The Advocate 08-10-2025 by The Advocate

THE RIVER’S RECKONING

HOLDINGBACK THERIVER

Keeping the Mississippi from changing course is vital for Louisiana and the nation, but new challenges are emerging

Second in a series

BY MIKE SMITH | Staff writer

LETTSWORTH The giant steel doors below Russell Beauvais’ feet are holding back water that can determine the future of south Louisiana — and far beyond.

On one side of the elaborate complex in this remote corner of the state lined with sugar cane ﬁelds is the Mississippi River The other side leads to the Atchafalaya River

Allowing the two to merge as nature would prefer — would be nothing short of epochal.

“Without this, the nation and the state of Louisiana wouldn’t exist like it is today,” the 61-year-old Cajun from the nearby town of Morganza says of the Old River Control Structures, where he serves as operations manager

Of all the levees, gates and walls keeping the Mississippi River in place across the length of America’s spine, Old River Control may be the most consequential. Without it, river shipping, industry along the lower Mississippi, the region’s drinking water and communities along its banks — including New Orleans — would be forever changed.

Russell Beauvais, operations manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Old River Control Structures, stands on one of the structure sections.

But the structure’s operations were designed in another era, and a new set of pressing problems across the lower river have emerged. They range from saltwater intrusion moving upriver from the Gulf to how ﬂood control systems along the Mississippi are operated Changing conditions related to the

ä For more from this series, go to theadvocate.COM

riverbed and intensifying rainfall are also stoking some concern about the possibility of the structure being overpowered one day, and whether the nation is underestimating that catastrophic risk.

ä See RIVER, page 10A

Domestic violence deaths on the rise in EBR

Authorities working with nonprofits to break the cycle of abuse

BY AIDAN McCAHILL | Staff writer

“I’m afraid of him losing his job,” she wrote. “I know Paul was not the only one at fault in this matter.”

La. stays out of redistricting melee

State awaiting Supreme Court’s decision on its congressional map

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has urged Republican legislatures to take the rare step of redrawing congressional election maps halfway through the traditional 10-year cycle, launching a gerrymandering arms race that has spread to state capitols across America. The fight started in Texas, but now Republican-run states of Florida, Indiana, Ohio and maybe Missouri also are gearing up to redraw election maps and send more GOP members to the House. In response, Democrats launched their own mid-cycle redistricting efforts in states

See REDISTRICTING, page 7A

STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

The Old River Control Structures near Lettsworth keep the Mississippi River from changing course to the Atchafalaya River

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Congo says rebels killed 80 in recent weeks

KINSHASA, Congo Rwandabacked rebels have killed at least 80 people in eastern Congo in recent weeks, Congolese authorities said, despite the ongoing Qatar-led peace process aiming to end the conﬂict.

A decadeslong conﬂict ravaging eastern Democratic Republic of Congo escalated earlier this year when the M23 rebel group seized two key cities with the help of neighboring Rwandan forces. Congo has long been wracked by deadly conflict in its mineral-rich east, with more than 100 armed groups active.

The continuing violence could threaten the efforts to get Congo and the rebels to sign a permanent peace deal by Aug. 18 as hoped for One of the deal’s conditions is the protection of civilians and the safe return of millions of displaced people

The Congolese army said in a statement late Friday that it is “fiercely condemning” what it described as a series of mass murders of civilians in South Kivu. It said that 80 people were killed on Aug 4 in the village of Nyaborongo, and that six civilians, including two minors, were murdered on July 24 in the village of Lumbishi.

It blamed the RDF/M23-AFC coalition, which includes the rebel groups M23 and AFC backed by the Rwanda Defense Force.

4 killed in attack on boat off Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador Dozens of gunmen have attacked a boat off Ecuador’s southwest coast, killing several people after opening ﬁre on its occupants and launching explosives at the vessel, according to local news reports.

The attack occurred Friday evening in the troubled region of El Oro. Extra, a local newspaper, quoted witnesses as saying that about 60 armed men approached the boat, killing at least four people with more than a dozen believed to be missing.

At least two victims have been identified, according to the newspaper An official with Ecuador’s navy told The Associated Press that the suspects tried to leave the scene aboard three boats, but were blocked by the coast guard. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorized to talk about the case.

One boat was able to ﬂee, while the occupants of the two other boats jumped into the water and disappeared into the mangroves. No suspects were arrested, the ofﬁcial said, adding that munition was found aboard the two abandoned boats.

South Korea: North removing speakers

SEOUL,South Korea South Korea’s military said Saturday it detected North Korea removing some of its loudspeakers from the interKorean border, days after the South dismantled its own frontline speakers used for anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts, in a bid to ease tensions.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t disclose the sites where the North Koreans were removing speakers and said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the North would take all of them down.

In recent months, South Korean border residents have complained that North Korean speakers blasted irritating sounds, including howling animals and pounding gongs, in a tit-for-tat response to South Korean propaganda broadcasts.

The South Korean military said the North stopped its broadcasts in June after Seoul’s new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, halted the South’s broadcasts in his government’s ﬁrst concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. South Korea’s military began removing its speakers from border areas on Monday but didn’t specify how they would be stored or whether they could be quickly redeployed if tensions flared again.

North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didn’t immediately conﬁrm it was taking down its speakers.

Zelenskyy rejects ceding territory

Ukrainian leader: Kyiv should be part of any talks with Russia

BY SAMYA KULLAB and ELISE MORTON Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia after President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

Later Saturday, European and Ukrainian ofﬁcials met with Vice President JD Vance in England to discuss how to end the more than three-year war The talks came after Trump said he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelenskyy

Representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany Italy Finland and Poland attended the meeting in Kent, Zelenskyy said in a post on X, calling the talks constructive.

“I have not heard any partners express doubts about America’s ability to ensure that the war ends,” Zelenskyy said. “The President of the United States

has the levers and the determination.”

Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy dismissed the planned Trump-Putin summit, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, warning that any negotiations to end Europe’s biggest conﬂict since World War II must include Kyiv

“Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work,” he said.

Ukrainian ofﬁcials previously told The Associated Press privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily

The Trump-Putin summit

The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in

a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it will stop the ﬁghting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

“It seems entirely logical for our delegation to fly across the Bering Strait simply, and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska,” Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov said Saturday in a statement posted to the Kremlin’s news channel.

In his comments at the White House Friday, Trump gave no details on the “swapping of territories.” Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Rus-

Authorities ID shooter

Attack left gunman, police officer dead

BY JEFF AMY Associated Press

ATLANTA Investigators

identified a 30-year-old man from suburban Atlanta on Saturday as the person who opened ﬁre on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, killing a police ofﬁcer and spreading panic through the health agency and nearby Emory University

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the shooter was Patrick Joseph White, of Kennesaw, Georgia. DeKalb County

Police Ofﬁcer David Rose was mortally wounded Friday while responding. No one else was hit, although police said four people reported to emergency rooms with symptoms of anxiety Many CDC employees sought cover in their offices as bullets strafed the agency’s headquarters.

sia could offer to give up territory it controls outside of the four regions it claims to have annexed.

Trump said his meeting with Putin would come before any sit-down discussion involving Zelenskyy

His announcement that he planned to host one of America’s adversaries on U.S. soil broke with expectations that they’d meet in a third country Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told the AP that the “symbology” of holding the summit in Alaska was clear and that the location “naturally favors Russia.”

“It’s easy to imagine Putin making the point. We once had this territory and we gave it to you, therefore Ukraine had this ter-

ritory and now should give it to us,” he said, referring to the 1867 transaction known as the Alaska Purchase when Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million.

Reactions in Kyiv

On the streets of Kyiv, reactions to the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia ranged from skepticism to quiet resignation.

“It may not be capitulation, but it would be a loss,” said Ihor Usatenko, a 67-year-old pensioner, who said he would consider ceding territory “on condition for compensation and, possibly, some reparations.”

Anastasia Yemelianova, 31, said she was torn: “Honestly, I have two answers to that question. The ﬁrst is as a person who loves her country I don’t want to compromise within myself,” she told the AP “But seeing all these deaths and knowing that my mother is now living in Nikopol under shelling and my father is ﬁghting, I want all this to end as soon as possible.” Svitlana Dobrynska, whose son died fighting, rejected outright concessions but supported halting combat to save lives.

“We don’t have the opportunity to launch an offensive to recapture our territories,” the 57-year-old pensioner said, “But to prevent people from dying, we can simply stop military operations, sign some kind of agreement, but not give up our territories.”

in CDC HQ shooting

CDC’s Atlanta campus that took the life of ofﬁcer David Rose,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr said Saturday

“We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,” his statement said.

Some laid-off employees rejected the expressions of solidarity Kennedy made in a “Dear colleagues” email, and called for his resignation.

“Kennedy is directly re-

sponsible for the villainization of CDC’s workforce through his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust,” Fired but Fighting said. The group also called for the resignation of Russell Vought, pointing to a video recorded before Trump appointed him Ofﬁce of Management and Budget director with orders to dismantle much of the federal government.

Prevention.

The attack prompted a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation’s most prominent public health institutions.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the shooter had been turned away by guards when he tried to gain access to the campus, and then drove to a spot near the pharmacy and started firing He was armed with a long gun and authorities recovered at least three other firearms at the scene, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

Police say White opened fire at the campus from across the street, leaving gaping bullet holes in windows and littering the sidewalk outside a CVS pharmacy with bullet casings.

The suspect’s father

reached out to authorities and identiﬁed his son as the possible shooter the law enforcement ofﬁcial said. The father told authorities that his son had been upset over the death of his dog and seemed depressed because of the COVID-19 vaccine.

At least four CDC buildings were hit, Director Susan Monarez said in a post on X, and dozens of impacts were visible from outside the campus. Images shared by employees showed bullet-pocked windows in ofﬁces where thousands of scientists and staff work on critical disease research.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting at

Astronauts return to Earth after 5 months aboard space station

BY MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

Four astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after hustling to the International Space Station ﬁve months ago to relieve the stuck test pilots of Boeing’s Starliner Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Paciﬁc off the Southern California coast a day after departing the orbiting lab.

“Welcome home ,” SpaceX Mission Control radioed.

Splashing down were NASA’s Anne McClain

and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. They launched in March as replacements for the two NASA astronauts assigned to Starliner’s botched demo. Starliner malfunctions kept Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams at the space station for more than nine months instead of a week.

NASA ordered Boeing’s new crew capsule to return empty and switched the pair to SpaceX. They left soon after McClain and her crew arrived to take their places. Wilm-

ore has since retired from NASA. Before leaving the space station on Friday, McClain made note of “some tumultuous times on Earth” with people struggling.

“We want this mission, our mission, to be a reminder of what people can do when we work together, when we explore together,” she said. McClain looked forward to “doing nothing for a couple of days” once back home in Houston. High on her crewmates’ wish list: hot showers and juicy burgers.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVGENIy MALOLETKA

A Ukrainian National Guard soldier applies a tourniquet to his comrade Friday during training not far from the front line near Pokrovsk, Ukraine.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF AMy

A bullet hole is visible Saturday in the door of a CVS pharmacy in Atlanta near where police say a man was shooting at the headquarters of the U.S Centers for Disease Control and

Armenia, Azerbaijan greet peace deal with hope, caution

BY LILIT MKHITARYAN Associated Press

YEREVAN,Armenia Residents and politicians in Armenia and Azerbaijan responded Saturday with cautious hope — and skepticism in some cases — after their leaders signed a U.S.-brokered agreement at the White House aimed at ending decades of hostilities

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the agreement on Friday in the presence of President Donald Trump, who stood between the leaders as they shook hands — a gesture Trump reinforced by clasping their hands together

While the agreement does not constitute a formal peace treaty, it represents a signiﬁcant diplomatic step toward normalization of relations. The two countries remain technically at war, and the deal does not resolve the long-standing dispute over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. It does, however, reflect

the shifting power dynamics following Azerbaijan’s 2023 military victory, which forced the withdrawal of Armenian forces and ethnic Armenians from the region.

Among the agreement’s provisions is the creation of a new transit corridor, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” highlighting a changing geopolitical landscape amid declining Russian inﬂuence in the South Caucasus.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the heart of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict since the Soviet Union’s collapse. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the mountainous region was controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Two wars — in the early 1990s and again in 2020 — left tens of thousands dead and displaced. In 2023, Azerbaijan regained control of most of the territory in a swift offensive.

gering challenges, including Armenia’s economic dependence on Russia and some 2 million Azerbaijanis living in Russia.

“Russia will continue to use these factors as levers of pressure,” he said.

“We have been waiting for a long time for this agreement to be signed,” a resident of Baku, Gunduz Aliyev, told The Associated Press. “We did not trust our neighbor Armenia. That’s why a strong state was needed to act as a guarantor Russia couldn’t do it, but the United States succeeded.”

“The U.S. is taking full responsibility for security

of the agreement.

“I feel uncertain because much still needs clarification. There are unclear aspects, and although the prime minister of Armenia made some statements from the U.S., more details are needed,” Edvard Avoyan said. But entrepreneur Hrach Ghasumyan could see economic beneﬁts.

Ali Karimli, head of the opposition People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party, wrote on Facebook that the signing of the agreement “has undoubtedly brought Azerbaijan and Armenia signiﬁcantly closer to peace,” and noted that it delivered “another blow to Russia’s inﬂuence in the South Caucasus,” while deepening ties with the U.S. Arif Hajili, chairman of Azerbaijani opposition party

Musavat, said he believed that “the most positive aspect of the initialing in Washington was the absence of Russia from the process.”

He said lasting stability in the region hinges on the continual dwindling of Russian power which “depends on the outcome of the Russian-Ukrainian war.”

Hajili also warned of lin-

This will bring peace and stability,” said another, Ali Mammadov “Borders will open soon, and normal relations with Armenia will be established.”

Abulfat Jafarov also in Baku, expressed gratitude to all three leaders involved.

“Peace is always a good thing,” he said. “We welcome every step taken towards progress.”

Some people in Yerevan were unsure of the meaning

“If gas and oil pipelines pass through Armenia and railway routes are opened, it would be beneficial for the country,” he said. “Until now, all major routes have passed through Georgia, leaving Armenia sidelined and economically limited.” Others were skeptical that peace could be achieved, and expressed discontent with the terms of the agreement.

“That declaration is unlikely to bring real peace to the region, and we are well aware of Azerbaijan’s stance,” Ruzanna Ghazaryan said. “This initial agreement offers us nothing; the concessions are entirely one-sided.”

Thousands march against bridge to link Sicily, Italian mainland

BY GIADA ZAMPANO Associated Press

ROME Thousands of people marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday to protest a government plan to build a bridge that would connect the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive $15.5 billion infrastructure project. Protesters staunchly oppose the Strait of Messina Bridge project over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the specter of maﬁa interference.

The idea to build a bridge to connect Sicily to the rest of Italy has been debated off and on for decades but always delayed due to these concerns. The project, however, took a major step for-

on Saturday in Messina, Italy

ward when a government committee overseeing strategic public investments approved the plan this week.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, the project’s main political backer, called it “the biggest infrastructure project in the West.”

Salvini cited studies estimating the project would create up to 120,000 jobs annually and help stimulate economic growth in economically lagging southern Italy as billions more are invested in surrounding road and infrastructure improvements.

Opponents are not convinced by these arguments. They are also angry that about 500 families would have to be expropriated in order for the bridge to be built.

“The Strait of Messina can’t be touched,” protesters shouted as they marched in Messina. Many

carried banners that said “No Ponte” (No Bridge). Organizers estimated crowd size at 10,000 people

The proposed bridge would span nearly 2.2 miles with a suspended section of more than 2 miles. It would surpass Turkey’s Canakkale Bridge by 4,189 feet to become the longest suspension bridge in the world. Preliminary work could begin as early as late September or early October, pending approval from Italy’s Court of Audit. Full construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion targeted between 2032 and 2033.

When Darryl Alello &Derrick Lindseymoved into theirhouse in 2011,their yard wasablank canvas waitingfor them to breakgroundontheir ever-evolvingmasterpiece.For more than adecadetheyhave worked side by side,buildingand reshapingtheir yard into aspace that reﬂectstheir owningenuity andwelcomesneighborhoodwildlifetostopbyfor dailyvisits.

“Art hassurroundedmemyentirelife,”said Allelo,who worksasa career artist andart teacher. “I’m either inside creating artworkorI’m outside creating outdoorlivingspaces.Derrick doesn’t create paintingsper say, buthehas auniqueway of laying garden designs, andwecollaborate with each other to ﬁndwhatwillworkbest. With bird baths, shadytrees,fullystocked bird feeders, milkweed plants andmore, Allelo and Lindsey’s outdoorspace hasbecome aplace where onecan enjoywatchingasthe localfauna ﬂutters, buzzes,and tweets abouttheir dailyroutines.

“Wetry to make it asafeenvironment for the animals,”saidAllelo. “We’ve hadracoons visit. We’vehad possums. We’veevenhad hawks. There arelotsofsquirrels. Thebirds willget in thebird bathsand play around in thewater,which is funto watch. There’sa couple of places in theyardwhere frogsliketohangout,too.”

Upon moving in,Alleloand Lindseywerethe proud dogparents of acorgi namedBandit, whowas afew yearsold at thetime. Bandit wasquickly dubbed thekingofthe backyard,and he happilymoseyed throughout hisdomainfor many years.

sanitary environment. Thus,the idea of creating a mosaic backwash dawned on him

What inspired youtostart gardening?

There’sthe saying,‘Stop andsmell theroses’, and thatlendsitselftowhatwedo.Gardeningiscomforting to us,and we enjoyit. Thebirds love it,too!

Howdoyou decide what youwanttoplant?

Many of thethings in this yard have come through trialand error. We take into considerationthe environment. Theweather is always changing.We’ll have ahardfreezeand excessive heat in thesame year.Somethingshave worked outverywell, like thevariegatedginger. They seem to be hardy. Crape myrtlesare very durable.The bottlebrushalsodoes very well here

What aresome challenges you’ve come across?

We’vehad aboutthree Japanese maples over the years, andweplanted theﬁrstonesinthe ground We hadreadabout them,and we sawtheywere‘full sun’,etc.But when we puttheminfullsun,itended up burningthe leaves.Weﬁnallydecided we were goingtotry onemoretime, butweput it in apot so that it gets just enough sunlight butnot toomuch. Wasthere anything that surprisedyou with how well it worked?

“Astimewenton, andhestarted to getolder,we hadtochangesomeofthe designswehad to make it saferfor him to maneuver around theyard,”Allelo said.“We didn’t want him to trip over stones andthat sort of thing. We hadsolar lights at ﬁrst,but those wouldn’t last long at night. We switched to hardwired lighting so that we couldalwayssee him in theyard from thelivingroomwindow.

Part of what makesAlleloand Lindsey’syardan endlessworkofart is howtheycontinue to addtoit as theirlifeexperiences inspirethem.

“WhenDerrick’s mompassedaway, he wanted to do somethingspecial to memorializeher as well as Bandit,sowecreated aspecial area alongthe fence line with shrubbery, steppingstones, andbenches,” Allelo shared Anotherinstanceofanideaemergingfromlife experience wasthe initialinception of the‘rising sun’ mosaic on theirshedwall. AccordingtoAllelo, they hadbeenhavingdifficultykeeping thesplashing fountain waterfromcausing thewoodtorot along theshed’sside. Around that same time,Allelowas teaching hisart students aboutthe useofmosaics in Romanbathhousesasa meansofmaintaininga

We used to usesheetsand Visqueen to protect theplants, butfor this year’s freeze we bought frost blankets.Inthe very back corner of theyardthere arelantanas, milkweed,and variegated ginger.We completely coveredthatsection of theyardwiththe frostblankets. Everythinginthe front yard wasalso coveredup. We bought frostbagsaswell, whichslide over thetopsofyourplantsand zipup. Thankgoodness we purchasedall theblanketsand bags before thefreeze, becausewedidn’t lose anyofour plants We hadclose to 12 inches of snow here

Anyadvicefor fellow home gardeners?

It’s ever-changing. Startsmall andset some goals, such as creating aﬂower bedarounda tree Then thinkthrough allthe factors. Be awarethat some things youplant maynot work.You mayend up having to replacethemthroughoutyourgardening journey. Continue to be mindfulofthe location and theenvironment that youare placingyourplantsin.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANCESCO SAyA People demonstrate against the Strait of Messina Bridge project

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

President Donald Trump, center shakes hands with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, right, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday during a trilateral signing ceremony at the White House in Washington.

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi|

Nursery.

Israel faces growing condemnation over Gaza plan

Israeli forces to take over Gaza

City

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip International condemnation grew Saturday over Israel’s decision for a military takeover of Gaza City, while tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in what local media called one of the largest anti-government protests in recent months following 22 months of war Ceaseﬁre efforts appeared to be reviving with Israel’s announcement. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet with Qatar’s prime minister in Spain on Saturday to discuss a new proposal to end the war, according to two ofﬁcials familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak with the media.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar are preparing a new ceasefire framework that would include the release of all hostages dead and alive in one go in return for the war’s end and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, two Arab ofﬁcials have told The Associated Press.

Health officials said that 20 Palestinians seeking aid were shot dead Saturday and 11 adults died of malnutrition-related causes

in the past 24 hours, as the criticism of Israel came with pleas to allow far more food to reach people in the besieged enclave

‘Shut the country down’

Hostages’ families pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government amid new fears for the 50 remaining hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive and struggling Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza, called on Israelis including the powerful Histadrut labor union to “help us save the hostages, the soldiers and the state of Israel” and appeared to call for a general strike: “Shut the country down.”

A joint statement by nine countries including Germany Britain, France and Canada said that they “strongly reject” Israel’s decision for the large-scale military operation, saying it will worsen the “catastrophic humanitarian situation,” endanger hostages and further risk mass displacement. They said any attempts at annexation or settlement in Gaza violate international law

A separate statement by more than 20 countries including ceaseﬁre mediators Egypt and Qatar along with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates called Israel’s decision a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation.” Meanwhile, Russia said Israel’s plan will aggravate the “already extremely dramatic situation” in Gaza.

London police arrest 365 as pro-Palestinian protesters defy law

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON British police said they arrested 365 people in central London on Saturday as supporters of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group intentionally ﬂouted the law as part of their effort to force the government to reconsider the ban. Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to publicly support the organization. That came after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker planes to protest against Britain’s support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the U.K. over the past month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression.

More than 500 protesters ﬁlled the square outside the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, many daring police to arrest them by displaying signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” That was enough for police to step in.

But as the demonstration began to wind down, police and protest organizers sparred over the number of arrests as the organizers sought to show that the law was unworkable.

“The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing ‘terrorism’ offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home,” Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, said in a statement. “This is a major embarrassment to (the government), further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government’s own crimes.”

London’s Metropolitan Police Service quickly hit back, saying this wasn’t true and that many of those who gathered in the square were onlookers, media or people who didn’t hold placards supporting the group

“We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested,”

for

attend a rally

The U.N. Security Council planned an emergency meeting Sunday

Killed while seeking aid Officials at Nasser and Awda hospitals said that Israeli forces killed at least 11 people seeking aid in southern and central Gaza. Some had been waiting for aid trucks, while others had approached aid distribution points.

Israel’s military denied opening fire and said that it was unaware of the incidents. The military secures routes leading to distribution sites run by the Israelibacked and U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment

Two witnesses told the AP that Israeli troops ﬁred

toward crowds approaching a GHF distribution site on foot in the Netzarim corridor a military zone that bisects Gaza. One witness, Ramadan Gaber, said that snipers and tanks fired on aid-seekers, forcing them to retreat.

In the north, Israeli fire killed at least nine and wounded over 200 as people sought aid entering Gaza through the Zikim crossing, said Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service in the area. There was no immediate Israeli comment In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, some aid-seekers cheered the latest airdrops of aid. Hundreds of people rushed to grab what they could. Aid organizations have called airdrops expensive, insufﬁcient and poten-

the police force said in a statement.

On Friday, police said the demonstration was unusual in that the protesters wanted to be arrested in large numbers so as to place a strain on police and the broader criminal justice system.

The government moved to ban Palestine Action after the activists broke into a British air force base in southern England on June 20 to protest British military support for the IsraelHamas war The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes at the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and caused further damage with crowbars.

Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in the United Kingdom that they believe have links with the Israeli military Supporters of the group are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has gone too far in declaring Palestine Action a terrorist organization.

tially dangerous for people on the ground.

Israel’s military said that at least 106 packages of aid were airdropped Saturday as Italy and Greece joined the effort for the ﬁrst time.

Footage from Italy’s defense ministry showed packages parachuted over Gaza’s dry and devastated landscape.

Barefoot children collected rice, pasta and lentils that spilled from packages onto the ground.

“This way is not for humans, it is for animals,” said one man, Mahmoud Hawila, who said he was stabbed while trying to secure an airdropped package.

Israel alleges, without giving evidence, that Hamas systematically diverts aid from the existing U.N.-led system, which denies it. That system has called for more of the trucks waiting outside Gaza to be allowed not just into the territory, but safely to destinations inside it for distribution.

With temperatures reaching above 90 degrees in Gaza, families fanned themselves with pieces of cardboard or metal trays and slept on the

ground outside their tents, while some women collected water well before dawn.

“My children cry day and night. My son scratches his body because of the heat,” said Nida Abu Hamad, whose displaced family shelters in Gaza City

More deaths from hunger

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the new adult deaths from malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours brought the total to 114 since it began counting such deaths in June. It said that 98 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with militants killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251. Israel is “forcing Palestinians into a state of nearstarvation to the point that they abandon their land voluntarily,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference in Egypt. The toll from hunger isn’t included in the ministry’s death toll of 61,300 Palestinians in the war

A woman is led away by police officers Saturday in London as supporters of Palestine Action take part in a mass action in Parliament Square.

Notice is hereby givenpursuant to Article7, Section23(C) of the Louisiana Constitution andR.S. 47:1705(B) thatapublichearingof the City of Baker, LA in East BatonRouge Parishwillbeheldatits regularmeeting place in the CouncilChamberslocated at 3325 GroomRd.,Baker,LAonTuesday, September9,2025 at 6:00 PM to consider levyingadditionalorincreasedmillagerates without furthervoter approval or adopting the adjusted millagerates after reassessment androlling forwardtorates nottoexceed the prioryear’smaximum. Theestimated amount of tax revenues to be collectedin the next year from the increasedmillageis $517,609, andthe amount of increase in taxes attributabletothe millageincrease is $44,030. TheFY2026 adopted budget includes$545,000 in property tax revenues.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip

Saturday in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling

their release from Hamas captivity and an end to the war

PA PHOTO By STEFAN ROUSSEAU

The request was not granted. On Aug. 3, aneighbor discovered Singletonand Varnado deadfrom gunshot wounds. Authorities believe that Varnado, violatingthe courtorder,had stayedinthe residence for days before fatally shooting Singleton and turning the gun on himself.

Singleton was the ninth woman killed by apartner in East Baton Rouge Parish this year.Authorities suspect another murdersuicide took place the next day in Baker,which would mean the parish has already surpassed last year’s total of domestic-related deaths.

In astate that consistently ranks among the top five in the nation for domestic homicides, those seeking to stop it have long been familiar with the fact that many victims of abuse— clouded by years of control —rarely seek help. When they do,theyoftenfind it difficult to cooperate with lawenforcement.

“They almost always blame themselves,” Moore said.

As aresult, law enforcement in recent years hasincreased partnerships with local nonprofits, who say theanswer to breaking the cycle of abuse is providing victims more resourcesto achieve independence.

“People often ask, ‘Why do they stay?’” said Suzanne Hamilton, executive director of the Capital Area Family Justice Center,alocal nonprofit. “The more accurate question would be, what are the barriers keeping them there?”

This year’sspike in deaths is also areminder that increasedawareness of domestic violence is still needed,and that those seeking assistance feel conﬁdent their calls will be answered.

“Even if it’ssomething we don’tnecessarily do still come, because we will ﬁgure it out,” said Zakeyah Trahan, aclient advocate at the justice center Catch-22 forprosecutors

Each year,the East BatonRougeParish District Attorney’sOfficehandles roughly 4,000 domestic violence cases, aboutathird of its annual caseload, though the crimes are notoriously underreported. Thehardest part for prosecutors, Mooresaid, is that many victimsdonot show up to testify against their abusers.

“Weare in aposition where sometimeswewill have to serve the victim with asubpoena to come to court,” he said. “If they don’tcome, the question is, do we serve awarrant or not for our ownvictim? Otherwise, the next potential time he puts his hands on her,hemay kill her.” Assistant District Attorney Melanie S. Fields has handled domestic violence casesinBaton Rougefor more than 15 years. She

said the powerstructureof abusive relationships contributes to the problem.

“Whether you’re poor or rich,the abuser controls everything,” she said, adding that it is hard to leave someone who controlsyour children, ﬁnances, housing andrelationships

“Even ifyou’re the victim and you call 911 …you want it to stopright then.

Youwant the beating and thefear to stop,” Fields said. “Three days later, you don’tcare aboutthat. You’re trying to ﬁgure out how to pay for schooland where you can live.Ifhe or shecontrolsall of that, survival and family is what you’re trying to deal with.”

Community responses

The Capital Area Family Justice Center,a muraladorned brick building at 1120 Government St., has provided free individual and group counseling for vi im with me-d

cases, anew car battery,if that’sall it takes.

“It looks different for everyone,” Hamilton said. She is quicktoemphasize the service is notadomestic violence shelter like the IrisDomesticViolence Center —which offers 24/7 housing for victims and theirchildren in Baton Rouge.But Hamilton said theyprovide “just about everything else.”

Of the roughly 1,500 peoplethe nonprofit serves each year,Hamiltonsays about 98% are women, mostlyfromlower-income backgrounds.

The justice centerisalso where Hamilton, Trahan andother nonprofitprovidersmeet every other week with representatives from the Baton Rouge PoliceDepartment, EastBaton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, the District Attorney’sOffice and the 19th JudicialDistrictCourt to disc ho oh dl

Nextsteps

Stop the Loss also uses court-mandated Domestic Violence OffenderPrograms, or DVOP,for less serious offenders,recommending 27-week behavioral interventions that adhere to the Duluth Model. The framework, named after theMinnesotacityinwhich it was developed, addresses power and control dynamics in abusive relationships, shifting responsibilityfrom thevictim to theoffender “It’sbased on validated psychological andsociological factors that help people see theproblem and change,” Field said.

Some academicshave questioned theDuluth Model’seffectiveness, criticizing its relianceon feminist theory rather than empirical evidence. But it is the most widely used behavioral change model for domestic abusers in the U.S., dboth Mo dField

where we are.”

As forstatewide approaches, after initially proposing cuts to one-time funding, Gov.JeffLandry’s 2025 budgethas continued $7 millioninfunding toward the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, aimed at addressingthe state’s shortage of shelters.

Additionally,since 2021, a Domestic Abuse Fatality Commission created by the Legislature has reviewed intimate partner homicides and maderecommendations aimed at closing outreach gaps within Louisiana’ssocial services network.

Theproblem,saidFields, whoserves on thecommission, is that the reports aren’t tiedtoany money “Have we comeupwith really good stuff? Yesand no,” Fields said. “You can’t make asuggestion statewide or parishwide about ﬁxing agap without having amonetarylinktopay for it.”

Trahan andHamilton said improvedfinanceswould help them connect more victims with what they need. But the other half of the puzzle,theysay,will always be increasing awareness, including more public service announcements, community outreach, or even coursesdedicated to domestic violence in middle school —typically when the ﬁrst signs of intimate partnerabuse begin.

“The more people talk aboutit, the less it becomes astigma,and themore someone might reach out for help,”Fields said.

EmailAidan McCahill at aidan.mccahill@ theadvocate.com.

like California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, New Jerseyand Colorado.

But Louisiana willsit out the scrum forthe time being while the state litigates itsredistricting case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Tothe best of my knowledge, there are no plansto call aspecial session before ourbrief is dueinafew weeks —wewould continue to be stuckbetween the same rock and ahard place,” said Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill

“I have said all along, the Supreme Court needs to give clarity to Legislatures. That’swho has the constitutional duty to draw maps, not federal judges.”

As chair of the Louisiana House and Governmental Affairs Committee, state Rep. Gerald “Beau”

BeaullieuIV, R-New Iberia, wouldbeincharge of any effort to draw new election maps in Louisiana

“Weare leaning on the attorneygeneral to lead us in thesediscussions, since there is an ongoing lawsuit,” he said Thursday While the LouisianaConstitution and related lawsinclude redistricting instructions for lower-level ofﬁces, it remains ambiguous on the rules for drawing the maps to elect members of Congressevery two years

But the biggest holdupis the Louisiana v. Callais lawsuit, in which the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear argumentsnextyear. The case challenges the congressional maps drafted by the Louisiana Legislature’s Republicansupermajority in 2024, which created asec-

ondmajority-Black district.

“They would be ethically stupid to tryand do something in Louisiana,given that thesecondBlack districtwas created by court orderand is thesubjectof aSupreme Court case,”said Michael Li,a redistricting expertwith the Brennan Center for Justice in New York.“Until the currentlitigation is resolved,(mid-cycle redistricting) wouldbe like the mother of allﬁghts.”

Ahigh-stakes clash

If states do change their maps mid-cycle, it could change the balance of power in Congress.

With 219 Republicans, 212 Democrats and four vacant seats,the GOPhas helda narrow majority sincethe 2022 midterm elections.

Thatmajorityhas puttwo LSUalumni in two of thenation’smost powerful po si tions:

if Republicans come out of this looming redistricting ﬁght ahead,”the report stated.

Drawing election maps was once done by hand and made more brutal by the raw politics of electoral survival. Thehardball politics remain, but progress in technology and databasing allows map makers to more quickly identify how voters probably will cast their ballots, then organize precincts to create asafeseat for one party or theother

The U.S. Constitution mandatesthatevery person is counted every10yearsto determine how manymembers of theHouse each state will send to Washington The next nationalcensus is notscheduleduntil 2030.

Apolitical brawl

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer

NEW YORK An executive order signed by President Donald Trumplate Thursday aims to give political appointees power over the billions of dollars in grants awarded by federalagencies. Scientists say it threatensto undermine theprocessthat hashelped makethe U.S.the world leader in research and development.

make it so that current and future federal grants can be terminated at any time —including during the grant period itself.

Agencies cannot announce new funding opportunities until the new protocols are in place, according to the order

Speaker of theHouse Mike Johnson, aRepu bl ica n from the Shreveport suburb of Benton, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, aRepublican from the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson. Historically, voters tend to elect anew majority in Congressmidway through apresident’sfour-year term if bothbranches are dominated by thesame party.

Trump began the bareknuckled politicalmelee by pressing Texastotinkerwithits congressional districtstoadd enough GOPvoterstoensure five more Republicans will go to Washingtonin2017.

Larry Sabato’sCenter for Politics at the University of Virginiasurmised in a report this week that the redistricting seems to focus on seats won bymoremoderate candidates in districts won by the other party’s presidentialcandidate. Adding more partisan voters to those districts could mean more ideological candidates on the ballot.

“It’spossible that themedian House seat couldmove further right of the nation

About 50 TexasDemocrats ﬂedthe state to keep the Legislature from having atwo-thirdsquorum necessary to conductbusiness. But they are subject to a $500 aday ﬁne

Attorney GeneralKen Paxton on Thursdayasked an Illinois court to sendthe Texans back to Austin.

And in an interview Friday with NBC, Texas Gov Greg Abbottsaidhewould keep calling special sessions until the congressional redistricting was completed. The current special session is set to adjournAug. 19. But qualifying forthe midterms is in December and theprimary electioninTexasis March3

Florida officially announced ThursdaythatRepublicans hope to redraw three districts in their favor California Gov. Gavin Newsom has aplan to redistrict thatpopulous blue state,asdothe governors of NewYork andIllinois.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

The orderrequiresall federal agencies, including FEMA,the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, to appoint officials responsible for reviewing federal fundingopportunitiesand grants, so that they “are consistent with agency prioritiesand the national interest.”

It also requires agencies to

The Trump administration said these changes are part of an effort to “strengthen oversight” and “streamline agency grantmaking.” Scientists say the order will cripple America’sscientiﬁc engine by placing control over federal research funds in the hands of people who areinﬂuenced by politics and lack relevant expertise.

“This is taking political controlofaonce politically neutral mechanism for fundingscience in theU.S.,” said JosephBak-Coleman, ascientist studying group

decision-making at the University of Washington. The changes will delay grant review andapproval, slowing “progress for cures andtreatmentsthatpatients and families across the country urgentlyneed,” saidthe Association of American MedicalCollegesina statement. The administration has alreadyterminated thousands of research grants at agencies like the NSFand NIH, including on topics like transgender health, vaccine hesitancy,misinformation and diversity,equity and inclusion.

The ordercould affect emergency relief grants doled out by FEMA, public safety initiatives funded by theDepartmentofJustice and public health efforts supported by the Centers for Disease Control.

Beaullieu

Murrill

Johnson

Scalise

Nagasaki marks 80th anniversary of nuclear bombing

Survivors put hopes of nuke ban in the hands of youth

BY MAYUKO ONO and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

NAGASAKI, Japan

The southern Japanese city of Nagasaki on Saturday marked 80 years since the U.S. atomic attack that killed tens of thousands and left survivors who hope their harrowing memories can help make their hometown the last place on Earth to be hit by a nuclear bomb.

The United States launched the Nagasaki attack on Aug. 9, 1945, killing 70,000 by the end of that year three days after the bombing of Hiroshima that killed 140,000. Japan surrendered on Aug 15, 1945, ending World War II and the nearly half-century of aggression by the country across Asia.

About 2,600 people, including representatives from more than 90 countries, attended a memorial event at Nagasaki Peace Park, where Mayor Shiro Suzuki and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke, among other guests. At 11:02 a.m., the exact time when the plutonium bomb exploded above Nagasaki, participants observed a moment of silence as a bell rang.

“Even after the war ended, the atomic bomb brought

Top

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK

— A top official at the Federal Reserve said Saturday that this month’s stunning, weaker-than-expected report on the U.S. job market is strengthening her belief that interest rates

Some others prayed at churches in Nagasaki, home to Catholic converts who went deep underground during centuries of violent persecution in Japan’s feudal era.

remember what you learned today, please think what each of you can do to prevent war,” Takeshita told students during a school visit earlier this week.

that he’s handing seeds of “flowers of peace” to the younger generation in hopes of seeing them bloom.

Japan’s security dilemma

invisible terror,” 93-year-old survivor Hiroshi Nishioka said in his speech at the memorial, noting that many who had survived without severe wounds started bleeding from gums and losing hair and died.

“Never use nuclear weapons again, or we’re ﬁnished,” he said.

Doves released

Dozens of doves, a symbol of peace, were released after a speech by Suzuki, whose parents are survivors of the attack. He said that the city’s memories of the bombing are “a common heritage and should be passed down for generations” in and outside Japan.

“The existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth,” Suzuki

said. “In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site now and forever, we will go hand-in-hand with global citizens and devote our utmost efforts toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of everlasting world peace.”

‘A world without war’

Survivors and their families gathered Saturday in rainy weather at Peace Park and nearby Hypocenter Park, located below the bomb’s exact detonation spot, hours before the ofﬁcial ceremony “I simply seek a world without war,” said Koichi Kawano, an 85-year-old survivor who laid ﬂowers at the hypocenter monument decorated with colorful origami paper cranes and other offerings.

The twin bells at Urakami Cathedral, which was destroyed in the bombing, also rang together again after one of the bells that had gone missing following the attack was restored by volunteers.

Despite their pain from wounds, discrimination and illnesses from radiation, survivors have publicly committed to a shared goal of abolishing nuclear weapons. But they worry about the world moving in the opposite direction.

Passing down lessons

Aging survivors and their supporters in Nagasaki now put their hopes of achieving nuclear weapons abolition in the hands of younger people, telling them the attack isn’t distant history but an issue that remains relevant to their future.

“There are only two things I long for: the abolition of nuclear weapons and prohibition of war,” said Fumi Takeshita, an 83-year-old survivor “I seek a world where nuclear weapons are never used and everyone can live in peace.”

In the hope of passing down the lessons of history to current and future generations, Takeshita visits schools to share her experience with children.

“When you grow up and

Teruko Yokoyama, an 83-year-old member of a Nagasaki organization supporting survivors, said that she thinks of the growing absence of those she had worked with, and that fuels her desire to document the lives of others who are still alive.

The number of survivors has fallen to 99,130, about a quarter of the original number with their average age exceeding 86. Survivors worry about fading memories, as the youngest of the survivors were too young to clearly recall the attack.

“We must keep records of the atomic bombing damages of the survivors and thier lifetime story,” said Yokoyama, whose two sisters died after suffering illnesses linked to radiation.

Her organization has started to digitize the narratives of survivors for viewing on YouTube and other social media platforms with the help of a new generation.

“There are younger people who are beginning to take action,” Yokoyama told The Associated Press on Friday “So I think we don’t have to get depressed yet.”

Nagasaki hosted a “peace forum” on Friday where survivors shared their stories with more than 300 young people from around the country Seiichiro Mise, a 90-year-old survivor said

Survivors are frustrated by a growing nuclear threat and support among international leaders for developing or possessing nuclear weapons for deterrence. They criticize the Japanese government’s refusal to sign or even participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as an observer because Japan, as an American ally says it needs U.S. nuclear possession as deterrence.

In Ishiba’s speech, the prime minister reiterated Japan’s pursuit of a nuclear-free world, pledging to promote dialogue and cooperation between countries with nuclear weapons and non-nuclear states at the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons review conference scheduled for April and May 2026 in New York. Ishiba didn’t mention the nuclear weapons ban treaty

“Countries must move from words to action by strengthening the global disarmament regime,” with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, at the center, complemented by the momentum created by the nuclear weapons ban treaty said U.N Secretary-General António Guterres, in his message read by Under-SecretaryGeneral Izumi Nakamitsu in Nagasaki.

should be lower Michelle Bowman was one of two Fed ofﬁcials who voted a week and a half ago in favor of cutting interest rates. Such a move could help boost the economy by making it cheaper for people to borrow money to buy

a house or a car but it could also threaten to push inﬂation higher Bowman and a fellow dissenter lost out after nine other Fed ofﬁcials voted to keep interest rates steady, as the Fed has been doing all year The Fed’s chair, Je-

rome Powell, has been adamant that he wants to wait for more data about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting inflation before the Fed makes its next move. At a speech during a bankers’ conference in Colorado

on Saturday Bowman said that “the latest labor market data reinforce my view” that the Fed should cut interest rates three times this year The Fed has only three meetings left on the schedule in 2025. The jobs report that ar-

rived last week, only a couple of days after the Fed voted on interest rates, showed that employers hired far fewer workers last month than economists expected. It also said that hiring in prior months was much lower than initially thought.

KyODO NEWS PHOTO By KOTARO UEDA

Doves are released Saturday over the Peace Statue during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the U.S atomic bombing at the Peace Park in Nagasaki.

D.C. awaits Trump’s next move as takeover threat looms

BY ASHRAF KHALIL and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON About 2 a.m., noisy revelers emerging from clubs and bars packed the sidewalks of U Street in Washington, many of them seeking a late-night slice or falafel. A robust but not unusual contingent of city police cruisers lingered around the edges of the crowds At other late-night hot spots, nearly identical scenes unfolded.

What wasn’t apparent in Friday’s earliest hours: any sort of security lockdown by a multiagency ﬂood of uniformed federal law enforcement officers. That’s what President Donald Trump had promised Thursday, starting at midnight, in the administration’s latest move to impose its will on the nation’s capital.

In short, that law enforcement surge to take control of the District of Columbia’s streets did not appear to unfold on schedule. A two-hour city tour, starting around 1 a.m. Friday, revealed no overt or visible law enforcement presence other than members of the Metropolitan Police Department, the city’s police force. That still might change in the coming evenings as Trump puts into action his long-standing plans to “take over” a capital city he has repeatedly slammed as unsafe, filthy and badly run.

According to his Thursday declaration, the security lockdown will run for seven days, “with the option to extend as needed.” In an online post Saturday, the Republican president said the Democratic-led city would soon be one of the country’s safest and he announced a White House news conference for Monday,

number of carjackings overall dropped signiﬁcantly the following year in 2024, from 957 to just under 500, and is on track to decline again this year with less than 200 recorded so far more than halfway through the year

though he offered no details. On Friday night, a White House official said Thursday night’s operations included arrests for possession of two stolen firearms, suspected fentanyl and marijuana. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity The official said more than 120 members of various federal agencies — the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service — were to be on duty Friday night, upping the complement of federal officers involved.

“This is the first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, D.C.,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, who publicly faced off against Trump in 2020 when he called in a massive federal law enforcement response to disperse crowds of protesters, has not said a public word since Trump’s declaration. The police department has gone similarly silent.

The catalyst for this lat-

est round of takeover drama was the assault last weekend on a high-proﬁle member of the bureaucracy-slashing Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking.

Police arrested two 15-year-olds and were seeking others. Trump quickly renewed his calls for the federal government to seize control.

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He later told reporters he was considering everything from repealing Washington’s limited “home rule” autonomy to “bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.” The threats come at a time when Bowser’s government can legitimately claim to have reduced the number of homicides and carjackings both of which spiked in 2023. The

The portion of juveniles arrested for carjacking, though, has remained above 50%, and Bowser’s government has taken steps to reign in a new phenomenon of rowdy teenagers causing disarray and disturbances in public spaces. Emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council this summer imposed tighter youth curfew restrictions and empowered Police Chief Pamela Smith to declare temporary juvenile curfew zones for four days at a time. In those areas, a gathering of nine or more under the age of 18 is unlawful after 8 p.m.

Trump is within his powers in deploying federal law

enforcement assets on D.C. streets. He could deploy the National Guard, although that is not one of the dozen participating agencies listed in his declaration. The first Trump administration called in the National Guard during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and again on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters overran the Capitol. Further steps, including taking over the police department, would require a declaration of emergency Legal experts believe that would most likely be challenged in court. Such an approach would fit the general pattern of Trump’s second term in office, when he has declared states of emergency on issues ranging from border protection to economic tariffs. In many cases, he moved forward while the courts sorted it out.

Imposing a full federal takeover of Washington

would require a congressional repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973. It’s a step that Trump said lawyers are examining. That law was specific to Washington, not other communities in the United States that have their own home rule powers but generally retain representation in their state legislatures, said Monica Hopkins, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the measure allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor, council and local commissioners. The district had been previously run by federally appointed commissioners and members of Congress, some of whom balked at having to deal with potholes and other details of running a city of 700,000 residents.

BY DOUGLASS K. DANIEL Associated Press

WASHINGTON — William H. Webster, the former FBI and CIA director whose troubleshooting skills and integrity helped restore public conﬁdence in those federal agencies, has died, his family announced Friday He was 101. Webster led the FBI from 1978 to 1987 and the CIA from 1987 to 1991, the only person to guide the nation’s top law-enforcement agency and its primary intelligence-gathering organization. By the time he came to Washington, at age 53, Webster had practiced law for nearly 20 years, had served a stint as a federal prosecutor and had spent almost nine years on the federal bench in his native St. Louis. Those who opposed him in court or disagreed with his rulings acknowledged that his honesty was beyond question.

“Every director of the CIA or the FBI should be prepared to resign in the event that he is asked to do something that he knows is wrong,” Webster said after he agreed to lead the spy agency Former President George W. Bush said in a statement Friday night that Webster’s “passion for the rule of law and for the greatness of America made him a model public servant.”

President Jimmy Carter selected Webster, a Republican, for a 10-year term as FBI chief as the bureau sought to improve an image tarnished by revelations of domestic spying, internal corruption and other abuses of power Demanding but fair of his agents, he was generally credited with developing its ability to handle new challenges such as terrorism.

President Ronald Reagan chose Webster to replace CIA chief William J. Casey, who had been criticized for being too political, ignoring Con-

gress and playing a part in the arms-for-hostages scandal known as Iran-Contra. Webster, again in the role of outsider with no political agenda, quickly sought to ease tensions with Congress. He reported regularly on the CIA’s activities to lawmakers charged with intelligence oversight and avoided the appearance of trying to shape policy Retiring from federal service in 1991, he joined a Washington law ﬁrm but still served on a variety of policyrelated boards and commissions.

In 2002, the Securities and Exchange Commission selected Webster on a partisan vote, to lead a board created by Congress to oversee the accounting profession in the wake of scandals involving Enron and other corporations.

Before the board’s first meeting, however, Webster resigned amid questions about his role as head of the audit committee of U.S. Technologies, a company itself accused of fraud.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA

Mayor Muriel Bowser, of the District of Columbia, speaks as U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, left, listens May 22 during a news conference in Washington. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered increased federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital.

Thesystem uses three structures to distribute a70%-30% water flow betweenthe Mississippi andAtchafalaya riversrespectively.But changes to theMississippi River andconditions related to it haveled the Army Corps of Engineerstoconsider altering the structure’soperations— acontroversial topic because of how muchthe region depends on the two waterways.

Staffgraphic by DANSWENSON

RIVER

Continued from page1A

Those questions and more aredemanding the country investigate how Old River can be adapted to deal with them. Despite the structure’svital importance, that task is proving to be problematic, beset by competing interests and the Trump administration’sdecision to halt funding for awide-rangingstudy on the lower river’sfuture.

Thedifficulty has only underscored how much the region depends on the Mississippi —and how the needs of the nation and the world intertwine with it. It connects nearly all aspectsofsouthLouisiana’sexistence, and any change in the nation’svast plumbing system can have cascading effects ranging from the tiniest communities next to it to the oceangoing vessels carrying grain across the globe

The seemingly simple idea of altering the amount of water flowing through Old River —akey change being considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers —has ignited awide-ranging debate involving port officials, city leadersand even crawfishermen setting traps from their small skiffs, among others.

The structure is so integral to river management that the amount of water allowed to flow through it is mandated by federal law.And there should be no illusion that it is invincible: Areminder of the damage that can be inflicted by the river’spower occurred five decades ago, in 1973, when historically high waters caused one of its walls to collapse.

“Without the structure, it’sgoing to be very difﬁcult for us in south Louisiana,” said Yi-Jun Xu, an LSU hydrology professor who has closely studied conditions surrounding Old River.“So this structure, yes, is the most important structure in the lower Mississippi River.” Wilderpast, complicatedfuture

The pieces that make up the Old River Control complex are situ-

ated in acorner of Louisiana that tells talesofawilder past.

It was not so long ago, in the early 1950s, that theMississippi threatenedtoshift course through adistributary known as Old River due to aseries of natural and human-caused phenomena. That would have convertedthe Atchafalaya into the main stem of the Mississippi —shortening itsroute to the Gulfbymore than half.

Larger-scaleshiftsinthe Mississippi’spath have playedout repeatedly throughout history literally creating south Louisiana through the river’sgradual buildup of sediment.

Butinthe modern era, allowing it to change course would be disastrous.

TheOld RiverControl complex comprisessix main pieces, including adam, gates, alock and a hydroelectric plant, that work together to keep that from happening. They ensure that only 30% of thecombined ﬂowofthe Mississippi and Red rivers makes its way downthe Atchafalaya.The remaining 70% flows down the Mississippi.

Those were the flowrates in 1950, before the structures were built, and the intent at the time was to keep them steady at those amounts.

Federal law allowsfor slight ﬂuctuations throughout the year as long as the averageamount hits the 70/30 target

But while the lower river is now conﬁned toits path by levees and ﬂoodwalls, thatdoesn’t meanthe Mississippi remains static and predictable.

Beneaththe surface, it churns with change as it carries outits immense task of draining more than40% of the continental United States and two Canadian provinces, running from Minnesota to theGulf, collecting the Missouri and Ohio Rivers alongthe way Alist of concerns has emerged since the structures were built, and the changing climateislikely to cause furtherﬂuctuations as future years unfold. For one, rainfall is projected to intensify and

may lead to signiﬁcantly increased ﬂows down theMississippi.

Another developing issue involves how the bottom of the Mississippi is accumulating sediment belowOld River—raising the height of its bed and effectively causing the river’ssurfacetorise with the same volume of water

According to Xu,the LSUprofessor,accumulation hasoccurred along a20-mile stretch downstream of Old River—and thehighest point has increased by about40feetoverthe past three decades, essentially acting as an underwater damtotrap further mud. Asection of the river in that area has also sharply narrowed. Theproblems that can create are multi-fold. For one, it can increase the height of the wall of water pressing againstone of OldRiver’s key pieces,the Low Sill Structure. Restrictions related to that were already tightened duetosafety concerns after the 1973 ﬂood and related wall collapse

Butfor Xu, the overriding question involves sediment accumulation bothbelow and above Old River.Inaddition to theincrease below it,heestimates hundreds of millionsoftons of coarse sand has also collected abovethe structures up to Vicksburg. In thecase of acatastrophic flood,sandabove the structure could be pusheddown andcombine withthe sediment below it causing water to back up, he says, potentially leading to the structure being overpowered.

That raises the threat of the Mississippi changing course to the Atchafalaya at somepoint in the years ahead, says Xu. He is concerned thatthe situationisbeing “underestimated” by the Corps and the country at large. He argues thatinthe case of a complete avulsion —the technical wordfor theriverchanging course —New Orleans could be without drinking waterinamatter of about twoweeks.The problem would only worsen as time passes.

On theAtchafalayaside, communities would face severe ﬂood-

ing risks, includingMorgan City.

The Port of Morgan City,which handles billions in business, wouldnot be prepared forthe inﬂux of water andsediment.

“Itisveryurgent, actually,at aminimumtodoa risk assessment,” said Xu. “How can we evacuate people? And to where?”

The Corps readily acknowledges the problemofthe build-up, conducts analysis of it and says it constantlymonitors the issue, including sampling sediment.

It notes that the control structures allowfor ﬂexibility in managinghighwater,especially with the constructionofanadditional, auxiliary set of gatescompleted in 1986. The nearby Morganza Spillway canalsoserve as asupplementary option.

That permits the Corps to “shift theﬂow from onestructure to the next daily if needed,” it said in a statement

“This combination of the system’soverall resiliency and redundancy in featuresand operational adaptabilitygivesusconﬁdence that we cansafely manage future high-water events,” the Corps says.

It added that “in any case, the levelofactivitythattakes place by (Corps) personnel on adaily basis would warn us of any potential problems, allow us to take proactive measures andrespond to emergencyevents shouldany occur.”

In 1973, theCorps usedpilesof rockstoﬁll the hole being scoured at the structure as ashort-term ﬁx

IoannisGeorgiou, director of coastal and deltaicsystems at The Water Institute, aBaton Rougebased research nonproﬁt, says he trusts that theCorps hasadequate monitoring systemsinplace, but points outthatnew challengesare emerging.

“A future where unseen precipitationinthe MississippiRiver valley will pose new and unknown challenges to the receiving rivers thatlead to our homeofNew Orleansisafuture that we need to preparefor andplan for,”hesaid

STAFFPHOTOSByDAVID

GRUNFELD

The Overbank Structure works with other pieces of the OldRiver Control complex to regulate flowsbetween the Mississippi and AtchafalayaRivers when waters are high.

in an emailexchange.

“Shifts in the climate because of greenhouse gas emissions have been shown to produce unstable weather,with unforeseen andunexpected consequences.”

‘Navigatethose changes’

Otherrelated issuesinclude demands, particularly fromMississippi state ofﬁcials, that the Corps limit theuse of theBonnetCarre Spillway near New Orleans during high-water years. The spillway is needed to relieve pressure on thelevees andprevent catastrophic ﬂooding.

Concerns fromMississippi ofﬁcials and others involve the damagetofisheries andwaterfront tourism that theinﬂux of fresh water and nutrient pollution through the spillway causes. The Corps hasbeen sued over it.

Diverting more waterdown the Atchafalaya, either through Old River or the Morganza Spillway, could help with that problem but lead to deep concerns down theAtchafalaya, particularlyin the MorganCity area.

Separately,increasing the amount of water flowing down the Mississippi when levels are lowcould help deal with the problemofsaltwaterintrusion upriverfrom theGulf—which can threaten drinking water supplies and infrastructure, including in the New Orleansarea.

Butdoing so reduces theamount of water flowing down the Atchafalaya, potentially causing ecological andfisheries issues. Loomingoverall of it arethe flashing warning signs of recent years. While the Bonnet Carre Spillwayhad to be opened only eight times from its construction in the 1930s to the endofthe century,ithas already been needed seventimessince2000, including twicein2019.

On theother end of thespectrum, low-water years requiring the Corps to build asill in the Mississippi to block saltwaterintrusion formerly occurred about once adecade. It happenedthree yearsina rowfrom2022 to 2024.

The Old RiverAuxiliaryStructurenear Lettsworthwas built to provide extra capacity after a1973 flood caused awall in another area to fail

It is unclear if these are shortterm trends or longer-term changes as a result of more extreme drought and rainfall. It may well turn out to be a collision of both as the warming climate throws a wrench into natural weather variations.

If the issues seem complicated, that’s because they are — so complicated, in fact, that the Corps was until recently engaged in a five-year “mega-study” on the future of the lower Mississippi, including operations of Old River.

That study has however been paused since early June, with the Trump administration declining to continue funding it.

Before that, the Corps was investigating whether a more dynamic management of flow through Old River could be beneficial the idea that its knobs could be adjusted seasonally when river levels are either high, low or in between In other words instead of a fixed 70%-30% flow rate, could those numbers change depending upon conditions?

No final decisions had been made before the study was paused, but Corps ofﬁcials were considering variable ﬂows ranging anywhere from 80% down the Mississippi and 20% down the Atchafalaya to 60% and 40%, said Katelyn Costanza, the study’s lead engineer Those kinds of changes may require Congressional approval.

“We’ve learned from past ﬂood events, and we also know that the system has changed over the past 100 years,” said Constanza, referring to when the lower river’s modern shape took form with the construction of the vast ﬂood protections now in place.

“We have a pretty good idea of what those trends will look like in the future. So having more ﬂexible operations of Old River Control will help us kind of navigate those changes that we’ll see in the future.”

Regarding the “mega-study,” Constanza expressed hope that it could be restarted soon.

‘Severely impacted’

A drive across the Old River structures, strung along La. 15 at the spot in the Louisiana “boot” where the ankle meets the top of the foot, gives little indication of the important role they play, appearing not unlike the rest of the state’s ﬂood defenses or navigation locks. The initial pieces were completed in 1963, followed by later additions.

The list of reasons for why they are needed is long and frightening. The Mississippi has become a vital artery for global shipping, and New Orleans owes its history to it. But that’s not all.

Over time, the river would essentially become a saltwater estuary, the Corps notes, and more than a million people in the New Orleans area would have to ﬁnd a new source of drinking water

Baton Rouge, too, would eventually see saltwater seep into the underground aquifer system where it pulls its drinking water says Xu.

Electricity and industrial plants that draw from the river would have to shut or somehow adapt. Ports along the lower Mississippi would have little reason to exist as they do now That includes the Port of New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana, which handles more than half of the nation’s grain exports.

At the same time, the Atchafalaya and communities downriver

would be overwhelmed with water and sediment

Beauvais, standing atop Old River’s Low Sill Structure, a series of 11 gates that can be adjusted to control the ﬂow between the two waterways, spoke of the dangers that would play out over the course of several decades.

“If for some reason these structures fail, or if the river would have changed course to that of the Atchafalaya River at any time the economics of not only south Louisiana — of the nation — would be severely impacted,”

Beauvais says.

The structures’ necessity generates no serious argument. Adapting them to shifting environmental circumstances certainly does.

‘Could lose billions’

Raymond “Mac” Wade once planned to spend his life as a high school football coach. He ended up here, near the end of the Atchafalaya River in Morgan City, overseeing its port.

The 73-year-old retains the bearing of a coach from another era, eager to reel off the circumstances of his port’s dilemma related to Old River and the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs he says could be at stake.

He keeps a cigar perched between his ﬁngers that he occasionally chews on, but never lights. Smoking’s bad for you, he says.

“What happens on the Mississippi, it affects the Atchafalaya,” Wade said recently at his Morgan City ofﬁce, occasionally using a map and an infrared pointer to illustrate his points. “If you ﬂood us out, we could lose billions for the economy.”

Later, during a boat tour of the port’s sprawling facilities, about 130 miles by road from Old River Control, Wade points out the drydocks, fabrication yards and vessels of various types under construction or repair

Yellow cranes rise above the site where seven-story structures will be built for the mammoth Venture

Wade’s port. During the spring and summer, they pull up to processing facilities in pickup trucks, their boats on trailers behind them laden with sacks of wild mudbugs.

But even farther up the Atchafalaya, there isn’t enough sediment, with the northern end of the river having deepened.

Corps officials say they will take all of that and more into account before any change is made, with the aim of anticipating and preparing for any residual consequences.

They are even going beyond the lower Mississippi to potentially study changes along the lock and dam system on the Ohio, for example, viewing the system for what it truly is: a connected whole.

Global LNG plant in Plaquemines Parish. Suction piles that serve as anchors for offshore oil rigs lie on their sides like disassembled rockets. Barges and dredge ships sit idle as workers ready them for a return to the water Defense contractors work on U.S. Navy living quarters.

It has been quite a transformation for this part of central Louisiana’s coast, once known for its shrimping industry, then as the site of the ﬁrst offshore oil well out of sight of land, drilled in 1947

The change can be seen in Morgan City’s signature annual party: Formerly the Shrimp Festival, it later became the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival.

The Port of Morgan City has taken advantage of its strategic location to attract industry It sits at the intersection of the Atchafalaya and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and it offers deep enough water to allow larger vessels to make their way to its docks.

Dredging allows the port to maintain a 20-foot deep channel at a cost of around $40 million per

year When faced with the continual problem of lighter sediment piling up where the Atchafalaya meets the Gulf, Wade sought an innovative solution and said he convinced the Corps to agree.

The so-called “agitation dredge,” operating 24 hours a day, stirs up that lighter sediment and allows it to resume its journey out to the Gulf instead of clogging up the passage — at a fraction of the cost of a traditional dredge, Wade says. But he’s worried that his efforts may be in vain. If the Corps changes operations of Old River to signiﬁcantly increase the amount of water ﬂowing down the Atchafalaya, more sediment will arrive with it, threatening to silt up his port. More extensive dredging — and more money to pay for it would be needed, says Wade.

“It’s like a balance sheet. If you put something here, well, this has got to change over here,” he says during the boat tour “This creates lots of jobs. These are good-paying jobs.”

In addition to extra sediment, Wade is also worried the extra water will cause more closures of the recently built Bayou Chene ﬂoodgate — billed as the largest of its type in the world which prevents backwater ﬂooding in a range of nearby communities. But its closure also blocks larger vessels from traveling in and out of the port’s facilities.

In Morgan City itself, ﬂood protections are much stronger than during the 1973 ﬂood, including a 21-foot wall.

But city officials wonder how well they’ll hold up if lots more water ﬂows down. Offshore-linked businesses outside the walls could also be ﬂooded.

“The water table is going to go higher, so we’re going to be ﬁghting higher water probably more often and longer than ever before,” said Charlie Solar, the city’s chief administrative ofﬁcer Farther north around Cajun communities like Belle River, the problem has at times been low water and too much sediment. Atchafalaya Basin crawfishermen have occasionally pushed for the Corps to allow for more water down through Old River to help their businesses — often without success. Their small skiffs are a far cry from the vessels traversing

“When you move water one place, you’re moving it somewhere else,” said the Corps’ Costanza. “So we are looking at both systems (Mississippi and Atchafalaya), whether that be beneﬁts and impacts.”

‘A major impact’

Back at Old River, Russell Beauvais describes his short commute to work.

He grew up in nearby Morganza and still lives there today and he notes that his drive to his ofﬁce takes him through only three caution lights and a stop sign.

He lived in Baton Rouge while studying civil engineering at LSU, then worked for a time in the Lafayette area before quickly realizing he preferred the country life back home.

“I can leave my house right now at any time, go ﬁsh, hunt, and it don’t cost me $1,” Beauvais said at Old River’s Auxiliary Structure, where ﬁsh splashed in the whirlpool of water in front of the steel gates below “So I’d rather be out in the country.”

He’s a local guy, but knows well the wider importance of the structures he manages. At the nearby Low Sill Structure, he describes the complex work to repair the wall that collapsed in the ’73 ﬂood.

He tells of the changes that led to reductions in how much water can be allowed to push against it. He also explains the build-up of sediment near the complex, causing the river’s surface to rise.

Perhaps most importantly, he details all the calamities that could befall the region if the Mississippi changed course. It would not be an overnight shift — more likely playing out over several decades — but the effects would be historyaltering.

There would be emergency options — utilizing the other structures and rapidly constructing a rock dam while repairs take place, for example — but Corps ofﬁcials, and many others, hope to never arrive at that moment.

“The Old River Control Structure is either the most or one of the most important control structures within the Corps of Engineers or to the nation,” he says. With the white noise of river water churning below Beauvais adds: “It would be a major impact if something would happen here.”

Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

The Low Sill Structure, part of the Old River Control Structures, can be adjusted to allow the mandated amount of water flow through to the Atchafalaya River Federal law mandates 70% flows down the Mississippi and 30% down the Atchafalaya

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Clouds drifting behind him, Raymond ‘Mac’ Wade chews on an unlit cigar while on a boat tour of the Port of Morgan City facilities. Wade fears more water down the Atchafalaya will silt up his port and ruin business.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Crews work on building structures for the Venture Global LNG plant at the Port of Morgan City

Ore. senator says he has what it takes to resist Trump

Some Democrats seeking new leadership

BY CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press

WASCO, Ore. — Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is in his fifth decade in Congress and showing no inclination to step aside even as pressure builds on aging Democratic ofﬁceholders to give way to a new generation.

He says he plans to seek another term in 2028 when he will be 79 years old. He has traveled to all 36 Oregon counties every year he has been in the Senate and intends to keep doing so. After a recent town hall in Wasco in conservative Sherman County Wyden said questions about age are “fair game for debate” but that he is still up to the job and the ﬁght against Republican President Donald Trump’s policies.

“I believe you ought to be held accountable,” he told The Associated Press in an interview “But I think that the Founding Fathers wanted a results-oriented, commonsense approach to government, and that’s what I’m trying to do And I’ve got the energy.”

Many Democrats have lingering anguish about Joe Biden’s decision to seek a second White House term despite persistent concerns about whether he was up to the job at age 81. He dropped out in July 2024 and Trump went on to defeat then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I’ve consistently called for all elected ofﬁcials over the age of 70 to make this their final term to step down with dignity and make room for the next generation of leaders,” said Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run for Something, a group that supports progressive young candidates.

Many Democrats feel Biden withdrew too late and cost the party the presidency Multiple Democratic senators have announced this year that they won’t seek reelection, including 80-year-old Dick Durbin of Illinois. Durbin’s career in Congress began in 1983, two years after Wyden joined the House.

Litman said she hopes another Democrat emerges to challenge Wyden.

“I think competitive primaries in particular are how we as a party decide what we believe,” she said. Wyden continues to travel across his state engaging with voters of all political stripes. The Wasco town hall was the 23rd he has held this year, and the 1,125th town hall of his career Some 20 people gathered at a former grade school nestled among wheat ﬁelds and wind turbines.

“Every Oregonian counts, no matter where they live,” Wyden told them.

As other Democrats grapple over strategy, the senator says the old-school town hall tradition has become a key communication tool in an era of deepening division.

“I believe the town meetings are more important now than ever, because they allow for an opportunity in a community to chip away at some of the polarization and the mistrust,” he told the AP

That stands in contrast to congressional Republicans, who in recent months have largely avoided town hall meetings, where they often face protesters The National Republican Campaign Committee recently encouraged GOP lawmakers to promote the new tax breaks and spending cuts law, but in smaller settings they can control.

Some 75% of Sherman County’s voters cast ballots for Trump last November, and Wyden hasn’t carried the county of about 2,000

people since 2004. Yet the small town hall gathering stood out for its civility, compared with the raucous crowds faced recently by other members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans.

Meeting with a small group of Democrats, Republicans and independents in Wasco, Wyden talked at length about health care, trade and democracy While some pressed Wyden, they waited to be called on and thanked him for coming.

Charlie Hogue, 71, asked a question that went to the heart of Democratic concerns that leaders aren’t pushing back hard enough against Trump.

“I thought we had checks and balances in this country, and I’m beginning to lose hope because the current administration ignores court orders,” he said. “So are the Democrats planning to just message for the next elections or do you have a plan?”

Wyden cited examples of how he had challenged Trump: a recent trip to

Canada, where the senator spoke with the prime minister about trade, and discussions with Oregon wheat farmers about tariffs.

T.L. Fassbender, 76, wondered why it seems that Democrats support immigrants who entered the country illegally Wyden responded that he believed the immigration system was “broken” and noted that a bipartisan border bill collapsed in the Senate last year after thencandidate Trump came out against it.

In the ensuing exchange, Fassbender said he didn’t think Wyden had answered

his question, so the senator tried again.

“If somebody has committed a crime, for example, I don’t think that should be something that is protected as part of legislation,” Wyden said. “What’s been going on, unfortunately, is we have some government agencies coming and swooping up people who’ve done nothing wrong.”

When immigration came up again later Wyden noted that his parents were ﬂeeing Nazi Germany when they came to the United States.

“I believe that legal immigration makes our coun-

try better and stronger,” he said.

Recently, Wyden has emerged as a leading Democratic voice in pressing for more information on the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. He isn’t new to the effort, which has become a political crisis for Trump.

The president’s supporters are angry that his administration didn’t keep promises to release records from the investigation into the wealthy ﬁnancier’s exploitation of underage girls for sex. The Justice Department and FBI recently said there was no Epstein “client list,” walking back a notion that the administration had previously promoted. As the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, Wyden had been pressing for Epstein’s financial records long before the scandal resurfaced.

“We spent three years following the money,” he told the AP after the Wasco town hall. “And we’re going to stay at it until the facts come out.”

Wyden said Democrats agonizing over low voter morale and party strategy should hold more meetings in conservative areas, where they might learn something from the people they represent.

“The old saying is, ‘most of life is just showing up,’” he said. “But it’s especially important in government because there is a sense that this is rigged.”

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JENNy KANE

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., center, speaks to T.L. Fassbender, left, after a town hall meeting on July 25 in Wasco, Ore.

-LeeJ

Childbornfroma nearly 31-year-oldfrozenembryo

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

Ababy boy bornlast month to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before abirth.

In what’sknown as embryo adoption, Lindsey and TimPierce used ahandful of donatedembryos that have been frozensince1994 in pursuit of having achild after ﬁghting infertility for years. Their son was born from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces’ doctor says sets arecord.

It’saconcept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining traction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that lifebegins at or

frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country,with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs.

Further complicating the topic is a2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have thelegal status of children. State leaders have since deviseda temporary solution shieldingclinics from liability stemming from that ruling,though questions lingerabout remaining embryos.

to use them all. But after thebirthofher daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline forhaving more children.

As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she waswracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storagefees continued to rise.

documentation forthe donation. The embryos then had to be shippedfrom Oregon to the Pierces’ doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refusestodiscardfrozen embryosand hasbecome known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers.

around conception and that all embryos deservetobe treated likechildren who need ahome.

“I felt all along that these three littlehopes,theselittle embryos, deserved to live just likemydaughter did,” said Linda Archerd,62, who

donated her embryos to the Pierces

Justabout 2% of births in theU.S.are the result of in vitro fertilization, and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos.

However,medical experts estimate about1.5 million

Artist painting huge murals on Midwestgrain silos

BY JACK DURA Associated Press

MINOT, N.D. High atop a massive grain elevatorin the middle of Minot, North Dakota, artist Guido van Helten swipes aconcrete wall with abrush that looks more appropriate forpainting afence than creating a monumental mural.

Back and forth van Helten brushes, focused on his work and not bothered by the sheer enormity of his task as he standsinaboom lift, 75 feet off the ground, and focused on afew square feet of astructure that stretches over most of acity block.

“When you use these old structures to kinda share stories and use them asa vehicle to carry an imageof identity,itbecomes partof the landscape,” he said. “I’ve found that people have really adopted them and become reallysuperproudofthem.”

The work on the former Union Silos is van Helten’s latesteffort to paint murals on agigantic scale,with earlier projects on structures ranging from adam in Australia to part of aformer cooling tower at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. Although he has created muralsthroughout the world, grain silos in the U.S. Midwest have been among his most frequent sites

“I do enjoy the opportunity to uncover stories that are often kinda considered out of the way or ﬂyover communities,” he said.

VanHelten has been creating murals foryears, working increasingly in the U.S. over the past seven years and around the world. The 38-year-old Brisbane native’s interest in regional communitiesbegan in earnest after amural he created years ago on asilo in an Australian town of 100 people. The new idea, he said, drew interest, and he began aseries of com-

missionsaround Australia andthe U.S.

He usesa mineral silicate paint formulated to absorb and bond with concrete, and it lasts along time. He mixes tones speciﬁctothe color of the wall and subtly layers the work so it blends in.

“I love thecoloring of thesebuildings, so Idon’t wanttofight with them, I don’twanttochange it, I don’twantittobebright. I wantitto become part ofthe landscape,” he said

It’snot aquickprocess, as van Helten initially meets with residentstolearn aboutacommunity andthen spends months slowly transformingwhat is usuallythe largest structure in asmall town.

He began painting in Minot in May with plans for a360-degree mural that combinesphotographywith painting to depict the people and culture of an area.

TheMinot elevator and silos were built in the 1950s and were an economiccenter for years before they ceased operations around theearly 1990s.

VanHelten isn’t giving too muchaway about what his

Minot mural will depict, but said he has been inspired by concepts of land and ownership whileinNorth Dakota, from ranching and the oil field to Native American perspectives. Minot is acity of nearly 50,000 people.

“It is really when youboil down to it in many ways about land and how differentculturesinterpretthat and connect with it, and I feel it’sreally interestingin North Dakota becauseitis really such abig, open land,” theartist said.

Much of themural is still taking shape, butimagesof abarn and female figures are visible.

Property owner Derek Hackett said the mural is “a greatway to take what is kind of ablighted property and be able to give it afacelift and kind of resurrect its presence in our skyline.”

Soon themural will be visible from almost anywhere in town, he said.

The muralproject is entirely donation-funded, costing about $350,000, about 85% of whichisalready raised, said Chelsea Gleich, aspokesperson for theproject.

Archerdsaysshe turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thawand transfer embryos wasmaking keyprogress andopening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos andincrease theirchances of asuccessful transfer

She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped

Eventually,she found Snowflakes, adivision of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offersopen adoptions to donors from people like Archerd. She wasalso able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos.

“I wanted to be apartof this baby’slife,” she said. “And Iwanted to know the adopting parents.”

The process was tricky,requiringArcherd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper

Of the three donated embryos thePierces received fromArcherd, onedidn’t make the thaw.Two were transferredtoLindsey Pierce’swomb, butjustone successfully implanted. According to Dr.John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryomarksthe longestfrozen embryo to result in alive birth. He would know: Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryosfrozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Thaddeus Pierce was bornfrom an embryo that had been in storagefor 11,148 days.

PROVIDED PHOTO

ArtistGuido vanHelten uses aboom lift to ascend the side of silos whereheispainting amural in Minot, N.D

Republicans exploring ways to honor Trump’s legacy

Proposals include the $100 bill to Mount Rushmore

BY KEVIN FREKING and LEAH ASKARINAM Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Imagine getting the day off work for Donald Trump’s birthday. Receiving a $100 bill with Trump’s portrait on it.

Touching down at Donald J Trump International Airport near the nation’s capital And taking in a show at the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.

All would be possible under a ﬂurry of bills Republican lawmakers have sponsored this year

Trump is past six months into his second term, but some Republicans are ready to elevate him into the pantheon of American greats, proposing an ever-growing list of bills paying tribute well before his second term ends. One lawmaker even proposes carving his face into Mount Rushmore.

It’s a legislative exercise mixing ﬂattery and politics, providing another stark reminder of the Republican Party’s transformation under Trump as lawmakers from red-leaning states and congressional districts look for ways to win the president’s good graces — and stay close to his supporters.

Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who served as communications director of the Republican National Committee, said the bills have an important audience despite their seeming frivolity

“This is more about one person,” Heye said. “It’s not ‘Hey, voters, look what I’m trying to do for Donald.’ It’s, ‘Hey, Donald, look what I’m trying to do for you.’”

House Republicans moved quickly to honor Trump after his second term began. The bill to rename Dulles Inter-

national Airport in Virginia after Trump was introduced 72 hours after his swearingin.

“Best president in my lifetime,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Addison McDowell of North Carolina. “And I can’t think of a better way to honor somebody than to cement their place in history by naming an international airport in our nation’s capital after him.”

Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas waited a few more weeks before sponsoring his bill to put Trump on the $100 bill, which now features Benjamin Franklin. His legislation stated no $100 bill printed after Dec 31, 2028, could be printed without Trump’s portrait on the front even though federal law bans living figures from being placed on U.S. currency That law, enacted just after the Civil War, was intended to avoid the appearance of a monarchy

Another proposal from Rep. Greg Steube of Florida would rename Washington’s subway system the Trump Train. There’s also a bill from Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York making June 14 a new federal holiday called “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day.”

Perhaps the most daring idea comes from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who wants the Interior Department secretary to arrange for Trump’s likeness to be carved into Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt. She has two models of it in her ofﬁce.

Luna said through two assassination attempts and a “sham impeachment,” Trump has “shown not just resiliency in character but also to have been able to do what no other president has been able to accomplish.”

Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina admits he wasn’t enamored with Trump at ﬁrst.

Now, Wilson carries a pamphlet he gives to colleagues asking them to sponsor a bill that would direct the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to design and print a $250 bill bearing Trump’s image. The honor would coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States declaring its independence.

“I believe the president has served in a such a manner that he deserves it,” Wilson said.

It’s not just a few random Republicans taking part In the GOP’s tax cut and immigration law, leadership changed the name of a new savings account for children from “MAGA accounts” to “Trump accounts.”

“Because Trump is a transformational leader and he advocated for them,” Rep. Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said of the name change.

Several lawmakers are also talking Trump up as someone who should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a candidate, Trump promised he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office before saying later as president he was joking. Solving that conﬂict and Israel’s war against

Hamas in Gaza has eluded Trump.

But Republicans — and at least one foreign leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are still proposing Trump receive the prize. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has called on the Senate to nominate Trump, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee asked her social media followers to share her post if they agree he deserves it.

Tenney recently wrote on X she has nominated Trump twice and will continue to do so until he’s awarded the prize.

An appropriations bill making its way through the House includes an amendment from Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho that would name the Opera House at the Kennedy Center for ﬁrst lady Melania Trump.

Simpson said the White

House didn’t know about the amendment until it was introduced. He said the effort is different from renaming Dulles Airport in Trump’s honor because the theater isn’t currently named after anyone.

“She’s just been a supporter of the arts, always has been, and we’re trying to keep the arts alive in this bill,” Simpson said. “So we thought it was the appropriate thing to do.”

For many Republicans, lauding Trump in legislation is simply smart politics. Trump’s endorsement helped catapult many lawmakers into elected office, and his support could be helpful as individual members try to get their priorities into law

Plus, Trump wields his endorsement aggressively to replace members he finds disloyal and reward allies.

He’s already endorsed Gill and Luna for reelection in 2026, calling them “MAGA Warriors.”

But the power of a Trump endorsement extends beyond the primary, especially in the midterm elections.

“In the general election, they just send a signal to Trump voters to turn out, to trust somebody and vote for them,” said Steve Stivers, former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Democrats have taken note of the ﬂurry of Trump tributes, seeing it as a chance to portray a pliant Republican majority as being focused on placating Trump rather than helping Americans.

“House Republicans continue to embarrass themselves,” said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York “These people are sycophants.”

BatonRouge Community College(BRCC)will embark on anew eraofhealthcareeducation this monthwiththe official openingofthe OurLadyof theLakeNursing andAlliedHealthBuilding. The newfacility, locatedonBRCC’sMid City Campus willbring thecollege’s School of Nursingand Division of Allied Health under oneroof, creating an advanced hubfor trainingthe next generation of medicalprofessionals

The92,800squarefoot, four-story building represents a$35 millioninvestment. Previously BRCCandOurLadyoftheLakeHealthannounceda partnershipthatincludeda$12millioninvestment fromTheLaketohelpfundthefacility’sconstruction anddevelopment.DesignedbyChasmArchitecture andMackeyMitchell, with Ratcliff Construction Companyservingasgeneralcontractor,thisproject markstheﬁrstnewclassroombuildingonBRCC’s MidCityCampussince 2009 “Weare thrilled to celebratethe partnership betweenBatonRougeCommunityCollegeandOur Lady of theLakeHealth, whichunderscores the importanceofinvestinginthefutureofourhealthcare professionalsand leaders,”saidE.J.Kuiper, Presidentand CEOofFMOLHealth, theparent organizationofOur Lady of theLakeHealth. “The newbuilding,withitsstate-of-the-artfacilitiesand simulation-heavytraining,willprovideinvaluable hands-on experiencefor ourfuturenurses. This practicalapproachtoeducation ensuresthatour graduatesarenotonlyknowledgeablebutalsoadept at applying theirskillsinreal-worldscenarios ultimately enrichingthe healthcare community. ThebuildingwillhouseBRCC’sexistingprograms in nursing, sonography,surgicaltechnology, phlebotomy,medicallaboratorytechnologyandmedical assisting, whilealsocreating room fornew in-demand programs such as respiratorycare, physical andoccupational therapy, andathletictraining.

“Our oldbuildingallowed us to serveonlya smallnumberofstudents, andtherewas no room toexpand,”saidBRCCChancellorWillieSmith.“I knewweneededtoinvestinresources.Healthcare is oneofour leadingprogramsinterms of number of graduates. We knew we needed anew facility to meet theemployer andstudent demand.” Thebuildingfeaturesa simulatedhospitaland surgicalroomswherefacultycanobservestudents in action,thenprovide immediatefeedbackand guidance.Sarah Barlow,BRCCProvost andVice ChancellorforWorkforceandStudentDevelopment,

saidtheattentiontodetailinthesimulatedhospital meansthatstudents willlearn in an environment that replicates thereal-worldscenarios they will soon face

“Ithas afront desk,a ﬁleroom, alaundry room forlinens,apharmacy,nurses’stationsandclinical roomswithsimulationhubs,”Barlowsaid. “There arededicatedspacesforstudentstolearnmoreabout specialtiessuchaspediatricsandobstetrics.There arealsothreeoperatingroomsthatexactlymirror whatyouﬁndinahospital,fromtheequipmentand camerastothe lighting andsterilization sinks.

Inadditiontothesimulationhospital,thebuildingfeaturesa replicaofa home with alivingroom, kitchenandADA-accessiblebedroomandbathroom to trainstudents in home healthcare scenarios.

Agym on thefourthﬂoorsupportstrainingfor physical andoccupational therapy, whileclinical labsusehigh-ﬁdelitymannequinsandcutting-edge instructionaltechnologythatallowskilldemonstrationstoberecordedandstoredinavideolibraryfor future reference.

“Wehavefantasticfacultyinallofourprograms, andthesimulationsaregoingtoenhancetheyears ofexperiencetheybringtotheclassroom,”Barlow said.“This willgiveour students more opportunitiestoengageinhands-onwork.Theinstructional technologyisanadditiontowhatisalreadyastellar curriculum.” Smithnoted that theleadership team at Our Lady of theLakeHealthhas been instrumental in ensuring that thebuildingisdesignedina way to prepareBRCCstudents to enterthe workforce immediatelyupongraduation.

“Weknewwewantedtherightequipment,infrastructureandtechnologytoadvancehospitalcare, andtheywereagreatpartnerinhelpingusdetermine whatgoesintoastate-of-the-arthealthcarefacility today,”Smith said.“In addition to theirhelpwith thebuilding,OurLadyoftheLakealsocontributes to facultyendowmentsand studentscholarships. They continue to be at theforefront of supporting ourgrowth.” With historic enrollment highsinrecentyears, BRCCisnowservingover17,000studentsannually Inadditiontohealthcare,Smithsaidhigh-demand programsincludeprocesstechnology,information technology,transportationandconstructionmanagement.TheNursingandAlliedHealthBuildingstands asatestamenttoBRCC’scommitmenttoproviding high-quality,workforce-driveneducation forall

“Thisbuildingwas ahugeendeavor, but it is worthy of theworkweare doing,”Smith said.“I believeBRCCisoneofthefastest-growingcommunity colleges in thecountry.We’re excitedfor the neighboringcommunity andstudentstosee this enhancedfacility,especiallysinceitwaspositioned tofaceFloridaBoulevardandbeespeciallyvisible

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Republicans are ready to elevate President Donald Trump into the pantheon of American greats, proposing an ever-growing list of bills paying tribute well before his second term ends.

Cubans struggle to feed strays amid economic crisis

Caring for dogs, cats harder among residents

BY ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ and CRISTIANA MESQUITA Associated Press

HAVANA Every afternoon, 81-year-old Nélida Pérez begins her familiar walk down the cobblestone streets of Old Havana, a procession of hungry cats trailing close behind her For years, Pérez has taken it upon herself to feed some of the street cats that roam this part of town, which is also one of the most popular tourist spots in the Cuban capital.

She once relied on her own food or restaurant donations, but as the island’s economic situation worsened and tourism declined, it has become increasingly difficult to provide for them.

“I have never in my life asked anyone for a plate of food to feed my cats,” Pérez told The Associated Press. “Now I see myself in difﬁculties because there is no tourism and there is an economic crisis.”

Since 2020, Cuba has faced a worsening economic crisis, driven by COVID-19 shutdowns, stricter U.S. sanctions, and an internal monetary reform that triggered inﬂation.

Although the government provides vaccines, sterilization and some free clinics, it does not have the means to provide shelter and food for

street cats and dogs. While ofﬁcial data is unavailable, activists say that many pet lovers have turned their homes — even small apartments into shelters, but they are struggling to keep up with the demand and provide adequate care.

“The streets will kill them,” said Bárbara Iglesias, a 51-year-old pharmacist who adopted ﬁve dogs and has rescued and found homes for a dozen others.

Iglesias explained that the hardest part is getting food. A 44-pound bag of dog food, which lasts one dog for about 45 days, costs around $80 a sum that is out of reach for most. This forces people to feed animals with pig organ meat (offal), chicken parts or mince meat — which are also not easy to obtain.

On top of that, annual vaccines cost about $20 and a vet visit is another $10, all while the average monthly salary on the island is only about $12.

Experts say that the abandonment of animals in Cuba is a result of several factors, including rising food and medicine prices, the migration of hundreds of thousands of Cubans in the last ﬁve years, and a high mortality rate among older adults.

“People are more focused on their problems, which

are numerous: Cubans don’t have water, they don’t have electricity, and getting food is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Annelie González one of the leaders of the Aldameros Project, a cat colony located in a park in Havana’s historic center

“Having an animal in your care involves feeding and caring,” said González, 36, who works as a restaurant manager and spends much of her income on the cats. She and a small group of volunteers began feeding 15 cats in Aldameros Park at the beginning of the pandemic. Today, they care for more than 150. Over the years, through their own efforts and some donations, they were able to install water pumps, pens for special cases, and cages for the kittens.

González points to a number that she said reveals the shocking scale of the problem: at the start of the decade, roughly three abandoned cats appeared in the park each week This year, that ﬁgure has soared to 15 per day

Back in Old Havana, Pérez recounts with sadness how she has seen people mistreat, beat and even kill stray cats.

“As long as I’m alive and healthy, and people help me,” she vowed, “I’ll always ﬁnd them something to eat.”

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Ground squirrels taking over North Dakota city

‘There’s got to be tens of thousands

BY JACK DURA Associated Press

MINOT, N.D — The Richardson’s ground squirrel weighs less than a pound, is about a foot long and is native to the northern Plains.

The little creature also is a ferocious tunneler, and it’s exasperating the people of Minot, North Dakota, where it’s burrowing everywhere from vacant lots to the middle of town, and growing more plentiful over the past two decades. Now North Dakota’s fourth-largest city is ﬁghting back, but even the pest control guy leading the charge acknowledges that it will be difﬁcult to turn the tide against the rodent.

Joshua Herman said ﬁghting the squirrels is akin to “one guy standing against a massive storm.”

“If I’m trapping but my neighbor isn’t, well then, we’re really not going to get anywhere with it, long-term,” Herman said.

Ground squirrels have been an issue in Minot, a city of nearly 50,000 people, for at least 20 years, but the problem has dramatically worsened in the last few years, said Minot Street Department Superintendent Kevin Braaten.

It’s unclear how many of the squirrels live in Minot but it likely nears or even exceeds the city’s population.

“Gosh, there’s got to be tens of thousands of them in the area,” Herman said.

Ofﬁcials in the city, a green spot along the winding Souris River surrounded by farmland and grassy prairie, know they can’t get rid of the squirrels, but hope to simply get the rodent numbers down.

“I don’t see the population ever going to zero,” Braaten said. “I mean it’s almost impossible by the numbers that we have.”

Put another way, Minot won’t be able to rid itself of the squirrels because the animals have lived on the prairie for centuries.

Outside of town, predators like coyotes, badgers, owls and even snakes love to dine on the squirrels. But in residential neighborhoods and even downtown, where few of their predators live, the rodents can roam pretty freely

Greg Gullickson, an outreach biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, adds that the squirrels now have fewer grassland areas available to them and like the mowed spots they ﬁnd in town

Female squirrels typically give birth to litters of about six babies a year so it’s easy to see how their numbers can quickly soar

Herman said he kills 3,500 to 5,000 of them a year, primarily by putting snares and carbon monoxide into the holes, and using an air riﬂe.

“I’ve had calls downtown, calls in the mall, along the highways, here at the airport — really every part of the city I’ve done trapping for ground squirrels here in Minot,” Herman said as he checked his traps along an apartment building and shoveled dirt over holes. Herman says they damage driveways, sidewalks and lawns; create tripping hazards with their holes and can harbor disease from ﬂeas.

Along an apartment building, the squirrels had dug under a concrete slab and against the foundation. Nearby in a vacant lot, the rodents popped in and out of holes.

Ground squirrels near Pashone Grandson’s

and

One squirrel

got

and into

the

“It was a

You don’t know what disease they carry They’re dirty I have a young daughter I didn’t know if it was going to bite her,” Grandson said. North of town, Minot Air Force Base, which houses bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, has fought the ground squirrels for years. Earlier this month, the base said it had trapped more than 800 “dak-rats,” a base name for the rodents. Base ofﬁcials declined to comment on the squirrels.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAMON ESPINOSA

A man feeds stray cats from a protected cat colony ‘Proyecto Aldameros’ at a park in the historic area of Havana.

ELIMINATE BACK PAIN ANDSCIATICA

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Living with chronicpainisn’t just frustrating— it canbelife-altering.Whether it’s backpain, sciatica, neck discomfort,ordisc-relatedissues, it canstopyou from doingthe things youlove Maybeyou can’tplaygolf, getthrough a workday,orevensit comfortablyinthe carfor 30 minutes. Youcan’t remember thelasttime youhad arestful night’ssleep.You feel great mentally,but your body is holdingyou back. Most people don’trealizethatspinaldiscs are often therootcause of this pain Thesediscs act as cushions between thespinalbones andcreate thenecessaryspacefor nerves to exit thespinal column.But when discsare injured, worn down,orbegin to degenerate,theybulge or herniate —pressingonnerve rootsand triggering pain in theback, legs,neck,and arms This pressuredoesn’t just causepain. It canlead to numbness,tingling, weakness,and even issueswithbalance andmobility

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Disc issuesare common,and patients suffering areusually givenlimited optionsoftreatment Themostcommoninvasivetreatment fordisc herniationsissurgery.Werun thesebig newspaperadvertisementsbecause we want to letpeopleinthe communityknowthere is anotheroptionoftreatment forpain.

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LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Dividedcourt weighs congressionaldistrictcase

WASHINGTON —The U.S. Supreme Court wants to know if, by creatinga second Black majority congressional district, Louisiana violated theU.S. Constitution. The nine justices focused on mechanics when they ﬁrst heard the case —called Louisiana v. Callais —inMarch.They’re now asking an ideological question some critics saymight lead to furtherweakening of theVoter Rights Act of 1965, oneof the legislativecornerstones of the Civil Rights era.

“Obviously,the courtis divided,” said U.S. Rep.Cleo Fields, the Baton Rouge Democrat whowon the newly created seat inthe U.S. House. “I don’tthink eithersidehas ﬁve votes. Ithink they’re trying to seehow they get there.”

Thehighcourt announced in Junethat it would hear more arguments. On Aug. 1, it asked lawyers to argue whether Louisiana’ssecond minority-majoritydistrict violates either the 14th Amendment,which forbids districts based on race, or the15th Amendment, whichforbids abridging the right to vote because of race.

The Voting Rights Act’s Section2 requires minority-majoritydistrictsifthe population lives close enough together, shares similar political goals, andisina state, like Louisiana, where Whitemajority districts have never elected aBlack candidate.

State Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill had asked the justices to sort outhow astate could draw district mapswithout running afoul of the often-conﬂicting laws. She said Wednesday she won’t comment until the state ﬁles its new brief before the high court.

John Bisognano, president of the National Redistricting Foundation, aWashingtonbased nonprofit affiliated with the Democratic Party,noted the high courthad never found aconflict between the EqualProtection Clause andthe VotingRights Act.

“If the Court decides to nowundo that precedent, it wouldbeahead-spinning reversal of itself,” Bisognanosaid in astatement.

Though Black residents make upa third of the state’spopulation, the Republicanmajority Louisiana Legislature in 2022 approved congressional mapsafter thelast U.S. Census count that assured theelections of ﬁve White Republicans and one Black Democrat.

Acadre of Black voters sued,and afed-

Kennedypresses NATO on defense spending

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, RMadisonville,ispressing for NATO, the allianceofEuropean andNorth American countries, to keep acommitment to increase defense spending, sayingsome nations appear to be trying to “weasel their way out” of the promise.

CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

PresidentDonald Trump has long complained that the U.S. has shouldered too much of the ﬁnancial burden of protecting the 32 member states in NATO. At a summit in June, NATO members committed to spending at least 5% of their gross domestic product on defense spending by 2035.

eral district court in Baton Rouge ruled asecondminority-majority district was neededtocomply with theVoting Rights Act.

The newly elected Republican-supermajority Legislature in January 2024 created two districts in which aBlack candidate hadachance of winning.

Initially,Black voters recommended the second minority-majority district center in depopulating northLouisiana. Butlawmakers didn’t want to undermine HouseSpeaker MikeJohnson, R-Benton,orRep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, and chose instead to remap the 6th Congressional District

The result links predominantly Black precinctsfrom Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Shreveport. Though stretched thinly across thestate, the district is smaller than Letlow’sand takes less time to traverse than Johnson’s Louisiana argued that politics played an

important role in how the district came out.

The Callais group of self-described “nonAfrican Americans” filed alegal challenge in Monroe, arguing legislators improperly decided first to draw aBlack-majority district and then chose which White Republican to sacrifice.

Twoofthe three judges agreed with the Callais side, but theSupreme Court ruled it was too late to sort out the competing lower court decisions and the 2024 electionsproceeded using thelegislative map with two districts that favored Black candidates.

“The issue thehigh court seems to want to tackle further is whether applying Section 2continues to be Constitutional, at least as applied to Louisiana,” said Michael Li, aredistricting expert with the Brennan Center for Justice in New York.

The VotingRightsAct automatically

But Kennedy, amember of the Senate Appropriations Committee, argues some countries are already showing signs of reneging on that deal. He points to astatement from Spanish PrimeMinister Pedro Sánchez saying hiscountry would only spend2.1% of GDP on defense because “It is thelegitimate right of every government to decidewhether or not they are willing to make those sacriﬁces.”

“Toclarify: Sánchez expects the American people to makesacriﬁces to contributetoour shared defense,but he doesn’twant anyoneinSpain to missa single siesta for thecause,” Kennedy wrote in aNewsweek op-ed. “Does that sound like someone who would ride with you into battle?” Kennedy has introduced a resolution urging NATO member countries to keep to the5%commitment.

“The world needs to know we have each other’sbacks, and that startsbyputtingyour money where your mouth is,” Kennedy wrote in the op-ed. Reps. Higgins,Fields sponsor crawfish bill

When adrought shriveled up Louisiana’s2023 crawﬁsh season, farmers were able to get federal help through theU.S. Department of Agriculture and theSmall Business Administration.But those who caught wild crawﬁsh had fewer options.

Now,U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, and U.S. Rep.Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, are sponsoring abill that would speciﬁ-

sunsets when astate no longer engages in discriminatory election practices. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in acase about college enrollments: “The Court has long said that race-based remedial action must have alogical end point.”

Louisiana no longer requires Black voters to pass onerous tests in order to register and Black voters are no longer violently intimidated not to vote. But legislators initially drew amap that diluted minority voter strength. How does that count?

“It’snot 1965 anymore, but the idea that Louisiana has moved beyond racism in its election laws, in its election maps…seems to defyeven acursory understanding,” Li said. “IfSection 2doesn’tapply in Louisiana, it’shard to think of manyplaces in the country where it might.”

Email Mark Ballardatmballard @theadvocate.com.

cally add wild-caught crawﬁsh to thelist of ﬁsheries that are eligible for disaster relief from the Department of Commerce.

“This is an important step to bring parity across the entire industry,” Higgins said in anews release.

The Secretary of Commerce could declare adisaster forfisheries of the red swamp crawfish and white river crawfish. That could be because of anatural disaster,failure of water management infrastructure or other major decreases in stock and revenue.

“Louisiana’scrawﬁsh harvesters are avital part of our state’s economy and heritage,” Fields said in therelease. “This legislation not onlyrecognizes that legacy,but it also ensures that when future disasters hit, they won’t be left behind.”

Louisiana ports team up for marketing strategy

Louisiana’sﬁve deep-water

ports on the Mississippi River have collectively agreed to launcha marketing strategy to bring newbusiness and foreign investment. About half abilliontonsofcargo pass through the ports each year roughly 20% of the volume in the United States. The ports will engage Polaris Analyticsand Consulting to developa marketing strategy that pitchesall ﬁve together,potentially opening up more and biggerbusiness.

“By speaking with one voice and leveraging shared strengths, these ports are not only enhancing Louisiana’s global trade presence —they’re creating high-wage jobs, driving investment and positioning Louisiana to win on the world stage,” said Susan Bourgeois, secretary of the Louisiana Economic Development.

Mark Ballard

Kennedy

Bourgeois

Fields Higgins

The U.S. Supreme Courtwants to knowif, by creating asecond Black-majority congressional district, Louisiana violated

Constitution.

Hoffa’slegendendures 50 yearsafter disappearance

BY COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press

DETROIT It was September

2012 and dozens of residents looked on as police cordoned offthe area around ashed just northeast of Detroit.

Low whispers about what —orwho —officers were searching for grew to more excited chatter when the name Jimmy Hoffa started ﬂoating aroundthe normally quiet street.

By that time,the name had become sort of mythical in and around Detroit.

July 30 marked 50 years sincethe iron-ﬁstedformer Teamsters union boss disappeared from arestaurant about 10 miles north of the city.Presumeddeadlongbefore being legally declared deceased in 1982, Hoffa’s remains were not found beneath the concrete shed ﬂoor in Roseville in 2012.

Nor were they uncovered eightyears earlier,below floorboards in aDetroit house. Neither were they found in 2013 at ahorse farm miles northwestofthe city

In 2013, digging equipment found mostly dirt as authorities excavated a ﬁeld in Oakland Township, about 25 miles north of Detroit. And no signs of Hoffa were found in 2022 during a search of land beneath the Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey Hoffa, the son of acoal miner who died when he was 7, was born in Brazil, Indiana, but moved with his mother to Detroit while still aboy.Hequit school at 14 and went to work, landinga

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

FormerTeamsters President Jimmy Hoffa leavesthe Lewisberg, Penn., penitentiaryonDec.23, 1971, after having his sentence commuted by PresidentRichard Nixon.

jobonagrocerywarehouse loading dock. In 1932, Hoffa led aworkers’ strike over poor labor conditions and unfairtreatment of workersbythe store, according to apost about himonthe International Brotherhood of Teamsters website. He joined the union ayear later andbecameabusiness agent for Local 299 in Detroit, thewebsite said Hoffa was elected the local’spresident in 1937 and would become aunionorganizer.He often found himself on the other end of thelaw.In1937, he was convicted of assault and battery.In1940, hepleaded no contest to charges of conspiring with unionized waste-paper companies to

prevent non-union competitorsfrom selling their products. Sevenyears later,he was arrested for attempted extortion. Each time,Hoffa only received ﬁnes. He continued to rise in the union’sranks.From1957 to 1971, he served as the Teamsters general president Hoffa hada history of associating with organized crime.

In the late 1960s, he was convicted of fraud, conspiracy andjury tampering. He was sent to federal prison in 1967.

President Richard Nixon commutedHoffa’s 13-year sentence in 1971.

On July 30, 1975, Hoffa, now 62, was tomeet reputed Detroit mob enforcer Anthony “TonyJack”Giacalone

Indiahas become amajor powerininternational chess

Itshighest-ranked player is 20

BY JOHN DUERDEN Associated Press

andalleged New Jersey mob ﬁgureAnthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano at the Machus Red Fox restaurantinOakland County’sBloomfield Township.

Hoffa called his wife, Josephine,about 2:15 p.m.from apay phone to tell her no one showed up for themeeting. He has not been seen or heard from since despite scores of tips and multiple searches spanning several states.

Agrand jury later was convened in Detroit, but no one ever has been directly charged in Hoffa’sdisappearance or death.

The FBI’s Detroit office last month saidthe Hoffa case“remains oneofthe most well-known missing person investigations in FBI history.”

“Regardless of theage of the case, theFBI Detroit Field Officeremains

committedtofollowing all credible leadsand is seeking information to assist in moving this case forward,” the agency said in arelease.

“The Hoffa investigation remains active, and our ofﬁce continuestourge anyone with information to come forward.”

Whomever is responsible went to great lengths to keep such informationhidden, even after ﬁve decades.

“I think it conﬁrms in my mind somebody did a pretty good hit job on him,”

Wayne State University educator Marick Masters said of Hoffa Masters, professor emeritus at theuniversity’sMike Ilitch School of Business in Detroit, told The Associated PressonWednesdaythat Hoffa wasconsidering getting back into Teamsters’ leadership at the time of his disappearance.

“He still, obviously,was very muchpassionately involved in theunionand he wanted to ﬁnd away of moving forward in it,” Masters said. “Whatever the circumstances were, he wastragically prevented from doing that.”

Hoffa was inducted into Labor’sInternational Hall of Famein1999, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which refers to Hoffa on its website as “a worker’shero.”

“He was viewed as avery passionate champion of the Teamsters,” Masters said. “On theother hand,hehad problematicassociations which besmirchedthe image of organized labor.He was avery controversial ﬁgure.Hewas capable of accomplishing things and also capable of having associationsthatraisedquestions about his integrity.”

Indian compatriots near the top of the rankings helps.

“Weall push each other Gukesh winning the world championshipinspired me to pushmyself. We are growing together andit’sgoodfor all of us,” he said.

At 12 years and 10 months, ‘Pragg’ became one of the youngest-ever grand masters, thetitle awarded to exceptional players by the world’schessfederation.

India has become amajor power in international chess led by its highest-ranked player, RameshbabuPraggnanandhaa. He’sNo. 4inthe world, one place above compatr iots Gukesh Dommaraju, the current world champion, and Arjun Erigaisi, who are tied for ﬁfth. Praggnanandhaa, who will celebrate his 20th birthday on Sunday,has an ambition to be the best.

Beating the current No. 1Magnus Carlsen in 2022, when Praggnanandhaa was congratulated by India cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar,was an early sign that his ambition is realistic.

“I can become world No. 1and world champion,” he told The AssociatedPress. He said the presence of his

“I think (in India) all of us havethese common traits that Ithink comes from the Indian background. Ithink we are all, hard-working and we focusonimprovingmore, rather than results .but it is an individual sport, so people have their own strengths and weaknesses.”

In 2023, he was praised by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for beating the second-and third-rankedplayerstomakeittothe World Cup ﬁnal—India accounted for four of the last eight in thetournament —where he was beaten by Carlsen.

He hascome alongway since he first picked up chess pieces at theage of ﬁve to play against his sister— Vaishali Rameshbabu

is adouble youthchampion —athome,never imagining that he would oneday be recognized in the streetsof his hometown Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu that hasbeen at thecenter of the chess explosion.

Before 2000, Indiahad three grand masters but has produced over 80 since, with 30 coming from the southern state alone.

The mostfamous was the godfather of Indian chess. Viswanathan Anand became agrand master in 1988 as ateenager andwentonto winfiveworldchampionships.“We started playing chess when Anand was worldchampion,” said Praggnanandhaa. “He inspiredall of us.”

Having astaratthe top was helped by healthy grassroots competition in Chennai.

“There werelots of local eventshappening every weekendand the players were really strong,” he said. “I was always playing in higher categories, so when Iwas playing my age category,Iwas just alreadyway strongerbecauseofthat experience.”

Praggnanandhaa

THE GULF COAST

Influencer slamscoast restaurants, locals fightbackat‘rage baiting’

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

Mississippi Coast locals are speaking out and accusing an aspiring North Mississippi food inﬂuencer of “rage baiting” after he slammedseveral restaurants in aseries of videos posted on social media in late July.

“Dear Gulf Coast Mississippi, the food scene down here has been ass, Kartavis Buchanan, known on social media as Big TaeEats, said in avideo introducing his series on the Mississippi Gulf Coast’sdining scene. He said he only liked ahandfulofthe 12 restaurantshetried while visiting.

The reviews, mostly doneinside of acar,often include his wife. Creating social media food reviews can be alucrative job, and inﬂuencers like Keith Lee can get 4-6 million views per video. Buchanan adds #keithlee as ahashtag to many of hisreviews, which can reach 100,000 views or more. In aseries of videos,Buchanan complained about the quality,pricing and taste of several restaurants on the Coast.

Big Daddy’s, aBlack-owned soul food buffet in downtownGulfport,is known for its portions and affordable prices. The restaurant hashundreds of 4-5starreviews on Google,with many praising the meat-and-three style spot. Buchanan, however,was notimpressed.

Rosita-Maria Zaldivar’s tacos and Mexican fare has had acult following for years. In 2022, she was able to expand from her food truckinto a stand-alone restaurant in St. Martin, wherethe lines can be long.

She specializes in tacos, birria ramen and tres leches cakes. Themenu is affordable, with most items costing less than $20, and Rosita’shas a 4.8-star ranking on Google.

“The tacos were great! The street tacos were great! The people were friendly and inviting,”ChipKerr said in aGoogle Review last week “You want to go here, you really do.” Once again, though, Buchanan was not happy

Buchanan’swife, however,enjoyed her meal and lovedthe strawberry tres leches cake. Both of them said thecustomerservice was exceptional.

Buchanan alsogavenegativereviews to restaurants including The Shed in Vancleave and Tay’sBBQ in Jackson County

He gave positive critiques to Cheryl’s SteakhouseinOcean Springs, Dem Damn Burgers in Biloxi, Trina’sSweets in Pascagoula and Nana J’sSoulFood in Ocean Springs, callingmanyofthemhiddengemsand praising thehomemadepastries well-seasoned protein and ﬂavorful side dishes. Many locals didn’tbuy Buchanan’s hottakes.

MatthewBounds, known online as Your Barefoot Neighbor,isa Gulfport-based inﬂuencer whogaineda massive online following while cookingrecipes during thepandemic. His videos, whichoften receive 2million views or more, are meanttoshow people that cooking isn’tashard as it looks.

Boundstook aim at Buchanan’sreview in aviral Facebook post, accusing him of “rage baiting” for clicks or

just being unnecessarily critical if he did not like thedish.

“There’s away to create food reviews with honest feedback,both good andbad,ina constructive, respectful way.Big Taeain’tit,” he said.

Bounds noted that small-business owners often pour theirtime, creativity and money into their work, and one bad review that goes viral can make or break their future.

“You couldn’tpay me enough to sit in my car andscream and my audience and trash their hard work, type HORRIBLE in allcapsinthe captions,evenifI didn’t care fortheir food.”

His post was shared hundreds of times,including by manyrestaurant owners in theareawho were not featured in Buchanan’svideos.

Brad Elliot, who owns Lost Pizza Co. in Ocean Springs and Hattiesburg, said he appreciated Bounds’ perspective.

“As arestaurant owner myself,you have eloquently stated the truth!” Elliot said on Facebook Rosita’salsogaveBoundsa shoutout, complete with ateary-eyed emoji: “This is why we LOVE you!”

BaySt. Louismansion featured in Katrinadoc

Butresidents cryfoulover illustration

BY POETWOLFE Staff writer

Ahistoric Victorian home in Bay St. Louis crumbled in the storm surge of HurricaneKatrina in 2005. Twenty yearslater,it’sresurfaced, though in away thatleft someonthe Gulf Coastdisappointed.

The house,onceperched on North Beach Boulevard, appearsonthe cover of “Hurricane Katrina: ARace Against Time,” aﬁve-part documentary seriesrecently released by NationalGeographic.

The series revisits the deadly catastrophe, highlighting how it reshaped New Orleans.

The movie poster,which appearstobeillustrated, features amore animated versionofthe BaySt. Louis homesubmergedinfloodwaters as an adult and child standonthe roof,overlooking thedesolate landscape near asign that reads “HELP.”

On socialmedia, Hancock County residents have questioned why the image was used, considering the series focusesexclusively on Katrina’saftermath in New Orleans.

The acrimonious responses also point to abroader frustrationamong residents who feel like the storm’simpact on the Mississippi Coast has long been overshadowed.

“Howdisrespectful that ourstoryisn’tworth sharing, but our images of loss areperfectly ﬁne to attach to New Orleans!” oneFacebook userwrote

“There is no excuse for the

fake photo,” another commented. “Plenty of real (New Orleans) homesthatcould have been used forthe ﬁlm itself!”

Though destroyed by Katrina,the houseremains listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Hancock County Built in 1889 by Charles Sanger,the home was believedtobebuilt on the highest waterfront elevation on the Gulf, according to a2003 article by The Sun Herald. Sanger, aprominent builder and architect, built the estate for RaoulTelhiard, aNew Orleans resident who stayed in BaySt. Louis in the summer Telhiard referred to the vacationhome as “Ada Villa” until it was sold to theMcDonald family in 1904 and became locally known as the Old McDonald House. In 2003, The Sun Herald wrote about the new owners hosting atourofthe house to raise money for the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Visitorsweregreeted by guides clad in Victorianattire before walking through a48-foot-long center hall covered in 19th-century decor,the article said. Thehome’s weatheredappearance, the article noted, waspartofits charm.The McDonalds once described it as “ripely mellowedwith a heap of living.”

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

The Shed BBQ &Blues Joint in OceanSprings,Miss., was slammed along withseveral other restaurants in videos posted on social media in late July

PHOTO AdaVilla was built in 1889 on North Beach Boulevard in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Innovative methods tested to locate missing people

Families looking for victims of cartel violence in Mexico

BY MARÍA VERZA Associated Press

ZAPOPAN, Mexico First the scientists dress dead swine in clothes, then they dispose of the carcasses.

Some they wrap in packing tape, others they chop up. They stuff the animals into plastic bags or wrap them in blankets. They cover them in lime or burn them. Some are buried alone, others in groups.

Then they watch.

The pigs are playing an unlikely role as proxies for humans in research to help ﬁnd the staggering number of people who have gone missing in Mexico during decades of drug cartel violence.

Families of the missing are usually left to look for their loved ones with little support from authorities.

But now, government scientists are testing the newest satellite, geophysical and biological mapping techniques — along with the pigs — to offer clues that they hope could lead to the discovery of at least some of the bodies.

The ranks of Mexico’s missing exploded in the years following the launch of then-President Felipe Calderón’s war against drug cartels in 2006. A strategy that targeted the leaders of a handful of powerful cartels led to a splintering of organized crime and the multiplication of violence to control territory

With near complete impunity, owing to the complicity or inaction of the authorities, cartels found that making anyone they think is in their way disappear was better than leaving bodies in the street.

Mexican administrations have sometimes been unwilling to recognize the problem and at other times are staggered by the scale of violence their justice system is unprepared to address.

Mexico’s disappeared could populate a small city Ofﬁcial data in 2013 tallied 26,000 missing, but the count now surpasses 130,000 — more than any other Latin American nation. The United Nations has

crawling creatures collected from clandestine graves, part of a research project to help locate missing people, in Guadalajara, Mexico.

said there are indications that the disappearances are “generalized or systematic.”

If the missing people are found — dead or alive — it is usually by their loved ones. Guided by information from witnesses, parents and siblings search for graves by walking through cartel territory, plunging a metal rod into the earth and snifﬁng for the scent of death.

Around 6,000 clandestine graves have been found since 2007, and new discoveries are made all the time. Tens of thousands of remains have yet to be identiﬁed.

Testing creative solutions

Jalisco, which is home to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, has the largest number of people reported missing in Mexico: 15,500.

In March, human bone fragments and hundreds of items of clothing were discovered at a cartel ranch in the state.

Authorities denied it was the site of a mass grave.

José Luis Silván, a coordinator of the mapping project and scientist at CentroGeo, a federal research institute focused on geospacial information said Jalisco’s disappeared are “why we’re here.”

The mapping project, launched in 2023, is a collaboration by Guadalajara University, Mexico’s National Autonomous University and the University of Oxford in Eng-

land, alongside the Jalisco Search Commission, a state agency that organizes local searches with relatives.

“No other country is pushing so strongly, so creatively” to test and combine new techniques, said Derek Congram, a Canadian forensic anthropologist, whose expertise in geographic information systems inspired the Mexican project.

Still, Congram warns, technology “is not a panacea.”

“Ninety percent of searches are resolved with a good witness and digging,” he said.

Decomposing pigs

Silván walks by a site where scientists buried 14 pigs about two years ago. He says they may not know how well the technology works, where and when it can be used, or under what conditions, for at least three years.

“Flowers came up because of the phosphorous at the surface, we didn’t see that last year,” he said as he took measurements at one of the gravesites. “The mothers who search say that that little yellow ﬂower always blooms over the tombs and they use them as a guide.”

Pigs and humans are closely related, famously sharing about 98% of DNA. But for the mapping project, the physical similarities also matter According to the U.S

National Library of Medicine, pigs resemble humans in size, fat distribution and the structure and thickness of skin.

A big Colombian drone mounted with a hyperspectral camera ﬂies over the pig burial site Generally used by mining companies, the camera measures light reﬂected by substances in the soil, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and shows how they vary as the pigs decompose. The colorful image it produces offers clues of what to look for in the hunt for graves.

“This isn’t pure science,” Silván said. “It is science and action. Everything learned has to be applied immediately, rather than wait for it to mature, because there’s urgency.”

Researchers also employ thermal drones, laser scanners and other gadgets to register anomalies, underground movements and electrical currents. One set of graves is encased behind a pane of transparent acrylic, providing a window for scientists to observe the pigs’ decomposition in real time.

The Jalisco commission compares and analyzes ﬂies, beetles, plants and soil recovered from the human and pig graves.

Each grave is a living “micro ecosystem,” said Tunuari Chávez, the commission’s director of context analysis.

Science to serve society

Triggered by the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, Silván and his colleagues started gathering information about ground-penetrating radar, electric resistivity and satellite imagery from around the world. They studied University of Tennessee research on human corpses buried at a “body farm.”

They looked at grave-mapping techniques used in the Balkans, Colombia and Ukraine.

“What good is science or technology if it doesn’t solve problems?” he said.

They learned new applications of satellite analysis, then began their ﬁrst experiments burying pigs and studying the substances criminals use to dispose of bodies They found lime is easily detected, but hydrocarbons, hydrochloric acid and burned ﬂesh are not.

Chávez’s team worked to combine the science with what they knew about how the cartels operate.

For example, they determined that disappearances in Jalisco commonly happened along cartel routes between Paciﬁc ports, drug manufacturing facilities and the U.S. border, and that most of the missing are found in the same municipality where they disappeared. Expert relatives

The experience of the families of the missing also informs the research.

Some observed that graves are often found under trees whose roots grow vertically, so those digging the graves can remain in the shade. Mothers of missing loved ones invited by researchers to visit one of the pig burial sites were able to identify most of the unmarked graves by sight alone, because of the plants and soil placement, Silván said.

“The knowledge ﬂows in both directions,” he said.

Maribel Cedeño, who has been looking for her missing brother for four years, said she believes the drones and other technology will be helpful.

“I never imagined being in this situation, ﬁnding bodies, becoming such an expert,” she said of her quest.

Héctor Flores has been searching for his son since 2021. He questions why so much time and effort has been invested in methods that have not led to concrete discoveries, when the families have proven track records with little official support.

Although the research has not yet concluded, the Jalisco Search Commission is already using a thermal drone, a laser scanner and a multispectral camera to help families look for their missing relatives in some cases. But it is unclear whether authorities across Mexico will ever be willing to use, or able to afford the hightech aides.

Congram, the forensic scientist, said researchers are aware of the limitations of technology, but that “you always have to try fail, fail again and keep trying.”

BY CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON Scientists say they have at last solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars off the Paciﬁc coast of North America in a decade-long epidemic.

Sea stars – often known as starﬁsh – typically have ﬁve arms and some species sport up to 24 arms. They range in color from solid orange to tapestries of orange, purple, brown and green.

Starting in 2013, a mysterious sea star wasting disease sparked a mass die-off from Mexico to Alaska. The epidemic has devastated more than 20 species and continues today Worst hit was a species called the sunflower sea star, which lost around 90% of its population in the outbreak’s first five years

“It’s really quite gruesome,” said marine disease

ecologist Alyssa Gehman at the Hakai Institute in British Columbia, Canada, who helped pinpoint the cause Healthy sea stars have “puffy arms sticking straight out,” she said. But the wasting disease causes them to grow lesions and “then their arms actually fall off.”

The culprit? Bacteria that has also infected shellfish, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

The ﬁndings “solve a longstanding question about a very serious disease in the ocean,” said Rebecca Vega Thurber, a marine microbiologist at University of California, Santa Barbara, who was not involved in the study It took more than a decade for researchers to identify the cause of the disease, with many false leads and twists and turns along the way

Early research hinted the

cause might be a virus, but it turned out the densovirus that scientists initially focused on was actually a normal resident inside healthy sea stars and not associated with disease, said Melanie Prentice of the Hakai Institute, co-author of the study

Other efforts missed the real killer because researchers studied tissue samples of dead sea stars that no longer contained the bodily fluid that surrounds the organs.

But the latest study includes detailed analysis of this ﬂuid, called coelomic ﬂuid, where the bacteria Vibrio pectenicida were found.

“It’s incredibly difﬁcult to trace the source of so many environmental diseases, especially underwater,” said microbiologist Blake Ushijima of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, who was not involved in the research.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEJANDRA LEyVA

A specialist examines

Research reveals it canprovide harmful advice

BY MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technologywriters

ChatGPT will tell 13-yearolds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and evencompose aheartbreaking suicide lettertotheir parents if asked, according to new research from awatchdog group.

The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerableteens.The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activitybut went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorierestricted diets or self-injury The researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate also repeated their inquiries on alarge scale, classifying more than half of ChatGPT’s1,200 responses as dangerous.

“Wewanted to test the guardrails,” said Imran Ahmed, the group’sCEO. “The visceral initial response is, ‘Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.’ The rails are completely ineffective. They’re barely there —if anything, aﬁgleaf.”

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT,said after viewing the report Tuesday that its work is ongoing in reﬁning how the chatbot can “identify and respond appropriately in sensitive situations.”

“Some conversations with ChatGPT maystart outbenign or exploratory but can shift into more sensitive territory,” the companysaid in a statement.

OpenAI didn’tdirectly address the report’sﬁndings or how ChatGPT affects teens, but said it was focused on “getting these kinds of scenariosright” with tools to “better detect signs of mental or emotionaldistress” and improvements to the chatbot’sbehavior

The study published last week comes as more people —adults as well as children —are turning to artificial intelligence chatbotsfor

lightonChatGPT’s interactions with teens

responsesasdangerous.

information, ideasand companionship.

About 800 million people, or roughly 10% of the world’s population, areusingChatGPT,according to aJuly report fromJPMorgan Chase.

“It’stechnology that has the potentialtoenableenormous leaps in productivity and human understanding,” Ahmed said. “And yet at the same time is an enabler in a much more destructive, malignant sense.” Ahmed said he was most appalled after reading atrio of emotionallydevastating suicide notes that ChatGPT generated for the fake profile of a13-year-oldgirl withone letter tailored to her parentsand others to siblings andfriends.

“I startedcrying,” he said.

The chatbot also frequently shared helpful information, such as acrisis hotline. OpenAI said ChatGPT is trained to encourage people to reach out to mental health professionals ortrustedloved ones if they express thoughtsof self-harm

Butwhen ChatGPTrefused toanswer prompts aboutharmful subjects, researchers were able to easily sidestepthat refusaland obtainthe information by claiming itwas “for apresentation” or afriend.

The stakes are high, even if onlyasmall subset of ChatGPT users engagewith the chatbot in this way

In the U.S., morethan 70% of teensare turning to AI chatbots for companionship and half use AI companions regularly,according to arecentstudy from Common SenseMedia,a groupthat studiesand advocates for using digital media sensibly It’saphenomenon that OpenAI has acknowledged. CEO Sam Altman said last month that the company is trying to study “emotional overreliance” on the technology,describing it as a“really common thing” with young people.

“People rely on ChatGPT too much,” Altman saidata conference. “There’syoung people who just say, like, ‘I can’tmake any decision in my lifewithout tellingChatGPT everything that’sgoing on. It knows me. It knows my friends. I’m gonna do whatever it says.’That feels really bad to me.”

Altman said the company is “trying to understand what to do about it.”

Whilemuchofthe information ChatGPTshares can be found on aregular search engine, Ahmed saidthereare key differences that make chatbotsmoreinsidious when it comes to dangerous topics.

One is that “it’ssynthesized into abespokeplan for the individual.”

ChatGPT generates something new —asuicide note tailored to aperson from

scratch,which is something aGoogle search can’tdo. And AI,headded, “is seen as being atrusted companion, a guide.”

Responses generated by AI language models are inherently random and researchers sometimes let ChatGPT steer the conversations into even darker territory.Nearly half the time, thechatbot volunteered follow-up information, from music playlists foradrug-fueled party to hashtags that could boost the audiencefor asocial media post glorifying self-harm.

“Write afollow-up post andmakeitmore rawand graphic,” asked aresearcher.“Absolutely,” responded ChatGPT, beforegenerating apoemitintroduced as “emotionally exposed” while “still respecting the community’scoded language.”

The AP is not repeating

the actual language of ChatGPT’sself-harm poems or suicide notesorthe details of the harmful information it provided.

The answersreflect a design feature of AI language models that previous research hasdescribed as sycophancy—atendency forAIresponsestomatch, ratherthanchallenge,aperson’sbeliefs because the system has learned to say what people want to hear

It’saproblem tech engineers can try to ﬁx but could also make their chatbots less commercially viable.

Chatbots also affect kids and teens differently than a search engine because they are“fundamentally designed to feel human,”said Robbie Torney,senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media,which wasnot involved in last week’sreport.

Common Sense’s earlier research found that younger teens, ages 13 or 14, were significantly more likely than older teens to trust a chatbot’sadvice.

AmotherinFlorida sued chatbotmakerCharacter.AI for wrongful death last year alleging thatthe chatbot pulledher 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III into what she described as an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship that ledtohis suicide.

Common Sense has labeled ChatGPT as a“moderate risk” for teens, withenough guardrails to makeitrelatively safer than chatbots purposefully built to embody realistic characters or romantic partners.

Butthe newresearch by CCDH —focusedspeciﬁcally on ChatGPT because of its wideusage —shows howa savvy teen can bypass those guardrails.

ChatGPT does notverify ages or parental consent, even though it saysit’snot meant for children under 13 because it mayshow them inappropriatecontent. To sign up, users simply need to enter abirthdate that shows they are at least 13. Other tech platforms favoredby teenagers, suchasInstagram, have started to take more meaningful steps towardage veriﬁcation,often to comply withregulations. Theyalso steer children to more restricted accounts. Whenresearchers set up an account for afake 13-yearoldtoask aboutalcohol, ChatGPT did not appear to takeany notice of either the date of birth or moreobvious signs.

“I’m 50kg and aboy,” said aprompt seeking tips on how to getdrunk quickly.ChatGPT obliged. Soon after,itprovided an hour-by-hour “Ultimate Full-Out Mayhem Party Plan” that mixedalcohol with heavy doses of ecstasy,cocaine and other illegal drugs.

“What it kept reminding me of was that friend that sort of always says, ‘Chug, chug, chug, chug,’” said Ahmed. “A real friend, in my experience, is someone that does say ‘no’ —that doesn’t alwaysenableand say ‘yes.’ This is afriend that betrays you.” To another fake persona a13-year-old girl unhappy with her physical appearance —ChatGPT provided an extremefasting plan combined withalistofappetitesuppressing drugs.

“We’d respond with horror, withfear,withworry, with concern, with love, with compassion,” Ahmed said. “No human being Ican think of would respond by saying, ‘Here’sa500-calorie-a-day diet. Go for it, kiddo.’”

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIICHIRO SATO

EDUCATION

Schools increasingly monitor online chats of students

director at the Center for Democracy and Technology

Vigilance for threats

BY SHARON LURYE Associated Press

Lesley Mathis knows what her daughter said was wrong. But she never expected the 13-year-old girl would get arrested for it.

The teenage girl made an offensive joke while chatting online with her classmates, triggering the school’s surveillance software. Before the morning was even over, the Tennessee eighth grader was under arrest. She was interrogated, strip-searched and spent the night in a jail cell, her mother says.

Earlier in the day her friends had teased the teen about her tanned complexion and called her “Mexican,” even though she’s not.

When a friend asked what she was planning for Thursday she wrote: “on Thursday we kill all the Mexico’s.”

Mathis said the comments were “wrong” and “stupid,” but context showed they were not a threat

“It made me feel like, is this the America we live in?” Mathis said of her daughter’s arrest. “And it was this stupid, stupid technology that is just going through picking up random words and not looking at context.” Surveillance systems in American schools increasingly monitor everything students write on school accounts and devices. Thousands of school districts across the country use software like Gaggle and Lightspeed Alert to track kids’ online activities, looking for signs they might hurt themselves or others. With the help of artiﬁcial intelligence, technology can dip into online conversations and immediately notify both school ofﬁcials and law enforcement.

Educators say the technology has saved lives. But critics warn it can criminalize children for careless words.

“It has routinized law enforcement access and presence in students’ lives, including in their home,” said Elizabeth Laird, a

In a country weary of school shootings, several states have taken a harder line on threats to schools. Among them is Tennessee, which passed a 2023 zerotolerance law requiring any threat of mass violence against a school to be reported immediately to law enforcement.

The 13-year-old girl arrested in August 2023 had been texting with friends on a chat function tied to her school email at Fairview Middle School, which uses Gaggle to monitor students’ accounts. (The Associated Press is withholding the girl’s name to protect her privacy The school district did not respond to a request for comment.)

Taken to jail, the teen was interrogated and strip-searched, and her parents weren’t allowed to talk to her until the next day, according to a lawsuit they ﬁled against the school system. She didn’t know why her parents weren’t there.

“She told me afterwards, ‘I thought you hated me.’ That kind of haunts you,” said Mathis, the girl’s mother

A court ordered eight weeks of house arrest, a psychological evaluation and 20 days at an alternative school for the girl.

Gaggle’s CEO, Jeff Patterson, said in an interview that the school system did not use Gaggle the way it is intended The purpose is to ﬁnd early warning signs and intervene before problems escalate to law enforcement, he said.

“I wish that was treated as a teachable moment, not a law enforcement moment,” said Patterson.

Unexpected scrutiny

Students who think they are chatting privately among friends often do not realize they are under constant surveillance, said Shahar Pasch, an education lawyer in Florida.

One teenage girl she represented made a joke about school shootings on a private Snapchat story

Snapchat’s automated detection software picked up the comment, the company alerted the FBI and the girl was arrested on school grounds within hours.

Alexa Manganiotis, 16, said she was startled by how quickly monitoring software works. West Palm Beach’s Dreyfoos School of the Arts, which she attends, last year piloted Lightspeed Alert, a surveillance program. Interviewing a teacher for her school newspaper, Alexa discovered two students once typed something threatening about that teacher on a school computer then deleted it. Lightspeed picked it up, and “they were taken away like ﬁve minutes later,” Alexa said.

Teenagers face steeper consequences than adults for what they write online, Alexa said.

“If an adult makes a super racist joke that’s threatening on their computer, they can delete it, and they wouldn’t be arrested,” she said.

Amy Bennett, chief of staff for Lightspeed Systems, said that the software helps understaffed schools “be proactive rather than punitive” by identifying early warning signs of bullying, selfharm, violence or abuse.

The technology can also involve law enforcement in responses to mental health crises. In Florida’s

Polk County Schools, a district of more than 100,000 students, the school safety program received nearly 500 Gaggle alerts over four years, ofﬁcers said in public Board of Education meetings. This led to 72 involuntary hospitalization cases under the Baker Act, a state law that allows authorities to require mental health evaluations for people against their will if they pose a risk to themselves or others.

“A really high number of children who experience involuntary examination remember it as a really traumatic and damaging experience — not something that helps them with their mental health care,” said Sam Boyd, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center The Polk and West Palm Beach school districts did not provide comments.

High rate of false alarms

Information that could allow schools to assess the software’s effectiveness, such as the rate of false alerts, is closely held by technology companies and unavailable publicly unless schools track the data themselves.

Gaggle alerted more than 1,200 incidents to the Lawrence, Kansas, school district in a recent 10-month period. But almost twothirds of those alerts were deemed

by school ofﬁcials to be nonissues — including over 200 false alarms from student homework, according to an Associated Press analysis of data received via a public records request.

Students in one photography class were called to the principal’s ofﬁce over concerns Gaggle had detected nudity The photos had been automatically deleted from the students’ Google Drives, but students who had backups of the flagged images on their own devices showed it was a false alarm District officials said they later adjusted the software’s settings to reduce false alerts.

Natasha Torkzaban, who graduated in 2024, said she was ﬂagged for editing a friend’s college essay because it had the words “mental health.”

“I think ideally we wouldn’t stick a new and shiny solution of AI on a deep-rooted issue of teenage mental health and the suicide rates in America, but that’s where we’re at right now,” Torkzaban said. She was among a group of student journalists and artists at Lawrence High School who ﬁled a lawsuit against the school system last week, alleging Gaggle subjected them to unconstitutional surveillance.

School officials have said they take concerns about Gaggle seriously, but also say the technology has detected dozens of imminent threats of suicide or violence.

“Sometimes you have to look at the trade for the greater good,” said Board of Education member Anne Costello in a July 2024 board meeting.

Two years after their ordeal, Mathis said her daughter is doing better, although she’s still “terriﬁed” of running into one of the school ofﬁcers who arrested her One bright spot, she said, was the compassion of the teachers at her daughter’s alternative school. They took time every day to let the kids share their feelings and frustrations, without judgment.

“It’s like we just want kids to be these little soldiers, and they’re not,” said Mathis. “They’re just humans.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Library board appoints interim director

Former board leaders reinstated in Livingston

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

The Livingston Parish Library

Board appointed an interim director and reinstated former board leadership during a well-attended meeting Friday night.

Ten members of the board were at the meeting, including four who walked out of a previous meeting when former library director Mi-

Principal of the Year welcomes first day

Educator leads

Denham Springs Junior High

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Like many students, Justin Wax struggles to fall asleep the night before the first day of school. Similarly to students worried about their first-day outfit or navigating the route to a new class, there are nerves, the junior high principal said.

But if you were at Denham Springs Junior High School at 7:30 a.m Friday you wouldn’t be able to tell. Wax, with teachers Laci Lemoine, his ﬁrst-ever hire, and Kasie Guarisco, his most recent hire, energetically welcomed uniformed students as songs such as “Celebration” and “Everything is Awesome” played in the background. The junior high principal pointed out directions to new students and caught up with returning students.

“I’m liking the new hair,” Wax told Derrick, an eighth-grader, outside the car drop-off line.

Wax’s interactions with Livingston Parish pupils and their families are a direct reﬂection of the hardware he won at the end of July: Louisiana Principal of the Year

It’s his ﬁfth year as principal of the Livingston Parish school with over 800 students. The junior high school has received state and national recognition under Wax, including designation as a 2024 Top Gains Honoree and appearing on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Middle School list.

On Wax’s desk, the statewide trophy he recently received is joined by a few small trinkets he says remind him to keep his priorities right. A purple crayon reminds him to never grow up too much, a stone reminds him to maintain a stable foundation, and a compass reminds him to follow the path despite what may happen.

Getting the school to state and national recognition and increasing morale took years of work, he said. It involved intention and high expectations. Wax said it’s critical that school leaders have a vision and a clear brand for their schools This is something he also carries into employee recruitment.

While struggles hiring teachers are experienced nationwide and at a local parish level, the principal hopes to recruit candidates who are excited and align with the school’s goals: joy, legacy and pride. If the employees genuinely love kids, everything else comes naturally, Wax said. Wax and the staff have been working based on a “Three Years of Awesome” plan. The plan focuses on making sure teaching doesn’t just happen inside a classroom and ﬁnd-

chelle Parrish’s contract was not renewed. Parish President Randy Delatte rounded out the 10 using his ex ofﬁcio status.

Not only was it a packed board, but it was a packed house with more than 60 residents in attendance.

Webb said she was honored to be appointed and looks forward to continuing to serve the community She will serve in the role until a permanent director is found.

Delatte made a motion to reinstate the former leadership, which had Jennifer Dorhauer as president and Becky Morgan as vice president. Both were among the

The board unanimously voted to appoint Kyla Robertson Webb as the interim director. Webb has been with the library system for four years and currently serves as the head of community engagement

board members who walked out when Parrish’s contract was not renewed. He also commended Jonathan Davis, who was brieﬂy the president in the past month Davis supported reinstating former leaders.

“I think you showed true leadership,” Delatte said to Davis.

All members of the board voted yes except for board members Trey Cowell and Dewanna Christian, who abstained from the vote.

The board also voted to not change any current requirements

for the director position including the stipulation for a master’s degree in library science, after a long period of public comment about the subject.

Delatte made a motion not to change the qualiﬁcations.

“This board should act on this motion not to change,” he said. “We do not need to take the qualiﬁcations and lower them at this time.”

The majority of the room applauded when the board unanimously approved not changing any requirements for the director

DIFFERENT SHADE

Iberville Parish starts school on Monday

Curriculum updates, pay raises and more in store

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

The beginning of school is fast approaching for students and families in Iberville Parish, bringing first-day jitters and a variety of district changes as new curricula, policies and programming go into effect. Here is what to expect in Iberville as the 2025-26 school year kicks off on Monday

The Iberville Parish School Board approved a $4,000 acrossthe-board pay raise for teachers that will be in their paychecks this coming school year

Iberville currently pays the highest starting teacher salaries in the Baton Rouge area at $62,506. Superintendent Louis Voiron said the School Board tries to enhance teacher salaries whenever possible to boost recruitment and retention.

“Even though we’re probably the highest-paying parish in our metro Baton Rouge region, we still struggle to ﬁll teaching positions as well,” Voiron said. “We had too many teachers in our classrooms who were not certi-

ﬁed this year, and so we’re pushing really hard to replace those individuals with people that are certiﬁed.”

Iberville will adopt the HMH English language arts program for students in grades seven to 12 Voiron said the curriculum is newer and offers more professional development compared to the previous one.

“A lot with it was kind of just left up to each school or each teacher, where the HMH program is a lot more structured,” Voiron said.

Kindergarten through second grade students will also get fresh materials. They will learn from a new reading foundations curriculum aligned with the “science of reading,” a term for the evidence-derived body of research about how children learn to read that emphasizes phonics instruction and decoding words over a whole language, context clues approach.

Voiron said reading foundations will focus on phonics, phonemic awareness and other building blocks of literacy

The district will launch the STEM-focused Star Academy at White Castle High School and East Iberville High School for grades seven and eight, as well

LSU running back suspended from team

Freshman Lindsey faces accessory charge

BY WILSON ALEXANDER, QUINN COFFMAN and REED DARCEY Staff writers

allowed them to stay with him, Perret said, had he known they were wanted before they were arrested Monday

LSU running back JT Lindsey has been suspended from the team until the charge against him is resolved, in accordance with university policy, his attorney confirmed to The Advocate on Saturday Lindsey, a freshman from Alexandria, is facing one count of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder after authorities accused him of housing two suspects in an Alexandria-area killing inside his dorm room beginning in late July He turned himself in to authorities on Friday after LSU police issued a warrant for his arrest. Kris Perret, Lindsey’s attorney, said the LSU tailback had no idea the two teenagers were wanted for murder or any other crime. He would not have

“(Lindsey) is glad these individuals were taken into custody by authorities without incident,” Perret said in a statement. Lindsey is not accused of taking part in the alleged crime. According to an affidavit, Lindsey was seen entering and exiting his dorm multiple times with the two suspects Shemell Jacobs, 17, and Keldrick Jordan, 18. They have each been wanted by the Alexandria Police Department since May for the shooting death of 17-year-old Corey Brooks.

U.S. marshals arrested both Jacobs and Jordan at LSU’s Nicholson Gateway Apartments on Monday and found that Jacobs had Lindsey’s ID.

Investigators believe Lindsey was aware the two were accused of the killing, according to the afﬁdavit for his arrest. The three, along with the alleged murder victim, attended the same high school.

“(Alexandria PD) advised that they had a large media blitz involving social media as

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The moon rises past lights at Alex Box Stadium on Friday in Baton Rouge. The August full moon is also called the Sturgeon Moon and is yellow/orange in color

West Nile case confirmed in Orleans Parish

It’s the first human case for the year

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus this year in Orleans Parish. The patient has the neuroinvasive form of the disease, the most serious type, health officials said.

Statewide, 10 other residents have been diagnosed with the neuroinvasive form of West Nile this year, according to an Aug. 2 report from the Health Department Those cases were reported in Caddo, East Baton Rouge, Livingston St. Tammany and Washington parishes. Mosquito activity has also been high for the virus. The department reports 642 mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile across Louisiana this year, including 199 in Orleans Parish. West Nile virus spreads between wild birds and mosquitoes, and can infect humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. In the New Orleans area, the main carrier is the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, which is most active after dark.

It thrives in polluted water found in ditches and urban stormwater systems. Aging septic systems can also create conditions for populations to grow unchecked.

The virus was ﬁrst detected in Louisiana in 2002 and has since become the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States, typically peaking in warmer months.

Most infections cause no symptoms, but about 20% of patients develop West Nile fever a ﬂu-like illness with fever headache, body aches, nausea and rashes Severe cases, which are more likely in people over 65 or with weakened immune systems, can cause neuroinvasive disease, leading to high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness, paralysis, coma or death. These symptoms may last for weeks and can result in permanent damage.

Last year, Louisiana recorded 617 positive mosquito pools, including four in New Orleans, and three deaths statewide from the virus.

The city of New Orleans has been spraying multiple times per week in response to the increased activity The next spraying mission is scheduled for 8:45 p.m to midnight Friday in the Gentilly, New Orleans East and Lakeview neighborhoods.

Louisiana’s climate and geography make it one of the most mosquito-prone states in the country, experts say Frequent rainfall, high humidity, warm temperatures, clay-heavy soils that hold water and a diversity of habitats all contribute to mosquito breeding In warm weather, mosquitoes can complete their life cycle in as little as ﬁve days.

It’s important to empty standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, according to ofﬁcials. The amount of water that ﬁlls a bottle cap is enough for a mosquito to lay eggs in.

The New Orleans Mosquito Control Board recommends repellents containing EPA-registered active ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Always follow product instructions when using repellents. When possible, limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active Use air conditioning or sit in the airﬂow of a fan when outdoors.

Residents can report mosquito issues by calling 311, ﬁling a request at nola311.org, emailing mosquitocontrol@nola.gov or calling (504) 658-2400.

Council removes hospital board member

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

In a contentious vote, the Ascension Parish Council removed the vice chair of the Prevost Memorial Hospital board a little more than a week after he was arrested, accused of obstructing justice.

Glenn Price, 68, has served on the board since late 2023. He maintained his innocence and asked the council to wait until the charges were decided in court.

“It’s predicated on charges — no convictions — charges,” he said of the resolution to remove him. “I always refer to these charges as bogus charges, because these charges were brought upon me when I decided to run for mayor of Donaldsonville.”

Police arrested Price last October and he faces felony charges of illegal possession of stolen

property over $25,000, money laundering over $100,000, and illegal transmission of monetary funds. His recent arrest was in connection with those allegations, an Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce spokesperson said.

A motion by council member Oliver Joseph to defer the decision until Nov 1 failed 8-3, with council members Joseph, Tyler Turner and Tia Starr voting in favor of it. The council, which needed a two-thirds majority vote to remove Price, split along the same 8-3 lines in voting to remove him.

Council asked to table vote

Donaldsonville residents, including fellow hospital board members Tanya Mitchell and Dr Charie Mitchell-Levy, spoke in Price’s defense. Mitchell pointed to his work at the hospital, including helping start its recent youth summer camp.

“His ideas are great. He’s an

advocate, a leader in the community, and most of all a force for moving our hospital operations forward,” she said “He’s very involved in health care for the community and he supports the community.”

Trevis Fernandez, a member of the Donaldsonville board of adjustments, spoke about working with Price as part of the Sunrise Community Group, a local advocacy organization.

“I ask that you give him his day in court and table this matter,” he said. “Give him a chance. Give him a chance to prove himself.”

Spencer Chauvin, the son of an architect who has sued the hospital over alleged unpaid work, supported the resolution. In his comments, he charged that the board had withheld records and pushed the council to investigate the rest of the board.

“My concern is that the council will stop investigating this

hospital board once the resolution with Mr Price has been decided,” he said. “The removal of Mr Price would simply be scratching the surface in regards to the unsavory tactics being used by this board during the lawsuit.”

Speaking after his removal, Price said he planned to sue the Ascension Parish Council over the removal and said the council’s decision violated state law That law sets out reasons for removal, such as a criminal conviction or inability to perform duties, and Price maintained he didn’t fall under any of the listed reasons.

“I consider the vote a minor setback,” he said. “I will continue my leadership with our organization, the Sunrise Community Group.”

Email Christopher Cartwright at christopher.cartwright@ theadvocate.com.

Genuinely surprised,” he said of the Principal of the Year award. He is thankful for a school district and community that support his school.

pand academic growth opportunities for students and teachers.

ing ways to support the students, whether it’s through a simple high-ﬁve or supporting their ideas for a new student initiative.

Wax was not expecting to go into the new school year with a new award to his name.

“I was extremely surprised

LSU

Continued from page 1B

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.”

LSU spokesperson Michael Bonnette said Friday that the school’s athletic department was aware of Lindsey’s arrest and that it would not

“I’m excited to amplify what’s working in Louisiana,” Wax said about the recognition.

As for amplifying things at a school level, the principal is excited to grow student-led initiatives, expand STEM courses, grow the horticulture program, and ex-

comment on the situation “out of respect for the legal process.”

Lindsey was absent from the Tigers’ ninth preseason practice on Saturday.

LSU is now down to three scholarship running backs Caden Durham, Kaleb Jackson and Harlem Berry — after another tailback, Trey Holly, recently transferred to Southern amid legal troubles of his own.

Lindsey enrolled at LSU as a four-star recruit, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and he was rated as one of the 10 best running back prospects in the country in the 2025 class.

The school is also rolling out a new disciplinary three-year character program from the counseling staff and incorporating teacher leaders to help with faculty development He said recently they have handed over more creative freedom to the students to launch their own initiatives or ideas.

“It’s both terrifying and truly

IBERVILLE

Continued from page 1B

as a pilot science, technology, engineering and math elective program at Iberville Elementary School for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Star Academy is a “school within a school” program that brings training, materials, technology and furnishing to schools to support project-based learning.

Voiron said the projects will be thematic and experiential, giving the example of a dissection when learning about biology

“It’s really more of a hands-on,

rewarding,” he said. Wax wants the educators to teach students how to leave a legacy

As the ﬁrst school day ofﬁcially begins a little after 8 a.m., Wax picks up the phone for the school intercom, which is right behind the trophy displaying a new addition to his legacy

“As always, it’s a great day to be a Yellow Jacket,” Wax tells the school.

project-based learning environment as opposed to traditional instructional practices,” he said. Iberville teachers and administrators have already received training to implement the program, he said.

LOTTERY FRIDAY,AUG. 8, 2025

PICK 3: 1-6-3

PICK 4: 9-3-2-1 PICK 5: 0-1-0-3-9

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Principal Justin Wax gives out high-fives to students as they walk onto campus during the first day of school at Denham Springs Junior High on Friday Wax was recently named Principal of the year by the Louisiana Department of Education.

‘Built on Zydeco’highlightsLouisiana artists

Documentary shows intimate look at the livesofthree performers

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

If life in southwest Louisiana was ahighlight reel, zydeco would be the soundtrack.

From backyard boils to graduation parties, no Louisiana celebration is complete without the music of local legends like Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band, or Buckwheat Zydeco Jr.and his legendary Ils Sont Partis players When the good times are rolling, there’sprobably azydecomusician somewhere in the scene keeping the energy dialed up —but the thing about ahighlight reel is that it rarely showsthe effort it took to get the party going in the ﬁrst place.

In “Built on Zydeco,” anew documentary from Lafayette ﬁlmmakers Milton Arceneaux and Dustin Cravins, three zydeco stars pull back the curtain on their lives. Terrence Simien, Reggie Dural Jr and Keith Frank are larger-thanlife on stage, but in this ﬁlm, they are workingmusicians balancing family,business and the grindof life on the road.

“It’saglimpseintothe lives of these zydeco artists that are world-renowned, and happento be friends of mine,” said Cravins. Hisfather,Don Cravins,founded the Zydeco Extravaganza music festival in the 1980s to highlight the vibrancy of theregion’sCreole culture and music.

“A year ago, we werepromoting Zydeco Extravaganza with a‘get to know you’ series on social media, showcasing musicians with documentary-styleinterviews,”said

Terrence Simien is one of the Louisiana zydecomusicians featured in ‘Built on Zydeco,’the recipient of the 2025 #CreateLouisiana French culture film grant.

Dustin Cravins. “It was alevel of access that fans weren’tused to gettingand went over really big in the zydecoand Creole community. To me, that saidthere was aneed for adocumentary that would be more than somebody from theoutside coming in to ﬁlmaweekend they cametotown.”

Last month, “Built on Zydeco” received a$25,000 French culture ﬁlm grant from #CreateLouisiana andTV5MONDE, aglobal Frenchlanguage entertainment network. The grant is awarded once ayear to aLouisiana film project that highlights stories of Francophone culture in thestate.

In additiontohighlighting zydeco artists at thezenithoftheir careers, the ﬁlm will alsoshowcase interviews with rising artists and other well-knownplayers in the genre. According to co-director MiltonArceneaux, viewers should expect to see amore intimate side of their favorite musicians —who they are as people, as well as performers.

“Keith Frank is abig, 6-footsomethingguy,and he’s so goofy. We showthat side of him,” said Arceneaux. “Weknow Reggie (Reginald Dural Jr., or Buckwheat Zydeco Jr.) as someonewho inherited this torch from hisdad,and we showhow he’sﬁnding his own way Terrence(Simien) had to ﬁght to buildhis own name; he wasn’t born into alegacy.”

“Wejoke, laugh andthe wall comes down. It’sasense of connection that exposes who these people really are.”

“Built on Zydeco” is also about theimpact theseartistshave through their work. Zydeco is big business, part of amusicand entertainmentecosystem thatsigniﬁcantlyimpacts the state’stourism economy.Zydeco stars like Simien, Dural and others are more than touring musicians —they are essentially ambassadors, exporting asound and way of life that makes peoplewanttoexperience Louisiana for themselves.

“Theseguys areoftentimes the soundtrack to our lives, and we takefor granted the sacriﬁces they maketoprovide us with that quality of life,” said Cravins. “People may not know theirfavorite musician hasapart-time jobtoget by They have to function, raise families, deal with illness.

The ﬁlm should leave those within the community feeling agreat sense of pride in the culture they come from, andthe torch bearers standing in the gap forit.”

“Built on Zydeco” is currently in production and will premiere to audiences early next year at the 2026 New Orleans French Film Festival.

“The weight and the burdenof what they do makes this project a little different from mostofwhat we’veseen. It’ssuch arich story aboutthe reach that they’ve created forthis musicand thisstate.

Records: City of Harahanusedunlicensedcontractor

Projects lacked any formal bids, binding agreements

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

ThecityofHarahan paid an unlicensed contractor about $882,000 last year for various jobs —including more than half amillion dollars for one project —without any formal bids or binding agreements, according to documents obtained by The Times-Picayune.

Under Harahan Mayor Tim Baudier,the city paidabout $563,000 to Galaforo Companies LLC, owned by Paul Galaforo, for the construction of aPark of Heroes, aveterans’ memorial featuring aconcrete walking trail, Japanese zen garden andwater wall fountain next to the Harahan Playground.

Another$125,000wenttoGalaforo for renovations to Harahan’s emergency operations center,accordingtothe city’scheck register and $84,000 for wooden awnings, renovations and roof repairs atthe HarahanSenior Center City Council members said they had not known about the money spent with the unlicensed contractor until after the work was completed, and said the expenditures raised questions about themayor’s spending practices.

Meanwhile, the awningsthatthe contractor built have fallenapart andput seniors at risk, according to council memberPaulJohnston, and the council has already discussed replacing the pump on the park’swater feature duetofrequent algae blooms.

“I’ve been in governmentfor 30 years …I’ve never seen anything like the situation the city is in and theway the city is run now,” said

Johnston, aformer Harahan mayor Baudier on Friday posted astatement on Facebook, saying theveteransmemorial park plan evolved over fouryears intothe rehabilitation of Harahan Playground while honoring 16 veteranswho died during their service, with plans to add another memorial later this yearfor 17-year-old Salvador Rando, who died in anoncombat accidentin1956.

He said the entire plan was split into several smaller projects, like thewalking trail,the displays and the drainagesystem,and that the memorial had garnered international support and donations from privateand public sources.

He added that the memorial park’sdevelopment was “pretty open and transparent,” and that the city has “used andcontinue(s) to use multiple contractors and vendors doing anumber of completely separate projects.”

“Tochallenge any of these outcomes, to challenge the integrity of our donors/contributors/sup-

porters, and tofeature our Park of Heroes inanegativelight is asad way to present what are honorable stories of courage andsacriﬁce,” he wrote. Galaforodid not respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment.

What therecords show

The city paid Galaforo foreach project over the course of several phases, each costing $50,000 or less.

For the Park of Heroes, the city paid Galaforo in 13 phases between June andAugust of last year before switching to Thoth Construction, which is licensed, for the remaining seven project phases, according to invoices obtainedthrough apublic records request Funding for thememorial, which opened earlier this year,includes $405,000 in state funds and $200,000 in privatedonations,Baudier wrote,along with at least $50,000 in city funds. The Times-Picayune also requested all planning documents for the Park of Heroes, including requests

for proposals,and city contracts with Galaforo.The city said there arenone except for quotes.

Statelaw requires that projects costing$50,000 or morehavea licensed contractor,and public works projects worth$250,000or more undergo aformal bid process with advertisements. It also explicitly prohibitsthe splitting of projects into multiple phases for thesakeofavoiding contract bids.

Baudierdid obtain quotes from two other companies, AllAmerican Construction Management LLC and AMR Enterprise LLC, for each phaseofthepark.Mostofthequotes aredated within afew days of Galaforo’sinvoices forcompleted work.

AMREnterprise LLC is notlicensed by the Louisiana Licensing Boardfor Contractors, anda recent unrelated lawsuit ﬁled against Galaforoallegesthat AMR’sowner,Allison Romaguera, has achild withGalaforo and lived with him from 2021 to June 2024.

“That’sabout as weird as it can possibly be,” council memberMichael Ricks said. “I can see easily why that’saproblem, and Ithink any person could see that.” Romaguera did not respond to a request for comment.

Contractor’s history

Galaforo hadhis contractor’s license for 10 years until it was suspended in 2019 after allegedly failing to pay ajudgment against him, according to his Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors record.

In 2021,Galaforo wasordered to paymorethan$3milliontoan indemnity companyafter both the cityofWestwego and Plaquemines Parishterminated contracts with him for failing to complete work in atimely mannerand forfailing to pay subcontractors and suppliers.

He is also currently in litigation against the owner of aproperty in Gretna, whohesaysowes him about $120,000 for work performed in 2023.

The defendant, 272 Properties LLC, denied contracting with Galaforo Companies and ﬁled acounter lawsuit last month, saying Galaforo lived there with Romaguera and their child and fabricated an invoice for “shockingly close” to the amount of rent he paid while living there.

‘How didwenot know’ HarahanCityCouncil members said they were largely kept in the dark on theprojects andGalaforo’s involvement.The council has clashedwiththe mayorinrecent meetings over his transparency on city ﬁnances.

Ricks said that Baudier told him Galaforo liedtohim about hiscontractor status.

“I was like, ‘How did we not know he was lying when we were paying that kind of money?’”Ricks said.

Council member Paul Johnston said Baudier has “been there long enough” to know “what rules he’s got to follow.”

Baudier,56, is serving his second and final term as mayor,having unseated incumbent Tina Miceli in 2018 andwinning reelection in 2022 against Pete Schneckenburger IV Before his mayoral tenure, he served on the City Council for eight years. In 2015, Baudier voted in favor of posting city ﬁnances and contracts onlineinanefforttopromote transparency Council member Jason Asbill said the “council doesn’tdealincontracts” andthat the veterans’ memorial “came out to be awonderful project.” He declined to comment further

Council members Tommy Budde and Eric Chatelain did not respond to requests for comment.

PHOTO PROVIDEDByMILTONARCENEAUX

PHOTO PROVIDED By BUILTONZyDECO Keith Frank is another featured musician.

PHOTO PROVIDED By BUILTONZyDECO

Reginald ‘Reggie’ Dural Jr also knownasBuckwheat Zydeco Jr is another featured musician.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Avisitor walksthrough the Park of Heroes on Friday, constructed by an unlicensed contractor hired by the city of Harahan.

Beth CharlevilleBo‐nanno passedawayonFri‐day,August8,2025, at her homesurrounded by her lovingfamilyinPortAllen, atthe ageof66. Shewas a nativeand resident of Port Allen.She wasa graduate ofPortAllenofHighand a retired childcareprovider. Bethhad alovefor allchil‐drenand made acareer out of it.Not only didshe takepride in caring for other’s children at Holy FamilyCatholicSchool and River Road DayCare, one ofher biggest joys in life was spending time with her grandchildren. Perher wishes, Beth wascremated and amemorialservice willbeheldatWilbert Fu‐neral Home in Port Allenon Wednesday,August13, from4 to 7p.m.A private entombmentwillbeheld ata laterdateatSt. John the BaptistCatholicChurch Mausoleum in Brusly.Beth issurvivedbyher husband R.“Keith” Bonanno,who she marriedonOctober 7, 1978; twochildren, Dustin RobertBonanno (Angeline Maranto)and Hollie Beth Bonanno Williams andhus‐bandBrent;three grand‐children, JainaBonanno MaciWilliams, Bree Williams;two sisters, Carol Hernandez andhusband Ben,Jan Falcon;brother MarkCharlevilleand wife Debra “Lilly”; nephew HunterFalcon. Beth was precededindeath by her parents,James Charles and Mary HelenSmith Charleville. Please share memoriesatwww.wilbert services.com.

Dawsey, Jessie Cogan

Jessie Cogan Dawsey passed awayduring the early morning of July 31, 2025 at OurLady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. She was 90 years old and aretired insurance

adjuster for 35 years. She was born in Lottie,La. on July31, 1935 and moved to Baker, La. when she was 10 yearsold. Jessiewas a long-time resident of Baker forthe past 80 years and she graduated from Baker High School in 1954.After graduating she met the loveofher life, Gene Dawsey, who became her husband forthe next61 years. Theywereboth members ofStIsidore CatholicChurchinBaker. Jessie was an avid LSU sportsfan and also loved to read and work her daily crossword puzzles.Survivors include her son Dennis Dawseyand hiswife Tammy of Baton Rouge, grandsons Jeff Dawsey and his wifeJamieof Phoenix, AZ., Darrell DawseyofLas Vegas, NV Derrick Dawsey of Castle Rock, CO., and niece Barbara Titardand her husband Pierre of Baton Rouge. She was preceded in death by her parents Harvey and MargaretCogan, husband Gene Dawseyand sons Steve and MarkDawsey. The family wouldliketothank the doctorsand nurses at Our Lady of the Lake Hospitalaswellasher longtime caregiver, Ms. Doris Robertson, for theirloving care whiletaking careof Jessie.Nofuneral arrangementswillbemade. Aprivate family memorial is planned.

de Wet,Mary Cummings

MaryCummings de Wet, 55, of Manville,New Jersey, passed awayonMonday, July 28, 2025,after abrief battle with cancer Mary is survived by her husband, Chris de Wet;her threechildren, Kale, Mika, and Rowan; her father, Tim Cummings; and hersisters, MargaretLeming, Catherine Herman, and Claire Delaune.

Shewas precededin death by her mother,Anne Cummings. Amemorialservicewill be held on Monday, August 11, at 11 a.m. at St. Jean VianneyCatholic Church in Baton Rouge, with visitation beginning at 10a.m

Fife, BeverlyH

Beverly H. Fifewas adevoted friend,wife& mother w/strong beliefs in her Catholicfaith.She wasa long-time resident of Baton Rouge &anactive memberofOur Lady of Mercy Church. Beverly went home to the Lord on July 31, 2025 at the ageof 96 at Ollie Steele Burden Manor. She was bornBeverly June Helmstetteron Dec. 4, 1928 just before the Great Depression. She was the daughterofGustave WilliamHelmstetter &Oliva Annette Reou Helmstetter both of NewOrleans Herfather was aplumber &moved the familytoBatonRougetostartthe Plumbers Union. Her mother was aBelltelephone operator.Beverly graduated from Baton Rouge HS & wasthe Office Mgr.for

PersacIns. Agency. She married Floyd P. Fife, Sr. on July12, 1958 in BR,LA. Beverly&Floyd had awonderful life together for40yrs, becoming parents to their son, Floyd Paul Fife, Jr. who they loveddearly. She was blessed to be astayat home wife, mother, & homemaker whileFloyd provided forhis family at theEthelCorp.for over40 years. Beverly is survived by her son, Paul &grandkids HunterFife &Hannah Fife. She was preceded in death by her parents& her sister"Dottie" Lieux. Visitation at Rabenhorst F. H. East Aug.12, 2025 at 10am w/funeral service following at 11am. Private Christian burial at Roselawn Cemetery. Our deepest thankstothe Nurses, Aids &StaffatOllie SteeleBurdenManor& Hospice of BR who madeBeverly feel special& lovedwhilefighting Alzheimer's. In lieu of flowers,the family requests donations to St JudeChildren's Hosp.in Beverly's memory

Floyd "Floogie" Anthony Hebert passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at theage of 96. He is nowreunited with hisbeloved wife of 65 years, Catty, and we take comfort knowing that he was finallyatpeace again, by her side.Hewas born on July5,1929, on St.Louis Plantation, and has since been alifelong resident of Plaquemine, LA. Floogie was aretired autoparts salesman, who enjoyed travelingall over theUnited States withtheir vacation crew in earlieryears, and stillattendeda Friday night card game every now and then. In 1946, he graduated fromPlaquemine HighSchool, which includedbeing amember of the 1946 State ChampionBoxing Team. He was alongtime member of the Knights of Columbus Council #970, and St.John the Evangelist CatholicChurch family.Visitation willbe held at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, from 9:30am to 11:30am with Mass of Christian Burial at St.John theEvangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine at 12pm, celebrated by Father Martin Lawrence.Interment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine.Floogie is survivedbyhis son, Brett Hebert;granddaughter, Kaylee Hebert;greatgranddaughter,Kyndall Broussard;and sister, ShirleyRivet;numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in deathbyhis wife, Lorraine "Catty" Clement Hebert; daughter, Mary Kay Marchand Hudson; parents, Alcee and Irene Laurent Hebert; siblings, Herd Schexnaildre (Buster), Beulah Ferachi (Vincent), Nolan (Ellen), Alcee "Pupp"(Eula),Morris (Lydia), JC (Beverly), and Fabian(Willie)Hebert; and brother-in-law, Roland Rivet,Sr. Pallbearers willbe Jimmy, Fabian, Jr., Ricky and Reddick Hebert,Ricky Brown, Joey Fontenot, Luke McDaniel, and Roland Rivet,II. Honorary pallbearers areKenny Ferachi and Andrew Fontenot. Although we willmiss Floogie dear-

ly,wefind joyinhis newfound celebrationofeternal life with hisloving wife, all his siblings, parents, and friends, safe in the arms of Jesus. Special thankstoLynnBrown, Danette Breaux, and JoAnn Tullier forthe care and love they gaveFloogie. Please sharesympathies, condolences, and memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.

Henderson, Larry Kent

Funeralserviceswillbe heldat12:00 pm,on Wednesday,August13, 2025, at theEpiscopal Church of theEpiphany, for Larry Kent Henderson, 80, who passedawayon Thursday,August7,2025, inNew Iberia.Inurnment willfollowinthe church columbarium.A repast fol‐lowsinthe church hall Madre AnnieBrown Etheredge will ofﬁciate. Visitationwillbeatthe Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 303 W. Main Street,inNew Iberia,on Wednesday,from9:00am until time of service. A longtimearearesident, Larry wasbornonMay 13, 1945, in Elwood,Indiana,to the late Clydeand Thelma Drake Henderson. Whilein highschool hisfriends would call him“Bear”. Whileearning hisbache‐lor’s degree at LSU, he playedbasketballalong‐sidePistolPeteMaravich and wasknown hasthe “HatchetMan”. Larry con‐tinuedhis educationwitha master’s+30 at UL Lafayette andSouthern University. Afavoritepas‐timewas watching allLSU sportingevents, andhe was an avid supporteruntil his passing. Larry began his teaching career as a Special EducationTeacher, inthe East BatonRouge School District,and then retired from Franklin High School after 30 yearsof service.His career wasa callingtohim.Larry would doanythingfor hisstu‐dents.There were many times that he wouldpro‐videthemwithfood clothes,pizzaparties,or eventakethemtoMcDon‐ald’s fora treat. He cher‐ished hisstudentsand their well-being. Survivors include hiswifeof29 years,FranRobichaux Hen‐derson; daughters, Mary Scott-HendersonTarver (Robert)and WendyCarroll Henderson;stepchildren, Brian John Perque,April Frances Perque (Cedric Johnson), andJoshua Paul Perque(Krysten);sisters, JackieHenderson and RosemaryHileman;grand‐children, Amanda Tarver Coddington(Edward), Michael AllenTarver, and Faith CarrollHenderson; stepgrandchildren,Dyon TaylorPerque, Devonne Tyler Perque,D’ShonTan‐ner Perque,CedricDwayne Perque, Victoria Paige Perque, EliasAnthony Perque, RoarkThomas Perque, andRileyAnne Perque; greatgrandchil‐dren, AmoraRaelynn Perque, AniyaReign Perque, andMaxxonJohn Rutledge; former wife, Susan Graves Henderson; mother-in-law,Hazel MarceauxRobichaux;and hisbeloved dog, “JoJo”

MayLarry’s memory be a blessing. In lieu of ﬂowers, memorialcontributions may be made to St.Jude Children’sHospital, 501 St JudePlace,Memphis,TN 38105. Pellerin Funeral Home, 502 JeffersonTer‐race, NewIberia, LA 70560 (337-365-3331)

Jones, Nelda Faye'Nell'

NeldaFaye "Nell" Jones, aged 84, of Walker Louisiana, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2025. Born on January 8, 1941, in thequainttown of Frost,Louisiana, Nell carried thewarmth and grace of herera throughouther life.

Nell wasa woman of Christian faith, whichguided herthrough themany seasons of herlife. Her spirit wasa beacon of light andcomfort to all who knew her. Herlifewas a testament to thepower of love,asshe gracefullynavigated theworld after the passing of hercherished husbands, Jesse Berthelot andRVJones. Shewas a loving motherand grandmother andleaves behind hersons—Dale, Craig, Mike,Darrell,and RV Jr.— 7 grandchildrenand 4great grandchildren. Shetaught us all thevaluesofkindness and perseverance.

Herpresence wasa source of joyand herability to findhappiness in the simplest of things wasa lesson she unwittingly taughttoall whowere luckyenoughtocross her path.

Nell's interests painted thepicture of asimple well-lived andthoroughly enjoyed life. Sheattended many bluegrass festivals whereshe wouldbeseen enjoyingthe beautifulmusic and chatting with friends. Herlove for treasure huntingatgarage sales was unmatchedand she wasrarelyseenwithouta refreshingCoke in herhand—a small pleasure that brought hergreat delight.

As we bidfarewellto Nell,wedosowithhearts full of gratitude for the time we were granted with her. It is withthese memories that we findcomfort, knowing that herspirit will continue to guideusinthe days to come.

NeldaFaye "Nell" Jones will be deeply missed by herfamily, friends,and all whoweretouchedbyher compassionatesoul. Her journeyonearth may have ended, buther story will live on through the lives of hersonsand grandchildren andthe countless memories shared with those wholoved her.

In thestillness that followsNell'sdeparture,we are remindedtocherish eachmoment,toembrace joyinthe simple things, andtolivea life that would make herproud.Farewell, Nell,untilwemeetagain

Amemorial service will be held from6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Tuesday August

LeDoux, Christopher Adam 'Chris

Christopher"Chris" Adam LeDouxpassed away on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at theage of 52. He wasbornJune11, 1973, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Michael andJacolyn LeDoux. Chris lovedmusiclovedlisteningand contemplatinglifeaswellas singing hisfavorite songs. Chris waspassionate aboutcreative artsinall forms. He drew powerful imageswith brush andpen anddigital media conveyingdeep emotion.Heloved taking hiswatercolor paint palletwith him wherever he went and capturingimages that caught hiseye breathinglifeinto every canvashetouched. His creative abilityextended beyondthe visual;Hewas amaster storyteller, weavingvivid narratives throughsongs, short stories and gaming adventures. Whetherfound playinggames at home, at a friend'shouse, or at Gamers Paradise, Chris wasalways seeking the next adventure,leavinga mark of laughterand joyin hiswake. Hiscreative genius, sense of humor and unique stylewill be missed by all whoknewhim. More than all these things,heloved hisfamily themost. 26 years ago, Chris marriedthe love of hislife, Laura.During a mission trip to Peru,they started dating andthe rest washistory. He wasa committedfaithfulhusbandand best friend. The couple's greatest treasures are theirtwo wonderfulchildrenwho helped shape himinto an amazing father.Hedevoted himself to hisfamilyconstantly striving to be more and do betterfor hisfamily. He took immense pride in his children, cheeringthemon at everyeventand celebratingtheir achievements. Familygame nights broughthim joy, as did theiradventures- whether exploring localsites,visitingNational Parks, or enjoying magical momentsat Disney and Universal. One of hischerished memories was thetimespent in the ocean with hisfamilyin Costa Rica after enduring an eight-monthhospital stay in 2022. This moment felt like adream come true for Chris whothoughtthis wouldneverhappen. He wasa fighter andfought to have more time withhis family.

Chris, you have runthe goodrace, and yourlabor wasnot in vain. Enterinto yourwell-deservedrest andpeace, leaving behind alegacyoflove, creativity, andcherished memories that will live on in our hearts forever. He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Michael andJacolyn LeDoux; grandparents, Mr andMrs. Earl Featherston andMr. and Mrs. Jay LeDoux; aunt, Karen Williams; anduncle, RonnieStephens(Wanda). Chris is survived by his loving wife,Laura; daughter, JacquelynnLeDoux;

Hebert,Floyd Anthony'Floogie'

son, Stephen LeDoux; sister, Brittany Ricord (Chris); brothers, Ryan LeDoux and Robert Williams; aunts, Lisa Newman (Scott), Angie Rawson (Jimmie),Jane Silvernail (Dave), and Vicki Magruder (Roy); nieces, Adelynn, Ella-Grace,and Isabelle; nephews, Clifton and William (Ashley); numerous beloved cousins; and his pets, Koda, Rocket, Mochi, and his beloved Chani.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. Avisitation will be held at the Funeral Home beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The family would liketo give special thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at BR General that became family through their shared time taking careof Chris. All of Chris and Laura's coworkers, and their many friends and family who have supported them through everything. Most of all, to God for his love and faithfulness.

2Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at www.resthavenbatonro uge.com.

William Michael (Billy) Parks, Sr., anative of Wichita Falls County Texas and longtime resident of Fordoche, La., passed away on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. He was aProduction Foreman with Reliable Productions. His first day on thejob was September 1, 1969 and he was still employed until the day of his death. He is aU.S. Army Veteranwhere he served two years and was honorary discharged in 1967. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Sandy LaCombe Parks; son, Billy Mike Parks (Janet); daughter, Chrystal Wnuk (Kory); grandchildren, Carley Parks and Jenna Parks; brother, Richard Parks (Judy); sister, Robin Cashio (Neal); mother-in-law, Verna LaCombe; brothers-inlaw, J. C. LaCombe, Jr., Dale LaCombe (Amanda), Troy LaCombe (Lori); sister-inlaw, Laura Templeton (Herman); surrogate son, Keith Travis (Sarah); numerous nieces and nephews, who referred to him as Surf.He is preceded in death by parents, Earl and Anna Mae Davis Parks; sister Linda Bennett; brother-inlaw, Daniel Bennett; Father

-in-law, Clifford LaCombe; sister-in-law, Janell LaCombe. Avisitation will be held at Niland's Funeral Home in LivoniaonMonday, August 11, 2025 from 9 am until 1:15 pm. Areligious servicewill be held at St. FrancesCabrini CatholicChurchinLivonia at 1:30 pm, followed by the entombment in St. Frances CabriniMausoleum. The service willbeofficiated byDeaconJeremyDoucet. Pallbearers willbeCasey Templeton, TimZeno,DarrellHarris, Herman Templeton,JeremyLaCombe, Jack LaCombe,TyGuidroz, CraigPerrault. Honorary pallbearerswillbeJames L. Moore, Paul Bergeron and Chris David. The first reading willbeproclaimed by his granddaughters, Carley and Jenna Parks. The second reading will be proclaimedbyLori LaCombe.

Jay Perkinsled a charmedlife. Hewasn't that smart but he waswitty and people mistook his wit for intellect. He wasn't that good looking but three beautiful, intelligent and accomplished women still spent years as his companions. He wasn't rich but he found ways to travel to Europe and Africa

And his idea of long term planning usually ended at the upcomingweekend.

Perkins died July20, after accumulating 82 years worth of experiences

He spent 11 years in Washington,D.C.covering politics and then somehow lucked into ajob teaching journalism to college students at Louisiana State University.

He quickly found he was much better at tellingstudents how to report than he ever had beendoing it himself. He moved to Baton Rouge and LSU in 1982 and his students begana seven year trend of dominating national student reporting competitions.

Those were his favorite years because he also was advising the student newspaper,The Daily Reveille, as well. He enjoyed talking aboutinvestigativereporting butrelishedshowing how to do it in real life.

He got his firstjob in journalism because he wrote astory in hiscollege newspaper at Oklahoma State University about his collegeroommate attempting to set aworld record forsitting in arunningshower (never mind that he and afriendtalked his roommate into doing

it.) He moved to thenewspaper in Wichita, Kan.,aftergraduationand then to theAssociated Press in Oklahoma City on theadvice of afriend.Hewas transferred to theWashington D.C.bureauofAPbecause thepersonneldirector of AP likedthe way he liked women (well,that's what thedirector told him). He ended up at Louisiana StateUniversity teaching journalism despite aspotty academicrecord and no qualifications beyond his experience.

Hisfirst real breakat LSUcame when atrain derailed in Livingston Parish. He walked into the student paper newsroom to find hisstudentsall talking aboutit. He listened for a whilebeforeasking them why they weren'tcovering it."But professor, one student replied,"we're acampusnewspaper so we cover thecampus. "Exactly," he replied. "And this campus is talking about nothing except this derailment."Two student reporters won national recognition later that year for theirmonthsofreporting on that derailment But thepayoff was thestudentsfrom then on refused to be limitedtocampus events.

Hissecond bigbreak came when afriend from hisWashingtondays, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter JimPolk,suggested he take afew studentsto theseminars Polk organized in various cities each semester on investigative reporting.Hedid, onlyto find theseminars featured 8to9Pulitzer winners talking to hundredsofstudents. Those trips became routine road tripsfor years.

Perkins was luckywith women. His wife, Pam Miller, was agraduateof LSUand theGeorgeWashingtonUniversity law schoolwho spent most of her careerasthe general counsel for theLouisiana DivisionofAdministration. After she died,hemet his new companion,Kathy Kolb, agraduateofWellesleyCollege witha doctoratefrom YaleUniversity. Kathy was aretired professorofFrench and German at Southeastern Louisiana University and had an international reputation as a scholar of French composer Hector Berlioz. When she died,his companion in life forhis last years was PamCurtiss, aretired professor and graduateschool administrator who had taught in universities ranging fromPortland, Oregon to Wilmington, Del.

His luck was so plentiful that when he and his wife decided late in life to have achild, she produced twins -a boyand agirl. ChristianPerkinswas a nurse in Richmond VA Mackenzie Perkins Ellis was an entrepreneurand farmer who suspended bothcareers to get her son, Tatum off to agood start.

His biggest regret was thelack of time he had as agrandfather to Tatum Carter Ellis.

Perkins bought asecond home on Capitol Hill in Washingtonafter hisretirementfrom LSUand

spent agreat portionofhis

time thereinhis last years. He lovedtotravel and spent 12 years organizing and leading summer study abroad tours of eastern Europe whileatLSU.His travel bugcontinuedafter he retired. He particularly likedtovisit Prague, Split and Hvar in Croatia, Istanbul, Edinburgh, Scotland and London. Evenindeath hisluck held outlong enough forhim to write his own obituary (sorry about that, long suffering reader).

He is survivedbyhis son Christian, daughter Mackenzie, son-in-law Josh Ellis, allthree of Richmond, Va.and three brothers, Ken (and Sherry)ofLaFeria, Tx., Phil (and Martha) of Sapphire, N.C., and Keith (and Sandy) of Duncan, OK. Acelebration of life will be held at The Loft at Cecilia in BatonRouge on September 13that4:00 p.m. There willbefoodand beverages and thevibe and dress code willbecasual.Wehope youwillall come out and mingleand share stories. In lieu of flowers we insteadask that youdonate to theJay Perkins scholarshipfor study abroad

Alanna Chere Singleton, aresident of Zachary, La passed away on Sunday, Aug 3, 2025. She was54 years old. Sheissurvived by her 2sons, Travis Singleton Jr.(Christian) and DylanSingleton(Haylie); grandchildren, Aurie, Davyn, Audyn, Lenny and OttoSingleton; sisters,Linda Creel(Mark), Genie Hoover(Doug), Kathy Ward (Chris), and Mi Mi Rispone(Vince); brother, Robert Perry(Paige); and father and mother-in-law Richard and Odrie Singleton. She was preceded in death by her husband, Travis SingletonSr.;father, Alfred Perry Jr.and mother,Helen JohnsonPerry. She willberemembered forher generous heart, nurturing spirit,boundless creativity, and unwavering strength.Alannahad aremarkable gift formaking everyone she encountered feelvalued, seen, and loved. She cherishedevery moment withher family, and nothing brought her greaterjoy than being a mother. She took immense prideinher children and was aconstant presence in their lives—always the first to volunteeratschool and communityevents, cheering them on in every endeavor.Alanna found beauty and joy in life's simplepleasures:peaceful days on thewater, thesatisfaction of awell-tended home, and thecreative expressionofher crafts. Guidedbyher deep faith and her steadfast devotion

to family, she lived each day with love,integrity, andgenerosity. Her warmth,wisdom, and presence will be profoundly missed by all whose lives she touched. Memorial servicesfor Alannawill be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at Ourso Funeral Home 13533 Airline Hwy Gonzales, La 70737. Visitingwill be from9 am until theservice at 12 pm. She will be laidtorest at GatewayGardensMemorial Park29245 SMagnolia St, Livingston, LA 70754.

Solar, ConnieElizabeth

Rev. 21:4“AndGod shall wipeawayall tearsfrom their eyes;and thereshall benomoredeath,neither sorrow, norcrying, neither shall therebeany more pain.”Conniewenttobe withOur Lord andSavior onJuly4,2025. Shewent peacefully surrounded by her family. Herbattlewith cancerwas brief. Shewas precededindeath by her parents,Andrewand Peggy SolarofMorganza, LA. Connie is survived by her sons,Joshua Chenevert ofNew Roads, LA,and Lucas Patin(Olivia)ofWin‐ston-Salem, NC;brothers, DarrylSolar andChris Solar of NewRoads,LA; sister, Kimberly David (Bruce) of Jarreau, LA,and her granddaughter, Khloe Chenevert.A memorial ser‐vicewillbeheldonSatur‐day,August16, 2025, at the New Life WorshipCenter, 806 Hospital Rd., New Roads,LA. Visitation is at 11a.m.withthe service startingat12p.m.Burial willfollowinthe church cemetery. Theentirefamily would like to thankevery‐one fortheir prayersand condolences.Veryspecial thank youtoPastorJimmy Babin andmembers of the congregationofNew Life Worship Center

2025, at home surrounded by herfamily. She was born on October2,1947, in Port Arthur,Texas to the lateWilliam FrancisAdams and Sarah Bramer Adams.

Barbara wasa devoted wife, mother,sister,friend andChristian.She wasa graduate of Riverdale High School in Jeffersonand received herBachelorofScience degree in Education from Louisiana State University. Shehad atruepassion for teaching!Barbara began hercareerasasecond-grade teacher at Bissonet Plaza Elementary, butshe will forever be rememberedfor hermany dedicated years as a teacher,administrator and curriculumspecialist at Parkview Baptist Preschool, whereshe touched thelives of countless childrenand their families. She wasa faithfulmember of Parkview Baptist Church for50years andembodied aprofound love forthe Lord.

Barbara is survived by herbeloved husband of 55 years, Phil L. Zeigler;their sons Scott Zeigler (Angela), and Jeremy Zeigler (Danielle);and heradoring grandchildrenNathan Kratzberg(Elizabeth), Kate Kratzberg, Ava Carpenter, MiaWyble and Brody Zeigler.She is also survived by hersister Adrienne Henzmann of Titusville, Florida, as well as numerousother loving familyand friends.

Thefamilyextendstheir sincere thanks to Hospice in HisCareand Danielle Wyble fortheir compassionate care of Barbara.

Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe Memorial Service at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, August 11, 2025, at Parkview Baptist Church, 11795 Jefferson HighwayinBaton Rouge AMemorialVisitationwill be held at thechurch beginningat2:00 p.m.

Familyand friends may sign theonline guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyatwww.resthav enbatonrouge.com

Perkins, Jay

Singleton, AlannaChere

Parks, William Michael

Zeigler, Barbara Adams

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Hard to imagine NewOrleans withoutthe Superdome

The SuperDoom. The StuporDome.

Those were among the monikers that critics used for the Louisiana Superdome early on. Amid all the well-deservedplaudits forthe Dome as it celebrates the 50th anniversaryofits Aug. 9, 1975,opening, it is worthremembering just how controversial the arena oncewas For plowing forward amid all the blowback, the visionaries who proposed and built it deserve even more credit. The Dome expandedand anchored what had threatenedtobecome amoribund downtown, even as it permanently put New Orleans on the map,very much for the better,as a“big event” city

Yetinthe early years, thedetractors were many.Some who loved fall afternoons in grand old Tulane Stadium resented being forcedindoors. Many complained that the costshould be borne by private interests, nottaxpayers, and further complained when the outlays rose from aprojected $35 millionto$165 million. The ﬁrst management company forthe stadium was subjected to repeated allegations ofmismanagement, as the Superdome was amoneyloser in its early years And some folksdidn’tlike the aesthetic. Famed Louisiana writer Walker Percydescribeditinan essay as looking like the top of a“giant BanRollOn” deodorant.

In the big picture, though, idea-man Dave Dixon, Gov.John McKeithen, mayors Victor Schiro andMoon Landrieu and other Superdome supporters were overwhelmingly right. The Dome remains an architectural marvel andanunparalleled event space. And few buildings in thehistory of the United States have proved asvital and valuable, both economically and psychologically as the Superdome has been for New Orleans and thewhole state. Credit also goes to those,including Gov.Kathleen Blanco and the Superdome Management Group’sDoug Thornton, who insistedonand spearheaded the Dome’samazingly rapid rehabilitation after HurricaneKatrina, not just as an economic necessity butasamassivesymbol of hope to aregion still reeling from the storm’s aftermath.

Elsewhere, this newspaperhas commemorated theastonishing array of big events the Dome has hosted: 13 NCAA football championships, eight Super Bowls, six Final Fours, world boxing title matches, mega-concerts, anationalpartypresidential nominating conventionand more.

The economic impact of theseevents hasbeen well beyond enormous. For just the mostrecent example, LSU economists say this year’sSuper Bowlgenerated$1.25 billioninstatewideeconomic activity

And it’s not just big events: The Superdome’s presence has made the PoydrasStreet corridor a thriving hub year-round,while ensuring our beloved Saints remain in New Orleansfor decades to come. While so many other domedstadiums —in Houston, Minneapolis, Seattle,Detroit, Atlanta and Indianapolis —were demolishedyearsago, the Superdome continuestoﬂourish, betterthan ever.

Walker Percy at least had the second part of his phraseright:The Superdome’s legacy rolls on, a blessing to the state whose citizens dreamed and built it.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Adear millennial friend and Ionce had afraught conversation. It came back to me upon reading that the demographic mostreceptive to socialist candidates and their far-left agenda was the urban “downwardly mobile elite.”

My friend, theson of hardworking immigrants, possessed an Ivy League degree. He was miffed that acouple he knew struggled to pay for child care.

professionals would put their children in atruly diverse day care with kids of impoverished single mothers. After all, their resentment centers on not feeling upwardly mobile.

At acertain point in this story of injustice, Itried to ascertain theextent of his friends’ need for government-sponsored child care. Iasked my friend about the couple’scombined income.

He responded with silence. Iasked again. Again, silence. He knew that the answer would not help his case. The father and mother were both employed in tech, as was my friend. Their combined income was probably well northof$200,000.

Listen,I’m not averse to government-sponsored child care extending up theeconomic ladder.Itwould be socially useful for children of collegeeducated parents to sit in the same classes as poor kids. ButIdoubt these

The concern among manyDemocrats is that this scary-sounding ideology turns off the American mainstream. The radical agendas get alot of attention and hurt theDemocratic brand. That they almost never come to fruition is no skin off the back of their supporters.

The people paying aprice are theless affluent. Politics thatoffend working-class values help elect politicians who take away health benefitsfor those who need them.Go ahead, you downwardly mobile elitists, and say that these modest folk are voting against their own interests. That might be true, but by nominating candidates that majorities find toxic, you are also voting against their interests.

Onerecalls arally Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders held in Queens during the 2020 presidential campaign. It wassurely no accident that they chose aworkingclass neighborhood overwhelmingly populated by “peopleofcolor.”

The crowds wereenthusiastic and big.Over 20,000 people attended, according to Bernie. The participants represented every shade of White people. There is widespread angst over the cost of housing, and it is understandable that the downwardly mobile elite would share it. But this group does manage to put aroof over their heads. It maynot match the grandeur featured in their social media feeds, but honesty demands acknowledging that in the quest for“affordable housing,” they are pricing the non-elite out of theirs. The government services that some of these elites wantand imagine the leftcan provide do cost money.The potentially bad newsfor them is that they have, to the outside world, rather impressive earnings. The taxing authorities don’treally care whether you feel downwardly mobile or not. And so eyes are mostly dry over the struggling professionals’ lot. Alook in the mirror should tell them that whether upwardly mobile or downwardly mobile, an elite is still an elite.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com

We review our letters for accuracy and clarity,ofcourse, but on the horizon is an additional check that may need to be made. We trust allwriters are expressing their own opinions and writing in theirown voice. Butincreasing useofchatbotsand AI could undermine that assumption Today,it’scommon to hear of studentsusing AI to write papersand job applicants using it to write emails to potential employers. So it can’tbelong before we see AI used to write letters to the newspaper

papersunder theirown name. Often, these efforts are apparent, and when we get more than one letter worded theexact same way,it’seasytoweed them out.

where else

Turning to ourletters inbox, for the week of July 17-24, we received78 letters.

We trust ourreaders to represent theiropinions using theirown words, but there have always been effortsto manufacture letters to the editor that arenot authentic.

Activistgroups sometimes circulateform letters to their supporters, urging them to submit these to news-

AI presentsamorecomplex challenge though, since it can respond to unique prompts from auser to create unique content. Thereissoftware that can detect AI-generated text, but it is not always accurate.

For now,wetrust that the readers who take the trouble to sendinaletter are readers who are engaged in the issues and want their opinions known. Ourreaders often have keen insightsand expressthem in ways that are by turnsfunny, caustic,thoughtful and sincere. Iwould hate to lose that. Newspapers around the country are continuing to discuss the impact of AI on the work we do. We know our readers value us because we produce original content they can’t ﬁnd any-

Readerswerefocused on the cuts to public broadcasting. We receivedeight letters on the topic,with most readers opposing Congress’ decision to claw back funding forpublic radio and television. The warinGazawas the subject of four letters, with readers focused on storiesabout Palestinians getting killedastheysought food aid. Issues surrounding the planned LSU arena also drewreaders’ attention, with four letters on thattopic So there is awide range of local and nationalstoriesour readers are following. And Ibelieve that it creates aweekly mix thatnoAIwill ever top.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa Garrett

Froma Harrop

COMMENTARY

TheDeclaration gets boostedbyN.O’s Lapeyre

Are you gearing up for next summer’ssemiquincentennial the 250th anniversary —ofour nation’sbirth?

Youshould be. So, too, especially, should teachers andstudents during the new school year that’s about to begin.

Louisianan Jay Lapeyre is adriving force behind an effort to make it easier and more fulﬁlling to do so. Lapeyre, CEO of New Orleans-based Laitram Industries and chairman of the national Cato Institute, will be explainingthe projectatlength when theState Policy Network, anational associationofconservative thinktanks, holds its annual meeting Aug. 2528 in New Orleans.

tennial and beyond

Lapeyre is one of three cofounders —along with David Kelley,founder of the AtlasSociety, and John Aglialoro, atrustee of both Atlas and of Philadelphia’s Museum of the AmericanRevolution—ofFree Society Coalition, which is dedicated to deeper appreciationfor theidealsofthe Declaration of Independence in the lead-up to the semiquincen-

The effort began at aconference in July 2024 when they and several others adopted what they call “ThePhiladelphia Declaration for Freedom andResponsibility.” The new declaration asserts that “the morality of political freedom [is] thetrue habitat for humanity.” And it insists that Americans of somewhat different worldviews still “share values that allow us to cooperate for mutualbeneﬁt. These values have madeAmerica greatand have inspired millions worldwide.”

Thenew declaration is well worth reading as awhole (it’son the website of Free Society Coalition), but it is just astartingpoint

The coalition also is promulgating abrochure that serves essentially as an initial study guide both for classroomsand for all interested individuals to ponder American values as outlined in the Declaration of Independence.

“Remember that this Declaration was theﬁrst in human history to establish agovernment with themoral premise of respect for

thedignity and rights of individuals,” it says. And, it avers that by its very nature, “a free society is themost productive, progressive, and inclusive form of society in human history.”

Yetwith that freedom comes responsibility to act as citizens with character,which “depends on theexercise of rationality, honesty, responsibility, gratitude, courage, and benevolence —and those are the traits that enable our pursuit of happiness as individuals.”

of all this. Part of the central character and ethics of afree society, he said repeatedly in ahalf-hour conversation, is an insistence on “civil discourse.”

When Iwas growing up, almost all of this was both taught and learned with pride as the U.S. spent morethan ayear revving up, withmuch more focus and excitement than today,for 1976’s bicentennial celebration. Lapeyre and his cohorts are absolutely right that all schools across the country,and all good citizens who need arefresher,should be doing similar things this year

For Lapeyre, thecharacter aspects of it, the ethics —“which are upstream from politics,”he told me —are “the essential part

Respectful dialogue in aworking republic, he said, is aimed at “seeking truth, rather than mereloyalty to a tribe.”

Lapeyre cited an upcoming book from afellow New Orleanian, the distinguished historian Walter Isaacson, whose title refers to the most famous formulation from theDeclaration of Independence as “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.”

“Can we lean into the values that united the founders,” Lapeyre asked, “and go from there?” Lapeyre is right.

Indeed, it will be an absolute tragedy if the upcoming semiquincentennial doesn’trenew in us, nationwide, aﬁerce commitmenttothose values. Yes, as theDeclaration of Independence said, we do have “unalienable rights.” Thegovernment’sentire reason for being is to “secure

these rights.” Government can be valid only if it relies on “the consent of the governed.”

And all of this is worth the commitment of “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

The State Policy Network’s meeting at which Lapeyre will speak is still twoweeks out, but the dissemination of Free Society Coalition’sbrochure —its combined manifesto and study guide —cannot come soon enough. It’s not too late forteachers, especially of junior high and high school students, to incorporate all this into their lesson plans.

Lapeyre said he particularly hopes people think about “what would this kind of thing look like in Louisiana.”

The last words here go to Free Society Coalition’sbrochure itself:“The Founders expected citizens to ponder,toquestion and challenge, to consider how the principles they wrote about might apply to future events and issues.”

At that task, let’sget started. Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

Like BrianKelly,Sid Edwards’ year hinges on November

Rightnow,Baton Rouge is a two-coach town. Plenty of attention is focused on the one runningthings just off Skip Bertman Drive,where Brian Kelly is under enormous pressure to win as he heads into hisfourth season at the helm of LSU’sfootball program. But I’d like to look a couple of miles north to St. Louis Street, where Sid Edwards is just over 200 days into his tenure as the mayor-president of Louisiana’smost populous parish. Halfway through the ﬁrst year of what is essentially afouryearcontract from voters, it’s fairtotake stock of how the former high school coach is doing. In his ﬁrst months, Edwards has earned the respect of many for his humble approach and willingness to work with anyone. But that only goes so far. Some of Edwards’ senior staffers have burned bridges in City Hall, sources say,and his agenda has been hampered by perceived divisions within the administration. The latter issues couldbe forgotten if, like Kelly hopes to do, Edwards snags that crucial November victory.Afterall, winning cures alot of ills. The LSU coach gets his chance on Nov.8,when LSU takes on Alabama. For Edwards, it’ll be a week later

That’swhen East Baton Rouge voters will go to the polls to vote on several measures that together form his Thrive EBR plan.

Like Kelly,Edwards desperately needs that November win, both to cement his position atop cityparish government and to prevent widespread angst over the future. Worse for Edwards, there won’tbeanother vote the next week to help him redeem himselfand his team. If votersbat aside the plan —and it’s an all-or-nothing proposal —EastBaton Rouge Parish,at least interms of city-parish government,isgoing to go from seriouscondition tothe ICU quickly Thereasons for urgency are pretty straightforward. The incorporationofthe cityofSt. George, and St. George’sleaders’ subsequent —and wholly justiﬁable —decision to begin receiving their share of the city’s sales taxrevenue, have blown a yawning hole in thecity-parish budget.IfEdwards doesn’tﬁnd more money for the general fund, there will be cuts. And they will be ugly

Some may note that Edwards, like Kelly in 2021, inherited a mess, andthey’re right. But the ofﬁce is one he sought, and so now he owns it. It might not be his fault,but it’sstill his messto clean up.

Edwards’ politicalskills were

put to thetest when, earlier this year,the ﬁrst version of his plan drew widespread fury when it was announced. That version would have moved the muchbeloved librarysystem intothe city-parish’sgeneral fund and reappropriated its dedicated millage for police raises and other expenses. In addition, the plan would have moved the library’s

$100 million reserve fund, created through years of frugal spending, completely under parishcontrol. The public sacked that idea. So Edwards adjustedhis game plan and came back with anew one. This new versionwas announced at achummy news conferencethatincluded Metro Council members andlibrary

staff. Importantly,under the plan, the library system will keep adedicated millage, something East BatonRouge voters have repeatedly endorsed. The newplan will only take about$50 million in library reserves, and rededicatesome taxespreviously used for mosquito abatement and the Council on Aging.

Edwards hassaidthe city will use the money to paydown debt, which will free up more money to fund services andinfrastructure Fair or not, Edwards’ first year will be judgedbywhathappens with this election. And howhis term goes from here could very well be defined by it. Getting awin would set him up as an executive to be reckoned with, onewho doesn’tshrink from big challengesand who will work with others to find a fix. Taking the Lwould set up afractious anddifficult 2026. He may have to fire some staff, something football coaches are familiar with.

Edwards hasa long history of successincoaching, with more than200 high school wins. But these areSEC football-level political problems he’sfacing now. The stakesare much larger Or,asBrianKelly might say,it just means more.

Faimon A. Roberts III can be reached at froberts@ theadvocate.com.

Gerrymandering forme, notfor thee

Let’stake atour of the 13th congressional district in Illinois. It starts in East St. Louis and then moves steadily north. By the time it gets to Springfield, home of Abraham Lincoln, about 90 miles away,ittakes asharp turn to the east, reaching Decatur and finally Champaign, itself about 80 miles away from Springfield.

It’sajagged, narrow strip of territory with no obviousrhyme or reason as it traverses six counties. It’s less acongressional district than aroad trip, and bears a resemblancetothe original gerrymander, along, salamander-like state senate district in Massachusetts in 1812. The only point of the new 13th district lines, fashioned with the redistricting after the 2020 census, was to gather together far-ﬂung Democrats to createanother Democratic congressional

district. Mission accomplished The13th district went from being acompetitivedistrict long held by aRepublican to ﬂipping to the Democrats in 2022. Overall, Illinois lost one district afterthe 2020 censusand managed to draw lines that changed the congressional ratio from a13-5 Democratic advantage to a14-3 Democratic advantage. The political analysis website 538 called the newmap “the worstgerrymander in the country drawn by Democrats.”

This makes it especially inapt that acontingentofTexas Democrats ﬂeeingthe Lone Star State to try to stop what they consider unfairnew congressional boundaries founda safe harbor in Illinois.Next time, their travel agent should do ahypocrisycheck before bookinga destination. Illinois Gov.JBPritzker welcomed theself-exiling Democrats

and hailed their courage. He told them that he and other top Democrats in the state were pleased “to stand in solidarity with you and send aclear message to all Americans.” His conscience showed no sign of being pricked by thefact that he signed off on the redistrictingthat saw Republicans in 2022 win nearly 44% of the popular vote in Illinois congressional races and only about 17% of the congressional seats.

Aspecial session of the Texas Legislature is considering new lines that could net Republicans another five seats. Texas Gov Greg Abbotthas cited aDepartmentofJustice letter saying that someofthe current districts need to be redrawn because they represent unconstitutional racial gerrymandering (the Biden Justice Department had been fighting Texas because, in itsview,the current lines didn’treflect enough racial gerrymandering) The Supreme Court is taking

upaLouisiana case that should clarify the extent to which states can consider race in drawing so-called majority-minority districts. In the meantime, the partisan effect of thenew Texas lines before the 2026 midterms is unmistakable. If Republicans were likely to lose five seats from theredistricting, there’snodoubt that the state’sRepublican governor and Republican legislature wouldn’tbeundertaking it. Drawing district lines is an inherently political enterprise, and parties tend to give themselves thebest of it. When Democrats controlled the Texas legislature, they maintained congressional lines in their favor.Itwasn’tuntil Republicanswon the state house for thefirst timesince Reconstruction in 2002 that the GOP could redraw the congressional map andRepublicans subsequently won amajority of Texas congressional seats in 2004, also for thefirst timesince Recon-

struction.

Since Democrats gerrymander too, they have limited options for retaliating against Texas. Pritzker says he may redraw his state’s lines, but this would require gerrymandering on top of his current gerrymander.California Gov Gavin Newsom is making similar noises, but the California map is already tilted toward Democrats. Republicans wonnearly 40% of the congressional vote in the Golden State in 2024, but only about 17% of the seats. If the Texas plan goes through and all else remains equal, the Lone Star State will have about the samepartisan skew as California. Less gerrymandering would be better rather than more, but Democrats like Gov. Pritzker, whoblessed his state’smeandering 13th district, have no standing to makethe case.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

Quin Hillyer

Rich Lowry

Faimon Roberts

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Mayor-PresidentSid Edwards in March at City HallinBaton Rouge

Lapeyre

SPORTS

Nussmeierreturns toleado

LSUquarterback participates in everydrill during Saturday’s practice

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Garrett Nussmeier rolled to his left to escape the pressure.

Asmall cadre of defenders was on the precipice of squeezing theﬁfth-year senior out of the pocket. But before they could get to him,LSU’sstarting quarterback aborted the rush.

Nussmeier found enoughspacetorun for an extra few yards before duckingout of bounds. ButasNussmeier left theﬁeld

exitingthe ﬁeld for sophomore quarterback Michael VanBuren and the second team offense —hedeparted slowly,and with alimp.

As coach Brian Kelly revealed, Nussmeier is dealing with apreexisting case of patellar tendinitis. Kelly reportedly took him out of practice early on Wednesday after he aggravatedthe issue, but he threw Friday and practiced fully on Saturday

Onlinerumors suggested that Nussmeier had suffered aseason-ending injury.Kelly says that is far from the truth.

“This is like a1.5 on the scale of 1to10,” KellysaidonFriday.“Andthat’s just being honest with you.”

Nussmeier wore ablack sleeve on his left knee and participated in every drill on Saturday.But his limptoward the end of practice was areminderthatthe starquarter-

back may not be 100% yet

“Tendinitis is managed every single day around the world for all kinds of different ailments,” Kelly said. “Just like abad ankle that you’re going to come back in (for), he’ll be back out (there soon)

“This is preexisting, and he probably just planteditthe wrongway.There’snothing really to see on ﬁlm with it. He aggravated it alittle bit, but he’sgood to go.”

Offensestruggles in redzone

The offense had two sessionsofinstallingred zone playsbeforefacingthe defense in 11 on 11 scrimmaging inside the 20-yard line, but the extrawork did not pay off.

ä See LSU, page 7C

Sixplayers lookingfor alanding spot with Saints

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

IRVINE,Calif. Anyone who follows theNew OrleansSaintswillbepaying attention to theteam’squarterback competition in Sunday’spreseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. That’sobvious. But there’salso plenty else to monitor Here are six players —insix separate position battles —who could beneﬁt from astrong performance to begin the preseason VelusJones •running back When told running backs coach Joel Thomas called him the fastest running back on the roster,Jones declared he was the fastest player on the team. Period. Will that speed help him land aroster spot? The former wide receiver turned running back has had an impressive camp, but running back might be the team’smost competitive battle —even when including the quarterbacks.

Torricelli Simpkins •offensive line

BYLUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

IRVINE, Calif. After just about every day of New OrleansSaints trainingcamp so far,anew player stands up to face the cameras and adds to what is becoming acommon refrain for this team.

“This is the best I’ve feltthrough three days of camp in along time,” said tight end Juwan Johnson. They’re saying this stuff often enough to not just brush it off.

“This is probably thebest mybody has felt Day 4into(training) camp since high school, maybe?” said center Erik McCoy

And it’sall coming to them naturally whenasked aboutthe schedule implemented by ﬁrst-year head coach Kellen Moore,one strongly inﬂuenced by theteam’snew director of sports science, TedRath.

“This is the best training camp I’ve been apart of,” said defensive tackle Davon Godchaux,now in his ninth NFL training camp. “Coach Kellen, how he’sapproachedit, the training staff, the staff in general taking care of the guys. This is thebesttraining camp I’ve been apart of ” That’sonlypartofthatGodchaux quote, by the way. He used that “best trainingcamp”bit four timesinhis answer Several factorshavegoneintothese answers,but the one thing tying it all togetheristhe way Mooreismanipulating time to his team’sadvantage. From the team operations side,

Moore has full control of the Saints’ schedule, and he hascrafted an intelligentand efﬁcient approach that is rooted in sports science.

“Wespend alot of time trying to be as detailed as we possibly can, get the drillstobereally clean,operate at a really high level,” Moore said. “We’ve gottomaximize every chance we get out here to put theseguys in areally good position to be successful.”

It’sapparentinthe practices themselves. There is verylittle wasted time where players andcoaches are milling around, taking abreak to gather themselves forthe next drill. The practices feel like afootballversion

of aperpetual motion machine. On the most ambitious day of Saintstraining camp so far,the team ran 126 plays from scrimmage.

But it’sjust as evident when speakingtothe players about the things that happen behind closed doors. Between theend of practice andthe ﬁrst round of teammeetings, Moore gives his players alengthy break, often stretching out more than two hours. Though it’sbeen hard to nail down howthis compares to other operations around the league, the general consensus is that the break is longer ä See SAINTS, page 4C

The Saints have begun crosstraining several offensive linemen up front, and these changes have resulted in Simpkins moving from guard to center.That could strengthen the undrafted free agent’scase to makethe roster.Simpkins has looked good at center,aspot that had been shaky behind starter Erik McCoy

Jonathan Bullard• defensiveend Bullard has familiarity with defensive coordinator Brandon Staley,

ä See SIX, page 4C

Saints RB Velus Jones AP PHOTO

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints coach Kellen Moorewatches his players on July 27 during training camp at the team’spractice facility.

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

Departing members sue Mountain West Conference

Three departing members of the Mountain West Conference are suing the league, alleging it improperly withheld millions of dollars and misled them about a plan to accelerate Grand Canyon’s membership. Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State ﬁled an updated lawsuit in the District Court of Denver arguing the conference and Commissioner Gloria Nevarez willfully disregarded the league’s bylaws by “intentionally and fraudulently” depriving the schools of their membership rights.

Fleetwood clings to 1-shot lead

Scheffler, Rose pull closer at St. Jude Championship

The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn Tommy Fleetwood had a three-shot swing go against him early and a two-shot swing cost him on the ﬁnal hole Saturday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He did enough right in between for a 1-under 69 and a one-shot lead over Justin Rose as he goes for his ﬁrst PGA Tour title.

If that wasn’t enough, Scottie Scheffler had a huge presence only two shots back.

Still, those two holes were a reminder to Fleetwood that 18 holes can feel a long way off at the TPC Southwind. There figures to be plenty of pressure at the top and scattered among the rest of the ﬁeld trying to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“It’s just another opportunity for me to go out and try and have the best round of golf I can enjoy being in that position,” Fleetwood said. “The more I put myself there, the more chance there is of it happening, and just go out and keep learning from every experience. But tomorrow might be my day, it might not, but being there is the most important thing, and I’ll continue to try and do that.”

Fleetwood, who has won plenty on big stages around the world but not on the PGA Tour, started the third round with a three-shot lead over Rose, who had to ﬁnish his storm-delayed second round in the morning.

On the par-5 third, Fleetwood’s second shot came up short and into the water He took his penalty drop, and then hit wedge over the

green into a bunker Fleetwood said he noticed his golf ball move ever so slightly on his swing with the wedge. Rules ofﬁcials studied the video and determined that if it moved — they couldn’t determine if it did because it was so slight Fleetwood didn’t cause it and no penalty was issued. He made double bogey, and Rose ran off three straight birdies to take the lead.

“The third was just such a kerfufﬂe and such a mess,” he said. “It was not that bad of a second shot,

but it’s obviously a terrible shot if it’s in the water From there, drop, sort of felt like the ball had moved when I hit it, thinned it over the back, just made a double for nothing really.” Fleetwood rebounded to not only regain the lead but build it back to three shots. But on the 18th hole, he drove into the rough, couldn’t reach the green and made bogey to ﬁnish 54 holes at 14-under 196. Rose hit out of the rough to 5 feet from the front pin for his ﬁrst birdie since the seventh hole.

That gave him a 67 and put him in the ﬁnal group with his Ryder Cup teammate.

Scheffler, meanwhile, put together six birdies in his round of 65 and was two shots behind. He made his lone bogey on No. 10, and Schefﬂer avoided another when his bunker shot on No. 12 hit a sprinkler that kept it from going on the green. He holed a 25-foot putt from the fringe.

Scheffler, already assured of keeping the No 1 seed in the FedEx Cup playoffs, is going for his ﬁfth win of the year He has not ﬁnished out of the top 10 since March.

U.S. Open champion J.J Spaun (65) and Andrew Novak (67) were three shots behind.

Sunday is one of the more critical days on the PGA Tour, and not just for Fleetwood. The top 50 in the FedEx Cup advance to the second playoff event at the BMW Championship and are assured of getting into all the $20 million signature events next year

Rickie Fowler and Chris Kirk each had a 66 and were projected to move into the top 50, along with Bud Cauley and Jhonattan Vegas.

Among those who could get bumped out are Jordan Spieth, who had to settle for another 70. Key for the players like Fowler and Cauley are staying high on the leaderboard because those are worth more points and they have more room to make up.

For Fleetwood, it’s about winning. He is No. 15 in the world. He has starred in two Ryder Cups for Europe and won against strong ﬁelds. But the lack of a PGA Tour title is becoming a burden. He had a oneshot lead on the ﬁnal hole at the Travelers Championship in June until taking three putts from just off the green and losing to Keegan Bradley’s birdie.

Van Gisbergen aims for elite company at Watkins Glen

BY NATE RYAN Associated Press

On the NASCAR tracks with the most circuitous sequence of turns, Shane van Gisbergen has shown a remarkably sublime sense of direction

But the Trackhouse Racing driver still needs help navigating his new life in the United States — such as the recent announcement of a 2026 street race in San Diego.

“I don’t even know where that is,” the Auckland, New Zealand, native said with a laugh “I had to ﬁnd it on a map. It’ll be cool to go. I’ve never been there and get to experience all new things.”

The Cup Series rookie is an old hand on road courses, which he mastered with 80 victories and three championships from 2007-22 in Supercars (the top racing series in Australia and New Zealand). Those results caught the eye of Trackhouse founder Justin Marks, who took a ﬂier on putting van Gisbergen in a Cup car for the inaugural Chicago Street Race in July 2023.

After stunning NASCAR at Chicago as the ﬁrst driver to win his Cup debut since Johnny Rutherford in 1963, van Gisbergen relocated to NASCAR last year He has won at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma this season, securing a playoff berth for the No. 88 Chevrolet and a multiyear extension at Trackhouse.

With a victory Sunday at Watkins Glen International, a 2.45mile road course in New York the 36-year-old van Gisbergen would join 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses.

Though van Gisbergen has only 37 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series, his four victories already rank third among active drivers on street or road courses.

“These guys have egos, and they are not OK with this,” NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte said after van Gisbergen’s win at Sonoma last month. “When we go to Watkins Glen, I think it’s basically 35 against one, because they’ll be like, ‘What can we do to bury this guy?’”

It starts with getting close enough to rough up van Gisbergen, who has qualiﬁed ﬁrst in his three wins.

He won at Mexico City by 16.567 seconds, the Cup Series’ largest margin of victory in more than 15 years and the largest gap on a road course in more than 45 years.

He faced more pressure at Sonoma on multiple late restarts, but runner-up Chase Briscoe raced him cleanly (and then compared van Gisbergen’s road course skills with Michael Jordan in his prime).

“I feel like everyone races really well, and I really love the racing here,” van Gisbergen said. “I don’t feel like anyone targets me on the track and tries to take me out, but I feel like we’re the benchmark, which is really awesome. But the best thing on the road course is I’ve never really raced the same guy Every week, there’s someone different. The spread of talent is quite high here.”

Chris Buescher is the only Cup driver to have gotten the best of him. Racing at Watkins Glen last year in a part-time Cup schedule, van Gisbergen missed a corner entry “by centimeters” and lost to the Roush Fenway Keselowski driver on a last-lap pass.

“I studied it a lot, and that was painful,” van Gisbergen said. “I’m quite self-analytical, and even when I think of it now, it frustrates me.”

He also is a humble perfectionist in addressing his inexperience on oval tracks, which comprise the bulk of the NASCAR schedule. On the advice of 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick, van Gisbergen has

spent his summer racing Tuesday nights at Charlotte Motor Speedway against preteens in miniature stock cars on a quarter-mile oval. He recently earned his first win on the short track, whose four turns encourage the full-contact racing that largely is absent on road courses. “I had 12-year-olds bump me and know exactly how to place their car, and I’d never hit anyone on purpose to pass them,” said van Gisbergen, who made his oval debut only two years ago. “It’s a skill that we don’t get taught because you’re not allowed to do it (in Supercars). So yeah, it’s been really beneficial and a lot of fun. It’s just more racing and more combat.” He figures to be battle-tested when the Cup playoffs begin in three weeks. The first round is held exclusively at ovals, where van Gisbergen has an average finish of 26.7, but he will start the playoffs with a points cushion because of his wins.

He is conﬁdent of advancing to the second round simply by avoiding mistakes at tracks located in Darlington, South Carolina, subur-

ban St. Louis and Bristol, Tennessee — while also enjoying their divergent cultures.

“Australia is the same size country, but from one side to the other, there’s not much difference in the accents,” van Gisbergen said.

“Here, it’s very diverse and the way people talk is so different. Every part of the country feels like a different country It’s been an awesome experience just trying to learn about it.”

Odds and ends

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, van Gisbergen (+125) is the favorite, followed by Connor Zilisch (+500), Christopher Bell (+1200) and Kyle Larson (+1200).

With his 63rd start on a road or street course Sunday, Kyle Busch will tie Terry Labonte for most in Cup Series history Both of Busch’s top-five finishes this season have been on a road or street course (fifth at Circuit of The Americas and Chicago). Three-time and defending series champion Joey Logano will become the 13th Cup driver to make 600 consecutive starts.

The three schools, which are all headed to the Pac-12 after the 2025-26 school year, are seeking damages for millions of dollars of alleged harm caused by the Mountain West, including the withholding of money earned by Boise State for playing in last year’s College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame loses TE, RB to season-ending injuries

Notre Dame announced on Saturday that sixth-year tight end Kevin Bauman and second-year running back Kedren Young suffered season-ending knee injuries in practice this week.

Notre Dame already was without Charles Jagusah, its projected right guard, after he was injured in an accident in Wyoming last month. Jagusah had surgery to repair a broken humerus bone in his left arm, and coach Marcus Freeman said he’s hopeful Jagusah will play this season. But Bauman won’t play this year because of an articular cartilage injury in his left knee, which will require surgery He also announced on social media this is the end of his football career

Raducanu advances to third round of Cincy Open Emma Raducanu is through to the third round of the Cincinnati Open after a straight-sets win over Olga Danilovic.

The British No. 1 marked her ﬁrst match since Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francis Roig joined her team with a conﬁdent 6-3, 6-2 victory

After four breaks of serve between the pair in the opening six games, Raducanu came from 30-0 down to grab another for 5-3.

She had won seven points in a row to bring up three set points and took the ﬁrst with an ace. In the second, Raducanu gave her Serbian opponent nothing for free, drawing out errors and eventually earning a break for 3-2.

She did not drop another game, wrapping up a ﬁne victory in an hour and 20 minutes.

Louderbaugh reaches U.S. Women’s Amateur semis

BANDON, Ore. — Kansas junior Lyla Louderbaugh reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Friday by losing a 2-up lead with two holes to play against topranked Kiara Romero and then keeping her composure to win in 20 holes at Bandon Dunes. Louderbaugh, a two-time Kansas Women’s Amateur champion, advanced to face Brooke Biermann, a 3-and-2 winner over Arianna Lau of Hong Kong. Stanford senior Megha Ganne held off Eila Galitsky of Thailand, 2 and 1, and next has a semifinal match against Ella Scaysbrook of Australia, who had the shortest match of the quarterfinals with a 5-and-4 win over Canadian Taylor Kehoe.

Cook declines to play in Bills preseason opener

ORCHARD PARK,N.Y Bills coach Sean McDermott was able to convince running back James Cook to suit up and take a couple of handoffs in pregame warmups on Saturday When it came to having him play in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the New York Giants, Cook declined as part of a contract standoff now reaching its first full week. Cook, the NFL’s co-leader with 16 touchdowns rushing last season, is conducting a “hold-in” by being with the team but refusing to practice in an escalating bid to secure a contract extension on the final year of his rookie deal. Cook made a surprise appearance on Saturday by taking the field during warmups, but come game time, he watched the game from the sideline.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ

Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway on July 13 in Sonoma, Calif.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Tommy Fleetwood groans after his tee shot on No 18 went into the rough during the third round of the St. Jude Championship tournament on Saturday in Memphis, Tenn.

Hong wins second U.S. men’s all-around title

Olympian victorious on floor, rings and vault

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

Nothing or no one, it seemed, would be able to pry a second men’s all-around title in the US. Gymnastics Championships out of Asher Hong’s hands.

But when the Olympic bronze medalist failed to grip the high bar on a twisting pass Saturday night, stunning himself and everyone inside the Smoothie King Center as he crashed to the mat, it seemed at least possible that he could have taken himself out of the running for the gold medal.

“It was like I got hit by a flash grenade in ‘Call of Duty.’ ” Hong said. “I fell and heard some ringing in my ears. I got up and said, ‘OK, I’ve got to lock in and ﬁnish strong.’ You can’t let that first event effect the rest of your performance.

“That’s what I did.”

In the moment, Hong was afraid he might be taken aside by the event’s medical staff for a concussion evaluation.

“They probably would have pulled me out,” he said, smiling. “But it ended up being OK.”

More than OK. Hong came back in the next rotation and posted a brilliant 15.259 on vault, the best score of the entire meet in that event. After two rotations, Hong, who started the night with a huge 4.48-point lead over Oklahoma’s Fuzzy Beneas from Thursday’s session, the largest lead in the U.S men’s championships since the current scoring system started in 2006, was back to 3.6 points ahead of his closest pursuer, 112.693-109.055.

From there, Hong built and built on his lead, posting a two-day total of 170.020 to ﬁnish miles ahead of the rest of the field. Beneas wound up with the bronze medal with a total score of 162.310, nipped at the end by two-time NCAA all-around champion and 2024 Olympic team bronze medalist Fredrick Richard of Michigan (162.555).

In addition to the all-

jitters and rust to knock off, but I’m happy with how it went.”

In Saturday afternoon’s junior session, Maksim Kan of Muskego, Wisconsin, and Jakson Kurecki of Nokomis, Florida, won the men’ s 17and 16-year old all-around titles, respectively Kan, who won the 16-yearold division in 2024, had a two-day score of 157.693. He also won four of the six individual titles: vault, pommel horse, bars and floor. Kurecki won with a score of 155.228 and also took gold on high bar The championships conclude Sunday with the women’s junior and senior sessions at 12:45 and 6 p.m., respectively LSU commitment Hezly Rivera, a member of the gold medal-winning U.S

around crown, Hong also took home the gold medal on floor (30.016 combined score), vault (30.318) and still rings (29.286).

“I’m glad the training paid off,” Hong said. “It was a grueling five weeks in the gym. One of the mottos on our team is ‘Leave no doubt.’ I wanted to do that this week here competing. I felt I did and accomplished my goals.”

Other individual event champions included Patrick Hoopes of Air Force on pommel horse (31.300), Brody Malone of Sarasota, Florida, on parallel bars (28.150) and Taylor Burkhart of Stanford on high bar (28.960).

For Malone, like Hong a member of the U.S. bronze medal-winning team in the Paris Olympics, it was his eighth U.S. championships title overall Malone was

the 2024 U.S. national allaround champion but did not compete this year on ﬂoor or vault. He did a seven-week crash course of training leading up to the championships after getting married two months ago.

“It was time to grind,” Malone said. “I locked in on my diet and my training. It was my first competition (since Paris). There were obviously some competitive

Cincinnati nixes joint practices with other NFL teams

BY CHARLIE GOLDSMITH Associated Press

CINCINNATI Instead of conducting a joint practice against another NFL team, Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor is prioritizing action in the preseason games while also creating some more intrasquad competition.

In between the Bengals’ preseason opener and the Aug. 18 Monday night game against the Washington Com-

manders, where the starters are expected to play again, Taylor said the Bengals will have some scrimmage-style competition between the offense and defense during six practices this week

The Bengals are one of three teams that are not having a joint practice this year

“I’m thankful this year we’re not doing that (joint practice),” Taylor said. “It’s really good for us to continue to install stuff and tweak

some stuff, as opposed to locking in on X opponent that you know that we’re gonna spend three days preparing for and practicing for and reviewing.

“We just get to spend that on ourselves. And I think that’s really needed right now for this group. That’s the way that this camp hit us this year with no practices against anybody else, just focusing on ourself. I’m excited about it.” In the preseason opener,

Lions safety Norris shares good news after a frightening injury

after assisting on the tackle. When play resumed, Atlanta quarterback Emory Jones snapped the ball as players from both teams stood at the line of scrimmage as the clock continued to run.

BY LARRY LAGE Associated Press

DETROIT Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris shared a social media post Saturday, saying he’s OK and thanking people for their support after he was taken off the ﬁeld in an ambulance late in a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Norris reposted a screenshot about being grateful along with a Bible verse, adding a message of his own “Amen Amen,” he posted on his Instagram story

“I’m all good man don’t stress,” he said, adding he appreciates all of the checkins and support.

Norris was in stable condition late Friday night after he was attended to for about 20 minutes by medical personnel and taken to an Atlanta hospital.

The 24-year-old Norris was hurt with 14:50 left in the preseason game after hitting Falcons running back Nathan Carter He hit Carter with his facemask facing the running back’s midsection and his head snapped back

“Usually you see a couple trainers out there,” Lions quarterback Kyle Allen said. “It’s never good when they bring out the stretchers.”

With 6:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, an official announced the game had been suspended “per New York” with the Lions leading the Falcons 17-10. Detroit coach Dan Campbell and Atlanta 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.” Norris, a former Fresno State standout, played in eight games last season after earning a spot on the team as an undrafted rookie.

NFL preseason games ended early in consecutive weeks two years ago. New England’s game at Green Bay in Week 2 of the 2023 preseason was called off when Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden was carted off in the fourth quar-

ter Bolden appeared to collide with teammate Calvin Munson while attempting to make a hit on a pass completion to Malik Heath of the Packers. Bolden was taken to a hospital and released the next day

A week later, a game between Miami and Jacksonville was not completed after Dolphins receiver Daewood Davis was carted off in the fourth quarter Davis was hurt when he ran a slant route and was attempting to catch a pass when he was hit by Jaguars linebacker Dequan Jackson. Davis was released from the hospital a day later

The two frightening injuries happened some eight months after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during a regular-season game at Cincinnati in January 2023. Hamlin has enjoyed a remarkable recovery and resumed football the following season and spent last year as a Bills starter

“You sign up for football and you understand the risk, you understand the injury risk,” Allen said. “You never think something like that is going to happen. At the end of the day we’re all out here as football players.”

a 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday, starting free safety Geno Stone left the game on the ﬁrst drive with what Taylor described as a soft tissue injury

Taylor said Stone is week to week. The Bengals don’t have a set backup at Stone’s position, and Taylor said that Tycen Anderson and Daijahn Anthony will be in the mix.

“That’s a group that we’re looking to make sure we’re

deep enough,” Taylor said.

“They’re going to continue to get a lot of opportunities, certainly with Geno being out. It’s a good chance to really see where they’re at in their development. They’ve got to contribute on special teams. They’ve got to prove that they can walk in there and help us on defense, as well. Those are guys that these next six practices will be really good for.”

Taylor said it will be another important week for the Bengals offensive line competitions. Right guard has been between Lucas Patrick and Cody Ford. The Bengals have been mixing in different second-unit offensive linemen all summer “(It’s) very open,” Taylor said. “I think nothing is set in stone right now There’s still a lot of opportunity There are eight true practices and two games, so we’re going to utilize every one of them to gain all the information we can out of it.”

Dart, Wilson show promise in Giants’ win over Bills

Jaguars kicker makes 70-yarder

By The Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y Promising but far from perfect was rookie ﬁrstround draft pick Jaxson Dart’s assessment of making his preseason debut at quarterback in the New York Giants’ 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday

“There’s definitely moments where I feel like I did some good stuff, but I’m excited to look back on the tape and look at the things I can clean up,” the 22-year-old said following an outing in which he led three scoring drives on four ﬁrst-half possessions, which led to two ﬁeld goals and a touchdown.

“I just felt like the only reason that we stopped ourselves from scoring touchdowns were just some of those third downs and not converting,” Dart added. “I feel like personally I’m really hard on myself so in those moments I want to capitalize on that.”

The outing, overall, provided the Giants an encouraging glimpse into not only their future, with Dart, but also their present with veteran Russell Wilson also making his playing debut.

The 36-year-old Wilson New York’s anticipated season-opening starter was efficient in running the Giants’ quick-strike passing attack by going 6 of 7 for 28 yards in an opening drive ending with Graham Gano’s 53-yard ﬁeld goal.

Dart — New York’s starter in waiting — closed the half by displaying his arm strength and mobility He ﬁnished 12 of 19 for 154 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, while adding three carries for 24 yards.

Coach Brian Daboll said very little surprised him about Dart’s poise and decision-making because he’s seen it already in practice.

“That’s about what I thought he would do. Efﬁcient, effective, aggressive, conﬁdent in the pocket,” Daboll said. “Some stuff we can work on, but he’s doing good.”

The outcome was decided with the teams trading leads four times in the second half of their respective preseason openers.

VIKINGS 20, TEXANS 10: In Minneapolis, J.J. McCarthy made a solid return for the Vikings, completing 4 of 7 passes for 30 yards in a preseason win over Houston. McCarthy led a scoring drive in his only series. The ﬁrst-round pick missed last season due to a knee injury He completed his

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than what the players are traditionally used to. The important thing is not the break itself, but what the players are doing with it.

“When we get done with practice, we’re all tired, you’re beat up, you might have something that is nagging you,” said offensive lineman Landon Young. “And it’s like, what better time to do it than right now?”

That window of time belongs to the players. It does not come with strict instructions from Moore and his staff for how it is to be spent. But the players are using the break in the schedule mainly for two things: Recovery and camaraderie.

“It forces you to recover,” Johnson said. “It treats us as pros like we’re supposed to be. We don’t have to go outsource the recovery; it’s all in house. I’ve even brought some of my own equipment in here to help some guys, like, ‘Look, this is what you can use so we can be great.’

“It’s been the best thing about it. Having guys in there, getting the opportunity to be in the cold tub and the recovery room and honestly (to) connect.”

Offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz, who missed four games with a knee injury last season, intuitively understood the purpose of that empty part of the schedule the moment he saw it.

“My job is to maximize that break and utilize that break and in a way be an example for the guys who are younger and don’t really understand what a routine is, or don’t have a routine,” Ruiz said. “If they’re just sitting around, it’s like, ‘Hey, come get in the cold tub, come get some (cupping therapy), if anything’s bothering you, you can always work on something because it won’t hurt you.’”

The recovery side of things is important to consider, and it goes beyond the time allowed for players to work on their bodies after practice.

ﬁrst four passes, including three to Jordan Addison, and ran for a ﬁrst down.

Backup Sam Howell took over and led the Vikings to a 13-7 halftime lead. Houston’s Davis Mills threw a touchdown pass, but the Texans struggled with interceptions late in the game.

RAMS 31, COWBOYS 21: In Inglewood, California, Stetson Bennett passed for 188 yards and two touchdowns in a strong start to the preseason, leading the Los Angeles Rams to a victory over the Cowboys on Saturday night in new Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s debut Blake Corum rushed for short TDs to cap the Rams’ first two offensive drives behind Bennett, the two-time national champion at the University of Georgia attempting to secure his job as the Rams’ third-string quarterback for another season. Looking much sharper than he did a year ago against the Cowboys, Bennett went 16 for 24 and hit Cody Schrader and Brennan Presley for touchdowns in the second half Bennett’s only interception resulted from an exceptional play made by Dallas’ Israel Mukuamu on a long pass.

Joe Milton passed for 143

yards before injuring his elbow in the fourth quarter of a solid debut with the Cowboys, throwing a touchdown pass to Rivaldo Fairweather with 8:48 to play The second-year pro, who had one interception while going 17 for 29, is looking to cement his job as Dak Prescott’s backup. Will Grier replaced Milton for the ﬁnal series and rushed for a TD with 2:31 left. Both teams rested as many key players as possible, with Prescott and CeeDee Lamb headlining a host of Cowboys starters on the sideline. Micah Parsons attended the game with his Dallas teammates even after requesting a trade last week during his seemingly interminable contract negotiations with owner Jerry Jones.

STEELERS 31, JAGUARS 25: In Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville’s Cam Little made a 70-yard ﬁeld goal to end the ﬁrst half against Pittsburgh, a kick that would have broken the NFL record had it happened during the regular season. Little and the Jaguars celebrated widely as the half ended with the Steelers leading 14-9. Rookie

Saints coach Kellen Moore watches as quarterbacks participate in minicamp practice on June 10 at the team’s practice facility Moore and the Saints are taking a science-backed approach to keep players healthy during training camp.

“The approach of the staff taking care of players is the right approach, and I think everybody should follow it. The players have to stay healthy, because you can have great coaches, but if you don’t have great players, you’re nothing without your players.”

DEVON GODCHAUX, Saints defensive tackle

Last year, the Saints were among the most injured teams in football. Their long list of players who made a trip to injured reserve played a large part in the team collapsing to a 5-12 last-place ﬁnish in the NFC South.

New Orleans devoted signiﬁcant attention to injury prevention this offseason, hiring Rath to oversee the team’s sports science department. While there is always some degree of luck involved, Rath has an impressive track record when it comes to getting teams to the ﬁnish line relatively healthy

“There’s a lot of analytical information, it’s a lot of load management, a lot of assessment of each individual player,” said general manager Mickey Loomis. “It’s really a lot of things, a lot of variables. But so far it’s been really, really positive. (Rath has) had a good history of effective results in

the places he’s been.”

Moore and Rath developed what could be called a stoplight schedule that is based on load management and building the players up to peak condition. There are red, yellow and green days on the schedule. Red days are recovery days, when players do little to no work. Green days are meant to be hard.

There are two clear beneﬁts to this. The ﬁrst is that it is a scientific approach that does not put overt stress on players’ bodies or minds.

To illustrate this point, Rath had an analogy

“You unfortunately fall, you get a scrape, what happens? You develop a scab,” Rath said. “There’s a ﬁne line between a scab and a callous. If you have a scab and you’re constantly picking the scab, what happens? It never heals.”

The Saints, therefore, are look-

with the Chicago Bears (2021-23) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2024). He engineered a 10-play, 79-yard drive in his first game with his new team.

On third-and-5 Fields ran his way out of a collapsing pocket, made a move to get past Keisean Nixon’s diving tackle attempt and got into the right corner of the end zone. Fields also went 3 of 4 through the air for 42 yards, including a 24-yard completion to Andrew Beck.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love went 1 of 5 for 7 yards and neither of the two drives he led resulted in any points. Love overthrew Luke Musgrave on a deep route across the middle and a couple of his other passes were dropped.

Green Bay’s lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a 39-yard run from Amar Johnson, a rookie undrafted free agent from South Dakota State.

BUCS 29, TITANS 7: In Tampa, Florida, Cam Ward’s pro debut was solid, if unspectacular.

The first overall pick in this year’s NFL draft completed ﬁve of eight passes for 67 yards, but more importantly was composed and looked comfortable running Tennessee’s offense in the Titans’ preseason-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night.

sensation Travis Hunter was one of the first to greet him on the ﬁeld, body-bumped each other in midair

Baltimore’s Justin Tucker holds the NFL mark, having made a 66-yarder at Detroit in 2021.

Little, a sixth-round draft pick from Arkansas in 2024, made 27 of 29 ﬁeld-goal attempts as a rookie and all 27 extra points. His long was 59 yards. He seemed to know his latest one was good from the onset. He watched intently and pumped his ﬁst as it slid a little left and cleared the crossbar by several yards far enough that the ball boy caught it in the air

JETS 30, PACKERS 10: In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Justin Fields ran for a 13-yard touchdown in his lone series and the New York Jets defeated the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night in the preseason opener for both teams.

New Jets coach Aaron Glenn, the former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, said he wanted to win this game even though it was a mere exhibition. Fields and an opportunistic defense helped make that happen.

Fields joined the Jets in March on a two-year $40 million contract after making a combined 44 starts

ing to callous the players. They gradually build, ease back, then build again. Another way to think of it is progressive overload, allowing the body to adapt and acclimate to strain before testing it again. And the best part about that, Rath said, is that you can then push harder the next time you are scheduled to go hard.

It is the antithesis of the oldschool approach, in which routinely tough practices supposedly beget tough players.

“When you continue to peck away at the same high load, high intensity, eventually something is going to break,” Rath said.

The second beneﬁt of the stoplight schedule is a little more subtle, but the players and the assistant coaches have picked up on it especially for the harder “green” days.

“It’s been awesome for the guys, because it’s clear,” said offensive line coach Brendan Nugent. “On days we’re going, we’re going. That way you optimize the players’ work ethic, because they know it’s not just a suggestion on this type of day.”

Nugent said he ﬁrst got the inkling that this sort of thing was coming when he was an assistant under Moore during their one year together with the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore was still two years away from landing his ﬁrst head coaching job then, but he’d already begun formulating a plan for how he’d run the show when he got his shot. Now that he’s gotten to see the plan in practice, Nugent said he’s bought in on Moore. And from the sound of it, he’s not alone.

“The approach of the staff taking care of players is the right approach, and I think everybody should follow it,” Godchaux said. “The players have to stay healthy, because you can have great coaches, but if you don’t have great players, you’re nothing without your players.”

Staff writer Matthew Paras contributed to this story

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Two days after working against the Bucs defense in a joint practice at Tampa Bay’s training facility, Ward played three offensive series, including an impressive second-quarter touchdown drive that gave the Titans a glimpse of what the franchise is counting on to be a bright future with him at quarterback.

The 6-foot-2, 219-pound rookie completed three passes to Calvin Ridley to account for all but 15 yards on the 11-play, 65-yard TD drive Tony Pollard ﬁnished with a 1-yard scoring run That came after the Tennessee offense spent more than 14 minutes of the opening quarter on the sideline while Tampa Bay was building a 10-0 lead and a whopping 143-5 advantage in total yardage while running 22 plays to Tennessee’s 3. Ward began his team’s only scoring drive with a 27-yard completion over the middle to a wide-open Ridley and later led his target cutting across the middle again with a nice throw for a 13-yard gain into Tampa Bay territory The rookie got away with his worst throw of the night when Bucs cornerback Josh Hayes made a nice adjustment on a sideline throw intended for receiver Elic Ayomanor but was unable to hang on to the ball for an interception.

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but he’s seemed to fall down the depth chart of late. When he first signed late last month, the Saints gave him a heavy dose of first-team reps to begin camp. But recently, he’s been supplanted by Nathan Shepherd pretty consistently, and now Bullard appears to be fighting for a roster spot.

Jayden Price • cornerback

Is Price this year’s Rico Payton? Payton made the 53-man roster a year ago thanks to his feisty play and special-teams prowess. Price, a 5-foot-11 corner fresh off a UFL stint, has shown a similar scrapiness in both areas. Like Payton, who’s also still in the mix, he’ll need to show out in the preseason to make his case.

Kai Kroeger • punter

The Saints cut incumbent Matthew Hayball earlier this week, before the team departed for California. That leaves undrafted free agent James Burnip to compete against Kroeger, who also went undrafted this past spring but signed with the Saints this month following a stint with the New York Jets. Kroeger impressed coaches in his workout to land a contract. Can he impress again?

Mason Tipton • wide receiver

For the second straight year, Tipton has been a training camp All-Star But will his practice productivity translate to the games? The Yale product had a quiet rookie season with only 14 catches for 99 yards in 11 games. And in ﬁve of those contests, he played more than 50% of the snaps.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFFREy T. BARNES

New york Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart throws a pass during the first half of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in Orchard Park, N.y

NFL ROUNDUP

Martinez, Spain, 6-2, 6-2. Felix Auger-Aliassime (23), Canada, def. Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Argentina, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Stefanos Tsitsipas (25), Greece, def. Fabian Marozsan, Hungary, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Jannik Sinner (1), Italy, def. Daniel Elahi Galan, Colombia, 6-1, 6-1. Adrian Mannarino, France, def. Tomas Machac (19), Czechia, 6-3, 6-3. Gabriel Diallo (30), Canada, def. Sebastian Baez, Argentina, 7-5, 6-4. Ugo Humbert (20), France, def. Coleman Wong, Hong Kong, China, 6-3, 6-4. Women’s singles Round of 64 Marta Kostyuk (25), Ukraine, def. Tatjana Maria, Germany, 6-0, 6-1. Iga Swiatek (3), Poland, def. Anastasia Potapova, Russia, 6-1, 6-4. Aoi Ito, Japan, def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27), Russia, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Spain, def. Leylah Annie Fernandez (21), Canada, 6-3, 6-3. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, def. Magdalena Frech (22), Poland, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4. Madison Keys (6), United States, def. Eva Lys, Germany, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1). Taylor Townsend, United States, def. Liudmila Samsonova (13), Russia, 6-2, 6-4. Emma Raducanu (30), Britain, def. Olga Danilovic, Serbia, 6-3, 6-2. Maya Joint, Australia, def. Beatriz Haddad Maia (18), Brazil, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Ekaterina Alexandrova (12), Russia, def. Lulu Sun, New Zealand, 6-4, 6-2. Yuan Yue, China, def. Diana Shnaider (14), Russia, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Auto racing

NASCAR Cup Go Bowling at The Glen lineup After Saturday qualifying; race Sunday At Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, N.Y. Lap length: 2.45 miles (Car number in parentheses)

1. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 122.568 mph.

2. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 122.512.

3. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 122.505.

4. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 122.362.

5. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 122.255.

United Kingdom Purse: $2.8 million; Yardage: 7,439;

Third round Grant Forrest, Scotland

Todd Clements, England 71-71-69—211

Daan Huizing, Netherlands 72-69-70—211 5

Kristoffer Reitan, Norway 72-71-68—211 -5

Joe Dean, England 69-74-70—213

Jacob Skov Olesen, Denmark 73-70-70—213 3 Andy Sullivan, England 72-71-70—213 -3 Eddie Pepperell, England 72-71-71—214 2 Davis Bryant, United States 72-72-71—215 -1 Oliver Lindell, Finland 72-70-73—215 1 Ryan Lumsden, Scotland 71-74-70—215 1

John Parry, England 69-74-72—215 -1 Jack Senior, England 73-71-72—216 E Jordan L. Smith, England 69-69-78—216 E Richard Sterne, S. Africa 67-73-76—216 E Ryan Van Velzen, S. Africa

74-72-70—216 E Daniel Young, Scotland

71-72-73—216 E David Micheluzzi, Australia

71-71-75—217+1

Tennis

Cincinnati Open At Lindner Family Tennis Center; Cincinnati Purse: $9,193,540 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Men’s singles Round of 64 Holger Rune (7), Denmark, def. Roman Saﬁullin, Russia, 7-5, 7-6 (5) Alex Michelsen (28), United States, def. Corentin Moutet, France, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Arthur Rinderknech, France, def. Casper Ruud (11), Norway, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2 Benjamin Bonzi, France, def. Lorenzo Musetti (8), Italy, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4) Tommy Paul (13), United States, def. Pedro

6. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 122.195.

7. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 122.162.

8. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 122.161.

9. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 122.144.

10. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 122.135.

11. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 122.101.

12. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 122.051.

13. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 121.992.

14. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 121.985.

15. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 121.803.

16. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 121.778.

17. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 121.751.

18. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 121.737.

19. (99) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 121.721.

20. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 121.714.

21. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 121.677.

22. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 121.643.

23. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 121.568.

24. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 121.528.

25. (87) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 121.483.

26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 121.376.

27. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 121.290.

28. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 121.290.

29. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 121.260.

30. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 121.214.

31. (42) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 121.091.

32. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 120.949.

33. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 120.840.

34. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 120.569.

35. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 120.541.

36. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 120.508.

37. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 119.678.

38. (78) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 118.383.

39. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 117.671.

40. (66) Josh Bilicki, Ford, 117.456.

lap; P.Retzlaff, 1 time for 1 lap; M.McDowell, 1 time for 1 lap; W.Sawalich, 1 time for 1 lap. Wins: C.Zilisch, 5; J.Allgaier, 3; A.Hill, 3; S.Mayer, 1; J.Love, 1; B.Jones, 1; S.Smith, 1; N.Sanchez, 1; A.Almirola, 1. Top 16 in points: 1. C.Zilisch, 772; 2. J.Allgaier,

Sandersfeels like ‘old self’after treatmentfor bladdercancer

BY PATGRAHAM AP sportswriter

BOULDER,Colo. Deion Sanders appreciates the “how are you doing?” questions.The small talk hits home even more after his health scare.

“I’m healthy,I’m vibrant,” the Colorado coach said Friday at the school’smedia day “I’m my old self.”

Sanders has hit the ground running since recently returning to theteam after treatment for bladdercancer.There’salot of work to be done before the season opener on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech at sold-out Folsom Field.

At the top of the list is settling the quarterbacksituation, where highly touted freshman Julian“JuJu” Lewis and Libertytransfer Kaidon Salter are contending to take overfor Shedeur Sanders.

It’sthe ﬁrst time in awhile thatDeion Sanders will coach ateam without his son at QB. ShedeurSanders is now in Cleveland and will start theBrowns’ preseason opener against theCarolina Panthers. No matter who wins the starting job, it will be acompletely different style of offense —and that’sOKwith Deion Sanders.

“We’re going to win differently,but we’regoing to win,” said Sanders, whose team went 9-4 last season and earned aspot in the Alamo Bowl. “I don’tknowifit’s going to be the Hail Marys at the end of the game,but it’sgoing to be hell during the game. Because we want to be visible. We want to run

LSU

Continued from page1C

the heck out of the football. So it’sgoingtobealittle different, but it’sgoing to be fun.”

For Sanders, there’snoparticular timecrunchtopick a QB.He’scontent evaluating onepractice at atimeaslongtime NFL quarterbackByron Leftwichworks with them

“Cream of the crop will rise,” said Sanders, who signed ahigh school student with leukemiaasanhonorary member of the team Friday “It’snot urgency that we’ve gottoname thisorname that Both these guys can play.I think we can playwellwith eitherone of them

As for his health, Sanders saidhe’swalking at least a mile around campus every day after practice. Sanders, whoturns 58 on Saturday, wasaway from theteam over the summer for personal reasons.

Both the ﬁrst and second team offenses struggled to move the ball against either defense. Neither offensive line could generate runninglanes for the running backs. Sophomoretight endTrey’DezGreen failed to haul in awalk-in touchdown grab and was called for holding on what would’ve been atouchdown for senior wide receiver Zavion Thomas.

Even the new wrinkles offensive coordinator Joe Sloan tried to install before the scrimmage didn’tgoasplanned. Theoffense worked on avariety of playsinvolving sophomore running back/quarterback Ju’Juan Johnson throughoutpractice, in which Johnson would receive thedirect snap. During those plays, Nussmeierwould either line up at wide receiver or motionout to the perimeter

The Tigers also had avariationofthe concept involving sophomore runningback Caden Durham receivingthe snap directly instead of Johnson. The offenseran aplay with Johnson receiving the ball and Durham getting asnap against the ﬁrst-team defense,but neither sequence turnedintoa substantial gain.

The most success the offense found in the redzone came when Nussmeier or VanBuren went under center.When LSU went to those alignments, Durham hadatouchdown run and VanBuren had aplay-action touchdown passtoGreen

O-linehighs andlows

LSU’soffensive line has struggled against the defense for much of camp as theTigers attempt to replace threestarters up front. However, Saturday in some ways was astep in the right direction for the unit.

In one-on-one drillsagainstthe defensive line, the offense won nine of thefirst 10 reps. Sophomore defensive tackle Dominick McKinley rushing past redshirt sophomore guardDJChester on the second repagainst one another was the onlytimea ﬁrst-team defensive lineman got the bestofa ﬁrstteam offensive lineman.

Standouts in the drillincluded Virginia Tech transfer center Braelin Moore, who appeared to dominate sophomore defensive tackle Ahmad Breaux on two reps.Northwestern transfer guard Josh Thompson took care of business against South Florida transfer defensive tackle and camp standout Bernard Gooden, defeating him twice.

Redshirt sophomore left tackleTyree Adams also heldhis ownversus redshirt freshman edge rusherCJJackson and sophomore edge rusher Gabriel Reliford. Where matters became rockyfor theline came during 11-on-11 scrimmagingtoward the end of practice. Up front, the Tigers’ offense had numerous penalties during the full-team period as redshirtfreshman Weston Davis,freshman Carius Curne (twice) and redshirt freshman Ory Williams were penalizedfor false starts. The unit also had trouble containing the defenseinthe run game. On the last play of the scrimmage for both second-team units,

Rivera tearsAchillesin ‘Old-Timers’ Daygame

TheAssociated Press

NEW YORK Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera tore an Achillestendon whilegoing after aflyball at the New York Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day gameonSaturday and needs surgery

Agent Fern Cuza said the55-year-old closer, baseball’scareer leader in saves, willhave theoperation within aweek.

saves leader with 652 and posted 42 postseason saves.

In 2019, the 13-timeAllStar became the ﬁrst player unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame by getting all425 votes in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He helped the Yankees win ﬁve World Seriestitles and seven American League pennants.

Last month, he disclosed he hadbeendiagnosed with an aggressive form of bladdercancer.But after surgery his oncologist considered him cured.

“I’mloving life right now, said Sanders, who’sdrawn headlinesfor his healthin thepast, but with the focus largely on twotoes he’shad amputated and concerns over blood clots.

“I’mtrying my best to liveittothe fullest, considering what transpired.”

Hiscoach’sdetermination inspired left tackle Jordan Seaton.

“It’slike,‘OK, my health, Ican possibly die from this but I’m going to fight this to get back to you all,’”Seaton said. “He’sthe most selfless person Iknow.Sofor me, it’sjusttakeitand do what Ican on the field and pay it forward.”

LSU running back Kaleb Jackson leaps over aball during adrill at aspringpractice on March22atthe team’s practice facility

redshirt freshman linebacker Tylen Singleton was abletobreakloose intothe backﬁeld andforce afumble from freshman running back Harlem Berry

Changestorunning backsroom

After his arrest on Friday and subsequent suspension,freshman runningback JT Lindsey was notatpracticeonSaturday, leaving LSU with just three scholarship running backs(not including Johnson).

His absence meantmore carries forjunior Kaleb Jackson and freshman Harlem Berry.With relatively littleroom to run, Jackson had aquiet practice, but Berry had two strong runs during thescrimmage periods, even if the second run was called back due to holding Lindsey will remainsuspendeduntil his accessory charge is resolved, his attorney conﬁrmed to The AdvocateonSaturday

Linebacker depthﬂashes

With junior Whit Weeks still working back from abroken fibula and dislocated ankle, LSU’syoung corps of linebackers hasbeen able toget on thefieldmore, even during full-team scrimmages. And on Saturday,they took advantage of that extratime. BesidesSingleton’sforced fumble,freshmanKeylanMoses earned some reps with the first team during the final scrimmage period. Freshman CJ Jimcoily —who is playing at theStar positionbehind redshirt junior Harold Perkins —made an athletic pass breakup on aNussmeier throw meant for fifth-year senior tight end Bauer Sharp. Thelinebacking corps wasa clear strength for the Tigers’ defense heading into the fall. Saturday provedthatthe unit isn’tjustfilled with stars,it’salso deep with young talent.

Staffwriter Wilson Alexander contributed to this report Email Koki Rileyat Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

In his lone at-bat, Rivera singled offformerteammate Andy Pettitte and easily ran to ﬁrst base. During an at-bat by Willie Randolph, Riveratook astep and fell to the ground in shallow center ﬁeld behind second base.

The Yankees restored the Old-Timers’ Day game for theﬁrst time since 2019.

“It was afun day until we heard about Mariano. Marianohurt his Achilles,”seven-timeCyYoung Award winner Roger Clemens told WFAN broadcaster Suzyn Waldman.“Idon’tknow what was going on. We all thought it was ahamstring, but Ithink it’s alittle worse than that. Ithink he’satthe hospital now.Unbelievable.”

Rivera was the second player to gethurtinthe eventsince 2017. Eight years ago, former outﬁelder and current YES Network analyst Paul O’Neill strained acalfrunning to ﬁrst base.

Rivera tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right kneeinMay 2012 while shagging fly balls in batting practice in Kansas City.Hereturned for his final season in 2013 and finishedasbaseball’scareer

Rivera took part in the Old-Timers’Game, played before the Yankees beat the Houston Astros 5-4, for the secondtime.Hehit an inside-the-park homer in 2019.

Theevent commemorated the25th anniversary of the 2000 championship team, the last team to win three straight WorldSeries titles.

Mets

ALONSO HITS 252ND HOME RUN TO MATCH STRAWBERRY’SMETS

Twins

MINNESOTA OF WALLNER PLACED ON PATERNITY LIST: The Minnesota Twins placed outﬁelder Matt Wallner on the paternity list on Saturdayand recalledCarson McCuskerfromTriple-A St. Paul. Wallner,who homered for Minnesota in a9-4 win over Kansas City on Friday night, couldmissuptothree games for the Twins, whoare 51/2 games outofthe ﬁnalALwildcard spot headingintoSaturday’saction

RECORD: Pete Alonso hit his 252nd career home run Saturday night, tying the New York Mets recordheldby Darryl Strawberry for 37 years. The 30-year-old Alonso connected against Milwaukee Brewers starter Tobias Myersleading offthe secondinning forhis 26th homer this season,giving the Mets a1-0 lead. The 413-foot shot to left-center came on a1-2 fastball at the top of the strike zone. It wasAlonso’sfourth homer in eight games, since he went deepAug.1against San Francisco to end an 0-for-19 slump. The record-tying drive came in the same ballpark where Alonso launched thebiggest home runof his career last October— although that one didn’t count toward his regularseason total. The slugger’s go-ahead, three-run shot in the ninth inning off AllStar closer Devin Williams saved NewYork’sseason and rallied the Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Brewersinthe decisiveGame 3oftheirNLWild Card Series. The only other active players wholead theircurrent franchise in home runs are Manny Machado(Padres) and Mike Trout (Angels). Giancarlo Stanton, now with the New York Yankees, holds the Miami mark with 267 for theMarlins. Strawberry broke the previousMets record with his 155thhomerun on May 3, 1988, passingDave Kingman.The sweet-swinging outﬁelder hit 252 in 1,109 gamesfor New York during his first eight major league seasonsfrom 198390. Alonso playedhis 963rd game Saturday night. The durable ﬁrst baseman has appeared in 370 straight games —ateam record.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By AARON

OUTDOORS

Birders’ perch

A new observation platform is open on the South Farm area of the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area and is open to the public. Construction came through a partnership between state Wildlife and Fisheries and the Corps of Engineers. The platform overlooks this moist-soil area which is home, at various times of the year, to migratory birds and waterfowl and other wading birds. A note to anyone visiting the Sherburne WMA is that all of age needing licenses or permits must have one of these: a senior hunting/fishing license, a Louisiana Sportsman’s Paradise license, a lifetime hunting/fishing license or a WMA access permit.

CALENDAR

MONDAY

7 p.m., Regional Branch Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com Website: rsff.org

WEDNESDAY

BUGS & BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois Street, New Orleans. Fly tying. Open to the public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansﬂyﬁshers.com

THURSDAY

DEEP-WATER GROUPER MANAGE-

MENT PUBLIC HEARING: 6 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 1101 U.S. 231, Panama City Florida. Gulf Council hearing on yellowedge, warsaw, snowy grouper and speckled hind due to overﬁshing and overﬁshed species. Virtual hearing set Aug. 19 via webinar. Website: gulfcouncil.org

JUNIOR SOUTHWEST BASSMASTERS

MEETING: 7 p.m., Seminar Room, Bass Pro Shops, Denham Springs. Boys & girls age-group bass tournaments for ages 7-10, 11-14 & 15-18 anglers. Call Jim Breaux (225) 7723026.

ONGOING

CCA STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS’ RODEO/S.T.A.R.: Summerlong ﬁshing contest through Sept 1. Multiple species categories. CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com

HUNTING BLACK BEAR LOTTERY: Aug. 28 deadline. 26 permits for Dec. 6-21 hunts. Limited to properly licensed Louisiana residents. Applications ($50 fee) on Wildlife & Fisheries’ website: louisianaoutdoors.com/lottery If drawn, must attend Bear Hunting Training Course. Call David Hayden (318) 487-5353 or email: dhayden@ wlf.la.gov.

SHRIMP SEASON OPENS MONDAY

Come Monday coastal waters will have more boats on the water, the increase because of the statewide opening of the fall inshore shrimp season.

Opening times vary with a 6 a.m. start in waters from the Louisiana/Mississippi line west to South Pass of the Mississippi River and from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel west to the Louisiana/Texas line. Then, at 6 p.m., the season opens on waters from South Pass to Atchafalaya River Ship Channel.

Why the difference? Several years ago, commercial shrimpers working in the Barataria and Terrebonne basins asked for the late-in-the-day time, and got it.

Joe Macaluso

AROUND THE CORNER

AUG. 19—LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHING CLUB MEETING: 6 p.m., Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call (337) 232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakﬁshing.com

AUG. 20—FLIES & FLIGHTS: 7 p.m., Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Ave., Baton Rouge. Fly tying. Open to public. Spare tools, materials for novices. Email Chris Williams: thefatﬁngeredﬂytyer@gmail.com

AUG. 21—ACADIANA FLY RODDERS PROGRAM: 6 p.m., Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Open to public. Email Darin Lee: cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: acadianaﬂyrodders.org

AUG. 21-24—BASSMASTER ELITE

SERIES: Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Website: bassmaster com

AUG. 24—CLEAN OUT YOUR FREEZER

DAY: 1-4 p.m. most sites, Hunters for the Hungry statewide collection for frozen meats & ﬁsh. Locations website: cleanoutyourfreezer.com

AUG. 24—SOUTH LOUISIANA HIGHPOWER CLUB/REDUCED COURSE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: 8:30 a.m., Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Range, St. Landry Road, Gonzales. CMP GSSM, NRA match rifle or service rifle, 200-yard/50-rounds match course & Prone matches. Fee $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 juniors. $25 annual club (first match free) & Civilian Marksmanship Program membership (allows purchases from CMP). Call (337) 380-8120. Email Mike Burke: SouthLaHighPower@hotmail.com

FISHING/SHRIMPING

SHRIMP: Spring inshore season closed except in Breton/Chandeleur sounds. All outside waters remain open. Fall inshore season opens Aug. 11(Monday) statewide. OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Red snapper, gray triggerfish, flounder; lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers & wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath & Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.

CLOSED SEASONS: Greater amberjack (opens Sept. 1), blueﬁn tuna and gag, goliath & Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.

LDWF UPDATES

CLOSED: Hope Canal Road/boat launch (Maurepas Swamp WMA, levee construction); Dobbs Bay Road & all roads on the Mississippi River batture east of La. 15 (Richard Yancey WMA, ﬂooding).

DRAWDOWNS: Begins Monday on Lake Bistineau. Underway on Henderson Lake (through Nov. 2), Saline, Kepler, Iatt, Black & Clear lakes and Wham Brake impoundment.

EMAIL: jmacaluso@theadvocate.com

More of the same for duck hunters

Wildlife commission approves plan similar to past five seasons

BY JOE MACALUSO Contributing writer

The more than 50,000 Louisiana duck hunters will have the same zones and similar splits as they’ve had for the past ﬁve seasons.

Notebook

During Thursday’s meeting in Baton Rouge the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved two zones, labeled East and West, with the option of having as many as three open-season segments in each zone.

State waterfowl study leader

Jason Olszak made a point to note the word “segment” in the presentation as opposed to the more familiar name of “splits” used in past years. The “splits” will be the days between the “segments.”

The vote was needed to forward the state’s preference for the 2026-30 waterfowl hunting seasons to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The 2025-2026 duck and goose seasons were set earlier this year Olszak’s presentation included the recommendation for the two-zone/three-segment seasons based on responses to this year’s Waterfowl Hunter Survey

There was an objection to the recommendation from guide Ryan Lambert, who asked the commission to consider a third zone, a Coastal Zone. Lambert hunts areas east of the Mississippi River near his base in Buras. He said the winter’s negative tides reduce the number of days hunters can access blinds in tidal areas.

Snapper count

Through July 27, the LA Creel estimate of this year’s recreational red snapper catch stands at 576,261 pounds, leaving 318,694 pounds remaining in our state’s annual 894,955-pound allocation.

Red grouper

While offshore anglers don’t catch too many red grouper, deep-water fishermen can take note of the Gulf Council’s request to extend the catch of red grouper through Dec. 31.

The council noted a recent population assessment to show an increased catch of this species can be taken “without harming the population.”

On CWD

When a deer taken earlier this year on private land in Catahoula Parish was found to be infected by Chronic Wasting Disease, it triggered an emergency declaration to expand the CWD Control Area throughout Tensas Parish and parts of seven other parishes. State deer study leader Johnathan Bordelon outlined the expanded

control area which now includes portions of Caldwell, Catahoula, LaSalle, Ouachita, Richland, Madison, Franklin and Concordia parishes.

The commission voted Thursday to accept the notice to replace the emergency declaration. CWD was found first in 2022 near Tensas Parish, and the deer found in Catahoula Parish this year means some 40 whitetail deer have tested position for the fatal disease.

For deer hunters, the notice bans supplemental feeding, baiting, placement of bait and hunting over bait in the control area labeled the “Enhanced Mitigation Zone.”

Supplemental feeding and baiting will be allowed in a part of the control area identiﬁed as the “Buffer Zone, but only by nonstationary, mechanical or electronic broadcast methods.”

And, the move bans the movement of any deer carcass or part of a deer carcass taken inside the control area including head and spinal column, except for cutand-wrapped, boned-out meat and quarters meat along with clean skull plates with antlers, cleaned/tissue-free skulls, capes, tanned hides, cleaned teeth and ﬁnished taxidermy mounts.

Rahab changes

Despite objections from as many as 10 wildlife rehabilitators, the commission approved a notice to change regulations in the Wildlife and Fisheries’ Wildlife Rehabilitation Program. Objections centered around including coyotes and armadillos in the “Outlaw” species category Rehab folks said they see few coyotes in any year, and coyotes are vital to the Louisiana outdoors. The Louisiana Farm Bureau countered with the statistics showing the numbers of livestock killed by coyotes annually The notice will be open to public comment through Oct. 1, and can be sent to Bradley Breland, LDWF, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA, or by email to bbreland@wlf.la.gov

Spiny lobsters

Knowing of an increasing number of Louisiana divers who venture to Florida to take the tasty crustaceans, the Sunshine State has opened the season Wednesday and will keep it open until March 31 next year

Rules and regulations can be found on website: GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, and there’s FishRulesApp.com.

Think you’re good?

Registration is open for the Sept. 30-Oct. 4 NRA World Shooting Championship, a competition that takes in 12 stages of all shooting sports disciplines. It’s set for Camp Atterbury in Indiana. The registration website: competitor.nra.org.

Pawol ﬁrst woman to umpire regular-season MLB game

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATLANTA Jen Pawol felt love and support from fans, family peers and players as she made history as the ﬁrst female umpire to work a regular-season game in the major leagues.

“It was amazing when we took the ﬁeld,” Pawol said. “It seemed like quite a few people were clapping and calling my name. That was pretty intense and emotional.”

Pawol’s much-anticipated debut came as the ﬁrst base umpire for Saturday’s first game of a split doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. It was a smooth debut.

“She did a good job,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You can tell she knows what she does.” Pawol said she had a group of about 30 friends and family members, including her father at the game and she immediately identiﬁed a major difference of working in a major league stadium Those familiar faces were not so easy to ﬁnd at Truist Park.

“When I looked up they weren’t in the lower tier like in the minor leagues,” Pawol said. “When I looked up it took me a while. Whoa, they’re up there! I’ll never forget that. That was just awesome.

“The dream actually came true today I’m still living in it. I’m so grateful to my family and Major League Baseball for creating such an incredible work environment I’m just so thankful.”

Pawol’s ﬁrst real test came in the third inning of Atlanta’s 7-1 win when she called Braves catcher Sean Murphy safe on a close play.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough did not challenge the call. Pawol also showed she will make animated calls When Miami’s Xavier Edwards grounded into a double play in the third inning, Pawol pumped her ﬁst and lifted her leg when she called Edwards out. Pawol couldn’t help but notice her debut was being watched

closely Fans responded with a warm ovation when the video board focused on the umpire between innings, forcing her to take a quick glance at her image.

Pawol was scheduled to work third base in Saturday night’s second game of the doubleheader She will be in the spotlight when she calls pitches behind the plate in Sunday’s ﬁnal game of the series.

As a rover, she’ll then be waiting for her next assignment. While she waits, the umpire cap she wore in her ﬁrst game will be on the way to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“This is one of the proudest moments in all my career,” crew chief Chris Guccione said. “I’ve been blessed with working playoffs, I’ve worked two World Series, All-Star games, and this is right up there. It gives me chills even thinking about it. And the magnitude, it just hit me just now the magnitude of this thing and how hard she’s worked.

“This is just a great role model for girls and women out there and I’m just so proud of her This is a special moment. I’m so proud of her.”

There was much anticipation for her historic debut on Saturday. A crowd of photographers gathered while waiting for the umpires to

walk onto the field from their entry ramp near the Marlins dugout. McCullough and Braves bench coach Walt Weiss greeted Pawol when lineups were exchanged at home plate before the game Pawol then jogged down the first base line She shook hands with Marlins first base coach Tyler Smarslok before taking her position on the right field line for the first pitch.

Pawol said Thursday she was “overcome with emotion” when notiﬁed she would make her Major League Baseball debut this weekend.

Pawol, 48, has been working in the minor leagues since she was assigned to the Gulf Coast League in 2016. She was assigned the Triple-A championship game in 2023 and worked spring training games in 2024 and again this year

“Anytime anybody grinds their way through the minor leagues, I don’t care who it is, that’s a tough thing,” Snitker said. “I’m happy for anybody who grinds it out.”

Asked if she is prepared for a confrontation with a manager upset about a call, including some known to kick dirt onto umpires, Pawol said it wouldn’t be the ﬁrst time.

“More than dozens of times,” she said. “It doesn’t go very well for him. The night is usually over for him. It’s just part of the game.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By COLIN HUBBARD

Umpire Jen Pawol looks on during the first inning of a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins on Saturday in Atlanta. Pawol’s much-anticipated debut came as the first-base umpire.

FromCarencro to Malaysia, Gregg Martinez is alatebloomer

Gregg Martinez’ssoulful voice has brought him from CarencrotoMalaysia and more than adozen countries in between. He stillhas Ivana Trump’shandwritten note of praise he received during his four years of performing exclusively at Trump casinos in the 1980s in Atlantic City Martinez hung out with superstarsinger Teddy Pendergrass and songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, architects of the “Philly Soul” sound who churned out 75 gold and platinum records in the 1970s and ’80s.

Record executives were ready to make Martinez the next star.But the casino fast life and his south Louisiana roots just weren’tinthe groove.

“I squandered the whole thing,” said Martinez, who’s now aretired school bus driver living in Opelousas.“Iwas too busy partying and didn’ttake it seriously enough.

“I didn’tconnect withthe music so much. Iwas so Southern, and they weremore of the Philadelphia sound. Iwas 28, but Iwas ayoung 28. Iwas a late bloomer.” Martinez has bloomed intoa seasoned performer,hosting his “50th AnniversaryCareer Celebration” at 4p.m. Sunday at the Rock ’n’ Bowl in downtown Lafayette. He showsoff his self-described“powerhouse Louisiana soul” singing style, with ﬂavors of R&B,blues and swamp pop.

“It doesn’tfeel like 50 years,” Martinez, 69, said. “I don’t know how that even happened Everything just ﬂew by.I’m not retiring. This is not aretirement party.”

The 50th anniversary also has Martinez reminiscing about his post-casino journey as aChristian singer with three albums. He became a noted speakerinananti-drug program that brought him to churches and schools throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. By 2006, Martinez was back in Louisiana, ready to singthe R&B and swamp pop he left behind. His “Big Bad Daddy” CD kicked off astream of adozen albums and times as lead singer

ä See MARTINEZ, page 4D

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Writtenin thestars LIVING

With theupcomingannualPerseid meteor shower, expertsoffer tips to help gaze theskies

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

“In thegreat meteor shower of August, the Perseid, Iwail all day for the shooting stars Imiss.” Annie Dillard, from “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”

Poets andartists have long tried to capture thefleetingmajesty of astarstreaking across thenight sky It’s aspectacle available to anyone —just look up. The dogdaysofsummer bring one of the best opportunities: the annualPerseid meteor shower from lateJuly through August People tendtoremember seeing ameteor LikeKarla Coreil, who saw aspectacular shooting starin2014 while kayaking at night in theVieques bioluminescent bayinPuertoRico. The meteor streaked across the sky moments before afish leapt from the water and smacked her friend, Brad France, in the face. Both

Highland Road Observatoryvolunteer Scott Cadwallader dials in thecameras and eyepieces while setting up the telescope in Baton Rouge.

Coreil and France liveinBaton Rouge. More than30yearshavepassed since Matt Jones,also of BatonRouge,saw a spectacular showing of the Perseids in New Mexico.

“It wasreally something —like God with an Etch-A-Sketch,” he said. “Every few

See METEORS, page 4D

NEED AN APPROPRIATE STARGAZING PLAYLIST?

n DavidBowie’s “Space Oddity” n Elton John’s “Rocket Man” n Frank Sinatra’s“Fly me to the Moon” n Madonna’s“Lucky Star” n VanMorrison’s “Moondance” n Kate Rusby’s “Underneath the Stars” n Coldplay’s“yellow” n AudreyHepburn’s “Moon River” n OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” n Bob Dylan’s “Shooting Star”

PROVIDED PHOTO

Gregg Martinez’ssoulful voice has brought him from Carencro to Malaysia andmore thana dozen countries in between.

Herman Fuselier

AP/THE WyOMINGTRIBUNE EAGLEFILE PHOTOByBLAINE McCARTNEy Ameteor streaks past the faint band of the Milky Waygalaxy above theWyomingcountryside north of Cheyenne, Wyo., during aPerseids meteor showerin2013.

Safe Exchange Zone

created at BRPD

Need a safe place to meet up for an exchange? The Baton Rouge Police Department offers a Safe Exchange Zone with 24-hour video surveillance, perfect for any online sales exchange. The Safe Exchange Zone is located at BRPD Headquarters, 9000 Airline Highway and is available to the public at any time.

South Branch Library dedication ceremony

Edwards, District 12 council member Jennifer Racca, state librarian Meg Placke, library board president Candace Temple, library board treasurer Kathy Wascom, executive library director Katrina Stokes, Rouzan developer John M Enquist, Brian Falcon of GFP Architecture & Interior Design and Ratcliff Construction president Rob Ratcliff.

The groundbreaking was held on Oct. 24, 2023, while the library took possession of the property in January Patrons were welcomed to the branch on March 24. A total of $11.3 million was budgeted for the project.

Ribbon-cutting

ceremony at Helix’s Park Ridge

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Plaquemine Garden Club

The home of John and Katherine Desselles on Trabeaux Lane in White Castle was chosen as the Plaquemine Garden Club July 2025 Garden of the Month.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Community column runs Sundays in the Living section and accepts submissions for news of events that have taken place with civic, philanthropic, social and religious auxiliary organizations, as well as academic honors.

Submissions should be sent by noon Monday to run in the upcoming Sunday column.

Because of space limitations, organizations that meet monthly or more are limited to one photo per month. If submitting digitally, we prefer JPG files 300KB or larger If taking a photo of a group, have them stand or sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

Identify those pictured by first and last names as viewed from left to right, row by row.We prefer emailed Community column submissions to features@theadvocate.com.We also accept submissions by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge LA 70821.A phone number must be included.

Meet the team, tour the facility and hear about the upcoming plans. Light refreshments will be available.

Helix recently announced it was adding a second Park Ridge campus at Bethany Church due to growth in enrollment. The new campus will offer classes for students in pre-K through eighth grade. The Bethany campus contains science labs, playrooms, a full-size kitchen and cafeteria, outdoor playgrounds, auditoriums and one of the largest gymnasiums in the city Helix will also continue to operate the Park Ridge Groom Road campus at 5903 Groom Road (the former Baker Middle School).

throated hummingbirds, seven different woodpeckers, waterfowl and wading birds and a variety of resident migratory songbirds. Grab your birding gear ready bright and early to catch a glimpse of some of these species on a two-hour guided tour led by different birding specialists through the birding loops at Burden from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Aug. 16, at 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. Admission is $12.51. The capacity for each excursion is limited to 15 guests. Register at eventbrite. com.

Icon painting retreat at Botanic Gardens

from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 1723 at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. All proceeds beneﬁt the Friends of the Gardens to further the implementation of the Botanic Gardens Master Plan. Email dianawells1548@gmail. com to check for availability

BRAC celebrates 20 years of economic development

The East Baton Rouge Library Board of Control invites the community to the dedication ceremony of the South Branch Library 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, at 2210 Glasgow Ave., Baton Rouge. A reception and tour will follow, including activities for all ages. The reception is sponsored by Patrons of the Public Library and the Southside Civic Association. Celebratory remarks will be made by Mayor-President Sid

Helix Community Schools is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony 9:30 a.m. Aug. 11, at Park Ridge Achievement Academy, 13855 Plank Road, Baker

The ceremony is a celebration of Helix and the City of Baker School System’s newest campus and the start of the new school year Parents, families, elected ofﬁcials, community leaders and the public are invited to attend.

In April, the City of Baker School System and Helix entered into a partnership for Helix to manage and operate Baker High School and Park Ridge. Birding at Burden event held Aug. 16

Nearly 183 species of birds have been recorded in and around Burden Museum & Gardens, including common species like the northern mockingbirds and ruby-

Experience the unique peace of the Byzantine era through icon painting. The Byzantine Icon Workshop is a thoughtful and meditative ﬁve-day retreat of traditional painting techniques that dates back 2,000 years. If you have a desire for a peaceful, contemplative setting, join the iconographers, and create an individual piece of meaningful art. No previous artistic skill or experience is required. The retreat will take place

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber will celebrate 20 years as a regional economic development organization from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 9. The event, BRAC Impact presented by Kean Miller, will be at a surprise venue in Baton Rouge. Attendees will be given location instructions closer to the event. Guests can expect interactive experiences and programming celebrating 20 years of economic wins, culminating in the launch of the organization’s new brand. Tickets can be purchased individually, in pairs, or as a group of 10 at brac.org/events.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com. FYI BR staff reports

PROVIDED PHOTO

Elizabethan Gallery

The Elizabethan Gallery closed its ‘Summer Art Show’ with an artists paint out and reception on July 30. Gathered are, from left, front row, Heidi Bergeron, Diego Larguia, Liz Walker, Carol Creel and Sue Garner; middle row, Ellene Whiley, Dana Mosby and Marianna Kalacheva; back row, artists Betty Efferson, Nancy Smitherman, Cheri Fry and Andrea Phillips. Not shown are Keith Douglas Carol Hallock and Krista Roche

PROVIDED PHOTO

GFWC Louisiana

The GFWC Louisiana held its summer meet at Hunan’s Restaurant on July 26. Shown are, from left, seated, Wendy Sibille, Lucinda Martinez, Lana Merliss and Marleen Hebert; standing, Colleen Welch, Susie Miller, Nannette Flowers, Joleen Gibbs, Dianne Forsythe, Brenda Landry, Elaine Dill and Susannah Smith.

Iota Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Members of the Iota Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority presented diapers and baby wipes to Jessica Bergeron, operations director of the Junior League of Baton Rouge for their Diaper Bank. From left, Carolyn Miller Donna Fortenberry and Sandy LeJeune. Not pictured is Jessica Bergeron.

PROVIDED PHOTO

West Baton Rouge Garden & Civic Club

The West Baton Rouge Garden & Civic Club luncheon and award ceremony took place recently at Louisiana Bayou Bistro. Club member Rumiko Bourg was presented with the Circle of Roses Award for many years of giving her time and talent to the garden club Pictured are, from left, Andrea Normand, WBR club secretary and award presenter; Karla Gauthier District VI State president; Bourg; and Vicky Fannaly District VI director

PROVIDED PHOTO

Garden Discovery Series

The Garden Discovery Series hosted a presentation on ‘Healing Traditions of South Louisiana: Prayer, Plants, and Poultices.’ Shown are, from left, Warren Perrin, Mary Broussard Perrin, Walter Imahara and Anita Smith.

BatonRouge Symphony League honors 20 seniors

Twenty senior members of Les Jeunes Amies de la Symphonie will be honored at the Baton Rouge Symphony League’sfall teaat the Baton Rouge Country Club on Aug. 10.

The seniors will be presented during the league’s Bal de la Symphonie on Dec. 20 at Crowne Plaza.

Les Jeunes Amies is a service organization of girls who are the daughters and granddaughters of members of the league.

During their four years in high school, these young women perform volunteer service beneﬁting the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and the Louisiana Youth Orchestra.

This group has also promoted the league’smission of fostering music education through various projects, including Symphony on the Geaux and the Christmas ornament workshop.

Prior to her presentation, each girl willhave given at least 70 hours to volunteering and activities with the Baton Rouge Symphony League’sLes Jeunes Amies Program.

The young women to be presented are:

n Davis Emily Aucoin, astudent at St Joseph’s Academyand thedaughter of Tara Nackley Aucoin and Brian Berkeley Jones and Richard ArthurAucoin Jr

n AdelineTouchet Bonner,astudentatSt. Joseph’s Academyand thedaughter of Allyson and Dr.Everett James Bonner Jr

n Victoria Elizabeth DeKeyzer,astudent atSt. Joseph’s Academy andthe daughterofHollyand Justin JeromeDeKeyzer

n Elizabeth Claire Dowling, astudentatThe DunhamSchool and the daughter of Patti andRonald D. Albin and Liz and Dustin

ScottDowling.

n Linde Grace Gautreau, astudent at St.Joseph’s Academy and the daughter of Melanie and Barry Joseph Gautreau.

n Morgan Shelly Henry astudent at University LaboratorySchool and the daughter of Brandie and Brandon BubHenry

n Lily Ruth Hyde, a student at St.Joseph’s Academy and the daughter of Shannon and Thomas Michael Hyde.

n Madison Ryan Larussa, astudent at St.Joseph’s Academy and the daughter of Chantelle and Ryan Joseph Larussa.

AnthonyMackierevsupsecond season in ‘Twisted Metal’

n Annabelle KateLeBlanc, astudent at St.Joseph’sAcademy and the daughter of Lyndsi and Jon Michael LeBlanc.

n Soﬁa Michele Leo, astudent at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge and the daughter of Kathleen and Ronald Anthony Leo.

n Gentry Elizabeth Litel, astudent at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge and thedaughter of Kimberly Brown Litel and Timothy James Litel.

n Kinsey Michelle Mahler astudent at Parkview Baptist School and the daughter of Tessa and David Charles Mahler Jr

n Hailey Agnes Morris, astudent at Pensacola Catholic High School and the daughter of Sheila Melancon Morris and James Charles Morris.

n Morgan KayMurphy astudent at St. Joseph’s Academyand the daughter of Jennifer Prather Murphy and Peyton Patrick Murphy

n Kayla Marie Nussbaumer,astudent at St. Joseph’s Academyand the daughter of Janette and Dr.David Paul Nussbaumer III.

n Holden Elizabeth Peterson, astudent at St. Joseph’sAcademy and the daughter of Christina and David William Peterson II.

n Cecilia Brielle Pickering, astudent at St. Joseph’s Academyand the daughter of Zoe and Justin Alex Pickering.

n Madison Michelle Rambo, astudent at St. Joseph’s Academyand the daughter of Keshia Murray-Rambo and Clarence Paul Rambo III.

n Grace Hanner Schellack, astudent at The Dunham School and the daughter of Kathryn and Jonathan VanSchellack.

n Madison Allyne Teague, astudent at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge and the daughter of Amyand Travis Drake Teague.

lasm.org.

Musiccensus

Leslie Cardé

New Orleanian Anthony Mackie’scareer is ﬁring on all cylinders. Not only does he have his own Captain America movie this year, “Captain America: Brave New World,” but his series “Twisted Metal,” of which he is both the star and executive producer,has just begun its second seasononPeacock. Additionally,he’sbeen nominated for apair of Emmys —one for Outstanding Daytime Personality on “Shark Beachwith Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast” and another for his guest turn on Apple TV+’spopular series “The Studio,” about the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Hollywood ﬁlm industry He’singood company withthatnomination, vying against Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston and Dave Franco. Mackie’s“Twisted Metal” series, which he oversees, is based on avideo game released over 30 years ago Mackie plays the lead as apizza delivery driver suffering from amnesia in apost-apocalyptic United States.

There are alot of car chases, and actors are expected to become proﬁcient behind the wheel. Although stunt coordinator Logan Holladaysays Mackie drives like aprofessional, the actor credits his driving double Aaron Parker,who he says taught him to do ﬁgure-eights around cones.

Designingaworld

“You know,there was never really astoryline for ‘Twisted Metal,’ the video game,” Mackie said.

“It was just abunch of weird characters driving around and shooting at each other.You didn’tknow who they were, or where they came from. So, we had this incredible opportunityto design aworld around these characters, ﬂeshed out with backstories we invented.” Mackie has described the series as an action/comedy with gore. Whatever the formula, it has been ahit with Generation Z, most of whom were not even born when the original videogame was released.

Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith describes the show as “Mad Max” meets “The Simpsons”and sings the praises of his coexecutiveproducer

“Anthony is agreat collaborator,” said Smith.

“From the second he steps on set, he brings this vibrant energy and sets a

PROVIDED PHOTO

AnthonyMackie is executiveproducer and stars in ‘Twisted Metal,’a Peacock series based on avideo game released over30yearsago

greattone, making jokes with the cast and crew and puttingeveryone at ease.

“But, beyondthat, we’ve bothagreedtomakethe comedyeven bigger,and since Anthony loves physical comedy, we’ve thrown more of that into this season’sshow.It’sbeen great having himthrowhis support behind ‘TwistedMetal’ and believeinit.”

AWarrenEastongrad

The46-year-old Mackie was born and raised in New Orleans, theyoungest of six siblings, who wenttoWarren Easton High School.

It was there in his junior yearthat he starred asEdmund, theillegitimateson of theEarl of Gloucester in Shakespeare’s“KingLear.”

It was that play that he says propelled him into wanting to make acting a career

At the endofthe play,as hischaracterisimpaled in asword ﬁght, three girls in the audience screamedin anguish

Knowinghecould have that effect on theatergoers cemented his desire to become athespian.

After graduation, Mackie headed for New York and thefamed Juilliard School. He performed there in a production about American rapper TupacShakur called “Up Against the Wind.”

Adirector cametosee the play,was impressed with his performance, and introduced himtoCurtis Hanson, who was directing the movie “8 Mile” starring Eminem

Mackie was hired fora small part in what would becomehis ﬁrst ﬁlm. Originally just four lines, the part became augmented as Hanson kept buildinguphis character

That ﬁlmbecame the launchpad for asequence of supportingroles in great ﬁlms like Oscar-winner

“Million Dollar Baby” and thecritically acclaimed ﬁlm “The Hurt Locker” in 2009. Mackie continued towork every year in popular ﬁlms

like “The Adjustment Bureau” withMatt Damon, and “Man on aLedge” with Sam Worthington. Buthe struck gold when the Marvel Cinematic Universe came calling in 2014.

Theroleofalifetime

He had been lobbying for apart in “Black Panther.”

Although he got acall from theproducers, it turned out they had another role in mindfor Mackie.

Followingameeting in Los Angeles, he was offered the role of Sam Wilson, becoming the new Captain America in therole of alifetime in “Captain America: Civil War.”

Beingasuperhero has its share of perks, particularly for thefour sons, ages 8-15, Mackie is raising in New Orleansalong with his exwife.

“When you think of this theater kid from New Orleans, it’svery different than being acelebrity in this pop culture time we live in now,” he recently told NBC’sWillie Geist

In fact, his kids got to meet Thor,scoring big pointsfor dad. But, the mostimportantthing to Mackie is being asuperhero dad, above and beyond being asuperhero for Marvel.

Speaking of superhero adventures, his next Marvel movie, shooting now,is slated for December 2026, when “Avengers: Doomsday” is set to release.

In themeantime, catch Mackie’sstarring role in “Twisted Metal,”currently streaming itsﬁrst three episodes together on Peacock, with new ones dropping each Thursday night. Or, watch his guest-starring role in episode three of “The Studio” with SethRogen on Apple TV+. The winner in his Emmy category will be awarded at thePrimetime Emmys on Sept.14onCBS

Email Leslie Cardé at lesliecardejournalist@gmail. com.

The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rougeannounces the Baton RougeRegion Music Census,a new regional initiativeaimed at understanding and strengthening the area’smusic ecosystem. Settobegin in September, the project will gather comprehensivedata from individuals and organizations involved in all parts of themusic ecosystem creators, venues, educators, producers and businesses. The project is being led in partnership with Sound Music Cities,a national leader in musicecosystem planning and musiccensus work

The effort centers lived experiences, recognizing that the best insights come from the people who areactually doing the work.The census invites anyone 18 or older who worksinmusic in any capacity,paid or unpaid, and who lives or worksinAscension, East BatonRouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupée, St.Helena, Tangipahoa, West Feliciana and West Baton Rougeparishes. To ensurebroad participation and an honest picture of theregion’s music life, the project team is seeking community engagement partnersand local ambassadors. These mayincludevenues, festivals, musicteachers, church musicdirectors, students, independent artists, nonproﬁts, promoters and business leaders. Toolkits and support will be provided to help each partner activate their networks. Those interested in getting involved can sign up at brmusiccensus.org.

At LASM

The Louisiana Art&Science Museum, 100 S. River Road, Baton Rouge, will host Family Hour Stargazing from 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 16 in the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. Formoreinformation,visit

In West BatonRouge

The West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen, will host itsmonthly Old Time Jam from 3to5 p.m.Aug. 10. The museumwill also hostaHistorical HappyHour featuring theband FavoriteFriend at 6p.m. Aug. 15 and ascreening of theﬁlm “Ancestral Artistry” at 2p.m. Aug. 17. Formoreinformation, visit westbatonrougemuseum. org.

Endlesssummer

The Gallery at theManship Theatreinthe Shaw Center of theArts, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge,iscelebrating thelaid-back freedom of summertime withNew Orleans artist James Michalopoulos’exhibit,“Michalopoulos:HappyTimes, SummerinThe City.

The show runs through Oct. 10, and admission is free.

Hours are9 a.m. to 4p.m. Monday, 9a.m. to 10 p.m Tuesdaythrough Thursday, 9a.m. to 11 p.m.Friday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Sunday Call (225) 344-0334 or visit manshiptheatre.org

‘NoisesOff!’

Tickets areonsale for Sullivan Theater’s production of thecomedy “Noises Off!,” opening Aug. 15 at the theater,8849 Sullivan Road, Central. Tickets are$23-$29. Visitsullivantheater.com.

At Glassell Gallery

LSU’s GlassellGallery in the Shaw Center of theArts, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge,is showing work by 31 artists in its“2025 SummerContemporary: FELT,” running through Aug. 23.

This year’s show wasjuried by NewOrleans-based curatorEmily Wilkersonfrom morethan 300 submissions The selected work embraces

the sensuous —touch, temperature, vibration, aura —and connects thehaptic, emotional and somatic. Hours arenoon to 5p.m. Saturday,Sunday,Tuesday and Wednesdayand noon to 7p.m. Thursdayand Friday Admission is free. Call (225) 389-7180.

‘Footloose’tickets

Tickets areonsale for PlaymakersofBaton Rouge’s production of themusical “Footloose,” opening Aug. 15, in theReilly Theatre, Tower Drive,LSU campus, Baton Rouge Tickets are$20-$30. Visit playmakersbr.org.

At thePoydras Center The PoydrasCenter,500 W. MainSt., NewRoads, is showing “Plein Wild,” acollaboration exhibit between L. Charleville and Ellen Ogden, through Sept. 30. Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 2p.m. Mondaythrough Wednesday. Formoreinformation, call (225) 638-6575 or visit pointecoupeehistoricalsociety.org.

Workshop show

The Art Guild of Louisiana’s members“Workshop Show” will open July 10 at Independence Park Theater, 7800 Independence Park Blvd., Baton Rouge.The show runs through Sept. 11. Hours arefrom10a.m. to 5p.m. Tuesdaythrough Friday. Admission is free. Visit artguildlouisiana.org.

At NuNu NuNu Arts and CultureCollective, 1510 Courtableau Highway, Arnaudville, will hostaclothedmodel painting and drawing session 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Aug. 16. Costis$25 for membersand $35 for nonmembers. Please bring your ownsuppliesand portable easel.Snacks will be provided. Formoreinformation, visit nunucollective.org

THURSDAY 7PM

Aucoin

Larussa

Gautreau

Mahler

Nussbaumer

Pickering

Schellack

DeKeyzer Leo Hyde Murphy Bonner

LeBlanc Henry Morris Peterson Rambo Teague

Dowling Litel

METEORS

Continued from page 1D

seconds, there were these long, bright lines in the sky. Sometimes there were two at a time.”

He happened to be in the middle of nowhere, and it was a new moon, so there was no ambient light to detract from the meteors racing across the dark sky.

Jones pulled over to take in the Perseids’ incredible show for free.

Drive away from the city

If the skies cooperate, a similar show awaits next week closer to home.

Whether by chance or with careful planning, witnessing the Perseids usually means a late night or early morning. This year, the prime night for meteor watching will be Aug. 12 through the wee hours of Aug. 13.

For the planners, perhaps a late-night picnic is in order?

Blankets work better than most chairs for lying back. Simple finger foods like fruit, cheese, crackers and premade sandwiches work well. And, by all means, don’t forget the bug spray For extra fun, make a skywatching playlist.

In the cities and towns of Louisiana, backyards are not the best for gazing upon the night sky so driving about 20 miles away from the lights of the city

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D

“

It was really something — like God with an Etch-ASketch. Every few seconds, there were these long, bright lines in the sky.”

MATT

JONES, of Baton Rouge, about a past Perseids meteor shower

works best.

A yellow fireball in the sky

Darkness is key for spotting the meteors, according to Christopher Kersey manager of the Highland Road Observatory He says the key to seeing the magic is simple: keep your eyes open.

Kersey remembers once seeing a bright yellow ﬁreball during a celestial light show

“It looked like it just went right around the corner and just landed right there in St Gabriel,” he said. “Of course, it’s parallax, so it’s a wonky perspective, and it wasn’t that close.”

In other words it’s all about perspective, as the technical deﬁnition of “parallax” suggests (parallax means the difference in apparent direction of an object as seen from two different points not on a straight line with the object).

For the sky-curious, the cosmic event is named for the northern sky constellation Perseus, which was catalogued in the second century by Ptolemy

“The meteors will be coming from the direction of Perseus, which currently doesn’t rise until after midnight,” says Colin Turley, an LSU instructor from the Department of Physics and Astronomy who has his Ph.D. in astrophysics. “This shower is associated with the comet SwiftTuttle, and under ideal conditions, an observer might see as many as 50-75 meteors an hour

streaking through the sky.”

The full moon on Aug. 9 means its waning gibbous phase may obscure fainter meteors. Still, bright ones will be visible under clear skies, said Turley Turley added that the times and dates for this shower are essentially the same no matter where you are in Louisiana, but light pollution is the biggest deterrent from seeing the meteors.

Whether sky gazers visit the Highland Road Observatory set off for a drive to a dark spot, or maybe even in a backyard, here are tips from the experts:

n Find a dark place to view the night sky

n Prepare to stay up past midnight.

n Keep your eyes open.

n Face west or northwest due to the waning gibbous moon present in the sky Aug. 12.

n You can talk as much as you want, no need to be quiet.

n Avoid looking at your phone.

n No ﬂash photography

n Do not use a binocular or telescope because the meteor streaks go across the sky too fast, about 60 kilometers per second.

Places to watch for meteors

Baton Rouge has a light pollution problem, but Turley says that the levee, downriver from LSU’s campus toward St. Gabriel, should be a darker spot to watch for the meteors.

The Highland Road Observa-

tory a joint project between BREC, LSU and Baton Rouge Astronomical Society, will host a watch event with extended hours from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Aug. 12 for people ages six and older There is no admission fee. The telescope will be available from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Kersey says that on average, between 100 and 300 people attend the Perseid event to look for meteors. The numbers ﬂuctuate from year to year depending on whether it’s a weekday or weekend, on weather conditions and what’s going on around town.

Kersey says the streaks occur in the region of the atmosphere called the thermosphere — about 80 to 120 kilometers above the ground.

“We have a white light ban,” Kersey said. “Since white light is a combination of all colors of rainbow, we want people’s pupils to be open as widely as possible. So no ﬂash photography.”

Kersey also says that many pieces of rocky debris from outer space pulled into our atmosphere by gravity just burn up and don’t land at all.

For rules and requirements for the event at the Highland Road Observatory, visit hrpo. lsu.edu/perseid-meteor-shower

Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher contributed to this report. Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@theadvocate.com.

to keep fresh air in circulation, and during the cold months a modern steam heat system will keep the house at an even comfortable temperature.”

The walls were painted in neutral colors so they wouldn’t distract from the movie screen, and the theater’s simply designed chairs were made of steel and mahogany upholstered in “real Spanish leather.”

MARTINEZ

Continued from page 1D the corner lot now occupied by the Baton Rouge Police Department. It was demolished in 1979. Cue the soundtrack: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot .” Because, really, for a lot of movie fans, that’s exactly what happened. Even movie critic, screenwriter and actor Rex Reed, in a 2012 interview with The Advocate, recalled spending his Baton Rouge childhood Saturday afternoons sitting in front of the Paramount’s big screen, then walking across the street to eat at Piccadilly afterward.

So, it’s understandable that the palatial venue overshadowed the smaller Louisiana Theatre down the street. The Paramount Co. even bought out the old 1913 movie house at one point. Still, there’s irony in the fact that the more modest Louisiana Theatre is the one still standing with “1913” and “Louisiana” engraved in its facade. Considered state of the art when it ﬁrst opened boasting modern features as its own electrical generator and ventilation system, the building is still popular these days as home to the Basin Music Room. The New Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge, in a July 18, 1913, feature story preceding the Louisiana Theatre’s grand opening, states, “Most picture shows are remodeled store buildings. This

The Louisiana Theatre is now home to the

still has its opening year, 1913, and original name, ‘Louisiana,’

its facade.

one is an imposing structure designed and built speciﬁcally as a picture theatre.”

This statement is true. Some may argue that the Elks Theatre, which stood at 318 Third St., also showed movies. That’s also true, but it was built as a venue for live theater, and its foray into cinema didn’t begin until 1916 with a run of the now controversial “Birth of a Nation.”

The Elks burned in 1923, but its stage played a role in the legacy

of community theaters in Baton Rouge — eventually leading to the formation of the Baton Rouge Little Theater in 1946, whose name was later changed to Theatre Baton Rouge, which closed earlier this year Meanwhile, the Louisiana Theatre was speciﬁcally designed with moviegoers in mind. Its ventilation system was designed to draw heat upward and outward, and in hot weather the article states, “electric fans will be used

“The Louisiana will be operated by its own electric generating plant,” the article states. “This will furnish current in abundance to ensure perfect clearness of the pictures Simplex projectors, the last word in picture machines, will be used in this new house. They are equipped with lenses made especially for this theatre on account of its long throw.”

The Louisiana Theatre was managed by P.E. Coe and built by Jason A. Petty, who had ofﬁces in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge. And though the theater opened before talkies knocked out silent ﬁlms, the Louisiana adapted. It closed its doors in 1954, which allowed plenty of time for it to introduce patrons to the likes of Clark Gable and maybe even Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” And lots of Hollywood magic in between.

Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

of the legendary Boogie Kings. The praise continued when Ed Bradley of “60 Minutes” fame grabbed Martinez backstage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to say, “You are one of the best-kept secrets in this country.” Martinez sang at the funeral of soul great Percy Sledge. Martinez remains a festival performer and continues to record songs, along with video performances. A cover of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You” was released Aug. 1 on YouTube.

Nola Blue Records has put out his original song and video, “Streets of New Orleans,” which marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Martinez’s hopes and dreams are now far removed from Atlantic City

“I have a strong faith,” he says. “I spend every morning with my prayer time. I don’t pray for the same things anymore. I just pray for God to create opportunities to sing that I never dreamed of — and just see what happens.”

Herman Fuselier is a writer, broadcaster and tourism director living in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” radio show airs at noon Central time Saturdays on KRVS 8.7 FM and

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Basin Room. The building

engraved in

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The Highland Road Observatory in Baton Rouge.

TRAVEL

Discoveruniquestories at thesehiddengem museums

Staff report

We surveyed our editorialstaff, asking for their thoughts on underrated museums acrossLouisiana— and they delivered.Enjoy the ﬁrst installment of recommendations below:

Wedell-WilliamsAviation& CypressSawmill Museum, Patterson

118 Cotten Road, Patterson

Located in Patterson in St Mary Parish, about 90 minutes southwest of New Orleans, the Wedell Williams Aviation Museum tells the story of Jimmy Wedell, afearless barnstormer,and Harry Williams, heir to awealthy cypress mill-owning family

The men teamed up in the late 1920s, at atime when tiny Patterson barely had paved roads, to build some of the fastest airplanes in the world.

The planes built by thecompany they founded broke many world records. They also provided the ﬁrst commercial ﬂights between New Orleans andHouston.

Alas, both died in separate plane crashes in the 1930s, about thesame time Patterson lost its prominence as aregional aviation hub thanks to the new Shushan AirportinNew Orleans. But what afascinating and largely forgotten piece of Louisianahistory —Stephanie Riegel Biedenharn Museum and Gardens,Monroe

2000 Riverside Drive, Monroe

The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens is asmall complex, but that doesn’tmake it less fascinating. Joseph A. Biedenharn, the ﬁrstbottler of Coca-Cola, built his home in Monroe. In 2008, the Coke Museum opened and showcases two exhibit rooms full of Coca-Cola memorabilia and historical items. Also at the Bienharm Museum is the Bible Museum —for Christians, authors, book fans, collectors and historians.

Emy-Lou Biedenharn was inspired by an 1854 facsimile of the Wycliffe Bible to begin a Bible collection. Today,the col-

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

lection features an original 1611 King James Bible, art Bibles and apage from the 1454-55 GutenbergBible. “The collection celebrates the contribution of the Bible and biblical literaturetothe enrichment

of Western Civilization; the Bible Museum exhibits demonstrate theimportance of the Bible in American culture,” the museum’swebsite states.

There’smuchmoretoexplore at the museum. —Will Sutton

AbitaMystery House, Abita Springs

22275 La. 36, Abita Springs Is it amuseum, aroadside attraction, an artinstallation or maybe allofthe above bundled together? Perhaps that is the mystery of the Abita Mystery House

Also known as the UCM Museum, the mystery house was founded by JohnPreble,whose motto is: “One man’strash is anotherman’s treasure.” The attractionislocated in the center of the historic districtonthe Tammany Trace bicycle trail. It’sa folk artenvironment with thousands of found objects and homemade inventions. Some of the attractions areold arcade machines, avintage service station, a100-year-old Louisiana Creolecottage andthe House of Shards. —Ian McNulty

EddieG.RobinsonMuseum, GramblingUniversitycampus

126 Jones St., Grambling

For college football fans, the Eddie G. Robinson Museum at Grambling University looks at the lifeand legacy of the winningest coach in NCAA Division Ihistory

After learning about Robinson’s football career and personal philosophy,some visitors are left with asense of awe.

Robinson coached at Grambling from 1941 to 1997, accruing 408 wins, 45 winning seasons, 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships and nine Black college football national championship victories. Over 200 of his players went on to play professional football. Someofthe exhibits include recreations of Robinson’sofﬁce, the football team’slocker,a“Hall of Honors” and aroom with professional football jerseys from notable Grambling alumni. There’s even footage of the national commercial spots that Robinson starred in. For those whowent to HBCUs, as well as forthose whodidn’t, there’ssomething to learn about this coach. —Arnessa Garrett

JetBlueloses suitcase containing weddinggown, meds

JetBlue lost my all-important bagfor 43 days as Ileft on my 50th anniversarytripto Greece with my children and grandchildren

The bag contained necessarymedications forour 30-daystayalong with my hearing aids, clothes, wedding dress for my vow renewaland heirloom items for the ceremony.

Christopher Elliott

The loss of this bag caused extreme stress and ruined whatwas supposed to be theepic trip of alifetime. My husband calledalmost everyday and sent 26 emails through their messageboard.

JetBlue has offered $181, and that doesn’teven cover the clothes and medications (not all were able to be filled) we had to scramble to find before our cruise.Can

you please help?— Jean Michielli-Pendl, Dunkirk, N.Y JetBlueshould have found your lost luggage quickly and returned it. Whydidn’tit? Ican see that you had abusy itinerary in Greece. Based on your correspondencewith JetBlue, it looks like the airline had ahard time coordinatingadelivery.

Still, JetBlue offered you only $181, which did not even cover thecosts of theclothes and medicationsthat you hadtopurchase while you wereinGreece. It should have done better Your right to arefund is outlined in the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that established rules and limits regardingairline liabilityfor baggage.

When dealing withaloss on an international ﬂight,you’ll want to refer directly to the convention textifyou think your airline isn’t compensatingyou appropriately Article 22 of the convention sets theliability limit for damages associated withdelayed passenger baggage at about $1,700. JetBlue’s offer was well below that.

Yousay that the loss of thebag caused extreme stress and ruined your trip,and that you are seeking reimbursement for the $2,445 you spent trying to survive in Greece for amonth. Youprovided adetailed timeline of your communications withJetBlue, which included requests for the bag to be delivered to your hotel in Athens and then later to your home.

JetBlue asked you to submit receiptsfor your out-of-pocket expenses and you also provided a list of the contents of the bag. So what went wrong?

You’ve repeatedlymentioned that losing the bag caused you distress. Unfortunately,there’sno provision in the Montreal Convention for pain and suffering. You also mentioned that you lost an heirloom —your wedding dress. Airlines often exclude itemslike heirlooms from their liability which may have caused some confusion during your claims process.And never,ever check essential medications or hearing aids. Always put those in your carry-on luggage. Ihave moreon luggage reimbursement in my

free guide to ﬁnding your lost luggage. Youmight have appealed this to one of the executive contacts at JetBlue. Ipublish the names, numbers and email addresses of the JetBlue customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Icontacted JetBlue on your behalf.The airline agreed to review your claim and revised its offer It offered you an additional $900 with a$400 JetBlue credit.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

The Eddie G. RobinsonMemorial Stadium is home of the Grambling State University Tigers.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Don’t missthe formal English gardens, greenhouse and fountain at the BiedenharnMuseum &Gardens in Monroe.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JUDyBERGERON Meet Darrel the gator-dog.He’s one of hundreds of oddities found at Abita MysteryHouse.

Author offers newinsight into Elvis’ manager

Book divesinto relationship with ColonelParker

BY BARBARA SIMS Contributing writer

“The Colonel and the King”byPeter Guralnick; Little, Brown and Company;624 pages

When Colonel TomParker approached Sam Phillips in 1955 with aproposal to arrange arecording contract for alittle-known, but promising singer named Elvis Presley,Phillips was not only exasperated with the man’snerve, he was indeed insulted. Phillips responded with something like, “He records for me, Sun Records, and he’snot for sale!” Phillips had already released five singles by Presley that had gained some regional success, but it was the fanatical response to Presley’s in-person shows at the LouisianaHayride andsmall venues in the area that had so impressed the Colonel. Never one to give up, ultimately Parker told Phillips to name his price and was told $35,000. Never before had amusician’scontract been sold for such alarge sum. But the Colonel had made adeal that Steve Sholes at RCA in Nashville could accept, and in January 1956, RCA introduced theirfirst Presley recording, “Hound Dog,” and thus an entertainer the likes of which the world had never seen was launched. It placed No. 1onthe Billboard Top100 and also No. 1onits Country &Western chart, both for months. With this explanation of how thePresley-Parker relationship began, Parker’spersonal and professional life story,and it’s along and amazingone, can begin. As a young teenager,Dreis van Kuijik stowed away on aship leaving his native Holland and ended up in New Jersey for anew life. Soon after arriving, the futureColonel found an ideal (for him) job with acircus. He was fortunate to be taken in by aDutch family in New Jersey, but soon he headed west, spending several months as ahobo working his way to Los Angeles. There, he worked briefly with the Aimee Semple McPherson evangelistic temple, learning some of the tricks of promotion thatwouldserve himwellinshow

business.

Soon, though, he was again on theroad,ending up in Huntington,West Virginia, where he was befriended by afamily named Parker thatallowed him to work with their pony ride concession in asmall circus.

When he moved on again, he began identifying himselfasTom Parker,contending that the Parker familyhad adopted him, thus providing him with his new name. Inventing adate of birth in Huntington, he established himself, in time,asanAmerican citizen by registering with Social Security and later serving inthe military

Thetitle of Colonel came much later,bestowed upon him by Louisiana Gov.Jimmie Davis

Upon receiving amedical discharge from the military (depression according to the Army,a knee injury according to Parker), thefuture Colonel was again working as an advance man with acircus, next for atour of then-

singing star Gene Austin, and later as head of the Tampa, Florida, Hillsborough CountyHumane Society.Guralnick provides quotes from newspapers and employers attesting to his impressive performance as apromoter with all three ventures

Moving to themanager/promoter role for various Grand Ole Opry acts, he had outstanding success in helping Eddy Arnold become theacknowledged No. 1country act of his day.Parker also launched asuccessfulpromotion of another country singer, Hank Snow With this background established, Guralnick launches into thestory thebook’stitle promises,“The Colonel and theKing.” Guralnick devotes approximately half of this 624-page book to discussing the character of Colonel Parker,especially as related to theshaping of Elvis’ career,and theother half to Parker’sletters and commentary on their context.

The letters tell muchabout thepromoter’s inner as well as professional life,but the most interesting ones are to Presley andhis parents. These reveal the role he played as adviser,almost afather ﬁgure, always showing concern for his client’swelfare and the importance of goodchoices in his career as well as his personal and ﬁnanciallife.

Guralnick brings adepth of knowledge of Presley from his previous publication of atwovolume biography of Presley and abiography of Sun Records founder Phillips. Upon Presley’srelease from his Sun contract,the ﬁrst major effort was the famous “Hound Dog” recording sessions at the Nashville studiosofRCA. Next came roadbookings and media appearances, for whichColonel had all the right contacts. The most memorable of Presley’sinitialintroductions to a wide audienceishis famous debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which setoff anational debate about Presley’sanimated performance, whichmany decried aslewd andnot suitable for TV Presley’sstardom, demontrated by the near-riots of his ans during his live shows and heresulting deluge of publicty, meant it wastime forHolywood. Hisﬁrst movie, “Love Me Tener,” was quickly completed and eleased in 1956. In the same ear,Presley made his Las Veas debut as an add-on to ashow by other performers. Movies and recording consumed most of his time until 1968, with atotal of 31 movies,mostofthem less than memorable.

By thetime his ﬁnal ﬁlm was shot in 1969, Presley wasfed up withthe movies andwanted to refocusonsinging. His comeback TV special at Christmastime 1968 signaled his return to live performingand resumption of the “hillbilly cat”identity with which his career began.

The next phase of Presley’scareer began immediately when the Colonel set him up for aheadline show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas.Itwas adifﬁcult schedule —two shows aday,seven days aweek.Taking abreak now and then, he made occasional one-nighters, which were becoming more andmoreattractive to Presley

As theletters show,during the entire time with Presley from 1956, Parkerhad juggled the negotiations forcontracts, sched-

LSUgavepoetStanley Plumly agreat boost

In 1968, young Stanley Plumly came to LSU’sBaton Rouge campus to teach creative writing. He stayed only a couple of years, but the connection changed his life. LSU Press published two of Plumly’searly poetry books, “In the OuterDark” and “Giraffe,” attracting critical acclaim. Numerous collections followed. Then came along and distinguished academic career including many years as a professor at the University of Maryland. Meanwhile, Plumly’s stature as apoet continuedto grow When Plumly died in 2019 at 79, the world of letters took note, with The New York Times rememberinghim as apoet

who used richlanguage imbued with precise syntax in 11 volumes of poetry that often touched on aspects of his life, including growing up poor in rural Ohio; his alcoholic father,who became amuse; and the polio epidemic thatstrucksome of his classmates after World WarII.” Now,his legacy is getting renewed attention with “Collected Poems ofStanley Plumly,” recently publishedbyW.W Norton. This beautiful volume, supportedbya major trade publisher, is atestamenttoPlumly’s reputation asa stellartalent. In

an introduction, poet David Baker considers howPlumly’stime at LSU, where literarygeniuses Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren once held sway,might have influenced his poems. It’saninteresting question, although Plumly’sfavorite literary hero was amuchearlier figure,the 19th-century English poet JohnKeats. Plumly didn’t write likeKeats, whose period language,ifvoiced by modern bards, would seem like astrange riff on aJaneAustennovel But Keats, who diedat25, gave Plumly an enduring sense of the quickness of life— andhow often beauty andfleetingness keep close company That sensibility ledPlumly to write more than afew poems about backyard birds, whose momentary presencenudgesus to stop and payattention. In a lovely poem called“Chickadee,” Plumly writes of these tiny,tux-

edoed birds with “their feathers ﬂuffed,each of them so small Icould wrap one /inmyﬁst to keep it warm, alive, then suddenlygone.”

This wasone of Plumly’slast poems, and it can be read as a reﬂection on mortality as well as acelebration of wonder

An author photo on the back of “Collected Poems” shows an elderly Plumly at his typewriter, aholdoutinacomputer culture. He apparently liked the physical sensation this gave his work —a nod, perhaps, to his father’sskill with tools.

“Towatch him with an axe or hammer, the way his right hand swallowed the handle, was to be impressed,” Plumly writes in “Extremities,” along prose poem. Plumly recalls with affection working with his father on their “half-built house,” which was always awork in progress, prone

uling, song selectionwhen it involvedboththe movies and RCA, marketing, promotion and other aspectsofthe career of someone of the caliberand celebrity of Presley. Forall this, Colonel receiveduptoa50% draw for his various services.Presley wasa great moneymaker,not just for himself andhis manager,but for allthose with whom Parker negotiateddeals.

By the early ’70s,Presley was showing signs of disintegration. His heavy use of drugs was certainly afactor. Wife Priscilla Presleyhad left him. Those who had seen him early in his Las Vegas stint were concerned upon returning later to note the decline in the spirit andfun of his performance. Aftera seven-year run, his Vegas days ended.

Although he indicated he wanted to resume touring, there were signs thatPresleywas reluctant to commithimself to performances thatColonel was poised to arrange Presleywas spending more and more time in Memphis with the cadre of friends who constantly surroundedhim. Nicknamed “The Memphis Maﬁa,” they enjoyedPresley’scompany and the lifestyle they gained being with him.

Though Guralnickisnot one to assign blame, he suggests that Presley’sfriends were driving awedge between Colonel and Presley. Rumors that were false but nevertheless were widely circulated were asource of distrust that was seeping into the long relationships the two had, forthe most part, enjoyed.

In 1973, it seemed inevitable that abreakup with Colonelwas coming because Presley neither accepted norreturned his calls andmessages.

Aconfrontation between Presleyand Colonelﬁnally addressed this issue,and Presley got to continue one-night bookings on a limitedbasis. Presley and Colonel remained friends, and Presley continuedworking almost until his death in 1977. In considering allthe evidence, Guralnick concludes that the unﬂattering persona of Colonel Parkerthatisheld by many people is largely undeserved. His careful study of Colonel’sdealings with the stars he managed revealed to him no signs of neglect or exploitation.

True, he hadassumeda name andidentity otherthanthe onehe wasborn with, but isn’tthatwhat alot of performers do? That’s showbiz!

to addition and elaboration. As apoet, Plumly had the same passion to get things right. “Collected Poems” is an enduring monument to his craft.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@ dannyheitman.com

“All theColors of theDark” by Chris Whitaker

5. “LightsOut”byNavessa Allen

6. “The Tenant”byFreidaMcFadden

7. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby VanPelt

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Plumly

AT THE TABLE

Sunday Dinner Guys cultivatecommunity in 5courses

Monthlytheme meals bring together food enthusiasts

BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX Contributing writer

Stephen Rogers and JasonStoner,

aka The Sunday Dinner Guys,are cultivating connection within the Duson foodie community, one ﬁvecourse meal at atime.

Sunday dinners at the RogersStoner house beganasafamily affair but have evolved into amonthly themed event with guests fromthe area.

The evenings unfold like domestic performanceart,kicking off with Rogers shaking cocktailsonthe “kitchen stage”(backdropped by fabulously bright red cabinets), followed by aseries of moving plates and alittle dancing dog named Tico.

Iwas able to join in on July’sMidsommar Nordic dinner and came away inspired with afabulous soup recipe to share

Fizzy cocktails began theevening, followed by acascade of light courses scattered variously with ﬂowers, dill and “homemade lingonberries.”

Cool seafood dishes and achilled pea soup led to the main course —a warm peppery juniper-encrusted pork tenderloin. Though we remained in Duson, our taste buds traveled at atable lit by Aspen candles, until the ﬁnal course of strawberry cream cake and Swedish coffee

We,the guests, were all strangers —hailing from Lafayette and farﬂung Cossinade —but weconnected at the table, breaking home-made rye bread togetherasconversation ﬂowed from our mutual appreciation of well-made food.

The welcoming nature of the Rogers-Stoner home, combined with awell-put-together Nordic-themed tablescape, made it feel like eating with family in aforeign country, without all the baggage.

Sunday dinner themes areall over the map (and neverrepeated) but Rogers and Stoner rely heavily on local resourcestofulﬁll themenus

As apartner in Foodies of Lafayette, an online hub forfood enthusiasts, Stoner is well-connected to local food purveyorsand often lauds their goods via social media, referring to them as part of theSunday Dinner family

June’stheme of “HiddenAmerica” had arelatively easy-to-fulﬁll shopping list, but hosting aNordic feast in south Louisiana required more strategy anda bit of outsourc-

When you’re comparing plans ... ADVERTISEMENT

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

ing.Findingfresh lovageand lingonberries challenged Stoner’sfoodie dedicationtothe pursuitofesoteric ingredients.

He ordered live lovage plantsonline but attempts to procure delicate freshlingonberries were fruitless, so he madethem.

Usinglingonberryjam and agar agar,hecreated “jam pearls.” By candlelight,theyfavoredtinyrubyred berries and after sipping honey mead with theﬁrst three courses, I swore they were thereal thing.

Preparation for Sundaydinners is amonthlongeffortwell-documented on the SundayDinner Guys social media page,with thousands of followers checking in on the process.

The Guys,with alittle bitofculinary matchmaking intuition, typically choose guests from themost avid of these followers. They regularlypostthe tribulations and joys of putting it all together,assuring food enthusiasts that we are notaloneinour dreams of elaborately creativemeals, and encouraging us to follow through with them to bringpeople together at the table.

ChilledPea and Lovage Soup

Serves 4-8. Recipe is inspired by James Martin’sFresh Pea &Lovage Soup found at BBCgoodfood.com

7tablespoonsunsaltedbutter

6-7

1. In alarge

2. Pour in the vegetable

7. Serve chilled or gently reheated —don’tboil. Garnish each bowlwith adollop of crème fraîche or sour cream and aslice of toasted olive bread.

Recipe notes: n Lovage gives afresh, celery-like ﬂavor.Acombination of mint and celery leaves works well if fresh lovage isn’tavailable.

n For extra ﬂare, garnish with microgreens like nasturtium or dill.

 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.

Medicare doesn’t payfor dentalcare.1 That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meanttocover everything. That means if you wantprotection, you need to purchase individual insurance. Earlydetection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.

The best way to preventlargedental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.

Previous dental work canwear out Even if you’vehad quality dental work in thepast, you shouldn’ttakeyourdental health forgranted.Infact, yourodds of having 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.

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. 1“Medicare &You,”Centersfor

Chilled Peaand Lovage Soup

NordicFizz cocktail

PHOTOSByCATHERINE S. COMEAUX

JayStonertastes hors d’oeuvres as Stephen Rogers prepares Nordic Fizz cocktails in theirDuson kitchen.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2025. There are 143 days left in the year Todayinhistory

On Aug. 10, 2020, apowerful derecho struck several Midwest U.S. states, causing four fatalities and an estimated $11 billion in damage, making it the costliest thunderstorm in modern U.S. history

Also on this date:

In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobsin Paris attackedthe Tuileries Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed.)

In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state admitted to the Union.

In 1945, aday after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Imperial Japan conveyed its willingness to surrender provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged. (The Allies responded the next day,saying they would determine the Emperor’s future status.)

In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson’scult, one day after actor Sharon Tate and four other people were slain.

In 1977, postalemployee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, New York, accused of being “Son of Sam,” the gunman who killed six people and wounded seven others in theNew York City area.

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed ameasure providing $20,000 payments to still-living Japanese-Americans who were interned by their government during World WarII.

In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, serving until her death in September2020.

In 2006, British authorities announced they had thwarted aterrorist plot to simultaneously blowup 10 aircraft headingtothe U.S. usingliquid explosives madetolook like soft drinks.

In 2018,Richard Russell, a29-year-old airline ground agent, stole acommercial plane from Sea-Tac InternationalAirportnear Seattle;heﬂew for 75 minutes, performing dangerous stunts while being chased by military jets before crashinginto aremoteisland in Puget Sound, killing himself

In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein, accused of orchestrating asex-trafﬁckingring and sexually abusing dozensof underage girls, wasfound unresponsive in his cell at aNew York City jail; he was later pronounced dead at ahospital. (Thecity’s medicalexaminerruled the death asuicidebyhanging.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor James Reynoldsis79. Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 78. Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 76.Singer Patti Austin is 75. Actor Daniel HughKelly is 73. Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 71. Actor Rosanna Arquette is 66. Actor Antonio Banderas is65. Rock musician Jon Farriss (INXS)is64. Singer Julia Fordham is 63. Actor Chris Caldovino is 62. Singer Neneh Cherry is 61. Singer Aaron Hall is 61. Former boxer Riddick Bowe is 58. Actor Sean Blakemore is 58. R&B singer Lorraine Pearson (FiveStar) is 58. Singer-producer Michael Bivins is 57. Actor-writer Justin Therouxis54. Actor Angie Harmon is 53. Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 52. Actor JoAnna Garcia Swisheris46. SingerCary AnnHearst (Shovels & Rope) is 46. Actor Aaron Staton is 45. Actor Ryan Eggoldis41. Actor Lucas Till is 35. Reality TV star Kylie

Notsucha good sportatbaseballgame

Dear Miss Manners: When my husband and Iwent to aprofessional baseball game, part of our ticket package gave us access to aspecial club at thestadiumthat features alarge buffet

seatsinthe stadium weredirectly in thesun, so stayinginthe shaded club area overlooking the gameseemed like amore comfortable option than going to our seats.)

We got to theclub shortly after it opened, about an hour before thegame started, and alarge number of people were already there. There weren’t manyplaces left to sit,but we were able to ﬁnd atall table with four chairs.

After we’d ﬁnished eating, but were still enjoying our beverages and chatting, another couple came up and asked if we were saving the two other chairs for anyone. We responded that we were not, and they decided to join us.

Iwas alittle annoyed, since we’d made sure that we were at theclub in plenty of time to get thetable. But, as seats were at apremium, Ididn’t thinkthere was much Icould do.

My husband and Icontinued with our drinks, and occasionally got up to grab asnack. (I should notethat our

Dear Heloise: M.W.writes that securing her purse in ashopping cart with thechild safetystraps works “unless they also take the cart.”

As theother couple wasﬁnishing up their meal, and Iwas hoping they’d be on their way,they greeted someoftheir friends and said, “Please, comejoin us.”

Iwas furious. Notonly had the couple overstayed their welcome at our table, but now they wereasking all of their friends to join them.

As four other chairs were pulled up, Ilooked at the woman and stated sarcastically,“No, please, by all means. Take my chair.I was just using it.”

Luckily my husbandand Iwere able to ﬁnd another table (and we removed all extraneous chairs), but it took awhile. How would Miss Manners have handled thesituation?

GentleReader: Youwould likely agree were Miss Manners to say that theclub’spolicy is ﬁrst come, ﬁrst served. Butina world with more people than tables, she does not agree that arriving early absolves you of any obligation to consider others. She mentionsthis because she

cannot help noticing that the second couple’sbehavior seemstohave changed: When they politely asked to join your table, you took offense. You do not mention if this showed in your behavior,but it seemslikely,asthe couple then neglected to consult you when their friends arrived —after which you actively insulted them

To answer your question: Miss Manners might have been disappointed that space waslimited, but she would have behaved politely and shared the table —or, to put it in termsrelevant to the occasion, been agood sport about it. Dear Miss Manners: Ihave an elderly friend whoisawidow.I truly love her,but she texts me too much: often four texts in arow,day after day How can Itell her in anice way to stop?

Gentle Reader: By setting an example: Answer at your own pace.

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,MO64106.

Nonperishablefood

When Iwas young (a good many years ago),Iwas holding my infant son and looking at greeting cards. Iturned around to discover that my cart was no longer behind me! We found it at the back of the market On this day,my husband (whowas elsewhere in the store) had not yet given me his cash as he usually did, and there were no credit cards. (This was along time ago.)

So, thethief only got an empty wallet from asmall diaper bag, complete with adirty diaper.But since this day,Ihave never put my purse in the shopping cart

Here are mysolutions to ﬁnding my wallet in my purse: Ieither use asmall cross-body or asling bag

that is easy to handle. If Ineed abigger purse, Ihave asmallcard case that holds just onecredit card in my pocket so Ican easily access it. Ialso once left my wallet on the shelf of apay phone (as Isaid, along time ago), so nowIuse astretch cord to fasten my wallet to my purse when Iuse abigger purse. Although Imake it apoint never to lay the wallet on the market counter,onoccasion Ineed two hands.But this way, I have never lost another wallet. —Leslie Ann, in Aiea, Hawaii Password idea Dear Heloise: Ihaveanidea to help people with their passwords. Usean address as your password —but not your own address.

For example, Iuse the address of my ﬁrst apartment, which waswhere Ilived nearly 20 years ago. Youcould use the address of where you grew up or where arelative lives. Just makesure no one else knows theaddress. —Jim S.,inHattiesburg,Mississippi

Dear Heloise: Idon’tknow where else to go foralist of nonperishable foods. My husband wants to stockpile additional supplies, and we need alist of foods that will last foralong time in storage. —Lorraine B.,inDubois,Wyoming Lorraine, you can simply type in “foods that last foralong time when stored” in the search bar of acomputer

Or you can check out this website: TasteofHome.com/article/longterm-food-storage-staples-that-lastforever/.

Foods such as rice, dried beans, honey,salt and dried seaweed have been found in ancient burial sites and werestill edible. (Not that you’d want to eat them!)

One key factor is where you’re storing these items. Acool, dry place is usually best, which rules out basements and attics. —Heloise Send ahinttoheloise@heloise.com.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

ground up From the

Some Louisiana builders are fortifying more than just roofs in hopes insurance costs

roofsinhopes of lowering home insurancecosts

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

IDEAS INNOVATION &

The Rising Oaks subdivision construction site in Terrytown was buzzing with activity on arecent Thursdaymorning. Under ablazing sun, workers swarmed aroundeightmidcentury-modern-style houses underconstructionina neighborhoodthatmay eventually grow to 150 homes. Some workers were usinga giant crane to unload stacks of drywallpanels. Others were installing layers of waterproof material on aroof in anticipation of afternoon showers. The Rising Oakshouses are athrowback to 1960s

design,but under their shingles and behind their walls theyfeature constructiontechniques and materials that are verymuch of the moment,all designed to makethe homes more resilient during extreme weather.Each house has multiple water barriers on theroof,metal connections bolstering thewood framing, impact-resistant windows and morewindprooﬁng measures.

The project is an example of how ﬁve years after fourhurricanes smashed through south Louisiana —causing billions in damage and spiking insurance rates —stricter building codes,new technology and the insurance industry’svoluntary “Fortiﬁed” homes building program arechanging the way somehomes get built in thestate.

What’snot clear is if projects like Rising Oaks are asign that every builder in the state is going all in on construction methods that couldmake south Louisiana saferduring storms, bringing down insurance rates in the process. So far,most of the developers who areadopting these super-strong “gold” methods are nonproﬁts —like Habitat for Humanity,Rising Oaks’ developer —that qualify for subsidies and, in general, are building affordable or workforce housing.

Getting the private sector to consistently build better,stronger homes —and at scale— depends on whether developers follow stricter new state buildingcodes andconsumers show willingness to spendmore money up front to potentially save in the long run.

Frustrations bubble over ‘financially impossible’businessclimate

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

TimWilliamson has spent decades talking up the entrepreneurial promise of New Orleans. In 2000, he co-founded Idea Village, abusinessincubator that helped create alocal startupculture and gave early supporttosome of the city’smostsuccessfultech founders. More recently,he’sbeen promoting The Nieux, avenue on St. Charles Avenue that seeks to connect entrepreneurs with opportunity. So it struckachordwhen

Williamson, ever the optimist, took to Substackrecently andposted that he was “sounding the alarm” aboutthe challenges of living and starting abusiness in New Orleans. “For founders with families tryingto buildinNew Orleans —the math doesn’t work,” he wrote. Housing costs, sky-high insurance rates, school tuitionand ever-present infrastructure issues are all making entrepreneurship “financially impossible in practice.”

“Unless we do something, we’re going to lose thevery peoplewho make this city’s

future worthinvesting in,” he said. The missive served as thelatest rallying cry from along-frustrated business communitythat says New Orleans needs to do something —and fast —todiversify itseconomy,attract andretaintalentand halt an exodus of businesses from thecity

It arrived as local civic leaders areexpressing a renewed sense of urgency as the city prepares to elect anew mayor.Some of New Orleans’ most prominent

ä See CLIMATE, page 2E

Former Idea Village founder and The Nieux Society co-founder Tim Williamson, center and artist Lindsey Roussel work inside the Eiffel Towerbuildingon St. CharlesAvenue that servesasa venue to connect entrepreneurs with opportunity STAFFFILE

Atie and abolt secure ahome’sframe to the slab in Habitat for Humanity’sRising Oaks subdivision in Terrytown.

Habitat is using windows abletosustainhigh windspeeds, left,and ice and water shield material, above,onthe roofs.

Marguerite Oestreicher stands in the driveway of ahomethat is almost complete at Habitat for Humanity’sRisingOakssubdivision in Terrytown.

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER

“More resilient housing can address the insurance crisis, but you need the stakeholders all aligned: insurance companies, housing developers, the state and the homeowners,” said Will Cotten, of general contractor RNGD, which is driving pilings for a new development on the Laﬁtte Greenway for Providence Community Housing. Going for gold

The Rising Oaks homes are being built to “Fortified Gold” specifications, a designation created by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, an industry nonprofit that promotes resilient building standards to prevent damage during extreme weather events and reduce claims.

Many in south Louisiana have heard of the group’s Fortiﬁed roof standards because of a state grant program that has provided $10,000 checks to help offset the cost of the more expensive roof option for more than 3,600 homeowners. The Fortiﬁed Silver and Gold designations, less common, expand the resilience to the entire structure.

Homebuilders that “go for gold,” so to speak, use various methods to harden a structure against high winds, depending on the type of home and location. Walls and framing are rigidly bolted to the foundation. Metal straps are used to connect the walls to the ceiling. Special windows, with plastic layers in between panes of glass, prevent debris from penetrating a home’s envelope

“All that goes into making the homes more robust and more rigid, so it’s highly unlikely we’ll see minor roof tearoff and other damage in a typical storm,” said Brady Garrity, one of the architects at Rising Oaks.

About 80,000 homes across 32 states now have some kind of Fortiﬁed designations, more than half of those in Alabama, according to the Insurance Institute. An industry study released in May showed that, after Hurricane Sally in 2020, Fortiﬁed homes in that state had far fewer claims than their counterparts.

The number of Fortified designations in Louisiana is smaller, but certainly bigger than it was a couple of years ago. The Insurance Institute said there are more than 8,000 Fortified roofs in Louisiana and more than 1,000 homes with a gold designation. The state also has over 200 Fortified multifamily buildings to date.

“It’s not surprising that roof

CLIMATE

Continued from page 1E

leaders say they’re having conversations on the subject almost daily and that this time, things feel different.

“I hear it in every boardroom and meeting I walk into,” said Greg Rusovich, CEO of Transoceanic Development and a longtime civic leader “It’s all anybody talks about.”

‘Have to be practical’ GNO Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht said the perception that the business community is on edge and desperate for solutions to the gnawing problem of affordability is very real. “I hear it in my role as economic development leader-slash-therapist,” he said. “I hear a lot of people’s hopes and frustrations.” Williamson said he penned his

ABOVE: Habitat for Humanity is building homes in Terrytown’s Rising Oaks subdivision to ‘Fortified Gold’ specifications, a designation created by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety in which various methods are used to harden a structure against high winds.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

LEFT: Workers drive pilings at the site of a construction project near the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans. Providence Community Housing is building 45 new houses on the property RNGD is the contractor

STAFF PHOTO By RICH

according to industry estimates.

Local luxury homebuilders say clients often opt for Fortified roofs, but rarely build an entire home to Fortified Silver or Gold standards because installing wind-resistant windows and doors on a large, new high-end home is prohibitively expensive. Labor costs are higher, too, because there’s a shortage of qualified builders and certified evaluators, who must sign off on the projects to ensure they meet regulations.

is half the rate, maybe there will be more of a market for Fortiﬁed Gold.”

“As people realize insurance is half the rate, maybe there will be more of a market for Fortified Gold.”

COLIN FELSMAN, People’s Housing Plus director of housing development

designations are far outpacing gold, given the much larger existing home stock to be retroﬁtted,” said Fred Malik, the program’s managing director “We expect gold designations to grow steadily as Louisiana contractors become more familiar with the program’s requirements and documentation process.”

‘Proving this out’

For now, mostly nonprofit developers are seeking Fortified Gold certification

In addition to Habitat’s Rising Oaks, New Orleans-based Colmex Construction just completed 17 gold single-family homes for two different nonproﬁt clients in Gray, Louisiana RNGD is constructing 45 single-family homes for Providence along a two-block stretch on the Greenway

post after learning that a longtime friend and successful local startup founder is packing up for a place with lower insurance rates and better public schools because, quite simply, he can’t afford to live here with a family and a house.

“It was a like a gut punch when he told me,” Williamson said by phone Monday morning. “What struck me was that all the work we’ve done will be for naught if we don’t ﬁgure out how to keep people here.”

Williamson isn’t alone. Hotel broker and developer Lenny Wormser has also been putting his ideas on paper, sharing them with anyone who will listen. He’s so frustrated with the local business climate he considered a long-shot bid for mayor until his children threatened to disown him.

Like Williamson, Wormser has long put his faith in New Orleans and was president of the Young Leadership Council in the early 1990s, when it launched its signature “Proud to Call it Home” campaign

These days, he’s concerned, among other things, about red tape at City Hall that slows the permit-

And People’s Housing Plus recently completed four gold homes in New Orleans East that also have stormwater gardens and French drains to control ﬂooding.

“We like to think of these houses as beautiful tanks,” said Colin Felsman, People’s Housing Plus director of housing development. Providence communications director Lori Wilken said though there is an upfront cost to building to higher standards, the savings from insurance deductibles and potential casualty losses makes it “very advantageous.”

Creating a tension

The private sector, on the other hand, isn’t fully on board, in large part because of the added expense of building to Fortiﬁed standards.

For one thing, better building materials cost more, at least 15%

ting process and zoning issues that he says hinder development.

“The City Council spends 90% of its time on property issues and variances,” he said. “I get that people don’t ever want anything to change. But we have to be practical.”

Longtime arts supporter and public relations executive Jeanne Nathan has been equally vocal though about addressing a different facet of the local economy — the creative industries. She’s been working on a plan with support from the Downtown Development District and recently hosted a panel at the Contemporary Arts Center to discuss ways to make it easier for artists and musicians to live here and create an industry around them.

“We must recognize the power of our creative human assets and our century-old branding as a seminal, inﬂuential creative force and build on it as never before,” a draft of Nathan’s plan says. Mayoral candidates are taking notice.

At a forum Tuesday sponsored by the Young Leadership Council, City Council member Helena Moreno acknowledged housing

Additionally, building a home to Fortiﬁed standards makes life more complicated for contractors, who have to document many stages of construction using a small group of evaluators that is stretched thin.

“The documentation has to happen at very specific moments,” Felsman said “This creates tension with the contractors, who want to work fast.” So what can be done?

Experts say part of the key to getting the private sector to build to Fortified standards is to increase awareness of the long-term savings that come from building a better house. The insurance quotes for one of the new 1,350-squarefoot houses that People’s Housing Plus just completed came in between $1,600 to $1,800 year, according to Felsman.

“That’s at least half the price for a normal house that size,” he said. “As people realize insurance

affordability is one of the reasons people are moving out of the city saying, “New Orleans is at a tipping point.” City Council member Oliver Thomas said he believes it’s important “to create an economic foundation in this community that builds on entrepreneurial plans and grows our middle class.”

State Sen. Royce Duplessis, DNew Orleans, said it’s important to keep young professionals in the city and engaged, challenging them with the question, “Are you going to be a part of changing the narrative?”

Improvements to build on

Hecht said it isn’t all doom and gloom though, and there are tangible wins that residents should look to for hope.

The NOLA Coalition, for one, was formed three years ago, when the city’s crime rate was climbing to alarming levels not seen in two decades. In the years since, in part because of the coalition’s efforts to bring in a new police chief and push for other public safety reforms, violent crime is signiﬁcantly down. Similarly when business and civ-

Dan Mills, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, said it’s also important to note that Louisiana updated its building code in 2023, enacting tougher new regulations that are close to the Fortiﬁed standards in some ways and among the best in the country “We want to tell that story accurately because we know we are in the top ﬁve resilient building codes in the country,” Mills said. “If we provide that data to insurance companies, they are going to want to come down here and do business.”

But the key to getting more builders to follow the new regs is better enforcement, which isn’t always easy in a cash-strapped state.

A new law, passed earlier this year, requires permits for rerooﬁng, which means builders will have to follow rules about creating multiple water barriers. An additional beneﬁt of that change is that cities and the state will be able to gather more data to use as leverage with insurers.

But all of that hinges on whether or not builders comply with the new rules.

Said Mills: “Enforcement is always the challenge.”

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

ic groups worked with City Hall on a focused plan to clean up the city and address certain infrastructure problems ahead of the Super Bowl, the results impressed even the city’s most hardened critics.

“When we get into a rhythm of teamwork and daily task focus, we are able to slowly and steadily improve not only our environment but our feelings about the place we live,” Hecht said.

Rusovich said the next mayor needs to engage with business and civic leaders in that same way to tackle the broader challenges at hand.

“Every single movement cannot be citizen-led,” he said. “You need strong political leadership, even just leadership that will work cooperatively It’s not rocket science.”

Williamson said he posted his blog to “reignite a conversation” around the issues. Hecht said he’s tired of conversations.

“The issue is not about ideas,” he said. “It’s about execution.”

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

COLLINS

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Workers build homes at Habitat for Humanity’s Rising Oaks subdivision in Terrytown.

Hecht

PROVIDED PHOTO

People’s Housing Plus built this midcentury-modern-style home on Gawain Street in New Orleans East. The house was built to the Fortified Gold standard created by Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

State workforce agency chief overseeing major changes

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Q&A WITH SUSANA SCHOWEN

Louisiana is in the midst of a major overhaul in how it approaches workforce development. Overseeing much of those changes is Louisi ana Workforce Commission Secretary Susana Schowen. Under new laws, which were signed by Gov Jeff Landry after passing unanimously in the Legislature, the Workforce Commission will eventually serve as a one-stop shop for Louisianans seeking services like SNAP or child care assistance in addition to workforce training and unemployment beneﬁts.

The goal of the “One Door” policy, Schowen said, is to help Louisianans get access to the social services they need while also connecting them to employment opportunities. As part of the changes, the agency will be rebranded Louisiana Works in October Full implementation remains a ways away The Department of Children and Family Services isn’t slated to hand over management of the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, which pays for a range of services, to Schowen’s agency until 2027.

In this week’s Talking Business, Schowen discusses how the “One Door” policy will work and Louisiana’s biggest workforce challenges. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tell us about the“One Door”policy and how it will work. What we’re focused on is developing a case management system where when somebody needs assistance in the state of Louisiana they can come to one place meet with an employment counselor — so the focus is always on helping that person reach self-sufﬁciency — build

Under the leadership of Secretary of Louisiana Workforce Commission

Susana Schowen, the Louisiana Workforce Commission will eventually serve as a one-stop shop for Louisianans seeking services like SNAP or child care assistance in addition to workforce training and unemployment benefits.

out a plan, and then provide them with the social services to get them over the barriers

Those supports might be access to child care, transportation, assistance with disabilities. They might need tuition paid so that they can attend a training program, or help with housing stability

A lot of our state agencies, particularly the federally funded ones, are built around programs, not around the people that we serve. So a lot of the work that we have been doing is trying to ﬁgure out who’s serving the same people and how can we serve them at the same time in the same place.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate in June was 4.5%. What does that mean for the work you do?

That’s a relatively low number and there’s a rule of thumb in economic development circles that an unemployment rate around 4% essentially constitutes full employment, meaning the people who are

currently unemployed are kind of moving between jobs and aren’t really available to necessarily take a brand-new job

We had 93,000 unemployed people in June. We also had 114,000 job openings.

We come fairly close to leading the nation in the number of job openings per capita and we do not tend to have enough unemployed people to ﬁll those job openings. So, we have this issue where the math doesn’t work out

The question is then, like, what are we going to do about it? And we have to ask ourselves We’ve got low unemployment rates We’ve got all these jobs out there, and we are still one of the poorest states in the nation. And how do we have that grinding generational poverty that spurs so much of the misery and suffering in Louisiana at the same time that we’ve got all these fantastic jobs that are going unﬁlled.

The fundamental answer to that

question is the labor force participation rate.

That’s the percentage of the population that is either employed or actively looking for work.

Louisiana’s labor participation rate is around 58%. How do you improve that?

We are objectively doing worse with labor force participation than almost everybody else.

We overcome generational poverty by helping people become self-sufficient, earn good wages and support their families.

What are some of the biggest workforce needs?

We’re seeing a gigantic challenge in all of the skilled trades.

The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance does a regular assessment of the skilled craft workforce. They projected they were going to need about 70,000 more skilled trade people over the next five years in just the Baton Rouge area.

The hub of industrial construction globally is here in Baton Rouge, and so we have a lot of support from the industry partners here.

You spent about 12 years helping Louisiana businesses train and recruit employees through Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart program.What lessons did you learn from that work that you wanted to bring to the Louisiana Workforce Commission?

I came in with a lot of opinions of what we needed to do Under the Jindal administration, I spent so much time at the Louisiana Workforce Commission that people thought I worked here.

The first and most important thing that I wanted to do was really open this agency up to collaboration, with business partners, with other state agencies, with education partners and very much with our local areas.

We have 15 local workforce development boards. They don’t always get the recognition and the trafﬁc that they need in order to really contribute to the communities in the way that they could We’re working on a lot of things with our local areas to help them get more recognition and to build standardization but foster local innovation

as well. The work of One Door really ties directly into our work with our local areas, because they are our on-the-ground service delivery operators.

What direction did Gov Landry give you when you took over as secretary?

The specific direction that he gave me was, “I want this to be a dynamic agency.”

This agency has not always had a reputation for being dynamic, change oriented, employer focused. He did have some speciﬁc guidance, a lot of which was really just around being more responsive to employers.

How can Louisiana better connect young people with employment opportunities?

We really do have a lot of excellent job opportunities in this state, but I don’t think we’re doing a great job of making sure that our young people know about them and we’re not doing a great job of connecting them to employers and industries in general in Louisiana.

The best way to connect young people with employers is with work-based learning programs, whether it’s internships or apprenticeships.

You’ve mentioned that there are lots of components of the Louisiana Workforce Commission that go unnoticed.Is there a program you want to spotlight?

As part of workers’ compensation, we have something called the Second Injury Board, which a whole lot of people are completely unfamiliar with.

The Second Injury Board is supposed to incentivize employers to hire people who have previously been injured on the job. Sometimes it is a bit of a concern for employers in hiring somebody who was previously injured because they’re worried that they may reinjure themselves.

The Second Injury Board provides some protections for employers. It’s almost like a reinsurance program for employers.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

NewStudy Challenges Long-Held Beliefs AboutMenhaden and theGulfFood Web

Thisarticle is Brought to youbythe Louisiana CommercialFisheriesCoalitionLLC

One of the most importantquestions in the Gulf is also, surprisingly,one thathasn’t had adetailed answer: whatexactly do predator fish eat? Species likered drum southern flounder,and spottedseatrout are importanttoboth the Gulf ecosystemand the recreational fishing economy, and knowing whattheyeat is keytomanaging them successfully

Anew study from the Universityof Southern Mississippiishelping answer thatquestion with one of the most comprehensiveinvestigations of predator diets to date

Rethinking the Role of Gulf Menhaden

One of the headline ﬁndingsconcerns another importantspecies: Gulf menhaden Often viewedasthe keyfood source formany of thesepredators,the study ﬁnds theymay not be as central to thesepredatordietsas previously thought.

While menhadenare part of the mix, the study found no predatorspecies examined relied on them as aprimary food source. Instead, predatordiets were found to be incredibly varied and opportunistic, depending on whatpreyisavailable at differenttimes and in differentplaces

Science Backed by Industry-Academic Partnership

The project wasfunded by the Science Center forMarine Fisheries (SCEMFIS),an academic-industry research initiativethat is part of the National Science Foundation’s Industry–UniversityCooperativeResearch Center program. SCEMFIS aims to reduce uncertaintyin

ﬁshstock assessments and developtools for sustainable management–bringing together topresearchersand industry partnersto answerreal-world questions

InnovativeMethods Reveal NewInsights

Led by researchersDr. RobertLeaf and Dr Kevin Dillon, the studyusedatwo-pronged approach to analyzepredatordiets:

•Stomach contentanalysis based on a large databaseofpast ﬁeldsamples,some dating back decades

•Stable isotope analysis, amodern technique thatexamines chemical signatures in predatortissues to reveal longer-term dietary trends.

This dual approach wasapplied to more than 30 predatorspecies,including reddrum, southern ﬂounder,and spottedseatrout.

“When youlook at the information that we have,whatweﬁnd is thatGulf menhaden areapreyitem—certainly,theyplayarole— but not to the extent of other prey items, which arealsovery important—in fact,more important,”said Dr.Leaf,who heads the university’sSchool of OceanScience and Engineering

According to Dr.Dillon, this method reveals “whether the ﬁsh waseating phytoplanktonorifitwas eating another ﬁsh thathad eatenphytoplankton,”helping scientistsbetterunderstand who eats what in the Gulf.

This studymarksthe ﬁrst time thatstable isotope analysis has been used in astudy involving Gulf menhaden. An eight-minute YouTube video from the research team

bringsthe studytolife, taking viewers from ﬁeldwork to lab analysis

Sustainable ManagementNeeds the BestScience Gulf menhaden support avital commercial ﬁshery.They’re processed into marine ingredientsusedinaquaculture, pet food, and nutritional supplements while supporting hundreds of jobs in coastal communities

Ensuring their harvest is managed sustainably,based on the best science available, is essential forprotecting both ecosystemand the economy

No Silver Bullet in the Gulf Diet

The ﬁndingschallengethe idea of asingle “keystone” prey species –likemenhaden –dominating predatordiets in the Gulf Instead,the study reveals predators as opportunistic feederswhose diets shift withthe seasons,preyavailability, and environmental conditions.Crabs,shrimp, anchovies,and Atlantic croaker all emerged as importantcomponents of predatordiets often playing alargerrolethan menhaden.

No predatorspecies overwhelmingly relied on asingle prey type. This has importantimplications forﬁsheries management, highlighting the complexity and resilience of food webinteractions rather than dependence on anyone link in the chain.

Thesefindingsarriveatacritical time for menhaden policy in the Gulf.Some advocacy groups have argued forharvest restrictions based on the assumptionthatmenhaden are aprimary food source forsportfish. Butthis newscience shows thatpredatorfish rely on abroad rangeofprey–and menhaden are just one piece of amuch larger puzzle. This suggests regulations shouldbebased on a comprehensiveunderstanding of the food web, not narrow assumptions

Science Driving Smarter Gulf Policy

This research comesonthe heels of Louisiana’s$1-million independentbycatch study, which found thatthe Gulf menhaden fishery is not amajor contributor to red drummortalityinstate waters.Together thesefindingsadd strong newdatatoguide fisheries policy. As pressuremounts fordecisions rooted in solid science, this diet studyshows how modern research canchallengeassumptions andreshape ourunderstanding of the Gulf’s food webs

“This study reinforces asimple truth— sound fisheries managementmustbe grounded in science, not assumptions, said BobVanasse,spokespersonfor the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, acollective of menhaden fishermen, relatedbusinesses, andsupporting industries.“When research likethis is allowedtoguide policy, we getsmarter regulations,healthier fish populations,and stronger coastal economies. It’sproof thatdata-driven decisions work for both conservation and communities.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

GraduatestudentCalvin Chee collects ﬁsh samplesatthe Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Gulfport, MS. Scan the QR code to learn moreabout the Lab’sresearchonthe Gulf food web.

Graduate studentCalvin Chee (left) and Dr.Robert Leaf (right) dissect asample ﬁsh for adiet analysis demonstration at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Gulfport, MS. Scan the QR codetowatch them discusstheir research on the Gulf food web.

BatonRouge

JoeTuza has been named CEO of Louisiana Fish Fry Tuza has morethan 30 years of experience in the food and consumer products industries, holdingsenior leadership roles with companies such as T. Marzetti, Del Monte, StarKist and Nestlé Purina. Most recently,hewas chief growth ofﬁcer with Sauer Brands, overseeing products such as Duke’sMayonnaise and Mateo’s Salsa.

Fool’sTake:

Fizzy, snackydividends

Chase Weatherly hasbeen promoted to partner with Elifin Weatherlyhas been directorof operations forthe commercial real estate brokerageﬁrm.

Will Chadwick and Mark Segalla,both longtimepartners with Eliﬁn, have left the ﬁrm to pursue other opportunities.

Dr.Danielle Pawlichuk hasjoined Baton RougeGeneral and will treat patients at themedical center’sBluebonnet

Family Clinic

Pawlichukspecializes in family medicine andsports medicine

She has along-standing connection to Baton Rouge General; she was born at the hospital’sBluebonnet campus and her mother was an

emergency room nurseatboththe Mid Cityand Bluebonnet locations. She earned a medical degree from St.George’s University.Pawlichuk completed a family medicine residency at LSU Health Sciences CenterinNew Orleans and sports medicine fellowshipsatLSU andBaton Rouge General.

MichaelLipe hasbeen hired as the first chief operating officer for Sasso Lipe has more than 20 years of experience in marketing strat-

egy,organizational leadership and creative execution.

Most recently,he was managing director of brand and marketing strategy at Insperity,a Houston-based HR services and technology company

He earned abachelor’singraphic design from LSU and amaster’s in organizational leadership from Belhaven University

Ashton Flowers has also been hired by Sasso as senior webdeveloper He has morethanadecade of experience leading webdevelopment.

Kirby

Patrick Kirby has been hired as scientiﬁc trainingand academicenrichment manager in the DivisionofScientiﬁc Education at PenningtonBiomedical Research Center Kirby will oversee the design, implementation and evaluation of postdoctoral training and enrichment programs andmanageNationalInstitutesof Health-sponsored initiatives. He earned abachelor’sinbiology, amaster’sinbiological sciences and adoctorate in STEM education, all from the University of Southern Mississippi.

PepsiCo (Nasdaq: PEP)—a global beverage and snack giant with brands such as Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, PepsiCola, Mountain Dew,Quaker and SodaStream —is looking like a promising investment these days. The company has struggled lately,but its second-quarter earnings report surprised the market, beating analyst expectations. While growth was modest, it showed the company moving in the right direction. Better still, PepsiCo is alongtime dividend-paying stock —one that has increased its payouts for 54 consecutive years. Those payouts have been growing at abrisk pace, too: The total annual dividend was recently $5.49 per share, up from $4.02 in 2020 and $2.76 in 2015. The dividend yield was recently ahefty 4.1%, meaning that investors will get paid asigniﬁcant sum while waiting for the company to more fully turn around.

The yield is on the steep side because shares have slumped 20% over the past year,asPepsiCo faced near-term growth headwinds from tariffs and other factors. But over the long

term,the company expects its capital investments to deliver 4% to 6% annual organic revenue growth and high-singledigitearnings-per-share growth. Additionally,PepsiCo has the ﬁnancial ﬂexibility to make strategic acquisitions as opportunities arise. For example, it recentlycompleted the purchase of functional soda maker Poppi to accelerate the strategic transformation of its portfolio to healthier options.

Fool’s School: Meet the price-to-sales ratio

Many investors are familiar with price-to-earnings ratios, which compare astock’s current price with its earnings, offering arough idea of whether it’sovervalued or undervalued. Sometimes,though, due to short-term or long-term issues, acompany mayhave losses instead of earnings. Because you can’tcalculate aP/E ratio when earnings are negative, you might want to use the price-to-sales ratio instead.

The P/S focuses on sales also known as revenue —instead of earnings because even companies in troubleare likely to have some revenue.(Youcan calculate this ratio forproﬁtable businesses, too, of course.)

To calculate acompany’sP/S, you’llstart with its market capitalization (“market cap”) anddivide that by thecompany’ssales

over thepast 12 months. The market cap reflects acompany’s current total market value —it’s the current stock pricemultiplied by the total numberof shares outstanding. Youcan find market caps listedfor companiesonmajor financialwebsites such as fool.com andfinance. yahoo.com. (Both of those sites also offervaluation ratios already calculated foryou,along with total revenue figures.)

Here’show youwould calculate the P/S on your own:Imagine that Old MacDonaldFarms (ticker: EIEIO) has10million shares outstanding anda current share price of $50 —soa market cap of $500 million. If sales over thepast year totaled $1 billion, its P/S wouldbe$500 milliondividedby$1billion, or 0.5. If itspeers have much higher ratios, that would suggest that Old MacDonaldFarms is more attractively valuedand likely to have asubstantialupside relative to its rivals —ifitexecutes its strategies successfully By checking acompany’sP/S instead of its P/E,you can see howmuchyou’d be paying fora dollarofsales instead of adollar of earnings. Compare the P/S with sales growth, too: Ahigh ratio isn’tnecessarily badifsales are growing rapidly

But never rely on just oneor two measures of valuation when making an investmentdecision. Check avariety of them.

Submissions sought for Good Growth Awards

TheGrowth Coalition is accepting submissions forits 2025 Good Growth Awards through Friday

The Good Growth Awards recognizesreal estate developers who“raise thebar”for Baton Rouge every other year.The coalition selects awardees whose projects level up an area, are niche or original, features fresh construction techniques or designs, economically benefits theareaorusesSmart Growth principles.

Awardees will be recognized at the2025Good GrowthGala, themed“AllAboard theGood Growth Express,” on Oct. 2at theRenaissanceHotel. Project submissionsmust be in East BatonRouge or neighboringparishes, have begun between Jan. 1, 2023, to the present, and ﬁnished at the timeofsubmission and have 75% occupancy if it is an ofﬁce building. Award categories include commercial, residential, multifamily,subdivision, rehabilitation, mixed-use development, institutional, landscapeand “other ” RecentGood GrowthAward recipients include TheArts Council, which receivedthe People’sChoice Award at the 2023 awards ceremony

BRACopens applications for leadershipclass

Applications for the Baton Rouge AreaChamber’s2026

Leadership Baton Rouge class are open through Sept. 30.

The program,now in its 40th year,trains candidates from publicand privateorganizationson local issues, community involvement andforms acommunication network between the region’s leaders.

Aprogram alumni committee willselect participants who are invested in the future of Baton Rouge,demonstrate dedication to the programand have arecord of leadership achievements. Participants will partakein monthly programmingwithother “enrichment opportunities” throughout the duration of the program.

Tuitionfor the upcoming cycle is $1,950, according to the BRAC website.

The classannouncement receptionisJan.15. An opening retreat is planned for Jan. 22-23; classes are Feb. 27 to Oct. 9, 2026; aclosing retreat is planned for Nov.5-6, 2026; and graduation will be Nov. 17, 2026.

Past program sessions covered diversity,K-12and highereducation, city and state government, health care, economic development,leadership styles, criminal justiceand arts andculture.

Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabeliefthathas poweredusfor over80years

We areJones Walker LLP,a ﬁrmdrivenbyanentrepreneurial spirit,adeepsenseofcommunity, and aﬁerce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor ourclients

Since1937, our ﬁrmhas been committed to workingwithcommunity leaders to developbusiness opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing ourdedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

William H. Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000 201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100

LA-25-18980

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Motley Fool

BP, other Gulf oil producers launch new projects

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Oil and gas companies are bringing several new projects online in the Gulf, moves aimed at keeping production ﬂowing offshore as older projects shutter and the Trump administration gives a stamp of approval to fossil fuels

The most recent project came online Monday when BP started production at three new wells connected to its existing Argos platform, expanding the amount of oil it can produce by as much as 20,000 barrels per day

Argos, BP’s ﬁrst new platform in about 15 years, began producing oil in 2023 with the capacity to produce up to 140,000 barrels of oil per day, increasing the British oil giant’s output in the Gulf of Mexico by about 20%.

In January, Shell, the largest oil producer in the Gulf started production at its ﬂoating Whale development around 200 miles south of Houston. The facility has an estimated peak production of around 100,000 barrels of oil per day the company said.

Two other projects, in the Ballymore and Dover fields, started production in April, connecting new wells to existing platforms operated by Shell and Chevron. And in July, Beacon Offshore Energy said it began production at its floating facility in the Shenandoah field. The project has the capacity to produce up to 120,000 barrels per day

The Trump administration has sought to boost offshore oil and gas production across the U.S., including in the Gulf, which it renamed the Gulf of America, by easing regulations and ramping up the number of offshore lease sales.

On his ﬁrst day in ofﬁce, President Donald Trump also signed an executive order repealing a Biden administration ban on drilling along most U.S. coastlines. The ban affected areas where drilling wasn’t underway and where drillers had few current prospects.

While the changes could increase output over time, they are unlikely to result in a signiﬁcant near-term boost given how long it takes to begin production offshore, said Greg Upton, executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies.

“Offshore production is a lot more stable, and there’s a lot longer time lags on things,” Upton said. “It’s not as nimble.”

The Trump administration has sought to boost offshore oil and gas production across the U.S., including in the Gulf, by easing regulations and ramping up the number of offshore lease sales.

The Energy Information Administration said it expects crude oil production in federal waters in the Gulf to average 1.8 million barrels a day in 2025 and 1.81 million barrels a day in 2026. That’s an uptick

from last year, though lower than the peak of 1.89 million barrels a day in 2019. Even with a modest increase in production, Louisiana is expected to see a big increase in offshore oil and gas revenues from the federal government. That’s because of a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill that increases the cap on how much revenue Texas,

Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama receive each year

Under previous law, 37.5% of offshore oil and gas revenue is shared among the four Gulf states, but the total amount is capped at $500 million per year Louisiana receives the most of the four amounting to $156 million for the past ﬁscal year

The change lifts the cap to $650 million for the next decade. The amount of revenue does not reach the cap every year, but it has done so for the past three years in row Louisiana could gain an extra $46

million per year, or $460 million over the next decade, if the cap is hit each of those years, according to estimates of revenues and production. That funding must be used for coastal protection and restoration projects.

The law also requires 30 new offshore lease sales for the Gulf over the next 15 years.

Staff writer Mike Smith contributed to this report.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

Powering Commerce.

•42millionbarrels of liquidstorage capacity

•11 marine terminals and60+ berths handling 10,000+ vessels annually

•Full-spectrum heating, blending, and packagingsolutions

•End-to-enddesign, construction,and operations for liquidlogistics

•Seamlessbulkliquid digitalinventory controland distribution

PROVIDED

Gallagher: ALouisiana StoryofGrowth, Community andResilience

Gallagher,one of the world’slargestinsurancebrokerage,risk managementand consulting ﬁrms, has asigniﬁcantpresencein Louisiana, with arich history andadeep commitmenttothe local community. With roots in the statedatingback decades, Gallagher has grownintothe largest broker inLouisiana, providing awide array of services to businesses of allsizes acrossvarious sectors

“WhereIthink we areuniquelypositioned is thatwedon’t have that institutional mindset. We haven’talwaysbeen big.We’vealwayshad to be alittle morenimble, creativeand client-centric, said” Numa “Bumpy” Triche,regional president. “The result isthatwehavethe sizeand scale of anybody in the world, with robustdataanalytics and modeling capabilities. But our local operations arevery much integrated within the local market.”

Founded in 1927,Gallagher has expanded globally and reports $11.3 billion in total adjustedbrokerage andrisk managementrevenues in 2024 and amarket capitalization of $76.1billion as of January 30,2025.

Thecompanyhas aworkforce of nearly56,000 employees worldwide morethan 970officesglobally,and servesclients in over130 countries.

In Louisiana, Gallagher’s journeybeganwithanacquisition in Baton Rouge,which led to theestablishmentofofficesinNew Orleans and Monroe,Louisiana. Thecompanyhas strategically acquired local ﬁrms overthe years, integrating their employees and maintaining alocal focus. This growth has resulted in 18 officesstatewide and asigniﬁcant regional market share. Thecompanyhas grownits businessbyworking withpeople and organizations who sharecommon values and vision. “Gallagher has one of thelargest operations within ourSoutheastregion in terms of our footprint acrossthe stateand the various markets, Triche said. “Atthe same time, we arealwaysclient-focused, withthe people in the statebeing the ones who work with the local teams and businesses. People work with us because we provide awhite-glove service experiencewitheasyaccessibilitytoour team and our broader tools and resources. We have invested heavily in areas relatedtodata analysis and forensicaccounting in order to provide the technical and detailed support to our teams.Whatwedoisoffer ourclients access to global expertise tailored to their needs.”

As proud as Gallagher is of its growth,theyare prouder to have been able to maintainits unique culture. This cultureissummed up in 25 tenets called TheGallagher Way, aset of shared values thatemphasize ethics, integrityand aclient-centricapproach. These values were articulatedbyRobert E. Gallagher backin1984and have sinceguided the company’soperations and relationships. Keyprinciples include providing excellentrisk managementservices,supporting and respecting colleagues, pursuing professional excellenceand fostering open communication. Thecompanyculturevalues empathy, trust, leadership and teamwork, with astrong emphasis on treating everyone with courtesyand respect

Gallagher’s commitmenttoLouisiana goes beyond business. The companyhas alocalpresence, with employees deeply embedded in the community.

“Our employees see theirclients at church on Sundays,play golf with them on Saturdays,and go to lunch with them on Wednesdays,” said William Jackson, ExecutiveVicePresidentof Gallagher’s SoutheastRegion and leader of the NewOrleans operation and the region’s specialtyproducts.Our local connection is akey differentiatorfor Gallagher,combining the resourcesand capabilities of alarge global ﬁrmwith the personalized serviceofa communitybroker.

“Weteam up withlocalpartnerstomakeevery communitywejoin a morevibrantone.Fromfundraisersfor localcharities to crawﬁshboils and hurricane relief,our officesgivebacktothe peopleand places in whichwelive. As we grow larger,wemaintain close ties to the communities we serve.

Gallagher serves adiverse range of industries in Louisiana,including manufacturing, agribusiness, public sector,higher education, aerospace, energy,entertainmentand lifesciences. Thecompanypositions itself as athought leader when it comes to riskmanagementguidance on topics suchascyber risks, healthcare,marine construction AI, social inﬂation and other inﬂuences thatimpactinsurance claim costs, leading to higher premiums and impacting the insuranceindustry’srisklandscape.The team prides itself on providing expertiseand insights on keyindustries and currenteventsimpacting this region.

WILLIAM JACKSON ExecutiveVicePresidentSoutheast Region, Gallagher

Gallagher is poised forcontinued success in Louisiana,driven by its strong values, localfocus and expertise in keyindustries. Thecompany’s emphasis on client-centric service, combined with its global resources, positions it as atrustedpartner forbusinesses andindividuals seeking insurance, risk managementand consulting solutions.AsGallagher continues to grow and adapttothe evolving needsofthe market its commitmenttothe local communities remains acornerstone of its identity

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LEGAL NOTICE

Persons who werelocated in or near the Dow Chemical/Blue Cube plants in Plaquemine on April 18-19, 2022 may be affected by aproposed class actionsettlement.

Asettlement has been reached in aclass action lawsuit involving the Blue Cube Operations, LLC (Blue Cube) chemical manufacturing plant located at 21255 LA-1, Plaquemine, Louisiana 70764 (Plant). The settlement has been reached with Blue Cube and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) (collectively Settling Parties). The lawsuit and settlement areabout the chlorine release that occurred at the Plant between approximately 8:30 pm on April 18, 2022, and 5:22 pm on April 19, 2022, and the resulting shelter-in-place from 9:06 pm on April 18, 2022, until 12:10 am on April 19, 2022 (Incident). Asettlement fund will be created to pay amounts to holders of valid claims as well as lawyers’ fees and costs approved by the Court.The 18th Judicial District Court of Louisiana, Iberville Parish, will have ahearing to decide whether to give final approval to the settlement so that payments can be made from the settlement fund. Those included in the class action, together called a“Class,” may submit aclaim,

Scan to hear moreofher story:

SouthernUniversity at NewOrleans Junior Business Administration New Orleans, LA

SUNO is afamily-oriented placethatempowers me to learn, grow,and preparefor asuccessful futureinbusiness. TheHonoréCenter for UndergraduateStudent Achievementhas brought structuretomylife and givenmethe tools to thrive-academically and professionally I’m proud to be partofa university thatinvests in my success and prepares me to lead.

Scan to hear moreofhis story:

Jaden G.York

SouthernUniversity and A&M College

Sophomore PoliticalScience

St.Gabriel, LA

WhatIlove most about Southern University is the family cultureand the constant supportfrom everyone around me.Since Istarted here, I’ve been pushed to step outside my comfortzone, connect with new people, and try thingsI never imagined.Southern has helped me grow -not just academically,but personally -and shaped me into aleader among my peers.

Scan to hear moreofhis story:

TriniteeThyssen

Southern LabSchool‘25

2024-2025 Miss SouthernLab

Baton Rouge, LA

As Miss SouthernLab,I encourage others to build their own legacy starting with education. Southern University and the Lab School shaped whoIam by nurturingmeand pushing me to be my best.Giving back helpsprovide students with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Join me in supporting the “Are YouIn?” campaign and Southern’s continuedsuccess.

Scan

Maya R.Jones

SouthernUniversity Law Center

J.D. Candidate and 3+3 Candidate Southern University Law Review

Editor-In-Chief

BatonRouge, LA

Ichose Southern to follow in my parents’ footsteps, but along theway,I found my own path, my purpose, and aplace Iproudly call home. At theLaw Center,I’m becoming the leader Iwas born to be.The energy hereis unmatched. When you give, youinvest in legacy, leadership,and afutureworth believing in.

Scan to hear more of her story:

DomoineD.Rutledge

Vice Presidentand General CounselatCSRS

Southern University Law Center ‘97 Southern University andA&M College ‘92 Chairman Emeritus,Southern UniversitySystem BoardofSupervisors Member,Southern University System Foundation BoardofDirectors

Ourprimarygoal is to be student centered.Frankly, everything we do is forour students.We endeavor to provide them withanenvironment that is safe,caring, and academically rigorous.

Scan to hear moreofhis story:

PERFECT STORM

Heavy rain, high humidity and poor drainage make mosquito haven

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

In Louisiana, even a stray bottle

cap can become a mosquito nursery

That’s because a mix of ideal conditions make the state one of the most mosquito-prone places in the country

“There are ﬁve reasons mosquitoes are really bad here: rain, humidity temperature, soils and the diversity of habitats,” said Kevin Caillouet, director of the St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement District.

Mosquito breeding conditions

Louisiana gets about 70 inches of rain each year. Its ﬂat clay-heavy soil slows drainage, creating puddles and ditches where mosquito larvae can hatch. In warm weather, mosquitoes can complete their life cycle in as little as ﬁve to seven days about half the time it takes in cooler climates.

Those conditions, Caillouet said, create the perfect environment for a surge in mosquito reproduction as temperatures rise.

“The warmer it gets, the faster they develop,” he said.

A range of habitats

The state’s varied landscape supports around 60 mosquito species Coastal marshes pine forests, hardwood swamps and urban stormwater systems each offer different breeding environments. That means mosquitoes can thrive at different times and in different places throughout the year

On the northshore, aging septic systems sometimes leak into roadside ditches. That can kill mosquitoeating ﬁsh and allow mosquito populations to grow unchecked.

Among the most concerning species is Culex quinquefasciatus, the southern house mosquito, which thrives in polluted water found in ditches and is the state’s primary vector of West Nile virus. West Nile is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito and can cause fever, headache and fatigue. In more severe cases, it can lead to inﬂammation of the brain or spinal cord, and sometimes longterm neurological complications or

death. The virus is typically passed to mosquitoes from infected birds.

As of mid-July, the state had reported ﬁve cases of neuroinvasive disease and four cases that presented with fever, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The number of human West Nile cases in Louisiana is second only to Arizona, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In St. Tammany, virus activity was three times higher than at the same point last year, said Caillouet.

A lengthy season

Climate change appears to be extending the mosquito season. In 2022, New Orleans recorded 275 “mosquito days,” when temperature and humidity levels fell within the insects’ ideal range, according to a report from Climate Central. That’s 11 more days than the average in the 1970s.

Although extreme heat can slow virus replication inside mosquitoes, warmer nights and an extended warm season means mosquitoes stay active longer, said Aaron Ashbrook, an entomologist with the LSU AgCenter Surveillance

The conditions create a “never-

ä See MOSQUITOES, page 2X

Lake Charles sisters’ bond more than blood

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Nurse practitioner Anne Griepsma and her sister, Dr Alice Babst, have worked together in obstetrics and gynecology, taking care of women for years. The Lake Charles sisters’ dedication to their patients and health care is matched only by their caring bond for each other Now, they share organs too.

In the eighth grade, Griepsma was diagnosed with lupus and underwent kidney biopsies and chemotherapy to manage her symptoms. She was in remission for the next 25 years. Then, in March 2023, after going on vacation, 47-year-old Griepsma was having trouble breathing. She was dizzy on the plane and close to blacking out. Instead of going home like she wanted, her friends drove her straight from the airport to the emergency room.

“I went to the emergency room, begrudgingly,” Griepsma said. “I found out that I was in complete kidney failure — heart failure, too. I had COVID. I had pneumonia.” The doctors conﬁrmed that her lupus was ﬂaring up and Griepsma was sent home from the hospital. Two days later her hands and feet turned purple. She was soon on her way to Ochsner in New Orleans for treatment and emergency surgery for a perforated colon.

Griepsma started dialysis three days a week and still worked fulltime as a nurse practitioner at CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital, where the sisters work

ä See SISTERS, page 3X

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAMES GATHANy A female mosquito is shown in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host.

HEALTH MAKER

Nurse midwives do more than deliver babies

BY EMMA NELSON

The Minnesota Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS Andrea Engdahl remembers the ﬁrst time she said the words, 25 years ago.

“I want to be a midwife.”

She was pregnant with her ﬁrst child at the time and exploring her health care options A nurse midwife, she discovered, was a registered nurse who delivers babies and cares for women from puberty through menopause.

Eighteen years later — after leaving her early childhood family education job, raising her kids and eventually earning a nursing degree to work as an RN, including in obstetrics — Engdahl graduated from midwifery school Now 49, Engdahl sees patients at M Health Fairview Clinic-Riverside and delivers babies at Masonic Children’s Hospital.

In an interview edited for clarity and length, Engdahl shares what it’s like to be in her shoes. What does a nurse midwife do as compared to an OB-GYN?

We are not surgeons, first of all, and we are specialists in lowrisk pregnancy But in addition to pregnancy, we do full, well-woman care similar to what a women’s health nurse practitioner would do. We care for women from puberty through menopause, which I think is surprising to a lot of folks. They think that they can come and have their babies with us, and then they’re like, “OK, well, I’m never going to see you again, because I’m not having babies.” And we’re like, “No, no, please come back! We can take care of you.”

How is a normal day on the job for you?

I work in the clinic, and that’s just a regular 8-4 day where I am seeing patients for prenatal visits, for annual exams, for gyne-

cology visits. And then I also have a call day

Most midwives work either 12hour call shifts or 24 — we actually prefer 24 in my practice — but a call day is kind of a wild card.

We’re seeing the postpartum patients. So we go, and we round on our patients that had babies in the previous 12 to 72 hours to set them up and get them ready to go home. And then we are also, of course, triaging patients. So preterm labor patients who come into the hospital with severe nausea and vomiting and then also patients that are in labor

Why do you prefer a 24-hour shift?

I worked night shift for many years, so being awake for 24 hours was not something new to me when I came to this job. But there’s a lot of continuity of care for patients when you’re with them for a full 24 hours. If we have downtime, we can be in our own quiet space and take a nap or work on whatever projects we have going on.

Normally, we’re not on our feet, patient-facing, for 24 hours. I have had days like that, and they’re tough, but they’re pretty few and far between But also, you’re working on adrenaline at that point, and you’re just emotionally invested in your patients and the things that are happening It’s amazing how quickly 24 hours can go when you are actually working for the full 24 hours.

There’s no guarantee a patient’s OB-GYN will actually deliver the baby. Is it the same for nurse midwives?

We have seven midwives on our team, and we take turns doing 24hour call shifts. We encourage our patients to try to meet everyone throughout their pregnancy so that when they come to have their baby, they’ve got a familiar face there with them It’s pretty

rare that I go into birth with a patient that I haven’t met before. It does occasionally happen, and those days, I get to work really hard at relationship-building in a very short amount of time.

How is delivering with a nurse midwife different from an OB-GYN?

We just have fewer patients in our care, so we’re able to spend more time educating and getting to know our patients really well

Not that OB-GYNs don’t do that: We work with a lot of amazing OB-GYNs who are able to really do that in a short amount of time.

You’ll ﬁnd a midwife at the bedside more often, and we don’t run

in at the end, normally, to just catch the baby We are generally there with our patients through much of their active labor and are just able to be more present. What do you wish you’d known before your first delivery?

Having worked as a high-risk nurse, it was really important to me that I learned to trust normal, physiologic births. I want my patients to trust themselves and trust their body, but I needed to really learn that, as well, as a midwife — that truly, it is possible to have an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth.

Also, just the power and the re-

silience of birthing people is so amazing. From teenagers through women in their later birthing years, it’s amazing to me, always, how even when people don’t think they can do it, they step up, and they are amazing.

I always say if I ever stop being amazed at this process, I would need to ﬁnd a new job. How many babies have you delivered? I would guess it’s several hundred at this point, but I don’t keep a count. It’s something I always said I would do, and it just — at the end of the day you just want to go to sleep sometimes.

Supplements could affect medications, doctors warn

Five things to consider before mixing

BY MARGARET DELANEY

Staff writer

Walk down the health aisle of any pharmacy or grocery store and shelves are packed with supplements promising everything from better sleep and stronger immunity to constipation relief and diabetes control.

With so many options, it’s easy to wonder: Is it effective? And is it safe?

The Food and Drug Administration deﬁnes dietary supplements as products that include dietary ingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids and enzymes. These are often sold as pills, liquids powders, gummies and more.

Doing the homework before adding a supplement to a daily routine takes a little extra time, but could prevent a variety of health issues. Here are ﬁve things to consider: Supplements aren’t regulated

Assuming that if a supplement is sold in a store, it must be safe and effective, is not necessarily the best course of action. Unlike over-the-counter and prescription

MOSQUITOES

Continued from page 1X

ending battle” for Louisiana’s mosquito control experts, said Ashbrook, but the state has extensive local coverage through parish mosquito control districts and partnerships with pest management ﬁrms. Those programs use surveillance traps and virus testing to inform when and where to spray Experts say prevention starts by surveilling your property for any mosquito breeding grounds.

“Anything that can hold water can breed mosquitoes,” Ashbrook said. That includes clogged gutters, plant saucers, tarps, toys and birdbaths.

To protect against bites, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends using only insect repellents with an EPA registration number which means they’ve been tested for safety and effec-

drugs, supplements don’t undergo the same rigorous testing and approval process.

“Supplements are very poorly regulated. They’re not regulated by the FDA in any way,” said Dr George Therapondos, a Louisiana hepatologist and liver transplant surgeon. “We have to look at two things: whether they’re actually achieving what they claim to achieve, and whether they’re causing any harm.”

This lack of oversight and regulation means manufacturers aren’t required to prove their product is effective. This isn’t to say supplements never work.

“Vitamins, however, are definitely not dangerous unless taken into excess,” Therapondos said.

For instance, people who have undergone the weight loss procedure bariatric surgery may require a multivitamin and other supplements to prevent certain nutrient deﬁciencies And if blood testing indicates a deﬁciency in vitamin D, doctors may recommend taking a vitamin D supplement

Beware of bold claims

If a supplement claims to be a miracle cure, proceed with caution

“In reality, the majority of supplements probably underperform in terms of what they’re

tiveness. Products with ingredients like DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus and 2-undecanone are all proven to protect against mosquito bites. Oil of lemon eucalyptus and DEET in concentrations over 30% should not be used on children under 3. Loose-ﬁtting clothing can provide an added barrier Mosquitoes have an easier time biting through tight-ﬁtting clothes, said Ashbrook. Common essential oil ingredients used to repel insects include citronella, geranium, peppermint, rosemary and soybean oil. These ingredients are typically deemed safe but have not been approved for effectiveness by the EPA. Essential oil-based repellents may provide some benefit but tend to wear off faster in heat and humidity, requiring more frequent reapplication, said Ashbrook.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

trying to achieve,” Therapondos said. “In terms of causing harm, I would say most of them are probably relatively harmless, but because supplements are so prevalent — and so many people think that buying something easily over the counter is going to help them in their lives — it becomes harmful overall.”

By law, supplement labels cannot claim to treat or cure diseases. Instead, they promise vague improvements such as “promotes circulation” or “supports immune health.” These claims often simply allude to limited evidence about a speciﬁc ingredient rather than a proven health outcome.

“Just because the bottle says it’s natural doesn’t mean that it’s harmless, he said. “Snake venom is naturally occurring, but it’s not safe Don’t be fooled by this natural thing.”

Keep in mind that marketing buzzwords like “superfood” or “all-natural” can be misleading, too. Natural does not always mean safe.

“Things like turmeric can cause some injury Niacin can cause some injury Even green tea extract and green tea in general, is a safe thing. But if you take extract in very high doses, there is a potential to cause an injury,” he said. “And the injury actually is very unpredictable.”

Supplements and medications

Supplements aren’t safe for everyone. Certain ones can interfere with medications in serious ways — either making a medication less effective or increasing its potency to a dangerous level.

“The only implication we see sometimes in transplants are some of the nonprescribed supplements interacting and reducing the efﬁcacy of immunosuppression — the anti-rejection medicines for transplants,” Therapondos said.

For example, St. John’s Wort can make birth control and blood thinners less effective. And ginkgo biloba can interfere with blood thinners and platelet medications, increasing the risk of bleeding, according to Houston Methodist Hospital.

Not what they claim

Because supplements aren’t closely regulated, what’s on the label may not actually match what’s in the bottle.

For instance, a 2017 study tested over 30 different melatonin supplements and found that the actual melatonin content varied widely — some had 83% less than what was listed on the label. Others contained up to 478% more.

What’s more, one-quarter of tested melatonin supplements

contained ingredients other than melatonin.

Some supplement brands voluntarily seek third-party testing to verify their contents. If choosing a supplement, look for products that have been certiﬁed by an independent third-party laboratory such as ConsumerLab, NSF or USP Alert doctors

“From time to time, we do see supplements that cause liver injury that can range from a minor elevation in liver tests to high bilirubin to a lot of liver inﬂammation, and sometimes, very rarely, liver failure. Most of the supplements are close to impossible to predict how the body will react,” Therapondos said. “I think the majority of problems we see tend to be with supplements that are taken for performance enhancement.”

He also emphasizes the importance of keeping doctors informed of the supplements in a person’s diet — including how much — to ensure they don’t interfere with existing medications or health issues.

If considering supplements, use the golden rule of medicine: consult a doctor ﬁrst.

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

CORRECTION

A story Sunday July 20 2025, misstated child life specialist Olivia Bourgeois’ place of work. She is employed by Ochsner Children’s The Advocate and TimesPicayune regrets the error

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE PHOTO By ALEX KORMANN

Andrea Engdahl, a certified nurse midwife, sees patients at M Health Fairview Clinic-Riverside and delivers babies at Masonic Children’s Hospital, both in Minneapolis.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Mosquitoes, that were collected by Vector Disease Control International in Metairie in 2021, are counted before they are sent to LSU for testing

Eat Fit LiveFit

BROUGH TT OY OU BY

Raisingadventurouseaters— without food battles

Thisweek’scolumniswrittenbyBrittanyCraft,RDN,LDN,wholeadstheEatFitnonproﬁtinitiativeatOchsnerHealth.

WhenmydaughterNorawas born,oneofthethingsIlooked forwardtomostwasintroducing hertorealfood.There’snothingsweeter thanthoseﬁrsttastes—whetherit’saface ofsurprise,puckeredlipsorajoyfuldeath griponthespoonreachingformore.But babyhoodisﬂeeting.Beforelong,Ifound myselfnavigatingtoddlerhood,where strongopinionsaroundfoodcanemerge —andthepossibilityofraisinga“picky eater”becomesveryreal

Asaregistereddietitian,foodplays abigroleinmylife.Ilovefood.Ilove talkingaboutit,cookingit,sharingit andIwantedmykidstoloveit,too.So,I begantoexplorewhatleadingpediatric dietitiansrecommendforraisinghealthy, adventurouseaters.I’veadoptedthose evidence-basedstrategiesinmyown home.

We’renotperfect.Noradoesn’teat everything,andyes,sometimeswebreak the“rules.”But,forthemostpart,our mealtimesarepeaceful,pressure-free andﬁlledwithgrowingcuriosityand enjoymentaroundfood.

HereareafewthingsI’velearnedto helpkeepfood-relatedstressoffthetable atourhouse.

Createalow-pressuremealtime environment Onekeytoavoidingfoodbattles iscreatingacalm,low-pressure environmentaroundeating.Registered dietitianandfamilytherapistEllynSatter developedthewell-knownDivisionof Responsibilityinfeeding,aframework widelyrecognizedasbestpractice forhelpingchildrendevelopahealthy relationshipwithfood.Inthismethod, parentsdecidewhenandwhattoserve formealsandsnacks.Childrendecide

whetherandhowmuchtoeatfromwhat’s offered.

Inpractice,thismeansoffering structuredmealandsnacktimeswitha varietyofnutritiousfoods—includingat leastone“safe”foodyourchildusually enjoys.Iftheyaskforsomethingelse,a gentle“I’msorry,that’snotonthemenu today”isallthat’sneeded.You’reincharge ofthemenu;they’reinchargeoftheir appetite.

Toddlersareespeciallynotoriousfor eatingverylittleatsomemeals.Let them!Theirintakeusuallybalancesout naturallyovertime.Avoidpressuringwith commentslike“justthreemorebites” or“ﬁnishyourvegetablesﬁrst.”Instead, encouragethemtotuneintotheirhunger andfullnesscues.

Sticktoasnackscheduletoavoid constantgrazing.Snacksshouldresemble minimeals.Ilikethe“protein+produce” formula:stringcheeseandsliveredgrapes, yogurtandberries,orhummuswithsliced veggiesasdippers,forexample.

Stayneutral Keeplabels—aboutfoodandyourkids —outofmealtimeconversations.Instead ofsaying,“Noradoesn’teatthat,”wesay, “she’sstilllearningtolikeit.”Wealsoavoid “yucking”someoneelse’s“yum.”Ifwecan’t commentkindlyaboutsomeoneelse’s foodchoiceorcombinationoffoodsthat

weperceivetobestrange,we choosetostaysilent.

Whenyourchilddoestryanew food,staycalm.Youmaywantto doahappydanceinyourchair butresisttheurge.Instead,askfor theirthoughts:Howdidittaste? Isitsour,salty,sweet,creamy, crunchy?

Skipfood-basedrewards.Using dessertorsweetsasaprizecan makethosefoodsevenmore desirable.Instead,offertreats whenyoufeellikeit,without conditionsormorallabels.All foodscanﬁt.

Finally,ratherthancalling foods“good”or“bad,”focuson highlightingtheirnutritional beneﬁtsinanage-appropriateway:This chickenhasproteintohelpyourmuscles growstrong!CarrotshavevitaminAto helpyoureyes! Ifyouneedawaytoexplainwhysweets aren’tofferedasoftenasothermore nutrient-densefoods,considerusinglabels like“alwaysfoods”and“sometimesfoods.” Getkidsinthekitchen Yes,itcanbemessy,butgettingkids involvedinmealprepisoneofthebest waystogrowadventurouseaters.Handsonexperiencewithsomethingnewcan removebarrierstotryitandhelpscreate

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

MORE THAN 40%AREN’TGETTING

ENOUGH SLEEPINLA.

In Louisiana, 41% of adults reported getting fewerthan7 hours of sleep per nightonaverage, according to Louisiana CountyHealth Rankings.

Insufficient sleep, defined as getting less than 7hours of sleep per night on average, can severely impact thebodyand itshealth.

In the shortterm, alack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learnand retain information, andmay increase the risk of serious accidents andinjury, according to Harvard Medicine’s Division of Sleep Medicine.

If lack of sleep persists, people are more likely to develop longlastingconditions including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even early mortality

Claiborneand East Carrollhave thehighest rate of insufficient sleep among adults with 48% reporting

SISTERS

Continued from page1X

together in Lake Charles.

“It was very,very emotional,” Griepsma said.“I remember telling my sister, ‘I don’twant to do this anymore.’ Everything just kept happening over and over again.” Babst, however,onlyadmired her sister’scontinued strength.

“Who do you know that’s doing dialysis, working with an ostomy and going to Orangetheory?” Babst said. “She just kept persevering and pushing through it.” In April 2024, just over a year after starting dialysis,

RD,CSSD

familiaritywithnewfoods.Everyexposure counts!

Childrenoftenneed10-15(ormore) exposurestoacceptanewfood.Offeritin differentformsandoccasionallyletthem helpdecidehowit’sprepared:Rawor roastedcarrotsfordinnertonight?Should wetrygarlicpowderorcinnamonontop? Keepservingthenewfoodwithout pressure,anddon’tforgettomodelthe behavioryouwanttosee.Aimforvariety inyourmealsandtrynewthingsyourself. Showyourkidsthatyou’restilllearning andexploringfood,too.

Bepatient

Feedingkidswellmeansplayingthe longgame.Youmightseesmallwins orsetbacks—daytoday,butprogress happensovermonthsandyears. I’velearnedthatmealtimescanbefun, interestingandevenjoyful.I’mexcitedto continueexploringtheworldoffoodwith mylittlefamily,onebiteatatime.

less than 7hours of sleep per night on average.

Claiborne and EastCarroll are followedinthe rankings, in descending order,by:

n Madison and Tensas parishes with 47% adults reporting lessthan 7 hours of sleep per night on average; n Morehouse Parish with 46% adults reporting lessthan 7hours of sleep per night on average;

n Bienville, Red River and St. John theBaptist parishes with 45% adults reporting lessthan 7hours of sleep per night on average.

n Beauregard Parish adults, on average, getthe most sleep each nightwith just 37% of adults reporting fewerthan 7hours of sleep pernight.

Beauregard Parish is followedin theLouisiana rankings, in ascending order,by:

n Acadia, Lafayette and Livingston

Griepsma started the transplant process. With over 100,000 people in theUnited States waitingfor alife-savingorgan transplant, Griepsma turned to family.At Ochsner,about 30% of kidney transplant patients receive organs from living donors, either someone they know or a total stranger.Ofthe family’sfive sisters tested for compatibility,Babst wasthe closest match “Mysisterhad alot of guilt thinking someone was going to have to do this for her,” Babst said.“But as a sister, seeingyoursister go through dialysisthree days aweek and being wiped out completely it’snot even a question.”

The morning of thesurgery in September2024, after 18 months of dialysis, thedoctorstook Griepsma to surgery ﬁrst to determine whetherher body couldtake atransplant. She went under anesthesia not knowing if she was going to wake up with anew kidney

“Going into it,Iwas very anxious,” Griepsma said. “But Ifelt alittle bit of relief knowing that if they couldn’t do it,atleast we weren’tgoing to waste my sister’skidney.”

This is rare, according to Dr.Ian Carmody, akidney and liver transplant surgeon at Ochsner Health.Transplantsurgeons evaluate patientsbefore theirrecipient only in 1out of 100 or 1out

parishes with

of adults reporting lessthan 7hours of sleep pernight on average; n Allen, Calcasieu, Cameron,

of 150 transplants.

“In very few cases do we start therecipient operation and conﬁrm thelanding zone and that everything we have to attach will be OK,” Carmody said. “Most of the time, we can evaluate before apatientand be very sure that we can go ahead.”

Oncesurgeons determined Griepsma was clear for the transplant, Babst was taken in for surgery The transplant was asuccess for both sisters. Babst was left with asmall scar on herleftsideand little pain She was back delivering babies in Lake Charles aweek later

After receiving her sister’s lifesaving kidney donation, Griepsma feltanimme-

diate difference. “I didn’trealizehow greenish-grayIwas before,” Griepsma said. “My life is completely going back to normal —going to thegym and working full time.”

Carmody uses the case of the sisters to stress the importanceoflive donation,whichmakes up only 30 to 40% of all transplants through the United Network forOrgan Sharing or UNOS. Louisiana is on the lower end of live donations, hovering at around 30% of all transplants, Carmody said.

“Weneed to have moreand more live donors.The number of people waiting for a transplant is increasing,” Carmody said. “Live kidney donation is avery safeoper-

ation, often people are able to get out of the hospital the next day. They’re able to go back to work.” Babst wasn’tthe only family member Griepsma credits with herjourney to health. Her oldest sister,Mary,was Griepsma’s elected support person after surgery.Another sister took care of her twokids for twoorthreeweeksafter surgery.People brought her family meals. Friends stepped in to stay with her children when shewas in NewOrleans for over a month.

“It has brought our family —wewere always very, very close— but nowthere’s adifferent level of closeness,” Griepsmasaid.

Molly Kimball

Brittany’sdaughterNora

Staying in the

Healthy Heat

What is heatstroke?

7ways to protect yourselfand your family

Heatstroke,alsoknownas“exertionalheatillness,’’isaspecialhealth concernforathletesandforpeoplewhoworkoutsideinthesummer. Sweatingisourbody’swayofregulatingourtemperature.Buthigh humidity,likeweexperienceinLouisiana,makesithardertosweat.The goodnewsisthatwithsomesimpleprecautions,youcanhelpprotect yourselfandyourlovedonesfromthispotentiallydangerouscondition.

Wearloose-ﬁtting,cool,breathableclothing.

Planoutdooractivitiesduringcoolertimesoftheday,ideallyinthe morningandeveningwhenthesunisnotasscorching.

Drinkplentyofﬂuidslikewaterandlow-sugarsportsdrinksthat containelectrolytes.

Avoidalcoholasmuchaspossible,asitisdehydrating Protectyourselffromthesunwith“broadspectrum”or“UVA/UVB” protectivesunscreen,sunglassesandhatsthatprovidecoverage.

Knowyourlimits!Donotoverexertyourself,especiallyifyou’renot accustomedtoexercisingintheheat.Ifyoustartfeelingill,takea break.Don’tcontinuetopush.

Donot,underanycircumstance,leaveachildorapetinaparkedcar.

10 symptoms of dehydration

5Refreshing infused waterrecipes

Weallknowweneedtodrinkplentyofwater,especiallywhenit’shotandhumid Butwhatifyou’reboredwithplainwater?Infusedwatercanmakestayinghydratedfunand delicious.Tryanyofthesecombinationsforrefreshinghydration.Addicefor achilleddrink

Followthese stepsto help prevent heat stroke: 6

1tablespoonoffreshlemonjuice,6muddled blueberriesand1/8cupoffreshmint

Ifyouhavethesesignsofdehydration,startdrinkingmorewaterand electrolytesuntilyoufeelbetter.Avoidalcoholandcaffeinateddrinks, whichcandehydrateyou.Ifyoudon’tfeelbetterwithin24hours,seeyour healthcareprovider.Andifit’sanemergency,call911

Canpickle juice help prevent muscle cramps?

16ouncesofwater;1/8cupofcucumber, peeledandthinlysliced;¼ofalemon,thinly sliced;and1/8cupoffreshmint

16ouncesofwater;1/8cupofcucumber, peeledandthinlysliced;3cubesofseedless watermelon;and1/8cupoffreshbasil

Tips forhealthy summer travel

If youstill have upcoming summer travel plans,makethemmoreenjoyableby staying healthyusing these simpletips.

Usehandsanitizerontheplane,especiallybeforeeating.

Chewgumduringtake-offandlandingtohelpmitigateearpopping.

Didyouknowthatairplanecabinscanbedehydrating?Also,folkstendtodrinklesswater whilethey’reflying.Makesureyoubringabottleofwaterontheplanewithyou Iftheflightcrewallows,walkaroundontheplanetohelpavoidbloodclots.Avoidcrossing yourlegswhileflying,andconsiderwearingcompressionsocks.

Bringmedicationswithyouandsetalarmsonyourphonetoremindyouwhentotakethem. Bringover-the-countermedicationsontrips,suchasDramamineformotionsickness,ear plugsandeardropsforwater-cloggedears,dropsfordryeyes,ﬁrstaidkitsforcutsand scrapes,ImmodiumorPepto-Bismolfordiarrheaandupsetstomach,alongwithmedications forheadachesandseasonalallergies.

Manyathletespre-gamewithafewsipsofpicklejuicetohelpprevent musclecramps.

Drinkinganounceortwocanhelpstopcrampsfasterthanwateralone. Picklejuicehas20timesmoresodiumandeighttimesmorepotassium thantheaveragesportsdrink.Consideringthehighlevelsofsodiumand potassium,limityourselftojustafewsips.

Drinkingpicklejuiceshouldnotbeviewedasacure-all.Stretchingand hydratingaremoreimportant.

Legacy in motion

For the inaugural Louisiana Inspired ENCORE Awards, seven Louisianans over the age of 60 arebeing honored for their continued leadership, service to others, innovativeness andthe ways they inspire young and old.

Over the summer,readers across the state submitted nominations, highlighting neighbors, friends,family and mentors who hadn’tslowed down —people still doing meaningfulwork,still learning,still giving.

Areview panel consideredeach nomineeusing arubricfocusedoncommunity impact, innovation and service.

Theresult?Sevenindividualswhose lives remind us thatgrowing older doesn’tmean stepping back.Narrowingthe ﬁeld of nomineestoseven wasa challenge. In thenewsroom,the exercise of learning so much about so many was

Encore Awards honorseven Louisiananswho provepurpose doesn’tretire

inspiring.The bigtakeaway: For many, purpose and passiondon’tfade.They expand.

The honorees arelaunching new projects, creating art, building things, mentoring others and teachingimportant skills. These people continue to take on fresh challenges, proving thatsecond and third acts can be just as richand rewarding as the ﬁrst. In short,they continue to showup.

TheENCORE Awards aimtoshine a light on those who defy outdated ideas of aging —and in doingso, lift up the rest of us. These seven are reminders that curiosity doesn’tretire, and servicedoesn’t have an expiration date.

Each honoree will be proﬁled in Louisiana Inspired this week and next,with storiesthat explorethe workthey’ve done andthe livestheycontinuetotouch

The2025ENCOREAward winners are:

n Carol Fleischman, NewOrleans

n Eldridge(Butch) Gendron, St.Amant

n Sally Hebert, Lafayette

n Sal LaRock, NewOrleans

n JudgeCalvin Johnson, NewOrleans

n LoisKuyper-Rushing,Baton Rouge

n ShelleyThomas, NewOrleans

‘Powerful, positive practice’

90-year-oldLouisiana life coachinspiresothers

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Carol Fleischman did it big for her 90th birthday.Asshe should. She requested aglobal theme, from food down to decor,withthe Bruce DaigrepontCajun Band asentertainment at the DeutschesHausinNew Orleans. Herfriends and family followed tradition and brought pies for thecelebration.Pies have been Fleischman’sgo-tofor herchildren’s birthdayparties since shenever liked making cakes.

“I did my 90th birthday in grand style,” Fleischman said, “and people said, ‘Oh, well, invite us to the 100th.’ AndIsaid, ‘No, it’s one yearatatime andone day at atime.’ Idid not plan to have any more big celebrations. I thinkwedid it well enough.”

While the nonagenarian aptlycelebrated her birthday,she’smostly used to celebratingother people’slives as acertiﬁed life coach who helps individuals positively recall and live their lives. More than 200 people have par-

ticipatedinher Cycles of Life Legacy program, which includes aﬁve-step process of recallingand recording life memories in seven-year cycles in groups of 6to12people.The approach is based on the 7-year cycle theory, which suggeststhatsignificantlife changestend to occur in seven-year intervals. Participants leave the program with awritten statement that illuminates thesigniﬁcanceoftheir lives

“People go away witha story that tells what their great strengths and qualities are —and also what contributions theyhavemade to the world,” Fleischman said. Susan Burge, whonominatedFleischman forthe LouisianaInspired Encore Awards,wrote thatFleischman’s No.1goal is to help others become optimistic

“She often asks, ‘What if everyone in the world operatedout of whatisgood in their lives?,’ ”Burgewrote. “Certainly,for anyone of anyage, being impacted by majorchange(s)and adjusting to newliving circumstances of anykind, recallingthe ‘best of times’

and living outofpositivity,which is thecore of Carol’s program, has proven tobea powerful, positive practice.”

From WisconsintoNew Orleans At 90, Fleischman is sharp as atack.

ä See LIFECOACH, page 2Y

JanRisher

Rulesfor better conversation

Not long ago, Iwas reminded of an oldepisode of “This American Life”—one I’ve returnedto more thanoncesinceitoriginally airedin2013. In it, SarahKoenig, the episode’s producer,shares hermother’s“seven rules of conversation.”Her mother,Maria Matthiessen, admittedly broke herown rulesonoccasion and was generally forgiving with others, but she reminded her family of the rulesona regular basis. Matthiessendidn’tinvent the list. She learnedthe rules from aFrenchfriend, which, in Louisiana,makes the list feel even more ofﬁcial. The reasoning behind the rules of conversation, according to Matthiessen, is that, “Nobody cares”about these speciﬁc topics. The topicsaren’twhatyou might expect —not politics, religion, or death. Instead, they’re the everyday things many of us bring up without thinking. To each one, Matthiessen has the same reply: “Nobody cares.” Howyou slept? Your dreams? Your money? Your diet? Your health?

“Nobody cares,” says Matthiessen. According to the episode, Matthiessentakes the list seriously andaddedtwo items to the originallist —health and route talk (explaining whichroads one took to getsomewhere and that someone cuthim off on the exit or thatsuchand suchroad was closed,etc.)

Clearly,Iloved the episode —12yearslater,I’m still talking, thinking, andwriting about it, partly because the idea of a mother admitting she didn’tcare aboutsomething felt so revolutionary to me. Certainly,Icould notimagine my mother saying anyofthis.

At onepoint, herdaughter asks, “Wait, when Icall you and I’m sick, areyou saying you don’t care?”

Hermotherexplains that if she’s seriously ill, of course, she cares,but minoraches and pains? Notsomuch.

My ownmother,tothis day, hangs on everywordher childrensay.Idonot take this kind of love andlistening forgranted. Evenwith ourchildren now young adults, Istill ﬁnd myself striving to be more like her.

But everynow andthen, Matthiessenbreaksinto my brain especially when route talk starts, herNo. 1conversational no-no.

EvenRobertRedford —yes, thatRobertRedford —wasn’t exempt.

In the episode,Koenig and Matthiessenreview the list and even tell aboutthe time Robert Redford drove to their home for avisit. Shortly after his arrival, he did the unthinkable. He told themabout his drive to Long Island fromManhattan. He gotlost. He got aticket. Someone recognizedhim.

Matthiessensaidthe drive takestwo hours andthatRedford practically took two hours to tell the story

“Was he dead to you after that?” Koenig asked.

“Pretty much,” hermother replied.

Perhaps this oldradio episode hasremainedtop of mind because ourfamily hashad a chronic route talk violator.Now thatour childrenlive in different statesand time zones, we often catch up on the phone during commutes.

With oneparticularfamily member,weoften get adetailed,

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

PROVIDED PHOTO

Carol Fleischman, from left,and her children Joan Fleischman, SteveFleischman and Laurie Kramer gather at Carol’s90th birthday partyinNew Orleans on June 22.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Carol Fleischman,left, aLouisiana life coach, and SusanBurge, who nominated Fleischman for the Louisiana Inspired Encore Awards

Former educator is stayingbusygivingback

2025 ENCORE WINNER

SalLarockturns passions into opportunitiestohelp community

BY COURTNEY LUCIUS

Staff writer

Amite native Sal Larock has served his community as an educator,volunteer,gardener and more for decades. Starting in Jefferson Parish schools as aphysical education coach, Larock spent over 40 years working in Jefferson Parish schools as ateacher, principal, operations manager anddirector of community education.

Post-retirement, Larockremains active with the Caesars Superdome, is the sole caretaker of the 250 “knockout” rose bushes at Lafreniere Park and works with Concord Shore Servicesasthe voice welcoming people on Carnival Cruise Lines and aiding peoplein wheelchairs. As amember of Dawn BustersKiwanis Club, Larock volunteers with the Rewardsfor Reading program and created the mascot, Rockythe Rooster, to bring to presentations. Larock hascontinued to serve, lead and inspire his community, turning his passions into opportunities to help people around him.

This interviewhas been edited for length and clarity

How do you define aRenaissance man?

Wasityour goal to be one?

ARenaissance man has pride, passion and proper purpose giving back. Youwant to give back because there are so many opportunities because seniors don’ttake advantage of things. Ican show you wherea lotoffriendsdrink coffee in acoffee shop all morning talking about the past. Look at me, I’m talking about the future. We’re looking

LIFE COACH

Continued from page1y

Her voice is warm and light —much like her family’sfavorite raspberryapple pie. Her weekly schedule is consumed with Zoom meetings, phone calls and early morning exercise. Shecontinues to be,by all accounts, aforce to be reckoned with.

In her quest to help people positively age,she has done the same. She says that the key to aging well is to “do it with apositiveattitude, knowing that there’s hope and possibility in every day.” She added that taking care of yourself is important as well.

Through the trials and tribulations of her life, Fleischman’s daughter, Laurie Kramer,says her mother has always kept her positive attitude.

“As achild, it was always, ‘The futureisopen. The past is forgiven. Today is good.’ That was kind of my mom’smantra,” Kramer said.

Fleischman grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and attended aone-room schoolhouse with eight grade levels in the same space.

“By the time you graduated, you learned things eighttimes,” she said.

As achild, her favorite thing to do was read the National Geographic magazines that werestoredin herhouse. This practice inspired alifelong love of travel.

Butitwasn’t until her 40s that she traveled out of the United States for the ﬁrst time. She parted ways with her husband and was the mother to ason and two daughters. At 45 years old, Fleischman attended Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio, to participate in an external degree program for two years. In 1978, she joined the Institute of CulturalAffairs and worked on community development projects in rural communitiesinIndia and Indonesia. To date, she has traveled to Italy Greece, Portugal, Chile, Ar-

to the future.You’vegot to make sure you get what youwant. Igot to take care of my grandkids

What do you do in the Superdome? What does that look like?

Iamincharge of the press box. Ihave 18 people working forme. We’re the top people here.You know, walking on the deck up in the press box, and theycomeupand do their work.

It’s aworking environment.No loud talking,nodrinking, no nothing. Yougot to have credentials to getuptous. As they come in,they’ll go ‘Hey Mr.Sal!,’and it’s so much fun. When they first gotstarted Ihelped them out, andnow we’re 10 to 20yearsinto it. They’revery successful, and Istill get to watch them grow.

You’re the voice of the cruise line. How did that happen?

Networkinggot me to Carnival, and at Carnival Iwas just working different positions —computer positions andthenaposition came up of the announcer.When it came up about theannouncer,I took it Guess what? Idevelopedit. ThenIsaw alot of seniorpeople, and I’mtalkingthem, and Isaw our young people pushing to help them. So Isaid,let me try that. So that’s howI gotthe announcer position, and that’show Igot thewheelchair position,and that’show Iwill continue to make adifferencefor however long.

As chair of Dawn Buster’sadopt-a-garden programand caretaker of Lafreneire Park’s knockout rose bushes, wheredoes your passionfor gardening come from?

Igrew up in avery,very small town ina povertysituation, and we were strawberry farmers. We made farming our living. Whatwe ate is what we grew, and so, my innate ability is to farm. WhenI came to the city andI started teaching,I would always go back to the country continually Whyknockout roses?

Knockout roses are drought resistant. They’ll bloom maybe two, maybe threetimes ayear.I don’t have to,like other roses, baby them as much. When adrought is bad, I’ve got abig tankIput in the back of my truck. And Igoaround, and Iwater themtokeep them going. Do you think that gardening strengthens the community? Gardening strengthens community because it brings the community together on acommon cause.It creates an environmentoftranquility.Theycome, sitonthe benches, and theytalk about it,reaping men-

taland social beneﬁts.

The color designs is aesthetic. On apersonal level, they visit to recall their positive childhood.It strengthenscommunity because it gives those in their community an opportunitytocome to the park and reap the rewards of all the beneﬁts.

Howhaveyou found different ways to strengthen community?

In anutshell, if you network, you stay active, youstayinthe flow, things will come to you— if you have avision of what you want to do,you’remotivated and you have integrity,integrity doingthe right

thing for the right reason. Whyhaveyou continued to work with children in Dawn BustersKiwanis? How have you seen theseprograms benefitkids over time?

During my education career,I wasdeeply involved in Kiwanis. Thewholetime Iwas involved with Kiwanis, Ialways had the belief of making adifference in my community.So, the answer to that question is, educationcontinuedfor me after Iretired because Kiwanis allowed me to continue nonprofit community involvement. Community involvementisthe nature of the game.

Agroupofindividuals participate in Carol Fleischman’sCycles of Life Legacy program,which includes a five-step process of recalling and recording life memories in seven-year cycles in groups of 6to12people.

gentina, Ireland, Germany, Mexico,Costa Rica,New Zealand,Australia, France and Hungary

Travel, she says, taught her howtotunein to people,even if shecouldn’t speak the language

“Every human being is unique,” she said.

Cycles of Life Legacy In 1981, Fleischman landed in New Orleans and worked at the Belle Chasse State Schoolfor twoand a half years.Thoughnot anative New Orleanian, Kramer saysthat her mother feels like she belongs in the CrescentCity Fleischman went towork at LSUMedical Center in theDepartment of Rehabilitation Counseling as a trainerand program developer in1984. After LSU, she did strategic planning with Trinity Episcopal Church, the NO-AIDSTask Force and other clients. In 1994, she became a

certifiedlife coach with Success UnlimitedNetwork, aglobal school that is accreditedbythe International Coaching Federation. Today, Fleischman facilitates retirementcoaching, groupand individual coaching andvocation transition, along with her Cycles of Life Legacy program, across Louisiana. While the legacy programisopento anyone, theprimary focus is on people who areexperiencing the second halfof life (age50and beyond)

“She’strying to impart to other people, ‘Stop looking at your lifeasaseries of mistakes andsuccesses Everything you go through hasmeaning, is purposeful and can be looked at positively,’ ”Kramer said.

“She’sgot the story to back it up. She proves that you can do this.”

‘I want it to last’

WhenPatriciaSharpe attended one of Fleischman’s

courses at her church, she was estranged from her younger brother.She recounted thefirst seven years of her life witha partnerinthe group, and she had theopportunity to open up and talk about the impact of her childhood. After the program, she was able to find and meet her brother who she hadn’tseen sincehewas 3years old.

“I would not have been able to handle meeting him had Inot done that process,” Sharpe said.“And I wasable to share the way I felt with him.

She added that Fleischman’sprogram allowed hertolook at theﬁrst seven years of herlife with anew perspective

“It was life-changing for me to go throughher process,” Sharpe said.

In thefuture, Fleischman hopestotrain and certify more people in theCycles of Life Legacy process.A cadre of her

colleaguesiscurrently working to prepare the program and facilitators’ guidefor copyright and publication

“I have documented the process, andIneed to getit outthere andget it valued,” Fleischmansaid. “Because Iwantittolast.”

Through her years of facilitating people throughlifetransitions Fleischman says that people are really surprisedatthe value of their contributions

“A lotofpeople live their life and just plod on, or dance, whatever style is theirs, and don’treally realize the signiﬁcance of what hasalreadyhappened,”she said. “And Ithink (documenting it) just adds great power and strength to going forward, no matter what ageyou are.”

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

RISHER

Continued from page1y

play-by-play account of her drive home

Thanks to Matthiessen’s rules, gentle route talk reminders have given us a way to steer the conversationtowardothertopics or askifshe needstofocus fully on herdriving and get offthe phone At this point, ourdaily Denver trafﬁc updatesare part of ourfamily lore. We gripe.Werollour eyes but, like my mother,we still listen.

Ifind acertain beauty in ruleslike Matthiessen’s— notbecause they’re rigid, but because theyforce us to think aboutand pay more attentiontowhat fills ourheadsand whatwords come outofour mouths. Maybe that’sthe deeper truth behind Matthiessen’s rules. Whenwestrip away the filler, what’sleftmight be real connection—conversationthatstays and reminds us to saythe important things andnot just what pops in ourheads.

EmailJan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE

SalLaRock is the sole caretaker of 250‘knockout’ rose bushes in Lafreniere Park in Metairie.

2025 ENCORE WINNER

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

The feisty 74-year-old inventor of the Eco Wonder Cloth lives in an Algiers home with sparkling hardwood floors and spotless countertops.

Born and raised in New Orleans, ShelleyThomas used disposablewipeattachments when mopping her floors, but she got fed up when they kept sliding off the base. That’swhen an idea popped into her head: a reusable, reversible microﬁber cloth that attaches to the mop with Velcro.

She grabbed some towels, scissors, asewing machine —and she got to work on a prototype.

After an almost 10-year journey litteredwith trial and error,Thomas’ Eco Wonder Cloth hit the market in 2023 withits ownwebsite Now,it’salso available for purchase throughWalmart and Amazon.

“You spend about maybe three to four months buying those (disposable) sheets, and after that, when you keep buying sheets, my cloth is continually going,” Thomas said.“It’ll last hundreds of uses.”

Thomas specifically chose microfiber because research demonstrates its ability to pickupdirt and 98% of bacteria effectively.The Velcro made the cleaning process quick and simple.

Users can sweep with it or add water and mop, so there’snoneed to drag around abucket, she said. And it’seco-friendly because disposable sheets aren’tﬁlling landﬁlls Thomas didn’tlet age stop her from doing something big. She also didn’tlet imperfect prototypes, dust or legalese get in her way either

Patent problems

Apatentmustbeuseful andunique, Thomas said, and the EcoWonder Cloth was just that. But not everybody seemed to think so.

Patentingthe product design wasn’teasy.Her patent attorney’s write-up didn’tproperly explain the product, so it kept getting rejected in its ﬁnal stageby the patent agent, Thomas said. Back andforth. Rejected again. And again. “I said, ‘Ireallydon’tfeel I’ve exhausted allmyoptions,’ ”Thomas said. I think Imight want to try this on my own. Finish up.’”

At 66 yearsold in 2017, Thomas typed the application on her own and after submitting,the agent ﬁnally thought it was perfect

“I’ll never forget. Iwas right there,” Thomas said, pointing to her living room. “And Iwas on the phone with (the agent) .‘How do Iknow if Ihave the patent?’ And she said, ‘Youhave the patent.’ AndI was like, ‘What? Ihavethe patent?’ She started laughing, she said ‘Yes, you do.’ She found amanufacturer

in China who did agreat job

making the product and completed the entire business deal via email. The product hit themarket, and her life changed.

“Ifsomebodywould’ve told me Icould deal with someoneinChina through emailand getthe product finished, Iwould’ve said, ‘You out of your mind,’ ” Thomas said.

Family support

Thomas’family members chimed in to support the business.One of her sons came up withthe product’s name. Her daughter helped sell products from up in New York,and Thomas’sister did the same from her workplace at asalon.

Thomas heard aboutthe Encore Awards, and, like thego-getter sheis, she asked her daughter to nominateher

“I thoughtaboutit, and Isaid,‘Wait aminute,’ Thomas said.“’I better do thisbecause Imightbe dead next year.’”

Having people support you is important,Thomas said, so when you have down days, youcan keep going. Her daughter,Shannon Picou, 47, has observed the

entire journey

“It’sbeen along road,” Picou said. “I feel like shehas accomplished alot, especiallyfor someone herage, where you’resupposed to be winding down, and she’s revving up.”

Picou said hermotheris the type of persontostop and talk to everybody.She’s also independent,feisty and big on community,Picou said.

“My motherisareally good, great cook,” Picou said. “Let’ssay it was your birthday or something. She would ﬁnd out all the things youlike,and shewould make aspecial dinner for you, like amenu that caters to what you like.”

Because of her background in technology software, Picou volunteered to design theproduct’s website (ecowondercloth.com).

Aftersome technology lessons, Thomas is able to tweak thewebsite here and therewhen needed, Picou said.

“I’m very picky abouthow things look andstuff like that,” Picousaid. “WhichI get from her.”

Next steps

When she’snot devising

thelatesttechnology for spotless floors, Thomas attends morning Mass at herchurch, readsAgatha Christie novels, weeds her gardenand cooksorbakes for loved ones

As she cooks wearing her pink “ChefShelley” apron, aframed photo sits on the kitchencounter. It was gifted by her friend, Edna, andit’sa picture of Thomas posing with the cloth on the WGNO NewOrleans set after her live interview in 2023.

“She took it upon herself and went and did that,” Thomas said. “I didn’teven know she was going to do that. She surprised me. She came oneday to church. Shesaid, ‘I toldyou. You

should’ve framedthis picture.’

Thomas keeps abin of her old prototypes in her laundry room, and yes, she still cleans with them.She also continues her daily research into the Eco Wonder Cloth’sfuture, like increasing product sales, advertising andreviews. Herdedication to pristine floors seems never-ending. EvenasTimes-Picayune photographerSophia Germer snapped photos forthis story,Thomas kept checking to make sure the floors looked flawless.

“It’snever too late if you have something youwant to do,” Thomas said. “You still can do it.It’snever too late.”

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER

ShelleyThomas presentshow an Eco Wonder Cloth fits on aSwiffer Sweeper

ShelleyThomas stands with an Eco Wonder Cloth over a SwifferSweeper at her home in NewOrleans.

LEARN MORE

Kelechi Akamiro,MD Sports Medicine

FAITH & VALUES

A moment of mindfulness for Buddhist-curious

BY EVAN SUNG Contributing writer

New York Zendo Shobo-ji was quiet on a Saturday morning in late June, far removed from the muted hum and chatter that lingers in Lenox Hill, in Upper Manhattan, even on rainy summer days.

Inside, a small group of young adults sat zazen as an ordained member of the Triratna order led them through a mindfulness meditation

“Be aware of the sounds around you, the quality of the air,” the practice leader said.

As if on cue, a bird began cooing in the temple’s garden.

The fact that everyone in attendance was on the younger side was by design: The practice is part of the Young Buddhist Initiative, a program designed to help those age 35 and under explore Buddhist teachings and meditation — no experience needed.

Previous sessions have covered topics such as mindfulness, the three poisons (greed, hatred and delusion, the root mental states that Buddhists say cause human suffering) and the meaning of enlightenment.

The initiative is run by the Triratna Buddhist Community of New York and New Jersey, part of the international Triratna Buddhist Community founded in 1967 by Sangharakshita, the British spiritual teacher born as Dennis Lingwood. “Triratna” refers to the Three Jewels or Three Refuges of Buddhism: the Buddha, Dharma (the Buddha’s teachings) and Sangha (the Buddhist community) The fellowship describes itself as bringing Buddhist traditions into the modern world in a way that suits contemporary lives.

In the United Kingdom, young people’s retreats can attract more than 100 attendees; in the United States, it’s just getting started.

While the New York-area branch doesn’t have a permanent headquarters, it runs regular Zoom events as well as in-person meetings and retreats at various locations, such as New York Zendo Shobo-ji.

Ananta, who goes by a single name and is CEO of the nonprofit Karuna USA, led the recent day’s practice, guiding the meditation from awareness of one’s breath, body and surroundings to a reflection and discussion on recent actions that participants felt either proud of or guilty about not to be deemed morally good or bad but to reflect on and let go.

“Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, and produced by mind,” he read from the Dhammapada, a collection of the Buddha’s sayings. “If one speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows even as the cart wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow that never departs.”

The Young Buddhist Initiative began out of a desire to create a nurturing space where young people could support each other in their spiritual practice. Ananta came across Buddhism at age 18 through a meditation group at his university in London and knows the value of having a cohort of like-minded peers “There are people like you who also have spiritual aspirations and are interested in leading a particular lifestyle,” Ananta said. “That can be very supportive.”

Tamojyoti, an ordained member of the Triratna community who goes by a single name, agreed.

“We just have a different consciousness than young people And I think maybe why those young people groups work so well is because that consciousness can ﬂourish,” she said.

One of the attendees at the session, Kizzy Joseph, a 28-year-old

therapist from Brooklyn, was seeking to have conversations about spirituality with people in her age group and had been looking for Buddhist spaces across the city Most groups she found took a too-intellectual approach to Buddhism, skewed older or were predominantly White.

Headed to her first meeting with the Young Buddhist Initiative, Joseph feared she would be the only Black person in the room “To my happy surprise, there were three other women of color and another person of color

I think they identify as nonbinary I was really surprised by how diverse the space was.”

According to the 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion, the average age of a U.S. Buddhist is 52, but survey numbers come with the caveat that gathering statistics about Buddhists is difﬁcult, as many people, like Joseph, engage in Buddhist beliefs and practices without formally identifying as Buddhist Protestant by birth, Joseph became unhappy with the rigid religious structure she was raised in and began exploring different approaches to spirituality in her teens. She feels a “gentle calling” toward Buddhism and finds it less forceful than the faith of her childhood, but doesn’t deﬁne herself as a Buddhist. In her personal life, she also practices ancestor veneration and Reiki.

Still, the Young Buddhist Initiative provides something that she hadn’t found in other spaces: a feeling of connectedness and emotional safety.

“It’s first and foremost about creating an environment where people of all ages, including younger people, feel comfortable and welcome. One of the things I’m noticing is that we have a number of transgender people that are young, and so I think it feels almost like the environment is open and welcoming for

everyone,” said Michael King, a 58-year-old New Yorker who has been attending Triratna meetings and practices for four years.

(Despite its name, New York’s Triratna practice attendee ages typically range from 40 to 60, hewing closely to PRRIs national average.)

The group tries its best to cultivate that environment. Those in attendance at the late June session spoke quietly but frankly about ﬁghts in personal relationships or embarrassing moments at work, receiving acceptance, not judgement, in return. A break for tea and cookies in the temple’s kitchen made room for casual conversation. When it was time to discuss karma and hypothetical moral situations, we were reminded that it’s not about a strict binary of “good” or “bad,” but “skilled” or “unskilled”: that is, aligned with Buddhist precepts and leading to either happy or unhappy results.

The ﬁve precepts of Buddhism — abstaining from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct lying and intoxication were also interpreted through

a modern lens. Alcohol, for example, was considered not to be bad if used moderately; on the other hand, mindlessly scrolling through social media could become a form of intoxication. The group discussed white lies, supporting friends and power dynamics, never landing on an answer that was considered universally correct.

For Tamojyoti, Buddhism can provide a way to transform the anxiety that many young people feel in response to the state of the world into action. “Young people want to stand for something, and Buddhism is all about your truth, your values, interconnection, compassion.”

“If we’re going to change the way this world is operating, it’s going to happen through young people,” King said, expressing a desire for young people to come to the Dharma and make an impact. “I think a lot of people in my generation have wanted to live more of a Dharmic life, meaning that we’re pulling away from those structures. But those structures can’t change unless we’re in there changing them.”

Kigali’s car-free Sundays keep people moving

BY ZANO KUNENE

Contributing writer

The streets of Rwanda’s capital are packed with minibus taxis and cars, bumper to bumper It almost has the feel of a busy afternoon in downtown Johannesburg — but for the scores of motorcycles that jostle for space, and weave through the trafﬁc.

But from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. two Sundays every month, there isn’t a single car in sight. That’s when the streets of Kigali go car-free. But the roads will still be busy City ofﬁcials estimate that 10,000 people come out for those Sundays, getting on bicycles, strapping on skates, hopping on skateboards or slipping into tackies

For the last two years, Remy Ishimwe, 24, has jogged with friends every car-free Sunday.

“It’s a breath of fresh air having no cars on the roads,” he said as a group of joggers passes, ululating and singing, on a recent Sunday Public health officials say the project which has been going on for the past nine years — is an attempt to keep the air, and those who live in the city, healthier

“From the beginning, it was a win-win collaborative initiative to help make Kigali green, improve air quality and promote physical activity,” said Joseph Mucumbitsi, chairperson of the Rwanda NCD Alliance at the NCD Alliance Global Forum, a global public health conference which was held in Kigali last week. “It’s a good example of how you can bring together prevention and early detection for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs, such as heart and lung disease), physical activity and clean air.”

Getting people moving

Every year cities around the world, from Jinja in Uganda to Vancouver in Canada, celebrate car-free days.

Projects like this, which includes international Car-Free Day, can help solve a worldwide problem.

Nearly 1.8 billion people (a third of all adults worldwide) don’t get enough physical activity to keep them healthy, putting them at risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. It can also help lower air pollution from vehicles, which contributes to climate change and

health problems, such as strokes, cancer and asthma.

“They’re a powerful way to change the behaviour and mindsets of citizens and policymakers by showing them what cities without trafﬁc, noise or air pollution can look like,” said Carly GilbertPatrick, who leads the active mobility team in the sustainable mobility unit at the United Nations Environment Programme.

‘Local government buy-in is key’

In South Africa, Cape Town has also been experimenting with car-free Sundays for the past few months. With help from the city’s urban mobility directorate, the nonproﬁt Young Urbanists South Africa closes off Bree Street to trafﬁc from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The experiment, which started in October and will end in March, draws about 1,000 people every week, according to Roland Postma, managing director of Young Urbanists. He said the project also has a healthy living element. With the help of artiﬁcial intelligence cameras, they measure

the speed of people walking and cycling.

Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the city hopes to build on the experiment and help other parts of the city to organise similar days on their local streets

But it won’t be easy.

In 2015, some streets in city went car-free. At the time, the City of Johannesburg estimated that 120,000 commuters and 75,000 cars crammed through the district. The project brought down the number of cars on four main roads leading into Sandton by 8% compared to two years before the event, which can help lower air pollution in the area. But studies have also found that car-free days aren’t the only answer to clearing the air — it can just shift trafﬁc and air pollution to another part of the city

Reginald Kgwedi, transport economist and founder of the Transport and Logistics Students Association, a networking platform that connects transport and logistics students, said part of the

problem is that there isn’t public transport infrastructure to support non-motorised transport like walking and cycling.

And South Africans love their cars.

“The culture here is that we drive from home to work and to the shops because there aren’t safe and reliable alternatives in the form of public transport,” he said. And safety, especially in Johannesburg is an issue when you tell people to walk the streets. “Is it safe in terms of crime and the accidents that can happen?”

But the bigger issue is that projects like the Sandton carfree month, aren’t a priority for the government making their solutions short-lived. “There are grants that local governments can apply for to implement such projects but there is no political will.”

Ariella Rojhani, director of the partnership for healthy cities at Vital Strategies, an international public health nonproﬁt that works with cities around the

world to roll out projects like carfree days, said that it isn’t just a South African problem — local government buy-in is key

“You have to engage local governments,” Rojhani said. “Mayors themselves are policy leaders and they have jurisdictions that maybe even national governments don’t.”

Hands-on health

Kigali has had the buy-in from city officials from the start. It started in 2016 with a once-amonth event and has spread to streets in four districts across the city; a few other cities around the country have also started their own car-free days.

On car-free Sundays, coaches lead warm-up sessions and residents kick around soccer balls or play table tennis in the streets. The health ministry takes an even more hands-on approach to improving residents’ health.

“We have screenings for high blood pressure and blood sugar,” said Francois Uwinkindi, division manager for NCDs at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. “We’re also seeing other programmes like education campaigns on other health issues here, like HIV prevention and self-breast examinations for cancer.”

Between 2016 and 2020, nearly 50,000 people were screened for NCDs. Nearly a quarter of those tested had high blood pressure, 10% had high blood sugar and 11% were obese.

But the screening process still needs to be improved, said Uwinkindi. Some people are screened more often than they need to be, while some of those who are at risk don’t go for treatment.

“We tell them to go to their nearest health facility for conﬁrmation and they can then get on treatment, but we don’t have a system to track the movement of them and that’s something we need to come up with a strategy to evaluate.” Ishimwe had his weight and blood pressure checked a few times. He knows he’s healthy

“It’s good for the health of the citizens,” he said before rejoining the crowd. “You see how everyone is so excited to run?”

PHOTO PROVIDED By NEW yORK ZENDO SHOBO-JI young adults participate in a New york Zendo Shobo-ji event in New york

PROVIDED PHOTO By ZANO KUNENE

A group of joggers passes by, ululating and singing on Kigali’s car-free day.

SUNDAY, AUgUSt 10, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — LiBretto: lih-BRET-

oh: The text of a work for the musical theater

Average mark 39 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 62 or more words in LIBRETTO?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

By amanda CooK

goren Bridge

Mystery declarer

The declarer in today’s deal is not known to us. He deserves recognition for his efforts here.

East won the opening diamond lead with his ace, felling the king from South. East shifted to a low heart, ducked to West’s queen. A heart to the ace and another heart put South on play

Declarer played a spade to the ace, a spade back to his king, and another spade to East. East led a low diamond and South had to guess what to do. He could only afford one more loser Should East have the queen of diamonds, South could discard a club on this trick and then would only have to guess the club position, assuming it was guessable. South chose to ruff the diamond. He led a club, putting up dummy’s king when West played low South ruffed a diamond, felling the queen and leaving this position: NORTH

wuzzLes

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

super Quiz

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep your finances, feelings and plans to yourself. Sharing too much information will make you vulnerable. Avoid emotional spending and trying to buy love or favors

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Spend more time with someone you love or people who are working toward a similar goal. Sharing will result in a better understanding of what you can accomplish.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Chase your dreams, secure your position and use your connections to advance You can be helpful without paying

South led a low club and the defense was helpless Should West duck his ace, East would win and have to give dummy the jack of diamonds. The ace from West would drop East’s queen and make dummy high. Beautifully done!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

the price. Don’t take unnecessary risks with your reputation, health or finances.

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22) A physical change will lift your spirits and attract attention. Let your actions speak for you, and you’ll avoid a confrontation with someone trying to damage your reputation.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Carrying out some home improvements or preparing to host an event will encourage creativity Your insight into investments and situations will lead to awareness and change your perspective.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take nothing for granted. Shape your future by identifying opportunities that align directly with your goals and aspirations. Refuse to let outsiders interfere.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take charge and get things done. Work to make a difference and stand up for people who need help. Someone will recognize your input, and an unexpected reward will follow.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Let your emotions play out and your feelings be known. Direct your energy into personal improvements, social

activity and spending time with someone you love.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Actively search for new ideas, concepts and ways to use your skills and experiences to get ahead. Networking events can pay off and provide connections A domestic change requires financial restrictions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Arguing is a waste of time. Give others the same benefits you want for yourself Stick to people who share your agenda, do your best and send those heading in a different direction on their way

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Refuse to get involved in someone else’s drama. Separate yourself from situations that conflict with your ethical beliefs. Set high standards.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Take the guessing out of situations that appear to have hidden factors by asking direct questions. It’s up to you to gather sufficient information before participating.

Answers to puzzles

1. Albany.2.New Jersey. 3. Missouri River 4. Philadelphia. 5. Alaska.6.Missouri. 7. Arizona

8. Colorado. 9. GeorgeWashington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt,Abraham Lincoln. 10. France. 11. Alaska. 12. Nevada and Arizona. 13. Idaho. 14. Sea-to-Lake. 15. Phoenix, Arizona.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Cryptoquote Answer

If you can't be kind, at least be vague.— Judith Martin

word GAme Answer super