The Advocate 08-23-2025 by The Advocate

Tangipahoa explosion prompts evacuation

A fire rages Friday at the

state regulatory papers.

Former governor among evacuees near plant in Roseland

BY DAVID MITCHELL and WILLIE SWETT Staff writers

An explosion and raging fire at a plant in Tangipahoa Parish known to store highly flammable products prompted an evacuation order within a mile radius on Friday, affecting an elementary school and former Gov John Bel Edwards, while firefighters battled the towering blaze.

An aerial photograph from local authorities showed a portion of the facility in the small community of Roseland engulfed in flames with a dark black plume rising above it Gov Jeff Landry said his ofﬁce was closely monitoring the situation.

Fireﬁghters battled the blaze for hours after it was reported just before 1:20 p.m., but by late Friday afternoon, parish

ofﬁcials couldn’t yet estimate when it would be brought under control No injuries had been reported

“This is one of the worst things that has happened to our community,” Roseland Mayor Van L. Showers said at the Amite Community Center, which had been set up as a shelter

He added that he was focused on making sure the town’s 960 residents who evacuated have a place to stay On the steps outside the center, a pastor led a prayer as residents wearing white masks bowed their heads

The plume of smoke could be seen from there, located several miles away, and the air was acrid School officials evacuated nearby Roseland Elementary

ä See EXPLOSION, page 4A

Shaq to invest in new LSU arena

He says BR deserves facility, vouches for developer

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Former LSU basketball player, four-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal will invest in the proposed new arena on the LSU campus.

“LSU and Baton Rouge deserve a worldclass arena and I’m very excited to endorse Oak View Group’s plan,” O’Neal said in a statement Friday “I look forward to becoming the ﬁrst investor to help bring this new venue to Baton Rouge and LSU.”

ä See ARENA, page 5A

months.

Powell signals Fed may cut rates

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy In a high-proﬁle speech closely watched at the White House and on Wall Street, Powell said that there are risks of both rising unemployment and stubbornly higher inﬂation. Yet he suggested that with hiring sluggish, the job market could weaken further

“The shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance,” he said, a reference to his concerns about weaker job gains and a more direct sign that the Fed is considering a rate cut than he has made in previous comments. Still, Powell’s remarks suggest the Fed will proceed carefully in the coming months and will make its rate decisions based on how inﬂation and unemployment evolve. The Fed has three more meetings this year, including next month, in late October, and in December, and it’s not clear whether the Fed will cut at all those meetings.

“The stability of the unemployment rate and other labor market measures allows us to proceed carefully as we consider changes

ä See POWELL, page 5A

Deal furthers plan for wetlands restoration

‘Hurricane highway’ project still needs to be funded

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

The original plan in 2012 aimed to restore and protect around 57,000 acres of wetlands and coastal habitat. It was estimated to cost $3 billion at the time, though the ﬁrst phase addressed in Friday’s agreement alone amounted to $1.3 billion. The

ä See WETLANDS, page 4A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

A rock dam stretches across the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet near the Breton Sound Marina.

PHOTO PROVIDED By TANGIPAHOA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Smitty’s Supply Inc. oil and lubricants plant near Roseland. The complex is known to store a variety of highly flammable products, according to

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Louisiana State Police block off U.S 51 as smoke rises from Smitty’s Supply Inc. in Roseland on Friday.

Judge halts expansion of ‘Alligator

Alcatraz’

ORLANDO Fla. A federal judge has put a stop to further expansion of the immigration detention center built in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” ordering that its operations wind down within two months.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami wrote in her 82-page order late Thursday that Florida ofﬁcials never sufﬁciently explained why an immigration detention center needed to be located in the middle of sensitive wetlands cherished by environmentalists and outdoors people.

She also said that state and federal authorities never undertook an environmental review as required by federal law before Florida officials hastily built the detention camp which they championed as a model for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. That failure adversely affected the “recreational, conservational, and aesthetic interests” of the environmental groups and Miccosukee Tribe which brought the lawsuit, she said.

Republican Gov Ron DeSantis on Friday reacted to the ruling, saying he would not be deterred by “an activist judge.”

The state of Florida ﬁled a notice of appeal Thursday night, shortly after the ruling was issued.

Mich. stabbing suspect declared unfit for trial

DETROIT A Michigan man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Traverse City-area Walmart last month was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial during a court hearing Friday Bradford Gille has pleaded not guilty to one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder At the end of July, Judge Michael Stepka with Traverse City’s 81st District Court increased Gille’s bail from $100,000 to $1 million, essentially ensuring he would remain in jail while his case proceeds.

A defense attorney for Gille requested a competence evaluation in that previous hearing. Competence refers to an examination of whether a defendant has the mental capacity to rationally understand the charges against them and participate in their own defense.

Jay Witherell, a forensic psychologist and the director of evaluation services at the Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry, said that while Gille, who has a long history of mental health issues, seemed to understand factually how court proceedings work and what it means to be a criminal defendant, his perception of his own case seemed “odd” and “delusional.”

“He did have that factual piece; he understood basic-level concepts of how court works, but when he applied it to his own personal case and what he expected to have happen, it was very illogical,” Witherell said He said he met with Gille for about two hours on Aug. 11 at the forensic center, during which he said the man was cooperative and polite and opined Gille has schizophrenia. Among his “delusions,” Witherell said: beliefs that the forensic center is a death camp, and pleading not guilty by reason of insanity would lead to his death.

Another U.S. military mini shuttle launches

Another U.S. military mini shuttle blasted off Thursday night to conduct classified experiments in space. Launched by SpaceX, the space plane with no one aboard took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida It’s the eighth such ﬂight for the test vehicles known as X37B. This one will test laser communications and safe navigation without GPS, according to the U.S. Space Force. It’s not yet clear how long the mini shuttle will remain aloft. The last X-37B circled the globe for a little over a year before returning to Earth in March. Previous missions have lasted months to years.

The Boeing-made reusable space planes were ﬁrst launched in 2010 and are 29 feet long with a wingspan of almost 15 feet.

Abrego Garcia freed from Tenn. jail

Mistakenly deported man returning home to await trial

BY TRAVIS LOLLER and KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kilmar

Abrego Garcia was released from jail in Tennessee on Friday so he can rejoin his family in Maryland while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges.

The Salvadoran national’s case became a ﬂashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported in March. Facing a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, only to detain him on criminal charges.

Although Abrego Garcia was deemed eligible for pretrial release, he had remained in jail at the request of his attorneys, who feared the Republican administration could try to immediately deport him again if he were freed. Those fears were somewhat allayed by a recent ruling in a separate case in Maryland, which requires immigration ofﬁcials to allow Abrego Garcia time to mount a challenge to any

deportation order

On Friday, Abrego Garcia walked out of the Putnam County jail wearing a short-sleeved white button-down shirt and black pants and accompanied by defense attorney Rascoe Dean. They did not speak to reporters but got into a white SUV and sped off.

The release order from the Tennessee court requires Abrego Garcia to travel directly to Maryland, where he will be in home detention with his brother designated as his custodian. He is required to

submit to electronic monitoring and can only leave the home for work, religious services and other approved activities.

An attorney for Abrego Garcia in his deportation case in Maryland, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement Friday his client had been “reunited with his loving family” for the ﬁrst time since he was wrongfully deported to a notorious El Salvador prison in March.

“While his release brings some relief, we all know that he is far from safe,”

Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “ICE detention or deportation to an unknown third country still threaten to tear his family apart.”

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem slammed the decision to free Abrego Garcia.

“Activist liberal judges have attempted to obstruct our law enforcement every step of the way in removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country,” Noem said in a statement. She called ordering his release a “new low” by a “publicity hungry

Maxwell says she didn’t see Trump act

DOJ releases transcripts of interviews with Epstein’s ex

BY ERIC TUCKER, MICHAEL R. SISAK and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Jeffrey Epstein’s imprisoned former girlfriend repeatedly denied to the Justice Department witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions with Donald Trump, according to records released Friday meant to distance the Republican president from the disgraced ﬁnancer

The Trump administration issued hundreds of pages of transcripts from interviews that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted with Ghislaine Maxwell last month as the administration was scrambling to present itself as transparent amid a ﬁerce backlash over an earlier refusal to disclose a trove of records from the sex-trafficking case.

The records show Maxwell repeatedly showering Trump with praise and denying under questioning from Blanche that she had observed Trump engaged in any form of sexual be-

havior The administration was presumably eager to make such denials public at a time when the president has faced questions about a long-ago friendship with Epstein and as his administration has endured continued scrutiny over its handling of evidence from the case. The transcript release represents the latest Trump administration effort to repair self-inﬂicted political wounds after failing to deliver on expectations that its own officials had created through conspiracy theories and bold pronouncements that never came to pass. By making public two days of interviews, ofﬁcials appear to be hoping to at least temporarily keep at bay sustained anger from Trump’s base as they send Congress evidence they had previously kept from view

stein. Her trial featured sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14 told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s homes. Neither Maxwell’s lawyers nor the federal Bureau of Prisons have explained the reason for the move, but one of her lawyers, David Oscar Marcus, said in a social media post Friday that Maxwell was “innocent and never should have been tried, much less convicted.”

After her interview with Blanche, Maxwell was moved from the low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas to continue serving a 20-year sentence for her 2021 conviction on allegations that she lured teenage girls to be sexually abused by Ep-

“I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting,” Maxwell said, according to the transcript. “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way The President was never inappropriate with anybody In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.” Maxwell recalled knowing about Trump and possibly meeting him for the ﬁrst time in 1990, when her newspaper magnate father, Robert Maxwell, was the owner of the New York Daily News. She said she often had been to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, sometimes

FBI searches home of Trump adviser turned critic John Bolton

BY MYLES MILLER Bloomberg News (TNS)

FBI agents searched the home of John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, in a sign that the White House is stepping up a campaign of retribution against some of its ﬁercest critics.

The search is linked to an inquiry into whether Bolton retained or disseminated classified documents, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identiﬁed discussing private information.

Another person familiar with the situation said CIA Director John Ratcliffe gave FBI Director Kash Patel limited access to intelli-

gence that underpinned the search warrant.

In a social media post on Friday, Patel wrote “NO ONE is above the law.”

Trump denied knowing about the raid in advance, saying he ﬁrst heard about it on television Friday morning and would probably be briefed later In an interview with NBC News, Vice President JD Vance denied that the investigation had to do with Bolton’s criticism.

“Not at all,” Vance said. “Classiﬁed documents are certainly part of it, but I think that there’s a broad concern about Ambassador Bolton.”

In Trump’s first term, prosecutors had investigated Bolton over his

tell-all 2020 memoir “The Room Where It Happened,” which detailed Bolton’s belief that Trump was unﬁt for the presidency Trump accused Bolton of using classiﬁed information in the book and sued unsuccessfully to block publication.

Bolton had escalated his criticism in recent days in response to the president’s decision to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Bolton’s repeated television appearances prompted Trump to write a social media post blasting the media for quoting “fired losers and really dumb people like John Bolton.” Bolton didn’t respond to a request for comment on Friday

Maryland judge,” apparently referring to the judge overseeing his original deportation case rather than the Tennessee judge who ordered him freed.

“We will not stop ﬁghting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country,” Noem said.

Earlier this week, Abrego Garcia’s criminal attorneys filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the smuggling case, claiming he is being prosecuted to punish him for challenging his removal to El Salvador In a statement Friday defense attorney Sean Hecker called the charges a “vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the Administration’s continuing assault on the rule of law.” Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges, which stem from a 2022 trafﬁc stop in Tennessee for speeding Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However Abrego Garcia was allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

inappropriately

alone, but hadn’t seen Trump since the mid-2000s.

Asked if she ever heard Epstein or anyone else say Trump “had done anything inappropriate with masseuses” or anyone else in their orbit, Maxwell replied, “Absolutely never, in any context.”

Maxwell, a onetime socialite who was convicted in 2021 of helping lure teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, was interviewed over the course of two days last month by Blanche at a Florida courthouse. She was given limited immunity allowing her to speak freely without fear of prosecution for anything she said except for in the event of a false statement.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department on Friday began sending to the House Oversight Committee records

from the investigation that the panel says it intends to make public after removing victim’s information. The case had long captured public attention in part because of the wealthy ﬁnancer’s social connections over the years to prominent ﬁgures, including Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton and Trump, who has said he had a falling-out with Epstein years ago and well before Epstein came under investigation.

Maxwell told Blanche that Clinton was initially her friend, not Epstein’s, and that she never saw him receive a massage — nor did she believe he ever did. The only times they were together she said, were the two dozen or so times they traveled on Epstein’s plane.

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Maxwell

Blanche

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRETT CARLSEN

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, center, leaves the Putnam County Jail on Friday in Cookeville, Tenn.

Israeli official tells Hamas to yield to demands

Defense minister warns of Gaza City’s destruction; group says city gripped by famine

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAM METZ Associated Press

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Israel’s defense minister warned Friday that Gaza’s largest city could be destroyed unless Hamas yields to his country’s terms, as the world’s leading authority on food crises said the city is gripped by famine from ﬁghting and an Israeli blockade.

A day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorize the military to mount a major operation to seize Gaza City, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that it could “turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” areas largely reduced to rubble earlier in the war

“The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,” Katz wrote in a post on X.

He restated Israel’s ceasefire demands: the release of all hostages and Hamas’ complete disarmament.

Palestinian children wait Friday at a

and

Hamas issued a statement that called Katz’s comments “a confession of committing a crime that amounts to ethnic cleansing.” The militant group has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but it rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, expressed frustration with Hamas’ stance in long-running ceasefire talks, suggesting the militant group was less interested in making deals to release hostages with so few left alive in captivity.

General whose agency’s assessment of Iran strike angered Trump is fired

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN,

MARY CLARE JALONICK and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a general whose agency’s initial intelligence assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites angered President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the decision and a White House ofﬁcial.

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse will no longer serve as head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly Hegseth also fired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who is chief of the Navy Reserve, as well as Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL ofﬁcer who oversees Naval Special Warfare Command, another U.S. ofﬁcial said.

The reasons for their ﬁrings, the latest in a series targeting military leaders, were not clear Friday

The Trump administration increasingly has moved against both the military leadership and the intelligence community Some current and former national security ofﬁcials saw their security clearances revoked

this week in a tactic that the administration has used against perceived foes. Critics say the administration’s actions could chill dissent and send a signal that the intelligence community should be careful in reaching conclusions at odds with Trump’s interests.

Kruse’s firing comes a few months after details of a preliminary assessment of U.S. airstrikes against Iran leaked to the media. It found that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months, contradicting assertions from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Republican president, who had pronounced the Iranian program “completely and fully obliterated,” rejected the report. His oft-repeated criticism of the DIA analysis built on his long-running distrust of intelligence assessments, including one published in 2017 that said Russia interfered on his behalf in the 2016 election.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence — which is responsible for coordinating the work of 18 intelligence agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency — has been declassifying years-old documents meant to cast doubt on those previous ﬁndings.

“The situation has to end. It’s extortion, and it has to end,” Trump told reporters Friday “And we’ll see what happens. I actually think (the hostages are) safer in many ways if you went in and you really went in fast and you did it.”

Netanyahu on Thursday said he had instructed officials “to begin immediate negotiations” to release hostages and end the war on Israel’s terms. It was not immediately clear if that meant Israel would return to long-running talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar after Hamas said earlier this

week that it accepted a new proposal from the mediators.

Gaza City offensive

With ground troops already active in strategic areas, the wide-scale operation in Gaza City could start within days.

Israel says Gaza City is still a Hamas stronghold, with a network of militant tunnels, after several previous large-scale raids The city is also home to hundreds of thousands of civilians some of whom have ﬂed from other areas, and it contains some of the terri-

tory’s critical infrastructure and health facilities.

Israel could also accept the latest ceaseﬁre proposal, which would forestall the offensive. The proposal calls for a phased deal involving hostage and prisoner exchanges and a pullback of Israeli troops, while talks continue on a longer-term cease-fire. Israeli leaders have resisted such terms since abandoning a similar agreement earlier this year under pressure from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies.

Many Israelis fear an assault could doom the roughly 20 hostages who have survived captivity since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Aid groups and international leaders warn that renewed fighting would worsen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

The logistics of evacuating civilians are expected to be daunting. Many residents say repeated displacement is pointless since nowhere in Gaza is safe, while medical groups warn that Israel’s call to move patients south is unworkable, with no facilities to receive them.

Netanyahu has argued that the offensive is the surest way to free captives and crush Hamas.

“These two things defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages — go hand in hand,” Netanyahu said Thursday while touring a command center in south-

ern Israel. Since 251 people were taken hostage more than 22 months ago, ceaseﬁre agreements and other deals have accounted for the vast majority of the 148 who were released, including the bodies of eight dead hostages. Israel has managed to rescue only eight hostages alive and to retrieve the bodies of 49 others. Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, about 20 of whom Israel believes to be alive.

Famine could spread

The world’s leading authority on food crises said Friday that Gaza City is gripped by famine that is likely to spread if ﬁghting and restrictions on humanitarian aid continue.

A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classiﬁcation says nearly half a million people in Gaza, about one-fourth of the population, face catastrophic hunger that leaves many at risk of dying.

Netanyahu’s office denounced the IPC report as “an outright lie.” Israel says it has allowed enough aid to enter during the war, and it eased its blockade in recent weeks after images of emaciated children sparked international outrage. But U.N. agencies say it’s not nearly enough, especially after Israel imposed a complete ban on food imports from early March to mid-May

Tour bus rollover kills 5 on N.Y. highway

By The Associated Press

A tour bus returning to New York City from Niagara Falls with 54 people aboard crashed and rolled on its side Friday on an interstate highway, killing five passengers and injuring many others, authorities said.

The driver apparently became distracted, lost control and overcorrected before the bus went into the right shoulder and flipped over shortly before 12:30 p.m. on the eastbound side of Interstate 90 in Pembroke, New York, about 25 miles east of Buffalo, state police Maj. Andre Ray said at an evening news conference He did not say how the driver became distracted, adding that the cause remains under investigation.

Ray said the passengers ranged in age from 1 to 74.

Multiple people were ejected from the bus during the crash, and ﬁve people all adults — were pronounced dead at the scene, Ray said. Many others became entrapped in the wreck and were rescued. Dozens were taken to hospitals Ray said it didn’t appear any other people had life-threatening injuries.

“An absolute tragedy took place,” Ray said. “And ﬁrst and foremost, our thoughts, prayers and hearts go out to those involved, their friends and their families.”

State police said most of

the passengers on the bus were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity, and authorities brought in translators to help with the emergency response.

Ray said a preliminary investigation ruled out mechanical failure or driver impairment. The driver survived the crash and was cooperating with police, ofﬁcials said. No charges had been ﬁled as of Friday evening, Ray said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to New York to investigate the crash.

Two people who needed surgery at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo were expected to recover, said Dr Jeffrey Brewer, chief of surgery

The Mercy Flight medical transport service said its three helicopters and three more from other services transported people from the crash site. Hospitals in the region said they evaluated or treated more than 40 people Injuries ranged from head trauma to broken arms and legs.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

community kitchen before donated food is prepared

distributed in Gaza City

School on the advice of parish homeland security officials and brought them by bus to central ofﬁces in Amite for parent pickup. Edwards and his wife, Donna, liveinRoseland and said in atext message that they had joined the evacuation. Thesite is less than a mile from their home.

The incident occurred at the Smitty’sSupply Inc. complex off U.S. 51.Stateand local officials could not say yet what wasburning or what sparked the explosion and ﬁre, butthe plant’s8.7 million gallons of tank storage can hold a variety of highly ﬂammable products, state regulatory andcompany papers say The complex employs about 400 to 450 people.

Smitty’sofficials told stateregulators in 2023 that the facility’s storage tankscan typicallyhold ethanol,charcoal lighter fluid, gas oil mixture, motor oil, lubricants and hydraulicfluids, diesel, brake fluid, grease and avariety of unnamed water-based chemicals, according to the report.

Smitty’ssaid then that none of the materials, whileﬂammable, is considered hazardous under state or federal law

ATangipahoaSheriff’s Office spokesperson, Ashley Rodrigue saidﬁrst responderswere staging at the Florida Parishes Arena in Amite. Multiple departments were involved, including from neighboring Livingston and St. Tammany parishes.

During abrief news conference in Amite on Friday afternoon,Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Millerpromisedtoprovide more information as it becomes available.

“I’m going to reiterate that we aredoing ourbest to protectpeople, structures and the environment,” Miller said. He said he did not expect the

WETLANDS

Continued from page1A

total cost in today’sdollars is certainly far higher,but the amounts remain to be determined.

Friday’sagreement prioritizes around 57 miles of restorationasaﬁrst step, focusing on vulnerable shorelines in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. It sets out aplan for design work.

The projects include protection along astretch of the southeast shore of Lake Borgne from Bayou Dupre to Proctor Point as well as from Lake Pontchartrain to Bayou Chevee. Other work is planned along Lake Borgne between Alligator Point and the Rigolets.

Congress specifiedina 2022 law that the plan is to be 100% federally funded. That resolved along-standing dispute between the state and the Corps of Engineers which had initially sought a traditional cost split where it would cover 65% and the state the remainder

“Today’ssigning marks a long-awaited step forward,” CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare said in astatement. “The communities impacted by the MRGO have endureddecades of damage Now it’s time to get to work

one-mile evacuation zone to be expandedatthistime.

Miller said respondingfirefighters haveexperience with industrial firesand, according to Smitty’s response plans,the plant hasaninhouse emergency response team.

OnlinemapsshowaTangipahoa Parishﬁre department is located next door to Smitty’s.

Attempts to reach Smitty’s ofﬁcials were unsuccessful on Friday afternoon. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality ofﬁcials set up air monitoring and had not detected harmful chemicals at the ground level around thefire by 4:30 p.m. Greg Langley,DEQ spokesman, said personnel were using handheld monitors to measure emissions,likely for byproducts produced from burning hydrocarbons. He saidthe U.S.Environmental Protection Agency also hiredcontractors to aid in the air

“The communities impacted by the MRGO have endured decades of damage. Now it’stime to gettowork protecting our coast and restoringvital ecosystems.”

MICHAELHARE, Coastal Protection andRestoration Authorityexecutive director

protecting our coastand restoring vital ecosystems.”

Col. Scotty Autin, commander of the Corps’ New Orleans district,saidthe signing “showcasedour partnership at thefederal level with the state of Louisianathrough CPRA to ensure we have the alignment and focus needed for thisimportant ecosystem restoration project.”

Congress must still appropriate money for the restoration projects themselves. Arelatively smallamount of federal money —around $250,000—iscurrently available for planningwork.

The state has pursued portions of the plan on its own in the meantime, using avariety of funding. Finding further money may be achallenge asthe Trump administrationpursues deep cuts to thefederal government, including at the CorpsofEngineers.

monitoring, though he didn’tknow when that team would arrive.

Langley saidatsome point during the ﬁre, an oily material emanated from theblazeand fell on thesurrounding area.

Such alarge ﬁretypically combusts, or destroys, muchofthe burning chemical but often not 100% of it. Estimates varyonthe completeness of thecombustion in an uncontrolled ﬁre like this one.

In chemical plants, familiar facility ﬂares, which are designed to destroyharmful emissions, can work with up to 98% or 99% efﬁciency but have tight controlsthatare regularly monitored by workers.

Michael Ruffin, a71-year-old Roselandresident, was sitting on his porch less than amile from the plant when he heard theexplosion, then saw theﬁre and smoke.

“It was scary,” he said at the Amite shelter He said thesheriff’s department

State officials have long argued thatLouisiana should not be held responsible for the widespread damage caused by the shipping channel, often referred to as the“Mr.Go.” The channelwas closed with arock dam in 2009 near where it meetsBayou La Loutre, around Hopedale in St.Bernard Parish, but the wetlands destruction it caused remains

The76-mile shipping channel, fully opened in 1968 as ashortcut from the Gulf to the doorstep of New Orleans, was labeled a“hurricane highway” by many Louisiana ofﬁcials who said it funneled storm surge into New Orleans during Katrina, contributing to the leveefailuresthatﬂooded thecity.

The Corps has downplayed thechannel’srole during Katrina, but there is no dispute over its gradual destruction of wetlands and swamp that helpedprotect the region from storm surge

Thechannel helped erode vast swaths of wetlands adjacent to it while funneling in salt water thatdestroyed cypress andtupelo swamp

ThePontchartrain Conservancy nonproﬁt has estimated that the channel impacted morethan amillion acres of coastal habitat.

Coastal restoration advo-

had come to his house about 30 minutes before the explosion to tell him to evacuateand warned him of apossible blast. He stayed to wait for his wife, but when the explosion happened, he got in his car.His wife arrived soon after, and they went to the community center

Rufﬁn, who movedtoRoseland from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, said, “Now we have to run from this here. It’s something.”

TonyaMabry,executive directorofhousing in Tangipahoa,said in the early evening that about 100 evacuees had shown up to the Amite CommunityCenter,which hasacapacityof175 to 200. If needed, an additional overflow center would be opened.

“We’re pretty muchprepared,” she said, though she addedthat this was the ﬁrst explosion she’s worked on —normally it’shurricanes or ﬂoods.

cacy groups have renewed a push for action in the run up to theAug. 29 anniversary of Katrina.Those groups include the MRGO Must Go Coalition, whichhas long advocated for theCorps to address the damage done by theshipping channel.

Mike Whittington, the chief executive ofﬁcer of Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite, said his hospital has seen aslight uptick of residents and others from outside the complex Friday afternoon. Whittingtondidn’timmediately have more details on the nature and size of the visits, but said the area around Smitty’sisnot densely populated.

Gov.Landry said on Xthat “we are monitoring this situation closely.Please follow the guidance of your local ofﬁcials. We arepraying foreveryone’ssafety.”

Covering about 20 acres, Smitty’sblends and distributes oil and other lubricants under the Super S, Shell, Quaker State, Castrol, Exxon, Valvolineand many other brand names and also provides contract oil, lubrication and treatmentproduct manufacture.

Thefacility has20separate tank farmswith 265 steel or plastic aboveground storage units. Those tanks hold between 2,000 and 504,000 gallons of various but generally flammable liquids, according to a2023 state regulatory report.

Many of thetanksare outdoors, althoughthe facilityhas more than 14 acres of warehouse space, stormwater and company plans show

The 2023 report is required so stateregulatorscan assess the company’splans for potential spills that might leak from tanks into surroundingwatersheds. The report is not acurrent assessment of what was being stored in Smitty’sonFriday

The complex, whichalso hasa grease manufacturing plant, is set up to receive and ofﬂoad materials from trucks and railcars andhas three rail spurs, the company says. In addition to the oil, lubricant and grease blending, manufacture or storage, Smitty’shas plastic injection molding equipment to makebottles and other products. Marco Cartolano, Tyler Bridges and Bob Warrencontributed to this story.

“Today’smilestone brings us asigniﬁcant step forward in the long-overdue restoration of theMRGO-impacted coast. While we welcome this progress, we recognize that this effort needs to move faster,” saidAmanda Moore, senior director of the Na-

tional Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Program andthe coordinator of MRGO Must Go. “The urgency of restoring ourcoastal resiliencecannot be overstated.”

Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Smoke fills the air over houses along Pleasant GroveStreet at U.S. 51 as thesun sets on Friday in Roseland

ARENA

Continued from page 1A

O’Neal vouched for Oak View Group, the developer that is the sole ﬁnalist for the project. Oak View’s CEO stepped down last month after he was indicted on bidrigging allegations connected to a project in Austin.

“I’ve worked with OVG in venues across the country (with my Big Chicken brand) and they are the best partners and great operators,” O’Neal said in the statement.

O’Neal did not say how much of a stake he was planning to invest in the new facility, or what that deal might look like.

A ﬁnal deal with LSU to develop the project has not yet been inked.

LSU ofﬁcials paused the deal after Oak View’s then CEO, Timothy Leiweke, was indicted on federal charges July 9 for allegedly rigging the bidding scheme for an arena at the University of Texas

at Austin that LSU ofﬁcials have cited as inspiration for the project. Leiweke has since stepped down as CEO, and LSU said it was “evaluating the implications” the day after he was charged.

When reached for comment Friday, an LSU spokesperson said the university is “still in the evaluation/due diligence phase.” In Corpus Christi, where Oak View Group runs the American Bank Center, a City Council member called for a full audit of the ﬁrm’s management of the facility after learning of an agreement with controversial ticket seller Ticketmaster that does not

Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1A

to our policy stance,” Powell said. That suggests the Fed will continue to evaluate jobs and inﬂation data as it decides whether to cut rates. The stock market jumped in response to Powell’s remarks, with the broad S&P 500 index rising 1.5% in midday trading.

“We see Powell’s remarks as consistent with our expectation of” a quarter-point cut to the Fed’s short-term rate at its Sept. 16-17 meeting, economists at Goldman Sachs wrote in a note to clients. The Fed’s rate currently stands at 4.3%.

Powell spoke with the Fed under unprecedented public scrutiny from the White House, as President Donald Trump has repeatedly insulted Powell and has urged him to cut rates, arguing there is “no inﬂation” and saying that a cut would lower the government’s interest payments on its $37 trillion in debt.

Trump also says a cut would boost the moribund housing market. A rate cut by the Fed often leads to lower borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and business borrowing, but it doesn’t always.

While Powell spoke, Trump elevated his attacks, telling reporters in Washington, D.C. that he would ﬁre Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook if she did not step down over allegations from an administration official that she committed mortgage fraud. If Cook is removed, that would give Trump an opportunity to put a loyalist on the Fed’s governing board. The Fed has long been considered independent from dayto-day politics. The president can’t ﬁre a Fed governor over disagreements on interest rate policy, but he can do so “for cause,” which is generally seen as malfeasance or neglect of duty

Later Friday, Trump told reporters, referring to Pow-

ell, “We call him too late for a reason. He should have cut them a year ago. He’s too late.”

Powell spoke at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a conference with about 100 academics, economists, and central bank ofﬁcials from around the world. He was given a standing ovation before he spoke. Cook, who is also attending the conference, declined to comment on the president’s remarks.

In his remarks, the Fed chair underscored that tariffs are lifting inﬂation and could push it higher in the coming months.

“The effects of tariffs on consumer prices are now clearly visible. We expect those effects to accumulate over coming months, with high uncertainty about timing and amounts,” Powell said.

Inﬂation has crept higher in recent months though it is down from a peak of 9.1% three years ago. Tariffs have not spurred inflation as much as some economists worried, but they are starting to lift the prices of heavily imported goods such as furniture, toys, and shoes.

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in July from a year ago, above the Fed’s target of 2%. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 3.1%.

Powell added that higher prices from tariffs could cause a one-time shift to prices, rather than an ongoing bout of inﬂation. Other Fed ofﬁcials have said that is the most likely outcome and as a result the central bank can cut rates to boost the job market.

The Fed chair said it is largely up to the central bank to ensure that tariffs don’t lead to sustained inﬂation.

“Come what may, we will not allow a one-time increase in the price level to become an ongoing inﬂation problem,” he said, suggesting deep rate cuts, as Trump has demanded, are unlikely

Regarding the job market, Powell noted that even as hiring has slowed sharply this year the unemployment rate remains low He added that with immigration falling sharply, fewer jobs are needed to keep unemployment in check.

Yet with hiring sluggish, the risks of a sharper downturn, with rising layoffs, has risen, Powell said.

Powell also suggested the Fed would continue to set its interest-rate policy free from political pressure.

Fed officials “will make these decisions, based solely on their assessment of the data and its implications for the economic outlook and the balance of risks. We will never deviate from that approach.”

Powell dedicated the second half of his speech to announcing changes to the Fed’s policy framework that was issued in August 2020. The framework, which has been blamed for delaying the Fed’s response to the pandemic inflation spike, provides guidelines on how the Fed would respond to changes in inﬂation and employment.

In 2020, after a decade of low inflation and low interest rates following the financial crisis and Great Recession in 2008-09, the Fed changed its framework to allow inflation to top its 2% target temporarily, so that inflation would average 2% over time.

And after unemployment fell to a half-century low in 2018, without pushing up inﬂation, the 2020 framework said that the Fed would focus only on “shortfalls” in employment, rather than “deviations.” That meant it would cut rates if unemployment rose, but wouldn’t necessarily raise them if it fell.

The Fed reviewed its framework this year and concluded that it was tied too closely to the pre-pandemic economy, which has since shifted. Inflation spiked to a four-decade high in 2022 and the Fed rapidly boosted interest rates afterward.

O’Neal

Erin weakens to post-tropical cyclone, moves out to sea

BY ALLEN G. BREED, JOHN SEEWER and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press

RODANTHE, N.C. Strong winds and waves battered Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard and dangerous rip currents threatened from the Carolinas to New England as Hurricane Erin made its way farther out to sea. The storm was forecast to cause possible coastal ﬂooding into the weekend along the East Coast but was also expected to gradually lose strength. The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported Friday evening that Erin had weakened into a post-tropical cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, and was located about 375 miles south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia Despite being twice the size of an average hurricane, Erin so far has managed to thread the needle through the Atlantic between the East Coast and several island nations, limiting its destructiveness.

Massachusetts-based me-

teorologist Caitlyn Mench said Friday that Erin’s high wind ﬁeld caused it to be felt widely along the East Coast: “On a positive note, it passed all offshore,” she said, of the New England area, which experienced some minor coastal flooding due to the storm.

Nantucket’s airport recorded winds of up to 45 mph overnight into Friday The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced Friday that it was canceling ferry service to and from the Boston area cities of Lynn, Quincy, and Winthrop. Several oceanside beaches along Cape Cod’s National Seashore also closed to swimmers and other recreation due to high surf and rip currents

On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, waves breached dunes in the town of Kill Devil Hills on Thursday evening, and water and sand pooled on Highway 12.

Although damage assessments were still underway, the low-lying islands appeared to have dodged widespread trouble.

A tropical storm warning was lifted for Bermuda, where residents and tourists had been told to stay out of the water through Friday Warnings along the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia were also discontinued.

The National Weather Service issued coastal ﬂood

National Guard troops

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, MATT BROWN and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Defense Sec-

retary Pete Hegseth has ordered National Guard troops to start carrying firearms while patrolling the streets of Washington for President Donald Trump’s law enforcement crackdown, the Pentagon said Friday The Defense Department didn’t offer any other details about the new development or why it was needed. Hegseth referred to it as “common sense” on social media. No troops have been spotted yet with ﬁrearms around the city in the hours after the announcement. But the deci-

sion is an escalation in the Republican administration’s intervention in the nation’s capital and comes as nearly 2,000 National Guard members have been stationed in the heavily Democratic city Some local ofﬁcials were harshly critical, with D.C council member Charles Allen saying Trump’s actions are “not of a president, but of someone on the march to an authoritarian takeover.

Trump initially called up 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. Since then, six Republican-led states have sent troops to the city, grow-

ing the military presence.

It’s unclear how long the deployment will last.

“If I have to, I’ll declare a national emergency, which I don’t think I’ll have to do,” Trump said.

He suggested that he could take a similar approach in other cities, such as Chicago and maybe New York.

“After we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe also,” Trump said in the Oval Ofﬁce. Referring to Chicago as “a mess,” he said, “that will be our next one after this.”

There were no signs that the National Guard’s role in D.C. would be changing. The troops have not taken part in law enforcement and largely have been protect-

warnings for places as far north as the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, saying that some roads could be made impassable.

On Thursday night, local news outlets reported that firefighters rescued more than 50 people from cars, restaurants and bars after tidal flooding in Margate City, New Jersey

Beaches were closed to swimming Thursday in New York City, but more than a dozen surfers still rode waves at Rockaway Beach in Queens. Scott Klossner, who lives nearby said conditions were great for experienced surfers.

“You wait all year round

for these kinds of waves. It’s challenging, really hard to stay in one place, because there’s a heavy, heavy, heavy rip,” he said. “But this is what surfers want a hurricane that comes but doesn’t destroy my house? I’ll

ing landmarks including the National Mall and Union Station and helping with crowd control.

Some troops have fed squirrels. One Guard member helped a woman carry her belongings down the stairs in a train station. Others have been seen taking photos with passersby, standing around chatting and drinking coffee. There have been no overt indications that they have faced threats that would require weapons.

D.C. council member Christina Henderson said Trump was “inviting confrontation where there doesn’t need to be any.”

Trump has boasted that the city is safer than ever

because of his intervention. He told reporters Friday that “it’s a miracle what’s happened.”

“D.C. was a hellhole,” he said. “But now it’s safe.”

He suggested that he could prolong the deployment of troops and federal agents in Washington.

“The big question is how long do we stay?” he said.

“Because if we stay, we want to make sure it doesn’t come back. So we have to take care of these criminals and get them out.”

Trump said he would ask Congress for $2 billion to improve the appearance of the city including resurfacing roads and replacing streetlights. He’s previously pledged to improve the

grass to look like one of his golf courses. “It’s going to be safe, and it’s going to be beautiﬁed,” he said.

Trump’s decision to seek more money for sprucing up Washington comes months after the Republican-controlled Congress passed legislation that essentially forced a $1.1 billion budget cut on the city Local leaders have pleaded for a ﬁx, but to no avail.

Tensions have flared at times in the streets of D.C. since Trump’s intervention began, especially involving federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement. Some fear arming the National Guard could exacerbate the situation.

VIRGINIAN-PILOT PHOTO By KENDALL WARNER

Brianna Quick holds her dog Hina, while checking out the coastal flooding on Thursday in the Colonial Place neighborhood of Norfolk, Va., as a result of Hurricane Erin.

Gonzales budget standstill continues

Council members push back on mayor’s proposal

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

As the Gonzales City Council prepares for Monday’s vote on the city’s budget, at least two council members say they will not approve it because it includes more than $280,000 for several job positions not created by the council. The budget conflict concerns how much power Mayor Tim Ri-

ley should wield. Several council members insist the mayor must seek council approval when creating new government jobs in his administration, pointing to an ordinance created roughly two decades ago that says as much.

Riley argues the ordinance violates the Lawrason Act, which

states that no “ordinance may limit the authority granted to the mayor by this Paragraph.” Earlier this year, he asked the Louisiana Attorney General for an opinion on whether the ordinance unlawfully infringes on his mayoral powers. The office has yet to issue an opinion. Additionally, the ordinance has

Boy, 15, killed in alleged drunken

driving crash

Denham Springs victim was on his bike

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

A 15-year-old boy was killed in a crash while riding his bicycle Thursday night in Denham Springs, and the driver who hit him was allegedly driving drunk. Juan Alfredo Chavarria Lezama, 31, of Walker, was arrested on counts of vehicular homicide, driving while under the inﬂuence, reckless operation of a moving vehicle and possession of alcohol in a moving vehicle Law enforcement also said he had no driver’s license and is on an ICE detainer which is a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to local authorities to hold someone for additional time. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce was dispatched after 7 p.m. Thursday to Magnolia Boulevard near Whiteleaf Street for a crash involving a vehicle and a teenager on a bicycle.

Sheriff Jason Ard said the victim was

yet to be enforced. Violations of city ordinances are punishable with 60 days in jail, a $500 ﬁne or both. Every day a violation occurs counts as a separate offense Riley said Friday that his administration is currently funding two roles not created by the council: a chief of staff position paid around $94,000 annually and a Department of Public Works secretary role. He said he consulted former City Attorney Matthew Percy, the Louisiana Municipal Association and the Louisiana Legislative

Auditor’s ofﬁce before creating the two roles.

In the proposed budget, Riley seeks to also fund four new jobs: a purchasing manager, a warehouse associate, a business license clerk and a human resources clerk. Riley said people working at City Hall have asked for those positions and that the jobs would “be able to get the city running more efﬁciently.”

The salaries for those positions

See BUDGET, page 2B

THE ROYAL TREATMENT

$5M moved into schools’ food budget must be repaid

Program lays out strategy for EBR Parish

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Baton Rouge public school leaders on Thursday plugged a nearly $5 million hole in their student meal service budget after those in charge of the program promised they will pay it all back within four years.

It is an unusual spot for East Baton Rouge Parish’s Children Nutrition Program, which for decades has run healthy surpluses. Over the past two years, however, the program, which serves meals to some 25,000 children each day, has drifted deep into the red. Superintendent LaMont Cole on Thursday presented the four-year repayment plan to the School Board, as it voted to pull almost $4.9 million from district financial reserves to avoid a deficit Under the “Four-Year Financial Recovery Plan,” the program will spend the first two years righting the ship and the second two years paying the district back an estimated $2.4 million each year Cole said the effort to improve is ongoing.

“I’m open to listening to anyone who has suggestions about how we can improve,” he said. The shortfall is being blamed on a combination of underestimating spending and overestimating revenue. The program began cutting spending last fall after the ﬁnancial hole came to light. That was around the time when Cole became superintendent and the Child Nutrition Program got a new director, Ellen McKnight Hill. After several months in the red, the program entered the black starting in March. Hill, a registered dietitian nutritionist, has spent her career working in jobs in public health, wellness and nutrition in a variety of spheres. According to her resume, this is her ﬁrst foray into managing a school food service.

Cole complimented Hill for her leadership amid a “crisis.”

“You came into a situation, looked at it, began managing it very quietly and professionally and have come to a point where you have a plan, a corrective action plan that is going to address the deﬁcits and put us back in the black,” Cole said.

Children climbing fence at Baton Rouge pool arrested

Police say they had painted BB guns to look ‘real’

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

children had

Riley

Volunteers continue search for missing boy

NOPD criticized for delay in response

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

New Orleans East resident Mar-

co Hernandez donned rain gear and grabbed a machete on Friday morning as he prepared to search the area’s thicketed abandoned homes and terways until sundown. He joined dozens of munity members have done the same since 12-year-old nonverbal vanished last week.

Hernandez said his vations are simple: “I a son.”

lance video leaving his Beaucaire Street home at around 5:20 a.m. on Thursday Aug. 14.

The search for young Bryan Vasquez went into its ninth day as the New Orleans Police Department weathered criticism over a five-hour lag from when the first call came in and an officer was dispatched to respond. NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Thursday that the department has launched an internal investigation.

A Times-Picayune analysis of NOPD call logs shows the response in Vasquez’s case was not unusual. The department has ﬁelded more than 250 missing child reports so far this year, many with similar response times, the data shows.

Vasquez was last seen on surveil-

Though foul play hasn’t been confirmed in Vasquez’s case, police haven’t ruled it out, NOPD Detective Mario Bravo said Friday Deploying drones and dogs, officers with NOPD, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries canvassed an area hemmed by canals near the 13000 block of Sevres Street. e search has galvanized volunteers from BaRouge to Michoacán, ico, and spawned an international partnership.

The United Cajun Navy, founded by local boaters in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, has joined forces with Los Topos, a nonproﬁt Mexican rescue team founded in the wake of a deadly 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

“The Topos did a brief training for the community volunteers, and we began the search based on what the Cajun Navy needed us to do,” said Cristina Casas, a member of Baton Rouge Unido

She is one of around 40 volunteers she says are assisting authorities in an increasingly desperate search. New Orleans Crimestoppers on Friday announced a $1,250 reward for anyone with tips that

PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Officers with the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola chase team look at a monitor in the back of a truck as they fly a drone over a woody park in New Orleans East on Monday. The search continues for Bryan Vasquez, 12, a missing nonverbal boy who is on the autism spectrum.

help bring Vasquez home.

“We are working very hard to find Bryan,” said Bravo, who is leading the investigation.

Family members don’t believe the NOPD has done enough, said Cristi Fajardo, founder of El Pueblo Nola

She cited a lack of communication with NOPD and the ﬁve hours that lapsed between the time the missing juvenile report came in at 10:20 a.m. on Aug. 14 and the time an ofﬁcer arrived on the scene at

Lafayette Buc-ee’s opening delayed

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

to 2028, officials say

Construction of the Buc-ee’s store in Lafayette has been delayed and is now expected to be complete in 2028

A document on the company’s website gives new expected opening dates for several locations across the United States and shows the Lafayette site is expected to open about two years later than the initially announced 2026 target date Buc-ee’s officials declined to comment Thursday When Buc-ee’s bought the 42 acres at the northeast corner of Interstate 10 and Louisiana Avenue in December, it indicated construction on the $82 million

POOL

Continued from page 1B

painted the orange tips of the gun the marks of a toy gun black “to make them appear real,” Baton Rouge police said in a news release. A fourth child who took part in the incident was 7 years old and was not arrested, police said.

FOOD

Continued from page 1B

Former School Board member and school food service professional Emily Chatelain urged the board to investigate more deeply what is happening.

“We have a really wonderful child nutrition department and a child nutrition director who needs support,” Chatelain said. “I would urge you guys to dig into this hard and deep and see what this is and look at why this is a problem.”

Chatelain, who served on the board from September 2023 to April 2024, questioned whether there really is a deficit, noting “we’re using extremely antiquated systems to manage our child nutrition program,” and that the district will abandon its progress in improving school meals.

“My big concern is we’re going to cut the quality of food that we’re serving these kids,” she said. “And that’s a really big concern when we don’t even understand what the true food cost is and what the true labor cost is.”

The department’s corrective action plan, developed in July, lists eight ﬁnancial “challenges” it has been facing along with potential solutions, including: n Excessive stafﬁng. The number of full-time and part-time staff grew by 61 people between

project would begin early 2025 and the store would open in the second quarter of 2026.

Site work began earlier this year, but frequent rains and other factors resulted in an initial delay on the project. There’s been no signiﬁcant activity at the site for weeks.

Scott-based Triton Construction, the general contractor on the project, told Developing Lafayette last month that construction was paused temporarily because of a combination of design delays and poor weather conditions.

Messages left at Triton on Thursday were not returned.

Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, indicated last month that the ﬁll dirt on the

The Baton Rouge parks and recreation agency closed the Howell Park pool indefinitely after the incident. Ofﬁcials said Friday the facility will remain closed until further notice.

Besides carrying what appeared to be handguns, the children got into the pool unsupervised, BREC said in a news release at the time.

The children ran away, without confrontation, when staff ap-

August 2022 and August 2024. Over the past year, after instituting a hiring freeze, the staff count has dropped to 445, a reduction of 88 people.

n Declining student enrollment and attendance. That has led to fewer meals served and, consequently less money reimbursed by the federal school meal program. To boost meal counts, schools are restoring “breakfast in the classroom” at elementary schools as well as other efforts to boost breakfast, which has fallen off.

n High-cost menu items. In recent years, in a bid to improve the quality of meals, the program added “premium menu items” such as “chicken wings and daily fresh fruit.” Those new offerings, however, “signiﬁcantly increased plate costs and reduced overall program profitability.” Instead, the district is replacing those offerings with “nutritionally equivalent options available through the USDA commodity program.”

n Too much reliance on highercost “single-source” vendors for food. The district has shifted to using multiple vendors, “resulting in a 32% reduction in raw food costs compared to the previous school year.”

n Incorrect salaries in the district’s antiquated finance software, which is slowly being replaced. An internal audit has been conducted and recommended

property needs to settle properly before the next step can begin, and because of frequent rains, the site now requires re-grading and more ﬁll dirt. Contacted Thursday, both Mitchell and Mayor-President Monique Boulet were unaware of the project’s revised completion date. If construction takes 16 months, an estimate of when construction will start would be anywhere from mid-2026 to early 2027. Plans include a 74,000-square-foot store along with about 120 gas pumps and nearly 700 parking spaces, along with public infrastructure improvements to Louisiana Avenue. LEDA predicts it to generate $1.5 million in sales tax collections a year and employ 150.

proached them, BREC said.

“The decision to close the pool was made to ensure the safety of all visitors and allow for a thorough assessment of the situation,” the agency said.

The three children, ages 10, 11 and 12, were each arrested on a count of unauthorized entry of a business and released to their parent, pending their court date, the news release said.

changes sent to staff in human resources.

n Loss of two federal grants worth $1.32 million. The district plans to ramp up its grant writing in hopes of attracting new funds to offset those lost. The Child Nutrition Program historically has more than paid for its operations. As recently as 2018, it ended the ﬁscal year with a $10.2 million surplus. That surplus was put to use during the tumultuous days of COVID when schools were often closed. Instead, school meals were served curbside, at pickup sites and delivered to people’s homes. By June 2023, the program had rebuilt to a $4.8 million surplus. It didn’t last. In 2023-24, revenue grew about 3%, but spending increased more than 22% compared with the previous fiscal year To cover that year’s $5.7 million shortfall, the newly built-up surplus was erased, and $885,000 was transferred from district reserves.

The uptick in spending at the time was blamed largely on $3,500 in stipends paid to cafeteria workers, plus moving those same workers five steps up the salary ladder. Then Superintendent Sito Narcisse agreed to those pay increases in August 2023 after cafeteria workers joined a bus driver sick-out and forced schools to cancel classes for a day

3:06 p.m., NOPD call logs show

“We opened up a formal investigation into that so we could find out what all of the facts are, get them in context and then make decisions,” Kirkpatrick said Thursday “The most important thing is the child.” NOPD officials at a Friday media briefing did not comment on the response times, citing the open investigation. The city on Friday denied a request for related 911 audio, dispatch notes, NOPD re-

Tex-Mex,

cords and transcripts, citing a constitutional right to privacy A Times-Picayune analysis of NOPD’s calls for service log shows 254 reports of missing juveniles so far in 2025 that culminated in a police report Of those calls, 78 came from the sprawling 7th District, which encompasses New Orleans East. Only ﬁve of those calls were categorized as Priority 2 calls, which merit blue light and sirens Those Priority 2 calls had an average response time of 49 minutes. The rest were categorized as Priority 1, a “routine” call, and their response times ranged from hours to, in one case, days, records show Casas said she remains hopeful, saying she and other Hispanic volunteers are assisting in the search despite what they view as a risk of potential arrest and detainment by federal immigration agents. Darlene Cuzanza of Crimestoppers reiterated Thursday that tipsters are anonymous “We want further collaboration with the Hispanic community,” she said. “We don’t want them to be scared of us. This hurts us all.” Bryan Vasquez is described as about 5 feet, 1 and between 86 and 100 pounds He was last seen wearing an adult diaper He has brown eyes and black hair Anyone with information is asked to call 911, the New Orleans Police Department at (504) 821-2222 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.

Asian fusion restaurant in BR closes quietly after one year

Staff report

The Patio Tex-Mex Fusion, a Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant located in Bocage Village, quietly closed this week after one year of business. The Patio, 7655 Old Hammond Highway, had its official grand opening in late August 2024. The menu featured tuna tostadas, a toasted tortilla with a deconstructed tuna-based sushi and pico de gallo on top, a poblano pepperbased creamy pasta, and other dishes. The fusion concept restaurant

replaced The Velvet Cactus, which closed in 2022. The future of the open space is still unknown. Ton Suansawang, one of the owners who helped to develop recipes for the restaurant, was no stranger to the Baton Rouge food scene. After moving to the city from Bangkok when he was 16, his father and stepmother opened Thai Pepper, which they still run today In terms of restaurant work, Suansawang has run the gamut of cuisines: Italian, sushi, Chinese, Thai, brunch — he even met his wife, Sonnie, while they were both working at Whole Foods.

VICTIM

Continued from page 1B

airlifted to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Ard said deputies saw the driver was impaired at the scene, then

BUDGET

Continued from page 1B

cost roughly $194,000, according to an email Division D Council Member Tyler Turner sent to Riley on Aug. 18. Turner said he won’t vote for the budget unless those four positions and the chief of staff job are removed from it.

Division E Council Member Terri Lambert wrote in an email to Riley that she wanted the DPW secretary role removed as well and argued the ordinance is legal until a court determines otherwise.

“You failed to ﬁle a lawsuit or ask for an Attorney General Opinion in advance of unilaterally creating and funding the ‘Chief of Staff’ & ‘DPW Secretary’ positions without Council approval,” she added.

found his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit. The driver is in the Livingston Parish Detention Center, and the investigation is ongoing.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.

Budget which limits this administration’s ability to operate our city, which, in my view, your proposal would do,” he added about Turner’s request to remove the positions. “Should your proposal be adopted by a majority of the council, I will exercise the mayoral veto.”

Budget approval seems tenuous

The city has been operating with a roughly $11 million general fund for more than 100 days, as state law requires municipalities to use half the previous year’s budget if a new one is not ratiﬁed. Riley has said he could start having to make cuts in November if no budget is approved by then.

In an emailed response to Turner Riley wrote that the failure to pass a budget “is not acceptable” and said he expected the Attorney General’s Ofﬁce to issue a favorable opinion for him about the ordinance.

“I will not accept a General Fund

Monday’s public hearing and vote are set for 5:30 p.m. at the Gonzales City Hall The council has previously rejected Riley’s budget, and three council members must vote for it to pass. Following this week’s email exchanges, that appears tenuous. In her email to Riley, Lambert wrote that she “will not compromise with you or your Administration on the Budget when I believe there is a clear violation of the Gonzales City Code.”

“It will be a very dark day in Gonzales’ history when we approve a Budget laden with political patronage positions, rather than a healthy Budget, which beneﬁts the welfare of our citizens and the future of the City of Gonzales,” she added.

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

Antoine, Freddie

Chambers,Judith Thompson BaptistChurch, 5422 North Greensburg RoadinSmithdale, MS,at11a.m

Comager, Debbie Hall Davisand SonFuneralHome, 9348 Scenic Highway, at 10 a.m.

Cooks,Joyce Williams &Southall FuneralHome, 1204Cleveland Street in Thibodaux, at 11 a.m.

Fontenot,Mary ColdwaterBaptist Church in Natchitoches at 1p.m

Geraci,Laurina

St.Thomas More Catholic Church at 11am

Gray,Martha HouseholdofFaith Church,10469

AirlineHighway in Gonzales,at10:30 a.m.

Hall, Marion Antioch Full Gospel BaptistChurch, 5247 Ford Street,at10a.m

Hirschey,Kenneth

St.Agnes Catholic Church,749 East Blvd. in BatonRouge at noon.

Holmes, Lucile

St.Andrew's UnitedMethodist Church,17510 MonitorAve.inBaton Rouge at 11am

Johnson, Curtis Wilson Wooddale Funeralhome, 1553Wooddale Blvd, BatonRouge,LA at 11am

Jones, Ronald Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home, 7738 FloridaBlvd., Denham Springs,LAat12pm.

LeBlanc, Donald

IglesiadeDiosRey de ReyesChurch (King of Kings Church)13475 Hwy 431, Suite GKL StAmantat3:30pm.

Lee-Holliday,Bobbery Mount PleasantBaptistChurch,1743 ConventionStreet, at 11 a.m.

Martin,Sidney

Second BaptistChurch Fellowship Hall in Jacksonat1:30pm

Millet, Mae

WilbertFuneral Home,24120 RailroadAvenue, Plaquemineat11am.

Millet, Mae WilbertFuneral Home,24120 RailroadAvenue, Plaquemineat11am.

Mills,William St.Charles BaptistChurch in Paincourtville at 11 a.m.

Mott, Virginia Allen'sTempleChurch,3921 McClainRoadinLiberty,MSat11a.m NewtonJr.,Eddie Promised Land BaptistChurch,7234 PlankRoad,

Luz MarinaBarona September 14, 1934-August 13, 2025

Luz Marina Muñoz de Barona passed away on Wednesday,August 13, 2025.She willberemembered forthe way she filled every space she entered with light, practiced her Catholicfaith,and faced life'sbattleswithgrace and strength. Born in Cali, Colombia, Luz was the daughter of Elvia Rengifo Muñozand ArturoMuñoz and sister to CarlosAlberto and Alfredo At herbaptism, her mother was too illto attend, so her father gave the priestthe name "Gloria Luz,"while her godmother insisted her motherwanted"Luz Marina." The priestcombined them, unknowingly bestowing on her names that wouldfully reflect her radiantspirit.

In 1958, Luz Marina married herdance partner, Dr. NarsesBarona,onChristmas Day.Together, they builta beautiful liferooted in love,resilience, and generosity. They moved to the United States in 1962 with their young son,Narses Jr., ultimately settling in Baton Rouge, where they welcomed their daughter,Luz Elisa, who became known as Lisa. Luz was atrailblazer among women, completing collegeand beingone of the first women in her communityofSan Nicolás to vote and holda job. She began her careerasanelementary teacher and went on to serve as atechnical draftswoman, primarily in theCollege of BasicSciences at Louisiana State University. Luz also had a creative mind thatcould transformordinarymomentsinto magic—from a Cinderella birthday carriage made of vegetables, embroidering beaded wedding gownstorecreating Colombian dance costumes. Her energy was boundless and her generosity endless. Luz openedher homewith dozens of relatives,internationalstudents, and neighbors, teaching Englishand American customs to newcomers. Throughfood, music, dance, andstorytelling, she also educated countless Americans about the cultureand traditions of her beloved home country, Colombia.

Aboveall,Luz was devotedtoher family.She cared tenderly forher husband during his long battle with Alzheimer's, wielding patience and sacrificial love as remarkable strengths. She adored her grandchildren, who called her NaNa. Throughout her life,she connectedwith dozens of nieces, nephews, cousins,and friends around theworld. Herinfluence shaped their livesprofoundly,asshe had shaped so many others with her compassion and faith Luzissurvivedbyher children, NarsesBarona, Jr., and Dr. Lisa Barona McRoberts Lewis, her sonin-law Errin Lewis; grandchildren, David Alexander Barona,Tori (Victoria Anne)McRoberts Hoffpauir and her husband David, Christopher Michael Barona,Neal Lane McRoberts;and greatgrandchildren: Joshua, Ana Lucia, Haven, Glory, Merit, Giovanni, and Esperanza. Her family expressessincere gratitude forthose who cared for Luz at home and throughout her life, Lisa, Crystal (Pinnacle Hospice), Kristen (Davita), Carmen Board,and HenryHurtado;provided transportation, meals, and/or hospitality, Luz Marina and Chris Plater,Jeannie LeBlanc, Michael Liffmann, Victor Sanchez, Mariela Restrepo, Jackie Conque; and emotional support Norma Sardi, Diane and Bobby Leche, her rosary group, and international family and friends. We are eternally grateful fortheir love and dedication AMemorial Mass willbe celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, at St JosephCathedral.Friends and family willgather to pray arosaryat10:30 a.m. Arepast will be held after Mass in the parish hall to visit with thefamily and friends.

DonaldJames LeBlanc, 62, anativeofDonaldsonville and residentof Prairieville, La.passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.

Donaldwas adevoted husband, father, brother, uncleand friend.One of his greatest joys besideshis family was sharing the GospelofJesus with all who wouldlisten. Hisfaith and love forJesus carried him throughlifeand into thepresence of God He leavesbehindto cherish his memory his loving wife, Guadalupe "Nena" Saenz LeBlanc; two children, James LeBlanc and JamieLeBlanc Juarez (Adan); siblings, 6brothers, Emile (Stephany), Andrew (Regina), Wilfred (Ellen), Mark (Louisa), Taylor (Cheryl), Eric(Claudia); 4sisters, Iris (Westley) Hernandez, Catherine Mendoza, Margaret (Peter) Rose, Angela(Ricky) Sims; in-laws, Ruperto and Bahola Saenz of Mexico,brother/sister-in-law, Francisco Silvaand his wife, Veronica "Vero"along withtheir kids,Jonathan, Christian and Emily, and ahost of niecesand nephews. Preceded in deathbyhis parents, RichardLeBlanc, Sr and Jeanne GaronLeBlanc: twobrothers, Richard LeBlanc, Jr. and Patrick LeBlanc. Visitation willbe held on Saturday, August 23rd at 2pm, with amemorial servicefollowing at 3:30 at Iglesia de Dios Rey de Reyeschurch (King of Kings Church) 13475 Hwy 431, Suite GKL St Amant, La 70774. Burial of his urn will take place at alaterdate. Servicesentrusted with Church Funeral Services

ited China, NewZealand, Hawaii, Europe,Egypt and the Middle East,aswellas Mexico, Cuba,the Caribbean,and many statesinthe U.S, many of which were on thebackof their BMWmotorcycle. Bet‐tye wasprecededindeath byher parents, Virginia and W. RichardMorgan. She is survived by Andrew Charles Martin,her hus‐bandof53years,one son, Dr. Seth AlexanderMartin (Milena), andtwo grand‐daughters,Laurenand Lily Martin. Also,a brother, W. Richard Morgan (Barita) She is also survived by a nephew, Adam Morgan (Kelli,and theirtwo sons Kaeland Luka;a niece, Anne Morgan (Ryan) and their threesons, GavinAyo, Johnnyand Ruckus Schaubert.A memorial ser‐vicefor Bettye will be held onTuesday,August26, at Charlet FuneralHome, 4230 HighStreet,Zachary Louisiana,withvisitation beginning at 10 a.m.,fol‐lowed by theservice at 11 a.m conductedbythe ReverendJerry Martin.In lieuof ﬂowers, donations inher memory will be gratefully accepted at the WestFeliciana Food Pantry P.O.Box 1357, St.Fran‐cisville, LA 70775. Share sympathies, condolences, and memories at www.Cha rletFuneralHome.com

EddieLeon"SonnyBoy" Newton Jr., born on October14, 1938, in Jonesville, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2025, at theCarpenter HouseinBaton Rouge,La. He wasa devotedfather to hisbeloved children: Yolandra Newton,Roderic Newton, Phaedra Cusic, andNicoleNewton. His love extendedbeyondhis immediate familytoincludehis longtime companion, LucilleGhoram. Eddiealso embraced Lucille's children—Lahoma Harris andSedrick Ghoram.

Viewingfrom8 am until religiousservice at 10am on August 23, 2025, at PromiseLand Baptist Church 7234 PlankRoad.

KennethWayne “Kenny Simmons,64, aresidentof St. Francisville,passedon Wednesday,August20, 2025. He wasa resident of St. Francisville.Heworked inLaw Enforcementfor overtwentyyears,serving asthe Police ChiefofSt. Francisvillefor over 13 years.There will be avisi‐tationatCharlet Funeral Home, Inc. in Zachary, LA onSunday, August 24, 2025 from2:00pmuntil funeral servicesat4:00pm. There willbea 10:00 am grave‐sideservice on Monday August252025 at Mt CarmelCemeteryinSt. Francisville. He is survived bytwo step-daughters: AmandaTurnley,Abigail Miley andhusband Jake; two sons:AustinSimmons and Zack Simmons; father, Donovan “Don”Simmons Jr.;two brothers William Billy” Simmons, Robert “Bobby” Simmonsand wife Henrietta;and grandchild Malcolm Miley. He was precededindeath by his mother, Katherine“Kathy” Simmons andbrother Don‐nie Simmons. Pallbearers willbeWilliam Simmons, Bobby Simmons, Doug Howland,Sam Daquilla, JoeyThibodeaux, and William“Billy”Torrez. He workedhis wayupthrough the St.Francisvillepolice departmentfrompatrol‐man in 1983 to eventually becominga decorated chief of police of St.Fran‐cisville, retiring in 2003. He was agraduateofthe FBI academy 210thsession where he graduatedinthe top threeofhis session. He receiveda commendation fromthe United States Congressin2002 forhis years in lawenforcement Hewas also acertiﬁed ac‐cidentreconstructionist and acquired many other professionalcertiﬁcatesin law-enforcement.Share sympathies, memories and condolencesatwww CharletFuneralHome.com.

AnnieMae (YoYo) Green departed this life Tuesday, August 18, 2025, at 74 years old. She was anativeof Baton Rouge,LA. She leavesbehinda loving family that willcherish greatmemories of her. She has had an irreplaceable impact on thelives of the onesthat love her. She will be greatly missed.The funeral servicewillbeheld from10:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2025-08-28 at WilsonWooddaleFuneralHome, 1553 Wooddale Blvd,Baton Rouge, LA 70806.

Luz and Narses traveled extensively, appreciating culture,people, architecture, and art aroundthe world. She also inspired those around her to experiencelife'sbeautyinthe ordinary—from appreciating native floratowatching pelicans migrate over the LSU lakes. Hersteadfastfaith and unwavering optimism were nothing short of miraculous. As ayoung mother, she was diagnosed with asarcoma,a rare cancer,which she survived with exceptional care at M.D. Anderson. In the last decadeofher life, shefaced and overcame kidney cancertwice,affordingher theopportunity to fulfill adream of seeing the RoseParade in Californiaand an extended visit to Colombia with Carmen and Jim Board prior to losing her sight.

Bettye Louise Morgan Martinpassedawaysud‐denly andtragicallyonJuly 31, 2025, in Longboat Key, Florida,asthe result of a swimming accident.She was born in BatonRouge, Louisiana,onDecember16, 1948, to Virginia Strader Morganand Woodrow Richard Morgan.Bettye was asocialstudies teacher formanyyears in the East BatonRouge ParishSchool System, ﬁrst atScotlandville High School andlater at Belaire HighSchool.After retire‐mentfromteaching, she moved with herhusband, Andrew, to West Feliciana Parishwhere sheimmedi‐ately involved herselfwith the West FelicianaFood Pantry, of which shesoon becamethe director.Bet‐tye wasdevoted to her clients andfellowvolun‐teersatthe pantry,work‐ing tirelesslyday andnight toserve themorethan350 families who depended on the food andother neces‐sitiesthatthe pantry pro‐vided.She wasalsoanen‐thusiasticworld traveler andalong with Andrew vis‐

LeBlanc, DonaldJames

Newton,Eddie

Martin,Bettye Louise Morgan

Green,Annie Mae (YoYo)

Canada will match U.S. tariff exemptions

TORONTO Canada is dropping retaliatory tariffs to match U.S. tariff exemptions for goods covered under the United StatesMexico-Canada trade pact, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday

Carney said Canada will include the carve-out that the U.S. has on Canadian goods under the 2020 free trade deal that shields the vast majority of goods from the punishing duties.

“Canada currently has the best trade deal with the United States. And while it’s different from what we had before, it’s still better than that of any other country,” Carney said.

Carney and U.S President Donald Trump spoke on the phone Thursday and Carney met with his Cabinet on Friday before making the announcement.

“We had a very good call,” Trump said Friday in the Oval Office. “We are working on something. We want to be very good to Canada. I like Carney a lot. I think he’s a very good person.”

“I am ﬁghting for the United States, and Canada and Mexico have taken a lot of our business over the years,” Trump said.

Carney said Trump told him that lifting the tariffs would reset trade negotiations.

Canadian and Mexican companies can claim preferential treatment under the USMCA.

Trump to keep extending TikTok ban deadline

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is calling national security and privacy concerns related to TikTok and its Chinese parent company “highly overrated” and said Friday he’ll keep extending the deadline for the popular video-sharing platform until there’s a buyer Congress approved a U.S ban on TikTok unless its parent company, ByteDance, sold its controlling stake. But Trump has so far extended the deadline three times during his second term — with the next one coming up on Sept. 17.

“We’re gonna watch the security concerns,” Trump told reporters, but added, “We have buyers, American-buyers,” and “until the complexity of things work out, we just extend a little bit longer.”

The first extension was through an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court — took effect. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trump’s tariff announcement.

Feds to take over Boar’s Head plant inspections

Federal inspectors will assume direct oversight of a troubled Boar’s Head deli meat plant when it reopens after last year’s deadly listeria outbreak, U.S. Agriculture Department ofﬁcials said The Jarratt, Virginia, factory is set to resume operations in the coming months. It will face at least 90 days of heightened monitoring and inspections by federal Food Safety and Inspection Service officials. Previously, inspections were conducted by state officials who operated on behalf of the agency

The change aims to “ensure the establishment consistently and effectively implements its corrected food safety plans,” USDA ofﬁcials said in a statement. It calls for stricter enforcement if lapses occur

The plant was shuttered nearly a year ago when listeria-tainted liverwurst caused the outbreak that killed 10 people, sickened dozens and forced a recall of more than 7 million pounds of deli products. USDA officials lifted the plant’s suspension in July

BUSINESS

Market hopes for lower interest rates

Dow surges 846 points to a record

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK Wall Street rallied to its best day in months on Friday after the head of the Federal Reserve hinted that cuts to interest rates may be on the way, along with the kick they can give the economy and investment prices.

The S&P 500 leaped 1.5% for its ﬁrst gain in six days and ﬁnished just shy of its all-time high set last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 846 points, or 1.9%, to its own record after topping its prior high from December The Nasdaq composite jumped 1.9%.

“Ka-Powell” is how Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management, described the reaction to Jerome Powell’s highly anticipated speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The Fed isn’t going to be the partypooper.”

The hope among investors had been that Powell would hint that the Fed’s ﬁrst cut to interest rates of the year may be imminent. Wall Street loves lower rates because

they can goose the economy, even if they risk worsening inﬂation at the same time. President Donald Trump has angrily been calling for lower rates, often insulting Powell while doing so. And a surprisingly weak report on job growth this month pushed many on Wall Street to assume cuts may come as soon as the Fed’s next meeting in September Powell encouraged them on Friday after saying he’s seen risks rise for the job market. The Fed’s two jobs are to keep the job market healthy and to keep a lid on inﬂation, and it often has to priori-

tize one over the other because it has just one tool to ﬁx either But Powell also would not commit to any kind of timing. Treasury yields tumbled in the bond market as bets built that the Fed would cut its main interest rate in September Traders see an 83% chance of that, up from 75% a day earlier, according to data from CME Group. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.25% from 4.33% late Thursday The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, sank to 3.69% from 3.79% in a notable move for the bond market.

Under the big top

Business leaders engage in carnival-themed AI training

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Artiﬁcial intelligence is a cloudy crystal ball, but DisruptREADY is here to clear it up.

It’s what the advisory ﬁrm’s “Carnival Crew” told attendees Thursday afternoon at its AI training session in Celtic Studios Under the big top executives from more than 50 companies, including Entergy and b1Bank, engaged in station-style lessons on incorporating AI into their business.

CEO and carnival ringmaster Henry Hays said he wanted to create a safe, fun space for business executives to learn about AI amid the technology’s rapidly increasing presence. While some people may be intimidated by AI, Hays wants Baton Rouge companies to stay ahead of the game.

“We’re really stressing now is the time to get involved,” he said.

This month, state education policymakers passed a resolution to lead an AI research agenda so students can keep up with the latest innovations. Construction has started on two massive AI data centers that have drummed up excitement and business in West Feliciana and Richland parishes.

Attendees rotated through six “knowledge centers” on topics including the foundations of AI, using AI with company data, writing AI prompts and misconceptions about AI. At each station, Carnival Crew members — experts in Hays’ network — walked their group through the interactive lesson, using real-life scenarios where they could use AI.

Carnival Crew members used polls to gauge attendees’ familiarity and comfort with AI. In response to “What is preventing your organization from embracing AI?” attendees brought up concerns about the environmental impact, privacy and the “fear of the unknown.”

Hays deﬁnes his target audience as small groups of leadership teams, typically vice president level or higher Thursday’s event was invite-only and prospective participants can apply to attend future events. DisruptREADY will host two more carnival events on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23.

He said he chose the carnival theme because it is chaotic, fun and different than other methods executives may use to learn about AI

“We wanted to really disrupt the way that adults traditionally learn, because it’s either YouTube or, frankly, a really boring, seated all day event where it’s speaker after speaker after speaker We ﬁnd it doesn’t really hit the mark,” he said.

A stilts performer greeted attendees as they walked into the studio, where large red and white curtains lined the perimeter and graphics of circus elephants and performers draped the walls. In intermissions between each knowledge center rotation, two actors performed skit scenarios like a king ridiculing his intern for suggesting the use of AI in the kingdom on a stage in the center of the room. The Carnival Crew donned red and white striped vests and carnival straw hats, with a cane for Hays to complete the ringmaster look. AI technology is not present in Dana Schlotterer’s day-to-day work as the executive

director of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. Schlotterer said she attended the event to learn how to use AI ethically as she trains Baton Rouge area high school students in entrepreneurship.

Schlotterer said students are scared to use AI because they do not want to get in trouble. She’s seeking out a balance between ensuring students produce original work while incorporating the expanding technology

“We’re coming around to it,” she said.

Ronnie Rantz, the CEO of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation and owner of the Baton Rouge Rougarou baseball team, said he has used AI on a “small level” and is ﬁnding ways to incorporate it in areas like payroll, billing and sales. He said some AI, like ChatGPT, can be intimidating because it cannot solve every problem, but the carnival helped dispel some of the fear

“I can see them doing more of these,” he said.

Trump says Intel agrees to U.S. stake in company

BY MICHELLE L PRICE and MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said that Intel has agreed to give the U.S. government a 10% stake in its business.

Speaking with reporters on Friday Trump said the deal came out of a meeting last week with Intel

CEO Lip Bu Tan — which came days after the president called for Tan to resign over his past ties to China.

“I said, I think it would be good having the United States as your partner,” Trump said. “He agreed, and they’ve agreed to do it.” Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agreement.

The struggling Silicon Valley chipmaker has a market cap of just over $100 billion The agreement comes just after Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group disclosed Monday that it is accumulating its 2% stake in Intel. The ofﬁcial announcement is ex-

pected to come later Friday, according to a White House ofﬁcial who was not authorized to speak publicly ahead of an announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity What’s happening?

The Trump administration has been in talks to secure a 10% stake in Intel in exchange for converting government grants that were pledged to Intel under President Joe Biden. If the deal is completed, the U.S. government would become one of Intel’s largest shareholders and blur the traditional lines separating the public sector and private sector in a country that remains the world’s largest economy Why would Trump do this? In his second term, Trump has been leveraging his power to reprogram the operations of major computer chip companies. The administration is requiring Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, two companies whose chips are helping to power the craze around artificial intelligence, to pay a 15% commission on their sales of chips

in China in exchange for export licenses.

Trump’s interest in Intel is also being driven by his desire to boost chip production in the U.S., which has been a focal point of the trade war that he has been waging throughout the world. By lessening the country’s dependence on chips manufactured overseas, the president believes the U.S. will be better positioned to maintain its technological lead on China in the race to create artiﬁcial intelligence.

Didn’t Trump want Intel’s CEO to quit?

That’s what the president said August 7 in an unequivocal post calling for Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign less than ﬁve months after the Santa Clara, California, company hired him. The demand was triggered by reports raising national security concerns about Tan’s past investments in Chinese tech companies while he was a venture capitalist But Trump backed off after Tan professed his allegiance to the U.S. in a public letter to Intel employees and went to the White House to meet

with the president, who applauded the Intel CEO for having an “amazing story.”

Why would Intel do a deal?

The company isn’t commenting about the possibility of the U.S. government becoming a major shareholder, but Intel may have little choice because it is currently dealing from a position of weakness. After enjoying decades of growth while its processors powered the personal computer boom, the company fell into a slump after missing the shift to the mobile computing era unleashed by the iPhone’s 2007 debut Intel has fallen even farther behind in recent years during an artiﬁcial intelligence craze that has been a boon for Nvidia and AMD. The company lost nearly $19 billion last year and another $3.7 billion in the ﬁrst six months of this year, prompting Tan to undertake a cost-cutting spree. By the end of this year, Tan expects Intel to have about

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Henry Hays, CEO of DisruptREADy, center, chats with Jay Allen, left, and Becky Costa, of Atlanta, during Carnival of Change hosted by DisruptREADy on Thursday at Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge.

OPINION

Extreme partisanshipstarted infecting American politics long before Donald Trump emerged, butthe president’sunhingeddesirefor unlimitedpower is now driving the two-party systemtothe brink ofall-out war Trump ignited the latest escalationbydemanding that Texas and other Republican-controlled states defy traditionand redrawtheir congressional districts before the next census in 2030. Since the president’sparty almost always loses seats in midterm elections, his goal is to createmoreRepublican districts in red states and thus protect the party’stiny 3-vote margin in the House before next year’sballoting Governors in blue states like California and New York are accusinghim of “cheating” and are threatening to retaliatebyaltering theirown maps to boost Democratic fortunes.

Bothsides aredigginginand loading up. Onlyafew sane and lonely ﬁgures keepwarningthatthe democratic system is in jeopardy

“We’re only supposed to be redistrictingevery 10 years,” said U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, aNebraska Republican whocan speak his mind becausehe’snot running again.“At some point, thepartisanship gets toomuch.

Ijust think it goes too far.”

Democrats know how damaging gerrymandering can be, and in states like California, they have created independent commissions to mapdistricts. But Trump’stantrum has pushed them to abandontheir own principles.

“How Ifeel is terribly conﬂicted. Ihateit. Ireally worry about arace to the bottom on something that I consider pretty despicable,” U.S. Rep. JaredHuffman, aCalifornia Democrat, told Axios.“But Iunderstand whythe governorand othersare considering it. The only reasonitwould even be possible is whatTexas andothersare doing just stinks so badly thatit’spissingpeople in Californiaoff.”

One particularly nervous faction are Republican lawmakers in blue states, who could lose theirseats if Democrats follow through on their threats. One of them, Rep. Kevin Kiley of California,has introduced a bill that would bar redistricting before the next census “It createsalot of instability if you’re just constantly shifting the lines on the maparound so that, youknow, representatives are losing constituents, losing communities, gaining new ones,”Kiley told FoxNews. “It’s just total chaos. It’snot goodfor representative government.It’snot good forconstituents. It is not good for Democrats or Republicans.”

Partisanship is essential for ahealthy democracy and the modern two-partysystemhas generally served the nation well since it evolvedinthe 1850s. Nor is it unusual foravictorious party to change the rules to solidifyits power.The word “gerrymander” wascoined in 1812, when Gov.Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts approvedastate senatedistrictthatresembled asalamander

Moreover, Democrats are hardly innocent when it comes to map manipulation. Illinois, for example,is represented by 14 Democrats andonly threeRepublicans. But as Bacon said,atsomepoint,“the partisanship gets too much (and) goestoo far.” That’s what’s happening now.Trump is demolishing something intangible but invaluable —the mutualrespect, thespirit of civility across party linesthat makesa functioning democracypossible.

The problem is not just whatTrump and the Texas Republicans aredoing, it’s howtheyare doing it. Democratic lawmakers haveﬂed the state, depriving the legislature of aquorum and stallingimplementationof the new maps. In retaliation, Trump and his ally,Gov Greg Abbott, are implementing policestate tactics, threatening to ﬁne and arrest the absent Democrats and even declare theirseats vacant.

“They’re just treating ourcountry and our system of government like it’sajoke,” said the HouseMinority Leader,Gene Wu This is not ajoke. The current Congress is alreadyso polarizedthatnot asingleHouse Democrat votedfor any of Trump’smajor legislative initiatives. Under current maps, the gerrymandering is so severe that only a handful of all House seatsare consideredwinnableby either party If open warfare breaks out, if maps areredrawn in both red and blue states, the numberofmarginal swing districts will continuetoshrink, and the polarization will get even worse than it is now Gov.Gavin Newsom of California hasofferedTrump atruce if thepresidentalso backs down, but that seems highly unlikely.The president’spush to redraw districts is part of amuchlarger strategytoundermine any and all forces that might restrain his relentless ambitions —judges and economists, lawﬁrms and universities,norms andconventions andtraditions. As Kiley putsit, “total chaos” is looming. Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.

To theletter writer who stopped his contributions toNPR because of supposed bias, Iironically started my contribution to NPR in light of thefunding halt.Ilisten to NPR. It covers stories from all 50 states and the world, including Congress and the president. It covers what President Donald Trumpsays, and it reportsthat mostofwhich he alleges is not based on facts and is unsubstantiated and outright lies. NPR reportsthe good and bad. It reportson theeffects of thecutstoprograms, thedepartments and the layoffs. You don’tknow how manytimes Ihear theNPR announcer statethat, “We reached out to(ﬁll in the blank) for a responsebut have not heard back.”

Is this leftist” or simply reporting thenews? MAGA, of course, would rather not have it reported at all. Ichallenge theletter writer,along with Congress andour two subservient senators, to offer one, just one, sliver of evidence of NPR’sleft-leaning reporting. Funny how the debate in Congress to defund NPRfailed to provide any evidence of unfair reporting. NPRreports on what it sees. MAGA doesn’tlike those reports. So let’ssilence them just like it silences thecolleges, the schools, medical treatments for those not like them, theenvironmental agencies, just to nameafew examples. KeepNPR.

NAHUM LAVENTHAL

NewOrleans

Aletter by army veteran Mark Birden deserves areply Arecent edition carries amessage by Birden saying we don’ttreat our militaryveterans well. Like him, I’m aveteran, having spent nearly ﬁve years on active dutyand several moreinthe Army Reserve. Ialso spent time in Vietnam and received adirect commission during my active-duty years. Ispent time in aseries of classiﬁed jobs both in Southeast Asia and on domestic assignments.

Idisagree with him.

SomeAmerican veterans, it’s true, deserve morethan they’re receiving. Butnot all. Many spent a minimum amount of time in uniform and never came under ﬁre. In fact, relatively few people spent their militaryservice in combat. And manymore were cooks and clerks

and held other noncombat jobs. As veterans, they too deserve honor and recognition. But combat vets deserve more. They deserve to go to thefront of the line when it comes to mostVAservices. Yetall veterans seem tobetreated equally My father survived World War II. He was wounded in France and —like millionsofothers —saw thingsnoone should have to see. His wounds were both external and internal (what we’d now call PTSD), but he never received treatment for thehidden ones. Nordid mostWorld WarIIcombat vets. And that’salways bothered me. It’stime to balance things. Survivors of combat deservemore than those who never saw combat and those who never leftthe safety of theUnited States.

RUSS WISE

The darker car windows law went into effect Aug. 1. This new law was allegedly inspired by alegislator whose daughter’s medication increased her eye sensitivitytolight.

It would have been much safer for everyone, particularly all law enforcement ofﬁcers, if she would

wear sunglasses. Allowing darkertinted front windows is not the answer Iamamazed that this legislation was overwhelmingly approved, and theLouisiana Sheriff’s Association took no position on thebill.

FRANK H. PEREZ Baton Rouge

What if,inthese deeply divided times, the Jeffrey Epstein story is neither aconspiracy,hoax nor a distraction, but acatalyst foruniﬁcation?

What if the worst of humanity,as detailed by the victimsofEpstein and his brethren, can bring out the best in the rest of us?

We can agree that no matter if you are rich, famous, powerful, Democrat or Republican, raping children is unacceptable and you belong behind bars.

No matter if the goal is blackmail or foreign intelligence, child rape is reprehensible.

And the people whoenabled, funded and covered up the raping of children —and those who turned their heads and pretended not to see —shall also be held to account.

Together,wecan stand against those whothink they have impunity.Against those whothink child rape is their reward forpower We can say,“No, it is not OK to manipulate, coerce and lie to children to rape them.”

And through this united front, we can show that the majority of Americans are courageous with a strong moral compass.

Epstein is not just ascandal. Who Epstein was,and whojoined him in his depravity,speaks to the very core of the human experience. It speaks to the core of morality and conviction.

Let’sunite in numbers and a voice that can’tbeignored.

That includes the Epsteinobsessed far-right who, formany years claimed outrage about child sex-trafﬁcking.

True colors can now be revealed. Is your ﬁght against child rape, or is it only aﬁght if the perpetrators also happen to be your sworn enemies?

So at this critical momentin history,let’sall ask ourselves, “Is child rape OK?”

KARI

DEQUINE HARDEN NewOrleans

Steve Roberts

SPORTS

ASOUTHERNMAN

Southerndefensiveend Darrius Harry,left, reacts to aplaybyfellowdefensiveend CkelbyGivensduring agameagainst Texas Southernlast season in Houston. An FCS All-American, Givensisthe preseason SWAC DefensivePlayerofthe year

JaguarsstardefenderGivensresistedluretoend hiscareerelsewhere

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Ckelby Givens isn’tinﬂuencedby money

The same is trueoffame, accolades and other material desires that any normal 21-year-old would fancy. It’s not in the Shreveport native’s nature

The old soul cares aboutthree things above all else:God,family andfootball, in that order

Those are the priorities his mother, Capathia Kimble, and father,Phillip Givens, instilled in their middlechild, who is nowSouthern football’sstar defensive end.

Those three thingsare Ckelby Givens’ compass.It’swhy the FCSAll-American resisted the allure of transferringtoan FBS program.

Givens admits that he’d be lyingif

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There won’tbemuch time between when the Saints wrapup their ﬁnal preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday andwhen they trim their rosterto 53 players. New Orleans currently has a90man roster.ByTuesday afternoon, that number must be 53, with a16man practicesquad (or potentially 17)tofollow

The Saints will haveplentyof interesting decisions to make, and it soundslikethey’re willing to manipulate the roster as much as they can.

“The unique thingis theroster is such amoving, dynamic, fluid thing,” coach Kellen Mooresaid. “With the veterans that can be on the practice squad, what our initial 53 looks like is going to be moving, especially during the first three or four weeksofthe season, just because you have some flex to move guys up and down and veteransthatdon’thave to go through

High praise forTigers freshman

KellycomparesPickett to Ravens star Hamilton

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

When LSU coach Brian Kelly watches freshman cornerback DJ Pickett, he’sreminded of Kyle Hamilton, one of the best defensive players he ever had at Notre Dame. Hamilton, a6-foot-4 safety,was atwotime ﬁrst-team All-America selection. In three years with the Baltimore Ravens,hehas been voted to the Pro Bowl twice. He was named All-Proin2023.

“(Pickett) is unique as aplayer,” Kelly saidThursday night on his radio show.“Ihad akid like that at Notre Dame in Kyle Hamilton, who Iknew as afreshmanwas unique as aplayer This is aunique player.You’regoing to enjoy watching him play.” Pickett was afive-star recruit and the No. 2cornerback in the 2025 class, accordingtothe 247Sportscomposite rankings,makinghim thehighest-rated freshman in LSU’sclass.

“He’slong. He’sathletic. And the thingis, he’s got longspeed,”Kelly said.

“That doesn’thappen. These guys don’tnormally have long speed. And whenI say long speed, he can track the ball and beat you downthe ﬁeld as well.”

Similar to Hamilton, Pickett stands out as adefensive back because of his height.Heislisted at 6-5 and 195 pounds

“I know life is biggerthan just money.Things are more important than justhaving money and at Southern, it’sa family,it’slove.”

CKELBy GIVENS, SouthernDE

he saidthe thought of transferring never crossed his mind. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound senior actually entered the transfer portal after his sophomoreseasonin2023 after leading the Southwestern Athletic Conference with both 21 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.

The temptation to leave even arrived

via acoach within his family

“I was one of them,” said his older brother Colyn Givens, who wanted Ckelby to join him when he wasagraduate assistant at Texas-San Antonio in 2023. “It was no tampering or nothing, but Isaid, ‘Hey,you can come play forme.’ ”

While these opportunities wereenticing, he relied on his core values and faith.

“I know life is bigger than just money,” Ckelby Givens said. “Things are moreimportantthan just having money and at Southern, it’sa family,it’slove. Andalso the reason why Idothis is because of God. So he told me to stay,and that’sthe reason why Istayed.” Southern is overjoyed tohave him as aJaguar for afourth season, starting Saturday when it plays North Carolina

ä See GIVENS, page 4C

nities throughout this thing. We’ve gotsomanyguys with apath to the 53, and it’sexciting to letthem playthis wholejourney out.”

(waiver)claims.” Mooresaidthe Saints have “a roadmap” for how they’d like to construct their roster,which likelyincludes target numbers for speciﬁcpositiongroups. But the team is also using every bit of information itcan before it makes some decisions at the bottom of theroster The ﬁnal evaluationpoint is Saturday’sgame against the Broncos.

“Itisthe last stage of this training camp journey,soa lotofopportunities to be hadfor all these guys, for every level of the roster,” Mooresaid. “There’sopportu-

Here areseveral players who could be on theroster bubble who mayneed big performances Saturdayinthe Superdome.

Runningbacks

DEVIN NEAL,VELUS JONES ANDCLYDE

EDWARDS-HELAIRE: Alvin Kamara is a lock to make theroster,and it looks like Kendre Miller has seized the primarybackuprole. That leaves oneand maybetwo more spots for several other backs.

Start with Neal, whomisseda signiﬁcant chunk of training camp

ä See SAINTS, page 5C

“With his length, you’renot going to throw aslant,” Kellysaid. “You can’t throw the dig route. Imean, he’sjust toolong. He’s72inches in wingspan.

ä See PICKETT, page 3C

Jayden Price never knows exactly what he will hear,but he knows he’sgoing to hear something It comes with the territory when you’re playing aposition that few players wholook like him play

He’sheard

“White Chocolate.” And there are the times he’ll line up at cornerback and hear a receiver standing across from him say “Milk check.” His personal favoriteisthe namegiven to him since he joined the New Orleans Saints. “All thetight ends here started calling me ‘White Pepper,’ ” Price said. “I thought that was pretty good. So I’ve been really embracing that one. It’s been fun.” As the Saints close out training camp with Saturday’spreseason ﬁnale against the Denver Broncos, Price is trying to makehis case that he belongs on the 53man roster.He’sprobably along shot in acrowded room,but he would like nothing morethan to join an oh-so-small fraternity of Whitecornerbacks in the NFL. Denver Broncos cornerback

wide receiver Cedrick Wilson during training camp on Aug. 2inMetairie.

Riley Moss, whowill be in the Caesars SuperdomeonSaturday, and Philadelphia Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean werethe only twoWhite cornerbacks to start last season. Ethan Bonner is a backup forthe MiamiDolphins. When Moss becameastarter forDenver in 2023, he wasthe first White cornerback to start an NFLgame since Jason Sehorn, whofinished his career with the New York Giants in 2003. Last season, Moss wasthe first White cornerback to get an interception in agame since Sehorn in 2002. While Price doesn’tknow Moss

See WALKER, page 5C

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Saints running back Velus Jones carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome. Jones, aconverted wide receiver,brings speed to the positionand is also apotential returnman.

STAFFPHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER Saints cornerbackJayden Price, right, covers

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSUcornerback DJ Pickett, rated No. 2at his position in the nation in the Class of 2025, has drawn comparisons to Baltimore Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.

Rod Walker

FILEPHOTO By THOMAS B. SHEA

2p.m.

4p.m.

9a.m. LIV: Championships FS2 11 a.m. LIV: Team ChampionshipsFox

Noon PGA: Tour ChampionshipGolf

1:30 p.m. PGATour:Ally Challenge Golf

3:30 p.m. LPGA: CPKC Women’sOpen Golf

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

2:30 p.m. Mater DeiatSt.Thomas Aqui. ESPN

7p.m. St. FrancesatCham-Madonna ESPN2

9:30 p.m. Folsom at Grant Union ESPN HORSE RACING

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LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

11:30 a.m. Chinese Taipei vs.Aruba ABC

2:30 p.m. Conneticut vs.Nevada ABC MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Noon Boston at N.y.yankeeS MLBN

3p.m. Toronto at Miami MLBN

7:30 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at San DiegoFS1

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NFLPRESEASON

Noon Denver at NewOrleans WAFB

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WOMEN’S RUGBY

8:30 a.m. Scotland vs.WalesCBSSN

MEN’S SOCCER

6:30 a.m. Tottenham HotspuratMan. City USA

9a.m.Aston Villa at Brentford FC USA

11:30 a.m.Leeds United at Arsenal NBC

6p.m.Cavalry FC at Atletico Ottawa FS2

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3p.m.Washington at BayCBS

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9p.m.NWSL: KansasCity at Portland ION TENNIS

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6p.m.HallofFame Induction Tennis

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1p.m.New york at Atlanta CBS

3p.m.Connecticut at ChicagoCBSSN

Fleetwood, Henley sharelead

BY DOUGFERGUSON AP golf writer

ATLANTA— Tommy Fleetwood is a familiar story hopeful ofa different ending, posting eight birdies in hisround of 7-under 63 to share the lead Friday at the Tour Championship with Russell Henleyinwhat was shaping up as atight race for the $10 million prize.

PGATour championship

Fleetwood, increasinglypopular for his grace in handling so many tough losses, is searchingfor his ﬁrst PGA Tour win to go along with acollection of strong European tour titles. But he has been down this road before, quite often this year.The questions are getting old.

Maybe it ends with the Englishmanwinningtwo trophies for his ﬁrst win —the FedEx Cup and the “Calamity Jane” replica putter that serves as the Tour Championship trophy

“All Ican do is keep learning,” Fleetwood said. “I actually feel like I’ve played very,very wellwhenI have led the tournaments and been in contention. It’sjust Imight have not got things right right at the end. It’snot like I’ve crashed and burned. It’sjust that I’ve not quite ﬁnished things off. Thepeoplethat win the most are the guys that are in contention the most.

“That’swhere Iwant to be,” he said. “I keep going. Ilove the buzz when Iamincontention, and I’m just excited for the opportunity again.”

The only buzz he gotwrong was the setting on his clippers when he went to trim his beard, prompting questions about whether he shaved.Itbeats the alternative question of when he willwin or whether this will be the week.

TommyFleetwood, of England,waitstoputtonthe third green during the second round

Championship on FridayinAtlanta.

49ersacquire running back

Robinson fromWashington

The San Francisco 49ers added aproven runningbacktotheir injury-depletedgroup by acquiring Brian Robinsonfromthe WashingtonCommanders for a2026 sixthround draftpick.

Twopeople familiarwith the deal said the trade will be ﬁnalized onceRobinsonpassesaphysical. The people spoke on condition of anonymity SanFranciscowas in need of adding healthy running backs behind starterChristian McCaffrey after Patrick Taylor,Corey Kiner and Ameer Abdullahall got placed on injured reserve this month.

Fifth-round rookie Jordan James is also out with abroken ﬁnger,and second-year back Isaac Guerendo just returned to practice thisweek after missing timewith ashoulder injury

Southern, Bethune-Cookman Oct. 11 game moves venues Southern’sOct. 11 game against Bethune-Cookmanischanginglocations,although it remains in the same state.

The Jaguars’ sixth game of the season is moving from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Tampa, according to auniversity spokesperson. The Jaguars originally were scheduled to face Bethune-Cookman at the Wildcats’ Dayton Stadium at 3p.m. Oct. 11. The game will remain at the same time but will instead take place at Raymond James Stadium.

It is thethirdconsecutive season that Bethune-Cookman and Southern will do battle. When the teams played at A.W.Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge last year, Southern defeated the Wildcats 25-23 in aﬁve-overtime game.

NBAplayer Beasleynolonger atarget in gambling probe Federal investigatorsnolonger consider NBA freeagent Malik Beasleya target in theirgambling probe,Beasley’sattorneys told ESPN.

Attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schachter said they’ve had what the report called “extensive” conversations and meetings with Eastern District of NewYork authorities.

Cameron Young bolsteredhis Ryder Cup hopes with a62, which included apar save fromthe 17th fairway when he wisely pitched out from amostawkward lie.He was two shotsbehind.

PatrickCantlay,the FedEx Cup champion from 2021, was on the verge of taking himself outofthe tournament until he shot 30 on the back nine, capped off by abirdiebirdie-eagle ﬁnish, thelastone a 7-wood from 249yards to 6feet. He shot 66 andwas three behind, along with BMWChampionship runner-up Robert MacIntyre Scottie Schefﬂer hit awedge to

But it won’tbeeasy.Russell Henley had another birdie-birdie ﬁnish for a66tojoin him in ashare of the lead at 13-under 127, extraordinarily lowscoring except for spells of heavy rain theprevious two days at East Lake and more expected Friday —they moved the tee times forward to avoid astoppage in play.Greens are soft, they run true and preferred liesare in place. It’sarecipe for low scoring and that’swhat theTour Championship hasprovided Addtothatthe newformat where the top 30 players start at even, instead of the top seed gettingatwo-shot lead and the bottom ﬁve players starting 10 shots behind.

afoot on the ﬁnal hole for a69, not his cleanest round but extending hisstreak of 19 consecutive rounds under par He was ﬁve back.

“Just oneofthose days where it seemed like Iwasn’tgetting rewarded for thestuff that Iwas doing,” Schefﬂer said. “Just atouch off all day.”

Henley opened the round by holingout from abunkerfor birdie, andheplayed the slope on the green from thebunker on the 18th for aclosing birdie.

The course is playing to an averagescore of 67 through two rounds.

“When conditions are soft and there’s been rain, Ithink that leads to abunchedleaderboard, so no surprise there,” Cantlay said. “These 30 guys have playedwell all year,sonot asurprise to see themplaying well here this week.”

That’sespecially true for Fleetwood. He was gutted when he took

aone-shot lead into the ﬁnal hole at the Travelers Championship, only to take three putts from 50 feet from short of the green and lose by oneshottoaKeegan Bradley birdie.

Twoweeks ago in Memphis, he was two ahead with three to play when he played onechip too ﬁrm, failed to get up-and-down on the 17thand wound up one shot out of aplayoff.

There is still plenty of work ahead, with 13 players at 7-under 133 or lower “I know this weekend scoring is obviously going to be very good,” Fleetwood said. “The scoring is really good, but the course actually isn’teasy.You’vegot to play well.Iknow thatI need to justgo out for the next 36 holes —Imean, I’mnot even thinking about36, I’ve got to start tomorrow ﬁrst —keep committing to my golf shots, keep hitting them,and hopefully play well.”

Lawyers for Beasley didn’timmediately respond to emails and phone callsfromThe Associated Press seeking comment, and the U.S. Attorney’sofﬁce in Brooklyn declined to comment. In late June it wasannounced Beasley was under investigation,coming 14 months after the NBA banned Toronto’s JontayPorterafterhewas linked to an investigation.

Secretariat jockey

Turcotte dies at age84 Hall of Famejockey RonTurcotte, who rode Secretariat to the Triple Crownin1973, has died. He was 84.

BYJENNA FRYER AP auto racing writer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. NASCAR

returnstoDaytona International Speedway to finalize its 16-car playoff lineup, with two spots up for grabs and awin-and-you’re-in opportunity forany driveryet to visit victory lane this season.

Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman hold the final two tenuous positions in the Cup Seriespoints standings headinginto Saturday night’srace, but neitherislocked into the championshipchase.

Reddick is last year’sregularseason champion and even made it to the title-deciding ﬁnale, and Bowman drives formighty Hendrick Motorsports, ateam expected to have all four drivers in the playoffs every year

Reddick has a29-point advantage over Bowmanand was runner-up to William Byron —this year’sregular-season champion —inthe Daytona 500. But there’s no guarantee he willjoin23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace in the playoff field: afirst-time winner Saturday would claim one of the open spots, and if Bowman outpoints Reddick at Daytona,

Bowmanwould get thesecond shot.

Reddick has an average ﬁnish of 23rd at Daytona, which ranks as hisworst amongactivetracks, and he was aseason-low 34th at Richmond last week.

Bowman, meanwhile, is theonly Hendrick driverwithout awin this season and holds a60-point leadoverRyanPreece of RFK Motorsports for the ﬁnal spot in the playoff ﬁeld

Bowman statistically holds an advantage —hehas four top 10s in his last five startsatDaytona andhis averagefinish of 8.6 in the last 10 races is best among fulltimedrivers —whilePreece has finished 31st or worse in four of thelast fiveraces at Daytona.

It’snoconsolation to Bowman, who had to defend himself from constant chatterduring2024 that he wasn’t worthy of hisseatat Hendrick

“I am incredibly stressed out. Anyone whoknows me knows I stress myself out over every situation.That’sjust me. Ican’tavoid it,” Bowman said. “I think for me, walking out of there Saturday night,aslong as we maximized what we could, did the things

ä Daytona 400. 6:30 P.M. SATURDAy,NBC

that we can control correctly and didn’tmess it up on ourside, whatever theresultis, I’m sure we’ll have ashot at it Bowman has only missed the playoffs once (2023) in eight seasons withHendrick.

Othercontenders

Front Row Motorsports does not have adriver qualiﬁed for the playoffs but has won the pole for sixofthe last nine races on drafting tracks, which consists of Daytonaand Talladega.

ForRicky Stenhouse Jr., awin would gethim into the playoffs and all four of his Cup Series career victories have come on drafting tracks. He won the2023 Daytona500 but has not ﬁnished higher than 18th in four Daytona races since. Richard Childress Racing received aboost last week when AustinDillon won at Richmond to earn aplayoff spot, but Kyle Busch is still on theoutside. Busch was runner-up at Daytona last August,but he doesn’treturntothe

track with anymomentum: Busch has not led alap in the last 13 races, thelongest streak in his career Chris Buescher of RFK Racing could be aspoilerSaturdaywith four top 10s, including awin, in his last five starts at Daytona. But he’salsobattling his boss, team co-owner Brad Keselowski, who must win tomakethe playoffs Keselowski has sevenwins on drafting tracks, none, though, since 2021 at Talladega. And he’s logged an average finish of 23.8 at Daytona since his 2016 victory on thesuperspeedway Winand in Only two timesinthis playoff format has adriver won the final regular-season race to come from below the cutline to claim the final spot in the playoffs. Dillon did it at Daytonain2022 and Chase Briscoe did it last year at Darlington. Erik Jones thinks it can be done again.Jones, at 23rd in the standings,has to win to makethe playoffs for Legacy Motor Club. He won at Daytona in 2018 when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing and likes thatthe finale is back at Daytona, host from 2020 to 2023, before Darlington got it last year

Turcotte’sfamily said through his longtimebusiness partner and friend LeonardLusky that the Canada-born jockey died of natural causes Friday at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick. He won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes twice each, most notably sweeping the three with Secretariat to endhorse racing’sTriple Crown drought that datedtoCitation in 1948. Secretariat’srecord time of 2:24 in the Belmont, winning by 31 lengths at a11/2-mile distance, still stands 52 years later.Turcotte was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979.

Iwai opens 3-strokelead in CPKC Women’sOpen Akie Iwai took athree-stroke lead into the weekend in the CPKC Women’sOpeninher bid to win for the second straight week. Iwai followed her opening 7-under 64 with a69onFriday to get to 9-under 133 at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

The 23-year-old Japanese player won thePortland Classic on Sunday to join twin sister Chisato as a rookie LPGATourchampion. She’s trying to keep it simple and not get ahead of herself Iwai, asix-time winner on the JLPGA Tour,isplaying in Canada forthe ﬁrst time.

JeenoThitikul,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

of the Tour

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN AMIS

Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson comes offthe field during agameagainst Vanderbilt on Oct. 5inNashville, Tenn.

Bama LB Lawson ‘has oneshot at this,’ wantstomakeitcount

BY KENNINGTON SMITH Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Deontae Lawson knows he only has one chance remaining.

The linebacker is entering his fifth and final college season, alast ride with the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide that means even more after what he endured last November.Lawson torea ligament in his knee in aloss to Oklahoma and has spent every waking moment since working his way back. Now,nine months later, Alabama’steam captain is on tracktoreturnfor the team’sseason opener at Florida State next Saturday

“He’skind of stayed ahead of every marker that we’ve had forhim,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “Tobeable to come out in fall camp, and we thought maybe we would limit some of hisloads and all that. We’ve really pushed him, and he’shandled it really well.” Lawson’sbody has changed during recovery as well. He’sdown 11 pounds from last season, now listed at 228, and is playing at an impressive speed, Wommack said. For Lawson, the recovery process has putthe 2025 season into anew perspective.

“It just made me think about alot of things,” Lawson said. “Just how blessed Iamjust to wake up and be able to do this. It just made me realize that you really got one shot at this, to be honest.”

Ahealthy Lawson, particularly early in the season, is ashotinthe arm to an Alabama defensethat ﬁnished last season allowing 17.4 points agame —its fewest since 2017. Alongside Lawson at inside linebacker,Alabama features fellow seniors Justin Jefferson and Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green, an All-Big12selection last season. Amid an experi-

PICKETT

Continued from page1C

It’sridiculous. He’slike an offensive lineman.”

Pickett also hasimpressed defensive coordinatorBlake Baker,who said Pickett has gainedabout20 pounds since he came to LSU. Though Pickett needs to work on his consistency Baker said, he has become more physical.

“I’vebeen more impressed with his physicality so far,” Baker said. “The coverage skills and stuff, he’salways hadthat —and he’sgotten better,don’t get me wrong —but hisphysicality, he has turned it up a notch this fall camp.”

After enrolling early at LSU, Pickett is competing for playing timewith junior Ashton Stamps,sophomore Florida transfer Ja’Keem Jackson and sophomore PJ Woodland.

Pickett usually has been

Kelly: Tigers spent $18M on 2025 roster

BY REED DARCEY ANDWILSON ALEXANDER Staff writers

Brian Kelly revealed that LSU footballspent around $18 million on its 2025 roster, which is more than triplethe amount theTigers spent last season.

The number is acombination of revenuethe athletic department is nowallowed to share withits players and donor-backed name, image and likeness (NIL) deals sourced largely from Bayou Traditions, LSU’sofﬁcial booster collective.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By VASHA HUNT

Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson works throughdrills duringapractice July 31 at the Thomas-DrewPractice Fields in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

enced group of defenders, Lawson’sleadership has stood out.

“His leadership is the thing that Ithink has really come out. That’sexciting,” coachKalen DeBoersaid. “I think he feels really good about being out there. Mentally andphysically,I think he’sinareally good spot. But there’sstill progress to be made as we buildtoward the ﬁrst game.” That progress can’tbe replaced with anythingbut time.

Lawson’sstill working through trusting hisbody and playing without second thought. He carriesarguablythe most responsibility on defense as theon-field play-caller and will be an integral part of Alabama’s pass rush aswell

TheTidedefense recorded 25 sacks last season, ranking 69thnationally,and have placed an emphasisonit during camp. Lawson is Alabama’sreturning sack leader (withtwo) and has spent some of camp working with the outside linebackers in pass-rush drills.

“It’samental thing,” Lawson said. “I just got to trust myself. That just takes time. It’s deﬁnitely gettingbetter It’ssomethingthat I’ve kind of pushed to the side alittle

seen with the second-team defense during open practices.

Aweek from the season opener againstClemson, LSU has to decide which one will start. Stamps consistently has received ﬁrstteam reps during preseason practiceafter starting 17 games over the past two years, but the competition has not been decided.

Oneofthe cornerback spots already has been locked up.Kelly said Virginia Tech transfer MansoorDelanewill “anchor one side.”

Delanestarted 29 straight gamesbeforeentering the transfer portal,and he was oneofLSU’stop targetsas it tried to improvethe secondary

“Mansoor Delane was the

bitand just focusonwhatI can do.”

Lawson at full throttle is one of the premier defenders in theSoutheastern Conference. Despitethe injury, he’s been named to the Butkus Award watch list. The award is givenannually to the best linebacker in college football. The goal for Lawson is to play at that level and lead Alabama back to theCollege Football Playoff after adisappointing ﬁnish in 2024.

As Lawson continues progressing, he’sdrawing closer parallels to the 2023 versionofhimself, when he weighed 230 pounds andﬁnished second on the team in tackles. Theexpectation within the program is that his lighter frame paired with hismaturity producethe best of Lawsonthisfall.

“Obviously from an injury standpoint, he hadtocome back from that, and his body is just in aposition to where he’smovingreally fast,” Wommack said. “Helooks good. He’splaying with great anticipation. Hislevel of leadership is taken to another level. He’splaying his best football right now, which is pretty impressive to say,eight,nine months, coming off of aleg injury.”

guy that we had our eyes on,”Kelly said.

“He had the highest draft gradeofanybody thatwas in the portal at that position, andwerecruitedthe heck out of him.”

The LSU pass defense has ranked 76th or worse in the country in yards passing allowed pergame in four of thepastﬁve years. With Delane and safeties TamarcusCooley andAJHaulcy, at leastthree of LSU’sfour starting defensive backs likely will be transfers.

“Two exceptional safeties witha lot of experience,” Kelly said of Cooley and Haulcy

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

“We’re going to be just about$18 million,”Kelly said Thursday on his weekly radio show LSUspent $5.5 million on therosterlast season and$11 million over the previousthree years combined, thegeneral counsel of BayouTraditions previously told The Advocate The Tigers went 9-4 last yearduring Kelly’sthird season As aresult of thelandmark House settlement, teams now have moremoney to spend. Schools across thecountry can share up to $20.5 million withtheir playersduring the2025-26 academicyear,adefacto salary cap thatwill rise annually over thenext10 years.

LSU, like many in the SEC, allocated $13.5 million of the revenue-sharing budget forits footballprogram. Kelly andLSU gener-

al managerAustin Thomas previously said that money will be usedonboththe 2025 and 2026 teams because revenue sharing operates on theacademic calendar

Kellymadethe comment while talking about how the salary cap compares to the NFL.

“Look, the NFLis$280 million ayear in salary cap. We’re going to be just about $18 million,” Kelly said.“There’s abig difference between $280 million and$18 million. So, if you can’tsee the difference between the two, then you’re not really understanding that what youwant to develop your son to be is the best version of himself, so he can get the big money in three years.”

Most of the money from BayouTraditionswas frontloaded through NIL agreements ﬁnalizedbefore July 1, the date theHouse settlementtook effect. At that time, collectives across the country hadtobegin abiding by newrestrictionsmeant to curb pay-for-playdeals.

“Wehad aplan that I think wasadvanced for everybody else and that was that we were going to front-load alot of ourplayers prior to revenue sharing,”Kelly said. “And so we wouldn’tbeinaposition where, whenwegot to revenue sharing, we couldn’t compete.

“Pulling fromboth of those resources really al-

lowed us, from acontractual standpoint, to get alittle bit of ajump on thecrowd, if you will, because everybody nowseesthat plan and will be using it. But it gave us areal boomerangeffect in terms of recruiting, and it helped us with our freshman recruiting as well.”

Using NIL money from the collective, LSU planned to payout at least$10 millioninthe first half of 2025, multiple people with knowledge of the plan said. It did not factor into the salary cap. Kelly said LSU then used revenue-sharing funds “to kind of put them over the top.”

Afundraising push for the NIL money beganduringthe 2024 season.It helped LSU sign the nation’s No. 1transfer class, according to 247Sports, creating aroster that Kelly believes can compete for an SEC championship and aCollege Football Playoff berth. Kelly pledged to match $1 million in donations. Thecampaign raised $3.23 million, LSU ofﬁcials said. The majority of themoney —$1.23 millionfrom fans and$1millionfrom an unnamed booster —went to Bayou Traditions. Kelly’s donation was put into the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s scholarship fund. Before the fundraising, LSU ofﬁcials said they were behind othertop teams in terms of spending forthe past fewyears.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU coach Brian Kelly watches the defenseasthe offense huddles between sessions during apreseason practice at the LSUindoor practice facilityearlier this month.

GAMEDAY

Bigstage foropener

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Southern understands the magnitude ofits seasonopener

Coach Terrence Graves’ team is playing theﬁrst HBCU football game of the year and is among the ﬁrst FCS squads playing this season.

Southern won’tbeshort on eyes for their game against North Carolina Central, which will air on ABC at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta.

The Jaguars are also ready to seehow they fare against the No. 2teaminthe Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll. To come out victorious, playing sound football isn’toptional.

PASSING

CzavianTeasett

55.04%,941 yards, 6TDs,2INTs

Noah Bodden

47.24%,1219yards,5TDs,8INTs

RUSHING

Kobe

Southernarguablyhas thebest playerinthe game in defensive end Ckelby Givens. The 6-foot2, 245-pound senior will lead the charge in terrorizing thebackﬁeld of the opponent after leading the FCS in tackles for loss (27.5) and ﬁnishing third in sacks (12).

Graves said histeam mustcreate a“newlineofscrimmage.” The importance ofcompetingwell in the trenches ondefenseisheightened because ofNorth Carolina Central returningall ﬁveofits starting offensivelinemen.

“Wehave to schematically do thingstogiveourselves an advantage,” thesecond-year coach said. “Nothing beats experience, so we have towin the battles that we have achancetowin. When we get aone-on-one, we got to win When webringpressure,wegotta getthere.”

North Carolina Central coach

Trei Oliversaidonavirtual news conferenceMonday thathis team

GIVENS

Continued from page1C

Central at 6:30 p.m. in Atlanta.

Just as much as Southern loves Givens’pass-rushing skills, second-year coach Terrence Graves needs hisintangibles

“He’snot perfect, but he walks in excellence,” Graves said. “He doesagreat job of being aleader, andthe guys feed off of him.He’s been aleader from the time he steppedfoot on this campus up until now.We’re blessed and fortunatetohavehim.”

The utmost respect is reserved forGivens, who is theteam’sunquestioned leader because of his actions. He outworks everyone andhis character is pristine.

His integrityasa person and hunger asaplayer are the same as when Zac Yassine ﬁrst met himasafreshman.

but

Carolina Central returns its entire starting offensiveline. Southernmight be hard-pressed to challengeredshirtsenior quarterback Walker Harris, who made the preseason All-MEAC first-team

“He can be vocal, but Ithink Ckelby really leads by example,” Yassine, aredshirt senior defensive tackle, said. “Even though I’molder than him, he’sa guy I look up to, for real. He’s somebody you want to be like. He’s got every characteristic you want in agreat man.”

Kimble couldn’t be prouder as amother to know how highly peopleview herson. It’samusingfor her to reminisce on his elementary-school years when Givens was atroublemaker

“He’salways been very successfuland did his work, but yes, theteacher would call me about hisbehavior,” Kimble said.

ColynGivens, 25, said his middlebrother was a“hothead” who gotinmore troubleasa kid than he and their youngestbrother Cade, who is afreshman football playeratSoutheastern Oklahoma State. Those tendencies didn’t last long as Ckelby Givensmatured and dived deeper into his faith.

What hasn’tchanged much is howmuchhecares for thepeople closest to him. He’sthrilled that more than 40 family members travel to New Orleans to watch him play in the Bayou Classic every year

Aholiday gathering with relatives is Givens’ ideal day.Top that off with aserving of greens, chicken,Rotel dip and the family’ssignature rice dressing passed down fromhis lategreat-

is preparedfor Givens andthe rest of the front four “Givens is agreat .defensive end, veryathletic, does agreat job getting off the ball,” Oliver said. “He puts alot of pressure on the tackles,but our tackles have spent alot of timebreaking him down.”

If the Eagles offensiveline can putout thefiresGivenscreates, theyfeel confident in their returning redshirt senior quarterback Walker Harris, who made the preseason MEAC first-team offense Last year,hethrewfor 1,882 yards, 18 touchdowns and sixinterceptions while completing 61% of his passes.

“Wehave to make sure that we don’tgive him the same look twice,” Graves said.

TheSouthern offense will need to be adequateasthe Southern de-

grandmother Dorothy Brewer, and Givens might as well be in heaven.

His family also is inextricably linked to Southern athletics, and not simply because of his football career

Colyn Givens, now an assistant defensive line coach at SMU, was aSouthern football player for three seasons starting in 2018 and became theJaguars defensive ends coach during Ckelby’s freshman year in 2022.

His grandfather,Cleophus Banks, played basketball and baseball and is in the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame. His uncle, Roman Banks, is the current Southern athletic director and before that, he coached theJaguars men’sbasketball team for six years.

Another uncle is former Southern basketball standout Carlos Sample, who led the Jaguars to back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament berths in 1988 and 1989.

Givens is the latest in his family’sline of greatness. The late Cleophus Banks prophesied that his grandson would be thebest athlete in the family when Ckelby was asmall child.

Givens led the FCS in tackles for loss with 27.5 and ﬁnished thirdinsacks with 12 last year.In 13 games, he had 73 total tackles (42 solo),13quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and one pass breakup, earning SWAC coDefensive Player of the Year.He was instrumental in the Jaguars ﬁnishing 8-5 overall and 7-1 in the conference, winning the SWAC West Division title.

Givens made the All-SWAC ﬁrst-team defense his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2024, he was named the HBCU Defensive Player of theYear,asecond-team FCS All-American and aBuck Buchanan FCS National Defensive Player of theYear ﬁnalist.

His individual awards are “blessings,”but they have no effect on how he prepares or views himself.

“I wouldn’tsay it’sthe player of the year standards, it’sthe Ckelby standard,”Colyn Givens said. “Ckelby has standards for his team, and he’sgoing to meet those goals.

“He don’tfeel pressure from all these preseason accolades he’s getting. He feels thepressure

fense tries to keep scoring drives to aminimum. The Jaguars will reveal their starting quarterback on Saturday.OnTuesday,Graves said againit’sstill redshirt sophomore Jalen Woods’ job to lose as the lone returner. Whoever is under center,Southern will be happy with him being more of agame manager rather thandynamic in the opener Starting fast would be ideal for Southern. Graves said he’s conﬁdent in his team’sabilitytoprogress down the ﬁeld.

“Last year,wemoved the ball down the ﬁeld; it wasjust putting theball in the end zone that was the Achilles’ heel during the ﬁrst part of the year,” Graves said. “But I think those guys have done areally good job of nothaving thatprob-

he put on himself to just be the best.”

The only achievements Givens cares about now are aSWAC championship and Celebration Bowl title after losing in the conference championship in 2022 and 2024. That blank on his resumeeats at him

When Southern lost the SWAC championship at Jackson State in 2022, an 18-year-old Givens was back in theweight room the next day in Baton Rouge.

Colyn Givens said his brother always has been the mostcompetitive in the family At St.Peter Baptist Church in Shreveport, Ckelby Givens had his sights on winning Bible trivia. If there’saspades game, he plans on winning that, too. In his fifthgrade drama club, he wanted to be thebest. On field day,coming in first was paramount.

“Weeven had to roll aclip back one year forhim and his best friend,” Kimble said. “He said, ‘I was ﬁrst. Mom,it’sonyour phone.’I had to replay it.”

He even feels the need to be ﬁrst to wish his mom ahappy birthday

“He’sgoing to makesure he’s thefirst on Mother’sDay,he’sthe first on birthdays, he’sfirst saying merry Christmas,” Kimble said. “Ain’t nobody beat Ckelby.” Not many people understand Givens’ dedication better than Greg Baswell. The assistant football coach enteringhis 17th season at Captain Shreve High School was the defensive line coach forGivens in high school.Four years later,he’s still is in awe of what his former player has accomplished.

“He’sanAintalent and an Ain mindset,” Baswell said. “Ckelby is extremely rare.”

That rarity didn’tguarantee a starting spot as afreshman or sophomore. In those twoseasons, Givens never complained. He worked the sameway as if he was astarter and celebrated his upperclassman teammates ahead of him. When his path cleared as ajunior,a switch ﬂipped. No. 94 was unblockable. Baswell remembered an opposing coach telling him that twoplayers quit mid-gamewhile trying to block Givens. He wasferocious and tireless, dominating off the edge and in the interior Givens is as strong as an ox with the footwork that would

lem,and Itell you, in camp,we’ve had alot of explosive plays.”

Theskill playerSouthernwants to involvemostiswide receiver Darren Morris. The6-foot-2, 190-pound redshirt junior is adept at vertical plays andisthe leader at thepositionwho hasgrown noticeably during the preseason, Graves said. Before Southern can imagine the highlights its stars can make, it’ll need to limit self-inﬂicted errors and makethe proper in-gameadjustments.

“It’snot goingtobeeasywhatsoever,because, again, (Oliver) has agood football team,” Graves said. “Sothe challengefor us is to work hard, to be focused, to be disciplined,tobephysicaland to not get behind the chains, not to shoot ourselves in the foot.”

have made him agreat boxer his old coach said. What made Givens truly unfair was his mind. He insatiably studies ﬁlm. Last month at abirthday party with his brother Colyn, Ckelby at one point was focused on watching football while others socialized.

Baswell called Ckelby Givens an artist whoknowsthe fundamentals so wellthat he is able to veer off to doing something untraditional. He still hasn’tseen anything like it.

“When you coach akid like that, you don’twant to over-coach him,” Baswell said. “There’s things that he could do that I would never allow another player to do.”

Baswell said Givens is not just the best defensive lineman but the best high school player he’s seen up close.

This includes top-notch recruits such as Givens’ old high school teammateKendrick Law, whoisnow asenior wide receiver at Kentucky

“The best football player I’ve ever seen in my life to this day,” Baswell said. “I don’tknow that there ever will be thekind of kid thatI saw developed over my time. Icould coach another 20 years and not see another Ckelby.” Fellow Southern players such as SWAC preseason ﬁrst-team linebacker Vincent Paige and second-team safety Herman Brister never have seen anything like him,either

“You can pick any play on ﬁlm and he’sgoing to stand out,” Paige said. “I’ve never seen it at this level. Like I’ve never seen it on my team,sojust having aguy like that on my team makes it a lot easier.”

Southern defensive coordinator Henry Miller crafted his defense with Givens as the sun that every player revolves around.

“Every momentyou got to pay attention to Ckelby because he works so hard,” Miller said. “And what Ilike about it is that the guys out there with him,they know they got to match his energy.”

The Southern Jaguars wantto compete forachampionship every year.This season, they love their talent.

But makenomistake, having Givens return to the ﬁeld provides even moreoptimism in accomplishing that mission.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Southernrunning back Jason Gabriel looks to cutthrough the defenseafter catchingapassduring ateam

scrimmageAug.9 at A.W.Mumford Stadium

FOOTBALL PREVIEW n DISTRICT 6-3A

MadisonPrep, U-High return keyplayers

Threeother districtschools to debutnew head coaches

BY SPENCERURQUHART

Staff writer

Madison Prep and University High have developed astrong rivalry in District 6-3A that has seen each team win three times against the other in the past six seasons.

Last year,itwas Madison Prep’sturn to take the district crown after aWeek9 regular-seasonvictory over U-High. The win was part of asuccessful season for the Chargers, who went on to reachthe Division II select state semiﬁnals.

“U-High is always our rival,” Madison Prep coach LandryWilliamssaid.“We use eachother to gauge how we perform in the district.”

The semiﬁnals trip was the furthest Madison Prephad gone in the playoffs since winning the Class 3A state championship in 2020.The Chargers graduated all-state quarterback Tylan Johnson

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

with ahamstring injury and has not yet appeared in a preseason game. The sixthround pick in this year’s draft has not been able to showwhat he can do in live action. Neal returnedtopractice this week, but it’snot certain he’sbeen clearedtoreturn to the ﬁeld this weekend. He would be an practice squad candidate,but New Orleans would have to risk sending him through waivers —a dicey proposition with recent draft picks, as teams spent most of the spring evaluating them.

Edwards-Helaireand Jones both have had plenty of opportunities to show what they can do, and each brings adifferent skillset. Edwards-Helaire, aformer ﬁrst-round pick outof LSU,offers abit morebalance —he’snot especially explosive, but he’sbeen awilling pass protector and has shown solid hands

WALKER

Continued from page1C

and DeJean, he keeps up with their careers.

“I’m rooting for those guys because therearen’t many of us,” Price said. DeJean was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2024 draft. Moss was selected by the Broncos in the third round in 2023.

Price’sroad to the NFL hasn’tbeen as conventional. He went undraftedin2024 and signed with the Atlanta Falcons before being let go on cut day.Hethen played one game in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and in the United Football League with the Arlington Renegades. Their season ended on June 1, and the Saints signed him 19 days later Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom is entering his ninth NFL season. Price is the ﬁrst Whiteteammate he’shad in the cornerback room withhim.

“It’scrazy,” Yiadom said “I think when you’re a good White athlete, they just automatically put you at slot receiver or safety They don’teven think to put you at corner.The few that do make it in the league, they are aspecialbreed. Youlook at Riley Moss and Cooper and they are really, really good.” Saints tight end Seth Green, who ﬁrstgot in the NFL in 2022, was Price’s teammate in the UFL with the Renegades.

“He was one of the hardest workers on the team,” Green said. “He’salways

U-High defensive lineman Lamar Brown,center,celebrates after making astop against Dunham in the Red Stick Rumble Jamboree at ParkviewBaptist on Aug. 30. Brown, a five-star recruit,iscommitted to LSU

but have several key players back

U-High looks to put last season in the past with a strong senior classled by five-star recruit and LSU commitmentLamar Brown. Projected to be adefensive lineman at theDivisionI

throughout training camp. Jones is aconverted wide receiverwho is still somewhat raw at the position, buthebrings home run speed and adds value as a returner

Wide receivers

DANTEPETTISAND CEDRICK WILSON: Both of theseveteransare intenuous positions after the Saints acquired receiverDevaughn Vele in atrade this week. NewOrleans now has ﬁvereceivers whoshould comfortably be on the rosterin Vele,Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, BrandinCooks and Mason Tipton. Will it keep asixth?

Pettis has offeredmore as areceiver —and he also bringssomevalue in thereturn game —but he’s asimilar bodytypetofourofthe aforementioned receivers. Wilson has positive prior experience with Moore, having spent some of the best yearsofhis career with himinDallas, and he brings theadded beneﬁtofanother bigbody who can block. But he’sshown little as apass catcher

goingtoshow up when he getsthe opportunity.”

Green, like Yiadom,said Priceis theﬁrst Whitecornerback he’s had as ateammate in theNFL.

“He is outthere letting the work speak for itself,” Green said. “I lovethat. He’sagood dudeand he alwaysembracesitand jokes about it. He knows it’s rare, but he alsoknows hiswork is going to show.”

While cornerback ishis primaryposition,Price can contribute elsewhere.

Kellen Moorehas usedhim in the return game, where Pricehad a31-yard kickoff return and a13-yard punt return in Sunday’s preseason game against theJacksonville Jaguars. He had a25-yard kickoff return in the preseason opener against theLos Angeles Chargers.

“I love it,” Price said.“It’s abig part ofmygame.”

Price made sure of that when hegot to collegeat North Dakota State. He playedquarterback inhigh school in his hometown of Derby,Kansas, right outside of Wichita. He started playing some cornerback hissenioryear since he was being recruited as an athlete.

He got scholarship offers from North Dakota State, severalschoolsin theMissouri Valley Conference and alate offer from Tulane. He shunned the Tulane offer,decidingtostick with hiscommitment to North Dakota State, where he was on three FCS national championship teams.

“Once Igot to college and switched to the defense

going to anchor ouroffen-

sive line. His leadership has theother guys bought in.

U-High senior linebacker

Lane Mixon returns after recording ateam-high81 tacklesand five sackslast season.Junior safety Emmanuel Moses, thebrother of LSU freshman Keylan Moses, is settoanchorthe secondaryalongside Navy commitment Erin Moore.

Running backs Corbin Odelland Sage Ingram return to lead U-High’sbackfield, and Lawson Dixon projects as ago-to wide receiver after missing mostof last season due to an injury Senior Ethan McGlynn is the new starting quarterback.

ment Javen Hollins at safety,and the defensive line is led by senior Victor Hollins. “Landon(Johnson) is a great athlete capable of playing multiple positions,” Williams said.“We have oneofthe biggest offensive lines and have high expectationsfor those guys.Javen (Holmes) is astrong safety but can playfreesafety,as well. He’saforce.”

There weremultiple coaching changes throughout the district, as Parkview Baptist, Port Allen and Collegiate-BR enter 2025 with new head coaches.

Parkview ﬁrst-year coach

Higgins is astrength on special teams.

“It’sbeen atransitional summer with new schemes (on offenseand defense),” Ducote said. “Logan (Sorrel) is physical and offers arun component. Marquise Franklin is asophomore at running back that’sreally toughand physical.We’re really excited.”

level, Brown is afull-time offensive lineman at U-High who rotates in on defense.

“Lamar (Brown) is aspecial talent who is great on and off the field,” U-High coach Andy Martinsaid “He’sthe best defensive lineman in thenation but is

Tightends

TREYTON WELCH AND MO-

LIKI MATAVAO: WhileFoster Moreau and TaysomHill recoverfromlate-season knee injuries, the Saints needto decide who is going to round outtheir depth at tight end. Jack Stoll likely will join Juwan Johnson on the 53man roster,but it will be interesting to see how the Saints treatthe rest of the positionroom. Welch has closed training camp on astrong note, andheﬂashed in last week’s preseason game against the Jaguars, making atough 28yard catch in tight coverage. He spent most of last season with the Saintsonthe practice squad. TheSaints selected Matavao in theseventh round in the spring. He hasn’thad much chance to showwhat he can do as apasscatcher in the preseason,with one catch for6yards, buthe’sa big body whocan addvalue as ablocker Edge rusher

JASHEEN DAVIS: Barring

side, Iwas trying to ﬁnda way to keep theball in my hands,”Pricesaid. “So I started being areturner and adapted to that and it helped my gamealot. Iadded some value to myself, so Ilove doing it because I love the ball in my hands.”

He also loves keeping the ball out of the hands of any receiver he lines up against Even when they look at him and think he won’tbeable to do it

Price knows he’sgoing to stand out in whatever cornerback room he’sin, but he also wantstomake sure he stands out on the ﬁeld so he can earn one of those 53 precious roster spots. It won’tbeeasy,but Price knows what he needs to do in Saturday’sﬁnal audition.

“Anything and everything,” Price said. “Just go out there and makeplays, ﬂy around and play fast and play conﬁdent.Hopefully afew plays go my way and Ican show that Ican make abig play and I’ll feel good going intonext week. Anythingand everything can help my case.”

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com

Junior Landon Johnson is set to step in at quarterback for Madison Prep, and Grambling commitment KeyonRobinsonisamong the topreturning skill players. The backﬁeld will consist of juniors J’on Profit, HarlemTurnerand Roy Hawkins.

Madison Prep returnsa pair of three-year starters along the offensive line in twinsCarnell andDarnell Smith. The secondary is anchored by Houston commit-

something unforeseen, Davis will getcaught up in the numbers game along the edge.New Orleans can only keep so many,and three of thespots will be locked up by ChaseYoung, Carl Grandersonand Cam Jordan. ButDavis is also an interesting case. He had astring of afew practices where he looked nearly unblockable —including one where he recorded at least three sacks. Then,like Neal,hesuffered an injurythat cost him afew weeksofpractice and theﬁrst twopreseason games.

Devin Ducoute is an Eagles alum whomost recently served as West Feliciana’s head coach andwas previously aDivision Iassistant.

Senior Logan Sorrel is a ﬁrst-yearstarter at quarterback and is one of nine new starters on offense. The only returning starters are senior offensive linemenJackson Loﬂin and Willie Williams.

Parkviewreturns linebackers Peyton Jenkins and JohnLee on defense along with safety Grant Harrington,all juniors.Senior kicker andpunterGavin

Davis recently returned to practice, and this weekend will be the ﬁrst time the Saints see him in alive setting.

He still faces an uphill climb to make the roster withveteran Chris Rumph and draftpick Fadil Diggs likely aheadofhim —but he will be an interesting one to watch.

Linebackers

JAYLAN FORD,NEPHI SEWELL AND ISAIAH STALBIRD: Linebacker has become one of the more interesting positions on the roster. With Demario Davis and Pete Werner sitting outthe

Port Allenpromoted AntoineWashington to head coach after 14 seasons as defensive coordinator.The Pelicans are set to start multiple players on offense and defense, including senior Kaleb West at quarterback and safety “Our schedule shapes up foryou to be tested forthe postseason,” Washington said.“We’reworkingon building up depth.” GlenOaks and Mentorship are coming off threewin seasons. Both Glen Oaks coach Anthony Jones andMentorship coach Ellis Spears are entering their thirdyear withtheir programs.

Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate. com.

ﬁrst twopreseason games, the Saints have displayed their depthatthe position. Rookie Danny Stutsman has made someplays, and he’sbeen lined up next to D’MarcoJackson with the ﬁrst team. The rest of the grouphas poppedaswell.Ford made akey interception lastweek and also pressured the quarterback several times while blitzing.

Sewellhas been acore special-teamer for several seasons now,but the rookie Stalbird is pushing him there, making four specialteams tackles in the preseason so far.

paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading people to put off or even go without care

Simply put— without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

Medicare doesn’tpay

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best waytopreventlarge dental bills is preventivecare. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON/NOLA.COM

TerryRobinson

FAITH MATTERS

The

‘Tambourine Lady’keeps thebeat in Louisiana

Trials haven’tshaken Rosalie Washington’sfaith.

Affectionately known as “The Tambourine Lady,” Washington continues to shake her tambourine in praise— whether it be at Gloryland Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, the Jazz Festival in New Orleans and just about anywhere else.

Washington

“I just bring that scripture to life that says ‘praise him with the tambourine andthe dance,’”said Washington, who moved to Baton Rouge 20 years ago after being evacuated from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Washington, 68, ﬁrstperformed at the gospel tent at the Jazz Festival in 1992,serving as abackup with afamily singing group from Violet.Washington became ahighly sought performer in her own right and eventually earned “The Tambourine Lady” moniker

She said she has performed at Jazz Fest every year,except the year afterKatrina. Washington has participated in a variety of events, includingat Southern University football games. She has gained viral fame and appearedinmovies and TV shows.

Born in New Orleans,Washington was raisedinDenham Springs by her godparents in the Church of God in Christ denomination.

Tambourines have been in Washington’shands since she was 5years old. That was shortly after she witnessed her godmother passionately sing the hymn “Power, Lord” while playing the tambourine.

“I said, ‘She can make ﬁre with atambourine. IwishI could play like that,’and the rest is history,” said Washington, agraduate of Denham Springs High and Southern University

Her extraordinarytalent was evident early,but she didn’t realize it as early as everyone else.

While she grew up on gospel music in the church, it was the rhythm and blues —byway of The O’Jays —that helpedget Washington savedatage 17.

“I went to an O’Jays concert and went to sleep. My friend said, ‘Girl, we could haveleft you at home if you were going to go to sleep at an O’Jays concert,’”Washington recalled. That served as her wake-up call.

“I said, ‘Lord, Iwant to goto church and get saved,’”she said. “Like my momma said the Lord gives me power to

ä See MATTERS, page 3D

From Katrinatothe LSUfootball fieldto Tulane University,Brandon Surtainfollowedhis

HEART

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Brandon Surtainscrolls through the photos on his iPhone,stopping at the snapshots taken in astudio not the homestudio he now maintains in his old Mid-CityNew Orleansneighborhood, but the classroom studioinLSU’s Foster Hall, where he spent countless hours after football practice.

He remembers being tired, maybetoo tiredtostand or sit in frontofaneasel.After all, no one was monitoring the studio, so who would know if he wasn’tthere?

Answeringthatquestionwas easy for Surtain:Hewould know. His teammates would know,too.

Yes, thosebig guys on theLSU football team’s defensivelineand backfield. Surtain played defensive back forLSU between, andhis teammates often accompanied him to thestudio.

Some watchedasSurtainand fellow art students painted; others tried their own brush on acanvas. Were they good artists?

“No,” Surtain said, laughing. “But they kept me going when I wastired.And they likedbeing around the art studentsand seeing what they weredoing, and the art students likedhavingthe football playersinthe studio.”

He shows photo after photo of his teammatesinthe studio.Heknows

Friedchicken chainopens

Bojangles recently opened its newlocation in Albany.

Brandon Surtain, thenajunior defensivebackfor LSU,paints after practice in the artstudio in Foster Hallin2015.

that he was an anomaly at the time, because college football players aren’tusually art majors.

Surtain was at LSU between 2014 and 2017. He walked on to the team, won aspot on defenseand wore No. 27 on theﬁeld.Heplayed,but he was never given ascholarship. Yet he stuck withit.

“Those were good times,” he said.

However,Surtain says those good

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Bojangles, achain restaurant known for its fried chickenand biscuits, has opened itsﬁfthlocation in Livingston Parish Aug. 19. The North Carolina-born chain was founded

times probably wouldn’thave happened if Hurricane Katrinadidn’t forced his family to evacuate New Orleans forBaton Rouge.

In Baton Rouge, Surtain was placed in Glasgow Middle School’s gifted and talented visual art program, where art teacher Geeta Davé laid thegroundwork forwhat would become Surtain’scareer in art and architecture. And it wasinBaton Rouge where Surtain’smother, Debbie Surtain, advised him to “follow his heart,” when he was debating on changing his initial declared major of petroleum engineering to art.

Surtain listened to his mother Nowhe’sassistant director of community engagement for Tulane University’sAlbert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design. He’salso creating abody of work for his third solo showatArthur Roger Gallery in NewOrleans.

In between, he reminisces about bygone days, whenhis football teammates supported him while he followed his heart.

Home sweethome

Surtainwas 11 years old when he, his mom and sister joined 63 of his family membersina motorcade from New Orleans to Baton Rouge on Aug. 28, 2005. It wasthe daybeforeHurricane

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Artist Brandon Surtain poses with his dog Denim in his studio in NewOrleans.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Howmanydozens of beers

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave asked my friends to help me swap an engine on my pickup truck, and they have generously agreed. Mechanic etiquette says thatif your friends are helping you on acar project, you provide drinks while they work. Aworker is worthy of their wages. However,I am unsure how many beers Ishould give them for their assistance. If my friends are helping me replace my engine over the course of an evening, should Iget asix-pack or adozenbeers for each of them? Ihave heard of splitting a30-pack, but Idon’t believe we are alcoholic enough to manage that While Iwant to be generous, Ialso don’twant to inebriate them and possibly cause injury or sloppy work. Other than perhaps asking if they want anonalcoholic option, what do you think is apropernumber of drinks to provide?

may render your workers quite unworthy oftheir wages. Andleaveyou with awrecked engine to boot

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, Aug. 23, the 235th day of 2025. There are 130 days left in the year Todayinhistory

speech contests, which are also four hours long.

Dukakis issued aproclamation that Sacco and Vanzetti had been unfairly tried and convicted.)

Dear Miss Manners: I have autism, which makes it difﬁcultto understand social situations— especially within close friendships. Ialso tend to beapeoplepleaser.

My best friend and Imet in highschool theday Imoved to anew state, and we have now been friends for 13 years. Iwas the maid of honorather wedding.Ihave stuck with her throughthe hard timesshe experienced,along with the happy times and some dark, depressingtimes. She is oneofmyfavoritepeople to be around.

Ifeel guilty for saying no. Itold her that Ihave things Ineed to get done, and that Ican only stay for the part when she is speaking. Iamdesperate to keep this friendship. However,I am reaching my breaking point.Ithurts. Ilove her She is like my sister

Gentlereader: No living human should be subjected to four hours of improv

Miss Manners notices that you mention your guilt for saying no to this,but not your friend’sreaction. You may be surprised by her acceptance of these boundaries, even if it does not seem probable at ﬁrst

On Aug. 23, 1970, the Salad Bowl strike began, organized by farm labor leader Cesar Chavez; between 5,000 to 10,000 laborers walked off the job, leading to the largest farmworker strike in U.S. history.

Also on this date:

In 1305, Scottish rebel leader Sir William Wallace was executed by theEnglish for treason.

In 1775, Britain’s King George III proclaimed theAmerican colonies to be in astate of “open and avowed rebellion.”

In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World WarI

In 1939, NaziGermany and the Soviet Union agreed to anonaggression treaty,the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow

In 2003, former priest John Geoghan, the convicted child molester whose prosecution sparked the sex abuse scandal that shook the Roman Catholic Church nationwide, died after another inmate attacked him in aMassachusetts prison.

In 2013, amilitary jury convicted Maj. Nidal Hasan in the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, that claimed 13 lives; the Armypsychiatrist waslater sentenced to death.

twomen of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, avictory forprosecutors in aplot that was broken up by the FBI and described as arallying cry foraU.S. civil war by antigovernment extremists. Today’sBirthdays: Actor Vera Miles is 96. Actor Barbara Eden is 94. Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen is 91. Ballerina

Gentle reader: How about you save the alcoholic drinks until after the work is completed? Because Miss Manners shares your fear that a30-pack of beer

However,she has done some really wacky, harebrained things that have led to arguments.She once volunteered me to help move astranger’sthings into their home;she’s put me throughalot of four-hour improv shows that shewas in (which were extremely inappropriate andinpoor taste); shebrings up people frommypast whohave hurt me terribly; andnow she wants me to go to her

It is certainly difﬁcult to push back, but for thesake of the friendship, you must Resentment is amuch stronger relationship-killer than conﬂict. Almostas strong as those interminable performances.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Bonjangles will feature a‘biscuittheater’ where customers can spectate the inception of the 49-step buttermilkbiscuits madefrom scratch every20minutes.

BOJANGLES

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the registers,” said franchise owner Benjamin Van Cleave. “There’savery large window,and there’sa logo on the top that says, ‘49 steps made with love,’ and you can watch our biscuitmakers craft these biscuits throughout the day consistently.” Cleave is oneofthe few franchisees opening with Bojangle’snew genesis prototype building, featuringa modern, ergonomic design minimizing steps between stations.

Bojangles’ architectural design and menu options vary by location. Some locations, particularly on the East Coast,won’t seea biscuit theater,hesaid. The new Albany locationwon’t

have greenbeans, pinto beans or mashed potatoes, but it’ll have baked macaroni and cheese, something the core market doesn’t have. If desired, the Albany location may expand themenu after ayear of operation to include bone-in chicken and other items like the ﬁsh sandwichand pork chop biscuit.But ﬁrst,the team wants to fully grasp the menu and executeittoperfection, hesaid WhyAlbany?

Cleave, born and raised in McComb, Mississippi, is a third-generation petroleum jobber in afamily thatalso ownsa small chain of convenience stores. Around 2019, Cleavedecided itwas time for some diversiﬁcation. After spending 27 weeksofinstore training at acorporate Bojangles, his team began a propertyhunt

“Albany —itreminded me so much of my hometown and alsoofmydad’shometown,” Cleavesaid. “It’sjust great community spirit. Very family-oriented. It looks like it’sprimed for growth.”

Cleave’sfavorite item on the menu is Bo’sChicken Sandwich, whichcomes on apremium bun with mayonnaise andcrisp dill pickles. It can also be customized to add lettuce, tomato, bacon or cheese.

More to come Cleaveplans to open a Hammondlocation on the Interstate 55 corridor by next summer,ifnot sooner Histeam also plans on propertyhuntingmore along Interstate 12. “Chicken is king in the South,” he said. “The brand is really focusing on franchise growthand expansion and constantly innovating.”

In 1927, amid worldwide protests, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a1920 robbery.(On the50th anniversary of their executions, then-MassachusettsGov.Michael

In 2020, aWhite police ofﬁcer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot aBlack man, Jacob Blake, seven times as ofﬁcers tried to arrest Blake on an outstanding warrant; the shooting left Blake partially paralyzed and triggered several nights of violent protests.

In 2022, ajury convicted

PROVIDED PHOTO

Katrina made landfall, her wrath leaving much of his home city underwater— floodwaters covering his neighborhood. Surtain lived on acorner along Norman C Francis Parkwayinthe MidCity neighborhood.

“Ittook us 12 hours to drive from New Orleans to Baton Rouge,” Surtain said. “Westayed in acondo in the Gardere area when we got there. It was owned by oneofour relatives, andit wasn’tinthe best shape, but all 63 of us stayed there.”

Family members didn’t complain. They were happy to have shelterwhile thinking that Katrina would be like hurricanes past— it would eitherpassbyNew Orleans or come inland withoutmuchincident, then everyone could go home.

But Katrina was the big one. The men in Surtain’s family stealthily returned to the city to check on their homes, all submerged in murky water.The house Surtain shared with his mom and sister was leaning at an angle, its foundation destroyed.

Surtain remained in Baton Rouge, learning later that his childhood home had been demolished. Meanwhile, representatives of theEast Baton Rouge Parish School system began registering displaced New Orleans kids in Baton Rouge schools

Surtain was assigned to Glasgow while his cousins were sent to Kenilworth Middle School.

“I was mad at first,”he said. “I didn’tunderstand, becauseI wanted to go to thesameschooleveryone else was going to. But Irealized later that Glasgowwas the best place Icould have gone.”

At Glasgow,Davé recognized his talents and began introducing him to other art forms. She signed him up for summer art camp in the summers, for which he eventually became an instructor,upon entering McKinley High School. He also took asummer trip to Germany with Glasgow’s gifted and talented program, andthroughitall,hewas playing football.

“I played for McKinley High School,” Surtain said. “When LSU went to the na-

MATTERS

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live right, power to walk right and the power to talk right.” That power has carried Washington through trying times: being displaced by Katrina, raising three children largely on her own and the heartbreak of losing her 34-year-old son Dantonio last year

into other subjects, then, when enrolling at Glasgow Middle, other art forms.

At LSU, his artistic style evolved from realistic to impressionistic into his own style thattellsthe stories of the people and neighborhoods of his hometown.

In hisMid-City New Orleansneighborhood,Surtain and his friends grew up spending summer days at Comiskey Playground. He later painted anighttime sceneofthatplayground, and it was swooped up by an art collector beforethe opening of his 2019 solo WhiteLinen Night show at Arthur Roger Gallery

how to program asite— as in, ‘What’s in this neighborhood,and howcan it beneﬁt the residentsand give them moreagency?’ It was also aboutlearning howtoput fundingtogether to geta project off the ground, and these aren’tnecessarily the skills youlearn in architecture school.”

Surtain’sinspirationfor learning both thedesign and businesssides of his trade was his childhood home, the house whose foundation was washed out by Katrina. Surtain wanted to ﬁnd ways to design sustainable structuresfor suchplaces as his Mid-Cityneighborhood.

Dear Heloise: My granddaughter,Bobbi, recently received adwarf hamster forher 9th birthday.Heis azippy little escape artist! To keep him safe when she wants to play or cuddle with him,she sits in a dry bathtub. Smart girl! —Debbie Brewer, in St. Paul,Texas Coupon collector

scatter.I’ve heard of trash strewnover the lawn, but Ihadn’theard the wordas an action verb. —CollinR., in Orlando, Florida Dirtymicrowave cleaning

tionalchampionship game in 2012, Isaid Iwould go there andplayfootballfor them Ididn’tknow how college footballteams or colleges worked

Because of his uncertainty, Surtain began withamajor in petroleum engineering.

“My friend said he wasgoingtosignupfor that,” Surtain said. “He said if Isigned up for it, too, we could both be making $70,000 ayear once we graduated. But I didn’tlike it. Iwasn’thaving problemswith the classes,I just didn’t like it.” So, he followed hisheart. Open doors

Surtaincan’tremember atime when he wasn’t dabbling in art. Hisﬁrstforay was drawing characters from the “Dragon Ball” Manga series with hopesof one day creating his own comic series.

“Dragon Ball” morphed

“My son’ssmile would make your day,” shesaid. “He was gifted in artsand music. He was agood kid.”

TheLord gives her the strength to keep going— and shakingher tambourines.

“If Ididn’thave him in my life, Icould do nothing,” she said, “but with him, everything is possible.”

ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com.

While at LSU, thenewspaperfeatured Surtain during his junioryear and again at his senior art show,which caught the attention of both Tulane University’sSchool of Architectureand theArthur Roger Gallery

Tulane offered Surtain aspotinthe architecture school’sgraduate program, which he startedonly days after graduating fromLSU in 2017.

Surtain continued his painting while simultaneously studying architecture andrealized he needed to learn thebusiness of real estate along the way “I realized thatwhen people hiretodesign something, they don’tknowwhere it all begins,”hesaid. “In my ﬁrst year at Tulane, Irealized that, for some of the issues, Ineeded aseparate skill set, like howtofind asite and

So, he spent the ﬁrst year of thepandemicinterning with an architecturalfirm in Bostonthat matched his goals. Now,he’shelping Tulane’sarchitectural studentslearnthisskill set at theSmall Center

That is, while painting scenes of his city.He’s shown some of his work in asummershowatBaton Rouge Gallery,ofwhich he’s now an artist member Now,atage 31, he preparesfor thenextArthur RogerGallery showinhis studio while his dog, Denim, keepswatch.And though his football teammates areno longerthere,hestill holds on to their enthusiasm. Andhewon’tlet them down.

Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

Dear Heloise: Please let your readers know that there are often coupons on the back of areceipt. Iwas at agrocery store yesterday and discovered coupons on the back of my receipt foradiscount on acar wash, dry cleaners, and $3 off my next basket of groceries! —Ida L., in Madison, Indiana Ida, what agreat way to stretch your budget! Heloise Word forword

Dear Heloise: When Ihear or read aword Idon’t know,I grab my phone and look it up. This has helped me learn manywords and formsofwords: For example, “strew”means to

Dear Heloise: Have you ever looked at the inside top of your microwave? Youmight be surprised at how dirty it is! Mine had several burned-on marks that werehard to get off. Remember to also clean the inside top when you are cleaning the rest of

RELIGION BRIEFS

FROM STAFFREPORTS

Public invited to WorldRevival

Thepublicisinvited to the Life ChangingWord Revivalwithevangelist T. Ron Weegar,at5100 Osborne Ave., in Baton Rouge

The revival begins Saturday with services at 7p.m each evening, excepton Mondays andThursdays when no meetings will be held.

For special prayer or Bible study,call (225) 9452785 or (225) 379-8740.

5th Sunday

Fellowship &Fun Day

Freeman Baptist Church, 4628 La.955 West in Ethel, will host its5th Sunday Fel-

lowship &Fun beginning at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 31. The day will feature a special message from the Rev.Ray Campbell of Ideal Family Church in Dallas. Allare encouraged to wear their favorite church shirt and comeready forajoyful day of inspiration, praise, games, face painting, awaterslide, abouncehouse and morefun forall ages. FairviewBaptist hosts guestspeaker La. Supreme Court Justice JohnM.Guidry will be the guest speaker at FairviewBaptist Church, 1636 Braddock St. in Baton Rouge, at 11 a.m. Sunday All are invited.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Brandon Surtain paintsinhis Mid-City studio in NewOrleans.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Something unexpected is heading your way.Before you dismiss what'scoming, consider how you can parlay it into something useful.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) You'llbetorn between what you should do and what you want to do. Stop procrastinating; choose what offers gratitude and satisfaction.Let your imagination helpyou gain insight into self-improvement.

SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov. 22) Pick up knowledge, skills and qualifications that will help you raise your earning potential. Mix businesswith pleasure, and you'll charmpeople whocan helpyou advance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov.23-Dec.21) Lookatyour environment, set abudget and reconstruct your surroundings to suit your needs. Examineyoureating andexercise habits to ensure betterhealth

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) When in doubt, step back, weigh the pros and cons and don'tbeafraidtotake apass. Trust yourself over someone putting on abig show to convince you to becomea follower.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Be brave and challengeyourselftotry something you've never done before,and seewhat happens. Apositive change at home or to your lifestyle is apparent.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Observation is yourfriend.Choosethepaththatencour-

ages positiveinput and spending time with people whoaccept you for whoyou areand love you unconditionally.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Intelligence is your ticket forward. Joint ventures, expenses or spaces require patience, commonsenseand compromise. Overreacting will not help you resolve matters. Lead theway.

TAURUS(April 20-May20) Do what you must do and keepmoving. Making excuses will prolong theagony of doing something you find taxing. Balance is thekey to thriving.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Inconsistency will hold you back. Learn all you can. Be open to suggestions,but implement only what's necessary. Asimple path forward will stifle procrastination.

CANCER(June 21-July 22) Acivil conversationwill be more effective thana shouting match. Take the time to sort out your thoughts and layout alternatives andcompromises that will minimize arguments.

LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Use your swagger and your intelligencetowin favors. Offer facts, demonstrations and proof that your word is good. Leave nothing to chance or unfinished.

FAMILYCIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: VEQUALSK

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

And erneSt

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Bernard Pivot, aFrench journalist, interviewer and host of cultural television programs, said,“You getthe feelingthatmanyofmyguestsfeel that the French language gives them entry into a more cultivated,more intelligent world, more highly civilized too, withrules.”

Several decades ago, French was the diplomatic language, but it has been replaced by English. But it still is abeautiful language If abridge playeriscareful withhis entries, he must be an intelligent player. This is atextbook example. How should South play in three no-trump afterWest leadsafourth-highest heart seven?

South doesn’t like to respondone notrump, but such is lifeoccasionallyat thebridge table. (Some Souths would respond three clubs,aweak jump shift, butIamnot afan of leaping into the stratosphere withnoknown fit. Here, it is true, it works fine becauseEastis unlikely to findthe testing heart lead against threeno-trump.)North, with a good five-card suit, three aces and one king, is worth thejump-raisetothree no-trump.

South hasonly five toptricks: two spades, two hearts (given theopening lead) and one diamond. Five morewinners can come from the club suit, but assuming the defender with the club ace will duck the first round of thesuit, declarer will need ahand entry —which is where? His only winner outside clubs is in hearts.

To guarantee that hand entry, South must take thefirst trick withdummy’s heart ace. Then he drives out the club ace and will eventually come to 10 tricks: twospades, twohearts, one diamond and five clubs.

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the

of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” maynot be used. 4. Proper nouns,

or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAY’s WoRD ZooPHYtEs: ZO-uh-fites: Invertebrate animals resembling plantsinappearance.

Average mark 31 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Canyou find 47 or morewords in ZOOPHYTES?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —oMIssIBLE