encore. We brought back the two actors who have played Elizabeth and Quilly in the previous productions, and I’msohappy that they’ve returned to play these parts.” Elizabeth is playedBrittany Evans, andKyesolen Byrd plays her outspoken sister,Quilly.Rounding outthe cast arenewcomerstothe play,Trey TownselasHusband and Camrie Bynum as his worldly former girlfriend, Lou Bessie. The story follows the blooming friendship betweenElizabeth and Husband, who has come to Harlem from Frogmore, South Carolina, to find Lou. Elizabeth’ssister, Quilly,disapprovesofher sister’s growing affection for Husband,

VisitorCenter,Opelousas, 10 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

NIKKI NEEDHAM: Whiskey &Vine,Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Tap Room, Youngsville 6:30 p.m

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LAYLA: Whiskey& Vine, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s NDuson, Duson, 6p.m.

TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m

CIGAR SOCIAL: Wurst Biergarten,Lafayette, 7p.m.

HORACE TRAHAN: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m

Compiledby Marchaund Jones

Want yourvenue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. Thedeadline is noon FRIDAY forthe following Friday’spaper.

knowing that no matter how nice Husband is, theresult will be heartbreak

“We’re doing absolutelynothing differentinthis production,” Turnersaid. “The setting is still thesame, andthe musicisfrom the 1940s. So, we are trying to give the audience that aura of that time with the music, the setting, the costumes —everything that enhances our presentation and the story.So, everyone can expect to seethe same story that they’ve cometo love so much.”

Tickets are $25. Call (225) 9243774 or visit upstagetheatre.biz. Email RobinMilleratromiller@ theadvocate.com.

Hints from Heloise

PROVIDED PHOTOByCHRISTOPHER BATTAGLIA Carolina Chauffe, the voice and songwriting force behind the project hemlock, will performat7:30p.m. Friday at Acadiana Center for the Arts’ James Devin Moncus Theater in Lafayette. Tickets are $25.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Partnerships, conversations and sharing ideas will change your perspective regarding your goals. Offer incentives to people whocan contribute something valuable to your agenda, and success will be yours.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Know whoyou aredealing with beforeyou enterthe ring.How yougoabout your business will make abig difference. Success comes with fine-tuning your approach and maintaining apositive attitude.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Choose selfimprovement over criticizing others. Gettingalong is crucialifyou want to getahead. Choose to charm those you encounter with your witty conversation and resourcefulness.

SCORPIO(Oct. 24-Nov.22) Keep an open mind, but refuse to let your emotions dictate your actions. Avoid situations that can put youinharm's way. Pay attention to yourphysicalneedsand make healthier life choices

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention to where your moneygoes. Before startinga newproject, determine its cost andexplore ways to reduce expenses. Learn from experience and avoid debt.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Look for opportunities, not for trouble. Shared expenses and joint ventureswill not meet your expectations. Adiscrepancy regarding agreementswill leave you in aprecarious position.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Control whatever situation you face and turn it into ahappy adventure.Bethe instigator of good times andhealthy living. Putyour energy where it counts.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March20) Participate in networking events andpromote yourself.Avibrant attitudewill help you attract attention. Look and do your best,and step into thespotlight. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take the guessing out of theequation. When in doubt, ask. It's essential to determine where you stand so you can move forward and focus on what truly matterstoyou.

TAURUS (April20-May 20) Overselling your capabilities will backfire. Listen to someone's idea or requirements, consider their words carefully and offer what you can. Someone you meet will show interest in you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Don't shy away fromengagement, but avoid overspending, getting involved in jointventures or paying for someone else. You can't buy love; use your charm to win someone's affection.

CANCER (June 21-July22) Embrace kindness, generosity and aplayful attitude, and you'll attract love. Musterupsome courage to update your appearance, andset trends thathelp youfulfill your dreams.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature,isnot based on scientific fact ©2025 by NEA,Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.Each letter in the cipher stands foranother.

TODAy'S CLUE:E EQUALS V

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudokuis anumber-placing puzzle basedona9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object 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. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’sPuzzle Answer

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Mogens Jallberg from Denmark said, “In democracy, it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism, it’s your Count that votes.”

The more that bridge players count, the better they will play. In yesterday’s deal,declarer placed the missing highcard points by referringtothe bidding. Today, let’s show adefender doing it to advantage.

Eastisdefending against four spades, and West leads the heart 10. What should East do?

There are several important points in the bidding. Some players sitting East would add apoint for the five-card suit andopenone no-trump. Butyou should strive to findareason not to open one notrump when you have afive-card major. Here, having no minor-suit stopper is an excellent reason.

South does not liketomakea takeout doublewith 4-3-3-3distribution, but his hand is atad toostrong to pass. North’s cue-bidshows 12-plus points.

Eastwins withthe heart jack, cashes theace,andtakestheking,Westdiscarding, say,the diamondthree.Whatshould East do next?

If West had aminor-suit ace, he should have ruffed the third heartand cashed it (or discarded an encouraging card in that suit). So the defenders are not getting aminor-suit trick. East must try for atrump trick by leading another heart. Here, when West ruffs with the spade eight and dummy overruffs with the 10, suddenly East gains atrump trick. It is a textbook uppercut. ©2025 by NEA, Inc dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

wuzzles

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuCtIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional

toDAY’s WoRD CoWoRKInG: KO-werk-ing: Working in aspace with multiple tenants andshared facilities.

Average mark 34words Time limit 55 minutes

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —ALLEGED

Can you find 50 or more words in COWORKING? aged

today’s thought “He is nothere: for he is risen, as he said. Come,see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6

loCKhorNs

Jesus conquered sin, deathand the grave. JesusisLord! Is He your Lord?— G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

y School System Homeless Department Bids will be publicly opened andreadaloud at theabove stated time anddateina Conference Room of theLafayette Parish School System District Office Building Complete biddingdocu‐mentsmay be obtained on thePurchasingDe‐partment websiteat https://www.lpssonline. com/departments/ business-services/ purchasing under‘Bid Specifications’.Bid infor‐mation mayalsobe viewed online,and elec‐tronic bids maybesub‐mitted online at www centralauctionhouse. com. Specificationswill be availableFriday, Au‐gust 08,2025.

Theowner reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause.Inac‐cordance with LA.R.S 38:2212 (a)(1)(b), thepro‐visionsand requirements f hi i h q of thissection,those

regis‐teredvotersinthe Dis‐trictqualified andenti‐tled to vote at thesaid election under theCon‐stitutionand Laws of the StateofLouisiana and theConstitutionofthe United States,the follow‐ingproposition,to-wit: PROPOSITION (SCHOOLMILLAGE CON‐TINUATION) ShallConsolidated School District No.1 of theParishofLafayette StateofLouisiana (the

AND CALLING ASPECIAL ELECTIONTOBEHELD IN THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TO AUTHORIZE THE CONTINUATION OF SPECIALTAXES THEREIN, MAKING APPLICATION TO THE STATEBONDCOMMISSION, AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS INCONNECTION THEREWITH BE IT RESOLVED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

SECTION 1: Election Call. Subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission, and under the authority conferred by the Constitution of the State of Louisiana of 1974, including Article VI, Section 26 thereof, the applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code, and other constitutional and statutory authority provisions, aspecial election is hereby called and ordered to be held in the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”) on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025,between the hours of seven o’clock (7:00) a.m. and eight o’clock (8:00) p.m in accordance with the provisions of La. R.S. 18:541, and at the said election thereshall be submitted to all registered voters qualified and entitled to vote at the said election under the Constitution and laws of this State and the Constitution of the United States, the following propositions, to-wit:

PROPOSITION NO.1OF2

(MILLAGE CONTINUATION)

Shall the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 4.47 mills on all property subject to taxation in the Parish (an estimated $12,743,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entireyear), for aperiod of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of constructing, improving and maintaining roads and bridges in the Parish, said millage to be continued at the rate currently being levied, representing a0.30mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 4.17 mills authorized to be levied through the year 2026 pursuant to an election held on March 28, 2015?

PROPOSITION NO. 2OF2

(MILLAGE CONTINUATION AND REDEDICATION)

Shall the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 3.81 mills (the “Tax”) on all property subject to taxation in the Parish, for aperiod of 10 years, beginning with the year 2026 and ending with the year 2035 (an estimated $10,861,000reasonably expected at this timetobe collected from the levy of the Taxfor an entireyear), and shall the proceeds of the Taxheretoforeorhereafter received be used for the purposes of constructing, acquiring, improving, maintaining, operating, and supporting public facilities and programsinthe Parishasfollows: (i) 1.24 mills for drainage; (ii) 0.422 mills for providing fire protectionand all costs affiliated thereto; (iii) 0.078 mills for roads and bridges; and (iv) 2.07 mills for public health units, mosquito and other arthropod abatement and control, animal control, drainage, and paying mandated expenses of the coroner,said millage to be continued at the rate currently being levied, representinga0.25 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 3.56 mills tax authorized to be levied through the year 2025 pursuant to an election held on March 28, 2015?

SECTION 2: Publication of Notice of Election. ANotice of Special Election shall be published in the official journal of the Parish once aweek for four consecutive weeks, with the first publication to be made not less than 45 days nor morethan 90 days prior to the date of the election, which Notice shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as “Exhibit A” and incorporated herein by reference the sameasifitwereset forth herein in full. Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to the publication of the Notice of Election, the Lafayette Clerk of the Council is authorized and directed to make any amendments to the foregoing propositions that may be required to comply with any state or federal regulatory agencies.

SECTION 3: Canvass. This Governing Authority shall meet at its regular meeting place, the Council Auditorium, 705West University Avenue, Lafayette, Louisiana, on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16,2025,at FOUR-THIRTY O’CLOCK (4:30) P.M.,and shall then and thereinopen and publicsession proceed to examine and canvass the returns and declarethe result of the said special election.

SECTION 4: Polling Places. The polling places for the precinctsin the Parish arehereby designated as the polling places at which to hold the said election, and the Commissioners-in-Charge and Commissioners, respectively,will be the same persons as those designated in accordance with law

SECTION 5: Election Commissioners; Voting Machines. The officers designated to serve as Commissioners-in-Charge and Commissioners pursuant to Section 4hereof, or such substitutes therefor as may be selected and designated in accordance with La. R.S. 18:1287, shall hold the said special election as herein provided, and shall make due returns of said election for the meeting of the Governing Authority to be held as provided in Section 3hereof. All registered voters in the Parish will be entitled to vote at the special election, and voting machines shall be used.

SECTION 6:

SECTION 9: Employment of Counsel.This Governing Authority finds and determines that areal necessityexists forthe employment of special counsel on mattersrelated to the special election, and accordingly, Foley &Judell, L.L.P is hereby employed as special counsel forsaid purpose fora termnot exceeding one(1) year from the dateofthisresolution. The fee to be paid said special counsel shall be an amount computed at hourly rate based on the Attorney General’s then current Maximum HourlyFee Schedule, nottoexceed $1,000 in the aggregate, together withreimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, and the Chief Financial Officer is authorized to pay such invoices as and when presented. The scope of thislegal representationdoesnot involve federal claims.

SECTION 10: Repealer.All resolutions,orparts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

This resolutionhaving been submitted to avote, the vote on behalf of the Parish Council thereonwas as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None AND the resolutionwas declared adopted on this, the5th day of August, 2025.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THECOUNCIL EXHIBIT“A”

NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION

Pursuant to the provisions of aresolutionadopted by the Lafayette Parish Council(the“Governing Authority”),acting as thegoverning authority of the Parish of Lafayette,State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), on August5,2025, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that aspecial election will be held within the Parish on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025,and that at the said election therewill be submitted to all registered voters in the Parish qualified and entitled to voteatthe said election under the Constitutionand Laws of the StateofLouisiana and the Constitution of the UnitedStates, the following propositions, to-wit:

PROPOSITION NO. 1OF2

(MILLAGE CONTINUATION)

Shallthe Parish of Lafayette, StateofLouisiana (the “Parish”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 4.47 mills on all property subject to taxationinthe Parish (an estimated $12,743,000 reasonably expected at thistimetobecollected from the levy of the tax for an entireyear), foraperiod of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with theyear 2036, for the purpose of constructing,improving and maintaining roads and bridges in the Parish, said millage to be continued at the ratecurrently being levied, representing a0.30 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 4.17 millsauthorized to be levied through the year 2026 pursuant to an election held on March28, 2015?

PROPOSITION NO. 2OF2

(MILLAGE CONTINUATION AND REDEDICATION)

Shallthe Parish of Lafayette, StateofLouisiana (the “Parish”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 3.81 mills (the “Tax”) on all property subject to taxation in the Parish, foraperiodof10years, beginning withthe year 2026 and ending with theyear 2035 (an estimated $10,861,000 reasonably expected at thistimetobe collected from the levy of the Taxfor an entireyear), and shall the proceeds of the Taxheretoforeorhereafter received be used for the purposes of constructing,acquiring,improving, maintaining, operating,and supporting public facilities and programs in the Parish as follows: (i) 1.24 mills for drainage; (ii) 0.422 mills for providing fire protection and all costs affiliated thereto; (iii) 0.078 mills for roads and bridges; and (iv) 2.07 mills forpublic health units, mosquitoand other arthropod abatement and control, animal control, drainage, and paying mandated expenses of the coroner,said millagetobecontinued at the ratecurrently being levied, representing a0.25 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 3.56 millstax authorized to be levied through the year 2025 pursuant to an electionheld on March28, 2015?

Thesaid special electionshall be heldateach and every polling place in the Parish, which polls will openatseven o’clock (7:00) a.m. and close at eight o’clock (8:00) p.m., in accordance withthe provisionsofLa. R.S. 18:541. Thepollingplaces for theprecinctsinthe Parish arehereby designated as thepollingplaces at which to hold the said election, and the Commissioners-in-Charge and Commissioners, respectively,shall be thosepersons designated according to law

Theestimated cost of this electionasdetermined by the Secretary of Statebased uponthe provisionsofChapter 8-A of Title 18 and actual costs of similar elections is $206,400.

Notice is further giventhat aportion of the monies collected from the taxes described in the Propositions shall be remittedtocertain state and statewide retirement systemsinthe manner required by law

Thesaid special electionwill be held in accordance withthe applicable provisions of Chapter5,Chapter 6-A and Chapter6-B of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, and other constitutional and statutory authority, and the officers appointed to hold the said election, as provided in thisNotice of Special Election, or such substitutes therefor as may be selected and designated in accordance with La. R.S. 18:1287, will make due returns thereof to said Governing Authority, and NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that the Governing Authority will meet at its regular meeting place, the CouncilAuditorium, 705 West UniversityAvenue, Lafayette, Louisiana, on TUESDAY DECEMBER 16, 2025,at FOUR-THIRTY O’CLOCK(4:30) P.M.,and shall then and thereinopen and public session proceed to examine and canvass the returns and declarethe result of the said special election. All registered voters of the Parish areentitled to vote at said special election and voting machines will be used.

Exhibitsfor PR-021-2025 areavailable for inspection at theLafayette CouncilOffice.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTECLERK OF THE COUNCIL

NOTICE

The Lafayette Parish Council met in Regular Session on August 5, 2025 and adopted the following ordinances: PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-030-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL

AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO ACOOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT AND ACT OF DONATION BY AND BETWEEN LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT AND PARISH OF ACADIA CONCERNING THE DONATION OF ASURPLUS 2003 PUMPER TANKER FIRE TRUCK

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

WHEREAS,the LafayetteCity-Parish Consolidated Government (hereinafter referred to as “LCG”) is the owner of ared, 2003 pumper tanker fire truck, bearing VIN 1NKDL00X83J394799 (hereinafter referred to as the “FireTruck”);and

WHEREAS,the FireTruck is no longer needed by the Lafayette Fire Department due to normal wear and tear,mileage, and hours operated and, therefore, is considered surplus property; and

WHEREAS,the Parish of Acadia (hereinafter sometimes referredto as “Acadia”) needs the FireTruck for use by the Branch Volunteer Fire Department for public safety and providing firefighting services in parts of the Parish of Acadia; and

WHEREAS,LCG desires to donate, convey,transfer and deliver to Acadia the FireTruck; and

WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution states, “for apublic purpose, the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations may engage in cooperative endeavors with each other,with the United States or its agencies, or with any public or private association, corporation, or individual;” and

WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(E) of the Louisiana Constitution provides that nothing shall prevent the donation or exchange of movable surplus property between or among political subdivisions whose functions include public safety; and

WHEREAS,La. R.S. 33:4711 provides that the parish may sell, lease, or exchange with private persons or other political corporations of this state any property when such property is not needed for apublic purpose; and

WHEREAS,while La. R.S. 33:4711 does not mandate any special procedureorprocess to which aparish must adhereinthe disposition of its surplus property,the Louisiana Attorney General suggests that the procedures set forth in La. R.S. 33:4712 may be followed for disposition of parish property; see La. Atty.Gen. Ops. 14-0162, 07-0096 and 92-606; and WHEREAS,La. R.S. 33:4712 provides that beforedisposition of the property an ordinance must be introduced giving the reasons for the action, and fixing the terms of the contract; and

WHEREAS Section 2-11(11) of the Home Rule Charter of LCG requires the adoption of an ordinance for the conveyance of property owned by LCG; and WHEREAS,for the reasons noted herein, it is the opinion of the Lafayette Parish Council that the Property is no longer needed for public purposesand thus, surplus property; and

WHEREAS,the Lafayette Parish Council desires to donate the Fire Truck to the Parish of Acadia and deems the donation of the FireTruck to be in the best interest of the citizens of LCG.

NOW,THEREFORE,BEITFURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

SECTION 1:All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areherein adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized and directed to donate the FireTruck,which is movable surplus property no longer needed for apublic purpose, to the Parish of Acadia, and to execute all documents needed to effectuate the donation of the FireTruck to theParish of Acadia, including, but not limited to, the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation, attached herewith.

SECTION 3:LCG shall adheretoall requirements of State law pertaining to the disposal of surplus property no longer needed for public purposes, including, notice of this ordinance to the public, shall be adheredto.

SECTION4:Any opposition to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Council within 15 days after its first publication.

SECTION 5:All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 6:This ordinance shall become effective upon the signature of the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon override of aveto, whichever occurs first. **** *

PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-031-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO ACOOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT AND ACT OF DONATION BY AND BETWEEN LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT AND THE PARISH OF ST.LANDRYCONCERNING THE DONATION OF A SURPLUS 2001 FIRE TRUCK

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

WHEREAS,the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government (hereinafter referred to as “LCG”) is the owner of ared, 2001 fire truck, bearing VIN 1FVHBGA881HJ94455 (hereinafter referredtoasthe “Fire Truck”); and WHEREAS,the FireTruck is no longer needed by the Lafayette Fire Department due to normal wear and tear,mileage, and hours operated and, therefore, is considered surplus property; and

WHEREAS,the Parish of St. Landry (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “St. Landry”) needs the FireTruck for public safety and providing firefighting services in parts of the Parish of St. Landry; and WHEREAS,LCG desires to donate, convey,transfer and deliver to St Landry the FireTruck; and

WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution states, “for apublic purpose, the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations may engage in cooperative endeavors with each other,with the United States or its agencies, or with any public or private association, corporation, or individual;” and WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(E) of the Louisiana Constitution provides that nothing shall prevent the donation or exchange of movable surplus property between or among political subdivisions whose functions include public safety; and WHEREAS,La. R.S. 33:4711 provides that the parish may sell, lease, or exchange with private persons or other political corporations of this state any property when such property is not needed for apublic purpose; and

WHEREAS,while La. R.S. 33:4711 does not mandate any special procedureorprocess to which aparish must adherein the disposition of its surplus property,the Louisiana Attorney General suggests that the procedures set forth in La. R.S. 33:4712 may be followed for disposition of parish property; see La. Atty.Gen. Ops. 14-0162, 07-0096 and 92-606; and WHEREAS,La. R.S. 33:4712 provides that beforedisposition of the property an ordinance must be introduced giving the reasons for the action, and fixing the terms of the contract; and WHEREAS Section 2-11(11) of the Home Rule Charter of LCG requires the adoption of an ordinance for the conveyance of property owned by LCG; and

WHEREAS,for thereasons noted herein, it is the opinion of the Lafayette Parish Council that the FireTruckisnolonger needed for public purposes and thus, surplus property; and

WHEREAS,the Lafayette Parish Council desires to donate the Fire Truck to the Parish of St. Landry and deems the donation of the FireTruck to be in thebest interest of the citizens of LCG. NOW,THEREFORE,BEITFURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

SECTION 1:All of the aforedescribed Whereas”clauses areherein adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2:The Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized and directed to donate the FireTruck,which is movable surplus property no longer needed for apublic purpose, to the Parish of St. Landry,and to execute all documents needed to effectuate the donation of the Fire Truck to the Parish of St. Landry,including, but not limited to, the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation, attached herewith.

SECTION 3:LCG shall adheretoall requirements of State law pertaining to the disposal of surplus property no longer needed for public purposes, including, notice of this ordinance to the public, shall be adheredto.

SECTION4:Any opposition to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Council within 15 days after its first publication.

SECTION 5:All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 6:This ordinance shall become effective upon the signature of the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon override of aveto, whichever occurs first.

PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-032-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL

AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO ACOOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT AND ACT OF DONATION BY AND BETWEEN LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT AND TOWN OF SUNSET CONCERNING THE DONATION OF ASURPLUS 2003

PUMPER TANKER FIRETRUCK

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

WHEREAS,the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government (hereinafter referred to as “LCG”) is the owner of ared,2003 pumper tanker fire truck, bearing VIN1NKDL00X43J394802 (hereinafter referred to as the “FireTruck”); and WHEREAS,the FireTruck is no longer needed by the Lafayette Fire Department due to normal wear and tear,mileage, and hours operated and, therefore, is considered surplus property; and WHEREAS,the Town of Sunset (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “Sunset”) needs the Fire Truck for use by the Sunset Fire Department for public safety and providing firefighting services in the Town of Sunset;and WHEREAS,LCG desires to donate, convey,transfer and deliver to Sunset the Fire Truck; and WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution states, “for apublic purpose, the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations may engage in cooperative endeavors with each other,with the United States or its agencies, or with any public or private association, corporation, or individual;” and WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(E) of the Louisiana Constitution provides that nothing shallprevent the donation or exchange of movable surplus property between or among political subdivisions whose functions include publicsafety; and

WHEREAS,La. R.S. 33:4711 provides that the parish may sell, lease, or exchange with private persons or other political corporations of this state any property when such property is notneeded for apublic purpose; and WHEREAS,while La. R.S. 33:4711 does not mandateany special procedureorprocess to which aparish must adhereinthe disposition of its surplus property,the Louisiana Attorney General suggests that the procedures set forth in La. R.S. 33:4712 may be followed for disposition of parish property; see La. Atty.Gen. Ops. 14-0162, 07-0096 and 92-606; and WHEREAS,La. R.S. 33:4712 provides that beforedisposition of the property an ordinance must be introduced giving the reasons forthe action, and fixing the termsofthe contract; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-11(11) of the Home RuleCharter of LCG requires the adoption of an ordinance for the conveyance of property owned by LCG; and WHEREAS,for the reasons noted herein, it is the opinion of the Lafayette Parish Council that the FireTruck is no longer needed for public purposes and thus, surplus property; and

WHEREAS,the Lafayette Parish Council desires to donate the Fire Truck to the Town of Sunset and deems the donation of the Fire Truck to be in the best interest of thecitizens of LCG.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

SECTION 1:All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areherein adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2:The Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized and directed to donate the FireTruck, which is movablesurplus property no longer needed for apublic purpose, to the Town of Sunset,and to execute all documents needed to effectuate the donation of the Fire Truck to the Town of Sunset,including, but not limited to,the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation, attached herewith.

SECTION 3:LCG shall adheretoall requirements of Statelaw pertaining to the disposal of surplus property no longer needed for public purposes, including,notice of this ordinance to the public, shall be adhered to

SECTION 4:Any opposition to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Council within 15 days after its first publication.

SECTION 5:All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof,inconflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 6:This ordinance shall become effective upon the signature of the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon override of aveto, whichever occurs first.

PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-034-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL SETTING FORTH AND DESIGNATING THE AD VALOREM TAX

MILLAGE RATES AND IMPOSING TAXES ON ALL PROPERTY SUBJECT TO AD VALOREM TAXATION IN THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE AND AUTHORIZING THE ASSESSORAND TAX

COLLECTOR FOR THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE TO ASSESS AND COLLECT PROPERTY TAXES FOR 2025

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

WHEREAS,the Lafayette Parish Council is the governing and taxing authority of the Parish of Lafayette and is empowered by law to levy and impose ad valorem taxes on allproperty subject to taxation in said Parish as shown by the assessment roll forthe year 2025; and WHEREAS,the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government will include the revenues from those taxes in its budget for FY 2025-2026; and WHEREAS,the Lafayette Parish Council desires to establish the millage rate of the ad valorem tax levied for the purpose of paying the principal and interest on general obligation bonds of the Parish of Lafayette; and WHEREAS,the Lafayette Parish Council is

La. R.S. 47:1705.A to adopt an ordinance which

the ad valorem tax millagerates for the current tax year

by the

and

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that:

SECTION

ict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 5:This ordinanceshall become effective upon the signature of the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten(10) days afterreceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first

PARISHORDINANCE NO.PO-037-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISHCOUNCIL PROVIDING FOR THEABANDONMENT OF ACERTAIN PORTION OF A20’ DRAINAGE SERVITUDE ON LOT 152 OF THEMAGNOLIA PARK, EXTENSIONNO. 3SUBDIVISION, LOCATEDAT520 MONTROSEAVENUE

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: WHEREAS,a 20’ drainage servitude wasdedicated to the Lafayette Parish Council, by thatcertainact of dedication andplatofsurvey dated April 20, 1962, andrecorded underAct No. 1962-00424674 of the Lafayette Parish Conveyance Records, attached hereto andmade apart hereof in Exhibit A; and

WHEREAS,acertainportion of a20’ drainage servitude on Lot 152 hasbeen proposed for abandonment andisclearlyshownonaplatof survey prepared by M.J. Breaux, PLS, dated June 20, 2025, attached hereto andmade apart hereof in Exhibit B; and

WHEREAS,ithas been determined by the Lafayette Parish Council thatacertainportion of the 20’ drainage servitude, as showninExhibit B, is no longerneeded for public use and, accordingly,itisappropriate that acertainportion of the said servitude be abandoned.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1:All of the aforedescribed “Whereas”clausesare adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2:The Lafayette Parish Council hereby abandons acertain portion of a20’ drainage servitude, as shownona plat of survey prepared by M.J. Breaux, PLS, dated June 20, 2025, attached hereto andmade a part hereof in Exhibit B.

SECTION 3:The Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized and empowered to execute an ActofAbandonmentinorder to effectuate the abandonment of acertainportion of a20’ drainage servitude, as shown on aplatofsurvey prepared by M.J. Breaux, PLS, dated June 20, 2025. SECTION 4:All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

PARISHORDINANCE NO.PO-038-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISHCOUNCIL AUTHORIZING THELAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THEPARISH OF LAFAYETTE ANDTHE CITYOF YOUNGSVILLE CONCERNING SURFACE IMPROVEMENTS TO S. LARRIVIERE RD. (YOUNGSVILLE PROJECT NO. H.012867), AND AMENDING THE FY 24/25 OPERATING AND FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATEDGOVERNMENT IN THEAMOUNT OF $400,000.00 TO ASSISTINTHE FUNDING OF THE RECONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE UNINCORPORATEDPORTION OF S. LARRIVIERE RD. BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: WHEREAS,the Parish of Lafayette (hereinafterreferred to as “Lafayette Parish”) andthe City of Youngsville (hereinafterreferred to as “Youngsville”) each have responsibilities for the traffic flow,road conditions andpublic safety into andout of their respective jurisdictions; and WHEREAS,S.LarriviereRd. between Hwy 92/Iberia Street and Chemin Metairie Parkway is approximately 1mile,with approximately 50% incorporatedinto the City of Youngsville andthe remaining in the unincorporatedareaofLafayette Parish;and WHEREAS,City of Youngsville in conjunction with the Acadiana Metropolitan Planning Organization (AMPO) obtaineda$8,677,787.37 grant through the Surface Transportation Program(STP) with a20% local match of $1,735,557.47,toreconstructand improve S. LarriviereRoad between Hwy92/Iberia Street andChemin Metairie Parkway; and WHEREAS,Lafayette Parish desires to sharea portion of the cost of the 20% local matchinthe amount of $400,000.00 to fund the reconstruction andimprovements to the unincorporatedportion of S. LarriviereRd; and WHEREAS,Youngsville andLafayette Parish desiretoenterinto an IntergovernmentalAgreementtoset forth each party’sresponsibilities; and WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(C)ofthe 1974 Constitution of the State of Louisiana andLa. R.S. 33:1324, et seq. provide that, for a public purpose, public entities, parishes, municipalities andpolitical subdivisions may engage in andmake cooperative endeavor agreements/ intergovernmentalagreements between themselvesfor specificpurposes. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1:All of the aforedescribed “Whereas”clausesare adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2:The Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized to enterinto the Agreementinsubstantially the same form as is attached hereto as Exhibit A,but mayberevised, andmay contain such additional provisions, as the Lafayette Mayor-President, in consultation with the Lafayette City-Parish Attorney, maydeem necessary, convenient, or desirable to carry out the intent andprovisions of this ordinance. Furthermore, the Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized to sign anyand allotherdocuments andtake anyand allotheractions in connection therewith.

SECTION 3:The FY 24/25 operating& five-year capitalimprovement budget of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment is hereby amended by increasing the use of Fund 2600 Prior Year Fund Balance in the amount of $400,000.00 andappropriating within the Public Works Department to assistinthe funding of the reconstruction andsurface improvements to the unincorporatedportion of S. LarriviereRd.

SECTION 4:This transferoffunds shall be as reflected in anypertinent documents whichare attached hereto and made apart hereof as Exhibit B and filedinthe Office of the Lafayette Clerk of Council.

SECTION 5:All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION

SECTION 4:The foregoing ordinance was read in full; the roll was called on the adoption thereof,and the ordinance was adopted by the following votes:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None

SECTION 5:All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof,inconflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 6:This ordinance shall become effective upon signatureof the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first. PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-035-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THELAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING THE FY 24/25 OPERATING BUDGET OF THELAFAYETTE

SECTION 6:This ordinanceshall become effective upon signatureof the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten(10) days afterreceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

theissuanceand sale

CommunicationsSystem Revenue Bonds, Series 2025, of theCityof Lafayette,State of Louisiana; andproviding forother matters in con‐nectiontherewith CO-088-2025 An ordi‐nanceofthe Lafayette City Councilamending theFY 24/25 operating andcapital budgetsof theLafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ment by transferring $90,000 from theCitywide TrafficCalming Projectto anew projectaccount forRiver Road Area Traf‐ficCalming CO-089-2025 An ordi‐nanceofthe Lafayette City Councilamending theLafayette Develop‐ment Code so as to re‐classify Case No.2025-8AZON JeffersonBoule‐vard Administrative Re‐zoning,located generally northofSeventh Street East of NE Evangeline Thruway, andsouth of East Simcoe Street;400, 410, 412, 415, 416, 508, 510, 512, 516, 517, 609, 616, 618, 620, 708 &710 JeffersonBoulevard,106 SaintCharles Street,413, 419, 505, 511, 515 &600 East ThirdStreet,100 NE Evangeline Thruway, 208, 210 &216 NorthMagnolia Street,127 &133 South Orange Street,200 &204 NorthOrangeStreet,105 Moss Street,500 East Simcoe Street and408 East Second Street being rezonedfromCH(Com‐mercial-Heavy) to MN-2 (Mixed-Use Neighbor‐hood)and CM-2 (Com‐mercialMixed). CO-090-2025 An ordi‐nanceofthe Lafayette City Councilamending theFY24/25 operating andcapital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ment by increasingrev‐enuesinthe amount of $50,000 received from the United NationsDevelop‐ment Programme to de‐velopanapplication for the2025 Bloomberg Phil‐anthropies Mayors Chal‐lenge, appropriating within Lafayette Utilities System,and authorizing theLafayette MayorPresidenttoexecute any documentsnecessary for projectcompletionand applicationsubmission. CO-091-2025 An ordi‐nanceofthe Lafayette City Councilamending theFY24/25 operating andcapital budgetsof theLafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ment,transferring $90,000 from Citywide TrafficCalming to Leonie Street Area TrafficCalm‐ing.

Theordinanceswillap‐pear before theLafayette City Councilfor public hearingand finaladop‐tion in theTed A. Ardoin City-ParishCouncil Audi‐torium locatedat705 W. University Avenue Lafayette,LAonAugust 19, 2025.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE COUNCIL 153263-AUG8-1T $39.48

CO-092-2025 An ordi‐nanceofthe Lafayette City Councilauthorizing theLafayette MayorPresidentto file an appli‐cation with theFederal TransitAdministration (FTA)for operatingand capitalassistanceinthe amount of $3,077,256 throughthe FTAFY2025 Section5307 Urbanized Area FormulaGrant alongwiththe required matchinthe amount of $2,017,256 forfederal fis‐calyear2025 foruse within theTraffic, Roads, andBridges Department TransitDivision. CO-093-2025 An ordi‐nanceofthe Lafayette City Councilauthorizing theLafayette MayorPresidentto file an appli‐cation with theFederal TransitAdministration (FTA)for capitalassis‐tanceinthe amount of $258,586 throughthe FTA FY 2025 Section5339 Bus andBus FacilitiesFor‐mula Allocationspro‐gram forCapital Assis‐tancealong with there‐quired matchinthe amount of $45,633 for FederalFiscalYear2025 foruse within theTraffic, Roads, andBridges De‐partment,Transit Divi‐sion

y intoa TrafficSignal MaintenanceAgreement with theStateof LouisianaDepartmentof Transportation andDe‐velopmentbyincreasing revenue by $197,024. Theordinanceswillap‐pear before each the Lafayette Parish Council andthe Lafayette City Councilfor public hear‐ingand finaladoptionin theTed A. Ardoin CityParish CouncilAudito‐rium locatedat705 W. University Avenue Lafayette,LAonAugust 19, 2025.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERKOFTHE COUNCIL 153261-AUG8-1T $13.90

W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE LAFAYETTE,LA. ATTENDANCE

LPPA:Kenneth P. Boudreaux(Chair, Dis‐trict5), LizW.Hebert (Vice-Chair, District 3) ElroyBroussard (District 1),AndyNaquin(District 2) andThomasHooks (District4) ABSENT:None LPPA STAFF: Joseph Gor‐don-Wiltz(Clerkofthe Council),JeremyJ Swiney (Associate Clerk f i l i ff i ) y forLegislative Affairs) CindyM.Semien(Assis‐tant Clerkfor Legislative Affairs) andJeremy Richardson (Associate Clerkfor Operations and CitizenAdvocacy) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: MoniqueB.Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux(Chief Administrative Officer) KarenFontenot(Chief Fi‐nancialOfficer) andPaul Escott (Assistant CityParish Attorney) (7:33:00)CALLTOORDER ChairBoudreaux called theSpecial LPPA Meeting of August 5, 2025 to order.

movable surplus property between or among political subdivisions whose functions include public safety; and

WHEREAS,said transfer would be in the best interest of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and is recommended by the Lafayette Police Department.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that:

SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areadopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette Mayor-President, Monique B. Boulet, be and she is hereby authorized, to transfer seven (7) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests per the attached list, to the City of Franklin for use by the Franklin Police Department located at 504 Second St. Franklin, Louisiana.

SECTION 3: It is specifically recognized that all requirements of La. R.S. 33:4712 pertaining to the transfer of surplus movable property including notice of this proposed ordinance to the public shall be adhered to.

SECTION 4: Any opposition to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Council within 15 days of first publication.

SECTION 5: All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 6: This ordinance shall become effective upon signatureof the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, and ten (10) days from theadvertisement of final adoption in accordance with state law governing the disposal of surplus property *** **

CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO-067-2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZINGTHE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT TO TRANSFER NINE (9) POINT BLANK RANGER GREEN BALLISTIC VESTS, WHICH ARE NO LONGER NEEDED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES, TO KAPLAN POLICE DEPARTMENT

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that:

WHEREAS,the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government is the owner of nine (9) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests, which are no longer needed for public purposes as per the attached list; and

WHEREAS,the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government plans to transfer all nine (9) of the vests to the City of Kaplan for use by the Kaplan Police Department; and WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 14(E) of the Louisiana Constitution provides that nothing shall prevent the donation or exchange of movable surplus property between or among political subdivisions whose functions include public safety; and

WHEREAS,said transfer would be in the best interest of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and is recommended by the Lafayette Police Department.

NOW,THEREFORE,BEITFURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that:

SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areadopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette Mayor-President, Monique B. Boulet, be and she is hereby authorized, to transfer nine (9) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests per the attached list, to the City of Kaplan for use by the Kaplan Police Department located at 413 N. Cushing AveKaplan, Louisiana.

SECTION 3: It is specifically recognized that all requirements of La. R.S. 33:4712 pertaining to the transfer of surplus movable property, including notice of this proposed ordinance to the public shall be adhered to. SECTION 4: Any opposition to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Council within 15 days of first publication.

SECTION 5: All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 6: This ordinance shall become effective upon signatureof the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, and ten (10) days from theadvertisement of final adoption in accordance with state law governing the disposal of surplus property *** ** CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO-075-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL

SETTING FORTH AND DESIGNATING THE AD VALOREM TAX

MILLAGE RATES AND IMPOSING TAXESONALL PROPERTY SUBJECT TO ADVALOREM TAXATION IN THE CITYOF LAFAYETTE AND AUTHORIZING THE ASSESSOR AND TAX

COLLECTOR FOR THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE TO ASSESS AND COLLECT PROPERTY TAXESFOR 2025

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that:

WHEREAS,the Lafayette City Council is the governing and taxing authority of the City of Lafayette and is empowered by law to levy and impose ad valorem taxes on all property subject to taxation in said City as shown by the assessment roll for the year 2025; and WHEREAS,the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government will include the revenues from those taxes in its budget for FY 2025-2026; and

LOUISIANA COMMISSIONONLAW ENFORCEMENT (LCLE) AND APPROPRIATING WITHIN THE LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: WHEREAS, the Lafayette Police Department was awarded aBryne JAG grant from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE) and Administration of Criminal Justice in the amount of $38,616; and

WHEREAS,these funds will be used by the Lafayette Police Department in targeting computer and high-tech crime.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council,that:

SECTION 1: Allofthe aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areadopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government is hereby amended by increasing revenues in the amount of $38,616 received from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement,and appropriating within the Lafayette Police Department.

SECTION 3: The Lafayette City Council hereby authorizes the Lafayette Mayor-President, or her designee, to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents, including but not limited to applications, agreements, amendments, payment requests and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the aforementioned project.

SECTION 4: The Lafayette Mayor-President, or her designee, is herebyauthorized to amend the operating budget within the grant period by transferring any unexpended appropriated balances into or out of salaries and benefits line itemsand allother expense line itemsinorder to expend the total awardamount in accordance with the regulations.

SECTION 5: This increase in revenues shall be as reflected in any pertinent documentswhich areattached hereto and made apart hereof and filedinthe Office of the Clerk of the Council

SECTION 6: Allordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof,inconflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 7: This ordinance shall become effective upon signatureof the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first. *** **

CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO-077-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE FY 24/25 CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT BY TRANSFERRING $242,000 FROMTHE STATION 6REBUILD-ADDL FUNDING TO THE STATION 11 ROOF RPR-ADDL FUNDS PROJECT WITHIN THE LAFAYETTE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council,that:

SECTION 1: The FY 24/25 Capital Budget of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government is hereby amended by transferring $242,000 from the Station6 Rebuild-Addl Funding project to the Station 11 Roof RPR-Addl Funds project within the Lafayette Fire Department for additional funding needed.

SECTION 2: This transferoffunds shall be reflected in any pertinent documents which areattached and made apart hereof and filedinthe Office of the Clerk of the Council.

SECTION 3: Allordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof,inconflict herewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 4: This ordinance shall become effective upon signatureof the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureorveto, or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first. *****

CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO-084-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM REVENUE BONDS OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA; AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council (the “Governing Authority”) acting as the governing authority of the City of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the “City” or “Issuer”), that: WHEREAS, the Issuer owns and operates alocal communications network offering telephone, cable TV,high-speed internet access, and other communications and information services (collectively, the “Communications System”); and WHEREAS, the Issuer,byOrdinance No.O-230-2005 adopted on September 6, 2005, as amended and restated by Ordinance No.O-0532006 adopted on March21, 2006 (the “General Bond Ordinance”), has authorized the issuance of Communications System Revenue Bonds from timetotimefor the purposes thereinstated; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the General Bond Ordinance, the Issuer has heretoforeissued and thereare currentlyoutstanding the following bonds payable from and secured by first, the income and revenues derived or to be derived from the operationofthe Communications System, after provision has been made forthe payment therefrom of the reasonable and necessary expenses of operation and maintaining the Communications System (the “Net Revenues”),and second, to the amount necessary the revenues of the Utilities System as provided in the General Bond Ordinance (the “Residual Revenues”): i. Communications System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2015 (the “Series 2015 Bonds”); ii. Communications System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2021A (the ‘Series 2021A Bonds”);

iii. TaxableCommunications System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2021B (the “Series 2021B Bonds”); and WHEREAS, this Governing Authority has authorized the issuance of its Communications System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2025 (the “Series 2025 Refunding Bonds”), forthe purpose of refunding all or a portion of the outstanding Series 2015 Bonds; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Section1430 of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, and other constitutional and statutory authority (the “Act”), and subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission, it is nowthe desireofthis Governing Authority to provide forthe issuance of not exceeding $6,500,000 of Communications System Revenue Bonds (the “Bonds”), in one (1) or moreseries, each on a taxable or tax-exempt basis, for the purpose of (i) acquiring and improving property,furnishings, fixtures, and equipment; and (ii) paying the costs of issuance of the Bonds, to fixthe details of the Bonds, and to provide for the sale of the Bonds to the purchaser thereof;and WHEREAS, upon the issuance of the Bonds, the Issuer will have no outstanding bonds or other obligations of any kind or naturepayable from or enjoying alien on the NetRevenues or the Residual Revenues, EXCEPT its (i) unrefunded Series 2015 Bonds, if any,(ii) Series 2021A Bonds, (iii) Series 2021B Bonds, and (iv) Series 2025 Refunding Bonds, if issued (collectively,the “Outstanding Parity Bonds”) NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council,that: SECTION 1: Recitals. Allofthe aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areadopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: Authorization of the Bonds. Thisordinance authorizes the issuance of one (1) or moreseries of bonds of the Issuer to be designated “Communications System Revenue Bonds, Series 2025, of the City of Lafayette, StateofLouisiana;” provided, however,that said designation may change in the event any of the Bonds aredelivered after calendar year 2025, areissued in multiple series, or the tax status of the Bonds changes.

SECTION 3: Security forand Terms of the Bonds. The Bonds shall bear interest at rates not exceeding six(6%) percent per annum and shall maturenot later than November 1, 2040. The Bonds, equallywith the Outstanding Parity Bonds, shallbepayable from and secured by an irrevocable pledge and dedication of, first,the Net Revenues, and second, to the amount necessary,the Residual Revenues.

AFIFTH SUPPLEMENTAL ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL SUPPLEMENTING AN ORDINANCE ADOPTED ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, AS AMENDED AND RESTATEDONMARCH 21, 2006 (THE “GENERAL BOND ORDINANCE”) TO PROVIDE FOR THEISSUANCE AND SALE OF COMMUNICATIONSSYSTEM REVENUE REFUNDING BONDS,SERIES 2025, OF THE CITYOFLAFAYETTE,STATE OF LOUISIANA, PURSUANT TO THEGENERAL BOND ORDINANCE; AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council (the“Governing Authority”) acting as the governing authority of the City of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the“City” or “Issuer”), that: WHEREAS,the Issuer owns andoperates alocal communications network offeringtelephone,cableTV, high-speed internet access andothercommunications andinformation services (collectively,the “CommunicationsSystem”); and WHEREAS,the Issuer,byOrdinanceNo. O-230-2005 adopted on September 6, 2005, as amended andrestated by Ordinance No. O-0532006 adopted on March 21, 2006 (the“General BondOrdinance”), has authorized the issuanceofCommunications SystemRevenue Bonds and Revenue Refunding Bonds from time to time for the purposes therein stated; and WHEREAS,the General BondOrdinancecontemplatesand provides for the adoption of aSupplementalOrdinanceproviding for the sale and authentication of bonds authorized by the General BondOrdinancein order to effectuate andimplement its purpose; and WHEREAS,pursuant to the General BondOrdinance, the Issuer hasheretoforeissued andthere arecurrently outstanding the following bonds payable from andsecuredbythe income andrevenuesderived or to be derived from the operationsofthe Communications System, after provision hasbeen made for the payment therefrom of the reasonable and necessary expenses of operating andmaintaining the Communications System(the “Net Revenues”): i. Communications SystemRevenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2015 (the“Series 2015 Bonds”); ii. Communications SystemRevenue RefundingBonds, Series 2021A (the‘Series 2021A Bonds”); iii. TaxableCommunications SystemRevenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2021B (the“Series 2021B Bonds”); and WHEREAS,the Issuer hasfound anddeterminedthatthe refunding of the outstanding Series 2015 Bonds maturing November1,2026, November1,2027, November1,2028 (bearinginterest at 5.00% with CUSIP ending CK3), andNovember1,2029 to November1,2031, inclusive (the“RefundedBonds”) would be financially advantageousto the Issuer; and WHEREAS,pursuant to Part II of Chapter 4ofSubtitle II of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutesof1950, as amended, andother constitutionaland statutory authority (the“Act”), the Governing Authority now desires to sell, issue anddeliverits Communications System Revenue RefundingBonds, Series 2025 (the“Bonds”), for the purpose of (i) refunding the RefundedBonds, and(ii) paying the costs of issuance of the Bonds; and WHEREAS,upon the issuanceofthe Bonds, the Issuer will have no outstanding bonds or other obligations of anykind or naturepayable from or enjoying alienonthe NetRevenues, EXCEPTthe (i) unrefunded Series 2015 Bonds, (ii) Series 2021A Bonds, and(iii) Series 2021B Bonds (collectively,the “Outstanding Parity Bonds”); and WHEREAS,underthe terms andconditions of the General Bond Ordinance, the Issuer hasauthority to issue refunding bonds on a complete parity with the Outstanding Parity Bonds; and WHEREAS,the State BondCommission approvedthe issuanceof the Bonds at its meeting held on June 11, 2025; and WHEREAS,this Governing Authority hasdeterminedthatall the terms andconditions specified in the General BondOrdinancefor the issuance of the Bonds in accordance with this SupplementalOrdinancehave been or will be compliedwith prior to the delivery of the Bonds andthatall provisions containedhereinfallwithin the parameters of authority set forth in the General BondOrdinance; and WHEREAS,itisnecessary thatthis Governing Authority prescribe the form andcontent of aDefeasance andEscrowDeposit Agreement providing for the payment of the principal of andinterest on the Refunded Bonds andauthorize the execution thereof as hereinafterprovided; and WHEREAS,inconnection with the issuanceofthe Bonds, it is necessary thatprovision be made for the payment of the principal and interest of the RefundedBonds, andtoprovide for the callfor redemption of the RefundedBonds, pursuant to aNoticeofDefeasance andCallfor Redemption; and WHEREAS,this Governing Authority adopted City Ordinance No. CO-047-2025 on June 3, 2025 (the“Prior Ordinance”), providing for the issuanceand sale of not exceeding $45,000,000ofCommunications SystemRevenue Refunding Bonds, in one (1)ormoreseries; and WHEREAS,pursuant to the terms of the Prior Ordinance, the Lafayette Mayor-President hasexecutedthe Term Sheet as authorized by the Prior Ordinance; and WHEREAS,a copy of the executedTerm Sheet is attached hereto as Exhibit B;and WHEREAS,this Governing Authority hereby confirms thatthe terms of the Bonds arewithin the parameters permitted by the Prior Ordinance. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: SECTION 1: Recitals. All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses areadopted as part of this SupplementalOrdinance. SECTION 2: Definitions. Unless the context shall clearlyindicate some other meaning, allwords andtermsused in this Fifth Supplemental Ordinance, whichare defined in the General BondOrdinance, will have the meaning set out in said General BondOrdinance. In addition, unless the context shall clearlyindicatesome othermeaning, the following terms shall, for allpurposes of the General BondOrdinanceand of this SupplementalOrdinanceorofany ordinanceorotherinstrument amendatory thereof or supplementalthereto, have the following meanings: “Act” means Part II of Chapter 4ofSubtitle II of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutesof1950, as amended, andotherconstitutional andstatutory authority “Bond” or “Bonds” means, the Issuer’sCommunications System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2025, authorized to be issuedpursuant to this SupplementalOrdinance, whetherinitially delivered or issuedin exchange for,upon transferof, or in lieu of anypreviously issuedBond.

“Delivery Date” means the date on whichthe Bonds aredeliveredto the Lenderinexchange for payment therefor,whichisanticipatedtobe August 21, 2025.

“Determination of Taxability” means any final, unappealable determination, decision, decree or advisement by the Commissionerof Internal Revenue,orany District Director of Internal Revenue or anycourt of competent jurisdiction to the effect that,asthe result of anyaction or inaction of the Issuer,interest paid or to be paid on the Bonds is or will be includable for federal income taxpurposes in the gross income of the Lenderorany otherOwnerthereof.

“Escrow Agent” means HancockWhitneyBank, in the City of Baton Rouge,Louisiana,and its successors, andany otherpersonwhichmay at anytime be substituted in its place pursuant to the General Bond Ordinance andthis SupplementalOrdinance.

“Escrow Agreement” means the Defeasance andEscrowDeposit Agreementbetween the Issuer andthe EscrowAgent, in the form approvedbythe Executive Officers, upon the advice of bond counsel, as the same may be amended from time to time

“Event of Default” shall have the meaning givensuchterm in Section 11.1ofthe General BondOrdinance

“Executive Officers” means, collectively,the Lafayette MayorPresident, Lafayette Clerk of the Council, andChiefFinancialOfficer of the Issuer

“InterestPayment Date” means May 1and November1 of each year,commencing November1,2025.

“Lender” means Regions Capital Advantage,Inc Birmingham, Alabama, the originalpurchaser of the Bonds.

or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first

SECTION 4: Saleofthe Bonds.

The Bonds arehereby authorized to be soldbydirect placement to abank or other financial institution, upon the advice of the municipal advisor to the Issuer,and the Lafayette Mayor-President, Lafayette Clerk of the Council, AssociateClerk forLegislative Affairs, and Chief Financial Officer,orany of them (collectively,the “Authorized Officers”), arehereby authorized to executea term sheet, commitment letter,and/or similar offer to purchase for the Bonds, in form and substance satisfactory to bond counsel and municipal advisor to the Issuer,provided that the sale of the Bonds is within the parameters set forth herein and otherwise complies with the termsofthe approval of the StateBond Commission.

SECTION 5: Execution of Documents. The Authorized Officers are hereby empowered, authorized and directed to take any and all action and to execute and deliver any instrument, document or certificate necessary to effectuate the purposes of this ordinance.

SECTION 6: Repealer.All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof in conflictherewith arehereby repealed.

SECTION 7: Effective Date. Thisordinance shall become effective upon signatureofthe Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signatureor veto, or upon an override of aveto, whichever occurs first. Exhibits forthis CO-084-2025 areavailable for inspectionatthe

“MaximumRate” means six (6%) percentper annum, provided thatsuchrateshall not exceed the maximum rate allowedpursuant to Louisiana law.

“Outstanding Parity Bonds” means, collectively,the Issuer’s outstanding (i) unrefundedCommunications SystemRevenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2015, maturing November1,2025 andNovember1,2028, (bearinginterest at 3.50% with CUSIP ending CP2), (ii) Communications SystemRevenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2021A, and(iii) Taxable Communications SystemRevenue RefundingBonds, Series 2021B

“PayingAgent” means HancockWhitneyBank, in the City of Baton Rouge,Louisiana,and its successors, andany otherpersonwhichmay at anytime be substituted in its place pursuant to the General Bond Ordinance andthis SupplementalOrdinance.

“Refunded Bonds” means the Issuer’soutstanding Communications SystemRevenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2015, maturing November1, 2026, November1,2027, November1,2028 (bearinginterest at 5.00% with CUSIP ending CK3), andNovember1,2029 to November1,2031, inclusive,asset forth in Exhibit A.

“Supplemental Ordinance” means this Fifth SupplementalOrdinance as the same may be supplementedoramendedhereafter.

“Term Sheet means the executedTerm Sheet of the Lender, attached hereto as ExhibitB Unless or except as the context shall clearlyindicateotherwise or may otherwise requireinthis SupplementalOrdinance: (i) allreferences to aparticularsection, paragraph or subdivision of the General Bond Ordinance or this SupplementalOrdinance, as the case maybe, areto the correspondingsection, paragraph or subdivision of the General Bond Ordinance only,orthis SupplementalOrdinanceonly,asthe case may be; (ii) the terms “herein,”“hereunder,”“hereby,” “hereto,” “hereof,”and

(a) Pursuant to the provisions of the General Bond Ordinance, this Supplemental Ordinance and the Act, thereishereby authorized the issuance of Forty-TwoMillion Six Hundred Seventy Thousand Dollars ($42,670,000) principal amount of Bonds of the Issuer to be designated

to the delivery of the Bonds, withall of the termsand conditions set forth in the General Bond Ordinance with respect to authorizing the issuance of the Bonds on aparity with the Outstanding Parity Bonds. SECTION 7: Defeasance and Escrow Deposit Agreement

(a) The Bonds shallbeissued for the purpose of refunding the Refunded Bonds through the escrow of aportion of the proceeds of the Bonds, together with other available moneys of the Issuer,inaccordance with the termsofthe Escrow Agreement,inorder to provide for the payment of the principal of and interest on the Refunded

to have no future obligation with reference to the Refunded Bonds, except to assurethat the Refunded Bonds arepaid and funds so escrowed in accordance with the provisions of the Escrow Agreement (c) The Escrow Agreement is hereby approved by the Issuer,and the Executive Officers arehereby authorized and directed to execute and deliver the Escrow Agreement on behalfofthe Issuer,with such changes, additions, deletions or completions deemed appropriate by such Executive Officers and it is expressly provided and covenanted that all of the provisions for the payment of the principal of and interest on the Refunded Bonds from the special trust funds created under the Escrow Agreement shall be strictlyobserved and followed in all respects.

SECTION 8: Appointment of Escrow Agent and Acceptance of Duties. The Escrow Agent is hereby appointed to serve as escrow agent for the Refunded Bonds. The Escrow Agent shallsignify its acceptance of the duties and obligations imposed uponitbythis ordinance by executing and delivering the Escrow Agreement.A successor to the Escrow Agent may be designated in the manner set forth in each Escrow Agreement.

SECTION9:Appointment of Paying

SECTION10:

shall matureininstallments on each November 1, without necessity of notice, in the years and in the principal amounts setforth below:

(November 1) Principal Amount

to: (a) Deposit irrevocably in trust with the Escrow Agent under the terms and conditions of the Escrow Agreement,asherein provided, an amount of the proceeds derived from the issuance and sale of the Bonds, together with additional moneys of the Issuer,aswill provide at least the required cash amount on or beforeeach payment date for the Refunded Bonds (said amounts being necessary on each of the designated dates to pay and retireorredeem the Refunded Bonds).The moneys so deposited with the Escrow Agent shallconstitute atrust fund irrevocably dedicated for the use and benefitofthe owners of the Refunded Bonds. (b) Deposit in the Expense Fund established with the Escrow Agent such amount of the proceeds of the Bonds as will enable the Escrow Agent to pay the costs of issuance of the Bonds and the costs properly attributabletothe establishment and administration of the Escrow Fund on behalf of the Issuer SECTION 11: Redemption. The Bonds arenot subject to optional redemption prior to maturity SECTION 12: Execution and Form of Bonds. The Executive Officers arehereby empowered, authorized and directed to do any and all thingsnecessary and incidental to carry out all of the provisions of this Supplemental Ordinance, to cause the Bonds to be printed, to issue, executeand seal the Bonds, and to effect delivery thereof as hereinafter provided. The Bonds and the endorsementstoappear on all such Bonds issuable hereunder shall be in the formsapproved by the Executive Officers, upon the advice of bond counsel,with such necessary or appropriate variations, omissions and insertions as arerequired or permitted by law and by the General Bond Ordinance, as amended and supplemented by this Supplemental Ordinance and as may be amended and supplemented by any other ordinance.

As provided in Section 3.3ofthe General Bond Ordinance the Bonds shall be executed by manual or facsimile signatures of Executive Officers and authenticated by the manual signatureofaduly authorized officer of the Paying Agent

SECTION13: Arbitrage. The Issuer covenants and agrees that, to the extent permittedbythe laws of the StateofLouisiana (the “State”), it will complywith the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) in order to establish, maintain and preserve the exclusion from “gross income” of interest on the Bonds under the Code. The Issuer further covenants and agrees that it will nottake any action, fail to take any action, or permit any action within its control to be taken, or permit at any timeortimes any of the proceeds of the Bonds or any other funds of the Issuer to

PROCEEDINGSOFTHE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TAKEN AT AREGULAR

MEETING OF AUGUST 5, 2025 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITYAVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA.

ATTENDANCE

COUNCIL:Kenneth P. Boudreaux (Chair,District 5), Liz W. Hebert (ViceChair,District 3), Elroy Broussard(District1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4)

ABSENT: None

COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs), Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations and Citizen Advocacy)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

(6:03:00) COMMENCEMENT

Call to order

Chair Boudreaux called the Regular City Council Meeting of August 5, 2025 to order

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

The Chair called upon Councilmember Naquin to cite an invocation and upon Councilmember Broussardtolead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chair Boudreaux made the following announcements:

•Item #5, CO-066-2025 -Legal requested an amendment to include verbiage for clarity and to include an additional “Whereas” clause relative to the transfer of seven (7) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests to the City of Franklin.

•Item #6, CO-067-2025 -Legal requested an amendment to include verbiage for clarity and to include an additional “Whereas” clause relative to the transfer of nine (9) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests to the City of Kaplan.

•Item #11, CO-085-2025 -Legal requested an amendment to provide for the issuance and sale of Communications System Revenue Refunding Bonds.

•Public Hearing for Citizen Input on the Budget will be held during aSpecial Joint Council Meeting on August 19th at 5:15 p.m. for all matters related to the 2025-2026 Proposed Budget.

•Final Adoption of the Budget will be held during aSpecial Joint Council Meeting on September 11th at 5:15 p.m.

•Therewill be an LPPAmeeting immediately following this meeting.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Boudreaux presented aproclamation to City of BroussardMayor Ray Bourque. He was named President of the Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA) at its annual conference. Bourque thanked Boulet and the Council andstated that it was meaningful that all the Lafayette Parish Mayors showed up at the banquet.Boudreaux announced that Warren Abadie, Director of Public Works, was one of the presenters at an LMA workshop.

Hebert thanked the Lafayette Police Department for all they did at the Cops, Pops &Pups event held on today at Broadmoor Park.

DuetoLafayette Parish Assessor,Justin Centanni spending his birthday at aCouncil meeting, Hebert presented abirthday cake to him.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT

a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major City Funds –June 2025

Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons areto comply with statewide auditing procedures.

b. Audit Findings Update July 2025

Boulet noted that they arerequired monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor onthe report findings.

Boulet recognized FireChief Robert Benoit. She noted that he will retire after 46 years of service. Benoit thanked everyone and asked all to keep him in prayer as he transitions to his next role at Acadian Ambulance as the FireLiaison Supervisor

Godeaux thanked Benoit for his leadership and consistency during his time with the Lafayette FireDepartment.

Boulet congratulated City of BroussardMayor Ray Bourque. She announced that Bourque was appointed as the Louisiana Municipal Association President.

Boulet announced that Lafayette received aCommunityRating System (CRS) Rating of Class 7which allows Lafayette Parish citizens who have flood insurance a15% discount on premiums on most National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums.

Boulet stated that anew LCG website is being developed, and it will be mobile friendly.She noted that thereisasurvey available for citizens to give feedback. The survey is located at lafayettela.gov/websurvey and the deadline to give feedback is August 22 at noon.

Boulet thanked all who participated in the Katrina ForwardSymposium and asked all to send prayers to Dr.Azar who has ason fighting cancer RESOLUTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: CR-013-2025 Ajointresolution of the Lafayette City Council granting awaiver of and exemption from the requirements of Section 6-36(a)(1) of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances relative to the holding of an alcohol beverage license at the premises of the Magnolia Pantry,LLC/Magnolia Pantry Establishment to be operated at 219 East VermilionStreetinthe City of Lafayette, Louisiana, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert,Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt wasapproved

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: CO-066-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to transfer seven (7) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests, which areno longer needed for public purposes, to Franklin Police Department, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin.

Amotion to include verbiage for clarity andtoinclude an additional

“Whereas” clause by Hebert, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend wasapproved.

The Chair then called for avote to adopt, as amended, andthe vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, wasapproved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: CO-067-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to transfernine (9) Point Blank Ranger Green Ballistic Vests, which areno longer needed for public purposes, to Kaplan Police Department, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin.

Amotion to include verbiage for clarity and to include an additional

“Whereas” clause by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend wasapproved.

The Chair then called for avote to adopt, as amended, andthe vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: CO-075-2025 An ordinance of

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.8:CO-076-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City

Council amending the FY 24/25 operating budget of the Lafayette City-

Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $38,616 received from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE)and appropriating within the Lafayette Police Department,motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.9:CO-077-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by transferring $242,000 from the Station 6 Rebuild-Addl Funding to the Station11Roof RPR-Addl Funds project within the Lafayette FireDepartment foradditional funding needed, motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.10: CO-084-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council providing for the issuance and sale of Communications System Revenue Bonds of the City of Lafayette, StateofLouisiana; and providing for other matters in connection therewith, motiontoadopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.11: CO-085-2025 AFifth Supplemental Ordinance of the Lafayette City Council supplementing an ordinance adopted on September 6, 2005, as amended and restated on March21, 2006 (the “General Bond Ordinance”) to provide for the issuance and sale of Communications System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2025, of the City of Lafayette, StateofLouisiana, pursuant to the General Bond Ordinance; and providing for other matters in connection therewith, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert.

Amotiontoincorporate the final termsofthe bonds by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called fora vote to adopt,asamended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

Whitney Laird,Managing Director of Stifel Financial Corp.,stated that as it relates to this transaction, asavings of $2.2 million was locked in. She noted that debt was not extended. Laird explained that the other refunding wasfor the LPPA and that it was similar to the Communications System Refunding Bonds. She noted that certain maturities wererefunded of the Series 2015 and no debt was extended. Lairdreported that asavings was locked in at $2.6 million. She announced that overall, between the two (2) transactions, $4.8millionwas saved to reduce the interest rate.

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO.12: JO-039-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances Chapter 82, “Taxation” to conform to legislative changes to the Uniform Local Sales TaxCode, motiontoadopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.13: JO-040-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Chapter 86, “Trafficand Vehicles,” Article II, “Administration and Enforcement,” Division 2, “TrafficOperations Prohibited” of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances by enacting Section8610, “Speed Contests and Vehicular Stunts”, motiontoadopt by Broussard, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Boudreaux noted that drag racing has become an issue but does not want the ordinance to be restrictive.

Ottinger stated that this ordinance is in line with other ordinances throughout the state.

AGENDA ITEM NO.14: JO-041-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the NonWarranty Donationofthat property located at 213 North Buchanan Street (Assessment No.6010353), 203 Chalmette Drive (Assessment No 6035922), &201 Conrad Street (Assessment No.6030150) to ActsofLove, Inc. acertified non-profit, pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205, motiontoadopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.15: JO-042-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the NonWarranty Donationofvarious adjudicated properties to Lafayette Habitat for Humanity,Inc. acertified non-profit, pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

MelindaTaylor signed in to speak, but only if therewerequestions.

APPEAL

AGENDA ITEM NO.16: Appeal of City Planning Commission Action ParcNeuville Townhomes Case No.2025-22-PC

Motiontogrant the appeal by Naquin, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to grant the appeal was approved.

Neil Lebouef, CDPDevelopment Manager,announced that the appellant is appealing the construction of sidewalks.

NicolHannie, Developer,asked for the same consideration that the neighboring developments received. He stressed that the developments on either side do not have sidewalks.

James Ricks of SE Engineers, stated that the sidewalks areofnobenefit to anyone in this situation.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO.17: Five (5) vacancies exist on the Transportation Policy Committee (the governing boardfor the Metropolitan Planning Organization) effective immediately Applicants must be either 1) local elected officials, 2) officialsofpublic agencies that administer or operate majormodes of transportation in the metropolitan area, including representation by providers of public transportation

AGENDA ITEM NO.18: Avacancy

Individuals wishing to submit aresumefor the above volunteer vacancies must be aregisteredvoterand aresident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training for all appointees is required as is financial disclosureundercertain circumstances.Resumes aretobeforwardedtoJoseph Gordon-Wiltz Clerk

Regular Meeting of the Lafayette City Council. Resume submissions are public record.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THECOUNCIL, AS AWHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDAITEM NO. 19: Appointment of Benjamin St. Cyr to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for athree-year term effective 02-01-2025 This is an alternate appointment. Applicants must reside in the City of Lafayette and own property in the Parish of Lafayette.Broussard nominatedSt. Cyr seconded by Naquin, andthe vote wasasfollows:

ST.CYR: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Benjamin St. Cyr was appointed

AGENDAITEM NO. 20: Appointment of KatrenaKing to the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority for a five-year term effective 09-01-2025. Broussard nominatedKing, Naquin nominatedCherie Hebert, andthe vote wasasfollows: KING: Broussard,Hebert,Hooks, Boudreaux

HEBERT: Naquin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

KatrenaKing was appointed.

Alexander Lazardsignedintospeak, but only if there were questions.

AGENDAITEM NO. 21: Appointment of Robert YancyLeGrande to the Transportation PolicyCommittee(the governing boardfor the Metropolitan Planning Organization) effective immediately Applicants must be either 1) local elected officials, 2) officials of public agencies that administer or operate major modes of transportation in the metropolitan area, including representation by providers of public transportation. Naquin nominated LeGrande, andthe vote wasasfollows:

LEGRANDE: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Robert YancyLeGrande was appointed.

Robert YancyLeGrande signed in to speak, but only if there were questions.

INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduceagenda items 22 thru29, in globo, wasoffered by Hebert, seconded by Broussard

22. CO-086-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 capitalbudgetofthe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by transferring$9,000 from the Citywide TrafficCalming Project andappropriating within the Traffic, Roads &Bridges Department for the Carriage Drive Street Lighting Project

23. CO-087-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council providing for the issuanceand sale of Communications SystemRevenue Bonds, Series 2025, of the City of Lafayette, State of Louisiana;and providing for othermatters in connection therewith.

24. CO-088-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 operatingand capitalbudgets of the Lafayette CityParish ConsolidatedGovernment by transferring$90,000 from the Citywide TrafficCalming Project to anew project account for River Road Area TrafficCalming.

25. CO-089-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassifyCase No. 2025-8AZON Jefferson BoulevardAdministrative Rezoning, located generally north of Seventh Street,East of NE Evangeline Thruway,and south of East Simcoe Street;400, 410, 412, 415, 416, 508, 510, 512, 516, 517, 609, 616, 618, 620, 708 &710 Jefferson Boulevard, 106 Saint Charles Street,413, 419, 505, 511, 515 &600 East ThirdStreet,100 NE Evangeline Thruway,208, 210 &216 North Magnolia Street,127 &133 South Orange Street,200 &204 North Orange Street,105 Moss Street,500 East Simcoe Street and408 East Second Street being rezoned from CH (Commercial-Heavy)toMN-2 (Mixed-Use Neighborhood) andCM-2(CommercialMixed).

26. CO-090-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 operatingand capitalbudgetofthe Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment by increasing revenues in the amount of $50,000 received from the UnitedNations Development Programme to develop an application for the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge,appropriating within Lafayette UtilitiesSystem, and authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute anydocuments necessary for project completion andapplication submission.

27. CO-091-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council amending the FY 24/25 operatingand capitalbudgets of the Lafayette CityParish ConsolidatedGovernment, transferring$90,000 from Citywide TrafficCalming to Leonie Street Area TrafficCalming.

28. CO-092-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to file an application with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for operatingand capitalassistance in the amount of $3,077,256 through the FTAFY2025 Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Grantalong with the required matchinthe amount of $2,017,256 for federal fiscal year 2025 for use within the Traffic, Roads, andBridges Department, Transit Division.

29. CO-093-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to file an application with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for capitalassistance in the amount of $258,586 through the FTAFY2025 Section 5339 Busand Bus Facilities Formula Allocations program for Capital Assistancealong with the required matchinthe amount of $45,633 for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 for use within the Traffic, Roads, andBridges Department, Transit Division.

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 22 thru 29),inglobo, andthe vote wasasfollows: YEAS: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

Item #27 –Anne Swanson spoke in support of the ordinance. She thanked Naquin andstatedthatthis hasbeen in progress for several years.

Item #27 –Erin Li-Sik spoke in support andnotedthatspeeding andtraffic on Leonie Street is getting worse.

JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduceagenda items 30 and31, in globo, was offeredby Naquin, seconded by Hebert.

30. JO-043-2025 Ajoint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council andthe Lafayette Parish Council authorizingthe Lafayette Mayor-President to enterinto amaintenanceagreementbetween the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment andthe State of Louisiana Department of Transportation andDevelopment concerning the maintenanceofstate roadways to include mowing andlitterpickup.

31. JO-044-2025A joint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council andthe Lafayette Parish Council authorizingthe Lafayette Mayor-President to enterinto aTrafficSignalMaintenanceAgreementwith the State of Louisiana Department of Transportation andDevelopment by increasing revenue by $197,024.

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 30 and 31),inglobo, andthe vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard,Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

(7:33:00) ADJOURN

Therebeing no furtherbusiness to come beforethe Council, Chair Boudreauxdeclared the RegularMeeting adjourned.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING OFTHE PARISHOFLAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TAKEN AT AREGULAR MEETING OF AUGUST 5, 2025 HELD AT 705 W.

UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA.

ATTENDANCE

COUNCIL:ABRubin (Chair,District 5), Donald Richard(Vice-Chair District 2), Bryan Tabor (District 1), Ken Stansbury(District3)and John Guilbeau (District 4)

ABSENT:None

COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs), Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations and Citizen Advocacy)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Christina Dayries (Chief of Staff), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

(4:30:00) COMMENCEMENT

Call to order

Chair Rubin called the Regular Parish Council Meeting of August 5, 2025 to order

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

The Chair called upon Councilmember Tabor to cite the invocation and called upon Councilmember Richard, tolead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Rubin made the following announcements:

•Public Hearing for Citizen Input on the Budget will be held during

aSpecial Joint Council Meeting on August 19th at 5:15 p.m. for all matters related to the 2025-2026 Proposed Budget.

•Final Adoption of the Budget will be held during aSpecial Joint Council Meeting on September 11th at 5:15 p.m.

•Wished Lafayette Parish Assessor, Justin Centanni a happy birthday

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rubin recognized Fire Chief Robert Benoit. He noted that Benoit has done agreat job and will retireafter46years of service. Rubin noted that he will be missed.

Chief Benoit stated that one of the things he is really proud of is that you never know the impact one has on people. He noted that the outpouring of gratitude from the community makes him feel good.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT

a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major Parish Funds –June 2025

Preliminary

Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons areto comply with statewide auditing procedures.

b. Audit Findings Update July 2025

Boulet noted that they arerequired monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings.

Fontenot announced that in addition to the regular audit andaspart of the state mandate, written responses have to be provided for every unresolved audit finding each month until the issues areresolved. She stated this is the compliance with the audit requirement.

Boulet recognized FireChief Robert Benoit. She reported that he will retire after 46 years of public service. Boulet stated that Benoit will be working with Acadian Ambulance as the FireLiaison Supervisor

Boulet announced that Lafayette received aCommunityRating System (CRS) Rating of Class 7which allows Lafayette Parish citizens who have floodinsurance a15% discount on premiums on most National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums.

Boulet stated that the public health millage is coming up in the fall and she wants to use any surpluses from the millage for drainage. She stressed that she wants to make this particular millage accessible for drainage usages.

Guilbeau announced that the millage should be studied to address and fund the needs and priorities properly.Herequested that agroup is formed to study the millages

Rubin reminded all that Boulet is not referring to anew millage. He stated that themillage she is referring to is currently in effect.

Boulet explained that anew LCG website is being developed, and it will be mobile friendly.She noted that thereisa survey available for citizens to give feedback.The survey is located at lafayettela.gov/websurvey and the deadline to give feedback is August 22 at noon.

RESOLUTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: PR-021-2025A resolution of the Lafayette Parish Council ordering and calling aspecial election to be held in the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana, to authorize the continuation of special taxes therein, making application to the State Bond Commission, and providing for other matters in connection therewith, motion to adopt by Tabor,seconded by Stansbury,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt wasapproved.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: PO-030-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation by and between Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government and Parish of Acadia concerning the donation of asurplus 2003 pumper tanker fire truck,motion to adopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Stansbury,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: PO-031-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and the Parish of St Landry concerning the donation of asurplus 2001 fire truck, motion to adopt by Stansbury,seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: PO-032-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and Town of Sunset concerning the donation of asurplus 2003 pumper tanker fire truck, motiontoadopt by Tabor,seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Boulet recognized Beau Petitjean, Acadia Parish President, who was in attendance. She stated that one of the fire trucks is going to Acadia Parish. She thanked him for his partnership.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: PO-034-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council setting forth and designating the ad valorem tax millage rates and imposing taxes on all property subject to ad valorem taxation in the Parish of Lafayette and authorizing the Assessor and TaxCollector for the Parish of Lafayette to assessand collect property taxes for 2025, motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt wasapproved.

AGENDA

Parish Consolidated Government by adjusting the manning tables and increasing the hourly pay rate of two (2) Librarian Ipositions within the Library Department, motion to adopt by Tabor,seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.10: PO-037-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council providing for the abandonment of acertain portion of a 20’ drainage servitude on Lot 152 of the Magnolia Park,Extension No 3Subdivision, located at 520 Montrose Avenue, motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Tabor,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.11: PO-038-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into an intergovernmental agreement between the Parish of Lafayette and the City of Youngsville concerning surface improvements to S. LarriviereRd. (Youngsville Project No.H.012867),and amending the FY 24/25 operating and five-year capital improvement budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government in the amount of $400,000.00 to assist in the funding of the reconstruction and improvements to the unincorporated portion of S. LarriviereRd, motion to adopt by Stansbury,seconded by Guilbeau.

Richardmade amotiontomove the $400,000 to Bayou Tortue Road for improvements. The motion died due to lack of asecond.

And the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: Richard

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Richardquestioned if the $400,000 is excess money that is available. He stressed that the money should go to improving Bayou Tortue Road as therehave been many complaints. Richardnoted that Youngsville has over $10 million to completethe project and that he is certainthat the property will be annexed.

Fontenot answered that the money is available in the fund balance.

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO.12: JO-039-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances Chapter 82, “Taxation” to conform to legislative changes to the Uniform Local Sales TaxCode, motiontoadopt by Stansbury, seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.13: JO-040-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Chapter 86, “Trafficand Vehicles,” Article II, “Administration and Enforcement,” Division 2, “TrafficOperations Prohibited” of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances by enacting Section8610, “Speed Contests and Vehicular Stunts”, motiontoadopt by Tabor seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Tabor questioned if this will be implemented throughout the Parish. Ottinger stated that it is forboththe City and Parish.

AGENDA ITEM NO.14: JO-041-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the NonWarranty Donationofthat property located at 213 North Buchanan Street (Assessment No.6010353), 203 Chalmette Drive(Assessment No.6035922), &201 Conrad Street (Assessment No.6030150) to Actsof Love, Inc. acertified non-profit, pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205, motionto adopt by Richard, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.15: JO-042-2025 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the NonWarranty Donationofvarious adjudicated properties to Lafayette Habitat for Humanity,Inc. acertified non-profit, pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2205, motion to adopt by Tabor,seconded by Stansbury,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

MelindaTaylor signed in to speak, but only if therewerequestions.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO.16: Avacancy will exist on the Lafayette Airport Commission fora four-year term effective 11-01-2025. Applicants must reside in the unincorporated area of the Parish of Lafayette.

AGENDA ITEM NO.17: Two(2) vacancies will exist on the Lafayette Parish Waterworks District SouthBoardfor five-year termseffective 11-01-2025. Applicants must reside within the district boundaries.

Individuals wishing to submit aresume forthe above volunteer vacancies must be aregistered voter and aresident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training forall appointees is required as is financial disclosureunder certain circumstances. Resumes aretobeforwarded to Joseph Gordon-Wiltz, Clerk of the Council, P.O. Box 4017-C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday,August 19, 2025 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday,September 2, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette Parish Council. Resumesubmissions are public record.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THE COUNCIL, AS AWHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO.18: Appointment of Rena Bradley to the Lafayette Parish Library BoardofControlfor a five-year term effective 09-01-2025, Richardnominated Bradley,Guilbeau nominated Roslyn Bergeronand the vote was as follows:

BRADLEY:Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Rubin

BERGERON: Guilbeau

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None

Rena Bradley was appointed.

One (1) citizen, signed in, in support of anon-partisan appointee, but did not wish to speak.

Rena Bradley stated that she is seeking re-appointment. She noted that she enjoyed her timeonthe board.

Ann Fairly Pandelides noted her support for Rena Bradley

MelanieBrevis stated she supports Rena Bradley as she brings abreath of fresh air to the board.

Ellen “Nell” Hahn requested the Council to appoint those who have the qualificationstooperate alibrary

AGENDA ITEM NO.19: Appointment of Christopher Holmes to the Lafayette Parish Library BoardofControlfor a five-year term effective 10-01-2025, through 09-30-2026. Guilbeau nominated Holmes, Richard nominated Carrieanne Ledet, Rubinnominated Jeremy Swiney,and the vote was as follows:

HOLMES: Tabor,Stansbury,Guilbeau

LEDET:Richard SWINEY:Rubin

An

NAYS: None ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None ChristopherHolmeswas appointed.

One (1)citizen,signedin, in support of anon-partisan appointee, but did not wish to speak.

Six (6)citizenswho did not wish to speak, signed in, in support of Jeremy Swiney.

Carrieanne Ledet requested the Council to vote for herinsupport. She stressed thatshe would workdiligently on the board

RenaBradley notedher support for Carrieanne Ledet. Bradley stated that Ledet made the library ahub for connection andthatshe values education andinclusion.

Melanie Brevisannounced hersupportfor Carrieanne Ledet. BouletrecognizedCity of Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque.She reported thatBourque wasappointed as the Louisiana MunicipalAssociation President.

Rubin stated thatitisa great accomplishment for Mayor Bourque.Rubin also notedthathewas appointedasthe Education, Children andFamilies SubcommitteeChair at NACO’sHumanServices andEducation Steering Committee. BouletcongratulatedRubin.

INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduce, in globo, items 20 and21was offeredbyTabor, seconded by Stansbury.

20. PO-039-2025Anordinanceofthe Lafayette Parish Council setting forth anddesignating the adjustedadvalorem taxmillage rate and imposing taxes on allproperty subject to ad valorem taxation in the Parish of Lafayette andauthorizing the taxassessor and taxcollector for the Parish of Lafayette to assessand collect the millage rate for 2025 at the rate of 1.71 mills for the Lafayette Airport Commission.

21. PO-040-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enterinto a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement andLease Agreementbyand between the Parish of Lafayette andHoly Rosary Land Holdings, Inc. for the developmentofthe Northeast RegionalLibrary

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 20 and 21),inglobo, andthe vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

Six (6)citizens who contacted the Council office notedtheir support of Item #21.

Item #21: Ella Arsement stated thatthe library should be built on the property located at Shadow BluffDrive.

Jessica Brown Mason notedher support of the project. She stated that the Northeast Library is a lifeline for education andopportunity.Masonnotedthatthis is achanceto restoreand uplift the Northeast side of Lafayette.

Kenneth Boudreauxreported thatheisavailable to discuss in detail with the Parish Council the significance andimportancethe impact the library will have on the community

Alton Trahan announced thatHoly Rosary wasthe originalsite for the library.Herequested the Council to support the location for the project. Trahan stressed thatthis location would have an impact on the children andcommunity

Wallace Senegalnotedthatthere aremanychildren in the area to support the library

Dustin Cravins, President of Holy Rosary Development Board, extended an invitation for dialogue towardsproductivity andbackground historyof Holy Rosary as awhole.Heurged the Council to vote in support. Cravins stated thatthis is an opportunity to save acommunity

Devon Normanrequested the Council to support the Northeast Library at the Holy Rosary site. He notedthatitisanareathathas been underserved, andthe library will be abeaconofhope Ten(10) citizenssignedin, in support of Item #21 but did not wish to speak.

Bouletthanked the committeeled by Ella Arsement. She stated that Arsement did great workonthis andset great parameters in place. Rubin stressed thatthe crime rate in the area is not as bad as most portray it to be. He announced thatthere is aneed for alibrary andHoly Rosary is the perfect spot.

JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduceagenda items 22 and23, in globo, was offeredby Stansbury, seconded by Richard.

22. JO-043-2025 Ajoint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enterinto amaintenanceagreementbetween the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment andthe State of Louisiana Department of Transportation andDevelopment concerning the maintenanceofstate roadways to include mowing andlitterpickup.

23. JO-044-2025A joint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizingthe Lafayette MayorPresident to enterinto aTrafficSignalMaintenanceAgreement with the State of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development by increasing revenue by $197,024.

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 22 and 23),inglobo, andthe vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

COMMENT(S) FROM THEPUBLIC

AGENDAITEM NO. 24: Comments from the public on anyothermatter(s) not on an agenda

BrettPatin applaudedBouletfor presenting abalanced budget which includesfunding for anew drainage betterment program. He encouraged the Mayor-President andthe Council to employ methods as otherParishes have due to rapid growth. Patin announced thatresidents of Lafayette Parish deserve better thanthe status quo of the waydevelopments arebeing conducted. He stressed thatdevelopers areadvancing their agendas andmaximizing their profits at the determent of the surrounding properties thatare experiencing flooding thatdid not exist prior to new developments.

Wallace Senegalrequested thata major hospitalwith emergencyaccess be built in UpperLafayette

Wayne Colvin stressed thatthe intersection at Vincentand E. Broussard is dangerous.

Rachel Godeauxannounced thatthe Administration is still working with DOTD on the matter.

(5:54:00) ADJOURN

Therebeing no furtherbusiness to come beforethe Council, Chair Rubin declared the RegularMeeting adjourned.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz

JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL