The Times-Picayune 09-07-2025 by The Advocate

‘Dysfunctional’court plaguedbycasedelays

Murder hearings, trialdates collapse forpreventable reasons

BY JILLIAN KRAMER |Staff writer

The murder case of Widner DeGruy wasalreadythree yearsold when his defense attorney asked to reschedule a hearing so he could escort hiswifetoa Mardi Gras ball. The judge granted the request.

LONGING FOR JUSTICE

Part two of aseries

That delayin2018was oneofmanythat stalledthe case over10years,ascourt records show the judge agreed to attorneys’ requests to postpone hearings andtrials

for adentist appointment,anopportunity to speak at aconference and to prioritize other cases DeGruy’sstill unresolved case stretches across adecade in which homicide prosecutions in New Orleans took longer to close thanalmost anywhere else in the country,ananalysis by The Times-

‘THISISN’T BUSINESS AS USUAL’

Picayune found. The system’s slow pace leaves victims’ families and defendants waiting forjustice, trapped in adebilitating limbo,and shacklestaxpayers with mounting expenses. Some delays are unavoidable. But inside Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, hearingsand trial dates routinely collapse forpreventable reasons: lawyers

Teal, an anthropologyprofessor,walks pastsigns for the

HistoricalPark in Derry on Aug. 20.

Louisiananational park tellsa storyof slaverythatsome fear will be erased

BY JENNA ROSS |Staff writer

DERRY— Rolanda Teal strode onto the old plantation at Cane River CreoleNational Historical Park, blowing past amap. Theanthropologyprofessor knows this park and its stories. As astudent, she helped tell them Teal once sifted through dirt beside theMagnolia Plantation’sslave quarters to ﬁnddiceand coins. She interviewedformer tenant farmers to trace the outlines of atypicalday Shegave tours, once to aman whohad lived there

Over the years, the oral histories she collected made theirway intoarchives and ontothe dozens of historic signs and markers arranged across the national park’stwo sister plantations,set afew miles apartalong the windingCane River in Natchitoches Parish.

One sign near the entrance of Magnolia describes the scale of the plantation at its height: 275 enslaved people

living in 70 cabins cultivated cotton and other crops. Near those small brick cabins, later home to tenant farmers, asepia sign describes the gardens that once encircledthem, quotingfrom oneofTeal’s interviews.

“Wehad abig garden. Peas, okra, tomatoes, pumpkins...”

Now,the 62-year-old worries about what stories this place will soon tell.

Signspostedacross this national park’s63acres, like those at parks,

monuments, battleﬁelds and historic sites acrossthe country,might disappear or look very different in coming weeks.

As part of President Donald Trump’s directive to restore “truth andsanity to American history,”the National Park Serviceisreviewingsigns and materialsatits 433sitesfor “inappropriate content.”

ä See PARK, page 8A

Butsome question if deploying National Guard is thebestapproach

BY ANTHONY McAULEY |Staff writer

It wasonly afew months ago that National Guard troops arrived in the streets of downtownNew Orleans. Armed with rifles and dressed in fatigues, their presence was ashow of force following the Bourbon Street terror attack, aimed at calming fears as thecity preparedtohost theSuper Bowl. Now,city residents and civic leaders are reckoning with the likely return of those soldiers as part of President Donald Trump’slatest movetosuggest that stopping crimeinDemocratic-led cities requires military help.

During an Oval Ofﬁce news conference last Wednesday,Trump said he was considering sending National Guard troops to patrol New Orleans,

BY MEGAN WYATT |Staff writer

Nicole J. Moncrief was caring for her wheelchair-bound mother and her two nieces as HurricaneRita barreledtoward their Lake Charles home20years ago. Ahead of previous storms, none of which caused major damage, her mom wasthe one to secure the family home andevacuate everyone to safety.But those responsibilities fell to Moncrief, then 34, ahead of Rita. While her family evacuated north, Rita’swinds ripped open the roof of their

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER

Rolanda

Magnolia Plantation at Cane River Creole National

Adog stands on the porch of the former Magnolia plantation hospital at Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Derry

Young pilot released from Antarctic air base

PUNTA ARENAS Chile An American social media influencer who has been stuck in a Chilean airbase in Antarctica for two months after landing a plane there without permission was released on Saturday back to the mainland, where he was to pay $30,000 in penalties.

Ethan Guo, who was 19 when he began his fundraising mission for cancer research, was attempting to become the youngest person to ﬂy solo to all seven continents.

But he was detained after Chilean authorities said he lied to officials by providing authorities with “false flight plan data.” Prosecutors said he had been authorized to only fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile, but that he kept going south, heading for Antarctica in his Cessna 182Q — a single-engine light aircraft known for its versatility.

After he landed in Chile’s Antarctic territory on June 28, he was detained in a military base amid legal negotiations between his lawyers and the government Guo, who is originally from Tennessee and turned 20 in July, spent two months living in the base with limited communications and freezing Antarctic winter temperatures plunging below zero

He was released by a Chilean judge on the condition that he donate the tens of thousands of dollars raised to a childhood cancer foundation within 30 days and leave the country as soon as possible. He is also banned from entering Chilean territory for three years.

Prosecutors: Woman registered dog to vote

LOS ANGELES An Orange County woman faces ﬁve felony charges after she was accused of paw-litical fraud by registering her dog to vote and illegally casting ballots for the pooch in two elections, authorities said.

Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, allegedly mailed in ballots registered under her dog’s name, Maya Jean Yourex, in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election, according to the Orange County district attorney’s ofﬁce The 2021 ballot was accepted, while the 2022 ballot was rejected, prosecutors said Yourex allegedly bragged about the feat on social media, sharing a picture of Maya toting an “I Voted” sticker and posing with the illegal ballot in January 2022, prosecutors said. In October, Yourex posted a photo of Maya’s dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption, “Maya is still getting her ballot,” even though the dog had passed away. She has been charged with one count of registering a nonexistent person to vote, one count of perjury one count of procuring a false or forged document to be ﬁled and two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, prosecutors said. Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday Yourex faces up to six years in state prison.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters contacted the district attorney’s ofﬁce on Oct. 28 after a resident self-reported that she had registered her dog to vote and cast two ballots in her dog’s name, authorities said. The recall attempt was ultimately voted down by 61.9% of voters. It’s not clear how “Maya” voted.

Biden picks Delaware for presidential museum

WASHINGTON Former President Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware and has tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies to begin the heavy lift of fundraising and finding a site for the museum and archive.

The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation this past week approved a 13-person governance board that is charged with steering the project.

The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Biden’s four years in ofﬁce.

Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania but ultimately settled on Delaware, the state that was the launching pad for his political career

Israel targets more high-rises in Gaza

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip The Israeli army issued evacuation orders and targeted high-rise buildings in faminestricken Gaza City on Saturday, calling on Palestinians to move to the territory’s south as it escalates operations ahead of a new offensive to seize the city of nearly 1 million Aid groups warn that a large-scale evacuation would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza City which the world’s leading hunger watchdog says is suffering from famine as a result of Israel’s restrictions on food into the territory

Most families have already been displaced several times over the nearly two-year-long Israel-Hamas war and say they have nowhere left to go, as the Israeli military has repeatedly bombed tent encampments that it had designated as humanitarian zones.

“There is no safe tent, no safe house, no safe place, no safety at all,” said Nadia Marouf, who ﬂed Israel’s offensive in the north with her children and resettled in Gaza City only to have her tent destroyed Saturday in an Israeli airstrike that wiped out a 15-story building and surrounding encampment. “Where do I go? We went to the south, there is no space in the south, where can we go?”

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians on Saturday to ﬂee to the southern Gaza Strip, announcing on social media that the army had designated the overcrowded tent encampment of Muwasi and parts of the southern town of Khan Younis as a humanitarian zone.

Aid groups have raised alarm about woefully inadequate shelter, sanitation, water and food in Muwasi. Months of bombardment have decimated civilian infrastructure in Khan Younis.

The military said in a statement that it would work to provide ﬁeld hospitals, water pipelines and food supplies within what it called the humanitarian zone.

Israel on Saturday issued evacuation warnings for two high-rises in Gaza City and surrounding tents, with Adraee, the military spokesperson, saying that the buildings were targets because Hamas had infrastructure inside or near them Soon after, Adraee said that the military had struck one of the buildings.

Hamas called those allegations “baseless lies” and insisted the high-rises were residential towers.

There was no immediate information on casualties.

Israelis have staged widespread protests over the military’s renewed assault on Gaza City, fearing it will further endanger the remaining hostages held in the strip, 20 among 48 of whom Israel believes to still be alive.

On Saturday in Jerusalem, relatives of hostages and their supporters marched down a main thoroughfare toward the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chanting and holding signs rejecting the military’s planned takeover of Gaza City and urging a comprehensive ceaseﬁre.

Fears over the fate of hostages escalated on Friday, the 700th day of the war, when Hamas released a propaganda video of two hostages — Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel — looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City

Daughter of Nazi officer accused of hiding artwork

Jewish art collector’s painting found in Argentina

BY BRUNO VERDENELLI and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina

Prosecutors in Argentina on Thursday charged the daughter of a fugitive Nazi official with trying to hide an 18th-century painting from authorities following revelations that it had been stolen from a Jewish art dealer during World War II.

The federal prosecutor in charge of the case announced the cover-up charge a day after Patricia Kadgien, one of the daughters of high-level Nazi officer Friedrich Kadgien, handed “Portrait of a Lady” by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi to the Argentine judiciary eight decades after it was stolen.

The fate of the work remains unclear, pending a decision in the case. The heir of Jacques Goudstikker — the Dutch-Jewish art collector who owned the painting before Nazis conﬁscated his worldfamous inventory — has made a legal claim to get the painting back, her lawyers have said.

Goudstikker died in a shipwreck in 1940 while ﬂeeing the Netherlands as German troops advanced. He sold his collection, which included Rembrandts and Vermeers, under duress and far below market price. At least 1,100 stolen works from his gallery remain missing.

The Argentine court has asked that the painting be displayed at the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires ahead of any further transfer abroad. The museum did not respond to a request for comment.

Patricia Kadgien, 59, and her husband, Juan Carlos Cortegoso, 62, have been under house arrest on suspicion of concealing the painting since police raided their home on

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRISTIAN HEIT

Giuseppe Ghislandi’s 18th-century painting ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ was reportedly stolen by a Nazi officer during World War II and discovered in the Argentina home of his daughter after appearing in a real estate listing

Monday for the second time in as many weeks without ﬁnding “Portrait of a Lady.”

Kadgien, with disheveled dirty-blond hair and sunglasses on her head, wore a look that mixed concern and puzzlement as she listened to Prosecutor Carlos Martínez in a jam-packed courtroom.

Martínez said that Kadgien’s and her husband’s efforts to hide the painting over several days following its sudden appearance in a real estate listing amounted to obstruction of justice.

Cortegoso gazed straight ahead, his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

After the hearing the couple was released from house arrest but barred from traveling abroad and required to notify the court whenever they leave their registered address.

Photos of the painting hanging in Kadgien’s living room in Mar del Plata surfaced last month for the ﬁrst time in eight decades in an online real estate advertisement.

Dutch journalists investigating Kadgien’s past in Argentina — where he took refuge after the collapse of the Third Reich — spotted “Portrait of a

DOJ talk of ban on trans people owning guns sparks outrage

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is drawing swift condemnation from gun rights groups and LGBTQ advocates alike after ﬂoating that it was considering restricting transgender people from owning guns — a move that would all but certainly face immediate constitutional challenges if ever implemented.

The discussions come in the wake of the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school last month that federal ofﬁcials have said was carried out by a transgender shooter, according to a person familiar with the matter The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, cautioned that the talks were in the early stages and that no proposal has been ﬁnalized.

Even so, that high-level ofﬁcials in the Trump administration were discussing such an idea sparked fury across the political spectrum. LGBTQ advocates called it misguided and dangerous as the vast majority of mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by men and do not involve transgender people.

“Transgender people are less than 2% of the overall population, yet four times as likely to be victims of crime,” GLAAD said in an email.

Trump’s administration has targeted transgender people in several ways, including removing them from military service, scrubbing some federal websites of mentions of them, trying to bar changing the sex marker on passports, seeking personal information on gender-afﬁrming care patients from doctors and clinics, and seeking to bar transgender girls and women from certain sports competitions.

The Justice Department said in a statement in response to questions about the ﬁrearms talks that the agency is “actively evaluating options to prevent the pattern of violence we

have seen from individuals with speciﬁc mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders.” But, the department said: “No speciﬁc criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time.”

Some conservative figures have coalesced around the idea of restricting guns for people diagnosed with gender dysphoria — the unease a person may have because their assigned gender and gender identity don’t match — through a federal law that bars people from possessing ﬁrearms if they are “adjudicated as a mental defective.”

“It’s incredibly worrying that that seems to be on the table for them,” Alejandra Caraballo, a transgender rights activist and Harvard Law School instructor “This is not something that would be that incredibly difﬁcult to do logistically or practically but it would be politically explosive in terms of the backlash of Second Amendment groups.”

Guns rights advocates — including politically powerful groups such as the National Riﬂe Association and Gun Owners of America — vowed to fight any proposal that imposes a blanket gun ban targeting a segment of the population.

“The Second Amendment isn’t up for debate,” the NRA said in a social media post on Friday “NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping guns bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process.”

Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms called the discussions “disturbing.”

“Prohibiting whole groups of people from owning and using ﬁrearms because a sick individual misused a gun to harm and kill children is as reprehensible as restricting the rights of all law-abiding citizens because some people have committed crimes,” Alan Gottlieb, the group’s chairman, said in a statement.

Lady” hanging above a green velvet couch in the living room during a 3D tour of the house for sale.

After recognizing it as the same portrait listed as missing in international archives of Nazi-looted art, the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad published an exposé on Aug. 25 that grabbed headlines around the world.

Alerted by international police agency Interpol, Argentine authorities raided the house and other properties belonging to Patricia Kadgien and her sister Alicia seizing a rifle a .32-caliber revolver and several paintings from the 19th century that they suspect may have been similarly stolen during WWII.

But police couldn’t ﬁnd “Portrait of a Lady.” They found scuff marks and a pastoral tapestry on Patricia Kadgien’s living room wall where the portrait had been photographed.

In presenting the charges, Martínez told the court that the couple was “aware that the artwork was being sought by the criminal justice system and international authorities” but nevertheless went to lengths to hide it.

“It was only after several police raids that they turned it in,” he said.

Chicago’s Latinos on edge over Trump threats

BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO, BEN FINLEY, MELINA WALLING and SARAH RAZA Associated Press

CHICAGO President Donald Trump’s plan to dispatch National Guard troops and immigration agents into Chicago has put many Latino residents on edge, prompting some to carry their U.S. passports while giving others pause about openly celebrating the upcoming Mexican Independence Day

Though the holiday falls on Sept. 16, celebrations in Chicago span more than a week and draw hundreds of thousands of participants Festivities kicked off with a Saturday parade through the heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood and will continue with car caravans and lively street parties.

But this year, the typically joyful period coincides with Trump’s threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he has targeted for expanded federal enforcement. His administration has said it will step up immigration enforcement in Chicago as it did in Los Angeles, and would de-

ploy National Guard troops. Trump posted an illustration of himself against a Chicago-skyline ablaze with flames and helicopters on Truth Social on Saturday

“Chicago about to ﬁnd out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” he posted. Trump has ordered the Defense Department to be renamed the Department of War. He offered no details but posted, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” referencing a 1979 war ﬁlm.

“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city,” Illinois Gov JB Pritzker wrote on the social platform X “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”

State and city leaders have said they plan to sue the Trump administration The extended Mexican Independence Day celebrations reflect the size and vitality of Chicago’s Mexican American community.

Mexicans make up more than one-fifth of the city’s total population and about 74% of its Latino residents according to 2022 U.S. Cen-

such fear and anxiety in the community at a time usually characterized by joy, togetherness and celebration of Mexican American heritage. On Saturday morning, some paradegoers grabbed free, bright-orange whistles and ﬂyers from volunteers standing outside the Lozano Branch of the Chicago Public Library “Blow the whistle on ICE!” the ﬂyers read, encouraging a nonviolent tactic to raise alarm if agents appear at the event.

sus estimates. Parade and festival organizers have been divided over whether to move forward with precautions or postpone, in hopes that it will feel safer for many participants to have a true celebration in several months’ time. El Grito Chicago, a downtown Mexican Independence Day festival set for next weekend, was postponed this week by organizers in order to protect people.

“But also we just refuse to let our festival be a pawn in this political game,” said

Germán González, an organizer of El Grito Chicago. In Pilsen and Little Village, two of the city’s best-known neighborhoods with restaurants, businesses and cultural ties to Mexican culture, residents expressed disappointment that the potential federal intervention instilled

Magdalena Alvarado, who lived in Little Village for 30 years, took an orange whistle. “My heart is like pounding a little bit because I don’t know what to expect today,” she said.

Alvarado saw some lowrider cars, often decked out with Mexican flags, with imagery supporting the police. She wondered to herself whether they were intentionally added to gar-

ner goodwill with the law enforcement present. Spectators held up cardboard signs painted with monarch butterflies, the migratory species that travels between the U.S. and Mexico. Many cheered “Viva Mexico!” Drivers of vintage cars honked their horns and a drummer kept time for a group of dancers bedecked in feathers. Horseback riders clip-clopped down the street, and one lifted up a large Mexican flag. Vianney Alarcon, 42, said she expects people to be targeted by immigration officials regardless of their legal status. But in an act of defiance, she’ll be taking part in the festivities while bringing along her passport. “I’m still going to celebrate my heritage,” she said. “What are they going to do? We’re not being disruptive if we’re celebrating properly.”

BY MIKE PESOLI and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press

WASHINGTON Thousands of protesters marched across Washington, D.C., on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations against President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of policing in the nation’s capital Behind a bright red banner reading “END THE D.C. OCCUPATION” in English and Spanish, protesters marched over two miles to rail against the fourth week of National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling D.C.’s streets.

The presence of armed military ofﬁcers in the streets has put Washington on edge and spurred weeks of demonstrations. Trump’s emergency declaration taking charge of D.C. police is set to expire on Wednesday

Among the protesters Saturday were former D.C. residents like Tammy Price, who called the Trump administration’s takeover “evil” and “not for the people.”

Jun Lee, a printmaker artist living in Washington, showed up with a “Free DC” sign that she made on a woodcut block. She said she was “saddened and heartbroken” about the impact of the federal intervention on her city “This is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that I’m actually living in person, and this is why this is important for everyone, this is our home, we need to ﬁght, we need to resist,” she said.

The “We Are All D.C.” protest — put together by local advocates of Home Rule and the American Civil Liberties Union — was perhaps the most organized demonstration yet against Trump’s federal intervention in Washington. The president justified the action as a way to address crime and homelessness in the city, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump’s first term in office.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER Police watch during the 2025 Pilsen Mexican Independence Day parade Saturday in Chicago.

BY JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON— President

Donald Trump, once acasino owner and always aman in search of his next deal, is fond of apoker analogy when sizing up partners and adversaries.

“Wehavemuchbigger and better cards than they do,” he said of China last month

Comparedwith Canada,he said in June, “we have allthe cards. We have every single one.” And most famously, he told UkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyyin their Oval Ofﬁce confrontation earlier this year: “You don’thave the cards.”

The phrase offers awindow into the worldview of Trump, who has spent his second stint in the White House amassing cards to deployin pursuit of his interests.

Seven months into his second term, he has accumulated presidentialpower that he has used against universities, mediacompanies, law ﬁrms, and individuals he dislikes. A man who ran for presidentas an angry victim of aweaponized “deep state” is, in some ways, supercharging government power and training it on his opponents.

And the supporters who responded to his complaints about overzealous Democrats aren’trecoiling. They’re egging him on.

“Weaponizing the stateto win the culture war has been essential to their agenda,” said David N. Smith, aUniversity of Kansas sociologist who has extensivelyresearched the motivations of Trump voters. “Theydidn’t like it when thestate was mobilized to restrain Trump, but they’re happy to see the state acting to ﬁght the culture war on their behalf.”

Trump began putting the federal government to work for him within hoursoftakingoffice in January, and he’s beencollectingand using power in novel ways ever since. It’sahigh-velocity push to carry out his political agendas and grudges.

have ceded power to the executivebranch. By universities, lawﬁrms, media organizations and other institutions that have negotiated or settled with him. TheU.S. government is powerful, but it’s not inherently omnipotent. As Trump learned to his frustration in his ﬁrst term,the president is penned in by theConstitution, laws, court rulings, bureaucracy,traditions and norms. Yetinhis second term, Trump hasmanaged to eliminate, steamroll, ignore or otherwise neutralize manyofthose guardrails.

three dimensions of power Trump’sinnovation, Lukes said, is “epistemic liberation” —awillingness to make up facts without evidence.

“This idea that you can just say things that aren’ttrue, and then it doesn’tmatter to your followers and to alot of other people that seems to me anew thing,” at least in liberal democracies, Lukes said. Trump uses memesand jokes morethan argument and advocacy to signal his preferences, he said.

ME, I’MCOMING AFTER YOU!” Trumpwroteon Truth Social on Aug. 4, 2023.

“Never again will the immense powerofthe state be weaponized to persecute political opponents —something Iknow something about,” Trump said in his second inaugural address.

This past month, hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops fanned outacross Washingtonafter Trump drew on anever-used law that allows himtotake control of law enforcement in the nation’s capital. He’s threatened similar deploymentsinother cities runby Democrats, includingBaltimore, Chicago, New York and NewOrleans. He also ﬁreda FederalReserve governor,pointing to unproven claims of mortgagefraud.

Trump, his aides and allies throughout the executive branchhave trainedthe government, or threatened to, on adizzying arrayof targets:

n He revoked security clearances and tried to block access to government facilitiesfor attorneysatlaw ﬁrmshedisfavors.

n He revoked billionsof dollars in federal research funds and sought to block international students from elite universities. Under pressure, Columbia University agreed to a$220 million settlement, the University of Pennsylvania revoked records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and presidentsresigned from the University of Virginia and NorthwesternUniversity

n He hasfired or reassigned federal employees targeted fortheirwork,including prosecutors who worked on cases involving him.

n He droppedcorruption

charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams to gain cooperation in his crackdown on immigrants living in the country illegally

n He secured multimillion-dollar settlements against media organizations in lawsuits that were widely regarded as weak cases.

n Attorney General Pam Bondi is pursuing agrand jury review of the origins of theTrump-Russia investigation and appointed aspecial prosecutor to scrutinize New York Attorney General Letitia James andU.S. Sen. Adam Schiff.

That’snot weaponizing government, saysWhiteHouse spokesperson Harrison Fields; it’swielding power “What the nation is witnessingtoday is the execution of the mostconsequential administration in American history,” Fields said, “one that is embracing common sense,putting America ﬁrst, andfulﬁlling the mandate of the American people.”

Power is both givenand taken. And through executive orders, personnel moves, the bully pulpit and sheer brazenness, Trump has claimed powers that none of his modern predecessors came closetoclaiming. He has also been handed power by manyaround him By aﬁercely loyal base that rides with him through thick and thin. By aCongress and Supreme Court that so far

Leaders can exert their will through fear and intimidation, by determining thetopicsthatare getting discussedand by shaping people’spreferences, Steven Lukes argued in a1974 book, “Power: ARadical View.” Lukes, aprofessor emeritusatNew York University, said Trump exemplifies all

Central to Trump’s2024 campaign was his contention that he was the victim of a“vicious persecution” perpetrated by “the Biden administration’sweaponized Department of Injustice.”

Facing four criminal cases in New York, Washington and Florida, Trumpsaid in 2023 that he yearned not to end the government weaponization,but to harness it.“IF YOU GO AFTER

“I ended Joe Biden’sweaponization soon as Igot in,” Trump said in aFeb. 22 speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington. And 10 days after that: “We’ve ended weaponized government, where, as an example, asitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent, like me.” With that,the weaponization has come full circle. Trumpisnolonger surrounded by tradition-bound lawyersand government ofﬁcials, and his instinct to play his hand aggressively faces fewrestraints.

From themoment theycameintothe world,wedoour best, trying to getitright.Sowhat happens when something goes wrong?

That’s when we havetoget it right.

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ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President DonaldTrump, pictured Thursdaywith first lady Melania Trumpata state dinner at the White House, began puttingthe federal government to work for him within hours of taking office in January.

acomment that prompted Gov.Jeff Landry to quickly announce that he was behind theeffort and thankful for any help the president would offer.And at aRose Garden event Friday night, he said he plans to follow through on it.

“We’re going to come into New Orleans, andwe’re going to make that place so safe,” Trump said. “It’sgot alittle problem right now, acouple of headaches, like murders, alot of little murders going on, and we’re notgoing to standfor it And we’re going to come in, we’re going to clean it up.”

The Hill reported that the National Guard has not received any new deployment orders as of Friday night.

From the tourist-heavy French Quarter to New Orleans East and across the river in Algiers, residents frustrated by ever-present crime and other seemingly intractable quality-of-life concerns said they would welcome federal aid.

But many questioned whether ashort-term deployment of soldiers on street corners would help solve the kind of deep-seated crime issues that demand nuanced policing and asustained communityeffort Jewel Bunch, owner of NOLA Nail Bar locations in the Warehouse District and in Canal Place, said she’s dealt with break-ins and vandalism,aswellasoccasional teenage mischief, like four-wheelers revving and popping wheelies on the streets outside her nail salons.

But more concerning have beenthreats to her staff from people who appeared to be homelessand potentially suffering mental health crises. One of her customers, a Tulane University medical student, wasattackedand knocked unconscious after leaving her shop. Shewas skeptical thatthose wereissues guard members would be able to ﬁx.

“I’m not sure that the National Guard coming in is necessarily the answer,”

said Bunch. “But Idothink there has to be change.”

Crimehighbut falling It’s not yetclear when,or if,guard unitswillbesent to NewOrleans.But if they are deployed by Trump or by Landry,who overseesthe Louisiana National Guard, they’ll arrive at amoment when crime is declining sharplyfrom its pandemic spike, even as it remains above national and state averages. Several NewOrleans residentsand business owners said they’ve experienced crime in waysthat are often frustrating,occasionally violent,but farfromthe cinematic levelsof chaos that oftendrive politicalrhetoric.

In 2024, the New Orleans PoliceDepartment reported 6,085 crimes per 100,000 residents— a23% drop fromthe previous ﬁve-year average—yet stillmore than two-and-a-halftimes thenational average.

Trumpﬁrstproposeddeploying National Guard troopstoU.S. cities in June, sending roughly2,000 troops to Los Angeles amidprotests over federal immigration raids. He later deployed forces to Washington,D.C underadeclared “crime emergency” —moves that bypassed local ofﬁcials.

The actions sparked anationwidedebate over the use of federal troopsindomestic law enforcement,though thedeployments so far have notundertaken significant crime-ﬁghting operations.

In Los Angeles, National Guard troops mostly protected federal buildings and monitored protests but did not patrol neighborhoods or make arrests.InWashington, D.C., the Guardhas been stationed at tourist sites and monuments, provided logistical support and cleared some homeless encampments. Troops have been seen standing watch, posing forphotoswithvisitors andwaitingfor assignments.

Trump reignited the discussion on Wednesday. “Do we go to aplacelike New Orleans where we have agreat governor,Jeff Landry,who wantsusto

comeinand straighten out avery nice section of this country that’sbecome quite tough, quitebad?” he said. Landryresponded in a social mediapostthat, “We will take President Donald Trump’shelp from New Orleans to Shreveport!” Democratic politicians fired back, dismissing the plan as politically motivated

and unnecessary. The city’s three major mayoralcandidates all condemned the move,and U.S. Rep. Troy Carterpointed to declining crime rates as evidence that amilitary-style intervention was unwarranted.

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick was more circumspect, telling WWL Louisiana she had“no real concerns” about federal troops in the city but adding that local law enforcement is already effectively addressing public safety challenges. Many residents echoed the idea that federal help would be welcomed in the city,but were skepticalabout troop deployments. Stephanie Chambliss, whooperates a PJ’sCoffee outlet on Read Boulevard in NewOrleans East, and is aboard member of the Greater NewOrleans

ä See HELP, page 6A

Chambliss

East Business Alliance, suggested there could be better ways.

“I know we have crime in the city,” she said. “But violent crime often happens betweenpeople who know each other —it’snot typically random.”

She said that the federal government could help by giving additionalresources to existing crime-fighting agencies, including the NOPD and localbranches of federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

She noted that Landryhas already intervenedbydeploying Troop NOLA,a specialized unit of the Louisiana State Police, whichwas set up last year to bolsterlaw enforcementpresence, particularly in high-crime areas likethe French Quarter.

“There is ashortage of officers at the NOPD, and Troop NOLA has been great in helping fight violent crime —it’smade amajor difference, not only in New Orleans East butthroughout the city,” she said.

Jane Cooper,chair of the French Quarter Management District forthe past twoyears, said the Troop NOLA deployment and other measures havehad a discernible effect on crime reduction in the Vieux Carré, where residents and business owners pay an additional taxthat helps cover the cost of enhanced patrols.

“Are you ever going to eliminate crime completely? Are you ever going to eliminate the unhoused population? No, but greatstrides have been made,” she said.

But sheisskeptical of the usefulness of the National Guard. She noted that the governoralready has the power to deploy troops in timesofemergency —like after the Bourbon Street attack.

“Tome, this National Guard talk just seemslike a solution in search of aproblem,” Cooper said.

Adistraction

Some neighborhood activists likeYvonne MitchellGrubb also feel thatthe National Guard chat distracts from thefocus on thekindof work that reducescrimeover time.

She hasbeen active in the Walnut Bend Neighborhood Associationonthe West Bank for three decades andiscurrent presidentofthe Algiers Neighborhood Presidents Council, which groups allthe local neighborhood associations Her council meets regularly with Captain Christina Watson, commander of NOPD’s Fourth District, to discuss crime preventionissues.

“I don’tthink anyone would turn down help if itisreally going to be helpful,” she said.

“Crime has dropped over the last couple of years, which is great.But Troop NOLA is really not present in Algiers, and Ireally don’tsee what the National Guard is going to do.”

The Algiers neighborhood group is amember of the NOLA Coalition —abroad alliance of over 600 nonproﬁts, civic organizations and businesses —that has pushed a dual-track strategy to reduce crime and enhance public safety.Itcombinesimmediate public safety measures, particularly seekingmore resources for the NOPD, with long-terminvestments in youth servicesand other community initiatives.

Last year,the Algiers group secured state money to involve the local community, especially schools, in aclean-

up campaign.

“My personalopinion is when you have an area full of blight like DeGaulle Manor (a housing project), that fosters crime,” Mitchell-Grubb said. “So, we wanted to clean things up.”

Academic research and decades of real-world experienceshow thatreducing crime requires proactive policingwhile alsoproviding improvementstothe environment and viable opportunities for residents.

Butthe policing part is critical, and residents like Bunch feel that local government has neglected thatcomponent for toolong.

“I thinkthe mayorand the CityCouncil oweittoustocoordinatethe NOPDwithany other body theyneed to make sure there are consequences

forbad actions,” she said.

“We’veremoved thetools they need to enforce law and order,and we need to hand

STAFFFILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS

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The effort is one way Trump’s team is trying to rid public spaces of “woke” ideology, promoting a more positive view of U.S. history Historians have warned that the moves could effectively erase difﬁcult but important periods of the country’s past, with slavery at the top of that list.

Following the directive, a survey posted at National Park Service sites in June asked visitors and staff to report signs “that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”

According to internal agency documents reviewed by The New York Times, National Park Service employees ﬂagged language about the effects of climate change, the imprisonment of Native Americans and the brutality of slavery At Cane River, one person reported a sign recounting an attempted slave escape, questioning its naming of the enslavers and its noting of the whipping that followed. As of late August, that sign still stood. But Interior Secretary Doug Burgum

Continued from page 1A

triple-book trials, judges take last-minute vacations, evidence can’t be found.

“It’s like the Wild West,” said Elizabeth Strauss, a former New Orleans prosecutor who now practices in Florida. “It’s really scary that something can be that dysfunctional and still function.”

All involved bear some responsibility, but judges have the most power to advance cases

“We have too many courtrooms in this state where the culture is an expectation of a (delay),” said Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Will Crain, who is helping with an effort by the high court to review judicial caseloads, in which nearly all Louisiana judges participated. “You have to change the culture — and the judge does that.”

In New Orleans, cases often spiral out of control for reasons within the court’s grasp, records show Courtwide case-processing rules don’t exist. Calendars lack coordination. Consequences play out daily: attorneys rushing between hearings or failing to appear at all, with scheduling gaps snowballing into months of lost time. Some judges let homicide cases drift, unable or unwilling to hold the line. Deadlines slip; routine exchanges of evidence drag for months; trial dates hinge on a single witness’ schedule.

It’s common for some judges to arrive at court late — leaving families and police officers waiting extended periods — and exit before noon. In those shortened stretches on the bench, little meaningful work gets done, records show The result is a steady churn of continuances, or postponements, that the National Center for State Courts says is the biggest obstacle to timely, fair justice. In a letter to The TimesPicayune, Judicial Administrator Robert Kazik said judges navigate “numerous complexities and considerations” behind the scenes, off the bench. He added that attorneys need time outside of court to prepare for hearings and trials.

Spotty recordkeeping makes it difficult to track court delays. In DeGruy’s case, for example, few delays have been captured as ofﬁcial continuances.

DeGruy was arrested in 2015 and stood trial in 2019.

A nonunanimous 11-1 jury found him guilty of seconddegree murder, but a year later, the conviction was overturned and his case was sent for retrial. He’s yet to face another jury

has ordered the removal of inappropriate signs by Sept. 17, the Times reported. Whether this sign or others like it is set for edits is unclear Current Cane River staff members declined to comment for this article, referring a reporter to the

Less than 20 continuance requests were logged in his case’s minute entries the ofﬁcial running notes of each hearing. Yet court records suggest only about half of more than 100 scheduled proceedings took place as planned

Court Watch NOLA, which tracks local courts, attended 3,014 hearings and trials last year, in cases of all kinds. Its volunteers saw proceedings continued 41% of the time, a tally the group says understates the true scale of delay because volunteers view a limited number of hearings.

“I was surprised how little got done,” one wrote. “In my over three hours in court, the judge was only there for an hour of it.”

Chief Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier, who presides over DeGruy’s case, did not respond to an interview request. Kazik wrote that the pandemic scuttled scheduled trials across the court, including in DeGruy’s case, and that attorney turnover and DeGruy’s recent request to represent himself also caused setbacks.

Kazik cited a dozen “valid” reasons judges may grant continuances to protect the constitutional rights of defendants, ranging from failed defendant transport to untested DNA.

Those delays, he wrote, stem from factors outside the court’s control For example, the court “is at the mercy” of ofﬁcials charged with transporting incarcerated defendants, he wrote, and cannot rush “the need for adequate time to review voluminous” discovery

By contrast, Kazik wrote that postponements following repeated attempts by lawyers to avoid trial without sufficient cause “may not be considered valid.”

“Ultimately,” he continued, “cases must move forward when delays threaten constitutional protections.”

Courtwide policies include rules on case allotment, transfers and recusals, intended to “reduce unnecessary delays in docketing a defendant’s case,” Kazik wrote. But he offered no details about practices designed to improve efﬁciency once a case was before a judge.

“When the court has come under criticism, the path of least resistance is to look at all those different factors and blame,” said Crain. “They may be right.”

But, he added, it’s difﬁcult to pinpoint the causes of delay without a full review — something Orleans Parish has resisted If the court isn’t to blame for backlogs, Crain said, “it’s going to be revealed, isn’t it? So what’s the fear?”

Attorneys double-booked

On Aug. 18, inside the

National Park Service.

“We’ll be evaluating all signage, including national parks in Louisiana, along with the public feedback we’ve received,” said a National Park Service spokesperson via email, who didn’t provide their name. “Each

piece of public feedback we receive is manually reviewed and evaluated. This effort reinforces our commitment to telling the full and accurate story of our nation’s past.”

To Teal, the possible revisions feel like a personal

and professional rebuke

“It feels like a lifetime of work is being destroyed,” she said, stretching her arms outward.

Researching untold stories

As a young, Black kid in the 1970s, Teal and her fam-

ily traveled to state and national parks in an RV She didn’t see herself reflected in the stories told then, but didn’t expect to, either “It was never for us, anyway,” she said. So she became the person who collects the stories. As a cultural anthropology and archaeology professor at Houston City College, Teal has focused her research on correcting narratives and spotlighting marginalized groups. Some of Teal’s recent research uncovered new escape routes that enslaved people traveled from Natchitoches along the Cane River into Texas.

Over her career, history became more inclusive. National and state parks became regular clients. Because of Teal and historians like her, the country was reﬂecting and attracting — communities of color at its historic sites, sometimes called America’s biggest classroom.

“You were starting to see it in the park, in the images of Black and Brown people on the literature,” Teal said. “Oh man, we were getting somewhere.”

‘A hot potato’ From the start, telling the story of slavery along the Cane River meant talking about things people didn’t want to talk about.

ä See PARK, page 9A

JUSTICE BY JUDGE

Tracey Flemings-Davillier

Simone Levine

Rhonda Goode-Douglas

Angel Harris

Leon Roche

court’s Section J, Judge Franz Zibilich leaned forward in his chair as yet another case sputtered to a halt on an outsized, aged docket that he’d been appointed to reduce.

He called a defendant’s name, but no one rose: The attorney was in another courtroom.

Another matter unraveled when attorneys on both sides said they weren’t prepared to proceed. “Don’t you lawyers talk to one another before you come into court?” he snapped. “I don’t get it.”

Then Zibilich called the case of Keith Kisack, a second-degree murder prosecution still active after 16 years. “Can we move on that?” Zibilich asked.

“We have to wait,” Michael Kennedy, Kisack’s latest defense attorney, replied. The assistant attorney general now prosecuting the case had not yet come to court.

When the prosecutor arrived nearly an hour and a half after Zibilich took the bench, he announced he hadn’t yet been authorized to offer a resolution.

Zibilich set a trial date for Sept. 8.

“This is a go,” he said.

In April, a Metropolitan Crime Commission report showed Judge Darryl Derbigny, who had presided over Section J for 23 years, carried a felony caseload twice that of any of his colleagues

In response, the Louisiana Supreme Court asked Derbigny to turn over his docket and calendar, Crain said. Derbigny requested medical leave instead, then resigned July 30. Justices appointed Zibilich and another retired judge, Calvin Johnson, to take over his docket.

Such direct intervention by the high court is rare. Now, Crain said, the court

“is interested and willing to look into judges’ competence their ability to manage the business of being a judge.”

Kisack’s prosecution is the oldest open homicide case in New Orleans’ court. But it didn’t begin in Derbigny’s section.

Instead, it pinballed through six of its 12 courtrooms, offering a rare map of dysfunction across the system.

Two and a half years passed before a trial date was set, then canceled. Six years into the case, attorneys announced they were haggling over a plea. They were still negotiating more than two years later, pushing trial dates along the way At least four times, attorneys didn’t show up. In one instance, they claimed they weren’t aware a hearing was scheduled. In another a defense attorney who failed to appear didn’t answer phone calls from the judge.

Kennedy inherited the case two years ago. Even basic discovery took four months to reach him, records show Two trial dates dissolved when prosecutors said they weren’t ready Kennedy filed a speedy trial motion last October But Kisack was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 under the state’s habitual offender statute, leaving the motion without teeth, Kennedy said.

On Kisack’s most recent trial date, Aug. 11, law enforcement authorities didn’t bring him to court one of several times records show he wasn’t brought from prison.

Kazik wrote that Kisack’s case is “characterized by its complexity, stemming from multiple cases and defendants involved,” and that the recusal of the District Attorney’s Office from the case and the appointment of the

Attorney General’s Office added “almost two years” to the case’s life span.

Kennedy said not every homicide case should resolve within the one-year national goal. “But I have seen where it gets egregious,” he said.

Even judges who are considered among the speediest in the court take nearly two years — almost double the benchmark — to close homicide cases, The TimesPicayune found.

In Kisack’s case, Kennedy added, “we’re talking about a murder case so old it could drive.”

Working full days

Judges set their own standards for case processing, creating a system that can be gamed.

For homicide cases headed for trial, prosecutors have two years to bring defendants before a jury But it also provides legal avenues for attorneys to press pause.

Attorneys may file lastminute motions or substitute counsel, both of which reset the clock. Some book two, three or even four trials for the same day, in different courtrooms. A defense attorney recently set four homicide trials to begin simultaneously, while records show at least three murder trials were reset this year because a prosecutor double-booked himself.

In one homicide case three years ago, prosecutors argued to Flemings-Davillier that defense attorneys had made a habit of manipulating the court’s lack of coordinating calendars.

They asked her to hold a lawyer in contempt for setting three trials to begin concurrently Flemings-Davillier declined, according to a court transcript, saying: “We all know multiple trials are set on the same day in every section of court.”

A shared jury calendar, which dictates which courtroom gets ﬁrst claim to potential jurors, does little to prevent delays: In the past decade, hearings and trials in homicide cases were reset at least 246 times because a courtroom or attorney was already tied up with another trial.

Each of those resets slowed down cases by about a month, on average, The Times-Picayune found.

Calendars that mash multiple types of hearings onto the same day “build an expectation of continuances,” said Crain. The volume of cases and factors outside judges’ purview “necessitates” delays, he said. “But you have to create a culture where attorneys don’t expect one.”

Judges who don’t work full days compound the problem.

It’s nearly impossible to know how many hours judg-

es work. They don’t clock in or out. Security cameras in the courthouse parking garage, which might show arrivals and departures, have been broken for years, court staff said.

But in 2019, Court Watch NOLA reported that 57% of sessions they observed started late; judges only explained or apologized 12% of the time.

Kazik wrote that judges “spend numerous hours” working off the bench and outside of the courthouse, including “reviewing case files,” evaluating “procedural issues,” “analyzing case law,” and more.

“Operation of the court is much like managing a business, which requires that one focuses on the subjectmatter of the work, as well as all of the ancillary and consequential matters that pertain to achieving the goals and objectives of the works — those are the aspects of the judicial role that not many see or understand,” he wrote.

Steps to curb delays Across Louisiana, at least two other court systems have recently invited external review of their case-processing efﬁciency, including East Baton Rouge’s 19th Judicial District Court. There, Chief Judge Donald Johnson said he saw a system where judges took a passive role in case progression.

“The more I read and learned, the more I realized that I, as a judge, and the court as a whole, could serve as the leader and the primary public safety agency in setting the pace for case progression,” Johnson said. In New Orleans, some judges are taking steps to curb postponements. For example, three years ago, Judge Kimya Holmes held a defense attorney in contempt after he left her courtroom for another trial, delaying a trial in a fouryear-old murder case.

In July, seven judges held Sheriff Susan Hutson in contempt for allegedly failing to transport defendants to court. Hutson has appealed, and an agency spokesperson said deputies transport 464 defendants per week, on average, to the court. But the court as a whole has refused to adopt even simple solutions, such as calendar synchronization, dual dockets and unified caseprocessing rules, which experts say can have substantial impact.

“There are different ways you can probe these dockets to make them work,” Crain said. “What you have to do ﬁrst is be willing to say that what is currently being done doesn’t work.” Staff writer Jeff Adelson contributed to this report.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Rolanda Teal, an anthropology professor looks over historic signs at Cane River Creole National Historical Park Established in 1994 the park comprises two cotton Creole plantations, Oakland and Magnolia.

Established in 1994, the park comprises two cotton Creole plantations, Oakland and Magnolia, each owned by generations of a single family for their entire existence, a rarity At its height, Magnolia was “unrivaled in the region,” according to the park. By 1860, the family owned more enslaved people and produced more cotton than any other in the parish. Even after the Civil War, the farm continued to be a regional force.

A report about the park’s founding said that planners encountered “an immensely complex situation,” especially in terms of race.

“Blacks and whites treated slavery as a delicate, nearly taboo subject for public discussion.”

Or as a former Cane River park interpreter put it, discussing the topic with visitors meant dodging “a hot potato and a hand grenade.”

“Slavery makes people feel either ashamed or feel blamed,” said Carla Whitfield, a longtime National Park Service leader who started as an interpreter at Cane River in the late 1990s When Betty Hertzog donated the 18 acres of Magnolia for the park, it did not include the main house, hidden by rows of grand old oaks. But it did include eight small, brick cabins, and Whitfield was determined to tell the stories of the enslaved people who lived in them.

The ﬁrst person she hired was an undergraduate from Northwestern State University of Louisiana named Rolanda Teal.

“She was the real deal,” Whitﬁeld said.

Teal led a team that collected stories from more than 100 Black residents of Natchitoches Parish, interviews that would become the basis of her book, “Natchitoches Parish,” part of Arcadia Publishing’s

“Black in America” series. She’s a social historian, Whitﬁeld said, a relatively new ﬁeld that spotlights the experiences of everyday people, including those who were enslaved. Quotes from Teal’s interviews pop up on signs across Magnolia, still, animating the buildings.

Whitﬁeld believes that the Trump administration won’t stop with signs.

“Actions like these attempt to erase the stories and silence the voices of African-descended people who have lived in America,” she said, “further creating disinformation about my people’s experience and the overall history of this country.”

‘Tied to a stake’

Outside those small brick buildings stands a modest,

sun-faded sign.

“Escaped!” it begins, before offering visitors a view into history

In 1804, at least 30 enslaved people, including a 2-year-old child, ran from five area plantations, including Magnolia, then owned by Ambroise LeComte. After a scouting party found them, they surrendered.

“The freedom seekers were tied to a stake in the town square and publicly whipped,” the sign concludes, “then returned to their owners.”

This is the language reported to the Park Service. And though one person reported the sign, others now want to see it kept — or at least documented.

In response to the Trump administration’s rethinking of the National Park Service signs, a coalition of historians and librarians launched a project called “Save Our Signs.” They’ve been asking visitors to snap photos of signs they encounter at national parks

across the country, uploading them to a website.

Jenny McBurney, government publications librarian at the University of Minnesota, said it’s normal for park signs to be updated over time, perhaps to reﬂect new research. But she said the Trump administration’s effort isn’t transparent or based on employees’ expertise.

“This isn’t business as usual,” she said.

So she and other University of Minnesota librarians teamed up with the Data Rescue Project, soliciting photos from folks trekking to national parks on their summer trips. So far, they’ve collected 6,000 photographs, including ﬁve from Cane River

Of course, signs aren’t the only way this park tells its stories.

On a hot August afternoon, the park’s interpretation manager Barbara Justice donned her tall tan hat to give a tour

“We are going to embark on a journey of 200 years

of history and change,” she began, standing inside Magnolia’s store where, as she noted, “it’s a little cooler than it is outside.” The store, opened by the Hertzog family after the Civil War, is the newest building on the tour, she said, before heading to the oldest: the blacksmith shop.

A Catahoula dog named Daisy joined in, bounding beside the group in tall grass.

At each stop, Justice talked about slavery At each stop, she took questions. Then she posed her own: “Of course, a question we get quite a lot is, ‘Well, what was life like for the enslaved people?’ ” The families that owned the plantations kept documents, photos and even home videos. “It’s wonderful,” Justice said, “and yet it’s also one of our challenges,” because so much of the park’s documentation comes from the perspective of the White plantation owners.

There are also oral histories with sharecropping and tenant farming families, she continued, “and that’s invaluable to us.” These days, Teal, who captured many of those oral histories, spends most of her time between Texas, where she teaches, and Mississippi, where her partner lives. Still, she tends to the 200 acres of farmland her grandmother acquired over her lifetime in Sabine Parish, an hour’s drive west of Cane River Teal rarely visits the park where she got her start. The place has changed since she worked there, or even since she visited several years ago. There are new exhibits, new signs, a new parking lot. But on a recent day, she could still point to the place’s informal geography: where in the fields water tends to pool, where in the grass snakes tend to hide.

Behind the slave quarters, onions sometimes sprout, all these years later

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

A brief storm rolls over the Magnolia Plantation in Derry on Aug. 20.

Rolanda Teal, an anthropology professor, examines the maps at Cane River Creole National Historical Park.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Sending troops to La.linkedtocomingcrime bill

is open to theidea, posting on X: “Wewill takePresident Trump’shelp from New Orleans to Shreveport.”

Mark Ballard

WASHINGTON —Federalizing National Guard troops to patrol the streets of American cities —perhaps including New Orleans and Shreveport —isbeing discussed at the same time Republicans on Capitol Hill are preparing the ﬁrst sweeping anticrime bill in decades.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday Republican leaders are looking at what to include in the crime bill that he wants “now.”

Facing growing legal obstacles, the White House on the same day shifted its rhetoric from sending the National Guard to blue states and instead focusing on sendingtroops to red ones. Louisiana could be ﬁrst.

“We’re makingadetermination now,” Trump said during an Oval Ofﬁce news conference Wednesday afternoon. “Do we go to Chicago? Or do we go to aplace like New Orleans, where we have agreat governor,Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in andstraighten out avery nice section of this country that’sbecome quite tough, quite bad.”

Republican Gov.Landry

Kennedyinvokes ‘Alien’ in speech about shrimp

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,RBaton Rouge, agreed, “The National Guard in Washington, D.C., demonstrated that more uniformsonthe street, whatever the color of the uniform is, makes our community safer.It is not along-term solution, but this givesusa chance to demonstratethat it is just as trueinLouisiana.”

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, was not on board.

“I want to be clear: Militarizing thestreets of New Orleans is not the solution for our public safety.Period,” Carter wrote Trump in aletter Thursday. Carter said federal authorities could best help New Orleansbyproviding funding to recruit andbetter train police ofﬁcers, strengthen resources in the District Attorney’sOfﬁce, andrepair theOrleans Parish Prison.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, aRepublican, thanked Landry for his concern, according to The Shreveport Times.

“That said, any city our size can always use additional resources in the battleagainst crime. The question is how,when, and in what form to provide

those resources.”

Baton Rouge andNew Orleans have aboutthe same rate of violent crimes per 100,000residents. But in 2024, youwere morelikely to be murdered in Baton Rouge andShreveport than in New Orleans, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigationstatistics and other sources.

Republican leaderspoint to how the three-week occupation by National Guard units in Washington led to adramatic decrease in murders, adding the same could be done in blue cities —amove that local leaders

promise will be met with lawsuits.

Illinois’sDemocraticGov JB Pritzker said Thursday: “We’re going to immediately go to court, if National Guard or other military troops aresentto, deployed to the city of Chicago.”

State NationalGuards are the descendants of colonial militiasand hencetheir commanders-in-chiefare the governors of thestates where they serve. Governors usually callupNationalGuard units to help with localdisasters, suchas hurricanes, anddomestic emergencies,suchasriots.

The District of Columbia, however, is afederal-run territory andits National Guard unitsanswertothe president Federalizing thestate-run unitsrequires aseveralstep process that is more difﬁcult if thegovernors oppose thedecision.And even whensuccessful, troopsface asheaf of legal restrictions, such as the 1878 Posse ComitatusAct that forbids federal troops from performing domestic policing undermostcircumstances.

On Tuesday,SeniorU.S District Judge Charles

Breyer in SanFrancisco ruledillegalTrump’sreasoning forsending troops to Los Angelesearlierthis summer to protect federal agents andbuildings.

Breyer was nominated in 1997 by DemocraticPresident Bill Clinton Houseleadership continuedtotrumpet howsuccessful theD.C.occupation hasbeen —thenturned directlytothe need forthe upcoming crime bill.

“Itisencouraging to see amuchsafer nation’s Capitol,” House Majority Leader SteveScalise,RJefferson,saidWednesday. “Anditisclearlythe result of thework of President Trump, who saidearly offhewas going to make America safeagain. And youdon’t just do it through words, youdoitthrough actions.”

Scalisethenpivoted to whathecalledweak criminallaws by theWashington council andjudgeswho are softoncrime.

“Our (House) Oversight Committee is going to be going to work next week, passing apackage of bills to address alot of those problems that D.C. created, to ﬁx it so that criminals can’tjust walk free if they want to go commit tough crimes.”

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate. com.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Mandeville, used an unusual prop to argue for tougher inspections of foreign seafood in aspeech on the Senate ﬂoor:A poster-sized picture of the monster from sci-ﬁ horror movie “Alien.”

CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

Like other Louisiana leaders, Kennedyseized upon arecent recall of shrimp under Walmart’s Great Valuelabel. Federalinspectors found some of the shrimp were tainted with cesium-137, aradioactive isotope.

‘This is what you could end up looking like if you eatsome of the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the U.S. by other countries,” Kennedy said, pointing to the imageof the fanged, slimy creature. Kennedy argued therecall showed the needfor tougherinspections by the Department of Commerce.

“They are inspecting some of it, about 1%; on agood day,2%,” Kennedy said. “The United Kingdom inspects 50% of the farmed seafood coming into itsnation. Even China does abetterjob than the United StatesofAmerica. This is unconscionable. There is no excuse for it.” Kennedy argued the radioactivity recall highlights the value of

shrimp caught locally,particularly in Louisiana.

“But Iunderstand thatsome stores prefer tobuy foreign shrimp becauseitischeaper,” he said. “Now we know why: The damnstuff is radioactive.”

La. native facesSenate hearing for energy role

Thelatest nominee forthe federal panel that regulates utility companies —David LaCerte of Baton Rouge— saidThursday that he wouldbe“agnostic” when it comestopermitting newpower made from solar,windand other green sources.

“The Federal Power Act requires thatcommissionersbeneutral on these decisions andIcommit to follow the law,” LaCerte testiﬁed during hisconfirmation hearing to become one of ﬁve commission-

ers on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

as well as FERC,” LaCerte added.

“Reducing processing time and the associated administrative burden will speed projects along, allowing those cost savings to be passed to ratepayers.”

LaCerte washead of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs underGov.Bobby Jindal.

He is the White House liaison and senior adviser to the director for U.S. Office of Personnel Management,where he helped shepherd candidates through the nomination process and advised on personnel policy forthe agency that administers employment for 2 million federal workers.

The 45-year-old graduated from Nicholls State University and the LSU Paul M. Hebert School of Law.

Among its regulatory duties, FERCsigns off on projects such as electricity-generating plantsand transmitting power.Senators on the Committee on Energy andNatural Resources said they feared that FERC mightdiscriminate against making moreenergy using renewableresources because of actions and criticisms by theTrump administration about green energy, favoring fossil fuels instead.

“Artificial intelligence, data centers, and reindustrialization present acompounding of these issues which will require diligent planning, forecasting, andregulatory oversight from both the states

The Senate committeewill take additional questionsinwriting and then vote on afuture date whether to recommend that the full Senate approve LaCerte’snomination.

House drops Higgins’ censure motion

WASHINGTON —With help from ﬁve Republicans, theU.S.House tabled amotion Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins to censurea Democratic colleague whogot in trouble with immigration ofﬁcers while visiting an ICE facility

The House voted 215 to 207 to drop Higgins’ resolutionthat would have punished New Jersey Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver

She faces three federal charges of assaulting, resisting, interfering and impeding federal officers during an official May oversight visit to the immigration detention facility in her Newark district. McIver pleaded notguilty.She could face amaximum of eight years in prison on two of the counts and another year in the third —ifthe federal courts pursue the charges. Democratic Reps. Troy Carter, of NewOrleans, and CleoFields, of BatonRouge,voted against the Higgins resolution. Higgins wassupported by the otherthree GOP members of the Louisiana delegation: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise,R-Jefferson; andRep.Julia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge. Higgins, R-Lafayette, entered his censure resolutionasthe Housewas finishingupthe paperwork after members were sent home early for the monthlong recess on July 27. Higgins washimselfthe target of acensure resolutionpresented by the Congressional Black Caucus right before the House left townfor amonth in 2024. Respondingtoasocial mediacontroversy over Haitian immigrants, Higgins used his official congressionalXaccount to write thatHaitians are wild, eat pets and practice voodoo. He calledHaiti the“nastiestcountry in thewestern hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters.” He later deleted the post. The House never voted on the censure resolution against Higgins when the chamber reconvened a month later

LaCerte

Higgins

U.S. SENATE

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Mandeville, uses aphoto of amonster from sci-fi horror movie ‘Alien’ to makehis pointabout inspections of foreign seafood.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Gov. Jeff Landryaddressed the media outsideCamp57atLouisiana State Penitentiaryin Angola

clothing and furniture. Moncrief tried to salvage what she could. Herneighbors, friends and family were largely in the same predicament.

It’sbeen 20 years since the storm tore through southwestLouisiana, but the anniversary observations forithave been much quieter than thecommemorations for Hurricane Katrina. Those who experienced Rita said they alwaysexperienceditasa forgotten storm, overshadowed in the national media by the coverage of Katrina. Despite the lack of attention it got, the hurricane inﬂicted widespread suffering in southwest Louisiana.

“Wewere kind of calling it ‘Rita amnesia,’ ”said Mark McMurry, who served as Calcasieu Parish administrator in 2005. “Allthe national news was reporting on Katrina.”

For Moncrief and otherswho lived through it, Rita wasthe ﬁrst time they experienced firsthand the vulnerabilities of living in southwest Louisiana duringhurricane season. The storm uprooted trees, splintered utility poles, peeled roofs from homes and shatteredwindows. The days to follow were long and hot, ﬁlled with swarms of mosquitoes and limited accessto water.The nights were darkand quiet in an evacuated city thatwas without electricity

“I had to navigate where tostart, what to do,” Moncrief said. “We had never had anything like it before, so it was aﬁrst. It wassurrealbecause we evacuated several times prior,but nothing ever happened.”

‘Likeawar zone’

Just afew weeks before Rita threatened southwest Louisiana, Moncrief and herneighbors watched on TV the horrors that unfolded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Moncrief, who works in human resources, had donated clothing and other essentials to Katrina evacuees staying at theLake Charles Civic Center.But the mass of evacuees who descended on Lake Charles would soon have to leave again as Rita approached southwest Louisiana.

It wasaone-two punchfor the state still reelingfrom Katrina

while Ritastrengthened to the strongest hurricane recordedin theGulf. Moncrief andher family headed toafriend’shouse in Minden, about 30 minutes east of Shreveport,where Moncrief enrolled her niecesinschool. They didn’treturn to Lake Charles to assess the damage for about six weeks.They found their housefull of mold, rain having poured into every room through aleakyroof.

It wouldbeanother year before they could rebuild and moveback.

Although Moncrieffelt overwhelmed, she remembers the outpouringofhelpfromchurch groups, companies and other organizations that stepped in after Rita.

In amatter of weeks, she’d gone from sharing with other storm evacuees to beingonthe receiving end of donated laundry detergent and clothes.

Southwest Louisianahad largely been spared the worst effectsof hurricanes for decades before Rita,and hadn’tseen asigniﬁcant storm since Hurricane Audreyin 1957.

With Katrina fresh in their minds, residentstook themandatory evacuationorder seriously ahead of Rita.

Randy Roach, who was mayor of Lake Charles at the time, remembered tryingtoﬁgure out where to spendthe night as the storm approached. The sheriff offered Roach andCity Hall staff space at the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center

Themayor sleptfor afew hours in an empty jail cellasthe winds tore throughthe city in theearly morning hours of Sept.24, 2005.

He wokeuptoacitythat had been torn apart.

“There was debris everywhere, Roach said. “Itlookedlike awar zone.”

‘Itwas dark.Itwas quiet.’

As daybreak arrived, MisterEdwards, whowas thecity’spublic works director,hit theroad.

“The wind was still so bad you couldn’t reada street sign,” Edwards said.“It was vibrating so bad, you couldn’ttell what it said.”

Edwardsintended to survey the city and jotdowna listofproblems for histeam to address. He soon ditched thatplanafter he couldn’tmakeitmore than afew hundred yards down the streets.

“We’d have to go through somebody’syard or take another street because therewas so much debris

Nicole J. Moncrief stands in the vacant lot on Aug. 25 where her homeshe grew up in once stood in LakeCharles. Moncrief rebuilt followingHurricane Ritain2005, butlost her homeduring Hurricane Laura in 2020.

and buildings and just damage in thestreets,” he said.

The team instead focused on clearing major north-southand east-west streetssoemergency vehicles could travel. Restoring access to water was the next priority, and critical to keeping hospitals open.Roots fromtoppled trees hadrippedthrough thousands of water and sewer lines across the city

“At that point, Irealized how vital awater systemistoacommunity,” Edwards said.

SouthwestLouisiana leaders urgedresidents to stay away in theinitial days after the storm as essential workers tried to bring critical infrastructure back online. They implemented a“look andleave” planthatallowed residents and business owners to visitand assessdamage without putting unnecessary strainonthe region’slimited resources.

Thenights immediately after thestorm were darkand quiet

“It was devastating and eerie in the beginning,” said Westlake Mayor Hal McMillian, who was parish president during Rita. “It was dark. It was quiet.”

Retired Sheriff Tony Mancuso warned his deputiestobecautious while patrolling. Even with headlights, it would be easy forthemto crash into adowned tree or utility pole without the usuallighting illuminating landmarks

“I’velived here all my life,” Mancuso said. “And Icould go down thestreet andget disoriented because it was so dark.”

‘A paradigm shiftfor everybody’

While Katrina was thestorm that initiallyovershadowedRita,

Hurricane Laura’sdirect hiton southwest Louisiana in 2020 has also lingered over the region. Both Ritaand Laura left awake of destruction.

Rita strengthenedtoaCategory 5inthe Gulf butdowngraded to aCategory3bythe time it made landfall near the Louisiana-Texas border.Laura, on the other hand, made landfall as aCategory 4in Cameron Parish.

Rita had ahigher storm surge on the coast, but the winds from Laura reached much higherintensity in Lake Charles.

Laura’stiming also coincided with astreak of other disasters, hitting while the country wasstill in the throes of theCOVID-19pandemic.And six weeks after Laura, another hurricane hit southwest Louisiana.

Hurricane Delta, acategory 2 storm, exacerbatedthe region’s struggle to recover after Laura.

Though Delta was alower grade storm, roadside debris remaining from Laura ﬂew through air, turning into projectiles while rainwater poured into blue tarped roofs.

In the eyes of many who experienced all of the storms, Laura was more destructive, but Rita was more of ashock.

“Coming back to Laura, it wasn’t as devastating as Rita,” Moncrief said. “Itjust wasn’tbecause you knew whatcould happen.”

They also learnedhow to accept help afterRita for the ﬁrst time, she said. When her mother saw herdoctorusing aDisasterSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program card at the grocery store after Rita, it wasthe ﬁrst time she consideredusing herown. Her mother died in 2013.

“Itwas just aparadigm shift for everybodyonhow to navigate through this process,” she said.

‘I stillwanttocry”

While Moncrief’sfamily was abletorebuild afterRita,their housewas atotal loss after Laura. Moncrief still vividly rememberswatching construction workers teardown thehome she grewupin.

“Even now,I still wanttocry,” Moncrief said, while fighting back tears.“Allofyour memories, the place we called home, your place of solace, it was gone and it wasn’tgoing to be there anymore.

“But if Ihad to reflect even further,the positive piece of it is that Iamthe house,” she added.

“I am the memories. They don’t go away.They stay with me.”

Astreak of bad luck continued in LakeCharles after Laura hit. Afreeze in February 2021 put additional strain on the stormravaged water system.

Just as Moncrief madeprogress on rebuilding her home, ﬂoods inundatedthe regioninMay 2021. Theywashedaway $15,000 of dirt work.

Moncrief decided it was time to move on and purchased anew home in adifferent neighborhood, though she stayed in Lake Charles.

Despite the obstacles, community memberssay they found hope in thevolunteers whodescended on the community after the storms. About 5,000 volunteers showed up in the weeks afterLaura while donationspoured in from all 50 states and 10 countries.

The mostmeaningful donation after Laura for the Community FoundationofSouthwest Louisiana cameinthe form of $3 cash without areturn address.

“We’llnever knowhow valuable those $3 were to that person,” saidSara Judson,the foundation’s presidentand CEO. “But they cared about us in southwest Louisiana enoughtowrap it up and get an envelope and astamp andsendittothe Community Foundation.”

There were also moments of laughter in the days and months to follow —from the portable restroom that landed in the Judson family’s driveway,which they decorated and invited people to use during storm recovery, to the blue tarp capes donned by Mardi Gras royalty Moncrief, who recently earned adoctorateinpublic policy, credits her faith as the reason she’s been able to rebuild her life after both storms.

Still, she prays nearlyevery daythatsouthwest Louisiana won’tface that kind of devastation again.

“I’m not going in with rosecolored glasses,” she said. “I’m going in with somelived experiences —some great, some not so great. But with any adversity, Ithink that you’re only as prepared as youthink youare. You just don’tknow whatyou don’t know,right?”

Email Megan Wyattat mwyatt@theadvocate.com

InspiringThroughEducation

CornerstonehasbeenacommunitypartnerinWaggamanand JeffersonParishforover70years.AtCornerstoneEnergyPark, weinvestincollaborativecommunityprogramstochampion educationandempowerthelocalscience,technology,engineering, andmathematics(STEM)workforceofthefuture. We’recommittedtoourcommunity.Togetherwithourcommunity partners,wearehelpingbridgethegapbetweeneducationand opportunitytoinspirelearning,locally.

From Energy to Innovation

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIEWESTBROOK

EDUCATION ISSUES

Moms face personal challenges with school drop-offs

Poll shows impact on working mothers

BY JEFF MCMURRAY and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press

CHICAGO When Elizabeth

Rivera’s phone would ring during the overnight shift, it was usually because the bus didn’t show up again and one of her three kids needed a ride to school.

After leaving early from her job at a Houston-area Amazon warehouse several times, Rivera was devastated — but not surprised — when she was ﬁred.

“Right now I’m kind of depressed about it,” said Rivera, 42. “I’m depressed because of the simple fact that it’s kind of hard to ﬁnd a job, and there’s bills I have to pay But at the same time, the kids have to go to school.” Rivera is far from the only parent forced to choose between their job and their kids’ education, according to a new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and HopSkipDrive, a company that relies on artiﬁcial intelligence and a network of drivers using their own vehicles to help school districts address transportation challenges.

Most parents drive their children to school, the survey found, and those responsibilities can have a major impact.

About one-third of parents say taking their kids to school has caused them to miss work, according to the poll. Roughly 3 in 10 say they’ve been prevented

from seeking or taking work opportunities And 11% say school transportation has even caused them to lose a job

Mothers are especially likely to say school transportation needs have interfered with their jobs and opportunities. The impact falls disproportionately on lower-income families.

Around 4 in 10 parents with a household income below $100,000 a year said they’ve missed work due to pick-up needs, compared with around 3 in 10 parents with a household income of $100,000 or more.

Meredyth Saieed and her two children, ages 7 and 10, used to live in a homeless shelter in North Carolina.

Saieed said the kids’ father has been incarcerated since May

Although the family qualified for government-paid transportation to school, Saieed said the kids would arrive far too early or leave too late under that system So, she decided to drop them off and pick them up herself.

She had been working double shifts as a bartender and server at a French restaurant in Wilmington but lost that job due to repeatedly missing the dinner rush for pickups.

“Sometimes when you’ve got kids and you don’t have a village, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” said Saieed, 30. “As a mom, you just ﬁnd a way around it.”

The latest obstacle: a broken-down car She couldn’t afford to repair it, so she sold it to a junk yard. She’s hoping this year the school will offer transportation that works better for her family

Although about half of

parents living in rural areas and small towns say their kids still take a bus to school, that fell to about one-third of parents in urban areas.

A separate AP-NORC/ HopSkipDrive survey of school administrators found that nearly half said school bus driver shortages were a “major problem” in their district.

Some school systems don’t offer bus service. In other cases, the available options don’t work for families

The community in Long Island, New York, where police Ofﬁcer Dorothy Criscuolo’s two children attend school provides bus service, but she doesn’t want them riding it because they’ve been diagnosed as neurodivergent.

“I can’t have my kids on a bus for 45 minutes with all the screaming and yelling, and then expect them to be

OK once they get to school, be regulated and learn,” said Criscuolo, 49. “I think it’s impossible.”

So Criscuolo drops them off, and her wife picks them up. It doesn’t interfere much with their work, but it does get in the way of Criscuolo’s sleep Because her typical shift is 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and her children start at different times at different schools, it’s not uncommon for her to get only three hours of sleep a day during the school year

Mothers are most often the ones driving their children to and from school, with 68% saying they typically take on this task, compared with 57% of fathers.

Most mothers, 55%, say they have missed work, have lost jobs or were kept from personal or professional opportunities because of

school transportation needs, compared with 45% of dads.

Syrina Franklin says she didn’t have a choice. The father of her two high schoolage children is deceased, so she has to take them and a 5-year-old grandson to different schools on Chicago’s South Side.

After she was late to work more than 10 times, she lost her job as a mail sorter at the post ofﬁce and turned to driving for Uber and Instacart to make ends meet.

“Most of the kids, they have people that help out with dropping them off and picking them up,” said Franklin, 41. “They have their father a grandmother, somebody in the family helps.”

When both parents are able to pitch in, school pickup and drop-off duties can be easier

Computer programmer

Jonathan Heiner takes his three kids to school in Bellbrook, Ohio, and his wife picks them up.

“We are deﬁnitely highly privileged because of the fact that I have a very ﬂexible job and she’s a teacher, so she gets off when school gets out,” said Heiner, 45. “Not a lot of people have that.”

Although the use of school buses has been declining for years across the U.S., many parents would like to see schools offer other options.

Roughly 4 in 10 parents said getting their kids to school would be “much easier” or “somewhat easier” if there were more school bus routes, school-arranged transportation services or improved pedestrian and bike infrastructure near school. Around a third cited a desire for earlier or later start times, or centralized pick-up and drop-off locations for school buses.

Joanna McFarland, the CEO and co-founder of HopSkipDrive, said districts need to reclaim the responsibility of making sure students have a ride to school.

“I don’t think the way to solve this is to ask parents to look for innovative ideas,” McFarland said. “I think we really need to come up with innovative ideas systematically and institutionally.” In Houston, Rivera is waiting on a background check for another job. In the meantime, she’s found a new solution for her family’s school transportation needs. Her 25-year-old daughter, who still works at Amazon on a day shift, has moved back into the home and is handling drop-offs for her three younger siblings.

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump launched Operation Warp Speed in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, an effort he has credited with saving tensof millions of lives.During a Cabinetmeeting last week, he likened it to “one of the greatest achievements ever.”

Sitting at the table as aproud Trump spoke was Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr., who came under ﬁre at acongressional hearing Thursday for his work to restrict access to vaccines, including the very COVID-19 shots stilltouted by his boss.

The three-hour hearing exposed an odd dichotomy: One of Trump’smost universal successes in hisﬁrst term remains Operation Warp Speed, yet his handpicked health chief anda growing cadre of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” supporters are distrustful of the very mRNA vaccine technology that the president has championed. Highlighting that divide, much of thepraise of Trump’sunprecedented effort to ﬁndavaccine for COVID-19 came Thursday from Democrats.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.,calledOperation Warp Speed“amonumental achievement.” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., told Kennedy he was ahealth hazard and said Trump, “who put forward Operation Warp Speed, which worked,” should ﬁre him. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who caucuses withDemocrats, said he doesn’t“usually agree with” Trump but cited thepresident’s remarks on the COVID-19 vaccine and said the scientific community is aligned behind him.

Republicans were also critical of Kennedy’sapproachtovaccines.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, aphysicianwhose vote for Kennedy ensured his narrow confirmation, notedthe overarching success of Operation Warp Speed at atime when thousands of peoplea daywere dyingfrom COVID-19, businesses were shuttered and much of everyday life hadground to ahalt.

“O t hers said it couldn’tbedone. We saved millions of lives globally.Trillions of dollars. We reopened the economy An incredible accomplishment,” Cassidy said ashe questioned Kennedy.“Do youagreewith me that the president deserves aNobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed?”

When Kennedy answered, “Absolutely,Senator,” Cassidy pivoted sharply He pressed Kennedy on denouncing the vaccinein the past, working on lawsuitstargeting pharmaceutical makers and filling vacancies on apowerful vaccine advisory committee with expert witnesses who testifiedagainstthe drugmakers, suggesting they posed aconflictofinterest.

“It just seems inconsistent thatyou would agree with me that the president deserves tremendous amount of credit for this,” Cassidy responded.

Limiting vaccineaccess

Under Kennedy,U.S. regulators havelimitedthe availability of COVID-19vaccines for many Americans.

Last month, U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 shots butlimited their use for manyAmericans —and removed one of the two vaccinesavailable for young children. The new restrictions are abreak from the previousU.S.policy, whichrecommended an annual COVID-19 shot for all Americans 6months andup, sparking confusion and frustration from some Americans, including parentsinterested in vaccinating healthy children against thevirus.

Many pharmacies are unwilling or legally barred from giving vaccinesoutside theuses endorsed by the Foodand DrugAdministration andother federal authorities.

Severaladministration ofﬁcials came to Kennedy’s defense on vaccines. Mehmet Oz, theadministrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said what Kennedy wants is “integrity and honesty” in the vaccine review process.

“Democratsare, as usual, being intellectuallydishonest to try—and fail —to drive awedge between President Trumpand Secretary Kennedy,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said Thursday “Instead of playing politics and trying to getstupid sound bites,Democrats shouldspendmore time working with Secretary Kennedyand therestof the AdministrationtoMake America Healthy Again.”

TheWhite House on Thursdaydid notdirectly addressthe criticism from Cassidy.Asked later about Kennedy’stestimony,Trump said he hadn’twatched but Kennedy “means very well” and he likes the fact that

Kennedy is different.

But the LouisianaRepublican was not the only one from his party chastising Kennedy over vaccines.

“If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’tallow publichealthto be undermined,” SenateMajority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming,astaunchTrump ally,told Kennedy.“I’ma doctor.Vaccines work.”

Meanwhile, NorthCarolina Sen. Thom Tillis had a multitude of questions for Kennedy,including how he really feels about Operation Warp Speed, saying he’d acceptKennedy’sanswers later in writing.

Changing messages

Asked in earlyAugust about Kennedy’scancellation of the mRNA contracts, Trump said the effort was “now alongtime agoand we’re on to other things,”

but said he would continue to speak on it.

“Operation Warp Speed was, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, considered one of the mostincredible things ever done in this country,” Trump said. “The efficiency,the wayitwas done, the distribution, everything about it was, has been amazing.”

But Trump himself has been inconsistent in hisattitude toward vaccines.

He said in asocial media post last weekthat the companies were responsible for therecentturmoil at the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention because they were not transparent about the science behind the shots. He has sometimes embraced discredited theories that vaccines could cause autism.Trump has also ferociously opposed vaccine mandates, threaten-

ing to withhold funding from schools with such policies. Theanti-vaccine movement within Trump’sparty has been growing since the early days of the vaccine. Trump himself was booed at an event in December 2021 when he revealed that he had gotten the COVID-19booster He tried, in vain, to rally his supporters back around Operation Warp Speed and remindthemofwhathad been accomplished.

“Look, we did something that was historic. We saved tens of millions of lives worldwide. We together,all of us —not me,we—wegot avaccine done, three vaccines done, and tremendous therapeutics,” Trumpsaid.

“This was going to ravage the country far beyond what it is right now.Take credit for it. Take credit for it. …Don’t letthemtakeitaway. Don’t take it away from ourselves.”

Cassidy

THE GULF COAST

Tax breaks spurred post-Katrina building

BY JEFF AMY Associated Press

GULFPORT, Miss. — Rocking on his front porch overlooking the Mississippi Sound, former Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes questions how anyone wouldn’t want to live there

“People are always going to gravitate to the water,” he said “And we have a beautiful waterfront.”

But it was far from certain that people would return after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which killed 238 people in Mississippi and left only concrete slabs in many areas. With beachfront rebuilding crawling along a decade later, Gulfport began offering property tax breaks to those who built near the water Hewes said the goal was for people to “build back better quicker, help kick-start the economy.” Where to encourage building is a thorny decision for local governments in areas exposed to ﬂoods or wildﬁres.

Despite risks including rising sea levels, places need residents and taxpayers. Like other Gulf Coast cities after Katrina, Gulfport required residents to build at higher elevations and enforced a stronger building code. But most residents near the water are in at least a moderate-risk ﬂood zone. Nationwide, many more homes are being built in ﬂood zones than are being removed.

“The local government was not necessarily thinking we need people to build in this ﬂood-prone place,” Miyuki Hino, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who researches ﬂooding, said of such decisions. “They were thinking we have this land that’s underutilized and we can increase our property tax revenue.

Allen Baker lived through 1969’s

Hurricane Camille in neighboring Long Beach and thought he knew what to expect after Katrina. But the 2005 storm was far worse.

His historic beachfront home was blown to bits by what witnesses said was a tornado spun off by the hurricane.

All along the coast, neighborhoods between the beach and a railroad track just to the north were shredded by a battering storm tide and winds. Recovery was slow for years.

“It was kind of spooky down here,” Baker said. “I mean, it looked like one of your postapocalyptic movies.”

Baker and his wife waited. They didn’t move into a new home until 2016, after Gulfport began waiving city property taxes for seven years when owners invested certain amounts in building south of the railroad tracks. Property owners still paid county and school taxes.

Sixty properties received Gulfport’s tax break before the city stopped approving new applicants in 2021, tax records show The savings weren’t huge, typically $500 to $1,000 a year, depending on property value. But Baker and

others said it was a sign to stop hesitating and start building.

“In simple terms, it was a green light,” Baker said.

Not every area has recovered equally In a lower-lying area on the west side of Gulfport, where rotting chicken and giant paper bales washed up from the port, many lots are still vacant. But one block inland on the east side, attractive new houses mix with structures that survived.

Hewes also beneﬁted from the tax break, building a new home on a beachfront site owned by his family since 1904, the second-most valuable house built under the program, according to tax records.

Hewes said he and his wife used their tax savings to build stronger

“We put a lot more money into actually hardening this home to a much higher standard,” Hewes said.

Baker’s current house also exceeds Gulfport’s building code, with steel rods inside walls that tie into a 3-foot-thick concrete foundation and fasten down the roof. That qualiﬁed the home for an insurance industry standard called “fortiﬁed,” which provides savings on expensive wind insurance. But

only 1,500 homes in Mississippi have fortiﬁed status, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety That compares with 9,000 in Louisiana and 50,000 in nation-leading Alabama.

Baker, who became a civil engineer after ﬂying airliners, argues beachfront areas need an extrastrict building code.

“Everything about this house is built to be punished,” he said. “If you seriously want to live in this environment, you have to plan for that.”

Katherine Egland, a Gulfport resident who chairs the NAACP’s national Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, fears the community may not be prepared for the next big storm.

“I’m not saying we didn’t make some progress,” Egland said. “What I’m saying is we didn’t make nearly the amount of progress that we should have made.”

She still rejects how Mississippi prioritized business recovery and says some development farther inland has worsened rainwater ﬂooding in historically Black neighborhoods. Areas targeted by the tax break are whiter and more afﬂuent than the city overall.

“You’re giving incentives to residents south of the tracks, but at the same time, you are imperiling residents that live north of the tracks,” Egland said.

Most of the first block facing the beach in Gulfport is rated as having a 1% yearly chance of flooding, although what’s called the 100-year flood zone sometimes stretches farther back. The Federal Emergency Management Agency considers almost all of the rest of the area south of the railroad track to have between a 1% and a 0.2% risk of flooding annually Flood insurance generally isn’t required in that moderate risk area.

Hino said it’s “absolutely true” that elevating a building reduces risk but said risk grows over time with rising sea levels, which could require someone to elevate a house

multiple times over decades. And while a 1% yearly risk of ﬂooding sounds low, those odds add up over time.

“Over the course of your 30-year mortgage, you have a 40% chance of ﬂooding,” Hino said.

It’s not unusual that houses were built in a ﬂood zone in Gulfport.

From 2001 to 2019, more than 840,000 homes were built in ﬂood plains nationwide, according to a 2024 University of Miami study

That’s in part because the federally subsidized National Flood Insurance Program will repeatedly pay to rebuild, no matter how high the risk

There was a plan to get more people out of Mississippi flood zones. Federal ofﬁcials considered buying out 2,000 properties at the highest risk of being damaged by hurricane storm tides. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projected that a $408 million buyout, in 2008 dollars, would lower potential yearly storm damage by $22 million to $33 million. But Congress never appropriated the money Hino said buyouts can create parkland that serves both as an environmental buffer and an amenity But Hewes said he thinks Gulfport’s choices “may have done more for our recovery than any sort of federal buyout.” He said it took years for Gulfport to productively reuse

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF AMy

Overlooking the Mississippi Sound former Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes stands in front of his home in Gulfport, Miss.

Trumpquestions push to endall Fla. vaccinemandates

BY EMILYGOODIN Miami Herald (TNS)

President Donald Trump distanced himself from Florida’splans to become the ﬁrst state to end all vaccine mandates —including for schoolchildren —advising caution on the issue and pointing to the many successful vaccinations available.

“I think we have to be very careful,” the presidenttold reportersinthe Oval Ofﬁce on Friday “Look, youhavesome vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine,I happen to thinkisamazing,” Trump continued. “A lot of people think that COVID is amazing. Youknow, there are many people that believe strongly in that, but youhavesome vaccines that are so incredible. And Ithink you have to be very careful when you say that somepeople don’thave to be vaccinated.”

Gov.Ron DeSantisand stateSurgeonGeneralJoseph Ladapo announced their intentions to remove the state’svaccine mandatesonThursday and received criticism from public health advocates.

DeSantis rose to national prominence when, as governor,hedeﬁed COVID-19 restrictions during the height of the pandemic. Trump’sown health secretary,Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is an anti-vaxxer But Trump, who led OperationWarp Speed to develop the COVID-19 vaccine, said some of them aren’tcontroversial and should be taken so people don’tget sick.

“You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simplework. They’re not controversial at all. And Ithink those vaccines should be used, otherwise

“You havevaccines that work.They just pure and simple work.They’re not controversial at all.And Ithink those vaccines should beused ”

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

some people are goingto catch it, andthey endanger other people. And when you don’thave controversy at all, Ithink peopleshould takeit,” he noted.

Trump, aFlorida resident,received aCOVID-19 vaccine shortly before he left ofﬁce at the endofhis ﬁrst term in January 2021.

For decades,Florida like many other states has required numerous vaccinesfor kidsattendingschool, includingshots that protectagainst measles-mumps-rubella, polio, chickenpox andhepatitis B. But Florida does ban COVID-19 vaccine mandatesfor students.

Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health, the agency he oversees, would do away with rules on vaccine mandates, which he compared to slavery “All ofthem. Every last one of them,” Ladapo said during theannouncement.

All 50 states and Washington, D.C., have laws requiring certainvaccines for students to attend school.

Florida’sLegislature would havetoget involved in repealing the vaccine mandate, but DeSantis administration ofﬁcials have some power on the issue. While Floridalaw says that immunizations “shall be required” for polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella,pertussis,mumpsand tetanus, the state Health Department canmakethe rules for other shots.

friends he loved.

DEATHS continued from Sister of Notre Dame, passed away peacefully at TrinityTrace Care

He especially cherished time spent with his four great-granddaughters and hisvisits to theKeeffe Ranch in D'Hanis, Texas where he found joy with his "adopted" extended family, the"Keeffe Ranch Brothers."Heparticularly enjoyed travelingwith Mooneyand their lifelong friends. Richie also loved golf, fishing,shrimping betting on horse races, following Tulane baseball, andspending time working in his belovedshed

The family wouldliketo extend theirheartfelt thankstoDr. Monty Glorioso for his compassionate care, Richie's caregivers (Annie, Dimple, and Juanita), and thestaff at The BlakeAssisted Living, especiallyTish.

In lieu of flowers,the family requests donations in Richie's memory be madeto:

-St. Catherine of Siena CatholicChurch Forward in Faith Capital Campaign: https://scschurch.com/for ward

-Wounded Warrior Project:https://supportw oundedwarriorproject.org

Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend a Memorial Mass on Tuesday, September9 2025, at 11:30 a.m. at St. CatherineofSiena Catholic Church, 105 Bonnabel Blvd.,Metairie,LA. Visitation willbegin at 10:00 a.m. until thetime of Mass. Interment willfollow at Lake Lawn Park Mausoleum.

To view and sign theonline guest book, please visit:www.lakelawnmetairie com

August

in Covington, LA.Sister Marie was ateacherin Catholicschools forover 34 years, ministeringprimarilyineitherTexas or Louisiana. She is known for her creativeteaching style and love of teaching mathematics. Preceding in death are her parents, Elina (Waguespack) and Walter Williams and siblings, Shirley (Williams) St. Pierre,WalterWilliams, Jr and Raymond H. Williams. She is survivedbyfour siblings, Floretta Williams SSND,Covington, Verneil (Williams) Samanie, Hammond, Elvira (Williams) Reasor, Georgetown, TX, and Paul Williams, Hammond,LA. APrayer Service/ Sharing of Memories begins September 12, 2025, at 10:30 AM followedbya Memorial Mass at 11:00 AM at St.Anthony's Gardens at 601 Holy TrinityDrive, Covington, LA., 70433. Msgr. BillBilinski willofficiate.Inurnment will followat1:30 PM at St. Mary of thePines Cemetery, Chatawa, MS Arrangementsare entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home of Covington, LA

Laurie AnnBailey Wogan, devotedwife, mother, andgrandmother passedawaypeacefully on August31, 2025 at theage of70. Shewas thewifeof 43years to CharlesStuart Buddy”Woganand aresi‐dentofSlidell, Louisiana since theirmarriagein 1982. Shewas born in New Orleans to thelateAugust Vincent andJoyce Anna Al‐wertBailey. Laurie gradu‐atedfromAbramsonHigh School andearneda Bach‐elorofScience Degree in Dietetics at L. S. U. followed bya MastersofPublic HealthDegreeinNutrition fromthe Tulane School of PublicHealthand Tropical Medicine. Shehad adis‐tinct love forthe scienceof Nutrition andthatdevotion alongwiththe research

skills shelearned at Tulane provedtobea valuable assetshe wouldlater use inher effortstosurvive in a 15 year-longillness with breastcancer. Following her graduation from Tu‐lane, Laurie turned herat‐tention to herfamily, rais‐ing threechildren, Keith Michael (Bryttany),David Matthew (Jessica), and Patrick CharlesWogan. Re‐calling tripsshe made with her brotherand friendsto the National Forestsinthe Westand summer she spent workingasa camp‐ing counseloratCamp Yanahlossee, shefollowed her husband, Buddy, into the program offeredbythe Boy Scouts of America. Be‐cominga DenLeaderand program coordinatorfor her threeboysshe saw themgrowand mature while experiencing memo‐rable adventures as they progressedthrough Cub and BoyScouts. Shebe‐cameanavidcamperand loved to spendtimewith theminthe GreatOut‐doors. Alongthe wayshe becamea skilledarchery instructormentoring well overa thousand young boysand girlsinthe sport ofarchery.For that,she was recognized with the DistrictAward of Merit. When herboyshad grown towhere they couldtake careofthemselves, she turnedher attentiontoa 14 yearcareer of helpingpreK and Kindergarten school childrenlearn as aspecialedpara-professionalsup‐portstaff member with the St. TammanyParishSchool Board.Serving at Brock and AltonElementary SchoolsinSlidell, Laurie brought with hertothe classroom acertain soft and friendly demeanor thatbrought calm and peace to thelearningexpe‐rienceofher students which helped them accept aswellasadapt to,the dis‐cipline andregimen de‐mandedbythe school en‐vironment.She cherished their response to herwith their many hugsand “I love you,Mrs.Wogan.”She had anavidinterestingeneal‐ogy.She learnedtonavi‐gatethe computer pro‐grams to gain information. ThenBuddy andshe would takeroadtrips visiting churches,libraries,and court houses to gather moredetail. Lastly,they would visitthe places where theirancestors had lived or were interred.She iscreditedwithsolving a dauntingfamilymystery which opened herpaternal linebackanadditional 3 generations andgaveher a newfriendshipwitha dis‐

tant cousin.Aside from her work, Laurie enjoyedat‐tending familygatherings. She kept closerelation‐ships with herimmediate familyand cousinsand could always be seen milling around andvisiting withthematthose gather‐ings. Shewas always gratefultohavelived long enoughtosee hergrand‐children. Laurie wasanac‐tivememberofLambof God Lutheran Church in Slidell. In addition to her parents,Laurieispreceded indeath by hersister, Con‐stanceEscofﬁer.Laurieis alsosurvivedbyher brother,AugustVincent Bailey, Jr.(Terri);her sister Deborah Menesses(Rob‐bie); and5 grandchildren, AndrewPaulWogan,Kain Richard Wogan, Martin Aiden Wogan, Sean Francis Wogan, andSeraﬁna Va‐leneMae Wogan. Funeral Serviceswillbeheldat Honaker FuneralHome, 1751 GauseBlvd. West, Slidell, LA 70460, on Tues‐day,September 9, 2025 Visitationwillbegin at 12:00 noon,followedbythe funeralservice at 2:00 pm BurialwillbeinForest LawnCemetery. Please visit www.honakerforestla wn.comtosignguestbook ArrangementsbyHonaker FuneralHome, Inc.,Slidell, LA.

Wogan, Laurie AnnBailey

Williams, SisterMarie 'Walter Marie'

30, Sister Marie Williams, School

METRO

NOLA.COM | Sunday, September 7, 2025 1bn

THE LESSONS OF AI

Teachers, students talk ethics, rules for use in schools

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Rebecca Gaillot’s engi-

neering class lit up like a Christmas tree last week as students pondered the ethics of artiﬁcial intelligence.

Suppose someone used AI to spice up their college admissions essay Gaillot asked her students at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans. Is that OK? Red bulbs blinked on as students used handmade light switches to indicate: Not good. Using AI to coauthor a college essay is dishonest and unfair to other applicants who didn’t use the technology, the students said.

What about a student council candidate who uses AI to turn her ideas into a speech? Now some yellow lights lit up: Generating your own ideas is good, but passing AI writing off as your own is not, the students agreed.

“These are discussions that your generation needs to have,” Gaillot told the class.

Get ready for more ethical quandaries as artificial intelligence spreads through schools.

AI relies on algorithms, or mathematical models to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence like understanding language or recognizing patterns. Popular AI programs like ChatGPT can answer students’ questions and help with writing and researching, while also as-

sisting teachers with tasks like grading, lesson planning and creating assessments.

About 60% of teachers said they used AI tools last school year, and nearly half of students ages 9-17 say they’ve used ChatGPT in the past month This year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order promoting AI in education. And in Louisiana, where schools are experimenting with AI-powered reading programs, the state board of education last month called for more AI exploration

Louisiana’s Education Department issued some guidance last year on AI use in classrooms. But for the most part, schools are making up rules as they go — or not. Nationwide, less than a third of schools have written AI policies, according to federal data.

The lack of a clear consensus on how to handle AI in the classroom has left educators and students to figure it out on the fly That can cause problems as students approach the blurry line between using ChatGPT for research or tutoring and using it to

cheat.

“We’ve had a record number of academic integrity issues this past year, largely driven by AI,” said Alex Jarrell, CEO of Ben Franklin, a selective public school that students must test into.

Yet, because the technology is rapidly evolving and capable of so many uses, Jarrell said he’s wary of imposing top-down rules.

“That’s why I’ve really been encouraging teachers to play with this and think it through,” he said.

New Jackson Avenue apartment complex opens

Renovation of Sara Mayo Hospital rejuvenates Lower Garden District

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

The former Sara Mayo Hospital on Jackson Avenue, which sat for more than two decades as a hulking blighted eyesore, has reopened after a massive renovation as a mixed-use complex that promises to bring new life to a long-neglected corner of the Lower Garden District.

Metairie-based developer Kailas Companies has spent the past two years converting the 2.3acre property — an entire city block bounded by Jackson Avenue, Chippewa Street, Josephine Street and St. Thomas Street — into The Jackson, a two-building complex with more than 200 apartments, ofﬁce and retail space, a parking garage, recreational area and a park.

The project, which included renovating and adding a sixth ﬂoor to the original hospital building and constructing a new, 9-story tower next to it, cost more than $62 million.

About half the units are located in the original building, which opened in August and is fully leased and occupied. The new tower where the other units are located, opens later this month and is partially leased, the Kailases said in a written statement.

The tenant mix is “a great representation of the neighborhood ranging from graduate students and young professionals to families looking to size down from their single-family homes,” according to a written statement from the company, which is owned by Mohan Kailas and his son, Naveen Kailas.

The family has owned the Jackson Avenue property since 2014, when they purchased it from a Texas investor for $1.9 million, according to city records. The project has been in the works for years and was originally scheduled to break ground in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic, the Kailases said.

Mohan Kailas, a New Orleans area real estate investor, owns several ofﬁce buildings, apartment complexes and a shopping center in region. He was the lead developer behind the Hard Rock Hotel, which collapsed while under construction in 2019, killing three workers. Federal regulators cited the project’s engineer, contractor and eight subcontractors in connection with the disaster Kailas hasn’t faced any regulatory or criminal allegations related to the collapse and has since embarked on other projects, including a new hotel in a downtown high rise at 1010 Common St. ‘Local noteworthy tenant’ coming soon?

The old Sara Mayo Hospital is a well-known landmark in the Irish Channel and Lower Garden District The hospital was founded in 1905 by Mayo, a female physician, and six other female physicians, who wanted to care for indigent women and children. The facility also provided a place for female doctors to practice medicine, which was prohibited at other hospitals in the city at the time.

The hospital was originally located on Felicity Street but relocated to Jackson Avenue in 1940. It filed for bankruptcy in 1979 and closed not long after It housed medical ofﬁces and clinics through the 1980s and 1990s and has been vacant since Katrina.

For years, residents of the Lower Garden District fretted over the condition of the building. In recent months, they’ve been heartened by the transformation of the site.

“That area was pretty devastated for a while,” said Sue Mizell, president of the Lower Garden

Director of St. Tammany library system sought by end of month

Several groups to weigh in on choice

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

With St. Tammany Parish Li-

brary Director Kelly LaRocca planning to step down at the end of the month, religious and political organizations are starting to look at who will steer a library system that for more than three years has been enveloped in controversy over books with sexual and LGBTQ+ themes.

“It will be a difficult battle to appoint a director with Christian conservative values,” the Slidell

Minister’s Association wrote in an August newsletter “SMA must be involved in the process.”

Chuck Branton, president of the appointed board that oversees the library system, the Library Board of Control, told the Republican Parish Executive Committee in August that his approach to the director’s selection has nothing to do with political parties and that he wanted to pick the most qualiﬁed candidate, according to a recording of the meeting made by Terri Lewis Stevens, who said she attended.

In the past three years, LaRocca has attempted a balancing act as she navigated the controversy over books with sexual and LG-

BTQ+ themes and the St. Tammany Parish Council’s nearly complete overhaul of the library board, which prompted a federal lawsuit that was dismissed earlier this year LaRocca created a tiered-card system that allows parents to choose what library materials their kids have access to, and she has overseen the moving of books with sexual content as deﬁned by law into the library’s adult section.

“I’m looking forward to being a private citizen again,” LaRocca said in a recent interview She will be taking a new job as an associate state librarian. An interim director has not yet been named, according to Jackie

Riecke a spokesperson for the St. Tammany Parish Library

The new vacancy has prompted concern from the St. Tammany Library Alliance, whose co-founder, Kristen Luchsinger, said in an interview that she worried the next director could be an “extremist.”

“The goal always was to take over the board, remove the books and ﬁre Kelly (LaRocca),” Luchsinger said. Luchsinger pointed to the possible inﬂuence of groups like RPEC and the Slidell Minister’s Association.

“Book burning is NOT off the agenda,” the Slidell Minister’s Association said in another recent newsletter about the library di-

rector’s search that was shared by former library board member Bill McHugh in an email with The Times-Picayune. The organization subsequently published identical newsletters that had removed mention of “book burning.” The organization’s leaders did not respond to requests for comment. McHugh was among the board members who had unsuccessfully sued in federal court seeking to keep their posts after the Parish Council removed them.

The library board will next meet on Sept. 22, when Branton told RPEC he will make a motion to establish a personnel committee.

Zaire Hellestine, 17, Jayden Gardere, 14, and Lauren Moses, 15, take part in a class discussion about the use of artificial intelligence in businesses at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Rebecca Gaillot, a teacher who convened an artificial intelligence task force at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, recently had her students discuss the ethics of using AI in school.

District Association. “This revitalizes it, so Isee it as areal positive forthe neighborhood.”

In its new iteration, The Jacksonhas 215 one- and two-bedroom units, including luxury penthouses on asixth-ﬂoor addition to theoriginal hospital structure.

Amenities include arooftop pool, multiple lounges,agameroom with agolf simulator,a dogwash, and indoor pickleball court. Anew, 4.5-story parking garage serves thetwo buildings, which both have ground-ﬂoor commercial space.

Thefamily hopes to announce “a local noteworthy tenant” in the next two weeks, their statement said.

The complex also has alandscaped garden with anew type of “ﬁreﬂy” light that illuminates the canopy of the branches of the trees on the property,which include two live oaks estimatedtobebetween 300-400 years old.

“One of the most satisfying things in doing this project has been the positive reception from the neighborhood,” the statement said. “People walkingbyoften drop in to see the development.”

‘Extreme demand’

Advocates for affordable housing have previously questioned why,in acity with ashortage of affordable housing, most of the units in The Jackson are market rate or luxury One-bedroom units range from $1,600 amonth to $2,400for penthouse units. Two-bedroom units start around $2,200 amonth, though few are still available.

The Kailases said they have been surprised by the “extreme demand for luxury multifamily in the area.”

AI

Continued from page1B

Gaillot is leading that charge, who teaches engineering andstatistics. She says schools can be woefullyslowtoadapt to new technology.Case in point: States like Louisiana only recently banned cellphones in schools despite the negative effects on mentalhealth and learning.

“Welet them come into students’ lives and we really didn’tprepare them for it,” she said.

Now,studentsare trying largely unregulated tools like ChatGPTwith little training in AI literacy or safety.When Gaillot surveyed Ben Franklin ninth graders in 2023, 65%saidthey useAI weekly “Wecan’tmiss it this time,”she said.“We have to teach children how to use this well.”

Backed by aNew Orleansbased technologygroup called NOAI, Gaillot convened ateam of Franklin educators to explore four

LIBRARY

Continued from page1B

Branton did not immediately respond to arequest for comment.

LaRocca’sr esig nation comes amid recent tumult in other parish libraries, such as in Livingston Parish, where Library Director Michelle Parrish was ousted in July.

Michael Lunsford, the executivedirector of Citizens for New Louisiana, aconservative organization heavily involved in library politics around the state, said he was pleased

Eleven of the units, about 5% of thetotal,are setaside forresidents who earn less than $69,000 forafamily offour, keeping with aCityCouncil mandate that encourages developerstoset asidea portionofnew units for affordable housing.

In return for creating those af-

AI topics: ethics, innovation, tools for teachers, and classroom uses. The team developed AI handbooks forstudents and teachers, andGaillotled AI workshops for staff. With NOAI funding, the school bought licenses for ninth graders to tryKhanmigo, which uses AI to assist students in math.

Gaillot said she’surged skeptical teachers to view AI as more than ahigh-tech cheating tool. It can speed up time-consuming tasks like creating worksheets or grading assignments. And it can augment instruction: AFranklin historyteacher used an AI programtoturn textbook readings into podcast episodes, Gaillot said.

She also has pushed her colleagues tofundamentallyrethink what students must learn. With ChatGPT able to instantly write code and perform complexcomputations,helping students thinkcriticallyand creatively will give them an edge.

“Youcan’tjust learn in thesame way anymore,” Gaillot said. “Everything’s going to keep changing.

LaRocca had resigned and said he plannedtovet candidates forthe librarydirectorinSt. Tammany and write an articleabout his ﬁndings

ConniePhillips, acofounder of the St. Tammany Library Accountability Project, saidshe deferred to the library board about whoshould be the new director,but said she would prefera “CEO-typeperson who could alsoserve as acomplianceofﬁcerto make sure that the libraries are notputting sexual material in the children’s section.”

St. Tammany Parish Council memberDavid Cougle,anotherco-found-

fordable units, the developers received a40-year property tax break from the city

The developers have previously said they settled on making5%of theunitsaffordable based on recommendations from city ofﬁcials when the project was first proposed.

What do students think?

Students in Gaillot’s introduction to engineering class, an elective open to all grades, have nuanced views on AI

They know they coulduse ChatGPT to completemath assignmentsordraft English papers. But besides the ethical issues, theyquestion whether that’sreally helpful.

“You can useAIfor homework andclasswork,” said senior Zaire Hellestine, 17, “but once youget to atest, you’re only using the knowledge you have.”

Freshman Jayden Gardere said asking AI for the answers cankeep youfrom mastering the material.

“A very importantpartof the learning processisbeing able to sit there and struggle withit,”hesaid.

“It defeatsthe purpose of learning,” added sophomore Lauren Moses, 15. AI programs canalso provide wrongormade-up information,the students noted.Jayden said he used Google’sAI-powered search tool to research NewOrleans’ wards, but it mixed up theirboundaries. (His father pointed him to something

er of the St.Tammany LibraryAccountability Project,pointed in an email to a 2024 law sponsored by Rep. Josh Carlson,R-Lafayette, thatremoved the requirement for library directors to have master’sdegrees in libraryscience.

“I would imagine this will result in lookingat considerably more candidates than theywould have looked at otherwise,” Cougle wrote.

DinahThanars, arecently appointedlibrary board member,said, “I’m not a book banner,and Ijust wantsomeonewho can be in themiddle-of-the-road and look at the whole big picture.”

She praised LaRoccaand said,“We need someone with abackbone.”

called amap.)

AndreaneciaMorris, executive director of affordable housing nonproﬁt Housing NOLA, said while the city needsmoreaffordable units, she saidthe developers of TheJackson adhered to the city’s guidelines. “Wecan’t putunrealisticexpectationsondevelopers because these

The teensalsoworryabout AI’s environmental impact, including datacenters that consume massive amounts of energy.And theyfear the consequences of letting computersdoall the intellectual heavy lifting for them.

“Humans are going to lose their ability to think and do things for themselves,”Laurensaid.

Despitereservations, they

projects have to have cash ﬂow,” Morris said. “This project shows the programworks exactlyasit was supposed to. Now,weneed more like this.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

still think schools should teach students howtouse AI effectively “Weknowkids areusing it regardless,” Jayden said, “and we know that it’s eventually going to become integrated into our everyday lives.”

In Gaillot’sclass last week, the students also discussed real-world uses of AI.They were often skeptical —“It’s amoney grab!” onegirlsaid aboutDelta Air Lines’ plan

to use AI to set ticket prices —but they also saw how programscan help people,like Signapse, which uses AI to translate textand audiointo American SignLanguage videos.

“AI andhumans,theycan worktogether,” Zaire said, “as long as we’re making sure thatit’susedcorrectly.”

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

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

LOTTERY

FRIDAY,SEPT.5,2025

PICK 3: 8-2-9

PICK 4: 2-9-5-5

PICK 5: 2-9-6-2-3

MEGA MILLIONS: 6-14-36-58-62

MEGA BALL: 24

NewOrleans Area Deaths St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Alford,Mary Drolla,David Allen, George Foster,Burnley Anticich,Louis Honaker Barnes Sr., Walter Wogan, Laurie Barsana, Jacqueline West Bank Bissette,Carl Mothe Carter,John Castiglione,Benito Bissette,Carl Darnall, Earl Castiglione,Benito

Drolla,David Darnall, Earl Durham,Polly Obituaries Foster,Burnley

Gomez, Mary Gradwohl,Carmelite

Hardy, Rixby

Hartman, Margaret

Hays,William

Lott,Edward

Mahler III, John

McGuire, Sylvia

Nolan,James

Pfalzgraf,Annie

Poirrier Jr., Septime

Roussel, Gail

Soleto,Ruby

Trahan,Richard Williams,Marie Wogan, Laurie

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Gomez, Mary Gradwohl,Carmelite

Pfalzgraf,Annie Leitz-Eagan

Lott,Edward Mahler III, John Soleto,Ruby NewOrleans Greenwood Alford,Mary

McGuire, Sylvia Poirrier Jr., Septime JacobSchoen

Hartman, Margaret Nolan,James Lake Lawn Metairie

Allen, George Carter,John Hays,William Trahan,Richard

Majestic Mortuary

Barnes Sr., Walter River Parish

HC Alexander Roussel, Gail

Alford,MaryE.

Mary E. Alford,102, of Metairie, Louisiana, passed awayinher condoonJuly 2,2025. Shewas preceded indeath by herhusband of 62years,Joseph, in 2004 She wasborninSt. Paul, Minnesota,the youngestof seven children, ﬁve of whomhad been born in Sweden before herparents immigrated to America shortly afterWorld WarI She grew up in Minnesota and attended one year at the U. of Minnesota during which shetraveledto Bostonfor summer work and met herfuturehus‐band, Joseph.Josephwas beginning whatwould be a longcareer at General Electric, most of it involv‐ing jetenginedesign. They married in Octoberof1942 inBoston, Massachusetts, withtheir 3childrenbeing born during thenext5 years (roughly 2years apart), with Mary beinga stay-at-homemom.The familymoved to Cincinnati Ohioin1951 whenGeneral Electrictransferred her husband to theirAircraft Jet Engine facility.There theystayeduntil 2004 when they movedto MetairieLAsotheycould liveneartheir twodaugh‐tersand otherfamilyinthe area. Mary’s fondestpas‐times were whenshe was traveling,playing tennis and bridge,and participat‐ing in square dancingwith life-long friends. Shewas verygood at sewing and knittingand with enter‐taining guests.After her husband passed, she con‐tinuedenjoyingtraveland loved spending time visit‐ing with familymembers playing tablegames,and putting jigsaw puzzlesto‐gether. Mary wasanex‐ceptionally sweetwoman a gentle soul with asoft voice anda readysmile She wasa greatlistener and easily made friends. Marywas alovingwife, mother, grandmotherand friend. Shewillbegreatly missedbyall who knew and lovedher.Maryissur‐vived by herson,Joseph (Marti) of Indianapolis,IN, her daughter ChristinePol‐lock(Barry)ofLaCombe LA, andher daughter Beth ofMetairie, LA.She is also survivedby6 grandchil‐dren, MichaelAlford, David Alford, RandyAlford, Aimee Wilmette,Lisa McLeanand Anne-LiseMc‐Carver. Sheisalsosur‐vived by 11 great-grand‐children. Thefamilywould liketoextenda special thankstoChris Franzwho came and stayed with

Mary providingwonderful caretoher during herlast seven months.Another special thanks goestoAn‐driaand thestaff at Anvoi Hospice Care who gave ex‐ceptional serviceduring the time shewas under their care.A privatememo‐rialservice forfamily members will be held at a futuredate. In lieu of ﬂow‐ers,memorialgifts arewel‐comeand canbedirected toeitherSt. Jude's or the Red Cross.

Allen,George Sanford

GeorgeSanford Allen, age 86, passedaway peacefully August 28, 2025, with his family besidehim. Georgewas borntothe late Dr. JamesH.Allen and RuthSanford Allen, in Iowa City, Iowa. Georgemoved with hisfamily to New Orleans in 1950 and attended St Martins Episcopal School. Upongraduation he joinedthe UnitedStates Marines, Platoon159, where he remained in the reserves for8 years. Georgemet hiswonderful wife Odelia"Dee" Demonn Allenand livedhappily for 62 years before her death in 2024. Hisprofessional career spannedmany years of workwithvarious NewOrleans banks and one of his favoriteand most memorable deals, whilewithColonial Bank, was assisting RuthFertel in acquiring her loan to start Ruth's ChrisSteak House. Georgewas a'girl dad' buthefound his many sons by coaching and coordinating the7/8 baseball program at Carrollton Boosters for over 25 years. He found so much joy in coaching these youngmen who many are nowleaders in this city in various professions includinga few former professional athletes. One passionGeorge and Dee both shared was theirlovefor travel and baseball. Many of their adventures included traveling forTulane Baseball and theStLouis Cardinals. For over 30 years every March youcouldfind Dee and George in Floridaattending Spring Training for theSt Louis Cardinals.After retiring fromcoaching at Carrollton, they increased theirtraveling even more, enjoying thecountless cruisestheysailed. George'sgreatest joy came fromhis grandchildren and attending allof their many activities. Emily'sbaseballwith MiracleLeague and her Special Olympics activities as wellasConnor's baseball days and many theatrical performances. Georgegreatly enjoyed attending theAdenProgram forMemory Care at St Charles Presbyterian Church. Georgewas an active member of St Martin's Episcopal Church and lovedvolunteering,especially with theannual pumpkinpatch. George was preceded in deathby his nephew Johnathan Allen, his parents, James Harrill Allenand Ruth Sanford Allen, his sister Mary Helen Allenand his loving wife Odelia "Dee" Demonn Allen. Georgeis survivedbyhis daughter b h ll d

Deborah AllenWard (Norman) and hisbeloved grandchildrenEmily Odelia Hilland John Connor Hill. His brother John R. Allen (Ann), nephew Christopher M. Allen(Courtney) and great-niece and greatnephew Harper and Dexter Allen. The family would like to express theirsincerest love and appreciation to Linda Conner, Yolanda Diamond and Glenda Johnson for theirexceptional and loving care of Georgethislast year. As well as MartiMcEnery, Kat Songy and theirmany wonderfulvolunteerswith theAdenprogram who made it such aspecial place forhim. Relatives and friends are invitedto attend theMemorial Service in thechapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home,5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans, on Monday, September 8, 2025 at 1:00PM. Avisitation willbe held at thefuneralhome beginning at 11:00AM. The interment willfollow the Mass at Lake Lawn Park Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers thefamily would appreciateyourconsideration of adonation to The MiracleLeague of Greater NewOrleans or The Guild at Raphael Village. To view and sign theonline guest book, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.co m

Louis Henry Burns Anticich, completedhis earthly journey,passing into thehandsofhis heavenly Father, on August 30, 2025, at age 97 and just one dayafter the20thanniversary of Hurricane Katrina flooding his beloved hometown of NewOrleans. He spent his first 77 years in NewOrleans, LA,where he was bornthe same year as Mickey Mouse. He was a Navy veteran who served as acourts reporterin Guam and Kwajalein after WWII.Those skills sustainedhis career in civilian life as alegalsecretary. A triptovisit his sonand daughter-in-law in Murrysville,PA, was plannedfor September 2005 butwas fortuitously rescheduled to midAugust,sparing him and his wife Eugenia the Hurricane Katrina disaster. They were duetoreturn home theday NewOrleans flooded, leading to three months living with his family. Afterwards, he and Eugenia moved fromNew Orleans to escapefuture hurricanesand be closer to his family,residing at Walnut Crossingsin Monroeville,PA. In 2018, they moved to Independent Living at Redstone Highlandsin Murrysville, PA. After Eugenia's death in 2021 and in declining health, he moved to Personal Care withinthe same building, where he received excellent care from thePersonal Care and hospice staff until he reached his finish line.Hewas adevout Catholicwho embraced his faith. He enjoyed reading,

wordsand grammar, Solitaire, andGoogling.He wasa wordsmithwho never passedupa chanceto school anyone whomisused thewords lay andlie Anyoneputting hands on hips with elbowspointing outwould be told they were "arms akimbo." When he learned to usea smartphone to Google,it expanded hisworld, searchingfor actors and actressesfromthe 1930s and 40s and for such oddities as albino babykangaroos. When he discovered jokes online,heenjoyed telling andretelling hisfavorites. He wouldalways chuckle to himself,thinkingofhis treasured punchline:"Whaaat, andgive up showbusiness!?"Heenduredthrough many medicalailments, including profoundhearing loss, always saying, "There's nothing wrongwith me; Idon't know whyI'm in the hospital.I'm here because my son made me come." Two blessings: against all odds, he neversufferedwith painand he retainedall his marblesuntilthe end. Many whoenjoyed hisendearing stories called him aclassic Southern gentleman. He is survived by his son Leslie and daughter-inlaw Janet of Murrysville, PA;his grandson Scot (Holly) Wallace of Pittsburgh;and his sisterin-law Barbara Frisch of Fort Wayne, IN;and many nieces andnephews. He wasthe son of the late John andMamie Anticich. He waspre-deceased by hiswife Eugenia; hissisters Anna (Buster) Trascher andMarie (Rufus) Gervaisand brothersJoseph(Alethea) Anticichand Andrew(Lora Lee) Anticich; andhis sister-in-law Rita (Bayne) Luke andbrother-in-law Eugene(Barbara) Frisch. A memorial service will be held forfamilyonlyatCorl Funeral Chapel in Monroeville, PA.Burial will be at GoodShepherd Catholic Cemetery in Monroeville, PA Condolencesmay be made at www.corlfuneralchapel com.

Walter L. Barnes,Sr.,a faithfulservant of God, transitionedfromthis earthly realmtothe arms ofhis Savior,Jesus Christ onMonday, August 25 2025, at theripeage of 76 years.A retiredLongshore‐man with ILALocal 3000, he was member of Fellowship MissionaryBaptist Church, where he served on the Usher Board. He wasalsoa 32nddegreeMason with Phoenix Lodge#226. Sonof the late Royand Lucille Barnes, Sr.Husband of the lateSandraAtkinson Barnes; loving father of Di‐aundraBarnes-Martin (husband,Patrick)and the lateWalterL.Barnes, Jr.; devoted grandfatherof Daija,Patrick K. andDei‐drick Martin;brother of Eu‐lalie Barnes-Young andthe lateRoy Barnes,Jr.;and a hostofother caring rela‐tives anddevoted friends. Relatives andfriends of the family, also Pastors, Ofﬁ‐cersand MembersofFel‐lowship Missionary and Pilgrim’s Rest #2 Baptist Churches,employees of ILALocal 3000 andTulane University, arecordially in‐vitedtoattendthe Home‐

goingCelebration Services onSaturday, September13, 2025, 10:00 a.m.,atFellow‐shipMissionaryBaptist Church,2805 Gen. Taylor Street; ﬁnalviewing from 9:00–10:00 a.m.;Dr. Moses Stroter Gordon,II, Senior

Jacqueline Hontiveros'Jackie'

"Jackie" Pearl HontiverosBarsana, born on November 13, 1946 in NewOrleans,Louisiana, went on to dance with the angels in heaven on August 28, 2025. Jackie wasraised and educated in andaround theFrenchQuarterwith hersiblings andcousins whoshe loveddearly Shewas marriedtoher love,Magdalino"Max" BogtongBarsana (USNRet.), from 1965 untilhis passing in 2000. After they married, she moved to Newport, RhodeIsland whereher husband was stationedbeforereturning to theNew Orleansareato live foranother 50 +years. Devotedtofamilyand raising children, she was a stay-at-home motheruntil herchildrenentered school. Soon she became a special educator for over 20 years in JeffersonParish whereshe absolutely adored herspecial needs students. She retiredearly from hereducation career to become afull-time caregiver to herailinghusband. In retirement,Jackie dove into herpassionsfor music and dance by becoming adance instructor with theJamaicaDance ClubofNew Orleans. Jackie nevermet a stranger. Shehad the gift of gab and wouldtalkyour ear off in thebest way. She also lovedtocook and took great pride in cooking for others Sheissurvivedbyher "darling daughter" and caregiver, Kimberly; her "baby" James(Jennifer); daughters GlendaMaria andDenise Cordiero;sisters Esperanza "Putsy" Gomezand Pearl Pena; numerouscousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren Sheispreceded in death by hermother,PearlRita Brown Hontiveros; father Ramon Hontiveros, Sr.; daughterChristinaGoude; sons Mark "Rocky" and Michael; siblings Ramona "Mona" Ramos, Ramon "Junior" Hontiveros, Jr., Salvador "Sal" Hontiveros, and Felipe"Eppie" Hontiveros(Fe). Jackie also leaves behind her"Forever Friends", friends, colleagues and students andjoins those whopreceded her. AFuneral Mass will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, September10, 2025 in thechapelof Westside/Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 5101 WestbankExpressway in Marrero,Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, the

Barsana,

Jacqueline

Anticich, Louis

Barnes Sr., Walter L.

4B ✦ Sunday, September 7, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune family requests memorial tributes for final expenses on GoFundMe in honorof Jackie Barsana at https://gofundme.com/inmemory-of-jackie-barsana Goodnight, Darling Mother.

Bissette, Carl Deane

Carl DeaneBissette passedawayonSeptem‐ber 3, 2025, at theage of97, inthe loving care of her familyafter abrief battle withpancreaticcancer. A humblebut commanding presencethroughouther life, sheprovedtobeso alsoindeath.Carlmain‐tainedmostofher inde‐pendenceand cognizance until theveryend,a truth for which herfamilyis grateful. Carl Deaneispre‐ceded in deathbyher hus‐band, Norman Robert Bob" Bissette,and her children, CharlesRobert Bissette,Richard Wayne Bissette andJimmieLynn Penny” Bissette.She is survivedbyher daughter Linda B. Vincent, son-inlaw Cary,grandchildren Emily V. McElrath (Christo‐pher),AndrewVincent (Is‐abella), andher great grandchildren Jaimeson McElrathand Cael McEl‐rath. Atruecountry girl bornMay 13, 1928, Carl Deane livedout most of her life in Luling,Louisiana, where shehad alongand memorable career as a nurse,a life callingthatre‐mainedwithher until the veryend.She wasalways the caregivertoeveryone she met. To this day, many ofher closestfriends were colleaguesshe metwhile working at thehospitalin Luling, whostill lovingly refer to heras“Mrs. B. Her otherpassionswere her familyand herfaith bothofwhich shecher‐ished deeply.A funeralser‐vicewillbeheldatFirst Baptist Church of Luling, 921 Paul Maillard Road,Lul‐ing,Louisiana,onWednes‐day,September 10, 2025

The visitation will be held atthe church from 11 a.m. until 1p.m., with thefu‐neral servicetofollowbe‐ginning at 1p.m.Interment willbeinSt. CharlesCeme‐tery, Paul Maillard Road, Luling, Louisiana. Friends and familyare invitedto attend.Inlieuof ﬂowers, donations maybemadeto First BaptistChurch of Lul‐ing,her spiritualhomefor manyyears.Mothe Funeral Homeisassisting thefam‐ily during this most difﬁ‐culttime. Thefamilyin‐vites youtoshare fond thoughts, memories and condolences online at www.mothefunerals.com

John Whitney Carter peacefully entered eternal life on Friday, August22, 2025, after abrief illness. He was born in New Orleans, LA on January 6, 1937. He was predeceased by his mother, Antonia deLaVega Carter and his children, Michael Patrick Carter and Elizabeth Ann Carter. He is survived by four grandchildren, Gabrielle H. McGowan, Bethany M. Carter, KyleP Carter, Cody J. Carter, and two great grandchildren, Maxwell McGowan and August McGowan. He is also survived by his brother Ray Carter, his nieces Genie C. Powers and Suzy C. Sharp, his ex-wife Bradley W. Walthall, and cousins, great nieces and nephews. John lived most of his lifeinthe New Orleans area, and lived also in Los Angeles, CA, returned to Metairie and spent his final years in Mandeville, LA living at the Windsor Senior Community. He attended Fortier High School, followed by three years in the Marine Corp. of which he was very proud. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant (E4). John's work career was varied. He was awarehousemanager for shipping companies, asecurity officerfor Warner Bros., and asinger in musical theater and for weddings and other occasions.

Besidesthe love for his childrenand family, his othergreat love was music. From opera to Broadway to pop, and from Mario LanzatoKelly Clarkson,heloved it all. He appreciatedgoodtalent, TCMmovies and the world of entertainment. God gifted John with abeautiful tenor voice. In hisyouth, he starred in several local musicals and was aformer memberofthe New Orleans Symphony Chorus. He loved sports, especially Saints, LSU and Tulane football,and loved hisNew Orleans goodfood,coffee and chicory, and beignets. Relativesand friends areinvited to attend a memorialservice atLake LawnMetairieFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans, LA on Tuesday,September9th, 2025,from 10a -12p followed by abrief interment serviceinAll Saints Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to STOPS(St. Tammany Outreach forthe Prevention of Suicide), 427 N. Theard St., PMB500, Covington, LA 70433orto NAMI. St. Tammany, 23577 Marten Way,Mandeville LA 70448. To view and sign the online guestbook, please visitwww.lakelawn metairie.com

Benito R. Castiglione passedawayonThursday, August28, 2025 at theage of88. Belovedwifeof Peggy Castiglionefor 60 years.FatherofLouis Cas‐tiglione(Laura),Sonia Tal‐abock (Kevin), andthe late Benny Castiglione(Stacy) and ChristopherCas‐tiglione (Amanda).Son of the late Rosaliaand Angelo Castiglione.Brother of Giuseppi Castiglione(Enz‐ina), andthe late LuigiCas‐tiglione, ConchettaVicari Castiglione (Salvatore), CiroCastiglione (Cologera),Giusepina Bellina (Paul), GaetanoCastiglione (Lina), Anna Mazzarere(Ci‐ccio),ElviraCastiglione (Giuseppe)and Nicolino Castiglione (Olga).Grand‐fatherofJustinCastiglione (Savorah),Tyler Cas‐tiglione, Hailey Daigle (Jake), Jonathan Cas‐tiglione(Chole),Nicholas Talabock, Lainey Cas‐tiglione, Jade Castiglione, and Elaina Stiltner.Great grandfather of Noah Cas‐tiglione, TalenCastiglione, and (upcomingBlaire Daigle. Also survived by nieces, nephews, cousins and otherrelatives.Benito leftSicilywhenhewas 18 and lived in Venezuelauntil hewas 26, where he held various jobs includingsell‐ing fruit, taxi driver,and automotiverepair. He cametothe United States tocontinue hismechanical career, where he metand married hiswife, Peggy.He was employed by theMis‐sissippiRiver GrainEleva‐tor for32years as aMain‐tenance Superintendent and retiredfor the first timeat65years old. He cameout of retirement at 66years oldtorun avehi‐cle inspection stationuntil his second retirement at 82 years old. Throughout his life, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, welding, and fixing anythingthatwas broken Hewas passionate about cookingfor hisfamily, veg‐etable gardeningand growing fruit trees.He would do anything forhis childrenand made the World’s Best expresso and cappuccino. Services will beheldprivately at alater date.

Darnall, Earl

Earl Darnall(Dad, Grandpa, UncleEarl) passed awaypeacefullyinthe early morninghours of September 1, 2025. Foral‐most92years he liveda lifefulloflove, laughter good friends, funand good

food.BornonSeptember 8, 1933, in Paducah, Kentucky tothe late BediePeckDar‐nalland CliftonCharles Darnall, Earl livedinthis beautiful countrysetting until hisfamilyrelocated toDetroit,Michiganwhen hewas under theage of ten.Earlenlistedinthe UnitedStatesNavyin1953 and served as aradio oper‐atoruntil honorablydis‐charged.Hecontinued to bea licensed radioopera‐tor after hisservice ended. Heand thelateJean MoniesDarnall marriedon September 6, 1956, andre‐mainedcommitted to each other forover64years lov‐ing herdearlyeachday Earlbegan hislifelongca‐reer with International BusinessMachines(IBM) in1957 andworkeddili‐gentlyuntil hisretirement in1992. WhileatIBM,heat‐tendedLoyolaUniversityin New Orleans, LA to further his education. Earl was promotedtoSeniorCus‐tomer Engineer of IBM ElectricTypewriterDivision in1964, andlater claimed the titleofDistrictField Manager,along with many other awards andacco‐lades from IBM. Some of the coworkersfromIBM becamefriends sharing manygood timesand ﬁsh‐ing adventures throughout his life.Asmemberof Christthe King Catholic Church since1961, Earl was activeinthe Holy Name So‐ciety andcontinued to at‐tendchurch until just afew years ago. He also enjoyed the community by partici‐patinginTerrytown Golden Age Club,Terrytown Grand Squares,and othersports teams forbowling,basket‐ball, andtennis. Earl was anavid ﬁshermanpassing onthe love of thesport to his sons andgrandson. After retirement,hedis‐covered going on cruises, which he thoroughly en‐joyed,probablymostfor the endlessbuffets.Earlis survivedbyhis children, LoriDarnall Nawn, Scott Darnall (Shaun) andDarren Darnall (Susan), andwill forever be remembered as Grandpa” to Colleen Nawn Haveles (Harry), Chloe Nawn, Colton Darnall(Lau‐ren)and DelaneyDarnall. If you knew Earl,you also knowthathecounted his childrenand grandchildren ashis greatest blessings. His nephewsand their familiesofMichigan, niecesand nephewsin Kentucky, andthe many niecesand nephewsliving inthe NewOrleans metro areawillalwaysrecall “UncleEarl” with atwinkle intheir eyes.Precededin death by hisparents,Bedie and CliftonDarnall; his brother,Charles Darnall (Helen);and hiswife, Jean Darnall, he leaves ava‐cancy on this earth, but heartsfulloflovefor the beautiful person of Earl Darnall. Family andfriends are invitedtoattend the FuneralService in the ChapelofMothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Expwy., Harvey,LAonFri‐day,September 12, 2025 at 11am. Visitation will be heldfrom9am until 11am. Familyand friendscan viewand sign theonline guest book at www.mot hefunerals.com. Thefamily would like to expresstheir deepestgratitude to the extraordinary staff of The Peristyle at Bucktown for their amazingcareand loveof“Mr.Earl” andto Hospice Specialist of Louisiana fortheir wonder‐ful care,wisdomand guid‐ance. Knowinghewas in yourcaremadethisjour‐ney much easier forthe family.

Joseph

DavidJosephDrolla passedawayonFriday, Au‐gust22, 2025, at theage of 59years.David wasbornin New Orleans, Louisiana, on the 24thday of May1966 Heissurvivedbyhis par‐ents, Dale TschirnDrolla and FrancisJosephDrolla, Jr. andhis wife,Terry GlaudiDrolla, andhis sister DanaDrollaManly andher husband,David Michael Manly.David waspreceded indeath by hismaternal grandparents, Lorraine WaltTschirn andEdward RooseveltTschirn,his pa‐ternalgrandparents, Genevieve “Gam”Clark Drollaand FrancisJoseph Drolla. Davidgraduated fromSt. Paul’s School in Covington andobtained an Associates Degree from Delgado Community Col‐legeinRadiology Technol‐ogy.Hewas employed at North ShoreRegionalMed‐icalCenterinSlidell Louisiana, for18years

Davidthencompleted a ComputedTomography courseatDelgado Commu‐nityCollege andwas em‐ployedatTulaneUniversity Hospitalasa CT Technolo‐gistfor 4years.InJune of 2020, Davidcontracted Guillian-Barré Syndrome,a rareautoimmune disorder where thebody’simmune systemattacks theperiph‐eralnerves, renderinghim disabledfor severalyears prior to hisdeath.David was adevoted animal lover.Hecherished his dogs,Lilyand Apache,and his cat, TheChurdle. David finally found peacein death after struggling for mostofhis life with de‐pressionand anxiety. Fam‐ily andfriends areinvited toattend amemorialser‐vicefor DavidatOur Lady ofthe Lake Catholic Church,312 Lafitte Street, Mandeville, on Friday morning,September 12, 2025, with visitation from 10:30 a.m. until aMemorial Massatnoon.E.J.Fielding FuneralHomehas been en‐trusted with funeral arrangements. TheDrolla familyinvites youtoshare thoughts, fondestmemo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatE.J.FieldingFuneral HomeGuest Book at www ejfieldingfh.com

Durham passed away peacefully on August 28, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, at theage of 93. She was born November 19, 1931, in Monroe, Louisiana, to Narcissa "Cis" Nadia(nee Jack) Phelpsand Joseph RinaldoPhelps. As an only child, she enjoyed aunique childhoodplaying in thelocal neighborhood by the Ouachita River, shooting her pelletgun and fishing with her dadwho died unexpectedlywhen she was only11years old. Her family subsequently acquired a piano and her lifelong love of music was born. She became an accomplishedpianist and had abeautiful soprano voice.She graduated fromNeville High School (Monroe)and matriculated at theH.Sophie Newcomb Collegeof Tulane University, majoring in voice in theSchool of Music. She was amember of theChi Omega Fraternity, graduating in 1952. She married Max Holmes Durham, Jr. that same year and they settled in Hammond,LA, Max's hometown, where they raised threesons: Joseph, Rogerand John. She continuedher love of music singing in thechoirof Grace Memorial Episcopal Church (Hammond)and Christ Church Cathedral (NewOrleans). Alater highlight was cabaret recitals with her friend Mr. Ray Bass, an accomplished pianist.

She and Max moved the family to NewOrleans in 1969 where she became activeinlocal organizations there. Highlights included:

-President Newcomb Alumnae Association, 1990 -1992.

-Newcomb Alumnae AssociationCommunity Service and LoyaltyAward, 1994.

-Chair of theGulf Coast District,New York Metropolitan Opera -Past President, Women's Guildofthe New Orleans Opera Association.

-Member of The Ruth McEnery Stuart Clan She and Max lovedto entertainand in 1985 she was recognized in theNew Orleans Times Picayune newspaper as oneofthe top10hostessesfor parties in NewOrleans. She noted that "goodconversation" is therequisite for asuccessful party. Anyone that knew her well willcertainly remember her appreciationof"agood conversationalist."

Afiercely loyal supporter of heralma mater Newcomb College,she was aco-founder of agroup of ladiescalled "Friendsof Newcomb." In 1987 they fought to maintain the identityofNewcomb College as aseparate women's collegeand to prevent amerger of the faculties of Newcomb College and theCollege of Arts &Sciences of Tulane University.

Pollyand Max moved back to Hammond where Max died in 2011. She moved to theBeverly neighborhood in Chicago to be closetoher sonJoe's

familyin2018. Shewas preceded in death by herparents,stepfather Roger Crawford White, half-brother James Nicholas WhiteII, stepsiblingsRoger Crawford White, Jr and Dorothy "Dotty" WhiteWicker, and Max, herdevoted husband of 59 years. Sheissurvived by herthree sons Joseph (Marianne), Roger,and John (Stacia)whose families includefivegrandchildren Katherine (Ryan Maki), Daniel(Meghan), Leah (Stephen Flaherty), John "Jack" andCarter, alongwith fivegreatgrandchildrenCharlotte, Max, and Daisy Durham; Maeve Maki andCarter Flaherty.

Herfuneral service is scheduled for Friday, September 26, 2025, at 10:30 am at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Hammond Louisiana, with burialimmediately after in the adjoiningcemetery. Areception will follow in the church parish hall.Inlieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to thescholarship created in honor of Polly'smother, the Narcissa Jack White Scholarship FundatTulane University. Visit "giving.tulane.edu/memory" to make an online gift or mail acheck to Tulane University. Please indicate that thegift is in memory of PollyDurham and is for theNarcissa JackWhite Scholarship

Foster,Burnley

BurnleyBentley “Bunny” Foster, born January25, 1950 in St.Andrew, Ja‐maica,passedawayonAu‐gust28, 2025 in Madis‐onville,LA. He wasa beloved husband, father father-in-law,grandfather, great-grandfather,brother uncle,cousinand friend Hewas knownfor hislaidbackspirit, generous heart and deep love forhis fam‐ily.Bunnyspent hisearly childhood yearsinCayman Brac, Cayman Islands. He moved with hisfamilyto America in 1956 andthey settled in Chalmette,LAin 1961. It is therethathemet the love of hislife, Mary Ann Ybarzabal, whomhe married in 1968. Together theyhad onedaughter, Sindy AnnFoster(Guarino) Bunnywas ahard-working, skilled carpenterand con‐tractor who worked along‐sidehis father andbroth‐ers formanyyears building a successful business of developinghomes,rental propertiesand commercial propertiesinbothSt. Bernard Parish andthe CaymanIslands.Heand Marymadethe permanent movetoGrand Cayman in 1987 andcontinued the familybusiness. Bunny was most passionate about fishing, boatingand dragracing. He spentmost ofhis retirement island hopping around the Caribbean,deep sea-fish‐ing andsearching forthe nextbestRum bar. He was a well-respectedmember ofthe Cayman IslandsAn‐gling Club,and oneofhis greatestjoyswas mentor‐ing young fisherman. Bunnylived life to the fullest.Heloved sharing his island with visiting familyand friends, hosting big cookouts,and making everyonefeel welcomed at his home.Bunnyissur‐vived by hislovingwifeof 57years,MaryAnn Ybarza‐bal Foster;his beloved daughter, SindyFoster Guarino andson-in-law, GeraldGuarino,who he ad‐mired greatly. He adored his grandchildren, Matthew RaymondCarba‐jal andMarisaMaryGuar‐ino;and great-grandchil‐drenAmeliaRae Carbajal, Bentley Edward Carbajal and Sophie JayneCarbajal, who allknewhim as “Papa.” He wasa loving brother to siblings Ronald BerkeleyFoster(Joyce), Donna Foster Campbell (Bruce),and Lonnie Clifton Foster. He wasa cherished uncle to nieces and nephews,Stacy Foster Ro‐driguez (Henry), Christie FosterSerigne (Beau),Ran‐dallFosterMartin(Katie) and Andrew Berkeley Mar‐tin.And lastly,hewas lov‐ingly knownas“Pops”and adoredbyBrayden andAva Philpott. He is preceded in death by hislovingpar‐ents, Berkeley &Selena Fosterand hisgreatnephew, Gage Garcia Bunnyleavesbehinda legacyofloveand good vibes to allwho were blessedtoknowand love him.Hehad avastarray of friends that he considered familyand cousinsthathe keptintouch with daily. He will be terribly missedby

Gomez, Mary Eckert-Duhon

Mary Eckert-Duhon Gomez passedaway peacefully at herhomeon September 4, 2025, just shy ofher 98thbirthday. Born inSaratogaSprings,NYon September 6, 1927, to John and LeonaEckert, Mary is precededindeath by her ﬁrsthusband,Melvin Duhonand hersecondhus‐band, Harold Gomez. Sheis survivedbyher sister Jo Armstrong andbrother DickEckert, her ﬁve chil‐drenMel (Ginny), Marjory, Marcia, Mickey andMark (Jana). Herstepdaughter Cindy,niece Ruthie Mur‐phy,grandchildren Jason (Robin),Rachel(Terrance), Dana(Steve),and Jay(Lau‐ren), andher greatgrand‐childrenEmber,Lennox, Devin,Brayden,Rowan and her numerous nieces and nephews.InMary’searly years shewas aNurse Corpvolunteer,a Cub Scout denmother, asub‐stitute teacher, anda re‐tiree of Sears. Shewas a lover of puzzlesand read‐ing andwas adevoted parishioner of St.Ann Catholic Church where she volunteered to count Sun‐day offeringsand work in the church gift shop Friends andrelatives are invited to attend thefu‐neral serviceonTuesday September 9, 2025, at Gar‐den of Memories Funeral Home, 4900 AirlineDrive, Metairie, Louisiana, 70001 Visitationwillbegin at 10:00 am,witha Catholic Massfollowing at 11:00 am. Burial will follow im‐mediately after.The family would like to expressa special thanks to Anvoi Hospice

Gradwohl,Carmelite Caballero'Cam'

Carmelite"Cam" Ca‐ballero Gradwohl,a life‐longresidentofKenner, Louisiana,passedaway peacefully on September1, 2025, on her94thbirthday. BorninPaincourtville, Louisiana,onSeptember 1, 1931, Camwas thedaugh‐ter of thelateEdmundCa‐ballero andthe late Ange‐lineLandryCaballero.She was oneoften siblings and isprecededindeath by her beloved husbandMorris Gradwohl. Brothers and sisters:Lucy, Rosalie, John, Jeanna, Ned, Louis, Percy, Mercedes, andAudreyCa‐ballero.Cam dedicatedher lifetofamily, faith,and community.She worked in the school system in her early yearsasa busdriver and crossing guard, and later served thecityof KennerPoliceDepartment, where shewas knownfor her dedication,warmspirit and quick-witted personal‐ity.A devotedcatholic, Cam wasa longtime parishioner of OurLadyof Perpetual Help Church, where shefound joyand purpose in leadingthe Rosary. Herfaith remained a pillar of strength throughouther life.Cam had adeep love forani‐malsand enjoyeda variety ofhobbies includingbowl‐ing,gardening,paintingce‐ramics, playingbaseball, and workingoncrossword puzzles.She wasalsoan enthusiasticfan of both New OrleansSaintsand LSU Tigers,rarelymissing a game on TV.She is sur‐vived by herchildren, Mark Gradwohl(Shannon),and stepdaughterEileen Grad‐wohl; adoringgrandchil‐dren, Brittany Gradwohl and CoreyGradwohl (Renee),and twogreatgrandchildren Caroline and Cooper. Camisalsosur‐vived by numerous nieces, nephews,and cousins, all whomshe loveddearly. Relativesand friendsare

Durham, PollyPhelps

PollyJeanPhelps

Bentley'Bunny'

Castiglione, Benito R.

Carter, John Whitney

Drolla,David

invitedtoattendthe fu‐neral services on Monday, September 8, 2025, at Gar‐den of Memories Funeral Home, 4900 AirlineDrive, Metairie, Louisiana, 70001 Visitationwillbegin at 10:00 a.m.,witha Catholic Massfollowing at 12:00 p.m.Burialwillfollowim‐mediately after.Inlieuof flowers, thefamilykindly request that donationsbe madeinCam’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Re‐searchHospital, acause thathelda specialplace in her heart. Thefamily would like to expresstheir sincere appreciation to the friends andstaff of St Francis Villa, Guardian An‐gelsHospice,and aspecial thankstoher devoted caregiver,Mrs.Brenda, for the compassionatecare and kindness showndur‐ing Cam’s finaldays. To offeronlinecondolences, send flowerstothe family, orplant atreeinmemory ofCarmelite “Cam”Ca‐ballero Gradwohl,please visit www.gardenofmem oriesmetairie.com

Rixby, age 88, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, September 4, 2025. He was aresident of Springfield, LA. Rixby proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps. He was an exceptionallytalented Civil Engineer and worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers for 33 years. Rixby was called out of retirement in 2004 to serve5 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq asa Civil Engineer until 2010 His favorite pastime was golf, and he loved every minute of it. Rixby worked as aMarshal at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for over 20 years and took his position seriously. He was an exceptional cook and oneofhis favorite things was to cook big meals and invite as many people over as he could. Rixby wasa people person and would go out of his way to help others and make friends He was atrue family man and was happiest surrounded by those he loved. Rixby was abrilliant man, loving husband, wonderful father, and aloyal friend. He left everyone that knew him with countless wonderful memories and will be deeply missed. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Carolyn Joyce LeBlanc Hardy; daughters, Erika Hardy, Stacey Madden; grandson, Christian Madden; sisters, Audrey Bergeron, Glynda Jagneaux; and his twin brother, Rixie Hardy (Celina). Rixby waspreceded in death by his parents, Effie and EssayHardy; and siblings,Winnie Marso, Flaudry Lormand, Bradley Hardy, Joe Hardy, and Suzzanne Herbert. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Richard Murphy Hospice House. Relatives and friendsof the familyare invited to attend the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Margaret Catholic Church on Friday, September 12, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Fr. Paul Gros will officiate with interment to follow in the Hungarian Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Areception will follow the burial at St. Margaret Catholic Church Parish Hall. Condolences and other information may be found at www.thompsoncares.com.

Arrangments have been entrusted to Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home.

Hartman, Margaret Delphine Brignac

Margaret Delphine Brignac Hartmandied Thursday,July31, 2025, in Bay St.Louis,MS, aged 91

Margaretwas thedaughter ofthe late Paul Marion Brignac andMarionLaw‐lessBrignac,sisterofthe lateMaryEllen Brignac Grenrood andPaulMarion

Brignac, Jr andmother-inlaw of thelate Donald W. Lawson. Margaret was borninNew Orleans, LA and livedinNew Orleans mostofher life.For many years,she residedbothin PassChristian andBay St Louis,MS. Shewas affec‐tionately knownas“Mag‐gie”and “Meg”. Margaret attendedthe Academyof the Sacred Heart, was graduated from Gulf Park College forWomen (Long Beach,MS),and attended LoyolaUniversity. Margaret issurvivedbysix children, MaryClare Hartman, H. EricHartman,MonicaH North (EarlT.North,II) MaryElizabeth HartmanLawson, EmilyM.Hartman and J. Matthew Hartman. She is also survived by her beloved nephews, nieces and cousins. Margaret lived herlifewitha passion for interior design,fashion, art,architecture, literature and music, allofwhich she saidnurturedthe soul and which passionshe encour‐agedinher children.She was apublished poet.Mar‐garet wasanadvocatefor socialjustice andcivil rights. Margaret wasa purecreativeand artistic spirit… arichlifeverywell lived.Infurtherance of Margaret’swishes, herfu‐neral servicewas privately held. Thefamilywishesto thank JacobSchoen& Son FuneralHomefor their generousand sensitive professionalservices, Fr RobertT.Cooper forhis lovelyand inspirational homilyand Dr.Charles C. Smith,III, whose extraordi‐narymedical care provided our mother with an excep‐tionalquality of life.And to her most treasuredfriends who provided ourmother withmanydecades of true friendship, we areforever grateful.

Hays, William Auburn Bill

WilliamAuburn Hays, Jr.

(Bill)died peacefully at his home in Baton Rouge, LouisianaonSeptember 3, 2025.Bill was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1934 and moved to New Orleans as achild.He graduated fromSt. Martin's Episcopal School, attended Tulane University, and later servedinthe United States Army in Germany. Whenhe was young, Bill explored his musicaltalents, playing the guitar and singing in the French Quarter. He loved to tell the story of how he got top billing (above Peter Graves) inthe Bhorror movie"Poor White Trash" forsinging the movie's theme song Bill thoughthemightbecome aprofessionalmusician, but after working as a roadie for Arlo Guthrie, he realized the touring life was not forhim. He continued to singfor pleasure for many years, andhis daughters fondly recallthe evenings he pulled out his guitar and led them in his favorite folksongs. Professionally, Bill was surprised to learn he had a headfor business anda real talent forsales.He opened asingle OK Tire Store in Gentilly and builtit into Direct TireTown,a successful multi-state chainofautomotive and tire stores. He loved what he called"wheeling and dealing", referring to himself as a"Tyrecoon"and workingwellinto his70s. His passion was sailing. He learned to sail in high school and over the years becamea skilledracer.He won numerous races, including the GulfOcean Racing Circuit and the race to Pensacola. Billwas an honorary lifetime member of the SouthernYacht Club An avid traveler,Bill and his wifePat, his favorite traveling partner, enjoyed countlessadventurestogether in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. They also lovedantiquing together, particularly at the Brimfield Antique Market in Massachusetts. Billwill be remembered as awonderfulhusband, father, and grandfather, agreat friend, and an advisorand mentor to many. He wasgenerous with his time and support quick to laugh, and always ready with afunny storyor joke.Bill is survived by his wifePatricia Walt Hays,his two daughters,Catherine Hays Downs(Andrew) and Lee UphamHays, and by his grandchildren,Harrison MontgomeryDowns, WilliamBalfour Downs, and Elizabeth Tolhurst Downs. Bill waspreceded in death by hisparents illi b

WilliamAuburn Hays, Sr. and Sue Brown Hays, his belovedstepdaughter Tracy Tooker Griswold, and her husband George Turnure Griswold, Jr.The family wouldliketothank Bill'swonderfulcaregivers, Shaneka Williams, Tamara Billy, Jeannette Brown, Joyce Anderson, Rhonda Selvage, Carolyn Williams, and AprilBilly. Amemorial servicewillbeheld Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 1:00 pm at Lake Lawn MetairieFuneral Home,followedbya reception at theSouthern Yacht Club.Inlieuofflowers please make adonationto acharity of your choice.If youwouldliketohear Bill sing in his onlymovie role, visithttps://youtu.be/H2Z FPW5Cm6s.

Lott, Edward Randolph 'Eddie'

Edward "Eddie" Ran‐dolph Lott, age82, of Metairie, Louisiana, passed awaypeacefully on Tues‐day,August26, 2025. He is precededindeath by his parents,the late RubenJ Lottand Etha Cameron Lott, andhis sister Jacque‐lyn Lott Richardson.Heis survivedbyhis loving wife of59years,MarionEgloff Lott, hisdaughterAnn Lott Bockmeyer,husband Jeff Bockmeyer,son Edward Lott, Jr., andhis grand‐daughterKatherine Lott along with many nieces, nephews,and cousins. Eddie, also knownto friends andfamilyas"Big Ed,"loved hisfamilywith all hisheart.Hegrewupin PassChristian,Mississippi and graduatedfromPass Christian High School Eddieservedinthe Missis‐sippi Army National Guard and theArmyReserves. In his younger years, he vol‐unteered at St.PhilipNeri, Brother Martin,and ChapelleHighSchools. He enjoyed workingonthe chain gang forBrother Martinfootball gamesand coachingthe DixieYouth baseballteams at Girard Playground.Eddieloved the Saints,and College baseballand football,even thoughhewas torn be‐tween OleMissand LSU. His love forOle Miss was overwhelming, buthere‐allyenjoyed watching LSU, exceptwhentheyplayed eachother.Hewas aHotty Toddy forsure!!Big Ed had a hugepassion forhunting and ﬁshingwithhis family and friends. He wasinCol‐lectionsfor many years and retiredasVPCollec‐tions ManagerfromCres‐centBank& Trust. The familywould like to thank SerenityHospice,Dr. Michael Rooney,Dr. Carrie Marquette,and Dr.Jessie Gills fortheir exceptional careand compassion.A Visitationfor Eddiewillbe heldonSaturday, Septem‐ber 13, 2025, at Leitz-Eagan FuneralHome, 4747 Veter‐ans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA,from11:00 am - 1:00 pm,followedbya MemorialMassat1:00pm inthe Leitz-EaganChapel. In lieu of ﬂowers, thefam‐ily asks that donationsbe madeinmemoryofEddie LotttoSt. Philip Neri Church at 6500 Kawanee Ave., Metairie,LA70003.

John Joseph Mahler III, age 96, of Metairie,LA passedawayonTuesday September 2, 2025. John was born in NewOrleans LAonOctober 14, 1928. He was aformerlongtimeem‐ployeeand retiredfrom BellSouth around 1986. For manyyears he enjoyed meetingfriends forcoffee atMcDonald'sinMetairie. Johnwas preceded in death by hiswifeMarie FavaloroMahler; hissons, DennisJ.Mahler, Darren J. Mahler, andDanielJ Mahler; andhis parents, JohnJosephMahler, Jr.and Rose Manale Mahler.Sur‐

vivors includehis daugh‐ter,PamelaMahlerPizzo‐lato; hisgrandchildren, Shane Pizzolato, CoreyPiz‐zolato(Brennan),Joseph Mahler(Chelsey),Sharie Mahler(Jordan), Kaitlin Pizzolato Groh (Nick),and NicholasMahler; his6 great grandchildren, Penny,Zoe,Annie, Noelle, Rowan,Iris, andone on the way.A visitation forJohn willbeheldFriday, Sep‐tember12, 2025, from 10:00 a.m.to12:00 p.m. at LeitzEagan FuneralHome, 4747 VeteransMemorialBlvd., Metairie, LA 70006. AMass ofChristian Burial will be heldinthe chapel at 12:00 p.m.Interment following FuneralMassatGreen‐wood Cemetery,New Or‐leans,LA.

Sylvia Barry McGuire, 87, joinedJesus peacefully in the comfortofher home surrounded by herchildren and loving familyon Wednesday,September 3, 2025. Sylvia wasbornon March 26, 1938, in NewOr‐leans to CharlesBarry (de‐ceased) andVioletRan‐dazzo (deceased).She at‐tendedSacredHeart of Jesus where shemet her childhood sweetheart, James Robert McGuire, Sr “Captain Bob”,who pre‐ceded herindeath.They celebrated66lovingyears ofmarriage. They were blessedwithsix children: DebbieCarterDallmann (Gerry), JamesR.McGuire, Jr. “Bubba”(Karen),Sylvia McGuire,Jr. (deceased), Maureen Colletta (Jordan), Colleen Scamardo (Pete) and MissyBonano(Donnie Sr.)She wassisterto RobertA.Barry,Sr. (de‐ceased) Survived by her sisters-in-law, Georgette McGuire andRae Guarino. She wasa proud“Nana”to 24grandchildren:David DeNoux, CrystalLamb (Chris),JBColletta (Sharon), Dionne DeNoux DonaldBayard(Alicia), Wayne Carter,GinaTho‐moff, Kelly Rednour(de‐ceased) (Jon), Kier Braen‐del (Kyle),PJNaquin, Don‐nie Bonano,Jr. (Kayla), Katie McGuire, Desiree’ Bo‐nano, Seamus McGuire (Kara), JoeColletta,Nicole Montgomery(Matt),Patti Rader (Brandon), Melissalynn Bonano (James),KaciMcGuire Paige Billiot (Kirk),Sean McGuire,DanielBonano, Anthony Bonano andChar‐lie Bonano.Nanahad 44 “great” grandchildren: Megan (Cy),Joseph, Do‐minick, Kameron, Jordan, Lacey,Koen, Kaia,Ava, Gavin,Eleanor,Edith Kalilu, Madalyn(Jeremy), Braden, Callen,Stephen Matthew,Jacob,Madison, Brill,Jake, Maximilian,Vio‐let,Malachi,Ezekiel, Alyson, Grant, Xirina Corbin, Shiloh, Harper, Balor,Jagger, Kaspian, Valo, DJ III, Victoria,Vivian, Zachary,Abigail,Juliana, Johnson,Lucyand 5 “great-great” grandchil‐dren: Tyler, Brienne Zeplyn, Charlie- Ruby and Avery.She wasbeyond gratefultohavewitnessed ﬁve generationsoffamily growing up around her. Sylviawas Aunt to Belinda Casey (deceased) Michael (deceased), Sherrie Maykutand BobbyBarry Jr (Annette)and “great aunt” toAshley(Joshua)Kear‐ney,Michael Caseyand Elizabeth Barry.She was also“Nana”tomanyoth‐ers includingSandy Wood Marie Walls(Greg), Carter Thompson, Karen Schnadelbach, Alan Wolfe, RyanWolfe,Tyler Schnadelbach, Spencer Schadelbach,GerilynDall‐mann, Matt Dallmann and Everett Southwood.Sylvia was afoundingmemberof bothWestgateHomeown‐ers Club andGreen Acres Country Club formany years.She worked as a nurse at East Jefferson Hospitalfor over 25 years. She wasdedicated to her faith andservedasa Eu‐charistic Minister at St.Ed‐wardthe Confessorin Metairieand Mary Queen ofPeace in Mandeville.She was presentlyanactive memberofMaryQueen of Peace’s groupfor widows and wasfaithfully in atten‐dance at theirretreatsand luncheons.Sylvianever missedsending abirthday card, aweekly visittothe hairsalon with Karenora Sundaywithout Catholic massand watching Nascar. Shewas aloyal friendand caregivertoher cat “Sox”. Shewillbe greatly missedbythose who knew andloved her. Herfamilywould like to ac‐

knowledgethe wonderful caregiven during herlast daysbyACG hospiceaids, nurses, Chaplain,and staff, aswellasDr. Aduliand his nurse practitionersand Dr Tania Levi.Friends and familyare invitedtocele‐brate on theNorthshore for Mass on Monday,Sep‐tember8,2025, at Mary Queen of PeaceCatholic Church,1501 W. Causeway Approach,Mandeville. Visi‐tationwillbegin at 10:00 amand Mass will com‐mence at 11:00 am.A con‐tinuedcelebration will be heldonthe Southshore at Greenwood FuneralHome, 5200 CanalBlvd, NewOr‐leans.Visitationwillbe from1:00pmtill 2:00 pm witha privatefamilyinter‐menttofollow, where she willeternally rest beside her husband. In lieu of ﬂowers, please consider massesordonations to MaryQueen of Peace Catholic Church in Sylvia’s memory. We also invite you toshare your thoughts memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatwww greenwoodfh.com

JamesEugeneNolan poet, ﬁctionwriter, essay‐ist,translator, andbeloved New Orleanian, passed awayonAugust22, 2025, at the ageof77. Born on Sep‐tember3,1947, Nolanwas a ﬁfth-generation NewOr‐leanian who couldtrace his Creole Catholic family fromits originstoits multileveled tomb in St.Louis No. 3Cemetery. Agifted storyteller, hisworkap‐pearedinBoulevard,New Orleans Noir,UtneReader, The Washington Post,Po‐etry, TheSouthernReview and La Vanguardia de Barcelona.His translations ofthe poetry of Pablo Neruda’sand JaimeGil de Biedma’swerepublished inseveral volumes. Nolan earnedhis Ph.D.fromthe UniversityofCaliforniaBerkeley- SantaCruzand attended Eckerd Collegein Florida andLoyolaUniver‐sityNew Orleans. He taughtLiteratureand Cre‐ative WritinginFlorida,San Francisco,Barcelona, Madrid, Beijing, andNew Orleans.Nolan served as Writer-in-Residence at Tu‐laneand Loyola Universi‐ties, directingthe Loyola Writing Institutefor 12 years,and latertaughtat the Arts CouncilofNew Or‐leans.Nolan's literary ac‐colades includea National Endowment forthe Arts grant,a Javits Fellowship in the Humanities,and two Fulbright Fellowships. His short storycollectionPer‐petualCarewon theJeffer‐son PressPrize andthe NextGenerationIndie Book Award.His novelHigher Ground earned the Faulkner–Wisdom Gold Medal,and YouDon’t Know Mereceivedthe Indepen‐dentPublishersGold Medal in Southern Fiction. His memoir Flight Risk: Memoirs of aNew Orleans Bad Boywas also honored withthe Next Generation IndieBookAward forBest Memoir. NastyWater:Col‐lectedNew OrleansPoems thathedescribed as an "autobiographyofplace," contains50poems he'd written during thepast50 years.His 1974 chapbook, WhyI Live in theForest

mayholdsomeofhis finest poetry.Ina recent onlinetribute,friendand famed fellow writer Andrei Codrescudescribes Nolan as“atrueNew Orleans aristocratand superb sto‐rytellerwhose many books are alivewiththe events of his adventurouslife.”Co‐drescuwrites, “Likethe multi-culturalcityhere‐turnedtoafter histravels his proseemanatedthe in‐effablequality of NewOr‐leans,likethe sweet olive thatbloomsunexpectedly behindthe St.Louis Cathe‐dral.”Nolan’s life wasas remarkableashis writing. Nolan spentmuchofhis adolescence in theFrench Quarter and, as ayoung man,lived in Sonoma,Cali‐forniaaspartofSan Fran‐cisco’s Angels of Lightthe‐atergroup.Nolan later "taught EnglishinChina duringMao’s Cultural Rev‐olution,and livedinSpain under Franco,and returned toSan Franciscoduringits literaryrenaissance," writesCodrescu. Nolan was friendswithpoetand CityLightsbookstore founder Lawrence Fer‐linghetti andScottish writerAlexander McCall Smith.His fictionand es‐sayswereimbuedwiththe excitingpeopleand places heloved,his prosealso resonantwithhis elegant New Orleansaccent. “Each ofhis adventures found another life in thestories hetoldhis friends. We spent many magicalhours inthe French Quarterre‐galingeachother,orany‐one who wouldlisten, with our stories,”writesCo‐drescu. Fluent in French and Spanish, Nolanlived in manyfascinating interna‐tionalcitiesbut wasonly evertruly at home in New Orleans.Itwas theplace heloved best,and he spent mostofthe last three decades in TheFrench Quarter,onEsplanade Ridge in thehistoricLuling Mansion,adjacenttothe FairGrounds, andinThe Marigny.Heenjoyed visit‐ing friendsinBarcelona Madrid, andSan Francisco. A talented cook andgra‐cious host,Nolan’s dinner parties (often hisgrandmère'sgumbo,his shrimp étouffée, or aspicy chicken curry,servedwith fine wine andgood music) would oftenstretch into the earlymorning madru‐gada. Nolanregularly stayedupall nightwriting and sleptlateinthe day. DuringHurricane Katrina, Nolan wasamong thelast toevacuateNew Orleans, departing in astolen school busfromthe Mon‐teleone Hotelalongside jazzlegendAllen Tous‐saint.Hewould write about this in an essayenti‐tled, "Our Hell in High Water," forThe Washing‐ton Post.His finalbook, Be‐tween Dyingand Not Dying,I Chosethe Guitar: The Pandemic Yearsin New Orleans(University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press),was praisedbyCo‐drescuonits back-cover blurb:“This journalofthe plagueyears beginningin 2020 declares itself crisply onthe side of poetry…The mix of prescience,sobri‐ety,satire, andcuriosity thatare thetrademarksof his writingshine here.” Co‐drescuadded, “Yet every blurb is an obituary.His bodydidn'thavea choice, but hisguitarwillplaya longtimefor us.” Nolanis precededindeath by his parents Eugene Nolanand Helen Partee NolanofNew Orleans;maternalgrand‐parents LenowAlexander Parteeand Olga Landry Partee; andpaternal grandparentsEugeneand Ada BurkeNolan.Heissur‐vived by hissisterPatricia Nolan of SanDiego;niece Kaitlin FlynnArmstrong (Travis); great-niece Frankie Rose Armstrong; andgreat-nephewWyatt

McGuire, Sylvia Barry

Hardy, Rixby James

Nolan, JamesEugene

Owned and Operated by Firemen’s Charitable & BenevolentAssociation

Mahler III, John Joseph

Expanding fortified roofsis theone insurance strategy we can all agreeon

Sadly,there’snosilver bulletthat can quickly endthe property insurance crisis that is plaguing south Louisiana, vastly limitingthe availability of homeowners insurance anddriving costs so high that many residents are struggling to afford to live here. But there is one approach that has widespread support, evenacrossthe oft-warring political factions thatendlessly debate howand whether to regulate insurers,inthe hope they’ll eventually return to offeringoptions and consumerfriendly coverage: encouraging as many homeownersaspossible to put on fortiﬁedroofs. With the state Department of Insurance collecting applications through the endofthe week foranew roundofgrants to help homeowners make this costly but important upgrade,we once again urge policymakers at thestate and local levelstodoall they can to help as many Louisianans as possible get new fortiﬁed roofs

The idea is straightforward. Roofs built to the “fortiﬁed” standardhave stronger shinglesthat are attached with atype of nail thatisharder for strong winds to ripout.Roof decks are sealed, and edges are strengthened.

Homes with these roofsare less costly to insure because the roofs are less likely to need replacement after ahurricane— and, just as important —are better able to protect ahome’s structure and contents from the sort of water intrusion that cancreate far more extensive damage.

The hope is that, if enough homeownersina given area make this upgrade, bettercommunity ratings will drive down rates more broadly Lawmakers have declined in recent yearsto require that insurers offer speciﬁc discountsfor policyholders with fortiﬁed roofs —a decision we hope they’ll revisit —but theDepartment of Insurance publishes alist of discountseach insurer offers. They range from around5%toas much as 50%, in afew cases. But they have passed other policies to help easethe upfrontinvestment, and so have some forward-thinking localities.

Oneexample is anew nonrefundable taxcredit of up to $10,000 toward theexpenseofputting on afortiﬁed roof, which took effectearlier this summer And applications are open throughFriday, Sept. 12, for the latest round of 500 $10,000 grants,tobeawarded by lottery.Applicants must meet aset of criteria, including having a homestead exemption at theproperty in question. Eligible homes must be located in Louisiana’sCoastal Zone or in LakeCharles, Sulphur or Westlake.

Detailed information on rules and eligibility is available on the LouisianaDepartment of Insurance’swebsite at ldi.la.gov

We hope to see more of these grants become available in the future, as well as other policy changes that help homeowners upgradetothis new, resilient standard.

As Insurance Commissioner TimTemple put it, “This program is vitalfor protectingour state against severe weather andmaking Louisiana amore attractive place for insurers to do business.”

That’ssomething we can allget behind.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

OPINION

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com. OUR VIEWS

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Propagandawar is shapingopinion

NEWROSS, Ireland Traveling the world as Ihave this summer exposed not only different opinions aboutmajor issues, but also adifference in how journalists in free countries and propagandistsin unfree ones report them

Gaza.

It’s thesame with “climate change.”

The TV networks interview only those who believe it and no one who hasany contrary opinion and information to support it.“Reporting” one side of an issue is what propagandists do.

Back to Gaza.

Sadly,much of the journalism in free countriesistoo often behaving like propagandists in unfree countries. The result is that people who consume “news” that tends to reﬂect one point of view now accept that point of view as their own. They reject, sometimes strongly,a different point of view and information thatcounterstheirs.

At the Kennedy Summer School I found this to be true. While an audience was receptive and seemingly appreciative of my appearance, when the time for questions came around things took adifferent turn. One questionwas about Gazaand Israel’s“genocide.” As Iexplained thehistory of Israel and the numerous attemptstoeradicate the Jewishpeople as far back as the events described in theOld Testament bookof Esther,the booing began. They didn’t want to hear it.Their minds had been made up, apparently from watching RTE, BBC, Sky News and reading the liberal Irish Times and The Guardian newspapers.

The recent Israeli attack on abuilding reportedly containing adevice thattracked the movements of Israeli troops resulted in the deaths of several journalistsand others who declared themselves journalists. The media and media organizations condemned the attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “deeply regrets the tragic mishap thatoccurred today at the NasserHospital in Gaza,” adding thatIsrael “valuesthe work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians” and saying the militarywas conducting a “thorough investigation.”

The media regularly ignore that Hamas hides inside hospitals, schools and other civilian locations so when Israel goes after those targets —even warning people in advancetoget out —civilians are sometimes killed to the propaganda advantage of the terrorists.

Palestinian Media Watch founder Itamar Marcus writes in the Jerusalem Post: “One of the shocking phenomena of the Israel-Hamas war is that all of the journalistsare reporting the same Hamas lies and propaganda so that there’s only one story coming out of

“The foreign media is uniformly blaming Israel for the so-called starvation in Gaza and following Hamas’ propaganda strategy,often broadcasting completely ﬁctitious images. The impact on Israel’simage in the world has been terrible, with polls showing that even American support for Israel is eroding.”

The propaganda war is important because it shapes public opinion. Public opinion is important because it inﬂuences governments (except in totalitarian states where polls are rarely taken and only asingular point of view from the dictators is fed to the masses).

Iwish Icould have questioned those booing at The Kennedy School. Do they know that Hamas and other terror groups believe they have areligious mandate to eliminate Israel and kill Jews? Can they name the river and the sea that U.S. protesters chant when demonstrating for Hamas and the people in Gaza,suggesting they are on the side of those who seek Israel’seradication? What do they read and watch?

Booing aspeaker is the equivalent of putting both hands over your ears, resulting in aone-dimensional mindset brought to you by aone-sided media that no longer qualiﬁes as journalism Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com

As autumn looms, atimetoreflect

They used to call them the dog days of August,those ﬁnal days of leisure as summer sprints to itsinevitable end. After Labor Day,news tends to pick up as people return from vacation and kids return to school. Butbefore we launch into therace towardthe holidays and the end of the year, September offers the perfect time to pause and reﬂect

I’ve been thinking alot about why we do what we do. AndI know that we set out to do alot in the Opinion pages this year to give our readers themostinteresting commentarywecan in print and online. We always get suggestions for new features or columns that you might enjoy.We listen to these, and we also keep an eye out for what other news outlets are doing. As you may have seen this year manynewspapers are pulling back from Opinion content. In apolarized nation, it can be seen as risky to pres-

ent opinions on the news of the day ButOpinion has alwaysbeen one of my favorite sections of the newspaper Ienjoy it when columnists or political cartoonists or letter writers challenge my beliefsor makemethinkofanissue in a new light Online, thereisplenty of commentary to be had. In fact, it seemswelive in an age with an explosion of opinion news. But alot of what’s there can seem more shallow In college, Iloved reading columns in print from the likes of Russell Baker in The New York Times and Charles Krauthammer in The Washington Post. Andinvarious cities I’ve lived in, there have also been great Metro columnists who gave aspin on local issues. ButIliked political and cultural commentary.Iwould clip out some of the best and carry them with me to reread again and again. There’sbeauty in agood argument wellpresented. It’s

not an easy thing to do. Thank goodness now we can read articles on our smartphones and don’t have to carry yellowed bits of paper around.

Iknow manyofyou whoread us regularly have that sameinterest in hearing viewsfrom all over.I am certainly glad that this newspaper remains committed to keeping good commentary front and center.Sometimes it’sthe only way to cut through the noise and have alittle funwhen the newsseems so heavy.Wedostrive to vary the mix of viewsthat we publish. We can always do better,however,and welcome your suggestions. Last week was ashort one due to the holiday,soI don’thave the count of letters received foryou. But we will catch up next week. Until then, keep sending your opinions in.

Arnessa Garrett

Cal Thomas

La.’sIsaacsondoesthe Declarationright

As we approach next year’s 250th anniversaryofthe Declaration of Independence, we should better understand, be grateful for,and celebrate “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.”

Referring to the Declaration’s famous second sentence, that is the title of asmall bookbyLouisianan Walter Isaacson, due to be released in November but which can be preorderedonline. Isaacson, the former Time editor and CEO of CNN who has written highlyregarded biographiesofLeonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin and Elon Musk, among others,has now produced this eminently readable tract about the principles that deﬁne the United States. In doing so in just 67 spare pages including appendices, Isaacsonhopes to reinspire Americans to acknowledge and take pride in “common rights, common grounds, commontruths, and common aspirations. Democracy depends on this.” For the 35-word sentence that

so melliﬂuously proclaimsthat all men are created equal with rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Isaacson parses each locution to give full effect to its signiﬁcance. The opening“we,”for example,receives twofull pages of discussion of “social contract theory” —somethingseemingly bred in the very bones of those of us over,say,age 60, but which seems largely unfamiliar to plenty of people under, say,40.

Likewise, the phrase “created equal” gets the necessary explanation that the equality refers not to talents or wealthorsuccess butinstead applies “in termsof the political and social rights that arose” from that social contract.

Most fascinating, perhaps, is Isaacson’sexplanation of the oftunderlooked importance of the shiftfrom Thomas Jefferson’s original phrase that the Declaration’struths were “sacred and undeniable” to Franklin’s replacement that thetruths are “self-evident.” In just over two pages, Isaacson deftly illumines thecrucial point of that formulation, taken from the ideas of Scottishphilosopher David Hume,

thattheir truth was inherent in their very nature by “reason and deﬁnition” alone.

In other words, by the very existence of alegitimatesocial contract itself, the equalityof rights of those who form the contract “as autonomous individuals” —Isaacson’swords, not the Declaration’s—is, as avirtual tautology,assumed as anecessary reality by all parties.By reason, it can be no other way.Or so the Founders asserted.

Finally,Jefferson’sfelicitous phrasing about the “pursuit of happiness” means, according to Isaacson, that“it is your right and your opportunity —toseek fulﬁllment,meaning, and wellbeing however you personally see ﬁt.”

And of course, there’smore, muchmore, packed intoa quickly digestible verbal repast. Areader only wishes thatIsaacson had expanded his analysis into the ﬁrst phrase of the Declaration’snext sentence, to further explicatethe seminal notion of “consent of the governed.”

Be thatasitmay,Isaacson’s excellent new pamphlet comes at apropitious time. Many of us

who fondly remember the celebrations and civic education associated with 1976’sbicentennial celebration are greatly disturbed thatnext year’sSemiquincentennial so far seems to be eliciting mostlyshrugs.

It is crucial, we believe, that civics understanding and civil society are imbued with appreciation for the Declaration of Independence’sprinciples.

Without arenewal of these values, we lose two things of utmost importance for the American project. First, we lose even more hope of turning around the poisonous national political atmosphere. Second, we lose the conviction —aconviction once imbued deeply in American souls —that the protection of liberty is thevery reason for law and government to exist.

As it happens, Isaacson is the second prominent New Orleanian this summer to push anational effort to reinvigorate the Declaration’sspirit. Laitram Industry’s Jay Lapeyre, who is chairman of the national CATO Institute, also is promoting aproject for civic education,sponsored by the Free Society Coalition (available via

easy web search), based on the Declaration.

Indeed, this summer CATO President Peter Goettler published aletter asserting, quite rightly,that “we have to be dedicated to this commitment: giving future generations acountry as free as the one given to us. It’s simply the moral responsibility of our lives.”

To that worthy emphasis on freedom, Isaacson adds afocus on the communalnature of freely chosen associations. “Fiercely independent individuals,” he writes, should be “equally ﬁercely devoted to the community and its commons.”

As Isaacson shows, the Declaration’skey sentence, and indeed the ethos of the entire document, contains within it all of this valuation, both sacred and self-evident, of liberty and community as “two strands …woven together.”

Come on,people: Let’srelearn all this ourselves, and then use it to teach the children well. The Declaration of Independence is the code that they can live by Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com.

Higginsvs. the‘sorcerers’ whoguard public health

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins ofﬁcially removed himself from the House Committee on Homeland Security Committee last week.

Isuspect I’m not the only onewho feels more secure with the LafayetteRepublican gone.

Higgins quit the panel after losing hisbid tobecome its chair,whichwas atruly alarmingpossibilityfor a guy who claimed,withzero evidence, that theJan.6,2021 attack on Congress was the work of FBI agentsin“ghost buses.”

Higgins favors such conspiracies indeed, alist of his weirdclaims would more than fill this column— but he can’t blame hostile Democrats for crashing his candidacy.Republicans control the House, and they went in adifferent directionand chose New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino —a“steady hand,” accordingtoHouse Speaker Mike Johnson of Benton,but someone Higgins claims representsa faction whose “coreprinciplesare quite variant from my own conservativeperspective on key issues like amnesty, ICEoperations, and opposition to the surveillance state.” This wasn’tHiggins’ only big defeatrecently. He also tried to rally Congress tocensure Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, of New Jersey,who’sbeen charged with interfering with immigration enforcement officers during aMay scufflewhen Democratswere trying to conduct oversight of an immigrationdetention facility This time five Republicans crossed the

partylinetojoin Democrats in killing the measure, which called for McIver to be removedfromthe homeland securitypanel. Notably,Garbarino voted “present.”

None of this may sound like it has anythingtodowith theseparate, but just as impassioned, controversy over vaccines, but hear me out

While notraging over immigrants and ghostbuses, Higgins has lately been fulminatingover thevery idea that alocal public health department would advocate for public health.

What inspired his latest crusade seems

to have been aperfectly innocuous, lowtemperature social media post from the healthdepartment of New Orleans, acity far outside his district, noting that the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends COVID-19 shots forchildren six monthstotwo years old, and recommends them for older children as well.

Higgins’totally normal, entirely proportionate response: “State sponsored weakening of the citizenry,absolute injury to our children and calculated decline of fertility.The New Orleans Health Department …whoever thehell they are …should be 100% defunded, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Iwill immediately pursue restriction of every federal penny that might make its way to this soon to be writhing band of sorcerers.”

“Whoever the hell they are” is actually a team led byDr. Jennifer Avegno, not asorcerer but anationally lauded emergency room physician who has heldthe job since 2018.

Avegno’sdepartment administers programsthat address everything from maternal healthtodomestic violence, from nutrition to gun violence (in conjunction with public safety agencies). It runs a program offering homehealth visits to identify problems new parents are having and set them on ahealthy course, as well as community clinics and aclinic serving homeless people.

Much of this vital, impactful workis federally funded, to thetune of $30 to $40 million ayear,soHiggins’ threat to shut it down over an informational tweet, while silly,isalso very real.

Andwhile thehealth departmentdoes

not devise its own vaccine policies, it continues to share information about vaccines and pursues policies to ease access —even as Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.isbusy dismantling the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention’stradition of following the science, as the American AcademyofPediatrics and other major medical organizations continue to do.

After Higgins’sinitial eruption, here’s how Avegno explained the tweet that set it off: “The health department has aresponsibility to provide evidence-based information to our community,and fordecades, the American AcademyofPediatrics has provided evidence-based vaccination recommendations…Wewant to makesure that our community has access to those and is aware of them so that they can have the conversations that they need to have with their doctors.”

That apparently didn’tcalm Higgins down, because now he’sasking his colleagues to “protect our children and adolescents by prohibiting federal funding to state health departments and national associations that promote the COVID-19 shot,” according to aletter he sent last week. So what does this latest quest have to do with Higgins’ fruitless attempts to impose his will over homeland security and immigration? Hopefully plenty Because if the people of NewOrleans and those served by all those other health departments out there are lucky,it’ll end up just as they did: dead on arrival.

Email Stephanie Graceatsgrace@ theadvocate.com.

Byron Cole got it honestly

Those who know him and knew his mom seehis mother’sangry,cussing,in-yourface style of activism and advocacy in her baby boy who frequently accompanied her to demonstrations, meetings,protests and activities whereshe felt her voice —and herpresence —were necessary.Dyan French “Mama D”Colewas a committed, forceful and vocal New Orleans citizenthat politicians, businessleaders and citizens couldn’tignore. One longtime political strategist told me they worked together on anumber of campaigns and issues and worked againsteach other in some circumstances. “You wantedher with you,” theperson said.

That same person has watched Byron Cole grow from aborn-and-bred childactivistlearning at the feet, at the side of and from the lap of his mother to being afullﬂedged provocateur

“She was always civil.”

The difference?

Just recently,Cole received more attention than usual after he recorded avideo of himself pestering state Sen. Royce Duplessis as he sat with his wife in apew at the Historic Second Baptist Church on Freret

Street as the church pastor delivered asermon. Cole sat in thepew right behind him. He pressedthe senator,tossing allegations of marital misbehavior and intentionally tossing aside thetruth. Duplessis was ﬂustered but relatively cool. He turnedtoCole andasked him to quiet down, to recognize that they’re in achurch. He asked whether he wanted to step outside.

I’mglad they didn’t. There’snotelling what mighthave happened. In aThursday interview,Cole told me that what happened was not premeditated. He said it wasn’tintentional, and it certainly wasn’t planned. Cole said his daughter was visiting and she asked him to go to their family church. “God brought me there,” he said, “because Ihadn’tbeen therein months.”

HistoricSecond is his family church, the place where he was baptized, thehouseof worshipheattended with his mother.Hesat where healways sits.

Forhim, it is asacred and safe place, yet “I knewitwas wrong.”

“Am Iaccountable? Yes,”hesaid. “I apologizedtoeveryone Ishould’ve apologized to.My church. My pastor.Mywife.”

Think someone is missing? Ithink so, too

In essence, Cole told me thatatleasthe didn’tcurse him, something he does quite

often. Itold Cole how Idislike cussing and howwrong he was for what he did at the church.

Iwanted to talk with Duplessis about what happened. Hereferred me to avideo he and his wife recorded laterthe dayofthe incident.

Ilistened to anumber of people call Cole names: a“shell of his mother,” abuffoon, crazy, ignorant,off his rocker,aloose cannon and awild man in need of ajob. Idiscussedthese descriptions with him. He acknowledged some faultsand missteps, but categorically rejected thosedescriptions. According to Cole, he runs ascrap metal business, he cutslawns,hecollects an employee retirement check and, yes, he earns money from thosewho subscribe to his Instagram account. One recent day, he said, he paid atotal of more than $650 in bills withonly theproceeds from the aluminum, brass and copper he sold. He’d make more money if Instagram hadn’tshut down about sevenofhis accounts, usuallybecause of his vulgarity City Council membersHelena Moreno and OliverThomas have gotten heatfrom Cole, too. Moreno immediately responded to the incident with asocial media post, saying in part,“We can’tstand for that. It’s not funny.” Thomas didn’tpost anything,

but, whenasked, he replied. “(Cole) hashis issues, but he’sextremely smart and loves his people,” he texted. “He and Ihave notalways gottenalong and Idon’talways agree with his tactics...” Unless someone can prove otherwise, I don’tthink Cole is anutcase. Ithink he’sa shrewd, grassroots advocate who’sﬁgured out how to make enough money to live beyond amiser’smeans while supporting a daughter in college. The manwent to some ﬁne institutions in Kansas and Louisiana as he grew up and split his time betweentwo divorced parents, including attending St. Pius XCatholic School, St. Augustine High School and John F. Kennedy High School. He wasarrested on acrack charge, joined the Navy,pursued acollege degree but got kicked out of college for civil disobedience This incident has winners and losers.

n Cole was wrong to challenge Duplessis in church, any church.

n Moreno was wrong to respond.

n Duplessis was wrong to respond. Duplessis and Moreno don’twant Cole to get more attention, yet they triggerednews media attention. They gave Cole something he loves —attention —and awin.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Will Sutton

Quin Hillyer

Stephanie Grace

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BEN CURTIS

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

JamesArmstrong of El Do‐radoHills,California, as wellasa large, loving com‐munityofartists,musi‐cians,writers,and friends heconsideredclose family. "Jimmy" will be missed but he will foreverbepart ofour NewOrleans.Visita‐tionwillbeheldonSep‐tember9 from 5to8 p.m. atJacob Schoen &Son Fu‐neral Home,3827 Canal Street,New Orleans. A MassofChristian Burial willbecelebratedonSep‐tember10at11a.m.atOur Ladyofthe Rosary Catholic Church, 3368 Esplanade Ave.Interment is to follow atSt. LouisCemeteryNo. 3. ReadAndreiCodrescu’s tribute to JamesNolan here: https://substack. com/@andreicodrescu In lieuof ﬂowerspleasecon‐sider donating to causes close to Jimmy'sheart: Musicians’Village –Ellis Marsalis Center forMusic and NOCCAFoundation–NOCCA’s nonproﬁtcommu‐nitysupport &advocacy partner.Arrangementsby Jacob Schoen &Son.Con‐dolencesmay be left at www.schoenfh.com. Photo CreditJanis Turk

AnnieKuntz

AnnieKuntzPfalzgraf, a beloved mother,grand‐mother, sister,and friend, passedawaypeacefullyat her home on Tuesday, Sep‐tember2,2025, surrounded byher loving family. Sheis survivedbyher children Annette PfalzgrafCrews and Arthur C. PfalzgrafJr. (Traci);her cherished grandchildren:Nicholas AlanBrown,RyanMatthew Brown,PeytonMichael Pfalzgraf, andAlexa Catherine Pfalzgraf; and her siblings:Annabelle Daly(Dave), RichardJ.Pad‐dock(Linda),and John J. KuntzJr. (Barbara).Annie alsoleavesbehindher godchildren,Sam Sketteno and Joey Beale; herde‐votedcaregiver,Ms. Flora;

andthe compassionate team at VitalCaringHos‐pice, to whomthe familyis deeply grateful fortheir careand support. Shewas precededindeath by her parents,JohnJosephKuntz Sr. andEmma MarieGrafe Kuntz, as well as hersis‐ters, Maryann Treadway and MarieK.Beale.Bornon December4,1947, in Al‐abama,Anniewas aresi‐dentofKenner, Louisiana. She dedicatedover20 years of herlifetocaring for children at Tiny Tots Daycare,where shewas deeply lovedbymanyfam‐ilies.Anniefound joyin cookingand hostingfamily gatheringsand holidaycel‐ebrations,especially Christmas,which shedec‐oratedfor with greaten‐thusiasm. Shehad agreen thumband enjoyed gar‐dening, andfor over 25 years,she looked forward toridinginthe annualSt. Patrick’s DayParade, one ofher favorite traditions She wasalsoa passionate Bingo player,faithfully at‐tending theNapoleon Room formorethan30 years.Anniewillbere‐memberedfor herwarmth, her vibrant spirit,and the loveshe shared so freely witheveryonearound her. Relatives andfriends are invited to attend theFu‐neral Services at Garden of MemoriesFuneralHome& Cemetery, 4900 Airline Drive,Metairie, LA 70001 on Monday, September8 2025. Visitation will begin at11:30 am with aService startingat2:00pmfol‐lowed by burial.Inlieuof ﬂowers, thefamilyre‐questsdonations to the DementiaSociety of Amer‐ica at www.dementiasoc iety.org. Online condo‐lencesmay be offeredat www.gardenofmemorie smetairie.com.

Poirrier Jr., Septime Joseph 'Sep'

Withprofound sadness, thefamilyofSeptime

"Sep"JosephPoirrier, Jr announces hispassing at the ageof90. Sepdeparted thislifepeacefully at his homeonAugust29, 2025, surrounded by theloveof his familyduringhis final days. Adevoted husband father, grandfather, and great-grandfather,Sep's lifewas areflection of faith,humility, andjoy in life'ssimplesttreasures BornonMay 15, 1935, in Garyville, Louisiana, Sep was theson of thelate Septime Joseph Poirrier,Sr. and Mary Lucy Navarra. He attended DeLaSalleHigh School in NewOrleans and was in the firstgraduating class of 1953. Sepservedin the Army National Guard from1953 to 1959. In his professionallife, Sepbuilt a long career in insurance, respected forhis steady handand wise counsel. At home, he wasthe family's weatherman, handyman and rock.Known forhis humor andmischief, Sep was aworld-class story‐tellerand practicaljoker His twinkle-eyed talesand playful pranks broughtjoy tofamilyand friendsalike Sep wasa true outdoors‐man,whether on land or onthe water, he enjoyed the adventureand chal‐lengesofnatureand often did so with hisdaughters orgrandchildren,and al‐wayswithhis favorite dog byhis side.Sep's life was one well lived: atapestry woven from family, faith stories,and simple joys.He leavesbehinda legacy of loveand laughter that will carry forwardthrough gen‐erations. Sepissurvivedby his belovedwifeof65 years,Doris French Poir‐rier. Together,theycreated a familythatwas hisgreat‐est pride. He is survived by their threedaughters: JeanelleScheurich (Steven), Angele Fitzhenry, and MicheleZelenko (Bob) Hewas theproud grandfa‐therofKaitlyn Scheurich, Zachary Scheurich, Brock Fitzhenry (Emily), Spencer Fitzhenry,and Kade Fitzhenry,and thedoting great-grandfather of Laikyn Fitzhenryand AubreyFitzhenry.Sep is alsorememberedbyhis siblingsRoseMaryPoirrier, JohnEdwin Poirrier (Kathy),MarionWhite (and latehusband Robert), and Francis "Frankie"Poirrier (andlatewifeRoxinda), along with many nieces, nephews,and cousins. He was preceded in deathby his siblings AliceAnn Broussard (Meryl), Rubye Ory (Harry), Estelle Papa‐nia (survivedbyher hus‐band Bernard),and

Expect amostlysunny and hot day. Afrontal boundaryisbringingnortherly winds and dry air. Humiditylevels will be lowand it will feel nice outside. Temperatures however, willriseto the low90s. Rainchances today probably right around 10% so an isolated showerispossible. We’rewatching the tropics very closelyfor any possible development thisweekend. Remember, the UV index is in theveryhigh rangesoprotect yourselffrom the dangerous rays of the sun. Go Saints!

MichaelPoirrier. Thefam‐ily extendsheartfelt grati‐tudetoSep’s doctorsand his devotedcaregivers, whose compassion,pa‐tience, andgentlepres‐encebrought greatcom‐forttohim andtothose who lovedhim during his ﬁnalyears.A Memorial service will be held in Sep’s honoronFriday, Sep‐tember12, 2025, at Green‐wood FuneralHome, 5200 Canal Blvd.New Orleans, LA70124. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe visitation begin‐ningat9:30a.m., followed bya Memorial Mass at 11:00 a.m. Intermentwill followinGreenwood Cemetery. We also invite you to shareyour thoughts, memories,and condolences online at www.greenwoodfh.com

Gail Faucheux Roussel ofDestrehan,passedinto eternal rest andpeace on August30, 2025, where she willbereunitedand laid to restwithher son, Daniel BornOctober 21, 1951, she was preceded in deathby her cherishedson,Daniel K.Roussel III, herparents, Johnand JoyceFaucheux, grandparentsJohnand Flo‐restine Faucheux andWal‐ter andMabel Faucheux She leaves behind her beloved daughter,Christy Anne Roussel, herbrother, JohnFaucheux, Jr.(Cheryl) and sister,MaryVentura (Butch) andher aunt,Kay Francis,numerouscousins, nieces, andnephews.Gail was a1969 graduate of St Charles Borromeo High School andattended the UniversityofLouisiana Monroe. Shewentontobe anownerofseveral busi‐nessesinsouth Louisiana. Gailwas aresilientspirit and survivor andwas loved and supportedbyher fam‐ily.Special thanks to John Francis,Robin Francis, Pa‐triciaTyson,and Barry Faucheux.A privatememo‐

rial servicefor family members will be held at a futuredate. In remem‐branceofGail, donations can be made to theTeam Gleason Foundation,the ARC of St.Charles and MagnoliaCommunity Ser‐vices

Ruby RichouxSoleto passedawaypeacefullyat her home in RiverRidge, Louisiana,surrounded by her familyonThursday, August28, 2025 at theage of90. Ruby wasa beautiful personinsideand out, whose warmth andkind‐nesstouched everyone she met.Fondlyknown in her neighborhood as the“Ice‐bergLady,”she was beloved by children of all agesand broughtjoy wherevershe went.Her son-in-law, T.A.,affection‐ately called her“Ruby 2 Shoes,” as shewas always onthe move—whether run‐ningtobingo, thecasino, orsimplylightingupa room with herpresence. Her greatest prideand joy was herfamily. Ruby is survivedbyher daughters, Kathy Soleto Russell (Thomas A. Russell“T.A.”) and PhyllisSoleto; three grandchildren,Angela, Joe, and Brandi;eight greatgrandchildren,Giselle, Gabrielle,Guliana,Gemma Nathan, Sadie, Amelia,and Maddex; andone greatgreat-grandchild, Liana Kramer. Each will forever cherish hermemoryand the love shesofreelygave. Rubyisreunitedineternal restwithher husband, Joe Soleto; herparents,Louis Richoux andAggie Bel‐langer; hersons, RalphSo‐letoand Salvador (Sammy) Soleto; andher siblings Doris Dufrene, IdaMae Autin,Jimmy Richoux, Ed‐wardRobichaux,Raymond Richoux,Lillian Leboeuf, and Mary AnnTrahan. Fu‐neral services will be held Tuesday, September9,

2025, at Leitz-EaganFu‐neral Home in Metairie, Louisiana.Visitationwill begin at 10:30 a.m. with a FuneralMasstofollowat 1:00p.m.inLeitz-Eagan Fu‐neral Home’s chapel.Inter‐mentwillbeinJefferson MemorialGardens.Ruby willbedeeply missedand fondlyrememberedfor her spirit, herlaughter, andthe loveshe shared with all who knew her. Fond mem‐ories andwords of condo‐lencesmay be shared at www.leitzeaganfuneralho me.com

He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Dennis C. Trahan and Alice AndersonTrahan; hislovingwife of 74 years, Muriel Scott Trahan; and hissiblings, Dennis Trahan and Rita Trahan Flair. Richard is survived by hisdaughter, Loralice Trahan Keeffe (Michael); hisson,Richard Joseph Trahan,Jr. (Dale); his grandchildren, Brandon Lobell (Sarah), Myles Trahan (Chantel), and Brandon Williams (Tiffany); and hisgreatgrandchildren, Zoë Lobell, PresleyLobell,Liv Lobell andSocorro Trahan.Heis also survived by hisdevoted nephew,Roger Meunier; loving niece, Susan Hasney; and hiscaring extended familymember, EstherBateman. Richie wasborninNew OrleansonOctober 7, 1928. He wasa longtime parishioner of St.Catherine of SienaCatholic Church and aproud veteran of the United States AirForce Richie hadanexuberance for life andlived it to the fullest, always in thecompanyofthe familyand

DEATHS

from

Soleto,RubyRichoux

Trahan, Richard Joseph

Richard Joseph Trahan, age 96, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Roussel, Gail Faucheux

Pfalzgraf,

Tulanesurvivessloppyplayearly,late

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

MOBILE, Ala. Tulane absorbed agut punch from South Alabama in the ﬁrst quarteron Saturday night andresponded by raininga series of body blows.

That stretch of dominance proved to be just enough for the Green Wave to hold on after afurious Jaguars’ rally late in the

Offense

lethargic, butLSU handles La.Tech

BY KOKI RILEY

Staff writer

Garrett Nussmeierdropped back to pass on ﬁrst and 10. It was his second throwof the night, and senior wide receiver Barion Brown was wide open whilestreaking down the left sideline.

Nussmeier saw Brown, but his pass was well short. The fifth-year senior’sunderthrow allowed the ball to deﬂect off Louisiana Tech defensive back Cedric Woods.The carom was caught by his teammate, Michael Richard, resulting in an interception It was Nussmeier’sﬁrst turnover of the year,but it wasn’tthe only mistakethe LSU offense made during its 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night at TigerStadium.

“Wedidn’tcoach well enough and we didn’tplay well enough tonight, and that’s notour standard,”frustratedLSU coach Brian Kelly said after thewin.“Andso they’re disappointed in that they didn’tlive up to that standard. They want to,they want to do it.They just didn’tdoittonight.”

Dropped passes and penalties sloweda Tigers’ attack that dominated the Bulldogs in time of possession (36:52-23:08) andtotal yards (366-154).

Redshirt sophomore Kyle Parker dropped apotential touchdown pass inthe second quarter.Louisiana Tech had four pass breakups at halftime, mostly on throwsthat LSU receivers could have handled.Onthe final drive of the first half, theoffensive line gaveupa sack that essentiallyended the possession. Besides the interception, Nussmeier had multiple uncharacteristic, inaccuratepasses that stunted LSU’sefficiency through theair.Healso took an unnecessary sack in thefourthquarter that forced alongerfield goal attempt for fifth-year senior Damian Ramos.

“I don’tknow that there’sone guy that you pull out and say,‘Well, that’s the guy,’“ Kelly said. “He (Nussmeier) knows he’sgot

ä See LSU, page 5C

fourth quarter Nickelback Javion Whiteintercepted what would have been atying two-point conversion with 59 seconds left, and Tulane escaped Hancock Whitney Stadium with a 33-31 victory that appeared totally in hand after running back Zuberi Mobley broke two tackles near theline of scrimmageon a28-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter

His score gave theWave a33-17 lead, but PatrickDurkin missedthe extra pointtokeep theJaguars within two scores. They nearly took advantage of that fortune, getting two touchdowns in the final 5:27around asuccessful two-point play while converting three fourthdowns alongthe way before White stepped up to preserve the tenuouslead

It will notcount as histhird interception on ofﬁcial stats,but it had more signiﬁcance than thetwo he made the previous Saturday in a23-3 trouncing of Northwestern. “Wewere in man coverage,and they tried

to run apickplaywith me andthe corner,” White said. “I waspressed to man andgot my eyes back, and he (South Alabamaquarterback Bishop Davenport) threw the ball right to me.”

Safety Jack Tchienchou recovered the ensuing onside kick easily,and after burning all but theﬁnal four seconds, Tulane punted and pushedreturner Devin Voisin outofbounds.

“I’m nevergoing to apologizefor awin, but it was really sloppy at times,” Tulane

SRattler’spathtobecomeanNFL starting quarterbacknot as smooth as it onceappeared

pencer Rattler was theguy

Then all of asudden, he wasn’t

Now he’sthe guy again —maybe temporarily,maybe for thelong haul —after earning oneof the32most coveted jobs in professional sports.

Rattler,drafted by theNew Orleans Saints in the ﬁfth round in 2024, edgedout second-round draftpick Tyler Shough in aphotoﬁnishtoearn thestartingquarterback job.

It’sthe most high-proﬁle gig in New Orleans, acity that’sbeenstarvingfor thenext franchise quarterback ever since Drew Brees walked out thedoor afterthe 2020 season.

Jameis Winston and Derek Carr have taken their turns as Week 1starters since No.9 retired. Nowit’sRattler’sturn.

Focusedonthe moment

Since being named the starter on Aug. 26, Rattler hasn’thad much of achance to reﬂect on where his football journey has taken him

“I’m so focused right nowonthe moment that we are in,”Rattler said. “I’m in the present. Youthink of all the stuff Iwentthrough in the past, yeah,it’sgreat to get through adversity to gettothis point. But nowwhatare yougoing to do?”

That’sthe million-dollar question. What is Rattler going to do? The answer will help deﬁne this 2025 season. In aquarterback-driven league, theSaints will go as far as Rattler takes them. He gets to startansweringthat question in thenoon season

opener Sunday against theArizona Cardinals. All eyes in theCaesars Superdome will be on Rattler as he becomes just thefourth Saints’ draft pick to start aseason opener,joining Archie Manning, Bobby Scottand Dave Wilson. None of those previous three won much,and theexpectations (at least to those outside of the Airline Drive building) are thesamefor Rattler

The oddsmakers in Vegas have

the over/under for Saints’ wins this season at 41/2.Alot of those low expectations are because of ayoung, inexperienced quarterback room led by a24-year-old who went winless in his six starts last season. Those six starts deserve an asterisk, considering the bad hand Rattler wasdealt. If last season wasagame of Uno,Rattler played with very few DrawFours and Wild Cards. Center Erik McCoy,the heart and soul of the offensive line, missedﬁve of Rattler’s starts. Rattler only threw two passes to Chris Olave, whose season ended early because of aconcussion, and he played only one game with Rashid Shaheed. Alvin Kamara missedRattler’slast ä See WALKER, page 9C

Rod Walker

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier looks to makeapassinthe first half of agame against Louisiana Tech on SaturdayatTiger Stadium.

Saints release QB Haener to add DE to active roster

6:30

7:55 a.m. F1: The Pirelli Italian GP ESPN2

2 p.m. NASCAR: Enjoy Illinois 300 USA

4 p.m. FIM Motocross: MX2 CBSSN

5 p.m. FIM Motocross: MXGP CBSSN

10 p.m. FIMWomen Motocross: MXGP CBSSN CYCLING

9 a.m. UCI: Vuelta a Espana, St. 15

USF

By The Associated Press

In Gainesville, Florida, Nico

Gramatica hit a 20-yard ﬁeld goal as time expired and South Florida

stunned No. 13 Florida 18-16 on Saturday to give the Bulls consecutive wins against ranked opponents to start the season

Gramatica missed a 58-yarder with 2:52 remaining but got a chance to redeem himself after Florida defensive lineman Brandon Bett spit at a South Florida player on the Bulls’ next possession. Bett was ejected with a little more than two minutes to play, and the Bulls (2-0) got 15 yards and an automatic first down to spark an 87-yard drive.

It was the latest setback for embattled Florida coach Billy Napier whose team is 1-1 for the fourth consecutive year

The Gators looked as though they would rally after freshman Vernell Brown III returned a punt 40 yards to set up DJ Lagway’s lone touchdown pass. But the Gators ﬂopped down the stretch, an all-too-familiar feeling during Napier’s tenure.

The Bulls will break into the AP Top 25 College Football Poll after upsetting then-No 25 Boise State last week. The Gators surely will drop.

No. 1 OHIO STATE 70, GRAMBLING 0: In Columbus, Ohio, Julian Sayin threw for four touchdowns, set an Ohio State record for completed passes to start a game and fell one short of the school record for consecutive completions as the Buckeyes rolled to a victory over Grambling.

Ohio State scored on eight of its ﬁrst nine possessions and did not punt until midway through the fourth quarter It was the ninth victory in school history by at least 70 points and sixth via shutout. Two of those wins have now come against historically Black colleges or universities. The Buckeyes beat Florida A&M 76-0 in 2013.

No. 2 PENN STATE 34, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 0: In State College, Pennsylvania, Drew Allar completed 19 of 33 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and Penn State beat Florida International Devonte Ross and Khalil Dinkins caught touchdown passes, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton ran for scores and Ryan Barker kicked two ﬁeld goals for the Nittany Lions (2-0), who shook off a sluggish ﬁrst half and beat their second-straight Group of Five opponent.

Linebacker Tony Rojas made 10 tackles, Alonzo Ford intercepted a pass and Penn State’s defense notched its ﬁrst shutout since a 56-0 win over Kent State last year

No. 4 GEORGIA 28, AUSTIN PEAY 6: In Athens, Georgia, Georgia failed to gain momentum for next week’s Southeastern Conference opener at Tennessee as the Bulldogs stumbled on offense in a weather-delayed win over Austin Peay Chauncey Bowens and Nate Frazier each ran for two touchdowns. Frazier and wide receiver London Humphreys lost fumbles, but Georgia (2-0) made a fourth-down goal-line stop to set up a 99-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter No. 5 MIAMI 45, BETHUNE COOKMAN 3: In Miami Gardens, Florida, Carson Beck already has found his way into the Miami record book. Beck completed his first 15 passes to break a Miami record, ﬁnishing 22 of 24 for 264 yards

25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

with two touchdowns as the Hurricanes eased past BethuneCookman

Beck’s 15 consecutive completions broke a Miami single-game mark that stood for nearly four decades; Vinny Testaverde completed 14 in a row against Oklahoma in 1986.

CJ Daniels caught both of Beck’s touchdown passes, from 40 and 5 yards out. Beck has gone 185 consecutive passes without an interception, dating to last season when he was with Georgia.

No 6 OREGON 69, OKLAHOMA STATE 3: In Eugene, Oregon, Dante Moore threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, freshman Dakorien Moore ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass, and Oregon routed Oklahoma State.

The loss was the biggest loss for the Cowboys (1-1) in Mike Gundy’s 20-year tenure as coach.

Ten players scored for Oregon (2-0), which had 631 yards in total offense. The Ducks had two interception returns for touchdowns in the third quarter

On Oregon’s second play of the game, Noah Whittington took off for a 59-yard TD run to give the Ducks a 7-0 lead. It was the longest run of his career

No 7 TEXAS 38, SAN JOSE STATE 7: In Austin, Texas, Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns and ran for another and Texas rebounded from a season-opening loss to defeat San Jose State.

Manning was 19 of 30 for 295 yards and one interception in his second game as the starter He scrambled for a 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for Texas (1-1).

Last week he completed 10 of 17 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception during a 14-7 loss at Ohio State.

No. 8 CLEMSON 27, TROY 16: In Clemson, South Carolina, Bryant Wesco Jr caught two second-half touchdown passes from Cade Klubnik, Adam Randall ran for 112 yards and a score, and Clemson survived a scare from Troy overcoming a 16-point deﬁcit to win

The Tigers (1-1), 30 1/2-point favorites, trailed 16-0 midway through the second quarter and 16-3 at halftime, but outscored the Trojans (1-1) 24-0 after the break. Randall ran for a 1-yard TD to cap an eight-play 75-yard drive to open the third quarter

No 11 ILLINOIS 45, DUKE 19: In Durham, North Carolina, Luke Altmyer threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns and Illinois capitalized on a series of mistakes by Duke to beat the Blue Devils for a road win against a power-conference opponent. Kaden Feagin, Hank Beatty and

Ca’Lil Valentine ran for scores, while Beatty also had a huge receiving day with eight catches for 128 yards for the Fighting Illini (20). Illinois led by just one at halftime but asserted itself from there and outscored Duke 31-6 in what turned into a dominating ﬁnish.

No. 14 FLORIDA STATE 77, EAST TEXAS A&M 3: In Tallahassee, Florida, Tommy Castellanos passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Duce Robinson, as Florida State routed East Texas A&M. FSU (2-0) scored on 10 straight drives to open the game and ﬁnished with its most points in the Mike Norvell era. The Seminoles’ six passing TDs is their most in a game since 2011. Gavin Sawchuk had three touchdowns, including a 53-yard catchand-run on fourth down that was his ﬁrst career receiving TD. The Oklahoma transfer also had a pair of 1-yard scoring runs as the Seminoles piled up 361 rushing yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry No. 18 OKLAHOMA 24, No. 15 MICHIGAN 13: In Norman, Oklahoma, John Mateer ran for two touchdowns and passed for another, and Oklahoma defeated Michigan.

Mateer, a transfer from Washington State playing in his first marquee game for the Sooners, passed for 270 yards and ran for 74.

Deion Burks caught seven passes for 101 yards and Jaren Kanak added ﬁve catches for 69 yards for the Sooners (2-0), who got a muchneeded signature win for coach Brent Venables. Oklahoma held the Wolverines to 288 total yards. No. 16 IOWA STATE 16, IOWA 13: In Ames, Iowa, Kyle Konrardy kicked a 54-yard ﬁeld goal with 1:52 left to give Iowa State a win over Iowa, the Cyclones’ second straight victory against their in-state rival and third in four years.

Konrardy kicked a 54-yarder in the ﬁnal seconds last year to beat the Hawkeyes 20-19.

His winning kick this time came after Rocco Becht led the Cyclones on a grinding 55-yard drive that chewed 6 1/2 minutes off the clock. Tamatoa McDonough sacked Mark Gronowski twice on Iowa’s last possession, with the Hawkeyes (1-1) turning the ball over on downs.

BAYLOR 48, No. 17 SMU 45 (OT): In Dallas, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw two of his four touchdowns in the ﬁnal 5 1/2 minutes of regulation and redshirt freshman Connor Hawkins kicked a game-ending 27-yard ﬁeld goal in the second overtime as the Bears rallied to beat SMU. Robertson was 34-of-50 passing with 440 yards for the Bears (11), who have won 14 meetings in a row against their former Southwest Conference rival since 1986.

Bryson Washington ran for 115 yards and two scores, including a 2-yard TD in the ﬁrst overtime.

No. 19 TEXAS A&M 44, UTAH STATE 22: In College Station, Texas, Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score before leaving late in the third quarter with an injury to lead Texas A&M to a victory over Utah State.

Reed threw for 220 yards with TD passes of 34, 12 and eight yards before leaving with about four minutes left in the third quarter after taking an awkward fall and getting hit by a defender He walked off the ﬁeld after being checked out and spent time in the medical tent before jogging to the locker room.

Texas A&M (2-0) led by 1 late in the ﬁrst quarter before scoring 23 straight points to take a 30-6 lead into halftime.

No. 21 ALABAMA 73, UL-MONROE 0: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Ty Simpson completed a school-record 17 consecutive passes, with three of them going for touchdowns, and Alabama rebounded from a season-opening loss with a drubbing of UL-Monroe.

The Crimson Tide scored on each of their 11 possessions, with 10 touchdowns and a ﬁeld goal, and held UL-Monroe to 148 total yards. Alabama (1-1), coming off a stunning 31-17 loss at Florida State, ﬁnished with seven TD passes despite playing without star wideout Ryan Williams (concussion protocol).

No. 22 TENNESSEE 72, EAST TENNESSEE 17: In Knoxville, Tennessee, Joey Aguilar threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns — all in the ﬁrst half to lead Tennessee to romp over East Tennessee State. The Volunteers (2-0), who tuned up for the Southeastern Conference showdown with No. 4 Georgia next week, got help from Star Thomas with 69 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

No. 23 INDIANA 56, KENNESAW STATE 9: In Bloomington, Indiana, Fernando Mendoza threw for four touchdowns to lead Indiana to a win over Kennesaw State.

Mendoza, a transfer from University of California, completed 18 of 25 passes for 245 yards. He threw scoring passes of 3, 9 and 20 yards to Elijah Sarratt and an 8-yard strike to E.J. Williams early in the fourth quarter No. 20 OLE MISS 30, KENTUCKY 23: In Lexington, Kentucky, for the third straight meeting, Kentucky football kept Ole Miss’ normally highoctane offense largely in check.

But unlike the Wildcats’ upset win in Oxford, Miss., a year ago, Saturday’s defensive performance was not enough to overcome a listless offensive showing in a loss to the Rebels. Kentucky drove inside the Ole Miss 30-yard line twice in the fourth quarter but was stopped on fourth down both times. The second of those drives came with backup Cutter Boley leading the offense after Zach Calzada was sidelined by a shoulder injury Boley was sacked on fourth-and-6 after gaining just 3-yards on an option keeper on third-and-9.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 24, No. 12 ARIZONA

STATE 20: In Starkville, Mississippi, Blake Shapen threw a 58yard touchdown pass to Brenen Thompson with 30 seconds left to lift Mississippi State past Arizona State. The Sun Devils (1-1) scored 20 straight points, taking the lead with 1:38 left on Jesus Gomez’s 18-yard ﬁeld goal Shapen and the Bulldogs (2-0) countered with the winning ﬁve-play 77-yard drive.

The New Orleans Saints won’t have a designated emergency quarterback after releasing Jake Haener to sign rookie defensive end Fadil Diggs from the practice squad, the team announced Saturday New Orleans also elevated tight end Jack Stoll and defensive lineman Jonah Williams from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s season-opening game against the Arizona Cardinals.

In releasing Haener, the Saints now only have two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster — meaning they won’t be able to take advantage of the NFL’s emergency quarterback rule, which allows for teams to dress an inactive third quarterback and play him if the others became injured.

New Orleans seemingly is comfortable with that trade-off after defensive end Chase Young was ruled out with a calf injury

Former Mets manager Johnson dies at age 82

When the winning run scored in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the New York Mets melted into a white-and-blue swirl near home plate, celebrating their implausible comeback from the brink of defeat. Right in the middle of all that humanity was Davey Johnson, who had arrived at the mob scene before many of his players. Those 1986 Mets with all their brashness, belligerence and unapologetic brilliance — would not have been the same without their 43-year-old manager Johnson died Friday at age 82. Longtime Mets public relations representative Jay Horwitz said Johnson’s wife, Susan, informed him of his death after a long illness. Johnson was at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, at the time he passed.

Former LSU tennis player’s team loses U.S. Open final NEW YORK Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos won the U.S. Open men’s doubles championship Saturday for their second Grand Slam title of the season, edging Joe Salisbury and former LSU tennis star Neal Skupski 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5. The No. 5-seeded team also won the French Open beating Salisbury and Skupski as well — to give the longtime duo its first two major titles after losing in its first three finals. Salisbury and Skupski held three match points while leading 5-4 in the third set. But Granollers and Zeballos won the next eight points, eventually getting their only break of the match when Granollers lunged to return Skupski’s serve into an open corner for a 6-5 lead. Granollers then served out the match.

Thomas reclaims WNBA’s assists mark from Clark

Alyssa Thomas had no idea she was closing in on taking back the WNBA’s single-season assist record. She was just focused on trying to help her team win and improve its playoff positioning. She topped Caitlin Clark’s mark of 337 assists set last season, but the Mercury came up short against the Connecticut Sun on Saturday, falling 87-84.

Thomas needed six assists Saturday to reclaim the mark. She got the record-breaking one on a 3-pointer by Kathryn Westbeld in the corner with 4:45 left in the second quarter She ﬁnished the game with 10 to give her 342 this season.

“I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by so many great 3-point shooters so they make my job easy,” Thomas said.

Astros outfielder Meyers returns after two months

The Houston Astros reinstated Jake Meyers from the injured list before Saturday’s game at Texas after the center ﬁelder spent nearly two months sidelined with a calf injury

Meyers hasn’t played since July 9, when the aggravation of a strained right calf forced him to leave Houston’s game against Cleveland with the help of a trainer before the ﬁrst pitch was thrown. The 29-year-old Meyers is hitting .308 with three home runs and 21 RBIs.

“Adding Jake, his defense and his offensive production he’s been showing this year, it stretches our lineup a little bit more,” Astros manager Joe Espada said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

South Florida kicker Nico Gramatica kicks a field goal against Florida on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.

THREEAND OUT: GUERRy SMITHGIVES HISTAKEAWAyS FROM TULANE’STIGHT VICTORyOVERS.ALABAMA

WHAT WE LEARNED

1

With 60 newplayers on the roster,Tulane remains awork in progress.The ingredients forahugeseason are there, but the reality of moderncollegefootball is teams don’treally find outwhat it is made of in earlySeptember.Running backs Zuberi Mobleyand JavinGordon were impressive, and JakeRetzlaff made some critical throws, but the passinggame was inconsistent The defense was dominant inthe second and third quarters but struggled early and late, needing an interception by Javion White on atwo-point conversion with 59 secondslefttoholdon.

TRENDINGNOW

2

The kicking game matters.Trailing 14-0 midwaythrough the first quarter,Tulane got some life on AnthonyBrown-Stephens’ 40-yard kickoff return, setting up a55-yard touchdowndrive. Aleksi Pulkkinen of South Alabama then shanked a punt off the side of his foot that traveled 11 yards, leading to atying 42-yard drive. PatrickDurkin finished the first half witha 50-yard field goal —the longest for Tulane in 12 years.All coachespreach the importanceofspecial teams, but JonSumrall recruits for it and practices it heavily.The payoff was hugeasthe Wave turned around its early deficit

3 FINALTHOUGHTS

Tulane needs to be much sharper against Dukeand Ole Missthan it wasinthis one. Thedefense was penalized for having 12 menon the field twice.Center JackHollifieldwas flaggedfor holding twice.Retzlaff and receiver Shazz Preston had amiscommunication on third down that forced theWavetosettle for a fieldgoal.What wouldhave been aclinching interceptionbyJackTchienchou waswiped out by aroughing-the-passerpenalty on Santana Hopper.TheWave also didnot appear ready to playatthe start,allowing oneeasytouchdown driveand along touchdown passbeforewaking up.

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER

Tulane players taketothe field beforeagame against NorthwesternonAug.30atyulman Stadium. Tulane faced South Alabama on theroadand won33-31.

TULANE

Continued from page1C

coach JonSumrall said. “Wejust looked alittle off and didn’tlook like ourselves early.Ishowed them two nationalTV shows that called out, ‘Hey,Tulane’sgoing to have aletdown.’ Iguess the experts were right. Complacency’s akiller.”

After facing next to no adversity against Northwestern aweek ago, the Green Wave trailed 14-0 near the midway point of the first quarter, getting gashed on the ground, giving up along touchdown pass and committing itsﬁrst turnover of the year on quarterbackJake Retzlaff’s fumble.

No one panicked. Tulane scoredtouchdowns on its next threepossessions, added apair of ﬁeld goals on its next two drives, and blanked the Jaguars in the second and third quartersonthe way to what appeared to bea comfortable win.

Retzlaff ﬁnished aseven-play,55-yard touchdown drive witha5-yard passto tight end JohnnyPascuzzi on anifty play call from offensivecoordinator Joe CraddockasTulane cut its early deﬁcit in half. Facing athird and 3atthe South Alabama 5, Retzlafffaked an inside handoff and threw outside to Pascuzzi, whocrossed the goal line easily

After the defense forced athreeand-out, the Wave took advantage of a shanked 11-yard punt that went out of bounds at midﬁeld. Freshman running back Javin Gordon converted athird and 5off abotched snap thatbouncedtohim before Mobleyraced for a16-yard touchdown, tying the score with24seconds left in the ﬁrst quarter

South Alabama failed on afourth-and-3 pass attempt from the Wave 43,and Retzlaff converted afourthand 2onakeeper to spark ago-ahead touchdowndrivethat ended on his 1-yard score.

The defense then forced another threeand-out, leading to Durkin’s50-yard ﬁeld goal that made the score 24-14.

“I loved the way we responded,” Sumrall said. “Tobedown14and then be up 24-14 at the half wasreally impressive Really the thing that made the game more interestingthanitneededtobewas the missed extrapoint. That can’thappen. It would have madeita17-pointgame ”

Tulane defensivebacks Jahiem Johnson, left, and Javion White celebrate after White intercepted the ball from NorthwesternonAug.30. White had another hugeinterception on Saturday against South Alabamaonwhat would have been atying two-point conversion with59seconds left.

“Wejust looked alittle off and didn’tlook likeourselves early. Ishowed them two national TV shows that called out, ‘Hey, Tulane’sgoing to have aletdown.’ Iguess theexperts were right. Complacency’sakiller.”

Tulane coach

JONSUMRALL,

Tulane rushedfor 241 yards on 45 carries despite the absence of starter Maurice Turner,who sat out with an ankle injury.Mobleyhad 82 yards on 11 attempts, andGordon gained 80 on 15 tries.

“Zuberi wasawesome,”Sumrall said. “Thatlast touchdown was abig-boy run, andJavin is not running like afreshman That dude has alittle bit of apit bull mentality.”

Tulane, which outgained SouthAlabama 228-43 in the ﬁrst half after falling behind 14-0, kept that momentum rolling in the third quarter before thesloppiness returned.

Jeremy Scott’s34-yard catch to the1 set up theJaguars’ ﬁrst touchdown of the fourth quarter.Davenportwas untouched

Tulane 33, South Alabama 31 Tulane 14 10 36 —33 South Alabama 14 00 17 —31 First Quarter

SA:Davenport 9run (DiBoyankick), 10:48.

SA:Voisin 65 pass from Davenport (DiBoyankick), 7:11. TULN: Pascuzzi 5pass from Retzlaff (Durkinkick), 4:11. TULN: Mobley 16 run(Durkin kick),:24. Second Quarter

TULN: Retzlaff 1run (Durkin kick), 6:52.

TULN: FG Durkin 50,:49

ThirdQuarter

TULN: FG Durkin 34,8:51 Fourth Quarter

SA:FGDiBoyan28, 14:57

TULN: Mobley 28 run(kick failed), 10:01.

SA:Bullock1run (Davenportrun), 5:27.

SA:Voisin 26 pass from Davenport (pass failed), :59. TULN USA First downs 22 22 Total Net Yards406 421 Rushes-yards45-241 41-190 Passing 165231 Punt Returns 1-02-42 Kickoff Returns 5-1100-0

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0

Comp-Att-Int 16-27-0 17-24-0

Sacked-YardsLost1-9 1-2 Punts 4-45.25 2-31.5

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-2

Penalties-Yards 11-882-10 Time of Possession34:2925:31

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Tulane, Mobley 11-82, Gordon 15-80, Retzlaff 13-64, Barnes 5-12, Sullivan 1-3. South Alabama Bullock24-107,Davenport 12-63, Martin 3-18, Phillips 2-2. PASSING: Tulane, Retzlaff 13-24-0-125, Sullivan 3-3-040. South Alabama, Davenport17-24-0-231. RECEIVING: Tulane, Bohanon 5-62, Z.Lewis 2-24, Miller 2-21, Brown-Stephens 2-19, Pascuzzi 2-15, Preston 1-14, O.Mitchell1-5, Reid 1-5. South Alabama,Voisin 8-152, McCrumby4-29,Scott 2-45, Eager 2-7, Bullock 1-(minus 2). MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.

on the two-point conversion.

Then, starting at its20with 2:21 left, SouthAlabama beneﬁted from aroughing-the-passercall on SantanaHopper thatnegated aTchienchouinterception; defensive holding and roughing-thepasser penalties thatcanceled afourthdown stop; and adropped interception by Tchienchou. On thenext play,Davenport threw astriketoVoison on aseam route for a26-yard score.

AsidefromWhite’s two-pointstop, Tulane didlittleright downthe stretch. That included theﬁnalplay, when Alec Clark punted directly to Voison, who tried to produce more magic after catching eight passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns.

“The punt was called to be punted out of bounds,” Sumrall said. “I saidIdon’tcare if youpunt it 15 yards or 20 yards,just punt it out of bounds.Wedidn’tdothat, which is not ideal. Ireally trusted Alec to catch and get theball off quick.”

Backup QB Sullivan rewards Sumrall’s faithinhim

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Aftersaying backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan would play against SouthAlabama, coach JonSumrall was true to hisword when he sent himinthe game with 5:03 leftinthe first half SullivanrewardedSumrall’s confidence, rolling to his left and completing a20-yard pass to wideout ZycarlLewis on his first play and finishing 3of3 on adrive that endedwith Patrick Durkin‘s 50-yardfieldgoalin Tulane’s33-31 win at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday Only afalse-start penalty and aconservative run callonthird and9 kept Sullivanfrom possiblymatching thetouchdowns starter Jake Retzlaff guidedonthe Green Wave’s previous three series. Sullivan missed valuable preseason camptime after hurting an ankle in practice on Aug. 14 anddid nottakeasnapin the opener against Northwestern before finishing it with two knees to run out the clock. “I feel like we have two guys that Iconsider starters right now,” Sumrall said. “When Brendan wentdown in training camp, he wasprobably just one notch ahead in thecompetition, and Jake knowsthat. I’d like to see Brendan play morebecause he’s done some really good things and worked his tail off.” The way the game tightened up in the fourth quarter,Sullivan —who transferred from Iowa in May before Retzlaff arrived in late July —did not get a second opportunity

“I really wanted to play him (Sullivan) more,”Sumrall said. “My visionwas to playhim at least acoupleofdrives.Ifwe had gone up 17 (Durkin missed an extra point) and gotten astop he wasgoingback to ﬁnish the game.”

Dejavu

For those with long memories, the ending to this game was eerily similar to one the two teams played 12 yearsago at theSuperdome—only with adifferent winner

On the night of Sept. 7, Tulane trailedby12atone point in the second half but rallied within two points on atouchdown with 1:19 left. The Jaguars intercepted Nick Montana’stwo-point conversionattempt,recovered an onside kick and held on to win41-39.

This time, Tulane ledby16in thesecond halfbefore South Alabamapulled within twowith 59 seconds leftbefore JavionWhite intercepted thetying conversion attempt.

Jersey-gateaftermath

After criticizing Northwestern harshlyinhis postgame news conference for not allowing Tulane to wear the same white-on-whiteuniforms it had in its ﬁrst post-Katrina game in 2005, Sumrallexplainedhis views further this week. He wasupset not just with the ultimate decisionbut also the rationale the Wildcats used, saying they did nothaveenough time to switch to their homepurple jerseys after getting the request, and the six-day turnaround to this Friday’shomegameagainst Western Illinois was too short to get them ready in time if they wore them against the Wave. Neither explanation was reasonableinSumrall’s view.He would have preferred if they stated they wanted to wear white because of the heat factor in New Orleans. Northwestern coach David Braun referenced the logistical issues in his Monday presser twodays after Tulane’s23-3 win. He added he had agood conversation with Sumrall on Sunday The Wave woreits all-white jerseys at South Alabama but notthe Katrina-inspired green helmetwith no emblemithad against Northwestern.

LSU23, LOUISIANATECH7

Latulas 1-5, Robertson 1-5, Burnette 1-4, Wiggins 1-1. LSU, Ba.Brown8-94,A.Anderson 8-73, Z.Thomas 4-35, N.Anderson 3-17, Durham 2-10, Sharp 1-8. MISSED FIELD GOALS—LSU, Ramos 51.

LSUloses keyO-lineman early

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSUcenter BraelinMoore injured his left ankle Saturday on the ﬁrst play from scrimmageinthe Tigers’homeopener againstLouisianaTech Moore, aVirginia Tech transfer, suffered theinjury when his leg was pinned under apile of tacklers after acarry by runningback Caden Durham picked up 3yards.Once trainers examinedthe redshirt junior, he walkedgingerly offthe ﬁeld underhis own power and into the injury tent.

When Mooreemerged from thetent, he walked slowly to the locker room to undergo X-rays, according to LSU’sradio broadcast He was then spotted on the sideline taking practice snaps with his helmeton, but he never reentered the game. He watched the second half in street clothes with awalking bootonhis left foot

DJ Chester —the redshirt junior who started 13 games at center forLSU lastseason— took over for Moore.

Moore was atwo-year starter at Virginia Tech. He transferred to LSU in the offseason and quickly emerged as akey member of the Tigers’ top-ranked transferclass.

Coach Brian Kelly said on Aug.25 that LSU pursued Mooreafter he entered the portal becausehe’s played astarringrole on apowerconference team.

“He’sgot that experience,” Kelly said.“When yougoonthe road and you play in an environment like (Clemson’s), you want to bring in veteran guys that bring that composure and leadership and experience, right? Experience is the greatestteacher,sothat meansa lot,clearly and he’ll have agreat inﬂuence on theoffensive line.”

The LSU offense struggledwithout Moore for most of the ﬁrst half. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw an interception on the Tigers’ ﬁrst drive, thenwrapped up the second quarter withonly 16 completions on 26 passattempts for 115 yards Greeninjured

LSU sophomoretight end Trey’Dez Green left Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech at Tiger Stadium with an apparentright kneeinjury Green was blocking on aseconddown playearlyinthe fourth quarter when two other players fell on his right leg. He stayeddown afterthe play.After brieﬂybeing attended to by trainers, Green got to his feet andslowlywalked off the ﬁeld.

He wentdirectly to theinjury tent forfurther evaluation. He emerged with abrace on his right knee and stood on crutches on the sideline Green, a6-foot-7 targetfrom Zachary,caught the game-winning touchdown pass for LSU against Clemson in last week’sseason opener

Kelly said both Moore and Green will undergo MRIs soon.

Facing former school

LSU’stwo coordinators cut their teeth at LouisianaTech, theteam that visited TigerStadium forthe ﬁrst time since2018onSaturday JoeSloan,the LSUoffensive coordinator,and Blake Baker,the LSUdefensive coordinator,had overlapping tenures as assistantcoaches for the Bulldogs from 2014-18. Sloan started out as Louisiana Tech’sinside receiverscoach, then worked his way up to its offensive coordinator job by 2020.

Baker spent oneseason as the Bulldogs’ safeties coach.Hewas promoted to defensive coordinator beforethe next year and worked in that role until coach Ed Orgeron hired himtohis LSU defensive staffin 2021, when the ﬁrst of his two tenures in Baton Rouge began.

McMakintakes mic

As it faced Louisiana Tech on Saturday,LSU wasbreaking in a new permanent public address announcer in Tiger Stadium forthe ﬁrst time since 1986. Now the job belongs to state Rep. DixonMcMakin,R-Baton Rouge. LSU hired him in late August to ﬁll the void left by DanBorné,the longtime PA voice who officially stepped down in July afterhealth issues forced him to miss the entire 2024 football season.

Only three announcers have ever voiced gamesinTiger Stadium since1955. LateWAFB-TV meteorologist Sid Crocker held the job for30years (1955-1985) before he passedthe microphone to Borné,who took over in 1986 andcalledgames until2023. Bill Franques —the voice of Alex Box Stadium —filledinfor Borne over the years and took over the job on an interim basis during the 2024 season. McMakin also will callLSU men’s basketballgames, like Borné has done since the 1980s. LSU has said it plans to honor Borné during ahome football game this year

UpsetinGainesville

Florida suffered an 18-16 home loss to South Florida aweek before it’sscheduled to play aroad game in Baton Rouge. The No.13Gators (1-1) committed 11 penaltiesfor 103 yards, while allowing the Bulls to pick up 391 total yards. South Florida kicker Nico Gramatica —the son of formerNFL kicker Martin Gramatica —converted agame-winning 20yard ﬁeld goal as time expired in the fourth quarter In Week 1, Florida beat Long Island 55-0. The Bulls defeated Boise State 34-7. No. 8Clemson —LSU’sWeek 1opponent —survived an upset scare fromTroy at home and prevailed 27-16.

Underwhelmingwin notbestlookfor LSU

Brian Kelly didn’tpound the table after Saturday night’sgame against Louisiana Tech likehedid after last season’sopening loss to USC in Las Vegas

Tigers in the right mindset.He blamedhis players for notexecuting.

“I’m telling you from theheart,” LSU’s angry Irishman said.

“We’ve got to coach better.Weleft some plays out there.But we’ve gottocoach and play together.”

LSU did win, after all, to go to 2-0. But if you put the 101,000 people here in Tiger Stadium under oath, the vast majority of them would have been forced to admit theydidn’tthink that would be the case. But the LSU coach sure looked like he wanted to take abit out of some particle board furniture after his Tigers’ underwhelming 23-7 victory over the feisty but overmatched Bulldogs. This was astrange game. LSU never truly was in danger of being upset by the ﬁve-plus touchdown underdogs from Ruston Butthe ﬁnal scorewon’timpress acollege football nation suddenly agogover LSUafter its 17-10 upset victory at Clemson to open the season.

In fact, it sets off warning bells

—oratleast triggers as much of an alarm as a2-0 top-10 team can acquire.And aninfuriated Kelly

—aninfrared image would have shown he was venting aplume of steam from the top of his purple cap —was clanging that bell as much as anyone

“You can tell from my voice that I’m not happy,” Kelly said.“It’s a win, but it isn’twhat we wanted It’s not the way we wanted to get there.” Kelly blamed himself and his coaching staff for not getting the

Kelly didn’twant to use the excuse of losing center Braelin Moore, theSEC OffensiveLinemanofthe Week for the way he played againstClemson, to an early ankle injury. Kellyrather ominously said Moore andtight end Trey’Dez Green (knee) will both undergo MRIs on Sunday, raising the prospect of theﬁrst real signiﬁcant injuriestoaffect the Tigers this calendar year

Butthe offensive line, which hasﬁve differentstarters from 2024, looked like theweakest link entering the season on ateam that is obviously loaded with talent from stem to stern. Finishing with just 17 points and 356yardsat Clemson could be written off as a gritty effort against areally good defense in areally tough place to play. This? LSU’sinability to consistently run the ball has crisis potential written all over it

On the face of it, the Tigers’ 34 carries for 128 net yards was notawful. But take away a48yard run by utility player Zavion Thomas and a43-yard run by freshman Harlem Berry,that leaves 32 carries for35yards. Take away three Garrett Nussmeiersacksfor minus-27 yards and minus-1onthe game’sﬁnal play (taking aknee), andthat’s 28 carries for 63 yards. That’s 2.25 yards perattempt. Andthat won’t cut it in theuber-tough SEC.

Onesequence late in the game typified thenight. Berry’slong, spinning, brilliant run put LSUat the 6. ATech penaltygavethe Tigers afirst andgoal at the3.From there, LSU netted 1yardonthree carries before Damian Ramos kickeda 19-yard field goal for the game’sfinalpoints. The Tigers should have been able to shove the Bulldogsback into the endzone. Glaringly, they could not. Once again, the defense was stellar,saveone 74-yardTech drive in the fourth that resulted in its only touchdown —a 33yard bustedcoveragepassfrom Blake Baker to Devin Gandy.LSU limitedthe Bulldogs to 154 total yards (58 netyards rushing) and

againlooked like the strength of this team. But such was the bitter nature of this winthat even defensive stalwarts such as linebacker West Weekswere left feeling like they were part of amore global letdown

“Wehave talented guys,” Weeks said. “Wehave great dudes. When we don’tplay up to the standard, it hurts to feel like you let your brother down. All of us together as awhole know we need to play better.”

It’sworth wondering whether all the emphasis LSU put for months on starting 1-0 against Clemson worked against the Tigers against Tech.This game, sandwiched between Clemson and next week’s

LSUwide receiver Zavion Thomas runs the ballup the left side in the first halfagainst Louisiana Tech on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

SEC opener against Florida (which would love to be coming off an unsavory win over South Florida but instead lost 18-16) had “letdown” written all over it in 60-point type. But the Tigers aren’tlooking for excuses. They’re looking for answers. There was an overreaction to the Clemson

STAFFPHOTO

MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU23, LOUISIANATECH7

THREEAND OUT: SCOTTRABALAIS’

INCONSISTENT OFFENSE FOR LSU

1

youcould pin LSU scoring only17points at Clemson on atough defense in ahostile environment. But some of LSU’sstruggles followedthe Tigers home Saturday against Louisiana Tech. LSU’srushinggamehad issues throughout the first half. Asidefrom Zavion Thomas’ 48-yard run, the Tigers had 32 yards on 14 carries, including aGarrett Nussmeier sack.Anearly injurytocenter Braelin Moore didn’t help, but it’shardly what wasexpected of theLSU offense this season

2

THE DIFFERENCE IS DEFENSE

LSU coach BrianKelly had so much faithinhis defensetoput the clamps on the Bulldogs, he had Aeron Burrell execute asquib kickofffrom the 50 after a15-yard penalty on Louisiana Tech on LSU’s first touchdown play. It’sdownrightstrangetosee after the waythe Tigers defense struggled in recentyears, but all the evidence in LSU’s firsttwo games showsthisunitistremendously improved, despite alate fourth-quartercoveragebustthat alloweda Tech touchdown.

FINAL THOUGHTS

LSU neverseemed in real jeopardyagainst Louisiana Tech, but the Tigers took waytoo long to put the five-touchdown underdog away because of alack firepower, particularly on the ground. LSU still will be asizable favorite over Florida next Saturday because of the Gators’ 18-16 upset loss to South Florida in Gainesville. But if LSU wants to become the SEC and CFP contender it suddenly has been projected to be,the Tigers will have to be muchmore productive.

‘PRETTYDARNGOOD’

LSUdefense asilver lining in lackluster win

BY REEDDARCEY Staff writer

LSUedge rusher Patrick Paytonﬂew into the backfield,forcing Louisiana Tech’squarterbacktostepupinthe pocket. This third down try—run deep in Bulldogs territory about halfway through the third quarter —didn’thave much of achance.

LinebackersWhitand West Weeks made sure of it. The brothers teamedup to drop quarterback Trey Kukukbehind the line of scrimmage, forcingLouisiana Tech into its sixth puntofthe game.

Here’s asentence no one wrote two years ago: LSU is winning games with its defense.

That rebuilt, retooled unit swallowed No. 8Clemson on theroad in Week 1, giving theNo. 3Tigers(2-0) achance to win their ﬁrst season opener in ﬁve seasons.

Then, in Week 2, LSU’sdefense shut down Louisiana Tech —animportant contribution to agameinwhich itsoffense struggled to find the end zone. The Tigers won 23-7, but their offense committed aturnover,puntedtwice and settledfor amissed 51-yard ﬁeld goalall beforeitscored its second touchdown in asloppy performance that frustrated coach Brian Kelly.

“Look, at the end of the day,” Kelly said,“our defense played pretty darn good. They limited it to 58 rushing yards. Imean, that’s areally good effort on the defense’spart. That’sa really good effort.”

The Bulldogs (1-1) could’ve threatened an upset on Saturday But instead, they learned the samelessons Clemson did aweek prior. This LSU defense can play man coverage. It loves to blitz. And it can play stout run defense, thanks to its deep rotation of defensive linemen and its strong, speedy group of linebackers. The offenses it faces better be ready to handle pressure —otherwise, they’ll have trouble moving theball, sustaining drives and scoring touchdowns

Against LSU, Louisiana Tech punted on eachofits ﬁrst eight drives. It ﬁnished with 154 totalyards of offense. It never reachedthe red zone, anditaveraged just 2.9 yards per play.The Bull-

LSU

Continued from page1C

to play better,too. I’ve gottocoach better.”

LSU didn’tcrack the scoring column until there were 12 seconds left in the ﬁrst quarter,when Nussmeier found redshirt junior Nic Anderson in the end zone for a7-yard score. The touchdown ﬁnished a5:37 drive that startedat LSU’s2-yard line.

The Tigers added to theirlead with aﬁeld goal on the next drive, but Parker’sdrop prevented LSU from adding six points. LSUled 10-0 heading into halftime.

“I feel like (there’s) always something you can get better at,” Brown said. “Not really (anything) we can pinpoint right now,but just getting better overall.”

STAFFPHOTO By

LSUlinebacker Harold Perkins reaches for LouisianaTech quarterback Trey Kukukduring aplayinthe second quarter of their game on SaturdayatTiger Stadium

dogs also converted only three of the 13 third downs they faced, in large part becausethey completed only 15 passes.

Kukuk, Louisiana Tech’s starting quarterback, hadthrownfor only 50 yards when he was pulled lateinthe second half. He didn’tget much help from his rushing attack, which averaged ameager2.7 sack-adjusted yards per carry

The LSU defense didn’tyield much ground. It extendeda shutoutstreakto five quarters, then finishedits impressivenight with two sacks, five tackles for loss, five passbreakups and three hurries.

On Saturday, the Tigers needed all of it —orelse they would’ve gone on upset alert against an overmatched opponent from Conference USA

“I don’tknow that we lacked intensity,”

What likely didn’t help LSU’sattack was the absence of senior center Braelin Moorefor all but one play.The Virginia Tech transfer injured hisleft leg after the opening snap of the game and was replaced by redshirt sophomore andformer starting center DJ Chester Moore hadbeen akey pieceof the LSU line throughout its win over Clemsonwhen he wonthe SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award. He wasinstreet clothes andhad aboot on hisleft foot in thesecondhalf.

“Braelin’svery important,” Brown said. “(I’m) hopinghe’s good.” Moore wasn’tthe only Tiger injured Saturday. Sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green also needed to be helpedoff the ﬁeld in the fourth quarter.Bythe endofthe night,he hadabrace on hisright knee and was on crutches. Green had LSU’s

Kelly said. “It was the execution (that) was not very good, and I’m gonna lean on this again, and I’m telling you from my heart. We gotta coach better.We gotta put our kids in (better) position. We got good players. We gotta do better We gotta do better because they’re good players.”

Theﬁnaldefensive numbers looked different ayear ago.

In LSU’s2024 Week 2matchup, Nicholls rushed 38 timesfor 178 yards. Its 67-yardrushing scorecut theTigers’ lead to 23-21 after only two minutes had ticked offthe second-halfclock.The LSUoffense —not the defense —saved theday by scoring 19 morepoints before thegame was over The Week 2matchup with Louisiana Tech followed adifferent script.

ﬁrst touchdownreception of the season last week against Clemson.

“We’ll get MRIs for both those guys tomorrow,” Kelly said, “and then we’ll know alittle bit more.”

As theLSU offense continued to struggle, itsdefense dominated LouisianaTech.

The Bulldogs had just 71 yards and four ﬁrst downs at halftime. LSU didn’t get its ﬁrst sackuntil thethird quarter, but theTigers dominated thelineofscrimmage and allowed just 50 yards through the air after three quarters.

The Bulldogs had no turnovers, but they never had adrive that traveled more than 34 yards before constructing a13-play, 74yardtouchdown drive in the fourth quarter.That score cut LSU’slead to 20-7. “Atthe endofthe day, ourdefense played pretty darn good,” Kelly said.

The only points the LSU defense allowedcame from a33-yard touchdown pass, scored late in the fourth quarter on abusted coverage. The rest of the gamewas littered with plays like the sack that forced Louisiana Tech into itssixth punt. Thanks to that stop, LSU’s ensuing drive started at the Bulldogs 33-yard line and ended with a3-yard touchdown plunge by running back Caden Durham

That score was all the Tigers needed to seal the win—and their defense teed it up.

“Wedidn’tcome outthere with the juice we needed to,” West Weeks said. “I don’tknowifitwas ashock to us to be out there, but it didn’treally feel exactly right, andIknowwe’vegot alongway to go.”

LSU’s dominance defensively afforded the offense enough time to stretch its lead to three scores late in thethird quarter.The Tigers found the end zone on asix-play, 33-yard drive that concluded with a2-yard rushing scorefromsophomoreCaden Durham

Despite Durham’stouchdown, LSU’s running game struggled on Saturday.Durhamhad 13 carries for just 29 yards after threequarters, and LSUasawhole averaged 2.8 yards per carry until freshman Harlem Berry’selectric 43-yard carry with 3:41 lefttoplay

“It’sindividual mistakes. It’s scheme mistakes. It’snot seeing theright hole,” Kelly said of the rushing struggles. “From arunning game standpoint, (it was) a lack of execution by players and coaches alike. And so there’snot just one thing.”

LSU’sperformance running the

ball wasareﬂection of its night on offense —inconsistent. It was exactly the type of performance Kelly didn’twant to see fromhis unit before Southeastern Conference play begins next Saturday against Florida (6:30 p.m ABC).

“If Ididn’tthink we had the players, I’d be in here giving you the coach Kelly spin. I’dgive you everything that Icould come up with abouthow great we are,” Kelly said. “We’ve got better players on this roster,and we’ve got to coach them better,and they’ve got to execute, too.

“This is all in on everybody.This isn’tjust, ‘Well, our coaches stink,’ or ‘Our players stink.’This is everybody collectively (not living) up to the standard that we have set here.”

Email Koki Rileyat Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

MICHAEL JOHNSON

THE VARSITYZONE

PREP NOTEBOOK

throws apass against East

Stadium in Gonzales. Brother

John Curtis,Jesuitgothe distance in impressive wins

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

John Curtis andJesuit traveled far from home andwon impressively in Week 1.

In California, senior Jacobi Boudreaux rushed for 218 yards andfour touchdowns as Curtis amassed aschool rushingrecord 654 yards and defeated Cathedral (Los Angeles) 54-26 at San Juan Hills High School.

Other top performers included senior Gavin Ledet with 127 yards and two touchdowns and sophomore quarterback London Padgett with 107 yards and one score. Vincent Sclafini alsoran for atouchdown.

In Texas, senior quarterback Taylor Norton ran and threw for apair of touchdowns as BeauMatulewski and McKinley Perry each returned an interception for atouchdown as Jesuit defeatedDallas Jesuit 31-6 in agame halted at halftimebecause of lightning.

Norton was 9-of-14 passing for 202 yards and junior Ja’ir Burks had three receptions for 123 yards, in-

Week 1scores

Thursday Abramson 14, Sarah T. Reed 2 Ascension Catholic 45, H.L. Bourgeois 40 Bonnabel 36, S. B. Wright 0 Central Catholic35, WhiteCastle 0 Church Point 27, North Vermilion 14 Covenant ChristianAcademy28, Thomas Jefferson 14 Covington49, Bogalusa 0 Delta Charter 48, LaSalle 8 Discovery 40,Fisher 0 Grand Lake45, EastBeauregard 0 Hamilton ChristianAcademy39, DeQuincy 14 Madison 20, Ringgold 14 Mamou 62, Bolton6 Neville 33, Evangel Christian Academy32 Opelousas Catholic 14, Iota 7 Pine 37, St. Thomas Aquinas 14 St. Charles Catholic 36, Newman 3 Teurlings Catholic 48, Opelousas 12 University 49, Woodlawn (BR) 8 West Monroe 41,Huntington 18 Westgate 28, LakeCharles College Prep 20 Westlake34, Rosepine 0 Westminster Christian (LAF) 26, Albany16 Wossman 36, Bastrop6 Friday Airline 56, Barbe 27 Alexandria 54, West Feliciana 7 Ascension Episcopal 41, Kaplan 7 B.T. Washington 56, Lakeview 0 Baker 50, Tara 6 Baton Rouge Catholic32, Destrehan 23 Beekman 50, Delhi 24 Belle Chasse 61, McMain 0 Ben Franklin 14, Crescent City 6 Ben’s Ford ChristianSchool 38, Sylva-Bay Aca., Miss. 24 Block 45, Buckeye0 Bossier 63, North Caddo 25 Broadmoor 14, Springﬁeld

cludinga 21-yard scoring pass for a7-6 lead inthe ﬁrst quarter Ethan Cabos kicked aﬁeld goal in thesecondquarter,and Norton scored on a4-yard run for a17-6 lead.

Both teamshave home games in Week 2withCurtis set to face Northshore at the Shrine on Airline and Jesuit to face E.D. White at TadGormley Stadium.

BrotherMartin, Holy Crossrally

Other9-5Aschools to winaway from home in Week 1were Brother Martin and Holy Cross.

Brother Martin scored the ﬁnal 20 points for a29-22 comeback winatEast Ascension behind the heroics of junior EastonRoyal,who accounted for130 total yards and three touchdowns —two rushing andone receiving Holy Cross squandereda twotouchdown lead in the fourth quarter but scored the winning touchdown on akeeper by quarterback Jokoby Farria with 20 seconds remaining in a27-26 victory at E.D.White.

Holy Crossdrove 81 yards for

PREP REPORT

Independence 19 Loyola Prep 55, St. Frederick Catholic 21 Madison Prep 48, Dutchtown 41 Mandeville 38, Salmen 25 Mansﬁeld 46, Minden 38 Many35, Logansport 19 Marksville 41, Avoyelles 14 McKinley 20, Capitol 18 Morgan City 40, Berwick 14 NDHS 35, Southside 28 Natchitoches Central 41, Breaux Bridge 0 New Iberia Catholic 20, VermilionCatholic 0 North DeSoto 46, Union Parish 3 Northside 49, Ville Platte 8 Ouachita Christian 60, Caldwell Parish 14 Ouachita Parish 37, CaptainShreve19 Parkway 43, Carroll 13 Peabody 33, LaGrange 10 Pearl River 34, St. Martin’s 20 Pearl River Central, Miss. 34,Pope John Paul 16 Picayune, Miss. 27, Northshore13 Pickering 56, Gueydan 14 Pineville 44, New Iberia 26 Pointe Coupee Catholic 26,Red River 24 RHS 35, Beau Chene7 Rayville 14, General Trass (LakeProvidence) 12 Richwood 20, West Ouachita 15 Riverdale 50, Patrick Taylor 21 Ruston 49, Acadiana 7 Sacred Heart 32, Oakdale 0 Saint Paul’s48, LiveOak 13 Sam Houston 44, Leesville 35 Shreveport Northwood 49, Benton 16 Slidell 30, Lutcher 22 South Terrebonne 17, Comeaux 0 St. Amant 49, C.E. Byrd6 St. EdmundCatholic 58, Elton 28 St. James 49, East St. John 12 St. John 36, Hanson Memorial 19 St. Martinville 34, Cecilia 29 St. Michael 35, Baton Rouge Episcopal 21 Sterlington 47, Tioga 31 Sulphur13, St. Louis 10 Terrebonne 24, Riverside Academy13 Thibodaux 21, South Lafourche 14 Vandebilt Catholic 55, Central Lafourche12 Vinton 36, Oberlin 6 Walker 27, Ponchatoula 26 Washington-Marion44, Abbeville 14 Westminster Christian 62, Pine Prairie 0 WillowSchool 48, Ascension Christian School 8 Winnﬁeld 26, Jonesboro-Hodge 8 Young Audiences Charter 34,West St. John 32 Zachary 52, Plaquemine28 Saturday’s games South Plaquemines vs.Higgins,n St. Augustine 56, McDonogh 35 6 Northeast vs.Jefferson Rise, n Open date: Carver

Christian 27, Rummel 26

St.Augustine cruisespast McDonogh 35

BY CHRISTOPHERDABE Staff writer

Vashaun Coulonhad already thrown three touchdown passes when the St. Augustine senior rolled to his left and looked for an open receiver.

But with those receivers well covered, thequarterback cut back toward the right side and raced to theend zone fora 16yard touchdownrun with less than aminute to playinthe half.

St.Augustine scored seven touchdowns in the ﬁrst half and put athumping on McDonogh 35 in their season opening matchup for the fourth year in arow with a56-6 victory Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium.

theball, andwewereable to throw theball,”saidSt. Augustine coach Robert Valdez, whose team is comingoff a7-5 season that ended in the second round of theplayoffs. “I think we were able to control theline of scrimmage because we were concernedwiththeir athleticism They have alot of movement and twisting and blitzing on us, and we were able to protect.”

One bright spotfor McDonogh 35 came whensenior Dantrell Taylor returned akickoff beyond midfieldtostart adrive thatended when senior Heij Jacksoncaught atouchdown pass fromsophomore Deddrick Peters.

Christian 07137 —27

thewinning score.

“The air gotsuckedout on our sideline when we gave up thefumble recovery for the touchdown,” coach Scott Wattigny said. “Wehad threeminutesand still two timeouts. Iknew it wasn’tover.Westill had achance.”

Rummel comesupshort

For Rummel, amissed extra point kept the Raiders fromtying thescore late in a27-26 loss at Lafayette Christian.

Rummel junior Jaden Terrance ran 80 yards foratouchdown andkicker RobertVargas madea41-yard ﬁeld goal that tiedthe score withjust under 6minutes left. Lafayette Christian wentahead 27-20 with atouchdown on the next possession, andRummeljunior quarterback Tyler Holden found wideout Micah Green for a25-yard touchdown to cutthe lead to one. The missed extra point was short and to the right.

ContactChristopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

RUMM —RobertVargas 21 FG

RUMM —CoryanHawks 3run (Vargas kick)

LCA—Braylon Walker 7run (Jude Fairchild kick)

LCA—Brayden Allen56pass from Walker (Fairchildkick)

LCA—Walker 66 run(Fairchild kick)

RUMM —Jaden Terrance 80 run(Vargas kick) RUMM —Vargas 41 FG

LCA—Caiden Bellard 22 run(Fairchild kick)

RUMM —LukeMocklin 26 pass from Tyler Holden (Kickfailed) Country Day28, Haynes 21 Team Haynes Country Day First Downs 17 12

YardsRushing 44-274 24-100

YardsPassing 123 244 Passes(C-A-HI) 6-13-0 10-18-0

Punts-avg.5-36 4-35

Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-1

Penalties-yards12-100 9-90

SCORING SUMMARY Haynes 0140 7— 21 CountryDay 014140 —28

CD: JustinDrago 3run (John Herefordkick)

HAY: Brady Cribby 3run (2-point failed)

CD: George Blessey 1run (Herefordkick)

HAY: Gabriel Esteves 63 pass from Trent

Helwig(Matthew Bonura2-point run)

CD: Herm Dyson 65 pass from Allen Dietz (Herefordkick)

CD: Kellen Brewer 3pass from Dietz (Herefordkick)

HAY: Cribby29run (Bennett Nelson kick) BrotherMartin 29, East Ascension 22 Team BMHS EAHS First Downs 13 18

YardsRushing 30-158 51-239 YardsPassing 73 126 Passes(C-A-HI) 8-16-0 7-10-0

Punts-avg.2-26.0 2-36.5

Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-3

Penalties-yards14-89 11-96

SCORING SUMMARY

BMHS 9130 7— 29 EAHS 14 800 —22

EA: Jason Blackburn 4run (kick failed)

BM: Maximo Barrios 38 FG EA: Jayden Ursin 61 pass from Zaylen Smith (Jamarius McCarty run)

BM: Easton Royal50run (kickfailed)

EA: Javien Henderson 15 run(McCarty run)

BM: Jeremiah Burton 5run (kickfailed)

BM: Royal5 run(Caden Flanagan kick)

BM: Royal47pass from Hudson Fields (Flanagan kick) St. Augustine 56, McDonogh 35 6 Team McDonogh

Ray’Quan Williams caught two touchdown passes and scored his third touchdown on apunt return, Miguel Whitely scored on a59-yard pass down the left sideline and senior Keith Hill and freshman Cohann Davis each rushed forascore —all in the ﬁrst half.

St.Augustine (1-0)won by at leastfourtouchdowns against McDonogh 35 forthe fourth year in arow and extended itsseries win streak to sevengames.McDonogh 35 (0-1)lastbeat the Purple Knightsin2016.

Coulon completed 13 of 16 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns, plus two carries for 31 yards and anotherscore.

Whitley had five catches for 109 yards and atouchdownwhile Williams had three catches for 24 yards andtwo touchdowns, plus his 84-yard punt return in the second quarter.

“I think we were able to run

“Wegot to keep on doing little things like that,” McDonogh 35 coach Frank Daggs said. “I think we’ll be allright.Wegot to keep on moving.”

The McDonogh 35 touchdown cut the St. Augustine lead to 14-6, butCoulonconnected with Whitley for the 59-yard touchdownon the second play of the next drive. The teams played with arunning clock for the entire second half.

St Augustine juniortight end Christopher Dupuy scored the final touchdown on a31-yard catch andrun off apassbysophomoreJaelle Noble McDonogh 35 fumbledthe ball seventimesbut finishedwith zero turnovers.

St. Augustine will play next at East St.Johnwhile McDonogh 35 faces Booker T. Washington in theWayne ReeseSr. Classic Contact ChristopherDabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

WEEK 2SCHEDULE

Allgames7p.m.unlessnoted

p.m. Holy

NorthlakeChristianatEpiscopal Young Audiences vs.CohenatPan American Friday PatrickTaylorvs. SophieB.Wright at

American, 3:30 p.m. U-High vs.RummelatCaesars Superdome, 6p.m. Abramson at Collegiate Baton Rouge Ben Franklin vs.Fisher at Memtsas BogalusaatSouth Plaquemines Bonnabel at Destrehan Booker T. Washington vs.McDonogh 35 at PanAmerican Brother Martin at St.Paul’s Country DayatWillow Douglass at Houma Christian Dutchtown at Ponchatoula E.D.White vs.JesuitatGormley East Jefferson at Belle Chasse Franklinton at Covington Hannan at AscensionEpiscopal Higgins vs.Carver at PanAmerican

Jefferson Rise vs.KennerDiscovery at Bertolino John EhretatVandebilt Catholic L.B.Landry at Thibodaux LakeshoreatChalmette Livingston at Slidell LutcheratSt. Charles Madison at Fontainebleau Madison PrepatMandeville McMain at Hahnville Northshorevs. John Curtis at Shrine on Airline Pearl River at South Lafourche Pope John Paul II at Varnado RiversideatNewman Salmen at East Ascension Sarah T. Reed at Albany St. JamesatWest St. John St. Martin’s at Westminster Christian West Jefferson at Shaw American Heritage (Fla.) vs.Edna Karr at Caesars Superdome,8p.m. Saturday Kennedy vs.Warren Easton at PanAmerican St. Augustine at East St.John Open date:Thomas Jefferson, Crescent City

HOWRANKEDTEAMS FARED

Class 5A

1. Karr (1-0) def. Archbishop Shaw, 35-0

2. Catholic-Baton Rouge (1-0)def.Destrehan, 32-23

3. Neville (1-0)def. EvangelChristian, 33-32

4. Ruston (1-0)def.Acadiana, 49-7

5. Central (1-0)def.DeLaSalle,20-13 (tie) Destrehan (0-1)losttoCatholic-BR, 32-23

7. Acadiana (0-1)losttoRuston, 49-7

8. St. Augustine (1-0)def.McDonogh 35, 56-6

9. Alexandria (1-0)def. West Feliciana, 54-7

10. John Curtis (1-0) def. Cathedral,Cal., 54-26

Othersreceivingvotes: Zachary (1-0)def. Plaquemine, 52-28, West Monroe (1-0) def. Huntington, 41-18; EvangelChristian (0-1)losttoNeville, 33-32; Airline (1-0) def Barbe, 56-27, Southside (0-1)losttoNotre Dame, 35-28, Carencro(1-0) def. St.Thomas More, 30-27, Terrebonne (1-0)def.Riverside Academy,24-13, Ouachita (1-0)def Captain Shreve, 37-19, BrotherMartin(1-0) def. East Ascension, 29-22, Archbishop Rummel (0-1)losttoLafayette Christian, 27-26, Jesuit (1-0) def. Jesuit-Dallas, 31-6, St. Paul’s (1-0)def. LiveOak,48-13. Class 4A

1. St. Thomas More(0-1) lost to Carencro 30-27 (tie) Franklin Parish (1-0) def. West Jefferson, 52-0

3. E.D. White (0-1)losttoHoly Cross, 27-26

4. Archbishop Shaw(0-1) lost to Karr, 35-0

5. Franklinton (1-0)def.Amite, 39-12

6. North DeSoto (1-0)def.Union Parish, 46-3

7. Plaquemine(0-1) lost to Zachary,52-28

8. Cecilia (0-1)losttoSt. Martinville,34-29

9. Lakeshore(1-0) def. Fontainebleau, 45-7

10. Lutcher (0-1)losttoSlidell, 30-22

Othersreceivingvotes: Teurlings Catholic (1-0)def. Opelousas,48-12, Westgate (1-0) def. LakeCharles Prep,28-20, Leesville (01) losttoSam Houston, 44-35, St. Charles (1-0)def. Newman, 36-3, Iowa (1-0) def Jennings, 35-6. Class 3A

1. St. James (1-0)def.EastSt. John, 49-6

2. Sterlington (1-0)def.Tioga,47-31

3. University (1-0)def. Woodlawn-BR, 49-8

4. Amite (0-1)losttoFranklinton, 39-12

5. Church Point(1-0) def. North Vermilion, 27-14

6. Madison Prep (1-0)def.Dutchtown, 48-41

7. LakeCharles College Prep (0-1)lostto Westgate, 28-20

8. JewelSumner(1-0) def. St.Helena,41-18

9. John F. Kennedy (1-0)def. Scotlandville

19-0 10. Jennings (0-1) lost to Iowa,35-6 Othersreceivingvotes: Bunkie (1-0) def. St. Mary’s, 42-0, Iota (0-1)lostto Opelousas Catholic,14-7, Jena (1-0) def Mangham, 64-28, Erath (1-0)def.Loreauville, 34-19, Northwest (0-1)losttoEunice 16-14, L.B.Landry (0-1)losttoWarren Easton, 48-7, Parkview Baptist (0-1)lostto Dunham, 49-14 Class 2A 1. Lafayette Christian Academy (1-0)def Archbishop Rummel, 27-26 (tie) Dunham (1-0)def. Parkview Baptist 49-14 3. Ouachita Christian (1-0) def.Caldwell Parish, 60-14 4. Catholic-NewIberia(1-0) def.Vermilion Catholic, 20-0 5. Union Parish (0-1) lost to North DeSoto, 46-3 6. Calvary Baptist (1-0)def.Oak Grove, 30-7

7. Newman (0-1)losttoSt. Charles, 36-3 8. NotreDame(1-0) def. Southside,35-28

9. Episcopal-Baton Rouge (0-1)losttoSt. Michael, 41-21 10. South Plaqueminesvs. Higgins, Saturday Othersreceivingvotes: OakGrove(0-1) lost to Calvary Baptist,30-7, Kinder (1-0) lost to Welsh,36-32, Mangham (0-1) lost Jena, 64-48, Lafayette RenaissanceCharter (1-0)def.Prairieville, 35-14, Ferriday(1-0) def. Vidalia, 54-12, Loreauville (0-1)lostto Erath, 34-18, NorthlakeChristian(0-1) lost to Archbishop Hannan, 14-13. Class 1A 1. Haynesville (1-0)def.North Webster, 38-0 2. Vermilion

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Brother Martin quarterback Hudson Fields, right,

Ascension on FridayatSpartan

Martin scored the final 20 points to complete the comeback win,29-22.

Sabalenkadefeats Anisimovafor 2nd consecutivetitle

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

NEW YORK ArynaSabalenka didnot make many mistakes —well, untilnear the end —despite not sacrificing any power, and outplayed AmandaAnisimova for a6-3, 7-6 (3) victory in the U.S. Open final Saturday,making her the first woman to win the tournament in consecutive years since Serena Williams more than adecade ago. The No. 1-ranked Sabalenkapicked up the fourth Grand Slam title of her career, all on hard courts. This was not all smooth sailing, though. Sabalenka twice led by abreak inthe second set, and served for the win at 5-4. But at 30-all, so closetothe trophy, she had achance to hit an overhead and get to match point. Instead, while backpedaling, Sabalenkaput the ball into the net, giving Anisimova abreak chance. After that excruciating miss, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled arueful smile. Amoment later,Anisimova —a24-year-old American —converted the break to get to 5-all and shook her left fist while 24,000 or so of her closest friends in ArthurAsheStadium rose to applaud and shout.

Ah, but 15 minutes after the flub, Sabalenka was kneeling on the courtand covering her face with both hands, coming through on her thirdmatch point which made perfect sense, becauseshe simply doesn’tlose tiebreakers. This one made her21-1inthosethisyear,winning her last 19.

Not since Williams took three straight titles from 2012-14 had awoman repeated as the champ in New York.

The result also meant Sabalenka avoided becoming the ﬁrst woman to lose three major ﬁnals in asingle seasonsince Justine Henin in 2006.

“All those tough lessons (were) worth this one,” Sabalenka said. “I’m speechless right now.”

Sabalenka, a27-year-old from Belarus, wasthe runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open. Then, at Wimbledon in July,Sabalenka was eliminated by Anisimova.

That put Anisimova into her first major final, which she lost 6-0, 6-0 toIga Swiatek. But Anisimova put thatshutout behind her immediately,well enoughtowin arematch againstSwiatek in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

“Losing in two ﬁnals in arow is great,but then it’salso super hard,”said Anisimova who sat and buried her face in atowel after the match was over. “I thinkI didn’t ﬁght hard enough for my dreams today.”

AP PHOTO By KIRSTyWIGGLESWORTH

ArynaSabalenka holdsupthe championship trophy after defeating Amanda Anisimova in straight sets during thewomen’ssingles final of the U.S. Open on SaturdayinNew york.

Sabalenka told her: “I knowhow much it hurtslosing in the ﬁnals, but trustme. you’re going to win(one). .Girl, you’regoing to enjoy it even moreafter thesetough losses in the ﬁnals.”

When Anisimova trailed Sabalenka 2-0, 30-love as Saturday’smatch began, some fansmight have wondered:There’s no way there’sgoing to be arepeat of the ﬁnal at theAll EnglandClub, right?

Right. Anisimova grabbed thenext four points to break back,capping the game witha backhand winner anda forehand winner That got the partisan fans up on their feet, shouting, and Anisimova exhaled as she walked to the sidelineand wiped sweat from her forehead.

Soon, sheled 3-2. ButSabalenka took the next four games and that set It began pouring before thematch, so Ashe’sartiﬁcial lights were on, and its retractable roof was shut. That appeared to be adistraction at times to Anisimova, who motioned to her team in thestandsthat something was bothering her during ball tosses for serves. The setup also created windless conditions,ideal for two ball-strikers whoreally can bring the power with good contact. Andthat’swhat they bothdid from the start,strikingspeedyservesand deep groundstrokes with so much pace that responding was never simple.

Some exchanges were breathtaking —tothem, certainly,and to spectators whogasped at the power during longer points. Both are aggressive during back-andforthsand rarely are risk-averse. Therewardscan be huge,ascan themistakes, andAnisimova was seeking the lines with full cuts off both sides.

Melo says ‘I know what I gave to thegame’ in night of memories for ’25 HOF class

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER

AP sportswriter

SPRINGFIELD,Mass. Carmelo Anthony learned tough lessons coming of age playingbasketball on playgrounds in Brooklyn and Baltimore.

It culminated with him becoming oneof the sports’ purest scorers and most decorated players ever.

Walking onto the stage for his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturdaytochants of “Melo! Melo,” Anthony took hisplace alongside basketball’simmortals

“Pardon my language, but damn,” Anthony said, tearing up. “Tonight Ijust don’tstep into the Hall of Fame, Icarry the echoes of every voicethat ever told me Icouldn’t. Ihad to build anew road. Ihad to write anew ending.” Anthony was part of aquintet of playerswho were inductedintothe Hall on Saturday as individuals,joining Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and LSU legend Sylvia Fowles. Together theywere part of 11 WNBA or NBAchampionship teams, captured 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances and were named as All-Stars 45 times in their careers.

“I nevergot an NBA ring ButI know what Igave to the game,” Anthonysaid. Anthonyand Howard weredual-enshrinees as members of the 2008 Olympic men’sbasketball team that became known as the “Redeem Team,” after winninggold at the Beijing Games that summerafter only capturing abronzeatthe 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 FIBA world championships. Howard andAnthony joined 2008 team members JasonKidd, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the late Kobe Bryant who were already enshrined as individuals. This year’sclass was roundedout by

Chicago Bulls coach and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan,Miami Heat managing general partner MickyArison andlongtime NBA referee Danny Crawford.

The inclusion of Bird, Moore andFowles’ enshrinement marked theﬁrst time three WNBA playerswill enter the Hall of Fame in the same year

Birdsaid beingonthe stageSaturday made her appreciate thejourney she’d made fromSyosset,New York, predicting in her high school yearbook that she’d one day become aprofessional soccer or basketballplayer

“There was no logical place for akid like me,” she said.

Saturday also was ashowcase of how interconnected that trio of women were. Bird and Moore with two NCAAtitles each at Connecticut. Fowles was also instrumentalinthe ﬁnaltwo of Moore’sfourWNBA championships with theMinnesota Lynx. All three played together andwon gold medals for the U.S. on the Olympic team

Allthe members of Redeem Team were in attendance, with the exception of Kobe Bryant, who passed in 2020.

LeBron James, who was 23 yearsold in 2008, saidthe tone for thatteam was setby theLakers great.

“Wejustwantedtoget to hislevel and make himproud,” James said.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said the mission of that team was clear from themoment thestar-laden team was assembled.

“Our goal was to win the gold medal, but alsotowin the respect of ourcountry again,” said Krzyzewski said.

Moore believesher basketball career, replete arun of college and WNBAchampionships and MVPtrophies,was simply aprelude to her post-basketball calling: buildingwhat she called “championship communities.”

(Greene5-4), 12:40 p.m. Philadelphia (Walker4-7)atMiami (TBD), 12:40 p.m. San Francisco (Teng2-3)atSt. Louis (Gray12-8),1:15 p.m. Washington (Alvarez1-0)atChicago Cubs (Rea 10-6),1:20 p.m. San Diego (Cease 6-11) at Colorado (Gordon 5-5),2:10 p.m. Boston (Bello 11-6) at Arizona (Nelson7-3), 3:10 p.m. Golf

Amgen Irish Open ParScores Saturday At The KClub Kildare, Ireland Purse:$6million Yardage:7,441; Par: 72 Third Round A. Saddier, France 67-66-68—201 -15 A. Hidalgo, Spain 70-69-63—202 -14 A. Heredia,Spain 72-65-67—204 -12 Jo. Lgrgrn, Sweden 70-62-73—205 -11 R. McIlry,N,Irelnd71-66-68—205 -11 R. Bello,Spain 68-71-67—206 -10 O. Lindell, Finland 68-70-68—206 -10 J. Olesen,Denmrk 69-70-67—206 -10 T. Olesen,Denmrk 66-71-70—207 -9 A. Fanegas, Spain 69-71-68—208 -8 H. Brown, Denmrk 70-68-70—208 -8 D. Brown, England67-75-66—208 -8 D. Hillier, New Zlnd 71-66-71—208 -8 S. Norris, S. Africa72-71-65—208 -8 B. Wu,UnitedStates70-68-70—208 -8 T. Hatton, England70-68-71—209 -7 C. Jarvis, S. Africa69-72-68—209 -7 T. Pulkknn, Finland69-69-71—209 -7 B. Schmdt, Englnd69-70-70—209 -7 Jeff Winthr, Dnmrk 72-69-68—209 -7 T. Clmnts, England70-72-68—210 -6 T. Detry,Belgium73-69-68—210 -6 R. Lngsque,France66-74-70—210 -6 N. Lemke, Sweden 69-71-70—210 -6 S. Lowry,Ireland69-71-70—210 -6 C. Sordet,France73-70-67—210 -6 A. Levy,France70-72-69—211 -5 J. Parry,England73-69-69—211 -5 D. Ravetto, France 68-70-73—211 -5 L. Canter, England69-71-72—212 -4 M. Elvira, Spain 68-76-68—212 -4 J. Weon Ko,France70-73-69—212 -4 E. Chacarra,Spain 72-71-69—212 -4 M. Manassero, Italy70-74-68—212 -4 J. Senior, England71-71-70—212 -4 E. Smylie, Australia73-69-70—212 -4 R. Sterne,S.Africa 71-70-71—212 -4 T. Aiken,S.Africa 69-75-69—213 -3 A. Cockrill, Canada 70-68-75—213 -3 J. Bruyn, Germany70-70-73—213 -3 T. McKbbn, N. Irlnd71-68-74—213 -3 G. Migliozzi, Italy 71-71-71—213 -3 T. Vaillant, France 70-71-72—213 -3 C. Bzudnht, S. Africa72-67-75—214 -2 A. DelRey,Spain 71-72-71—214 -2 N. Elvira, Spain 66-76-72—214 -2 R. Fisher, England72-71-71—214 -2 J. Moscatel, Spain 69-73-72—214 -2 A. Otgui,UAE 70-73-71—214 -2 J. Vegas, Venzula72-72-70—214 -2 B. Wisbrgr, Austria 67-71-76—214 -2 K. Aphbrnrt, Thilnd71-71-73—215 -1 D. Bryant, U.S. 72-68-75—215 -1 A. Hlvrsn, Norway 70-73-72—215 -1 J. Luiten,Nthrlnds 73-69-73—215 -1 A. Maguire,Ireland70-72-73—215 -1 M. Penge,England70-70-75—215 -1 N. Dlngshsn, Grmny73-70-72—215 -1 M. Armitage,Englnd71-73-72—216 E S. Crocker, U.S. 73-71-72—216 E Y. Ktsurgwa,Japan 72-71-73—216 E K. Kobori, New Zlnd75-69-72—216 E Z. Lombrd, S. Africa67-77-72—216 E D. Naidoo, S. Africa74-70-72—216 E E. Rooyen, S. Africa73-70-73—216 E S. Forstrm, Swden70-68-79—217 +1 M. Laird, Scotland 70-74-73—217 +1 M. Lindbrg, Swedn69-75-73—217 +1 P. O’Hara, Scotlnd 70-72-75—217 +1 P. Reed,U.S.74-70-73—217 +1 J. Svenson, Swden72-71-74—217 +1 R. Willms, S. Africa72-71-75—218 +2 Auto racing NASCAR EnjoyIllinois 300 Lineup After Saturdayqualifying; race Sunday At World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway Madison, Ill. Laplength: 1.25 miles (Car numberinparentheses) 1. (11) DennyHamlin, Toyota, 139.190 mph. 2. (5)Kyle Larson, Chevrolet,139.099. 3. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 138.902. 4. (1)RossChastain, Chevrolet, 138.855. 5. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford,138.752. 6. (24) WilliamByron, Chevrolet

138.602. 7. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 138.457. 8. (20) ChristopherBell, Toyota, 138.410. 9. (2)AustinCindric, Ford,138.160. 10. (38) Zane Smith, Ford,137.724. 11. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford 137.661. 12. (21) Josh Berry,Ford, 137.623. 13. (22) JoeyLogano, Ford,137.535. 14. (23) BubbaWallace, Toyota, 137.451. 15. (3)AustinDillon, Chevrolet, 137.375. 16. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 137.363. 17. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 137.346. 18. (88) Shane VanGisbergen, Chevrolet, 137.342.

SAINTS GAMEDAY

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

CONTAINING KYLER

SPENCER’SCONSISTENCY

Nobodyinthe Dome is undera bigger microscope than Saints QB SpencerRattler,who wonthe training camp battle againstrookieTyler Shough.Rattler startedsix gamesas arookielastseason butwas inconsistent.He’ll haveto be more consistent forthe Saints to havea chance this season.The main keyfor Rattleristakingcareofthe ball.Hethrew five interceptions andalsofumbled five timesin 2024.It’ll also help if he canlead theSaintstotouchdownswhen they getinthe redzone. That wasan issuelastseason.

CANSAINTSSEIZE MOMENT?

HANDLE THECHAOS

If you’vekepttabs on the Saints recently,you alreadyknowhow mobile quarterbacks give them fits.Well, Kyler Murray is one of the most dangerous QBs in the league as far as howhecan beat opponents withboth his armand legs. Murrayrushed for 572 yards (averaging 7.3 yards perrush) last season. If the Saintscan’t containhim, it couldbea very long afternoon. Making the task even morechallenging is the Saintswill be without defensiveend Chase young,who is dealing witha calf injury.

TheCardinals,21stinthe league last season in yardsallowed (342.5), upgraded theirdefense Thebiggest addition wasoutside linebacker Josh Sweat, akey pieceon theEagleslastyear. Arizona’s first five draftpicks were all on defense. TheCardinals like to disguise theirpre-snaplooks andcreateasmuchconfusion as possible.Amustfor Rattleristobe awareofdisruptivesafetyBudda Baker. Saints offensivecoordinator Doug Nussmeierhas spent this week emphasizingthe importance of communication.

1 2 3 4

The Saints are pulling out all of the stops for Kellen Moore’s debut.Theyare wearing gold jerseys for the first time sincethe 2002 season.Theyare evenpainting the end zones gold. LegendaryNew Orleans rapper/ producer MannieFresh is performing at halftime. It’sthe opener,sothisverywellcould be one of the most festive crowds the Saintssee all season. Awin couldhelp seize someearly momentum for aSaints team that hasn’t lost aseason opener since 2018.

Rod Walker

‘Special’reunion

Staley,Cardinals

“We’ve

The New OrleansSaints’ game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday will be special for Brandon Staley

The ﬁrst-year defensive coordinator for the Saints will face his best friend in Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The friendship between Gannon and Staley dates back decades to their formative yearsinnortheast Ohio. Gannon was from Cleveland. Staley was born and raised in Madison, about 35 miles up Interstate 90 along the shores of Lake Erie. As fourth graders, Gannon and Staley played on oppositebasketball teams in aCleveland AAU league.

Staley,then agraduateassistant at Tennessee.

“Ourrelationship started on the court playing against each other,” Staley saidThursday while takinga break from game-planning for the opener.“It’slike, who’sthis guy from thewest side of Cleveland?”

Running in the same AAU circles,Staley and Gannon became friends. Staley’s father,Bruce, coached Staley’s AAU team andeventually tried to lure Gannon to Perry High School, where Staley was thepoint guard.

Gannon elected to stay at parochial power St. Ignatius in Cleveland, where he developed into athree-sport star. He eventually landed ascholarshiptoLouisville, where he startedatsafety as atrue freshman.

Staley playedquarterback at Dayton, anonscholarship program, and nearby Mercyhurst, aNCAA Division II program. Staley andGannonstayed in touch andworked outtogether while home for summer breaks.

The bond strengthened after college, when bothGannon and Staley started coaching. Gannon eventually landed an NFL gig when he followed former Louisville coach Bobby Petrino to the Atlanta Falcons. When his old St.Ignatius teammate TomArth was looking to hire adefensive coordinator at John Carroll College in suburban Cleveland, he called Gannon, who recommended

“I was in Tennessee(with the Titans) at the time anddidn’treally want that job,” Gannontoldthe Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury in 2021. “I wanted to stay in the NFL. Tom said, ‘Well, whowould you hire?’ Isaid BrandonStaley,just because Iknew howpassionate he was and the type of coach that he is, (that) he would do an excellent job for Tom.

“Sometimes, allyou need is you’ve got to knowsomebodytoshow somebody.So Igot him in the door with Tom, and the rest was history.”

The John Carroll job was Staley’sﬁrst big break. He parlayed that into ajob as the outside linebackers coach on Vic Fangio’sdefensive staff with the Chicago Bears. From there, Staley beganameteoric four-year rise that endedwith him landing the Los Angeles Chargers head coaching job at age 38. Twoyears later, Gannon was named the head coach of the Cardinals.

“We’ve always been extremely close,” Staley said. “Andtosee him go where he’sgone, Imean, he’sdone it the right way. He’sdone it thehardway.Nothing wasever given to him. He earned it, hadtostay really patient. And then he got his opportunities, he knocked them down.” Gannon and Staley have stayedclose They stood in each other’sweddings. Staley and his wife, Amy, askedGannon to be thegodfather to their third son, Grant. Despite their strongbond, Gannon andStaley never have coached together When Staley got theChargers job in 2021, he tried to hire Gannonashis defensive coordinator,but Gannon opted forthe same gig in Philadelphia, in part

because of the opportunity to call plays. They’ve been on opposing sidelines severaltimes. In Staley’sﬁrst year as Chargers head coach, he traveled to Philadelphia to playthe Eagleswhen Gannon was in his ﬁrst year as the defensive coordinator.The Eagles prevailed27-24.

“We’re good friends and we talk,” Gannon said. “I learned alot of ball from him, andhopefully he’slearned some ball fromme.”

Gannon and Staley are part of aproud and close-knit fraternity of northern Ohio natives who have ascended to key roles in the NFL. Among them are Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels; Texans general manager Nick Caserio and pro scouting director DJ Debick; Cardinals assistant Matt Feeney; and Arth, the Steelers quarterbacks coach.

Staley said he and Gannon trade text messages and FaceTimecalls throughout the year.They try to get together as often as possible, but those occasions have becomeinfrequent as their careers and families have grown.

The communication took arespite as the teams prepared fortheir season opener on Sunday.Staley did say the two would connect when Gannon and the Cardinals arrived in townSaturday

“It’ll be special,” Staley said. “He’sa rare guy.Wehave areally special friendship that supersedes any of this (NFL football). We know whowewere way before any of this happened.

“He’slike abrother to you, and now you’re coaching against each other.But as soon as the ball is snapped, it’son.” Email JeffDuncanatjduncan@ theadvocate.com.

WALKER

three games, he liked what he saw when theydid play together

“For the lack of experience that he does have, he just makes up for it with his demeanor,” Kamara said. “He’svery conﬁdent.He’s ahard worker.Hehas kindoflike avet-like presence,likehe’sbeen here before,like he’s done it. Now,he’sgot to do it,obviously.And I think we’ll be able to get outthere andbeable to help him out, make it easy forhim because that’swhat we’re here for.”

Afresh start

It’sunderstandable whyRattler saysthis season feels like his real NFL debut. New head coach. New offensivecoordinator. Even new gold jerseys that theteamwill break out Sunday.But none of it will matterifRattler can’tlead the Saints into thosefreshly painted gold end zones.

He threw four touchdowns and ﬁveinterceptions during arookie season that included asocial media movement called #TheAgenda, apush by avid Rattler fans who wanted to seehim play. Much of that buzz has died down now,but the guy wearing both the No. 2jersey and thechip on his shoulder is eager to prove his fans right

“Yeah, you could say Ihave achip onmy shoulder,” Rattler said. “Ourwhole team has achip, which is awesome. Alot of peopleare sleeping on us, and that’s ﬁne. We want to just do what we can do and control what we can and go outthere and prove it.”

Rattler has had to prove himself for afew years now.Hemade it all looksoeasy early on, becomingalegend in his hometown of Phoenixasone of the top recruits in the country

Mike Giovando, who became Rattler’squarterback coach when he was 10 or 11 years old, isn’t surprised at his pupil’s success.

“He already had the moxie back then,” Giovando said. “I toldhim in seventh or eighth grade that Ithought he could be an NFL quarterback, and he spoke it into existence,for sure.”

Path setstraight

Prior to his senior year of high school, Rattlerwas named MVP of The Elite 11, aquarterback competition featuring some of the best QBs in the country.Hewas so good that Netﬂixfollowed him around andfeatured him in adocumentary called “QB1: Beyond the Lights.” His brashness in the documentary rubbed some people the wrong way —for example, an episodewhen he predicted “two Heismans” in his future At Pinnacle High School, he set the Arizona passing yards record on his 18th birthday. That’s also around the time he got his ﬁrst tattooonhis left chest.It’saBible verse (Proverbs3:5-6) that he leaned on during some tough timesahead “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge him and he’ll set your path straight.”

“But his mindset really changed when he transferred to South Carolina. He really grew He’salways had the talent. Butthat mindset hascompletely changed. Youcan see it now in how he is aleader in this locker room.”

2024 OFFENSIVE LEADERS

Shane Beamer was an assistant at Oklahoma who became theSouthCarolina head coach and lured Rattler there.

“I saw him during those times of adversity andhow he handled it,” Beamer said. “He came here (to SouthCarolina) and just worked hard andbecamealeader.Hewas voted a captain. He didn’tforce his leadership style on anyone. It was just being agood person and treating people theright way and working really hard and being consistent.”

An unexpected opportunity

That consistency helped Rattler beat out Shough for the job.Now he’ll trytokeep it

First-year Saintscoach Kellen Moore said Rattler won’thave to look over his shoulder while Shough uses this time to watch and learn. Four months ago, it looked like Rattler would have to watch again. That all changed May10when Carr unexpectedly retired.

“I’ve always had alot of respect for him,”Rattler said of Carr.“He took alot of blame thathe probably shouldn’thave. I’ve got love for him. I knewthatwas my opportunity to compete, and Iwas just excited for the opportunity.”

So Rattler wenttowork in the110-degree weather in Arizona with Giovando. As much as he focused on footworkand throwing mechanics, there is another aspect of his game he says will be key this season.

“The biggest thingismental toughness and faith, and you let therest takecare of itself,” Rattler said. “I feel like I’ve always been pretty cool, calm and collected. There are times to be ﬁery.There are times to be cool and calm Being aQB, you have to bounce back and play with conﬁdence and show no fear.”

“Yeah,you could sayI have achip on my shoulder Our wholeteam has achip, which is awesome.Alot of peopleare sleeping on us, and that’sﬁne. We want to just do what we can do and control what we can and go out there and prove it.”

SPENCER RATTLER, Saints quarterback

“That’show Ilive,” Rattler said.“Iunderstand that it’salready written andjust go out there and do your best and trust in Him.” At the time Rattler got tatted,his path couldn’thave seemed straighter. He wasa ﬁve-star recruit signed with the University of Oklahoma, aquarterback factory thathad just produced back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayﬁeld and KylerMurray. His bold “two Heisman” prediction didn’tseem too far-fetched by the time he took over as the Oklahoma starting quarterback.Heled the Sooners to theBig 12 Conference title,then entered the next season as theHeismanfrontrunner and projected No. 1pick. Path made crooked

Everything changed the followingseason whenRattler wasbenched for CalebWilliams, who eventually transferred to SouthernCal, won his own Heisman and wentonto be the overall No. 1draft pick by theChicago Bears. Saints rookielinebacker Danny Stutsman was afreshman at Oklahomathatyear andhas seen Rattler’sevolution since the2021 season. “It’snight and day,” Stutsman said.“Spencer’sdevelopment as aman andasa player has been huge. He faced alot of adversity at Oklahoma. There were games when he wasliterally getting booed by his home crowd.Thatcan really just killyour conﬁdence.

Continued from page1C Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler gives athumbs up as he warms up before a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug.17 at the Caesars Superdome. Rattler was named the starting quarterback on Aug. 26.

Thenextchapter

Dowell Loggains has aRattler jerseyhanging in his ofﬁce at Appalachian State, where he’sinhis ﬁrst year as head coach. He was quarterbacks coach at SouthCarolina when Rattler played there. Before that, Loggains spent 13 seasons in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, so he knows athing or two about what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

“Spencer’sinstincts and ability to process things quickly is NFL caliber,”Loggains said. “He’s equipped to do the job he’s been calledtodo. He has the elite ability to focus on thejob he needstodoand not worry aboutthe things youcan’t control. We live in aworldwhere every oneisgoing to criticize thefranchise quarterback.Spencer has been groomedtohandle that burden.”

Rattler knows it comes with theterritory The fan base was divided all summer long. Half wanted Rattler to be named the starter andthe others preferred Shough.

“You’re going to see that in every competition around theleague,” Rattler said. “You can’t listen to theoutside noise.”

Rattler is blocking that out and focusing on theguys in thelocker room.

“Weone thousand percent believe in him,”

tight endJuwan Johnson said. “Webelieved in himlast year.Wedidn’tsee it in the win column. But we knew we had something special with this guy.Heknows it.”

Shaheed calls Rattler “a born leader.”

Despite that description, Rattler wasn’tvoted ateam captain. He’s one of the few quarterbacks in the league who isn’tateam captain, buthethinks he can still lead.

“Obviously,Idon’thave as much experience as alot of these guys that are starters,”Rattler said. “But Ican build on that each week. I’m conﬁdent on what Ican do, and Ithink we have alot of great pieces where Idon’thave to be Superman. Let thesystem work for you and you let your guys work for you.”

There was atime when Rattler was indeed Superman. He was supposed to be the next big thing.Hestill believes he can be.

That starts Sunday when he faces the Cardinals, the team basedinthe samecity where Rattler’sjourney began. BeingaWeek 1starter in the NFL is something he’sdreamed about since he was kid.

“I’m just trying to attack it and make the most out of it,” Rattler said. “And makemy story even better.”

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS 20,CARDINALS 19: The Saints areunderdogs,but they have threethingsworking in theirfavor: home field, first-game enthusiasm andthe elementofsurprise. Spencer Rattlerleads theSaintstothe gamewinning fieldgoalona two-minute drive, andthe Saints extend theirNFLbest streak of season-opening wins to seven.

LUKE JOHNSON

CARDINALS20, SAINTS 16: I thinkthe Saintsdefense will be an improvedunit this year,and in Week 1, it gets theadded benefitofthe unknown.The Saints will be feisty enough to keep this game close, but Ijustdon’t have enough faith in the Saints offense to pull out the win. Givethe Cardinals the edgeinthis one.

MATTHEWPARAS

CARDINALS 26, SAINTS 17: Jonathan Gannon said his track record wasn’t “good” against Kellen Moore, but the former Eagles defensivecoordinator’s lone win over the then-Dallas offensivecoordinator came when the Cowboys were missing Dak Prescott at quarterback.The Saints are also missing Dak Prescott at quarterback.

RODWALKER

SAINTS 17, CARDINALS 16: Chances are, Iwon’t pick theSaintstowin manygames this season. Butwith their recent success in openersand Brandon Staley’snew defense, the Saints figureout away to keep Kyler Murrayincheck. Expect abig game fromAlvin Kamaraasthe Saintsrun their winning streak in openersto seven.

STANDINGS, SCORES & SCHEDULE

Browns ink final unsigned draft pick

Running back Quinshon Judkins signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday but he is not expected to be active for Sunday’s season opener Judkins is the last NFL draft pick who was unsigned. He was a second-round pick and the 36th overall selection in April’s draft. His four-year contract is worth $11.389 million and is fully guaranteed. Judkins missed all of training camp after he was accused of domestic violence in Florida. Prosecutors declined to pursue a case against him on Aug. 14.

Titans, safety Hooker agree to extension

Tennessee safety Amani Hooker has signed an extension, keeping one of the Titans’ longest-tenured players with the franchise around past this season. The Titans announced the multiyear deal Saturday morning ahead of their season opener at Denver Financial terms were not included. Hooker is going into his seventh season with the Titans, tying him with three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons as the longest continuously tenured players on this roster

Tailback McCaffrey questionable for Niners San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey is questionable for the season opener after hurting his calf at practice this week.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey got injured during practice on Thursday and wasn’t able to practice with the team at all on Friday He was doing some work on the side during the open portion of practice.

Coach Kyle Shanahan declined to get into any details about McCaffrey other than saying he would be questionable, but McCaffrey said he plans to play Sunday at Seattle.

AP FILE PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI

Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins speaks during a news conference at the team’s rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, on May 9.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICK OSENTOSKI

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff drops back to pass against the Tennessee Titans in Detroit on Oct 27.

OUTDOORS

Silver lining forduckhunters

Slight declinein numberswon’t lessen 60-day season in ’26-27

BY JOE MACALUSO Contributing writer

Good news for duck hunters! This year’sWaterfowl Population Status report will give wild waterfowlers another 60-day season next season —that’s 2026-2027

After that, well, it’sanybody’sguess.

The status report released last week is also known as the Waterfowl Breeding Count Survey.U.S. and Canadian waterfowlbiologists work on the report from the time ducks migrate back to nesting areas in the Dakotas and easternMontana and the western Canadian provinces.

The results befuddled waterfowl biologists,who were concerned about the noticeable decline in the number of ponds available to breeding ducks during primenesting andbroodrearing daysinMay.A decrease in “May ponds” usually leadstolower numbers in the breeding count survey.

Not this time as the count was less than 1% lower than 2024’snumbers —33.98 million to last year’s 33.99 million.

The pond count is 4.18 million thisyear compared to 5.159 million last year

The importanceofthese numbers are factors in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’sAdaptive Harvest Management (AHM) plan to set duck seasons.

It’sachart that compares the number of mallards in the breeding survey to the number of May ponds. Follow those numbersfor the Mississippiand Central flyways AHM chart and federal and state waterfowl biologists andmanagers determine if hunters will have liberal, moderate or restrictive seasons, even aclosed season.

So this year’smallard count was 6.55 million, down from 2024’s6.609 million. OK, so that’sonly a1% decline, butit’s17% down from average survey count taking in all yearsfrom 1955. Nothing to worry about there,because 6.5 million mallards and the 4.18 million ponds sends hunters into aliberal 60-day season on the AHM chart.

But, here’swhere the worry comes into play.The chart’s“moderate” season comes into play when mallard numbers fall below 6 million and the ponds count hits 3.25 million.

And we’re not far from that threshold should another dry winter and spring

occur over the major and traditional —breeding grounds.

Thisyear,Louisiana hunters have felt the biteofthe AHM chart whenitcomes to theSeptember’sspecial teal season. Thedecline in bluewingtealnumbers dropped the Sept. 20 opener to anine-day season, down from the 16-day season of recent years.

And, withbluewing teal numbers down again in the 2025 survey —down to 4.32 million —the 2026 special teal season will continue with anine-day season. This latestbluewigncount isthe lowestsince 2004.

“Whenyou look at the wetlandconditions maps from May,theyshowit was very dry everywhere acrossthe prairie pothole region except eastern South Dakota,” DeltaWaterfowl’s top man Frank Rohwer said. “The best hunting seasons occur inwet years when the fall ﬂight has more young ducks in the migration.

“Ifthere’s good news for southern hunters, it’sthat a lot of gadwalls settled in the eastern Dakotas,and greenwinged teal are above the long-term average,” Rohwer said.

“Hunters in Louisianaand Texas will still have greenwings and gadwalls.”

It’sgreenwings and gadwalls —“grayducks” around here —that make up most of ahunter’stake in the early “big duck” season that opens in November

These two are “puddle” ducks. Other species in this group are mallards, wigeon,

shovelersand pintails,and the last three in that list increased in this year’scount. Wigeon defy the downward trend the most witha survey estimate at 3.19 million showing a9%increase and thehighestnumber since 2016.

“Waterfowl again demonstrated their adaptability to changing waterconditions despiteoveralldry conditionsin2024, as late-nestingspecies capitalized on spring rains in the prairies and those that settled in the Boreal held their own,” DucksUnlimited lead biologist Steve Adair said.“These flexible breeding strategies anduse of continental habitat resources in 2024 appear to have contributed to decent production last year,which carried over to asimilar breedingpopulation this spring.”

Scaup, aspecies Louisiana hunterscall “dosgris,” alsoshowed asharp decline. These birds, one of the “diving” duckspecies, usually provide hunting opportunity in southeasternmarshes and open-water areas later in the season.

For now,ifduck hunters are praying, thenpray for heavy snow andrain up North in the coming months.

Ourdisabledvets

During Thursday’smeeting, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved anew regulation allowing disabledveteranstouse “anylegal weapon” during primitivefirearms season for deer for theupcoming

The2025Waterfowl Surveyconducted by the U.S. Fish &WildlifeService andthe Canadian Wildlife Serviceontraditional midcontinent breeding areas with thetop 10 species and the number of ponds(Prairie Canada & North-Central U.S.) observed in Mayand June comparedto2024survey andpercentagechanges from 2024 and the long-termaverage (LTA,since 1955). Sixother species areincludedinthe totalducks count:

season.

Theﬁrst(aseven-dayperiod)oftwo primitiveﬁrearms seasons begins Oct. 11 in State Deer areas 3, 7, 8; Oct.18inState Deer Area 2; and, Nov.8 in State Deer areas 1, 4, 5, 6, 9and 10.

Snappercount

Through Aug. 24, the LA Creel survey estimate for theprivaterecreational

redsnapper take is 767,662 pounds or 85.8% of our state’s894,955-pound annual allocation. That’sa one-week increase of 47,535 pounds from the Aug. 17 estimate.

Thenext survey should include theLabor Day weekend, and tell offshore anglershow much of aquota remains intoSeptember and the fall months

CALENDAR

MONDAY RED STICKFLY FISHERS

MEETING: 7p.m., Regional Branch Library,9200 BluebonnetBlvd., Baton Rouge Open

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY SPORTING CLAYSSOUTH

lottery-applications. Email David Hayden:dhayden@ wlf.la.gov

PHOTO By LOUISIANADEPARTMENTOFWILDLIFEAND FISHERIES

A flock of ducks flythrough the air at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refugeinsouthwest Louisiana on May24, 2018.

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

NEWYORK Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have played so often, and with so much at stake lately, that they both know the other’s game so well.

So is the No 1-seeded Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy, happy to be facing No. 2 Alcaraz, a 22-yearold from Spain, on Sunday at the U.S. Open for the championship, the ﬁrst time in tennis history the same two men will meet in three consecutive Grand Slam finals within one season?

Well, yes and no.

“We are aware of maybe more things, because him or me, we try to prepare the match tactically and in different ways,” said Sinner, who dismissed any concern about an abdominal muscle issue that arose in his semifinal win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. “But sometimes, it’s also nice to not play against him.” Trump plans to attend U.S. Open President Donald Trump planned to attend the ﬁnal; no White House occupant has been at Flushing Meadows since Bill Clinton in 2000. This hard-court showdown — with the winner also taking the top ranking follows Alcaraz’s victory over Sinner erasing a trio of match points on the French Open’s red clay in June for his fifth Grand Slam title and Sinner’s victory over Alcaraz on Wimbledon’s grass in July for his fourth.

“It’s great for the sport having rivalries,” said Sinner, trying to become the ﬁrst man to repeat as the champ in New York since 2008, when Roger Federer won his ﬁfth U.S. Open in a row “I’m someone who loves these challenges, and I love to put myself in these positions.

Sinner has been nearly unbeatable

Sinner has been close to unbeatable the last two seasons — except against Alcaraz, who leads their head-to-head series 9-5.

Sinner is into a fifth straight Slam ﬁnal, dating to his title at the U.S. Open a year ago, and he’s 33-1

at majors in that span, the lone blemish against Alcaraz in Paris.

Since the start of 2024, at all events, Sinner is 1-6 against Alcaraz and 109-4 against all other opponents.

Since the start of this May, Alcaraz is 36-1, with the loss coming against Sinner at the All England Club — also Alcaraz’s first defeat in a Slam final. Alcaraz leads the tour in wins (60) and titles (six) in 2025 and has reached the finals at his past eight tournaments.

“It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency on the matches, on the tournaments, on the year, in general. Just not having up-and-downs in

the match. Just the level that I start the match, just wanted to keep that level really high during the whole match,” Alcaraz said Friday after beating Novak Djokovic.

“So I’m thinking I’m doing that in this tournament, which I’m really proud about,” added Alcaraz, who hasn’t dropped a set over these two weeks, thanks in part to an ever-improving serve. “Probably, I’m just getting mature.”

Sinner, Alcaraz expect adjustments

Knowing each other so well means that Alcaraz and Sinner figure they will make — and see — some tweaks in Arthur

Ashe Stadium, where they first faced off in the 2022 quarterfinals, a victory for Alcaraz in a match that ended at 2:50 a.m. on his way to his first Grand Slam title. (Of note: Federer and Rafael Nadal never met once at the U.S. Open.)

“Surely, Carlos will try to do something different than he did in the Wimbledon final. And we need to prepare for that. We’ll have to come up with some small tactical changes, too,” said Simone Vagnozzi, one of Sinner’s two coaches. “There are always adjustments. And there will be some during this match, so we always have to be ready Carlos, we know, can vary things a lot and try different tactics.”

There is plenty of history to study

“I will see what I did wrong, what I did great, in the (past) matches,” Alcaraz said, “just to approach the ﬁnal in a good way.” They are far and away the best men’s tennis has to offer, no matter the surface.

Whoever wins Sunday, it will be the eighth straight major that ends with Sinner or Alcaraz receiving the trophy

“We are players who are pretty complete, I’d say,” Sinner said. “We can change the way we play He, I think, he does it better in his way I make my adjustments in my way.”

LIVING

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Confessions of alifelong Louisiana scavenger

Like acat bringing an unlucky bird or mouse to the doorstep, my grown children sometimes like to sharenews about things they ﬁnd in their adventures out of doors. Luckily,their treasures are more benign thanwhat the proverbial cat drags in.

Earlier this summer,they were visiting each other in California when they decided to gather shells from the beach Apicture soon arrived on my smartphone —alovely image of seashellslining abeach towel, creating abanner that cheered me throughout the summer

When Iﬂip through pictures from this anxious year,that snapshot will be akeeper What is it, Iwas moved to wonder,that drives our impulse to gather bright, shiny things? Maybe it’sthe primal hunter-gathererinour genes, a survival tool we’ve continued to carry into our comfortable modern lives.

Ithought about all of this over the summer as Iread the late Penelope Fitzgerald’s reminiscences about foraging for odd little treasures during her British childhood a century ago. It’snosurprise that Fitzgerald’ssharpeye for the glimmering bits and bobs of the rural English landscape would lead her to become a novelist, an occupation where agift for the small detail can be aplus.

When the young Fitzgerald was sent out for errands, she’d ﬁnd time for alittle scavenging, too.

“On the way there and back, across the fields and by the roadside, Ihad my collecting to do,” she tells readers. “Feathers, pheasant feathers in particular,were needed for headdresses. My brother,when he was at home, was awarrior brave,and Iwas Minnehaha. Then there were horseshoe nails, cast horseshoes, snail shells, beechnuts, pignuts, flints, and wayside flowers. When Igot home, everything was laid out on my bedroom windowsill to be counted and recounted, one of the most reassuring activities for asmall child.”

Some of us don’toutgrow the scavenging habit, and Icount myself among the tribe.I live afew blocks from my ofﬁce, so Ioften walk to work, and the things Iﬁnd along theway tend to end up on ashelf above my desk as asmall reminder of life’svariety

“They’re talismans of asort, pointing me toward asimple reality,” Iconfessed in amagazine essay earlier this year.“It’s the

ä See AT RANDOM, page 7D

Maj. Gen. AndrewJackson, with sword raised, rallies Americanforces against the British in apainting depicting the American victoryatthe Battle of New Orleans in January1815.

Heroic actions by city workers helped save NewOrleans in itsdarkest hour

BY RICHARD CAMPANELLA

Contributing writer

How thewater got intoNew OrleansonAug.29, 2005, is well-documented.

Hurricane Katrinapushed seawater across eroded marshes and up anetwork of navigation and drainage canals, along which federal ﬂoodwalls and levees breached in multiple locations. Thesurge poured intoneighborhoods that had subsided below sea level during the century prior,due to mechanized swampdrainage. What resulted was acatastrophe like few others: an immense, deep, impounded deluge.

This is thestory of how thewater got out. It focuses on therole of Sewerage &WaterBoard employees whowereonthe front lines, as they recountedtofamedbroadcast journalist Norman Robinson in aseries of interviews recorded in 2015. Iexpressmygratitude to thoseemployees and to Mr.Robinson. Following is an edited

ä See WATER, page 8D

Didthe Choctawpeopleﬁghtalongside Andrew Jackson?

BYMATTHEWHAINES

Contributing writer

Areader recently submitted aquestion that, on the surface, seemssimple enough. They wondered, “Did theChoctaw tribeﬁght alongside Gen. Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans?” The short answer is yes,but the in-depthresponseisfar more

interesting. To understand it fully,we need to look at the years before and afterJackson’sfamed victory The Battle of NewOrleans, which took place in January 1815, was the culminating skirmishinthe larger Warof1812 between theUnited Kingdom, theUnited States and their respective North American allies.

Warbrokeout between the countries forseveral reasons. Onewas that Britain— whichwas engagedinthe Napoleonic wars withthe French —attempted to restrict tradebetween France andthe young United States. The Americansbelievedthis violated international law. Asecondpractice that upset theU.S.was that

Receding water lines on ametal building on Poydras Street near the Superdome, photographed Sept. 12, 2005, tell the story of howthe floodsebbed after Katrina. | STAFF FILE PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

ä See CURIOUS, page 7D

PHOTO By RICHARD CAMPANELLA The Melpomene No. 1station, on Broad Street in NewOrleans

DINING SCENE

Distinctivedining in Mobile is just atrain ride

People stopped to watch as we swiftly zoomed along. Some at the patio bars in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, waved gleefully, as did the guys on ﬁshing boats angling by the bridge

bar upstairs, the Hatch, has aseafaring theme and abalcony Next door, there’sapair of cute vintage shops, Soul Kiss Vintage (109 Dauphin St.) and Mobile’s House of Vintage (105 Dauphin St.), with offbeat ﬁnds.

Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

Maybe this is what it’slike to be a celebrity,I thought, making people happy simply by passing by

Such is thejollity packed into a train trip alongthe new Gulf Coast route. It feels like good times are rolling with it.

In August, Amtrak restored aportion of Gulf Coast train service for the ﬁrsttime since Hurricane Katrina, connecting New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, aboard its merrily-namedMardi Gras Service, making four stops in between. Ibooked atrip forthe ﬁrst weekend of service, bothto experience the train and to check out Mobile, where reportsofa downtown revival are growing more compelling

This was an outing built around aloose itinerary of eating and drinking, and one that brought plenty of unscripted fun at our destination. But after the train ride to Mobile, what Ifoundmyself anticipating most was the return trip to cap it off. The train is comfortable, with lots of leg room and little hassle.It’salso a joyride.

There’sanostalgic romance to it all, the excitement of big wheels turning and spectacular scenery unspooling as the train traverses acoastal landscapeof marshes and channels, cruises overbay bridges, rollsintosmall towns and barrels on to thenext stop. The train horn bellows, the cars rock as the speed quickens. There’sagiddy energy aboard, like the beginning of an ocean cruise.

Mobile by foot,and cart

One feature of train travelis how stations tend to be in city centers, so when you arrive, it’seasy to take the town by foot. In Mobile,

youwalk across Water Street andﬁnd downtownattractions andamenities unfolding block by block.

We droppedbags at theAdmiralHotel (251 Government St.), freshly revamped inside from a jazzy renovationthat feels like Versaillesbyway of Vegas and adds its newhigh-end restaurant, Le Moyne’s Chophouse. Now it was timetowander.

Downtown Mobileiseasily walkable, butafterloggingmany steps in the late summer heat,itwas a relief to eventually catch agolf cart “taxi” fromMOB City Rides.

LowerDauphin to St.Louis

Twonodes of downtown activity are Lower Dauphin Street,a clutchofblocks withquirky shops by dayand acarousing bar scene by night, and St. Louis Street, an industrialstretch wherenew breweries, bakeries andeateries arebringing freshlife. Forget the comparisons to the FrenchQuarter and Magazine Street theysometimes draw. This is asmaller city with far lesstourism and amuchsmaller dining scene. It’sbesttotake it on itsown terms. We hadablast soaking up the city’sown personality,friendly welcome and refreshingly affordableprices.

Still, coming fromNew Orleans parts of Mobile canfeel like strollingthrough adreamscape, with familiarfacetsfromhome reconﬁguredand jumbled up differently

Walking under overarching oak trees, you’renot surprisedtosee

Mardi Gras beads twisted in their branches or the sidewalks gone wavy from their roots. There are lovely homes on one block and dilapidated structures on the next Even some of the street names correspond, moreorless.

Oystersall theways

Onetop restaurant sits abit outside downtown, but as an oyster hound, it had to be on my list. The HummingbirdWay OysterBar (351 George St.) is tucked into the leafy Oakleigh Garden District, adjacent to downtown.

Friday lunch was busy withpeople who did not seem destined to return to the ofﬁce. Wine buckets werereplenished to pair with platters of rawoysters; moreoysters arrivedbroiledcasino style and in asilky-rich stew; and apile of fat crab claws ﬁnished with herbs stole theshow

Amuch older Mobile institutionfor oysters, Wintzell’sOyster House (605 Dauphin St.) has the quirkiness of aroadside attraction in its decor and afamily-friendly vibe.

LowerDauphin,and lowerstill

Back closer to the river, theﬁrst block of Dauphin Street starts withacollection of fun stops expressing the moremodern(and less-divey) downtown Mobile scene.

The hopping restaurant Squid Ink Eclectic Eatsand Drinks (102 Dauphin St.) is acrossthe street from the Haberdasher (113 Dauphin St.), known for cocktails and whiskey in particular.Its sister

Justaround the corner,inthe basement of the Trustmark ofﬁce tower,Las Floriditas (107 St. Francis St.) is aCuban-inspired bar thatleans heavy into its speakeasy theme.

Fromthe echoing lobby, you descend astaircase to ﬁnd asliding bookcase revealing thebar,but only if you have theday’s password (accessible via thebar’ssocial media accounts). There’sacool,subterranean respitetothe hotstreets thatfeels deeply hidden.

Farm to tableatNoble South

Dinner at Noble South (203 Dauphin St.) was acheck-in with an upscale casualrestaurant that’s been contributing to downtown’s glow-up for more than adecade.

There’safarm-to-table ethos on the menu, acasual approach in arepurposedold building under soaring ceilings, and awine list thatgoes beyond the expected.

Country ham with johnny cakes and pimento cheese and shrimp and gritswith crab set the regional Southern tone.

Old-time appeal

Beforethe bars get rocking, there are moments of old Americana charm to be found downtown between A&M Peanut Shop (209 Dauphin St.), which dates to the1940s and is ﬁlled with the clatter and aroma of an evenolder roaster at work, and, steps away,Three Georges Candy (226 Dauphin St.) with asoda fountain worthy of the Smithsonian.

At the Haunted Book Shop (9 S. Joachim St.), you can browse aspooky inventory while being stalkedbythe house cat.

Cheese andbeer

St. Louis Street attractions are spread further apart than the Dauphin clusters, and those MOB City Ridescarts comeinhandy here.

Ialways like visiting groceries as atourist, and the downtown outpost of localchain Greer’s(260 St. Louis St.) has asunny rooftop patio,where you can take deli food, wine or even draft beers from the grocery’sown cafe.

Nearby,Dropout Bakery &Co. (358 St. Louis St.) is one of those pandemic passion project pivots that has blown up on social media.

If you arrive after noon like we did, there maybeslim pickings, but an expansion with acoffee bar is underway to up the amenities.

After afew blocks of industrial buildings and parking lots, the Cheese Cottage (650 St. Louis St.) looks strikingly like it dropped out of the sky from aBavarian village, with its high-peakedroof and trellis vines.

It’sapatio restaurant for thickly-stacked sandwiches and hugelyportioned cheese boards that pack enough for abridal party,none of it terribly fancy,but agood value (as is the wine list).

Next door,what wascalled Wingman Brewing has anew name, Fairhope Brewing Co. (656 St. Louis St.), aterriﬁc taproom from the same people, and an extension of the company based just down the bay.It’sone of several taprooms that could form their own beer tasting tour alone.

Homeward bound

Mobile does not have atrain station per se, just aplatform and a parking lot. But on atip from our golf cart driver,welearned that the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel (64 Water St.) has a lobby bar where you can wait over adrink and peek around the corner to check on the train.

On the return, riders bound for NewOrleans were jazzed for the journey.Somewore T-shirts with trains on them.Somebroke out Mardi Gras beads. Gratefully,no one waseating out-of-season king cake, but you could buy awedge of muffuletta or aMoonPie from the train’scafe car,which felt like arolling saloon on the evening return.

One glorious Gulf Coast sunset and less than four hours later, the train was snaking its way through the back of New Orleans neighborhoods Ithought Iknew by heart. It wasone moresource of captivating interest on atrip that reframed the familiar forthe fresh burst of funonafast silver train.

Email Ian McNultyat imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

Brent Wood, EffieRichardson, Taylor Pospisil

n Salon Sets

Anew venture for the New Orleans Museum of Art is the Salon Supper Club presented by First Horizon Bank. The inaugural series of food-and-art-focused events that are inspired by works on view in the museum allows guests to explore the featured exhibitions and installations while celebrating the “ability of artto connect us with friends, family, and new acquaintances.”

The

ﬁrst NOMA Salon Supper Club presented by FirstHorizon Bank took place during three hours on aThursday night in May in celebration of French visual artist NicolasFloc’h‘s exhibition of striking photos of, and in, the Mississippi River titled “FleuvesOcéan: Mississippi Watershed.” The exhibition is duetoclose Feb. 22, 2026. MaryBeth Benjamin, Katherine

Terrah Green, JennyVorhoff, SeringeMbaye,Ariel Wilson-Harris

Duncan and Ileana Feoli co-chaired the Salon, whichlimelighted guest chef 22-year-old E.J.Lagasse,“who hastakenthe reins at his father’s eponymousrestaurant,Emeril’s.”

Guests engagedinaprogressive dining experiencewithcocktails in different venuesaround the museum.

The upcoming Fall Salon Supper Club presented by First Horizon Bank will featureguest chef Alfredo Nogueira and“AFeast for the Senses, UnaFiesta para los sentidos.”

It will occur onFriday,Oct. 3, and will celebrateNOMA’s re-installation of AmericanArt across South, Central, and North Americafrom the Pre-ColumbianEra to thepresentday.Attendees will relish an elegant seateddinner withwine andcocktails in NOMA’s Great Hall. The chairing forces will be Millie Davis Kohn, Juan and Martine Linares, andamother-daughter duo in Pam

Ryan and Meaghan Ryan Bonavita. Twotop names at the museum are those of Susan M.Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director, and Taylor S. Pospisil, NOMA Volunteer Committee Chair

The prandial punctuation between the May andOctober Salons was therecent one, in July, chaired by Terrah and Willie Green, Elizabeth and JamesWilliams,Ariel WilsonHarris and L. KasimuHarris,and Jenny and Robb Vorhoff.Itcelebrated the exhibition “New African Masquerades:ArtisticInnovations and Collaborations,” which was highly praised,but hassince closed. It is travelingtoother museums. The guest chef for that Salon was SeringeMbaye, owner andchef of Dakar NOLA, who was honored with theprestigious 2024 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. In aTime magazine “100 Outstanding”listof2024, and under

James Bartelle, Zarah Spalding, Burton Tedesco

n Wild Thyme

SarahGrace Donnelly, Edward Montoya, Jane Cooper

The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulaneclosed the summer season with arollicking, magical presentationof“AMidsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare in the LupinTheatre

The show will be remounted in January 2026 in Dixon Hall for school children and will be open to the general public forone evening performance. Graham Burk, the Festival’sinterimartistic director,rated kudos as thedirector.More praise tapped the artistic staff and cast,which included, amongothers, the twosetsof young lovers as played by Sarah-Grace Donnelly,EdwardMontoya,Brandon Sutton and Jane Cooper, and Celeste Cahn (Quince), Ian Hoch (Bottom), Burton Tedesco and Zarah Hukule ‘A Spalding (Oberon and Titania), Robinson J. Cyprian (Flute) and James Bartelle (Puck), whose artwork, “FairestCreatures,” bedeckedthe walls

An opening-night reception added to the staged fun as playgoers socialized during intermission and post-show, alongwith the staff and actors. Extending their compliments as they raised glasses of cheer and enjoyed the lavish Black Pearl Cateringwere Festival advisory board chair Cassie Worley,vice chair KathrynScurlock, secretary Marie Cahn and James “Jimmy,” the Silas Coopers, Keith Marshall, Marcia Reck, Kathleen DeJean,Caroline and Arthur Nead, Susan Holman, PeggyScott Laborde and Errol Laborde, Beth Chauvin, sisters Sally Reeves and Susie Hoskins, Julie Breitmeyer,RobertE.Young,Keith Marshall, and Marigny Opera House owners, Scott King and Dave Hurlbert, whoquoted the linefrom the play,“Iknow abank where the wild thyme blows.”

The following week, another round of theatergoerspacked the premises and witnessed, as the plot wasbroken down,“AthensinDisarray,” “Mischief in Fairyland,” “Titania Falls for an Ass,” and, after thespells were broken, “Weddings & aPlay.” Board member Julian Wheatley andspouse Margie were present with three generations of their family,totaling about16, andguests Will Foster and his mother, Candy.Inthe closing lines of “A MidsummerNight’sDream,” Puck addressed the audience with “So, good nightuntoyou all.” He alsoasked for ashow of hands (“if we be friends”), and got therequestedovation.

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

theInnovators category,James Beard-winning chef and author Kwame Onwuachi began his proﬁle on Mbaye, saying “Every few generations achef emerges who not only embodies the best in our profession but…(who) introduces new ideals and unapologetically represents their culture.” Dakar and Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group collaborated for the exhibitioninspired menu at the July Salon Supper Club. During the course of the evening, an affable Mbaye mingled withthe many guests, dozens of whom related their ﬁne experiences at his renowned restaurant on Magazine Street. Others within the July Salongathering were ahostofrepresentatives from Presenting SponsorFirst Horizon Bank and additional donors, a number of whom were present.

Listedinthe Gold category was

WaldaBesthoff, and in the Silver, Elizabeth Boh and Peggyand

More individuals as stated donors were Shaun and Foster Duncan, Mrs. RobertH.Boh, Eileen and Joey Devall, Phyllis M. Taylor,above Elizabeth and James Williams, R.P.Bartee, Caroline and Murray Calhoun, PamDavis Friedler,Ann Duffy

Schlesinger,Susu and Andrew Stall, Suzanne and RobertThomas,and Lele and BrentWood. Live musical entertainment, the opportunity to savor asignature dish from chef Mbaye, and the support of NOMA and this inaugural series all blended as the party pack made their presence roundly felt at “A Taste of West Africa and New Orleans.” Salon rated a salute!

n Keeping ‘Company’

In celebration of its 58th season, Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University went for the high C’s: “A Chorus Line,” “Company,” and “Carousel” as the recent productions. After thefinal performance of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” Dr MarcBehar, an executive committee member of the2025 Steering Committee, and Jeff Sbisa entertained thecast and crew at their stunning Garden District home. Andpool. Nothing like adip! KenGoode and Don Paul Landry are the Steering Committee’scochairs. In addition to Mark Behar,the executive committee includes Drs. Anand and Maya Irimpen, Jeff Meckstroth and Sarah Sharp Meckstroth,and Barbaraand Dr Mark Workman. Twenty-two board memberscomplete the roster “Company’”s artistic director was C. Leonard Raybon;the directorwas Leslie Castay, whose first production, as an actress, with SLTwas in 1980; Jose C. Simbulan wasthe conductor and musical director; and Bogdan Mynka starred as Robert “Bobby.” whose single status at age 35 causes aflutter among his friends. Richard “Rich”Arnold led off the cast alphabetically and enacted the role of Larry,the younger,compliant husband to Wendy Miklovic‘s character, Joanne, who sings thesnarkysong, “The Ladies Who Lunch.”

The hosts covered thedining room table with alace tablecloth on which they placed ﬂoral arrangementsoflilies, yellow roses and baby’sbreath. Favorite buffetdishes all qualiﬁed! —, were cranberry meat balls and pasta Alfredo with mushrooms. These were enjoyed by Denver County Court Judge Clarisse Gonzales, Doug Estes, Golan Moskowitz and Trey Pratt, and cast members KaylaCeaser,AlixPaigeLoomis with spouse Dodd, Joseph Mace with Daniel Rigamer,Meredith Long Dieth with Ford Dieth,and both Leslieand Keith Claverie. All enjoyed keeping “Company.”

Timber Floyd

and John Skinner,Julie and TedGeorge, Millie and RobertKohn, Kristen and Paul Leonard, Ellen Manshell,Dr. Blanca Rosa Maldonado, Renee and Paul Masinter,Cammie and Charles Mayer,Eduardo E. Rodriguez, Mimi and Claude

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Tod Smith, Susan Taylor Cleland Powell

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Celeste Cahn, Graham Burk,Cassie Worley,Kathryn Scurlock

Ian Hoch, JuliaDeLois

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Marc Behar,Alix PaigeLoomis, Leonard Raybon

Rich Arnold, Wendy Miklovic

Leslie Castay, Bogdan Mynka, Kayla Ceaser

Keithand Leslie Claverie

BY ELIZABETHDEAL Staff writer

Visiting Caddo Lake is like drawing back acurtain to ﬁnd a stunning other world.

The lake spans both Louisiana and Texas, but to experience the swampiness, you’ll want to be near the city of Uncertain,Texas.

The drive is typical of thenorthwest Louisiana/East Texas landscape, with blacktop roadsand pine trees, dirt roads andcountry stores. Upon approachingthe water,however,you’re engulfed by the sights and sounds of majestic bald cypress trees covered in hanging Spanish moss,considerable-sized lily pads,wadingbirds and other wildlife.

One of the best ways to take in the scenery and learn aboutthe lake’shistory is to take aboat tour,which lasts about an hour

There areahandful of touroperators on the lake. Our guideand captainwas Rich McFarland, of Caddo Lake Bayou Tours.

The boat tour can be aday trip, but many people combineavisit to the lake with astay in thehistoric Jefferson, Texas, because of its shared history and proximity —just a25-minutedrive away Around the area, there’salso Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, with over 7,000 acres of hiking and biking trails,and Caddo Lake State Park, which features camping,canoe rentals and Mill Pond.

Canoes,kayaksand more McFarland said Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texasand has the largest stand of bald cypress trees in theworld.

At Caddo Lake, visitors can rent canoes at the Caddo Lake State Parkorcanoes and kayaks at Johnson’sRanchMarina, the

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

TRAVEL

oldest inlandmarina in Texas, opened in 1908. McFarland recommendsthe Turtle Shell Paddling Trail, which is in an area away from fast-moving boats.

On our pontoon trip, we traveled theBig Cypress River,along with bayous and channels with interesting names like HogWallow Swamp, Alligator Bayou, Old FolksPlayground andGovernment Ditch —the most photographedplace on thelake. GovernmentDitch is acanal that was cut through thetrees in the 1840s.

“That allowed the big paddle wheelsteamboats coming out of New Orleanstocome up theMississippi, up the Red, right through CaddoLake, andgotoJefferson.

That’swhatput Jefferson on the

map,” McFarland said. “The water was about 5feet higher than it is now.Jefferson was abig deal because it was the farthest inland point that these big boats could get to. If you’ve been to Jefferson, you see it has that New Orleans look about it.”

When theGreat Raft on the Red River was removed asecond time by theUnited States Corps of Engineers in 1873, the water drained from thelakes and bayous that thesteamboats were using to travel to and from Jefferson.

CaddoLakeafter dark

Beyond sightseeing, Caddo Lakeisa popular spot for ﬁshing, hunting, birding and water sports, too. Birds found at Caddo Lake

include egrets, blue herons, bald eagles, osprey,pileated woodpeckers, kingﬁshers and migrating birds like the ibis and wood storks.

People can ﬁsh forcrappie, bass and catﬁsh and hunt fordeer, hogs, squirrels and ducks —but thelake does not issue permits to hunt alligators.

I’ve never seen Caddo Lake after dark,but the ﬁlm industry has captured the eeriness of the lake at night in approximately 20 movies over the years, the most recent release being the thriller “Caddo Lake” in 2024.

Onepopular landmark seen in movies is an old ﬁsh camp house.

“You’ll see they don’tpaint it because anytimethey makea movie, that’swhat they wantitto

look like,” McFarland said.

An old sign on the tree next to the house reads, “Dick and Charlie’sTea Room House Rules: 1. There ain’tnone 2. There never wasnone 3. There ain’tgona be none.”

People also swim,ski and jet ski in Caddo Lake, McFarland noted, despite the lake being full of alligators.

“You know,tomyknowledge, nobody’sever been eaten,” he said, “so everybody just says, ‘We’re good.’ And just keep doing it.”

McFarland said that the lake is busy with visitors almost all year, but it’sabit slower in January and February when the weather is cold. In late October to early November,the trees change colors forfall.

Whenthe water isn’ttoo high, visitors can see thousands of cypress knees —part of the root system of thetree —stickingupout of the water on theside of thetrunk.

“That’show they breathe. That’s how they get their oxygen. Lots of people think those are new trees, but they’re not. They’re kind of creepy looking, but they kind of give the lake that mysterious look,” McFarland said.

Wheretostay

n Caddo Shores Cabins, 674 Cypress Drive, Karnack, Texas

n Spatterdock Guest Houses, 126 Mossy Brake Drive, Karnack, Texas

n Caddo Lake State Park has several cabins to stay in, available to view at tpwd.texas.gov/stateparks/caddo-lake/fees-facilities/ caddo-lodging.

n In Jefferson, Texas, there is a wide variety of lodging accommodations, including bed and breakfast sites and vacation rentals. Find moreinformation at visitjeffersontexas.com/places-to-stay

Email Elizabeth Deal at elizabeth.deal@theadvocate. com.

Afterrentaldriverhitsa deer,Hertz ignoresher insurance

Hertz be held accountable fortheir lack of communication and transparency? —Victoria Muenchow,Anchor Point,Alaska

Christopher Elliott

Irented avan from Hertz, and while I wasdriving it, Ihit adeer.I immediatelyreported the accident to Hertz, filedapolice report and submitted aclaim through my Chase credit card, which offers primary collision coverage. Despite my efforts, Hertz failed to provide the necessary documentation for months, causing my claim with Chase to close due to nonresponse.Tenmonths later Hertz suddenly sent me abill for$5,873, threatening to send me to collections

After Chase settled the claim, Hertzdemanded an additional $842 for “diminished value,”but it couldn’tprovide anydocumentation or explanation for this fee. I’ve spent over ayear trying to resolve this, and I’m exhausted. Do Ihavetopay this fee, or can

Hertz should havesent you the necessary documentation, including the accident report, demand letter and itemized repair bill, promptly after the incident. Under most rental agreements, companies are required to act in good faith and provide timely communication, especially when insurance claims are involved. Hertz’s10-month delay in contacting you is unacceptable and likely violates their own policies for handling claims efﬁciently

Youdid everything right by reporting the accident immediately, ﬁling apolice report and submitting aclaim through Chase. You

also kept meticulous records of theincident and claim

In hindsight, you could have escalated the issue sooner by reaching out to Hertz’sexecutive team or ﬁling aformal complaint with your state’sattorney general. (I publish thenames and numbers of the Hertz customer service executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.)

What is diminished value?

Hertzclaims the accident reduced thevehicle’smarket value after you hit thedeer.According to Hertz, even though the repairs may have been ﬂawless, thevan was worth $842 less. Butthere’s just one problem.Hertz didn’t bother to provide any documentation that proved thediminished value. The car rental company’s

inability to furnish documentation or aclear explanation for how it calculated this feeraises questions aboutits legitimacy

Diminished value and its cousin, loss of use, are the two mostcontroversial car rental fees. Loss of use is thetheoretical amount of money the car would have earned if it hadn’tbeen in the repair shop. (Some states have banned loss-of-use fees.) While some rental agreements may include clauses allowing for diminished value claims, it’sunderstood that companies must substantiate such fees with evidence, such as appraisals or market analysis. Hertzdidn’tdothat.

Icontacted Hertz on your behalf.

“Hertzsent me an email apolo-

gizing that everything had taken so long, and said they would waive the diminished value fee as agesture of goodwill,” you reported. “Thank you so much for your help!” This case is areminder of the importance of paperwork —not just theirs, but yours. Thank goodness you kept excellent records of your interactions with the car rental company and the credit card company.Ifyou hadn’tdone that, you might not have had much of acase.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

Sunlight illuminates Spanish moss hanging from branches of bald cypress trees lining Government Ditch in Caddo Lakenear Uncertain, Texas.

ART&CULTURE

An American pope was big news. News that Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV as of May 8, was a(distantly) New Orleans pope? Even bigger, at least among localCatholics and genealogy researchers.

Dave Walker

Jari Honora, family historianand genealogist at the Historic New Orleans Collection, published the ﬁrst notice that the new pope had7th Ward Creole roots. Sarah Waits, research archivist for the Ofﬁce of Archives and Records at the Archdiocese of New Orleans,then dove into sacramental records keptsince the early 18th century, to look for more.

“It sort of was ano-brainer that we would probably be able to ﬁnd at least some records of his ancestors,” Waits said. “Looking into the civil records and lookingatthe workthat Jari had already done (and) having rough dates of birth and marriage information, we were able to go through our sacramental records and actually ﬁnd those sacraments associatedwith his ancestors.”

Adisplay at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum, “Rooted in Faith: Pope Leo XIV’sLouisiana Lineage,” shows the result of Wait’sresearch, which is ongoing. It includes adetailed family tree and reproductions of some of the documents that guidedher sleuthing through three centuries of baptism, marriage, funeraland burial records held by the archdiocese.

Among her ﬁndings: Prevost’s lineage includes many free people of color,some of whom were born into slavery

Theprocess

Waits’ research so far showsthat the pope’sLouisiana lineage reaches back to his ﬁfth great-grandparents, married herein1728, but hergenealogical sleuthing started closer to the present, witha19thcentury marriage record for Prevost’sgrandparents.

From there, the questions began: “Can we find thesetwo individuals gettingmarried?”she said, retracing her steps.“Can we find their baptisms?And then can we find their parents’ marriage? And then from theparents’ marriage,can youfind who their parentsare?

“A lotofthe pope’sancestors that we highlight on thefamily tree,there’s amother and afather, but theymay not have actually beenmarried. So,thereare quite afew situations where it’sa free womanofcolorand aman who’s identiﬁed as aWhite guy.And they have achild together who’s baptized, and in some cases the baptism record for thosechildren

might only mention the mom’s name and not thedad’sname, but thenthe dad might be mentioned in the marriage recordorinthe funeral record. And soyou kind of have to go through acouple of different places to get all the pieces of the puzzle put together.”

In addition to what can be viewed in the exhibit, all of the relevant records Waits found, as well as the completefamily tree, areon the “Rooted in Faith” page of the museum’swebsite.

Included there is aphotoofa tomb at St.Louis CemeteryNo. 2, whereMarie Burette, Prevost’s third great-grandmother,was interredinMay 1848. Born enslaved in Saint-Marc, Haiti, around 1776, she was brought to New Orleans by her enslaver,Anne Sophie Jeanton Buret, whofreed Marie in 1818. Waitstook the tomb photo herself. After working withdigitizedbut primarily original paper documentsrecorded mostly in French, she wanted to put her own eyes on what she’d researched in burial records.

“I was veryinterested in seeing it in person,” Waits said. “She bought thattomb in 1845 …?Almost200 yearsago.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT AREA MUSEUMS

n The Tulane University Special Collections launchesits fall exhibition “Cut fromaDifferent Cloth: Fashion Selections from Tulane Special Collections” with afree reception at 3p.m.Thursdayinthe second Floor Gallery,6801 Freret St Joseph Merrick JonesHall, on Tulane’s Uptowncampus. tulane.libcal.com.

n The Historic NewOrleans Collection will stage“HNOC Ce Soir:Making It Home,”a freeafter-hours event, from4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Wednesdayand a free Family Dayfrom 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Sept.20. hnoc.org

n Wednesday’s6 p.m. GallierGathering Book Club will meet at the Faillier House shop in NewOrleans to discuss “Insatiable City:Food and Race in New Orleans” by TheresaMcCulla. hgghh.org.

n The Museum of the SouthernJewish Experience will host afreeworkshop at 6p.m.Thursdayled by preservationist and writerEmily Ford titled “Get to Knowyour JewishCemetery.”Attendees will learnbasics of cemetery preservation, from cleaning to documenting theburial places of ancestors. More: msje.org

n “SundayBest: Faith, Family and Fashion,”a newexhibit at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum, opens witha reception at 6:30 p.m. Friday. oldursulineconventmuseum.com.

n The exhibit “Raven Halfmoon: Flags of OurMothers”opens Saturday, Sept 13, at the Ogden Museum of SouthernArt The artist will conduct agallery talk with curators in the exhibit at 2p.m. that day. ogdenmuseum.org

n The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts will debut the exhibit “A Tale of Two Cities:Katrinaat20; Helene at year One” on Saturday.The joint exhibition will benefitAsheville, NorthCarolina, artists. noafa.org

n The Historic BK House &Gardens will stageits Beautiful Spaces Symposium from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept.20.Thisyear’stheme: “Historical Textiles in Home Design.”bkhouse.org

n The New Orleans Museum of Art’s free Fall Festival will takeplace in the Sydneyand Walda BesthoffSculptureGarden from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Sept 20. noma.org.

By visiting it, Waits was able “to now have this connection and to recognizethat this is avery important space, whereas before it was just awall vault.”

Beyond oneman’s family tree

The Pope Leo family tree joins agallery that otherwise tells the St.Louis Cathedral’shistory.Exhibitselsewhere in the museum, authorized by King Louis XV of France in 1745 and now the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley,cover the history of thenuns for which the museum is named, the Catholic Church’s New Orleans story,and an introduction to funeral and burial traditions in the city

Citing colonial records held by theLouisiana State Museum and New Orleans notarial archives as “invaluable” resources forlocal

genealogists, Waits said the archdiocese’ssacramental records are what made“Rooted in Faith” possible.

“Itreinforces the importance of recordkeeping and preservation,” Waits said. “The records that we have forthe mostpart are not things that you can ﬁnd online, right? Youcan’tGoogle search the pope’sgreat-greatgreat grandmother’sbaptism record. It’s just really important forpeople to understand that we have avery rich resource of primary sources and original records here.”

Dave Walker focusesonbehindthe-scenes coverage of the region’s manymuseums here and at www.themuseumgoer com. Email Dave at dwalkertp@ gmail.com.

AP FILEPHOTO

Pope Leo XIV,left, formerly Cardinal RobertFrancisPrevost,

PHOTO By DAVEWALKER

ä For area book events, go

Books recount the stories of Katrina’s do-gooders

BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer

“We Came to Rebuild New Orleans: Stories of the Hurricane Katrina Volunteers” by Christopher E. Manning, LSU Press, 308 pages, and “Rebuilding New Orleans: Immigrant Laborers and Street Food Vendors in the Post-Katrina Era” by Sarah Fouts, the University of North Carolina Press, 216 pages.

Soon after Hurricane Katrina had passed, but long before the ﬂood waters had receded, came the deluge of do-gooders The rebuilding of metropolitan New Orleans involved around 500 new nonproﬁts (in addition to well-established charities), over 1.5 million volunteers (as well as countless paid workers) and cost upward of $200 billion.

But as two new books show, the onerous and arguably ongoing road to recovery deeply affected the lives of New Orleans’s ﬁrstline rebuilders.

In “We Came to Rebuild New Orleans,” Christopher E. Manning focuses on the stories of seven long-term recovery leaders — part of a larger oral history project he conducted between 2008 and 2013 while a history professor at Loyola University Chicago — and a drop in the ocean of volunteers who racked up over 100 million service hours in the 15 years following Katrina

Many of the volunteers, Manning’s conversations make clear, felt compelled to come to the aid of New Orleanians from a sense of civic duty after witnessing the miserable failures of the local, state and federal governments.

“You had to do it on your own,” says Jay Welch, a longtime New Orleans attorney specializing in

free legal aid “You had to take the individual initiative, and that’s how it happened. It was the American people. It wasn’t the government.”

Yet, this inescapable spirit of self-reliance caused myriad problems.

Without any sort of centralized, coordinating network, nonproﬁt organizations were forced to compete for resources, attention and dollars. Multiple charities often received grants to gut and renovate the same address, leading to rebuilding tug-of-wars that delayed residents from returning home.

Adrian Manriquez, a longtime volunteer leader with Common Ground Relief and Operation Helping Hands who first arrived in early 2006, categorized the early years of recovery as an inherently disorganized system defined by “chaotic waste,” an atmosphere defined by the ethos: “Everyone go everywhere, and do

whatever you want.”

That mood trickled down to many of the volunteer staffers, who were overwhelmingly White, middle-class and full of youthful, idealistic energy The romance of working in the ruins of New Orleans attracted thousands from across the nation who came to do good and enjoy the culture of the Big Easy Colleen Morgan, a Tulane graduate and environmental activist who returned to the city and launched Bayou Rebirth, remembers working hard and partying harder

“We just played in the mud all day and danced all night,” she said.

But several interviewees report that this laissez-faire work environment often devolved into a toxic climate that included spending donation dollars to buy booze, rampant drug abuse, burnout, a pervasive culture of hypermasculinity, widespread sexual harassment and the unchecked

egotism of a handful of named nonproﬁt leaders, including one Common Ground supervisor who doubled as an FBI informant.

In the book’s ﬁnal chapter, Manning offers a handful of suggestions that boil down to better communication between federal and state agencies, among nonproﬁts, and in the tenuous ties that often exist between altruistic outsiders and locals.

In “Rebuilding New Orleans,”

Sarah Fouts, a professor at the University of Maryland, tells a similar story, honing her focus on Latin American food vendors and laborers. Immigrants made up nearly half of the rebuilding personnel, while undocumented workers constituted a quarter of the entire post-Katrina labor force. Overall, New Orleans’s Spanish-speaking immigrant community increased from 4% to 9%.

A decade before New Orleans instituted its sanctuary city policies, municipal leaders were openly hostile.

“How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?” Mayor Ray Nagin asked a group of local business people a month after the storm.

Oliver Thomas, the perennial City Council member and current mayoral candidate, concurred in a Times-Picayune interview

“How are we helping our restaurants that are trying to recover by having more food trucks from Texas open up? How do the tacos help gumbo?” he said.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often coordinating with the New Orleans Police Department, targeted esquinas (the corners where day laborers looked for work) and

loncheras (taco trucks) as early as March 2006, when the two organizations arrested 40 day laborers gathered at the former Lee Circle.

The ICE-NOPD collaboration only ended in 2016, as part of a federal consent decree. El Congreso de Jornaleros (Congress of Day Laborers), among other groups, rallied in support — organizing workers across racial lines, ﬁghting worker exploitation (three-quarters of undocumented workers experienced wage theft) and helping immigrant business owners navigate the city’s byzantine permitting process (City Hall’s “One-Stop Shop” website for licenses largely remains unavailable in Spanish).

The strength of Fouts’s analysis, like Manning’s, is in the intimate portraits of lives that were, she writes, “hidden in plain sight”: vendors who ply baleadas and licuados among the trio of adjacent food and ﬂea markets that operate on the West Bank; the family that owns a restaurant in Mid-City and faces the same existential threats — displacement due to rampant redevelopment that they did back home in the coastal Honduran town of Tela; the esquina owner who feeds the police ofﬁcer who writes her a parking ticket for violating the policy that required food trucks to move every half-hour In a city that lionizes multiethnic dishes like gumbo and po-boys, these entrepreneurs also, Fouts writes, “contribute to the cultural panache of New Orleans.”

Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, most recently “Brown Pelican.”

The 10 most anticipated books for fall, from Pynchon to

BY HILLEL ITALIE

AP national writer

NEW YORK Fall books mean more than literary fiction.

The top releases this season range from a fairy tale newly told to memoirs about a famous writer’s indomitable mother and life after marriage to a famous rock star Some books were a decade or more in the making while former Vice President Kamala Harris’ “107 Days” was ﬁnished in a matter of months.

Here are 10 new books to look for ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ Stephen King

You may think you know the Grimms’ fairy tale about two children lost in the woods. But a new edition this fall promises a fresh and modern take: the words are by Stephen King and the illustrations from the archives of the late Maurice Sendak, who had worked on a 1990s opera adaptation. Warns King in the book’s introduction: “You will say that I have taken liberties with the story told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm I have, and I don’t apologize.”

‘Mother Mary Comes to Me,’ Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy’s memoir offers anguished tribute to her longtime tormentor and heroine: her late mother, Mary Roy, the educator and activist who founded a renowned high school in India and otherwise rarely missed

a chance to disparage but still inspire her famous daughter “I had constructed myself around her,” the author writes. “I had grown into the peculiar shape that I am to accommodate her I had never wanted to defeat her, never wanted to win. I had always wanted her to go out like a queen.”

‘The Wilderness,’ Angela Flournoy

Angela Flournoy’s acclaimed debut, “The Turner House,” was set around an aging family home in Detroit. In “The Wilderness,” she traces the cross-country lives of five Black women from youth to middle age. The author also offers a minitour of airports, from the underwhelming sites of landing at Charles de Gaulle in Paris to the view of pyramids in Cairo. A universal truth, she writes: “If the surrounding city has a decent Black population, then a good number of them will be working at the airport.” (Sept. 16)

‘107 Days,’ Kamala Harris

Publisher Simon & Schuster is promising a compelling campaign memoir from former Vice President Kamala Harris that addresses “everything we would want her to address.” That presumably includes Harris’ thoughts on the mental and physical condition of President Joe Biden, whose decision to withdraw his candidacy led to Harris’ historic, frantic and unsuccessful run against Republican Donald Trump. Harris has called the book, written with the assistance of Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist Geraldine Brooks, the result of looking back “with candor and reﬂection.” (Sept. 23)

‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,’ Kiran Desai

Kiran Desai’s first novel in nearly 20 years, since her Booker Prize-winning “The Inheritance of Loss,” is on the Booker longlist and is also a story of contrasting

lives: a successful novelist returning to her native India and a New York-based journalist — a copy editor for, of all places, The Associated Press. (Desai has not yet named a real-life counterpart as inspiration.) Separated by geography, they are connected by the will of their families, who would very much like to arrange a marriage. (Sept. 23)

‘Softly, As I Leave You,’ Priscilla Presley

Priscilla Presley has been so deﬁned by her years with Elvis that the 2023 biopic “Priscilla” ends with their breakup in 1973. But readers of “Softly, As I Leave You” will learn that she forged a long and successful career on her own. She was Bobby Ewing’s ex-fiancee, Jenna Wade, in “Dallas” and the love interest for Leslie Nielsen in the “Naked Gun” spoofs. (Presley appears briefly in the current remake.) She even revealed a knack for marketing. When

Elvis’ Graceland estate was in disrepair in the years following his 1977 death, she opened it to the public and helped make the property among the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Currently in a legal battle with a former business partner, Presley also writes of enduring other tragedies besides the death of her exhusband, notably the loss of daughter Lisa Marie Presley two years ago. (Sept. 23)

‘We Love You, Bunny,’ Mona Awad

Six years ago, Canadian author Mona Awad’s bestselling “Bunny” was praised by Margaret Atwood, among others, for its blend of horror and academic satire set around a clique of creative writing students who call each other “Bunny.” In her follow-up novel, onetime outsider Samantha Heather Mackey is herself a bestselling author and the bunnies have a few things to say about her material. “So funny that you described me as a maniacal hair braider,” one of them tells her. “I laughed until I cried blood.” (Sept. 23)

‘The Impossible Fortune,’ Richard Osman

Richard Osman is an allaround success story, an author, producer and personality who has been a fixture for years in British television. He now enjoys critical acclaim and millions of sales as the creator of the “Thursday Murder Club” mys-

Presley

tery novels, in which four pensioners in a retirement community take on cases new and old. The ﬁfth in the series, “The Impossible Fortune,” blends wedding plans and a sudden disappearance that has Osman’s sleuths in search of answers. (Sept. 30) ‘Shadow Ticket,’ Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel is his first in more than a decade. Now 88, the author most famous for the epic “Gravity’s Rainbow” has rarely settled for a simple storyline. Like his comic novel “Inherent Vice,” there’s a detective at the center of the narrative, one Hicks McTaggart, who will “ﬁnd himself also entangled with Nazis, Soviet agents, British counterspies, swing musicians, practitioners of the paranormal, outlaw motorcyclists, and the troubles that come with each of them.” (Oct. 7)

‘Unfettered,’ John Fetterman

Few Washington legislators are more recognizable than Sen. John Fetterman the 6-foot-8-inch, hoodiewearing Pennsylvania Democrat whose physical and mental health struggles and his battles with both Republicans and his own party have kept him in the news since he ran for the Senate in 2022. His publisher, Crown, is calling “Unfettered” a “raw and visceral” and “unapologetic account of his unconventional life.” (Nov 11)

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday, Sept 7, the 250th day of 2025 There are 115 days left in the year

Today in history

On Sept. 7, 1940 Nazi Germany began an intense bombing campaign of Britain during World War II with an air attack on Lon-

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D

seamen from the United Kingdom were boarding American vessels and forcing American sailors to join the British war effort.

A third reason and this one gets to the crux of how Choctaw ﬁghters became involved in this war they called Balbaha Ittibi, or “Foreign-Language-Speaking Battle” — is that the British opposed American expansion into the West by arming certain Indigenous American tribes in the defense of their land Speciﬁcally, they supported Tecumseh, the leader of both the Shawnee tribe and an effort to band together several tribes to oppose this American encroachment.

Tecumseh went from tribe to tribe, attempting to convince them to join his pan-Indian alliance, explained Ryan Spring, cultural research associate with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Historic Preservation Department.

“But, when he eventually found his way to the Choctaws,” Spring said, “things didn’t go as he planned.” Choosing sides

It was actually 1811 when Tecumseh, along with 20 Shawnee warriors, reached Choctaw lands. Those lands were centered in what is now Mississippi, but extended from parts of Louisiana all the way to Florida.

Tecumseh gave impassioned speeches about how the Anglo-Americans were stealing native land and that something must be done to stop them. But when the Shawnee leader suggested joining together to ﬁght the American incursions, Choctaw Chief Pushmataha argued that banding against the Americans would lead to the destruction of his tribe, as well as others.

The nearby Muscogee “Creek” Nation, however, was feeling the pinch of the United States’ expansion. They decided to join Tecumseh’s alliance and, by 1813, a rift had formed between the tribes preparing for war against the U.S., and those hoping to create an alliance with the Americans. That summer, the Muscogee demanded the Choctaw abandon their village of Fvkitchimponta and — with the help of British-supplied weapons — began their military campaign against the United States. This was known as the Creek War, and is considered part of the War of 1812.

“Chief Pushmataha watched these events and knew it would be a mistake to ﬁght against the U.S.,” Spring said. “But he also

AT RANDOM

Continued from page 1D

idea that the sheer plenitude of my daily walks unfolds in their inexhaustible supply of particulars: the orphaned screwdriver, the huge rubber band, even an unclaimed 20-dollar bill.”

We scavengers tend to ﬁnd each other, too, which is how I ended up comparing notes with Joanna Brichetto, a Nashville author who’s written about her own windfalls from walking city streets.

They include “an extraheavy hotel spoon sized for coffee,” she writes, “and good as new after a trip through the dishwasher.”

All the more reason, I guess, to keep walking — and keep looking.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

don; known as The Blitz, the eight-month campaign resulted in more than 40,000 civilian deaths.

Also on this date: In 1921, the ﬁrst Miss America Pageant was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey In 1943, a ﬁre at the Gulf Hotel, a rooming house in Houston, claimed 55 lives.

knew it would be impossible to keep his young Choctaw warriors neutral.”

“Fighting in battle is a rite of passage among the Choctaw,” Spring added, “and so Pushmataha felt if his warriors were going to join the ﬁghting one way or another, it had better be on the side of the Americans.”

The Choctaw chief approached the United States, offering to raise an army to ﬁght alongside them. When Jackson called for the help of his new Choctaw allies in the summer of 1814, nearly 800 warriors Pushmataha included, volunteered to ﬁght near Pensacola

The Choctaw-American alliance defeated the Muscogee, freeing the partnership to focus on the wider War of 1812 Speciﬁcally of concern were the British, who by December, had amassed 11,000 soldiers in coastal Louisiana. Their objective: Capture the port city of New Orleans and win the war Choctaw join battle

As the Americans mobilized their defenses to meet the British before they reached New Orleans, Pierre Juzan led between 50 and 60 Choctaw from Pensacola toward St. Bernard Parish. Juzan’s family was of French heritage, though he was raised — and later worked among the Choctaw in Alabama, making him a logical leader of this Choctaw contingent in the U.S. Army

After arriving in late December 1814, Juzan and the Choctaw warriors took their position at the extreme left side of the American line,

In 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio, and enshrined its ﬁrst 17 members. In 1977, the Panama Canal Treaty, which called for the U.S. to turn over control of the waterway to Panama at the end of 1999, was signed in Washington by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and

abutting the swamp.

“A lot of different groups were necessary in winning the Battle of New Orleans,” Spring explained, “and the Choctaw were an essential part of that.”

On Dec. 28, for example, a large force of British soldiers attacked a force of Tennessee riﬂemen. The British killed a captain and were doing damage to the Tennessee troops when suddenly they became aware of gunshots coming from behind. Miraculously, it was the Choctaw, who had managed to sneak through the swamp and get behind the British line, inﬂicting heavy casualties on the enemy

“The Choctaw didn’t ﬁght like European and American armies, which frustrated the British,” Spring said.

“The warriors would kill the pickets standing guard and then sneak into camp and do things like quietly assassinate one British soldier in

Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later In 2005, police and soldiers went house to house in New Orleans to coax remaining residents into leaving after Hurricane Katrina.

every tent in the middle of the night. That was frightening and destroyed British morale in advance of the main battle.”

When the Battle of New Orleans ended with a decisive American victory on Jan. 8, 1815, the Choctaw probably believed their role would make for a positive relationship with the United States for years to come. Unfortunately they would soon learn that was not the case.

Preserving history

Less than one year after the battle, the territorial government of Mississippi recognized Pushmataha and the Choctaw for their help in the Creek War. Memories, however proved short.

Within 14 years, the new state of Mississippi terminated Choctaw sovereignty and declared that Choctaw lands belonged to America.

By 1830, Andrew Jackson, now the U.S. president,

Today’s birthdays: Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 95. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 82.

Actor Julie Kavner is 75. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 74. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 71.

Actor Michael Emerson is 71. Singer/songwriter Diane Warren is 69. Actor J. SmithCameron is 68. Actor Toby

signed the Indian Removal Act, pushing tribes such as the Choctaw — a tribe that answered his call for help less than two decades earlier out of their ancestral homelands and into Oklahoma territory

“They didn’t even pay Choctaw soldiers for their service in the Army like they promised,” Spring said. “The end of the war and the years that followed were a big turning point for American-Choctaw relations. Jackson needed us until he didn’t.”

Although the U.S. treated Indigenous people terribly in the decades that followed the War of 1812, Spring said he has appreciated how dedicated the National Park Service has been in recent years to ensuring the Choctaw’s important role in the war is remembered.

Annually, for example, Spring and the Choctaw Nation are invited to New

Orleans to take part in a wreath-laying and reenactment of the battle. Some years, Choctaw students are asked to educate onlookers about their ancestors’ part in the conﬂict. Efforts like this, Spring said, are essential.

“It’s impossible to tell the story of the Choctaw people without mentioning the U.S. just like it is impossible to tell the story of the War of 1812 or of the United States without talking about Choctaw Nation,” he said. “We are allies. Our histories are shared, and it’s important we learn and acknowledge the entirety of that history.”

Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

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Jones is 59. Actor-comedian

Leslie Jones (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 58. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 55. Actor Shannon Elizabeth is 52.

Actor Oliver Hudson is 49.

Actor Evan Rachel Wood is 38. Olympic gold medal swimmer Ariarne Titmus is 25. Actor Ian Chen (TV: “Fresh Off the Boat”) is 19.

JAMES NUNN

excerpt from “DrainingNew Orleans: The 300-Year Quest to Dewater the Crescent City” (LSU Press, 2023). ***********

At great personal risk, more than 300 Sewerage &Water Board personnel stayed on the job roundthe-clock,most of them manning pumping stations. EarlyonMonday,Aug. 29, 2005, gusting winds brought torrents of rain, but operators were able to remove the runoff —until the “runoff” started to rise faster than the rain was falling How could that be?

Bob Moenian, operatorof an Interstate 10 underpass pump, surmised that perhaps avessel had ruptured alevee. “I did not know that the levees were breached,” recalled Moenian. He tried futilely to pump out the rising water.Atone point, Moenian got aradio call fromacolleague at Pumping Station No. 5who asked, “Mr.Mo, the water’scoming up —we’re about to drown —what do we do?” Lifejacketson, the staffers scrambled up ladders to surveil thesituation. Clearly,something catastrophic had happened, and any attempt to pump the water out was Sisyphean. Reynaldo Robertson, operating the Melpomene No. 1pumps on Broad, was forced to stop relaying water to the lift pumps in Lakeview once the 17th Street Canalﬂoodwall had breached, at which point his crewclimbed up the station’scatwalks. After ahelicopter pilot was unable to perform arisky rooftop rescue,Robertson made radio contact with his colleague at the Algiers pumping station, Richard Alexander,who hitched a boat to his truck and drove over the Crescent City Connection to rescue Robertson and his crew State Police stopped him, even after Alexander informed them of his ofﬁcial status. Incredulous, Alexander radioed Deputy Chief Warren Riley of the New Orleans Police Department. Over the speaker phone, Riley shouted, “This

is for you, orany other policemen, or anyoneelse listening: TheSewerage & Water Board has fullaccess to thecity!” Minutes later, Alexander got his boat in the water and madehis way to Broad Street, passing peoplewaist-deep in water, unable to help them. All were desperate. Some were angry.One was dead Richardson ﬁnally reached Robertson andcolleagues,and together they set outtorescueothers. All hadremained at theirposts until they absolutely hadto leave. “Westayed because we knew if we left,” Robertson said, “the City of New Orleanscould potentially be lost.”Moenian and coworkers found themselves in asimilar situation at the I-10 pumping station,where they were rescued by boat andset outtosaveothers. “Welost thebattle,” Moeniansaid. Butwedidn’t lose the ﬁght.”

Floodwatersswell

After themorning breaches, the afternoon winds, and an eerily placid Monday evening, ﬂood levels steadily rose. Even under clear blue skies on Tuesday and into Wednesday,ﬂoodwaters swelled to the point of threatening the S&WB’spowergenerating station in Carrollton,the heart of the entire water-removal system.

“Wewere standinginthe drivewayonEagle Street looking towardClaiborne Avenue,” remembered Gabe Signorelli, chief of Facility Maintenance,“when we saw this heightening of water. rollingupthe street toward the plant.” The turbineshad already fallen silent forthe ﬁrst timein memory,and now they were about to drown. “Wewere rushingaround trying to

truck bringing food and water to plant operators. Ofﬁcials defused thetension by letting residents clean out thetruck. “It hit home” just how bad thesituation was “when one of our plantswas under attack.”

the breaches, and secured precious fuel and supplies from unﬂooded Algiers. Nowthe engineers prepared to do something never before attempted: cold-starting the turbines.

stopit,”recalled operating engineer Damon Adams “Wehad sandbags up and theywashed away,soweactually got abackhoe ﬁred up and took scoops of mud and put them in place to stop the leak into theplant.”

Keeping the water at bay, theengineers focused on their next challenge: Would they be able to cold-start theturbines?Ithad never been done before. All the while, pressure weakened in the water and sewerage mainsand eventually petered out. Life in the city, what remained of it, was now untenable.

“I got in aboat to rescue thefolks from Station A,” said emergency manager Jason Higginbotham, in reference to asewerage pumping station in Tremé. “Wewent down Claiborne Avenue, [and] Isaw the bodies, just bodies people who are just ﬂoating, dead. When they got to thestation,the operator refused to leave, for his dedication and also because he had arranged for his wife tomeet him there if their Broad Street homeﬂooded. It took much cajolingtoconvince theoperator toleave, for thegood of everyone involved. Only later did the operator learn his wife had already perished, after which he suffered asevere nervous breakdown.

Tensemoments

Elsewhere, everywhere, societyseemed to be coming apart at the seams. “The unlawfulness,”remembered Higginbotham, shaking his head. “It was chaos[;] at night time, you can hear thegunshots.”In one tense moment at the S&WB water plant across theriver,some residents converged on aFEMA

The bridge itself became abeacon of hope for desperateﬂood victims, even at night, drawn by thelights at the Algiers S&WB plant Most were turned away by police, sometimes aggressively,but thelights still beckoned. “It looked like Oz; it had power,” said Robert Jackson, chief of communications. “During mostofthat period, the only lights you saw in the city were at the water plant in Carrollton and the water plant on the West Bank.”

At theS&WB headquartersonSt. Joseph Street, executive director Marcia St.Martin and general superintendent Joseph Sullivan conferred over what to do. The drainage system was now useless; even if thepumps could be activated, they would only eject water right back into theﬂooded city.This could only change after external water dropped below internal water levels. “Joseph Sullivan had calculated how long it was going to take for thewater to equalize between the lake and city,” recounted St.Martin. “He projected it was going to equalize that Friday afternoon around 2o’clock,” four days out.“He was dead on themoney,” St. Martin marveled. “He did that on Monday afternoon, probably around 3o’clock. Brilliant engineer.Just brilliant.” Carrollton powerplant

Now that the equalization point had been determined, engineers knew when they could start pumping out thewater.But pumps don’t work without electricity and electricity doesn’tget produced without generators. It was at this point that theCarrollton power plant becamethe single mostimportant place in thebattle to save New Orleans. Its workers already had quiteaweek. They doused an electrical ﬁre on Monday,kept ﬂoodwaters at bay Tuesday and Wednesday, loaded sandbags onto helicopters to try and plug

“So manycomponents have to come on and stay on, and dovetail into another operation, and have to fall in place just right,” explained operating engineer Damon Adamsinhis interview with Robinson. “Ittook four tries and three days,” each attempt requiring reﬁlling the boilers, reheating the water,releasing of steam and rolling the turbines. Finally,“on the fourth try,itstuck, and we got it to hold, [and] we got it all right.” Steam billowed, the turbines roared to life, and the century-old system regained its electrical current. It wasahistoric moment, but no one present had any time to reﬂect.

At the auxiliary power station in the Upper 9th Ward, Gerald R. Elwood never got the call to ﬁre up his turbines from nearby Pumping Station 19. Looking out from the Florida Avenue plant, all he could see waswater,water,water “The only evidence of life,” he recounted, “was myself and my co-workers.” The next day,some bedraggled men in life-preservers “cameupthe stairs [and] knocked on the door.” They were the pumpoperations, and they had just swum through deep ﬁlth strewn with debris. “Wewere happy to see them,” Elwood said. “[Now] let’stry to get the generators going.”

As in Carrollton, dozens of preliminary steps had to be taken, including solving aproblem with the air compressors. “At 2or3o’clock in the morning, we were lifting 55-gallon drums, putting oil into the generators,” recounted Elwood. “Wehad to get the generators up. We got to get the water out.” They succeeded on both accounts. “That wasthe biggest challenge,” said Adamsofthe restoration of power at the Eagle Street and Florida Avenue plants. Else, “there is no society[;] there is anarchy,pestilence, disease. It had to come back.”

Soon, S&WB personnel shifted from deadly crisis

management to round-theclock operations in pumping out the impounded deluge —all while coordinating their own personal predicaments. Eighty percent of the agency’s1,200 employees lost their homes to the ﬂood, including St. Martin, and because most were native-born New Orleanians, mosthad extended families directly affected.

‘Never left .never stopped’ Everyone thinks of police, fire and military personnel as “first responders,” noted Jackson of the S&WB, but “in fact, we’re ‘zero responders.’ We never left We never stopped working.” Few would credit S&WB workers for being the first people to save New Orleans, but that’sexactly what they were. “It’sanuntold story because we’re practically an invisible force,” said Jackson. “We’re all underground; everything we have is underground. [But] no matter how many billions you put into acity —you can put gold roofs on every house —ifyou don’thave sewer, water and drainage, you have to leave. No water,no sewer,nodrainage, no city.”

Incredibly,S&WB engineers and operators managed to remove mostofthe floodwaters from the city’s mainbasins in just 11 days, farfaster than the three months manypredicted. Smaller quantities either evaporated or got absorbed into the soil. The remainder wasremoved by the Army Corps of Engineers’ Task Force Unwatering, which brought in truck-mounted pumps to eject aquarter of atrillion gallons of floodwater over 53 days, into late October 2005. By then, finally,all the water wasout. Richard Campanella ageographer with theTulaneSchool of Architecture and Built Environment, is the author of “DrainingNew Orleans,” “Crossroads, Cutoffs, andConfluences,” “Bourbon Street: A History,” and other booksfrom LSUPress. He maybereached at richcampanella.com, rcampane@tulane.edu, or @nolacampanella on X.

PAULA MARSCHIK

RememberingHaysTownand theSt. ElizabethFoundation

BY JAMES A. GEORGE Contributing writer

How many men can say, after their race is run, that they saved hundreds of lives along the way?

Ihad the inestimable privilege of counting one such man as a dear friend, one whose life’swork included the creation of St. Elizabeth Foundation, an adoption agency in Baton Rouge through which 600-plus infants were placed. These adoptions saved the lives of countless babies throughthe immeasurable love of birth mothers, the love and devotion of the adoptive parents and the creative genius of one man: A. Hays Town Jr Town founded St. Elizabeth with his wife Gay in 1988. This will be my way of saying goodbye to one of the ﬁnest gentlemen I have ever known, as Town passed away on July 25 at age 90. To studythe life and accomplishments of Hays,

In thelaw,there is adoctrineknown as suigeneris, Latin for “constituting a class above,” unique, exceptional. Those whoﬁtthat description arefew and far between, but if ever there was aperson of whom it could besaid,“he was truly suigeneris,” it was my friendTown. My associationwithhim was throughthe St.Elizabeth Foundation,but until Istarted researchinghis life and times, Ihad little knowledge of thenumberof

than 600 young lives Hays’ inspiration has saved over theyears since thefoundation’s creation. There is no better brief description of the birthof that noble idea than the following passage from an article in the Baton Rouge Advocatetitled, appropriately enough, “Delivering Silver Linings:”

Dr.Richard Tannehill and A. Hays “Sonny” Town Jr were driving home from a retreat at Manresa in the

know what todo. Iwanted a way to provide options and help them along theway.”

In May 1988, Town and his wife Gayfounded St. ElizabethFoundation

to call his friends early on Christmas morning. Never He wasunfailingly polite and civil, always.

As is thecase with Dr Tannehill, no account of thehistory of Town creating the miracle which has becomeSt. Elizabeth Foundation would be complete without noting theinvaluable role of Lillie Petit Gallagher,the long-serving ﬁrst executive director of St.Elizabeth.

In remarks in theabove article, Gallagher observed that St. Elizabeth gets very involved and has seen birth motherscomplete their education and go on to become successful citizens and parents. “Wehave empowered them,” she said.

As for personal reminiscences, Town never failed

Babineaux &Babineaux Partners Linda Babineaux 504-957-8014(c) J. Babineaux 504-813-8460 (c) At Latter &Blum-Compass Uptown-Maple Ofc, 7934 Maple St N.O.,LA70118 |504-861-7575 (O) Licensed in Louisiana

The best waytosum up his grace would be to repeat the three-word phrase he used in signing off of every phone call (although mereprinted words could never do them justice).

“Thaaank you, heah!”

He gave us grace.

He gave us civility

He gave us charm.

He gave us tranquil patience.

He helped so manyand saved so manylives it would be impossible to count them all.

And so, Inote my fervent wish that he is hearing us say

Askabout

off or even go without care

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

SHAPESHIP

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

industry is no stranger to innovation. During WorldWar II, Higgins Industries in New Orleans inventedand manufactured the groundbreaking landing craft

builders havegonehightech

In the 1960s, brothers Lynn andOrinDeanbuilt the first liftboats —capable of raising themselves on long legs to form astable platform over thewater —inSt. Bernard Parish And for decades, industrial conglomerate Textronhas been making hovercraft, which move over landand water on acushion of air,inNew OrleansEast. Now,this centuries-old craft is gettingaboost from cuttingedge software, artiﬁcial intelligence and theburgeoning commercial spaceﬂight industry to evolve in ways thatlegendary boatbuilder Andrew Higgins couldn’thave fathomed.These changes mean new opportunities that are enabling existing Louisiana companiestoexpand and attracting startups to the region.

In April, Texas-based startup Saronic announced it was buyingashipyard in Franklin to manufacture autonomousvessels —essentially largewater drones —for military and commercial clients. The company, which is backed by $850 million in Silicon Valleyventure capital, promises to invest $250 million ä See BOATS, page 2E

“You can’tfake that kind of enthusiasm.” MONROE MAyORFRIDAyELLIS

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

When MonroeMayor FridayEllis rode Amtrak’s new Mardi Gras linebetween NewOrleansand Mobile, Alabama, last month, he saw alot of smiling faces inside and outside of the train. “In Pascagoula (Mississippi), there were hundreds of people waiting to greet us,” he said. “On theroute,people were outside littleburger jointsorintheir boats on the water waving at the passing train.” Ellis said the ride wasproof thateven in aregionofthe country known for its love of the open road,there also is an appreciation for passenger rail. “You can’tfake that kind of enthusiasm,” he said. Now thatthe Gulf Coast service hasbeenrestored,regionaltrain advocates areaiming theirlobbying efforts at the next tworoutes on their wish list: along-sought connection between New Orleans and Baton Rouge and an east-west route that bisects north Louisiana as it connects Dallas to Meridian, Mississippi. To become reality,both routes will require years of planning and coordination by federal, state and local ofﬁcials, along with collaboration

which own the tracks, and Amtrak, whichwould operate the service. They would also require tapping into millions of federal funds earmarked for passenger rail along with state matching funds. Thatmeansbothprojectsare still along way from becoming reality,but supporters hope good mojo from Amtrak’s Mardi Gras debut will getthings rolling more quickly

“The successful launch of the Mardi Gras route confirmed a lot of what we’ve been saying for years,” said John Spain, vice chair of theSouthern

PROVIDED PHOTO

Dino Mavrookas, co-founder of autonomous vessel startup Saronic, weldsdecorativemedallions

an aluminum keel at aceremonycelebrating the startof production for the Austin-based company s150-foot Marauder vessel on Aug. 22 in Franklin. The companysaid

$250

itsshipyard

Franklin as it ramps up production.

Ryan McCabe, Shivers Nellon and Fred Preis have joined the Jefferson Community Foundation board of directors.

McCabe is areal estate and business litigation attorney. He serves as an associate professor of trial advocacyatTulane University Law School, whereheteaches litigation andtrial skills to second- and thirdyear law students.

Nellon, owner of four construction-related businesses is the immediate past presidentofthe Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans. Preis is alaborand employment law attorney at Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson with more than 30 yearsof experience.

Dr.Leanne Redman, of Pennington BiomedicalResearch Center,has been named as the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority endowed chairin nutrition.

The chair was established through private donations matched by the Board of Regents Support Fund.

Fool’sTake:

Redman is associate executive director for scientiﬁc education and director of the Pennington-LouisianaNutrition Obesity Research Center

Redman is aleading authority on body weight regulation and has published more than 250 research papersonthe topicaswellason women’shealth,obesity andnutrition.

Carmen George, of Baton Rouge, hasbeen elected to serve as vice speaker of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists House of Delegates.

This is herfirst term as vice speaker.George has served in anumber of volunteer roles with the ASRT, including chair and delegate ofthe Radiography Chapter,chairofthe Radiography Practice Standards Council and Limited X-ray Machine Operator Subcommittee

George is the radiology regulatory coordinatorfor BatonRouge General Medical Center

NewOrleans

Erin Greenwald hasbeennamed deputydirector of The Historic New Orleans Collection

She will help advance the institution’smission by aligning departmentalwork, facilitating cross-divisioncollaboration and leading major strategic initiatives

Around Louisiana

PEOPLE IN BUSINESS

Heath B. Jones hasbeen hiredby Bollinger Shipyards as vice president of government relations andstrategic partnerships. Jones spent more than30 years in theCoastGuard, ultimately rising to become14th masterchief petty officer,the

service’ssenior enlisted leader and principal adviser to the commandant.

As acutterman, he served as executive petty ofﬁcer and later skipper of aBollinger-built 87foot Coastal Patrol Boat. Jones earneda host of awards for his service, including the Coast GuardDistinguished ServiceMedal,the HomelandSecurity Distinguished Service Medal andthe 2012 SignalmanFirst Class Douglas Munro InspirationalLeadership Award.

Agrowing giant Taiwan SemiconductorManufacturing Co. (NYSE: TSM) is a majorsupplier for leading chip companies such as Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Broadcom. WhileTSMC’s second-quarter revenue grew 44% year over year, steadily improving gross proﬁt margins anda disciplined cost structure fueled even more acceleration for its bottom line: Earnings per share grew by nearly61%.

Investments in infrastructure for artiﬁcial intelligence —which include data center buildoutsand chips —are expected to reach $6.7 trillion by next decade. With TSMC’shuge revenue growth and estimated two-thirds share of the global chip foundry market, it appears well-positioned to capitalize on these secular tail winds and acquire even more market share over the next severalyears. Despite the company’sjaw-dropping growth and robust outlook, it recently traded at aforward price-to-earnings ratio below 25. Not only is this lower than most of its forward P/E ratios in 2024, but it’salso ameaningful discount compared to other leading chip stocks. There are some risks —especially becauseTSMC is based in Taiwan. That exposes the company to the impacts of anychanges in U.S. tariff policy,aswell as the looming threat of China taking military action. Still, it’stough to ﬁnd abetter growth stock in the semiconductor industry for risktolerant long-term investors. (The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.)

Fool’sSchool:

What’saP/E ratio?

As you learn how to study stocks, you’ll find that theprice-toearnings ratio can help you get a rough idea of how overvalued or undervalued astock is. You’ll find P/E ratios for stocks already calculatedfor youatfinancial websites such as finance. yahoo.com, but here’sthe math: Take the stock’scurrent price per share and divide it by the earnings per share over the past 12 months. (For aforward-looking P/E, divide by the expectedEPS over the coming year.)

So if Crusty’sCrab Shack (ticker: CRABS) is trading at $60 per share with its EPS forthe last four reported quarters (“trailing 12 months”) totaling $4,you’d divide $60 by $4 to get aP/E ratio of 15. Note that P/E ratios go up when the stock’sprice rises or the EPS falls —and vice versa. The P/E ratio tells you how much you’d pay per dollar of earningsifyou bought the stock. In ﬁnance-speak, astock with aP/E of 15 might be referred to as “trading at amultiple of 15.”

Generallyspeaking, the lower the P/E ratio, the lower —and therefore more appealing—the stock’svaluation, though an extremely lowP/E should make you wonder what troubles thecompany is facing. An extremely high P/E can reﬂect very low earnings or investors piling into the stock and driving up its price via high demand for the shares P/E ratios vary widely by industry,though. Slower-growing and/or capital-intensive industries such as homebuilding and steelmaking tend to have lower average P/E

ratios; industries such as semiconductors, entertainment and software tendtohavehigher ones Unproﬁtable companies don’t have P/E ratios, as they have no earnings and you can’tdivide by zero. When assessing acompany’s P/E, you might compare its current ratio with those from past years. Don’tmake investment decisions on P/E or other valuation metrics alone, though. Always assess multiple factors, such as revenue and earnings growth rates, debt levels, proﬁt margins and competitive advantages.

Ask the Fool:

Splittingshares

Shares of Microsoft seem to cost more than $500 apiece —does that mean the companywill do astock split? And will that double my money? —Y.C., Decorah, Iowa Microsoft may indeed split its stock this year or next. No announcement has been made as of this writing, though. Microsoft has executed nine stock splits since going public in 1986. Seven were in the 1990s, and the most recent one was way back in 2003, when the shares split 2-for-1. The recent price of $500 pershare is far above the presplit prices for the pastsplits, so expecting asplit to come along is quite reasonable.

Astock splitwon’tdouble your money,though —when astock splits, shareholders each get more shares, but theprice per share falls proportionally.Imagine you own 100 shares of Microsoft, and it splits 2-for-1 when the price is $500 per share. You’ll end up with 200 shares, but the share price will suddenly be around $250. That makes your total value$5,000 presplit (100 times $500) and $5,000 post-split (200 times $250). Companiesoften split shares to make them more affordable to the masses (among other reasons), but remember that youcan always buy just one share —and via manygood brokerages, you may even be able to buy afraction of a share.

My Dumbest Investment: Burned to aCRISPR

My dumbest investments happened after I read the book “TheCode Breaker” by Walter Isaacson —about the Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and the science of gene editing with CRISPR (“clustered regularly interspaced shortpalindromicrepeats”) technology. Iinvested in several of the companies mentioned in the book, thinking each would soon release viable commercial products and see its valuation skyrocket. Iwaited for afew years as Iwatched each stock decline in price. Ieventually ended up selling at a significant loss. Ilearned to stick with companies that already have viableproducts, sound financials and strong free cash flow.One daythese companies may fitthat narrative, but until then, Iwill invest in what Iknow are actual viablebusinesses and not potential future businesses. —O.A.M., online New technologies can be exciting, especially when it seems like therewill be alot of money made with them, and some companies in those realms will turn out to be great investments. But it can take along time before it’sclear which companies will be thebiggestwinners and which once-promising companies will ﬂame out. If you can’twait to invest, spreading your dollars over several companies and not investing too much in one technology can be smart moves.

Do you have asmart or regrettable investment move to share with us? Email it to tmfshare@fool.com.

BOATS

Continuedfrom page1E

in improvements to theshipyard andcreate 500 jobsoverthe next four years.

Twomonthslater,Bollinger Shipyardsannounced its work modifying abarge to serve as a landingplatform for reusable rockets, its latest contract driven by advances in commercial spaceﬂight

This shipbuildingtransformation is welcome news for an industry that has contracted since the middle of thelastcentury,when Avondale Shipyards was the biggest private employer in the state. Morethanfour decades after the end of federal shipbuilding subsidies, achanging regional offshore oil and gassectormeans less demand for local products and fewer jobs. Though shipbuilding still supportsmore than 16,000 workers and contributes $1.5 billion to thestate grossdomestic product, according to theShipbuilders Council of America, it’snot what it once was.

Bollinger CEO BenBordelon saidthe recentdevelopments give him hope.

“W eh ave been challenged through years of up and down gas markets and changes to how oiland gasisproduced,”hesaid “I’mglad to see ourindustry moving toward a thriving segment.”

‘Nostairs, bathrooms, kitchens’

In mid-August, more than100 people gathered at Saronic’snew shipyard in Franklin forakeellayingceremony— theshipbuildingindustry’s versionofagroundbreaking.

The3-year-old companyisthe state’smost high-proﬁleentry into the autonomousvessel market, spurred on by roughly $5 billion from the Trumpadministration to boost production of the high-tech machines. It joins ahalf-dozen or so existing shipbuilders in thestate —ranging from legacy companies likeBollingertonewcomers like Chance Maritime Technologies.

Another company,20-year-old Metal Shark, has been making autonomous vessels since the 2010s from its shipyard directly across U.S.90from Saronic’s newfacility

Primarily fulfilling contracts with the U.S. military but also servingcommercialcustomers, these builders makeeverything from basic remote-controlled boatsto highly sophisticated robotic vessels capable of charting their own course.All can go farther andfaster than traditional vessels while carryingmore payload

Because they aren’t builttocarry humans, the ships these builders are making don’tneed galleys, bathrooms, hallways or stairs. That makes them smaller, whichmeans they can be built at themidsize shipyards found in Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states versus their biggercounterparts on theeast and west coasts that makeaircraft carriers, submarines anddestroyers.

“You’re not worried about the crew getting seasick, so youcan design theboatsothere’s much less friction in the water,” saidVibhav

Altekar, chieftechnology officer at Saronic. “Inthe past, shipbuilders would first build ahotel and then youbuild aboat around the hotel, butthese look more like floating data centers.”

Theautonomousvessels require hardware andsoftware integration with theirpayload,whetherthat’s weapons, sensors, cameras, radar or sonar

“Wedon’t just throw it on the boat,” said Metal Shark co-owner Chris Allard, whose company employsateam of in-house computer programmers.

“The hardest part about making unmanned boatsishow to getpast acentury of technology designed to be controlledbyhumanhands,” Allard said. “There are valves you have to open or close, controlsor switches you have to push or adjust, including the steering wheel.”

Saronic’sownershopetheycan manufacture up to 50 of thisnew type of ship each year at their Franklin facility

“This is the beginning of alongterm partnership with Louisiana,” saidcompany co-founderRob Lehman, who hopes to “take the legacy of shipbuilding here and bring it into the 21stcentury.”

Shipsfor spaceships

The rise of commercial spaceflight over thelast15years has created additionalopportunities for Louisiana’smaritimeindustry Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin testand recover componentsoftheir reusable equipment offshore, far from most human activity. To do the work, they need specially designed ships, which the state’s shipbuilders are more than happy to provide.

In July,Bollingerannounced its latest spaceﬂight-related commission: converting an existing barge into alanding platform forRocket Lab Corp., aCalifornia-based publicly traded company that’scompeting in thenearly $600 billion commercialspaceﬂight industry

The 79-year-old shipbuilder, based in Lockport, will add blast shieldsalong with thrusters to the waterborneplatform so it remains stable during landings. Communications equipmentwill allowemployees to control thevessel from afar

Thejob is not Bollinger’sfirst foray into supporting thisemerging industry,which made abeliever outofBordelonabouta decade ago.

“A lotofcommercial vessels here were idlebecause of the downturn in oil,”hesaid. “Itwas an opportunity for the space industry to buy assets at arelatively good price, and it created work for ship-

yards to convert them.” Bordelon’s companyisjoined by severalothersworking in this sector

One of the morehigh-flying ventures that created work forlocal shipbuilders is Florida-based startup Space Perspective,which hopes to send tourists into the stratosphere in pressurized capsules lifted by giant helium-filled balloons. The company,which was acquiredearlierthis year by European rivalEos XSpace, bought an offshore supply vessel from Edison Chouest Offshore in 2022. Gulf Ship and Conrad Shipyard retrofitted it for its new role as a floating spaceport.

Guice Offshore, aLouisiana maritimetransportation company,isslated to support marine operationsfor thespace tourism company,which launchedanuncrewed test ﬂight last year before its acquisition.

Bollinger itself has another space-related job in thepipeline: building arocket ship transporter for United Launch Alliance, ajoint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

This project andothers likeitare forays into an emerging industry withpotential beneﬁtsfor thestate that extend beyond commerce.

“Louisiana companiessupporting space research androcket science is really important,” said Tulane professor Cynthia Ebinger, who chairs the school’sspace, science and engineering task force

“From that work, maybe we’ll learn things that are really helpful here on Earth. For example, almost all of our regional observations about coastal change come from satellites.”

Shipbuilding gap

These new lines of business for Louisiana shipbuilders come as U.S. production overalllagsdramatically behind China and other global competitors.

The Trump administration has prioritized boosting the country’s maritime capacity in an attempt to close the gap with China, which makes threewarships for every one produced in Americaand produces morethan 200 times the commercial ships thatAmerica does.

Saronic’s Lehman hopesautonomy will help the U.S. and its allies catch up.

“It offers ways to simplifythe build process, reduce material costs andput more platforms in the water to rebalancethe global shipbuilding numbers,” he said.

EmailRich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Redman

George

Bordelon

Motley Fool

This aerial photograph, taken in 1983, shows the vast sweep of Avondale Shipyard, when it was one of the largest employers in the state. FILE PHOTO

PROVIDED PHOTO

U.S. Marine CorpsLt. Gen. Brian W. Cavanaugh and several Marines reviewthe capabilities of avessel manufactured by Metal Shark on April 27, 2023, at abase in Virginia.

Greenwald Jones

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Cajun seafood chain eyes rapid growth into new markets

Thibodaux-based Off the Hook opening first location in Lafayette

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Off the Hook CEO Paxton

Moreaux is reeling in his next big catch.

The Thibodaux-based Cajun

Q&A WITH PAXTON MOREAUX

seafood restaurant is expanding rapidly expecting to open about four to ﬁve locations each year Its latest venture is in Lafayette, the ﬁrst location in southwestern Louisiana.

The restaurant has established itself in southeastern Louisiana, with six out of eight of its locations in the Baton Rouge area. Moreaux has his eyes set on Louisiana and Mississippi for further expansion. He said the markets are familiar with the food that Off the Hook serves and are the company’s next step geographically.

The Lafayette location is expected to open mid-November off Liberty Avenue and Kaliste Saloom Road, just down the road from competitors Raising Cane’s and Chick-ﬁl-A. In the past few years, the surrounding area has been a hotbed for residential and commercial development with the additions of The Chimes restaurant, Rouses Market and the extension of Kaliste Saloom Road.

Lafayette is no stranger to the Cajun cuisine central to Off the Hook’s offerings. But Moreaux plans to stay afloat among the crowd by staying true to their values of fresh, Louisiana-sourced ingredients and Southern hospitality In this week’s Talking Busi-

ness, Moreaux talks about Off the Hook’s performance in different Louisiana cities, its edge against competing restaurants and how he plans on reaching consumers who are not familiar with Cajun cuisine.

This interview has been edited for clarity

What have you learned so far from your locations in the Baton Rouge metro area that you’ll be taking along with you to Lafayette?

I think one thing we’ve learned as we’ve gotten farther away from our home base of the ThibodauxHouma area, that people seem to be more receptive to our type of food. It’s something really common in Thibodaux-Houma — I’m sure everywhere in south Louisiana — but really it’s a high percentage of seafood restaurants around here compared to the Baton Rouge

outskirts and Hammond, where you have a little bit more of everything. We’ve received a really positive reception as we move farther away with the type of food we’re offering.

As Off the Hook expands, what’s going to set it apart from other Cajun seafood restaurants?

It’s our quality, it’s always local shrimp, local ﬁsh, tenders, burgers not frozen We really go out of our way to work on the quality We have partnerships with John Folse to make our gumbo seasonings and batters and marinades. So, it’s that, and I think it’s truly our customer service. Southern hospitality is a point of difference in a quickservice setting. They have the Chick-ﬁl-A and the Raising Cane’s as the gold standard. So that’s kind of who we’re chasing.

As you expand to other markets, are you going to partner with the locals in that area to supply?

No, we will always have seafood from Louisiana. Why is that?

That’s just who we are as a brand and our catchphrase is “real Cajun, real fast,” so it’s all about staying true to who we are, the Cajun seafood culture and heritage that we feel. It resonates with people to say your shrimp is caught off the coast of Louisiana or always Gulf shrimp Having that local seafood makes a difference versus some of the other competitors that are just going for the cheapest foreign source. We have strict standards on the quality of shrimp and ﬁsh we bring in.

I saw that you spoke at the Livingston Young Professionals Conference and you

were talking about how you lead this team of professionals who are under 40. What does that really mean for you? How has that specific characteristic of your team impacted the company?

Everybody brings just a high level of energy and excitement every day There’s not a lot of rahrah needed. Everybody knows the mission, the vision We know our values. We know what we want to do here. It’s the communication, and it’s clear where we want to go, and people on our team are on board with that goal.

You’re looking to open four or five locations a year You are expanding pretty rapidly What is the driving force behind your expansion?

We’ve worked many years to get the concept in a place where it’s ready to scale We’re passionate about growing it and sharing that little bit about Cajun culture, heritage,

control, so we can assure that we have great team members. We’re always serving a great product, and we’re serving it quickly as we promise. It’s something to be determined in the near short- to mid-term future.

Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabeliefthathas poweredusfor over80years

We areJones Walker LLP,a ﬁrmdrivenbyanentrepreneurial spirit,adeepsense of community, and aﬁerce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor ourclients

Since1937, ourﬁrm hasbeencommitted to workingwithcommunityleaders to develop business opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing ourdedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

WilliamH.Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000

201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100

LA-25-18980

PROVIDED PHOTO By OFF THE HOOK

CEO Paxton Moreaux, inset, has his eyes set on expanding Cajun seafood chain Off the Hook, with more locations, four to five each year in Louisiana as well as Mississippi.

the 4-decade-old nonprofit that advocates for passenger rail expansion and restoration in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. “It’s an efﬁcient and beautiful route that lends credibility to the others we want to do.”

‘More liquor’ than expected

Amtrak reports that 3,264 passengers rode the Mardi Gras in its ﬁrst week, traveling between various stops. The train’s maximum capacity is 134 passengers at a time and travels twice per day along the Mississippi Gulf Coast between Louisiana and Alabama. A few recent trips were completely sold out.

Looking ahead, big fall weekends including Saints games and holidays — are selling briskly, said Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari.

Concession sales on the Mardi Gras line also have been brisk, and “they are selling more liquor than they thought they would,” Spain said.

Investment near train stations along the Mardi Gras route is another positive indicator

Over the past four years, several restaurants and businesses have opened in the Bay St. Louis depot district in anticipation of customers being delivered to their doors.

In Pascagoula, real estate developer Joe Cloyd known for boutique hotels along the Gulf Coast — has partnered with the owners of the local Chandeleur Island Brewing Co. to renovate the former Pascagoula train depot. The project is expected to be complete by early 2026 Cloyd said he began planning the $2.5 million project four years ago, when the fate of the Mardi Gras line was uncertain.

“We were planning to do it regardless of whether the train came or not, but we were very hopeful it would happen,” he said. “We hope developers like us contributed in a small way to the deal happening.”

The ridership and development are a sales tool for Spain and other rail advocates hoping to bring the New Orleans-to-Baton Rouge and the north Louisiana routes back into action.

“It was a struggle to sell something we could show and touch,” he said. “If you go to the train station in New Orleans, now it’s full of people.”

Waiting for the train In 2015, when Barney Arceneaux was the mayor of Gonzales, the Ascension Parish city purchased an old Baptist church and some surrounding acreage as the fu-

ture home of a train station.

A decade later, the church is gone but the property is still waiting for its transformation as Gonzales hopes to one day get an economic boost when rail connects Louisiana’s capital city with New Orleans.

Now that the Mardi Gras service is running, Arceneaux said there’s a renewed sense of optimism that the line, which was discontinued in 1969 amid declining ridership, could one day return.

“Mayors along the route are loving it,” he said. “They want it to happen tomorrow.” For years, a coalition of regional rail advocates have

pushed for a New Orleansto-Baton Rouge connector to relieve trafﬁc congestion on Interstate 10, create a new hurricane evacuation route and one day connect the southern part of the state with the north.

Despite many studies and promises, the service has failed to materialize.

When the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law designated more than $60 billion for passenger rail expansion across the country, hopes were raised that trains would ﬁnally start rolling between Louisiana’s two biggest cities.

After that, there were some modest funding wins.

In 2022, Baton Rouge and Gonzales jointly applied for and received a $20 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant for planning and construction of passenger rail station infrastructure.

In 2023, DOT allocated $500,000 to Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development to plan the Baton Rouge-to-New Orleans route. The Southern Rail Commission received the same amount to plan the Interstate 20 route. That same year, Gov John Bel Edwards steered $20.5 million toward development of the New Orleans-to-Baton Rouge line and signed a nonbinding agreement with Amtrak to establish the service.

But the big federal dollars that fueled the completion of the Mardi Gras service have yet to arrive for the New Orleans-to-Baton Rouge line. In 2023, the Federal Rail-

road Administration denied a $108 million grant application for the project. Instead, it awarded the smaller grants and set up a process to plan and study the infrastructure needed before reapplying later for infrastructure dollars.

Now, the state DOTD has submitted the information required under the ﬁrst step of this “corridor identiﬁcation program” and is waiting for federal review and acceptance, a DOTD spokesperson said.

If the information is accepted, the state would unlock more federal funds to continue planning for a replacement bridge over the Bonnet Carre Spillway locations of stops and budget.

The roughly $11 million study will take a couple of years to complete, said Knox Ross, Southern Rail Commission chair, although previous engineering studies mean “there’s a lot of base information already available.”

N. La. route gains traction

The hanging string lights in downtown Monroe are new

The city has spent $10 million on improved sidewalks, streets, lighting and other infrastructure immediately surrounding its historic train depot in anticipation of restored passenger train service bringing visitors downtown.

“When people step off that train, we want people to see something beautiful that represents our community,” Ellis said.

A few blocks from the pro-

posed train stop, real estate developer and state Rep. Michael Echols built a new boutique hotel, The Hotel Monroe, operated by Hilton Tapestry In 2022, Echols hosted Amtrak representatives and others for a reception in the unﬁnished building when it still had dirt ﬂoors. Ellis, who was appointed to the Southern Rail Commission by Gov Jeff Landry said “the passenger rail excitement is real” in his town.

“This is one of the things I don’t get pushback on,” he said. “People want to see the line run again.”

Efforts to restore passenger rail service along the I-20 corridor date back about a decade, but the route takes on new signiﬁcance now that Facebook parent company Meta has begun construction of its $10 billion data center in Richland Parish near Monroe. The proposed route would connect that project to similar ones under development in Mississippi and to a microchip facility near Ruston.

Stakeholders believe the I-20 line could happen before the one connecting New Orleans to Baton Rouge. “The infrastructure is in very good condition between Meridian and Dallas,” said John Robert Smith, chair of Transportation for America, a policy consultant for the Southern Rail Commission. “And that route doesn’t have to travel over a swamp like the line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.” Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Arthur Hardylooks backat50years of MardiGrasinNew Orleans

$35.95 $39.95 plus tax&shipping books ship Nov. 14, 2025 *cover not ﬁnal foralimited time

Forﬁve decades, Arthur Hardyhas been our neighbor,our guide, and the keeper of our Carnival memories. From his Gentilly kitchen table in 1977 to receiving the keytothe city in 2024,Hardy transformed himself from aBrother Martin band director into the man all about Mardi Gras. Hisannual guidehas reached over 3million readers, but for us locals, Arthur is family, thetrusted voice whogets it right,who rodewithRex after documentingthem for decades, whostood with us throughthe police strikeof’79,Katrina’saftermath, andevery magicalmomentinbetween. This 112-pagecelebration bringstogether the stories onlyArthur could tell, ﬁlledwithphotographs thatcapturethe paradesyou remember,the krewesyou cheeredfor,and the moments thatmadeyou proud to be apartofMardi Gras. Arthur Hardyhas preservedthe soul of what makesusNew Orleanians, making this the perfect holiday gift for anyone whobleedsthe purple,greenand gold of Mardi Gras. Booksship in time for holidaygift-giving!

PROVIDED PHOTO The Hotel Monroe is blocks away from a proposed passenger train station in downtown Monroe.

PROVIDED PHOTO Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis, clockwise from top left, visits with Knox Ross, chair of the Southern Rail Commission; Todd Stennis, Amtrak, director of government affairs; and John Robert Smith, senior policy adviser at Transportation for America, on Nov. 6, 2022, at the unfinished Hotel Monroe.

Gras line along the Gulf Coast.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

Entergy CEO cheers state’s prospects, notes misgivings

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

More than 18 months after Louisiana officials began wooing executives from Meta to the state, eventually helping land the Facebook parent company’s massive artiﬁcial intelligence data center near Monroe, Entergy Louisiana

CEO Phillip May said he sees more economic development potential in the state than at any time in his 40year career

“We have the greatest economic pipeline since the post-World War II years,” May said in an interview

Tuesday “We have growth from the traditional petrochemical sector and also a new set of opportunities.”

At the same time, however, profound and rapid changes to the nation’s energy and trade policies under President Donald Trump are threatening to chill new investments as companies grapple with the uncertainty

“Companies are trying to make 30-, 40-, 50-year decisions, and policy shifts make it hard,” May said. “If something is hurting us in Louisiana right now, more than anything else, it is uncertainty.”

The way the estimated $10 billion Meta deal came together — less than a year separated Entergy’s initial pitch to Meta and the formal announcement by Gov Jeff Landry — was highly unusual, May said.

Multibillion-dollar investments typically take years to gel, and that means companies want to know that policies won’t change drastically

“Risk scares business and they cannot make a decision when we continue to change policy,” he said.

‘Why aren’t we in Louisiana?’

May’s comments highlighted how the Trump administration’s policies are rippling through board rooms in Louisiana and elsewhere, with business leaders working to adjust to big changes in tariffs, renewable tax credits and federal funding. But despite the uncertainty, the Entergy executive said he remained bullish on the state’s prospects.

Among the recent investments planned for the state that give him reason for optimism are Hyun-

bails on the plant after 15 years.

Dark future for renewables

“We have the greatest economic pipeline since the postWorld War II years. We have growth from the traditional petrochemical sector and also a new set of opportunities.”

PHILLIP MAy, Entergy Louisiana CEO

dai’s planned steel mill in Ascension Parish, Shintech’s expansion in Plaquemines Parish and Shell’s plan to break ground on a new New Orleans headquarters in the planned River District neighborhood in 2027.

The Meta announcement has also helped Louisiana’s credibility with other tech and infrastructure companies, according to May

“We went from having people saying ‘What is Meta doing in Louisiana?’ to having them say, ‘Why aren’t we in Louisiana?’” May said.

Entergy is building three natural gas power plants to supply electricity to the data center, including two that are adjacent to the site in Holly Ridge and one in St. Charles Parish. Meta has agreed to pay for construction and the cost of operating the plants for 15 years.

Environmental groups and advocates for renewable energy have criticized the plan and questioned whether consumers will get hit with higher utility bills if Meta

May said he isn’t worried that will happen, and argued that Meta investments in transmission infrastructure, resilience upgrades and the plants themselves represent a beneﬁt to customers.

“Louisiana customers will continue to get low-cost power from the plants,” even if Meta were to pull out after 15 years, May said, adding that by then, much of the grid’s infrastructure will need upgrades and that “customers will be paying for that as they would.”

In middle Atlantic and Northern states where large data centers have been operating for years, residential customers have seen monthly utility bills go up by 20% to 30% in some cases. May said he believes that is unlikely to happen in Louisiana, where utilities are regulated.

“Those states are deregulated,” he said. “If you’re in a competitive market like that and prices are at an all-time high, it gets passed along to everyone.”

May is concerned, however, about the future of solar projects in the state, including those in development both by Entergy and its competitors The Trump administration, with approval from Congress, did away with several types of renewable energy tax credits created under President Joe Biden’s Inﬂation Reduction Act.

Though the changes were intended to bolster the traditional fossil fuel industry, energy producing states like Louisiana were also beneﬁting from new investments in wind and solar power Now, many of those projects will never come to fruition, May said. “A lot of that stuff is not going to go because you have to have a certain amount of spend to achieve the IRA credits,” he said. “So, on solar, it will be very challenging.” Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

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Gallagher: ALouisiana StoryofGrowth, Community andResilience

Gallagher,one of the world’slargestinsurancebrokerage,risk managementand consulting ﬁrms, has asigniﬁcantpresencein Louisiana, with arich history andadeep commitmenttothe local community. With roots in the statedatingback decades, Gallagher has grownintothe largest broker inLouisiana, providing awide array of services to businesses of allsizes acrossvarious sectors

“WhereIthink we areuniquelypositioned is thatwedon’t have that institutional mindset. We haven’talwaysbeen big.We’vealwayshad to be alittle morenimble, creativeand client-centric, said” Numa “Bumpy” Triche,regional president. “The result isthatwehavethe sizeand scale of anybody in the world, with robustdataanalytics and modeling capabilities. But our local operations arevery much integrated within the local market.”

Founded in 1927,Gallagher has expanded globally and reports $11.3 billion in total adjustedbrokerage andrisk managementrevenues in 2024 and amarket capitalization of $76.1billion as of January 30,2025.

Thecompanyhas aworkforce of nearly56,000 employees worldwide morethan 970officesglobally,and servesclients in over130 countries.

In Louisiana, Gallagher’s journeybeganwithanacquisition in Baton Rouge,which led to theestablishmentofofficesinNew Orleans and Monroe,Louisiana. Thecompanyhas strategically acquired local ﬁrms overthe years, integrating their employees and maintaining alocal focus. This growth has resulted in 18 officesstatewide and asigniﬁcant regional market share. Thecompanyhas grownits businessbyworking withpeople and organizations who sharecommon values and vision.

“Gallagher has one of thelargest operations within ourSoutheastregion in terms of our footprint acrossthe stateand the various markets, Triche said. “Atthe same time, we arealwaysclient-focused, withthe people in the statebeing the ones who work with the local teams and businesses. People work with us because we provide awhite-glove service experiencewitheasyaccessibilitytoour team and our broader tools and resources. We have invested heavily in areas relatedtodata analysis and forensicaccounting in order to provide the technical and detailed support to our teams.Whatwedoisoffer ourclients access to global expertise tailored to their needs.”

As proud as Gallagher is of its growth,theyare prouder to have been able to maintainits unique culture. This cultureissummed up in 25 tenets called TheGallagher Way, aset of shared values thatemphasize ethics, integrityand aclient-centricapproach. These values were articulatedbyRobert E. Gallagher backin1984and have sinceguided the company’soperations and relationships. Keyprinciples include providing excellentrisk managementservices,supporting and respecting colleagues, pursuing professional excellenceand fostering open communication. Thecompanyculturevalues empathy, trust, leadership and teamwork, with astrong emphasis on treating everyone with courtesyand respect

Gallagher’s commitmenttoLouisiana goes beyond business. The companyhas alocalpresence, with employees deeply embedded in the community.

“Our employees see theirclients at church on Sundays,play golf with them on Saturdays,and go to lunch with them on Wednesdays,” said William Jackson, ExecutiveVicePresidentof Gallagher’s SoutheastRegion and leader of the NewOrleans operation and the region’s specialtyproducts.Our local connection is akey differentiatorfor Gallagher,combining the resourcesand capabilities of alarge global ﬁrmwith the personalized serviceofa communitybroker.

“Weteam up withlocalpartnerstomakeevery communitywejoin a morevibrantone.Fromfundraisersfor localcharities to crawﬁshboils and hurricane relief,our officesgivebacktothe peopleand places in whichwelive. As we grow larger,wemaintain close ties to the communities we serve.

Gallagher serves adiverse range of industries in Louisiana,including manufacturing, agribusiness, public sector,higher education, aerospace, energy,entertainmentand lifesciences. Thecompanypositions itself as athought leader when it comes to riskmanagementguidance on topics suchascyber risks, healthcare,marine construction AI, social inﬂation and other inﬂuences thatimpactinsurance claim costs, leading to higher premiums and impacting the insuranceindustry’srisklandscape.The team prides itself on providing expertiseand insights on keyindustries and currenteventsimpacting this region.

WILLIAM JACKSON ExecutiveVicePresidentSoutheast Region, Gallagher

Gallagher is poised forcontinued success in Louisiana,driven by its strong values, localfocus and expertise in keyindustries. Thecompany’s emphasis on client-centric service, combined with its global resources, positions it as atrustedpartner forbusinesses andindividuals seeking insurance, risk managementand consulting solutions.AsGallagher continues to grow and adapttothe evolving needsofthe market its commitmenttothe local communities remains acornerstone of its identity

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LOOK INSIDE FORTHE MAP ANDDIRECTORYOF ALLSCHOOLS

TIPS FORATTENDING ANACAC COLLEGE FAIR

BEFORETHEFAIR

1. Register online for the fair at www.nacacattend.org to receive abarcode for easy onsite access to collegerepresentatives.

2. Be sure to complete MatchmakingTM during registration. Ask yourselfthe following questions to help determinewhatkindofschool would be best for you.Doyou wanttoattend...

•a large, medium, or smallschool?

•anurban, suburban, or rural school?

•a two-year, four-year, single-sex, or religiously-affiliated school?

3. Research colleges attending the fairtodetermine if they meet yoursearchcriteria. Finda list of participating colleges

•Baton Rouge: www.nacacattend.org/25batonrouge

•New Orleans: www.nacacattend.org/25neworleans

4. Makea list of questions to askcollegerepresentatives.

•What degree programsdoyou offer?

•What ﬁnancial aid optionsare available to me?

•What studentorganizationsdoyou have on campus?

ATTHE FAIR

1. Pick up an eventguide andbag for all of the materials youcollect.

2. Reference your MatchmakingTM results and visit those that match your search criteria.

3. Ask the collegerepresentativetoscanyour barcode. This will allowthe representative to follow up with youdirectly—and quickly.

4. Take notes. Write down what youﬁnd mostinteresting about each college.

5. Attendaworkshop session or visitthe college advising center to learn moreabout the college search process,ﬁnancial aid, and other topics.

1. Reviewcollegewebsites, catalogs, andviewbookstogather moreinformation to help narrow your choices.

2. Send athank younote/email to the collegerepresentatives youmet. This simple gesturecan show admission officials you’reserious about wantingtoattend their college.

3. Be suretocomplete the studentfairsurveyand tag us no social media

•Hashtag: #collegefair #collegefairs

The NationalAssociationfor CollegeAdmission Counseling(NACAC), founded in 1937,isan organization of morethan27,000professionals from around theworld dedicated to serving students as theymakechoicesabout pursuingpostsecondaryeducation. NACACiscommitted to maintaining best practicesthat foster ethical andsocial responsibility amongthose involved in the transitionprocess,asoutlined in the NACAC Guide to Ethical

Baton RougeNew Orleans

MAKING THE MOST OFYOUR VISIT TO A NATIONALCOLLEGE FAIR

Ready to takethe next step in your education?There’snobetter placeto exploreyour optionsthan at aNACAC National CollegeFair.

Admissionrepresentatives from schools across the country areall gathered in one place. Their goal: To encourageyou to learn moreabout their institutions,and helpyou sort through the qualities you’relooking for in acollege.

Take advantageoftheir expertise and make the most of your time by following these simple steps.

Be prepared

Beforethe bigday,visit nacacattend.org/ fairs and scan through the list of colleges and universities that will be represented. Makea note of the schools that interest youthe most, and plan to visit theirbooths at the fair. Remember: applying to collegeisahighly personal and individual process.Your criteria of what type of collegewill meet your needs best may look drastically differentfromthat of your friends and classmates,and that’s okay.Thereare colleges that will be closeto home, and ones thatare faraway. Onesthat aresmall, private schools,and ones that are large,public schools.Some willhaveyour projected major and otherswon’t. Consider your goals,strengths,areas for growth, and genuinely ask yourself “why do Iwanttogo to college?”Startingthis process without asolid answer to that question is amissed opportunity.

“Planning ahead canhelp youstay focused,” said Cynthia Kaan, aFerrisState University (MI) admission officer. “If youhavecertain schools youknowyou areinterested in, don’t limit yourself, but makelearning about those schools your priority.”

Youcan research colleges throughavariety of mediums,starting with online search engines and collegewebsites. Youcan also learn moreabout aschool through its student newspapersand alumnimagazines,social

media accounts and review-based sites that rank institutions based on their perceived strengths in academics,social life, athletics, diversity,affordability,and more.

Makeyourquestions count

Like so manyother thingsinlife, a successful visit to aNational CollegeFair is marked by quality,not quantity.

In other words: Rather than focusing on collecting abrochurefromevery college booth, makeityour goal to have in-depth conversations with afew of the collegereps on hand.

“I encouragestudents to not just stop by the table and pick up abrochure, but rather engagethe representativewith a fewquestions,” said Valencia Hamman, co-director of collegecounseling at La Jolla Country Day School (CA). “That means youwanttocome into the fair with alist of questions so you’reready forthat opportunity.”

Ahead of the fair,consider the type of environmentyou learn best in. Do youlike smaller classroomsorlargerlecturesettings? Areyou interested in internships and handson experiential learning opportunities? Consider asking collegerepresentatives for more information on these topicsand othersthat maybeimportanttoyou, such as on-campus housing, diversity of thestudent body,and support services on campus.

Keep an open mind

Yes, it’simportanttoplan ahead and select afew colleges youknowyou want to visit, but each fair drawsrepresentatives from 175to 400 campuses throughout the US and from around the globe. Youowe it to yourselfto follow-up with colleges that catch your eye.

“Do your research, but also have an open mind,”Hamman said. “Sometimes students taketime to talk with arepresentativefrom aschoolthat theyreally hadn’tconsidered beforeand it becomes apart of their list.”

Chatting with representatives from a

variety of colleges canalso help youcement your ownpreferences,Kaan noted.

“It’sjust as important to ﬁgureout whatyou don’t want as it is to ﬁgureout whatisreally attractivetoyou,”she said.

It also helpstobepresentable yourself. Dress appropriately andbesuretoturn off your cell phone to avoid interruptions while chatting with representatives.

Learn aboutthe process

What’s the dealwith college entrance tests? What do admission officers look for in acollegeessay?How canI ﬁndout if I’m eligible for ﬁnancialaid?

No matter where youend up enrolling, you’ll likely encounter at least one of these questions duringthe collegeapplication process.

Useyour visit to aNational CollegeFairto getahead start. Check out the fair’s education sessions,covering topicsranging from college costs to studentathlete eligibility andcollege selectivity.

Each fair also includes acounseling center,oftentimes an invaluable resource for students with specializedinterests

Youmay also want to speak with representatives about scheduling toursof the campuses you’reinterested in andany other in-person opportunitiesavailable to youtolearn moreabout the schools and how to apply.Someinstitutions offer prospective students information sessions and the chance to attend aclass or shadowa currentstudent.

Followup

Ask collegereps for their contact information and be suretofollowup.

“Not always,but often, the representative that is attending the collegefair is the representativethatwill end up reading your application,”Hammansaid. “Keep in touch with them; reachout with thoughtful, intelligentquestions.Thatdemonstrates interest.”

Baton Rouge's Premier Catholic University Catholic Higher EducationatIts Finest

FranU’ssimulated hospitaloffershandson,interprofessional training for future healthcare providers

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This article is brought to youbyFranU.

AtFranciscan MissionariesofOur Lady University,the Simulated EnvironmentTeaching Hospital (SETH) is acornerstone of healthcare education, offering students immersiveand interprofessional training experiences to preparethemfor real-life situations.

Located within St. Francis Hall on the FranU campus in Baton Rouge, SETH boasts arangeofsimulation suites,each mirroringcritical areasofhealthcare delivery,including intensivecare, birthing suites,pediatric and neonatal units, emergency rooms and mental health and home health scenarios.These highly

detailed environments areequipped with lifelikemannequins,high-ﬁdelity monitors,electronichealthrecord workstations and realistic equipment.

SETH alsoincludesexamand medical lab spaces,anurses’ station, X-rayrooms and setups that mimic trauma care and telemedicine.Otherenvironmentsinclude operating rooms,aphysical therapygym and medicalsurgicalrooms.

“This teaches students howtoactively intervene in real time. We arethen able to observe howstudents manageasituation,” said Dr.Tabitha Jones-Thomas,Associate Dean, Simulated Clinical Education. “The equipmentisvery sophisticated.

We program the computerstodowhat we need themtodo, so thesimulationcan take manydifferentroutes.”

SETH also encourages interprofessionaleducation by bringing together FranU students from various disciplines, includingnursing, respiratory therapy, medical laboratory science, physical therapy, nutritionsciencesand more. By collaborating within simulated, dynamic scenarios,students sharpen their technicalabilities as well as theirskills in critical thinking, teamwork, diagnostic reasoning and decision-making.

“Wedon’t want to stopa situation, because we need students to recognize

what happens as aresult of acorrect intervention, as well as what happens when theydon’t recognize the problem or don’t prioritize,”Dr. Jones-Thomas explained. “Afterwards, we have areally rich discussion and walk through all of the steps to see what happened.”

SETH’ssimulation labs areintegrated across FranU’shealth sciences programs, which include associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees,plus doctoral-level training. This means that no matter wherea FranU studentisintheir journey to ahealthcarecareer,SETHgives them valuable lessons for the future.

Visit franu.edu for more information.

FEATURES:

● Access College Matchmaking®

● View Fair Schedule

● Location,Bus,and ParkingInformation

● Fair Mapand College Search Functionality

● DigitalNotebookfor CollegeBooth Visits

● In-App AttendeeBarcode

● Fair Announcements viaPushNotiﬁcations

● Post Fair VisitSummary Email

Delgado expands accesswith affordable educationand growing career-focused programs

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This article is brought to youby Delgado CommunityCollege.

AsLouisiana’slargest community college, Delgado continues to grow by providing affordable, ﬂexible and transferable educational opportunities.With enrollmentnow at approximately 12,600 students,Delgado offersmorethan 100programs andcertiﬁcates designed to preparegraduates to immediately enter the workforce or seamlessly transfer to afour-year university

Dr.TamikaTyson Duplessis,Associate Vice Chancellor forStudent Affairs, said manystudents aredrawn to Delgado for its value,versatility andhigh-quality education.

“Cost is always akey driving factor when students decide wheretogotocollege. The fact that Delgado is absolutely affordable and our courses transferacross thenation and beyond because of agreementswehavewith manyinstitutions meansthat students know the value of the education theyget hereisby farthe best,”she said.

One of Delgado’sfastest-growingareas is its general studies program. Emily Cosper, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts,Social Sciences and Education, said general studies serves as agatewaytoa wide range of careersand academicpathways.This year, 41 percentofDelgadostudentsare pursuing ageneral studies degree.

“A general studies degree is workforce development. Whatissopowerful is that this is averybroad-basededucation that covers multiple disciplines,” Cosper said.

“Thestudents arelearning skills in critical thinking and analysis.Theyget really good at discussing and understanding concepts.”

Delgado’sgeneral studies degrees are

discipline-specific, with concentrations ranging from humanities and ﬁne arts to psychology,allied health andmusic. These 60-credit-hour programs combine general education courses withclasses in astudent’s concentration.

All Delgado programs offer courses in multiple formats,including in-person and online, with eight-week and 12-week sessions allowing students to start almost anytime in the year.Dr. Duplessis encouraged prospectivestudents to begin with an online application at dcc.edu, then meet with an advisor to discuss course options and financial aid. She also urged them to visit campus to getasense of the atmosphereofgrowth and encouragement that will surround them.

“Weare seeing moreyoungerstudents straightout of highschool who arechoosing Delgadoﬁrst,”shesaid.“Thatispromptingus to put moreefforts into studentengagement anda true college experience.Wecan make it fun and exciting and still keep the academic rigor.”

Visit dcc.edu for moreinformation.

Southern marks major growth with facility upgrades, new programs and researchhonors

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This story is brought to youbySouthernUniversity.

AsSouthern

Facility Enhancements

Southern wasbustling with activity this summer as work wasunder way on major upgrades.These include an outdoor classroomand amphitheater, renovations at T.H. Harris Hall andthe J.S. Clark Administration Building, a revamped public safety building and turf renovations at A.M. MumfordStadium Construction began in late 2024 on the Global Innovation and Welcome Center, astate-of-the-art facility that will host events for up to 750people. The new complexwill also house Southern’s Traffic and Parking Department, as well as the Office of Research and Strategic Planning. Work has also begun on the new$68 million STEM Complex, which will replace William Henry James Hall and is expected to be completed by spring 2027 The three-story building willfeature21 studentlab spaces,16classroom spaces,a studentcommonareaand support spaces for administrators, professors and staff

Newdigital media program

In fall 2025, Southern launched anew Bachelor of Artsprogram in digital media arts.The interdisciplinaryprogram brings together theCollegeofHumanitiesand InterdisciplinaryStudies,theDepartment of Visual and Performing Arts andthe DepartmentofMass Communication to provide students with theskills needed to thriveintoday’s dynamic digital media industry

Approvedbythe Louisiana Boardof Regents, the program includes areas of concentration in digital screen arts production,digital performancefusion, visual arts and motion graphics,digital sports production and recording arts

This year,Southern is the Best of Baton RougeSilver Winner for Best Collegeor University. With more than30academic programs and representation from more than 20 countries,Southern is amelting potfor culture, education and service. It is building on that foundation withkey projects:

KeyResearchDesignation

Southern received a2025Research 2 designationfromtheAmericanCouncilon Education andthe Carnegie Foundation for the AdvancementofTeaching.

The Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production designation was granted to 139 institutions.Southern, oneof13HistoricallyBlack Colleges andUniversities withthe designation, utilized $12.9 million forresearch and developmentand awarded 42 research doctorates.

Southern ﬁrst received the Carnegie R2 designation for“high-research activity” in January 2022. This reﬂected an increased number of publications in refereed journals; more significant opportunities for itsgraduate and undergraduate studentstoparticipate in scholarlyactivities and research with their professors;and building nationally reputableand competitiveacademic departments, colleges,schools and centers.

PreservingHistory withGettyImages

This spring, ateam from Getty Images spenttimeoncampuswith Southern’s archives staff to help digitize andrestore fragile photographs.The project, part of Getty’sHBCUPhoto ArchiveGrant Program, aims to preserveand amplify the university’s rich history.

CassandraIllidge, vice presidentof global partnerships at GettyImagesand executivedirector of the HBCU program, said the initiativeaids HBCUslike Southern with the tools,resources and technology to preservetheir past.

“HBCUs have that opportunity to share thejoy that theybring on campus to aglobalaudience,”Illidgesaid. “This globalreach showsthatBlack people and HBCUsaccepted everyone whowanted to getaneducation at atimewhen theywere denied, and thesepictures show those narratives.”

FINISH STRONGER

Southern University and A&M College, aCarnegie R2 institution,offersavast portfolio of in-demand,affordable programs leading to bachelor’s,master’s and doctoral degrees.

Wraparound services and vibrant studentlifeactivitiesprovide aholistic educational experience foradiverse campuscommunity.

Begin whereyou are. FinishStronger atSouthern. Formoreabout Southern, scanbelow to watchour episodeof“The College Tour,” streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

HOWTOBEST PREPAREFOR COLLEGE WHILE IN HIGHSCHOOL

Your futureafter high school holds tremendous promise –you’ll makenew friends,follow your interests and, hopefully, ﬁnd asatisfying career.

However, more than athird of students who enter collegefail to graduate with abachelor’s degree within six years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“Thereare tworeasons whykids ﬂunk out,” said AmyThompson, acounselor at York Community HighSchool (IL). “Theyare either academicallyunprepared or theyare emotionallyunprepared.”

Increase your chances for success by making themost out of your highschoolyears.

BUCKLEDOWNINTHE CLASSROOM

Taking rigorous classesinhigh school helpsyou getintocollege, andthe knowledgeand skills youacquirealso help prepareyou to be successful in pursuit of your degree. Seek outhonors, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in subjects that interest you. Lookfor courses that requirelots of writing andcriticalthinking—skills you’lluse in almostevery collegeclass. Don’t panic if thematerial seems difficultatﬁrst. Developing good study habitsand time-managementskills in highschool canhelpyou persevereincollege.

Some rigorous coursesactuallyallowyou to jumpstart your postsecondary education.Students who dowell on AP tests,for example, canearncollegecredit. Some high schools also partner with local colleges to offer dual-credit courses, which canhelp acquaintyou with howcollegecoursesare structured and scheduled. Somemeet every day,while othersmeet acoupletimesa week.Somemeet in the evenings or online. In general, collegecoursesare longer and more intensive, and the volume of work is likely greaterthan whatyou’re accustomed to in high school.

Higher education entails what the titleimplies –higher standards, moredifficult subject matter,and greater expectations of youasa student.

extracurricular activities open to high school students.

“The onepiece of advice I givestudentsisdon’t just join something to pad your resume,” Thompson said.“Picksomething you’regenuinely interested in.”

By senior year,“be in a position thatshows not only your devotiontothe group,but also some levelofinitiativeor leadership,” she said. “Admission officers cansee through the applicant who joins amilliondifferentclubs in their junior or senior year.”

Universities arelooking for studentswho will make the most of the opportunities available to them. Ahigh school recordwith extracurricular activities helps showadmission officers thatyou’llbe avaluablepartoftheir campuscommunity.

Extracurricular activities,especially those with leadership positions,can help youdevelop moneyskills,aswell. It’s wise to learn howtohandle adebit or credit card,and to practice budgeting. As a collegestudent, you’ll need to set moneyaside for regularcostslike books, supplies,and living expenses.

FINISH STRONG

Your senior year of high school will be hectic.

It canbetempting to sluff off in the classroom, but stay focused.

“You need to maintain your academic performance anddoatleast as well—if not better—because youdon’t want to have your admission offer rescinded,”Thompsonsaid.

When planning your schedule, makesurethatyou’reon-trackto meet collegeentrance requirements,including at least twoyearsofa foreign languageand four yearsofmath, science,and English courses.

“Colleges want to see that youknowhow to work hard,and thatyou have taken advantageofthe courses andactivities your high school has to offer,” Thompsonsaid. “A strong ﬁnish in your senior year helps makeyou amoreattractivecandidate.”

It’sanexciting time in your life. By taking chargeofthe changes that lie ahead, youcan eliminate or minimizepressures andgoforward with conﬁdence.

BALANCINGACT:

TIPSFORADULTS RETURNINGTO

COLLEGE

Considering going backtocollege?

You’reingood company. Nontraditionalstudents nowmake up themajority of US undergraduates,and one-in-four college studentsare age30orolder

But although colleges are servinga greaternumber of adults,

1 2 3 4

finding the right program—a placewhereyou canbalance your educationwith employmentand family responsibilities—iskey to your success.

Hereare four questions every nontraditional studentshould ask when researching schools.

What is your college’s track record with nontraditional students?

Ask some tough questions:What’sthe graduation rate of nontraditional studentsatyourinstitution?Are adult studentseligible for meritaid?How much debt do students typically accrue?What’sthe averagetime to graduation?

Learning the answerscan help youdecide whichcollegeisrightfor you. It canalsohelpyou estimate how much time— and money—you’ll need to complete adegree.

What sort of ﬂexible learning optionsdoyou oﬀer?

Responsibilities at home andatwork canchangeoveryour courseoftime that you’re enrolled in college. Choosing aschool that providesavariety of course options—from in-person, to online, to hybrid—increases your odds of staying on track.

“A lot of adults have full-timework schedules or child care responsibilities,” said AmberHarnack, student successcenter director of IvyTech Community College(IN). “Theyoften need more ﬂexibilitywhenitcomes to scheduling classes.”

Also askabout student support services,such as tutoring, recommends Michelle Christopherson,directorof theCenter for Adult Learning on the University of Minnesota—Crookston campus.

“You want to make sure that youare goingtobesupported, and youwanttomakesurethatthose services aren’tgoingtoend up costing youextra,” shesaid.

What will it take to geta degree?

The majority of nontraditionalstudents have already accumulated some collegecredits by the time theyreenter highereducation.

Beforeyou enroll in anyprogram, learn whether your credits will transfer and howmanycourses you’ll need to complete adegree.

“You want to make sure that fromthe beginningyou have aclear understanding on howmuch it willcost and whatyour degree pathway will look like,” Christopherson said.

Howwill your institution help me meet my career goals?

Begin your collegesearch with theend in mind.

What’sspurring your decision to return to school? Areyou looking for advancement options in your current ﬁeld, or do youwantacareer change?

Ask collegeofficialsabout the types of jobs landed by recent program graduates.Inquire about the services offered at the campus’ career center

“Make sure that your goals match up with what thecollegeisable to provide,”Harnacksaid.“Youwanttobe certain that the degreeprogram youultimately choose is agood ﬁt.”

COLLEGE FAIR BATONROUGE

INTERNATIONAL

Bishop’sUniversity (Sherbrooke, QC CA).............. 205

McGillUniversity (Montreal, QC CA)..................... 322 Temple University -Japan Campus (Tokyo,JP) .109

ALABAMA

Marion Military Institute 229

The University of Alabama 300

The University of Alabama in Huntsville................................................................... 225

University of AlabamaatBirmingham 119 University of South Alabama 324

ARIZONA

University of Advancing Technology 131

ARKANSAS

University of Arkansas 310

CALIFORNIA

Loyola Marymount University 202 University of San Francisco........................................ 204

COLORADO

United States Air ForceAcademy 227

CONNECTICUT

University of Connecticut. 325

FLORIDA

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ...................218

Florida Institute of Technology 127

Florida PolytechnicUniversity ...................................111

Palm Beach AtlanticUniversity................................. 220

The University of Tampa 125

GEORGIA

Mercer University......................................................... 224

Morehouse College. 309

Savannah CollegeofArt and Design..........................107

LOUISIANA

AcademyofInteractiveEntertainment -Lafayette Campus......................................................... 311

Centenary CollegeofLouisiana 105

Delgado CommunityCollege. 322 FranciscanMissionaries of Our Lady University..................................................321

Louisiana Center forCollegeAccess (LCCA) 228

LouisianaState University Eunice............................308

Louisiana Tech University...........................................210

Loyola University NewOrleans 301

McNeese State University 221 Nicholls StateUniversity .............................................201

Northwestern State University ..................................303

Southeastern Louisiana University 101&103

Tulane University 230

University of Louisiana at Lafayette .............318 &320

University of Louisiana at Monroe............................ 211

MARYLAND

United States NavalAcademy.....................................219 University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 203

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Institute of Technology...................328

MISSISSIPPI

Belhaven University ..................................................... 208 Millsaps College..............................................................207

Mississippi State University 231 The University of Southern Mississippi ................. 304 University of Mississippi .............................................330 William Carey University 3077

NEW JERSEY

Stevens Institute of Technology.................................319

NEWYORK

AMDA College&Conservatory of the Performing Arts. 209 United States Military Academy. 305

NORTHCAROLINA

High PointUniversity....................................................505

Langston University

OREGON

University of Oregon.....................................................

PENNSYLVANIA

University of Pittsburgh .............................................. 222

TENNESEE

Vanderbilt University....................................................216

TEXAS

Houston Christian University

TexasA&M University-CollegeStation.................. 200

TexasState University ................................................. 306

University of Houston 123

VIRGINIA

Virginia Tech

INTERNATIONAL

Bishop’sUniversity (Sherbrooke,QC, CA)..............605

Cardiff Metropolitan University ................................508

McGill University (Montreal, QC,CA) 208

Temple University -Japan Campus(Tokyo, JP) 300

ALABAMA

Marion MilitaryInstitute.............................................509

The University of Alabama 610

The University of Alabama in Huntsville 507

University of AlabamaatBirmingham .....................400

University of South Alabama.......................................308

ARIZONA

University of AdvancingTechnology 103 Universal Technical Institute ......................................611

ARKANSAS

University of Arkansas 608

CALIFORNIA

Loyola MarymountUniversity ...................................305

University of San Francisco.........................................204

COLORADO

United States Air ForceAcademy 607

CONNECTICUT

University of Connecticut 613

FLORIDA

Embry-Riddle AeronauticalUniversity ...................403

Florida Institute of Technology..................................603

Florida Polytechnic University 301

Palm Beach Atlantic University 402

The University of Tampa..............................................600

GEORGIA

Georgia StateUniversity 510 Life University 115

Mercer University..........................................................302

Morehouse College......................................................... 310

Oglethorpe University 511

Savannah CollegeofArt and Design.......................... 201

LOUISIANA

Centenary CollegeofLouisiana...................................101

FranciscanMissionaries of Our Lady University.. 104

Louisiana Center forCollegeAccess (LCCA)..........502

Loyola University NewOrleans 108

Loyola University NewOrleans

CollegeofMusic &Media..............................................112

Loyola University NewOrleans

School of Nursing. 110

LSU HealthSciences Center.......................................407

Nicholls StateUniversity .............................................304

Northwestern State University 411

Southeastern Louisiana University............... 100&102

University of Louisiana at Lafayette ............. 209 &211

University of Louisiana at Monroe 205

MARYLAND

United States NavalAcademy.....................................406

MASSCHUSETTS

Massachusetts Institute of Technology...................409

MISSISSIPPI

Belhaven University ...................................................... 107 Millsaps College..............................................................207

Mississippi State University 202

The University of Southern Mississippi 106 University of Mississippi .............................................405 William Carey University..............................................311

MISSOURI

SaintLouis University ...................................................111

NEW JERSEY

Stevens Institute of Technology................................. 210

NEWYORK

AMDACollege&Conservatory of the Performing Arts................................................... 307

SarahLawrence College................................................306

United States MerchantMarine Academy. 502

NORTHCAROLINA

High PointUniversity 203

OHIO

Ohio WesleyanUniversity............................................206

OREGON

Reed College.....................................................................408

University of Oregon 309

PENNSYLVANIA

University of Pittsburgh 303

RHODEISLAND

Providence College.........................................................609

TENNESSEE

University of Tennessee-Knoxville ...........................602

TEXAS

Houston Christian University.....................................606

TexasA&M University-CollegeStation 105 TexasState University 404 University of Houston................................................... 501

VIRGINIA

Sweet Briar College........................................................604

Virginia Tech ...................................................................500

Kerri Caruso, Chair, MountCarmel Academy

KristinGuidry, Tulane University

Jessica Reeg, Archbishop Chapelle High School

Andrea Rye, St.Mary’s DominicanHighSchool

Michelle Keelen, St.Augustine High School

NEWORLEANS NATIONAL COLLEGE FAIR COMMITTEE

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF STANDARDIZEDTESTING

Requirements and philosophies around standardized testing –most commonly theSAT and ACT–have dramatically shiftedinthe last twodecades,accelerated by the COVID-19pandemic. Now, most higher educationinstitutionshave test-optional policies or have wholly eliminated standardized-test scores from considerationin the admission reviewprocess.

Colleges and universities maynow implement these policies:

•Test-optional: Under thispolicy, applicants decide if theywantto submit astandardized test scoreaspartoftheirapplication ﬁle. Optional truly means optional, andthe absenceofastandardized test scorewill not negatively impactanapplicant.Instead, the applicant will be reviewedentirely on theirhighschooltranscript andrigor of theircurriculum. Studentsshould checkindividual admission criteria, as policies may differ under certain circumstances: applying forscholarships,students who have been home-schooled, students seeking admission into accelerated BS/MD or BS/DDS programs, international applicants, andothers.

What once wasa mainstay of collegeadmission is now takingnew form.

ly in the admission process; one is not preferredoveranother.Inthese cases,test scores remain just one of numerous factorsconsidered in the admission decision.

Students whointend on takingthe SATorACT have options available to them. This includes superscore, or thepractice of combining astudent’s highest-scoringsections from multiple test dates to create one superscore. Students mayalsochoose which overall scoretosubmit, instead of theirentiretesting record, if they takethe SATorACT more than once.Tohelp coverthe costsof taking thesetests,students should consult their high school counseling offices to ﬁndiftheyare eligible for testing-fee waivers.

Additionally,students who do takethe SATorACT and ultimately apply to atest-optional institutiondonot have to submit theirscore. The general guidance is to submit scores thatfall toward theupper end or exceed acollege’spublished middle 50% range, and to refrain from submitting scores that fall on the lowend or belowthe institution’saverage range.

•Test-ﬂexible: Some institutionsthateitherrequire testing or are test-optional will allowapplicantstosubmittestscoresother than theSAT or ACTfor consideration. Examples ofthis include Advanced Placement(AP) Exam scores,International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher LevelExamresults,A-Levelresults,and more.

•Test-free: Institutions with thispolicydonot acceptorfactor standardized test results into their admissionprocess at all, believing thereisampleinformation to make an admission decisioninthe remainder of the application.

•Testing required: Underthis policy, applicantsare required to submit results from theSAT or ACT. Both tests areweighed equal-

Typically,students do not takethe SATorACT until thespringof their junior year,with most testing done in senior year.Prior,students mayhaveexposuretocollegeadmission testing through the Preliminary SAT(PSAT)orPreliminary ACT(PreACT)intheir sophomoreyear as apractice round. Forthose wherethatisnot an option, practice tests areavailable online and as hard-copybooks for purchase. Students mayalso wish to consult tutors, but should ensuretheir reputability beforemakingthatsometimes-costly investment.

Ultimately,students should remember that in this newstandardized-testing climate, their highschoolrecordand rigor of coursework is moreimportant than standardized testscores.

MOBILE REGISTRATION

REGISTERTODAYATWWW.NACACATTEND.ORG

THEBENEFITSOFONLINE STUDENTREGISTRATION

•STUDENTSREGISTER FORTHE FAIR ONE TIME.

•ITELIMINATES THE NEED FORCOLLEGE CONTACTCARDS.

•STUDENTSARE EASILYABLE TO ELABORATE ON SPECIAL INTERESTS, EXTRACURRICULARACTIVITIES, ANDACCOMPLISHMENTS.

INVESTING IN LOCALEDUCATION.

Koch Methanol St.Jamessupportseducational programs that give studentsand futureworkersthe skillsnecessary to succeedin today’sdynamic workplace.

From providing grantsand scholarships to supporting STEM programs and trade internshipsthat help studentsdevelop critical skillsin math and science, our commitment to local education runs deep. Learn

Southeastern LouisianaUniversity

Continues to Put StudentsFirst

Southeastern is committed to helping youearn your degree, your best career—your best future. Through ourhigh-value, in-demandacademic programs,you will learn from some of thebestprofessors in their ﬁelds whoput youﬁrst.Southeastern is readytohelpyou succeed.

As theuniversity celebrates its 100th year,there has neverbeen a better time to experience all thatSoutheastern hastooffer.Inaddition to ourCentennial celebration, ourcentury-longcommitmenttohelping students reachtheir dream destination remains aconstant in all that we do.

Our accomplished faculty will connect youwith internships, study abroadprograms,researchprojects and community outreach to make youmorecompetitive. And after graduation, youcan beconﬁdent knowing youhavea degree with staying power.

Theproofisinthe results.Our students and alumni are leaders in improving Louisiana’shealth and education, protecting our environment and workers, bringingartsand culture to ourarea, and strengthening business andtechnology. In addition to being top-ranked forsocial mobility,academic programs, return on investment,and much more, Southeastern hasalso been ranked as atop university by U.S.News & WorldReport.

Discover your best futureatSoutheastern, aplacewhere youcome ﬁrst,and be partofacentury-long legacy of success.

DEGREE-TO-CAREER FOCUS

Keep your edge in achanging world with adegree from Southeastern.

PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES

Make your college experience more exciting, meaningful and valuable withopportunitiesbased on you.

TOPFACULTY PUTYOU FIRST

Our accomplishedprofessors put youﬁrst—in the classroom and into your future career

GETINVOLVED

Liveand lead on campus—and beyond—with student organizations for everyinterest,events all year long,Div.Iathletics, nationally ranked campus food,and new residence halls.

WITHIN REACH

Our high-value degree programs, distinctivescholarships and textbook rental program makeSoutheastern the smartﬁnancial choice.

Political sciencemajorCaroline Watson once hesitatedtomajor inpoliticalscience, settlingon communication sciences and disordersasher major at first.But nowshe’s at theepicenterof politics, advocating forLouisianans asanintern forU.S. Senator BillCassidy.

From impersonating George Washingtoninamock

Constitutional Convention to chairingthe SGA appropriationscommittee,Caroline’s Southeastern experiences fuel her desiretopursuelaw school and become acriminalprosecutor.

Caroline’s action plan

Join apre-law student association. Represent 500 political science students as an SGA senator Intern for aU.S.senator

Mentor underclassmen as an Honors ambassador Volunteer at the St.Vincent de Paul soup kitchen. Assist with hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana and Texas. Take theLSAT.

LOUISIANA

Changingprotocol

Movement canspeed up concussion recovery,Louisiana doctor says

BY MARGARETDELANEY Staffwriter

Concussion protocol for youth sports is changing in amajor way.Traditionally,guidance has been to rest and limit activity.Research now shows controlled aerobicworkoutsrestore blood to the brain alot faster,reducing symptoms and improving recovery in certain cases.

Dr.Olabode Agaja, aprimary care sports medicine specialist with the Ochsner Andrews Sports MedicineInstitute,presented this change andthe Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test in New Orleans in August.

Sports-relatedconcussions account for approximately 15% of all youth sports-related emergency department visits, with an estimated 1.9 million sports-relatedconcussionsinchildren under 18 in the U.S. each year As sports rampupacross Louisiana, Agajaurgeseveryone to studyupon updated research to improve care for

young athletes suffering concussions. Concussions arethe most challenging injuries to process and understand, according to Agaja. In the brain, there is aforce that causes an acceleration and deceleration process —a rattling of thebrain that leadstoachange in the organ’s chemical makeup. “Typically,the brain does a good job of being able to recover from strong forces,”Agaja said. “But we have to give it the ability to do so.”

If thesymptoms are worse, the brain is saying it’soverstimulated Commonphysicalsymptoms of concussionsinclude headaches, dizziness,slowing down, trouble remembering, balanceissues andnausea. Mentally,strong forcestothe head couldalso effect thebrain’semotional side, where increased levels of anxiety or depression can also occur

See CONCUSSION, page 3X

Nonalcoholic beer,mocktails help people stay sober, drinkless

Butthey’re not foreveryone

BY LAURAUNGAR AP sciencewriter

Several years into her sobriety,Logan Denzer decided totry nonalcoholic beer andmocktails while others around her drank real booze.

“A lot of people feel out of place”

wheneveryone else is imbibing, saidthe 27-year-old from LosAngeles, whoconsiders thesebeverages “an excellentsolution.”

Millions of Americans agree including othersrecovering from addiction, people tryingtocut down on their drinking and the risingnumber of young adultsforgoingalcohol altogether

They’vefueledabooming industry. Recentresearch shows that drinking less, or nothing at all, is a

much healthier way togo. Alcohol has been linked to cancers, injuries and ahost of other problems.

Still, healthexpertssay nonalcoholic beveragesaren’tfor everyone, especially if they might triggercravings for alcohol. These so-called NA drinksare meant to mimic alcohol in manyways, such as appearance, smell and taste.

“It’simportanttorecognize that these are probably not one-sizeﬁts-all products,” said researcher

Molly Bowdring of Stanford University.“Youmight see peers or friends or family members use themand have no problem with them, butitreally comes back to your own individual experience.”

Retail salesofnonalcoholic wine, beer andspirits surged to $823 million last year.That’saccording to marketresearch ﬁrm NielsenIQ, which says morethan nine in 10 NA customers also buy alcohol.

“So they may have an alcoholic beverage andthenanadult nonalcoholic beverage. That’scalled zebra striping anditkind of extends the night.”

Retiree Ann Kopp Mitchell, who

“They’re wanting to not necessarily drink during the week, or they’re wanting to switch out at aparticular occasion,” said Marcos Salazar of the Adult NonAlcoholic Beverage Association.

AtOchsner65Plus,ourtrustedteamofproviderstakesaninnovativeandcomprehensive approachtoprimarycareforadults65andolder.Alongwithyourphysician,webuildateam thatprovidescustomizedcarewithyouruniquehealthneedsinmind.Offeringextended visittimes,acomprehensivecareteam,andﬁtnessandcommunityrooms,allinacalm, comfortableandcaringenvironment.

GETTy IMAGESPHOTO By JACOB WACKERHAUSEN

Agaja

GETTy IMAGESPHOTO

Research shows controlled aerobic workouts restore blood to the brainalot faster after aconcussion,reducing symptomsand improving recovery in certain cases.

HEALTH MAKER

Screwworms not likely to spread to La., expert says

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

In early August, a Maryland resident who had traveled to El Salvador was diagnosed with New World screwworm — a flesheating parasite being the first human case of a flesh-eating parasite in U.S. Although the case was an isolated incident, the infection had many wondering if the flesh-eating maggot could spread to more people.

gots. These particular maggots will eat live ﬂesh, normal tissue, and burrow in.

Christine Navarre is the extension veterinarian for the LSU AgCenter, a professor in the School of Animal Sciences and jointly-appointed with the School of Veterinary Medicine. Generally, Navarre works to get information out to cattle producers and veterinarians. Additionally, she works in collaborative research with veterinarians across the world.

Navarre started her career as a veterinarian graduating from LSU in 1990 before moving on to both private and mixed practice settings at Texas A&M and Auburn universities. What are screwworms?

The screwworm is a type of maggot. It starts out as a fly and those flies lay eggs in wounds or they can get into the nostrils of animals. What makes these screwworms really devastating is the fly that lays the eggs. Those eggs hatch into the larva, which are the mag-

The New World screwworm can actually impact humans a little bit worse than animals. We don’t have this species in the United States. It was eradicated in the 1960s, although we did have an incursion in the Keys in Florida in 2016 but that was quickly eradicated Normal flies that we have here in the U.S. all the time, like blow flies that we see this time of year near our garbage cans, are going to only go after dead tissue. If there’s a wound and there’s dead tissue, then the normal flies are limited to feeding off that dead tissue. And, as the body starts to heal that tissue, those flies go away

The New World screwworm can go into living tissue, and continue to feed off the healthy ﬂesh

That’s what’s so concerning about this and why we want to keep it out of the United States. What animal does the screwworm originate from? How does it get to humans?

The screwworm can infest any warm-blooded animals: people, pets, livestock, wildlife, birds. It can infect all of those. When we had it in the U.S. historically, it was a problem in wildlife. Rarely is it a problem in people, but we know that it can be especially in countries where

there are a lot of those ﬂies. The case that happened here in the U.S. in Maryland was from a person that come from a country where they have the screwworm (El Salvador). Luckily, it was caught early and the USDA has been increasing the monitoring services in that area just to be safe.

We really want to stress

DRINK

Continued from page 1X

recently tasted various NA beverages at Monday Morning Bottle Shop in San Diego, does a version of this “If I want a glass of wine with my dinner I don’t feel guilty I can enjoy that glass of wine. And if I wanna have a spirit because we’re celebrating someone’s birthday, or Champagne, I will do that. But I’ll only have one, and then let it go, and then maybe go to a nonalcoholic,” she said. “It’s a way of continuing with that social pattern of drinking that I enjoy.” While a typical beer has about 5% alcohol by volume, NA drinks are only allowed to have up to 0.5%, about the same as a ripe banana. People sometimes pick them when they don’t want to be intoxicated, like before exercise or driving.

An online survey Bowdring conducted with colleagues found that the vast majority of people who drink both beverages say NA drinks help them reduce their alcohol use.

That makes their growing popularity a positive trend overall, said Dr Joseph Lee, CEO of the Hazelden Betty

Ford Foundation, an addiction treatment and advocacy organization

“More and more when I go to restaurants, mocktails are just offered like they’re on the menu and it’s just part of the norm now,” said Lee, an expert in psychiatry and addiction medicine. “Those are really healthy things to see on a broader public health level.”

But there is a catch: Some drinks, like mocktails made with soda and sweet syrups, have high levels of sugar The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than about six teaspoons a day for women and nine teaspoons a day for men. A 12-ounce can of soda on its own contains 10 teaspoons. The picture gets murkier for people with drinking problems.

Those entering treatment for alcohol use disorder say they’ve had mixed success using NA beverages to reduce or stop their drinking, Bowdring said

“They do contain a lot of the alcohol-related cues,” she said. “Because they are so similar to alcohol, it could be that they actually trigger craving for full strength alcohol and may lead people to revert to alcohol use.” When Denzer ﬁrst got so-

ber seven years ago, she and her friends avoided drinking NA beverages.

“We were pretty opposed to it because we were like, ‘Well, this tastes like beer and we’re a year sober, and so we’re going to associate that taste with actual alcohol,’” said Denzer, who was treated at Hazelden Betty Ford “As time went on, we became more open to it.”

But it’s not for everyone, she said, “particularly for people who are either newer in recovery or who are on shaky ground.”

Experts agreed that NA drinks are more appropriate for those further along in recovery.

“Everyone’s journey is going to be a little bit different,” Bowdring said. “I encourage folks to just sort of be aware of how these drinks are impacting them.”

That’s the bottom line, even for those who aren’t dealing with alcoholism.

You should have “an honest appraisal, without judgment, about your own health risk in much the same way that most people can look at their family history and gauge their risk for everything from diabetes to breast cancer,” Lee said. “What it comes down to is: You really need to know yourself.”

that it is not in the cattle industry at this time.

How quickly can screwworms transfer or spread?

It could spread quickly

One female screwworm can lay thousands of eggs. That’s why catching it early and getting the surveillance out there is really, really important.

We want anybody who sees animals and sees mag-

gots to turn those into our state veterinarian’s ofﬁce, or call a veterinarian so that we can get those submitted. Chances are it’s not going to be a screwworm, but the if it does happen to come in, then we want to catch it as early as possible.

It is very unlikely that screwworm would infect a person in Louisiana, unless they’ve traveled. In 2022, there were over half a million Louisiana adults who had been diagnosed with diabetes at some point in their lives, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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

Free kidney screenings to be offered at church in Marrero

Staff report

The National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana is hosting a free kidney screening for adults on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 455 Ames Blvd., Marrero.

The screening includes:

n Urine and blood tests to get an in-depth measure of kidney function, n Blood pressure reading for hypertension awareness, n Kidney health education.

New oral surgeon comes to Shreveport

Ochsner LSU Health-Shreveport welcomes oral and maxillofacial surgeon Abdulrahman Hesham. Hesham specializes in advanced surgeries of the mouth, face and jaw He is skilled in surgical treatments of serious head and neck cancers, using advanced techniques like rebuilding tissues with microvascular free ﬂaps and virtual surgical planning to get the best cancer treatment and body function results.

Nurse practitioner joins North Oaks Primary Care

Nurse practitioner Lacy C. Mills has joined North Oaks Primary Care in Independence, Louisiana, a clinic of North Oaks Health System. She will treat new patients ages 12 and up starting in September.

Mills comes to North Oaks with more than two decades of health care experience at hospitals and clinics in southeast Louisiana.

Our Lady of Lourdes Health names chief medical officer

Our Lady of Lourdes Health names Dr Kenneth Habetz, a board-certiﬁed pediatric neurologist, as its chief medical ofﬁcer Habetz joined Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital in 2016.

As CMO, Habetz will serve as the executive liaison to physicians and medical staff,

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

fostering alignment across clinical teams. In this role, he will provide oversight of quality and patient care initiatives, with an emphasis on enhancing patient experience. Ochsner announces Ferber Endowed chair

Dr Nneka Ifejika, chief scientiﬁc ofﬁcer for Ochsner Health, was named the Ferber Endowed Chair, a prestigious, three-year endowment that will support Ifejika’s research and work advancing novel approaches in stroke recovery Ifejika, who is also a mentor for faculty and residents, was selected for her leadership in clinical innovation, research and physician education.

New dermatology clinic in Shreveport

Ochsner LSU Health announced opening of the new Dermatology and Facial Plastics Clinic at 6841 Fern Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana. This clinic is equipped with the latest technology from BOTOX to laser hair removal and intense-pulsed-light therapy Tulane tests ‘drop-of-blood’ device for trauma patients

Biomedical engineers at Tulane University look to treat trauma patients with lifethreatening blood clots using a new device. The device, about the size of a “small microwave oven,” would reduce wait times for blood clot diagnosis from hours to less than 20 minutes. At Tulane, researchers are using ﬁngerprick and venipuncture blood samples from healthy volunteers and modifying the samples to mimic the coagulopathy that occurs immediately after trauma and during transfusion therapy

Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you’d like to share? Contact us at margaret.delaney @theadvocate.com.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Navarre

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORy BULL

Bartender Shelby Campos mixes a non-alcoholic beverage — or mocktail — on Aug. 25 at the non-alcoholic Good News Bar in San Diego.

IEatFit Live Fit

BROUGH TT OY OU BY

Footballfoodies: Makeahead tailgate wraps with akick

nLouisiana,goodfoodandpassionatefansmakeforlegendarytailgates.Toeaseintogamedays,wearekeepingthecooksin mindwithmakeaheadchickenshawarmatailgatewraps.ThesetastybitesscorebigwithMiddleEasternheat,tenderchicken andchoppedsaladrolledupincrisplettuce.With36gramsofproteinandonly250caloriesperserving,thesewrapsoffer deliciouspregamingthat’sbothnutritiousandsatisfying.

Makethechicken,choppedsaladandtahiniadayinadvancetomaximizeﬂavor.Assembleongamedayandenjoy!Geaux Tigers—LSUclassof’98!

ChickenShawarmaLettuceCups

AttikiBar&GrillinNewOrleans Makes6servings

FortheChicken

1cupAttikiChickenShawarmaMarinade (recipefollows)

2poundsbonelessskinlessbreasts,cutinto strips

1teaspoonlightoliveoil

½largeredonion,thinlysliced

½teaspoonsumacorlemonpepper seasoning

TossthechickenwithAttikiChicken ShawarmaMarinadeinalargebowl.Cover andrefrigerateforatleast3hours.

Heatoliveoilinagriddleorcast-ironskillet overmediumheat.Searchickenfor3-5 minutesoneachsideuntilthechickenis cookedthrough.Addonionandcookuntil translucent.Sprinklewithsumacandremove fromheat.

FortheWraps 6largeBibblettuceleaves

1½cupsChoppedMediterraneanSalad (recipefollows) 1/3 cupTahini(recipefollows) Toassemble

PilethechickenandonionintoBibblettuce leaves.Topeachwith¼cupChopped MediterraneanSaladanddrizzleeachwith 1tablespoonTahini.Gentlywrap.

AttikiChicken ShawarmaMarinade

½cupextravirginoliveoil

½cuplemonjuice

2teaspoonspaprika

2teaspoonsturmeric

1teaspooncurrypowder

1/3 teaspoonfreshlygroundblackpepper

¼tablespooncayenne

½teaspoonseasalt

2teaspoonsgarlicpowder

1teaspoongroundcumin

Whisktogetherallingredientsuntil combined

Perserving:250calories,9gramsfat,1.5 gramssaturatedfat,150mgsodium,4grams carbohydrate(3gramsnetcarbs),1gram ﬁber,1gramsugar(0addedsugar),36grams protein

ChoppedMediterraneanSalad

Makes1½cups

2Romatomatoes,diced

1smallcucumber,diced ¼mediumredonion,diced ¼cupchoppedfreshparsley

1tablespoonchoppedfreshmint

1tablespoonextravirginoliveoil

2tablespoonslemonjuice

2teaspoonssumac

¼teaspoonfreshlygroundblackpepper

1/8 teaspoonseasalt

Inalargebowl,combineallingredientsand tossuntilevenlymixed.Serveimmediatelyor

chillbeforeserving.

Perserving(1cup):40calories,2.5 gramsfat,0saturatedfat,25mg sodium,4gramscarbohydrate(3grams netcarbs),1gramﬁber,2gramssugar(0 addedsugar),<1gramprotein

Tahini

Makes3cups

¼cuplemonjuice

2clovesgarlic,crushed 1½cupsrawtahini

1teaspoonkoshersalt

1¼cupsicewater,plusmoreasneeded Combinelemonjuiceandgarlicina nonreactivebowl;setasidefor30minutes tosteep.

Meanwhile,whiptahiniinastandorelectric mixeronhighspeedforabout10minutes, untilit’sglossyandlight,likecakebatter.

Molly’shusband,BradSchlotterer,andher dad,FredKimball,atabackyardtailgate.

fudgyconsistency,addicewater—about¼ cupatatimeandincreasethespeedtohigh. Thesaucemaystarttolookalmostcurdled, butkeepaddingtheicewater,whippingwell aftereachaddition.Itwillsmoothout—the textureshouldbelikethatofathickmousse.

Perserving(2tablespoons):80calories, 7gramsfat,1gramsaturatedfat,80mg sodium,3gramscarbohydrate(3grams netcarbs),<1gramﬁber,Osugar,2grams protein

Usingaﬁnemeshstrainer,separatethegarlic fromthelemonjuice.Decreasethemixer’s speedtomediumandaddgarlic-infused lemonjuiceandsalt.Thetahiniwillseizeup atﬁrstbutjustkeepwhippingitatmedium speedanditwillallcometogether.

Whenthetahinihasauniformlytacky,almost

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

Overtime

Topleftoversaladonleanproteinasaplayful twistonpicodegallo.

Preparedtahiniwillstaygoodforabout5-7 daysinthefridge.Tip:Letrefrigeratedtahini warmupslightlyonthecounter,andwhip in1to2tablespoonsoficewatertorestore someofitslightness.

Elevatethewrapsforafancieroccasionby servingthemopeninanendive“spoon.”

FormoreideasandEatFitrecipes,usethe promocodeADVOCATEfor10%offTheEat FitCookbookatEatFitCookbook.com.

BY THENUMBERS

MORE THAN HALF AMILLION LOUISIANANSHAVEDIABETES

It’simportant to knowthat concussions are an evolving injury.Accordingtonew protocols, it is still vital to watch forsymptoms and notable changes closely for 24 to 48 hours after injury.

CONCUSSION

Continuedfrom page 1X

In2022, there were over half amillion Louisiana adults whohad been diagnosedwith diabetes at some point in theirlives,according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

On average, 13% of Louisiana adults had adiabetes diagnosis —higherthan the U.S. averageat 11.6%

The percentageofadults with diabetes increased with age, reaching 29.2% among those aged 65 years or older, according tothe CDC. People with diabetes areathigh risk of heartdisease, strokeand other serious complications, the CDC says —including kidneyfailure, blindness and lower-limb amputations.

These parishes had the highest percentages of adults with adiabetes diagnosis in 2022, reported in 2025 by CountyHealthRankings and Roadmaps, in descending order:

n East Carroll Parish with 20% of adults with diabetes n Madison Parish with 19% of adults with diabetes n Claiborne and Tensas parishes with 18% of adultswithdiabetes n Bienville, Evangeline, Morehouse and Webster parisheswith 16% of adults with diabetes. These parishes had the lowest percentages of adults with adiabetes diagnosis in 2022, reported in 2025 by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, in ascendingorder: n Ascension, Livingston,

Charles and St.

parisheswith 11% of adults with

It’s importanttoknow that concussions arean evolving injury. According to new protocols,and Agaja, it is still vital to watch for symptoms and notable changes closely for 24 to 48 hours after injury

“Weusedtoput patients in aquiet space, because ourprevious treatments were all about minimizing overstimulation,”Agaja said. “But nowweknow aboutthe heightened emotional side, where isolation can worsen thesymptoms.”

Everything is now about moderation, according to Agaja. The ﬁrst step of all patient care is education —about concussions and abouttheir unique symptoms

Turn down the brightness of screens and lightsuntil it becomes bearable.Wear headphones to block out noise. The second symptoms start,adjust theenvironment until the symptoms completely stop. Agaja says that, with concussions, blood ﬂow changes and“things arejust out

of whack.” He saysthat movement and regulating blood ﬂow —getting things movingagain —can accelerate healing. The Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test is agraded exercise test used after a concussion to ﬁnd the heart rate thresholdwhere symptomsworsen, also knownas symptom exacerbation.

The test, created in 2008, is meant to identify exercises forcustomized recoveryand gradually increase physical activity,helping them progress toward a return-to-playorreturn-toactivity protocol. The treadmill test can be performed in aphysician’s ofﬁce, witha physical therapist, in ahigh school athletics ofﬁce or at home.

During the assessment, doctorsare looking at symptoms of patientsona scale of one to 10 before and after exercise— picture a treadmill going 2.5 miles an hour with an incline and slowly increasing the speed.Onceapatientgets to threepoint higherthan wheretheystarted,the exercises stop.

“With this test, we can get our athletes moving in asafe manner,get them feeling better,sothey don’t feel like they’re just sitting around in arut waiting for their minds to get better,” Agaja said. The exercise testcan practically startright away, according to Agaja, but it’s important to know the limits.

Typically,85% to 90% of adults will get better after a concussion in 10 to 14 days, if they don’tpush too much and know how to limit overstimulation. For children, that recovery time canbe closer to 30 days, according to Agaja.

“Bring in movement —the earlier, thebetter,I find,” Agaja said. “In theory,you could probably start testing yourself within afew days after symptoms. Ijust try nottooverload my patients withtoo much information Iﬁnd that balance of giving them abouta week before introducing movement to work pretty well.”

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

Patients can even mimic this process at home with fitness tracking watches and walks around the neighborhood.

GETTy IMAGESPHOTO By MARIA GARCIA

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Healthtips andsupport from your pharmacy

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Melatoninisthemostcommonover-the-countersleep aid,butyoucanﬁndothersatyourpharmacy.Natural supplements,suchasmagnesium,chamomileand valerianrootcanhelppromotesleep.

Severalbrandsofnon-prescriptionmedicationsare alsoavailable,suchasUnisom,NyQuilandTylenolPM. Althoughavailableoverthecounter,these medicationsshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theycontain antihistaminesthatareprimarilyusedtotreatallergy symptomsbutareusedinsleepaidsbecauseoftheir sedatingproperties.Mostcontaindiphenhydramine, commonlyknownasBenadryl.

Unlikemelatonin,thisgroupofmedicationsisamong thoselistedbytheAmericanGeriatricsSocietytobe avoidedinpeopleages65andolder.Theycancause confusion,blurryvision,dizzinessanddelayedreaction times,increasingtheriskoffalls.

Foryoungeradults,thesemedicationsmaybehelpful inshort-termsituations,buttheyarenot intendedtobeusednightly.

LOUISIANA

AdvisoryBoardChampion Awardwinner,stands

Buildingconnections

Architecthelps students gain career opportunities

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

In an ofﬁcesmellingoffreshly brewed coffee and asting of ammonia, Judith Anderson printed blueprints.

The chemicalcreates the signature blue color of architectural plans.She was in her sophomore year at Scotlandville Magnet High School andworked at CSRS Inc., printingblueprints, handling oddjobs and runningerrands forthe design and consultingﬁrm.

Now, as CSRS’architecturalprogram director,she lends ahand to Scotlandville students tohelpthemachieve the same career opportunities she had when she was astudentherself.

“I know what was poured into me,” Anderson said. “Andsoitisjust now personal to make sure that I’m pouring intoothers.”

As board president ofthe NAF Academy of Engineering Professions, Anderson sets goals for the councilbased on the needs of theschool andoversees committees on internships, fundraising and classroomengagement.Her work withNAF is avolunteer position

Working with NAFand Scotlandville, Anderson helped connect 12 Scotlandville studentswithinternships thispast summer at companies including The

Clean Green Alliance, CSRS |Tillage, FusionArchitects, Exxon, Terracon, Sales O’Brian and Raytheon.

In May,Anderson received the2025 NAF Advisory BoardChampion Award, given to individuals whohaveled in providing studentswith opportunities to preparethem for thefuture.

Anderson takes after herindustrial arts teacher Beatrice Arvie, who led the school’sTechnology Student Association thatAnderson wasapart of, and said Arvieacted as acoach to her.They stayed in contact throughout Anderson’stime in high school andcollege, andArvie eventually reeled her in to volunteering with NAF

Fornearly 20 years, the NAFcouncil at Scotlandville has used its industry connectionstoprovide job shadowing, internships and lectures for students. Thenonproﬁt strives to obtainpaid internships for its students to ﬁll theneed for industry experience and compensation they could not get elsewhere.

“Whether it’s awant or aneed, those teensare working,” shesaid. “Andso what we wanted to do was make sure that they didn’tpass up an opportunity for something that could affect the success of theminpostsecondary school, matriculating into their careers, passing up an opportunity with that because

they want to go work in aretail type environment ” NAF volunteers put together abinder for students that serves as amanual for their internship and includes objectives like working on design projects and determining target colleges. CSRS interns engage in tasks like reading ﬂoor plans andcreating spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel.Atthe endoftheir internship, they create apresentation on what they accomplished.

Anderson saidone of her mostrecent interns at CSRS learned how to use Excelduring the internship, avaluable skill to have since most high schools teach studentshow to use Google applications, andhemay have to use Excel in college.

Anotherstudent left her engineering internship concluding that shedid notwanttogointo engineering, which Anderson says is thegoal of the experiences —tonarrow down their interests.

“It’sjust giving them alittlebit of insight, andthatway you’re doing alittle bit of trialand error,” she said. “You still may endupchangingyour mind in college or once you go to certiﬁcation school, but you’ve got alittle bit of insight.”

Anderson

Exploring Louisiana aquestion at atime

Irecently spoke to asenior-level journalism class at LSU. Only about athird of the students were from Louisiana. We chatted about developing ideas fortrend stories —beyond the obvious fashion angle. What else counts as atrend and what would makeaninteresting story?

They were full of good ideas. As so often happens when Ispend timewith students, Ifeel better about the world. Iposed the following question to them:Onascale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate your own curiosity? I assured those who ranked themselves a10 that they likely had agreat career ahead in journalism.Yes, hard workisrequired to ﬁnd the answers, but the payoffissuch a rush.

Since the class, I’ve thought a lot moreabout being curious and the philosophical side of curiosity.Isbeing curious simply about that spark —that question that popped into your head? Or is it also about trying to ﬁgure out the answer?

In short, is it the spark or the chase?

Perhaps the answer is that curiosity is both. Asking the question is essential. Trying to ﬁgure out the answer is what turns wonder into understanding.

Turns out, philosophers have had alot to say about curiosity Plato and Socrates positioned philosophy as beginning in wonder or perplexity.The Socratic method, driven by continuous questioning, is aform of curiosity that uncovers ignorance and motivates deeper inquiry

Aristotle wrote, “All human beings by nature desire to know.” He described curiosity as an intrinsic human drive and the “love of learning.” Thomas Hobbes described curiosity as amorally neutral appetite forknowledge. For Hobbes, curiosity was one of the traits that distinguishes humans from other animals.

Nietzsche famously called curiosity “the mostagreeable of all vices.”

From my experience, curiosity deepens when Igobeyond the question. That said, researching “the answer” often unlocks morequestions and continues to convince me on anear-daily basis that “lifeismore complicated than it seems” —toquote the title of aSpanish song Ilove, “La Vida es Más Compleja de lo que Parece.”

But last week at LSU, Iencouraged the students to go beyond wondering about things. Putting questions into words is good for our brains.

Of course, trying to ﬁgure out the questions/wonderings, which is what journalists get to do on a daily basis, can also be alot of fun —and leads to turning over new rocks, meeting new people —and having unanticipated conversations.

More than three years ago, the newspaper launched aweekly feature in which we encourage readers to send us their Louisiana questions —sowecan go and ﬁnd the answers. Or,atthe very least, do our best to ﬁnd the answer

ä See RISHER, page 2Y ä See ARCHITECT, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Judith Anderson, the 2025 NAF

on Aug. 20 outside Scotlandville Magnet High School as students pass by

Students VeronicaRhodes, left,Jayden Simmons, secondfrom right, and Jakarin Whitfield, right, stand with Judith Anderson, architectural program director for CSRS Inc., on Aug. 20 at Scotlandville Magnet High School.

helped these students getengineering internshipsoverthe summer.

ASK THE EXPERTS

Lafayette therapist uses holistic approach to mental health

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE

Staff writer

Kathryn Dietzway is a li-

censed clinical social worker and the clinical director of The Therapy Garden in Lafayette. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in anthropology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and her master’s degree in social work from Louisiana State University. She specializes in helping people heal from trauma through approaches that combine traditional talk therapy with body-based methods such as EMDR and somatic therapy She primarily works with adults who are seeking relief from the impact of trauma and want to reconnect with their sense of self.

Alongside her therapy practice, Dietzway is pursuing a nursing degree at UL. By combining her expertise in psychotherapy with medical training, she seeks to provide more integrated care that supports the whole person — mind, body and nervous system. What was the inspiration behind you pursuing nursing school?

I’ve been taking an approach to mental health counseling for about four to ﬁve years now really intensively That’s what led me to this route of learn-

PROVIDED PHOTO

Kathryn Dietzway is a licensed clinical social worker and the clinical director of The Therapy Garden in Lafayette.

ing about the connection between the mind and the body learning that mental health and physical health are not separate. Mental health occurs in the brain, and the nervous system is an important part of your body, so that’s your physical well-being.

I saw gaps in mental health theory and training we weren’t getting enough of the physical side. I got to a point where I wanted to go beyond what someone can tell me in training. I wanted to get to the hard science, where I can fully and deeply understand what’s happening in my clients’ bodies mentally and physically

Q&A WITH KATHRyN DIETZWAy

LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER AND THE CLINICAL DIRECTOR OF THE THERAPy GARDEN IN LAFAyETTE

On a holistic level, I had to decide how I was going to get the science perspective, so I’m pursuing a psychiatric nurse practitioner route so that I’ll understand biology and medicine better Is it a hard line to balance learning and offering holistic medicine and conventional Western medicine?

Honestly, clients are hungry to understand what’s going on in their bodies. Clients usually come to me for depression and anxiety, usually related to trauma. One of the first things I do is pull out this chart that helps them look at what symptoms are normal for the nervous system state that you’re in. Maybe they’re feeling anxious in a fight-or-flight state because they’re in poverty The chart allows them to normalize their symptoms based on what the body is supposed to do whenever it’s in a stressful situation.

A lot of the time, that’s all people need — a starting point of normalizing what’s going on in their body Afﬁrming that they’re not crazy just a human being. What are some tools for people to regulate their nervous system to not

have that fight-or-flight response? For some people, the fightor-flight response is normal. So I’ll often ask what’s going on in their lives. Is there a situation in their lives that we need to work on getting them out of? Sometimes fight-or-flight is protective — for example, if someone is in an abusive situation, living in poverty, or experiencing racism. When you’re able to identify that you don’t need this fight or flight state, or perhaps that you’d like to cultivate breaks from that state, a lot of the time it starts with psychoeducation. I’ll educate them about the body, what it means to be anxious and how that helps them in some ways — an also assess what small actions, places, animals and people help them experience relief from the anxiety

Begin becoming aware of what’s going on in your body I do a body scan with people. Scan from the head to the toes, and tell me what you notice.

Anchoring is a tool where you identify safe items in your environment that make you feel safe — like a tree, plants, a soft pillow,

etc. Notice these items when you’re in a state of anxiety You can do this anywhere. It provides a micro moment of connection to something supportive, which can help the body begin to come back to homeostasis.

The next step would be learning to ask yourself what you need. That might be a gentle breath in and a long exhale. It might be talking to yourself kindly You have to talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend.

How does confidence and self compassion help with mental health?

It’s huge. Before trauma therapy, I ﬁgure out if someone has self compassion yet, because if they don’t, it’s going to be hard to do trauma work. So we’ll work on that ﬁrst.

What is self compassion?

Some people have never had someone be compassionate toward them, so they don’t know how to do it to themselves.

How does your non-biased approach to therapy help yourself and your clients?

My undergraduate studies were in sociology and anthropology, which gave me a cross-cultural view on

humanity It’s important, as a therapist, that I take on an unbiased perspective because I’m here to serve all humans, regardless of background. I’m sending a message that it’s what’s best for the client, not me. Although, I’m not totally unbiased. I am still influenced by larger systemic factors. We all have implicit bias. It’s an ongoing journey where I’m reflecting on what biases I have and which ones I need to reflect on.

People are not just accepted or allowed — their identities are respected and celebrated. I look at clients through a lens of how this society and world has shaped them, based on their identity As a White therapist, I may work with clients of diverse races and cultures. I acknowledge that someone may have experienced trauma from people who look like me. There’s going to be an acknowledgment of that. This lens has helped me to be able to navigate those conversations.

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1y

At Scotlandville’s engineering symposium last school year, students were tasked with constructing a bridge. Anderson came into the school’s engineering classes to help teams with the challenge, which Scotlandville principal Paul Jackson said gave students an “extra leg up” in their high school experience. He said Anderson has

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

connected students with internships that immerse students in scenarios they could face in the workforce.

Jackson’s son interned with CSRS and assisted with determining the necessary materials on a building’s roof based on the weather in the area.

“The only thing that may be able to trump your education is the actual experience,” Jackson said. “So when you have that along with education, then you actually have the best of both

worlds.”

While the work to connect students with internships predated Anderson’s role with NAF, Jackson said her “ﬁdelity” and “passion” for ensuring career-advancing experiences are accessible to Scotlandville students made her efforts stand out among her predecessors.

Anderson’s efforts were honored at this year’s NAF Next conference. NAF Chief Executive Officer Lisa Dughi said the nonproﬁt chose to recognize Anderson

due to her unwavering commitment to bringing “lifechanging” opportunities to Scotlandville Students.

“Judith’s tireless leadership, generosity, and commitment embody the very best of our mission, and we are deeply grateful for all she does to inspire and empower the next generation,” Dughi said in an email.

Anderson grew up in North Baton Rouge and had a close relationship with her mother and grandparents. Her grandfather worked in

architecture and once she developed her interest in the field, their connection deepened. He connected her with her ﬁrst role at CSRS.

She deﬁnes architecture as her surroundings and said she loves having a role in what people see, experience and are surrounded by every day

She said her award from NAF a national organization, is a testament to Baton Rouge’s ability to compete against larger school systems in other cities. While

tion simply by emailing curiouslouisiana @theadvocate.com.

it all for 53 years.

n Was Disney World almost built in Louisiana?

n What the heck is cabbage ball? Why do they play it in New Orleans? Anyone can ask a ques-

she expressed that it felt good to be recognized, Anderson said her volunteer work is simply what she is supposed to do.

After graduating high school, she attended Southern University She said she did not plan to remain in Baton Rouge, but she and her husband ended up with jobs in the city

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in Baton Rouge,” she said. “Why not pour into here versus having to go somewhere else?”

We explain the weekly feature as: Curious Louisiana is a community-driven reporting project that connects readers to our newsrooms’ resources to dig, research and ﬁnd answers about the Pelican State. After all, curiosity doesn’t just belong in classrooms or newsrooms — it belongs to all of us. Accepting information without questions seldom leads to a good end. So what are you wondering about Louisiana? Ask away!

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Judith Anderson, the 2025 NAF Advisory Board Champion Award winner, stands on Aug. 20 outside Scotlandville Magnet High School.

N.O. homeowners gethelptomaintain, repair homes

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE

Staff writer

The simple Gentilly Terrace shotgun that Linda Blunt owns with her husband had for decades been asource of stability forthe family.But after Hurricane Ida’swinds tore shingles off her roof and sent her insurance bill skyrocketing,the home became asource of uncertainty instead.

Bright and early on aMay morning, around 250 volunteers descended on Blunt’s quiet neighborhood to make repairs at the nearby park and on 10 homes belonging to low-income homeowners —including Blunt’s—in hopes of offsetting the rising costs of insurance, renovations, and taxes that are making it ever more difﬁcult for NewOrleans familiesto stay in their homes.

“It’slike waking up in somethingbrand new,” said Blunt as the volunteers, organized by local nonprofit Rebuilding Together New Orleans and The Home Depot Foundation, raced against hovering storm clouds to replace rotting wood on her back deck. “I see all the work they’re doing and it just motivates me more to say,‘Ineed to come alongside them and addto it.’”

Rebuilding TogetherNew Orleans, the local chapter of anationalnonproﬁt, launched in 1988 with the goal of supporting elderly and disabled homeowners struggling to maintain their homes. After Hurricane Katrina, the organization turned its focus to renovating and rebuilding stormdamagedhomes.

After Hurricane Ida and the insurance crisis that followed, the organization shifted its focus again, to repairing andreplacing homeowners’ roofs to fortified standards in hopes of bringing down their insurance costs. The organization

hasinstalled163 fortified roofs throughout the greater New Orleans area since 2023, alongwith otherrepairsaimed at making aging homessafer and healthier

The need is especially clear in Gentilly Terrace, where 68% of the neighborhood’sresidents were homeowners between 2019 and 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’sAmerican CommunitySurvey —far higherthanthe city’s overall rate of 50%. And the neighborhood is disproportionately home to older people on ﬁxed incomes, whotend to struggle with maintaining their homes: 35.5%of householdsreceived social security between 2019 and 2024 compared with 27.6% in the city overall.

It’saneighborhood where people “have quietly lived in their homes for 50 to 60 years.They haveinvested so signiﬁcantly in our city

They raised their children in the same homes that they still live in,” saidcouncil member Eugene Green, whose district includes the neighborhood. “Soany hand that can be lenttothem, such as is being done today, is something that Iknow, that they’re very appreciative,” Green said That’show Blunt felt when shelearned that Rebuilding Togethercould make repairs on her home designed to bring her insurance costs down. Her propertyinsurance costshave become so expensive in recent years that shedecided to dropher coverage entirely

“You have to ask yourself, do Itake careofmyhealth or do Iroll the dice and hopefully we makeitthrough another year?” saidBlunt, who hopes that she’ll get a lower insurance quotenow that thework on her home is complete.

Blunt’sneighbor,Marie St. Germain, used her own savings to replace her roof after damage from Hurricane Ida

caused major leaks.The volunteers buzzing around her home werebusywithmore aesthetictasks—planting ﬂowers andgiving the railing on her stairs afresh coat of paint. Butshe said theimprovementswould raise her spirits.

“They’retaking my sadness away.They’re taking my anxiety,” said St. Germain, surveying the work from herfront door.“This is what Iwanted for awhile, and Icouldn’tget it done. Idon’tknow whereIwould getmoney to getsomething like that done.”

Volunteers also worked to replace playground equipment,plant magnolia trees, and build raised beds at nearby Union Playground. Civic groups have called attention to shoddy maintenance of city parks and playgrounds in recent months.

William Stoudt, director of Rebuilding Together New Orleans, said that there are many more neighborhoods in need of their attention across thecity but that the

organizations faces achallenge in meetingthe need. Federal grants “are being pulled left andright from us,” saidStoudt. “Wehave an inﬁnite numberofhomeowners that need fortified roofs andwehavea finite amount of resources.”

Theorganization got nearly 800 applications last year forassistance, the vast majority seeking aroof replacement.

“We’re never going to be able to serve everyone,” said Stoudt.“Butwedomake life-changing outcome that we serve for the clients we serve that have both immediateand generationalimpacts in every way forthose families.”

Email SophieKasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

Volunteers build raised garden beds on May6atahome in NewOrleans.

FAITH & VALUES

For a small church, selling land meant finding its soul

BY YONAT SHIMRON

Contributing writer

Four years ago, the Rev Matt Conner presented his congregation with a stark reality: Newell Presbyterian Church had about 18 months of ﬁnancial solvency ahead. The time had come to seriously consider its future.

Chartered in 1890 in what was then a sleepy part of northeast Charlotte dotted with dairy farms and tobacco ﬁelds, the church grew, and then started a slow decline. These days about 50 people attend Sunday morning services and the church has an annual budget of $190,000.

But Newell Presbyterian has one asset increasingly in demand in the now bustling neighborhood of subdivisions and apartment complexes: land. The church sits on 9.5 acres, accumulated plot by plot by devoted church members who had long since passed on.

After forming a “dream team” to consider its options, the church recently voted to sell a 4.5-acre parcel to a nonproﬁt developer for the construction of 50 affordable townhomes right next to its sanctuary Homeowners would have to earn 80% of the area median income (about $85,000 for a family of four) to qualify The sale is expected to be inked in October

Newell Presbyterian is one of hundreds of declining congregations with underutilized space, excess land, deteriorating buildings and soaring maintenance costs.

But these churches are ﬁnding that they can stanch their ﬁscal woes by selling or, in many cases, leasing some of their land and repurposing their properties for affordable housing.

At least 200 and as many as 400 houses of worship (mostly churches but also synagogues and mosques) have repurposed their property

for affordable housing over the past decade, said Nadia Mian, a researcher at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy who is cataloging those projects.

Newell Presbyterian found that in selling its land it had found a new treasure: its soul.

“I’ve gotten to watch and be a part of a kind of spiritual growth in this space and time and a calling to be even more mission oriented,” said Conner. “This is a church getting clearer about who we are and why we exist.”

Though the church hasn’t grown in numbers, Conner said it has grown in faith and commitment, and its members speak of a renewed sense of purpose and mission, a deeper spirituality rooted in a sacred responsibility to neighbor and place.

In 2021, on the Feast of Ascension, when Christians celebrate the resurrected Jesus’ leavetaking of his disciples, Conner asked a group of church elders to walk the grassy 4.5-acre ﬁeld next to the church. “Pray, pay attention and dream,” he told them. “What do you see?”

They initially came back with different answers: a soccer ﬁeld, a farmers market, a student hub for the nearby University of North Carolina Charlotte campus.

Over time, the church elders coalesced around a dream of a housing community that would nurture young families, just as the church had nurtured them 50 years before.

Trent Thompson, 71, remembered how he and his wife moved to Charlotte in the early 1980s so he could finish his undergraduate degree at the university after his service in the Coast Guard. Shortly after they found the church, their ﬁrst son was born, 11 weeks premature. Church members enveloped the young fam-

ily with care during the two months their son was in the hospital.

“The church loved us and helped us out with anything we needed, prayer requests, people visiting us, meals,” said Thompson. “That meant a lot to us.”

Freda Schlaman, 79, remembered that the church had a vibrant youth program that her two daughters loved so much so, one of them later became a Presbyterian minister “It was a small church and it was what we needed,” said Schlaman. “We fell in love with the people along the way.”

The church’s members envisioned an affordable housing complex that would allow today’s young families — many of whom are priced out of Charlotte’s competitive real estate market to do the same. They were clear they did not want to build rental apartments but rather offer working-class families — teachers, ﬁreﬁghters, social workers — homes they could afford.

That meant the church would build fewer units and likely get less money from the sale than if it had sold to a commercial developer “A lot of churches will just say, ‘Sell it. Let’s get some money

so we can have operating capital,’ ” said Thompson “But our point was, we’re not gonna do that. As the stewards of the community, we wanted to help to rebuild the idea that Newell is a community that thrives on the family concept. We wanted people that get a chance to put down roots.”

The church turned to DreamKey Partners, a nonprofit real estate development company that has worked with a handful of other churches in the Charlotte area. Church leaders won’t say how much money they will get from the sale, since the contract hasn’t yet been signed. A lot also depends on whether the city will award the project the full $3.1 million from its Housing Trust Fund, designated to provide gap ﬁnancing to developers to build affordable housing. The church is already considering a Phase 2: renting out parts of its education building to nonprofit business incubators, perhaps starting a coffee shop, and creating a playground or park for the children.

The church’s goal, said Conner, using a biblical reference, is not to store up money in bigger barns. “We are selling some land for the

sake of this call to build up the beloved community, and honestly all it costs us is a yes,” Conner said.

Eight miles away from the Newell church, another Presbyterian congregation has also committed itself to affordable housing. Caldwell

Presbyterian has converted a 14,000-square-foot building that once housed Sunday school classrooms into 21 studio apartments for people coming out of chronic homelessness. After it opens in October the church will turn the building over to a local nonprofit that will oversee day-to-day operations.

For Caldwell Presbyterian the vision is the same as Newell’s, even if the initial impetus was not. A bigger, midsized church, Caldwell wasn’t ﬁnancially squeezed. But like Newell, it saw a need.

“We’re in the middle of a profound and deep national housing crisis,” said the Rev John Cleghorn, the pastor “One of the ways the churches can make the most direct type of impact, is not only to provide the housing, but to provide a community adjacent to, in relationship with the housing. What could be more Christlike?”

Like many cities, Charlotte welcomes the churches’

building boom. The city’s Faith in Housing initiative gives faith-based organizations tools and resources to carry out affordable housing projects. A summit the city held last year brought together leaders from some 90 houses of worship for a daylong educational workshop about the hows of affordable housing and the variety of city state and federal tax credits, grants and loans.

“When you think about it, honestly, who has the most land? Religious institutions and schools,” said City Council member LaWana Mayﬁeld. “What we’re doing is creating a tool kit to help educate and energize the community to not just think about housing, but to reimagine their space.”

Charlotte’s Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly Black congregation that built 51 rental units for people making 30% to 80% of area median income, is a big believer in congregations working on affordable housing.

“If we could get just 5% of the churches in Charlotte to do this — and not just churches but faith communities — our housing problem looks very different,” said the Rev Peter Wherry, the church’s pastor One thing Newell’s newfound mission won’t do is save the church’s finances long term. Members have no expectation that the owners of the townhomes they are building will want to join the church. And it is possible the church may dwindle in size even more. But they are also cleareyed about the larger vision of community that is driving them.

“You know, this is not our land,” said Thompson. “God created this land for us to use. This is not just for the church but for others who need it.”

Could granting water rights to birds be the best way to save them?

BY K.C. MEHAFFEY

Contributing writer

This story, created by K.C. Mehaffey with Columbia Insight,is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonproﬁt organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems.

If you’re in the right place at the right time, you might catch one of nature’s truly great performances.

The right time is late summer or early fall, when thousands of Wilson’s phalaropes make a stop in Oregon on their 4,000-mile migration to winter in South America

One of the right places is Oregon’s Lake Abert in the SONEC region, an acronym for the vast mosaic of lakes and wetlands stretching from southern Oregon to northeastern California.

Phalaropes stop at Lake Abert and other saline lakes in the western United States to double their body weight so they can finish the journey When they forage, phalaropes spin in circles along the lakeshore, creating a whirlpool that brings prey toward the surface, where they gobble them up

“They look like little, aquatic ballerinas,” said Teresa Wicks, the eastern Oregon ﬁeld coordinator for the Bird Alliance of Oregon. “Sometimes you see them on bodies of water where hundreds are spinning at once in these tight little circles.”

Like so many shorebirds in North America, however Wilson’s phalaropes have experienced sharp declines in population over the last few decades.

“Wilson’s phalarope populations have fallen approximately 70% since the 1980s because of extensive habitat destruction, water diversions and persistent drought,” according to the Centers for

Biological Diversity, which ﬁled a petition in March 2024 to list them as a sensitive species under the Endangered Species Act.

Wilson’s phalarope is a kind of shorebird, an order of birds sometimes called waders that can be found walking or swimming along shorelines looking for food.

In 2019, a study that looked at net population changes of 529 species of birds that breed in the United States and Canada revealed a loss of nearly 3 billion birds in the previous 50 years roughly one in four birds

A few groups — like geese, swans and ducks — grew in population.

Shorebirds and grassland birds suffered the highest declines — with populations dropping by about one-third since 1970

Various kinds of shorebirds are among the 80 bird species that depend on the SONEC region, comprised of eight counties in Oregon, California and the northwestern tip of Nevada.

Emily VanWyk, acting conservation strategy coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, says that about 70% of migratory wetland-dependent birds in the Paciﬁc Flyway some 6 million birds — will use this habitat each year.

“Oregon plays a key role in the conservation of all of those species, even those that might only spend a week or a couple of days in our state,” she says VanWyk and Sarah Reif, ODFW’s habitat division administrator, gave a presentation to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in June 2024 as part of a series of reports on adapting to climate and ocean change It focused on the importance of the SONEC region to migratory birds.

The loss of 3 billion birds across North America wasn’t caused by one thing.

basically, meaning the wildlife area didn’t get any water,” she said. “And so, a lake was a mud puddle, the ducks came along, stirred up the botulism, and by the tens of thousands died.” (Mallards were one of the species most affected by the botulism outbreaks.)

“How do we advocate for these birds?” replied VanWyk. “How do we make an argument that’s effective, because, you’re right, this is a huge concern. We’re losing thousands of birds It’s scary.”

Despite the dire situation for many bird species in North America, Wicks sees a ray of hope.

200 sites, ranging from large, critical migratory stopovers, like Great Salt Lake, to small reservoirs and wetlands.

“Essentially the interior region was identified as a large data gap. We don’t understand a lot about the distribution of shorebirds, or about the wetlands’ health and how that’s actually impacted bird populations,” says Barbaree.

Once complete, the current surveys can be compared to surveys from 30 years ago, which will provide a better understanding of the extent of and reasons for shorebird declines in the Paciﬁc Flyway

if there’s not a certain level of decline for a portion of the species,” says Barbaree. Wicks says her hope is that all of the monitoring efforts will highlight the relationships between birds and ﬁsh and wetlands so that water can be secured to support wetlands every year

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a long list of human-caused threats to birds, from collisions with buildings, communication towers, electrical lines, vehicles and wind turbines to poison and predation by cats.

But, the agency notes, “Habitat loss is thought to pose by far the greatest threat to birds, both directly and indirectly, however, its overall impact on bird populations is very difﬁcult to directly assess.”

The June 2024 presentation came a day after commissioners visited the upper Klamath Basin, learning about partnerships for managing water and plans to reintroduce salmon after the removal of four dams in 2024.

The upper basin includes Northern California’s Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where some 60,000 birds died in 2020 from botulism. Just a few months after the commission’s visit, a second botulism outbreak killed an estimated 80,000 birds.

Dr King noted that in Klamath Basin, the wildlife refuge is last in line for getting water

“The Everglades of the West became a mud puddle,

“There’s been a lot of work to create momentum around public-private partnerships. I would say in the last five years, that has really started to take off,” she says.

One of those partnerships is a massive effort to survey shorebirds as they move through the interior portion of the Pacific Flyway each spring and fall.

The Intermountain West Shorebird Surveys began in fall 2022 and will conclude in 2026. Led by Audubon and Point Blue Conservation Science, the project is documenting the distribution and abundance of shorebirds in the interior West — information that was last collected between 1989 and 1995.

Blake Barbaree, senior ecologist with Point Blue, says the survey effort involves hundreds of volunteers and a network of more than 60 government agencies and nonproﬁt organizations.

He says it wouldn’t be possible without funding and technical support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state ﬁsh and wildlife agencies in Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Montana. In spring and fall the groups survey more than

Barbaree says one of the goals of the survey is to understand how the drying up of wetlands is tied to shorebird populations.

Some migratory bird species appear to be flexible, and when they find a stopover location has dried up they keep flying until they find a suitable spot to recharge.

“But we don’t know the cost of that,” says Barbaree.

“If I’m showing up to the lower Klamath refuge and there’s no water there this year I can keep ﬂying 50 to 100 miles to find the next place. But if I’m in a ﬂock of 100 birds, how many of them make it?

“There’s also the potential for cumulative effects

If I’m traveling from Mexico to Alaska and two spots didn’t give me food, am I going to have enough resources to make it all the way?”

Although survey data has been gathered for more than two years, Barbaree says it’s too soon to draw conclusions.

“Our hypothesis is there’s been a signiﬁcant decline (in bird populations using the SONEC region) given what we know about the wetlands systems. Whether we can support that with the data is still to be determined, but everyone will be astounded

“Our goal is to protect wetlands and restore wetlands in the SONEC so they are able to support healthy bird populations,” she says. Barbaree says that as an organization focused on gathering scientific research, Point Blue doesn’t have a position on whether advocacy groups should be trying to acquire water rights for birds and the wetlands they depend on.

“We’re trying to understand the ecosystem from the bird’s perspective, and how that’s changed over time,” he says. Still, the information they gather can be used to identify species that may need support, or speciﬁc wetlands that are most important to them.

But, Barbaree points out, water laws are complex and securing water rights for birds may not be a viable path.

He says he’d be surprised if codifying environmental use of water as a beneﬁcial use will become a reality in most places. Even so, he says, “I think in general there’s a better understanding that healthy, long-term water ecosystems are important to everyone. We have to give back. We can’t take it all.” K.C Mehaffey has been writing about the environment from her home in Twisp, Washington for nearly 40 years.

Columbia Insight, based in Hood River, Oregon, is a nonproﬁt newsroom focused on environmental issues of the Columbia River Basin and the Paciﬁc Northwest.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Avocets are shorebirds and can be found walking or swimming along shorelines looking for food.

RNS PHOTO/yONAT SHIMRON

Freda Schlaman, from left, Tim Gilland, the Rev. Matt Conner and Trent Thompson pose together at Newell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C.

SUNDAY, September 7, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

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

todAY's Word — diPsoMAniAc: dipsuh-MAY-nee-ak: Alcoholic.

Average mark 51 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 71 or more words in DIPSOMANIAC?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

wuzzLes

Choices

Today’s deal is from a recent tournament in Australia. South’s slightly off-shape opening bid hid his diamond suit, so West reasonably led a diamond. South had eight top tricks The contract was safe if East held the ace of hearts, plus there was a good chance West would duck his ace of hearts if he had it. To be as deceptive as possible, South won the opening diamond lead in his hand and led the seven of hearts away from his king. West knew from the bidding that South only had two hearts and saw no reason to duck his ace. West rose with his ace of hearts and shifted smartly tothequeenofclubs!Thedefense took four club tricks to defeat the contract.

South might have tried the effect of running his long suit

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

SUBJECT: AMERICANA

(e.g., Title for the NFL annual league championship game. Answer: Super Bowl.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. She was Superman’s love interest.

Answer________

2. Who played the title role in the film “Forrest Gump”?

Answer________

3. Providence is the most populous city and capital of which state?

Answer________

4. What is the largest lake entirely within the United States?

Answer________

5. What word did Billy Batson say to transform into Captain Marvel?

Answer________

This will sometimes create problems for the defense On this deal, East would have to find five discards.Hecouldonlypartwithone spade, and a club discard would mean the defense could only take three club tricks provided declarer did not release dummy’s king of clubs. Best defense would be to discard all four of his hearts.

VIRGO

slouch when there is so much you can do to advance. Get in the game and do your part, and you’ll rise to the top.

Southwould havetoread theposition, of course, but he could now prevail by playing four rounds of spades leaving East on lead with only clubs remaining. Dummy’s king of clubs would become declarer’s ninth trick

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

GRADUATE LEVEL

For what do the letters stands in the film “E.T.”?

Answer________

Writer Ned Buntline created the character known as “_____ Bill.” Answer________

The “blue and

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Choose your battles wisely and channel your energy appropriately Take the high road and bring about positive change and self-improvement. Physical activity will ease internal stress CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Place your attention on money, health and looking and doing your best Plan your day strategically and optimize your time to suit your goal. Protect your assets. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put pressure on yourself to adjust to the

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Share your thoughts and feelings and align yourself with those who have similar concerns. A smile and a positive attitude will help you gain momentum and achieve excellent results.

changes happening around you and to move forward. Get a handle on what makes you tick, and try to incorporate a passionate attitude into your everyday routine.

PISCES (Feb 20-March 20) The ability to bend and work your way through times of trouble will strengthen your character and help you

and those you encounter will follow suit. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Work quietly behind the scenes where interference is easier to control. Building a solid foundation that offers peace of mind will be worth more than the stress that comes from comparing yourself to others. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Turn your attention to your surroundings and make improvements that ease stress and make your life easier to navigate. Avoid criticism and those who make you feel inadequate. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Broaden your awareness and surround your-

self with people and possessions that contribute positive vibes to your environment. Protect against injury, insult and ill health. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Esthetics will play a role in how you feel and what you can do to improve your life. Whether you want to make physical changes to your appearance or your surroundings, the timing is good.

goren Bridge

1. Lois Lane. 2. TomHanks. 3. Rhode Island 4. Lake Michigan.5.Shazam. 6. ExtraTerrestrial. 7. Buffalo. 8. The American Civil War. 9. Charlie McCarthy.10. Captain Kirk 11. Excellent; very good. 12. Aztecs. 13. Arlington National Cemetery. 14. Leif Ericsson ("Leifthe Lucky"). 15.Jack Dempsey

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: All the thoughts of a turtle are turtle.—Ralph Waldo Emerson

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

FoXtrot/ by BillAmend

The Times-Picayune 09-07-2025

‘Dysfunctional’court plaguedbycasedelays

Murder hearings, trialdates collapse forpreventable reasons

‘THISISN’T BUSINESS AS USUAL’

Biden picks Delaware for presidential museum

Israel targets more high-rises in Gaza

Daughter of Nazi officer accused of hiding artwork

DOJ talk of ban on trans people owning guns sparks outrage

Chicago’s Latinos on edge over Trump threats

Adistraction

If

JUSTICE BY JUDGE

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Sending troops to La.linkedtocomingcrime bill

InspiringThroughEducation

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Moms face personal challenges with school drop-offs

THE GULF COAST

Tax breaks spurred post-Katrina building

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METRO

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Teachers, students talk ethics, rules for use in schools

New Jackson Avenue apartment complex opens

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AI

LIBRARY

LOTTERY

NewOrleans Area Deaths St Tammany

Expanding fortified roofsis theone insurance strategy we can all agreeon

OPINION

Propagandawar is shapingopinion

As autumn looms, atimetoreflect

La.’sIsaacsondoesthe Declarationright

Higginsvs. the‘sorcerers’ whoguard public health

Tulanesurvivessloppyplayearly,late

Offense

lethargic, butLSU handles La.Tech

USF

25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

THREEAND OUT: GUERRy SMITHGIVES HISTAKEAWAyS FROM TULANE’STIGHT VICTORyOVERS.ALABAMA

WHAT WE LEARNED

1

TRENDINGNOW

2

3 FINALTHOUGHTS

TULANE

Backup QB Sullivan rewards Sumrall’s faithinhim

LSU23, LOUISIANATECH7

LSUloses keyO-lineman early

Underwhelmingwin notbestlookfor LSU

LSU23, LOUISIANATECH7

THREEAND OUT: SCOTTRABALAIS’

1

2

‘PRETTYDARNGOOD’

LSU

THE VARSITYZONE

PREP NOTEBOOK

John Curtis,Jesuitgothe distance in impressive wins

PREP REPORT

St.Augustine cruisespast McDonogh 35

WEEK 2SCHEDULE

HOWRANKEDTEAMS FARED

Sabalenkadefeats Anisimovafor 2nd consecutivetitle

SAINTS GAMEDAY

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

‘Special’reunion

Staley,Cardinals

WALKER

2024 OFFENSIVE LEADERS

MATTHEWPARAS

TOP TOPICS FOR WEEK 1

GAME OF THE WEEK

Ravens take on Bills to start season

STANDINGS, SCORES & SCHEDULE

Browns ink final unsigned draft pick

OUTDOORS

Silver lining forduckhunters

LIVING