The Advocate 08-09-2025 by The Advocate

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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 Brumley “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.

A push to multiply math scores

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 5A

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

come and disadvantaged families as well as help safeguard residents when storms knock out power For state ofﬁcials involved in planning the program — called Solar for All at the federal level, and Solar for Y’all in Louisiana — the 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 One Big Beautiful Bill,

Zeldin

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.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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.

Police say Montana bar shooting suspect caught

A man suspected in a shooting at a Montana bar that left four people dead was captured Friday just a few miles from where the shooting happened after hundreds of law enforcement officers spent the past week scouring nearby mountainsides, authorities said.

Michael Paul Brown, 45, was taken into custody about 2 p.m. near the area where authorities had focused their search in the days following the Aug. 1 shooting at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, about 100 miles from Missoula.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said during a news conference that about 130 law enforcement ofﬁcers made a hard push Thursday after getting tips that helped verify they were looking in the right area

“We think that was directly correlated to ﬂushing him out,” Knudsen said of the number of officers that had swarmed the area. “We were able to move really quickly and get our suspect apprehended.”

Gov Greg Gianforte first confirmed Brown’s capture on social media Friday afternoon, saying it was an incredible response from law enforcement officers across the state.

“They followed up on every tip. They spent hours climbing over these mountains, looking for this criminal,” the governor said later during the news conference.

“They used every resource available to them to search for him.”

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.

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.

Suspected gunman, officer dead in Georgia shooting,

Incident occurred near the CDC and Emory University

BY JEFF AMY Associated Press

ATLANTA A man opened ﬁre outside the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday, leaving bullet impacts in windows across the sprawling campus and killing a police ofﬁcer before he was found dead in a nearby building, authorities said.

The attack, which unfolded near the neighboring Emory University campus, prompted a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation’s most prominent public health institutions, but no one else was reported to be injured.

Images shared by employees showed multiple CDC buildings with bulletpocked windows, underscoring the breadth of the damage to a site where thousands of scientists and staff work on critical disease research.

The gunman was found on the second floor of a building across the street from the CDC campus and

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-

police say

died at the scene, Atlanta

Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. He added that “we do not know at this time whether that was from ofﬁcers or if it was self-inﬂicted.”

The shooter was armed with a long gun, and authorities recovered three other ﬁrearms at the scene, according to a law enforcement ofﬁcial who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The gunman’s motive is still unknown this early in the investigation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Police declined to name the ofﬁcer who was killed, but DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson struck at the emotions

of the loss.

“This evening, there is a wife without a husband There are three children, one unborn, without a father,” Cochran-Johnson said.

When the shooting kicked off, staff at a nearby restaurant hunkered down and said they heard a string of gunshots “It sounded like ﬁreworks going off, one right after the other,” said Brandy Giraldo the chief operating ofﬁcer of The General Muir restaurant She then saw people running past her business. Two people paused to warn them of a shooter nearby

The CDC and Emory’s main campus are surrounded by afﬂuent wooded neighborhoods in northeast Atlanta.

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.”

James

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG

Israeli soldiers walk Wednesday along the border of the Gaza Strip in southern Israel.

Apollo 13 mission leader James Lovell dies at 97

BY DON BABWIN Associated Press

CHICAGO James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering, has died. He was 97. Lovell died Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois, NASA said in a statement on Friday

“Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount,” NASA said.

“We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements.”

One of NASA’s most traveled astronauts in the agency’s first decade, Lovell flew four times Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and 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 Tom Hanks — portraying Lovell — famously said, “Houston, we have a problem.”

In 1968, the Apollo 8 crew of Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders was the first to leave Earth’s orbit 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

Astronaut James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering died Friday at age 97.

blue dot photo of Earth from the moon, a world ﬁrst, and the crew’s Christmas Eve reading from Genesis saved America from a tumultuous 1968.

But the big rescue mission was still to come. That was during the harrowing Apollo 13 ﬂight in April 1970. Lovell was supposed to be the ﬁfth man to walk on the moon. But Apollo 13’s service module, carrying Lovell and two others, experienced a sudden oxygen tank explosion on its way to the moon The astronauts barely survived, spending four cold and clammy days in the cramped lunar module as a lifeboat.

Trump administration seeks $1B settlement from UCLA, official says

BY JOCELYN GECKER and MICHELLE L. PRICE

Associated Press

The Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles, a White House ofﬁcial said Friday, weeks after the Department of Justice accused the school of antisemitism and other civil rights violations. UCLA is the first public university to be targeted by a widespread funding freeze over allegations of civil rights violations 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, such as 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 person was not

authorized to speak publicly about the request and spoke on condition of anonymity The Trump administration suspended $584 million in federal grants for UCLA, the university said this week The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division issued a ﬁnding that UCLA violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”

The university had drawn widespread criticism for how it handled dispersing an encampment of IsraelHamas war protesters in 2024. Jewish students said demonstrators in the encampment blocked them from getting to class. One night, counterprotesters attacked the encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray, with fighting that continued for hours, injuring more than a dozen people, before police stepped in. The next day, after hundreds defied orders to leave, more than 200 people were arrested.

“The thing that I want most people to remember is (that) in some sense it was very much of a success,” Lovell said during a 1994 interview “Not that we accomplished anything, but a success in that we demonstrated the capability of (NASA) personnel.”

A retired Navy captain known for his calm demeanor, Lovell told a NASA historian that his brush with death did affect him.

“I don’t worry about crises any longer,” he said in 1999. Whenever he has a problem, “I say, ‘I could have been gone back in 1970. I’m still here. I’m still breathing.’ So, I don’t worry about crises.”

Lovell had ice water in his veins like other astronauts, but he didn’t display the swagger some had, just quiet conﬁdence, said Smithsonian Institution historian Roger Launius. He called Lovell “a very personable, very down-to-earth type of person, who says ‘This is what I do. Yes, there’s risk involved. I measure risk.’”

In all, Lovell flew four space missions — and until the Skylab ﬂights of the mid1970s, he held the world record for the longest time in space with 715 hours, 4 minutes and 57 seconds.

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

I keep imagining, is if I am some lonely traveler from another planet, what I would think about the Earth at this altitude, whether I think it would be inhabited or not,” he remarked.

That mission may be as important as the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, a ﬂight made possible by Apollo 8, Launius said.

“I think in the history of space ﬂight, I would say that Jim was one of the pillars of the early space flight program,” Gene Kranz, NASA’s legendary flight director, once said.

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

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

That, Lovell recalled, was “the most frightening moment in this whole thing.”

Then oxygen began escaping and “we didn’t have solutions to get home.”

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

Four-fifths of the way to the moon, NASA scrapped the mission. Suddenly, their only goal was to survive.

Lovell’s “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” a variation of a comment Swigert had radioed moments before,

became famous. What unfolded over the next four days captured the imagination of the nation and the world, which until then had largely been indifferent about what seemed a routine mission.

With Lovell commanding the spacecraft, Kranz led hundreds of flight controllers and engineers in a furious rescue plan. The plan involved the astronauts moving from the service module, which was hemorrhaging oxygen, into the cramped, dark and frigid lunar lander while they rationed their dwindling oxygen, water and electricity Using the lunar module as a lifeboat, they swung around the moon, aimed for Earth and raced home.

By coolly solving the problems under the most intense pressure imaginable, the astronauts and the crew on the ground became heroes In the process of turning what seemed routine into a life-or-death struggle, the entire ﬂight team had created one of NASA’s finest moments that ranks with Neil Armstrong’s and Buzz Aldrin’s walks 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 for a story on the 25th anniversary of the mission.

Trump removes Billy Long as IRS commissioner

Official to serve as Iceland ambassador

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

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

The ofﬁcial, who was not authorized to s pe ak publicly , spoke on condi tion of anonymity Treasury Sec re ta ry Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner, the ofﬁcial said. Long will instead serve as ambassador to Iceland, Long said in a statement on the social media site X.

“It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!” Long said.

The Senate confirmed Long on a 53-44 vote de-

spite Democrats’ concerns about the Republican’s past work for a ﬁrm that pitched a fraud-ridden coronavirus pandemic-era tax break and about campaign contributions he received after Trump nominated him. Before Long’s confir-

mation, the IRS shuffled through four acting leaders, including one who resigned over a deal between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and another whose appointment led to a ﬁght between former Trump adviser Elon Musk and Bessent. Long will be the shortesttenured IRS commissioner confirmed by the Senate since the position was created in 1862.

Long

FILE PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

It also requires math coaches for teachers. This year,schools also will pilot anew numeracy screener for grades K-3tomeasure students’ math progressduringthe year

Brumley calls it a“back-to-basics” approach, ensuring that students developfoundational math skills that they canbuild upon over time.

“Too often, kids are taught to believe that they’re nota math kid,” he said. “Every kid has to be amath kid in Louisiana.”

Atougher gradingsystem

It’sabout to become much harder forLouisianaschools to earn top grades.

Citing adisconnect between many schools’ high grades and many students’ lowscores, state policymakers overhauled the school-rating systemtoput much more weight on students’ academic outcomes. Next year,when schoolsreceive their ﬁrst ratings under the new system,many will likely see their grades take ahit Not surprisingly,the changes aredeeply unpopular with many educators.

TOWNE

Continued from page1A

The development wasunique in that it was located nearthe center of Baton Rougeand not on the fringesofthe city,like Perkins Rowe, the Mall of Louisiana or retail developments along Siegen Lane that cropped up in the1990s and early 2000s. At the time, Stephen Keller,president of Creekstone Companies, which developed and owned Towne Center, said the demographics of the area aroundCorporateand Jefferson were ideal for an upscale development. It was one of the ﬁrst open-air lifestyle centers to openinBaton Rouge, along with Perkins Rowe. Theproperty is anchored by a nearly 46,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market. Towne Center has anumber of high-proﬁletenants, including Walk-On’sBistreaux & Bar,P.F.Chang’s, The Gap, Nike,

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

Thechanges will be mostdramaticfor high schools, where75% of their ratings will now be based on student testscores, up from 25%. Criticssay schoolswill be incentivized to focus disproportionatelyontested subjectswhile pulling back from electives and the arts.

“Wecan’tjusthavethe focus only on English and math,” saidSt. Tammany Parish Public Schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia. “Wereally need to make sure we’re working on the whole student.”

District leaders already are wondering how they will convincefamiliesthatschoolsdidn’t getworse, thegoalposts just moved.They’re also working to meet some of therating system’s new expectations, includingpaid internships for high schoolers —a big ask given that only 5% of seniors graduated with internship credits in 2023.

“It’saheavy lift,” saidSt. Charles Parish Public SchoolsSuperintendent KenOertling. “There are goingto be some bumps andbruises alongthe way.”

Ann Taylor Loft, CurrencyBank andFleming’sPrime Steakhouse. Barnes &Nobleisset to open a bookstore in the center later this year

Jonathan Walker, acommercial realestate agent forMaestri-Murrell, said he expects DLC Management to keep TowneCenter’s tenant mix thesame. He said the company was likely interestedin Towne Center because the propertyﬁts its investment criteria.

He said it’sthe “best propertyin town” because ofits location and high-end tenants, and Keller was avery “proactive” leader of the property.

“That center is going to be 95%plus occupied as long as it’staken careof,” he said. Therehas also been talk about building an upscale apartment complex, TheStandard at Cedar Lodge, in TowneCenter.Afew years ago, Five Guys and Zea Rotisserie &Bar moved to new locations in the center,and thebuilding that housed therestaurants

Shrinkingfederal oversight

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

On theone hand he’sused federal funds andinvestigations to compel collegesand K-12 schoolstocomplywithhis agenda,while on the other hand promising to shrink thefederal government’srole in education.

Both trends could have amajor impact on Louisiana,which gets about 20% of itseducation funding fromthe federalgovernment— a larger share than most states In abid to eliminateprograms relatedtodiversity,equityand inclusion, or DEI, the Trumpadministration canceled some teachertraining grants andfroze billions of dollarsinschool funding. The frozen fundswererecentlyrestored, but theback-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 theU.S. DepartmentofEducation, part of his plan to abolishthe agency and give more authority to thestates. One early casualty of thecuts: The so-called“nation’sreportcard” —the national test thatrevealed Louisiana’sreadinggains—isbe-

andthe former Books-A-Million store was demolished to make room for the286-unit complex. Moody Rambin purchased amajority share of TowneCenter in February 2016 alongside American National Insurance Co. Streetwise Retail hasmanaged the lease and marketing strategy forTowne Center

Wesley Moore, apartner with thereal estate appraisal firm Cook, Moore, Davenport &Associates, said the $81 millionsale price is “delightful,” potentially raising the range of expectations forfuturecommercial real estate sales in thearea.

He saidinstitutional investors “oversaturated” withothermarkets may appreciatethe stability in Baton Rouge.Headded that the salesigniﬁes agrowing interest of institutional investors in Baton Rouge real estate, especially following the sale of Perkins Rowe in May “This isn’ta ﬂash in the pan,” Moore said.

Many Americansare fortunate to have dental coverage fortheir entire workinglife, through employer-providedbenefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocketcan come as a shock,leadingpeople to putoff or even go without care. Simply put —without dental insurance,there may be an important gap in your healthcarecoverage.

When you’re comparing plans ...

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plansmay limitthe numberof procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plansmay require you to pay hundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits. Someplans haveannual maximums of $1,000.

adentalproblem only go up as you age.2

Treatment is expensive— especiallythe servicespeople over 50 oftenneed.

Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup. $190 for afilling. $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills likethiscan be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.

Ask

ing scaled back, and someexperts fear for its future.

Critics say the ﬁrings also have diminished the agency’scapacitytoenforce civil rights laws that protectstudents. Public data shows the agency’sOfﬁce forCivil Rights has resolvedfewer cases thisyear than in the past, accordingtoThe Associated Press.

Theoffice, whichinvestigates complaints that students faced discrimination in school based on race, sexordisability,has been apowerfulway to hold schools accountable, said Kathleen Cannino, aLouisiana special-educationadvocate and parent of achild with adisability

“If we lose that top level of enforcement,” she said, “then schools from the bottom up willbelessinclined to follow the laws.” Loomingschoolclosures

Louisiana’spublic schoolsenrolled fewer students last year thanatany other time in nearly two decades.

The steady decline is due to the state’sshrinking population and a rise in homeschooling andsmall, unregulated private schools. Louisiana’s newLAGATOR program, which gives families tax dollars to spend on homeschooling or private school, could draw even morestudentsout of thepublic system

As enrollment drops, school dis-

tricts getlessfunding but face highercosts because under-enrolled schools are moreexpensive to run. The upshot is that, sooner or later,many districts will haveto close and consolidate schools. It’s already happeninginsome districts —and the process is often painful and contentious.

In Caddo Parish, parents this year tried, unsuccessfully,toget a judge to block the district’splan 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 Boardproceeded with the plan, which they said would save the district $2.5 million annually Brumley, the state education chief, saidmore school systems will have to “right-size.” If district leaders target schools with few students andlow scores, they can move studentstohigher-performing schools whilesaving money that can be used to raise teacher pay,heargued.

“I’ve never been through aschool closure that wasn’tcontroversial,” he said. “But I’ve also never been through onethatwasn’tthe right thing to do.”

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

SOLAR

Thetax and spending law cut the$27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that was approved under former President Joe Biden’ssignature climate legislation,the Inﬂation Reduction Act. The solar program came out of this larger fund.

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

“Congress has made its intent clear —via arepeal of thestatutory authorization andall 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 Times-Picayune.

Courregessaidthatinthe absence of the funding, the state will “look for other opportunities, federal or otherwise, for energy resilience.”

The Center for Planning

Continued from page1A

He added: “It would have been sooner,but Iguess there’ssecurity 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’llbeannouncing that very shortly.”

If it happens, the meeting would be the ﬁrstU.S.-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met PutininGeneva. It could mean abreakthrough in Trump’seffort to end the war,although there’snoguarantee it would stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. Still, Trump said, “President Putin, Ibelieve, wants to see peace,and Zelenskyy wants to see peace.” He said that, “In all fairness to President Zelenskyy,he’sgetting 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’tprovide further details Trump said of territory generally “we’re looking to get some back and some swapping. It’scomplicated.”

“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.” Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Russia could offer to give up territory it

Excellence, aBaton Rougebased organization that crafted Louisiana’sSolar for All program with the state, stressed theeconomicbeneﬁts that the solar program would have delivered tolower-income populations.

“Louisianans are already rightfully upset about their energy bills —theyare high, getting higherand already unaffordable formany,”said CPEX President Camille Manning-Broome. “Electricity is becoming aluxury in Louisiana —while residents in states generating solar aregettingmoney back.”

She lauded the now-terminated programasa way to address affordabilityand grid resilience in astate with one of thenation’shighestelectricitycost burdens. The federal Solar for All program guaranteed that participating low-income residents would see 20% reductions in household bills.

‘A betrayal’

Around15,000 Louisiana households wereexpected to beneﬁt from the program, generating around $4.6 million in savings,ManningBroome said

“Louisiana peopleneed our stateleadership to protect this investment thatis critical to meeting current energy needs, maintaining

controls outside of the four regions it claims to have annexed.

Pressed on if this was the last chance tomake amajor peace deal,Trump said, “I don’tlikeusing the term last chance,” and said that “When those gunsstart goingoff, it’sawfully tough to get ’emtostop.”

ExasperatedthatPutin didnot heed his calls to stop bombing Ukrainian cities, Trump almost two weeks agomoved up his ultimatum to impose additional sanctionsonRussia and introduce secondary tariffs targetingcountries that buy Russian oilifthe Kremlin did notmove toward asettlement. Thedeadline was Friday Before his announcing the meetingwith Putin,Trump’s effortstopressure Russia into stopping the fighting havesofar delivered no progress.The Kremlin’s bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainiancities. Russia and Ukraine are farapart on their terms for peace.

Ukrainian forces are locked in intense battles alongthe 620-mile front line that snakes from northeast to southeast Ukraine. The Pokrovsk area of the eastern Donetsk region is taking the brunt of punishment asRussia seeks to break out into the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region.Ukraine has signiﬁcant manpower shortages. Intense ﬁghting is also takingplace in Ukraine’snorthern Sumy border region, where Ukrainian forces are engaging Russian soldiers to prevent reinforcements being sent from there to Donetsk.

economic competitiveness and powering our future,” she said.

U.S. RepTroyCarter,DNew Orleans, said in astatement that theEPA decision “may be illegal.”

“Cutting thesegrantsisa betrayal,” he said. “Ithurts workingfamilies, ourenvironment and our shared future.”

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

States with Democratic leadership andother organizations across the country aresignaling theywill ﬁght the EPAtermination in the coming days, arguing that thepresident lacks theauthority to rescind money appropriated by Congress and already obligated to state agencies.All of the $156 millionawarded to Louisiana has been obligated.

In communication with the federal government, Louisiana’senergy department had earlier stressed how theprogram to generate112 megawatts of solar power would positivelyimpact the state.

“Louisiana is in aunique position nationally to dem-

In the Pokrovsk area of Donetsk,acommandersaid he believes Moscow isn’tinterested in peace.

“It is impossible to negotiate with them. The only option is to defeat them,” Buda, acommanderofadrone unit in theSpartan Brigade, told The AssociatedPress. He used only hiscall sign,in keeping with the rulesofthe Ukrainian military

“I would like them to agree and for all this to stop, but Russia will not agree tothat. It does notwanttonegotiate. So theonlyoptionisto defeat them,” he said.

In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, ahowitzer commander using thecall sign Warsaw, said troops are determined to thwart Russia’sinvasion.

“Weare on our land, we have no way out,” he said. “So we stand our ground, we have no choice.”

The Kremlin saidFriday that Putin had aphone callwith Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during whichthe Russian leader informed Xi about the resultsofhis meetingearlierthis week with Trumpenvoy Steve Witkoff. Kremlin officials said Xi “expressed support for the settlement of theUkrainian crisis on along-term basis.”

Putin is due to visit China next month. China, along with North Korea and Iran, have provided military support for Russia’swar effort, theU.S. says.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X thathealso had acall with Putintospeak about the latest Ukraine developments. Trump signedanexecutive order Wednesday to place an additional 25% tariff on India for itspurchases of Russian oil, which the American presidentsaysishelping to ﬁnance Russia’swar

onstrate how to reduce its high greenhouse gas inventory throughthe incorporation of solarenergywhile addressing its historic social and economic inequities,” DENR said in its February 2025 workplan application to theEPA Theprogramhad not started rolling outyet, as thestate was waitingfor approval from theEPA ExtremeriskinLouisiana DENR’s plan notesthe state’sfrequent extreme weather,including hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, drought, wildﬁresand high heat.Projected sea level rise contributes to elevated ﬂood risk and quicker coastal land loss. On top of these risks, DENR’s application describes theslew of outages thatstrain vulnerable residents.

“In 2021, theaverage customer in Louisiana experiencedmorethan80hours of power outages during theyear due to theweather, by far the highest in the

country,” the plan continues. “The disadvantaged communities of Louisiana will continue to experience the devastating impacts of hazardous weatherwithout themeanstoevacuate or invest in energy resilience options.”

Solarfor All sought to address these concerns through arange of programs foreligible low-income homeowners and renters. This included residential solarfor single-family unitsand smallmultifamily apartments, with no upfront costs and aminimum of 20% in savings. Battery storagegrants were planned to complement the residential solarinstallations to reduce grid dependenceand increase household resiliency This would mean that people could typically still powertheir homes at night, on dark days or duringoutages through stored solar energy

Accordingtothe DENR application,the program also opened anew pathway for

“community solar,” asystem designedfor rentersorothers whocan’tinstall solar on their properties. Residents can subscribe to ashare of a solar farm located elsewhere andreceivea credit on their electric bills. The program anticipated supporting up to 8,600householdsacrossthe state through community solar

NewOrleans is the only Louisiana city with policies enabling community solar, andits climate ofﬁce stressed howthe lost funds would have significantly helpedﬁnanceprojects for atotal of 55 megawatts of power

“There’senough demand in the city,” said Greg Nichols, who leads the Ofﬁce of Resilienceand 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.

Officials update outlook for 2025 hurricane season

NOAA gives forecast for the rest of year

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its hurricane season outlook for 2025 on Thursday, maintaining its forecast for above-normal activity as the peak of the season arrives.

The updated forecast was roughly in line with its preseason prediction, putting the number of expected named storms between 13 and 18. Of those, NOAA said ﬁve to nine could become hurricanes and two to five of those could become major hurricanes of Category 3 or above, which means winds of at least 111 mph.

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

A typical hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov 30, results in 14 named storms. NOAA said the likelihood of above-normal activity for this season was 50%.

The reasons for the forecast 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 storms so far this season, including Tropical Storm Chantal, which hit the Carolinas over the July Fourth weekend. None of the named storms so far has been a hurricane.

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 a tropical depression and dissipated; and Tropical Storm Dexter eventually moved away from the United States into the North Atlantic.

“Many of the factors we identiﬁed ahead of the season are still at play, and conditions are largely tracking along with our May predictions,” Matt Rosencrans, lead hurricane season forecaster with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, said in a statement. Louisiana marks the 20th anniversary this year of both hurricanes Katrina and Rita, two of the most destructive storms in history NOAA presented its initial 2025 outlook at the Jefferson Parish Emergency Operations Center in Gretna to commemorate Katrina’s 20th anniversary Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate com.

Trump orders higher federal law enforcement presence in Washington

BY WILL WEISSERT 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 administration could fully take over running the city

“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of 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 re-

turned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining — but could face steep pushback. “We have a capital that’s very unsafe,” Trump told reporters at the White House this week. “We have to run D.C.” The White House said the increased law enforcement would “make D.C safe again” and would be present on the streets starting at midnight — led by U.S. Park Police following an 11 p.m. Thursday roll call at an established command center

The push will last the next seven days with the option to extend “as needed,” under the authority of Trump’s previous executive order establishing the Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The added federal ofﬁcials will be identiﬁed, in marked units and highly visible, the White House said.

Texas Democrats head to California

Republicans warn of more escalations over walkout

BY JIM VERTUNO and NADIA LATHAN Associated Press

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

Republicans had warned they would escalate efforts to end the nearly weeklong holdout if deﬁant Democrats do not return to the state Capitol. But the Democrats who bolted for points across the country on Aug. 3 still were not back for Friday’s scheduled House ﬂoor vote.

The state constitution requires at least 100 members 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 from the FBI to assist Texas state troopers trying to ﬁnd them.

“We have all hands on deck, we are continuing to explore” options to force Democrats home, House Speaker Dustin Burrows said after the chamber failed to reach a quorum “We will 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 state have shown no signs of buckling for now:

A group of them was scheduled to appear later Friday with California Gov Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a public show of support for the walkout. Newsom has said he will push to redraw his own state’s lines in retaliation if Texas reshapes its maps for the 2026 elections.

Texas has been the epicenter of Trump’s push to gerrymander congressional maps to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority before next year

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit directly to the all-Republican state Supreme Court on Friday that seeks to have 13 of the absent Democratic lawmakers immediately removed from office, or at least given a 48-hour warning that they must return or have their offices declared vacated.

The lawsuit argues that the lawmakers 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, and the business of Texas must go on,” Paxton said.

Paxton’s lawsuit includes Rep. Gene Wu, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, who also faces a similar lawsuit filed by Gov Greg Abbott. Wu’s legal team argued that the state constitution allows House members to be removed only by a twothirds vote of the chamber, not the courts.

Wu said this week that quorum-breaking is not an abandonment of ofﬁce but a legitimate form of dissent

In a separate ﬁling in state district court, Paxton also 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 Democrats and continued to

raise more for them.

Paxton alleged that the fundraising efforts amount to illegal bribery in exchange for violating their duty of ofﬁce.

O’Rourke and his organization did not immediately issue a response to the ﬁling but said earlier in the week that they would be undeterred by Paxton’s threats.

Abbott promised that he’s willing to play the long game to get the bill passed.

“We have an agenda to pass priorities critical to Texans, and we will get it done I’ll call special session after special session no matter how long it takes — until the job is ﬁnished,” Abbott said on the social platform X.

The current special session ends Aug. 19, and the missing lawmakers already face mounting ﬁnes for every day they are gone and civil arrest warrants issued by the state House.

Trump wants five more seats out of Texas to potentially avoid a repeat of the 2018

midterms when Democrats reclaimed the U.S House and proceeded to thwart his agenda and impeach him twice. While their minority status allows them only to delay the Texas holdout has inspired Democrats and progressives around the country Newsom wants Democratic gerrymandering in California if Texas proceeds, though voters would have to bypass an independent redistricting commission. Illinois Gov JB Pritzker and New York Gov Kathy Hochul, both of whom have appeared alongside Texas Democrats who relocated to their states, have also declared their intent to push new maps if necessary to neutralize Republican maneuvers. Republicans are responding as well. In Florida, the state’s Republican House speaker announced this week that his chamber will take up the issue this fall through a select committee on congressional redistricting.

TheGoldenDeeds awardisthe most prestigious awardinthe GreaterBaton Rougearea. Since itsinceptionin1942, it hasbeen awardedtoonlyone outstanding recipienteach year forphilanthropic servicetothe community. Theactions andservice of therecipients have made thecommunity abetterplace to live andwork.

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Explainwhy your nomineeshouldreceive theGoldenDeeds Award. Tell us in your ownwords aboutthe most memorable things they’vedoneinservice to thecommunity Tell us howtheir actionstouched your heart; howtheymadea difference. Give speciﬁcexamplesofwhatthey’ve done Maximumof750 words. Nominations must meet speciﬁcrequirements to be considered.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RODOLFO GONZALEZ

Texas House Speaker Dustin Borrow, R-Lubbock, right, speaks with House Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, following a Republican Caucus meeting on Friday at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas.

Armenia, Azerbaijan leaderssigndealatpeace summit

Trumphosts meeting at WhiteHouse

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 theWhite HouseonFriday for apeace summitwhere they signed an agreement aimed at ending decadesof conﬂict.

The two countries in the SouthCaucasus signed agreements witheach other and theU.S. that will reopen key transportationroutes whileallowingthe U.S. to seize on Russia’s declining inﬂuence in the region. The dealincludes an agreement that will create amajor transit corridor to be named the Trump Route for Internation-

Ilham Aliyev,left, and Armenia’sPrime Minister Nikol PashinyanonFridayatthe White House in Washington.

al Peace andProsperity,the White House said.

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

Asenior administration ofﬁcial, on acall before the

event withreporters, said it was the Armenians who suggested the name.

At thepeace summit on Friday,AzerbaijaniPresident IlhamAliyevsaidthe transit corridorwill“create connectivityopportunities for so many countries.”

“Weare starting the path toward strategic partnership,”hesaid.

Armenian Prime Minister NikolPashinyancalledthe agreement a“significant milestone.”

“Weare laying afoundation to write abetter story than the one we hadinthe past,” Pashinyan said.

Both leaderssaid thebreakthroughwas made possible by Trump and his team and joined agrowing listofforeign leaders and other officialswho have said the U.S. leader should receive aNobel Peace Prize —something he has coveted.

“President Trumpinsix monthsdid amiracle,” Aliyev said.

Trumpremarkedonhow long the conﬂict went on between the two countries and said of the agreement, “Thirty-five yearsthey fought and now they’re friends and they’re going to be friends a

long time.”

That route will connect Azerbaijanand its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, which areseparated by awide20-mile-wide patch of Armenian territory

The demand from Azerbaijan had held up peace talks in the past.

Trump indicatedhe’dlike to visit the route at some point, saying, “We’re going to have to get over there.”

“The road map they are agreeing to will build acooperative futurethat beneﬁts both countries, their region of the SouthCaucasus and beyond,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly saidFriday.She addedthat the new transit corridor will “allowunimpededconnectivity between the two countries while respecting Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and its people.”

Asked howhefeelsabout lasting peace between Arme-

nia and Azerbaijan, Trump said “very conﬁdent” as he welcomed both leaders to theWhite HouseonFriday afternoon.

Friday’s signingaddsto thehandful of peace andeconomic agreements brokered thisyear by the U.S.,while Trump has made no secret of his wish to be awarded the NobelPeace Prize for his role in helping to ease longrunning conﬂicts acrossthe globe.

The peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda helped endthe decadeslong conﬂict in eastern Congo, and the U.S. mediated aceasefire between India andPakistan, while Trump intervened in clashesbetween Cambodia andThailand by threatening to withhold trade agreements with both countries if theirfighting continued Yetpeace deals in Gaza and Ukraine have been elusive.

VP meets with U.K. foreign secretary

BY DANICA KIRKA and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

LONDON Vice President JD Vance met with U.K.Foreign Secretary David Lammyon Friday at astately home south of London, with the two leaders saying the agenda includes global economics and the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’sfull-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Taking questions from reporters before their 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 would even mean, “given the lack of afunctionalgovernment there.”

Asked whether Trump had been given aheads-up on Israel’s announced intent to occupyGazaCity,Vance said he wouldn’t go into such conversations “Ifitwas easy to bring peace to that region of the world, it would have been done already,” he said The meeting comes amid debates between Washington andLondon about the best way to end the wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel andHamas It’s also taking place as the United Kingdom tries to come to favorable terms for steeland aluminum exports to the U.S., and the two sides work out details ofabroader trade deal announced at the end of June.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he hopedtomeet with President DonaldTrump next week,comments that came a daybefore Trump’sdeadline for Moscowtoshowprogress

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

TheU.S. andBritain, which havehistorically closeties knownas“the special relationship,” have alsodisagreed on their approach to ending the war in Gaza.

The meeting took place at Chevening, an almost 400-year-old mansionsurrounded by 3,000 acres of gardens thatserves as the foreign secretary’s official country residence.

About two dozen protesters were spottedonthe road before the turnoff to the stately home. Afew were wearing kefﬁyeh scarves and another held up around sign that had amememakingfun of Vance printed on it.

Judgeweighsrequest to remove protectionsfor immigrantchildren

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 MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

President DonaldTrump, center,sits during atrilateral signing withAzerbaijan’sPresident

EBR School Board renews contracts

Members

reverse decision on nonprofits

BY CHARLES LUSSIER

Staff writer

Twenty days after rejecting them, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board reversed course Thursday

and approved contracts with two nonproﬁts, one that teaches young children how to play music and another that helps hundreds of teenagers each year improve their chances of getting into college.

Without discussion, the board voted unanimously to suspend its rules and approve the $445,000 contract with Kids’ Orchestra and a $681,000 contract with the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, or BRYC.

Board member Dadrius Lanus, one of three board members who had

previously been critical of the two contracts, was absent Thursday’s vote coincided with the start of the 2025-26 school year

Patrick Tuck, executive director for Kids’ Orchestra, credited the changed vote Thursday to a wave of support over the past three weeks.

“We did reach out to several community partners and families to ask them to advocate on our behalf,” Tuck said. “They were hearing from those folks. Quite a few

emails and quite a few letters.”

BRYC Executive Director Lucas Spielfogel said communications with individual board members have improved, and he will do more in the future.

“It’s impossible for (board members) to know the nuances of every single program that’s happening in every single school,” Spielfogel said. “And so, what I’ve learned from this situation is to be proactive in ensuring that every board member truly has a grasp of what

ALL WIRED UP

A worker with Linetec Services performs maintenance on a power line on Kalurah

WBR Career Academy sees enrollment boost

Trade, technical education center expands offerings

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Port Allen High School junior Allyson Parton grew up intrigued by welding, watching her cousin practice the craft As the 2025-26 school year begins in West Baton Rouge, she’ll soon get a chance to try it for herself.

“When I graduate, I want to go to a trade school for welding,” Parton said “I really just want to learn all the basic skills this year.” The ﬁrst day of school at the West Baton Rouge Career Academy brought new class options and a new wave of students like Parton excited to learn about the trades. Enrollment at the career and technical education center, a model seen as part of the solution to Louisiana’s skilled workforce shortages, jumped to around 350 students from last school year to the beginning of 2025-26 an increase of more than 100 students. The academy is also expanding its offerings, with courses in medical terminology and industrial electronics. It ﬁrst opened next door to Port Allen High School in fall 2024 with a $1.3 million grant from the Louisiana Department of Education.

a tape measure assignment at the West Baton Rouge Career Academy on Thursday.

we’re doing.”

The revote came in response to a July 17 vote where the board was unable to muster the needed ﬁvevote majority to approve.

The vote that night was 4-0. Board members Lanus, Cliff Lewis and Shashonnie Steward abstained. Those three board members in opposition argued then that the district should either bring this work in-house or, if it hires outside

Man gets life in killing of BR activist

Victim remembered as a tireless community leader

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

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

A jury found Ronn Jermaine Bell, 44, guilty of seconddegree murder in the killing of local civil rights activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph. Their verdict culminated a five-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 possibility of parole on Bell. The courtroom at the 19th JDC was nearly empty Thursday

Bell

“You killed Ms. Roberts in the most primitive and personal way possible, by strangulation and suffocation,” the judge said. “A crime as senseless and brutal as that deserves the sentence

ä See ACTIVIST, page 2B

Lindsey allegedly housed murder suspects in dorm room

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

An LSU freshman running back turned himself into campus police Friday afternoon for allegedly opening his dorm room to two suspects in an Alexandria-area killing. JT Lindsey, who was considered a four-star prospect and ranked among the best in his position nationally, turned himself in after a warrant for his arrest was issued by LSU Police. He faces a count

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Street near Baywood Avenue in Baton Rouge on Monday.

ABOVE: Greg Chapman, left, a teacher at the West Baton Rouge Career Academy, shows students different electrical supplies on the first day of school on Thursday.

LEFT: Nicholas Culmone, an 11th grader at Port Allen High School, works on

AG: Ex-Golden Meadow police chief arrested

He allegedly deleted traffic citations, arrest records

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

On his way out of ofﬁce, the former Golden Meadow police chief deleted a slew of trafﬁc citations, arrest reports, payroll information and other data going back for more than 12 years, Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement Thursday

Troy Dufrene has been arrested on one count each of injuring public records, malfeasance in ofﬁce and computer tampering, Murrill’s ofﬁce said in a news release.

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

“I would say it was a contentious election,” said Sheriff Craig Webre of Lafourche Parish, where Golden Meadow is located. “In a small town like Golden Meadow, it’s not unusual for a local election to get contentious.”

have struggled to retrieve the deleted records,” the release 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.

Dufrene

Between the election and vacating his ofﬁce at the end of 2024, Dufrene allegedly deleted trafﬁc citations, fuel expenditures, arrest reports, payroll information and more from the police department’s case management system

“Dufrene’s actions caused signiﬁcant disruption to the police department’s operations as ofﬁcials

“Dufrene explained his excuse for deleting the modules containing the data was that he felt the data belonged to him,” the document says.

Dufrene apologized after he was told the information belonged to the town of Golden Meadow and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, which owns the computer system and allows cities and towns to use it, the afﬁdavit says.

“I don’t know if he was misguided in his belief that he had the right to

remove the data or not,” said Webre. “It was a surprise to me when the initial complaint was made by Chief Lafont, that he would have done such a thing. But the attorney general obviously determined in her investigation the probable cause supports a criminal charge.”

“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.

The vendor for the software was able to recover data Dufrene deleted, charging the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce $4,680 to do so, the afﬁdavit says.

Suspect detained by ICE after fatal Avoyelles crash

Impairment suspected in collision, officials say

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON |Staff writer

A fatal crash in Avoyelles Parish that left one man dead has led to the arrest of a suspect now being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to statements released by Louisiana State Police and the Department of Homeland Security

Louisiana State Police Troop E reported that a collision occurred around 9 p.m. Sunday on La. 1 near the Echo community Ofﬁcials say a northbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Romero H. Roberto, 34, of Alexandria, veered off the roadway and struck a 2013 Kubota lawn mower being operated on the shoulder by 59-year-old Rickey G. Maddox, also of Alexandria. Maddox suffered severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. Roberto, who was not wearing a seat belt was uninjured.

Man booked in high-speed chase in Tangipahoa Parish

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

A man was arrested Wednesday in the Kentwood area in connection with a high-speed chase along La. 38, where the man allegedly drove after a woman 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 with her child when she came across a parked vehicle across both lanes of the road, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

When she stopped, she said a man exited the vehicle and began walking toward her She backed out and

began to drive back the way she came, and the man got back into his vehicle and began chasing her, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

The woman told authorities that the man pushed her into driving over 100 mph in order to avoid a collision. She was able to escape the 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 counts of stalking, reckless operation of a vehicle and obstructing highways of commerce, according to jail records.

An investigation is ongoing as deputies look into “similar claims” in the area, ofﬁcials said.

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Continued from page 1B

“Workforce has a great need for quality employees, and the more experience we can get our students while they’re in high school, to be prepared to go into that workforce and to be those quality employees, the better,” academy supervisor Candice Breaux said.

“Any experiences that we can give them just builds their toolbox that they can use later on in life for whatever career they go into.”

As students entered the front doors of the academy Thursday morning, asking how to find the carpentry or human body systems classrooms, the excitement to be back on campus was palpable.

“Ms Jenkins, did you miss me?” one student asked.

‘A craft that can get them started’

On the ﬁrst day, students focused on safety protocol and practice with the basic tools of their trade.

In introductory carpentry, kids tested their handiness with tape measures, following a reference guide as they made marks along a wooden board. They’ll learn how to

make toolboxes and birdhouses in the coming year, using machinery like the band saw and the planer

“They come in and see everything is ready to rock and roll,” academy coordinator Jill Edwards said.

“They’re excited.”

Administrators and instructors were also happy to be back with the students, many of whom are returners from last year Medical assistant instructor Rachel Crochet, who helped direct students to their classrooms on the ﬁrst day, said the academy gives the kids an advantage in the job market when they graduate.

“This gives them the opportunity to finish with some type of skill when going out into the workforce,” Crochet said. “They have a craft that can get them started.

Port Allen High School senior Tyler Gilbert viewed the academy in a similar way: a “jump-start,” he said. He hopes to become an electrician after graduation, like his uncle.

“My uncle is an electrician, and I was seeing all the stuff he was getting, all the toys he was getting,” Gilbert said “I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

Email Haley Miller at haley miller@theadvocate.com.

Troopers said impairment is suspected in the collision, and toxicology samples were taken for analysis. Roberto was arrested Monday and charged with vehicular homicide, ﬁrst-offense DWI, careless operation, no driver’s license and an expired license plate. He was booked into the Avoyelles Parish Detention Center

The Department of Homeland Security conﬁrmed Thursday that ICE placed an immigration detainer on Roberto, identiﬁed in their release as Romero-Hernandez, a Mexican national who entered the United

CONTRACTS

Continued from page 1B

providers, it should give a shot to other local organizations doing similar things. Neither Lewis nor Steward spoke on Thursday to explain their change of heart District policy says that items voted down can’t be reconsidered for at least 60 days That would ordinarily have meant waiting until Sept. 15.

To revisit the contracts on Thursday, two things had to happen: Board President Steward had to agree to call a special meeting — the next regular meeting is not until Aug. 21; and two-thirds of the board, which is six or more members, had to vote to suspend district policy

For more than a decade, the school system has contracted with Kids Orchestra to provide music lessons to elementary-age children.

BRYC ﬁrst contracted with the school system in fall 2023. Last year, the district spent almost

ACTIVIST

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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 African-American Museum. For several years, she also organized an annual Juneteenth festival at the downtown Baton Rouge center, which was the city’s ﬁrst Black history museum.

During Thursday’s hearing, Roberts-Joseph’s son, Jason Roberts, remembered his late mother as an avid organizer, community leader and tireless volunteer He said she ran summer camps and literacy programs, hosted an endless array of cultural events and even sheltered domestic violence victims in her own home.

“To understand the loss, to understand the impact of her murder is to understand 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, have grown darker as well.”

Roberts-Joseph, 75, was found dead in the trunk of her car parked behind an abandoned house in the 2300 block of North Street the night of June 12, 2019. Her body was doused in bleach, an attempt by her killer to destroy trace evidence, investigators said. The woman died from a violent asphyxiation after being suffocated or strangled, testimony from Bell’s trial indicates.

Baton Rouge police tied Bell to the killing through video surveillance that showed him near the scene of Roberts-Joseph’s body the night she was discovered dead. His DNA was also found on the

“The vendor was able to recover and restore 100% of the data that was removed,” said Webre. Dufrene deleted the records while logged in under his username, allowing investigators to trace the activity back to him, the afﬁdavit says.

States at an unknown time and location. The detainer was issued to ensure he is not released back into the community after local legal proceedings, according to DHS

“This criminal illegal alien’s reckless decision to drink and drive killed an innocent man,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in the agency’s statement. “The senseless tragedy should have never happened because Romero-Hernandez should have never been in our country.”

The case is being investigated by Louisiana State Police.

$800,000, the same amount at issue now, to establish BRYC college prep classes at a handful of Baton Rouge high schools. Since forming in 2009, BRYC has helped hundreds of teenagers each year improve their chances of getting into a good college Its Class of 2023 had an average ACT score of 22.23, well above state and local averages, and its students improved by 3.8 points on average during their time there.

The Kids’ Orchestra contract approved Thursday is unchanged. In 2024, the nonproﬁt expanded from a handful to 15 schools. This year, it is again serving 15 schools. As per the contract, the district is covering half of the $900,000 overall cost.

The BRYC contract approved Thursday is $105,000 cheaper and narrower in scope than the previous proposal. The new contract funds an elective ACT prep course that would be available to 200 juniors at 10 high schools. It also provides districtwide access to BRYC’s counseling and career development services to high school seniors in need.

victim and in her car, according to court records Bell was a tenant in one of Roberts-Joseph’s rental properties along Goudchaux Street in north Baton Rouge. During his trial in June, prosecutors successfully proved to a jury that Bell’s motive for killing the woman was that he was $1,200 behind on rent.

“My children have lost their grandmother My sister and I have lost our mother,” said Roberts, the victim’s son. “The city has lost a cultural icon. The Black community has lost a light.”

Bell offered no apologies before sentencing and spoke only brieﬂy to again deny the murder he was convicted of committing

“I’ll always maintain my innocence. I told them I didn’t do this,” he said.

Roberts-Joseph was one of 12 children born to a family of sharecroppers in a heavily segregated section of rural Mississippi in the 1940s. She managed to become a respiratory therapist before ﬁnding her calling as a civil rights activist that transformed her into a beloved ﬁgure in Baton Rouge She founded the African American museum in 2001.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore noted that Myers denied Bell’s motion for a new trial and another request for a post-conviction verdict of acquittal Thursday morning, before issuing the life sentence.

“Today the defendant stood before the court and falsely claimed innocence A jury saw the truth when they convicted Ronn Bell of second-degree murder,” Moore said. “The court saw the truth Justice was ﬁnally done, and the defendant has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal slaying of Ms. Sadie, a mother, grandmother and tireless community leader.”

A Golden Meadow police officer told investigators that Dufrene said that “since he lost the election, 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 new chief took over and learned of the deletions, “it caused Golden Meadow to handwrite everything” instead of putting it in the computer system, according to the affidavit.

Email Matthew Albright at malbright@theadvocate.com.

LINDSEY

Continued from page 1B

of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder Lindsey’s attorney, Kris Perret, who is a former LSU defensive tackle said Lindsey had no idea the two teenagers from his hometown were wanted for murder, or any other crime, when he let them crash at his dorm for a few nights beginning on July 24.

The two suspects, Shemell Jacobs, 17, and Keldrick Jordan, 18, have been wanted by the Alexandria Police Department since mid-May in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Corey Brooks. Lindsey was seen entering and exiting his dorm with Jacobs and Jordan multiple times, and the pair was also seen using his LSU ID to access the building on their own, according to the afﬁdavit for Lindsey’s arrest. Jacobs and Jordan were taken into custody by U.S. marshals at the Riverbend Building of Nicholson Gateway dorms on Monday this week in the room assigned to Lindsey Lindsey’s ID was found on Jacobs at the time of his arrest.

LSU spokesperson Michael Bonnette told The Advocate that the athletic department is aware of Lindsey’s situation.

“We are aware and won’t have any comment out of respect for the legal process,” Bonnette said.

According to a statement released by Perret, Lindsey would not have allowed Jacobs and Jordan to stay with him had he been aware of their wanted status.

“(Lindsey) is glad these individuals were taken into custody by authorities without incident,” Perret’s statement reads. Lindsey is not accused of having taken any part in the original crime, only to have housed the two teenagers while they were wanted.

According to the warrant for his arrest, however, investigators said they believe Lindsey was aware of the crimes.

The three went to high school together along with the alleged murder victim The affidavit further claims that Jacobs, Jordan and Lindsey were part of the same friend group in Alexandria.

“Lastly, (Alexandria PD) advised that they had a large media blitz involving social media as well as traditional media coverage surrounding the murder and subsequent manhunt in Lindsey’s hometown,” the afﬁdavit states. “Given the size of Alexandria and the close ties Lindsey had to both the victims and suspects in the case, it is highly unlikely that he would not have been aware of these media reports.”

Further, investigators reportedly interviewed another associate of Lindsey’s who told them Lindsey had spoken with the associate about Jacobs and Jordan being wanted for murder before their arrests.

Lindsey was released on a $5,000 bail on Friday Reporter Reed Darcy contributed to this report. Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@theadvocate. com.

PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON

Port Allen High School students walk into the West Baton Rouge Career Academy on the first day of school on Thursday.

Carraway, Nell

ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817

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FloridaBoulevardinWalker, at 11 a.m.

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St.MaryBaptistChurchat10a.m

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FloridaBoulevard, at 11 a.m.

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MorningStarBaptistChurch in Napoleonville at 11 a.m.

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Funerals Today be it to the schoolsher childrenattended,The Dunham School, her church, or community. She was afaithful member of First PresbyterianChurch of Baton Rouge forover sixty years. Sara was precededin death by herhusband, Ted F. Dunham, Jr.and daughter Lezle F. Dunham. Sheis survived by her daughter Kara L. Dunham and her husband Scott Bertrand, daughterVanessa M. Dunham, grandson Cody Everette, granddaughterSara Alice Dunham Witcher and brother Bryant Malone. Sheleaves behinda lifetime of amazing memories and willberemembered forher warmth,gentleness, kindness, and herenduring love and devotion to her family and friends. As Sararequested,a private memorialservice,for family only,willbeheldin her honorata date to be determined. In lieuofflowers, donations may be made in honor of Sara Alice Malone Dunham to The Dunham School

St.JosephCatholic Church,2130

RectoryStreet in Paulina, at 10 a.m.

Oliver,Estella Star Hill BaptistChurch,1400 N. Foster Drive, at 11 a.m. Richardson, Rosa BethanyChurch SouthCampus at 11 a.m.

Robert,Shelby St.Theresa of AvilaCatholic Church 1022N.BurnsideAvenue in Gonzales at noon.

Root,Donald WitterHallatSt. Luke's Episcopal Church at 11 a.m.

Rushing, Peggy WilbertFuneralHomeinPlaquemine at 6p.m Russell, Charles

Messenger, Mary Mary Alice Messenger, 89, alongtime resident of Walker,LA, went home to be with her Lord andSavior on Monday,August 4, 2025

Shefoundjoy in the simple things- sitting on her front porch, watching the birds, tending to herroses, and sharing laughter and conversationwithher dear friends, CarlaTrosclair and family Mary Alicewas precededindeath by herparents, JesseW.SibleySr. and Lillie ErwinSibley;her siblings, Jesse "J.W."SibleyJr. (Louise Sibley) and Lillie G. Sibley; herhusband Thomas "T.C." Messenger; and herson,ArthurEugene EllisJr.

Sheislovingly rememberedbyher granddaughter,Regena "Gena" Ellis Cobb, and her great-granddaughter, Sophia Rhiannon Cobb In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to South Walker BaptistChurchinher memory.

Williams,Martha BakerFuneralHome, 6401 Groom Road in Baker, at noon.

Obituaries

Dunham, Sara Malone

"To everything there is a season, anda time to everypurpose under the heaven. Atime to be born and atime to die; atimeto plant and atime to pluck up that which is planted." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2. After living along life that spanned eighty-nine active years, Sara Alice Malone Dunham slipped into the hands of God in the comfort of her home on Friday morning, August1, 2025, surrounded by the love of her daughter and granddaughter. She was born on June 16, 1936, in Desoto Parish, Louisiana to James Drue Malone and Mary Amanda Bryant Malone. She was raised by her parents, both now deceased, in the small town of Logansport, Louisiana, which she credited with having helped form her character. She attended Logansport High School, Nicholls State University and Louisiana State University. She was married Ted F. Dunham, Jr., the love of her life, for over fifty-three years. They made their home in Baton Rouge and were the devoted parents of three daughters, Lezle, Kara, and Vanessa and her stepchildren Ted Dunham III, Marque Ann Dunham, and Paul J. Dunham of Austin, Texas. Sara was always perfectly dressed in tasteful outfits and with styled red hair. She carried herself with charm and grace and her genuine warm smileand friendly demeanor could light up a room. Above all, Sara cherishedher family. She wasa loving and supportive wife mother, and grandmother. Her love for her children was boundless and she devoted her life endeavoring to build alife of happiness for them. One of the greatest loves of her life was her only granddaughter Sara Alice Dunham Witcher, her namesake. Sara lived out her

Rosa Richardson, anativeand lifelongresident of Baton Rouge, passed awaypeacefully at 9:05 a.m. on Sunday, August 3, 2025,at the ageof77. She was retired from the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court. The Celebration of Life service for Rosa Richardson willbeheldatBethany ChurchSouthCampuson Saturday,August 9th at 11:00am, conducted by PastorDustinWest. The family willreceive friends and family at Bethany Churchfor visitation on Saturday,August 9th from 9:00am until the funeral servicesat11:00am. Interment willfollow at Greenoaks MemorialPark. Sheissurvived by two daughters, Ann Richardson Bibbins and Bianca Davis Richardson; two grandchildren, Whitneyand Troy Bibbins;one great-granddaughter, Airis Troi Bibbins; and one sister,Viola. Shewas precededin death by herhusband, Arthur Ree Richardson; her mothers, Viola Gardner and Louise Boston Sterling; her grandmother,Virginia Mitchell; asister, Louise Gardner; and abrother, EdwardJohnson. Arrangements entrusted to Miller& Daughter Mortuary, (225) 654-3802.

To donate and to

BRIEFS

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.

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

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

Intel CEO responds after Trump calls for his resignation

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), he’ll be back out (there).” Kelly was unsure how the injury occurred

Olympic medalist Rivera powers to earlylead

LSUcommitmenthas strong startatU.S.championships

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

No Simone Biles, no Jordan Chiles, but lots of smiles Friday in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships for Olympic gold medalist and LSU commitment Hezly Rivera

The only member of the ﬁve-woman U.S. Olympic team that triumphedinParis competing in this year’sevent,Rivera showed off her world-class skills totake the allaround lead after the ﬁrst senior women’s session at the Smoothie KingCenter Coming off ashaky showinginJulyinthe U.S. Classics meet where she had two falls, Rivera bounced back stronglyamid the pressure of being one of the pre-meetfavorites. It’satight race among the top three, however,with Rivera at 55.600 followed closely by Arkansas’ Joscelyn Roberson (55.400) and Florida’sLeanne Wong (55.100) “Itwillobviouslybeverycompetitive,” Rivera, 17,said. “I’m just goingtofocus on myself and my gymnastics,and whatever happens happens. But Iknow I’ve been working really hard in the gym, and I’mgoing to let my gymnasticsgoand seewhere it takes me.”

The women’sall-around championship and four individual eventtitles —vault, uneven bars, balance beam and ﬂoor —will be decided after theﬁnalsessionSundaynight, along with spots on the U.S. nationalteam. Scoring from both Friday andSunday’s sessions will be weighted equally

ä See RIVERA, page 2C

the Smoothie King Center.Riverascored a 14.350 in the event.

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

“This is like a1.5 on the scaleof1to10,” Kelly said. “And that’sjust being honest with you.”

Kelly said the tendinitis Nussmeier is experiencing is the aftereffect of asurgery he underwent in 2023 calledthe OsgoodSchlatter surgery.The procedure, according to thePrecision SurgeryCenter,isintended to reduce inﬂammationand pain in the knee “It’snot torn. There’snofraying. There’s

ä See LSU, page 3C

Tendinitis is managed every single dayaround the world forall kinds of different ailments. This is likea1.5 on thescale of 1to10.”

BRIAN KELLy, LSU coach

during last

BYMATTHEWPARAS 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

See SAINTS, page 4C

Saints defensiveend Chase young chases down aball carrier

Saturday’spractice at the team’straining facility in Metairie. STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER LSU commitment Hezly Riveradoes a backflip on the balance beam at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships Friday at

Packers star, first NFLPA president dies at 95

Billy Howton, a former Green Bay Packers star regarded as one of the most productive wide receivers of the pre-Super Bowl era who was a founder and the first president of the NFL Players Association, has died. He was 95. Howton died in Houston on Monday, according to an obituary Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home confirmed his death on Friday Howton was born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930. He was believed to have been the oldest living NFL player Howton scored the Packers’ first receiving touchdown at Lambeau Field in 1957. He was a secondround selection by the Packers in 1952 and became the first NFL rookie with a 1,000-yard receiving season after recording 1,231 yards that year

Fleetwood leads at St. Jude

Rain suspends FedEx Cup playoff opener

By The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tommy Fleetwood had another big closing stretch Friday with four straight birdies, giving him a 6-under 64 and the 36-hole lead in the FedEx Cup St. Jude Championship with his sights set on an elusive PGA Tour title.

So much attention is on the top 50 in the FedEx Cup who advance out of the 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’t happened for me yet out on the PGA Tour, but I would much rather be up there and not quite get it done than not there at all,” Fleetwood said. “And who knows? Maybe this weekend is the weekend and we’ll see, and we’ll crack on from there.”

Fleetwood was at 13-under 127, four shots clear of Collin Morikawa (65) and Akshay Bhatia (69). Justin Rose also was at 9-under par after a birdie on the par-5 16th.

Storms rolled into the area, forcing spectators to leave the course and suspending play until Saturday morning.

Fleetwood finished with four straight birdies on Thursday. He made three in a row early, including a 30-footer from the fringe on the par-3 fourth hole at the TPC Southwind.

He also had a pair of key par saves around the turn before going on another run.

He holed a pair of 15-foot birdie putts on the 13th and 14th. He stuffed a wedge to 5 feet for birdie on the 15th.

And then he reached the par-5 16th in two and two-putted from about 30 feet for a fourth straight birdie.

The only bogey came at the ﬁnal hole when he went from the bunker into thick rough, and the safe shot from there was some 50 feet long of the pin.

“Of course, when you shoot two good scores, it’s easy to say everything has been going well,” Fleetwood said. “But I think for the most part I’ve been very good off the tee, put myself in position to have a go at the course. My

RIVERA

Continued from page 1C

After stepping off the Olympic podium, Rivera said she briefly slowed down gymnastics wise. She went on an exhibition tour with Biles, who won her ninth U.S. all-around title in 2024. The effects of that break are still something Rivera is working to erase.

“It was so hard to come back,” she said “I only took like two weeks off, but for me that’s a long time. I was so sore when I came back, and it was so hard to get back into my routines and get my skills back. So I’m just so glad that all the hard work and sacriﬁces are paying off.”

With LSU’s Konnor McClain, the 2022 U.S. all-around champion, watching from the stands, Rivera started on beam, posting a routine that was an exceptional mix of difﬁculty and execution. It was originally scored at 14.050, but after an inquiry Rivera’s mark was bumped up to 14.350 that held on for ﬁrst place in that event. Moving to floor in the second rotation, the Oradell, New Jersey native just stayed in bounds on one tumbling pass, but her

iron play has been good and solid, and I’ve rolled the ball well.”

Kurt Kitayama had the low score of the round at 63, moving him to the top ﬁve on the leaderboard as a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change.

The FedEx Cup playoffs were an afterthought until two weeks ago. He was at No. 110 until winning the 3M Open in Minnesota. Now he’s at No. 52 and the next goal is to move on to the BMW Championship next week outside Baltimore.

It’s hard not to pay attention to the top 50 this week because along with advancing in the postseason, anyone in the top 50 is assured of being in all eight of the $20 million signature events next year

There’s no need for Scottie

Schefﬂer to look. The PGA and British Open champion is so far ahead in the FedEx Cup he is assured of staying at the top this

week. That doesn’t mean he’s cruising along without a care. Schefﬂer was slowed by three bogeys on the back nine, landing in rough that swallowed up his golf ball and left him visibly frustrated. He still shot a 66 and was six shots behind.

Jordan Spieth had an 8-foot par putt on the ﬁnal hole that turned toward the cup and looked to be falling from gravity alone when it hung on the edge. That about summed up his day of three bogeys, three birdies and a 70 that left him 12 shots behind and facing plenty of stress for the weekend as he tries to avoid a second straight year outside the top 50.

Bud Cauley one spot behind Kitayama in the FedEx Cup at No 53, shot 69 and was in a tie for seventh when play was suspended.

Once the second round is completed, the third round will follow

performance dazzled enough for a 14.000, tied for the second-best behind a 14.150 from Roberson. Rivera followed that up with a strong 13.800 on vault, choosing not to do a second pass. Needing at least a 13.300 to stay in front of the hard-charging Roberson, who ﬁnished on ﬂoor Rivera closed with a 13.450 on bars, only a small twist on the landing perhaps keeping her from a higher score. Another LSU commitment for 2026, Annalisa Milton of Lee’s

Summit, Missouri, was in 17th in the all-around at 51.300. Rivera is not expected to compete for LSU until after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“It’s been a great experience here in New Orleans,” competing in Louisiana for the ﬁrst time, Rivera said. “It was so cool to see the LSU team supporting me and Annalisa. We room together at (gymnastics) camp a lot, so we have just been growing a closer bond.” Roberson, who won the U.S. vault title in 2023 and the beam

in threesomes off both sides. Fleetwood is No. 15 in the world with seven wins on the European tour against some of the stronger fields. He has thrived on a big stage overseas, particularly the Ryder Cup. It’s just that small matter of a PGA Tour title

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

“Right now I would love to just go and sulk somewhere and maybe I will do,” he said that Sunday at the Travelers. “But there’s just no point making it a negative for the future really.”

He gets another chance on the weekend at the TPC Southwind, still only the halfway point but at least there with a chance and in command of his game from teeto-green.

title in this event 2021, said keeping her composure was key to how well she performed Friday “I feel I prepared really well,” Roberson said. “I wasn’t nervous. I put myself in position to perform like I wanted to.”

Jayla Hang of Kirkland, Washington, was in ﬁrst place on vault with a 14.050, while Roberson and Alicia Zhou of San Antonio were tied for ﬁrst on bars (13.650).

In the junior women’s session Friday afternoon, Caroline Moreau of Keller, Texas, was in first place at 53.700, followed closely by Charleigh Bullock of Spotsylvania, Pennsylvania at 53.200. Isabella Anzola of Statham, Georgia, was third (51.900).

The men’s competition concludes Saturday Stanford’s Asher Hong is at 85.585 after six events Thursday, 4.48 points ahead of Oklahoma’s Fuzzy Beneas (81.105). It’s the largest lead midway through the men’s competition since the current scoring system was introduced in 2006. Saturday’s senior men’s final will be streamed live on Peacock.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Trackhouse Racing signs van Gisbergen to extension

After making the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as a rookie, Shane van Gisbergen has earned a multiyear extension with Trackhouse Racing, the team announced Friday No further terms were released.

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

Texans safety arrested twice in two months

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward was arrested Thursday on a felony warrant, according to the Montgomery County Jail records. This was second arrest in two months for the 34-year-old Ward. He also was arrested June 12 at his home in Magnolia, Texas, for allegedly assaulting and 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 a one-year extension through this season. If he plays for Houston, it will be Ward’s third season with the team. He played his ﬁrst nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

Colts QB Richardson

day-to-day after injury

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is considered day-to-day with a dislocated pinkie, a person with knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity It’s unclear when Richardson will practice next. Indy did not hold practice Friday and is scheduled to do so Saturday in Westﬁeld, Indiana, a suburb on Indianapolis’ northwest side. Richardson was injured on the second possession of the Colts’ preseason game against the Ravens on Thursday night. He was driven 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 a back injury that has sidelined her since a ﬁrst-round loss at Wimbledon on June 30. The U.S. Tennis Association announced Badosa’s withdrawal and said Jil Teichmann would replace her in the ﬁeld. Alizé Cornet, who retired from tennis last year but returned to action this year is the next woman in line to get a berth in the draw at Flushing Meadows if someone else pulls out. Play is scheduled to begin on Aug.

Badosa, a

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

Leanne Wong competes on balance beam at the U.S Gymnastics Championships on Friday at the Smoothie King Center

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Tommy Fleetwood, of England, watches his tee shot during the second round of the St. Jude Championship on Friday in Memphis, Tenn.

Indianapolis 500 champion Alex Palou, of Spain, poses with the BorgWarner Trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 26.

By MICHAEL CONROy

Palou closer to winning fourth title

BY JENNA FRYER AP auto racing writer

It’s not a question of if Alex Palou will win his fourth IndyCar championship this season, only a matter of when.

His

ﬁrst opportunity at clinching a third consecutive title and fourth in ﬁve years comes Sunday at Portland International Raceway, Round 15 of the 17-race schedule.

A run of utter dominance not seen since Scott Dixon in 2006 has put Palou in need of leaving Portland with a 108-point lead over Pato O’Ward, the only driver still mathematically eligible to beat him for the title. Palou is a comfortable 121 points ahead of O’Ward headed into the race.

Even so, Palou is adamant a fourth Astor Cup does not yet belong to him.

“Everybody here is saying we’ve already won,” Palou said. “Although we have a lot of points, we still need to win it. If somebody else is mathematically alive, it’s still alive, so we don’t want anybody to be mathematically alive for the points.”

Whatever you say, Alex

O’Ward is already resigned that it will take a total collapse from Palou over the ﬁnal three races of the season for him to have even an outside chance at snatching the championship away from the most dominant driver of the last ﬁve years.

Although no one besides Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dixon has had a season so strong in nearly two decades, Palou has easily surpassed all of his peers’ previous domination.

It started with back-to-back wins to start the IndyCar season remember Josef Newgarden bristled when asked what it would take to dethrone Palou with a curt, “It’s Round 1, dude. Let’s see how it goes.”

Well, here’s how it went: Palou won ﬁve of the ﬁrst six races, which included the Indianapolis 500 that had eluded him in five previous tries. That win at the Brickyard cemented his path to another championship and he’s been untouchable since.

Palou goes into Portland with a series-high eight wins, five poles, 11 top-five finishes in 14 races, 563 laps led and a 1.2 average finish.

Dixon, a six-time IndyCar champion considered the best driver of his generation and one of openwheel’s all-time greats, has only one win this season and no answer as to why he can’t keep pace with teammate Palou.

“I don’t know sometimes you just have years like that and it just ﬂows and it’s not even a conﬁdence thing,” Dixon said.

SonowPaloucontrolshisownfate and it starts at the Portland track where he has two wins and finished second last season. If O’Ward wins Sunday and picks up the maximum points, Palou would still win the championship by finishing second and leading a single lap. Palou can clinch the title by finishing fourth or better maybe even eighth depending on various factors involving O’Ward and bonus points. So history basically awaits starting this weekend, when Palou will attempt to join Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Bourdais and Ted Horn as the only drivers in series history to win three consecutive titles. But, the more impressive mark is that Palou, with two wins in the final three races, can tie the IndyCar re-

cord for victories in a season set at 10 by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970.

A sweep of the rest of the schedule would make him IndyCar’s winningest driver in a season. Ironically, Palou entered the season with 11 career wins and can now double that mark in 2025.

“I cannot really comprehend everything that’s happening, not only this year, but if I look back at ever since I started in IndyCar, my dream was just to be a professional race car driver, and I never thought about records or anything like that,” Palou said. “I never thought that I would be around those names, and I think obviously this season in particular has been a little bit crazy

“I almost matched the wins that I had in three years, or in four years actually It’s amazing to be there,” he continued. “I owe everything to my team and everybody that is behind me, like my personal team and my racing team. It’s not that I’m not conscious about what’s going on. It’s just that I cannot really believe it, and I’m just riding the wave and enjoying every single second of it and having fun.”

Yankees’ Stanton nearing return to outﬁeld

TheAssociated Press

NEW YORK Giancarlo Stanton is nearing a return to the outfield for the first time in nearly two years, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday Stanton has had his playing time limited while the Yankees have used slugger Aaron Judge as the designated hitter while working his way back from a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow Stanton was not in the lineup for the third straight game on Friday as the Yankees opened a three-game series against the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Stanton could be back in the lineup soon. Stanton has not played the outﬁeld since September 14, 2023, at Boston. He last appeared in the outﬁeld at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, against Milwaukee.

Stanton started at DH for 32 games after missing the first 70

LSU

Continued from page 1C

none 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 top quarterbacks in the country Last year, he threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in his ﬁrst season as a starter, leading the Southeastern Conference in completions and passing attempts. He needs to collect only 3,343 more yards to eclipse Tommy Hodson’s career yardage tally and become LSU’s all-time leading passer

If Nussmeier were to miss time, the Tigers would turn to Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren, a sophomore who completed 54.7% of his passes for 1,886 yards across the eight games he started as a freshman. He entered the portal and decided to enroll at LSU in December, potentially giving the Tigers a starting quarterback for the 2026 season. The only other LSU signal-caller on scholarship is redshirt freshman Colin Hurley — a former four-star recruit and early enrollee who’s now fully recovered from a serious car crash that hospitalized him in January Staying connected

Nussmeier tweaked his knee in LSU’s seventh practice of pre-

games of the season due to inflammation in the tendons of both elbows. His only appearance since Judge returned from his injury came as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning Tuesday, when he grounded into a double play Stanton spent about 45 minutes Friday during batting practice fielding soft fly balls and grounders from third base coach Luis Rojas. Rojas hit fly balls to Stanton from near first and second base before finishing the session hitting fly balls from near the first base side of mound.

The 35-year-old appeared in 114 games last season, hitting .233 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs, then had seven homers in 14 postseason games and was voted the MVP of the AL Championship Series. He missed time because of a strained right biceps and strained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee (2019) strained left hamstring (2020), strained left quad-

riceps (2021), right ankle inflammation and left Achilles tendinitis (2022) and strained left hamstring (2023 and 2024).

y. It was a little bit more clean.” Roberts said he wasn’t sure if Sasaki’s next move will be a rehab assignment or another sim game.

LSU athletics hires Ohio AD as top executive

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU athletic department announced Friday that it hired Ohio University’s athletic director to work as one of Scott Woodward’s top lieutenants.

Julie Cromer — an administrator who’s run Ohio’s athletic department since 2019 — will now fill the role left behind by Keli Zinn the chief operating ofﬁcer who left the Tigers in July to become the new athletic director at Rutgers.

“Julie is a widely respected leader in college athletics who brings tremendous experience at the highest levels to our university,” Woodward said in a statement.

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

Zinn followed former LSU president William Tate IV to Rutgers. At LSU, she oversaw the school’s football and gymnastics programs, helped it craft a plan to share revenue with athletes and plotted the early stages of a project to build a new basketball arena.

LSU said Friday that Cromer will take on similar responsibilities. She’ll “oversee the daily operations of the athletics department,” the school’s statement said while also working to build revenue streams and start capital projects.

Cromer has served on national boards, such as the NCAA’s Division I board of directors, the Division I men’s basketball oversight committee and the FBS AD association.

season camp. The Tigers rehearsed in full pads for the first time on Tuesday a day in which the defensive line made several disruptive plays in team drills. Sophomore running back Caden Durham broke off a long touchdown run, but only after the defense had picked up three tackles for loss and a sack Early returns of camp, however, have shown that Nussmeier has already struck up nice connections with his retooled group of receivers. In the offseason, Kel-

Dodgers

SASAKI SHOWS PROGRESS IN SIMULATED GAME, EYES LATE-SEASON RETURN: Roki Sasaki threw a three-inning simulated game Friday and the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie is on track to return late in the season.

The Japanese phenom has been on the injured list since mid-May with a right shoulder impingement.

Sasaki tossed 46 pitches, with his velocity touching 97 mph at times, against outﬁelder Alex Call and a few minor leaguers.

“He accomplished what he needed to,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Roberts noticed Sasaki has added some weight through working with the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

“He’s more physical,” Roberts said, “The throw wasn’t as shoulder-

“It’s not torn. There’s no fraying There’s none of that. This is pre-existing, and (he) probably just planted the wrong way.”

BRIAN KELLy, LSU coach, on quarterback Garrett Nussmeier

ly and his staff signed transfer wideouts such as Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson and Kentucky’s Barion Brown, as well as former Oklahoma and Southeastern Louisiana tight end Bauer Sharp, while retaining skill-position contributors Aaron Anderson, Chris Hilton and Trey’Dez Green. Anderson is the only other projected LSU starter who has missed time in preseason camp. Kelly has said that he, too, is battling knee inflammation and that his wasn’t expected to sideline him past Tuesday’s practice.

The Tigers are scheduled to hold 13 more practices before they begin the week of their Aug. 30 season opener at Clemson Kelly said he does not expect Nussmeier’s tendinitis to prevent him from 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.

Brewers

BALLPARK SELLING FLAPJACKS AFTER MURPHY’S VIRAL ‘POCKET PANCAKE’ MOMENT: The Milwaukee Brewers are bringing manager Pat Murphy’s strange eating habits to fans. Murphy went viral in a recent interview for pulling a pancake out of his uniform pocket and taking a bite — sharing the ﬂapjack with the reporter as he detailed different ways he shoves food into his pockets to snack on in the dugout. The moment has spawned quite the movement in Milwaukee. The ballclub announced Friday that “Murph’s Pocket Pancakes” will be sold at American Family Field during Sunday games for the rest of the season, starting with this weekend’s series against the New York Mets.

In 2022, she co-chaired the NCAA’s transformation committee with Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey. Under Cromer Ohio’s football, men’s basketball and women’s soccer teams won Mid-American Conference championships. Its football program has now won 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 opportunity to help the department reach greater heights.”

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

Celtics sign Mazzulla to multi-year extension

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER AP sportswriter

BOSTON Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens has said throughout the offseason that that team wanted Joe Mazzulla to be its coach for a long time. It made that more than a proclamation Friday announcing it has signed Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension. Length and details of the new deal were not released. In a statement, Mazzulla called his new pact with the team “a blessing.”

“I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children,” Mazzulla said. “We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad’s mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.”

Mazzulla, 37, is coming off his third season as Boston’s coach and has guided the team to the playoffs each season, including the franchise’s 18th NBA title to cap the 2023-24 season. He was

the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the 196869 season, when 35-year-old Bill Russell led the Celtics to the championship as a player-coach. Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won at least 57 games each of those seasons and topped 60 victories in each of the last two. Though Stevens has never publicly discussed the details of Mazzulla’s contract, the coach was initially given an extension shortly after having the interim tag lifted in February 2023. Stevens conﬁrmed in June that Mazzulla had received at least one additional extension prior to his latest one.

“He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,” Stevens said in a statement. “Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.” Mazzulla originally joined the Celtics in 2019 and spent the next three seasons as an assistant before being interim head coach after former boss Ime Udoka was suspended by the team prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier runs the ball during a drill at spring practice on April 12 at Tiger Stadium Despite dealing with tendinitis, Nussmeier is set to practice Saturday.

Woodward

Rattlertostart preseasonopener

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

IRVINE, Calif. —Kellen Moore has made adecision on his starting quarterback—for the ﬁrst preseason game, anyway

The New Orleans Saintscoach said Spencer Rattler willstart Sunday’spreseason opener against theLos Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.The decision reﬂects how the Saints have practiced of late, with Rattler getting agooddose of reps with the ﬁrst team.

But Moore’sdecision was also based on the type of camp Rattler is having. The second-year signal caller has been the most decisive of the three quarterbacks in contention for the starting job, and coaches have highlighted Rattler’s mobility as another standout It wasn’timmediately clear how long Moore intends to playRattler with the starters,orwhether rookie Tyler Shough will also getan opportunity to play with the ﬁrst team in Sunday’sgame. Moore indicated previously that he planned to sit several veterans in the exhibition, including star running back Alvin Kamara

Resting Kamara, which Moore said was decided because the team knows what the 30-year-old can bring,will free up the Saints to evaluate their other backs in what has been acrowded competition Kendre Miller Clyde Edwards-Helaire and others are competing to be Kamara’sbackup, and Moore indicated theteam will likelykeep only three or four running backs on the roster As for the quarterback competition, Moore has said the preseason will be acrucial step in the team’s overall evaluation process. It was at this point last year that Rattler made serious gains in New Orleans’ backupquarterback com-

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, teammates and coaches have sworn they’ve seen a shift in Young. Linebacker PeteWerner,Young’scollege teammate, said he sees aplayerwho has“matured alot,” one who now understands his overall importance to the defense. Tightend Juwan Johnsonremarked that he could tell Young was“on a different mindset” when they talked during arecent practice. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley believes Young beneﬁted from acompletely 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 Hence the expectations.

“We’re on his tail,” defensive end CamJordan said. “I mean,you see the explosive plays. Yousee, or

petition in part because of howhe performedinthe preseason compared to Jake Haener.Although Haener was initially Derek Carr‘s backup to start the season, theSaints turned to Rattlerwhen Carr went down with injuries.

Complicatingmatters, the Saints did not line up joint practices against another team —which usually tends to affect reps in the following preseason game. Teams will usually rest most of their starters if they feel likethey got agood amountofwork during joint practices. In lieu of ajoint practice, theSaintsopted foranintrasquad scrimmage Friday,albeit alighter onethan last Sunday’sintense 126playpractice.

Last year,the Saints played their starters for only nine snaps —goodfor twodrives—intheir preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

But thecircumstances have changed. The Saints have anew coaching staff, and more importantly,a quarterback competition in which every rep is valuable.

Team bonding

Over his ﬁrstyear as coachofthe Saints, Moorehas prioritized teambuildingactivities to fosterchemistry.The outings have includeda trip to FiveO Fore Golf, apaintball course andabowling alley

They’ll continue in California.

The Saints are out west for trainingcamp,and Moore set up the team’sschedule in part to encourageplayers to bond at night when theSaints aren’t in meetings. New Orleans hosts late afternoon practices from 4p.m.to6 p.m., and before that, players and coaches spendmost of theday in meetings.

With their evenings cleared, Moore said he hopesplayers go to dinnerwith each other or ﬁnd some other way tobond.

could say,‘Hey,hecould be special.’ Andwewantthat every play …Wesee your splash play.Don’t letitbeasplash. Letitbeawave.”

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

Young hasbeenonhis game thissummer. In camp, the 26-year-old hasused his rare blendofspeed andpower to wreak havoc off theedge. He’s playedwithconsistenteffort, notablychasing down Alvin Kamara down thefield after the running back broke off abig run.

The Saints’ change in scheme hasalsobeneﬁted the former No. 2overallpick. Young said he likes thefreedom Staley gives his defensive ends, often letting them dictate whether to rush from atwopoint(standing position) or threepoint (handonthe ground) stance. AndStaley’sdefensedeploys widenine alignments, which Youngsaid make it easier to set the edge and getafterthe quarterback.

“Iteliminatesa lot of thinking,” he said

In thisdefense, the Saints could use Young similarlytohow the Los Angeles Chargers deployed star Khalil Mack when Staley coached there. Mack,coincidentally,isone of Young’sfavorite passrushers to study.The two met when Young wasinthe eighth grade because of amutual connection —Young’s coach at the timeplayed college footballwithMack —and Young has maintained an interestsince then.Whenhelearnedteammate ChrisRumph playedwith Mack in Los Angeles, Young wanted to know all abouthim.

Mack’sﬁrst seasonwithStaley resultedineight sacks for the pass

Shough hashis best showingofcamp

noon with the 2’s.

“It’simportant to let them kind of go,”Moore said. “There’sa part of it —wewill certainly schedule things, but Ithink it’s important to letthese guys developthose relationships together. Everyone has different interests, differentrestaurants, different preferences. So we allowthose guys to enjoy the differentthings that they like.”

ChrisOlave appreciates thegestures.

“It’shuge,man,” thewide receiver said. “The chemistry, the bond, the relationships we build with each other,it’smuch more than football. Especially when we get to thetough gamesand thetough roads in the middle of the year, toward theend of the year.When we get to those points, we’ve got to lean on each other, evenwhen we’re mad at each other or when we’redown in thegameorstuff like that. Ilove the energy and vibes (Moore)broughttothe whole coaching staff.”

Moving on

The Saints’decision to cut incumbent punter Matthew Hayball had to do withwanting to evaluatetheir other two punters, Moore said.

New Orleans released Hayball before theteam headed to California on Wednesday,leaving James Burnip and Kai Kroeger on the roster “Just atough decision,obviously,” Mooresaid. “Wehad three punters in here and we thought (Hayball) certainly did some good things. We thought from the young guy’sperspective,there was something interesting aboutthemand giving them alittle bit of alonger lens to evaluate them We felt like we had threegood ones in camp and ultimately had to make achallenging decision.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

rusher. In 2023,his last withStaley, Mack ﬁnishedwith acareer-high 17 sacks.

“If you want those edge players to be the tone-setters in your defense,the differentmakers, then youhavetoput them in aposition to setthe tone and make adifference,” Staley said. “Andsowe think fromamatchup perspective,having themwider allows them to impact the run gameand pass rush.

“Because if you talk toany rusher,the closer he is,the tighter he is, the less base he has to operate.”

Even if Young doesn’tquite reach Mack levels of production, Staley sees alot to like.Hesaid two things stood out about Young initially: His age and his health.

Being only 26, Staley said, was still relatively young givenhow much Younghas accomplishedin his career.Inaddition to his rookie of theyear campaign, Youngmade thepostseason that same year and later made the SuperBowlwhen he was traded to theSan Francisco 49ers in 2023.

StaleysaidYoung “looksamazing” afterhavinga full offseason to train without recovering from aserious injury. Lastyear,Young was working his way back from neck surgery.And for each of the two years prior,Young was recovering and rehabbing from atorn ACL and additional knee damage that he suffered in 2021.

This offseason,Young was able 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 tothis report.

IRVINE, Calif. —SpencerRattler will start Sunday’spreseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. Butdon’tcount out Tyler Shough in the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback competition just yet. Friday easily marked Shough’s best training camp practice of the summer as he looked confident, decisive and overall faster It wasthe latest sign of growth for the second-round draftpick, who seemed to have turned acorner after starting particularly slow over his first fewpractices. Shough’slearning curve was perhaps to be expected, but the Saints still needed to see progress from the 25-year-old. That has happened in droves lately.It startedlast Sunday whenShough began the Saints’ first scrimmage 8-of-8 before cooling off. But on Friday,inNew Orleans’ second scrimmage, Shough hardly suffered adropoff. He was aggressive —but more importantly, consistent. At his best, Shough’sball placement is the trait that arguably separates him from the other quarterbacks on the roster.That was on full displayinFriday’s practice. He hit BubMeans in a tight window on aplay-action pass that was right on the money Later,onthird down, Shough rolledtohis right, scanned the field and found DantePettis for 30 yards while withstanding pressure right in his face. His mostimpressive throw, however,came inside the 10yard line when he jumped to lob apass to Kevin Austin foratouchdown. On that play —another thirddown —Shough leapt so he could still get the ball off with linebacker Pete Werner crashing in. Shough’sscore also came against the first-team defense even though he spent the after-

That level of instinct had typically been reserved forRattler this camp. But Shough has made those kinds of plays of late, and you can see his conﬁdence starting to grow

Here’show apparent Shough’s conﬁdence wasinNew Orleans’ 66-play scrimmage: After he fooled the entire defense on a keeper,Shough went running on the baseline of the end zone to high-ﬁve asmallgroup of kids watching in the family and friends section. Coach Kellen Moore seemed impressed with Shough’sdecision to keep the ball for the score, too. He told reporters after practice that 95% of the time, that play is supposed to go to the running back, but Shough made an instinctive call to end up with points.

With all that said, let’stake a look at the numbers during Friday’ssession:

•Rattler: 12-16 (92-134 overall)

•Shough: 10-14 (84-134)

• Jake Haener: 3-8 (71-105)

Did Shough close the gap on Rattler for the starting job? As good aday as Shough had, that’s hard to say.After all, Rattler was almost equally sharp. He displayed an impressive chemistry with Rashid Shaheed,who ﬁlled in as the team’s No.1receiver with Chris Olave nursing an ankle injury Rattler thrived on deep playaction throws, such as when he found Shaheed fora30-yard touchdown. On that score, Rattler quickly identiﬁed that Shaheed was in amismatch and let it rip. Rattler has displayed a consistent level of decisiveness throughout camp, and that may ultimately be the reason he wins the starting job. But forthe Saints, it was important forShough to be decisive as well. And that has happened moreand morelately Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

BY JIMMY GOLEN Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH,Mass. TomBrady’s statue weighs 6tons and rises 17 feet off the ground, from the bottom of the six-sided base —one for eachofthe NewEngland Patriots’Super Bowlvictories —to thetip of the bronze ﬁst raised in celebration. For aplayer who was too slow and immobile coming out of college to merit morethan aNo. 199 draft pick, that seems just about right

“When Iwas drafted, Ijust hopedtomake the team.Inever dreamed I’ll be standing here twoand ahalf decades later, made of bronze and frozen in time,” Brady said Friday night at aceremonytounveil the statue beforethe Patriots’ exhibition opener against the Washington Commanders. “But actually,it actually feels pretty appropriate given my 40-yard dash time.” Athree-timeNFL Most Valuable Player,ﬁve-time SuperBowl MVPand seven-timeNFL champion —hewon one after defectingtothe Tampa BayBuccaneers —Brady retiredin2023 as the league’s most-decoratedplayer ever,holding records in dozens of

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler throwsapassduring training camponTuesdayinMetairie.Rattler has been named the starter for the preseason opener on Sunday

AP PHOTO By STEVEN SENNE Astatue of former NewEngland quarterback TomBradyisshown on Friday in Foxborough, Mass.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints quarterback Tyler Shough flips the ball at practice Tuesday.

Matthew Paras

Lions-Falcons game ends early

Detroit safety Norris suffers serious injury

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA Detroit safety Morice

Norris was attended to for about 20 minutes and taken off the ﬁeld in an ambulance during the Lions’ preseason game Friday night against Atlanta, with the game ending with 6:31 to go after the

players let the clock run.

Norris was hurt with 14:50 to go trying to tackle Nathan Carter

“We’re just praying for Mo and ask that everybody prays for him,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell, who said he had “positive information” from hospital.

“He’s breathing. He’s talking. He has some movement,” Campbell added. When play resumed, Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took a snap and then held the ball as players from both teams stood at the line of scrimmage and the clock continued to run.

Rookie Sanders shines in debut with Browns

By The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C Shedeur Sanders’

NFL preseason debut was so impressive even LeBron James took notice. Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdown passes in the ﬁrst half to Kaden Davis on Friday night as the Cleveland Browns defeated the Carolina Panthers 30-10.

“That young (man) looking good out there,” James posted on X. “Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high.”

The four-time NBA champion followed up with another post, adding “And I don’t wanna hear that ‘It’s only preseason’ bs. Cause if he was out there not going in y’all would be on his (butt) about it! So give credit and grace lames.” Sanders, a highly-rated draft prospect who endured a dramatic fall into the ﬁfth round in April, entered the game fourth on the Browns depth chart, but was pressed into starting duty because of injuries. His status could change after he led three touchdown drives in nearly three full quarters of action, showing tremendous poise and awareness in the pocket

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws his first touchdown pass during the first half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday in Charlotte, N.C

“I honestly don’t know and don’t care,” Sanders said when asked if he thinks he should move up the depth chart.

“I did some good and bad. I know moving forward I won’t do the same mistakes twice whatever the decision is.”

While Sanders played into the third quarter counterpart Bryce Young had a quick, but effective night for Carolina.

PATRIOTS 48,COMMANDERS 18: In Foxborough, Massachusetts, the ﬁrst time TreVeyon Henderson touched the ball in an NFL game, he went nearly untouched by anyone else.

The Patriots rookie running back erupted for a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game, helping power New England to a exhibition win over the Washington Commanders on Friday night.

Raiders’ tackling woes evident in preseason tie with Seahawks

BY MARK ANDERSON

AP sportswriter

HENDERSON, Nev The Raiders tackled or at least, attempted to tackle — for the ﬁrst time Thursday night. And it showed.

Las Vegas had a number of missed tackles in its 23-23 tie with Seattle, especially earlier in the game when more of its front-line defenders were on the ﬁeld.

The question is whether that was more of a long-term cause for concern or typically what’s expected in the ﬁrst preseason game.

“I’m chalking it up to it’s the ﬁrst preseason game,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Friday “I’m concerned, yeah That way we tackled stunk, and it was all open-ﬁeld stuff for the most part. That’s why you play these games.”

Making matters worse for the Raiders, they went against the Seahawks’ backups. But it’s not as if Las Vegas played all its starters for an entire ﬁrst half, either The Raiders emptied their bench fairly quickly, and by the second half, the field was populated on both sides by players fairly far down the depth chart.

“Progress was made in the second half,” Carroll said. “We were playing a lot cleaner and guys just got used to running and hitting. But we need to continue to emphasize it like we have been, but that’s the ﬁrst shot. It could have been better. I thought we worked on it hard enough to show better than that, but we’ve got work to do.”

The Raiders will have a much better idea of where they stand this upcoming week from a tackling standpoint as well as the other

Finally, with 6:31 left, an ofﬁcial announced the game had been suspended “per New York.”

The Lions led 17-10 when played was stopped. Campbell and Falcons coach Raheem Morris made the decision to not ﬁnish the game.

“Raheem Morris is a class act,” Campbell said.

“He’s the ultimate class act. We agreed it just didn’t feel right to ﬁnish that game.”

Lions quarterback Kyle Allen said the decision to not ﬁnish the game was easy to make.

“I don’t think anyone on that sideline wanted to play,” Allen said.

“We weren’t part of that decision but you could look in anyone’s eyes and see that.” It was the preseason opener for both teams.

Cowboys can’t afford to let Parsons’ contract dispute linger longer

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

Jerry Jones is known for drag-

ging contract negotiations so it’s no surprise Micah Parsons is just the latest Dallas Cowboys star player to have to wait on a new deal.

Dak Prescott had to play on the franchise tag in 2020 after being unable to reach agreement on an extension, and he didn’t get another new deal last season until hours before the Week 1 opener Jones eventually caved and made Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history with an average of $60 million per year

CeeDee Lamb held out into late August last year following an All-Pro season before Jones gave him a four-year, $136 million deal.

All-Pro guard Zack Martin held out of training camp in 2023 while waiting for a new contract. This is nothing new for Jones. Back when the Cowboys were America’s Team, even Emmitt Smith couldn’t get paid quickly The Hall of Fame running back missed the ﬁrst two games of the 1993 season because of a contract dispute. He eventually signed a $13.6 million deal most for a running back at the time — after the Cowboys started 0-2 without him but they still ended up winning the Super Bowl.

Jones mentioned that when training camp started. That’s not a good sign that Parsons will get what he wants sooner than later Jones operates on his own time and there’s plenty of ego involved. He’s been a unique owner since he bought the Cowboys in 1989 and named himself general manager Hiring Jimmy Johnson to replace Tom Landry was Jones’ best decision. Both men are in the Hall of Fame for it and the Cowboys won three Super Bowls under Jones.

But they haven’t reached an NFC championship game in 30 years and they won’t get through a tough NFC East without Parsons, the two-time All-Pro edge rusher and generational talent. The Philadelphia Eagles are reigning Super Bowl champions. The Washington Commanders faced the Eagles in the conference title game.

Dallas has a big challenge trying to compete in the division and they’ll need Parsons to have a chance.

rett (four years, $160 million) and T.J. Watt (three years, $123 million) to sign new contracts, Parsons is in line to make more than $41 million per year The Cowboys waited to sign Prescott and were forced to give him more money than any other player because he was the next quarterback in line.

Jones’ patience has a negative impact on his checkbook. Parsons, who is a hold-in at camp, requested a trade last week. Jones blew it off.

“We have no intentions of trading Micah, and that’s part of the negotiations,” Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones told the team’s website. “That’s just the nature of negotiations. I think any player that’s holding out for a contract — I think I’ve read around the league where they’ve all requested to be traded. So that’s part of it. We have no intention of trading Micah. He’s right here in camp.”

Business is business but there seems like there’s some tension in this relationship that won’t be erased until Jones and the Cowboys give in.

Jerry Jones isn’t certain Parsons will play in Week 1 against the Eagles.

“A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that?” he said. Parsons is scheduled to make $24 million in the final season of his five-year rookie contract and could be franchise tagged in 2026 without an extension. Prescott is confident a deal will get done because he’s been through it.

“I can say from experience that it’s just frustrating,” Prescott said. “I hate that he’s going through it, but as I’ve told him, keep handling things the way that you are, and I believe that he should be paid.”

Longtime NFL super-agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, also expressed conﬁdence that Parsons will get his new deal.

issues that face the team. They will have a joint practice with San Francisco on Thursday and then will face the 49ers in a preseason game two days later

The joint practice will be especially telling because both teams will want to see how their starters perform. But, at least from the Raiders’ perspective, the preseason meeting also should provide some clarity because Carroll said the starters will receive more playing time than they got in Seattle. “We won’t be tackling in the practice, but that’ll be a good part of the preparation to get to the game,” Carroll said. “Our guys just need to see the tempo and the speed of really good clubs. You’ve got to play good teams if you want to get good and so this is a great opportunity for us.”

Jones hasn’t even talked to his agent, David Mulugheta. Jones has said he had direct conversations with Parsons in the spring over a contract extension that would almost certainly make him the highest-paid defender in NFL history By waiting for Myles Gar-

“Despite the current friction and heightened public spotlight surrounding the CowboysParsons contract deadlock, this situation will ultimately be resolved,” Steinberg told the AP “Micah Parsons is simply too valuable to the franchise — a generational talent who’s irreplaceable on the ﬁeld and central to the team’s identity The Cowboys, for all the noise, are ultimately pragmatic when it comes to retaining cornerstone players. In the end, I expect a deal to get done and for Parsons to enjoy a long, successful career in Dallas.”

It’s just a matter of when and whether Parsons misses any games, which the Cowboys can’t afford if they want to be championship contenders.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By RUSTy JONES Cleveland Browns wide receiver Gage Larvadain, a former Southeastern Louisiana star, is tackled by Carolina Panthers safety Demani Richardson on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. The Browns won 30-10.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK J. TERRILL Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons, left, talks with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during training camp Thursday in Oxnard, Calif

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 workofthe church.

“Tohear him say the old way of doingstuff 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 21stcentury,so

LIVING

(STILL)UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Waterquality andvisibilityhas improved,but work is still ongoingfor theUniversityLakes Project

BY MARGARETDELANEY

WStaff writer

ill 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

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

BYSERENA PUANG Staff writer

TerryRobinson FAITH MATTERS

DeYmaz

Whitton

By The Associated Press

Dear Harriette: I’m feeling really terrible because Iforgot my best friend’sbirthday, and now she’snot speaking to me. We’ve been best friends for over 10 years, and I’ve never missed her birthday before.This year,I ended up working a double shift the day before her birthday, and Iwas so exhausted that Islept basically the entire next day.Bythe time Irealized what day it was, it was already late, and Ihad completely missed the window to call or even send atext Itried reaching out the day after with asincere apology and even sent her asmall gift and amessage explaining what happened, but she hasn’tresponded. Iget that birthdays are important and Igenuinely feel awful for forgetting, but Ialso wish she could see it for what it was: aone-time mistake, not areﬂection of how much Icare about her Now I’m stuck wondering if this one slipup is going to ruin our entire friendship Should Igive her space and hope she comes around, or should Itry harder to make it up to her? Idon’twant to seem pushy,but Ialsodon’t

wanttolet our friendship fadeover somethingthat wasn’t intentional. Missed Birthday Dear Missed Birthday: If this one slipup ruins your friendship, there is something deeper going on. Sure, it’shurtful that you missed your friend’sbig day,but it is not the end of the world.Think about thesituation. Is there anything else that couldbe fueling your friend’s pain? Areyou an attentivefriend? Have you forgotten important engagements with her in the past? If you have behavior that needs to improve, commit to doing that. For now,you have to wait for her to come back around. Dear Harriette: Ihavea neighbor who, while Iknow he means well, is nosy and doesn’tseem to understand boundaries. He’s retired and spends alot of time outside, so he noticeseverythingthat happens on ourstreet andespecially aroundmyhouse, since I live across from him. For instance, if Ileavemy garage door open for toolong, he’llcall or textmetolet me know, even if I’m just in the middle of cleaning or unloadinggroceries. If

someonestopsbymyhouse

like afriend or even adelivery person who lingers abit, he’ll make apoint to call and ask who it was, especially if it’ssomeone he doesn’trecognize as my husband or kids. He’s not aggressive or rude, just overly involved in things that aren’this concern. He once even mentioned that he keeps an eye on our property “just in case anything ever looks suspicious.” While Iunderstand theintention might be protective, it honestly feels moreinvasive than helpful. Idon’twant to be unkind or start any neighborhood drama, but it’s gettingto thepoint where Ifeel like I’m being watched every time Ipull intomydriveway or have someone over Should Itell him to stop?

Nosy Neighbor Dear Nosy Neighbor: Youare being watched, and you cannot control that.You do not have to respond to his every overture.Let the phone go to voicemail when you are busy.Don’ttell him who your guests are. Stop being so responsive.This may help him to back off abit. Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

Lightening up elbowskin

Dear Heloise: My elbows are clean but dark. Ihate it! What can Idoto lighten them up? Ruth, in Minnesota Ruth, ﬁrst, use a loofah or astiff body brush with lots of soaptoscrub your elbows in acircular motion while you shower or bathe, but do not break the skin. Next, cut alemon in half and rub it on the areafor about 5 minutes per elbow.Finally, pat dry and use lotion on your elbows. Repeat if necessary —Heloise Dryeye recommendations Dear Heloise: Ijust came

BISTRO

Today is Saturday, Aug. 9, the 221st 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; thebombing 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’s experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was ﬁrst published.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as theUnited States took ﬁrst place in the400-meter relay

In 1969, actor Sharon

Tate andfourother people were found murderedat Tate’s LosAngeleshome; cult leader Charles Mansonand agroup of his followers were later convictedofthe crime

In 1974, Gerald Ford took the oathofofﬁce to become U.S. president afterRichard Nixon’s resignation; in aspeech following, Ford declared that“ourlongnational nightmare is over.”

In 1988, President RonaldReagan nominated Lauro Cavazostobesecretary of education; Cavazos became the ﬁrst Hispanic to serve in the Cabinet.

In 2014, Michael Brown Jr., aBlack 18-year-old, was shottodeathbya policeofﬁcer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri; Brown’sdeath ledtosometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and otherU.S. cities, helping fuel anational“Black LivesMatter” movement.

Today’sBirthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 97. Tennis Hall of Famer RodLaver is 87. JazzmusicianJack DeJohnette

is 83. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 83 ActorSam Elliott is 81 SingerBarbara Mason is 78. College Football Hall of Famer andformer NFL playerJohnCappelletti is 73. College Football Hall of Famer andformer NFL playerDougWilliams is 70. ActorMelanie Grifﬁth is 68. ActorAmanda Bearse is 67. RapperKurtis Blowis66. Republican Sen. RogerMarshall of Kansas is 65. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 61. TV host Hoda Kotb is 61 Pro andCollege Football Hall of Famer DeionSandersis58. ActorGillian Andersonis57. Actor Eric Bana is 57. Producerdirector McG(akaJoseph McGinty Nichol) is 57 NHL player-turned-coach RodBrind’Amour is 55. ActorThomasLennon is 55. ActorNikki Schieler Ziering is 54. Latin rock singerJuanesis53. Actor Liz Vasseyis53. Actor Kevin McKidd is 52.ActorJessicaCapshawis49. ActorAshleyJohnsonis 42. ActorAnna Kendrick is 40.

Hints from Heloise

from theeye doctor; here’s what she told me aboutmy dry eyes: They can come from allergies, diabetes, meds and eyestrain.Mydiet, air pollution,how many candles Iput on my birthday cake, and my lifestyle can all contribute to dry eye. Also, I’veread that technology is aleading cause of eyestrain. When I’m on the computer or on my phone, I’m blinking alot less thanaverage, which is usually about twicethe amount on ascreen. More time between blinks allows more time foreye ﬂuid to

evaporate.

Talk to your eye doctor about eyestrain; mine recommended warm cloths on my eyes,some moisturizing drops, and ashort break every 15 minutes while working on the computer —Harry S.,inNew York

Textsonly, please Dear Heloise: When I’m picking up my friends, I textthem instead of calling them, honking thehorn, or ringing thedoorbell. This will keep thedog quiet and thebaby asleep. —Devin W.,in Pennsylvania

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Continued from page1D

train staff, since they’ll have to have about double thestaff for thenew place.

Email Serena Puang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com.

MATTERS

Continued from page1D

that you can continue to do the works of the word and also these good works with extra resources,” he said

PROVIDED PHOTO Pizzasfrom Bistro Italia

to be openfrom11a.m.to9 or 9:30 p.m.Additionally, the restaurant plans to start using DoorDash for delivery. Wilkinson is also planning for some new menu items and potentially having separate lunch and dinner menus In theprocess of moving to the new space, Wilkinson said,itislikely that Bistro Italia will have to closefor aweek or two in ordertoinstall newequipment and

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

ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com

Left outof office birthday parties— for20years

Dear Miss Manners: For almost 20 years,I’veworked with the same group of nine people. Every birthday is celebrated with a party,cake and gifts. Every birthday,every year except mine.

No one, including myself, has ever commented on theomission 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.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Idon’tcare as much aboutthe party or gifts as Idoabout the recognition that Iexist. IknowI should have spoken up years ago,

LAKES

Continued from page1D

realignment andbridge construction on May Street

—one of the most anticipated and visible parts of the plan —along with native landscaping soon to be planted on the newly expanded shorelines of City Park Lake and Lake Erie.

May Streetclosed on June 4. Alternate routes include Stanford Avenue or the northern end of Dalrymple Drive near CityPark.

The closure is expected to create trafﬁc headaches during LSU home games this fall, but the payoff is promising, according to Goodson.

MayStreet

“The May Street improvements include, most notably,cutting anew channel between City Park Lake and University Lake, bridging that channel with anew span bridge and realigning the street to help improvethe safety of the intersectionson either side of Dalrymple and EastLakeshore,”said Goodson. The new two-lane bridge will feature 14-foot multiuse pathways on bothsides, Goodson says. Asmall barrier wall will separate walkers and joggers from motorists —delivering the kind of safety and separation users of the lakes have long craved.

The paths on the bridge will connect to existing paths on Dalrymple andtoa limited new path on East Lakeshore thatruns to Morning Glory Avenue. The changes promise to bring safer,more enjoyable conditionstoanarea that’sbeen deﬁned by uneven footing and three-way trafﬁc. New street lighting will also be installed, as well as improved parking and lighting in May Street Park. The project is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2026.

Phase 1’songoing workalso includes new landscaping around City Park Lake and Lake Erie, where the shore-

but didn’t. Shall Icontinuetokeep silent andcelebrate privately? Perhaps whisper the omission into a co-worker’sear and repeat that process until it’sacted upon? Quietly proclaim that as I’ve never been an honoree, Inolonger care to be aparticipant? Ican’t for the life of me ﬁndapolite way to shout out, “Hey!What about ME?”

Gentle reader: It is hard for MissManners to believe that, for 20 years,your nine co-workers have adamantly refused to acknowledge your birthdaywhile ﬂagrantly celebratingtheir own. It is more likely there is alist

somewhere, made by someone 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 andembarrassedway —ifthat is thecase. If not, from everything Miss Manners has heard about workplace birthday parties, someone maywell 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 wassnowing 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.

lineshave already been enlarged with dredge material. These areas were cleared of overgrowth last fall, but they’ve become overgrown again.Inthe next few months, they’ll be cleared with additional soiladded. Then thenew banks will be planted withnative irises, marsh grasses and low-growingperennials, according to Goodson. Expectedtobe completed by the end of September,the new landscaping is intended to help slow and ﬁlterrunoffbeforeitenters thelake.

Phase 2A has alreadybeen underway,including dredgingofthe larger University Lake.

Dredgingshould be completed on thelake’snorthern swathbythe end of the summer, and it hasalreadybeen completed on thesmaller College Lake on its southern end. Goodson said that crews will soon landscape these particularshorelines in the same manner that’sabout to happen around City Park Lake.

University Lake passersby mayhave spottedwhat looks like the return of waterhyacinths near Dalrymple Drive. Goodson said it’sactually a ﬂoating plant called swamp

lettuce that haslongbeen common in the lakesinthe summer

“As the water gets healthier,weexpect that thevegetation will be less prevalent, like it is in City Park Lake,” said Goodson. Goodson said that vegetation in UniversityLakeand LakeCrest is maintained by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, but that itswork hasbeen interrupted by the widening of Interstate 10.

The long-termgoal, how-

ever,istoprevent as much of the swamplettucefrom coming back as possible. What’s next Phase 2B will seethe remainderofUniversity Lake dredged and landscaped.

LSU Bird Sanctuary, seen from University Lake, has been doubledusing the dredge materials. Goodsonsays that additional trails and recreational features like the onesdepicted in the 2016 master plan have notbeen budgeted, but that

his team is continuing to look for funding 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’t be arecreational amenity to enjoy,” Goodsonsaid. “Wehad to get that ecosystem ﬁxed ﬁrst.”

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

Greater Mt. Carmel celebrates milestone

Greater Mt.Carmel

Baptist Church of Scotlandville, 1414 Sora St., Baton Rouge, will celebrate its 109thchurch anniversaryat10:45 a.m.

Sunday This year’stheme is “Celebrating God’sGoodness” from Psalm 34:8. The guest speaker will be theRev.Lamar Batiste, pastor of Mt. Gillion Baptist Church. All are welcome.

Freeman Baptist anniversary service

Freeman Baptist Church, 4628 La. 955 West, Ethel,willhost its churchanniversary service at 2p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17. The Rev.Melvin White, pastor,and thePilgrim Missionary Baptist Church family of Natchez, Mississippi, will be the special guests. The public is welcome.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

MayStreet at Dalrymple Driveisclosed for dredging of the LSU Lakes.

LEo(July 23-Aug. 22) Dig in and do what you do best.Your determination and innovative insight will help you outmaneuver anyone whogets in your way. Lifechoices are yours. Do what's best for you. VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) It's what you do to help others that will draw attention. Be the do-gooderthat you are, and you'll makeadifference. Expand your relationships with thosewho share your passion for reform and fairness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) The clocks are ticking, and your options are open for investigation. Trust your instincts, speak up on your own behalf and take the initiative to make things happen.

ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Do your research, expand your mind and consider how you can fulfill the promises youmadetoyourself. Don't hesitate to share yourfeelings with someone you love and findout where you stand.

SAGITTARIuS (nov.23-Dec. 21) Strut your stuff and enjoy being part of the entertainment. Engage in memorable events and tell others how you think and feel about them. Make someone's day, and it will bring youjoy.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don'texpect everyone to have your best interests at heart.Look for opportunities that bring you closer to someonewho has your back. Avoid indulging in irresponsible behavior, scams and abuse.

AQuARIuS(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take the changes happeningaround you seriously andconsideryour options carefully.

Refuse to let youremotions interfere with your ability to see what's best for you and your circle.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March20) Listen, communicate andembark on projects or pastimes that interest you. Makecommonsense choices rather than relying on your emotions. Don'tget bogged down in time-consuming undertakings.

ARIES (March21-April 19) Keep your emotions hidden and be observant. Your strength will come from your ability to decipher what others want or expect from you before you negotiate your position.

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

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Carry out personal obligations first,and you'll feel more relaxed when movingontowhat brings you joy. Put your energy where it counts, and you'll come out on top. cAncER(June 21-July22) Look inward and consider your needs before taking on other people's drama. Love is on the rise, and putting your best foot forward will help you strengthen your friendships.

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

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

In today’s deal, though, South’s problemiswhich suittodig at first. He is in threeno-trump,andWestleadsthespade queen. After West opens three spades,North hasa textbook takeout double, and South plunges into the logical gamecontract. South starts with five top tricks:two spades, one heart and two diamonds. He cangain three more winners fromclubs and at least two from hearts. And there is anatural instinct immediately to play aclub, but thatisfatal. East wins with his ace and returns his remaining spade, which establishesWest’s suit while West still has the heart king as an entry. Declarer needs to realize two things. First, that if Westhas the heart king and clubace, the contract is unmakable. Second, that it cannot cost to take the heart finesse before touching clubs

So South plays adiamond to dummy’s king, thenruns the heart queen.Ifthe finessewins,declarercanswitchtoclubs to establish nine winners. Here, though, thefinesse loses andWestprobably per-

wuzzles

severesinspades.Southwinsandknocks outtheclubace,knowingthatEastisnow out of spades.

If instead Westreturns his second diamond at trick four, declarer takes the trick and plays aclub, awarethathe cannotlosemorethanoneheart,oneclub and two diamonds. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InSTRucTIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are

ToDAy’S

today’s thought

“Go youtherefore, andteach all nations, baptizing them in thenameofthe Father, andofthe Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatever Ihave commanded you: and, see, Iamwith you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles