The Acadiana Advocate 08-27-2025

BACK ON CAMPUS

ABOVE: Students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette cross the street at the intersection of St. Mary Boulevard and Rex Street on Monday, the first day of the fall semester

The students were greeted by school staff who handed out doughnuts, coffee and water

RIGHT: Interim university President Jaimie Hebert hands out donuts to students upon their return to campus Monday.

Embattled Fed governor fights to keep job

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Gov Lisa Cook will sue President Donald Trump’s administration to try to prevent him from firing her, her lawyer said Tuesday

“President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Gov Lisa Cook,” said Abbe Lowell, a longtime Washington lawyer who has represented figures from both major political parties.

“His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action.” Trump’s unprecedented effort to fire Cook is likely to end up at the Supreme Court and

ä See FED, page 6A

Ex-school official facing charges

Former construction director arrested in connection with forged bids

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The former Lafayette Parish school system director who oversaw construction for the district was arrested and charged with injuring public records and filing false public records. Robert Gautreaux was arrested Tuesday afternoon and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center The 46-year-old is being held on a $20,000 bail, $10,000 for each charge.

The arrest comes as the Lafayette Police Department investigates possibly forged construction bids. Gautreaux stepped down from the director of construction, maintenance and facilities position in June. Associate Superintendent Mark Rabalais took over those duties after Gautreaux stepped down.

Gautreaux is currently working at the district’s career center as an agriculture teacher with a focus on welding. He was previously an assistant principal there before he took the district position. He was not arrested while on school system property, a district spokesperson said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, he was still employed with the district, but because it is a personnel matter, no additional information could be released, a spokesperson said. It is unclear what happens next for Gautreaux at Lafayette schools.

Schools Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr said the arrest was upsetting.

Explosion leaves many unemployed

Smitty’s blast drives employees to visit workforce officials

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

Jessie Hughes saw a 15-foothigh flame shooting from the top of a tank and knew he had little time to escape. The 56-year-old had stepped out at midday on Friday to switch hoses on equipment at Smitty’s Supply Inc. near Roseland, only to see the fire when he returned to his work area. Hughes, an 11-year employee of Smitty’s, said there was no time to find and use a fire

extinguisher on the 10,000-gallon motor oil mixing tank. He began evacuating an estimated 50 people from his part of the large lubricants plant.

“I told everyone to get out that was in my location I told them to get out,” he said in an interview Tuesday Hughes, who specialized in mixing additives into the various brands of motor oil packaged at Smitty’s, survived the harrowing moments of the fire and related explosions with his co-workers. But now he is among hundreds of employees out of a job and one of at least 160 who have visited state workforce officials in Hammond for help over the past two days.

Hughes, a Greensburg

ä See EXPLOSION, page 7A

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

LAFAYETTE PARISH

ä See CHARGES, page 6A

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Jaden Armstrong, a member of Mt. Canaan Baptist Church, pressure washes the swings at the church in Roseland after soot and residue coated the area following an explosion at Smitty’s Supply on Friday.

BRIEFS

Scientists get peek inside of exploding star

NEWYORK Scientists for the first time have spotted the insides of a dying star as it exploded, offering a rare peek into stellar evolution.

Stars can live for millions to trillions of years until they run out of fuel. The most massive ones go out with a bang in an explosion called a supernova.

Using telescopes that peer deep into space, researchers have observed many such explosions The cosmic outbursts tend to jumble up a dying star’s layers, making it hard for scientists to observe the inner structure.

But that wasn’t the case for the new discovery, a supernova called 2021yfj located more than 2 billion light years from Earth.

The collapsing star’s outermost layers of hydrogen and helium had peeled away long ago, which wasn’t surprising. But the star’s dense, innermost layers of silicon and sulfur had also shed during the explosion.

“We have never observed a star that was stripped to this amount,” said Northwestern University’s Steve Schulze, who was part of the discovery team that published the research Wednesday in the journal Nature. The finding lends evidence to ideas scientists have about how large stars look near the end of their lives, organized into layers with lighter elements on the outside and heavier ones close to the core.

Firefighters try to corral California forest blaze

FRESNO, Calif. — Firefighting crews tried to corral a fastgrowing blaze churning through central California’s Sierra National Forest as forecasters warned Tuesday that lightning strikes from thunderstorms could spark new ignitions.

Since breaking out Sunday afternoon, the Garnet Fire has scorched 14 square miles of grass, chaparral and timber in a remote area known for camping and hiking about 60 miles east of Fresno. There was no containment.

Firefighters were aided by scattered rain showers as they worked to protect the tiny Balch Camp community and nearby hydroelectric facilities along the Kings River, according to a Tuesday incident report.

“However, continued strong, erratic winds on top of dry, heavy vegetation will likely test containment efforts,” the report said. Parts of central and northern California are under red flag warnings for increased fire threat from dry lightning that could accompany thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said.

The 10-square-mile Pickett Fire in Napa County wine country saw little growth Monday as crews kept flames contained to canyons about 80 miles north of San Francisco. It was 17% contained on Tuesday There have been no reports of damage to any vineyards from the fire, a spokesperson for the trade group Napa Valley Vintners said Monday

2 tropical storms churn over open waters

MIAMI Tropical storms Juliette and Fernand churned Tuesday over open waters, one in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Atlantic, at the same time as some officials continued to deal with the aftermath of the massive Hurricane Erin which neared the northern Caribbean and U.S. last week. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for either storm, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical Storm Juliette posed no immediate threat to land, forecasters said. The storm was in the Pacific about 500 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fernand also was far from land and forecast to remain over open ocean waters. On Tuesday, it was about 635 miles south of Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and heading northeast at 13 mph

Israel says Gaza strikes targeted Hamas camera

20 were killed in hospital attack

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIRAL-BALAH,GazaStrip The Israeli military said Tuesday that its double strike on a Gaza hospital that killed 20 people targeted what it believed was a Hamas surveillance camera. But the first strike killed a cameraman from the Reuters news agency doing a live television shot, according to witnesses and health officials.

The military released its initial findings into the strike, offering no immediate explanation for striking twice and no evidence for an assertion that six of the dead were militants, including two who were identified by their employers as a health care worker at the hospital and an emergency services driver

The dead also included five journalists.

The military said the back-toback strikes on southern Gaza’s largest hospital were ordered because soldiers believed militants were using the camera to observe Israeli forces. But its account appeared to contradict the sequence of events in Monday’s attack on Nasser Hospital.

A senior Hamas official denied that Hamas was operating a camera at the hospital

“If this claim was true, there are many means to neutralize this camera without targeting a health care facility with a tank shell,” Bassem Naim, a member of the group’s political bureau, told The Associated Press in a phone interview

An initial strike hit a top floor of one of the hospital’s buildings. Reuters cameraman Hussam alMasri was killed in that blast while filming from the site, according to a fellow journalist and a doctor at the hospital.

Hospital officials said a second person, who has not been identified, was also killed in the first strike. Health workers, journalists and relatives of patients then rushed up an external staircase to reach the site of the first blast.

Photos taken from below showed at least 16 people gathered on the staircase, trying to help those hit. Among them were four men wearing the orange vests of emergency responders or health workers. No one on the staircase was seen holding weapons.

Video footage taken by Al-Ghad TV shows the second strike hitting, causing a large boom and engulfing everyone on the staircase in smoke Hospital officials say 18 people were killed in the second

It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes

BY JOCELYN NOVECK and DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press

KANSASCITY,Mo.— Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Tuesday In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairy tale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world, but especially Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base.

“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption read, accompanied by an emoji of a dynamite stick.

Kelce was a famous football player when they met — a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Super Bowl champion but Swift’s unique level of fame catapulted him into a different orbit entirely

Their relationship was documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s “Eras” concert tour as it traveled the globe.

There were those who speculated, with no evidence, that the relationship was not genuine but a cynical ploy for more fame, while some even theorized it was a plot to influence the U.S. elections In the end those voices were quieted by a happy couple who simply looked in love

— now with an engagement ring rivaling the size of Kelce’s three Super Bowl rings. It’s unclear when and where the two, both 35, got engaged. Representatives

strike.

The military did not elaborate on why it struck a second time or how it would have identified militants among the crowd on the staircase.

Its statement was issued after an initial inquiry into the attack, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “tragic mishap.”

Among the six people killed Monday that Israel claimed were militants were Jumaa al-Najjar, a health care worker at Nasser Hospital, and Imad al-Shaar, a driver with Gaza’s civil defense agency, which operates under the Hamasrun Interior Ministry, according to the agency and Nasser hospital’s casualty list.

Without offering evidence, Israel has in the past identified emergency responders that work under the Hamas-run government as militants to be targeted, including in the killing of 15 medics in March, when Israeli troops opened fire on ambulances in southern Gaza.

The military’s chief of general staff acknowledged several “gaps” in the investigation so far, including the kind of ammunition used to take out the camera.

The initial findings emerged Tuesday as a surge of outrage and unanswered questions mounted, after international leaders and rights groups condemned the strikes.

for Swift and Kelce did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment on that detail, though Swift publicist Tree Paine confirmed the engagement ring was an old mine brilliant-cut diamond from Kindred Lubeck. Scarcely over an hour later Kelce was stretching for practice in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Chiefs do not anticipate making Kelce available until next week in Brazil, where they open the season against the Chargers in Sao Paulo.

It’s been just two weeks since Swift — and Kelce last ignited a media frenzy with the announcement of her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” (It comes out Oct. 3.) Kelce and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, assisted Swift with the rollout, hosting her on their typically football-oriented podcast, “New Heights.” During the episode, she likened her career to her now-fiancé’s, saying their jobs were “to entertain people for three hours in NFL stadiums.”

Air Force resumes M18 pistol use

Pause issued after airman’s death

By The Associated Press

BARKSDALEAIR FORCE BASE A

U.S. Air Force command says nearly all of its Sig Sauer M18 pistols can be safely carried at nuclear weapons sites after the death of an airman sparked a monthlong pause and safety inspection of the handguns.

Sig Sauer is currently facing lawsuits over unintentional discharge claims about the civilian version of the pistol, the P320.

Other military branches kept using the M18 while the Air Force Global Strike Command reviewed whether its inventory was safe.

The command found 191 of its handguns needed repairs, mostly for wear to their safety lever, striker assembly or sear, which is part of the trigger mechanism, the Air Force said. Nearly 8,000 M18s passed inspection. Security forces at bases were able to use M18s again as of Monday, the Louisiana-based command said in a news release, and enhanced inspection procedures for the guns will be implemented.

“It is paramount that our Airmen trust their weapon systems,” Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the AFGSC commander, said in the news release.

A review of weapon discharges showed that none were attributed to weapons malfunction, the news release said.

Lawsuits against Sig Sauer allege the P320 pistol can go off without the trigger being pulled. The New Hampshire-based gunmaker denies the claims, saying the pistol is safe and the problem is user error It has prevailed in some cases.

The pause was enacted on July 21, a day after the death of Brayden Lovan of the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base outside Cheyenne The 21-year-old airman began his first active-duty assignment at the base in November 2023. An unidentified airman was arrested on suspicion of making a false official statement, obstruction of justice and involuntary manslaughter, the Air Force said earlier this month.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAyA LEVIN

An Israeli flag waves over debris in an area of the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, on Tuesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, right, stands with singer Taylor Swift after the Chiefs’ victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 26.

President threatens to deploy troops to Chicago

Residents point to downward crime trend

BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO, SOPHIA TAREEN and OBED LAMY Associated Press

CHICAGO President Don-

ald Trump’s threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago sent ripples through America’s thirdlargest city as many residents defended their home against Trump’s escalating rhetoric toward its violent crime, including claims it is a “killing field.”

The threat of federal troops stirred a mix of fear, frustration and defiance for residents as they pointed to historic drops in violent crime. Groups constantly pressing for police reform said sending troops who lack training in de-escalating violence or any knowledge about the nuances of neighborhoods still grappling with violent crime would undo progress made in recent years.

The sentiment was echoed by people going about their day — commuters heading to work cyclists weaving through traffic, and friends pausing to take photos along Michigan Avenue — who said the presence of troops would only heighten tensions, not ease them.

“It’s a direct affront to the progress our communities have made,” said Bradly Johnson, who leads BUILD Chicago. The anti-violence organization focuses its efforts on neighborhoods on the city’s West Side that have seen persistent crime, even as rates overall have fallen.

“It’s not a war zone,” Johnson said. “They’re vibrant resilient communities where young people deserve

opportunities and not intimidation.”

On Tuesday, Trump called Chicago a “hell hole” and repeated that Chicagoans are asking “Trump to co me i n” to reduce crime in the city The statements echoed comments earlier this month when Trump indicated Chicago may be next for a federal crackdown, claiming Chicago is “a mess” and residents are “screaming for us to come.”

Trump has long singled out Chicago, making it a recurring theme on the campaign trail in both 2016 and 2024. He has drawn controversial comparisons between the city and war zones like Afghanistan, and in 2017, he vowed to “send in the feds” in response to gun violence.

But data paints a more nuanced picture of crime — one that varies dramatically block by block and that has seen recent progress.

Violent crime in Chicago dropped significantly in the first half of the year representing the steepest decline in over a decade, according to city data. Shootings are down 37%, and homicides have dropped by 32%, while total violence crime dropped by over 22%.

“The empirical data is very clear that the Chicago trend is extremely positive,” said John Roman, who directs the Center on Public Safety and Justice at the University of Chicago. ” Chicago is doing better than the rest of the country on a lot of really important measures.”

Crime in Chicago also represents persistent, localized challenges, said Kimberley

Smith, director of national programs for the University of Chicago Crime Lab. The neighborhoods with the highest homicide rates experience about 68 times more homicides than those with the lowest rates.

Smith attributes much of the drops in violent crime to a focus in Chicago on the systemic drivers of violence, rather than the militaristic approach Trump has touted in Washington, D.C. She encouraged more federal investment in researching these types of violence-prevention strategies, calling Chicago “a hub for innovation in gun violence prevention.”

Jahmal Cole, founder of the community organization My Block, My Hood, My City, said Trump’s comments “erase this work being done on the ground by local leaders, community organizations and residents themselves” to combat gun violence.

“As for Trump’s remarks, it’s worth remembering that rhetoric alone doesn’t improve public safety,” he said. “We need smart, community-focused investments, not sensationalism.”

As a show of unity against the move, Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, convened roughly 100 elected officials, pastors, business leaders and activists at a splashy news conference against the backdrop of gleaming skyscrapers along the Chicago River The attendees Monday ranged from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, to the Rev Michael Pfleger, a wellknown Catholic priest in the city

After dust storm rips through Phoenix area, clean-up begins

BY ROSS FRANKLIN and HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

PHOENIX— Crews cleaned up downed trees and got power mostly restored for thousands of people Tuesday after a powerful dust storm roared through the Phoenix area. The wall of dust towering hundreds of feet high dwarfed the city’s neighborhoods. Called a haboob, the wind-driven phenomenon blackened skies and knocked out electricity for 15,000 customers late Monday afternoon.

Drenching rain followed. Flights came to a halt at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where material from a terminal roof blew onto the tarmac

But by Tuesday afternoon things were mostly back to normal, with only about 100 people still without power in Maricopa County and only minor

flight delays reported.

Workers were tracking down and cleaning up leaks in the airport, said Heather Shelbrack, deputy aviation director for public relations.

Bernae Boykin Hitesman was driving her son and daughter, ages 9 and 11, home from school when the storm arrived in Arizona City, about 60 miles southeast of Phoenix.

She quickly pulled over as the storm engulfed the car “I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face if I put my hand outside,” she said.

Boykin Hitesman could taste the dust and feel the strong wind rattling her car until it finally passed about 15 minutes later.

“I was nervous,” she said.

“My kids were really, really scared, so I was trying to be brave for them.”

Bird feeders fell from swaying trees at the home of retired university pro-

fessor Richard Filley in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert. Fine dust got into “every little crack and space,” he said.

“The windstorm part of it, I’m glad it’s gone,” he said “You look at the photos of haboobs, and they are a spectacular natural phenomenon. They are kind of beautiful in their own way.” A weather front or thunderstorm can cause a haboob. The phenomenon usually happens in flat, arid areas and is not unusual in Arizona. Phoenix has been drier than usual during the monsoon season, while parts of southeast and northcentral Arizona have had a fair amount of rain, according to Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

“But that’s typical for a monsoon, very hit and miss,” he said.

PROVIDED PHOTO By THE CITy PHOENIX

A towering wall of dust hundreds of feet high, known as a haboob begins to cover Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Monday.

Trump

Pritzker

Truckercrash promptsreview of state funding

Investigation launched over deadly U-turn

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

California,Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers, Transportation

Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday An investigation launched after adeadly Florida crash involving aforeign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Aug. 12 found what Duffy called significant failures in theway all three states are enforcing rules that took effect in June afterone of President Donald Trump’sexecutiveorders. He said the department was also already reviewing how states were enforcing the rules before the crash. Truckers are supposedto be disqualified if they can’t demonstrate English proficiency and Duffy said the driver involved in the crash that killed three should not have ever been given acommercial driver’slicense because of his immigration status. But the crash has become increasingly political with the governors of California andFloridacriticizing each other and Duffy highlightingthe Trump administration’simmigration concerns in interviews

But Duffy said Tuesday that it is asafety issue —not apolitical one —because truckers need to understand road signs and be able to communicate with law

enforcementabout what they are hauling if theyare pulled over or what happened if there is an accident.

“This is about keeping peoplesafeonthe road.Your families, your kids, your spouses, your lovedones, your friends.Weall use the roadway,and we need to make sure that thosewho are drivingbig rigs —semis —can understand theroad signs, that they’ve beenwell trained,” Duffysaid.

The TransportationDepartment said California has conducted roughly34,000inspections that found at least oneviolationsince the new language standards tookeffect requiring truckdrivers be able to recognize and read road signs and communicate with authorities in English. But onlyone inspection involved an Englishlanguage rules violation that resulted in adriver being taken out of service. And 23 drivers with violations in otherstates were allowed to continue driving after inspections in California.

He cited similar statistics for the other states with Washington finding more than 6,000 violationsofsafety rules during inspections, butonly pulling four drivers out of service forEnglish languageviolations. New Mexico has not placed any driversout of service since therulestook effect Duffy said thestates will lose money from theMotor Carrier Safety Assistance Program if they don’tcomplywith the rules within 30 days. Duffy saidCalifornia could lose $33 million, Washington could lose $10.5 millionand NewMexicocould lose $7 million. California Gov.Gavin

Newsom’s press officesaid on the social platform Xthat theTrumpadministration is just trying to deflect responsibility forthe crash.Washington’sgovernor declined to comment until after officials review Duffy’sletter andNew Mexico officials did not immediately respond to requestsfor comment.

“This is rich.The Trump Administrationapproved thefederal workpermit for the man who killed3 people —and nowthey’re scrambling to shift blame after getting caught.Sean’s nonsense announcement is as big ajoke as the Trump Administrationitself,”Newsom’s office said.

Three people were killed when truck driver Harjinder Singh madeanillegal U-turnona highway,according to Florida’sHighway Patrol.Heisbeing held without bond after being charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.

An earby minivan slammed into Singh’strailer as he madethe turn on ahighway about 50 miles north of West Palm Beach. Singh and his passenger were not injured.

Diamond R. Litty, the elected public defenderin

St.Lucie County,saidher office was provisionally assigned to Singh’scase during his initial appearance Saturday morning. Areview of his finances will determine whetherLitty’soffice remainsonthe case.

Litty saidher office will focusonthe criminalcharges againstSingh, whoispresumed innocent,but they will also work with an immigration attorney to determine how Singh’sstatus affects the case. After more than three decades at her position, Litty said she can’t recall acase thatgarnered more attention than thisone.

“Unfortunately, Mr.Singh hasbeen caught in the crosshairs of politics,”Litty said.

Butthe head of the OwnerOperator Independent Drivers Association trade group thatrepresentssmall-business truck drivers praised Duffy’sannouncement

“Basic English skills are critical forsafelyoperating acommercial motor vehicle —reading road signs, following emergency instructions, and communicating withlaw enforcement are not optional. The fatal crash in Floridathis month tragically illustrates what’sat stake,” the group’spresident,Todd Spencer,said.

Criticsthere say themurky deal ‘stinks’

BY RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda The highest-profile detainee that theUnited States seeks to deport, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, appears to be headed to Uganda,where criticsclaim that adeal with theTrump administration eases political pressure on apresident who’sruledfor nearly four decades. Ugandan officials have released few details about the agreement but have said they prefer to receive deportees of African origin and don’twant people with criminalrecords.Abrego Garcia is an El Salvador native who hasbeen charged with humansmuggling. He has pleaded not guilty Abrego Garcia, the subject of aprotracted immigration saga, wasdetained again Monday by immigration officials in the U.S., and the Department of Homeland Security said he “is beingprocessed for removal to Uganda.” OtherAfrican nations alreadyhaveaccepted deportees.

In July,the U.S. deported five menwith criminal backgrounds to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini and sent eight others to SouthSudan, where civil warthreatens to erupt again. Rwanda has said it will receive up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S. Opposition figures and others in Uganda on Tuesdayquestionedthe lack of parliamentary approval for the agreement. Without such oversight, “the whole scheme stinks, said Mathias Mpuuga, until

recently the leader of the opposition in Uganda’snational assembly He said the agreement left him “a little perplexed” because Uganda already struggles to look after refugees fleeing violencein neighboring countrieslike Congo and South Sudan. He suggested the agreement makes sense only as amatter of “economic expediency” for Uganda’sgovernment. It is unclear what Uganda’sgovernment is receiving for accepting deportees, howmanyitmight take or what its plansfor Abrego Garcia might be.The country’sattorney general, as well as government ministers in charge of refugees and internal affairs, were not immediately available for comment. Theday before Uganda confirmed the deal, the deputy minister in charge of international relations, Okello Oryem, asserted to TheAssociated Press that such an agreement was “complete rubbish.”

Some UgandansonTuesdaywerebusy speculating whatbenefit longtime President Yoweri Museveni might receive. The authoritarianleader hasbeen in power since 1986. For Museveni, the deal is desirable “for political and perhaps economic reasons” and might comewith trade opportunities, said Marlon Agaba, the head of aleading anti-corruption group in Uganda. After U.S. sanctions targeted many government officialsoverhumanrights andotherissues, “Museveni will be happy” to transact with Washington over deportees, said IbrahimSsemujju,alawmaker and prominent opposition figure.“He will be asking, ‘When are you bringing them?’”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BENJAMIN FANJOy

Harjinder Singh is escorted onto an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. JayCollins and lawenforcement on Aug. 21 in Stockton, Calif.

could more clearly define the limits of thepresident’s legal authority over the traditionally independent institution. The Fed exercises expansive power over the U.S. economy by adjustinga short-term interestrate that can influencebroader borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans and businessloans

The Federal Reserve weighed in Tuesday for the firsttimeonthe firing, saying it would “abide by any court decision.”

The Fed also defended its independence from politics: “Congress, throughthe Federal Reserve Act, directs that governors serve in long, fixed terms and may be removed by thepresident only ‘for cause,’”the central bank said “Long tenures and removal protections for governors serve as avital safeguard, ensuring that monetary policy decisions are basedon data, economic analysis,and the long-term interests of the American people.”

Aspokesperson said the Fed has deferred any decision on Cook’sworking status and addedthat thereis no official business before the board this week. But the Fed’sstatement did not explicitlycriticize Trump’sdecision to fire her Trump, aRepublican, has repeatedly demandedthat Chair Jerome Powell and the Fed’srate-setting committee cut its rate to boost the economy and reduce interest payments on the government’s$37 trillion debt pile.

If Trump succeeds in removing Cook from the Fed’s board of governors,itcould erode the Fed’spolitical independence, which is considered criticaltoits ability to fight inflation because it enables the Fed to take unpopular steps like raising interest rates.

Trump appointed two members of the board, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, in his first term and has named Steven Miran, a top White House economist, to replace Gov.Adriana Kugler,who stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1. If Miran’s nomination is approved by the Senate and Trump is able to replace Cook, he would havea4-3 majority on the Fed’sboard.

Trump criticized Powell at acabinet meeting on Tuesday and said, ”We’ll have a majority very shortly” on the Fed.”

The Fed’sboard oversees financial regulations and also votes on all interest rate decisions. Five of the Fed’s 12 regional bank presidents also have avote, with one of those five always being the New York Fed and the other four serving on arotating basis.

Legal experts say the Republican president’sclaim that he can fire Cook, who was appointed by Democratic PresidentJoe Biden in 2022, is on shaky ground. But it’sanunprecedented move that hasn’tplayed out in the courts before, and the Supreme Court this year has been much more willing

Continued from page1A

“He is afriend and has been agreatasset to LPSS in both his teaching and administrative capacities,” Touchet said in astatement.

“At the same time, however, all employees of LPSS are expectedtoperform their job duties in accordance with legal requirements.If it is ultimately determined that he failed to do so, then appropriate administrative action willbetaken.

“In the meantime, Ihave directed my staff to continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and the District Attorney’sOffice until this matter is resolved.”

The Police Department’s investigation into the alleged forgeries is ongoing, apolice spokesperson said.

It is unclear if more arrests willbemade in connection with the investigation.

The state licensing board for contractors alerted the district of the possible forg-

to let the president remove agency officials than in the past

“It’sanillegal firing, but the president’sgoing to argue, ‘The Constitutionlets me do it,’”said Lev Menand, alaw professor at Columbia Universityand author of a book about the Fed. “And that argument’sworked in afew other cases so far this year.”

Menand said the Supreme Court construes the Constitution’smeaning, and“it can make newconstitutional law in this case.”

Bill Pulte, aTrump appointee to the agencythat regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, made theaccusations last week. Pulte alleged that Cook had claimedtwo primary residences —in Ann Arbor,Michigan,and in Atlanta —in2021 to getbetter mortgage terms. Mortgage ratesare often higher on second homes or those bought to rent.

The mostlikely next step for Cook is to seek an injunction against Trump’s order that would allowher to continue herwork as a governor.But the situation putsthe Fedinadifficult position

“Theyhave theirown legal obligation to follow thelaw,” Menand said.“Andthatdoes not meandowhateverthe presidentsays. The Fed is under an independent duty to reach its own conclusions about the legalityofLisa Cook’s removal.”

Trump saidina letter posted on hisTruth Social platform late Mondaythathe was removing Cook effective immediately because of allegationsshe committed mortgage fraud.

Cook said Monday night that shewould not step down. “President Trump purported to fireme‘for cause’ when no causeexists under thelaw,and he hasno authority to do so,” shesaid in an emailed statement. “I will not resign.”

The courts have allowed theTrumpadministration to remove commissioners at the National Labor Relations Board, the MeritSystem Protection Board and other agencies.Yet Cook’s case is different

Thosedismissals were based on the idea that the president needs no reason to removeagency heads because they exercise executive power on his behalf, the

eries in May.Itwas investigating acomplaint against acontractor,Bosco Oilfield Services, that was doing work with the school system.

The licensingboard’sinvestigation centered around an August 2024 drainage pipe replacement project worth$74,500completed by Bosco, whichallegedly submittedthe lowestbid. It did not have the proper licensing for that project,the licensingboard said The school system received two other bids for that project,but those companies denied submitting bids.

Bosco Oilfield Services, since January 2024, has been awardedmorethan $224,000inschool system work through purchase orders, The Current reported in May.Someofthoseprojectsrequired acontractor’s license, which thecompany didnot have.

Theschoolsystemhas since implemented additionalinternal safeguards to protect thedistrict’sbid process, Wirtz said.

SupremeCourt wroteinan unsigned order in May In thatsame order,the court suggested that Trump did not have thesame freedom at the Fed, which the court called a“uniquely

structured, quasi-private entity.”

Thelaw that governs the central bank, theFederal Reserve Act, includesa provision allowing for the removal of Fed governors

“for cause.”

“For cause” is typically interpreted to mean malfeasance or dereliction of duty by an official while in office, not something done before thatperson is appointed,

Menand said. To establish a“for cause” firing also requires afinding of fact, said Scott Alvarez, the Fed’sformer general counseland now adjunct professor at Georgetown Law

“Weknowthere’s allegations by Bill Pulte, but Lisa has not been able to respond yet,” Alvarez said. “So we don’tknow if they’re true. Allegations are not cause.”

Lowellsaid Monday night that Trump’s“reflex to bully is flawedand his demands lack any proper process, basis or legalauthority,”adding, “Wewill take whatever actions are needed to prevent his attempted illegal action.”

Cook is the first Black woman to serve as agovernor.She wasaMarshall Scholar and received degrees from Oxford University and Spelman College, and she has taught at Michigan State University and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given thatsealedbidswillbe receivedeitherelectroni‐cally at www.centralbidd ing.comorinthe office ofthe Purchasing Divi‐sionatthe Lafayette ConsolidatedGovern‐mentBuilding, locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette Louisiana,until 11:00 am CentralTimeonthe 7th dayof October,2025 for the following: 2025 Fibertothe Home StockMaterial#3 andwill, shortlythere‐after,beopenedand readaloud in theOffice ofPurchasinglocated at 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette,LA. Bids receivedafter theabove specified time foropen‐ing shallnot be consid‐eredand shallbere‐turnedunopenedtothe sender. Biddersmay at‐tendthe bidopening in person, butare highly encouragedtojointhe bid openingvia Zoom using thefollowing link: https://us02web.zoom us/j/85864252447? pwd=ddlBTLPvbQNJlMv 43L00jN9Xjmg687.1. In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212 electronicBidsmay be submitted at CentralBid‐ding(www.centralbidd ing.com).Official BidDoc‐umentsare availableat Central Bidding(www centralbidding.com). For questions relatedtothe electronicbidding process, please call Cen‐tralBidding at 225-8104814. Biddersmay re‐quest theelectronicbid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐sard@lafayettela.gov Vendorssubmittingbids electronicallyare re‐quiredtoprovide the samedocuments as bid‐derssubmittingthrough

com‐panyingood standing li‐censedtowrite bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisianaor ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents.The bidbondshall beissuedbya company licensedtodobusiness inLouisiana andcounter‐signedbya person who isunder contract with re‐sidinginthisstate.The certified check, cashier’s check,orbid bond shall begiven as aguarantee thatthe bidder shallexe‐cutethe contract,should itbeawarded to him, in conformitywiththe con‐tract documentswithin ten (10) days No bidder maywithdraw his bidfor at leastfortyfive (45) days after the timescheduled forthe opening of bids.Eachbid shall be submittedonly onthe quotationform providedwiththe speci‐fications.

Bids will be evaluatedby the Purchaserbased on the lowest responsible and responsive bidsub‐mittedwhich is also in compliancewiththe bid documents.The Lafayette Consolidated Governmentreservesthe right to reject anyand all bidsfor just causeinac‐cordancewithLAR.S 38§2214.B. TheLafayette Consoli‐dated Government stronglyencouragesthe participation of DBEs (DisadvantagedBusiness Enterprise) in allcon‐tractsorprocurements let by theLafayette

CentralTimeonthe 25th dayofSeptember,2025 forthe following: MLKSIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS andwill, shortlythere‐after,beopenedand readaloud in theCouncil Briefing Room locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette,LA. Bids receivedafter theabove specified time foropen‐ing shallnot be consid‐eredand shallbere‐turnedunopenedtothe sender. Biddersare en‐couragedtoattendthe bid openingvirtually by using thefollowing link https://us02web.zoom us/j/85655746520? pwd=JEhXwqKRpLQpPSF wUvzcIAh92Nzp8h.1 MeetingID: 856-5574-6520 Passcode:088344 ScopeofServices: The scope of theproject con‐sists of constructing ap‐proximately 955 square yards of 4-inch thickcon‐crete sidewalk with ADA ramps andconverting openditches to closed subsurfacedrainage. All worktobecompleted withing 95 workingdays fromissuanceofNotice toProceed In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212. vendors maysubmit their bidelectronically at thewebsite listed above. BiddingDocuments are available to view only at the website. Bidders may request theelectronic bid packagefrom Heather Kestlerat hkestler@lafayettela.gov Bidderswishing to sub‐mit theirbid electroni‐cally must firstberegis‐tered online with Lafayette Consolidated Governmentasa poten‐tialsupplieratthe web‐sitelistedabove.Bidders submittingbidselectron‐icallyare required to pro‐videthe same docu‐ments as bidderssub‐mitting throughthe mail assoon as available. Onlya bidbond,

East University Avenue Lafayette,LA. Eachbid shallbeaccom‐paniedbya certified check,cashier’s check, orbid bond payableto the Lafayette Consoli‐dated Government,the amount of which shallbe five percent(5%)ofthe basebid plus additive al‐ternates. If abid bond is used, it shallbewritten bya surety or insurance company currentlyon the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial ManagementService list ofapproved bonding companies which is pub‐lishedannually in the Federal Register,orby a Louisiana domiciledin‐surance companywithat least an A-Rating in the latestprintingofthe A.M. Best’sKey Rating Guide towrite individual bonds uptoten percent(10%) ofpolicyholders’surplus asshown in theA.M Best’sKey Rating Guide, orbyaninsurance com‐panyingood standing li‐censedtowrite bid bonds which is either domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents.The bidbondshall beissuedbya company licensedtodobusiness inLouisiana.The certi‐fied check, cashier’s check,orbid bond shall begiven as aguarantee thatthe bidder shallexe‐cutethe contract,should itbeawarded to him, in conformitywiththe con‐tract documentswithin ten (10) days No contractor maywith‐drawits bidprior to the deadlinefor submission ofbids. Withdrawal of bidsthereaftershall be allowedonlypursuantto LAR.S.38§2214.C.Other‐wise, no bidder may withdrawhis bidfor at least forty-five (45) days after thetimescheduled for thebid openingof bids. Each bidshall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successfulbidderwillbe requiredtoexecute per‐

open‐ing of bids.Eachbid shall besubmitted only on the bid form provided with the specifications. The successfulcontractor willberequiredtoexe‐cuteperformance and labor andmaterialpay‐mentbonds in thefull amount of thecontract asmorefully definedin

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

FederalReserve Chair Jerome Powell, left, talkswith Board of Governors member Lisa Cook during an open meeting of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve on June 25.

resident who has four children, including one in college, filed for unemployment benefits at the GeauxJobs center on Monday and is looking for work.

“I got to do what I gotta do,” he said.

A loss of jobs is only one of the spillover effects of the devastating fire, whose cause remains under investigation by a variety of state and federal authorities. While no one was hurt or killed, the plant was destroyed and pollutants rained down on the surrounding area.

Covering roughly 20 acres, the complex, which had the capacity to store 8.7 million gallons of flammable hydrocarbons and other chemicals, caught fire shortly before 12:52 p.m. Friday, sending a large, black plume skyward and burning for more than three days.

The fire and explosions released unknown contaminants into the Tangipahoa River and surrounding land, sent an unidentified oily, black soot into the air, and forced a 1-mile evacuation area that wasn’t fully lifted until Tuesday, response officials said.

Only a few roads in the Roseland area immediately around Smitty’s remained closed to allow cleanup and containment to continue, parish officials said Tuesday. They included U.S. 51 from La. 1048 to just south of Smitty’s and La 10 at the Tangipahoa River bridge.

‘About accountability’

Crews working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have also deployed about 5,900 feet of boom in the Tangipahoa River to prevent the multicolored oily residue out of Smitty’s from spreading farther downstream into Lake Pontchartrain. The parish has also closed the river from La. 10 south to the lake.

The fire has already spurred a quick batch of lawsuits filed in state court in Amite against Smitty’s — at least seven between Monday morning and late Tuesday afternoon, according to court papers.

The text of only five of the seven suits was immediately available Tuesday afternoon, but those five, from local law firms and those out of New Orleans, all sought classaction status.

Accusing the company of negligence in its storage operations and frequently citing the contaminants, evacuations and black soot, the suits name Smitty’s as the defendant. A few also name Chad Tate, the CEO of the privately held company.

“This explosion forced families out of their homes, damaged property across the area, and left residents with serious health and safety concerns,” Jeffrey Berniard, a New Orleans lawyer who filed one of the suits, said in a statement. “This lawsuit is about accountability.”

For the first time Smitty’s officials spoke publicly about the fire.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company expressed its sorrow for the uncertainty it has caused the community It also offered thanks for the lack of any injuries and for the firefighters and others who fought the blaze. Smitty’s also promised to work with the EPA and other agencies.

“As the damage assessment and cleanup begins in earnest there is much work to do Smitty’s is committed to rebuilding in Roseland,” the company statement says. Company officials declined to respond to questions offered on Tuesday and referred a reporter back to the statement.

Gov Jeff Landry spoke of the disaster at a news conference in Amite on Monday, pledging help for unemployed workers.

“It’s important to recognize that this is not just simply an environmental issue, but this disaster affects the lives of all of the great people who worked in that facility and lived in that region,” Landry said.

‘Going to be a struggle’

With around 465 employees in 2024, Smitty’s was then Tangipahoa Parish’s third-largest private employer, behind only a large Walmart distribution center in Robert and the Sanderson Farms plant near Hammond, according to a school audit.

More current estimates put the employee total at 450 before the fire. Several employees interviewed Tuesday said they were notified by phone or email to seek unemployment benefits. Some also said they have been informed they would receive their last paycheck.

Workforce officials at the GeauxJobs center in Hammond said Smitty’s employees lined up starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, a half-hour before the center opens, to apply for unemployment and food stamp benefits. Workers can be eligible for unemployment

benefits worth $247 per week for up to 12 weeks.

The center has an extra mobile unit in place to handle the numbers and the center is focused on handling Smitty’s employees through Friday, officials said, but will continue handling them afterward.

Shalonda Chappell, a regional workforce development manager with GeauxJobs, said she could not recall a single layoff in this part of the state that was as large as what’s happened with Smitty’s.

She added that the job loss has happened in a rural part of Tangipahoa Parish with few other large employers like Smitty’s and with few similar jobs that pay at the same rates.

“So, it’s really going to be a struggle as far as transportation-wise and getting them to another place of employment,” Chappell said.

Workforce officials said another challenge specific to Smitty’s employees is that several lost their identification in the fire, such as when purses left behind burned, posing a slowdown in applying for help.

Late Tuesday morning, now former Smitty’s employees were walking in the center, meeting with counselors about benefits and ways to polish their résumés. They chatted with co-workers who

arrived.

Anita Gant, 53, a Navy veteran from the village of Tangipahoa who worked as a lab technician at Smitty’s, was waiting at GeauxJobs to apply for unemployment on Tuesday Gant said she had left work Friday about 10 minutes before Smitty’s caught fire and is still grappling with what happened.

“It just set in yesterday that I didn’t really have a job, that just ‘what am I going to go do next?’” she said.

Parish officials said Geaux Jobs and a state workforce rapid response team will be at Florida Parishes Arena, 1301 NW Central Ave., Amite, on Sept. 4-5 for presentations on workers’ job search. Through Friday this week, the Amite arena has been set up as a distribution point for water, drinks, cleaning supplies and comfort items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The items are available to those who live within two miles of Smitty’s and to former Smitty’s employees. People should bring their Smitty’s identification.

Staff writer Willie Swett contributed to this report.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

State tests new voting systems

Lawmakers set requirements including paper ballots

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

For more than three decades, Louisianans have pushed buttons on the same voting machines when casting ballots for everything from local school board members to president of the United States.

On Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s Office held the first of six public demonstrations by companies that hope to compete for the contract for the new voting system. While each is different, they

But Louisiana is now in the process of selecting an entirely new voting system, and it could look very different from the current one that state leaders for years have decried as woefully out-ofdate.

Abbeville’s oldest restaurant gets grant

National Trust awards Dupuy’s $50,000

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Dupuy’s Seafood and Steak serves up its famous oysters, corn and crab bisque, jumbo lump crabcakes and other south Louisiana delicacies in a building that has been standing in Abbeville’s historic downtown for more than 150 years.

On Friday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express announced that the restaurant will receive a $50,000 grant as part of the National Trust’s “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” program.

Since 2021, the program has supported small and independently owned restaurants across the country that contribute to the history and identity of the surrounding neighborhood, tell a story about America’s culinary heritage, have a compelling historical narrative, or have been disproportionately impacted by economic challenges or disasters.

Dupuy’s Seafood and Steak has operated out of the same building at 108 S Main St., Abbeville, since it first opened as an oyster house operated by Joseph Dupuy in 1869. For the past 25 years it has been owned and managed by Vermilion Parish natives Jody and Tonya Hebert.

The $50,000 award is to help restaurants upgrade their business with exterior, public-facing improvements, with a focus on murals, awnings, lighting, signage upgrades, façade enhancements and the creation of outdoor seating areas

“These restaurants demonstrate the power that places hold. For generations, neighbors have gathered here, shared stories, made new connections, and enjoyed regional cuisine that often reflects our

ä See ABBEVILLE, page 4B

all must comply with requirements state lawmakers established in 2021 — and that includes the use of paper ballots.

“We want our voting machines to actually have a paper ballot component so that we can audit both the machine tabulations and the paper trail,” said Catherine Newsome, first assistant secretary of state.

In addition to the paper trail, the 2021 law mandates several other requirements, such as using machines with “tamper-evident seals” and a prohibition against voting equipment that connects to the internet. The vendor that is ultimately selected must also disclose to state election officials “any percentage of ownership by a foreign entity,”

the law states. The Secretary of State’s Office, which administers Louisiana’s elections, earlier this year also published dozens of additional detailed requirements that any new voting system must comply with. At the top of that list is that paper ballots must be “capable of being audited by humans by hand, without use of electronic devices.” The system must also have guardrails to avoid “undervoting”

ä See VOTING, page 4B

SECOND SERVING

frozen game that was

St. Landry facing money problems

Parish president asks state for $4.6M loan

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

St. Landry Parish President

Jessie Bellard told the State Bond Commission Thursday that his government will run out of money by the end of the month. Bellard asked the commission for a $4.6 million loan to cover expenses for the parish, which is expected to run into a $3.6 million deficit by the

end of 2026. The loan would be used to cover operations and an upcoming payment on a $1.6 million loan the parish received from the commission in December

The commission postponed its decision to issue the loan to next month after it learned that the Parish Council voted against asking for the loan the night before the hearing. Harold Taylor, a parish council member and finance committee chairman in attendance at the Thursday hearing, suggested that the parish be placed under fiscal

‘Coda Best Bites’ are wafer cone ends dipped in chocolate

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

In October, Waldmeier was looking for a part-time job to make up for the lack of a retirement plan he had as a full-time bartender at a local casino. After not hearing back on some of his applications, he decided to give his childhood idea a shot.

Waldmeier took the bottom of a wafer-style ice cream cone, filled it with ice cream, and dipped the top in chocolate.

“I ate one, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is going to work,’” Waldmeier said.

While deciding the name of Lake Charles

Southwest Louisiana native Jordan Waldmeier has created a new frozen treat, called “Coda Best Bites,” consisting of the end of a wafer cone filled with ice cream and dipped in chocolate that he believes will revolutionize the ice cream world. Ever since he was a child, Waldmeier has thought the end of the ice cone, what he considered “the best part,” should be sold separately

The same night, he registered his LLC and started exploring ways to get his business up and running.

ä See SWEET, page 4B ä See ST LANDRY, page 4B

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

An order of Oysters Rockefeller is pictured on Dec. 17 at Dupuy’s Seafood and Steak in Abbeville.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Volunteers Terry Morris, from left, Mike Salton and Steven Barnes, of The Refinery Mission, unload

donated during Hunters for the Hungry Louisiana at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium on Sunday in Lafayette. Residents could drop off packages and labeled frozen goods.

Monday’sdedication of the EastCampusof the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park in honorofformer U.S.Rep Bob Livingston was awelcome development for several reasons.

First, the new Congressman BobLivingston East Campus recognizes the contributions Livingston, who represented Louisiana’s1st Congressional District from 1977 to 1999,made to his stateand nation.

Second, it’sareminder that it is indeedpossible to serve local and nationalneeds whiletrimming the federal budget to more manageable size Third, it highlights anew the importanceof UNO as it works through the process of rejoining the Louisiana State University system, and should inspire Louisianans to revitalize UNO as the excellent research and teaching university it can be.

When he chaired the House Appropriations Committee in the mid-1990s,Livingston proved one of the most successful budgetcutters in U.S. history.But he did it carefully,cuttingduplication and inefficiencies rather than essentials And, more to the point here,hedid it while ensuring that national needswere married to good localprojects.

At the lakefront, Livingstonsecured $220million to consolidate the U.S. Navy’snationwide information technology into two massive buildings at UNO. For aquarter centurynow,the facilities have been serving the nationaldefense, while bringing $350 million in economic benefits to the stateand serving as training grounds foruniversitystudents

Thesesorts of solutions were ahabitfor Livingston, now 82, whoworked with fellowRepublicans as well as Democrats to secure funding for shipbuilding, port expansion, drainage improvements, streetcar lines, the projectthat would grow into the National WWII Museum and more.

Akey lesson is that bipartisan goodwill joined with diligent attention to local needs can indeed produce real accomplishments through spending that is anything but meregovernment bloat.At atime of deep partisan divisioninCongress, it was refreshing to see Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who now represents Livingston’sold district, join Democratic former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in honoring Livingston’s legacy

This week’sattention to the researchpark also shines aspotlight on UNOitself.Facing major shortfalls in funding and enrollment,the universitynonethelesshas thepotentialtoregain its status as an educationalpowerhouseand a tremendous boon to the city.Asone of only three Louisianaschools witha coveted “R2” designation,signifying research leadership, fromthe Carnegie Classification of InstitutionsofHigher Education, UNO should be abig driver of theentire state’seconomy

Noting this week’s20th anniversaryofHurricaneKatrina, GNO Inc. President Michael Hecht saidinhis remarks that “We’re really beginning the process of rebuilding and reinventing Louisianafor the next 20 years.”

That’s abig and worthyambition, one appropriatefor thevision Livingstonhad in 1991 when he began working to bringthe Navy and UNO together

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

On Aug. 14, Amedisys,Inc., one of thelargest home health and hospice companies in the U.S., was purchased by UnitedHealthcare for $3.3 billion. Amedisysisa company that started in Bill Borne’sliving room in Vacherie and, for decades, was headquartered in Baton Rouge. Executives were moved to Nashville when Borne left thecompany but other operations remained in Baton Rouge. The company is aBaton Rouge success story

From its public offering in 1994, when its revenue was $18 million, Amedisysrose from its listing on the “pink sheets” to areputable NASDAQ company trading on average at $60 per share in recent years. Although initially founded as anurse staffing company, it focused on home care and hospice

services in later years. Itsstock cycles have varied, but shareholders are gettingapremiumreturn on the $101 acquisition share price, especially if they bought Amedisysstock at the IPOprice of $8.

Iamsaddened to see its AMED trading symbol come off of NASDAQ as part of this deal. Baton Rouge provides afertile ground for public company growth. Many have started here and have been acquired,notably The Shaw Group and H&EEquipment. We need more entrepreneurs to grow their companies and tolist on apublic exchange. It brings capital and jobs into our market. It’snot an easy road, but if Amedisys, a“scrappy” homegrowncompany, can do it, others can follow BARBARA CAREY Baton Rouge

The article“Katrina panel recalls storms’ aftermath” by Tyler Bridges deserves to be widely read.Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that the governmental systems designated to protect us failed when they were needed most Thousands of people wereleft abandoned in theheat, without food or water or medical treatmentand having no way out

With 4,000 desperatepeople stranded in aSt. Bernard warehouse, Walter Leger Jr.helped to commandeer the Algiersferries to bring them to safety When there were not enough qualified bus drivers, Benny Rousselle evacuated the Belle Chaseauditorium by handing thekeys to volunteers. He said, “Believe it or not,wegot all the

Ithoroughly enjoyed Kateb NuriAlim Shunnar’s guest column, “Between stories and steam,” and Ilook forward to reading more of his work. I believe that in atime where everyone is constantly looking forward to the next great thing,Shunnar understands we shouldn’tforget where we come from, or one day we will look in the mirror and we see strangers looking back at us. Strangers next door and at our shopping centers. Strangers saying “I do” across from us at our weddings

buses back.” Gen. Russel Honoré broke militaryprotocol to bring relief and hope to abroken city when other leaderswere paralyzed.

What these acts had in commonwas alove of humanity,adesire for results and the ingenuity to fashion anovel solution by thinking outside of the box. The examples in this article were not isolated. In my experienceofhaving spoken to Katrina survivors, many ordinary people didextraordinary things to bring comfort, food, transportation,safety and water to their fellow citizens. It is worth recalling that HurricaneKatrina sometimes brought out the best in us.

JOHN MENZER NewOrleans

and raising our kids. Strangers teaching them in our schools.

This has nothing to do with faces, races or philosophies, but those lessons taught and engraved and instilled into us by our grandparents and true parents. You’re not better than anyone else, but they’re not any better than you either! So love everyone and treat everyone as you would wanttobe treated in kind.

CAVELL

BELONGA Lafayette

Gov.JeffLandry’srecent state of emergencytoreopen Camp J at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is being sold as a necessity.But we must ask, “Necessary for whom, and for what purpose?”

Conflicting accounts arealreadyswirling. Prison staff say immigrants arecoming. Others mention youth over 16. Some suggest amixedpopulation. No agency hasconfirmedwho will be placed there,only thatrepairs areunderway,construction crewsare active and the rules for public oversight have been set aside

Under Louisiana Revised Statute 29:724, the governor can bypass normalbidding, suspend certain regulations andcommandeer resourcesinanemergency But the lawalso requires the declarationtoclearly state the nature of the emergency,the area affected andthe conditions thatjustify it. Where is thatfull explanation? Whatspecific crisis demands we fast-track reopening aunit shut down in 2018 for its deplorable conditions, aplace with faulty locks, crumbling infrastructure anda long record of abuse andextreme isolation on the grounds of aformer slave plantation?

We arealso told an independent contractor has been hired for these repairs. Who owns this company? Whatare its political or financialties? Wasitselected for expertise or connections? And why arepublic safeguards, including competitive bidding, being waivedtopush this deal through?

If the state is preparing to confine immigrants, youth or any vulnerable population in one of Louisiana’s most notorious prison units, we deserve clear,public answers before anyone is moved inside.Transparency is not aluxury in matters of humanliberty; it is the bare minimum.

TIA FIELDS Baton Rouge

COMMENTARY

Pets akey part of disaster planning,recovery

Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast 20 years ago this week. The devastatingstorm took more than 1,000 lives and inflicted an estimated $170 billion in economic damage.But oftenforgotten are the four-legged victims caught in the devastation of the storm. Twodecades later,new policies help to ensure petsare folded into disaster response plans, but gaps remain. At the time, national television coverage of the humanitarian crisis largely centeredon theSuperdome, which housedthousandsofpeople in the days and weeks following the hurricane. But about 60 miles northwest of that arena, another herculean mission was unfolding The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center became the headquartersofthe largest animal shelter andrescue operation in U.S. history

TheAmerican HumaneSociety was proudtoplay acritical role. Over the course of six weeks, alongside dozensofother groups, morethan 5,000 stranded animals were rescued and evacuated.The helpless creatures were scared and in urgent need of veterinary care.For the rescued animals, dehydration, exhaustion and hunger were an unfortunate daily reality

In one heartbreaking story chronicled in congressional testimony,alittle boy and hisdog were separated during an evacuation from New OrleanstoHouston. The child reportedly cried out for his best friend until he got sick from distress. In other gut-wrenching tales, animals were trapped in flooding cagesorleft to dog-paddlefor hours in an effort to find dry land.

The epidemic of abandoned pets was awake-up call for policymakers and animal advocates alike. It was clear that the status quo unnecessarily threatened animal lives and was in critical need of reform.And to their credit,federal lawmakers and President George W. Bush met themoment.

In 2006, bipartisan legislation was passed by Congress and signed intolaw requiring states seeking federal disaster aid to accommodate pets and service animals in evacuation plans. That includes providing animal-friendly emergency housing.

The law,called the PETS Act, also empowers theFederal Emergency Management Agency to directly rescue, care for and protect animals affected by natural disasters.

Incorporating pets into thenation’s disaster response framework represented alandmark momentfor animal welfare. To-

Stormforceda remake of schools butTFA fueled transformation

Aug. 29 marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina changed New Orleansforever Anniversaries like this oneinvite deep reflection. I’ve spent the last few weeks doing just that —thinking about theLouisianacommunity whereIhave such deep family roots, andthis city that welcomed me andmytwo kids more than adecade ago to plantour own roots. And how every day since, I’ve been part of acommunity of students,families and educators who have rebuilt local educationwith incredible heart

There is no easy way to speak about Hurricane Katrina. What happened here was catastrophic. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Schools shuttered. Systems broken wide open. But what Iwant to talk about —and what Ihope we neverlose sight of —isthe communitythat came together in the aftermath. The people. Theprogress. The powerful, everyday acts of creation. When IarrivedatKIPP McDonogh 15, nine yearsafter the storm, our classroomswere still housed in FEMA trailers. These temporary structures —originally meant to last only afew months —had become our daily learning spaces There were no traditional hallwaysorshared gathering spots, just long, narrow spaces that werebrokenupinto smaller rooms where creativity and connection hadtostretch beyond the thin walls. But my students didn’twait forapermanent building to start shaping theschooltheywanted. They painted the walls of those trailerswith murals. They planted flowers. They brought color light and life to aplace that had been defined by loss. We got picnic tablesand added umbrellasin Mardi Gras colors —purple,greenand gold.It wasn’tjust aschool —itbecame aplace of healing, transformation and joy

day,it’salso credited with saving human lives.

Asurvey by PetSmart Charities reveals that morethan 70% of pet owners would ignore evacuation orders if their furry family member could not come along. And 80% said they would give up their spot at an emergency shelter if petswere not permitted entry.In short,Americans are now more likely to follow safety protocols and evacuate danger zones when their pets are part of the plan.

Buildingonthat legacy,we can do more. Elected officials in Washington could amend federal law to expand options foranimalinclusive housing following natural disasters ranging from floods to tornadoes. One idea could be to offer financial incentives, such as tax credits to hotels and motels that temporarily accept guests with pets. That way,families and their pets could moreeasily stay together

State legislatures could pursue other policies in tandem,assome already are. For example, anew law in Washington state, an area often at the epicenter of wildfires, emphasizes that local governments must incorporate pets when planning fornatural disasters. Meanwhile, Florida adopted anew policy this year that makes it afelony to restrain or abandon apet when an evacuation order is in effect.

Many young Americans today were not alive to experience the horrors of Hurricane Katrina unfolding. But through the stories of heartbreak and tragedy,aswell as those of compassion, hope and bravery,wecan ensure that the lessons of 2005 continue to inform policy changes that help keep America’spets safe.

RobinGanzert is the president and CEO of theAmerican Humane Society

Katrinaproved resilience is more than abuzzword

Hurricane Katrina made Louisiana aleader in resilience by necessity

In theaftermath of Hurricane Katrina and asister storm, Hurricane Rita,which hit Louisiana’swestern coast three weeks later, then-Gov Kathleen Blanco charged theLouisiana Recovery Authority,orLRA, with building back safer, smarter and stronger.And we put that vision intoaction.

schoolsand hospitals would be available whentheygot home.

andorganizations like New Schools for New Orleans, Collegiate Academies, Rooted,Success at Thurgood Marshall, LiveOak Camp and The 18th Ward —inclassrooms where students are becoming not just readers and writers,but changemakersand critical thinkers.

Isee the next generation of leaders stepping intothis legacy.Like Wilfred Wright,aNew Orleansnative who grew up in theshadow of Katrina and was taught by TFAcorps members in alumniled schools. Today,through thecorps, Wilfred is teaching at Samuel J. Green Charter School.

Andthen there’sDavion Carraby,one of my former studentsatKIPP McDonogh 15. Itaught Davion in the FEMA trailers that once served as our classrooms. Today,she’sback at that very same school —this time as aTFA corps member

ProgressinNew Orleanshas been powered bothbyrising leaders, such as Wilfred and Davion, andbythose who have steadily led, year after year. Tanya Bryant is one of them.

Bryant began teachinghere in 2003.

When Katrina struck, her school was in the Lower 9thWard. She stayed. She kept teaching. Today, she serves as CEO of ReNEW Charter Schools,leading with the same fierce love and dedication that brought her to theclassroom more than 20 years ago.

This kind of leadership is all around us.

None of this has happened in isolation. Everything that has been built over the past 20 years hasbeen forged in partnership withschools and, most of all, withthe families who have welcomed us into their lives and trusted us withtheir children’sdreams.

That spirit is New Orleans. That spirit is what makes this community my home. And now, as executive director of Teach ForAmericaGreater New Orleans, Iget to work alongsidethousands of educators in and outsideofTFA who continue to buildand reshape education inNew Orleans. Since 1990, more than1,600 Teach ForAmerica alumni have made Louisianahome. Today,they areprincipals, nonprofit founders, school counselors and classroom teachers. Their fingerprints areeverywhere —inthe foundingofschools

This is not astoryofperfection. It’sa story of persistence, creativity and connection. It’s a story still being written by teachers,students andcommunity leaders.

To thepeople of New Orleans: Thank you. For your trust.For your partnership. For allowing me to be part of this incredible journey.The last 20 years have been filled with purpose. And Ibelieve, with everything in me, thenext 20 will hold even more promise.

Ge’ron Tatum is theexecutive director of Teach ForAmerica GreaterNew Orleans

As aleader in the LRA, I worked hand in hand with other disaster experts, organizations, companiesand government agencies to ensure the devastation suffered by ourresidents could be preventedinthe future

The LRA fought to change the way things were done.Instead of short-term fixes, we focused on long-termsolutions.

Often this meant challenging ourselvesand our federal partners to go beyond simply replacing damagedinfrastructure and propertiestorebuild with materials anddesigns that could withstand future disasters. We constantly asked: If youcould investinaway thatsaves lives and won’tbreak in the future, why wouldn’tyou?

The stateofLouisiana, our neighborsacrossthe Gulf Coast and the federal disasterresponse and recovery ecosystem have made alot of progress since Louisiana’s twin disasters 20 years ago. Many of the changes that were put in place thenare still protecting us today.

We adopted international building codes to fortify newstructures; we incentivizedcommunities to plan fora safer future; we rebuilt and improved health care and school systems; we invested in quality, affordable rentalhousing; and coastalrestoration became ashared mission. Communities along the coast and upriver have learnedto“live with water,” adopting measurestoprotect against future floodevents. Andwedidn’tstopthere. We shared what we learned across events and acrossstates. We embedded safeguards into planning beforethe next storm hit. We kept learning.

At thetime,wedid notcall this “resilience.” We acted on the premisethat no oneshould have to experience the loss, destruction andtrauma thatresidents of the statehad witnessed. The LRA, and so many others, fought fiercely to make sure that people could come home, small businesses could thrive and critical infrastructure like roads, lights,

We nowknowthat resilience is more thana buzzword; it is an essentialway of doing business. Being resilient is aboutbuilding safer smarter, strongersystems so thateach and everymember of acommunity can flourish. Communities across the country knowtheir risk andare prioritizing investments in the toolsand technology to planfor risk andbuild betterbeforedisasterstrikes. As hasbeen common parlance in coastalrestoration, resilient communities require “multiple lines of defense,” including social, economicand culturalsystems, alongwith physical restoration of naturaland human-made infrastructure

Resilienceisnot aone-time investment. It’sa commitment to continuous improvement, to listening andtoacting with urgency andcompassion. Unfortunately,too often, communities acrossthe country including in ourown state, are experiencing catastrophic disasters andhaving to learnlessons we have alreadyexperienced. As the federal government is pulling back critical upfront investments essentialtofortifying communitiesfromfuture threats, the state of Louisiana,whichfaces the risk of heaviercoastalflooding andmorefrequent flood events, recently canceled amajor river diversionthatwould createland andprovide aspeed bump to prevent damage from future storms. These backsteps by the federal andstate governments are compoundedbymarketforces.Insurance costs areunaffordable, if residents can even acquire it —a huge questionmarkasinsurance writers areabandoning coastal communities. Louisiana showedthe nation what resilience could look like Now,wemust lead again —by building on what we have learned from experience. We should institutionalize this knowledge in an updatedplaybook and share it broadly This way, we, andour neighbors acrossthe nation, will be safer, smarter, strongerand, hopefully, betterprepared to respond to and rebound from future catastrophic disasters. Our way of life depends on it. Robin Keeganisa former executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority

FILEPHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

ANew Orleans public school classroom is destroyedfollowing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Robin Ganzert GUEST COLUMNIST

Ge’Ron Tatum GUEST COLUMNIST

Robin Keegan GUEST COLUMNIST

Plansdropped forLa. solarfarm

Projectnear WhiteCastle drew

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

NextEra Energy has dropped plans to build a 2,000-acre solar farm near White Castle, aproject that drew strong local opposition.

In aFacebook post Tuesday morning,the Iberville Parish government said the Florida-based company had withdrawn its application forthe solar farm,which had been dubbed Coastal Prairie Solar

“While we are not actively pursuing an application for the Coastal Prairie Solar project at this time, our focus remains on identifying opportunities that align with the needs and priorities of IbervilleParish,” NextEra said in astatement.

Parish President Chris Daigle said in astatement Tuesday afternoon that Ibervilleis“at acrossroads” regarding solar farms.

“Our Parish has never accepted any Solar projects, but also have never denied any as well!” Daigle wrote.

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“Is it fiscallyresponsible to borrow $4.6 when you know you can’tpay it back?” Taylor said. “I don’t think so.”

Adelayed decision or denial by the commission will leadtojob losses, Bellard said.

“Parish government, as you see it and how the people see it, is goingto change drastically until next year because I’m gonna have to lay off pretty much everybody but the counciland myself,” Bellard told the commission.

Mandated expenses are saddling the parish,Bellard said,coming mainly in the form of daily spending on state inmates and inmates being held outside

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the business,the first name Waldmeier came up with was Coda Best Bites because acoda is asign in music that indicates agrand finale.

“This is the grand finale of the ice cream, and so I thought it was very fitting,” Waldmeier said.

Waldmeier was connected with the Southwest Louisiana Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Center while getting the company started.

“Wefeel that after hearing the public’sconcernsat thecommunity meeting in White Castle this past May, NextEraEnergy has made thedecision to withdraw any future plans for the Coastal Prairie Solar Project.”

He saidthe Parish Council will make “smart growth” decisions aboutthe future of the parish. No othersolar farm project applications are currently under consideration,hesaid. The 175-megawatt project would havebeen built near La. 993. Plans werefor Entergytosign a20-year contract to purchase thepower generated by the farm. It wouldhave gone into the Entergy powergridfor all Louisiana customers.

of the parish, Bellardsaid.

“It’sa mandated expense All of our overruns are mandates.Wedon’tcontrol that. The mandates are controlledbythe district attorney,judges and the sheriff,” Bellard said.

Inmate costs have dogged theparish for quite some time. It led Bellard’s government tosue the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Officeback in December. In the lawsuit, Bellard claimed Sheriff Bobby Guidrozwas unnecessarilytransferring inmates outside of the parishand passing theincreasedcost on to the parish. In 2024, the parish was spending around $1,451 daily for 55 inmates who were transferred outside of the parish. Now,after the constructionofa new dorm for inmates, the parishhas brought costs down from$770,000 annually to

Work was set to begin in spring 2024, withthe farm starting operation at the end of 2025.

Astudy ledbyGregory Upton Jr.and Gregory Albrecht at LSU found that during construction, the project would have supported $57 million in labor income and earnings for Louisiana. The economic activity of the construction process was anticipated to spin off $8 million in state and local tax revenue,and an additional $510,000 per year once in operation Throughout its construction and30-year lifespan, the project would have provided atotal economicimpact of around$207 million,the study found.

$260,000, Bellard told the commission.

The commissionmulled over Bellard’sproposition, but member Sen. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, questioned whether theparish should consider being placed under fiscal administration.

Butthe project drew staunch local opposition. More than 150 people showed up at an October 2023 public hearing on the solar farm,with aclear majority opposedtothe project Much of theopposition focused on fears that thefield of solarpanels would undermineproperty values and destroy thefarmland feel of the mostly ruralparish.

Then-Parish President Mitchell Ourso spoke out againstthe solar farm.

“I cannotsupport this project here in our parish, he said at the hearing. “Before there was industry in ourparish, everything was agriculture. This has no economic impact,and Ithink it can be detrimental foryears to come in White Castle.”

TheTrump administration hasopposed large-scalesolar farms on farmland. Last week,the U.S. Department of Agriculture saiditwould no longer use tax funding to support solarfarms,orallow foreign manufactured solar panels to be used in projects Officials said solarfarms were displacing farmland and making accesstoland moredifficult for young farmers.

Staff writer HaleyMiller contributed to this report.

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andprohibit “overvoting” on aballot, ensure in-person ballots can be cast anonymously,beaccessible to people with disabilities, and produce avariety of reports on absentee, early and election-day vote counts, among manyother requirements.

By using asystem that has electronicand paper components, it will have the speed of electronic voting as well as an auditablepaper trail, Newsome said.

“What Louisiana voters are usedtoright now is electionnight results,” she said.

“And that is because we areable to get our unofficial results on election night, and that is what amachine tabulation can do,isprovide those election-night,unofficialresults.”

Then, in apostelection audit, officials cancompare the paperballots with the election-night machinevote counts to provide the state’s officialelection results, Newsome said.

Six systemswill be publicly demonstrated as part of the secretary of state’sselection

ABBEVILLE

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process. Thedemonstrations are all being held at the LouisianaOld Governor’s Mansion on the following dates: n Aug. 26: Hart InterCivic Verity Vanguard 1.0Voting System n Sept. 9: Clear Ballot ClearVote VotingSystem n Sept. 11: ES&S EVS

VxSuite 4Voting System. Each system must be certified to be in compliance with state requirementsbeforeit can move on to the state’sbidding process. “After we go through the procurement process with theOffice of State Procurement, there is aprocurement committee that will evaluate all of the bids, and they will make arecommendationto the secretary of state,” Newsome said.

“From that recommendation,wewillthengotoour oversight committeeswith the Legislature formore input,”she said.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse pfeil@theadvocate.com.

“How many credit cards do we have to switch this debt to until we come in and have somebody look at thebooksagain?”Henry asked.

Theparishisalsotaking agamble on whether or not it can payback theloan, thecommissionsuggested.

The parish would be able to repay theloan withpayments from planned solar projects,Bellardsaid. He expectsthe first payments to roll in around June with aprojected payment of around $3.3 million in the first year and an additional $2.5 millionthe following

Coda Best Bites creator Jordan Waldmeier holds one of his bites on Broad Street in LakeCharles on Thursday administration.

After learning more about state Health Department laws from the center,he found acommissary kitchen to workout of and began to make all the products himself “(I) put them in apackage of nine (and) sell them to the people,” Waldmeiersaid.

“No mess, no spoons, shareable, convenient. They’re addictive. Kids love them; adultslove them; Ilove them.”

The bites are sold in packs of nine for $10 and includea variety of flavors.

“It’s aproduct that you know and you love, but you’ve neverhad it like this before,” Waldmeier said.

“It’sice cream revolutionized;it’sawhole new wayto enjoy it.”

Sincestarting his business, Waldmeier has been selling Coda BestBitesat pop-up markets, events and festivals.

“It’sbeen literally the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life, and it’sall worth it though,” Waldmeier said. “I love it (and) Ibelieve in this product so much that it made me believe in myself again.” Taking aleapoffaith,

Waldmeier quit his bartendingjob inMay and has moved to completely focus on building hisCodaBest Bites business. Currently,heissellingat the Lake CharlesFarm and TableMarket from 3p.m. to 6p.m.every Tuesday and at theLake Charles L’Auberge Casino Resortpool every Saturday In addition to selling at those two locationseach week,Coda Best Bites are also sold at pop-ups outside of local businesses, such as Darrell’sand Good Day Farms, and eventsaround thecommunity Waldmeier said he is working to get potential investors so he can get abrickand-mortar facility to manufacture the bitessothat they can besold wholesale.

“I’m trying to get to that point soon, where Ican start offering (CodaBestBites) to wholesale because even some local shops around here want them,” Waldmeier said. “That’s what (I’m) really leaninginto right now.” In fact,Waldmeiersaid he hopestosee Coda Best Bitesinmovie theaters and

amusement parks in the future. He alsorecently submittedhis application for “Shark Tank” and is hoping to be featured on the show

“There’s not been much changeinthe ice creamindustry as far as likeproducts go,” Waldmeier said. “I think the last real revolutioninice creamwas probably Dippin’ Dots, but there’snever been any sort of like disruption (or) game changer.I think that these have thepotential to do that.”

Email Courtney Pedersen at courtney.pedersen@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY MONDAY,AUG. 25, 2025 PICK 3: 8-7-7 PICK 4: 1-6-0-9 PICK 5: 5-0-2-2-8 POWERBALL: 16-19-3437-64 (22)

year That’sifthose projects come through. If they don’t, Bellard said, theparishhas $500,000 setaside for loan repayment.But that wouldn’tbeenough to pay off the parish’scurrent loan dueinOctober,leaving the parish in default AParishCouncil meeting to discuss and vote is scheduledfor Tuesday Email StephenMarcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

nation’s globalroots,” said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for HistoricPreservation “We’re grateful andproud to join with American Express to help ensure that these meaningful places thrive and continue to serve as vibrant, welcoming spaces for years to come.”

The2025list of grantees include places like Bertha’s Kitchen, which opened in Charleston in 1981; CommunityGroceryinWoodville, Mississippi, which is anew restaurantrevitalizing historic propertiesin asmall Mississippitown; andElPaseo Inn in Los Angeles, which, like Dupuy’s,

hasalsobeenoperating for 150 years. “What started as apandemic response has grown into amovement to uplift thehistoricrestaurantsthat shape ourneighborhoods andconnect generations through food,” said Madge Thomas, head of corporate sustainabilityatAmerican Express. The NationalTrust for Historic Preservationwas chartered by Congress in 1949 as anonprofit that helps communitiesmaintainand enhancetheir historic places

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By COURTNEy PEDERSEN

SPORTS

Portal opposites

LSU-Clemsona battle betweencontrasting transfer approaches

BY REEDDARCEY Staff writer

Coach Brian Kelly drew the proverbial line of demarcationonce LSU had collected the signatures from its 2024 freshman class.

SEASON PREVIEW

It was December 2023, and you could see the program transforming, Kelly said at the time, from ateam that needed to stockpile transfers just so it could field aroster into one that could pick and choose which positions it would askthose players to fill. But how many transfers would beideal? Where was the sweet spot? Wasthere amagic numberthatwould bringabout some healthycompetition without nudging away key returners? And if so,what was it?

Kelly wasn’tsure then.

Twooffseasonslater,hemay have foundhis answer “I use my experienceand my sense of when’sthe right time to add people to the roster,” Kelly said on Monday,“and Ifelt like this year was the right time.”

So LSU took an aggressive tack.The 18 transfers it identified, recruited and landed left the 2025 cycle as the nation’s topclass, according to 247Sports Clemson prefers to find players elsewhere. Under coach Dabo Swinney,it has devoted practically zero resources to recruitingtransfers— afactthatwill setupaninteresting discrepancy when No. 9LSU begins itsfourth season under Kelly on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC)with a road game against No. 4Clemson.

Both teams have national championshiphopes.One plunged into the transfer portaltoboost itsshot at the crown. The

STAFF PHOTO By

Saints quarterbackSpencerRattler prepares foraplayagainst the Jacksonville Jaguars duringthe second half of apreseason game at Caesars Superdome on Aug. 17.

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

Before the New Orleans Saints’ team meeting Tuesday, Kellen Moore pulled both of his quarterbacks aside. It was time to tell them his decision on whowould start the Sept. 7season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. In the end, Moore went with Spencer Rattler Rattler will be the starting quarterback, earning the role over rookie Tyler Shough and Jake Haener —the latterofwhom was released as part of New Orleans’ cuts to get the rosterto 53 players.

“Really,really excited for him,” Moore said of Rattler.“He’sdone an awesome jobthis offseason He’sjustbeen consistent. He’s made some really good decisions throughout this whole entire process. Hisability to makeplays with his arm and his feet have certainly shown up “He’searned this opportunity He’sgoingto do atremendous job for us.” Rattler gives the Saints aslightly more experienced option. The 2024 fifth-round pickappeared in seven games withsix startsfor theSaints

other merely took adip. Swinney hardly uses theportal. Across the last five cycles, he andhis Clemson staff have signed only six total transfers —a third of the numberLSU signed in 2025 alone.

Thekey is retention. Swinney hasn’t pursued transfersnot only because he hasn’twanted to but also because he hasn’treally needed to.

Consider thefact that Clemson has lost an averageofonly 10 players to thelast five transfer portal windows. LSU, in comparison, has seen more than double that average number of defections (21) in each of its first three full offseasons under Kelly

Continuity hasallowed Clemson to build aroster with more returning production than any other team in the

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

The NewOrleansSaintshave finalizedthis year’sinitial 53-man roster,and Kellen Moore’sfingerprints areall over it. As afirst-time he ad coach Moore’sinfluence was feltnotably in the bold choice to release quarterback JakeHaener.Indoingso, the Saints opted to keep two quarterbacks on theroster rather than three.

Let’stake afurther look at the Saints’ decisions: Quarterback(2) SpencerRattlerandTylerShough:Haener’srelease was theheadliner here—atleastuntil Mooreannounced Spencer Rattler as his Week 1starter.But will theSaints add athirdquarterback in the coming days? TheAtlantaFalcons cut Easton Stick, aquarterback who played under Moore when theywerewith the LosAngeles Chargers in 2023. Perhapsthat’sa name to watch.

Runningback(4) AlvinKamara,KendreMiller,DevinNeal, VelusJones:Jones was the last man in, and his special teamsversatilitymight have been thedeciding factor.The wide receiver-turnedrunning back made it over ClydeEdwardsHelaire,Cam Akers

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Time will tell whether the UL inside linebackers will comethrough like the coaching staff hopes.

Time also will tell whether the play of theinexperienced cornerback room will match its talent.

ButCajuns defensive line coach Dennis Thomas is sureofone thing: It all begins with how his unit performs, starting at 7p.m.Saturday against Rice at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

“We’re the protectors for those guys,” Thomas said. “The big thing Itell my guys is thatthey(linebacker andsecondary) aren’t going to bow their necksand talk smack back to the offense at all, if we don’tdoour jobs.”

It’snot unlike the necessity of the offensive line doing its job to allow the rest of the offense to flourish.

The idea is the defensive line will do a better job of performing its critical duties this season.

“I feel like we’ve got agood group,” Thomas said. “The guys have really excelled in camp. Even with the freshmen —nothey’re not going to do everything correctly,but from an alignment standpoint, we’re not having any busts.

“Of course, we’ve got to fix their technique, but it’sbeen agreat group to coach and work with so far.”

The unit starts withveteransJordan Lawson,Kadarius Miller,JaelenCrider and Fitzgerald West.

“Wejust all have abetter understanding,” West said. “We’re more gap sound thisyear.I feel like last year,the linebackers second-guessedusmore. This year,I just feel liketherewon’t be as muchofthat.”

That knowledge is the key to halting the running game.

“When we makecertain calls now, they know exactly what they got to do and why they got to do it,” Thomas said. “That’ssuperimportant to know the why behind it.”

There’salsoaleadershipaspect at play. At the beginning of August camp, forexample,Lawsonsentout atextmessage to thegroupwith someconstructive criticism about practice that day

“Last year,two years ago, Jordan probably wouldn’thave done that,” Thomas said. “And if you’re ayoung

and undrafted free agent Marcus Yarns. Wide receiver (6) ChrisOlave,RashidShaheed,Devaughn Vele,Brandin Cooks, Mason Tipton, CedrickWilson:Dante Pettis was the odd man out. After trading for Devaughn Vele last week, the Saints had to choose between one of twoveterans in Pettisand Cedrick Wilson. While Pettis added some value as areturner, the Saints kept Wilson, who has familiarity with Moore and also gives the Saints another big body (6-2, 197) at the position.

Offensiveline(9)

KelvinBanks,TrevorPenning,ErikMcCoy, CesarRuiz,TalieseFuaga,DillonRadunz, AsimRichards,LukeFortnerandTorricelli Simpkins:The Saints traded for Richards —a move made outof necessity after theSaintswere decimated at swing tackle.The Saintsplaced tackles Barry Wesley and LandonYoung on injured reserve after waivingJosiah Ezirim and Jonathan Mendoza aday earlier.Richards, a2023 fifth-round pick, played 177 snaps at left tackle lastseasonfor the Cowboys. Tightend (3) JuwanJohnson,JackStoll,MolikiMatavao: Treyton Welch’srelease came as aminor surprise as he seemed to outperform Matavao downthe stretch of training camp. But it

makessense theSaintswantto keep their seventh-round rookie over someone who likely will land on thepractice squad. TaysomHill and Foster Moreau must missat leastthe next four gamesafter being placed on the physically unable to perform list.

Edge rusher (4)

ChaseYoung,CarlGranderson,CamJordan,Chris Rumph:There was some question as to how many edge defenders the Saints would keep. It turns out the number wasfour, which pushed seventh-round rookie Fadil Diggs off the initial 53-manroster.Diggs wasthe Saints’ last draft pick and the only one who didn’tmake the team out of camp. Isaiah Foskey,a2023 second-round pick, was the other notable cut here.

Defensiveinterior(6)

BryanBresee,DavonGodchaux,Nathan Shepherd,VernonBroughton,JonathanBullard,KhristianBoyd:Onthe interior, Bullard made it over veteran Jonah Williams, whom the Saints would like to keep on their practice squad.

Linebacker (5)

Demario Davis,PeteWerner,Danny Stutsman, JaylanFord, Isaiah Stalbird: D’MarcoJackson started twoof the team’sthree preseason games, but he didn’t make thefinal53-man

ä RiceatUL, 7P.M. SATURDAy,ESPN+

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU head coach Brian Kelly takes the field againstFloridaon Nov. 16 at Ben Hill GriffinStadiuminGainesville, Fla.

BRETTDUKE

AP FILEPHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

Clemsonhead coach Dabo Swinneylooks on beforeagame against Charleston SouthernonSept. 9, 2023,inClemson, S.C.

On TV

HORSE RACING

3p.m. San DiegoatSeattle MLB

6:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at St. LouisFS1

9:30 p.m. Chi.Cubs at SF/Cinc.at Dodgers MLBN MEN’S SOCCER

6:55 p.m. Mt. Pleasant F.A. at MocaFCFS2

TENNIS

10:30 a.m.U.S. Open,Second Round ESPN

6p.m.U.S.Open, Second Round ESPN WNBA

6:30 p.m.Las VegasatAtlanta NBATV

Acadiana assistantGunnernochicken

Coachtakes home thirdCrying Towel

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Acadiana High assistant football coach Ronald Gunnerrelishes the opportunity to provide laughter for those around him.

Hence his excitementfor the annual Crying Towel luncheon Tuesday held at City ClubinRiver Ranch by the Kiwanis Club of Lafayette.

In what has become the norm at theevent,the manknown as “Cheese” didn’tdisappoint those in attendance.

“I’m always excited about the luncheon and the Crying Towel,” Gunner said. “I am known for being at this luncheon. This is somethingthat Ithink we will be able to pass onto the younger coaches.

Ihave fun with it.”

Picking up where he left off last year when he made jokes about the “sweet” fried chicken, Gunner brought home his third Crying Towel victory

“Last year,Italked aboutwhere we are from in Franklin, we like our fried chicken crispy,not

sweet,” Gunner said. “They did a praline chicken. Ijust said Inever had sweetchickenbefore.”

So whenitwas histimetoaddress the attendees, Gunner had anew gripe involvingthe chicken

“Mr. (Lafayette ParishSchool System superintendent Frances) Touchet is always talking about growth and how he wants to see growth,” said Gunner,who was holdinghis empty plate while at thepodium. “I don’tknowifI made somebodymad last year,but they doneran out of fried chicken. This is growth. Iwent from some chicken last year to no chicken.”

Gunner said he wasn’tsure whether he’dwin this year,becausehedidn’t“go heavy” into hisbag of jokes.

“There were some guys who made me laugh, like (Northside head coach) Jacarde Carter and (Carencro assistant Derrick) Franchak,”Gunnersaid. “I didn’t go too heavy because Vincent (Derouen)or (former Breaux Bridge assistant Kevin) Bonhomme weren’tgoingup. If they were, Iwas going to have to go heavy

But the chickenopportunitypresented itself again,soItook it.”

EmailEric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Sinner,Swiatek breeze to 2ndround of U.S. Open

BY HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press

NEWYORK Iga Swiatek is trying to do somethingnowomanhas done sinceSerenaWilliams in 2012: win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in the same season

Jannik Sinner is trying to do something no man has done since Roger Federer in 2008:repeat as U.S. Open champion.

By the looks of things on Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium as thenow-three-day first round wrapped up, the two players who triumphed at the All England Club last month —and who both served short doping-related bans last year —look ready to contend again in New York. And how The second-seeded Swiatek was up first in the U.S. Open’smain arena and needed merely an hour to dismiss Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-1, 6-2.No. 1Sinner then took only 39 minutes moretofinish off his 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 victory overVit Kopriva of the Czech Republic. “Obviously,every year is different,”said Sinner,sporting the white arm sleeve he began wearing afterhurting his elbow in afall during Wimbledon. “You come here starting thistournament, hopefully,the best possible way —which Idid.” He certainly showed no signs of the virus thatforcedhim to quit in the first set of the Cincinnati Open final against his biggestrival, No. 2Carlos Alcaraz, last week

EitherSinnerorAlcaraz,who have combined to winthe past seven major titles, can own the top ATPrankingafter these 15days Similarly,Swiatek, Coco Gauffor No. 1Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion, can leave New York

atop the WTA. On Tuesday,Sinnersaved both break points he facedand won 33 of 40 first-servepoints. Swiatekwas even more dominant, not only never facinga breakpointbut never even being taken to deuce in anyofher eight service games, while accumulating a26-5 edgeinwinners. Therewas atimewhen some folks,perhaps swayed by Swiatek’sdominance on theFrench Open’s red clay,thought she couldn’tsucceed on the speedier surfaces of hard and grass courts. That certainly was not the case, as herchampionships at Wimbledon

in July and at the U.S.Open in 2022 make obvious.

Tenwomen have split the past 11 trophies in New York;only Naomi Osaka, in 2018 and2020, won more thanone in that span. AndWilliams, with three in arow from 2012 to 2014, was the last woman to leave as thechampion in consecutive years. As for themen, no one has collectedtwo in arow at theU.S. Opensince Federer’s five straight titles from 2004 to 2008, before he lost in the 2009 final to JuanMartin del Potro.

Sinner was asked why that is.

“Weare heading towards end of

theseason, so some players, they aretired. Someplayers, they are feeling different. Many things can change. It’salso the last big trophy of the year Ialways say thatthe future is unpredictable,” he said. “So Idon’tknow what’s going to happen this time.” In other action, seeded winners included No.8Amanda Anisimova, theWimbledon runner-up to Swiatek;No. 18 BeatrizHaddadMaia and No. 27 Marta Kostyuk among thewomen, and No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti, No.19Francisco Cerundolo, No. 23 Alexander Bublik and No. 27 Denis Shapovalovamong the men.

Politician replaces Borne as Tiger Stadium voice

Tiger Stadium has anew voice. LSUchose state Rep.Dixon McMakin of Baton Rougeasthe new public address announcer for games in Tiger Stadium,The Advocate has learned.

McMakin replaces Dan Borne, whodid not call games in 2024 because of health issuesbut officially stepped downinJuly McMakin also will handlePA dutiesatLSU men’s basketball games, which Borne also has done since the 1980s.

LSU’s football homeopener is at 6:30 p.m.Sept. 6against Louisiana Tech.

Longtime LSU PA announcers BillFranques andMikeSmith also were finalists amongmore than 40 applications, sources said. Franques works LSU baseball games and filled in for Borne this past footballseason,while Smith calls LSU gymnastics meets

Astros slugger Alvarez backfrom hand injury

Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez wasreinstated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday after sitting out sinceMay 3while he recovered from afractured right hand. Alvarezreturns after playing four rehabilitation games for Double-A Corpus Christi, where he went7for 15 with four doubles, four RBIsand astolen base.

He has been out morethan 31/2 months withthe small fracture in his right hand that was initially diagnosed as amuscle strain.

His return should be abig boost to the Astros as the postseason approaches afterheled the team in batting average(.308),home runs (35) and RBIs(86) last season. Houston entered Tuesday leading the AL West by 11/2 games over Seattle.

RangersRHP Eovaldi likely finished for season

Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi is likely done forthe season because of arotator cuff strain.

Chris Young, the team president of baseball operations, madethe announcementTuesday, aday before Eovaldi’sscheduled start against the Los Angeles Angels when he had another opportunity to take over as MLB’squalified ERA leader.Heis11-3 with acareer-best 1.73 ERA in 22 starts. Eovaldi has been oneofbaseball’sbest pitchers allseason, but he wasleft off the American League All-Starteamand hasn’t been amongthe qualified leaders after missing mostofJune because of elbow inflammation.

Raleigh in

Mantle

company after his 50th home run

CalRaleigh hit his 50thhome run on Monday,extending his majorleague record for homerunsbya catcher and entering elite company

Raleigh joined Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters to hit 50 homers in aseason, and he became the eighth player in major-league history to reach the half-century markinAugust.

Batting from the right side,Raleighsenta 3-2fastball from San Diego pitcher JP Sears 419 feet into the second deck in leftfield.

He’sthe second Mariners player to hit 50 homers in aseason. Hall of FamerKen Griffey Jr.hit 56 in 1997 and again in 1998. Salvador Perez had the previous record for homers by acatcher with 48 in 2021.

country,accordingtoESPN’sBill Connelly

LSUranks24th on that list. It has some essential returners such as GarrettNussmeier, Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins —but it’salso asking transfers to fill important rolesatalmost everyposition. Three will catch passes for Nussmeier.Two will start on the offensive line. Four will rotate in and out of the defensive line.One will work as LSU’stop outsidecorner,and two others will man the first-team safety spots. Clemson, on the other hand, has key roles lined up for only two transfers:formerPurdue edge

rusher Will Heldt and former Alabama outside linebacker Jeremiah Alexander

“If Itook ajob somewhere else, I’d be the greatest portal recruiter ever,” Swinney said in July at ACC media days, “because half ofmy

roster would be gone,and I’d have to put it together.But if youstudy our team,our retention is as good anybodyinthe country. Guys graduate, theystay and we recruit.” Kelly has said that he’d rather not rely so heavilyonthe portal

The problem is that he and his staff haven’tretained their freshman signees at arate on par with Clemson’s (though no team has).

LSU inked 26 recruits to its 2023 freshman class —agroup that was rated among thefive best in thenation, per 247Sports compositerankings.Starters such as Weeks, DJ Chester,Tyree Adams and AshtonStamps arrived as part of thathaul,but the bulk of the class has since entered the portal Seventeen of those signees, includingsix of the 10 mosthighly rated recruits,now play for different teams.

Those losses —and the need to replenish them —are part of what drove theurgency with which LSU built its 2025 roster. One of the other drivers, Kelly said, was the need to takeadvan-

tage of Weeks, Nussmeier and Perkins returning forone final year together.IfLSU wanted that triotoanchor ateam that reaches the College Football Playoff, then it needed to surround them with ready-made contributors. The only place to findthose players? The transfer portal. “Buildinga program, unfortunately,takes some time,” Kelly said. “And the time element—nobody wants to hear aboutit. Iget it. Iunderstand everybodywants to win the national championship this year.I want to winitas well, but the reality of it is we had some worktodo. And that work was building afoundational piece in this programthatwas built on consistency and high standards on aday-to-day basis.That takes some time.”

Ahighly rated transfer class doesn’tguarantee asuccessful season. The next team to sign morethan 10 transfers and win the national championship will be thefirst. LSUcould become that program, but it must first buck a

trend. Eachofthe first three teams to earn 247Sports’No. 1transfer classranking —Southern Cal (2022), Colorado (2023) andOle Miss (2024) —missed the CFP Clemson made the 12-team field last season without asingle transfer on its roster Kelly hasateamthathethinks can winthe SEC and join that mix for the first time in his tenure. He didn’tbefore. Then he settled on an approach to the transferportal, onethatClemson will put to the test in the showdown set to kick off Saturday “Weweren’t readytobringin guys from the outside until our own program was in areally good space,”Kelly said. “It took us a few years, and Ifelt like this year we were in aplace where we could invite people into our locker room —transfers, if you will.”

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

Alabama, WVU football teams cancel series

Alabamaand West Virginia mutually agreed to cancel their homeand-homeseries that had been scheduledfor 2026 and2027, the schools announced Tuesday Alabama saiditwas making adjustments to itsnonconference schedule in response to last week’s announcement that the Southeastern Conference would go from playing eight to nine league games starting in 2026. West Virginiasaiditwanted to align with the scheduling philosophy followedbymanyteams contendingfor aCollege Football Playoffberth. That meansplaying afellow power-conference opponent, one from the Group of Five and one from the second-tier FCS. Alabamanow will play East Carolina on Sept. 5, 2026, as well as South Florida on Sept. 12 and Florida State on Sept. 19.

PHOTO By ERIC NARCISSE

Acadiana Highassistant coach Ronald‘Cheese’ Gunner claims the Crying Towelaward at theannual Kiwanis ClubofLafayette luncheon Tuesdayatthe CityClub

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

Jannik Sinner servestoVit Koprivaduring the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday in Newyork

OG

OT

Home games

PAST FIVE YEARS

PROJECTED STARTERS

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Loureauville

What we know

The 2024 football campaign was the proverbial tale of two seasons for Loreauville.

The Tigers started out 0-4 with another game canceled due to weather Loreauville rallied in the second half of the season with four wins in five games, knocked off No. 2 seed Erath in the second round and almost pulled off another upset in the quarterfinals.

COACHES

ROSTER

Continued from page 1C

roster He was supplanted late by Ford and Stalbird — whom defensive coordinator Brandon Staley raved about. Staley said Tuesday

RATTLER

Continued from page 1C

last season. Although the Saints were winless in those contests, they were valuable opportunities for Rattler who grew substantially from the reps. That experience was evident in camp as Rattler looked more decisive, and he started two of the three preseason games.

“I’m obviously excited to be the guy going into Week 1,” Rattler said. “I want to lead this team. I want to lead these guys and just keep fighting. That’s one thing I can promise is putting my all on that field, and I know everybody else will “It’s good to gain that confidence from your coach to make that decision.”

The Saints were in need of a new quarterback this season after Derek Carr unexpectedly retired in May with a shoulder injury. New Orleans had been aware of the ailment for months before Carr’s decision. To plan for the future, the Saints drafted Shough with the 40th overall pick in April. Even with the selection the Saints opted to hold a threeman quarterback competition and let the best man win. Shough said he was “super disappointed as a competitor” regarding the decision,

The Tigers are replacing a number of starters from the 2024 team and made a change on offense for the 2025 season.

“We’re going to be more runoriented than we have been in the past few seasons mainly because our quarterbacks aren’t as tall as they were in the past,” coach Terry Martin said. “It’s not that they can’t throw the ball, it’s because they have trouble over the linemen. So when we throw the ball, we are going to have to roll out the quarterbacks to give them some throwing lanes.”

Senior Blake Delcambre will get the majority of snaps with the first team.

“He was the backup last year and saw a lot of action,” Martin

that both players showed great progress throughout camp.

Cornerback (6) Kool-AidMcKinstry,AlontaeTaylor,IsaacYiadom,QuincyRiley,Ugo Amadi,RejzohnWright: A strong finish to training camp and the preseason

but that he would do his best to support Rattler and the team. He maintained that he was happy to be part of the franchise and would continue competing in practice Moore said he values a quarterback’s development, adding that the Saints would give Shough more time to grow.

“There’s a long list of quarterbacks who have had plenty of successful careers that get to be scout-team quarterbacks for a certain amount of time,” Moore said “Both of these guys have an excellent opportunity and an excellent path to be starting quarterbacks in this league.”

Added Shough: “He (Moore) was very complimentary of the progression (I’ve made). He said he loves everything about it.” Moore took his time to announce a starter in part because of how close the competition turned out to be.

At the beginning, Rattler looked the best of the group as he was decisive, on time and confident with each pass. Moore also praised the quarterback’s mobility, noting Rattler could create offschedule plays with his legs. Shough, by contrast, initially seemed a step slower as he adjusted to the NFL’s pace, going through a learning curve typical of a rookie

About the time the Saints departed to spend nine days in California for training

said. “He is a good athlete, one

of the best on the team and can both run and throw the ball, even though he is not as big as some of the quarterbacks we’ve had in the past.”

Martin said the Tigers return about half of the starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. That means there will be a number of new starters, which can be a concern early on in the season.

“We know they can play but it may take some time for them to get really comfortable with playing, which is another reason why we are going to be more run-oriented, at least early in the season,” Martin said.

Defensively, Loreauville doesn’t have wholesale changes to make at any level. The Tigers have to replace a couple of linemen, a couple of linebackers and a couple in the secondary, but there is a good amount of returning experience to go with the new starters

“I think we are going to be OK on defense,” Martin said. “We’ve got some good players on that side of the ball, and they know what to do.”

What we don’t know

Two of the biggest concerns are with a first-year starting quarterback and several holes to fill on the offensive line.

“Blake has some experience,

pushed Wright onto the 53man roster Wright not only showed a nose for the ball with two pass breakups including a key play in the second preseason game that led to an interception — but he also showed some ability against the run with 11 preseason tackles The

camp, Shough turned a corner He started to get the ball out much faster and was sharper on throws. With Shough’s progression, Moore started to consistently rotate Rattler and Shough with the 1’s in practice — something he avoided for the first part of camp, when he opted to rotate his quarterbacks by the day In the preseason, Rattler and Shough both had their moments.

In the team’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, which Rattler started Shough was the more productive signal caller Though he threw a pick-six, the rookie responded with an electric 54-yard touchdown pass to Mason Tipton His performance earned him the start against the Jacksonville Jaguars the following week. Against the Jaguars, Rattler showed he wasn’t going to lose the job without a fight. The second-year signal caller engineered three scoring drives — including an impressive game-tying series that ended with Rattler hitting Dante Pettis for a touchdown and converting a two-point attempt on a scramble to the end zone. The battle came down to the third game against the Denver Broncos. And Rattler “checked it off” with how he approached that entire week, Moore said Tuesday The

but the question is how is he going to react when things go wrong?” Martin said. “On defense, we have some experience coming back, but how are the new linebackers and secondary going to perform?”

Also a concern for Martin is the fact that the Tigers have certain spots on the offensive line that need to be filled in and that going with a two quarterback system, at least through the early part of the season, is going to have problems of its own.

How we see it Loreauville came out of nowhere last year and rallied from an 0-4 start to make the playoffs and came within a hair of going to the semifinals in nonselect Division III.

The Tigers always seem to be in the playoff mix and usually go two or three rounds in the postseason. Even with a team that will have several new starters and a change in offensive philosophy for 2025, there is no reason to think this team will be any different than previous teams.

Expect Loreauville to go through some early struggles, but by the end of the regular season, it will be the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

Neal McClelland

biggest question about this group is whether Taylor is ready to play in Week 1; if not, that role should go to Amadi.

Safety (5)

Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, JordanHowden,JonasSanker,J.T. Gray:

coach was impressed with Rattler’s Wednesday practice at the Caesars Superdome and carried the momentum into Saturday’s finale. By the end of the preseason, the stats between the two were nearly even. Shough completed 66.7% (36

No surprises here. Specialists (3) BlakeGrupe,ZachWoodandKai

Kroeger: It’ll be interesting to see if the Saints end up keeping Kroeger or search the waiver wire for an upgrade at punter Special teams coor-

Blake Delcambre QB, 5-7, 175, Sr.

“He’s put on some weight and bulked up well,” Martin said.“He is the kid that can do some damage running the ball once he gets past the line of scrimmage.

Thomas Carter RB, 5-10, 195, So. Martin is looking for the sophomore to build on the experience he gained last season.

“He can really break open a big gain or wear you down with consistent small gains.

Kadyn James WR, 5-10, 165, Jr.

The junior plays both ways on offense and defense and can impact the game on either side of the ball.

Quintin Taylor RB, 5-6, 125, Sr. Martin calls the senior “a dynamic athlete. We always knew he could play. He can run, he can jump, he can make people miss. He plays the ball well.” Taylor had two interceptions in one of the Tigers’ playoff games.

Christopher Jones DL, 6-2, 270, So. Martin expects Jones to be one of the better players on the field. He also says the sophomore moves very well. “Down the road, he is a definite college prospect.”

of 54) of his passes for 333 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also having one rushing touchdown and a fumble. Rattler, by contrast, completed 69.8% (30 of 43) of his passes for 295 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also

dinator Phil Galiano didn’t dismiss the latter idea when asked Tuesday, but added he’s a fan of Kroeger’s youth. Staff writer Luke Johnson contributed to this report. Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate. com

losing a fumble. In the end, Moore chose Rattler

“We feel like he put himself in a position to have a successful start,” Moore said. “And he’s going to give us a heck of a chance to compete and go win some games.”

PHOTO By LEAH MCCLELLAND

The Loureauville offensive line includes, from left, Christopher Jones, Nyjil Nora, Luke Haydel JD Judice, Joshua Haydel and Alex Huval.

Delcambre

Taylor Jones

James

SCOREBOARD

Women’s Singles First Round Suzan Lamens, Netherlands, def. Valerie Glozman, United States, 6-4, 6-2. Iga Swiatek (2), Poland, def. Emiliana Arango, Colombia, 6-1, 6-2. Marta Kostyuk (27), Ukraine, def. Katie Boulter, Britain, 6-4, 6-4. Maya Joint, Australia, def. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Andorra, 6-4, 7-6 (6). Beatriz Haddad Maia (18), Brazil, def. Sonay Kartal, Britain, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. Jaqueline Cristian, Romania, def. Danielle Collins, United States, 6-2, 6-0. Amanda Anisimova (8), United States, def. Kimberly Birrell, Australia, 6-3, 6-2. Viktorija Golubic, Switzerland, def. Lois Boisson, France, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Wang Xinyu, China, def. Caroline Dolehide United States, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Linda Noskova (21), Czechia, def. Dalma Galfi, Hungary, 6-4, 7-5. Eva Lys, Germany, def. Francesca Jones, Britain, 6-0, 7-5. Ashlyn Krueger, United States, def. Sofia Kenin (26), United States, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Ekaterina Alexandrova (13), Russia, def. Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia, 6-4, 6-1.

Transactions

BASEBALL

Major League Baseball American League

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Reinstated RHP Kyle Bradish from the 60-day IL. Claimed RHP Shawn Dubin off waivers from the Houton Astros. Transferred RHP Scott Blewett from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Designated RHP Matt Bowman for assignment. BOSTON RED SOX — Placed RHP Richard Fitts on the 15-day IL. Recalled LHP Jovani Moran from Worcester (IL). CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Sent LHP John Means to Columbus (IL) on a rehab assignment. HOUSTON ASTROS — Placed LHP John Rooney

Dodgers, 7:40 p.m. Chicago Cubs at San Francisco, 8:45 p.m. Tennis US Open results Tuesday At USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center New York Purse: $31,620,000 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Men’s Singles First Round Denis Shapovalov (27), Canada, def. Marton Fucsovics, Hungary, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0. Lorenzo Musetti (10), Italy, def. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, France, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Jannik Sinner (1), Italy, def. Vit Kopriva, Czechia, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. Francisco Cerundolo (19), Argentina, def. Matteo Arnaldi, Italy, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. Alexander Bublik (23), Kazakhstan, def. Marin Cilic, Croatia, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. Alexei Popyrin, Australia, def. Emil Ruusuvuori, Finland, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) Leandro Riedi, Switzerland, def. Pedro Martinez, Spain, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Valentin Royer, France, def. Yunchaokete Bu, China, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (1) David Goffin, Belgium, def. Quentin Halys, France, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3, 7-5. Shintaro Mochizuki, Japan, def. Hugo Gaston, France, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

pecially early in the season.

guy, you’re going to soak up whatever he’s telling you because you can see him doing everything the right way every day.”

Individual progress is another reason for optimism, especially with 6-foot-7 redshirt sophomore Chase Edwards.

“Chase is going to be such a big factor this year,” West said “He’s so in tune with how we’re working. He’s ready to work.”

Thomas said Edwards’ improvement is almost like acquiring a new player

“When Chase first got here, he’d be the first person to say he was not prepared to be a college football player,” Thomas said. “He wasn’t prepared for the physicality of the game. He came here at 6-7, 225 — being generous to him and now he’s 290.”

Thomas also has seen a lot of progress from redshirt senior Maxie Baudoin.

“Just to see him take strides and giving him the confidence that he needed he knows he can go out

there and perform at a high level — has been really, really huge, seeing his growth from spring to now,” Thomas said.

Thomas also likes the future with redshirt freshman Priest Ashe and redshirt sophomore Lance Williams.

“He’s been really, re-

ally really good,” Thomas said of Williams. “He’s super twitchy. Lance is super strong He’s been making plays all over the field from the spring until now So there should be a good season for him.”

Thomas said the goal is to have eight or nine guys rotating to some extent, es-

“We’re working nine guys right now in a rotation, and I’m managing their reps,”

Thomas said. “My guys are not getting more than 25, 26 snaps, so yes, you look at that and you’re forming great depth.” Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Passengers push back on seats without windows

By The Associated Press

as proposed class actions on behalf of any passengers who say they wouldn’t have selected or paid more for theirreserved places if they had known the seats did not include awindow

“Wehave receivedafloodof interest from passengers who feelthey have been harmed by thispractice and who wish to join the lawsuits,” the Greenbaum Olbrantz firm said in a statement. “It makes sense that people are upset. The majorityofAmericansflyonone of these airlines at some point and alargeproportion of themwant or need awindow,and they pay good money for the privilege.”

BothDelta andUnited declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

The lawsuit against Delta Air Lines states that when NewYork resident NicholasMeyer arrived at row No. 23 for aflight to California earlier this month, he discovered the seat he bought was nexttoa blank wall.

At no point during the seat selectionprocess did Delta warn him that 23F was awindowless windowseat, according to Meyer,one of the lead plaintiffs. Alaska Airlines and American Airlinesalso sell such seatsbut disclose the information when customers choose their seats, the lawsuits assert.

The lawsuits allege thatUnited andDelta long have been aware of consumer complaints posted on social media about thewindowlessseats yetcontinued charging extra for window seats without windows

TheDelta lawsuitincludes screenshots of some of those complaints.

“Your seat map should not consider this premium, nor should it call it awindowseat ThereisactuallyLESSleg room and no perks,” one Delta customer said in apost on Reddit

The proposed class actions are seekingmillions of dollars in damages from each carrier

ONEBITE AT ATIME

What’s in achili dog? Exploringthe mystery of chilidogs, no wiener,inIberiaParish

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

WhenI atemyfirst chili dog in Iberia Parish, Ihad no idea thatmy wholeviewonchili, hotdogsand hot dogbuns was about tochange forever

Ihad been toldthat Tiger Inn was agreat place to experience an authentic, historic drive-in restaurant in ruralIberia Parish. Located in Loreauvillenear the highschool, the hamburgers and chili dogs came highly recommended, and I was eager to experience atrue, oldschool loaded hot dog withchili. What Igot was alittle different.

The first inkling thatsomething was unusual started at the window where Inoticed that the menu listed both ahot dogand achili dog(no wiener). Slightly confused but actingquickly,I ordered the hot dog, unabletocomprehend achili dog without,well, the dog.

creates conflict.

Ballpark hotdogsloaded with accoutrements like diced onions, cheese, peppers andchili arean important part of American food culture, and maybe that’swhere the debate comes in. Even in New Iberia,people aredivided on whetherit’sOKtocallwhat amounts to achili bun a“chili dog.”

In arecent segment for News 15 that aired on July 16, reporter Al Hebert ate achili dog at NewIberia drive-thru Caribbean Ice Company,with operators Matt and AndrewShensky.Inpreparing their chili dogwith aLanglinais bun, their house-made chili and diced onions and cheese, the chefs put it simply: “On this side of the bayou, the hot dog has afrank in it, with chili. Achili dog is just chili and bread.”

After trying my hog dog topped with plenty of Iberia Parish-style hot-dog chili —thick,meaty and mildlyspiced (usually), with an even texture andnobeans—Irealized that the hot dog itself seemed kind of superfluous in that delicious sandwich of chili nestled in afresh,local French bread bun. I took out thehot dog, and was instantly hookedonthe New Iberia chili dog.

I’ve been describing it ever since as amarriage between asloppy joe and apo-boy. It’s evena cousin to themeat pie, or the savory stuffed breadsavailableatlocal haunts like Creole Lunch HouseinLafayette. There’snothing too unusual aboutbunsfilledwithmeatand sauce, whichhavealongand delicious history in cuisines across the world —but something about calling this particular bun a“chili dog”

In this versionofa chili dog, the bun is considered the dog —atake hotly contested in thatsamesegment by Jay Florsheim, who owns Acadiana smoked cheese company

“Peace, Love &Smoke.”

Florsheimmoved to NewIberia 30 yearsago,and said, “I’ve been making the argument for30years thatthe wieneristhe dog. TodayI feel even morestrongly about it.”

ä See CHILI DOG, page 6C

AP FILE PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI United and Delta Airlines jetliners taxi down arunwayfor takeoff at DenverInternational Airport

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN Chili dog,nowiener,from The Dawg House in NewIberia PROVIDED

Achili dog, witha wiener and cheese, from Duffy’s Diner in NewIberia

According to Deanna Abraham, who manages the Cool Scene drive-thru in New Iberia, their staff is trained to ask each customer whether or not they want a chili dog with the wiener,to prevent confusion. Menus in the region, like at Tiger Inn and New Iberia soul food restaurant Roc Star Cafe, usuallylist both hot dogs and chili dogs, specifying which one has afrank in the middle. Abraham says that many customers order the dog with the wiener,but she prefers it without.

Thething that reallymakes the difference,she said,is the bread they use. Cool Scene uses LeJeune’s French breadfor their chilidog.

Iberia Parish chilidog lovers (sans wiener) seem to agree that the local favorite all but requires an authentic Frenchbread bunfrom a localbakery like LeJeune’s or Langlinais. No gummy, store-boughthot dog buns allowed for this off-beat regional delicacy But the question remains —how did the New Iberia chilidog come about? Its origin is “one of thoselegends we can’ttrace,” Hebert said as he closed his trip to Caribbean Ice Company

If you can shed light on the history of the chili dog, please email joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com. In the meantime, I’ve done alot of

Continued from page5C

for the first time, and it won’tbethe last.

Cozy and upscale with warmservice and without any pretentiousness, it’s almost like asecret dining experience. The menuis full of French favorites, but Isettled on the seafood crepe. It was light and filling all at the same time. The perfectly cooked crepe was filled with lots of delicate, sweet crab, and large, tender shrimp along with acreamy white wine sauce,and served with side vegetables.

—Jennifer Brown, senior editor Coffee and breakfast n HuyaCraft Coffee, 1901 Chemin Metairie Road, Youngsville

Whether I’m craving a sweetorsavory breakfast item (or both), Huya Craft Coffee always has me covered. The menu has avariety of food options, including load-

taste-testing across the region, andyou can’tgo wrong trying aNew Iberia-style chilidog at anyofthese local spots.

Tiger Inn

n 704 N. Main St., Loreauville; open 10 a.m. to 9p.m.Sunday through Saturday

A-Bear’sDiner

n 1218W.Main St ,New

Iberia; open 10:30 a.m.to 1:30 p.m. and4 p.m.to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Caribbean Ice Company

n 2905Loreauville Road NewIberia;open 10:30 a.m. to 8p.m.TuesdaytoSaturday

and 10:30 a.m. to 7p.m Sunday Cool Scene

n 101 S. LandryDrive, New Iberia; 11 a.m. to 8p.m SundaytoSaturday Dawg House

n 1301 TrotterSt., NewIberia; open9 a.m. to 7p.m.Tuesday to Fridayand 9a.m.to4 p.m Saturday

Duffy’sDiner

n 1106 Center St., New Iberia; open 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.MondaytoThursday and 10 a.m. to 9p.m.Fridayto Saturday

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

ed toast,hashbrown bowls andhomemadepop pastries. My favorite thing to order is abreakfastbiscuit, which comes with your choiceof meat, anegg and grilled cheddarcheesesandwiched inside adense anddelicious biscuit all for$5. Huya also offers delicious bakery items. The itemthat usually makes it on my plateisone of the homemade pop pastries. Boudin pop pastries are al-

ways on the menu,but I’m asucker for asweet treat and almost always order one of the rotating sweet pop pastry options.

While thefood is reason alone to pop into Huya,its coffee is always spot on. What Ilove most about Huya is thecreativityput intothe seasonal coffee flavor combinations, which are about $5.

—Ashley White, education reporter

DearHeloise: Idon’twant to sound morbid, but you never know what will happen on atrip. Whenever my husband and I go on atrip, Itake a picture of our tickets, passports, and any other important documentsonmy phone, then send them to my son before we leave. Ilet him have acopy of our plans in foreign countries and our hotel information,and Istay in contact by sending postcards to friends and family Why all the precaution? A dear friend of ours was in an accident yearsago and could not communicate important information to anyone. He was in acomafor twoweeks and missedhis return flight home, which

By The Associated Press

Hints from Heloise

made his family frantic. His wife didn’tknow where he was staying and only had old photos of him. Thank God he was returned to his family,but if he haddied, no onemight have known whathad happenedtohim. GeorgiaN.,inCharleston, SouthCarolina

Lesson learned

DearHeloise: Seven years ago, Inearly lost my son. His father took him boating out on the ocean, but before they left, Ireminded him that our son wasonly 7years old. So, his father should make certain that he had alife vest on. He put a life vest on our son, but he didn’tclose it. While zipping around in his boat, our son flipped out of the boat

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 27, the 239th day of 2025. There are 126 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Aug. 27, 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with aseries of cataclysmic explosions. The explosions (which could be heard 3,000 miles away) and resulting tsunamis in Indonesia’sSunda Strait claimed some36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.

Alsoonthisdate: In 1894, Congress passed theWilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which contained a provision for agraduated income tax that was later struck down by theSupremeCourt.

In 1964, thefilm “Mary Poppins”had its world premiere in Los Angeles, California.

In 1982, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A’sstole his 119thbase of the season, breaking Lou Brock’s

single-season stolen base record. (Henderson would finish the season with a still-unmatched 130 stolen bases.)

In 1990, blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan and four others werekilled in a helicopter crash near East Troy,Wisconsin.

In 2001, Israeli helicopters fired apair of rockets through office windows, killing senior PLO leader MustafaZibri.

In 2005, coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to avoid Hurricane Katrina, which washeaded toward New Orleans.

In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated forpresident by the Democratic National Convention in Denver,becoming the first Black presidential nominee from amajor political party

and out of the life vest because his father didn’tclose the vest properly If you have achild, always makecertain that the vest is closed and securely on the child. Ithank the heavens that Itaught him to swim when he was 5years old. He started swimming toward shore, but acouple whosaw what had happened raced to rescue him in their boat. Idon’texpect a7-yearold to have the sense of danger that an adult would have, but his father knew better.So, thank you for reminding people to teach their children to swim.It helped save my son’slife until he could be rescued. —AvaE.,inHollywood,Florida Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

In 2011, Hurricane Irene madelandfall in the United States; the storm would be responsible for49total deaths and morethan $14 billion in damage. Today’sbirthdays: Author WilliamLeastHeat-Moon is 86. ActorTuesdayWeld is 82. Former U.S. Sen. BobKerrey, D-Neb., is 82. ActorG.W.Bailey is 81. Rock musicianAlex Lifeson(Rush) is 72. ActorPeter Stormare is 72. Rock musicianGlen Matlock (The SexPistols) is 68. Golfer Bernhard Langeris68. Gospel singerYolanda Adams is 64.

STAFF PHOTO By JENNIFER BROWN Seafood crepe from Maison Lacour in Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTO By ASHLEyWHITE

VIRGo(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Enjoya midweek break with friends. Interaction is the key to mental stimulation and keeping up with what's trending. Don't share your secrets, but speak passionately about life and your vision.

LIBRA(Sept.23-oct. 23) Keep your life simple, take careofyour responsibilities, listenattentivelyand choose practicality, patience and kindness. Make equality your guiding principle, and move forward with apositive mindset.

ScoRPIo (oct.24-nov. 22) Don't jeopardize your positionbypromising the impossible. Question whatyou hear and walk away fromwhatever appears unrealistic. Nowisnot the time to make waves but to calm the waters.

SAGITTARIuS (nov.23-Dec. 21) Your input is necessary if you want your vision to unfold properly. Your power is in your ability to weather the storms. What you say and do will have an impact on the financial outcome.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don't play with fire or let spontaneity lead to financial disaster. Domestic problems will arise if you don't nurture relationships or maintain an efficient lifestyle and home.

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You're in the groove; letthe momentum carry you forward without delays. Intelligence and integrity will make the difference in acompetitivesituation. Self-improvement will boost your ego.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) You'll bounce back and forthifyou lack resourceful-

ness. When doubt sets in, do your due diligence and preparefor whatever comes your way. Refuse to let someone step in and take over or outmaneuver you.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Aclear head and disciplined attitude will overcome the obstacles that get in your way. Create ato-do list and get started. Put your muscles to work and proceed with the intent to finish what you start.

TAuRuS (April20-May20) Payattention Refuse to let what others do or say distract you. It's necessary to liveupto your promises if youwantothers to reciprocate.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Push the reset button and redirect your energy to get the best results. Use your physical and mental skills to execute what you want to see unfold. Leave no stone unturned or potential left unfinished.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Avoid chaos by focusing on essentials. Keep your plans simple, and maintain your budget. Balance will make adifference in the outcome of whatever you pursue.

LEo (July23-Aug. 22) Turn every encounter and experience into an educational pursuit. The more you know, the easier it will be to advance your agenda. Don't wait for someone else to pick up the pieces and run.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc.,dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

EQuALS V

CIpher

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 gridwith 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 the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Philip Seymour Hoffman,anOscarwinning actor, said, “It’s hard foranybody who works alot and has children But Iwouldn’t trade it foranything.” Hopefully all parents agree with that. Thisweekwearenotingthatdefenders shouldn’t trade the acronym “trade” for anything. We have reached Afor audition the auction. It is important for the defenderstousetheinformationgleaned from the bidding to help the defense. In this example,Easthas to make the key play. Against four hearts,Westleads the club ace: five, eight, four.West continues with the club king: nine, three, jack. West plays athird club, East ruffingandSouthfollowingsuit.Whatshould Eastdonow?

South’s sequence, opening in spades, then bidding hearts twice, showed at least 5-5 in the majors. North went with the 5-3 heart fit, hoping that some spade ruffs in his hand would help. (Note that three no-trump should be defeated.)

East gave ahigh-low to show hisdoubleton club. And since Westwas watching,hewas notdistractedbySouth’sjack falsecard at trick two.

EastnowknowsthatSouthstartedwith threeclubs. So,asdeclarer musthave

wuzzles

5-5-0-3 distribution, trying to cash the diamond ace cannot be right. Instead, East should exit witha trump, aiming to reduce the spade ruffs in the dummy from three to two. This defeats the contract. If East doesn’treturnatrump,declarercancash his top spades and crossruff home. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

InSTRucTIonS: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’S WoRD cRADLED: KRAY-d’ld:Supported protectively or intimately

Average mark 27 words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find33ormorewords in CRADLED?

yESTERDAy’S WoRD —SIGnIFIED

today’s thought “And when thecenturion, whichstood over against him, saw that he so cried out, andgave up theghost, he said, Truly this man was theSon of God.” Mark15:39

Have youconfessedthatJesus is the sonofGod andtrusted him as your personal saviorand Lord?— G.E. Dean

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato mallard

BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Cracker Barrel relents, says its old logo will return Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump protested the company’s plan to modernize.

In a post on its website, Cracker Barrel said it will retain its old logo, which features an older man in overalls sitting next to a barrel and the words “Old Country Store.”

“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement. “Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”

The tempest over the logo began last week, when the company announced plans for a simplified design featuring only the company’s name. Lebanon, Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel made the change as part of a wider plan to modernize its restaurants and appeal to younger customers.

But many protested the change.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump said via Truth Social that Cracker Barrel should “admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” saying doing so could wield “a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity” to their advantage.

Late push sends Wall Street near its records

Wall Street capped a choppy day of trading Tuesday with slight gains for stocks, leaving the major indexes just below their recent alltime highs.

The S&P 500 closed 0.4% higher after wavering between small gains and losses for much of the day The benchmark index finished just 2.6 points below its record high set earlier this month and short of recouping all of its losses from the day before.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average also bounced back from an early slide, finishing with a 0.3% gain. The Nasdaq composite added 0.4%.

The market’s uneven start to the week comes after Wall Street notched big gains last week on hopes for interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.

Gains in technology, financial and industrial stocks helped outweigh losses in communication services and other sectors. Chipmaking giant Nvidia rose 1.1% and JPMorgan Chase added 1.2%.

Boeing rose 3.5% for one of the biggest gains among S&P 500 companies after Korean Air announced a $50 billion deal with the company that includes buying more than 100 aircraft. Dish Network parent EchoStar surged 70.2% after AT&T said it will buy some of its wireless spectrum licenses in a $23 billion deal. Treasury yields mostly fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10year Treasury fell to 4.26% from 4.28% late Monday Trump expands with Crypto.com partnership

President Donald Trump’s personal crypto ventures are expanding again, this time with plans for a digital asset treasury company that holds an alternative cryptocurrency Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social media platform, announced Tuesday that it was partnering with the cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com to form a company that holds CRO, a token created by Crypto.com. A blank check company tied to Yorkville Advisors is another cofounder of the new firm, called Trump Media CRO Strategy Trump Media said it plans to purchase $105 million worth of CRO. Yorkville said the total expected funding for the company’s treasury will be $1 billion worth of CRO, or about 19% of the token’s market cap, plus $420 million in cash and equivalents and as a $5 billion line of credit.

The announcement is part of the hottest trend in crypto, in which a wide variety of companies — many with no obvious ties to the world of digital assets have made buying and holding cryptocurrency a primary part of their business plan. The model is based on MicroStrategy, a tech firm that first started buying bitcoin in 2020 and has seen its stock price soar

BUSINESS

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

August consumer confidence dips in U.S.

Jobs, tariffs, high prices driving most unease

BY MATT OTT AP business writer

WASHINGTON Americans’ view of the U.S. economy declined modestly in August as anxiety over a weakening job market grew for the eighth straight month.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index ticked down by 1.3 points to 97.4 in August, down from July’s 98.7, but in the same narrow range of the past three months.

The small decline in confidence was in line with the forecasts of most of the economists who were surveyed.

A measure of Americans’ shortterm expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market fell by 1.2 points to 74.8, remaining significantly below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead.

Consumers’ assessments of their current economic situation also fell modestly, to 131.2 in August from 132.8 in July

While the unemployment and layoffs remain historically low, there has been a noticeable deterioration in the labor market this year and mounting evidence that people are having difficulty finding jobs.

U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs in July well short of the 115,000 analysts expected Worse, revisions to the May and June figures shaved 258,000 jobs off previous estimates and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%.

That report sent financial markets spiraling, spurring President Donald Trump to fire Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tallies the monthly employment numbers.

Another government report showed that U.S. employers posted

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Economists say surging wholesale inflation points to rising prices due to tariffs and that higher prices for customers could be on the way.

7.4 million job vacancies in June, down from 7.7 million in May The number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects elsewhere also fell. More jobs data comes next week when the government releases its August job gains and June job openings reports. The Conference Board’s report said that references to high prices and inflation increased again and were often mentioned in tandem

Tariff relief for small orders ends Friday

Some international companies eye suspending U.S.-bound packages

BY MAE ANDERSON AP business writer

NEWYORK Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the United States this week as part of President Donald Trump’s agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods and resetting global trade with tariffs.

An executive order signed last month eliminates a widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less starting Friday, nearly two years earlier than the deadline set in the tax cuts and spending bill approved by Congress. Although the president previously ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will require vetting and be subject to their origin country’s applicable tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%. For the next six months, carriers handling orders sent through the global mail network also can choose a flat duty of $80 to $200 per package instead of the value-based rate.

In response, the national postal services of more than a dozen countries said they would temporarily suspend sending some or most U.S.-bound packages due to confusion over processing and payment requirements. Japan and Switzerland on Monday joined Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Thailand, the U.K. and New Zealand in saying they would pause shipments. The Trump administration

says the exemption has become a loophole that foreign businesses exploit to evade tariffs and criminals use to get drugs, counterfeit products and other contraband into the U.S Former President Joe Biden and members of Congress also discussed the issue Other countries have similar exemptions, but the threshold is usually lower For example, $175 is the value limit in the 20 European Union countries that use the euro as their official currency The U.K. allows foreign businesses to send parcels worth up to $182 without incurring tariff charges.

In the U.S., the “de minimis” — Latin for lacking significance or importance — exemption started in 1938 as a way to save the federal government the time and expense of collecting duties on imported goods with a retail value of $1 or less. U.S lawmakers eventually increased the eligibility cutoff to $5 in 1990, to $200 in 1993 and to $800 in 2015, according to the Congressional Research Service. Since then, the number of shipments claiming de minimis treatment has exploded. A total of 1.36 billion packages with a combined value of $64.6 billion reached the U.S. last year, compared to 134 million packages sent under the exemption in 2015, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency reported About 60% of the 2024 shipments came from China and Hong Kong, according to an analysis logistics firm Flexport prepared based on U.S government data. Multiple countries and regions accounted for the remainder, including Canada, Mexico, the European Union, India and Vietnam.

Proponents of limiting the exemption argue that it has served as a way for China-founded retail

with tariffs.

Othergovernmentdatathismonth showed that while prices at the consumer level held fairly steady from June to July, U.S. wholesale inflation surged unexpectedly last month. Economists say that’s a sign that Trump’s sweeping taxes on imports are pushing costs up and that higher prices for consumers may be on the way

The share of consumers expecting a recession over the next year rose in August to the highest level since April, when Trump’s tariff rollout began.

The share of survey respondents who said they intended to buy a car in the near future rose, while those planning to purchase a home remained stable after July’s decline.

Those saying they planned to buy big-ticket items like appliances fell, but there were big variations among product categories. Respondents who said they planned to take a vacation soon, either inside of the U.S. or abroad, also declined

DOGE action may have put Social Security data at risk

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON More than 300 million Americans’ Social Security data was put at risk after Department of Government Efficiency officials uploaded sensitive information to a cloud account not subject to oversight, according to a whistleblower disclosure submitted to the special counsel’s office Tuesday Whistleblower Charles Borges, who worked as the chief data officer at the Social Security Administration since January, said the potential sensitive information that risks being released includes health diagnoses, income, banking information, familial relationships and personal biographic data.

platforms like Temu and Shein to flood the U.S. with low-priced goods. The National Council of Textile Organizations said the move would help close a “backdoor pipeline for cheap, subsidized, and often illegal, toxic and unethical imports.” But some smaller American companies that rely on imported products and materials benefited from the exemption too.

Kristin Trainor is worried the end of de minimis will also mean the end of Diesel and Lulu’s, her 3-year-old boutique in Avon, Connecticut. Over 70% of the women’s clothes and accessories she stocks comes from small fashion houses in France, Italy and Spain. Trainor places small batch orders each week that fall under the $800 threshold.

“Our business model is to provide casual chic and unique clothes at affordable prices,” she said. “The added customs and duty charges that will go into effect on Aug. 29 will eliminate that affordability ” Trainor said she was looking to replace her European vendors with ones based in the U.S. But her bestselling product categories, such as apparel made of Italian linen, come from other countries. She estimates a simple linen sundress that cost $30 wholesale at the beginning of the year will rise to $43 next month.

After a corporate career, Trainor opened the store to have more time with her 9-year-old son and her 91-year-old father Raising the boutique’s prices to absorb part of the import charges would help offset higher shipping and logistics costs, but Trainor worries her customers will balk at higher prices.

“I have not made any official announcements to my customers just yet, although they have started to ask if I will stay open as they understand the economic impacts that are occurring,” she said. “At this point, I am leaning more and more towards closing the boutique, sadly.”

“Should bad actors gain access to this cloud environment, Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, may lose vital health care and food benefits, and the government may be responsible for reissuing every American a new Social Security Number at great cost,” said the complaint. The complaint was submitted by the Government Accountability Project and addressed to House and Senate oversight lawmakers. It requests that authorities “take appropriate oversight action.”

The whistleblower report is just the latest complaint against President Donald Trump’s DOGE and the unprecedented access it was given by the Republican administration to the vast troves of personal data across the government under the mandate of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Labor and retiree groups sued SSA earlier this year for allowing DOGE to access Americans’ sensitive agency data, though a divided appeals panel decided this month that DOGE could access the information. SSA said in a statement that it takes whistleblower complaints seriously but seemed to downplay Borges’ accusations.

“SSA stores all personal data in secure environments that have robust safeguards in place to protect vital information. The data referenced in the complaint is stored in a longstanding environment used by SSA and walled off from the internet. High-level career SSA officials have administrative access to this system with oversight by SSA’s Information Security team. We are not aware of any compromise to this environment and remain dedicated to protecting sensitive personal data,” the agency wrote.

Borges’ complaint says he disclosed to his superiors that he believed the upload was an abuse of authority and poses a substantial threat to public health and safety and potentially violates the law

Andrea Meza, a lawyer representing Borges, said her client released the information “out of a sense of urgency and duty to the American public.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JENNy KANE

Amanda Follett opens packages at A Sight For Sport Eyes, a brick-and-mortar and e-commerce store for sport goggles in West Linn, Ore.

Not allgenerators arecreated equal.

tworun speeds 1800rpm and 3600 rpm; Overallthe 1800 rpm modelsare knowntobethe most reliablegenerators made Optimizestocks 1800 rpmRGModels