The Acadiana Advocate 08-09-2025 by The Advocate

EYE ON EDUCATION

From math reforms to Trump changes and school closures, four K-12 issues to watch this year

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Last school year was a turning point for K-12 education in Louisiana.

The state’s students led the country in post-pandemic reading recovery and made big gains on a national fourth-grade reading test, surging to 16th place nationally from 42nd place just two years earlier On Monday, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is scheduled to visit a Baton Rouge school to celebrate that academic progress. Suddenly, Louisiana is being cited as an education leader, not a laggard. The question this school year: Will it last?

“We’re coming off a historic year for education in Louisiana,” said state Superintendent of Education Cade Brum-

ley “We just need to continue with that momentum.”

To do that, Brumley wants to apply the state’s reading-reform strategies to math He’s also hoping that a revamped school-rating system will spur campuses to up their game — though many educators see the new system as more hindrance than help.

At the same time, Louisiana schools could face headwinds this year, including reduced federal funding and oversight as President Trump dismantles the U.S. Education Department and declining enrollment means more potential school closures.

As the new school year kicks off, here

are four big education issues to watch in Louisiana.

After Louisiana’s recent literacy gains, state officials want to make math the new reading.

Students have further to climb in math, with Louisiana’s fourth graders ranked 38th on a national math test. But ofﬁcials insist that the policies they say boosted students’ reading skills — teacher training and coaching, frequent student assessments and intensive tutoring can achieve similar results in math.

A 2023 law required numeracy training for teachers in grades 4-8, since math scores decline in the upper grades, and a law passed this year looped in teachers in grades K-3.

ä See EDUCATION, page 4A

Trump says he will meet Putin in Alaska

Leaders to discuss ending war in Ukraine

BY WILL WEISSERT and VASILISA STEPANENKO Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Friday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a potential major milestone after expressing weeks of frustration that more was not being done to quell the ﬁghting.

Speaking to reporters at the White House after announcing a framework aimed at ending decades of conﬂict elsewhere in the world — between Armenia and

Azerbaijan — Trump refused to say exactly when or where he would meet with Putin, but that he planned to announce a location soon. Later on social media, he announced what he called “the highly anticipated meeting” would happen Aug. 15 in Alaska. He said more details would follow The Kremlin has not yet conﬁrmed the details.

He suggested earlier Friday that his meeting with the Russian leader could come before any sit-down discussion involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

“We’re going to have a meeting with Russia, start off with Russia. And we’ll announce a location. I think the location will be a very popular one,” Trump said.

ä See TRUMP, page 4A

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

news of the cut came in the form of a social media post from EPA administrator Lee Zeldin Zeldin wrote on X Thursday afternoon that the agency no longer has the authority to administer or appropriate the funds “to keep this boondoggle alive” under the

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Students arrive Thursday to start their school year in the brand-new Lafayette High School.

Brumley

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVGENIy MALOLETKA

Ukrainian servicemen of the 148th artillery brigade load ammunition into a M777 howitzer Thursday before firing toward Russian positions at the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine.

Suspect killed, officer hurt in Emory shooting

ATLANTA A suspected shooter at the campus of Emory University in Atlanta is dead and one law enforcement ofﬁcer is injured after police responded to reports of an active shooter Friday, according to police.

The incident took place near the entrance to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where the federal agency’s employees say bullets struck the windows of several CDC buildings.

Emory University announced in a post on X that the shelter-inplace order has been lifted but to avoid the area.

“We’re horriﬁed by the news out of Emory University and praying for the safety of the entire campus community,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said.

Staff at a deli near campus locked the doors and hunkered down inside Brandy Giraldo General Muir’s chief operating ofﬁcer, said staffers inside heard a string of gunshots.

“It sounded like ﬁreworks going off, one right after the other,” she said.

Authorities say Florida woman posed as nurse

PALM COAST, Fla. — A Florida woman is accused of posing as a licensed nurse and giving medical care to thousands of patients, authorities said.

Autumn Marie Bardisa, 29, of Palm Coast, participated in medical services involving 4,486 people from June 2024 until January 2025, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said.

“This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we’ve ever investigated,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in announcing the arrest.

Bardisa was apprehended in the driveway of her home Tuesday and is jailed on multiple charges that include practicing health care without a license, sheriff’s ofﬁcials said. She’s being held on $70,000 bond and is due in court for a Sept. 2 arraignment.

No lawyer who could speak on behalf of Bardisa was listed in local court records.

The sheriff’s office said Bardisa used another health care worker’s license number and submitted false documentation in order to be employed as an advanced nurse technician at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast.

“This woman potentially put thousands of lives at risk by pretending to be someone she was not and violating the trust of patients, their families, AdventHealth and an entire medical community,” Staly said. Meteor that hit Georgia house older than Earth

ATHENS, Ga. — A meteorite that punched a hole in a Georgia homeowner’s roof after blazing across the sky in a ﬁery streak is older than the Earth itself, according to scientist who examined fragments of the space rock. People in several Southern states reported seeing the mysterious ﬁreball in broad daylight on June 26 as it hurtled toward the ground faster than the speed of sound.

University of Georgia planetary geologist Scott Harris said in a news release Friday that he examined 23 grams of meteorite fragments recovered from a piece the size of a cherry tomato that struck a man’s roof like a bullet and left a dent in the ﬂoor of the home outside Atlanta

Examining the fragments under microscopes, Harris concluded the meteorite formed 4.56 billion years ago. That is roughly 20 million years older than the Earth.

“It belongs to a group of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that we now think we can tie to a breakup of a much larger asteroid about 470 million years ago,” Harris said. Harris said University of Georgia scientists and colleagues at Arizona State University plan to submit their findings with Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society They propose naming the space rock the McDonough Meteorite, reﬂected the name of the Georgia city where it plunged to Earth.

Israeli plan to take over Gaza City stirs fears

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and renewing international pressure for an end to the conﬂict.

Israel’s air and ground war has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation is unclear It will likely require mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

An ofﬁcial familiar with the plans to take over Gaza City said the operation would be “gradual” and that there is no start date. The ofﬁcial spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are preparing a new framework that will include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go, in return for an end of the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip two Arab ofﬁcials told The Associated Press Before Israel’s Security

Cabinet approved the plan to take over Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had outlined more sweeping plans Thursday in an interview with Fox News, saying Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza. Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory Hamas rejected Israel’s plans. “Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park,” the group said in a statement International powers, including Israeli allies France, Britain and Canada, have stepped up criticism of the war amid mounting shock over media reports showing starvation.

Germany said Friday it would not authorize the export of military equipment that could be used in Gaza until further notice.

Tensions could rise further if Netanyahu follows through on the more sweeping plans to take control of the entire territory, two decades after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal.

Israel’s new plan may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceaseﬁre on Israel’s terms.

It may also reflect the reservations of Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and fur-

ther strain Israel’s army after nearly two years of regional wars.

The military “will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Netanyahu’s ofﬁce said in a statement after the Security Cabinet meeting.

Amir Avivi, a retired brigadier general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, estimated it would take less than three months to mobilize some 30,000 troops, evacuate Palestinian civilians and take over Gaza City

Hamas-led militants triggered the war when they stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 people Most of the hostages have been released in ceaseﬁres or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals.

The United Nations and independent experts view the ministry’s figures as the most reliable estimate of casualties. Israel has disputed them without offering a toll of its own.

Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders sign deal at peace summit

Trump hosts meeting at White House

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan shook hands as they joined President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday for a peace summit where they signed an agreement aimed at ending decades of conﬂict.

The two countries in the South Caucasus signed agreements with each other and the U.S. that will reopen key transportation routes while allowing the U.S. to seize on Russia’s declining inﬂuence in the region. The deal includes an agreement that will create a major transit corridor to be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, the White House said.

Trump said at the White House on Friday that naming the route after him was “a great honor for me” but “I didn’t ask for this.”

A senior administration ofﬁcial, on a call before the event with reporters, said it was the Armenians who suggested the name.

At the peace summit on

Friday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said the transit corridor will “create connectivity opportunities for so many countries.”

“We are starting the path toward strategic partnership,” he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the agreement a “significant milestone.”

“We are laying a foundation to write a better story than the one we had in the past,” Pashinyan said.

Both leaders said the breakthrough was made possible by Trump and his team and joined a growing list of foreign leaders and other officials who have said the U.S. leader should receive a Nobel Peace Prize — something

DOJ subpoenas N.Y. AG in Trump fraud suit probe

BY ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of an investigation into whether she violated President Donald Trump’s civil rights, according to people familiar with the matter

The subpoenas sought records related to a lawsuit James filed against Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings and a lawsuit involving the National Rifle Association, according to one of the people. Another person confirmed that the subpoenas are related to a civil rights investigation. The people could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on the condition of anonymity

tion carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign,” Lowell said. “Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected ofﬁcial for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration.”

The subpoenas mark an escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to scrutinize perceived adversaries of the president, including those like James who had investigated him before his election win last November

A spokesperson for James’ ofﬁce, Geoff Burgan, declined to confirm the subpoenas but issued a statement that said “Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American. We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Riﬂe Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights.”

In a separate statement, James’ personal attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, called the subpoenas “improper.

“Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administra-

A spokesperson for the Justice Department, Natalie Baldassarre declined to comment. James, a Democrat, has sued Trump and his Republican administration dozens of times over his policies as president and over how he conducted his private business empire. Trump is appealing the $454 million judgment she won against him in a lawsuit alleging he and his companies defrauded banks and other lenders by giving them ﬁnancial statements that inﬂated the value of his properties, including his golf clubs and his penthouse in Trump Tower

Trump says that his financial statements actually understated his wealth and that any mistakes in the documents were harmless errors that played no role in banks’ lending decisions. He and his lawyers have repeatedly accused James of engaging in “lawfare” for political purposes — a claim she has denied. In her role as a regulator of charities and nonproﬁt groups registered in New York, James also sued the NRA and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre. A jury last year found that LaPierre misspent millions of dollars of the organization’s money and used the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle, while the NRA itself failed to properly manage its assets and violated whistleblower protections. James had sought to dissolve the powerful gun advocacy organization altogether though a judge ruled that the allegations did not warrant a “corporate death penalty.”

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he has coveted.

“President Trump in six months did a miracle,” Aliyev said.

Trump remarked on how long the conflict went on between the two countries and said of the agreement, “Thirty-five years they fought and now they’re friends and they’re going to be friends a long time.”

That route will connect Azerbaijan and its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, which are separated by awide 20-mile-wide patch of Armenian territory The demand from Azerbaijan had held up peace talks in the past

Trump indicated he’d like to visit the route at some point, saying, “We’re going to have to get over there.”

James

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG Israeli soldiers walk Wednesday along the border of the Gaza Strip in southern Israel.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

President Donald Trump, center sits during a trilateral signing with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev left, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday at the White House in Washington.

Apollo 13 missionleaderJames Lovell dies at 97

BY DON BABWIN Associated Press

CHICAGO James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn afailed moon mission into atriumph of on-the-flycan-doengineering, has died. He was 97. Lovell died Thursdayin Lake Forest, Illinois, NASA said in astatement on Friday

“Jim’scharacter and steadfastcourage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned apotential tragedy into asuccess from which we learnedanenormous amount,” NASA said. “Wemourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements.”

One of NASA’s most traveled astronautsinthe agency’sﬁrst decade, Lovell flew four times —Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8and Apollo 13 —with the two Apollo flights riveting the folks back on Earth.

Lovell and fellow astronauts Fred Haise and Jack Swigert received renewed fame with the retelling of the Apollo 13 mission in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13” where actor TomHanks —portraying Lovell —famously said, “Houston, we have aproblem.” In 1968, the Apollo 8crew of Lovell, Frank Bormanand William Anders was the first to leave Earth’sorbit and the first to fly to and circle the moon. They could not land, but they put the U.S. ahead of the Soviets in the space race. Letter writers told the crew that their stunning pale

FILEPHOTO PROVIDEDByNASA

Astronaut JamesLovell wears his space suit on Feb.16, 1970. Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 whohelped turnafailed moon missioninto atriumph of on-the-flycan-do engineering,has died at age97.

blue dotphotoofEarthfrom themoon, aworld ﬁrst, and thecrew’sChristmas Eve reading from Genesis saved America from atumultuous 1968.

Butthe bigrescuemission was still to come. That was during the harrowingApollo 13 ﬂight in April 1970. Lovell was supposed to be the ﬁfth man to walkon themoon.

ButApollo 13’sservice module, carrying Lovell and two others, experienced a sudden oxygen tank explosion on its way to the moon

The astronauts barely survived,spendingfour cold and clammy days in the cramped lunar module as a lifeboat.

Trumpadministration seeks$1B settlement from UCLA,officialsays

BY JOCELYN GECKER and MICHELLE L. PRICE

Associated Press

The Trump administration is seeking a$1billion settlement from theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, aWhite House ofﬁcial said Friday,weeks after the Department of Justice accused the school of antisemitism and other civil rights violations. UCLA is the firstpublic universitytobetargeted by awidespread funding freeze over allegations of civil rightsviolations related to antisemitism and afﬁrmative action.

President Donald Trump’s administration has frozen or paused federal funding over similar allegations against elite private colleges. In recent weeks, the administration has struck deals with Brown University for $50 million and Columbia University for $221 million but has explored larger settlements, suchas with Harvard University

The White House ofﬁcial did not detail any additional demands the administration has made to UCLA or elaborate on the settlement amount. The personwas not

authorized to speak publicly about the request andspoke on condition of anonymity

The Trump administrationsuspended $584 million in federalgrants for UCLA, the university said this week.The Department of Justice’sCivil Rights Division issued aﬁnding that UCLA violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment andTitle VI of theCivil Rights Actof 1964“by acting with deliberate indifference in creating ahostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”

The university had drawn widespread criticism for how it handled dispersing an encampmentofIsraelHamas war protesters in 2024. Jewish students said demonstrators in theencampment blocked them from getting to class. One night, counterprotesters attackedthe encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray,with fighting thatcontinued for hours, injuring morethan adozenpeople, before policesteppedin. Thenext day,after hundreds defied orders to leave, morethan 200peoplewerearrested.

“The thing that Iwant mostpeople to remember is (that) in some sense it was very muchofa success,” Lovell said during a1994 interview.“Not thatweaccomplishedanything, but asuccess in that we demonstrated the capability of (NASA) personnel.”

Aretired Navy captain known for hiscalm demeanor,Lovelltolda NASA historian that his brush with deathdid affect him.

“I don’tworry about crises anylonger,”hesaidin1999. Whenever he has aproblem, “I say,‘Icould have been gone back in 1970. I’m still here. I’m still breathing.’So, Idon’tworry about crises.”

Lovell hadice water in his veins like other astronauts, but he didn’tdisplay theswagger some had, just quiet conﬁdence, said Smithsonian Institution historian RogerLaunius. He called Lovell “a very personable, very down-to-earthtype of person,who says ‘This is what Ido. Yes, there’srisk involved. Imeasure risk.’”

In all, Lovell flew four space missions— anduntil the Skylab ﬂights of the mid1970s,heheld the world record for the longest time in space with715 hours, 4minutes and 57 seconds.

Aboard Apollo 8, Lovell described the oceans and land masses of Earth. “What

Ikeepimagining, is if Iam somelonelytravelerfrom another planet, what Iwould think about the Earth at this altitude, whether Ithink it would be inhabited or not,” he remarked.

That mission maybeas importantasthe historic Apollo 11 moon landing, aflight made possible by Apollo 8, Launius said.

“I think in thehistoryof space ﬂight, Iwould say that Jim wasone of the pillars of theearlyspace flight program,” GeneKranz, NASA’s legendary flight director, once said.

But if historians consider Apollo 8and Apollo 11 the most significantofthe Apollo missions, it was during Lovell’slast mission that he came to embody forthe public the image of the cool, decisive astronaut.

The Apollo 13 crew of Lovell, Haise andSwigert was on the way to the moon in April 1970, when an oxygen tank from the spaceship exploded 200,000 milesfrom Earth.

That, Lovell recalled, was “the most frightening momentinthis whole thing.”

Then oxygen began escaping and“we didn’thavesolutions to get home.”

“Weknew we were in deep, deep trouble,” he told NASA’s historian.

Four-fifths of the wayto themoon,NASAscrapped the mission. Suddenly,their only goal wastosurvive.

Lovell’s“Houston, we’ve had aproblem,” avariation of acomment Swigert had radioed moments before,

becamefamous. Whatunfoldedoverthe next four days captured the imaginationofthe nation and the world, whichuntil then hadlargely been indifferent aboutwhatseemed a routine mission.

With Lovell commanding the spacecraft, Kranz led hundreds of flight controllers andengineersinafurious rescue plan. The planinvolvedthe astronautsmoving from the servicemodule,whichwas hemorrhaging oxygen, into the cramped, dark and frigid lunarlanderwhile they rationed their dwindling oxygen, water andelectricity Using the lunar module as a lifeboat, they swung around the moon, aimed for Earth and raced home.

By coolly solving theproblemsunder the mostintense pressure imaginable,the astronauts andthe crew on theground becameheroes In the process of turning what seemed routine intoa life-or-death struggle, the entire ﬂightteamhad created oneofNASA’sfinest momentsthatranks with Neil Armstrong’sand Buzz Aldrin’swalks on the moon nine months earlier

“They demonstrated to the world they could handle truly horriﬁc problems and bring them back alive,” said Launius.

The loss of the opportunity to walk on the moon“is my one regret,” Lovell said in a 1995 interview with The Associated Press forastory on the 25th anniversary of the mission.

Trumpremoves BillyLongasIRS commissioner

Official to serveasIceland ambassador

BY FATIMAHUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON— President

Donald Trump has removed former U.S. Rep. Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than two months after his conﬁrmation, aWhite House ofﬁcial said Friday

The ofﬁcial, who was not authorized to sp ea k publicly , spoke on condi tio n of anonymity.Treasury Sec re tary ScottBessent wi ll serve as acting commissioner, theofﬁcial said. Long will instead serve as ambassador to Iceland, Long said in astatementonthe social media site X.

“It is ahonor to servemy friend President Trumpand Iamexcited to take on my newrole as theambassador to Iceland. Iamthrilled to answer his calltoservice and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda Exciting times ahead!”Long said.

The Senateconfirmed Longona53-44 vote despite

Democrats’ concerns about the Republican’spast work for afirm that pitcheda fraud-ridden coronavirus pandemic-era tax break and about campaign contributions he received after Trumpnominated him. Before Long’sconfir-

mation, the IRS shuffled through four acting leaders, including one whoresigned over adeal between the IRSand theDepartment of Homeland Security to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigrationand Customs Enforcementand another

whose appointment led to a ﬁght between formerTrump adviser Elon Musk and Bessent. Long will be theshortesttenured IRS commissioner confirmed by the Senate since the position was created in 1862.

It also requires math coaches for teachers. This year, schools also will pilot a new numeracy screener for grades K-3 to measure students’ math progress during the year

Brumley calls it a “back-to-basics” approach, ensuring that students develop foundational math skills that they can build upon over time.

“Too often, kids are taught to believe that they’re not a math kid,” he said. “Every kid has to be a math kid in Louisiana.”

A tougher grading system

It’s about to become much harder for Louisiana schools to earn top grades.

Citing a disconnect between many schools’ high grades and many students’ low scores, state policymakers overhauled the school-rating system to put much more weight on students’ academic outcomes. Next year, when schools receive their ﬁrst ratings under the new system, many will likely see their grades take a hit Not surprisingly the changes are deeply unpopular with many educators.

SOLAR

Continued from page 1A

law by President Donald Trump last month. The tax and spending law cut the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that was approved under former President Joe Biden’s signature climate legislation, the Inﬂation Reduction Act. The solar program came out of this larger fund.

The EPA formally notiﬁed the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources, which was awarded the solar grant in April 2024, that the program was cut Thursday evening, according to DENR spokesperson Patrick Courreges.

“Congress has made its intent clear — via a repeal of the statutory authorization and all appropriated funding for the program and the administrative burdens of implementing and overseeing the program — that the [Solar for All] program is no longer to operate,” states the termination letter from the EPA, shared with The TimesPicayune.

Courreges said that in the absence of the funding, the state will “look for other opportunities, federal or otherwise, for energy resilience.”

The Center for Planning Excellence, a Baton Rouge-based organization that crafted Louisiana’s Solar for All program with the state, stressed the economic beneﬁts that the solar program would have delivered to lower-income populations.

“Louisianans are already rightfully upset about their energy bills they are high, getting higher and already unaffordable for many,” said CPEX President Camille Manning-Broome. “Electricity is becoming a luxury in Louisiana — while residents in states generating solar are getting money back.”

She lauded the now-terminated program as a way to address affordability and grid resilience in a state with one of the nation’s highest electricity cost burdens The federal Solar for All program guaranteed that participating lowincome residents would see 20% reductions in household bills.

“I hate it,” said Sammi Caillouet, a veteran teacher in the St. Charles Parish school system. “It will make us look like we’re not successful when we’re actually wildly successful.”

The changes will be most dramatic for high schools, where 75% of their ratings will now be based on student test scores, up from 25%. Critics say schools will be incentivized to focus disproportionately on tested subjects while pulling back from electives and the arts.

“We can’t just have the focus only on English and math,” said St. Tammany Parish Public Schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia. “We really need to make sure we’re working on the whole student.”

District leaders already are wondering how they will convince families that schools didn’t get worse, the goal posts just moved. They’re also working to meet some of the rating system’s new expectations, including paid internships for high schoolers — a big ask given that only 5% of seniors graduated with internship credits in 2023.

“It’s a heavy lift,” said St. Charles Parish Public Schools Superintendent Ken Oertling. “There are going to be some bumps and bruises along the way.”

‘A betrayal’

Around 15,000 Louisiana households were expected to benefit from the program, generating around $4.6 million in savings, Manning-Broome said.

“Louisiana people need our state leadership to protect this investment that is critical to meeting current energy needs, maintaining economic competitiveness and powering our future,” she said

U.S. Rep Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, said in a statement that the EPA decision “may be illegal.”

“Cutting these grants is a betrayal,” he said “It hurts working families, our environment and our shared future.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson; Gov Jeff Landry; and U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, and John Kennedy R-Madisonville, did not respond to requests for comment.

States with Democratic leadership and other organizations across the country are signaling they will ﬁght the EPA termination in the coming days, arguing that the president lacks the authority to rescind money appropriated by Congress and already obligated to state agencies. All of the $156 million awarded to Louisiana has been obligated.

In communication with the federal government, Louisiana’s energy department had earlier stressed how the program to generate 112 megawatts of solar power would positively impact the state.

“Louisiana is in a unique position nationally to demonstrate how to reduce its high greenhouse gas inventory through the incorporation of solar energy while addressing its historic social and economic inequities,” DENR said in its February 2025 workplan application to the EPA.

The program had not started rolling out yet, as the state was waiting for approval from the EPA.

Extreme risk in Louisiana

DENR’s plan notes the state’s frequent extreme weather, including hurricanes, tornadoes, ﬂooding, drought, wildﬁres and high heat. Projected sea level rise con-

Shrinking federal oversight

Trump has taken an aggressive — and contradictory — approach to education in his second term.

On the one hand he’s used federal funds and investigations to compel colleges and K-12 schools to comply with his agenda, while on the other hand promising to shrink the federal government’s role in education.

Both trends could have a major impact on Louisiana, which gets about 20% of its education funding from the federal government — a larger share than most states.

In a bid to eliminate programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, the Trump administration canceled some teachertraining grants and froze billions of dollars in school funding. The frozen funds were recently restored, but the back-and-forth disrupted planning and budgeting for this school year

“Luckily, they reinstated it,” Jabbia said. “But it put us behind.”

Meanwhile, Trump has ordered mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education, part of his plan to abolish the agency and give more authority to the states. One early casualty of the cuts: The so-called “nation’s report card” — the national test that revealed Louisiana’s reading gains — is be-

tributes to elevated ﬂood risk and quicker coastal land loss. On top of these risks, DENR’s application describes the slew of outages that strain vulnerable residents.

“In 2021, the average customer in Louisiana experienced more than 80 hours of power outages during the year due to the weather, by far the highest in the country,” the plan continues.

“The disadvantaged communities of Louisiana will continue to experience the devastating impacts of hazardous weather without the means to evacuate or invest in energy resilience options.”

Solar for All sought to address these concerns through a range of programs for eligible low-income homeowners and renters. This included residential solar for singlefamily units and small multifamily apartments, with no upfront costs and a minimum of 20% in savings. Battery storage grants were planned to complement the residential solar installations to reduce grid dependence and increase household resiliency

This would mean that people could typically still power their homes at night, on dark days or during outages through stored solar energy

According to the DENR application, the program also opened a new pathway for “community solar,” a system designed for renters or others who can’t install solar on their properties Residents can subscribe to a share of a solar farm located elsewhere and receive a credit on their electric bills. The program anticipated supporting up to 8,600 households across the state through community solar

New Orleans is the only Louisiana city with policies enabling community solar, and its climate ofﬁce stressed how the lost funds would have significantly helped ﬁnance projects for a total of 55 megawatts of power

“There’s enough demand in the city,” said Greg Nichols, who leads the Ofﬁce of Resilience and Sustainability in New Orleans. “I don’t want to say they’re not going to happen. It just makes all of those projects harder to pencil out.”

Email Josie Abugov at josie. abugov@theadvocate.com.

ing scaled back, and some experts fear for its future.

Critics say the ﬁrings also have diminished the agency’s capacity to enforce civil rights laws that protect students. Public data shows the agency’s Ofﬁce for Civil Rights has resolved fewer cases this year than in the past, according to The Associated Press.

The office, which investigates complaints that students faced discrimination in school based on race, sex or disability, has been a powerful way to hold schools accountable, said Kathleen Cannino, a Louisiana special-education advocate and parent of a child with a disability

“If we lose that top level of enforcement,” she said, “then schools from the bottom up will be less inclined to follow the laws.”

Looming school closures

Louisiana’s public schools enrolled fewer students last year than at any other time in nearly two decades.

The steady decline is due to the state’s shrinking population and a rise in homeschooling and small, unregulated private schools. Louisiana’s new LA GATOR program, which gives families tax dollars to spend on homeschooling or private school, could draw even more students out of the public system.

As enrollment drops, school dis-

KADN

Continued from page 1A

If the deals get FCC approval, Atlanta-based Gray Media will have what is described as a full-power duopoly with Fox affiliate KADN and ABC affiliate KATC, and not a triopoly as earlier reported. Both are full-power stations, meaning they cover a larger geographic area, while NBC affiliate KLAF is a low-power station, a source indicated.

Gray has shown interest in Allen Media Group’s properties, according to a source close to the deal.

If both deals are approved, it’s unknown what will result from one company owning two of the three major TV stations in Lafayette. Stafﬁng consolidations would likely occur

KLFY a CBS afﬁliate, is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which had previously owned KADN and KLAF Nexstar sold them in 2016 when it bought KLFY to stay within FCC regulations regarding duopolies at the time.

The deal with Gray also includes stations in Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky Three stations Columbus-Tupelo, Mississippi; Terre Haute, Indiana; and West Lafayette, Indiana had the highest all-day ratings

tricts get less funding but face higher costs because under-enrolled schools are more expensive to run. The upshot is that, sooner or later many districts will have to close and consolidate schools. It’s already happening in some districts — and the process is often painful and contentious.

In Caddo Parish, parents this year tried, unsuccessfully, to get a judge to block the district’s plan to close an elementary school where nearly half the seats were empty In St. Landry Parish, educators and city council members protested the closure of three schools and threatened to sue. The School Board proceeded with the plan, which they said would save the district $2.5 million annually Brumley, the state education chief, said more school systems will have to “right-size.” If district leaders target schools with few students and low scores, they can move students to higher-performing schools while saving money that can be used to raise teacher pay, he argued.

“I’ve never been through a school closure that wasn’t controversial,” he said. “But I’ve also never been through one that wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Email Patrick Wall at patrick. wall@theadvocate.com.

in 2024, according to Comscore. It’s the latest in a Gray spending spree after it landed an $80 million deal to acquire all of Block Communications’ TV stations in the midwestern U.S That deal is also expected to be ﬁnalized in the fourth quarter Gray is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. It operates in 113 TV markets that reach about 37% of U.S. TV households and owns other stations in every market in Louisiana: KLAX in Alexandria, WAFB in Baton Rouge, KPLC in Lake Charles, KNOE in Monroe, WVUE in New Orleans and KSLA in Shreveport.

“The management and staff here are excited and look forward to working with our new ownership with Gray,” said Jim Parker, vice president and general manager for KADN/KLAF

Also on Friday Gray announced its second-quarter earnings report, indicating its total revenue dropped 7% and ad revenue dropped 3% compared with a year ago. Its stock price, which dropped to $4.14 a share at the close of market Thursday after being at $5.63 two weeks ago, rose to $4.23 at the close of market Friday Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

their conditions for peace.

He added: “It would have been sooner, but I guess there’s security arrangements that unfortunately people have to make. Otherwise

I’d do it much quicker. He would, too. He’d like to meet as soon as possible. I agree with it. But we’ll be announcing that very shortly.”

If it happens, the meeting would be the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.

It could mean a breakthrough in Trump’s effort to end the war, although there’s no guarantee it would stop the ﬁghting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on

Still, Trump said, “President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace, and Zelenskyy wants to see peace.” He said that, “In all fairness to President Zelenskyy, he’s getting everything he needs to, assuming we get something done.”

Trump also said that a peace deal would likely mean “there will be some swapping of territories” between Ukraine and Russia but didn’t provide further details.

Trump said of territory generally “we’re looking to get some back and some swapping. It’s complicated.”

“Nothing easy,” the president said. “But we’re gonna get some back We’re gonna get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.”

TexasDemocrats head to California

Republicans warn of more

escalationsover walkout

BY JIM VERTUNO and NADIA LATHAN Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas TheTexas House of Representatives failed to meet aquorum on Friday for the third time this week as Democratic lawmakers continued their walkout to block avote on congressional voting maps sought by President Donald Trump in awidening national battle over redistricting.

Republicanshad warned they would escalate efforts to end the nearly weeklong holdoutifdefiant Democrats do not return to the state Capitol. But the Democrats who bolted for points acrossthe countryonAug 3still were not back for Friday’sscheduled House ﬂoor vote. The state constitution requires at least 100members present for the 150-member House to do business, and Republicans hold an 88-62 majority in the chamber Only 95 lawmakers were counted as present.

Frustrated Republican leaders continued to ratchet up the pressure as the walkout persists, including new and expanding efforts to try to remove Democratic lawmakers from ofﬁce and seeking help fromthe FBI to assist Texas state troopers trying to ﬁnd them.

“Wehave all hands on deck, we are continuing to explore” optionstoforce Democrats home, House Speaker Dustin Burrows said after the chamber failed to reach aquorum. “Wewill keep pressing forward until the job is done. …Each one of you knows eventually you will come back.”

The House was scheduled to reconvene Monday afternoon. The dozens of Democrats

who left the statehave shown no signs of buckling for now: Agroup ofthem was scheduled to appear later Friday with California Gov.Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosiina publicshowof support for thewalkout. Newsom has saidhewill pushto redraw his own state’slines in retaliation if Texas reshapes itsmaps for the 2026 elections.

Texas has been theepicenterofTrump’spush to gerrymandercongressionalmaps to shore up Republicans’ narrow Housemajority before nextyear

TexasAttorney General Ken Paxton filed alawsuit directly to the all-Republican state Supreme Court on Friday that seeks tohave13 of the absent Democratic lawmakers immediately removed from ofﬁce, or at least given a48-hour warningthat they must returnor have their ofﬁces declared vacated

The lawsuit argues that thelawmakers have effectively “abandoned” their ofﬁce and duties, and they were singled out for making

public statements that they left for the purpose of blocking the vote and disrupting House business.

“Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, andthe business of Texas must go on,” Paxton said.

Paxton’slawsuit includes Rep. Gene Wu,chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, who also faces asimilar lawsuitfiledbyGov.Greg Abbott. Wu’s legal team argued that thestate constitution allows House members to be removed only by atwothirdsvote of thechamber, not thecourts.

Wu saidthis week that quorum-breakingisnot an abandonment of ofﬁce but a legitimate form of dissent.

In aseparate ﬁling in state districtcourt, Paxtonalso sued former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who ran unsuccessfully for governor and Senate, alleging that his political group, Powered by People, improperly gave money to cover costs for the absent Democratsand continued to raise morefor them.

Paxton alleged that the fundraising efforts amount

Trumpordersincreased law enforcementpresenceinD.C.

BY WILLWEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White House said Thursday night that there will be increased presence of federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital to combat crime for at least the next week, amid President Donald Trump ‘s suggestions that his administrationcould fullytakeover running the city

“Washington, DC is an amazing city,but it has been plagued by violent crimefor far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavittsaidina statement “President Trump has directed an increased presenceof federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens.”

She added that the increased federal presence means “there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.” Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returnedto

federal authorities. Doing so would require arepeal of the Home Rule Actof1973in Congress, astepTrump said lawyersare examining —but could facesteep pushback. “Wehave acapital that’s very unsafe,” Trump told reporters atthe WhiteHouse this week.“We have to run D.C.”

TheWhite House said the increased lawenforcement would “make D.C. safe again” and wouldbepresent on thestreets startingat midnight —led by U.S. Park Police followingan11p.m. Thursday roll callatanestablished command center

The push will last thenext sevendays with the option to extend “as needed,”under the authority of Trump’sprevious executive order establishing the Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The added federal ofﬁcials will be identiﬁed,inmarked units and highly visible, the White House said. Participating law enforce-

ment include personnel from the U.S.Capitol Police, Homeland Security Investigations,the FederalProtectiveService, theDrug Enforcement Administration, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,the U.S. Marshals Serviceand the U.S. Attorney’sOfﬁce for the District of Columbia.

Thepolice forces for Amtrakand thecity’sMetrorail serviceare alsoinvolved. However atwo-hour tour of the D.C. streets, starting around 1a.m. Friday, revealed no evidence of thesortofmulti-agency flood of uniformed personneldescribedinTrump’s announcement.There was arobust, but not unusual, Metropolitan Police Department presenceinlate-night hot spotslike 14thStreet and alongFlorida Avenue.But there was no overtorvisible lawenforcement presence other thanthe MPD.

to illegalbribery in exchange forviolatingtheir dutyofofﬁce. O’Rourke and hisorganization didnot immediately issue aresponse to theﬁling but said earlier in theweekthat they would be undeterredbyPaxton’s threats.

Abbott promised that he’s willing to playthe longgame to get thebill passed.

“Wehave an agenda to pass prioritiescritical to Texans, andwewillget it done. I’ll call special session after special session —no matter how longittakes until thejob is ﬁnished,” Abbott said on the social platform X.

The currentspecial session ends Aug. 19, andthe missing lawmakers already face mounting ﬁnesfor every daytheyare gone and civil arrest warrants issued by thestate House.

Trump wants five more seatsout of Texas to potentially avoid arepeat of the 2018 midterms, when Democrats reclaimed the U.S. House and proceeded to thwarthis agenda and impeach him twice.

Officialsupdate outlookfor 2025 hurricaneseason

NOAA gives forecast for therestofyear

BY MIKESMITH Staff writer

The National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration updated itshurricane season outlook for 2025onThursday,maintaining its forecast for above-normal activity as the peak of the season arrives. The updated forecast wasroughlyinline with itspreseason prediction, putting the number of expected named storms between 13 and 18. Of those, NOAA saidﬁve to nine could become hurricanes and twotofive of those could become major hurricanes of Category3 or above, which means winds of at least 111 mph.

Its previous prediction was for 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes andthree to ﬁve of Category 3strength or more.

Atypical hurricane season, whichruns fromJune 1toNov.30, results in 14 namedstorms. NOAA said thelikelihood of abovenormal activityfor this season was50%.

The reasons for theforecast include especially warm water in the Atlantic and Caribbean, as well as active West African monsoon winds, which can lead to storm development. There is also no El Niño or La Niña this year La Niña can also help with storm creation by reducing the amount of wind shear that disrupts hurricane formation, among

other factors. There have been four named stormssofar this season, including Tropical Storm Chantal, which hit theCarolinasoverthe July Fourth weekend. None of the named stormssofar has been ahurricane.

Tropical Storm Andrea, the ﬁrst named storm of the year,dissipated over the Atlantic; Tropical Storm Barry made landfall just south of Tampico, Mexico, as atropical depressionand dissipated; and Tropical Storm Dexter eventually moved away from theUnitedStatesinto the North Atlantic.

“Many of the factors we identiﬁedahead of the season are still at play,and conditions are largely tracking along with ourMay predictions,” Matt Rosencrans, lead hurricane season forecaster with NOAA’s National Centers forEnvironmental Prediction,saidinastatement.

Louisiana marksthe 20th anniversary this year of both hurricanes Katrina and Rita, twoofthe mostdestructive storms in history NOAA presented its initial 2025 outlook at the Jefferson Parish Emergency OperationsCenter in Gretna to commemorateKatrina’s 20th anniversary

Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com.

BY VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press

McALLEN,Texas Ajudge on Friday was considering a Trumpadministrationrequest to end adecades-old policy on protections for immigrant children in federal custody that the government says is inhibiting its immigration crackdown. The administration asked U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles during ahearing to dissolve the policy,whichlimits how long Customs and Border Protection can hold immigrant children and requires themtobekeptinsafe and

sanitary conditions. Gee, who oversees what is knownasthe Floresagreement,expressed skepticism at the government’srequest butdid not immediatelyissuea ruling. Itwas notclear how soon she will rule. The judge pressed governmentattorney Joshua McCroskey on why President Donald Trump’sadministration was holding children at the border for longer than the 72 hours laid out in theagreement when border arrests have reached record lows. She said it seems likeconditions should be improving but they“are deteriorating.”

“It seems counterintuitive thatshould happen unlessit’swillful,” saidGee, whowas nominated to the courtbyPresident Barack Obama.

McCroskey said some childrenare being held forlongerbecause Trump as part of his crackdown endedthe Biden administration’s policy that allowed expeditedreleases of immigrants. McCroskey also pointedtologistical challenges that resulted from theclosure of temporary facilities thatwere setup underPresident Joe Biden to handle an inﬂuxofimmigrants.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RODOLFO GONZALEZ

TexasHouse Speaker Dustin Borrow, R-Lubbock, right, speaks withHouse Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park,following aRepublican Caucus meetingonFridayatthe State Capitol in Austin, Texas.

BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOS ANGELES— Firefight-

ers in amountainous area north of Los Angeles made good progress in their battle against abrush fire that has forced thousands of people to evacuate,officials said Friday The Canyon Fire ignited Thursday afternoon and spread rapidly in the dry, steep terrain in Ventura and Los Angeles counties to more than 8square miles. It was 25% contained as of Friday afternoon, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. At least 400 personnel battled the blaze along with several planesand helicopters, county fire department public informationofficer Andrew Dowd said. The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, areservoir located in the Los Padres NationalForest. It’sclose to Lake Castaic, apopular recreation area burned by the Hughes Fire in January.That fire burned about 15 square miles in six hours and put

50,000 people under evacuation orders orwarnings.

Firefighters battling the Canyon Firetook advantage of lower temperatures overnight to directly attack the ﬁreand made lots of progress, Dowd said.ByFriday morning,theywere seeing subdued fire behavior,he said.

With 100-degree temperatures and strongwinds, firefighters faceda “toughfirefight”onThursday,Dowd said.

“They were putting it all on the line to bring this ﬁre under control,”hesaid.

Onefirefighter reported aminor injury,but no civilianinjuries were reported, Dowd said. No single-family or multifamilyresidences were destroyed, but two minor structures were destroyed, he said. Sunny,hot and dryconditions wereexpected Friday in the area where the CanyonFire wasburning, with thedaytimehigh near 100 degrees and minimum humidity in the midteens, according to the National

Firefighters make progress againstCaliforniawildfire

Weather Service. Winds were expected to be light in the morning andgrow from thesouth to southwest in the afternoon.

The wind was expected to stick around Friday, but at aslightly lower magnitude, according to Bryan Lewis,a meteorologistatthe weather service’soffice in Oxnard. Thehumiditywas expected to remain low, andthe fuels

were very dryand receptive to burning quickly,hesaid. Given these conditions, people should be very careful to avoid sparks, he said.

“These ﬁres can start and grow pretty rapidly because of howdry everything is and howhoteverything is,”he said.

In LA County,around2,700 residents evacuated with 700 structures underan

evacuation order,officials said late Thursday.Another 14,000 residents and 5,000 structures werecovered by an evacuationwarning. Areas within the ValVerde zone had been reduced from an order to awarning.

The evacuation zonesin nearby Ventura County were relatively unpopulated, Dowd said. Fifty-six people were evacuated from the

U.S. has‘no plans’ to recognizePalestinian state,

VP meets with U.K. foreign secretary

BY DANICA KIRKA andMEG KINNARD Associated Press

LONDON Vice President JD Vance met with U.K.Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday at astately home south of London, with the two leaders saying the agendaincludes global economics and the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’sfull-scale invasion of Ukraine. Taking questions from reportersbeforetheir talks, Vance addressed the U.K. decision to recognize aPalestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to aceaseﬁre in Gaza, saying he wasn’t

sure what such recognition wouldevenmean, “given the lack of afunctional government there.” Asked whether Trump had been given aheads-up on Israel’s announced intent to occupyGazaCity,Vance

said he wouldn’tgointosuch conversations.

“Ifitwas easy to bring peace to thatregion of the world, it would have been done already,” he said. Themeetingcomes amid debates between Washing-

ton and London about the best way to end the wars between Russiaand Ukraine, as well as Israel and Hamas. It’s also taking placeasthe United Kingdom tries to come to favorable terms for steel and aluminum exports to the U.S., and the two sides workout details of abroader trade deal announced at the end of June.

Russian PresidentVladimir Putin said Thursday that he hoped to meet with President Donald Trumpnext week, comments thatcamea day before Trump’sdeadline forMoscowtoshowprogress in ending thenearly 31/2-year war in Ukraine.

While Trump has focused on bilateral talkswith Putin, U.K. PrimeMinisterKeir Starmer and other European leadershavestressed that Ukraine must be partofany

negotiations on ending the war. The U.S. andBritain, which havehistoricallyclose ties known as “the special relationship,” have also disagreed on their approach to ending the war in Gaza.

The meeting took place at Chevening, an almost 400-year-old mansion surrounded by 3,000 acres of gardens that serves as the foreign secretary’sofficial country residence.

About two dozen protesters were spottedonthe road beforethe turnofftothe stately home. Afew werewearing kefﬁyeh scarves andanother held up around sign that had amememakingfun of Vance printed on it.

Vanceand Lammy come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but have made apersonal connection

Lake Piru recreation area.

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the district, urged residents to evacuate. “Extremeheat and low humidity in our north county have created dangerous conditions where flames canspreadwithalarming speed,” Bargersaidina statement. “If ﬁrst responderstellyou to leave, go without hesitation.”

The new blaze comes as amassive wildfire in Central California became the state’slargest blazeofthe year,threatening hundreds of homes andburning out of control in the Los Padres National Forest.

The Gifford Fire had spread to 155 square miles by Fridaymorning with 15% containment. It grew outofatleast four smaller fires that erupted Aug. 1 along State Route 166, forcingclosuresinbothdirections eastofSanta Maria, a city of about 110,000. It has injuredatleastfourpeople The causes of the ﬁresare under investigation.

through their hardscrabble childhoods and Christian faith.

While Lammy is amember of the left-leaning Labour Party and Vance is aconservative Republican who supports Trump’s“America First” agenda, the two men have bonded in recent months.

Lammy told the Guardian newspaper that the twomen can relate over their “dysfunctional” working class childhoods and that he considers Vance a“friend.” Lammy attended aCatholic Mass at the Vance home in Washington earlier this year,and the two menmet againatthe U.S. Embassy in Romewhenheand Deputy PrimeMinister Angela Rayner attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in May

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SUZANNEPLUNKETT Britain’sForeign SecretaryDavid Lammy,left, and Vice President JD Vancemeet FridayatChevening House in Kent, England.

Roadside shrine aplace forsoles

Shoesare left on tree to lightenpersonalburdens

BY JA’KORIMADISON |Staff writer

Just about every kind of shoecan be seen hanging from the branchesand trunk of the “Tree of Soles,” aLafayetteParish landmark where people come to bare their souls and leave behind their soles.

This unique roadside shrine isfound off Cocodril Road, between Scott andDuson Locals visit the site to hang their shoesand offer aprayer so that the burdens oftheir souls may be lighter,accordingtoasign posted on the tree.

Before Hurricane Lili hit in 2002,the tradition centered around one tree,with each shoe representing aunique story

When the storm took down the original tree along with the shoes and theburdens they represented, locals continued the tradition by using nearby trees,according to aFacebook post by Community Chronicles

ä See SOLES, page 2B

ABOVE and LEFT: The ‘Treeof Soles’ shrine is found off Cocodril Road. Locals visit the site to hang their shoesand offer aprayer so that the burdens of their souls maybelighter, according to asign posted on the tree.

SuspectdetainedbyICE after fatalAvoyelles Parish crash

Shemar Walker,26, of Lafayette,has been arrested and charged with two counts of ﬁrst-degree rape, according to the Duson Police Department and Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce detectives. Walker was arrested Thursday by the Lafayette Police Department. Healsofaces three counts of felony carnal knowledgeofa juvenile, with the incidents occurringinAcadia Parish Duson Police said the charges stem from accusations that Walker raped a 12-year-old on two occasions in the 200 block of Fourth Street. The alleged victim was known to Walker,police said Additional charges are pending as Duson police and Acadia Parish

ä See BLOTTER, page 2B

Impairment suspectedin collision, officialssay

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON |Staff writer

Afatal crash in Avoyelles Parish that left one man dead has led to thearrest of asuspect now being detained by U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement, according to statements released by LouisianaState Police andthe Department ofHomelandSecurity Louisiana State Police Troop Ereported that acollision occurred around 9p.m.SundayonLa. 1near theEcho community. Ofﬁcials say anorthbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Romero H. Roberto,34, of Alexandria, veered offthe roadway and struck a 2013 Kubota lawn mower being operated on theshoulder by 59-year-old RickeyG Maddox, alsoofAlexandria. Maddox sufferedsevere injuries and was transported to alocal hospital,

wherehelater died.Roberto, who was not wearing aseat belt, was uninjured Troopers said impairment is suspected in the collision, and toxicology samples were taken for analysis. Roberto wasarrested Monday and charged withvehicularhomicide,ﬁrst-offense DWI, careless operation, no driver’slicense and an expiredlicense plate. He was booked into theAvoyelles ParishDetention Center

The Department of HomelandSecurity conﬁrmed Thursday thatICE placed an immigration detainer on Roberto, identiﬁed in their release as RomeroHernandez, aMexican national who entered the United States at an unknown time andlocation.The detainer wasissued to ensure he is not released back into thecommunity after local legal proceedings, according to DHS.

“This criminal illegal alien’sreckless decision to drink and drive killed an innocent man,” said DHSAssistant Secretary

ä See CRASH, page 2B

Group says open meeting laws violated

ButBroussard mayorsays he misspoke on gatherings

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL |Staff writer

Aconservative government watchdog group claimed Broussard city ofﬁcials were violating state open meeting laws after the mayor suggestedina now-removedvideo that the city has several advisory committees.

In astatement shared Monday on social media, Citizens for aNew Louisiana said there was no record of such committees,and if theyexist, they are meeting in secret, in violation of state law

But Mayor Ray Bourque said he was referring to regular informal meetings that ensure informed decisions can be madein public forums.

“There are meetings where Ihave to talk to councilmenaboutcitybusiness. We have to have somelatitude to solve problemstogether,totalk aboutsolutions, to talk options,” Bourque said.

In the video, aFacebook livestream that now lives on the Citizens website, Bourque mentions committeesseveral times, speciﬁcally naming arecreation committeeand a ﬁnance committee.

Bourque toldThe Acadiana Advocate that he misspoke and should have describedthe gatherings as “working groups,”informal discussions among ahandful of council members thatnever reached aquorum, or amajority of members present. Aquorum would require apublic meeting, according to state law Gerald deLaunay,anattorney representing the city,backed up Bourque’sstatement, and said the mayor used a“layman’sterm” when he said the city had committees and called them staffmeetings.

He added that no decisions are made at these meetings.

ä See MEETING, page 2B

to cellphones

Staff report

Public bus riders in Lafayette have anew tool to easily track buses, view routes and plan trips in real-timefrom any mobile device or computer Lafayette Consolidated Government and Lafayette Transit System on Wednesday announced the launch of the upgraded GPS-enabledBus Tracker availableatridelafayette.com While real-time bus tracking isn’ta new ideafor LTS, theprevious system needed keytechnologyupgradestobettermeetthe needsoftoday’s riders,accordingtoa news release. This improvedplatformismoreuserfriendly and makes public transportation moreaccessible, according to the release. The newBus Tracker uses GPSdata from devices installedonLafayette busestodeliverlive location updatesand estimatedarrival times. Riders are also encouraged to subscribe to LafayetteNOW transit alerts to receive updates directly to phones, including route changes, service interruptions and other important notices. To subscribe to transit alerts, text “Join Transit” to 31002. To track abus in real

or explore routes and schedules, visit ridelafayette.com.

STAFF PHOTOSByByJA’KORI MADISON

Known as the ‘Tree of Soles,’this roadside shrineinLafayette Parish has become alocal traditionofhealing and remembrancesince Hurricane Lili in 2002.

Bourque

AG:Ex-Golden Meadow police chiefarrested

He allegedly deletedtraffic citations, arrest records

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

On his way out of office, the former Golden Meadow police chief deleted aslew of trafficcitations, arrest reports, payroll information andother data going back for more than 12 years,Attorney General Liz Murrill said in astatement Thursday Troy Dufrene has been arrested on one count each of

injuring public records, malfeasance in ofﬁce and computertampering, Murrill’s ofﬁce said in anews release.

Last November,Dufrene lost by nine votes to Michelle Lafont, according to the Secretary ofState’s Ofﬁce.

“I wouldsay it was acontentious election,” said Sheriff Craig Webre of Lafourche Parish, where Golden Meadow is located.“In asmall town like GoldenMeadow,it’snot unusual for alocal election to get contentious.”

expenditures, arrest reports, payroll information andmore from thepolice department’scasemanagement system.

“Dufrene’s actions caused significant disruptiontothe police department’soperations as ofﬁcials have struggled to retrieve the deleted records,” therelease says.

Dufrene admitted to Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents that he deleted the records, according to an afﬁdavit provided by the Attorney General’s Ofﬁce.

thathefelt the data belonged to him,” the document says. Dufrene apologized after he was told the information belongedtothe town of Golden Meadow andthe LafourcheParish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, which owns the computer system and allows citiesand towns to useit, the afﬁdavit says.

“He enjoys the presumption of innocence and will have his opportunity at some point in our legal system to present his defense,” Webre added.

The lost data stirred worries that the police department could fail its regular audit in February,which could lead to ﬁnes, the new chief told investigators.

der his username, allowing investigatorstotracethe activity back to him, the afﬁdavit says.

Between the election and vacating his ofﬁce at the end of 2024, Dufrene allegedly deleted trafﬁc citations, fuel

“Dufrene explainedhis excuse for deleting the modules containing the data was

Mangetslifein killingofBaton Rougeactivist

Victim remembered as atireless communityleader

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

The man convicted of strangling aBaton Rouge icon in 2019 was ordered to spend the rest of his life in aLouisiana prison on Thursday

Ajury found Ronn Jermaine Bell, 44, guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of local civil rights activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph. Their verdict culminated afive-day murder trial inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse that ended June 7. District Judge Brad Myers imposed the state-mandated sentence of life without the pos sibility of parole on Bell. The courtroom at the 19th JDC was nearly empty Thursday

ing, Roberts-Joseph’sson, Jason Roberts, remembered hislate motherasanavid organizer,community leader and tireless volunteer. He said she ran summer camps andliteracy programs, hostedanendless array of cultural events andeven sheltered domesticviolence victims in her own home.

“Tounderstand the loss, to understand the impact of her murder,istounderstand the impact that she had on this city,” he said. “Its blood runs colder now without the warmth that she shared. Its streets darker without her light. And I, her son, havegrown darker as well.”

“You killed Ms. Roberts in the most primitive and per sonalway possible, by strangulation and suffocation,” the judgesaid “A crime as senseless and brutal as that deserves the sentence that the state has set forth in the statute serving the rest of your life in prison.”

Roberts-Joseph founded and served as curator of the Odell S. Williams AfricanAmerican Museum. For several years, she also organized an annual Juneteenth festival at the downtown BatonRouge center,which was the city’sﬁrst Black history museum. During Thursday’shear-

Roberts-Joseph, 75, was founddead in thetrunk of her carparked behind an abandoned house in the 2300 block of North Street the night of June 12, 2019. Her body was doused in bleach, an attemptbyher killertodestroy trace evidence, investigators said Thewoman died from aviolent asphyxiation after being suffocated or strangled, testimony fromBell’s trial indicates.

Baton Rougepolice tied Bell to the killing through video surveillance that showedhim nearthe scene of Roberts-Joseph’s body the night she was discovered dead. His DNA was also found on the victim andinher car,accordingto court records.

Bell was atenant in one of Roberts-Joseph’srental properties along GoudchauxStreet in north Baton Rouge.Duringhis trial in June, prosecutors successfully proved to ajurythat Bell’smotive for killing the woman was that hewas $1,200 behindonrent

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

Aman was arrested Wednesday in the Kentwood area in connectionwith a high-speed chase along La 38, where the man allegedly drove after awoman and her child, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Johnathan Newman, 40, of the Kentwood area, was arrested following an investigation.

The woman told authorities that she was driving along the highway withher childwhen she came across aparked vehicle across both lanes of the road, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. When she stopped, she said aman exitedthe vehicleand beganwalking toward her.She backed out and began to drive back the

way shecame, and the man got back into hisvehicle andbegan chasingher,according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce

Thewoman told authorities that theman pushed herinto driving over 100 mph in order to avoid a collision.She wasable to escapethe pursuit and contact the Sheriff’s Office. Newman, whom the woman said she did not know,was identified as the suspect Newman was booked into Tangipahoa Parish Jail on Wednesday night on countsofstalking, reckless operationofavehicle andobstructinghighways of commerce, according to jail records. An investigationisongoing as deputies look into “similar claims” in the area, officials said.

“I don’tknowifhewas misguided in his belief that he hadthe righttoremove the data or not,”saidWebre. “It was asurprise to me when theinitial complaint wasmade by Chief Lafont, that he wouldhavedone such athing. But the attorney general obviously determined in herinvestigation the probable cause supports acriminal charge.”

MEETING

Continuedfrom page1B

“From time to time,the mayor is going to meet with his administrative staff and will invite council members as wellasothers to attend these meetings to offer some direction, theirobservations, what issues thecity needstoconsider moving forward on various matters.” deLaunay said, “As far as thesuggestion that the mayor is trying to skirtthe open meetings law,Ithink that’sabsurd.”

“The mayor does make sure that he does not have a quorum, because he knows

BLOTTER

Continuedfrom page1B

detectives continue investigating.

No bail has been set for the twocountsoffirst-degree rape charges against Walker

If convicted of ﬁrst-degree rape, he faces life imprisonment at hardlabor without the possibilityofparole, probation or suspension of sentence. If the district attorney seeks acapital verdict, thepunishmentcould be deathorlife imprisonment.

Sulphur day care employee arrested

ALake Charles 21-year-old who worked at aday care in Sulphur was arrestedfor, andhas sinceconfessedto, biting achild.

On Monday,Sulphur Police Departmentofficers were dispatched to alocation on Maplewood Drivein reference to ajuvenile being bitten by an employee, arelease from the department states.

that would violateopen meetings law,” he added.

Citizens for aNew Louisiana argued that theseare public bodies that ought to be beholden to open meeting laws, calling the practice illegal.

“It’sthe interpretation of theword,”Borque said. “We don’thave any ofﬁcial committees that are appointed by themayor andratified by the council, exceptones like our zoning board, our planning board. Those are ofﬁcial committees thatare appointed by themayor,ratified by the council. Other than that, we don’thave it.”

Thelaw says that any public body shall be open to the public,withapublic

When theofﬁcers arrived, theywereadvisedthatMadysonO’Quain, theemployee, bit ajuvenile. The detectives saw abite mark on the child’sback. Officers interviewed O’Quain, who later confessed to biting thejuvenile. O’Quain has been arrested and booked into Sulphur Jail on acharge of simplebatteryofthe inﬁrm Sulphur Police Department Maj. JasonGully said he did notknowher bail or status.

Woman dead, child hospitalized in crash

APort Barre woman is dead and achild is hospitalizedwith serious injuries after an SUVrear-endedan 18-wheeler in St.Landry Parish, accordingtoLouisiana State Police.

The driver of theSUV was killedinthe crash. Authoritiesidentiﬁed her as 25-yearold Marissa Richard, of Port Barre

Thevendor forthe software wasabletorecover data Dufrene deleted, charging theSheriff’s Ofﬁce $4,680 to do so,the afﬁdavit says.

“The vendorwas ableto recover and restore 100% of the data that was removed,” said Webre.

Dufrene deleted the records while loggedinun-

SOLES

Continued from page1B

Today,three trees stand in place of the original Tree of Soles, keeping the traditionalive

When approaching the tree, asign states:“This tree hasbeen chosen to offer youa place to hang your burdensfor it wasa tree that only son of God was hung to take away the burdens andsins of our world at thesupper Jesus washed the feet of the dis-

body being: A.(1) As used in this Chapter,the phrase “public body” means any branch, department,office, agency,board, commission, district, governing authority,political subdivision, or any committee, subcommittee, advisory board, or task force thereof, any otherinstrumentality of state,parish, or municipal government, including apublicorquasi-public nonprofit corporation designated as an entity to perform agovernmental or proprietary function, or an affiliate of ahousing authority

Thevideo in questionwas aMarch town hall meeting in St. Martinville,where Bourque spoketoresidents

Troopers said the wreck happenedonU.S.190 near OakviewLane, which is just west of Port Barre, just before 7a.m.Wednesday Richard was driving a2018 Dodge Journey eastbound whenthe SUV collided with a2019 Freightliner that had just made alegal U-turn and was traveling in the same direction, police said.

They said Richard wasnot wearing aseat belt. Although thepassenger—a child— wasbuckled up, both were seriouslyinjured in thecrash and taken to anearbyhospital. Richard laterdiedatthe hospital.

The driver of the semi was not hurt andprovideda voluntary breath sample, which showed no alcohol presence, according to State Police.

Troopers said toxicology samples were collected from Richard for further analysis, as is standard procedure in deadly crashesonhighways in Louisiana.

The investigation into the cause of the crashisongoing.

AGolden Meadowpolice officer told investigators that Dufrene said that “since he lost theelection, he would be deleting files and it was up to the offices to memorize anything they needed for daily operations.” The officer also said that, when the newchieftook over and learned of the deletions, “it caused Golden Meadow to handwrite everything” instead of putting it in the computersystem, according to the affidavit.

EmailMatthew Albright at malbright@theadvocate. com.

ciplestoshowthathewas in service to our humanity thathewas oursavior.”

To getthere,

onto Cocodril Road,

becomes adirt andgravel road Drive 2milestosee the treeonthe right, just after youpassa white fence and gateddriveway

EmailJa’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

about what becoming aLawreson Act town would mean. The livestreamed video was removed from Facebook because livestreams are automatically deleted from Facebook after 30 days, a policythat began in February The city did notsavethe townhall video, saida City Hall worker.Itisunclear where Citizens foraNew Louisiana obtainedthe video. State law does say that destroying public records once they are created is acrime, but it’sunknownwhether the city soughttodestroy these records intentionally Lawsalsorequired that publicbodiespreserve public records.

CRASH

Continued from page1B

Tricia McLaughlin in the agency’sstatement. “The senseless tragedy should have never happened because Romero-Hernandez shouldhave never been in our country.” The case is being investigated by Louisiana State Police.

Dufrene

STAFF PHOTO By JA’KORI MADISON

Known as the ‘Tree of Soles,’this roadside shrine in Lafayette Parish has become alocal traditionofhealing and remembrance since Hurricane Lili in 2002.

Bell

Minneapolis fed chief talks possible rate cuts

For all the uncertainty plaguing the U.S. economy, one observation is clear: From job growth to consumer spending, the $30 trillion engine is slowing.

That usually signals it’s time for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. And Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, posited two such moves before the end of the year in a Wednesday TV interview

But there’s a big caveat to Kashkari’s call: The central bank might have to reverse course and raise rates. That’s if President Donald Trump’s global tariffs — which on Thursday hit about 90 countries with import taxes as high as 50% — push inﬂation back up again.

“I would love to not have to do that,” Kashkari said on CNBC from the Aspen Economic Strategy Group forum. “But I’m realizing that these tariff effects are going to take a lot longer to really become clear, and if virtually all the other economic data is pointing to a cooling economy and a slowing economy, how long can we wait until the tariff effects become clear? That’s just weighing on me right now.”

Interest rates are the Fed’s main tool for speeding up or slowing down the economy, with the goal to keep prices stable and unemployment low. When inﬂation is high, the central bank raises rates to slow spending and tame prices; when unemployment is high, it lowers rates to kick the economy back into gear

OpenAI launches fifth generation of ChatGPT OpenAI on Thursday released the ﬁfth generation of the artiﬁcial intelligence technology that powers ChatGPT, a product update that’s being closely watched as a measure of whether generative AI is advancing rapidly or hitting a plateau.

GPT-5 arrives more than two years after the March 2023 release of GPT-4, bookending a period of intense commercial investment, hype and worry over AI’s capabilities.

In anticipation, rival Anthropic released the latest version of its own chatbot, Claude, earlier in the week, part of a race with Google and other competitors in the U.S. and China to leapfrog each other on AI benchmarks Meanwhile, longtime OpenAI partner Microsoft said it will incorporate GPT-5 into its own AI assistant, Copilot.

It is also trying to raise huge amounts of money to get there, in part to pay for the costly computer chips and data centers needed to build and run the technology.

Adidas accused of cultural appropriation

MEXICO CITY Mexican authorities are accusing sportswear company Adidas of plagiarizing artisans in southern Mexico, alleging that a new sandal design is strikingly similar to the traditional Indigenous footwear known as huaraches.

The controversy has fueled accusations of cultural appropriation by the footwear brand, with authorities saying this is not the first time traditional Mexican handicrafts have been copied. Citing these concerns, local authorities have asked Adidas to withdraw the shoe model.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that Adidas was already in talks with authorities in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca to provide “compensation for the people who were plagiarized,” and that her government was preparing legal reforms to prevent the copying of Mexican handicrafts.

Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The design at the center of the controversy is the “Oaxaca SlipOn,” a sandal created by U.S. designer Willy Chavarría for Adidas Originals. The sandals feature thin leather straps braided in a style that is unmistakably similar to the traditional Mexican huaraches. Instead of ﬂat leather soles, the Adidas shoes tout a more chunky, sports shoe sole.

BUSINESS

Market clocks another winning week

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP business writers

U.S. stocks closed higher Friday, capping a choppy week of trading with the market’s third winning week in the last four and another milestone.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, finishing just shy of the record it set last week. The benchmark index also wiped out its losses from a slide last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1% to the all-time high it set a day earlier

Technology companies with their hefty stock values, did much of the heavy lifting for the market. Nvidia rose 1.1% and Apple gained 4.2%.

Gilead Sciences jumped 8.3% for one of the market’s biggest gains. It reported ﬁnancial results that eas-

ily beat analysts’ forecasts while also raising its earnings forecast for the year Expedia Group rose 4.1% after also reporting encouraging ﬁnancial results.

They are among the final big batch of companies within the S&P 500 to report mostly strong ﬁnancial results for the second quarter Financial sector stocks also helped drive the market higher Bank of America gained 2.4% and Mastercard rose 2.3%.

Elsewhere in the market, entertainment giant Paramount Skydance slid 10.5% a day after the company was created by the closing of an $8 billion merger of Skydance and Paramount. Shares in rival Warner Bros. Discovery sank 8%.

The main focus throughout the week has been on President Donald Trump’s trade war and its potential impact on the U.S. economy, as well

as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy Trump began imposing higher import taxes on dozens of countries Thursday

Still, the market appeared to largely shrug off the latest tariff escalation.

“The S&P 500’s rebound this week may highlight the extent to which the market is becoming numb to tariff headlines,” said Daniel Skelly, head of Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management Market Research & Strategy Team.

The unknown path of the economy amid an unpredictable tariff policy has been the key reason for the Fed to hold its benchmark interest rate steady Fed Chair Jerome Powell, though, has been under increasing pressure from Trump to cut interest rates Policy decisions aren’t made solely by the Fed chair All 12 members of the Federal Open Market Commit-

tee vote on interest rate changes.

Trump has an opportunity to exert more control over the Fed following his nomination of Stephen Miran to a vacancy on the Fed’s board of governors. Miran is a top economic adviser to Trump and is a near-certain vote in support of lower interest rates.

The Fed’s last decision to hold interest rates steady included two votes to lower interest rates. Its next meeting is in September, and Wall Street is overwhelmingly betting that the central bank will cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.

Treasury yields edged higher

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.28% from 4.25% late Thursday The yield on the twoyear Treasury which more closely tracks expectations for Fed actions, rose to 3.76% from 3.73% late Thursday Intel CEO responds after Trump calls

Boar’s Head plant to reopen

Facility was shut down after deadly contamination

BY JONEL ALECCIA AP health writer

The Boar’s Head deli meat plant at the heart of last year’s deadly food poisoning outbreak is set to reopen in the coming months, company ofﬁcials said.

But recent inspections at Boar’s Head sites in three states documented sanitation problems similar to those that led to the listeria contamination that killed 10 people and sickened dozens.

The Jarratt, Virginia, plant was shut down in September when U.S. Agriculture Department ofﬁcials suspended operations and withdrew the federal marks of inspection required to operate, saying the company “failed to maintain sanitary conditions.” Boar’s Head permanently stopped making liverwurst and recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products.

USDA officials this week said they had “thoroughly reviewed” the plant and lifted the forced suspension on July 18.

“The facility is in full compliance of the guidelines and protocols set for the safe handling and production of food and the serious issues that led to suspension have been fully rectified,” officials with the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in an email

Wednesday And yet, documents obtained by The Associated Press through a freedom of information request show that Boar’s Head plants in Arkansas, Indiana and elsewhere in Virginia were ﬂagged for the same kinds of sanitation problems that led to the outbreak, with the most recent report in June.

In the past seven months, government inspectors reported problems that include instances of meat and fat residue left on equipment and walls, drains blocked with meat products, beaded condensation on ceilings and ﬂoors, overﬂowing trash cans, and staff who didn’t wear protective hairnets and plastic aprons — or wash their hands.

The records, which included USDA noncompliance reports logged by inspectors from Jan. 1 through July 23, raise new questions about the company’s promises to address systemic problems and about federal oversight of listeria contamination in plants that make readyto-eat foods.

“If there is evidence that food safety problems are continuing, the government needs to make sure the company ﬁxes them,” said Sandra Eskin, a former USDA ofﬁcial who now heads STOP Foodborne Illness, a consumer group focused on food safety Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last month announced plans to bolster efforts that

combat foodborne germs, including listeria.

Ofﬁcials at Boar’s Head, the 120-year-old company based in Sarasota, Florida, have posted job openings for two dozen positions, including a food safety quality analyst, at the Jarratt site.

The company convened a panel of expert advisers last fall and hired a chief food safety ofﬁcer in May The advisers include Frank Yiannas a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration ofﬁcial, and Mindy Brashears, President Donald Trump’s nominee for USDA’s undersecretary for food safety

Boar’s Head last year said they “regret and deeply apologize” for the contamination and that “comprehensive measures are being implemented to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.”

But company officials refused to discuss the problems found this year They canceled a scheduled AP interview with Natalie Dyenson, the new food safety ofﬁcer And they declined to allow Yiannas to detail the investigation he led into the contamination’s cause.

Brashears, who now directs a food safety center at Texas Tech University, did not respond to requests for comment about the Boar’s Head problems. An automatic email reply said the USDA nominee was traveling out of the country until Aug. 25. She remains on the company’s food safety board.

“Boar’s Head has an unwavering commitment to food safety and quality That commitment is reﬂected in recent enhancements

to our practices and protocols” described on the company’s website, Boar’s Head said in an emailed statement

“We have also been working with the USDA in developing a plan to reopen our Jarratt facility in a measured, deliberate way in the coming months,” the statement said.

The 35 pages of new inspection ﬁndings cover Boar’s Head sites in Forrest City, Arkansas; New Castle, Indiana; and Petersburg, Virginia.

They surprised outside food safety advocates, who said that factory conditions should have improved in the year since the outbreak was ﬁrst identiﬁed.

“You would have expected after all they went through that they would put themselves in a place where you could essentially eat deli meat off the factory ﬂoor,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports, an advocacy group.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., called the ﬁndings “appalling.”

“This is a pattern of negligence cutting corners to protect the company’s bottom line at the expense of consumers and these conditions show a complete disregard for food safety and for the public health of the American people,” DeLauro said in a statement

The ﬁndings echo the “inadequate sanitation practices” that USDA ofﬁcials said contributed to the outbreak. Key factors included product residue, condensation and structural problems in the buildings, according to a January report

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP business writer

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan says he’s “always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards” after President Donald Trump said he should resign. On Thursday Trump said on Truth Social platform that, “The CEO of Intel is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately There is no other solution to this problem Thank you for your attention to this problem!” Trump’s post landed after Sen. Tom Cotton sent a letter to Intel

Chairman Frank Yeary expressing concern over Tan’s investments and ties to semiconductor firms that are reportedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army, and asked the board whether Tan had divested his interests in these companies to eliminate any conﬂicts of interest It was not immediately clear on Thursday if Tan, who took over as Intel’s CEO in March, had divested his interests in the companies. The economic and political rivalry between the U.S. and China is increasingly focused on com-

puter chips, AI and other digital technologies that are expected to shape future economies and military conﬂicts.

Intel said in a statement that it’s “deeply committed to advancing U.S. national and economic security interests and are making significant investments aligned with the President’s America First agenda.”

Tan also addressed the situation, saying in a message to employees that there was misinformation circulating about his past roles at Walden International and Cadence Design Systems and

that he’s always followed proper standards.

Tan also said Intel was in contact with the Trump administration.

“We are engaging with the Administration to address the matters that have been raised and ensure they have the facts,” Tan said. “I fully share the President’s commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security I appreciate his leadership to advance these priorities, and I’m proud to lead a company that is so central to these goals.”

The company’s stock rose slightly in premarket trading on Friday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy

Inspections at Boar’s Head plants in Arkansas, Indiana and elsewhere in Virginia have been flagged recently for ‘failing to maintain sanitary conditions’ that led to the outbreak at the closed Jarratt, Va., plant.

OPINION

Whynobody’s happy with how Trumppolls

When the subject of Donald Trump’spopularity comes up, you get strong reactions.

In arecent speech, Inoted that thepresident had an average job rating of 46%. BothTrump supporters and opponents objected. Supporterstoldmethey heard his rating was 50% —and they were right, it had reached 50%inone poll. Opponents told me theyheard his rating was 41% —and they, too, were correct; another poll showed that to be the case. The 46% wasanaverage of ninepolls. The two surveysreferenced areoutliers; that doesn’tmean they’rewrong, it just meansthey’re different from the others. Saying that Trump’sjob rating is 50% without mentioning the eight other polls showinghim loweris an incomplete picture, justassayinghis ratingis41% without mentioning the eightother polls showing him higher

Everyone is entitled to their opinion,but if youonly look at information thatreinforces yourviews, you may be missing something important

This is why people who live in liberalbastionCambridge, Massachusetts, couldn’tbelieve Trumphad defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016. “Everyone Iknow voted for Hillary,” they said.

And it’swhy people in red Wyoming, astate Trump carried overwhelmingly in 2020, couldn’tbelieve Joe Bidenhad wonthat election.

Voters are perplexed about recentpolling Trumpers can’tbelieve only 46%ofthe countryapproves of the job he’sdoing,and anti-Trumpers can’t believe as much as 46% approve of the jobhe’sdoing. The steadiness of Trump’spublic support is unique and evident: He received46.1% of thepopular vote in 2016 (when he won) and46.8% in 2020 (when he lost). He received 49.8% of the popular vote last year (when he won) andhis job ratingnow averages 46%. His entire political career has operatedwithin anarrowrange of less thanfourpoints

Gallup’saverage job ratings for Trump’sﬁrst term and so far in his second termare onlyone point apart. Whyisthis? Perhaps partisan polarization is oneanswer. But there’smore to it with Trump.

He’sdoing so much, everywhere andall at once, that Americans are anesthetized bythe sheer volume and uncertainty.Withsomanyissues to parse and ﬁghts to follow,most voters appear to have formed an overallviewofTrump, positive or negative,and are sticking withit.

Trump’saverage job approval rocks along at 46% even though only 26% of Americanssay his“big, beautiful bill” will be good forthem(KFF poll), only 34% approveofhis handling ofinflation (Economist poll) and only 20% approve of his handlingofthe Jeffrey Epsteinmatter (Economist poll). In years past, presidential job ratingsweremore sensitive to specific eventsand swung morewidely George W. Bush’sapproval ratingreached 90% right after the 9/11terrorist attacks. It fell to 25% in the final days of his second term; his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina and thefinancialcrisis shattered the immense popularityheoncehad.

Bill Clinton’slow point in theGalluppollcame during his early months in ofﬁce, whenhis rating was 37%. Acombination of misstepshad pulled him down. Remarkably,his highest approvalnumber— 73% was reached the day he was impeached.Yes,you read that right.

During hisﬁrstmonthsinofﬁce, LyndonJohnson’s rating hit 79%. He had won widespreadacclaim for his handling of the transition afterPresident John Kennedy’sassassination. Duetothe bloody, costly war in Vietnam, LBJ’spopularity fell to 35%.

JFK’s highest approval ratingwas 83% —and it came right after his most embarrassingfailure,the Bay of Pigs debacle. (His taking responsibility forit was credited with the ratingupswing.) Before theCuban missile crisis,his rating was61%; after thecrisis subsided, it shot up to 76%.

Right after he became president following Franklin Roosevelt’sdeath, Harry Truman’s Gallup ratingwas 87%. His approval fell to 22% during theunpopular Korean War. It all proves one point. No matter what Trumpdoes, howhedoes it or when he does it,heremains sui generis in American politics.

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

Ron Faucheux

QB Nussmeierdealing with tendinitis

Kellydownplays LSUquarterback’s injuryconcerns

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU ﬁfth-year seniorquarterback Garrett

Nussmeierthrewatpractice on Friday after he aggravated acase of patellar tendinitis in aknee on Wednesday,coach Brian Kelly said Friday

Kelly added that Nussmeier is expected to participate in a“practice situation” on Saturday “Tendinitisismanaged every single day aroundthe worldfor all kinds of different ailments,” Kelly said. “... Just likeabad anklethat you’re going to come back in (for),

ThreeUL defenders miss practice to gettheir diplomas

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Three UL players missed practiceFriday morning —but they had areally goodreason They were graduating from college. Senior Fitzgerald West, senior Courtline Flowers and junior linebacker Drenon Fite all received their diplomas. All three ﬁgure to play key rolesfor the Ragin’ Cajuns on the ﬁeld as well. West, adefensive lineman from Lafayette Christian, transferred from LSU before last season.

“Fitz is going to play alot of football for us,” defensive line coach Dennis Thomas said. “Fitz is super smart.” Flowers, asafety from Dallas,isback after asuspensiona year ago.

“It’sa greatthing for that young man,” defensive coordinator Jim Salgado saidof Flowers graduating. “I lovehim. He’s busted his tail and he’saspecial kid.

“He could play outside or he couldplay inside. To be able to gethim back to help us out is big. We’re very,veryfortunate to have him.”

Fite, avaluable backup outside linebacker, willplay behind standoutsCameron Whitﬁeld and Ashley Williams.

“He’sagood player,” coach Michael Desormeaux said of the 6-foot-4,230-pounder.“He’sgot some really good players ahead of him, but he’sready.”

Promising freshmen

True freshman don’tnormally haveamajorimpact, but that doesn’t mean UL’s staff isn’texcited about many of them.

“I think it’sreally hard to dependona freshman to come in and be astarter or a contributor,” Desormeauxsaid.“Ithink any time you get that, it’sa bonus. So we just want to see them improve every day

“That young group has been really fun. Thoseguyspractice really hard,and they have fun out there andpractice. So they’re

ä See UL, page 3C

he’llbeback out (there).”

Kelly was unsure how the injury occurred and doesn’tknowwhichkneehas thetendinitis. He said he wanted to “getthe right information out there” after online rumors that Nussmeier had suffered aserious injury circulated on Wednesday “Thisislikea 1.5onthe scaleof1 to 10,” Kelly said. “And that’sjust being honest with you.” Kelly said the tendinitis Nussmeier is experiencing is the aftereffect of asurgery he underwentin2023 calledthe

ä See LSU, page 3C

Tendinitisis managed every single dayaround the world for all kinds of different ailments. ... This is likea1.5 on the scale of 1to10.”

LSU coach

BRIAN KELLy,

at the

Saints demand more outofDEyoung followingpayday

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

IRVINE, Calif. Chase Young haslongresisted The Narrative The Narrative —the dreaded narrative —isalabel that carries aperception, and Young tends to dislike perceptions.

When he signed withthe NewOrleans Saints last year,the pass rusherbrushedoff theideathathis one-year,$13 million contract was aprove-it deal. In Washington, the2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year dismissed thenotion that aslow start to hissecond seasoncould be attributed to hischoice to ﬁlm commercials instead of attending his team’soffseason workouts. And even comingout of thedraft, when he was perceived as agenerational prospect, he was bothered by thosewho thought he wasn’tstill disruptive in hisﬁnalthreegames at Ohio State when he was held without asack. But this year,his sixth in the NFL, there’sa newnarrative around Young —one he hasn’tnecessarily shied away from. He has to liveuptothe three-year,$51 million contract he signedinMarch

Saints defensiveend Chase young chases down aball carrier during last Saturday’spractice

team’straining facility in Metairie. STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

S AI NT SA TC HAR GE RS •3 :0

LSUQB Garrett Nussmeier

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Noon LIV Golf: Second Round Fox

Noon PGA: FedExSt. Jude Golf

2p.m. LIV Golf: Second Round FS2

2p.m. USGA: U.S.Women’sAmateur Golf

2p.m. PGA: FedExSt. Jude NBC

5p.m. PGATour:Boeing Classic Golf

HORSE RACING

2p.m. Sword Dancer Invitational Fox

MEN’S LACROSSE

Noon Philadelphiavs. Newyork ABC

LITTLELEAGUE SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES

1p.m. TBD vs. North Carolina ESPN

4p.m. TBD vs. Mid-AtlanticESPN2

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

UFC Prelims: Undercard ESPN

3p.m.

6p.m. UFC: Dolidze vs.HernandezESPN

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

1p.m. Houston at N.y.yankees MLBN

4p.m. Washington at San Francisco MLBN

6p.m. ChicagoCubs at St. LouisFox

8:30 p.m.Tampa BayatSeattle MLBN

NFLPRESEASON

Noon N.y. Giants at Baltimore NFLN

3p.m.Houston at Minnesota NFLN

7p.m.N.y.Jets at GreenBay NFLN RODEO

5:30 p.m.PBR: Team SeriesCW

WOMEN’S RUGBY

10:40 p.m.NRL: Brisbane at CanberraFS2

MEN’S SOCCER

9:55 a.m. A. MadridatNewcastle U. CBSSN

7:30 p.m.MLS: San DiegoatKansas City FS1

WOMEN’S SOCCER

11 a.m. NWSL: Washington at NJ/Ny ESPN

6:30 p.m.NWSL: Louisville at Orlando ION

9p.m.NWSL: Angel CityatSan DiegoION TENNIS

11:30 a.m.Cincinnati-ATP/WTATennis WNBA

7p.m.Chicago at Indiana CBS

St.ThomasMoreQBpicks Va.Tech

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

The state’stop-rankedsenior quarterback has decided where he’ll take his talents next year

St. Thomas More’sCole Bergeron, who verbally committed to Virginia Tech on Thursday, wasalso the top uncommitted quarterbackinthe country,according to Rivals recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman.

“I’ve known ever since Iwent up there in June and got to bond with the players andcoaching staff at dinner,” said the 6-foot-41/2, 215-pounder,who is rankedasthe No. 19 player in Louisiana.

“I knew they were great people from the start. I’ve alwaysknown about (Hokiescoach Brent) Pry’s family.Hehas family here in Lafayette. His brother used tocoach here at the school. My dad knows himreally well.”

Bergeron, who chose the Hokies over Coloradoand Georgia Tech, took an unofﬁcial visit during the summer.He’ll visit ofﬁcially this season and is leaningtoward the home opener against Vanderbilt on Sept. 6.

“When Iwent up to Blacksburg, Imet coach (Brian) Christ andcoach (Philip) Montgomery,” Bergeron said of the Hokies quarterbacks coach and the offensive coordinator.“They’re great people who know what they’re doing They showed me Iwas apriority.”

The Virginia Tech staff did a deep dive when it cametothe due diligenceconductedonBergeron, taking asimilar approach as the NFL’s pre-draft research

“They called people down here,” Bergeron said. “They called coaches down here. Theywanted to know,‘Who is this guy?’”

The Hokies loved what they heard about Bergeron,who led STMtothe District 4-4A title and aquarterﬁnal appearance against state champion Edna Kar

“They knew Iwas the guy they

wanted in their locker room,” he said.“That’sreally exciting. Ever since Ileft there (onthe unofﬁcial visit),they’ve told me Iwas their priority.They said that Iwas their guy Bergeron,likewise, didhis research on Virginia Tech and came away impressed withthe fan base, campus and program. With apopulationof 45,000, Blacksburg hasa rural feel andanelevation above2,000 feet in the BlueRidge Mountains.

The closest city,Roanoke (population97,000), is located an hour away

“They’re famous for their ‘Enter Sandman’ walkout,” Bergeron said of Virginia Tech’spregame ritual, set to the backdrop of the

famous songbythe hardrock band Metallica.

“It’sdeﬁnitelyelectric at Lane Stadium. They have agreat fan base thatshows out. They’ll pack thestadium for any game, no matter the opponent or timeofday.I love that.”

Bergeron and the Cougars overcame aslowstart in 2024 by winning eight straight gamesuntil thequarterﬁnals, where they held an early 14-0 lead. He passed for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning ﬁrst team all-district honors.

“Wehave the same tough schedule,” he said.“Obviously, none of us were satisﬁed (with lastyear’s results). We putour heads down in December and went to work every

day.This team is taking it very seriously,which is good. We’re coming along as one. Ithink this year, you’ll see adifferent outcome.”

Bergerongreatly reducedhis previoustimeof4.7-to-4.8 in the 40-yard dash. This summer, he ran a4.51and a4.57 in the Silver CougarTesting Session for a4.54 average, good forfourth-best on theteam.

“Ittakes alot of extra work,” he said of the speed increase. “Twice aweek, rightafterteam workouts, Iwould train with Tyler Harrington. We worked on speed, agility,explosion and the 40-yard dash. I’ve worked with him foryears —since the eighth grade. He helped put me where I am today.”

Fleetwoodbuildsbig lead at playoffsopener

By The Associated Press

MEMPHIS,Tenn.— TommyFleetwood had another big closing stretch Friday with four straight birdies, giving him a6-under 64 and the 36-hole lead in the FedEx Cup St. Jude Championship with hissights set on an elusive PGA Tour title.

So muchattention is on thetop 50 in the FedEx Cup who advance outofthe ﬁrst postseason event. Fleetwood is already locked in all the way to the ﬁnale at the Tour Championship. What he cares about is winning.

“It hasn’thappened for me yet out on the PGA Tour,but Iwould much rather be up thereand not quiteget it done than notthere at all,” Fleetwood said. “And who knows? Maybe this weekend is the weekend and we’ll see, and we’ll crack on from there.”

Fleetwoodwas at 13-under 127, four shots clear of Collin Morikawa (65) and Akshay Bhatia (69) Justin Rose also was at 9-under par after abirdie on the par-5 16th. Storms rolled into the area, forcing spectators to leave the course and suspending play untilSaturday morning.

Fleetwood finished with four straight birdies on Thursday.He made three in arow early,including a30-footer from the fringeon the par-3 fourth hole at the TPC Southwind.

He also had apair of keypar saves around the turn before going on another run. He holed apair of 15-foot birdie putts on the 13th and 14th. He

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGEWALKER IV

TommyFleetwood, of England,watches his teeshotduring the second round of the St.Jude Championship on Friday in Memphis, Tenn.

stuffed awedge to 5feet for birdie on the 15th.And then he reached the par-5 16th in twoand two-putted from about 30 feet for afourth straight birdie. Theonly bogey cameatthe ﬁnal hole when he went from thebunker into thick rough, and the safe shot from there was some 50 feet long of the pin.

“Of course, when youshoot two good scores, it’s easy to say everything has been going well,” Fleetwood said.“But Ithink for the most part I’ve been very good offthe tee, put myself in position to have agoatthe course. My iron play has been good and solid,and I’ve rolled the ball well.”

Kurt Kitayama had the low scoreofthe round at 63, moving him to the top ﬁve on the leaderboard as areminder of how quickly fortunes can change. The FedEx Cup playoffs were

an afterthought until twoweeks ago. He wasatNo. 110until winning the 3M OpeninMinnesota. Now he’satNo. 52 and the next goal is to moveontothe BMW Championship next week outside Baltimore. It’shard not to pay attention to the top 50 this week because along with advancing in the postseason, anyone in the top 50 isassured of being in all eight of the $20 million signature eventsnext year

There’snoneed for Scottie Schefflertolook.The PGA and British Openchampion is so far ahead in the FedEx Cup he is assuredofstaying at the top this week. That doesn’tmean he’s cruising along without acare.

Schefﬂer was slowed by three bogeys on the back nine, landing in rough thatswallowed up his golf ball and left him visibly frustrated.Hestill shot a66and was

Packers star, firstNFLPA presidentdiesat95

Billy Howton, aformer Green BayPackersstarregardedasone of themost productive widereceivers of the pre-Super Bowlera who wasafounder and the first president of the NFL Players Association, has died. He was 95. Howton died in Houstonon Monday,according to an obituary Bradshaw-Carter FuneralHome confirmed his death on Friday Howton was born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930. He wasbelieved to have been the oldest living NFL player

Howton scored the Packers’ ﬁrst receiving touchdownatLambeau Field in 1957. He was asecondround selectionbythe Packers in 1952 and becamethe ﬁrst NFL rookie with a1,000-yard receiving season after recording 1,231 yards that year

Trackhouse Racingsigns van Gisbergen to extension

After making the NASCAR Cup Series playoffsasa rookie, Shane vanGisbergenhas earned amultiyearextension with Trackhouse Racing, theteam announced Friday.Nofurther terms were released.

With victories from the pole position at Mexico City,Chicago and SonomaRaceway,van Gisbergen has secured the fourth seed in the 2025 playoffs with three races remaining in the regular season. After winning three championshipsinthe Supercars series, van Gisbergen washired by Trackhouse two years ago as part of its Project 91 program to showcase international drivers in NASCAR’s premier series. VanGisbergen moved up to Cup with Trackhouse this year in the No.88Chevrolet.

Texans safety arrested twice in two months

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward was arrestedThursdayon afelony warrant, according to the Montgomery County Jail records. This wassecondarrest in two months for the 34-year-old Ward. He also wasarrestedJune12athis homeinMagnolia, Texas, for allegedly assaultingand threatening a woman It was unclear if the second arrest was related to the ﬁrst. Ward has been on the Texans’ physically unable to perform list and has not taken part in training camp. He agreed to aone-year extension through this season. If he plays forHouston, it will be Ward’sthird season with the team He played his ﬁrst nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

Colts

QB Richardson day-to-day afterinjury

six shotsbehind. Jordan Spieth hadan8-foot par putt on theﬁnalholethatturned toward the cup and looked to be falling from gravity alone when it hung on the edge.

That about summeduphis day of three bogeys, three birdies and a70that left him 12 shots behind andfacing plenty of stress for the weekend as he tries to avoid asecond straight year outside the top 50.

BudCauley, one spot behind Kitayama in the FedEx Cup at No 53, shot 69 and was in atie forseventh when play was suspended. Once the secondround is completed, the third round will follow in threesomes off both sides.

Fleetwood is No.15inthe world withseven wins on the European tour againstsomeofthe stronger fields. He has thrived on abig stage overseas, particularly the Ryder Cup. It’sjust that small matter of aPGA Tour title.

He was on the verge in late June at the Travelers Championship until astunning ﬂip at the end, when he took three putts from justshort of the green for bogey and Keegan Bradley made birdie to beat him

“Right now Iwould love to just go and sulk somewhere and maybe Iwill do,” he saidthat Sunday at the Travelers. “But there’sjust no point making it anegative for thefuture really.” He gets another chance on the weekendatthe TPCSouthwind, stillonlythe halfwaypoint butat least there with achance and in command of his gamefrom teeto-green.

Indianapolis Coltsquarterback Anthony Richardson is considered day-to-day with adislocatedpinkie, aperson with knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press on Friday,oncondition of anonymity It’sunclear when Richardson will practice next.Indy didnot hold practice Friday and is scheduled to do so Saturday in Westﬁeld, Indiana, asuburbonIndianapolis’ northwest side. Richardson was injuredonthe secondpossession of theColts’ preseason game againstthe Ravenson Thursdaynight. He wasdriven into the ground by unblocked Baltimore Ravens linebacker David Ojabo. When Richardson got up, he saw his ﬁnger at an awkward angle and immediately left the game. He did not return.

Former top-10 player pulls out of U.S. Open

Former top-10 player Paula Badosa pulled out of the U.S. Open on Friday after dealing with aback injury that has sidelined her since aﬁrst-round loss at Wimbledon on June 30.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Badosa’swithdrawal and said Jil Teichmann would replace her in the ﬁeld. Alizé Cornet, who retired from tennislast year but returned to action this year,isthe next woman in line to get aberth in the draw at Flushing Meadows if someone else pulls out. Play is scheduledtobegin on Aug. 24 in the singles brackets at the year’slast Grand Slam tournament.

Badosa, a27-year-old from Spain, reached acareer-best ranking of No.2in2022 and is currently No.12.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByBRAD KEMP

St. Thomas Morequarterback ColeBergeron verbally committedtoVirginia Tech on Thursday.

getting better, and it’s areally talented, young group.”

Maybe the best chance for a player to make an impact is running back Darrell Smith,who will likely begin the season on the two-deep depth chart.

Wide receivers Russell Babineaux of Acadiana, Trenton Chaney of Lutcher and Evan Stroman of Spring, Texas, have alsoraised eyebrows.

“Wehaven’thad those (types of guys) around here since I’ve been here,” offensivecoordinator TimLeger said of Babineaux and Chaney.“They’re different dudes than we’ve had, right?

“They’re kind of in the (former UL wide receiver) Ryheem Malone mold, butthey’reboth 10.5 (-second) 100-meter guys. They’ve got legitimate speed, elite quickness.”

Other true freshman turning heads include safety BrentGordon of Cecilia, kicker Brek Schultz of Live Oak and JJ Garner of Timpson, Texas.

“Some guys come in and they’re really ablank slate, and they have to learnhow to practice, they have to learnhow to competeand do all these things,” Desormeaux said. “It’sjustthe nature of it you know.”

Fearless return game

The Cajuns are expecting to make noise in thereturn game again thisseason.

On kickoffs, running back Zylan Perry returnsasdoes wide receiver RobertWilliams,who took one the distancelast year ﬁlling in for Perry

“I think our return games can be special,” special teams coordinator MikeGuiliani said. “Obviously,itstarts with 100% of ball security —you’ve got to get the ball, especially as it relates to punt return.

“Afterthat,wewanttobespecial andwe’ve got the guys to do it.”

When it comes to punt returns —where Williams is expected to play abig role —Guiliani wants an aggressive approach, even near UL’s own goal line.

“In the punt return game, we want to lead the league in ﬁelding punts,” he said. “Wewant to be smart with it and make good decisions back there —not every ball’s returnable. “

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

“I feel like Igot alot to prove to myself,” Young said. “I know what Ican do when I’m all the waythere and 100%.”

In training camp,teammatesand coaches havesworn they’ve seen ashiftinYoung. LinebackerPete Werner,Young’scollege teammate, said he sees aplayer who has “maturedalot,” onewho nowunderstands his overall importance to the defense. Tight end Juwan Johnson remarked that he could tell Young was “on adifferent mindset” when they talked during arecentpractice.DefensivecoordinatorBrandonStaleybelieves Young beneﬁtedfromacompletely healthy offseason.

The hope is for Young to build on apromising first season with the Saints. Despite only finishing with 51/2 sacks, Young ranked sixth in pressures with 73, according to NFLNext Gen Stats. And despite coming off aneck injury,Young played in every game forthe first time in his career On its own, Young’snew contract carries an averageannual value of $17 million —making him the league’s19th-highest-paid edge rusher.Big picture, that appears to be areasonable contract for aplayer who hasyet to have a double-digit sack season and has a lengthyinjury history.But on the Saints, based on thatsameaverage, Young is suddenly the team’s highest-paid player

LSUathletics hiresOhioADastop exec

Cromer settooversee athletic department’s dailyoperations

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU athletic department announced Fridaythat it hired Ohio University’sathletic director to work as oneofScott Woodward’s top lieutenants.

JulieCromer— an administrator who’srun Ohio’sathletic department since2019 —will now ﬁll the role left behind by Keli Zinn, the chief operating ofﬁcer who left the

Tigers in July tobecomethe new athletic director at Rutgers.

“Julie is awidely respected leader in college athletics who brings tremendous experience at the highest levels to ouruniversity,” Woodward said in astatement.

“Not only is her perspective as an established athletic director invaluable to charting our pathforward, but her previous experience at the executive level impacting several institutions will help drive our continuedgrowth and success.”

Zinnfollowed former LSU president William Tate IV to Rutgers. At LSU,she oversawthe school’s football andgymnasticsprograms, helped it craft aplan to share rev-

enue with athletes and plotted the early stages of aproject to build a new basketballarena. LSU said Friday that Cromer will takeonsimilar responsibilities. She’ll “oversee the daily operationsofthe athletics department,” the school’sstatement said, while also working to build revenue streamsand start capital projects.

Cromer has served on national boards, such as the NCAA’s Division Iboard of directors, the Division Imen’s basketball oversight committee andthe FBSADassociation. In 2022, she co-chaired the NCAA’s transformation committee with Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey

Under Cromer,Ohio’sfootball, men’s basketball and women’s soccer teams won Mid-American Conferencechampionships.Its football programhas nowwon at least 10 games in three straight seasons.

“LSU is one of the most recognizable and successful brands in college athletics,”Cromer said, “and I am grateful to Scott Woodward for this opportunitytohelpthe departmentreach greater heights.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Continued from page1C

Osgood-Schlattersurgery. The procedure, according to thePrecision Surgery Center,isintended to reduce inﬂammation and pain in the knee.

“It’snot torn. There’snofraying.There’snone of that,” Kelly said. “This is pre-existing, and (he) probably just planted the wrong way.”

Nussmeier enters the 2025 season as one of the topquarterbacks in thecountry.Last year, he threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in his ﬁrst season as astarter,leading the Southeastern Conference incompletions and passing attempts. He needs to collect only 3,343 more yards to eclipse Tommy Hodson’scareer yardage tally and become LSU’sall-time leading passer.

If Nussmeierweretomiss time, the Tigers would turn to MississippiState transferMichael VanBuren, asophomore who completed 54.7% of his passes for 1,886 yards across the eight gameshestarted as a freshman. Heentered theportal and decided to enroll at LSUin December,potentially giving the Tigers astartingquarterback for the 2026 season.

The only other LSU signalcalleronscholarship is redshirt freshman Colin Hurley —aformer four-star recruit andearly enrollee who’snow fully recovered from aserious car crash

that hospitalizedhim in January Stayingconnected

Nussmeier tweaked his knee in LSU’sseventh practice of preseason camp. The Tigers rehearsed in full pads forthe ﬁrst time on Tuesday,aday in which the defensive line made several

Hence theexpectations.

“We’re on his tail,” defensive end Cam Jordan said.“Imean, you see the explosive plays. Yousee, or could say,‘Hey,hecould be spe-

cial.’ Andwewant that every play …Wesee your splashplay.Don’t letitbeasplash. Let it beawave.”

“We’ve got to have him on his game,” Werner said. “Andhe

disruptiveplaysinteam drills

Sophomore running back Caden Durham brokeoff along touchdown run, but only after the defense hadpickedupthree tackles forloss and asack.

Early returns of camp,however, have shown that Nussmeierhas already struck up nice connections

knows that.” Young hasbeen on his game thissummer.Incamp, the 26-year-old has used his rare blendofspeed and power to wreak havoc off the edge. He’s played with consistenteffort, notably chasing down Alvin Kamara down thefield after the running back broke off abig run.

TheSaints’ change in scheme has also beneﬁted the formerNo. 2overall pick. Young said he likes thefreedom Staley gives his defensive ends,often letting them dictatewhether to rush from atwopoint (standing position) or threepoint (hand on the ground) stance.

AndStaley’s defensedeploys widenine alignments,which Youngsaid make it easier to set the edge and get after thequarterback.

“It eliminates alot of thinking,” he said. In this defense, theSaintscould use Young similarly to howthe Los Angeles Chargers deployedstar Khalil Mack when Staleycoached there. Mack, coincidentally,isone of Young’sfavorite pass rushers to study.The twomet when Young was in the eighth grade because of amutual connection —Young’s coach at the time played college football withMack —and Young has maintained an interest since then. When he learnedteammate Chris Rumph played with Mack in LosAngeles, Young wanted to know all about him Mack’sﬁrst season with Staley resulted in eight sacks for the pass rusher. In 2023,his last withStaley, Mack ﬁnished with acareer-high 17 sacks.

“It’snot torn. There’s no fraying There’s none of that. This is pre-existing,and (he)probablyjust planted the wrong way.”

with his retooled group of receivers. In the offseason, Kelly and his staffsignedtransferwideouts such as Oklahoma’sNic Andersonand Kentucky’s Barion Brown, as well as former Oklahomaand SoutheasternLouisiana tight endBauer Sharp, whileretainingskill-positioncontributors AaronAnderson, Chris Hilton and Trey’Dez Green. Andersonisthe only other projected LSU starter who has missed timeinpreseason camp. Kelly has said that he, too, is battling knee inﬂammationand that hiswasn’t expected to sideline himpastTuesday’spractice.

The Tigers are scheduled to hold 13 more practices before theybeginthe week of theirAug. 30 season opener at Clemson. Kelly said he does not expect Nussmeier’stendinitis to prevent himfrom participating in any of those sessions.

“We’ll calm it down,” Kelly said, “and the world is still round.” Reed Darcey contributed to this report.

Email Koki Rileyat Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

“If you want those edge players to be thetone-setters in your defense, the different makers, then youhavetoput them in aposition to set thetoneand make adifference,” Staley said. “And so we think from amatchup perspective, having them widerallows them to impact the run game and pass rush.

“Because if you talk to any rusher,the closer he is, the tighterhe is, the less base he has to operate.” Even if Young doesn’t quite reach Mack levels of production, Staley sees alot to like. He said twothings stood out about Young initially: His age and his health. Being only 26, Staley said, was still relatively young given how muchYounghas accomplished in his career.Inaddition to his rookie of theyearcampaign, Youngmade the postseason that sameyear and later made theSuperBowl when he wastraded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.

Staley said Young “looks amazing” afterhavinga full offseason to trainwithout recovering from aserious injury.Last year,Young was working his way back from neck surgery.And for each of the twoyears prior,Young wasrecovering and rehabbing from atorn ACLand additional knee damage that he suffered in 2021.

This offseason, Young wasable to focus on his craft.

“He’shealthy,(we’ve) got avision forhim andnow you’ve got to go demand what he’scapable of giving,” Staley said.

ColumnistJeffDuncancontributed to this report.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints defensiveends Chaseyoung,right, and CamJordan runadrill on July 27 during training camp at the team’s practice facility

BRIAN KELLy, LSU coach, on quarterback Garrett Nussmeier

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier runs the ball during adrill at spring practice on April 12 at TigerStadium. Despitedealing with tendinitis, Nussmeier is set to practice Saturday.

2025 SCHEDULE

Sept.5 Vermilion Catholic Sept.12CENTRALCATHOLIC

Sept. 18 P PATTERSON

Sept. 26 Notre Dame

Oct. 3LakeCharles Prep

Oct. 10 FRANKLIN

Oct. 17 DELCAMBRE

Oct. 24 LOREAUVILLE

Oct.30WestSt. Mary

Nov. 7Houma Christian

Home games in caps

PAST FIVE YEARS

2024: 13-1 (statechampions)

2023: 8-3

2022: 4-7

2021: 4-7

2020: 6-4

PROJECTEDSTARTERS

Offense

Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl.

WR Khylon Edwards 5-7 150 Jr

WR Maddox Nacol 5-11160 So

WR Gavin Kading 5-11 155 So.

TE Jacob Minvielle 6-7 235 Sr

OT JakePoirier *6-2 250 Sr

OG AveryDelcambre *6-1 285 Jr.

CIlijahButts *5-10 260 Sr

OG Desmon Jones *5-11 255 Sr

OT LukeHewitt 6-2 255 Jr

QB Xander LaBauve6-3 205 Sr

RB Owen Morris *5-7 155 Sr Defense

Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl.

DE Joseph Trappey* 6-1185 Sr

DT Michael Bertrand *6-0 235 Sr

DT Tucker Carpenter 6-1275 Jr.

DE Jagger LaBauve6-3 205 So.

LB Izaac Andre *5-10 195 Sr

LB Michael Haik 5-9 190 Jr.

LB Owen Morris 5-7 155 Sr

CB Zavier Ledet 5-9145 Sr

CB Kyan Batiste 5-9 155 Fr

SS Layton Mitchell *6-0 175 Sr

FS Karon Eugene *6-1 165 Jr. *Returning starter

COACHES

Head coach: Matt Desormeaux (76-18)

Assistant coaches: HenryOhrenberger (DC), Trey Provost (WR/DB),JonMichael Viator (RB/ DL), ColbyHebert(OL/LB), JamesLay (RB/ DB), Josh Dworaczyk (DL/OL),Tucker Lewis (WR/DB), Dedrick Dodge(DB/WR)

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Catholic-New Iberia

Zavier

What we know

The Panthers should be in positionfor an opportunity to repeat as state champions.

Quarterback Luke Landry (39 touchdown passes againstthree interceptions)has moved on to Louisiana Christian, but four of ﬁve starters return on theoffensive line to open holes for running back Owen Morris and protect new starting quarterback Xander LaBauve.

“Offensiveline will deﬁnitely be astrength,” coachMatthewDesormeauxsaid.“Theyknow the scheme, and we will lean on them early.”

LaBauve, who started at defensive end (59 tackles,ﬁve sacks) as ajunior,couldbemore of adual threat than Landry with the power to bulldoze through defenders at 205 pounds.

“Xander is definitely aphysical kid with avery differentskill set than Luke,” Desormeaux said. “Don’tsleep on him throwingthe ball. He can sling the rock.”

The secondary will also be stoutwithreturning starters Layton Mitchelland Karon Eugene,who interceptedapassfromthe No.1 player in the country —ElijahHaven —topreserve the Division III select championshipwin over Dunham and their ﬁve-star quarterback.

“Itfeels like we almost have three returning starters,” Desormeaux said of the defensive backﬁeld. “Zavier Ledetstarteda couple of games.FreshmanKyanBatiste is the other cornerback. He’sspecial. We’re really excited about his next four years.”

What we don’tknow

CHNI is breaking in anew receiving corps afternearly 90% of lastyear’sproduction graduated. The top four receivers combined to catch nearly 2,500 of Landry’s2,850 yards passing

“It’shard to saythey’ll be just as good, but our receivers have achance to be almost just as good,” Desormeaux said. “Welack the experience in big-game situationsthat Jaiden Mitchell (1,000 yards) brought. Khylon Edwardsshould be really good in the slot.”

Morrisand Layton Mitchell, who combined

for 20 receptions and 274 yards, are the leading returning receivers along with Edwards (5-98, two TDs).

Jacob Minvielle (6-foot-7, 235 pounds) replaces JosephLeBlanc (14 TDs) at tight end. JosephTrappey,areturningstarterondefense (37tackles, 7tackles forlosses)isalso expected to takesnaps at tight end.

“Jacob is adifferent type of tight end,” Desormeaux said.“He hasthe size to create mismatches.”

MaddoxNacol,the starting shortstop and leadoffhitter as afreshman for the baseball state champs, could have abreakout year catching the ball.

Howwesee it

The Panthers will geta good litmus test in Week 1against lastseason’sDivision IV select champ VermilionCatholic. Last year,the Eagles went undefeated and handedCatholicNew Iberia its only loss.

“I love it,” Desormeaux said of the matchup of statechamps. “Iron sharpens iron. (Vermilion Catholic) coach Broc Prejean does aphenomenal job. Ihaven’tbeaten VC as a head coach.I’m excitedabout the challenge and hope we can continue playingtheminthe next cycle.”

ThePanthersreturn ﬁve offensive andsix defensive starters. Lastyear’slinebacking crew was outstanding with J.D. Hidalgo,Bennett Woodring and Izaac Andre, whoisback forhis senior campaign. Sophomore Jagger LaBauve steps intohis older brother’s shoes at defensive end. Michael Haik(32 tackles, fourtackles for losses) was avaluable member of the rotation at linebacker

“Wehavethe capabilitytobereallygood,” Desormeaux said. “Wehave guyswho need to step up, not just in their play,but in leadership roles. We’vebeen inconsistent in some practices and need to get better every single day.”

MikeCoppage

SCOREBOARD

n Houston at N.Y. Yankees,n L.A. Angels at Detroit, n ClevelandatChicago White Sox, n Philadelphia at Texas, n Kansas City at Minnesota, n Boston at San Diego,n TampaBay at Seattle, n Toronto at L.A. Dodgers, n Saturday’s games Houston (Valdez 11-5) at N.Y. Yankees (Gil 0-1), 1:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (Kikuchi 5-7) at Detroit (Morton 7-9), 5:10 p.m. Athletics(Perkins 0-2) at Baltimore(Young 0-5), 6:05 p.m. Cleveland(Cantillo 2-2) at Chicago White Sox(Burke4-8), 6:10 p.m. Kansas City (Cameron 5-5) at Minnesota (Ober 4-6), 6:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Luzardo 10-5) at Texas(deGrom 10-4), 6:15 p.m. Boston (Giolito 8-2) at San Diego (King4-2) 7:40 p.m. Toronto (Bassitt 11-5) at L.A. Dodgers(Snell 1-1), 8:10 p.m. TampaBay (Boyle 1-1) at Seattle(Evans 5-4), 8:40 p.m. National League

Dodgers(Snell 1-1), 8:10 p.m. Wild-cardglance

singles Round of 128 Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Argentina, def. Kei Nishikori, Japan, 7-5, 6-3 Tristan Boyer, United States,def. Brandon Holt, United States,6-3, 7-6 (3). Luca Nardi, Italy,def. Thiago Agustin Tirante, Argentina, 6-4, 7-6 (5). Alexander Blockx, Belgium, def. Marcos Giron, United States,6-2, 3-6,6-3. Emilio Nava,United States,def. Borna Coric, Croatia, 6-3, 7-5. Ethan Quinn, United States,def. Miomir Kecmanovic,Serbia, 7-6 (5), 6-4 Francisco Comesana, Argentina, def. Jaume Munar, Spain, 6-4, 6-4 Hamad Medjedovic, Serbia, def. Aleksandar Kovacevic, United States, 6-2,6-3. Reilly Opelka, United States, def. Hugo Dellien, Bolivia,7-5, 7-6(3) Women’s singles Round of 128 Lulu Sun, New Zealand, def. Antonia Ruzic, Croatia, 6-4, 6-4. Caroline Garcia, France, def. SonayKartal, Britain, 5-7, 6-4,6-3. Rebecca Sramkova, Slovakia, def. Caroline Dolehide, United States, 1-6,6-4, 7-6 (1) Leolia Jeanjean, France, def. Yuliia Starodubtseva, Ukraine, 7-5, 1-6,6-4. KimberlyBirrell,Australia,def. Anna Blinkova, Russia, 6-2, 6-1 Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia,def. Anna Bondar,Hungary, 7-6 (0), 6-4 Lucia Bronzetti, Italy, def. Zhu Lin,China, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (6). Taylor Townsend, United States,def. Danielle Collins, United States, 6-4,7-6 (2).

LAYTON MITCHELL

DB,6-0, 175, SR

The athletic strong safety should garner attention from collegerecruitersafter a solid junior season. Mitchell totaled 38 tackles (22 solo) withthree interceptions, a sack and ablocked field goal and tied Morris as the leading returning receiver KARONEUGENE

DB,6-1, 165, JR.

Eugene, whohas an NFL bloodline, alwaysseems to be around thefootball. He notched 45 tackles, intercepted eight passes with 167 return yardsand blocked three field goals.The four-star prospect is covetedbyLSU and many others. His dad (Hiram)playedfor the Raiders.

IZAACANDRE

LB,5-10, 195, SR

Andreisatough customer, “a smartfootball playerwho reactsquickly,” Desormeaux said. Last year,Andre posted 85 tackles (six TFL) with three interceptions and twoforced fumbles. He also started at thirdbase on the diamond for thestate champs.

XANDER LABAUVE

QB,6-3, 205, SR

Abig,strong signal-caller, LaBauvetransitions to offense after rushing the passer as ajunior.Heshined in limited reps at quarterback, completing 8of16attempts for 140 yardsand three TDs withnointerceptions.

OWEN MORRIS

RB,5-7, 155, SR

Another baseball standout, Morrisled theteam in rushing as ajunior with 801 yardson129 carries and 10 TDs.The three-year starteris described as a“phenomenal player” by Desormeaux, who said thePanthers will be more runheavy Morris

Ella Seidel, Germany, def. PolinaKudermetova,Russia, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. VarvaraGracheva, Russia, def. KatieVolynets, United States, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. CamilaOsorio,Colombia, def. Moyuka Uchijima, Japan, 7-5, 1-6, 6-4. Viktoriya Tomova,Bulgaria, def. Ann Li, United States, 6-4, 7-5. Maria Sakkari,Greece, def. Kamilla Rakhimova,Russia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Golf

LIV Chicago At Bolingbrook Golf Club; Bolingbrook,Ill. Purse: $20M (Individual); $5M (Team) Yardage: 7,224; par: 71 First round Sergio Garcia 67 -4 Dustin Johnson67-4 Dean Burmester 68 -3 Bryson DeChambeau 68 -3 Jon Rahm 68 -3 TyrrellHatton 68 -3 Phil Mickelson68-3 BrooksKoepka68-3 Talor Gooch69-2 Andy Ogletree 69 -2 Jose Luis Ballester 69 -2 Brandon Grace 69 -2 CharlSchwartzel69-2 Lucas Herbert 69 -2 Guillermo Mito Pereira69-2 Paul Casey 70 -1 Sebastian Munoz70-1 PatrickReed 70 -1 Martin Kaymer 70 -1 Cameron Tringale

Cameron Smith

E Abraham Ancer71E Anirban Lahiri 71 E Teams scores Stinger GC (L. Oosthuizen, D. Burmester, B. Grace, C. Schwartzel) -6 Fireballs GC (S.Garcia, A. Ancer, J. Ballestar, D. Puig) -5 CrushersGC(B. DeChambeau,P.Casey,C Howell III, A. Lahiri) -3 4Aces GC (D.Johnson, T. Pieters,P.Reed,H VarnerIII) -3 Smash GC (B. Koepka,T.Gooch, J. Kakrak,G McDowell) -2 HyFlyers GC (P.Mickelson, A. Ogletree, B. Steele, C. Tringale) -1 Legion XIII (J. Rahm, T. Hatton, T. McKibbin, C. Surratt) E Torque GC (J. Niemann, S. Muñoz, C. Ortiz, M. Pereira) +1 RipperGC(C. Smith, L. Herbert, M. Jones, M. Leishman) +2 RangeGoats GC (B. Watson, B. Campbell, P. Uihlein, M. Wolff)+3 Cleeks GC (M. Kaymer,R.Bland, F. Kjettrup, A. Meronk) +4 Majesticks GC (H. Stenson, I. Poulter, L. Westwood, S. Horsﬁeld)+9 Iron Heads GC (K. Na, Y. Jang, J. Kozuma, D. Lee) +9 Transactions BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League

BALTIMOREORIOLES—Agreed to terms with CF Greg Allen. Placed LF Colton Cowser on the 7-dayIL, retroactive to August 7. Sent CMaverickHandley to Norfolk(IL) on arehab assignment. Reinstated1BRyan Mountcastle from the 60-dayIL. Placed RF Tyler O’Neill on the 10-dayIL, retroactiveto August

from Charlotte (IL). OptionedRHP Jonathan Cannon to Charlotte. DETROIT TIGERS —DesignatedRHP Luke Jackson for assignment. RecalledRHP Codi Heuer from Toledo (IL) KANSAS CITY ROYALS —Agreed to terms

10-dayIL, retroactive to August 6. Recalled CJhonnyPereda from St Paul (IL) TEXAS RANGERS —Optioned LF Alejandro Osuna to Round Rock (PCL). Reinstated 1B JakeBurgerfromthe 10-dayIL.

LaBauve

Andre

Eugene Mitchell

PHOTO By MIKE COPPAGE

Catholic High of NewIberia defensivestandouts include, from left, Joseph Trappey, Izaac Andre, Layton Mitchell,

Ledet, Michael Bertrand and Karon Eugene.

Workshop helpschurches to thrive in turbulenttime

As agrowing number of churches struggle to survive strictly on tithes and offerings, arespected author and pastor is calling for arevolution in the way churchesthink about funding their ministries.

“Most churchesare funded by what is called tithes andofferings,which is thegivingof their members.That’samodel carried over from the 20th century,but this is the 21st century,” said Mark DeYmaz, the founding pastor of Mosaic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. “The fact is, those days are long gone.”

Declining demographics, income inequality,shifting generational trends toward giving andother factors have contributed to churches struggling to survive, said DeYmaz, the author of the 2019 book “The Coming Revolution in Church Economics: Why Tithes and Offerings Are No Longer Enough, and What YouCan Do About It.”

DeYmaz will lead aworkshop titled “It’sTime for aRevolution!” from 9a.m. to 2p.m Friday,Aug. 23, at First United Methodist Church, 930 North Blvd., Baton Rouge. Registration is $30 at fumcbr.org/ revolution.

First United Methodist Pastor Brady Whitton said DeYmaz encourages pastors to think creatively and entrepreneurially to do the work of the church.

“Tohear him say the oldway of doing stuff isn’tgoing to work anymore and we have to think about some other ways was arelief to hear.Ithought other pastors and other church leaders would beneﬁt from that as well,” Whitton said. “It’s a big responsibility not only to be responsible for the spiritual life of the church, but pastors are also responsible for the ﬁnancial and temporal life of the church.

DeYmaz, who has been in ministry for 42 years,promotes athree-legged financial model for churches:tithes and offerings; nonprofit engagement; and for-profit enterprise using church assets such as people, money and facilities.

“The combination of those three income streams is what it takes in the 21st century not only to be stable or to survive but to thrive,” he said. His church has successfully implemented this model over 24 years, operating amedical clinic, counseling center and other nonproﬁts.

“Pastors can walk our entire space and see this model in place,” he said.

DeYmaz said true stewardship is multiplying what God has given. Like the Parable of Talents, in which amaster praises two servants whomultiply their gifts and condemns theone who buried his.

“The one guy who sat on his assets is called the ‘wicked, lazy steward.’ That is the American church in anutshell,” he said.

Deymaz said the ultimate goal is to share the gospel.

“This will repositionthe church for the 21st century, so that you can continue to

ä See MATTERS, page 6C

STILL)UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Waterquality andvisibilityhas improved,but work is still ongoingfor theUniversityLakes Project

BY MARGARETDELANEY Staff writer

Will the University Lakes Project ever be finished?

Closed roads, ongoing dredging, overgrown shorelines andanabundance of heavy equipment in the high-trafﬁcareamakeithardto tell. Even so, ofﬁcials say the projectisstaying on pace, with afew importantmilestones recentlymet.

Dredging is done in parts of the system,and earlier this summer, construction crews broke ground on the long-awaitedMay Street bridge project,which will ultimatelydeliver atwo-lane bridge complete with protected pedestrian pathways spanning thenewly connected lakes.

MayStreet,while closedtocars and traffic according to signage through August 2026, is nowopen for pedestrians and bikers. Funded thus far at $75 million, theUniversity Lakes Project has beendivided into phases,with Phase 1focusing on the dredging and deepening of CityPark Lake

andLake Erie (the small lake off Lakeshore Drive near Interstate 10), andPhase2onUniversity Lake andits smaller surrounding lakes. Waterquality hasvisibly improvedinCity Park Lake, said

project lead Mark Goodson, principal with consulting ﬁrm CSRS. The remaining parts of Phase1 are now underway, including the

BR Italianrestaurantmoving,

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

Wilkinson. He’s aiming to recreatethe sameneighborhood restaurant, like the one he has on Coursey, but the new location will be almosttwiceaslarge.Healso has big plans after the move. Once they get settled, he plans to start abrunch menuand have expanded hours. Bistro Italia currently closes between lunch and dinner,but Wilkinson wants

DeYmaz

Whitton

STAFFDRONE PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

MayStreet at DalrympleDriveisclosed for dredgingofthe LSU Lakes.

STAFF PHOTO By MARGARET DELANEy

Amap shows the University LakesProject street closures, includingMay Street and East Lakeshore Drive, as well as detours through Government Street and Perkins Road

Left outof office birthday parties— for20years

Dear Miss Manners: For almost 20 years,I’ve worked with the same group of nine people. Every birthdayiscelebrated witha party,cake and gifts.Every birthday,every year except mine.

No one, including myself, has ever commented on the omission in all these years. Twice, Ithrew out ahint by asking if anyone had dined at acertain restaurant, as my husband was taking me there next week for my birthday.But no one acteduponthe clue. Idon’tcare as much about the party or gifts as Idoaboutthe recognition that Iexist. IknowI should have spoken up years ago, but didn’t. ShallIcontinuetokeep silent andcelebrate privately? Perhaps whisper the omission into a co-worker’sear and repeat that process until it’s acted upon? Quietly proclaim that as I’ve never been an honoree, Inolonger care to be aparticipant?

Ican’t for the life of me

ﬁnd apolite way to shout out, “Hey!What about ME?”

Gentle reader: It is hard for

MissManners to believe that, for 20 years, yournineco-workers have adamantly refused to acknowledge your birthday while ﬂagrantly celebrating their own. It is more likely there is alist

Lightenelbow skin

Dear Heloise: My elbows are clean but dark. Ihate it! What can Idoto lighten them up? Ruth, in Minnesota Ruth, ﬁrst, use aloofah or astiff body brush with lots of soap to scrub your elbows in acircular motion while you shower or bathe, but do not break theskin. Next, cut alemon in half and rub it on the area for about 5minutes per elbow.Finally,pat dry and use lotion on your elbows. Repeat if necessary

—Heloise

abouteyestrain; mine recommended warm cloths on my eyes, some moisturizing drops, and ashort break every 15 minutes while working on the computer

somewhere, madebysomeone in HR or management who has long since left the company,and that your birthday was inadvertently omitted from it. If you really need ofﬁce cake this badly,she suggestsyou go to current HR or management and ask —inapolite, non-accusatory, somewhat apologetic andembarrassed way —ifthat is thecase. If not, from everything Miss Manners has heard about workplace birthday parties, someone may well be happy to swap theirs out for yours.

Dear Miss Manners: Lastyear,Ihad amajor health event, which all my friends know about. Iamstill recovering and get tired easily When agroup of friends are din-

ing out, once we’ve ﬁnished and paid, one person sometimes wants to stay andnurse their drink and chat. Andbecause Ihave manners, Idon’t feel it’spolite or nice to leavethem at the table alone. However,I then end up staying way past my physical limit, feeling angry and resentful forbeing “stuck” duetocommon courtesy What is the right course of action here? Iwant to simply say, “I’m sorry that Ican’tstay to keep you company. Iwish Icould, but I’m completelyexhausted and need to gethome and rest.”

Onetime, it was snowing and the person whoelected to stay had no ride home. Yes, she could’ve gotten aride-share, but it was late at night. Ifeel like I

should’ve said something like, “I’m sorry,but Ineed to leave now,soifyou wantaride home, we’ll have to go.”

Gentle reader: Either of these responses is polite. But Miss Manners assures you that using your recovery as an excuse is not necessary.You are allowed to be tired and go homewhenever you want. Clearly,your other friends have no problem with the concept. Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite,www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

Harry S.,inNew York

Abig fan

Dear Heloise: Ilive in an area where summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit for daysinarow.Using theceilingfan makes my housefeel cooler

Dryeye recommendations

Dear Heloise: Ijust came from the eye doctor; here’s what she told me about my dry eyes: They can come from allergies, diabetes, meds and eyestrain. My diet, air pollution, how many candles Iput on my birthday cake,and my lifestyle can all contribute to dry eye. Also, I’ve read that technology is aleading cause of eyestrain. When I’m on thecomputer or on my phone, I’m blinking alot less than average, which is usually about twice the amount on ascreen. More time betweenblinks allows more time for eye ﬂuid to evaporate. Talk to your eye doctor

My question is this: ShouldIturn off thefans for afew hours each day to let them “rest,” or is it OK to let them operate 24/7? —Sarah P.,inBakersfield, California Sarah, operatinga ceilingfan isincredibly cheap,even if yourceiling fan has alight on it.No light on the fan costsas little as $10 to around $30 permonth forone witha light. But yes, you should turn thefan off when you are not in theroom, for safety’ssake. And did you know that theblades of the ceiling fan should gocounterclockwise in summertime to force the air down and make it cooler? —Heloise Send ahint to heloise@ heloise.com.

BISTRO

Continued from page5C

to be open from 11 a.m. to 9or9:30 p.m. Additionally,the restaurant plans to start using DoorDash for delivery.Wilkinsonisalso planning for some new menuitems and potentially having separate lunch and dinner menus.

MATTERS

Continued from page5C

resources,” he said.

In the process of moving to the new space, Wilkinson said, it is likely that Bistro Italia will have to close for aweek or two in order toinstall new equipment and train staff, since they’ll have to have about doublethe staff forthe new place.

Email Serena Puang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com

Formore information, contact PattyeHewittat (225) 383-4777, ext. 255 or email phewitt@ﬁrstmethodist.org.

ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@ gmail.com

MayStreet at DalrympleDriveisclosed

LAKES

Continuedfrom page5C

realignment and bridge construction on May Street —one of the mostanticipated and visible parts of theplan —along with native landscaping soon to be planted on the newly expanded shorelines of City ParkLake and Lake Erie.

May Street closed on June 4. Alternateroutes include StanfordAvenue or the northern endofDalrymple Drive near CityPark.

The closure is expected to create trafﬁcheadaches during LSU home games this fall, but thepayoff is promising, according to Goodson.

MayStreet

“The May Street improvements include,most notably,cutting anew channel between CityPark Lake and University Lake, bridging that channel with anew span bridge and realigning the street to help improve the safety of theintersections on either side of Dalrymple and East Lakeshore,” said Goodson.

Thenew two-lane bridge will feature 14-foot multi-

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday,Aug. 9, the221st day of 2025. There are 144 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, aU.S. B-29 Superfortress dropped anuclear device over Nagasaki; the bombing and subsequent radiation poisoning killed an estimated 74,000 people.

Also on this date: In 1173, construction began on the campanile of Pisa Cathedral —better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s“Walden,” which described Thoreau’sexperiences while living near Walden PondinMassachu-

use pathways on both sides, Goodson says. Asmallbarrier wall will separatewalkers and joggers from motorists— delivering the kind of safetyand separation users of the lakes have long craved.

The paths on thebridge will connect to existing paths on Dalrymple and to alimited new pathonEast Lakeshore that runs to Morning Glory Avenue. The changes promise to bring safer,more enjoyable conditions to an area that’sbeen defined by uneven footing and three-way trafﬁc.

New street lighting will also be installed, as well as improvedparking and lighting in May Street Park. The project is expectedto be completed by the endof summer 2026.

Phase 1’songoing work also includes newlandscaping around City Park Lake and Lake Erie,where the shorelines have already been enlarged with dredge material. These areas were cleared of overgrowth last fall, but they’ve become overgrown again. In the next few months, they’ll be cleared with additional soil added.

Then the new banks will be plantedwith native irises, marsh grasses and low-

growing perennials, according to Goodson. Expected to be completed by the end of September, the new landscapingisintended to help slow and ﬁlter runoffbefore it enters the lake. Phase 2A has already been underway,including dredgingofthe larger University Lake.

Dredging should be completed on the lake’snorthern swath by the end of the summer,and it has already been completed on the smaller College Lake on its southern end. Goodson said that crews will soon landscape these particular shorelines in the samemanner that’s about to happen around City Park Lake.

University Lake passersby may have spotted whatlooks like the return of water hyacinths near Dalrymple Drive. Goodson said it’sactually aﬂoating plant called swamp lettuce that has long been common in the lakes in the summer

“As the water gets healthier,weexpect that the vegetation will be less prevalent, like it is in CityParkLake,” said Goodson.

Goodson said that vegetation in University Lake and Lake Crest is maintained by the Louisiana Department

TODAYINHISTORY

setts,was ﬁrst published.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourthgold medal at the Berlin Olympicsasthe United States took ﬁrstplace in the 400-meter relay.

In 1969, actor Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered at Tate’sLos Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and agroup of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, Gerald Ford took theoath of ofﬁce to become U.S. president after Richard Nixon’sresignation; in aspeech following, Ford declared that “our long national nightmare is over.”

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated Lauro Cavazos to be secretary of education; Cavazos became theﬁrst Hispanic to serve

in the Cabinet. In 2014, Michael Brown Jr., aBlack 18-year-old, was shot to death by apolice ofﬁcer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri; Brown’sdeath led to sometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, helping fuel anational “Black Lives Matter” movement.

Today’sBirthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 97. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 87. Jazz musician Jack DeJohnette is 83. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 83. Actor Sam Elliott is 81. Singer Barbara Mason is 78. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFLplayer John Cappelletti is 73. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFLplayer

of Wildlife and Fisheries, but that its work has been interrupted by the widening of Interstate 10.

The long-term goal, however,istoprevent as much of the swamplettuce from coming back as possible. What’s next Phase2Bwillsee the remainder of University Lake dredged and landscaped. LSUBird Sanctuary,seen from University Lake, has been doubledusing the dredge materials.

Goodson says that additional trails and recreational featureslike the ones depicted in the2016masterplan have not been budgeted, but thathis team is continuing to look forfunding to support them

While the dredging hasn’t been the mostfun or attractive project for the lakes’ throngsofpedestrians,itis considered an essential ﬁrst step.

“Without ahealthy lake system,there wouldn’tbea recreational amenitytoenjoy,”Goodsonsaid. “Wehad to getthatecosystem ﬁxed ﬁrst.”

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

DougWilliamsis70. Actor Melanie Grifﬁth is 68. Actor Amanda Bearse is 67. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 66. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas is 65. Hockey Hall of Famer

PROVIDED PHOTO

Pizzas from Bistro Italia

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

for dredging of the LSU Lakes.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Dig in and do what you do best. Your determination and innovativeinsight will help you outmaneuveranyone who gets in your way Life choices areyours. Do what's best for you.

VIRGo(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) It's what you do to help others that will drawattention. Be the do-gooder that you are, and you'll make adifference. Expand your relationships with thosewho share your passion for reform and fairness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) The clocksare ticking, and your options areopen for investigation. Trustyour instincts, speak up on your ownbehalf and take the initiative to make things happen.

ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov.22) Do your research,expand your mind andconsider how you can fulfill thepromises you made to yourself. Don't hesitate to share your feelings with someone you loveand find out where you stand.

SAGITTARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Strutyour stuff and enjoy being partofthe entertainment. Engage in memorable events and tell others how you think and feel about them. Make someone'sday,and it will bring you joy.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don't expect everyone to have your best interests at heart. Look for opportunities thatbring you closer to someone who has your back. Avoidindulginginirresponsible behavior, scams and abuse.

AQuARIuS(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take the changes happening around you seriously and consider your options carefully.

Refuse to letyouremotionsinterfere with your ability to see what's bestfor you and your circle. PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Listen, communicateand embarkonprojectsor pastimes that interest you. Make commonsense choices rather than relying on your emotions.Don't get bogged down in time-consumingundertakings

ARIES(March 21-April 19) Keep your emotions hidden and be observant.Your strengthwill come from your abilityto decipherwhatothers want or expect from you before you negotiate your position.

TAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Pay attention; some of thechanges others try to implementwill not suit your needs.If you make afuss, it will causesetbacks Make the necessary adjustments and continue.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Carry outpersonal obligations first, andyou'll feel more relaxed when moving on to what brings you joy.Put your energy where it counts, and you'll come out on top cAncER (June 21-July 22) Look inward and consider your needs before taking on other people's drama. Loveis on the rise, andputting your bestfoot forwardwill help you strengthen your friendships

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Denis Healey,aBritish politician, said, “Follow the first rule of holes: If youare in one, stop digging.” If he werea golfer, presumably he would have said, “If you areinahole, take the ball outand move to the next tee.”

In today’s deal, though, South’s problemiswhich suit to digatfirst. He is in threeno-trump,andWestleadsthespade queen. After West opens three spades, North hasa textbook takeout double, and South plunges into the logical game contract. South starts with five top tricks: two spades, one heart andtwo diamonds.He cangain three more winnersfrom clubs andatleast two from hearts. And there is anatural instinct immediately to play aclub, but that is fatal. East wins with his ace andreturnshis remaining spade, whichestablishesWest’s suit while West still has the heart king as an entry Declarer needstorealize two things. First, that if West has the heart kingand club ace, the contract is unmakable. Second, that it cannot cost to take theheart finesse before touching clubs

So South plays adiamondtodummy’s king, then runs the heart queen. If the finessewins,declarercanswitchtoclubs to establish nine winners. Here, though, the finesse loses and West probably per-

wuzzles

severesinspades.Southwinsandknocks outtheclubace,knowingthatEastisnow outofspades.

If instead West returns his second diamond at trick four, declarer takes thetrick andplaysaclub, aware that he cannotlosemorethanoneheart,oneclub andtwo diamonds ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication

EachWuzzleisawordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

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

ToDAy’S

“Go youtherefore,and teach all nations, baptizing them in the nameofthe Father,and of theSon, and of theHoly Ghost: Teaching them to observeall things whatever Ihave commanded you: and, see, Iamwithyou always, even to the endofthe world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato