The Acadiana Advocate 09-01-2025 by The Advocate

‘Positivepresence’

Iberia Market Garden preservesLao cultureinsouth Louisiana

STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP

Phanat Xanamane, of IberiaMarket Garden, talks recently about howthe urban garden in NewIberia operates.

BY JOANNA BROWN |Staff writer

New Iberia’sWest End neighborhood is one of thecity’smost impoverishedcommunities. Demarked by SouthHopkins Street west of downtown, the West Endis where Phanat Xanamane’sfamily ﬁrst landed when theycame to New Iberia from Laos in 1981 as part of a wave of post-Vietnam Warresettlement in New Orleans and southwest Louisiana’srural areas.

They moved into atrailerinthe Westend mobile home park, acommunity that still stands directly across the street from the brick house and market that Xanamane’s

Squash and eggplants wait to be baggedatIberia Market Garden.

parents would later purchaseand run for 20 years. That house, one of the oldeststill standing on South Hopkins, is where Xanamane lives and works today

creating acommunity-minded business that reﬂects the legacy his parents left for the property

“When theAsiaMarket was under my family’sownership, this wholeproperty wasasocial and culturalhub for the community in so many ways,” he said, gesturing to the grassy expanses that regularly hostedgatherings amongthe family’sfriends and customers.

“People would come after getting theirpaychecks and hang out, buy beers anda bunchofsnacks. We hadvolleyball courts and PingPongtables, and there were parties

High-stakeshuntunderway forendangeredsea turtles

Researchers fighttimeon disappearing La.islands

BYJOSIE ABUGOV |Staff writer

Asmall seaplane ﬂies circles around a skinny strip of land more than 20 miles off the Louisiana coast as two of its passengersscan the sand below for promising tracks.

Keri Lejeune and Todd Baker shout out when they spot them.Lejeune, the state’sherpetologist, and Baker,aproject manager withthe state’scoastal authority,are on the hunt for “crawls ” evidence that endangered andvulner-

able turtle species arenesting on the disappearing Chandeleur Islands. Every week during theturtle’ssummer nesting season, state officialsinvolvedinthe project to restore the iconic barrier islands ﬂy out on the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ seaplane for asurveyofthe area. The scientists document any evidenceofnew crawls and, if weather permits, wadeout onto theislands for aclose-up look. This year,they’ve found the most crawls they’ve seen since theturtle surveys startedin2022. In the earlier hours of Aug. 22 alone, they spotted onenew

ä See SEATURTLES, page 4A

ACADIANAACADIANA

BY ALYSE PFEIL |Staff writer

The U.S. SupremeCourt is considering acase that could fundamentally change the role that race plays in elections across the country —and Louisiana is at the center of it.

Callais v. Louisiana is, on the surface, about whetherLouisiana must have acongressional map with twomajority-Black districts. But the nation’shigh court could issue aruling overturningdecades of precedentthathas governed how race can be used in redistricting.

At issue is Section2 of the Voting RightsAct, landmark civil rights legislation that for years hasdrivenlawsuits andcourt orders requiring states like Louisiana to draw majority-minority voting districts.

The Voting Rights Actof1965 was afederal law passed by Congress to guarantee Black people accesstothe ballotand prevent voting discrimination.

In its originalform, the legislationoutlawed race-based voting tests, helped eliminate poll taxes, allowedthe federalgovernment to oversee voting in states where discrimination was happening and required states with discriminatory voting practices to get federal approval before making changes to voting laws.

The stated aim of the law was to enforcethe 15th Amendment, whichhad been approved nearly 100 years earlier and says, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be deniedorabridgedbythe UnitedStates or by any state on account of race, color,orprevious condition of servitude.”

Natalie Gerald, an undergraduate student worker at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, speaks to Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority project managers Jessica Diez and Todd Baker during a turtlesurveyon the Chandeleur Islands on Aug. 22.

STAFF PHOTO By JOSIE ABUGOV

Rudy Giuliani injured in New Hampshire crash

Rudy Giuliani is recovering from a fractured vertebra and other injuries following a car crash in New Hampshire, a spokesperson for the former New York City mayor said Sunday Giuliani’s vehicle was struck from behind while traveling on a highway Saturday evening, according to a statement posted on X by Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security

“He sustained injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously,” Ragusa said, adding: “This was not a targeted attack.”

Giuliani, 81, was taken to a nearby trauma center and was being treated for injuries including “a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg,” according to Ragusa.

Prior to the accident, Giuliani had been “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident” and contacted police assistance on her behalf, Ragusa said. After police arrived, Giuliani continued on his way and his vehicle was hit shortly after pulling onto the highway and was “entirely unrelated” to the domestic violence incident, Ragusa told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.

Giuliani was in a rental car and “no one knew it was him,” Ragusa also said on X.

Lost boy on monorail line saved by parkgoer

HERSHEY, Pa A lost boy wandering a monorail line high above the crowd at Hersheypark was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails.

The child was reported missing Saturday after he became separated from his parents, according to a news release from the chocolate-themed amusement park in Pennsylvania.

While park employees were searching for him, the boy entered a secured area leading to the monorail ride. It was closed and “safeguarded by a chained closure at the entrance and barricaded turnstile at the platform,” according to the park

The boy was in the closed station for about 20 minutes before he wandered onto the tracks.

A video posted to social media shows the boy walking along the tracks as people in the crowd below start waving their arms and yelling directions at him including, “Stop!” and “Keep going!” At that point he covers his ears and begins to walk back the way he came, changes direction again, and then stops. One man climbs onto a nearby building and pulls himself onto the tracks, scooping up the boy to cheers from below

The child was unharmed and was safely reunited with his family Kemp endorses Dooley for Georgia Senate seat

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Gov Brian Kemp on Saturday endorsed Republican Derek Dooley in Georgia’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, arguing an outsider without congressional experience can best critique Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s record.

“I’m a ﬁrm believer that we need a political outsider to do that, someone that can stay focused on his record, but also someone who has a vision for our state in the future,” Kemp said. “That is not a politician.” Kemp agreed to back Dooley after deciding not to run for the seat himself.

Dooley argued Saturday that Ossoff’s history of support for former President Joe Biden and his opposition to President Donald Trump disqualify him from another term.

Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley and was a lawyer before he went into coaching. Derek Dooley compiled a 15-21 record with the Tennessee Volunteers before he was ﬁred in 2012. Dooley hasn’t shied from his football past. He said Saturday that in both coaching and politics, “leadership matters.” But other candidates argue Dooley was a failure at coaching and are underscoring his afﬁliation with a non-Georgia school.

Flotilla leaves Barcelona in attempt to reach Gaza

Thunberg again among activists trying to deliver aid

BY RENATA BRITO and TERESA MEDRANO Associated Press

BARCELONA — A ﬂotilla of ships departed from Barcelona to the Gaza Strip Sunday with humanitarian aid and activists on board in the largest attempt yet to break the long Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory Food experts warned earlier this month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger

The Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying food, water and medicine. Activists on board demanded safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor, according to a statement The almost 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 people, with at least 332 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry

The maritime convoy of about 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries is claimed to be the larg-

Israel!” to send off a wide variety of boats, ﬂying Palestinian ﬂags, from rundown old luxury yachts to tiny wooden sailboats and industrial-looking vessels. One is more than 100 years old.

Around 70 boats are expected to take part in the ﬁnal leg of the journey ﬂotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told Spanish public television after the departure.

The ﬂeet could reach Gaza around Sept. 14 or 15, he added.

Pope demands end to the ‘pandemic of arms’

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “pandemic of arms, large and small,” as he prayed publicly for the victims of a shooting during a Catholic school Mass in the United States.

History’s ﬁrst U.S. pope spoke in English as he denounced the attack and the “logic of weapons” fueling wars around the world, during his Sunday noon blessing from his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

“Our prayers for the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American state of Minnesota,” said the Chicago-born Leo. “We hold in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”

Two children were killed Wednesday and 20 people were injured during the shooting attack at the Church of Annunciation in Minneapolis, as hundreds of students from the nearby Annunciation Catholic School and others gathered for a Mass. The shooter ﬁred 116 riﬂe rounds through the church’s stained-glass windows, and later died by suicide.

est attempt to date to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea, which has now lasted 18 years. They will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy and Tunisia in the coming days, on the route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, organizers said.

Thousands of supporters ﬂocked to the Barcelona pier, some of them wearing kefﬁyehs and chanting “Free Palestine!” and “Boycott

“The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive,” said Swedish activist Greta Thunberg at a news conference. She is one of the most recognizable ﬁgures on the expedition, formed by hundreds of activists, politicians such as the former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and journalists.

Ships carrying tons of humanitarian aid departed from the Italian city of Genoa and will join the expedition in the coming days.

It is not the ﬁrst time Thunberg has attempted to reach Gaza waters this year She was deported by Israel in June when the ship she was traveling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the Israeli military

Hamas spokesperson killed; Israeli security cabinet meets

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and SAM METZ Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip The Israeli military announced Sunday that it killed the longtime spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, as the country’s security cabinet met to discuss the expanding offensive in some of Gaza‘s most populated areas.

There were no plans to discuss negotiations for a ceaseﬁre at the meeting, according to an ofﬁcial who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz identiﬁed the spokesperson as Abu Obeida, the nom de guerre for the person who represented Hamas’ Qassam Brigades He was killed over the weekend. Hamas has not commented on the claim.

Abu Obeida’s last statement was issued Friday as Israel began the initial stages of the new offensive and declared Gaza City a combat zone. His statement said the militants would do their best to protect living hostages but warned that they would be in areas of ﬁghting. He said the remains of dead hostages would “disappear forever.”

Israel’s military said the spokesperson, whom it identified as Hudahaifa Kahlout, had been behind the release of videos showing hostages as well as footage of the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war The military also reiterated a threat against remaining Hamas leaders abroad.

Israel has killed many of Hamas’ military and political leaders as it attempts to dismantle the group and prevent an attack like the one on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians, in southern Israel.

Fewer than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, and Israel believes about 20 are alive.

At least 43 Palestinians were killed since Saturday, most of them in Gaza City, according to local hospitals. Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest, said 29 bodies were brought to its morgue, including 10 people killed while seeking aid.

“Where are the resistance ﬁghters that (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu claims he is bombing? Does he consider stones resistance ﬁghters?” said a relative of one of the dead at Shifa Hospital, who did not give her name.

Hospital officials reported 11 other fatalities from strikes and gunﬁre. AlAwda Hospital said seven were civilians trying to reach aid.

Witnesses said Israeli troops opened ﬁre on crowds in the Netzarim Corridor an Israeli military zone that bisects Gaza.

“We were trying to get food, but we were met with the occupation’s bullets,” said Ragheb Abu Lebda, who saw at least three people bleeding from gunshot wounds. “It’s a death trap.”

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Leo had refrained from any political commentary about guns in America, sending a telegram of condolence that focused exclusively on the spiritual. He said he was saddened by the “terrible tragedy” and sent his “heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected.”

Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis, had long railed against the weapons industry and proliferation of arms fueling wars, denouncing gun manufacturers as “merchants of death.” During his 2015 speech to the U.S. Congress, the Argentine pope asked the lawmakers why weapons were being sold purely to kill.

“Sadly the answer as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood,” he said then.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By EMILIO MORENATTI

Activists wave Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, from on top of a boat taking part in a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza aiming to break the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

A building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City sustained heavy damage in an Israeli military strike that killed several people.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, right, arrives Sunday to board a boat taking part in a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza.

GARDEN

Continued from page 1A

happening, and people would just come.”

Today, he runs Iberia Market Garden at his family’s homestead and has transformed the property into a series of cozy garden rooms and open green spaces, with an urban farm operation growing vegetables for restaurants, volunteers who work in exchange for free veggies and summer communitysupported agriculture participants who receive weekly boxes full of cucumbers, squash, eggplant and other treats from the harvest.

Iberia Market Garden also hosts visitors via Airbnb and Hipcamp

Xanamane is experimenting with an eco-friendly glamping space, where people can stay off-grid among his flower gardens in a charming space that runs, in part, off a toilet system that converts waste into methane gas

Having grown up in New Iberia, Xanamane moved back to Loui-

VOTING

Continued from page 1A

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in part says, “No voting qualiﬁcation or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any state or political subdivision in a manner which results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”

“When it was passed, the main concern was to facilitate Black registration and turnout,” said Charles Bullock III, a political science professor at the University of Georgia and expert on Southern politics and elections.

But by the early 1970s, the Supreme Court had already interpreted the law broadly as applying to redistricting, Bullock said Redistricting when state and local governments periodically redraw maps of voting districts — can be done in a way that dilutes the effectiveness of a minority group’s voting strength, denying it the chance to elect a preferred candidate. Lawsuits challenging this type of practice are known as “vote dilution” cases. Why was the act created?

Soon after the end of the Civil War in 1865, three “reconstruction” amendments to the U.S Constitution were approved.

The 13th Amendment put an end to slavery, the 14th Amendment extended citizenship and equal protection of the laws to Black Americans, and the 15th Amendment prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

But for decades, Southern states enforced laws designed to prevent Black people from voting — like literacy, education and moral character tests — leading to the

SEA TURTLES

Continued from page 1A

path and three others they had already identiﬁed.

“You see all the diversity that the island provides,” Lejeune said over her aircraft headphones. “It’s off the charts — the seagrasses, the crustaceans. Everything feeds on everything.”

Part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, established by Teddy Roosevelt at the dawn of the 20th century, the Chandeleur Islands are a rich ecosystem of plants and animals deemed of greatest conservation need. They include the last remaining brown pelican colony on the chain, a Chandeleur-speciﬁc hybrid gull and the only marine seagrass in Louisiana. Over 170 bird species have been identiﬁed in a single year, including more than three dozen in need of conservation.

In 2022, scientists first confirmed nesting by Kemp’s ridley turtles, one of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world. The findings prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a two-year survey of the entire Louisiana coastline for turtle nesting. The federal agency found that almost all of it is happening on the Chandeleurs, lending even greater significance to the island chain, said Dianne Ingram, a restoration biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

But that is only part of the story

The tiny, rare turtles making homes here may be even rarer than the scientists ﬁrst thought.

After three years of analysis, genetic researchers discovered that all of the tested Kemp’s ridleys found on the Chandeleur Islands have a genetic expression shared

siana 15 years ago after stints at Columbia University, where he studied urban design, and in Bangkok The trained architect returned home not sure what he was going to do next but hoping to use his skills to improve his community.

“I felt my meaning, my purpose, was pulling me back here,” he said. “I decided to go back to Louisiana and commit myself to 10 years of being a sort of activist artist, and when I moved back to my family home, it was just all grass.

“When I was growing up, my grandparents lived next door, so it was sort of like a compound, and they all worked. They gardened a lot, and grew the vegetables we sold at the market, and I just grew up around that environment. I wanted it to be a lush garden again. So I put a shovel in the ground and became obsessed.”

Xanamane is working to transform more than just the space at 1505 S. Hopkins St. Since blowing past his 10-year deadline, he has been active in creating change in the broader neighborhood, such as by partnering with Corey Saft, of Louisiana Housing Lab, to build four new affordable homes in the West End. In his spare time, he uses his design skills to draft ideas like a new public bus system for New Iberia he calls NIMBL New Iberia Mass Bus/Bike Lanes. As an immigrant, Xanamane also serves as a kind of “cultural attaché,” promoting the preservation of Lao culture in south Louisiana.

This summer, his short film on Lao foodways, “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek,” aired on the Library

of Congress YouTube channel. He also helps with the Lao New Year Festival, held annually over Easter weekend at Lanexang Village and Wat Thammarattanaram in Broussard.

“In the next phase, I want to continue creating this space and contributing to the city,” said Xanamane. “It’s been such a positive presence in a part of the city that has such a negative stigma attached to it. When kids are passing by on the school bus and look out and see the house and gardens, it’s like an escape. It can mentally shape how they see their lives.”

Iberia Market Garden is open for volunteer hours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the summer and 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. when it cools down. Volunteers receive 2 pounds of vegetables for each hour they put in. Iberia Market Garden also offers four- and eight-week seasonal vegetable box subscriptions, which cost $150 for the summer season. Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

tougher approach of the Voting Rights Act.

“It was needed because, primarily, states wouldn’t pay attention to the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution,” said Kareem Crayton, a legal scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice.

“States, particularly those in the South, had been committed to extend Jim Crow to the political space,” Crayton said.

In a 1966 opinion upholding the new law’s constitutionality, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren noted that Southern states for decades had defied the 15th Amendment.

“The Voting Rights Act was designed by Congress to banish the blight of racial discrimination in voting, which has infected the electoral process in parts of our country for nearly a century,” Warren wrote.

How is the act interpreted?

A landmark decision in a 1986 Supreme Court case called Thornburg v. Gingles outlined three criteria that plaintiffs need to meet to challenge a redistricting plan in court and bring a vote dilution claim under Section 2.

Those three factors are whether:

n the minority group is large enough and lives close together enough to form a majority in a single voting district

n the minority group is politically cohesive and tends to vote as a bloc, and

n the majority group also votes as a bloc and typically defeats the minority’s preferred candidate.

Once a plaintiff can show those conditions are met, a court is then allowed to consider if a redistricting plan interferes with a minority group’s ability to elect preferred candidates in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The Gingles test is the court’s way of trying to operationalize the

law in the redistricting context, said Michael Gilbert, an election law professor at the University of Virginia.

“How do we decide if this set of districts is or is not compatible with the Voting Rights Act, given that districting is very hard and complicated and the Voting Rights Act is very vague,” he said.

Gilbert said that, during a Voting Rights Act challenge of district maps, the Gingles test helps get at the question, “Is there a way to take a racial minority group that is right now situated in those districts one way, and draw a line around them so that they become a separate district and they’re situated in another way — a way in which they’ll have more political power?”

Louisiana v. Callais case

The case Louisiana v Callais deals with the state’s six congressional districts and the fact that Louisiana’s population is roughly one-third Black.

After a group of Black voters sued over Louisiana’s congressional map, a federal judge found Louisiana’s map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for having just one majority-Black congressional district out of six total In response, Louisiana drew a new map and added a second majority-Black district.

But a group of White voters then sued over that new map. They argued the map with two majorityBlack districts violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander

The White voters essentially argued Louisiana relied on race too much in deciding how to draw the new congressional map. That case is now before the Supreme Court.

The two lawsuits raise a tension between the Voting Rights Act, which allows states to use race to

Keri Lejeune, the state herpetologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, points to a ‘body pit’ on South Chandeleur

evidence of a loggerhead turtle crawl on the

with only a tiny fraction of the rest of the endangered turtle species.

“These turtles are distinct genetically,” Lejeune said “They use these islands for nesting each year So it’s really critical that these islands get restored.”

But the future of the Chandeleurs is far from guaranteed.

“We’re losing the islands pretty quickly,” said Baker, who is managing the restoration effort for the Chandeleurs.

‘One-time shot to do it right’

Over the last two centuries, the islands have lost nearly 90% of their land mass, dwindling and splintering as major hurricanes have accelerated erosion. Hurricane Katrina created the most recent “cut” that divided what was once 25 miles of contiguous land into a South Chandeleur and a North Chandeleur The 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill heavily oiled the island chain, harm-

help remedy racial discrimination in voting maps, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, which says the law must be applied equally to all people regardless of race.

“If you have to take race into account to assure that you’re not discriminating, but you can’t take race too much into account that you offend the racial gerrymandering standard, is there a path in the middle?” Crayton said. “That’s in some ways I think what this court is asking.”

Gilbert said the basic tension between the 14th and 15th Amendments and the Voting Rights Act has been around since the law’s inception.

“On the one hand, the 14th and 15th Amendments forbid the government from making decisions, including about voting, on the basis of race,” he said. “At the same time, we have this Voting Rights Act. And what this Voting Rights Act requires states to do under certain circumstances is make decisions, for example about districting, on the basis of race.

“So there’s a tension here. The 14th and 15th Amendments say don’t make decisions on the basis of race. And the Voting Rights Act says under certain circumstances, you absolutely must make decisions on the basis of race.”

Is the act constitutional?

The Supreme Court raised the stakes in the Louisiana case in early August when it asked the parties to directly address the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act.

The justices asked for arguments on a new question, “Whether the state’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the question opened

the land itself — would disappear in 10 years, Baker said.

As the islands shrink, it’s not only the natural habitat that withers. The barrier islands also act as a “ﬁrst line of defense” against powerful storm surge approaching southeast Louisiana, Baker noted.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s plan, which is still in the design phase, will not reverse more than 100 years of loss. Instead, the roughly $380 million project will focus on North Chandeleur island, the largest in the chain and the site of the majority of the seagrass.

They’ll be adding dunes, marsh and sand reservoirs, work that will encourage nesting for the animals and help prevent erosion. They’ll also add 145 acres to New Harbor Island, the nearby pelican nesting spot.

In 20 years, the parts of the island slated for restoration are expected to still be home to viable habitat, Baker said. These models factored for damage of one major storm.

But the vast majority of the money to carry out the work has not yet been secured. The state is hopeful that money will soon be approved for the project by trustees overseeing ﬁnes and settlement dollars from the 2010 oil spill.

The restoration efforts are a partnership between the coastal agency, the state wildlife and ﬁsheries agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Baker said carrying out the work effectively will be important since signiﬁcant future maintenance is not in the plans.

“It’s a one-time shot to do it right,” he said.

‘Our big challenge’

ing the varied ecosystem Models predict that the turtle and bird habitat on the island — though not all of

The morning of Aug. 22 was bright and clear which meant the team could spot crawls while ﬂying

the door for Louisiana to argue what she says state leaders have long believed: Race-based redistricting under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional.

“Racial classiﬁcations imposed by our government are antithetical to equal justice under law,” the state argues. “Our Constitution sees neither black voters nor white voters; it sees only American voters.”

If the Supreme Court buys that argument it could end the use of the Voting Rights Act in redistricting.

“Louisiana is arguing, ‘Do away with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,’” Bullock said.

“This would be tremendously signiﬁcant if indeed Section 2 is struck down,” he said. “If Section 2 is no longer applicable, then it potentially makes vulnerable existing minority districts elsewhere.”

Crayton said Louisiana’s attack on the Voting Rights Act reﬂects the “shifting politics of the moment” and the state’s hope that the court will view the law differently than it did just two years ago when it upheld its constitutionality in a similar redistricting case from Alabama.

“In the case of Louisiana, it’s kind of fascinating that the state that delivered to us Plessy v. Ferguson — a policy endorsed by the state of Louisiana to separate races in public accommodation takes the view that, yes, any consideration of race at all is somehow offensive to the Constitution,” Crayton said.

“To hear the state of Louisiana tell the story,” he said, “there’s no reason to bring up any attention at all to race.

“That is itself remarkable given Louisiana’s leading role in putting Jim Crow into place in the first place.”

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

overhead Lejeune and Baker could identify the turtle species based on the pattern in the sand. The one they spotted on South Chandeleur Island that day came from a loggerhead, a large and vulnerable species that typically nests later in the summer The dense tracks in the sand practically looked like footprints, though faint tail markings indicated a nonhuman traveler As Baker retraced the path after wading on to the island, he pointed out multiple “body pits” imprinted in the sand. These were the places that the female turtle “debated” settling down and hatching her eggs. A couple were in lower lying spots, but one was on a higher elevation. And it was on the higher elevation dune that she had hatched her eggs. When state ofﬁcials began designing the restoration project, they incorporated this kind of data into their plan.

“We sent our surveyors back out to those successful nests and they got slopes, elevations, all the measurables we could get on where she selected, and that was used in our design for the restoration project,” Baker said. “That’s why it’s a little different than a typical barrier island restoration. We are targeting what the birds and the turtles are telling us they prefer.”

While the restoration aims to encourage habitat on the island, it’s also inevitably going to disturb the nesting birds and turtles, Baker said. The federal wildlife agency offered its expertise on how to move forward with the restoration while minimizing the impact of the nesting species.

“That’s going to be our big challenge,” Baker said.

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

STAFF PHOTOS By JOSIE ABUGOV

Island,

remote barrier island

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Phanat Xanamane runs Iberia Market Garden, a series of cozy garden rooms and open green spaces, with an urban farm operation, in New Iberia.

A loggerhead turtle ‘crawl’ is seen on South Chandeleur Island on Aug. 22. The imprints in the sand show that a female loggerhead turtle, a vulnerable species, trekked along the island in an attempt to hatch her eggs.

Judge halts deportation flights to Guatemala

BY VALERIE GONZALEZ, REBECCA SANTANA and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

HARLINGEN, Texas After the U.S. government loaded children onto planes overnight to be sent back to their native Guatemala, a federal judge temporarily blocked the ﬂights — with the youngsters still inside as their attorneys said authorities were violating U.S. laws and sending vulnerable kids into potential peril.

The extraordinary drama played out over predawn hours on a U.S. holiday weekend and vaulted from tarmacs in Texas to a courtroom in Washington. It was the latest showdown over the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration — and the latest high-stakes clash between the administration’s enforcement efforts and legal safeguards that Congress created for vulnerable migrants

For now hundreds of Guatemalan children who arrived unaccompanied will stay while the legal ﬁght plays out over coming weeks.

“I do not want there to be any ambiguity,” said Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, who applied her ruling broadly to Guatemalan minors who arrived in the U.S without parents or guardians Minutes after her hastily scheduled hearing Sunday afternoon, ﬁve charter buses pulled up to a plane parked at the border-area airport in Harlingen, Texas. Hours earlier, authorities had walked dozens of passengers — perhaps 50 — toward the plane in an air-

port sector restricted to government planes, including deportation ﬂights The passengers were wearing colored clothing typically used in government-run shelters for migrant children.

The U.S. government insists it’s reuniting the Guatemalan children — at the Central American nation’s request — with parents or guardians who sought their return. Lawyers for at least some of the minors say that’s untrue and argue that in any event, authorities still would have to follow a legal process that they did not.

One girl said her parents, in Guatemala, got a strange phone call a few weeks ago saying the U.S. was deporting her, said one of the attorneys, Efrén C. Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center

The 16-year-old, who’s been living in a New York shelter, said in a court ﬁling that she’s an honors student about to start 11th grade, loves living in the U.S. and is “deeply afraid of being deported.”

Other children said in court documents that they had been neglected, abandoned, physically threatened or abused in their home country

“I do not have any family in Guatemala that can take good care of me,” a 10-year-old said in a court ﬁling. A 16-year-old recalled experiencing “threats against my life” in Guatemala. “If I am sent back, I believe I will be in danger,” the teen added

As the developments played out in the U.S., families gathered at an air base in Guatemala’s capital, Guatemala City, in anticipation of

the ﬂights. Gilberto López said he drove through the night from his remote town after his 17-year-old nephew called at midnight to say he was being deported from Texas.

The boy left Guatemala two years ago, at age 15, to work in the U.S. and was detained about a month ago, López said.

Migrant children who arrive in the U.S. without their parents or guardians are routinely handed over to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. They often live in government-supervised shelters or with foster care families until they can be released to a sponsor — usually a relative — in the U.S. Many of those from Gua-

temala request asylum or pursue other legal avenues to get permission to stay

An attorney with the National Center for Youth Law said the organization starting hearing a few weeks ago from legal service providers that Homeland Security Investigations agents were interviewing children — particularly Guatemalans — in facilities of the Ofﬁce of Refugee Resettlement.

The agents asked the children about their relatives in Guatemala, said the attorney, Becky Wolozin. Then, on Friday, advocates began getting word that their young clients’ immigration court hearings were being canceled, Wolozin said.

Shaina Aber of Acacia Center

for Justice an immigrant legal defense group, said it was notified Saturday evening that officials had drafted a list of children to return to Guatemala Advocates learned that the flights would leave from the Texas cities of Harlingen and El Paso, Aber said.

It’s unclear whether any planes actually departed. Government lawyer Drew Ensign told the Washington judge that one plane might have taken off but then returned.

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said on X that the Guatemalan government formally requested the children’s return and that the judge was “refusing to let them reunify with their parents.”

The judge said she was awakened at 2:30 a.m. to address the emergency filing from the children’s lawyers, who wrote in bold type that ﬂights might be leaving within the ensuing two to four hours. Sooknanan spent hours trying to reach federal attorneys and get answers, she said.

“I have the government attempting to remove unaccompanied minors from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising,” Sooknanan said at the midday hearing, later adding: “Absent action by the courts, all of those children would have been returned to Guatemala, potentially to very dangerous situations.”

Redheads from around world meet in Netherlands

A family participates in a

festival Saturday in Tilburg, Netherlands.

BY MOLLY QUELL Associated Press

TILBURG, Netherlands The southern Dutch city of Tilburg is seeing more color than usual this weekend, as thousands of redheads from all over the world gather in the Netherlands for a once-a-year festival to celebrate their ﬂaming locks.

The 2025 edition of the Redhead Days festival includes music, food trucks and workshops tailored to particular needs of redheads, from makeup explainers to skin cancer prevention.

Organizers expect the three-day event to draw several thousand attendees from some 80 countries.

Elounda Bakker, a Dutch festival veteran of 15 years, played cards with a group of redheaded friends from across the world who meet together every year at the festival.

“I came out of curiosity mostly, just to see what it would be like not to stand out in the crowd,” said Bakker, 29. “It was really an interesting ﬁrst experience and I just keep coming because I met some really nice friends here.”

The 2013 festival set a Guinness

A participant poses with a crown Saturday during the Redhead Days festival in Tilburg, Netherlands.

World Record for the “largest gathering of people with natural red hair” with 1,672 people posing for the group photo.

The tradition emerged two decades ago when Dutch artist Bart Rouwenhorst put out a call for 15 red-haired models for an art project in a local newspaper He got 10 times the response he was expecting and brought the group together for a photo.

The project got so much attention, Rouwenhorst organized a similar meetup the following year and has continued to oversee the festival as it has expanded into the multiday event it is today “The festival is really amazing because all the people, they resemble each other and they feel like it’s a family,” he said.

Noem says immigration crackdown coming to Chicago

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday said that the Trump administration will soon expand immigration operations in Chicago, conﬁrming plans for a stepped up presence of federal agents in the nation’s thirdlargest city as President Donald Trump continues to lash out at Illinois’ Democratic leadership Noem’s comments come after the DHS last week requested limited logistical support from of-

ﬁcials at the Naval Station Great Lakes to support the agency’s anticipated operations. The military installation is about 35 miles north of Chicago.

“We’ve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago but we do intend to add more resources to those operations,” Noem said during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Noem declined to provide further details about the planned surge of federal ofﬁcers. It comes after the Trump administration deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to target crime,

immigration and homelessness.

Trump lashed out against Illinois Gov JB Pritzker in a social media posting Saturday, warning him that he must straighten out Chicago’s crime problems quickly “or we’re coming.” The Republican president has also been critical of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Johnson and Pritzker have pushed back against the expected federal mobilization, saying crime has fallen in Chicago. They are planning to sue if Trump moves forward with the plan.

Johnson has already signed an order barring the Chicago Police

Department from helping federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement or any related patrols, trafﬁc stops and checkpoints during the surge.

Chicago is home to a large immigrant population, and both the city and the state of Illinois have some of the country’s strongest rules against cooperating with federal government immigration enforcement efforts. That has put the city and the state at odds with Trump’s administration as it tries to carry out his mass deportation agenda. Pritzker in an interview aired Sunday on “Face the Nation”

charged that Trump’s expected plans to mobilize federal forces in the city may be part of a plan to “stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly take control of those elections.” Noem said it was a Trump “prerogative” whether to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago as he did in Los Angeles in June in the midst of immigration protests in the California city

“I do know that L.A. wouldn’t be standing today if President Trump hadn’t taken action,” Noem said. “That city would have burned if left to devices of the mayor and governor of that state.”

Sheriff who inspired ‘Walking Tall’ believed to have killed his wife

BY AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press

A late Tennessee sheriff who inspired a Hollywood movie about a law enforcement ofﬁcer who took on organized crime killed his wife in 1967 and led people to believe she was killed by his enemies, authorities said Friday

Authorities acknowledged that the ﬁnding will likely shock many who grew up as Buford Pusser fans and watched 1973’s “Walking Tall,” which immortalized him as a tough but fair sheriff with zero tolerance for crime. The movie was remade in 2004, and many ofﬁcers joined law enforcement because of his story, according to Mark Davidson, the district attorney for Tennessee’s 25th Judicial District

There is enough evidence that if Pusser, the McNairy County sheriff who died in a car crash seven years after his wife’s death were alive today, prosecutors would present an

indictment to a grand jury for the killing of Pauline Mullins Pusser, Davidson said. Investigators also uncovered signs that she suffered from domestic violence.

Prosecutors worked with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which began reexamining decades-old ﬁles on Pauline Pusser’s death in 2022 as part of its regular review of cold cases, agency director David Rausch said. Agents found inconsistencies between Buford Pusser’s version of events and the physical evidence, received a tip about a potential murder weapon and exhumed Pauline Pusser’s body for an autopsy

“This case is not about tearing down a legend. It is about giving dignity and closure to Pauline and her family and ensuring that the truth is not buried with time,” Davidson said in a news conference streamed online. “The truth matters Justice matters Even 58 years later Pauline deserves both.”

Evidence doesn’t back up story

The case dates to Aug 12 1967

Buford Pusser got a call in the early morning hours about a disturbance. He reported that his wife volunteered to ride along with him as he responded. Buford Pusser said that shortly after they passed New Hope Methodist Church, a car pulled up and fired several times into the vehicle, killing Pauline Pusser and injuring the sheriff. Buford Pusser spent 18 days in the hospital and required several surgeries to recover The case was built largely on his own statement and closed quickly, Rausch said. During the reexamination of the case, Dr Michael Revelle, an emergency medicine physician and medical examiner, studied postmortem photographs, crime scene photographs, notes made by the medical examiner at the time and Buford Pusser’s statements. He concluded that Pauline Pusser was

more likely than not shot outside the car and then placed inside it.

He found that cranial trauma suffered by Pauline Pusser didn’t match crime scene photographs of the car’s interior Blood spatter on the hood outside the car contradicted Buford Pusser’s statements. The gunshot wound on his cheek was in fact a close-contact wound and not one ﬁred from long range, as Buford Pusser described, and was likely self-inflicted, Revelle concluded.

Pauline Pusser’s autopsy revealed she had a broken nose that had healed prior to her death. Davidson said statements from people who were around at the time she died support the conclusion that she was a victim of domestic violence.

Investigation gave brother closure Pauline Pusser’s younger brother, Griffon Mullins, said the investigation gave him closure. He said in a recorded video played at the

news conference that their other sister died without knowing what happened to Pauline Pusser and he is grateful he will die knowing.

“You would fall in love with her because she was a people person And of course, my family would always go to Pauline if they had an issue or they needed some advice and she was always there for them,” he said. “She was just a sweet person. I loved her with all my heart.”

Mullins said he knew there was some trouble in Pauline Pusser’s marriage, but she wasn’t one to talk about her problems. For that reason, Mullins said he was “not totally shocked.”

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation plans to make the entire file, which exceeds 1,000 pages, available to the public by handing it over to the University of Tennessee at Martin once it ﬁnishes with redactions. The school will create an online, searchable database for the case.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MOISES CASTILLO

A relative of an unaccompanied minor deported from the United States reviews the list of those deported outside La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City on Sunday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By VIRGINIA MAyO

painting workshop during the Redhead Days

Family revitalizes church

Historic Lafayette landmark transformed into wedding, event space

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A new chapter is unfolding for a local family in Lafayette’s Sterling Grove Historic District, where a historic church is being transformed into a wedding and event venue.

Originally built in 1941 by an all-Black battalion at Camp Claiborne and relocated to Lafayette in 1947, the former Davidson Memorial Methodist Church at 710 Jefferson Blvd. will be The Wilyard, an elegant destination for weddings, receptions and community gatherings. The project is led by Cameron Theyard and his mother, Nicole Theyard, an educator preparing for retirement.

The project is also part of developer Ravi Daggula’s larger effort to preserve historic properties on Lafayette’s north side.

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux and the Theyards’ family and friends gathered at the site’s groundbreaking ceremony “Year after year, we see historic buildings torn down, but to witness the energy and effort being put into restoring this place is truly special,” said Nungesser

Nicole Theyard added, “This project is about more than hosting events. It’s about honoring history, ä See CHURCH, page 4B

Breaux Middle added to advocacy

list

School served Black students before desegregation

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Paul Breaux Middle School, which ﬁrst served as a high school for Black students before desegregation, has been listed as one of Louisiana’s most endangered places by an advocacy group seeking to preserve historical sites.

The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation recently released its 2025 additions to its list of most endangered places, Paul Breaux Middle among the 10 new sites. The list

Paul Breaux

first served as a high school for Black students before desegregation, was added to the list of Louisiana’s most endangered places by the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation.

focuses on places that embody the state’s cultural heritage and are in jeopardy of being lost, according to the group.

“Historic buildings and sites are the ﬁngerprints of our communities and it takes creative measures to preserve and protect them for future generations,” Brian Davis, executive director of the Louisiana Trust, said in a statement. “Strategic partnerships, tax credits, and programs like LTHP’s revolving fund can save buildings many people may consider too far gone.

Paul Breaux Middle was built in the 1950s and served as Lafayette’s only high school for Black students. The school is named after an educator in Lafayette Parish who advocated for and led Black students.

Breaux originally led the Lafayette Parish Training School when it opened in 1896 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s “separate but equal” ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson that allowed for segregation laws to persist.

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

After going more than 25 years without a dedicated animal shelter, Opelousas is preparing to open its ﬁrst shelter

For decades, stray and abandoned animals in Opelousas had no permanent place to stay

Until now, the responsibility had mainly fallen on one man, Animal Control Officer Joey Stelly, who has worked with limited resources to care for animals in the city

For the past 14 years, Stelly has operated a makeshift shelter at the city work yard, managing an average of 10 calls a day and juggling the care of animals with only seven kennels and limited supplies.

“It’s tough,” Stelly said. “In one day I might get 10 calls but it’s just me — and nowhere to keep the animals.”

The St. Landry Parish Animal Shelter once served as a resource, but it has faced persistent challenges of its own In

2023, the facility halted intake due to overpopulation, and in 2024, it shut down again after housing more than 100 dogs in a space designed for 80. With more than 1,500 animals passing through the shelter each year, overcrowding made it impossible to take in additional animals from the city of Opelousas.

“We used to be able to use the parish shelter,” Stelly said. “But with their issues, I had to rely on my own resources. I’ve only had seven kennels — and I do all the work for the city myself.”

The city is turning a vacant building it owns on Cross Street into a shelter to improve care, encourage adoptions and provide new opportunities for community involvement. The Opelousas Animal Shelter is expected to open in late fall. Plans for the shelter include areas for dog walking and playtime, as well as welcoming

Opelousas to open first animal shelter

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Attendees stand outside Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremony for The Wilyard, a wedding and event venue that will open on the historic Davidson Memorial Methodist Church property in Lafayette once renovations are complete.

Lt Gov. Billy Nungesser left chats with Nicole Theyard and her son Cameron, co-owners of The Wilyard Venue, and developer Ravi Daggula during Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the wedding and event venue.

A banner showing a rendering of the finished project is displayed during the groundbreaking

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Middle School, which

Thankyou to La. delegation for supportof childtax credit

The “Big Beautiful Bill” captured headlines earlier this year and was signed by the president on Independence Day.Thatwould not have been possible without the leadership of our Louisiana delegation.

Iwant to give ahuge shoutout and thank you to Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalisefor theirtireless efforts (even into the wee hours of the morning) to achieve passage of the bill. Thanks to U.S.Sen. Bill Cassidy,U.S. Sen.John Kennedy,U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow for their affirmative votes on the bill, and particularly,their supportfor the Child TaxCredit. The final version makes permanent the credit at $2,200 per child, subject to inflationary adjustments.

In 2017, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted. While the bill made sweeping changes to tax policy (including welcomed tax relief up and down the income ladder), it was the reprioritization of the family that was,inmyopinion, the most significant accomplishment We are thankful that the CTC made it to the final version and that indexing it to inflation will protect families going forward. Taxrelief empowers families to utilize their own money as their families need —from groceries to diapers to child care. It keeps their hard-earned dollarsintheir pockets. Ihave often echoed thatthe family is the basic building block of any flourishing society.Asgoes the family,sogoes the culture For too long, this fundamental principle was more of atalking point than adriving force when it came to tax policy in Washington. Fortunately,that dynamic appears to be changing for the better! And for that, Louisiana families and I arevery grateful.

GENE MILLS president, Louisiana FamilyForum

Ourleaders’priorities areall wrong

If the country can afford millions in trips to Scotland,ballrooms,garden patios, golf outings and abillion for the plane, we can afford publicbroadcasting CATHY HIGHTOWER Metairie

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

YOUR VIEWS

What proponents of school choice miss

The latest effusion from Louisiana’santipublic school crusaders is amasterclass in bourgeoissanctimony masquerading as reform. To liken public education toSoviet grocery lines or forced medical triage is not merely absurd— it is dishonest.

Public schools are not monopolies,but manifestations of asocial contract. We fund them not because they are perfect,but because we believeall children —not just those born into afﬂuence —deserve ashot at literacy,numeracy and civic responsibility. To siphon funds from these institutions and funnel them into private enclaves is not liberation —itisabandonment

Arecentletter to the editor cloaks class warfare in libertarian velvet. Wealthy families already have “choice” —they have money.School vouchers do not create equality; they subsidize theﬂight of privilege while

leaving behind the rest in under-resourced classrooms. It is acruel inversion of justice: Blaming public schools for failing while actively defunding them. Anditislaughable to suggest that private schools can do better with less money —ask them to educate achild with disabilities, or one facing hunger,traumaor homelessness. Public schools do this every day, with grace and grit.

The answer is not to cannibalize public education but to fortify it. Pay teachers what they’re worth. Repair crumbling facilities. Fund music, science and libraries —not glossy propaganda.

If you truly care about children, especially poor children, then do not offer them “escape.” Offer them equity

JOHN GUZDA NewOrleans

Duncan captures grandeur of Dome, butneeds onemorenamementioned

Ienjoyed reading Jeff Duncan’spiece extollingthe legacy of the Louisiana Superdome LikeSydney’sOpera House, theSuperdome is indeedthe deﬁning element of the New Orleanscityscape, distinguishing it from any other city in the world. On aclear day,itis visiblewhen travelingsouth on the Causeway Bridge and from much further when approaching New Orleans by air Thinking back 50 years, Ican still vividly remember standing in athird-ﬂoor classroom at Jesuit High and excitedly watching thesuperstructure going up, amazed at how bigitwas. The entire city was enthralled

with the construction process and excited about what it would look like once completed.

Andalthough John McKeithen no doubt deserves credit for pushing the Dome politically,the man whowas the true visionary of this magniﬁcent building was Dave Dixon. Without Dixon, there would have been nothingtopush through theLegislature. As Gov McKeithen said, quoted by Marty Mule of this paper in 1999, “It was Dave’sconcept. Idid what Icould because Dave got me to believe in it.”

ROBERT BAUDOUIN NewOrleans

The announced closures of Planned Parenthood in Baton Rouge and New Orleans should give pause forreﬂection. Somemay ask, “Since the sexual revolution has been underway fortwo generations now,don’twestill need birth control and abortion?”

It might be worthwhile to question whybirth control is wrong. One of the mainreasons is that it tends to turn love into lust. There is adifference between love and pleasure. Doesthis person really love me for whoI am, or is he or she just using me? No one wants to be used by someone else. When Iamused by someone, Ifeel Ihave been lied to, have been violated.

By interrupting awoman’snatural cycle of fertility and infertility, birth control separates sex from its natural purpose, which is reproduction, and from its distinctively human purpose, the expression of love. Birth control instead establishes pleasure as the mainpoint of sexual relations. As long as Iplease my partner,heorshe continues to love me. But what happens when I get sick, or old, and am no longer so pleasing?

Somemay say,“But we’re married, so that is not an issue.” But even in marriage, birth control becomes like an invisible wedge between husband and wife.They are not quite completely united, for they are always holding something back. In the words of one philosopher,they may ﬁnd themselves ending up in a“juxtaposition of two solitudes.”

So the question Ibegan with could be turned around: “Was the sexual revolution agood thing to begin with?” That is, after two generations of divorce, the death of untold millions by abortion and rampant sexually transmitted diseases. Our clergy should be promoting the timeless virtue of chastity before marriage and within marriage.

DON CAFFERY Baton Rouge

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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 ALETTER SCAN HERE

Ihad respectfor U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy after he bravely broke ranks withthe GOPand votedtoconvict Donald Trumpwhen he was impeached.

Unfortunately,Cassidy has now shown that he will do virtually anything to remain in ofﬁce. Sixmonthsago, he expressed concern aboutRobert F. Kennedy Jr.’snomination as Secretary ofHealthand Human Services, but was thedeciding vote in Kennedy’s conﬁrmation. At thetime, he said he had Kennedy’s agreementnot to dismantle the country’s preventive healthprograms. When Kennedybegan to do just that, Cassidy capitulated Now,Kennedy is endorsing Trump’sreck-

less ﬁring of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics basedonthe false premise that she “rigged” the labor statistics,which all knowledgeable experts say is impossible. Respected economists also say that Trump’saction will underminecredibility for thegovernment’sstatisticsand thereby inﬂict serious damage to our economy.Asa physician and, presumably,aman of science, Cassidy knows better.Hemay get Trump’s endorsement and be reelected,but he will forever be known as acheap politician with no principles.

JOHN LANDIS NewOrleans

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN MCCUSKER

Public schoolstudents returned to classrooms in Jefferson Parish on Aug. 14. At HaroldKeller School principal Jessica Smith brought energytothe morning routine.

COMMENTARY

FOOTBALL RETURNS!

After months of waiting,football is finally back! With high hopes and fingers crossed, Louisiana pigskin fans arereadytojump, danceand scream.Itlooks likethis announcer is yelling about something unbelievable already!

So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtellme. Be witty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky—justtry to keep it clean.There’snolimit on the numberofentries. Thewinning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runonMonday, Sept. 8inour print editions and online. In addition, the winnerwill receivea signed print of the cartoon along with acool winner’s T-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed

To enter,email cartooncontest@theadvocate.com.

DON’T FORGET! All entries must include your name, homeaddressand phone number.Cell numbers are best

Thedeadline for all entries is on midnight,Thursday, Sept. 4. Good luck, football fans! —Walt

Whom do ourRepublicans represent?

It’s getting hard to tell who Louisiana’smembers of Congress represent when it comes to environmentalprotection.

Traditionally,thesemembersare identified by their office followed by abrief note containing their party affiliation and— most importantly —the state they are from For example: U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. That signifies Scalise is aHouse member (Rep.), aRepublican (R) and someonewho was elected to protect the interestsofLouisiana residents (La.).

But judging by their actions protectingthose residents from threats from pollution and the swallowing of the coastal zone by the Gulf of Mexico,an editisnecessary for members of our GOP delegation.

The “La.” should be changed to “Tr.” —for President Donald Trump That’sbecause every time it comes down to achoice between what’sbest for Louisiana and what Trumpwants, they represent the latter They have given unwaveringsupport to Trump as he has unleashed ahistoric rollbackofenvironmental protections and programs addressingclimate change, which could drown ourcoastal area. The furious pace of Trump’sdecrees makes it difﬁcult to grasp theﬂood of negative impactsfacing Louisiana. But areview of some headlines charts the harm Trump is pushing, withthe silence of ourGOP delegation.

“Trump declares national energy emergencytojustify more oil andgas drilling.” There is no emergency; the U.S. now produces more oil and gas than any nationinhistory.But theorder requires theEPA to expedite permitting and approval of fossil fuel andmining projects and circumvent the Clean WaterAct, increasing the harm to Louisiana’senvironment and residents.

“Trump exempts more than 100polluters from environmental standards.” TheEPA had said one of theregulations could reduce cancer risk of peoplelivingwithin 6miles of achemical plant by 96%

“Trump wants to kill Chemical Safety Board.” This order puts residents near plants and workers at higher risk.

“Want aClean Air Act exemption?

Justemail the EPA.”Trump’s EPAissued aroadmap on how polluters slip

regulations limiting toxic emissions.

“Deadly Risk: NOAA weather budget slashes as hurricane season opens.”

Trumphas called for cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget by 25% and closed itsOfﬁce of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Meteorologists say this will signiﬁcantly decrease theagency’sability to forecast the strength and developmentofhurricanes.Italso lost access to two critical weather satellites.

“Louisiana losing $156 million for solar energy as Trumpadministration cuts program.” This cut applies to the Solar forAll program,which provides grants to low-income homeowners to help reduce utility costs and greenhousegas emissions. This is part of Trump’seffort to kill theclimate action planofthe Biden Administration, which could send billions toLouisiana.

“New Orleans’ vital levee system will be inspected less often. Federal cuts are to blame.”

Poor andincompletelevee inspections were areason authorities missed problems that resulted in thelevee failures that caused ﬂooding in thecity and other communities during Hurricane Katrina. The money was later restored because thethe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers transferred funds from theSt. Louisofﬁce —not because of pushback

from Louisiana’sGOP

There are hundreds more.

The silence of Louisiana’sGOP delegation on issues hurting Louisiana is moredamning because that group includes two of the most powerful congressional members: Mike Johnson, speaker of the House, and Scalise, its majority leader.Ifany members were able to squeeze exceptions out of Trump’srampage, surely it should have been them.

It’snot like other GOP members have not dared to protest aTrumpmove. U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Warren Davidson (Ohio), along with U.S. Sens. RandPaul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine) and Thom Tillis (N.C.), all voted against his Big BeautifulBill. AndU.S. Sen LisaMurkowski (Alaska) withheld her voteuntil Trumpgranted her concessions.

ButLouisiana’sdelegation quietly submitstoits Dear Leader.And the statewill suffer Surely LouisianaRepublicans canﬁnd men andwomen who will replace that “Tr.”and put the“La.” back where it belongs

Bob Marshall, aPulitzer Prizewinning Louisiana environmental journalist,can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com.

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina carved its place into American history —not just as one of the deadliest storms, but as adeﬁning failure of emergency coordination. More than 1,300 lives were lost. Hundreds of thousands weredisplaced. And the Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans, wasleft in ruins. At the time, Iwas serving as adeputy chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Iwas deployed to assist my home state under astate-to-state compact, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. Gov.Kathleen Blanco requested aid from California Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger,and Ijoined the early recovery efforts in NewOrleans. What I witnessed changed me forever Beyond the physical devastation, Katrina exposed the consequences of fractured emergency systems, fragile infrastructure and abreakdowninpublic trust. There was no uniﬁed command. FEMA clashed with state agencies. The response faltered at every level, causing delays, confusion and human suffering that should never be repeated.

Katrina forced America to confront a hard truth: Catastrophic disasters can overwhelm even the mostprepared communities.

What happened in Louisiana could happen anywhere —amajor earthquake in California, aﬂood in the Midwest or aCategory 5storm along any coast. The disaster wasn’tjust about Louisiana’svulnerabilities. It wasabout anation unprepared forcatastrophe at this scale.

Since then, progress has been real. Communications systems, crippled during Katrina, have been modernized. States now embrace the Incident CommandSystem and uniﬁed command. Regional mutual aid through EMAC, which deployed me to NewOrleans, has becomeacornerstone of large-scale response.

During my timeasLouisiana’semergency management director under Gov. Bobby Jindal, we pioneered the nation’s ﬁrst Business Emergency Operations Center,amodel later adopted nationally by FEMA. It ensured that supply chains, retailers and private infrastructure could be harnessed forresilience. That kind of innovation must continue.

Katrina’sgreatest lesson may be the importance of trust —between federal, state and local governments, and between institutions and the people they serve.

When Ibegan leading Louisiana’semergency management and recovery efforts twoand ahalf years after the storm,itwas clear we had to stop airing disputes in the media and start solving problemsbehind closed doors. Communities must know their leaders are working together,not against each other But trust is also personal. Preparedness is no longer just agovernment responsibility.Campaigns like Louisiana’sGet a Game Plan, which we developed and is still aprogram today,emphasize familylevel readiness: having supplies, knowing evacuation routes and caring forvulnerable neighbors and pets. Disasters reveal not just systemic cracks, but the fragility of households caught unprepared.

Today,emergency management is more professionalized, moreinclusive and more capable than it was in 2005. Yetcomplacency remains adanger We’ve built capacity —but are we still using all the tools Katrina gave us? Business Emergency Operations Centers, for example, are underutilized. And we risk forgetting that Katrina-like events can happen again, whether from hurricanes or other catastrophic shocks.

That’swhy I’mhonored to serve on the FEMA Review Council, advising the president on major reforms to improve FEMA’s operational efﬁciency and responsiveness while ridding Washington, DC of unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy Katrina demanded accountability and innovation. Twodecades later,it’sour responsibility to keep pressing forward not with just plans and protocols, but with trust, unity and resolve.

Mark Cooper is amember of President Donald Trump’sFEMA Review Council. He served as chiefofstaff forformer Louisiana Gov. JohnBel Edwards.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, makes apoint as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, listens at right, during aJune news conference.

Mark Cooper GUEST COLUMNIST

Bob Marshall

NewOrleans budgetdeficit hits $100 million

ond term, which wasbuoyed by nearly $400 million in federal pandemic aid. That money hasbeenspent on a smattering of infrastructure, technology and public safety initiatives.

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

New Orleans’ 2025 budget

deficit exceeds $100million, posing asignificant challenge for Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration as it begins preparing afinal annual budgetthatCantrell’s successor will inherit in 2026.

The deepening financial strain —caused largely by overtime pay and new security measures tied to the New Year’sEve terror attack, but also by revenue estimating blunders— hascausedcity officials to consider ideas that could stir controversy

These ideas include increases to residents’ monthly sanitation fee and higher taxes. No single proposal is yet being seriouslyadvanced at least not publicly,and the political mineﬁelds involved with doing so will likelybe left to the next mayor and council.

The spiraling deﬁcit, now representing about 13% of anticipated general fund revenue, is an abrupt turnabout from most of Cantrell’ssec-

“We’renot going to have the same kind offund-balance cushion that we’ve had the past three or four years, said Jonathan Harris, chief of staff for thecity’s chief administrativeofﬁce, at an Aug. 13 City Council Budget Committee meeting. “The budgetisgoingtobetighter We’re going to have tomake some hard decisions.”

Councilmembersdidn’t discussthe administration’s proposals in detail at the committee, though budget ChairJoe Giarrusso suggested raisingcity parking rates as ameasure that might be less controversial.

“The thingwe’re all trying to be sensitivetois, for the people who live here, howdo we balance services delivered versusappropriate resources? And parking feels like oneofthose things that isn’t so bad,” saidGiarrusso, who is termed out of hisDistrict Aseat andtakinga job in the private sector With the federal pandemic windfallgone, officials are nowalso grappling with per-

sonnel overruns andrevenue shortfalls that appear set to continue intonext year.The New Year’sDay truck attack on BourbonStreet and the newspecial event security measures adopted in its wake arelargely responsible for $72 millioninunexpected overtime costs,accordingto the administration. At the same time, officials have been warning for months that 2025revenue wouldn’tmeet expectations, and theRevenue Estimating Conference on Aug. 27 officially reduced this year’s anticipated income by $31 million.

Matthew Cooper,the city’s chief economist, said new tax exemptions on construction materials and rental cars approvedbystate lawmakers are among many factors that resulting in his overshot revenue estimates. He also pointed to traffic camera revenue splits with other agencies that came to fruitionthisyear,although lawmakerspassed those in the 2024 session.

Theactionsbystate lawmakers alone deprivedthe general fund of about $20 million this year,hesaid. Additionally,business propertytax collections are coming in about $11million

short of Cooper’s estimate. He blamed that on Assessor Errol Williams,who he said intentionally inflated business taxvaluations by 20% to account for scofﬂaws who don’tsubmit required documentation.

“Whatends up happening there is our propertytax valuation is slightly inﬂated as a result of that,” Cooper said at the city’sRevenue Estimating Conference on Aug. 27.

ButanAssessor’sOffice spokesperson, Devin Johnson, said Cooper is mistaken. Business ownerswho fail to document their propertyare assesseda20% penalty,fees Johnsonsaid“are fully collectible by thecity.”

“These arenot arbitrary or inﬂated values —these penalties become part of the tax liability,” Johnson said in an email.

Cooper alsosaid tax collections from SuperBowl LIXaren’tmeasuring up to expectations.The 2025 city budget anticipated $15 million, but Cooper said thecity only receivedsomewhere between $8 million and $10 million.

Cantrell administration officialssuggestedseveral ways to raise money, includingraisingsales taxes and permit fees. The suggestions

Developer Ravi DaggulaspeaksThursdaytoattendees during the

event venue that willopen on the historic DavidsonMemorialMethodist

complete.

CHURCH

Continued from page1B

also included two third-rail ideas:increasing thesanitation fee and property tax millages.

The $24 monthly sanitation fee hasn’tbeen touched since 2011,evenascurbsidecollection costs have dramatically increased, especially after the pandemic. TheSanitation Departmentbudget increasednearly 40%this year,from $51 millionto$71 million.

The existing feeonly coversabout 60%ofthe department budget, andraising it to $30-$35 could generate as muchas$60 million, accordingtothe administration. But the fee increase would come after pickups were cut from twicetoonceper weekin 2021.

Property tax increases are another touchy subject, since the2023 citywidereassessment raised property values by an averageof17%.Under state law,millage rates automatically rolledback to ensure the reassessment was revenue neutral and didn’t increase the tax burden on homeowners alreadystruggling with spiking insurance premiums.

The council hadthe option of rolling the millages forward to previous rates to reap theadditionalrevenue,

SHELTER

Continued from page1B fostering community and creating aspace where love and legacy come together.”

TheWilyard will feature an event center with arestored chapel, aluxurious bridal suite and commercial ofﬁce space in the adjacent building. There’sa cocktail bar and an Instagram-worthy courtyard reception area. The venue will also offer ofﬁce opportunities for local business-

es and professionals. The inspiration to transform this historic landmark cametothe TheyardsinDecember,whentheybegan searchingfor apropertyto createsomething meaningful for thecommunity.

“Wewanted to ﬁnda place where people could come together andcelebrate, the sameway my family has alwayscherished those special moments,” Nicole Theyard said.

By preservingoriginal details such as theflooring, shiplap walls and stained-glass windows, the

Theyards aimtohonor the building’shistory while giving it new life.

CameronTheyard,who hasyears of experience as an eventphotographer, said local couplesare already excited about what The Wilyard will offer “A lot of couples I’ve spoken withlove the idea of a venue withanItalian-Southern-style courtyard,” he said. “There’snothing like that in Lafayette right now —aspace that feelsmodern, yet timeless.”

With a$1.5 million renovation underway,The Wilyard

is expected to be completed by 2026.

Email Ja’koriMadison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

spaces for potential adopters to meet what couldbe their new pets. For the ﬁrst time,community members will also have the opportunity to volunteer and help Opelousas’ homeless animals.Local artist Jerome Fordistransforming the building’sexterior with amakeover

One of thecommunity advocates forthe project is Lori Dupuis, CEO of the St. Landry Parish Chamber of Commerce. Years ago, she teamed up with Stelly to create Friends of theOpelousasAnimal Control, avolunteer-run Facebook page promoting adoptable dogs and rescues.

“I created thepage because Isaw Joey working so hard, andhewas doing it all himself,” Dupuis said. “I wantedtodosomething to help.”

Thanks to rescue partnerships andcommunity support, Stelly has managed to maintaina no-kill record and adisease-free record,which reflecthis dedication to protecting thewelfare of animals, Dupuis said.

Although earlierefforts to create an adoption center werestalled after

but, with federal pandemic aidflowing, opted to keep them in place. Rolling the millages forward now would raise another$25 million city officials say The city is also weighing whether to raise thelocal sales tax,from 2.5% to 3%, which would raise an estimated $35 million, officials say Officials at the meeting did notdiscusscuttingcitypayroll, eliminating city offices, or other trimstoaddress the deficit. The administration has adopted ahiring freeze. Cooper also pointed to existential reasons for anemic growththis year anddeclining revenue in the future. His initial general fund forecastfor 2026 is $733 million, whichis$12 millionless than the downwardly revised figure for this year

“The other major trend that you’re looking at with sales tax is general longterm decline in theamount of revenueactuallycollected.That’sa result of many different factors, mostlyto do with declining population, declining commerce, declining spending power,” Cooper said.

EmailBen Myers at bmyers@theadvocate.com.

afailed taxrenewal, the project has also attracted national and local partners. Amongthem is Scott’sWish/ Mardi Paws, ledbyanimal welfare advocate Denise Gutnisky,who stepped in to secure sponsors to finally make the shelter areality Gutniskyhas workedalongside Friends of Opelousas AnimalControl forthe past year for rescue placements, medical care and transport for animals. Also playing amajor role is Tito’sHandmade Vodka, which is sponsoring two large playyards and the Tito’sTail Waggin’ Trail &Sensory Garden, an enrichment spaces designedtoreduce stress and encourage healthy behaviors. “This is important to us becausewewantthe shelter to grow,”Gutnisky said. “This is what it’sall about.”

Continued from page1B

He became so ingrained in the training school that it was informally referred to as the Paul Breaux School. Breaux remained the school’s leader until his death in 1926. Paul Breaux High School and an elementary school for Black students were opened and named after Breaux. The high school was closed in 1970 to meet court mandates that the district must integrate. Paul Breaux Middle School opened in its place the following year In the past two years,the Lafayette Parish School Board has made decisions that have led community members to worry about the fate of the school.In March 2023, the boardvoted to move the gifted program from Paul Breaux Middle to Edgar Martin Middle. The French and Spanish immer-

sion programs were moved from Paul Breaux to Scott Middle. The move slashed the school’senrollment.

Adistrict-hired strategic planner last fall proposed moving Paul Breaux Middle to theNorthsideHighproperty.Communitymembers were initially hesitant about theproposal but warmed up to it when it was explained middle and high schoolers would be separated and it wouldmean two newfacilities for northside families. However,the School Board rejected other proposals for consolidation and closures, which meantthey would not have the funding necessary for the change. Andalastminute pitchtoclosePaul Breaux and turnNorthside Highinto a6-12 facility received strong public opposition.

Since LouisianaTrust created its most endangered places catalog in 1999, more than 200 siteshave been recognized and more than 50

have been saved, according to the organization. There are two other Lafayette Parish sitesonLouisiana Trust’smostendangered list: theHoly Rosary Institute and the Merchant’sGrocer Co. at EastSecondStreet andSoutheast Evangeline Thruway

Email Ashley White at ashley.white@theadvocate. com.

PHOTO PROVIDED By JOEy STELLy

The newand soon-to-be operating Opelousas animal shelter and adoption center includes aplayyard.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIEWESTBROOK

groundbreaking ceremonyfor The Wilyard, awedding and

Church property in Lafayette oncerenovations are

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staffwriter

To put Act 2ofhis career intomotion,Brandon Staley tapped into hisresourcesand leanedonthe people who were at his side for both his meteoric rise and his biggest failure.

The New Orleans Saints hired StaleyinFebruary to coordinate their defense, giving him his ﬁrst major opportunity as an NFLplay-caller sincethe LosAngeles Chargers firedhim as head coach in December 2023. The coach they’re getting is different from the onewho waslet go in Southern California.

He was just 38 yearsold when the Chargers tapped him to be theirhead coach inJanuary 2021. That franchise jettisoned him ﬁve days after his 41st birthday Between that time and when the Saintshired him, Staley spent an important year in San Francisco seeking the right way to reset

“What Iwas able to do was create some space to unpack all that, and thencreate anew path where there’s new energy moving forward to apply all those lessons; bothtough lessons and great lessons, because there was so manyofboth in those three years,”Staley said. To help get there, he spent alot of timelistening. Staley spoke with Sean McVay,under whom he becameone of the NFL’s hottest headcoaching candidates while coordinating aNo. 1defense with the Rams;withKyleShanahan, whooffered him thelanding spotheneeded with the 49ers last year; with his best friend in the coaching business, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell; andwith Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, who grew up withStaley and is agodfather to Staley’schildren. He talkedtomentorslike John Foxand VicFangio.Hereached outtoNBA championhead coach

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

There it wasagain —that old, yet familiar sight: the illusion of an open ﬁeld, suddenly replaced by adarting Harold Perkins, ﬂying through the line of scrimmage.

LSU hesitated to dial up the delayed blitz that decided its 17-10 win over Clemson. Blake Baker had shown it on the previous play,but Clemson jumped offsides. Did he tiphis hand? The thought crossed the second-year defensive coordinator’smind, but he decided to stick with the call anyway.His defensive line would crash to the right, and Perkins would wrap around the edge so he could chasedown quarterback Cade Klubnik.

“They executedittoperfection,”Baker said.

And LSU held on to its biggest win in years —a victory it earnedonthe strength of its defense. Want to surpriseanopposingquarterback by sending Perkins on awell-timed, carefully disguised blitz? Youbetter have some defensive backswho can cover receivers one-onone in high-pressure situations. The offense can’tcounter with aquick completion.

“Weweren’tinthat position last year to play alot of man,” coach Brian Kelly said. Now it lookslike LSUcan playthat kind of defense with conﬁdence.

Against Clemson, VirginiaTechtransfer cornerback Mansoor Delane broke up two passes andintercepted another,while allowing only one catch on eight targets, per Pro

Uhoh. With anew starting quarterback and a ton of shiny new targetsﬂooding the depth chart, it would have been foolish not to expect some growing pains with UL’s passing game.

Butwhat took place in Saturday’s 14-12 loss to Rice at OurLady of Lourdes Stadiumappeared worse than anyone imagined.

UL coach Michael Desormeaux looked like he’d seen aghost in the postgameinterview session.

To refresh our memories, only 28.2% of last season’sreceptions —19.4% of yards receiving and 18.2% of touchdowns receiving —remain on the roster Replacing seasoned guys like Lance LeGendre and Terrance Carter doesn’tjust happen with asnap of the ﬁngers. Replacing quarterback Ben Wooldridge —who madesomany little things look easy —may not happen foravery long time. “We’re either going to come together …we’re going to look at this tape, we’re going to approach it head on, and ﬁnd away to get

“I knew our team was going to be tested at some point,” he said. “I knew at some point we were going tohave to ﬁnd out what kind of team we have, and the resolve that we’ve got and the grit on this team, but Ididn’tthink it was going to be Week 1, but here we are.

Pegula cruises to U.S. Open quarterfinals

BY BRIAN MAHONEY Associated Press

NEWYORK Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, which used to be her roadblock.

The way Pegula is playing at this U.S. Open, it may be just another stop on the way back to the ﬁnal.

The No. 4 seed rolled into the last eight by routing fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes on Sunday She will face Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday after the two-time Grand Slam champion fought off eight match points in a second set that ended with a 25-minute tiebreaker and beat Taylor Townsend 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3. Townsend was trying to reach her ﬁrst quarterﬁnal in her 31st Grand Slam appearance.

Pegula hasn’t dropped a set this year at Flushing Meadows, and only once was she even kept on court for more than 1 hour, 15 minutes.

“Probably the best match, honestly I’ve played since, like, before Wimbledon I feel like from the start to finish So that was encouraging,” Pegula said of Sunday’s victory “I was just hitting the ball, doing everything well, executing my strategy very well and got through it pretty quick.”

Pegula had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterﬁnals before upsetting Iga Swiatek in that round last year She went on to reach the ﬁnal, where she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka But she wasn’t sure her tennis was ready for a follow-up when she returned to New York.

She had lost four of her previous six singles matches coming into the U.S. Open, and said she played so poorly while practicing with Sabalenka a few days before the tournament that she stopped early opting instead for an escape room with some friends and a couple of drinks.

Things have certainly gotten better since.

“Like I said, I haven’t been feeling my best on court, so to be able to come back and make another quarterﬁnal here is something I’m deﬁnitely proud of,” Pegula said “Of course, I want to go further and do more and win the tournament, but I feel like just on a personal kind of goal level, I’m happy with the way I’ve been able to kind of turn some of my tennis around the last few weeks.”

The 58th-ranked Li was the highest-ranked player Pegula has faced in the tournament, but the 25-year-old was overpowered in her first appearance in the round of 16 in a major Pegula broke her all four times she served in the 25-minute first set, and she had just five winners against 19 unforced errors in the match.

In other action, Carlos Alcaraz hit a behind-the-back shot to win a point in a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Arthur Rinderknech that made the Spaniard the youngest man in the Open era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarterﬁnals. Novak Djokovic was on the evening schedule along with Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz, last year’s runner-up and the only American man remaining.

Newgarden salvages IndyCar season with ﬁrst win

BY JENNA FRYER Associated Press

LEBANON,Tenn. — Josef Newgarden salvaged his miserable year by winning his ﬁrst race of the season Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway his home track in the IndyCar ﬁnale.

He celebrated the recovery the exact same way he did after his two Indianapolis 500 victories — Newgarden climbed through a hole in the fence and entered the grandstand s, where he triumphantly raised his arms in the air in front of a gaggle of friends and family

“I am just glad we got one without anything going wrong,” Newgarden said. “It’s rewarding for our team. It’s great for our team. Been a tough, tough year and good to get a win here at the end.”

His Team Penske crew sprinted from pit lane to celebrate with him on track. They had to pass Alex Palou, who clinched his fourth IndyCar title with two races remaining, as he did celebratory doughnuts in the infield grass following his second-place finish. It was just the second win of the season for Team Penske, which along with Newgarden has had a horrific year, and it prevented Newgarden from going winless for the first time since 2014. Newgarden benefited from issues to a multitude of drivers

and took the lead for good with 21 laps remaining when teammate Scott McLaughlin slid up the track and brushed the wall as Newgarden sailed past him. IndyCar immediately threw the caution and McLaughlin didn’t seem to have any damage to his car, but he wasn’t even able to challenge Newgarden on the restart with 11 laps to go. Newgarden came into the race 16th in the standings, lowest of the Team Penske trio of drivers, and had only two podium finishes through 16 races. He ended the season with four total top-five finishes, one upside-down flip and despite his win Sunday what will likely go down as the worst of

his 14 years in IndyCar The past nine wins of Newgarden’s career are all on ovals. McLaughlin ﬁnished third.

O’Ward crashes

Pato O’Ward started from the pole and seemed headed toward a third victory until a tire failure caused him to crash while leading.

O’Ward had already locked up second in the championship standings and wanted to give McLaren Racing a sweep of the day after Oscar Piastri won the Dutch Grand Prix. It would have been the first time in 49 years that McLaren won the IndyCar and Formula 1 races on the same day

Judge ties Berra for fifth on Yankees home runs list

CHICAGO New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hit his 358th career homer in the first inning of their series finale against the White Sox on Sunday, moving into a tie with Yogi Berra for fifth in franchise history

Judge drove an 0-2 cutter from Martín Pérez deep to center for a one-out solo drive. Judge’s 43rd homer of the season had a 112.6 mph exit velocity and traveled 426 feet. He finished with three hits and scored twice in a 3-2 loss. The 33-year-old Judge also connected for a solo homer in New York’s 11-inning victory at Chicago on Saturday night. Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (659 homers), Mickey Mantle (536), Lou Gehrig (493) and Joe DiMaggio (361) are on top of the Yankees’ career homers list.

Pitchers’ leaves extended due to gambling probe

CLEVELAND Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz had their paid leaves extended indefinitely as Major League Baseball continues an investigation to gauge their possible involvement in gambling during games.

Clase and Ortiz were initially set to sidelined until at least Aug. 31. MLB and the players’ union said in a news release they have agreed to extend the nondisciplinary paid leave “until further notice.”

It’s possible the pitchers will be out at least until the end of the regular season, which concludes Sept. 28. The Guardians recently cleared out their lockers, a sign they were unlikely to return in the ﬁnal month.

Red Sox, Chapman agree to $13.3 contract for ’26

BOSTON All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman and the Boston Red Sox ﬁnalized a $13.3 million, one-year contract for 2026 that includes a 2027 vesting option. Chapman will be guaranteed $26 million over two years if he pitches at least 40 innings next season. The team announced the deal Sunday following a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park. Chapman, who earned his eighth All-Star selection this season, gets a $13 million salary next year If the left-hander reaches 40 innings in 2026, he gets a $13 million salary again in 2027. If not, he would receive a $300,000 buyout unless both sides accept a mutual option, which would be unlikely The 37-year-old Chapman is having perhaps his best year, with a career-low 1.02 ERA.

Cowboys sign NFL pick-6 record-holder to extension

He said he’d had a previous tire failure at Nashville during a test and had concerns about the durability of the Firestones all weekend. Earlier in the race, Palou had a tire failure not long after a breathtaking wheel-to-wheel ﬁght with O’Ward for the lead.

“Hopefully Firestone can help us out for next year, because it sucks kind of knowing that (a tire failure) can be a possibility and multiple cars having that issue and then the guys hitting the wall at 200 mph are us,” O’Ward said.

“I can tell you, you can really feel those hits, so I really hope that they can somewhat ﬁx that and for that not to be a concern because we don’t like to go racing with that in the back of our heads.”

Malukas helicoptered out

David Malukas has been widely rumored since the start of the season to be headed to Team Penske to replace Will Power, and if Nashville was his last race with A.J. Foyt Racing, it was rough.

Malukas crashed 83 laps into the race and was helicoptered out of the track for further medical evaluation. IndyCar and his race team said he was awake and alert and being transported to another facility for further evaluation.

Malukas was racing Louis Foster, who was one lap down, and refused to give Malukas any room. The contact between the cars sent Malukas spinning into the wall. The medical crew had to help Malukas from the car and he sat outside it, head down, as he was surrounded by personnel.

FRISCO, Texas DaRon Bland blossomed from a largely ignored high school recruit to a record-setting NFL cornerback without saying much along the way Now the Dallas Cowboys have given him a contract that can do all the talking. Bland signed a $92 million, fouryear extension Sunday, four days before the opener at defending champ and NFC East rival Philadelphia.

The 26-year-old, who set a league record with ﬁve interception returns for touchdowns in 2023, is getting $50 million in guaranteed money, two people told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity

The $23 million average annual value on the new deal is the sixth best for cornerbacks.

Piastri wins Dutch GP after Norris breaks down ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Lando Norris’ chances of beating Oscar Piastri to victory in the Dutch Grand Prix went up in smoke. His title chances are at risk, too. Piastri won the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday after teammate Norris’ McLaren broke down in what could prove a turning point in the title race. Norris was chasing Piastri late in the race when the British driver reported a “funny” smell in his cockpit. Norris ended the race standing behind a barrier at the side of the track with race marshals and his broken-down

It was the second time this season he has failed to ﬁnish after colliding with Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix in

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Josef Newgarden, front, drives during an IndyCar race Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. Newgarden won the race, preventing him from going winless for the first time since 2014.

Newgarden

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HEATHER KHALIFA

Jessica Pegula yells after defeating Ann Li during the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday in New york.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

Steve Kerr He sought wisdom from legends like Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll

— two men who took over big jobs at a very young age but didn’t hit their Hall of Fame stride until after their first opportunity flamed out. He was careful to find some people whose stories had some similarities to his own

“I tried to seek out as many people as I feel like had wisdom that I could learn from,” Staley said. “That space that I was trying to create was so that I could improve, and I could come back fresh and better than I’ve ever been.”

In a sense, Staley took the NFL equivalent of a gap year He worked behind the scenes on the defense in San Francisco, but he also worked on himself. All of those conversations helped not only to identify where he may have misstepped but also to illuminate the ideal next move Affording himself a 30,000-foot view of his career helped Staley see the destination.

“I was so zoomed in, and I was going fast for a long time,” Staley said. “It felt good to zoom out and to reset. Then what that allowed me to do was create a path forward that I knew that I could head towards

“I knew that I needed to be on a new mission. Just because one thing ends, it doesn’t mean that it’s over Something new is beginning, and that’s what I needed to ﬁnd was that path forward, because I know that the best is ahead for me.”

Now comes the time for Staley to act upon everything he soaked up from his peers, mentors and idols.

He is a crucial part of the major shakeup within the Saints organization. Staley is effectively the head coach of the defense, allowing first-time head coach Kellen Moore to focus on the offense while also providing Moore a road map for how to navigate the challenges that come with the top job.

“It’s a phenomenal opportunity; I feel fortunate to be getting the opportunity to team up with Brandon again,” said Moore, who was Staley’s offensive coordinator for his last season with the Chargers. “His experience as a head coach is really valuable for me. There’s plenty of little nuances and little questions that we get to discuss.”

SCOREBOARD

France, and Orlando Luz, Brazil, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4. Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury (6), Britain, def. Cooper Woestendick and Maxwell Exsted, United States, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Women’s Doubles SecondRound Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina (9), Kazakhstan, def. Monica Niculescu, Romania, and Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia 6-2, 6-2. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini (2), Italy def. McCartney Kessler and Peyton Stearns, United States, 6-4, 6-1. Asia Muhammad, United States, and Demi Schuurs (7), Netherlands, def. Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, and Anna Siskova, Czechia, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

(2), Spain, def. Arthur Rinderknech, France, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4. Women’s Singles FourthRound Jessica Pegula (4), United States, def. Ann Li, United States, 6-1, 6-2. Barbora Krejcikova, Czechia, def. Taylor Townsend, United States, 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3. Men’s Doubles SecondRound Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Argentina, def. Luke Johnson, Britain, and Sander Arends (13), Netherlands, 7-5, 7-6 (6). Robin Haase, Netherlands, and Constantin Frantzen, Germany, def. Albano Olivetti

And, Moore added, Staley’s “expertise on the defensive side is really, really next level,” which will be critical as New Orleans attempts to rebuild its franchise in the ﬁrst year of a new regime.

Staley arrived to lead a Saints defense that is in ﬂux. After several years of high-end play, New Orleans sagged in its ﬁnal years under coach Dennis Allen. Things cratered last year, when the Saints allowed more yards than all but two teams. The run defense was a sieve, the pass rush non-existent.

Enter Staley, who will implement an entirely new scheme. In the simplest terms, it will look different because Staley brought a 3-4 base defensive alignment with him. But a more discerning eye will notice the way Staley’s unit disguises its intention at the line of scrimmage, the way it sends rushers from any and every angle, and the way defenders are free to use their eyes and make plays.

The early reviews have been nothing but positive from the players who will play in Staley’s scheme.

“If you’re a real dog, it’s easy to buy into his system,” said linebacker Demario Davis. “... He’s one of them real ones.”

The most interesting comments about Staley have come from those who have been with him in the past. New Orleans stocked Staley’s unit with several role players who have prior experience with him — edge rusher Chris Rumph played under Staley with the Chargers, Isaac Yiadom with the 49ers, Jonathan Bullard with the Bears and practice squad members Jonah Williams and Terrell Burgess with the Rams. Williams was an undrafted rookie free agent on the 2020 Rams defense that ﬁnished No. 1 in both scoring and total defense, vaulting Staley into the national conversation as an up-and-coming head coaching candidate. He

said, “Staley is still Staley he knows how to command a room,” but he’s noticed subtle differences in the way Staley is teaching.

It may be because he has experience in the scheme, but Williams sees Staley making things simpler for his players while maintaining the illusion of complexity for opposing offenses.

“Before, we had a lot more (defensive) front adjustments,” Williams said.

“We still have those adjustments, but he tries to make it so there’s a lot more variations for offenses to see. It’s harder for the offense to know what we’re in, but easier for us to line up. So it makes us play faster.”

Staley is quick to point out that a lot has happened since that breakout 2020 season and Burgess noted that, because of the pandemic, Staley had to teach his defense through a Zoom room Coaches have to adapt and adjust, or they won’t last long.

“The NFL demands that from you,” Staley said.

But some of the way he’s teaching and coaching now relates to his experience in Los Angeles, to the lessons learned, and all the conversations he’s had in between.

Next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, Staley will take his first official step of the second act of his career The coach who takes the Saints sideline won’t be the same as the one who was dismissed from the Chargers.

“There’s this saying: You don’t need to be old to be wise, but you can’t have wisdom without experience,”

Staley said. “That certainly applies to me. The more mistakes you make, the more you learn about how to avoid those and how to create a path speciﬁcally for the players, because they’re the most important thing.

“I love coaching players, and I love the game. I’ve been able to get those points across better because I know who I am, I know who I need to be, and I think that comes with more time.”

Continued from page 1C

Football Focus Five-star freshman DJ Pickett was targeted only once on 20 coverage snaps. The Tigers landed those players, in part, because an offseason fundraising push allowed them to invest in their secondary Now there’s more talent, experience and depth at both safety and cornerback, which may help LSU finally crack the Harold Perkins code and solve a riddle that has trailed Kelly and his staff for the last two years. On Saturday, Perkins looked like the disruptive player that burst onto the scene in 2022. The middle linebacker experiment is over Now the senior plays the Baker defense’s Star position — a do-it-all hybrid role that allows LSU to line him up anywhere.

Perkins spent 29 snaps of the Clemson win in pass coverage, according to PFF, and 13 in pass rush. LSU dropped him into the box on 30 snaps and lined him up over the slot on 20 plays. He worked as an edge rusher for ﬁve snaps and even moonlighted as a defensive back — for one play at outside corner and

another at safety By the end of the night, Perkins had tallied five tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, to pair with a sack, a hit and two hurries. One of those pressures came on the last play of the game, when he forced Klubnik to ﬂutter a throw well short of its intended target.

“He does things that a lot of humans can’t do on this earth,” Baker said.

“There’s a lot to get better at, and he’ll be the ﬁrst one to tell you that, but his effort, his intensity, the way he led on the sideline all game was second to none.”

Remember, Perkins tore his ACL 11 months ago. That injury ended the second of his two mostly unsuccessful attempts to play inside linebacker LSU first moved him to that spot ahead of the 2023 season, and the decision dulled the havoc-wreaking tendencies that allowed Perkins to frustrate offenses like Arkansas, Ole Miss and Alabama as a freshman.

In LSU’s 2023 seasonopening loss to Florida State, Perkins didn’t record a single tackle for loss or a hurry Across the four games he played in 2024, he recorded just four hurries, per PFF, and only 1.5 tackles for loss.

The injury allowed Baker some time to think, and it gave Perkins a chance to rest. At some point during Perkins’ recovery, Baker sat down with the senior and asked him which position he wanted to play in 2025. Perkins said he’d play whatever position the team wanted him to play So Baker tried again.

“I said, ‘No, Harold. What do you want to play?’” Baker said on Aug. 11.

“He said, ‘Coach, I think I’ll be best at Star.’”

So, Perkins began preseason camp, once again, at a new position. Glimpses into practice showed that he looked comfortable and disruptive. Then the game against Clemson proved it. LSU trusted its defensive backs to play man coverage with the game on the line. Then it let Perkins loose, freeing him to use the speed and instincts he ﬁrst ﬂashed in 2022. There was that old, familiar, and elusive sight. And it helped LSU score what could be one of its most consequential wins in recent program history “It’s just a different roster with different players,” Kelly said, “and it allows (Baker) now the tools necessary to utilize Harold in the manner that he can best impact the game.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, right, greets

OWLS 14, CAJUNS 12

THREE AND OUT: KEVIN FOOTE’S

LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

While it’s true the defense made huge strides for most of the second half, the bottom line is Rice owned the line of scrimmage in the game. UL’s running game ended up producing 151 yards, but 92 of that came on the one touchdown drive.The offensive line didn’t protect well enough in the pass game or allow for a consistent rushing attack.The firsthalf defensive issues contributed to a 13-minute deficit in time of possession.

AWFUL FIELD POSITION

Some of it was good punting from Rice and some of it was two holding flags on punt returns, but poor field position made life way too difficult for a struggling offense. In UL’s final five possessions, the Cajuns began drives at their own 2, 8 9, 26 and 5. With the receivers dropping passes left and right and a lack of communication between Walker Howard and his targets, better field position might have made the difference.

SCARY OFFENSIVE ISSUES

In his first three seasons as coach, Desormeaux has had to use at least three quarterbacks each other Now in the opener, Howard was injured to begin the final drive.Add the fact the passing game couldn’t have looked more disjointed and the line didn’t give Howard enough time to throw, it’s pretty daunting how much progress this passing game needs to make in a hurry Still, if not for a sack-fumble inside Rice’s 30 and a missed two-point conversion, UL might have won.

FOOTE

Continued from page 1C

Saturday, it looked more like a baseball team swinging for the fences without any home runs.

Even worse, it looked like a passing game that didn’t know how to execute a single to right ﬁeld and perhaps wasn’t all that interested in doing it anyway.

There was one nifty pass to running back Bill Davis, but it was lost in the shufﬂe

Oh, Walker Howard’s arm strength was obvious, and yes, the receivers have speed, but this isn’t track and ﬁeld. This isn’t chucking the javelin or running the 200.

“When you’re in rhythm, it makes the shots and things like that a whole lot easier,” Desormeaux said “We’ve got to ﬁnd the right formula there and make sure we get into the stuff that’s going to help us continue to do that and get in the right stuff and be able to build our shots off of that.”

Dropped passes were a big issue.

Again, perhaps a preseason game could have ﬁxed some of that but the 27 pass attempts only resulted in 10 receptions.

Shelton Sampson was targeted 12 times with four catches.

“It felt like it’s got to be a lot of nerves,” Desormeaux said “It was just plays that we’ve just made routine, routine plays that guys have made over and over That’s always part of the ﬁrst one when you have a bunch of new people in there.”

The solution to nearly every offensive issue is the running game.

Ofﬁcially the Cajuns ran for 151 yards at 4.9 yards a clip compared to Rice’s 206 yards at 3.7 a carry, but it sure didn’t seem that way watching the game.

UL got 92 of its 151 rushing yards on the one 98-yard touchdown drive.

“We have one of them where we got a good crease and we slip,” Desormeaux said. “One of them where we don’t get off on the double team.”

Bill Davis ran for 58 yards on 11 carries with a long of 32, and Zylan Perry ran 46 yards on 11 carries with a long of 13

“We had (two) turnovers,” Davis said “I feel like, if we limit the turnovers, we feel a whole different way.

Howard can obviously run and actually gained 71 yards, but with the silly 1950 college rule where sacks count against rushing, he ofﬁcially only had 47. Perhaps the biggest problem of all,

season-opening game Saturday.

RUSHING: Rice, Jackson 22-119, Alexander 15-74, Turner 1-17, Ransom-Goelz 1-7, Thompson 1-6, Dickmann 1-(minus 1), (Team) 2-(minus 3), C.Jenkins 12-(minus 13). Louisiana-Lafayette, Davis 11-58, W.Howard 9-47, Perry 11-46 PASSING: Rice, C.Jenkins 7-9-0-45. Louisiana-Lafayette, W.Howard 10-22-1-88, Beale 0-6-0-0.

RECEIVING: Rice, Dickmann 3-44, Turner 2-3, Thompson 1-4, Jackson 1-(minus 6). Louisiana-Lafayette, Sampson 4-59, Davis 1-7, J.Johnson 1-7, Wade 1-6, Jensen 1-4, Strother 1-4, Perry 1-1 MISSEDFIELDGOALS: None.

however, is Howard’s availability The offense’s best play Saturday was Howard running it, but he went down without contact after a 25-yard completion on the ﬁrst play of UL’s ﬁnal drive. His status for Saturday’s game against McNeese is unknown. No information was provided on the injury

“He just felt something, and I’m not

going to get into it, but he was locked up pretty good,” Desormeaux said after the game. “I mean, you saw him trying to get off the ﬁeld. He was he was hurting pretty bad.”

Even if Howard returns for the McNeese game, it could limit his practice time, which isn’t what this passing game needs right now It might have been the most underdiscussed issue of the offseason. Desormeaux is certainly due to have a one-quarterback season in his fourth year at the helm, but redshirt freshman Daniel Beale already had to ﬁnish the opener Saturday was scary This offense without Howard well, let’s not go there just yet. As for the rest of the squad, it’s too early to tell. The kicking part of the special teams was better than expected, but the return and coverage teams still allowed too many penalties and yards, which can be improved.

Defensively linebackers Jaden Dugger had a career-high 10 tackles and Terrence Williams a career-high eight stops. But like Dugger reminded us in his postgame interview, the Cajuns won’t likely face another triple option attack, so most of the defensive analysis is irrelevant moving forward.

“At some point, this is going to be a really good football team,” Desormeaux said. “I believe that. We just got to play a little bit better as one.”

New kicker a bright spot for Cajuns

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

On a night that couldn’t have been much more disappointing for UL football fans, there was one bright spot. On paper, the biggest shoes to ﬁll from last year’s 10-win squad was Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Kenny Almendares. But redshirt junior placekicker Tony Sterner did everything asked of him in Saturday’s 14-12 loss to Rice at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

“We have a lot of conﬁdence in Tony,” UL coach

Michael Desormeaux said. “He was really automatic all through camp.”

UL’s first drive of the night had frustration written all over it. The Cajuns showed signs of putting together a big drive, but a holding penalty and an intentional grounding flag threatened to end it. But Sterner delivered a 47yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

Then late in the second quarter, quarterback Walker Howard was sacked to seemingly put UL out of field goal range. Fortunately for the Cajuns, the Owls were flagged for offsides, and Sterner delivered again with a 51-yard field goal.

“You don’t know how they’re going to do it till you get under the lights, and he performed really well,” Desormeaux said. “That ﬁeld goal before half was big. You know made it a onepossession game. “We were getting the ball back (in the second half). He gave you a little life. We felt like at halftime, man, like we played as bad as we could on offense, and we’re still in a one-possession game. We just couldn’t hit on the things that were just right there in front of us.”

Costly flags

The final boxscore said UL was penalized six times for 44 yards in the loss, but it sure seemed worse than that.

The reason why is each penalty was extremely costly Two of them were holding penalties on punt returns. The result of that was two more possessions starting inside UL’s own 10 on a night the offense wasn’t sustaining drives.

“That’s just a discipline thing,” Desormeaux said. “You just play discipline football. Instead of having the ball out at the 20, 25yard line, it goes from the catch and all that. I mean, you’re inside the 10. That’s a tough spot to be.” Then on UL’s ﬁnal possession of the game, backup quarterback Daniel Beale scrambled for 14 yards to the 44, but the run was nulliﬁed by another holding penalty.

“You don’t beat yourself, and we did,” Desormeaux said. “In critical situations, we did. You’ve got to play good team football to win. That’s something we’ve done a really good job of around here, but tonight we were poor at playing team football. That’s how you end up getting beat.”

Two-point try

There were so many mistakes and areas in need of quick upgrades in Saturday’s two-point loss to Rice. But there was also an opportunity to tie the game with 1:45 left in the third quarter after the Cajuns had marched 98 yards on 11 plays in 5:09 to get close. First came the decision to go for the two-point conversion.

“Well, it was late third so we’re going to go for two, down by 8, typically, that’s what we do in late third, early fourth,” Desormeaux said.

The next part of it was the actual play Howard’s pass to the back right corner of the end zone intended for RobWilliams fell incomplete.

“It’s one play we had and had for a while,” Desormeaux said.

“It’s an unbalanced deal that they jumped out there and matched it.

“I didn’t really get to see that one. I know they matched the ﬁrst read, the option I didn’t see if we got the back line open or not. That was kind of the ﬁrst one we had up.

“They deﬁnitely matched the ﬁrst option.”

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

UL running back Bill Davis runs with the ball against the Rice Owls defense during their game Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

Cajuns kicker Tony Sterner left, kicks a field goal against the Rice Owls during their

THEADVOCATE.COM | Monday, SepteMber 1, 2025 5Cn

“Technologycan maketravelers feel powerless. It’s happening now We’veseen everything from automatedrental car damageclaims to a suspicious surgeinairfaredriven by dynamic pricing algorithms.”

RAyMOND

yORKE, Redpoint Travel Protectionspokesman

TRAVEL TRAPS

BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT Travel Troubleshooter

Worried about every littledingonyour rental car? Do youalways go into “anonymous” mode on yourweb browser before booking airline tickets?

If youdo, then youprobablyhaveAI anxiety

Travel companies arequietly deploying artiﬁcial intelligencesystems, creating an invisible web of automated billingthat can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars —often without your knowledge or consent. From Hertz’scontroversial AI vehicle scanners tohotel vapor detectors that fine guests when their hairdryers overheat, to airlinepricingalgorithms

that jack up fares based on your browsinghistory,these systems operateinthe shadows while your wallet takes ahit.

“Technology can make travelersfeel powerless,”says Raymond Yorke, a spokesman for Redpoint Travel Protection.“It’shappening now.We’ve seen everything from automated rental car damageclaimstoa suspicioussurge in airfare driven by dynamic pricing algorithms.”

Butitdoesn’thave to stay that way

Thetechnologypromisesefficiency andfairness, but travelersare discoveringthatAIoften acts morelike adigital pickpocket than an impartial assistant. The systems ﬂagfalse positives, make decisions without human oversight, and shiftthe burden of proofontocustomers

who have to defend themselves against algorithmic accusations.

Rentals have become ground zero for AI overreach. CompanieslikeHertz are using technology from acompany called UVeye that can reportedly detect paint inconsistencies and minor damages down to amillimeter level.

Butcritics say these systemscan’t always distinguishbetween existing scratches, dirt or lighting changes,and genuine new damage. Andcar rental companies bill customers automatically,with limited avenues for appeal.

Legal consultant and AI specialist NicolaCainnotesthathuman intervention

ä See TRAPS, page 6C

Football andFallon

BY STEPHENBATTAGLIO

“Tonight” host Jimmy Fallon is hoping to score new viewers thisfall with some help from TV’stop-rated program. NBC said Thursday that thelatenight franchise will get special airings following the four “SundayNight Football” games and late local newscasts during the upcoming season. Twoof the NFL games will feature the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be pop culture spectacles thanks to tight endTravis Kelce’sengagement to TaylorSwift

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will air Sept. 21 following the Chiefs’ contest with the New York Giants. Episodes will also air after the

Oct. 26 game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, the Nov.16gamewiththe Detroit Lions and Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the Chiefs’ Dec. 7meeting with theHouston Texans. The program will aim to book highproﬁle guests for theSundayairings Matthew McConaughey and Eric Church are scheduled to appear on Sept.21. When Fallon’sprogram aired an episode after “Sunday Night Football” last season, it scored its best ratings of the year.NBC hascommittedtomore at atimewhenlate-night TV is in crisis.

CBS’decision to cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” because of ﬁnancial losses highlighted how one of TV’smost enduring genres is strug-

gling. Decliningratings andr —due to the erosion of appointment TV viewing in the streamin have hurtall late-night shows, ing “Tonight.”

The lame-duck status and tual departureofColbert late night in May presents an portunity for “Tonight” to ga viewerswho arestill in th habit of watching the desk-andsofa festsat10:35 p.m.

“We’re hoping topickup some of those eyeballs for our show,” said Katie Hockmeyer, executive vice president of late-night programmingfor NBC.

ä See FALLON, page 6C

Is transference harmful forAlzheimer’spatients?

According to PsychologyToday.com, the concept of transference emerged from Sigmund Freud’spsychoanalytic practice in the 1890s. Freud believed that childhood experiences and internal conﬂicts formed the foundation forone’sdevelopment and personality as an adult.

Psychoanalysis aims to uncover those unconscious conﬂicts that may be responsible forcurrent patterns of emotion and behavior

Transference is one method through which those conﬂicts may be recognized and, hopefully,resolved. Transference, in psychology,refers to the phenomenon where aperson redirects emotions and feelings from one person to another,often unconsciously It’s acommon dynamic in therapy,but it also happens in everyday relationships.

Examples include viewing a therapist as aparental ﬁgure or feeling overly protective of afriend whoreminds you of asibling. In the person affected by Alzheimer’s disease, transference can include the affected individual viewing one of their children as the spouse or parent, or acting out acharacter from a television show The affected individual may have positive transference to someone whoreminds them of the mother or spouse, because they loved and adored him.However,the affected individual could also have negative transference when someone, such as acaregiver, reminds them of an abusive or overbearing parent.

The caregivers, when faced with negative emotions, may not know how to respond or how to express their experience. The interactions may ignite guilt, shameand other intense emotions. These feelings may not be identiﬁed at ﬁrst, given the expectations within the caregiving experience. The revelation of the negative feelings

Fallon

Jimmy

Microplasticscan accumulate in body

Dear Doctors: The more Iread about microplastics, the more I want to do something to lower my family’sexposure to them. Any thoughts? Also, what is so much worse about microplastics than dust or pollen?

Dear Reader: For those who are notfamiliar,the term “microplastics” refers to tiny particles of plastic that range in size from smaller than agrainofsand to microscopic.

Some of these particles are added to awide range of products to act as thickeners or exfoliants, or to add structure and texture. However,the majority enter theenvironment when products made with plastic undergowear and tear

It is estimated that between 10 and 40 metric tons of these minuscule pollutantsare released into the environment eachyear Researchers have found micro-

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday,Sept 1, the 244th day of 2025. There are 121 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Sept. 1, 1985, aU.S.French expedition located the wreckage of the Titanic on the ﬂoor of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

Also on this date:

In 1715, following a reign of 72 years, King Louis XIV of France died four days before his 77th birthday; he was succeeded by his 5-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV

In 1897, the ﬁrst section of Boston’snew subway was opened, creating the ﬁrst underground rapid transit system in North America.

In 1914, the passenger pigeon, onceone of the most abundant bird species on earth, went extinct as the last known example, named Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.

In 1923, the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were devastated by an earthquake that claimed some 140,000 lives.

In 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an event regarded as the start of World WarII.

In 1964, pitcher MasanoriMurakami of the San Francisco Giants became the ﬁrst Japanese baseball player to play in aMajor League Baseball game.

In 1983, 269 people were killed when aKorean Air Lines Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet jet ﬁghter after the airliner entered Soviet airspace.

In 2004, Islamic terrorists took more than a thousand people hostage in aschool in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia; the siege would end three days later in gunﬁre and explosions, leaving 334 people dead —more than half of themchildren.

In 2015, invoking “God’sauthority,” Rowan County,Kentucky,Clerk Kim Davis denied marriage licenses to gay couples again in direct defiance of the federal courts and vowed not to resign, even under the pressure of steepfines or jail. (Davis would spend five days in jail as aresult, and is currently appealing aruling ordering her to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in related legal fees.)

Today’sbirthdays: Attorney and law professor Alan Dershowitz is 87. Comedian-actor Lily Tomlin is 86. Singer Barry Gibb is 79. Talk show host Dr Phil McGraw is 75. Singer Gloria Estefan is 68. TV host-authorPadma Lakshmi is 55. Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira is 54.Fashion designer Rachel Zoe is 54. Actor Scott Speedman is 50. Composer-producer Ludwig Göransson is 41 Actor-singer Zendaya is 29.

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier

ASK THE DOCTORS

plastics in fresh snowfall in Antarctica, in thecloud vapor around Mount Everest and in theMariana Trench —the deepestregion of theocean we know.They have even been foundinmeconium, which is theﬁrst bowel movement of anewborn infant.

Unlikenatural materials, plastics do notdecomposeordegrade. Instead, they split, break, shatter andthen crumble into ever-smaller particles. These particles become small enough to be

TRAPS

Continued from page 5C

only happenswhen acustomer raisesacomplaint, meaning the AI’sjudgment stands unless you ﬁght back. Itshould be the other way around,she says.

“Human oversight needs to be built into the process,” sheadds.

Hotel chains are installingsophisticated sensor networksthat go far beyond traditional smoke detectors. Thesesystemsmonitorvapor particles, noise levels, occupancy counts and even Wi-Fiusage patterns.

The systems are far from perfect.RuthCruz recently got hitwith a$250 fee for smokinginher hotel room. She says theAIregistered a false positive.

“I successfullydisputed the charge by explaining the technicallimitations oftheir detectionsystem,” says Cruz, who edits atechnology websiteinSan Jose. (These types of errors are easyto ﬁnd with alittle sleuthing. Hers involved aquick online search.)

Airlinesare perfectingthe art of AI-powered price manipulation. For years, their systems havetracked your search history,location, device type, loyalty status, and dozens of other signals to predictyour willingness to pay premium prices. AI is

ALZHEIMER’S

Continued from page5C

expressed bythe affected individualtothe caregiver mayoccurina hidden or private environment. At times the patient may engage in verbally abusivelanguage orphysical aggression that would be unacceptable in any other setting. Whenacaregiver is thereceiver (or receptacle) of negativeemotions, this oftenevokesunresolved past issues. Given the intenseemotionalresponses evoked by these issues, it maybe difﬁcult for the caregiver to come forwardregarding these behaviors, seeingthe affectedindividualasill or “not himself.”Additionally these emotionalresponses maytrigger negativebehaviors and thus cause physical outbursts, whichmay be harmful to the individual and/or caregiver The environment around the affected individual also can trigger transference. Forinstance,particular television shows can produceanxiety or negative emotions as theindividual “transfers”those images andhappenings into their

FALLON

Continued from page5C

The ratings decline in network prime time has dragged late nightdown with it, depriving the suited hostsoftheironce powerful lead-ins.

“Sunday Night Football” hasdeﬁedthattrend,averaging21.6millionviewers on TV and streaming last

swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through theskin.

They are also able to penetrate cell membranes, enter the bloodstream and even cross the bloodbrain barrier.This is due to their chemical properties and their minutesize —often mere nanometers—which is far smaller than the dust and pollen you asked about.

The chemicals contained in microplastics have been shown to accumulate in bodily tissues. This can lead to bioactive effects, including causing inﬂammation, changing hormone interactions, altering immune response, disrupting thegut microbiome and causing physical damage.

Microplastics also easily bond to heavy metals,endocrine disrupters and so-called forever chemicals, and they can carry them into the body

To start reducing themicroplas-

supercharging that practice.

Thomas O’Shaughnessy,a marketing executivefrom St.Louis, hasnoticed prices jumpingdramaticallywhen he researches ﬂights.

“The price increases weren’trandom,” he says.

“I believe they were caused by an AI model that changes prices based on demand, the time of booking, and even theuser’ssearch history.”

No wondertravelers have AI anxiety.The question is what can they do about it?

Howto fightthe AI

“The key to ﬁghting back is understandingthat these systems prioritize speed and automation over accuracy,” explains Frank Harrison, regional securitydirector forthe Americas at World Travel Protection. “They’re designed to extract maximum revenue while hoping customers won’tchallenge algorithmic decisions. But armedwiththe rightdocumentation and strategies, travelers can level the playing ﬁeld.”

Here are some strategies that will help you ﬁght AI:

Renting acar? Channel your innerSherlock.Doa comprehensive walk-around and takephotos of your car from all angles. Focus on areas AI commonly flags, like bumpers, wheel wells androof surfaces. Email thesevideos to yourself immediately for proof of when they were taken.

everyday life. Watching atelevision showsuch as “Law and Order” maybeentertaining for the individual; however,the individual may transfer those images and storiesfromthe show and become frightened in the night, thus disrupting sleep and triggering negative behaviors. Also, agitation, noncompliance, attempted discharge against medical advice and wandering from the facilitymay all result Erotic transference is often overlooked because it is difﬁcult for caregivers to view the elderly and debilitated as sexual. Affected individuals may eroticize caregiversand claim that theyare making sexual advances to them. They oftenaccusetheir caregiver spousesofinﬁdelity. Education and skill training can improve the relationships between the caregiver and the affected individual. Redirecting to another activity or playing music can assist in distracting the individual if theyare presenting negative transference.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate. Emailher at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

season, according toNielsen and Adobe Analytics data, itsbest performance since 2015. “SNF” has been the most-watched prime-time series for 14 straight years. While “Tonight” and“Late NightWithSethMeyers” face thesame business challengesas“Late Show,”NBC saysitremains committed to itsprograms,which havea rich history.Both Fallon and Meyers are signedthrough 2028.

tics around you, avoid single-use water bottles and food containers. They not only shed microplastics into their contents, but they also become amajor source of environmental pollutants when discarded. Even to-go cups in coffee shops are lined with plastic, so bringing anonplastic cup can reduce that exposure. Many of us rely on plastic bags and wraps forfood storage; however,these also transfer microplastics into their contents. And don’tuse plastic wrap in the microwave as this causes chemicals to leach out. Youmight consider investing in agood water ﬁlter,and in stainless steel or microwave-safe glass containers forfood storage. Speaking of food, you’ll ﬁnd fewer microplastics in fresh and unprocessed foods, and in those that sit lower on the food chain.

Document everything every scratch, every dent, every imperfection —before accepting any rental. And remember,you can always request adifferent vehicle if theone you’re renting has too many dings or dents.

Don’tlet ‘emtrack you. Use private browsing or incognito mode when youbook ﬂights or hotels.Clear your cookies between searches. Use aVPN (Virtual Private Network)toshift your location.

“I’ve seenprice differences of $200 or morefor the same flight just by appearingto browsefrom differentcities,” saysJoey Martin, an AI expert. Also,search for fares on multiple devices and compareprices across platforms. AI pricing algorithms often show different ratestosmartphone users versusdesktop browsers, or to logged-in loyalty members versus anonymous searchers.

Open your hotel window,ifpossible. Don’t touchanything with aprice tag. It’s true, AI is monitoringthe air you breathe and the loca-

Even our clothes —many of which contain synthetic fabrics —shed microplastics when we wear them and when we wash them.Opt fornatural fabrics when shopping, like cotton, linen and wool.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is agood resource forguidance about products that are free of microplastics, at www.epa.gov/saferchoice. And remember,aswith any change, it’seasiest to undertake in increments. If any readers have suggestions, let us know.Wewould love to hear and to share them

Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

tion of every Coke in your minibar.You already know whattodo: Don’ttouch the items in your minibar and keep your hotel room ventilated. If asurprise bill arrives, respond immediately and assertively.Ask forthe original AI scan data, sensor logs or algorithmicdecision records that supposedly justify the charge. Most companies will struggle to provide concrete evidence that withstands scrutiny Bear in mind that these strategieswill evolve.AI adjusts to consumer behavior,and you’ll have to make somecourse corrections along the way,too.

StartofanAIarmsrace

In travel, AI is an imperfect technology,registering false positivesand erroneously billing consumers. It raises prices by hundreds of dollars per ticket, believing you’ll happily pay extra for your airfare because of your location. What’smore, these systems are ablack box, so whenyou ask for proof that you damaged acar or removed something from a

room,they can’talways provide it. In short, this is nothing more than adigital money grab, and your AI anxiety is completely justified. We’re at the beginning of an AI armsrace. Travel companiesare using machine learning to maximize theirrevenue.It’stimeto fight back. What happens next? The travel industry is busy deployingAIeverywhere. Soon, systemscould monitor carry-on luggage to ensure you’re paying for every bag. Hotelscould find ways of automatically billing you for everymissing towel or bathrobe. Car rental companies could turn theirAIresources to car interiors, earningmore money from stains or messy upholstery.And don’teven get me started on cruise lines! Assume AI is tracking your every move—because it probably is.

Christopher Elliott is an author,consumer advocate, and journalist. Reach him by email at chris@elliott. org.

VIRGo(Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take amoment to rethink your long-term plans. You may crave change and want to try a different professional direction,but consider howpractical this is andwhat youmight lose in doingso.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) You can make adifference if you participate in a cause you honor. Take the initiativeand adjust your approachand priorities to free up time forthe things that matter most to you.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Payattention to moneymatters. Networking, makingcoldcalls and adaptingyour skills to meet today's market needs will help open doors.

sAGITTARIus(nov. 23-Dec.21) Don't sell yourself short. Speak from the heart and let your passion and persistence be the keytoyour success. Leavenothing to chance or in someone else's hands

cAPRIcoRn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Pay attention to detail.A premature move will cost you. Don't share too much information, or someone will steal your ideas Don't limit your expectations; expand your vision.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Set abudget andlive within your means. Achange can save you money and ease stress. Keep an open mind, and you'lldiscover you have more to offer than you realize.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Rethink your motives, conditions and how you want to navigate your way forward. Refuse

to let your emotions interrupt your intentions. Be wary of jointventures or shared expenses.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Let your creative imagination runwild and see whereittakes you. Delve into aproject that gives youfree range to test your skills and raise your awareness.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Not everythingoreveryone will be forthright regarding theirintentions. Don't play with fire; when in doubt, take apass. Don'tbeafraid to moveforward on your own.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Stick close to home and make domestic adjustments that will add to your comfortand joy. Acreativeapproach to settingupyour space will go hand in hand with your success.

cAncER(June 21-July 22) Think before you speak or act, and consider ways to compromise to ensure you holdyour ground without losingface. Getthe facts and summarize your end goal beforelaunching an attack.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention to how youpresentyourselftoothers. An opportunity to achieve both personal and professional growth is within reach.Think positively and engage in activities that lead to victory.

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another ToDAy's cLuE:V EQuALs X

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZardoFid

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Daniel Radcliffe,who became famous playingHarryPotter, said,“Ithink any guy whosays, ‘I’venever had an awkward moment with agirl’ is aliar.”

Anybridge player whosays he’s never had an awkwardmoment at thetable is a liar. The winners, though, find away to survive when faced with difficult decisions. This week we are going to study hand-dealt layouts that produced problems for the players.

First, lookatthe South hand in today’s diagram. What would be your opening bid?

Hands with 4-4-4-1 distribution can be anuisance. Butwith thisone, agood general guideline is to treat king-singleton as if it were king-doubleton. So plan on bidding no-trump. It would not be unreasonable to open twono-trumpifyou would be promising agood 20,21or22points. But Ithink you should upgrade because of allthe aces andkings. Open two clubs, planning to rebidtwo no-trump. Here, whatever you do, you should end in three no-trump. West leads his fourth-highest diamond five: seven,three (lowest from atripleton when unable to play anine or higher), king. What happens after that?

You have only six top tricks: two spades, one heart, one diamond and two clubs. It would be nicetofind the spade finesse winning, but you need to get into the dummy.

wuzzles

Cash the club ace, thenlead alow club toward the dummy. Here, West has no defense.Atthe table, he won with his club queen and played threerounds of diamonds. South discarded threehearts (Eastthrew one heart),cashed theclub jack, and ran the spade jack to take nine tricks: threespades, one heart, two diamonds and threeclubs.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”suchas“bats” or “dies,”are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.

ToDAy’s WoRD cAPIcoLA: cap-ih-KOH-la: Seasoned Italian pork that is cured in acasing.

sATuRDAy’s WoRD —DEFERMEnT

Averagemark 11 words Time limit 30 minutes Can youfind19ormorewords in CAPICOLA? deem deer deet defer deferent deft dent deter emend enter entered entree erne feed feeder feet fend fender ferment fermented fern fete free freemen fret redeem reed reef reefed rend rent rented meet mend mentee mere mete meter metered need nerd teem teemed teen tend tender term termed tree trend

“These things have you done, and Ikept silence; you thought that Iwas altogether such an one as yourself: but Iwill reprove you, and set them in order beforeyour eyes.”

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles