The Acadiana Advocate 09-10-2025 by The Advocate

More than 30 schools

closing achievement gaps.

designation since

Blue Ribbon program comes to abrupt end

Trump discontinues long-running national award, which recognized 7 La. schools last year

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

For the past four decades, a few Louisiana schools each year have been identiﬁed as some of the best in the country

— until now President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly ended the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, a longrunning annual award for outstanding public and private schools, according to a recent notice sent to state education leaders. Last year, seven Louisiana schools were awarded, an honor bestowed on just a few hundred of the nation’s more than 100,000 schools each

year. This year’s winning schools were set to be announced this month. But in an Aug. 29 letter to state education chiefs, a U.S. Department of Education ofﬁcial said the agency “hereby discontinues the national program.” Citing Trump’s effort to dismantle the federal education agency, the official encouraged states to “creatively fashion” their own awards programs.

“In the spirit of Returning Education to the States, USED is ending its role in the program,” the letter said, which

Alabama Daily News ﬁrst reported.

Louisiana Department of Education spokesperson Ted Beasley said state

officials are discussing other ways to recognize this year’s nominated schools, which have not yet been announced. He added that the state agency also gives annual awards to exceptional students, teachers, principals and school employees, as well as to schools that demonstrate a commitment to the state’s education goals, such as improving preschool or math instruction.

“We feel that through programs such as our Louisiana Models of Excellence, we can continue to celebrate and spotlight schools for academic excellence,” Beasley said in a statement.

ä See BLUE, page 7A

Gulf temperatures reach record highs

Milestone comes at peak of 2025 hurricane season

BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer

It’s been a quiet few weeks in the tropics, but ahead of Sept. 10 — the statistical peak of hurricane season weather experts are warning that record-high temperatures in the Gulf will require continued vigilance from Louisiana residents in the com-

ing months. Though the Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 peak season is considered to be between mid-August and mid-October, a time when the Gulf of Mexico reaches its warmest temperatures and the winds that break up cyclones are at their lowest. The Gulf’s ocean heat content, a measure of surface temperatures combined with the temperatures of deeper waters, is at an all-time high, according to Brian McNoldy, a climate researcher at the University of Miami. Though hot waters alone don’t

create hurricanes, they are a main source of fuel for rapidly intensifying hurricanes, allowing them to strengthen and become more resilient against factors that break up storms, like wind shear

The ocean’s heat content in the Gulf has surged in the past two to three weeks after remaining fairly average for much of this hurricane season, according to McNoldy Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf are hovering around 87 degrees Fahrenheit, according to National Oceanic and At-

mospheric Administration data, about two degrees higher than average for this time of year Near the Louisiana coast they are around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Coastal Data Information Program. Farther south near Florida, it is 2 degrees warmer

The reason for the sharp increase in temperatures isn’t clear-cut, but a lack of storms and cloudiness has likely allowed the undisturbed waters to get hotter and hotter, McNoldy said.

ä See GULF, page 7A

FBI agent details wiretaps of Haynes

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Federal investigator takes stand in bribery trial Haynes

The FBI’s investigation into a series of bribery and kickback schemes in Lafayette and Louisiana, dubbed “Operation Cajun Hustle,” started with a tip that a Crowley businessman on contract with the Lafayette District Attorney’s Ofﬁce was shaking down defendants in the pretrial diversion program to make their charges disappear FBI supervising agent Douglas Herman, who led the investigation, spent three hours on the witness stand Tuesday in the federal trial of Gary Haynes, 67, an assistant district attorney hired by 15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry to run the pretrial diversion program. A federal grand jury in 2024 indicted Haynes on multiple charges associated with the scheme in which he and Dusty Guidry, of Youngsville, a contract employee with the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce, allegedly steered offenders to the pretrial diversion program and certain businesses that offered classes that were paid for by the defendants. The business owners allegedly agreed to split the money with Haynes and Guidry

ä See FBI, page 7A

Attorney general contends resolution was illegal

BY ADAM DUVERNAY Staff writer

or “with living voice,” meaning they must say “yea,” “nay” or otherwise speak their votes.

ä See VOTE, page 7A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

in the Acadiana region have received Blue Ribbon

the award’s inception, according to archival data retrieved from the National Blue Ribbon website. The first award given in the area was to Lafayette Elementary in 1984. Most recently, Delcambre Elementary was awarded the honor in 2024 for making significant strides in

Murrill

Group says drone hit Gaza aid boat in Tunisia

TUNIS, Tunisia An international activist group seeking to deliver aid to Gaza on a ﬂotilla said Tuesday one of its main boats was hit by a drone while docked in Tunisia. Tunisian authorities denied the claim, saying they were investigating a life jacket that caught on ﬁre.

All onboard were unharmed.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement overnight one of its vessels, called the “Family,” traveling under a Portuguese flag, “was struck by a drone.”

The Family was carrying the most famous members of the ﬂotilla, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau. It remained unclear if they were on board during the reported attack.

Footage posted on the group’s social media showed a ﬂash of light landing on one of the boats and setting off a ﬁre. The group said the incident would not derail its mission to deliver aid to Gaza.

The ﬂotilla, scheduled to leave Tunisia on Wednesday, is part of a broad movement to deliver aid to Gaza by boat. Portuguese activist Miguel Duarte, who was aboard the vessel, said at a news conference in the capital, Tunis, on Tuesday that he clearly saw a drone just a few yards above his head moments before an explosion.

The Tunisian Interior Ministry said in a statement that reports about a drone attack were unfounded, and that specialized security units are investigating the ﬁre.

The ﬂotilla — which activists call “Steadfastness” in Arabic set sail from Barcelona last week hoping to transport food, water and medicine to Gaza in deﬁance of Israel’s blockade on the enclave’s maritime border

At least 60 killed in rebel attack in Congo

GOMA, Congo Rebels in eastern Congo afﬁliated with the Islamic State group killed at least 60 people in an attack overnight, an ofﬁcial said Tuesday

The attack was carried by the Allied Democratic Force in Ntoyo, North Kivu, after residents gathered at a burial.

“There were about 10 of them. I saw machetes. They told people to gather in one place and started cutting them. I listened to people screaming and I fainted,” a survivor who was present at the burial told The Associated Press. She requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal

The attack caused about 60 deaths, said Col. Alain Kiwewa, a local administrator of the Lubero territory, where Ntoyo is located He added that the ﬁnal toll is not yet known “because the territory has just deployed services to the area to count the number of beheaded people.

Alex Jones asks high court to hear appeal

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal of the $1.4 billion judgment a Connecticut jury and judge issued against him for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax staged by crisis actors.

The Infowars host is arguing that the judge was wrong to find him liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without holding a trial on the merits of allegations lodged by relatives of victims of the shooting, which killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut.

Judge Barbara Bellis, frustrated at what she called Jones’ repeated failure to abide by court rulings and to turn over certain evidence to the Sandy Hook families, issued a rare default ruling against Jones and his company in late 2021 as a penalty That meant that she found him liable without a trial on the facts and convened a jury to only determine what damages he owed.

A six-person jury in Waterbury issued a $964 million verdict in October 2022 in favor of the plaintiffs — an FBI agent who responded to the shooting and relatives of eight children and adults who were killed Bellis later tacked on another $473 million in punitive damages against Jones and Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company that is based in Austin, Texas.

Israeli strike in Qatar targets Hamas

Attack on group’s leaders comes they weigh Gaza ceasefire deal

BY JOSEF FEDERMAN and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar on Tuesday as the group’s top ﬁgures gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceaseﬁre in the Gaza Strip. The strike on the territory of a U.S. ally marked a stunning escalation and risked upending talks aimed at winding down the war and freeing hostages.

The attack angered Qatar, an energy-rich Gulf nation hosting thousands of American troops that has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas throughout the 23-month-old war and even before. It condemned what it referred to as a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms” as smoke rose over its capital, Doha Other key U.S. allies in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, promised their support to Qatar.

Hamas said in a statement its top leaders survived the strike but that five lowerlevel members were killed, including the son of Khalil al-Hayya Hamas’ leader for Gaza and its top negotiator — three bodyguards, and the head of al-Hayya’s office. Hamas, which has sometimes only conﬁrmed

the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof that al-Hayya and other senior ﬁgures had survived.

The United States said Israel alerted it before the strike. But American ofﬁcials sought to distance the U.S from the attack. The White House said President Donald Trump believes the strike was an “unfortunate incident” that didn’t advance peace in the region.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “made his thoughts and concerns very clear.”

She also told reporters that Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff passed along a warning to the Qataris.

But Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari derided the warning, saying in a post on X

that it came just as “the explosions from the Israeli strikes were being heard.”

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, lashed out at Netanyahu for “dragging the region to a place where it unfortunately cannot be repaired.”

Asked at a news conference if cease-fire talks would continue, Sheikh Mohammed said that after the strike, “I don’t think there’s anything valid” in the current talks But he stopped short of saying Qatar would end its mediation efforts, saying “we will do whatever we can to stop this war.”

A member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force was also killed by the Israeli strike and others were wounded, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said. Hamas has survived numerous assassinations of

top leaders and still shows cohesion in Gaza, despite having suffered major blows in Israel’s campaign, triggered by the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

As the strike in Qatar threatens to derail ceaseﬁre talks, Israel is gearing up for a major offensive aimed at taking over Gaza City That escalation has been met with heavy international condemnation and opposition within Israel from those who fear it will doom the remaining hostages.

Surveillance footage aired by Al Jazeera showed the strike happened in Doha’s diplomatic quarter at a series of buildings that housed Hamas’ political wing. An Egyptian ofﬁcial said the strike came when a meeting by Hamas ofﬁcials over the talks had been scheduled for the site. The

ofﬁcial spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.

Israel has long threatened to strike Hamas leaders wherever they are. While it has often welcomed Qatar’s role as a mediator, alongside Egypt, it has also accused the Gulf nation of not putting enough pressure on the group. In contrast to previous Israeli operations against senior militants abroad, Netanyahu was quick to publicly claim the strike, saying: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it and Israel takes full responsibility.” He said the decision was made Monday after a shooting attack in Jerusalem that killed six people and an attack on Israeli forces in Gaza that killed four soldiers. The Israeli military said it used “precise munitions and additional intelligence” in the strike, without elaborating. It was not immediately clear how it carried out the attack.

Hamas said the attack showed that Netanyahu and his government “do not want to reach any agreement and are deliberately seeking to thwart all opportunities.” It said it also held the United States responsible for the strike.

Egypt, another key mediator with Hamas, also condemned the attack, saying it targeted Palestinian leaders who had met “to discuss ways to reach a ceasefire agreement.” It said the strike was a “direct assault” on Qatar’s sovereignty

Protests in Nepal grow increasingly violent

BY BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press

KATHMANDU, Nepal Protests against Nepal’s shortlived ban on social media grew increasingly violent Tuesday as demonstrators set government buildings and politicians’ homes on fire and attacked some leaders. The prime minister resigned amid widening criticism of the country’s political elite.

The resignation appeared to have little effect on the unrest. Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets late in the day, blocking roads and storming government facilities. Army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.

A day earlier, demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the capital, and police opened ﬁre on the crowds, killing 19 people

The ban was lifted Tuesday, but the protests continued, fueled by rage over the deaths and accusations

Protesters celebrate standing at the top of the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal’s government’s various ministries and offices, after it was set on fire Tuesday during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal.

of political corruption in the nation wedged between China and India.

As the protests escalated, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli announced he was stepping down. The president accepted the resignation and appointed Oli to lead a caretaker government until a new one is in place — though it was unclear what power he would wield or even where he was.

President Ram Chandra

Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, appealed to the protesters to engage in discussions to ﬁnd a peaceful resolution and stop further escalation.

In a video message, Nepalese army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel urged protesters to stop the demonstrations to prevent further loss of lives and property and to come forward for dialogue.

In a written statement that followed, the army

Macron appoints defense minister as France’s latest prime minister

BY SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

PARIS French President Macron late Tuesday appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister and tasked him with immediately trying to get the country’s fractious political parties to agree on a budget for one of the world’s biggest economies.

now France’s fourth prime minister in barely a year

Lecornu, 39, was the youngest defense minister in French history and architect of a major military buildup through 2030, spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine. A longtime Macron loyalist, Lecornu is

A former conservative who joined Macron’s centrist movement in 2017, Lecornu has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during Macron’s yellow vest “great debate,” when he helped manage mass anger with dialogue. He also offered talks on autonomy during unrest in Guadeloupe in 2021. His rise reflects Macron’s instinct to reward loyalty, but also the need for continuity as repeated budget showdowns have toppled his predecessors and left France in drift Macron’s quick decision

to name Lecornu comes ahead of a day of mass disruption planned Wednesday by a protest movement called “Block Everything” that prompted the government to deploy an exceptional 80,000 police to keep order Legislators toppled Lecornu’s predecessor Francois Bayrou and his government in a confidence vote on Monday, a new crisis for Europe’s secondlargest economy Bayrou gambled that lawmakers would back his view that France must slash public spending to rein in its huge debts. Instead, they seized on the vote to gang up against the 74-year-old centrist who was appointed by Macron last December

warned that the country’s security forces were committed to preserving law and order It was not clear if the army, which so far has stayed in its barracks, would be mobilized to help after police failed to control the situation.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged restraint to avoid further violence and called for both an investigation into the events and dialogue to forge “a constructive path forward,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane

Dujarric said. “He underscored that protests must take place in a peaceful manner respecting life and property,” and called on Nepalese authorities to comply with international human rights, the spokesperson said. The demonstrations — called the protest of Gen Z — began after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

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Smoke rises Tuesday after an Israeli strike on the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Doha, Qatar

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NIRANJAN SHRESTHA

Lecornu

SupremeCourt to consider Trump’stariffpower

Case to be heard in November

BY LINDSAYWHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court granted an unusually quick hearing on President Donald Trump’ssweeping tariffs on Tuesday,putting apolicy at thecenterofhis economic agenda squarely before the nation’shighest court.

The justices willhear the case in November,alightning-fast timetable by the Supreme Court’stypical standards,and rule at some point after that. The tariffs will stay in place in the meantime.

The court agreed to take up an appeal from the Trump administration after lower courts found most of his tariffs illegal.

The small businesses and statesthat challengedthem

also agreed to theaccelerated timetable. They say Trump’s import taxes on goods from almost every country in the world have nearly driventheir businesses to bankruptcy. “Congress, not the President alone, has the power to impose tariffs,” said attorneyJeffrey Schwab, of the Liberty Justice Center

Twolower courts have agreed that Trump didn’t have the power to impose all the tariffs under an emergency powerslaw,though adivided appeals court left them in place.

TheTrumpadministration asked the justices tointervene quickly,arguing the law gives him the powerto regulate imports and strikingdownthe tariffswould put the country on“thebrink of economic catastrophe.”

The casewill come before acourtthat hasbeen reluctant to check Trump’s extraordinary ﬂex of execu-

Trump’spower to impose sweeping tariffs.

tivepower.One big question is whether the justices’ own expansive viewofpresidential authority allows for Trump’stariffs withoutthe explicit approval of Congress, which the Constitutionendows with thepower

Missouri GOPadvancesplan to redraw U.S. Housedistricts

BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY,Mo. Missouri’sRepublican-led House turned aside Democratic objections Tuesday and passed aplan backed by President Donald Trump to redraw the state’scongressional districts so that Republicans couldwin an additional seat in the closely divided chamber The rare mid-decade redistricting plan, which now heads to the state Senate, is aimed at bolstering Republicans’ nationalprospects in next year’sU.S. House elections, where Democrats need to gain just three seats to take control. By reshaping aDemocratic-held Kansas City district,Republicans could win seven of Missouri’s eight congressional seats. Missouri’seffort comesafter asimilar move by Republican-led Texas and acounteroffensive in Democraticled California,which still needs voter approval. Other states,including Republicanled Indiana and Florida and

Democratic-ledMaryland and NewYork, could follow with their own revisions in what’semerging as anational redistricting battle.

U.S. House districts were redrawn across the country after the 2020 census to accountfor population changes. Thecurrent redistricting push is being done for partisan advantage, aprocess knownasgerrymandering.

“This is cheating,” said state Rep. YolondaFountain Henderson, one of many Democrats whodenounced the measure.“It’s like when President Trump says, we jump.”

Trump wantstoretain a congressional majority to advancehis agenda.But historically,the party opposing the president has gainedseats in the midtermelections, as Democrats didduring Trump’sﬁrst term and then proceededtoimpeachhim.

Missourilawmakers are meetingina two-prong special sessioncalled byRepublicanGov.Mike Kehoe.

TheHouse on Tuesday also passed ameasurethat —if

approvedbythe Senate and statewide voters —would make it harder to pass citizen-led initiatives amending the state constitutionbyrequiring amajority vote from each congressional district instead of asimple statewide majority.That comes after Missouri’sinitiative process hasbeen usedin recent years to win voter approval of amendments on abortion rights, marijuana legalization and Medicaid expansion.

In astatement after the House votes,Kehoe thanked Republicansfor “ensuring that the values of Missourians arerepresented clearly and effectively.”

Republicans already hold sixofMissouri’s eight U.S. House seats,with Democrats representing districts in Kansas Cityand St.Louis TheGOP plan targets a Kansas Citydistrict held by Democratic U.S. Emanuel Cleaver by stretching it eastward intoRepublican-heavy ruralareas and reducing the numberofBlack andminority voters in thedistrict

to levy tariffs.Three of the justices on theconservativemajority court were nominated by Trump in his ﬁrst term.

While thetariffs and their erraticrollout have raised fears of higher prices and

slower economic growth, Trump has also used them to pressure othercountries into accepting new trade deals. Revenuefromtariffs totaled$159 billionbylate August,morethan double what it was at the same point

ayear earlier Solicitor GeneralD.John Sauer has argued that the lower court rulings are already affecting those trade negotiations. If the tariffs are struck down, the U.S. Treasury might take ahit by having to refund some of the import taxes it’scollected, Trump administration officials have said. Aruling against them could even the nation’sability to reduce the ﬂow of fentanyl and efforts to end Russia’swar against Ukraine, Sauer argued. The administration did win over four appeals court judgeswho found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act lets the president regulate importation during emergencies without explicit limitations. In recentdecades, Congress has ceded some tariff authority to the president and Trump has made the most of the power vacuum

Israeli-Russiangradstudent kidnappedinIraqreleased

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON APrinceton

University graduate student who was kidnapped in Iraq in 2023 while doingresearch there has been freed and turned over to U.S. authorities, her family and President DonaldTrump said Tuesday Elizabeth Tsurkov,who holds Israeliand Russian citizenship, spent more than 900 days in custody after disappearinginBaghdad, the Iraqicapital, as shewas pursuing adoctorate focusedon sectarianism in theregion. She was turnedover to the American Embassy in Baghdad after having been “tortured for manymonths,”

Trumpsaid in asocialmedia post in which he identiﬁed her captors as from Kata’ib Hezbollah, aShiite Muslim militantgroup. The group has not claimed the kidnapping.

“My entire family is incredibly happy.Wecannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waitingtoshare for 903 days,” said astatement from her sister,Emma, who livesinCalifornia and has campaigned for herrelease. She thanked among others AdamBoehler, the U.S. government’sspecial presidential envoy for hostage affairs. TwoIraqi militia ofﬁcials whospoke on condition of anonymitybecause they were notauthorized to speak publicly about the case said Tsurkov’srelease came about as aresult of negotiations andnot through amilitary operationtofreeher The ofﬁcials said that one of the conditions for herrelease had been the withdrawal of U.S. forces currently stationed in Iraq —which had been agreed upon between Washington and Baghdad last year —and that the U.S.and Israel would not launchstrikesonIraq Iraqi PrimeMinister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in apost on Xthat Tsurkov’s releasewas the“culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services over the course of many months.”

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON— Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily keptinplace the Trump administration’s decision to freeze nearly $5 billion in foreign aid. Roberts acted on the administration’semergency appeal to the Supreme Court in acase involving billions of dollars in congressionally approved aid. President Donald Trump

said last month that he would not spend the money, invoking disputed authority that was last used by a president roughly 50 years ago.

Thehigh court order is temporary,though it suggests that the justices will reverse alower court ruling that withholding the funding was likely illegal. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled last week that Congresswould have to approve thedecisiontowithholdthe

funding.

The Supreme Court case will continue unfolding, and Roberts asked the plaintiffs to respond to theTrump administration’sappeal on Friday

TrumptoldHouse Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, in aletter on Aug. 28 that he would not spend$4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without goingthrough the legislative branch.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

The Supreme CourtinNovember will hear theappealinthe case of President Donald

Israeli forces urge full evacuation of Gaza City

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israel’s military told Gaza City residents on Tuesday to evacuate ahead of its planned offensive to take control of what it portrays as Hamas’ last remaining stronghold and where hundreds of thousands of people remain struggling under conditions of famine.

The warning came hours before Israel launched a strike targeting Hamas’ leaders in Qatar, intensifying its campaign against the militant group and endangering negotiations over ending the war in Gaza.

The alerts directed at Gaza City were the ﬁrst calling for a full evacuation. Until now, the military has only told speciﬁc sections of the northern city to evacuate ahead of operations or strikes Associated Press reporters saw lines of cars and trucks leaving Tuesday, more than previous days. Children and adults sat atop mounds of blankets, pillows, chairs, and clothing piled high on trucks and wagons. In the wake of escalating hostilities and calls to evacuate Gaza City, the number of people leaving nearly doubled the daily average

in recent weeks, a coalition of humanitarian groups monitoring the situation said Tuesday.

But many families remain stuck because of the cost of finding transportation and housing, said Site Management Cluster, which uses eyewitness accounts, social media and information from on the ground to track displacements

“We were displaced two days ago, and here we are, my wife and I, unfortunately, sleeping in the street,” said Hazem Abu Reyash.

Brazil’s high court nears verdict in Bolsonaro coup trial

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE and ELÉONORE HUGHES Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro came one step closer to knowing his fate as a panel of the country’s Supreme Court started voting on Tuesday on whether the ex-leader plotted to overthrow democracy and hang onto power illegally after his 2022 electoral defeat.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case and considered by Bolsonaro supporters a foe, said the far-right politician who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022 was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organization, and voted in favor of convicting him.

“We can’t forget that little by little Brazil almost returned to a dictatorship that lasted 20 years,” de Moraes said, in a reference to the country’s military rule between 1964-85 “That was because of a criminal organization built by a political group that doesn’t know how to lose elections.”

As de Moraes spoke, two other justices, Flávio Dino and Cármen Lúcia, nodded. But Justice Luiz Fux told him he is going to disagree with parts of his ruling.

De Moraes spoke for about ﬁve hours, listing a series of “executory acts” that he said made up the attempted coup, including casting unfounded doubts on the country’s electoral voting system, drafting a decree to suspend the result of the election which Bolsonaro lost, and the Jan. 8 riots which de Moraes said aimed at forcing a military takeover De Moraes refuted Bolsonaro’s claim that when he discussed “possibilities” of staying in power, he did so within the limits of the law

“Call it whatever you want: this was a draft decree for a coup d’état,” de Moraes said. “A series of executive acts were carried out aimed at breaking the democratic rule of law and perpetuating power through a coup d’état.”

Each of the ﬁve justices is to vote on Bolsonaro’s guilt or innocence, with a majority of three votes enough to convict.

After a break following de Moraes’ vote, Justice Flávio Dino began his own, which he is expected to conclude by the end of the day.

If Justice Dino votes to convict Bolsonaro as expected, the former leader would need only one more vote to be sent to prison. His sentence could be up to 43 years.

“There’s no shelter no tent, nothing, no water, no food.”

An estimated 1 million Palestinians — around half of Gaza’s overall population — live in the area of north Gaza around Gaza City, according to the Israeli military and the United Nations. Many are exhausted from moving multiple times and unsure if traveling south will be safer

“There’s no place for us. This is the second time we’ve been displaced, paying 800 shekels ($240) for a vehicle and ﬁnding nothing,” said Mohammad Ashraf. “We

don’t know if God will make things easier for us. God willing, they’ll hit us with nuclear weapons and we’ll ﬁnd relief.”

Israel said it has demolished 50 high-rise buildings in Gaza in the past two days. Israeli leaders accused Hamas of using the buildings for military infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said demolishing the high-rises was “only the beginning of the main intensive operation — the ground incursion of our forces.”

First responders rescued two survivors and pulled two bodies from one building on Tuesday, according to the civil defense, part of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry It said others were trapped under the rubble.

The United Nations agency that oversees Palestinian refugees said Tuesday said the attacks on residential towers had left many families on the streets without shelter or basic necessities.

Israel is urging Palestinians to move to a designated humanitarian zone in the territory’s south Military spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee warned last week that the full evacuation of Gaza City was “inevitable,” saying families who leave would receive humanitarian assistance. But aid groups warned there was little infrastructure to support them.

Dozens of Palestinians in Gaza City, including doctors and medical staff, gathered Tuesday to protest the Israeli warnings.

BY FATMA KHALED and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN Associated Press

CAIRO Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement Tuesday in Cairo to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The announcement followed a meeting among Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi.

No further details were provided about the agreement, but Grossi said at a joint news conference after the signing that it was technical in nature and highlighted the “indispensable” inspection work that needs to resume in Iran under the treaty of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Grossi said.

The Egyptian foreign ministry, meanwhile, said the agreement followed “intensive” diplomatic efforts by that country And Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah elSissi noted Tuesday that the IAEA plays a major role in supporting nuclear nonproliferation provisions, while emphasizing the right of the Non-Proliferation Treaty

State Parties to the peaceful uses of atomic energy

On July 2, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law adopted by his country’s parliament suspending all cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog That followed Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, during which Israel and the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites.

The only site inspected by the IAEA since the war has been the Bushehr Nuclear

Power Plant, which operates with Russian technical assistance. Inspectors watched a fuel replacement procedure at the plant over two days starting Aug. 27. Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, told reporters the agreement addresses his country’s concerns and security challenges and lays out technical requirements for cooperation with the IAEA.

But he warned that in the event of “any hostile act”

In Jerusalem, families of hostages and former captives in Gaza pleaded with Israel to halt the Gaza City offensive.

“I was held captive by Hamas for 498 days and was released in a deal in February,” Iair Horn, whose brother, Eitan, is still in captivity, told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “If I was released through a deal, then apparently that’s the right way to free the rest of the hostages who remain.”

The U.N. humanitarian agency said many displacement sites are overcrowded and that it can cost more than $1,000 in transportation and other costs to move to southern Gaza. An initiative headed by the U.N. to bring temporary shelters into Gaza said more than 86,000 tents and other supplies were still

“We will never leave our land health care workers won’t leave,” said Dr Muneer al-Boursh, the general director of Gaza’s Health Ministry Dr Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, said that the facility remained open despite the unease and he didn’t notice displacement around the hospital. “But the atmosphere is tense and there is great psychological pressure on the staff and patients,” he told the AP after the evacuation warning.

against Iran, including the reimposition of U.N. sanctions, Tehran would regard the agreement with the IAEA as terminated. The meeting came at a sensitive time as France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Aug. 28 began the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran over what they have deemed noncompliance with a 2015 agreement aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

orders from Gaza City.

Chicagoans change routines as crackdownlooms

Some carry passportsand avoidstores

BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO, JOHN O’CONNOR and SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press

CHICAGO

The streets in some of Chicago’sliveliest neighborhoods are quiet thesedays. Public schoolteachers want online learning for families scared to venture out. And houses of worship are urgingpeople to carry identiﬁcationeverywhere they go. As the nation’sthirdlargest city awaits amuchhyped federalintervention, residents aremakingchanges in their daily routines.

President Donald Trump has promisedChicago will see a surge in deportations and National Guard troops as he targets Democratic strongholds. While the feeling of being vulnerable isn’tnew, especially among immigrants, many say this time the fear is deeper and the preparations more drastic.

Even Sam Sanchez, aChicago restaurant owner who voted for Trump, criticized the Republican’splans for the city.Asanaturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico, he is also taking precautions.

“They’re proﬁling,” he said of federal agents. “My wife and Iwent to awedding and Itold my wife, ‘Bring your citizenshippapers.’ ” There is anoticeable drop in street food vendors in Chi-

cago’sLittleVillageneighborhood, and businesses report less foot trafﬁc.The largely Mexican enclave features atwo-mile stretch of businesses and restaurantsthat is often noted as one of Chicago’shighestgrossing shopping districts after Michigan Avenue.

“The streetsthatwere busy are dying down,”said Galila Mendez, 25,who visits from the suburbs

The neighborhood has been subject to immigration enforcementbefore.

Residents are quick to recall a2007 daytime raid that locked down apopular shopping mall and increased enforcement in 2019 during Trump’sﬁrst term. Another waveoftrepidation came in January when theTrump administration launched a nationwide operation from Chicago.

But things feel moreintense now

Xochitl Martinez, whohas sold clothesinthe area for about20years,saidthat since Trump’ssecondterm, thestreets are “dead.”

“If Trump wantstobeintelligent, he hastosupport Latinos so we can work, so stores can open,somore sales can happen, so we can prospermore and lift up our families and liftupthe country,” Martinez said. Celebrationsfor Mexican Independence Day, which Chicago commemoratesfor weeks with car caravans, parades and festivals, have been muted. Onefestival wascanceledwhile others added security

Immigration attorneys say their clients are afraid to attendappointments,includingatcourt.Churcheswith large immigrantpopulations are starting to notice an attendance dip.

Fabio Fernandez, owner of 3W-WeWill Win, an artand T-shirtcompany in the predominantly LatinoPilsen neighborhood, said amood of anxiety and uncertainty permeates. He hasseen fewer customers.

“Weshouldn’tfear or feel like we can’twalk the same streetsthat we usually roam,”hesaid.

Fueling Chicagoans’ fear is the lack of information about what the Trump administration plans to do.

Calls to an activists’ emergencyhotline to report immigration arrestshave jumped in recent days, including details that couldn’tbeconﬁrmed or were mistaken.

“The deportation machine has always existed for decades,” said Antonio Gutierrez with Organized Communities Against Deportations. “This feels unprecedented.” Ahandful of weekend immigration arrests launched thecity’svocalimmigrant rightsgroups intoaction. Activists said five people in apredominantly Latino area, including alongtime flower vendor,were targeted by armed and masked federal agents.

Federal ofﬁcials saidthe arrests werepart of ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and resulted in the detention of four people with previous criminal arrests.The arrestscame aday before the Department of HomelandSecurity announced a new operation in Chicago because of its so-called sanctuary laws,which limit coop-

eration between local police and federal agents.

It wasunclear what role theoperation wouldplayin the broader threats of federal intervention, but activists andelected ofﬁcials said it felt like things were ramping up.

“They’re gathering steam,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday

Pritzker and Chicago

Mayor Brandon Johnson object to any federal surge and have promised to sue.

Attorneys and activists have encouraged immigrants to carry documents and share their whereabouts formonths. The message has spread recently to U.S. citizens and in Black and LGBTQ enclaves.

Vianney Alarcon, 42, says she has started carrying her passport when she leaves her North Side home. Her parents keep their green

cards with them

“It’sjust disheartening,” she said. Roughly 20% of Chicago’s 2.7 million people are foreign born. Most come from Mexico, China and India, according to Census estimates. Racially,white, Blackand Latino residentseach comprise roughly one-third of the city,with asmaller number of Asian residents. Agroup of pastors, imams andrabbis urged allresidents this weektocarry identiﬁcation, ﬁlm encounters and protest. The guidance comes afterthe U.S. Supreme Court lifteda restraining orderbarring immigration authorities in Los Angeles from stopping people solely basedonthings including race.

“Wewill ﬁght for this city,” saidthe Rev.Otis Moss III of TrinityUnited Church of Christ,the inﬂuential Black churchonce attended by former President Barack Obama.

Despite the widespread unpopularityofremote learning, the ChicagoTeachers Union wants schools to offeritfor studentswho fear being targetedbyimmigration agents.

Union President Stacy Davis Gates said Chicago should follow LosAngeles’ lead; the city’sschools offered offering online options amid an immigration crackdownearlier this year

“Because theyhad the infrastructure for online learning they were able to direct young people to those spaces,” she said.

RFKJr.’s latest MAHA report callsfor scrutiny of vaccines,autism

BY AMANDASEITZ Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administrationdirectedthe nation’spublic health and environmental agencies to prioritize investigations into vaccine injuries, prescription drug use and autism’s causesinits latest “Make America Healthy Again” report released Tuesday The 20-page report, overseen by Health and Human ServicesSecretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., echoes many of the talking points Kennedy and those in his wide-ranging and politically diverse “MAHA” movement have united around. The document promises to putanend to childhood diseases andto make children healthier,but does not lay out regulatory changes to ensure an overhaul of Americans’ health. Among the report’srecommendations is acall for more rigorous government investigations into vaccine injuries, amovethat could stir more uproaraslawmakers raise alarm over how the health secretary’santi-vaccine policies have thrown the nation’s publichealthagency into weeks of tumult. Kennedy promised to “re-

cast the entire program” for investigating vaccine injuries as he joinedadministration officials to unveil the MAHAreport. Currently, the Centersfor DiseaseControl andPreventioninvestigates injuriesthatare reportedby individuals or providers.

outcomes for children, Dr Susan J. Kressly,the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, saidina statement.

“It lacks details on how the Administration plans to addressthoseissues and omits keydrivers that harm children’shealth, including gun

violence and environmental hazards,” Kressly said of the report. “Wealso cannotignore thefact thatthis report is being published in

the context of otherrecent harmful actions by the Administration andCongress that undermine many of the report’srecommendations.”

“They will be welcomed andwewill learn everything we can about them so we can improve the safety ofthese products,” Kennedy said of peoplewho report vaccine injuries. He added that doctors are notcurrently compensated forﬁlling complaints for vaccine injuries.

Abipartisangroup of senatorshave raised alarm over Kennedy’sactions at theCDC, which was thrown into chaos last month when Kennedy abruptly ﬁredhis handpickeddirector and other top leaders walked out on the job, citing disagreements over immunization recommendations.Lastweek, senators grilled Kennedy over hisanti-vaccine agenda and leadership of thepublic health agencies

The Trump administration’s cutstofederal health programs, includingMedicaid, as well as Kennedy’santi-vaccine rhetoric couldultimately lead to worsehealth

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Justice Department on Tuesday charged aman accused of fatally stabbing aUkrainian refugee on aNorth Carolina commuter train last month with afederal crime that could carrythe death penalty The federal charge comes amid growing questions about whyDecarlos Brown Jr.was on the street despite 14 prior criminal arrests before he was accused of pulling out aknife and killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in an apparently randomattack captured on video. Thecase hasbecomethe latest ﬂashpoint in the debate over whether cities suchas Charlotteare adequatelyaddressing violent crime, mental illness and transit safety

The Trump administration saysthe killingshows how local leaders, judges andpolicies in Democratic-ledcities arefailing to protecttheir residents from violent crime. “Iryna Zarutskawas a young woman living the American dream —her horriﬁc murder is adirect result of failedsoft-on-crime policiesthat putcriminals before innocent people,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi said in astatement “Wewill seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence —he will never again see the light of day as afree man.” Zarutska had been living in abomb shelter in Ukraine before comingtothe U S. to escape thewar,according to relatives, who described herasdetermined to build a safer life.

Noticeisherebygiven thatsealedbidswillbe receivedeitherelectroni‐cally at https://www.cen tralbidding.com/orin the office of thePurchas‐ing Division at the Lafayette Consolidated GovernmentBuilding, lo‐cated at 705 West Univer‐sityAvenue,Lafayette Louisiana,until 10 AM CentralTimeonthe 9th day of October 2025 for the following: Juvenile DetentionHome Improvements for Lafayette Consolidated Government and will,shortly there‐after,beopenedand readaloud in theCouncil Briefing Room locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette,LA. Bids receivedafter theabove specified time foropen‐ing shallnot be consid‐eredand shallbere‐turnedunopenedtothe sender. Biddersare en‐couragedtocallintothe bid openings at thefol‐

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByCAROLyN KASTER

People hold aChicago flag as theygather Mondaynear DaleyPlaza in Chicago

Kennedy

BLUE

Continued from page 1A

Since the National Blue Ribbon Schools program was established in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded more than 9,000 schools across the country, including about 200 in Louisiana, according to an archived copy of the program’s website, which was recently taken down. Schools were recognized for high academic achievement or for narrowing academic gaps between groups of students. During Trump’s ﬁrst term, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos celebrated each year’s win-

GULF

Continued from page 1A

Another factor in the Gulf is also adding to the risk for an intensifying storm.

The Loop Current super warm water that ﬂows between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula has recently shifted, creating a separate “eddy,” or pool of warm water that breaks off from the current, observed Nan Walker, a professor at LSU’s Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences.

The eddy’s location puts the western and central Gulf more at risk for generating a major storm

“The picture is not good,” Walker said.

One positive, Walker said, is that the hottest waters aren’t currently located right along the Gulf coastline, leaving less fuel for a potential hurricane approaching landfall. And, the more cool fronts the area sees like the one that passed through South Louisiana on Monday, the better

A mostly quiet start

So far, this hurricane season is tracking just behind normal, according to NOAA climate scientist Matthew Rosencrans. The Atlantic basin has seen six named storms, just less than half of the 13 to 18 named storms the NOAA predicted at the beginning of the season

One of those storms, Hurricane Erin, developed into a major hurricane, setting records as one of the most rapidly intensifying storms on record despite not making landfall along the continental U.S

But much of the season has remained quiet, and hurricane cen-

ning schools. The selection process for the 2025 awards began last fall, with states nominating schools that then completed lengthy applications. The U.S. education secretary was scheduled to announce the winners this month, and two representatives from each school were going to attend an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., in November, according to the 2025 application packet

The National Blue Ribbon Schools award “has become a trademark of excellence,” the application said, “a symbol of quality recognized by everyone from parents to policymakers in thousands of communities.”

St. Tammany Parish has had at

ter forecasters are predicting no tropical activity for the next seven days.

That lull in activity could quickly change in the next few weeks, however, as a climate pattern known as the Madden-Julian oscillation shifts from increased activity in the Paciﬁc to increased activity in the Atlantic, Rosencrans said.

La Niña could also return toward the end of the season, according to Rosencranz, and the weather pattern is known to promote the formation and intensification of Atlantic hurricanes. Novembers where La Niña is active typically have four times more tropical activity than a normal year, he said.

Late-season storms possible

Rosencranz emphasized that the second half of the hurricane season regularly has more activity and we typically see 60% of named storms during this time period.

The Gulf, especially, can be very active, McNoldy said.

“Not all years have a peak at the same time,” he said. “This year is certainly going to be a year where we aren’t at the peak.”

Prime time for tropical waves moving off the coast of Africa generally peaks mid-August to mid-October, but by early to midOctober waves in the Gulf and the Caribbean grow more active.

Regardless of the quiet few months the tropics have seen, things could shift quickly at any time.

“Things can turn around, and when they do turn around, we could get into a burst of activity,” McNoldy said.

Email Julia Guilbeau at jguilbeau@theadvocate.com.

least nine public schools earn National Blue Ribbon awards since the program started, including Woodlake Elementary School last year according to an archive of past winners. Last September, Woodlake students whooped and waved blue pompoms to celebrate winning the national award, which recognized the school’s success in boosting the test scores of students learning English and those with disabilities.

Schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia said Monday he is disappointed to see the program suddenly disappear “It’s hard for schools to win awards or be recognized,” he said, adding that while Louisiana gives out its own awards, the national

VOTE

Continued from page 1A

“All votes made by members of a public body shall be viva voce and shall be recorded in the minutes, journal or other ofﬁcial, written proceedings of the body, which shall be a public document,” reads La. R.S. 42:14 (C).

However, governing bodies across Louisiana have long used electronic voting systems to register their votes, allowing lights or screens to both record and display individuals’ decisions. That practice is in keeping with a 1980 Louisiana Attorney General’s Ofﬁce opinion on whether it’s allowed to use electronic machines which display by use of lights.

In Lafayette Parish, a spokesperson for the Lafayette Parish School Board, which has voted almost exclusively by machine in recent years, said the district was aware of the voice-vote directive. The district is working with the School Board attorney on next steps.

The Lafayette Parish Council and Lafayette City Council will not be affected by Murrill’s directive as both already cast via a voice vote, pursuant to home rule charter said council Clerk Joseph Gordon-Wiltz.

“Literally, Viva Voce means vote by voice; however, the underlying concept of Viva Voce is one of publicity Hence, the electronic voting machines meet the underlying concept of Viva Voce. By law no other individual other than the representative can press the switch which is then a public expression of his vote. In our opinion, this method of voting

program “put us on a different stage.”

The Trump administration has taken a contradictory approach to education, using the federal government’s legal and ﬁnancial might to compel schools and colleges to end diversity programs even as the president promises to let states control education.

In the letter to state education leaders last month, U.S. Department of Education spokesperson Madi Biedermann said states are better positioned to identify excellent local schools than “a distant bureaucracy in Washington, D.C.” She added that states could tailor their awards to local goals, such as improving literacy or preparing students for careers.

In Calcasieu Parish, at least four

is in keeping with the letter and spirit of the Open Meetings Law

The legislative intent was to require public expression whether it be by voice or symbolically by use of an electronic machine which displays in lighting how each representative decides to vote,” reads the 1980 opinion from Attorney General William Guste Jr An FAQ on open meeting laws from the Louisiana legislative auditor updated in August also says viva voce stipulations are “satisﬁed through use of electronic machines that display how individuals vote.”

But in her amended complaint against the Caddo Parish Commission, Murrill is arguing only voice votes count.

Murrill wants a judge to declare a July 3 vote by the Caddo Parish Commission to ratify the resolution presented to Sanders null and void because it was not taken with a voice vote. She argues any other votes taken at that meeting without a voice vote also should be nulliﬁed.

“The purported ‘ratification’ was not conducted by voice vote but rather by electronic vote of commissioners using an electronic voting system installed in the commission chambers,” the amended complaint reads.

“By conducting electronic voting rather than viva voce votes, the Commission violated the express provisions of La. R.S. 42:14(C).”

Murrill said she is relying on other opinions.

“Yes, I confirmed that a long line of AG opinions interpret the statute as requiring a voice vote, which is in fact what is stated by the plain language of the stat-

public schools have won National Blue Ribbon awards over the years, including T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School, which picked up its third award last year

“It’s a really big deal for those schools,” said Superintendent Jason VanMetre, calling the award “a national pat on the back for the school and really the whole community.”

Still, he added, schools will continue striving for greatness whether the federal government honors their achievements or not.

“It’s disappointing that the Blue Ribbon program is ending,” he said, “but it won’t be the end of success at those schools.”

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

ute (‘viva voice’),” Murrill said through her press secretary, Lester Duhé, in an email Tuesday A 1999 opinion issued by thenAttorney General Richard P. Ieyoub’s office said a body could not vote by “video telephone” because it did not follow a “living voice” requirement. Charles Foti’s office issued an in opinion in 2007 that said a local mayor could not submit a tie-breaking vote in writing, as it did not follow the voice requirement, and a similar opinion by Buddy Caldwell in 2011 cited the same As attorney general in 2022, Jeff Landry’s office issued two opinions referencing the voice requirement and said the Latin phrase “is defined as ‘by word of mouth; orally.’”

“Thus, under the plain language all votes made by a member of a public body must be made orally or by mouth,” Landry’s assistant attorney general, Lauryn A. Sudduth, wrote in April 2022. It does not appear Murrill has yet raised the voice voting issue in any other cases.

“I’m not aware of any other pending open meetings law cases at this time,” Murrill said through her press secretary in that email. Murrill argued that any votes conducted via voice could be challenged and thrown out. The state’s open meetings law requires any challenge to a vote on open meetings law to be ﬁled within 60 days of the vote, so it’s unlikely that older votes could be challenged.

Email Adam Duvernay at adam.duvernay@theadvocate. com or follow him on Twitter, @bylineDuvernay.

He is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, obstruction of justice and money laundering, all federal felonies.

Herman was the government’s second witness in the case that began Monday Don Landry spent Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning on the witness stand where he claimed he could not recall many details when questioned by the defense attorney and where he alleged all decisions in the pretrial intervention program were made by Haynes.

Herman took the stand at 1 p.m.

He is scheduled to return Wednesday for cross-examination by Haynes’ attorney Operation Cajun Hustle began in July 2021 when the FBI got a tip from an attorney that a local gym

owner and motivational speaker, Joseph Prejean, of Crowley, an ex-convict who had pretrial intervention contracts with Lafayette and elsewhere, wanted $30,000 cash from someone with pending charges in the District Attorney’s Office to make the charges go away, Herman said.

Telephone records, Herman said, indicated someone inside the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce was involved.

A wiretap obtained in August 2021 for Prejean’s phone led to Guidry he said, and a wiretap on Guidry’s phone through Dec. 18, 2021, showed Prejean accepted cash kickbacks that he split with Guidry By December 2021, Lafayette businessman Leonard Franques and his wife, Michelle, who had contracts through the pretrial intervention program to provide classes and behavioral therapy, were implicated The FBI quietly searched their home and Oil Cen-

ter ofﬁce, Midway Media, on Dec. 8, 2021, Herman said.

The Franques immediately agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Leonard Franques pleaded guilty in January 2024 to one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. His wife was not charged.

The wiretap on Guidry’s phone, Herman said, led the FBI to several schemes, which Guidry called “hustles.

“Dusty was the hub” of various schemes, he said, including a kickback scheme involving Franques and former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet, who has been indicted on federal charges.

In an audio clip from Nov. 12, 2021, Herman said, Haynes allegedly agrees to approve a local attorney’s client for the pretrial intervention even though he hadn’t seen the case. In another instance, he said, Haynes approved

a St. Martin Parish woman with two driving under the inﬂuence charges in Lafayette Parish and drug charges in St. Martin Parish for the pretrial diversion program.

Another scheme involved Global Processing Partners, a thirdparty credit card payment processor used by the pretrial diversion program that received a 3.9% fee from every use, which the company split with Guidry and others, Herman said.

The FBI set up a “probable cause” trafﬁc stop in St. Martin Parish in December 2021, Herman said, to catch Guidry with a stash of illegal pills. With Guidry out of the picture, others involved in the schemes were forced he said, to talk to one another.

Among the text messages entered into evidence Tuesday was one allegedly between Guidry’s father and Haynes warning Guidry that his phone and his wife’s phone were bugged.

At least three times, Herman said, Franques used an audio and video recording device provided by the FBI during meetings with Guidry and Haynes. The prosecution introduced photographs of Haynes’ truck parked outside the Franques’ Oil Center business where he allegedly picked up a $10,000 check from Michelle Franques. In another video of the three from Jan 12, 2022, Haynes said he put up a lot of money for F4 LLC, a holding company owned by the Franques and considered the $10,000 a reimbursement. Haynes’ attorney, Todd Clemons, of Lake Charles, alleged on Monday that Haynes invested $219,000 in Franques’ companies and wasn’t paid back.

Guidry and Prejean also accepted plea deals but have not been sentenced.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com.

Boudin fest permanently canceled

Last event was held in 2023

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

After more than 16 years of boudin and bacon in Lafayette’s Parc International, the Boudin Cook-Off and Acadiana Bacon Festival has been “permanently canceled,” according to organizers on the event’s Facebook page.

ticipation.”

Summit tackles absent students

Statewide event gathers nearly 400 education stakeholders

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO

Staff writer

Even as Louisiana rises in national education rankings, one big challenge threatens to hinder the state’s recent progress: the large number of students who regularly miss school. After watching the percentage of chronically absent students rise in the years following the pandemic, education leaders are still searching for solutions. On Monday nearly 400 education stakeholders from around the state gathered in Alexandria for Louisiana’s first-ever “Solutions Summit” to brainstorm better ways to mitigate Louisiana’s

ä See SUMMIT, page 4B

Girl shot at vigil dies from injuries

Police arrest 4 in connection with incident

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

A 6-year-old girl who was shot at a Lafayette vigil has died from her injuries, ofﬁcials said.

The charges against four suspects arrested in connection with the Aug. 24 shooting have been upgraded to second-degree murder, according to a statement from the Lafayette Police Department.

The child was shot about 7:25 p.m. in the 500 block of

ä See VIGIL, page 4B

“While we will miss the fun and camaraderie, we are so grateful for the unforgettable memories we’ve created and thank everyone for their years of support and par-

The statement, published on Monday, said, “After 16 amazing years of bringing the community together for the Boudin Cookoff, we regret to announce that the event will be permanently canceled

A date had not been set for this year The last Boudin Cook-Off and Bacon Festival was held in 2023, with the organizers stating last year that they were postponing for one year For 16 years, the cook-off took place on the third or fourth Saturday of October, around the Parc International stage grounds where boudin chefs and pork aﬁcionados sampled each other’s wares and voted for their favorites.

The cook-off and festival was an opportunity to celebrate boudin in a way that highlighted the people behind the links. In addition to extensive sampling of boudin and other specialty meat items from across the region, the event also hosted a boudin-eating contest.

In 2023, Lazy Caveman Boudin won the People’s Choice Awards, with Bayou Boys Poboys coming first in the bacon category. The Bayou Boys also won the “specialty/unlinked” boudin category, and

Insane Sausages was the winner in the traditional boudin category University of Louisiana at Lafayette history professor Robert Carriker who is from Washington, started the cook-off in 2007 so people could sample all the best boudin in one place. He also ran the now-defunct review site boudinlink.com, and imbued the cook-off with a sense of fun and whimsy by encouraging people to bring their pigs to the event.

cooked,

and

SUSHI SELECTION

Fishbox offers wide variety of cooked, raw and vegan options

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Fishbox Sushi is now open in Lafayette, offering a wide selection of cooked, raw and vegan sushi, along with tofu pockets and other bitesized appetizers.

Owner Timmy Nguyen and Tory Tanh said the restaurant’s motto — fresh, fast and simple — reﬂects its unique self-serve concept. Customers grab a box, choose from a selection of more than 10 specialty rolls and appetizers, weigh it at the register, then grab a seat to eat.

“You make your own price by picking how much you want. It’s basically a fast-food spot for sushi. This is a new concept to Lafayette,” Nguyen said.

Each box ranges from $8 to $25, with options for smaller boxes or pizza-style boxes for larger portions. A pound and a half of sushi — roughly six to eight rolls — averages under $25.

“It’s unique because you can mix and match your favorites, instead of being stuck with just those eight pieces that is the same roll,” Nguyen said.

Fishbox yuzu sauce, which is a blend with a touch of sweetness and a little kick of spice.

Customers can choose from items such as the ahi tower bite, a mix of snow crab, avocado and cucumber topped with spicy minced tuna, wasabi mayo and masago; or the signature Fishbox roll, made with snow crab, avocado, tuna, tamago and asparagus, then topped with salmon, spicy mayo and the house specialty

Tanh said his top choices are the yuzu yellowtail roll and the Fishbox roll, both featuring their specialty sauce, which “adds a Louisiana ﬂair with its kick.”

Both Nguyen and Tanh are from Louisiana and support local

ä See SUSHI, page 4B

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Co-owner Tory Tanh fills a tray on Friday at Fishbox Sushi in Lafayette. The new restaurant offers a wide selection of

raw

vegan sushi, along with tofu pockets and other bite-sized appetizers.

Various sushi rolls, a crawfish tofu pocket and nigiri pieces are offered at Fishbox Sushi.

Usually at this time of year,asthe winter respiratory virus season looms, most people check with their doctor or pharmacist toget vaccinated. This year,however,there are reports of confusion at pharmacies and limited supply due to guidance at the federal level. Where patients used to be able to walk into their local pharmacy and get ashot, this year, they might need aprescription. That’sbecause Louisiana law allows pharmacies to give shots without aprescription as long as the CDC’sAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP,recommends them. Thisyear for the ﬁrst time, the updated COVID shot isn’trecommended for anyone 6months or older,but only for those 65 years and older or those with an underlying health condition that puts them at higher risk. That’slargely thanks to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr

We have to say that this outcome was hardly inconceivable as Kennedy and other vaccine skepticshave steadily asserted their ideology, against scientiﬁc evidence, over the many who clearly still want easy access tovaccines. But it is still disheartening.

At first, the rhetoric remained on the fringes. While there were those who questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, most people recognized their long and beneficial role in public health. Officials holding positions of authority assured the public of the need for vaccinations, even as states, such as Louisiana, began to see dips in the rates of childhood vaccination. Vaccines were widely available to those who wanted them

Then the arrival of the COVID vaccine duringthe pandemic unleashed an array of conspiracy theories from the right and the left that led to some confusion. Yetagain, responsible public health ofﬁcials were consistent in providing clear guidelines and vaccines were still readily available to the masses.

But soon after the pandemic waned, there began to be cracks in that uniﬁed front among public health leaders. We sounded the alarm when Louisiana Surgeon General Dr.Ralph Abraham announced thatthe Louisiana Department of Health would shift away from promoting vaccines on its website and at its clinics. At the time, we noted that Abraham’sorder came the same day the Senate conﬁrmed Kennedy to leadthe Department of Health and Human Services.

We had urged U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy to block the nomination to no avail. But it is worthnoting what Cassidy said in speaking out against the Louisiana Department of Healthorder deemphasizing vaccines.

He warned that absent leadership “prevents making health care moreconvenient and available for people who are very busy.”

And now here we are.

Busy parents and workers need increased access to basic health care,not more obstacles. If public health ofﬁcials put in positions of authority don’twant to take on that responsibility,itwould have been better for all if they had stayed on the fringes.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

The heat in Louisianaand other parts of the country and theworld is worse than it used to be. YetCongress just voted toremove some environmental regulations to aid business.

The climate problem is complex. When adangerous and complex problem affects theentire world, the whole world, including the United States, needs to workactively on asolution that benefits all of humanity.Extreme heat speaks an undeniable truth, and it is killing people by floods, fires, hurricanes and heat strokes. Itseffect on insurance rates is devastating to homeowners.

With each disaster,some citizens and businesses suffer great loss even if they survive. This is thereality that we are increasingly seeing. The lack of governmental action seemstosay that this is not areal issue, but our eyes and personal experiences, theevidence and the data all say it is. Ibelieve the

realityIsee and feel. Icannot comprehend themisplacement of priorities on this and other issues. Iwas beginning to thinkthat since no one was listening, why continue to speak?

Then Iread the words of Thomas Merton in “No Man Is an Island:” “With asimple intention you renounce thefruit before you even begin. Youno longer expect it. Only at this price can your work alsobecome aprayer.”

So Iwritethe letters, makethe calls and tell my representatives what the realityisthat Iamseeing. Renouncing the fruits isn’tgiving up. It is what allows me to continue. Ispeak because of what Isee and believe and because it is my duty to speak. Idon’tthink Iamalone in these beliefs. Ithink we are many. We need to keep speaking even when we feel unheard.

ANN GONZALES Baton Rouge

Iagree withDan Lawton that Louisiana’skratom ban is ablow to consumers who have come to rely on kratom products. However,his concerns about 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)are misplaced. Despiteyears of use, there have been only two deaths where 7-OH productswere present. In both cases, 7-OH was used alongside other substances, contravening instructions.By contrast, other kratom products have been linked in public healthreportsto morethan 200 deaths.

At anews conference on July 29, in which the FDA recommended scheduling 7-OH, no users of the compound were invited to speak, no studies were cited showing unique harm, and no

direct evidence was offered to justify aban. These attacks are not about safety. They are about Big Kratom trying to grab 7-OH’smarket share.

It’stime for users of 7-OH and kratom productstounify andprotect access. As Louisiana’slast legislative session showed, 7-OHand kratom stand or fall together in policy battles. Splittingthe ﬁght onlyhelps those who want to outlaw both.

Louisiana’sconsumers deserve to be able to choose theproducts that work best for them. That’saﬁght we should all get behind —and onewecan win.

JEFF SMITH national policy director forthe Holistic AlternativeRecovery Trust

I’mbemused by the controversy and zeitgeist over the term “woke.” Somehow,this term has been conflated with something undesirable. What an Orwellian turn of aword. Remember the “1984” slogans: Freedom is slavery.Ignorance is strength. War is peace. Unfortunately,it’sasign of the times that people can’tfigure out the simplest things. Acouple of examples: If you’re asleep and the house catches on fire, you die. If you’re awake, you can probably escape. More complex but something which affects us all is climate change. Those figuratively asleep cannot see that we are destroying the only planet that we have to live on, by sleeping on the idea that dumping trillions of tons of pollutants into the atmosphere is increasingly lethal or that producing billions of tons of indisposable plastics is also lethal to aquatic lifeand indeed, to us. Recent research has shownthat microplastic particles are even invading our brains.

Like in Rip VanWinkle, dramatic changes have taken place while we were sleeping which cannot be ignored. Sleeping people are not only unaware but cannot take action. By the timeone awakens, it just might be too late to act.

An African proverb says, “Sleep is the cousin of death.” But with the life-and-death issues facing humanity in our day and age, sleep and death will soon be brothers. Ithink I’ll stay “woke.”

MUHAMMAD YUNGAI NewOrleans

Ipersonally trytowatch as little TV as possible today.Ienjoy reading and it is much quieter.That being said, I do watch alittle morning news, the evening national and local news, some programsand especially LSUsports. Ihave discovered away to make TV moreenjoyable. As soon as those silly advertisements come on, Ihit the mute button

DR.

RONALD B. MARKS Baton Rouge

That is especially true forthe plaintiff lawyer advertisements, which sometimes come three at atime. My wife and Ihave discovered someinteresting facts about someofthe few programswewatch. Onetime, we missed our favorite program and recorded it. Do you realize that when you record aprogram, you can fast-forward through the advertisements? We actually timed an hourlong program.Almost all hourlong programsare actually only 25 minutes. The remaining 35 minutes are advertisements. If you start using the mute button and the fast-forward button, you might just enjoy television more. Tryit.

Autopencontroversy goes on

The autopen has been around in one form or another since Thomas Jefferson was president. According to shapell.org, “In 2005, George W. Bush was the ﬁrst president to enquire with the Department of Justice if it was constitutional for the presidenttosign abill using the autopen.” He was told it was. When Lyndon Johnson signed his name, you could tell it was his signature and not an autopen by a small dot, or period, he placed under his name on most letters and documents.

theBidenadministration that thousands of last-minute pardons signed by autopenwere legally ﬂawed and went against President Biden’sintentions by granting clemency to violent offenders who killed children and police ofﬁcers.

Cal Thomas

Other presidents have used the autopen, but nonelike Joe Biden.

Axios reports “High-ranking Biden administration ofﬁcials repeatedly questioned and criticized how the president’steam decidedoncontroversial pardons and allowed the frequent use of an autopen to sign measures late in his term, internal emails show.” The Pew Research Center revealed “Former PresidentJoe Biden granted more acts of clemency than any previous chief executive on record, accordingtoa Pew analysis of statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice. Overall, Biden granted 4,245 acts of clemency during his four-year tenure in the White House. Thatfar exceeds the total of any other president since the beginning of the 20th century.”

The Washington Times reported, “A top Justice Department ofﬁcial warned

“Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer criticized‘highly problematic’ language usedinasingle warrant, signed by the autopen,that pardoned hundreds of criminals in the ﬁnal days of the Biden administration,’ according to aJan. 18 email reviewed by thenewspaper It seems an impossible taskfor any of these to have been properly vetted What was the motivationfor allowingespecially violent criminals to receive clemency? Most importantly, didBidenknowabout this? If he didn’t know,who signedhis name to the pardons and commutations and by what authority?

This is whatHouse Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer,R-Ky., is trying to determine as he calls witness after witness fromthe Biden administrationtotestify abouttheir knowledge of the use of the autopen.

On hisHouse committee’swebsite, Comer states the reason forhis investigation: .“whether PresidentJoe Biden’scognitive decline was covered up by hisinnercircle andifcritical decisions were made on his behalf us-

ing an autopen,including executive actions,pardons, andpolicydirectives. While Biden was allegedly unﬁt to perform his duties, severalhigh-level aidesare reportedtohave been operating with unchecked authority

“Some of these witnesses, whoare closest to Biden, have invokedthe FifthAmendment, refusing to testify willingly,attemptingtodelay theirappearancebefore theCommittee, and hiding thetruth fromthe American people.”

WhenI was in school,some fellow classmates would forge their parents’ signature on abad report card or permissionslip to go somewhere Mom andDad might notwantthemtogo.

This is the point of the Comer investigation. The autopen mustonly be usedunderthe constitutionalauthority of thepresident, and he should either use it himself, or thepublic should knowthe name of his designated representative.

Yes, the president has unlimitedauthority whenitcomes to pardonpower, but just as any other authority can be misused and abused,voters have aright to knowinthe case of Biden whetheritwas him signing the pardons, or theautopen, or someone else. If it was notthe president, or an authorizedsigner,the next questionshould be whatwill be done aboutit?

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com

Free JimmyLai before he dies in prison

After the more than yearlong trial of democratic activist JimmyLai in Hong Kong, China’sstate-selected judges say they’ll rule “ingood time.” Roughly translated: They’re in nohurry; Beijing will say when a verdict is due.

Sometimes we don’tappreciate people until they’re gone.

Clarence Page

That thought cametomind with the news that the Gallup Organization’slatest poll shows adramatic surge in positive views of immigrants. The share who thought immigration should decrease, as President Donald Trump wishes, dropped to 30% of all respondents this year from its ﬁve-year high of 55% in 2024, while those who thought immigration is a“good thing for the country” soared to 79% of respondents —arecord high.

In other words, the more the administration has pursued the undocumented, and the more Americans have observed of the way theyare being pursued, the less Americans have become inclined to view immigrants as the problem Trump has painted them to be.

That’seven true of Republicans. The proportions of GOP respondents who viewimmigration favorably rose in the last year from 39% to 64%.

Moreover,the U.S. public is growing more inclined toward pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and less favorable of crackdown policies, such as hiring more Border Patrol agents and deporting the undocumented. However Americans mayfeel about immigration broadly speaking, most of us don’tlike when immigrants are treated poorly in our name. And there is agrowing perception that Trump’s deployments of National Guard personneland federal law enforcement agents themselvesare athreat to public order

Kathleen Parker

Lai, who has been in solitary conﬁnement for nearly ﬁve years —1,700 days, if you can imagine —cannot havebeen surprised. Almost 78 and adiabetic in seriously declining health, he hasbecome accustomed to waiting. But time is of the essence for the former billionaire media mogul who, say hissupporters, is at risk of dying in prison In aplea to the United Nations recently,Lai’slegal team appealed for intervention, offering chilling evidence of Hong Kong authorities’ failureto provide lifesaving treatment to ill prisoners.

Lai has suffered drastic weight loss behind bars and last month hadheart palpitations and dizzyspells badenough to temporarily postpone his trial. His team reported to the U.N.that he faces “serious, ongoing and escalating riskto life.” Since 2014, adozen prisonerswith Lai’sproﬁle have died within days ofbeing transferred to ahospital. With the trial ﬁnallyover —and Lai’s life on the line —the timingisright for President Donald Trump to intervene withChina on Lai’s behalf, preferably together with Britain, where Lai remains acitizen.

China would lose nothingbyreleasing Lai now for health reasons. According to close observers withwhomI’ve spoken with, Beijing may nowbeopen to this idea. China’sleaders already have made their point withLai, who once was the internationally beloved editor of Apple Daily,Hong Kong’s most popular English newspaper Lai lost his freedom, hisnowshuttered newspaper and muchofhis fortune, for protesting China’scrackdown on Hong Kong and for defending democracy and human rights. Hewas charged with two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forcesand one count of collusion under Hong Kong’s relatively recent national security law for publishing pro-democracy views He also was charged with sedition underalaw passed when Hong Kong was still under British rule that originally was used to silence criticsofcolonialism. At this point, releasing Laiwould allow Xi Jinping to demonstratethathe is open to reason.

Trump, for his part, has said on at least three occasions thathewould willingly work for Lai’srelease. In an October interview,Hugh Hewittasked Trump if, as president, he would be willing mention Lai to PresidentXi Jinping.

“One hundred percent,yes,” Trump answered He reiterated this during another Hewitt interview in May and again on Aug.14onFox News’s“The Brian Kilmeade Show,” saying, “I’m going to do everything Ican to save him. …I mean, you can understand that President Xi wouldnot be thrilled by [releasing Lai]. It was avery nasty period of time in thehistory of China.”

Whether Trump was being intentionally diplomatic or blindly so, he came across as being on the right side of history while also sympathetic to Xi’s balancing act.

It’sanyone’s guess whether Trump now might offer China reduced tariffs or other incentives to release Lai. But what good is leverage if you can’tsave ademocratic hero’slife while also relaxing economic tensions.

In December,onthe 40thanniversary of the1984 signing of the declaration governing thehandover of Hong Kongfrom Britain to China, the House of Lordsconvened adebate about the U.K.’spolicies toward China regardingsecurity and human rights. The eloquently outspoken Alton noted Lai’s then-ongoing trial and said, “For a British national who has never held a Chinese passporttobeheld in solitary conﬁnement, with no consular ac-

cess, denied access to the sacraments, dragged out tocourt to respond to an entirely fabricated narrative is simply outrageous …[and] makes amockery of the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” in which Beijing promised Hong Kong 50 years to keep itscapitalist system and enjoy democratic freedoms.

BritishPrimeMinister Keir Starmer, who took ofﬁce ayear ago, has said that Lai’srelease is agovernment priority which is more than his predecessor ventured, though Starmer’srhetoric has so far proved fruitless. With theU.S. president’s planned statevisit to Britain later this month comes an opportunity for the prime minister to request Trump’shelp on Lai’sbehalf. For whatever reason, Trumpseems to enjoy being asked for help. AndStarmer has everything to gain from cooperating with Trumpto improve his chance of securing Lai’s release. This momentpresentsa chance for thesort of quiet diplomacy China prefers, thegrandiosityofawin that Trumpcovets and asuccess that Britain sorely needs. Together,the three countries, at zero cost to themselves, could save thelife of agreat man.

Email KathleenParker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

Although violent crimehas fallen in recent years, Chicago has found itself bracing for hundreds of federal agents to arrive because Trump calls the city a“killing ﬁeld” and a“disaster” in need of acleanup by federal immigrationagents and National Guard troops.

Although crimeinWashington, D.C., was already in decline after spiking during the pandemic, the Trump administration put the district’spolice under federal controla little more than three weeks ago and put the National Guard on the city’sstreets to ﬁght crimeand “clean up” the nation’scapital.

As one who spends most of my professional time in Chicago and the nation’scapital, Iam relieved that, contrary to the city-under-siege hype, many of the guardsmen Ihave seen were put to work on such nonlethal chores as picking up trash —or, as we called it in my Army days, “policing the area.”

Still, Trump sounded jubilant last month during avisit to law enforcement ofﬁcers on the southeast side of the district.

“We’ve had some incredible results,” Trump said. “It’slike adifferent place. It’slike adifferent city.”

He should get out more.

Meanwhile, perhaps in apreview of what’sto comeonthe ﬁscal side, California Gov. Gavin Newsomsaid that Trump’sdeployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles amounted to expensive political theater —atacosttotaxpayers of almost $120 million.

Like any other crime-vulnerable resident, I care about law and order,but Iwant solutions that work and that are consistent with American principles of justice and consent. It’snot very reassuring when Trump announces his plans for policing acity without consulting with local ofﬁcials on whatstrategies are workable and acceptable to their communities.

This is the clearest indication that Trump’s crackdown policies are less about public safety than showboating. Baltimore and Chicago are next, he has said, without any apparent effort to work with those city leaders, either

Most of the soldiers sent to Los Angeles were sent home in August, ofﬁcials said, although 300 remain in the city.When afederal judge in San Francisco barred troops from aiding in immigration arrests in ablistering opinion, it marked amajor victory for states like Illinois that also are critical of Team Trump’sdeployments.

If and whenTrump brings his circus to Chicago, Gov.JBPritzker says the state’s ﬁrst move similarly will be to the courthouse.

They’ll have alot of other critics on their side, judging by the new Yahoo/YouGov poll that ﬁnds only 37% approve of the president’ssending troops to other major cities —while a53% majority said they disapprove.

“We’re going in,” Trump told reporters about deploying troops to Chicago, “Wehave the right to do it.”

A“right” to barge in and disturb the peace and public order of American cities without permission or consultation, for the sake of political theater? The American public increasingly sees this for what it is.

In other times and places, this kind of behavior has touched off dangerous riots and even civil wars. With that in mind, Trump needs to assimilate alittle bit of street wisdom, namely: Don’t start none, won’tbenone.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page @gmail.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHIANGyING-yING

Taiwanese pro-democracy activist Lee Ming-cheholds aslogan to support imprisoned Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Laifor the national security trial in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 24

asked to reflect on local causes of absenteeism and possible solutions.

families.

absenteeism crisis, which grew two years in arow before dipping slightly last school year

More than 1in5Louisiana students were chronically absent during the 2024-25 school year,animprovement from about 1in4students the previous year,accordingtostate data.Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more school days ayear

Because the reasons students miss school can vary widely,school systemshave been tasked with finding ways to boost attendance at the local level.Whilethe state has provided guidance and set agoal of reducing absenteeism by 2% annually, there is not astatewideplan to combat absenteeism.

“There’sno‘one-size-fits all’tocorrectchronic absenteeism or truancy,” state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley saidMonday, “but the plan that we have as astate is to help local (districts) build their plan.”

On Monday,school district superintendents, community organizers,juvenilecourt judges,district employees andothersgatheredfor the event, which was hosted by thestate SupremeCourt,to discuss how school systems can best address absenteeism.

Experts gave presentations about early intervention strategies, best practices for working with families, and how to support students struggling with chronic absenteeism. Groups from different school districts were

SUSHI

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businesses, sourcing vegetables from Fresh Pickins of Acadiana and using Louisiana-basedseasonings. Also, several rolls incorporate local flavor,such as the tofu pocket crawfish, which is inari sushi filled with rice and sauteed crawfish, topped with eel sauce, spicy mayo and sesame seeds. For those who enjoy something sweet after asavory meal, Fishbox alsooffers dessert sushi.

The kajitsu roll features snow crab mix, shrimp tempura, cream cheese and cucumber,topped with strawberry, kiwi, plum sauce and coconut ﬂakes.

Fishbox Sushi is open dailyfrom 11 a.m. to 9p.m at 530 SettlersTraceBlvd., Suite A.

VIGIL

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Saucier Parkway in north Lafayette while attending avigil held in memory of Phillip Francis. Francis was killed in an Aug. 22 shooting at the WoodSpring Suites Hotel by aformer Lafayette police ofﬁcer following an alleged altercation.

Of the nearly adozen people there representing Jefferson Parish, all agreed thatbettercommunication between theschool system, local agencies and families is crucial to makinga dent in the district’sabsenteeism rate, which hovered around 22% last school year.The group also noted the importance of tracking attendance data so thatchildren can be ﬂagged forintervention before absences pile up.

“We’re trying to makesure we canstopthat disconnect and identify struggling students before it becomes a major issue,”said Jonathan Winfrey,ahearing officer with Families in Need of Services, astatewidecourt program that works with chronically absentstudents and their families

Potentialsolutions

Regularly missing school has been linked to numerousnegativeoutcomes for children, including worse socialand emotional health andanincreased likelihood they’ll become involved in the criminaljustice system, accordingto studies.

There aremanyreasons why astudent maybecome chronically absent, from struggling with classes to being unable to afford uniforms, which expertssay can make it difﬁcult toﬁnd simple solutions.

James Gray,Jefferson Parish’ssuperintendent, said some of the most common reasons student miss school are alack of parental involvement, difﬁculty ﬁnding transportationorstudents holding jobs to supporttheir

Language barriers can make it challenging for schools to work with families to improve attendance, he added. Roughly 20%ofJeffersonParishstudents have limited Englishproﬁciency, according to district data oneofthe highest rates in the state.

Sometimes“we can’tget amessage to families,” he said, adding that strengtheningthe district’sconnection with localgroupsthat work with Spanish-speaking families couldhelp.

As ajuvenile court judge, Jennifer Guillot Womble sees some of thedistrict’s most severe absenteeism cases. When astudent comes into hercourtroom, Womble said, the most important step is to get to the rootofthe attendance problem

“I want the story,” she said.“Is it mental health?Is it transportation? Arethey scared of going to school?”

During her group’sdiscussion, Womblesuggested hiring astudent liaison who canadvocatefor students in court and help tell their story in away paperworkcan’t Gray saidthe district doesn’t have money in its budget to hire afull-time liaison,but that he wouldsee if district staffers could take on some of those responsibilities.

“You have to see what your resources allow youtodo,” he said. “Even if a(solution) maynot look exactly the way it was presented, maybe we can do someversion of it.”

An ongoingeffort

Released in June, the state educationdepartment’snew attendance guide encourages districts to move away from punitive approaches to

focus on prevention andimproving school culture.

It offers standard definitions of absenteeism and truancy for districts to use and emphasizes the importance of consistently collecting and reporting data to better track at-risk students.

It also offers alistof suggestions on howtoimprove student well-being in schools, including providing weeklyfood bags for children strugglingwith food insecurity and filling acloset with extra clothing for students whose families aren’tabletobuy school uniforms.

Districts have also made local efforts to improve attendance. In Baker,which once had one of the worst attendance rates in thestate thedistrictworked closely with the state educationdepartment to pilot aprogram that emphasizespreventive strategies, likecontacting parents and working with students to make it easier forthem to come to school. The workisled by adedicated attendance team.

After ayear,the number of students whowere chronically absent fell 13 percentage points, to 37% during the 2023-24 school year

“People aretryingtobetterunderstand theirdata andthe rolethey’ll each play in” improving their district’sattendancerates, said Brumley.“We have agencies allworking at the sametable to make plans within their local communities, and Ithink that’swhat’s going to make this better.”

Email ElyseCarmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.

Co-owner Timmy Nguyenworks behindthe counter as customers

Friday at Fish Box Sushi in Lafayette.

Thegirlwas last listed in critical condition Sept.5 before succumbing to her injuries, authorities said. Police arrestedfour suspects in connectionwith the shooting.The ﬁrstpairof arrestsoccurredthe same week of theshooting,with policecapturing Andrea Kentrell Willis andDaylon Andrus, both of Lafayette. After thepair’sarrest,a third suspect, Kimmy Ray

Dauthain, Jr., was apprehended. Last week, withassistance from the U.S. Marshals Task Force, authorities arrested afourthsuspect, Rickey Chaney,19, of Lafayette. Chaney,Dauthainand Daylon remain in Lafayette ParishCorrectional Center Willis was last reportedto be awaiting extradition to Lafayette from Texas.

Charles Martin

Charles MartinHardy, 79, of Lafayette passed away peacefullyathis home on Saturday, September 6, 2025, surroundedbyhis family. Serviceswillbeheld on Friday, September12, 2025. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Delhomme Funeral Home (1011 BertrandDrive in Lafayette) andwill begin with aHoly Rosary. The Memorial Mass willtake place at 1:30 PM at the Cathedral of St.Johnthe Evangelist in Lafayette with FatherAndrew Schumacherascelebrant andFather JamesBradyas concelebrant

Born January30, 1946, Charliewas thefirstborn son of thelateSamuel Hardy andAlice Mistrot Hardy of Arnaudville Louisiana. Hisstrong Catholic faithand unwavering positive attitude helped to sustain him for over nine years followinga stage 4cancerdiagnosis. He leaves behind alegacy of generosity, laughter, joy, andendless loyaltyto those he caredfor -a life marked notonly by what he accomplished,but by thecountless lives he touched along theway Charliegraduated from theUniversity of SouthwesternLouisiana andmoved to NewOrleans wherehebegan his career with ShellOil.His time in theoil andgas industry revealedhis natural-borntalents as asalesman and manager. He waspassionate aboutconnectingpeople, particularlyinthe businesscommunity, and took great pride when he couldassistsomeone in securing theirnextposition,advise on the next deal, or support his employees. After meeting his soulmate, Kathy, in New Orleansand getting married in 1979, theyrelocated to Houma,Louisiana, wheretheywould raise their children, Justin and Ashley. Following HurricaneKatrinain2005, theyrelocated to Lafayette, andin2012, he proudlyretired from SuperiorEnergyafter negotiating thesale of thelift boat division to SEACOR Marine.

Obituaries peciallythose inneed.He wasa founding member and former Presidentof theNonco Foundation whichisworking to canonizeCharlie'sgreat uncle Auguste "Nonco" Pelafigue as aSaint in theCatholic church Hisgreatest accomplishment later in life was becoming agrandfather to John Carrand Katherine Alwaysinvolved andplanning for the next opportunity to spend time together,herejoiced in watching them grow up; whether it wascheering them on at a ballgame or adance recital, goingfor aridein theconvertible or planning theannualCamp KittyHoss -hewas always present andadored by his grandkids He is survived by his loving wife, Kathy Bassett Hardy,with whom he shared 46 years of marriage; son JustinHardy, daughterAshley Hardy Carothers and herhusband CarrCarothers; grandson John CarrCarothers II, granddaughter Katherine Carothers; siblings Patricia Fugler (thelateJohn), Sam Hardy (Sis), Bob Hardy (Melissa), brother-in-law Jeff Bassett (Cecette), sister-in-law Liz Bassett Parker(Tony) andnumerouscousins, nieces, nephews, and Godchildren whowerecherished and loved. He waspreceded in death by hisparents, brothers-in-law John Fuglerand David Bassett, and nephew Doug Fugler. Honorary pallbearers will be:Sam Hardy, Bob Hardy,LynnAlexander, Conrad Armbruster, Richard Fontenot, Wayne Johnson, Rick Kessenich, Larry Lemarié, Steve Parra, WesRandall, Tye Schexnailder, Charlie Taylor, and thelateJohn Erny andMike Maraist. The rosarywillbeled by Kathy'sMorning Glory Theresian Community. Thefamilywould like to extendour special thanks to MD Anderson Cancer Center,especially Dr. Jeff Myers, to ourspecial caregiver MarceliteRoy,and to familyand friends who have supportedus throughout Charlie'scancerbattle. In lieu of flowers, please considera donation to MilesPerretCancer ServicesofLafayette, or Hospice of Acadiana. Personal condolences may be sent to thefamily of Charles MartinHardyat: www.delhommefuneralho me.com Charles MartinHardy andhis familywerecared for andentrustedfinal arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 BertrandDrive, Lafayette, LA.

He treasured hiscircle of close-knit PhiKappa Theta (PKT) fraternity brothers and enjoyedgetting togetherwith them regularly. Hiscommitment to hisfraternity stretched beyondjust thefriendships. In 1975, he helped to sustain the chapter'spresence on campusbyorganizingthe alumnipurchase of thefraternity house,and in 2006, he workedclosely with theactivechapterto assisttheminovercoming financial challenges. He helped to strengthen the alumnigroup and always looked forward to their annual Christmas luncheonin theFrench Quarter. He cherished that hisson Justinsharedinthe PKT brotherhood, as well Charles hadmany nicknamestothose wholoved him- Charlie, Charlie-boy!, Hawk,and hismost favorite, Hoss, as histwo belovedgrandchildren calledhim. Arenowned story teller andmaster of a goodCajun joke, he broughtlight into every room and made everyone feelatease with hislightheartedness andgenuine smile. He lovedspending time outdoors andonthe water,cruising in hisred 1972 Cutlass convertible planningthe next vacation destination, andvisiting with familyand friends, es-

Michael

Michael Patrick Leonard, 40. Visitation will be observedatFountain Memorial FuneralHome in Lafayette, LA on Thursday, September 11, 2025, from 9:00 am untilthe Celebration of Mike'slife at 12:00 pm. Online obituary andguest book may be viewed at www.fountainm emorialfuneralhome.com. FountainMemorialFuneral Home andCemetery,1010 Pandora St.337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.

LOTTERY MONDAY,SEPT.8,2025 PICK 3: 1-6-3

4: 7-1-6-5

5: 1-8-0-6-0

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STAFF PHOTO By LESLIEWESTBROOK

maketheir choices

Continued from page 1B

STAFF PHOTO By ELySE CARMOSINO

James Gray, Jefferson Parish’ssuperintendent of schools,discusses possible solutions to improvethe district’s absenteeism rates during Louisiana’s firstSolutions Summit in Alexandria on Monday.

Hardy,

Leonard,

Patrick 'Mike'

Stingy UL ‘D’wants faster starts

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It’shard to get agood read on the UL defense after two games. On one hand, coordinator JimSalgado’sunit is giving up only 12 points per game, and it’shard to argue with that bottom line.

Most would agreethe Ragin’ Cajuns should be off to an 2-0 start with that ﬁgure.

On theotherhand, there are afew issues that offer hesitation.

The ﬁrst oneisthe slow starts the UL defensehas gotten offto in the ﬁrst twogames.

In the ﬁrst gameagainstRice, the Owls’ triple-option rushing attack was aproblem, accumulating 163 yards andtwo touchdowns on 34 plays over the ﬁrst four drives.

Overits last ﬁve possessions, Rice was limited to 49 yards on 16 plays with no points.

“Yeah,that’skind of what was a point of emphasis last week,”coach Michael Desormeauxsaid. “Wewere trying to get off to afast start and we didn’tget that done.”

On Saturday,the McNeeseState passing game was the problem early

On theirﬁrst four drives, the Cowboys picked up 164 yards on 26 plays with atouchdown.

On their last six possessions, the Cowboys were limited to 84 yards on 31 plays with one ﬁeld goal.

“Their quarterback(Jake Strong) executed well,” Desormeauxsaid. “Wesaid going into it, Ithought the

LSU’sﬁrst play of theseason seta tone for what we have seen from the offense throughthe ﬁrst twogames.

Starting from the LSU 25, Caden Durham probed his way offleft tackle, where he was metnear the line of scrimmage by Clemson weakside linebacker Wade Woodaz. Durham slipped out of Woodaz’sarms, spinning to his right andzipping aroundthe endona 24-yard gain. Famine, then feast,thoughthe feasts have been rather infrequent. While theLSU defense was expected to be good coming into2025, no onereally knew for sure because of six new starters outofthe portal. The offense —withreturningstarterssuchasGarrettNussmeier,Dur-

OFFENSE (FBS)

(82nd)

ham,Aaron Anderson and Trey’Dez Green —seemed more of aknown commodity Would this bethe Jayden Danielsled offense of 2023? Perhaps not that explosive, but potent enough despite acompletely revamped offensive line to allow the defense to ﬁnd its cohesiveness. Against Clemson and Louisiana Tech, the defense has been stellar, allowing an average of 8.5 points per gameand 207.5 yards per game. LSUranks in the top 13 among FBS defenses in yards andpoints allowed, just one of seven teamsthat canmake that claim. The offense has hadits moments, just not enough of them. The Tigers are tied for 82nd nationally with 360.5 yards per game and tied for 107th with 20 ppg.

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Coming into Sunday’sgame againstthe Arizona Cardinals, Saints quarterback Spencer Rattlerexpected to see aheavy dose of blitzes. Instead, Arizona barely sent any pressure

According to Next GenStats,the Cardinals blitzed on only 18.4%ofRattler’s dropbacks, theeighth-lowest ﬁgure in the NFL in Week 1and 6.4 percentage pointslower than Arizona’sblitz ratein2024. Rather than sendingextra defenders at theSaints offensive line, the Cardinals chose to spend much of theday in shell coverage on the back end,keeping two or three defenders deep to preventvertical throws to the speedy receivingcorps.

Rattler didn’tattempt his ﬁrst throw of 20 or more airyards untillateinthe thirdquarter,whenhe found Rashid Shaheed isolated in single coverage in Arizona territory.Heﬁnished the game 0for 3on suchthrows.

New Orleans’ longest passing play cameona21yard seam route to Juwan Johnson. Rattler’s7.9 yards per completion ranked 29th out of 32 startingquarterbacks.

The Saints were forced to live underneath, which begs the question: Is this aWeek 1wrenchora sign of things to come from defenses?

“It’safair assessment, Ithink,” coach Kellen Moore said. “Week 1, we knew there’salways goingtobe an element of the unknown. Ithink (Arizona) did an

excellent job, they playeda lotofCover 2earlyin the game. We recognized that. They did agood jobof making you earn it

“Wehad four10-plusplaydrives; they were going to make us go the distance. Whenwedid have theoneon-one opportunities, we weren’table to capitalize on those. It was agood experience for our guys.”

If there’s good news it’sthat Rattler seemed comfortable operating Moore’squick passing game. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 142 yards when releasing theball in 2.5 seconds or lessSunday,and his +.28Expected Points Added(EPA) perdropback on such plays ranked 11th amongquarterbacks. That’s amarked improvement from Rattler’srookie season, whenheaveraged-.27 EPAper dropback on quick throws. Maybe theshell coverages were just aWeek 1

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Many college basketball coaches would be in panic mode withclasses already started andthree open spots on their coaching staff.

Th at’ sn ot thecase for UL women’sbasketball coachGarry Brodhead, who is beamingthese days

Yes, he still has twoassistant and one director of operations spots to fill, but thelatestaddition to hisstaff hasthe longtime Cajuns coach downright giddy Former LSU All-American and WNBAchampion TemekaJohnson is the reason for Brodhead’s excitement

“I’m so excited aboutit,” Brodhead said. “I think it’s going to be awhole different dynamic.”

After herstellar collegiate career in BatonRouge, the New Orleans native was the WNBARookie of the Year in 2005 and went on

to play 13 seasons combined professionally between theWNBA and overseas. She beganher coaching career by leading John Curtis to two state championships before becoming an assistant coach at Western Kentucky.Now she’sthe associate head coach at UL.

“I can alreadysee the impact she’sgoing to have on theprogram,” Brodhead said.“She knows so manypeople andhas so many contactsall over theworld.

“She brings so manynew ideas —things we haven’teven thought about in the past.”

Essentially,the UL women’s basketball program has bought into thenew collegiate trendof thetransferportal as opposedto mostly leaning on developing high school players.

Longtime UL assistant coach Deacon Jones left to become the head coach at TexasA&M-Texarkana andassistant coach M.C. Vogt joined him there. Assistant coach Adrian Sanders is nowan assistant coach at Grand Canyon. Kacie Cryer,who servedasthe director of operations last year hasmoved up to assistant coach andrecruiting coordinator.Cryer previously was thehead

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier passes the ball as running back Caden Durham blocks Louisiana Tech linebackerSifa Leota on SaturdayinTiger Stadium. The Tigers won23-7 but the offense struggled at times to find consistency.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP UL defensive lineman Priest Ashe strips the ballfrom McNeeseState quarterback Jake Strong on Saturday in Lafayette.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson breaks up apass in the end zone intended forSaints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed during the second half Sundayatthe Caesars Superdome.

Scott Rabalais

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

State of Florida rediscovers groove

Its seven FBS college teams start 11-3 combined

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter

CORAL GABLES,Fla.— It’s early A lot will happen over the next three months of college football. Nobody is guaranteed anything That said, hope reigns all across Florida.

No. 5 Miami, No. 10 Florida State and No. 18 South Florida are all in the AP Top 25. Those three teams are 2-0, as is UCF The state’s seven FBS teams those four plus Florida Atlantic, FIU and previously ranked Florida — are a combined 11-3.

That ties the best start in the 21year era of the state having this many FBS schools What does it mean? Maybe nothing. But it’s a good start.

“In modern-day college football, it’s really, really hard to do what these guys are doing right now, which is not listening to anybody outside of our building, trusting their inner circle, believing in their inner circle, and just continuing to be proud of building something,” USF coach Alex Golesh said after the Bulls beat Florida this past weekend. “They continue to tell their story.”

The story might be very different all across the state this year Florida State already has matched its win total from last season. Having four state teams off to 2-0 starts, modest as that may be, hadn’t happened since 2016.

The 11-3 start matches the state’s best since 2011 and Sunshine State teams already have four wins against AP-ranked opponents; that number will reach at least ﬁve this weekend, since Miami and USF are facing each other Last year, all season, state

schools won a total of two games against AP-ranked teams.

“Any team right now, they talk about wanting to win championships,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “They’re talking about wanting to be the best. They’re talking about these great players that they say they want to become. People, they’ll hear you when you talk, but they’ll listen by your actions.”

There was a weekend last November when the state made the wrong kind of history.

The seven FBS schools went a combined 0-6 that weekend; everybody lost except FIU, which didn’t play

It was part of a season when the Sunshine State had a combined winning percentage among its FBS teams of .437 — the fourth

losing record in the last ﬁve years.

Such a notion was unfathomable a generation ago. For 21 consecutive seasons from 1983, when Miami won its first national championship, through 2003 — the Hurricanes Florida or Florida State finished the season ranked No. 5 or higher in the final AP poll. They did it a combined 34 times in those 21 seasons. In the next 21 seasons, it happened only five times.

Things may be changing. Florida, which has seen 92 high school players get picked in the NFL draft over the last three seasons — the most in the country in that span, one more than Texas — looks like it has contenders again.

“There’s so much talent,” FAU coach Zach Kittley said. “I’ve been out here trying to meet ev-

ery high school coach I can meet to start developing that relationship so I can keep these South Florida recruits in South Florida.”

The hope is real. The potential is there.

And the way Miami quarterback Carson Beck sees it, college football is better when college football is good in Florida.

“I think everyone that has played high school football in Florida believes that the best talent comes out of Florida,” said Beck, a Jacksonville native “I, too, believe that.

“That there is so much talent and that there has been so much success as far as college goes, obviously I think that’s a really good thing for this state. And it’s a really good thing overall for college football in general.”

Big Ten’s weak slate raises scheduling questions

BY STEVE MEGARGEE

AP sportswriter

The Big Ten’s lackluster schedule this week exempliﬁes a problem facing the conference: Not enough teams are testing themselves outside of league play.

The Big Ten prides itself on having a nine-game conference schedule, which traditionally had set it apart from the Southeastern Conference. Yet the SEC will move to a nine-game league schedule starting in 2026 while continuing to require its league members to play at least one nonconference game against a Power Four school or Notre Dame, something the Big Ten doesn’t mandate.

That could put more pressure on the Big Ten to step up its nonconference scheduling. This week’s slate includes six games in which a Big Ten team faces an FCS program. Six of the league’s 18 members (No. 2 Penn State, No. 22 Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers and Washington) aren’t playing any nonconference games against Power Four schools or Notre Dame. Only four Big Ten programs (Michigan, Southern California, UCLA and Wisconsin) don’t have an FCS program on their schedules.

No. 7 Texas, which lost at No. 1 Ohio State in arguably the nation’s best matchup so far this season, is the only SEC school that isn’t playing an FCS team this year But the SEC at least can point to all its nonconference games against Power Four programs.

Penn State coach James Franklin says he wants more consistency in how each conference arranges its schedule.

“The reality is we don’t have a commissioner of college football, so that’s where the commissioners of the Power Four conferences, specifically the Big Ten and the SEC, need to get together and come up with what’s in the best interest of college football and the best interest of student-athletes and the

fans,” Franklin said. “And then you won’t have to worry about all these different things when it comes to scheduling, because everybody is going to kind of have the same parameters.”

What are the options?

The problem is determining the speciﬁcs.

“Our schools are constantly evaluating the impact of nonconference scheduling across many variables — postseason access, home attendance, geographic rivalries, etc.,” a Big Ten spokesman said. “The conference will continue to engage with all 18 to determine the best strategies to balance these factors, using the most current information available about an evolving landscape.”

The Big Ten could strengthen nonconference schedules by prohibiting FCS opponents, something the league did from 2015-16. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule noted that such a decision would hurt FCS programs that beneﬁt ﬁnancially from those games.

Grambling State lost 70-0 at Ohio State last week but received $1 million for making the trip. This week, Indiana State is earning $475,000 for playing at Indiana and Hous-

ton Christian is getting $500,00 for visiting Nebraska. Montana State returned from its season-opening trip to Oregon with a 59-13 loss and a $680,000 paycheck.

“I was in the FCS, and if you don’t have an FBS team, it’s hard to fund your football team, it’s hard to fund the rest of it,” said Rhule, a former Western Carolina assistant. “The SEC has been really smart. The years they play their FCS team it’s late in the year, so as they’re getting ready to go on their playoff run, they play them before the last game, which I think is a really smart way to schedule.”

Another possibility would be to copy the SEC strategy of requiring each school to include at least one Power Four opponent in its nonconference schedule.

Does it matter for the postseason?

Those non-conference games are taking on increasing importance: The College Football Playoff last month said its selection committee will place more emphasis on strength of schedule this year when determining which teams make the 12-team ﬁeld.

Last year Indiana reached the playoff with a nonconference

LSU defensive tackle

Mitchell leaves team

LSU redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell is no longer on the team, according to the Tigers’ online roster

Mitchell was on the team for No. 3 LSU’s ﬁrst two games, but he did not play against Clemson or Louisiana Tech.Mitchell, who’s 6-foot6 and 355 pounds, transferred to LSU in December after two years at Texas. The LSU defensive line coach at the time was Bo Davis, who originally had recruited Mitchell to Texas.

Davis left for the same job with the New Orleans Saints two months later, and LSU hired Kyle Williams to coach the defensive tackles.

After putting himself in the mix during spring practice, Mitchell got passed over on the depth chart in preseason camp.

49ers cut Moody, place Kittle on injured reserve

The San Francisco 49ers waived kicker Jake Moody on Tuesday, after the 2023 third-round pick missed two ﬁeld goals in the season opener and placed star tight end George Kittle on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Kittle will be forced to miss at least four games and will be eligible to return for the Week 6 game at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12.

Moody missed a 27-yard field goal on Sunday at Seattle and had a 30-yarder blocked, marking the ﬁrst time San Francisco missed two ﬁeld goals inside of 40 yards in the same game in 19 years. Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game there was “no question” Moody would remain the kicker But he softened the stance Monday and the team made a change on Tuesday

Eagles’ Carter loses $57K for spitting on Cowboys QB

Jalen Carter’s penalty for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sends a message to the rest of the league. Carter is losing $57,222 for the infraction, the equivalent of his game check for Week 1 because the NFL considers the punishment a one-game suspension with time served.

The Pro Bowl defensive tackle didn’t play a snap after he was ejected from Philadelphia’s 24-20 victory over Dallas on Thursday Carter is expected to be on the ﬁeld when the Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch on Sunday

The team could impose its own discipline such as benching Carter for the ﬁrst play the ﬁrst series or longer

schedule that included lopsided wins over Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte. If No. 2 Penn State makes it this year it will be with a non-conference schedule of Nevada, FIU and Villanova, but this season ended a string of eight straight years in which Penn State played at least one nonconference game against a power-conference school (except for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). Penn State’s 34-0 win over FIU was a game arranged after a matchup with Virginia Tech was canceled.

Northwestern isn’t playing any Power Four nonconference games, but it did play at Tulane, an American Conference school that went a combined 32-10 from 2022-24. Northwestern lost that game 23-3.

“I think that as we’ve learned in college football, everybody by nature does what’s best for them and their program, and that’s the way you’ve got to look at it,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “Whether you want to complain about the way somebody else schedules or the way you schedule, let’s be honest, we’ve all got to do what’s best for us.”

Michigan State athletic director J Batt offered a similar assessment.

“At Michigan State we’re building a football program to challenge for championships,” Batt said “Given the overall strength of the Big Ten Conference in addition to any marquee non-conference matchups, it’s also important to create balance in the schedule, in whatever form that may take.”

There’s a general agreement on the need for consistency among the conferences to make things easier for the selection committee. The trick is reaching a consensus on the best approach.

“If you’re in Power Four football, everybody should be playing a similar schedule so that the committee can get together at the end of the season and compare apples to apples as much as we possibly can,” Franklin said.

Blue Jays place SS Bichette on 10-day IL

The Toronto Blue Jays put shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list Tuesday because of a sprained left knee, retroactive to Sunday Toronto recalled outﬁelder Joey Loperﬁdo from Triple-A Buffalo.

Bichette leads the majors with 181 hits and 44 doubles, and ranks third with a .311 average. The two-time All-Star and twotime AL hit leader has 18 homers and leads Toronto with 93 RBIs in 139 games.

Bichette was injured in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Yankee Stadium when he collided with catcher Austin Wells and was tagged out at home plate. Bichette hobbled off the ﬁeld with the assistance of a trainer after colliding with Wells’ shin guard.

Bulls sign guard Giddey to multiyear contract

The Chicago Bulls signed guard Josh Giddey to a new multiyear contract Tuesday

The Bulls did not disclose ﬁnancial terms. Reports said it was for $100 million over four years.

Chicago acquired the 6-foot-8, 214-pound Giddey in a trade from Oklahoma City in June 2024.

He became one of three NBA players to have at least 1,002 points, 566 rebounds and 503 assists along with LeBron James and Nikola Jokic.

He averaged 14.6 points and a career-high 8.1 rebounds. He led the Bulls with 7.2 assists, starting 69 of 70 games.

Giddey also joined Michael Jordan as the only Chicago players to average at least 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a single season.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

South Florida kicker Nico Gramatica celebrates his game-winning 19-yard field goal against Florida on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BARRy REEGER

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen, front, eludes the Florida International defense on Saturday in State College, Pa.

Saints add TE Stoll to active roster amid shuffle

BY LUKE JOHNSON and RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writers

As Kellen Moore said after the Saints initially trimmed their squad to 53 players, the roster would be a ﬂuid thing in the ﬁrst few weeks of the season.

After waiving rookie edge rusher Fadil Diggs on Monday a move that came days after he was signed to the active roster from the practice squad the Saints ﬁlled his roster spot by signing tight end Jack Stoll to the active roster, according to a league source.

Stoll opened the season on the

practice squad, but New Orleans elevated him to its game-day roster for the Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Stoll played 18 offensive snaps against the Cardinals, ranking second among Saints tight ends.

The 27-year-old Stoll has ﬁlled the blocking tight end role while Foster Moreau recovers from offseason knee surgery Against the Cardinals, 11 of Stoll’s 18 offensive snaps came on running downs. Moreau is on the physically unable to perform list.

Diggs is the only member of the Saints’ 2025 draft class who did not make the 53-man roster out of

training camp. The seventh-rounder was signed to the active roster last week to help make up for Chase Young’s absence, and he played seven defensive snaps against Arizona. Quarterbacks back . again

The Saints’ relationship with quarterbacks Jake Haener and Hunter Dekkers is on again, as both quarterbacks are back with the team on the practice squad.

Haener entered training camp as one of three players competing

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

The focus has been on LSU’s running game. The Tigers rushed for 108 yards against Clemson and 128 against Louisiana Tech totals adjusted for sack yardage There have been some brilliant plays, like Saturday against Tech when Zavion Thomas took off for 48 yards and Harlem Berry had a 43-yard run. Wide receiver Barion Brown also had a 15-yard carry Strip away those plays, Nussmeier’s three sacks for minus-27 yards and minus-1 yard on the ﬁnal play when Nuss took a knee while in victory formation, and LSU totaled just 50 yards on the remaining 27 carries. That’s 1.8 yards per attempt. That’s not good enough. The passing offense, while averaging a respectable 242.5 yards per game, has had a dearth of explosive plays Aside from Anderson’s 39-yard reception at Clemson — a short pass from Nussmeier that was mostly yards after the catch — LSU has not had another pass play go for more than 19 yards.

LSU coach Brian Kelly explained the latter Monday in part by saying the receivers are doing more with running plays than they have in the past. Indeed LSU has been quite creative with how it’s distributed the ball, with Thomas emerging as an excep-

JOHNSON

Continued from page 1C

In addition to a revamped coaching staff, the Cajuns will have a brand-new roster this season with no players who played a year ago In the new alignment, Brodhead will coach the defense and Johnson will coach the offense. Her disciplined style of coaching is also something Brodhead is looking forward to watching.

“I’m always talking about how tight you have to be with the ball,” he said “The kids today are so loose with the ball, and that’s why you see a lot of turnovers. When Temeka demonstrates, she’s so tight with the ball. She’s so pure, and the kids can tell by just watching her Her attention to detail is just incredible.” Brodhead also raves about Johnson’s toughness.

“I’m deﬁnitely rejuvenated,” he said. “She brings a lot to the table. I think she’s going to help us do things in a whole new way I’m looking forward to it.”

tional utility player (nine carries for 80 yards, ﬁve catches for 54 yards).

“You see what we’re doing with explosive plays in the run game,”

Kelly said. “More of those went to receivers last year.”

Kelly said he’s focused on scoring more points, particularly in the red zone. In eight trips inside the opponents’ 20, the Tigers have scored four touchdowns and three ﬁeld goals.

“We need to score more points,”

he said. “The issue for me is scoring touchdowns instead of ﬁeld goals in those tough territory areas. Our conversion rate in the red zone is really where I’m focused now.”

It would be easy to lay LSU’s offensive malaise at the feet of its offensive line, but that’s only part of the story Yes, losing center Braelin Moore on the ﬁrst play of the Louisiana Tech game hurt. He was the SEC offensive lineman of the week against Clemson. And the Tigers can’t realistically expect to have him recover quickly enough from his ankle sprain to play this Saturday against Florida in Tiger Stadium (6:30 p.m., ABC).

While the line has struggled to open holes for LSU runners, the passing game has to ﬁnd a way to be more threatening. The Tigers’

ﬁrst two opponents haven’t made that easy While Clemson has had its own issues on offense, its defense has been solid through the ﬁrst two games. And Louisiana Tech’s 3-3-5 alignment, sometimes

dropping eight players into pass coverage, really gummed things up for Nussmeier, who often struggled to ﬁnd open receivers. When he did, like on a ﬁrst-drive pass for Brown, he was sometimes off the mark. That underthrown ball resulted in a pinball interception that bounced off Tech’s Cedric Woods and into the hands of Michael Richard.

LSU easily could have had 10 more points at Clemson if Kelly had elected to take a short ﬁeld goal just before halftime and if Nussmeier’s exceptional pass to Brown would have been ruled a touchdown. All else being equal, a 27-10 victory at Clemson would make the rest of LSU’s offensive issues taste better going down.

Kelly said little things hampered the offense against Tech, a game LSU players looked like they wanted to just get through to get on with Saturday’s SEC opener against Florida. The Tigers now have that chance.

I suspect they will play with more urgency, crispness and effectiveness, and the offense will grow more productive as the season goes on. That better be the case.

Florida limps in off an 18-16 loss to South Florida, but a wounded Gator is just dangerous enough to spring an upset if the Tigers aren’t up to the task.

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

for the starting quarterback job, but he did not make the 53-man roster The Saints brought him back on the practice squad, signed him to the active roster Sept. 1, then waived him Saturday to make room for Diggs.

Dekkers, an undrafted rookie free agent who signed with the Saints after a summer tryout, has had an even more turbulent run on the transaction wire.

New Orleans waived Dekkers on July 31, brought him back on Aug. 6, waived him again on Aug. 14, signed him to the practice squad after roster cuts, then waived him again Thursday

DEFENSE

Continued from page 1C

quarterback had a really good control of their offense and what they were trying to do.

“So he’s going to the right spot with the ball. A lot of it was on RPO throws.”

It’s pretty easy to dismiss the ﬁrst-half struggles against a Rice running offense that UL likely won’t see again. But the chunk plays allowed to the McNeese passing game were more worrisome.

“I don’t think we did the best job of squeezing and competing at corner, to be honest with you,” Desormeaux said, particularly on McNeese’s ﬁrst play that gained 55 yards “Good design by them, but certainly at corner we’ve got to squeeze and compete better at times. There were plenty of reps where we did compete well and had PBUs and all that stuff, but there were some of them that really hurt us.

“We’re going to stop the run, but we’ve got to compete a little bit better on some of those glance throws.”

This week is the defense’s biggest challenge against a Missouri offense averaging 51.5 points a game.

“I don’t know what it is, but we’re going to have to get to work and ﬁgure out a way to start a little bit faster on defense,” Desormeaux said “I think this defense has a chance to be really good this year.”

The cornerback spots appear to be UL’s biggest question marks. In two games, the UL secondary has just two pass breakups and one interception. The interception was a nifty pick by safety Jalen Clark on Saturday The two PBUs were turned in by true freshman cornerback Brent Gordon and safety Tyree Skipper

“In these next two games, we’ve got to ﬁgure it out,” Desormeaux said “We’ve got to hit our stride when we get to Week 5 when you start conference. I don’t know that it’s just done until someone

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

wrench, but the Saints and Moore may be forced to get creative if they want to hunt explosive plays in the passing game.

Miss explained One of the more surprising moments from Sunday’s game came when Blake Grupe missed a 38-yard ﬁeld goal wide left with about four minutes to go in the third quarter

Grupe has been, without question, one of the Saints most consistent performers since the team opened training camp in July Sunday’s miss was his ﬁrst since the ﬁrst week of training camp, when he missed a kick in the rain. While Grupe wasn’t making excuses, he did offer an explanation for what happened.

The play before the missed kick was a third-down shot to the end zone by Rattler to Shaheed. The pass fell incomplete, but the Saints were arguing that defensive back Will Johnson committed defensive pass interference on the play That argument was happening as the play clock was running.

By the time Grupe began his kick routine, only nine seconds remained on the play clock. The Saints snapped the ball with two seconds remaining. While the clock was running down, Grupe said he was considering his options. With the beneﬁt of hindsight, Grupe said he wished he would have just accepted a delay of game penalty rather than rushing the kick without 100% focus. The difference between a 38- and 43yard ﬁeld goal is negligible.

Foskey in Cincinnati

Former Saints defensive end Isaiah Foskey has found a new home in the NFL.

Foskey a Saints’ 2023 secondround pick out of Notre Dame, signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday

The Saints cut Foskey after the preseason He played in 27 games for the Saints over two seasons, finishing with half a sack. Foskey now heads to the Bengals, where Cincinnati defensive coordinator Al Golden was the former defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

“I don’t know what it is, but we’re going to have to get to work and figure out a way to start a little bit faster on defense. I think this defense has a chance to be really good this year.”

MICHAEL DESORMEAUX, UL coach

goes out there and takes control of a position.”

The only cornerback who started both games at corner was redshirt senior Courtline Flowers. Lorenzell Dubose started the ﬁrst game but not the second one. Trae Tomlinson started the second game but not the ﬁrst one.

“The reality of it is you need more than just two guys playing good,” Desormeaux said.

“I mean, that’s the bottom line. Throughout the course of the year, you’re going to need more than that.

“A lot of cornerback is so much conﬁdence. You trust in what you see, and playing ball, man, and pulling the trigger and going. You know, when you hesitate, bad things happen there.”

Desormeaux said rebounding from a bad play is critical for cornerbacks.

The good news for the defense is if the cornerback rotation gets established, the Cajuns should have a strong unit come Sun Belt play Linebackers Jaden Dugger, Jake St Andre, Terrence Williams and Caleb Kibodi have shined so far, and the safety crew has been outstanding.

One of the biggest plays of Saturday’s win was Clark’s interception at the UL 9. Clark addressed his personal improvement and his unit’s good play this season.

“Just preparing more, understanding what the defense needs from man 1-11, but that’s really it being able to trust my instincts and playing fast instead of not playing fast at all,” Clark said.“Everybody is communicating to each other

“There’s no secrets on defense.”

Numbers to know

11: Johnson led all tight ends with 11 targets last week, and his +4.7 receiving EPA ranked third among tight ends.

62: New Orleans ran 62 plays out of the shotgun formation compared to just four under center

7: At 36 years old, Demario Davis recorded nine tackles in his 2025 debut Seven of those snuffed out plays for gains of 3 or fewer yards, including four that went for no gain or a loss.

3: No team in the NFL ran fewer play-action passes than the Saints, who ran only three of them. Two of those plays were technically run-pass options, and the third was a failed screen pass. Next up

The San Francisco 49ers come to town as one of the more banged-up squads. San Francisco deﬁnitely will be without tight end George Kittle, who caught four passes with a touchdown before injuring his hamstring in the second quarter of a win against Seattle. San Francisco also may be without receiver Jauan Jennings, who injured his shoulder against Seattle.

The big one to keep an eye on is quarterback Brock Purdy, who suffered injuries to his toe and nonthrowing shoulder and may not be able to go against the Saints. If the 49ers hold Purdy out, expect Mac Jones to line up under center Jones is a former first-rounder, but his career fizzled out in New England. Memorably the Saints shut him and the Patriots out in Foxborough in one of Jones’ final starts with the Patriots. New Orleans sacked Jones twice and picked him off twice in a 34-0 romp.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Temeka Johnson, center, celebrates a state championship while coaching at John Curtis in 2022.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU running back Caden Durham dives over Louisiana Tech defensive back Jacob Fields for extra yardage on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.

LSU baseball to face Vanderbilt, Georgia in ’26

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball released its 2026 schedule on Tuesday, a slate that includes ﬁve teams in Southeastern Conference play that it did not face last season, as well as ﬁrst-pitch times for most of its nonconference matchups.

The reigning national champion Tigers will face Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Florida and Georgia in SEC play after not facing any of those teams in the regular season in 2025. Missouri, Texas, Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama are the ﬁve schools it won’t face again in 2026.

LSU hosts South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Florida and Texas A&M. It will hit the road to face Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

The Tigers begin their fall practice schedule on Oct. 9 That practice schedule includes scrimmages against Samford in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Nov. 2 and Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond on Nov 9. LSU

Dartmouth, 6:30 p.m.

vs. Northeastern, 6 p.m.

p.m.

vs.

vs. Northeastern, 6:30 p.m.

6 vs. Sacramento State, 6:30 p.m. March 7 vs. Sacramento State, 6 p.m. March 8 vs. Sacramento State, 1 p.m. March 10 vs. Creighton, 6:30 p.m. March 13-15 at Vanderbilt TBD March 17 vs. Grambling, 6:30

Renaissance, AES beneﬁt from experience of returning QBs

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Quarterbacks Kennan Brown and Branon Mitchell are already in midseason form.

Lafayette Renaissance junior Brown and Ascension Episcopal senior Mitchell led their teams to wins over higher classiﬁcation opponents in Week 1, with the Tigers topping Class 5A Prairieville 35-14 and the Blue Gators rolling to a 41-7 win over 3A Kaplan.

“It’s a blessing to have an experienced quarterback,” Tigers coach Hunter Landry said of Brown, the area’s leading returning passer “I get nitpicky with him, but he did a lot of good things.”

Brown passed for 242 yards on 25 completions with three touchdowns. Senior Jacourey Duhon had eight catches for 75 yards and two scores as LRCA roared back after the Hurricanes scored on their ﬁrst play

“They caught us off guard by scoring on that ﬁrst play,” Landry said of Prairieville, which replaced J.S. Clark as the Tigers’ Week 1 opponent. “We showed more maturity than last year We settled in on defense and played really well.”

Sophomore Ashton Joseph led the Tigers with six catches for 101 yards. Shemar Taylor (TD) and Brenden Miles each caught four passes. Jaydon Polk (11-62) ran for two scores, while DaMarion Green and Brown each rushed for 36 yards.

“Kennan did a good job of taking what the defense gave him,” said Landry who also praised freshman running back Keith Guillory “All four starters at receiver touched the ball. Ashton had a fumble on a return, but he shook it off and made a one-handed catch on our next possession.”

The Tigers, who will travel to Ascension Episcopal in Week 10, host Abbeville at 7 p.m. Thursday The Wildcats, who lost to WashingtonMarion 44-14, lost 42-13 to LRCA last year

In Kaplan, Mitchell got a big boost from senior running back Andre Abshire, who returned the opening kickoff to the Pirates 10. Abshire ran for two touchdowns, caught two of his quarterback’s nine completions and blocked a punt. “I’m really excited about the energy the players brought,” Blue Gators coach Jay Domengeaux said “We were concerned about Kaplan, which historically plays us very physically A couple of things went well, and I think that gave us momentum.”

Mitchell completed passes to ﬁve receivers. Tight end Preston Peebles grabbed three receptions for 48 yards and a score. Jack Boudreaux, Andrew McCormick and DJ Kelly all caught passes, and McCormick added two ﬁeld goals.

“That’s one thing we’ve done well the last year or two is spread the ball out to a lot of guys,” Domengeaux said. “Branon does a good job of running the offense

SCOREBOARD

at Athletics (TBD), 2:35 p.m.

(Bradley 6-7) at L.A. Angels (Soriano 10-10), 3:07 p.m. Pittsburgh (Skenes 10-9) at Baltimore (Wells 1-0),

FG Santos 42, :24. Min: FG Reichard 59, :06. Third Quarter Chi: N.Wright 74 interception return (Santos kick), 12:51. Fourth Quarter Min: Jefferson 13 pass from McCarthy (pass failed), 12:13. Min: A.Jones 27 pass from McCarthy (Thielen pass from McCarthy), 9:46. Min: McCarthy 14 run (Reichard kick), 2:53. Chi: Odunze 1 pass from Ca.Williams (Santos kick), 2:02. A: 58,742. MinChi

First downs 14 20 Total Net Yards 254 317 Rushes-yards 26-120 26-119 Passing 134 198 Punt Returns 4-68 4-37 Kickoff Returns 5-133 4-125 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-74 Comp-Att-Int 13-20-1 21-35-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 3-9 2-12 Punts 7-47.571 6-44.333

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1

Penalties-Yards 8-50 12-127

Time of Possession 27:07 32:53

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Minnesota, Mason 15-68, McCarthy 2-25, A.Jones 8-23, Jefferson 1-4. Chicago, Ca.Williams 6-58, Swift 17-53, Moore 3-8. PASSING: Minnesota, McCarthy 13-20-1-143. Chicago, Ca.Williams 21-35-0-210. RECEIVING: Minnesota, Jefferson 4-44, A.Jones 3-44, Hockenson 3-15, Nailor 1-28, Mason 1-7, Oliver 1-5. Chicago, Odunze 6-37, Zaccheaus 4-42, Moore 3-68, Swift 3-12, Loveland 2-12, Kmet 1-31, Monangai 1-11, Burden 1-(minus 3). MISSED

and not keying on one guy. We try to stay even handed with passing and running.”

It was a triumphant return for Kelly, who suffered a seasonending injury in the ﬁrst quarter of the 2024 opener Hayes Trotter and Sport Gros each intercepted a Kaplan pass, and linebacker Owen LeBlanc had a scoop and score fumble return. Defensive back Austin Adams recovered a fumble as the Blue Gators forced four turnovers.

“If we can create turnovers and limit ours, that’s a recipe for success,” said Domengeaux, whose team hosts Class 4A Archbishop Hannan on Friday The Hawks beat Northlake Christian after losing that matchup in one-sided fashion last year

The Blue Gators won last year’s game at Archbishop Hannan 31-7.

“Hannan has a lot better football team,” Domengeaux said. “They’re ﬁnding some consistency and getting growth in their roster numbers.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Lafayette Renaissance quarterback Kennan Brown is off to a good start this season, leading the Tigers to a 35-14 win over Prairieville.

The ‘Japanese walking’ trend, decoded

BY AVERY NEWMARK

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

A walking routine out of Japan is giving your traditional cardio workout a serious run for its money Dubbed “Japanese walking,” this high-intensity interval workout has recently taken TikTok by storm, promising improved heart health, endurance and leaner-looking legs. The method is simple: Alternate between three minutes of brisk walking and three minutes of slower walking. Repeat this on-off cycle ﬁve times for 30 minutes. Although the workout might be the latest trend, the concept is rooted in science. Developed by professors at Shinshu University, the routine was tested in a 2007 study involving adults over a ﬁve-month period Those who followed the interval-based walking method saw notable improvements in blood pressure, leg strength and overall aerobic capacity — outperforming those who stuck to a steadypaced walk.

A follow-up study in 2018 that tracked long-term effects over 10 years found participants experienced a 40% increase in peak ﬁtness levels, suggesting the beneﬁts of this walking method may extend well into aging.

Fitness coach Eugene Teo, who helped popularize the routine on TikTok, said the routine’s appeal lies in accessibility “People don’t like fitness jargon,” Teo told the Los Angeles Times. “If I want to impact millions globally, I have to make science accessible.” Still, some health experts aren’t fully on board. They’ve pointed out the original study had a few flaws — like tracking one group more closely than the other — which could have affected the outcome. Others suggest the real takeaway is less about the specific method and more about the benefits of incorporating regular exercise into your week, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, which is about 30 minutes a day, ﬁve days a week. That can include anything from brisk walking to dancing, gardening or cycling.

As Teo puts it, “Effort matters more than perfection.” So lace up your sneakers and get moving fast, then slow Your heart (and TikTok algorithm) will thank you.

A FUSION OFCULTURES

Traditional Argentinian empanadas merge with La. flavors at Lafayette eatery

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

ave you ever had a muffuletta empanada?

I wasn’t sure what to envision at ﬁrst. When Luciano Escudero of Empanada Guy in Lafayette asked if I wanted to try their latest special, I imagined all of the flavors of a muffuletta — Italian meats, cheese and olive salad stuffed inside a classic empanada turnover I thought it would be tasty, creative and an exercise in fusion cooking. What I got was so much more. Escudero’s muffuletta empanada comes in a delicate and ﬂaky open crust, filled with a just-enough portion of meat, cheese, onion and olives. Instead of being a flavor punch, it’s almost delicate. The empanada is savory, without being overwhelming, with a touch of

sweetness from the onions I had imagined something like a cross between a muffuletta and a meat pie — big, meaty and oozing But Escudero surprised me with something entirely unexpected.

That’s his signature at work at Empanada Guy, the restaurant Escudero runs with his wife, Lafayette native Laura Trahan. The couple met in Costa Rica, where Trahan was an English teacher, and Escudero, who is from Mendoza, Argentina, was a rafting guide tak-

ing English lessons. The next several years took them on an uncertain journey back to Trahan’s hometown. They were married and living in Argentina when Trahan was diagnosed with leukemia, bringing them back to the United States for treatment. Three years later, Trahan is in remission and the pair is now based out of Lafayette, slinging Escudero’s empanadas in a business

See EMPANADA, page 6C

rolled into a ball, deep fried and placed in a pool of brown gravy to create smoked brisket arancini. It sounds delicious and was, in fact, delicious. At $16, the dish came with three arancini balls that were topped with spicy aioli and scallions.

STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE

Smoked Brisket Arancini at Rouj Creole in Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Luciano Escudero is the owner and operator of Empanada Guy in Lafayette.

An assortment of fresh empanadas from Empanada Guy

Quickrequest?Ask anyone

Dear Miss Manners: At a restaurant, if my food is servedbysomeone other than my waiter and Ineed to request an additional or missing item (e.g., extra sauceorsour cream), do I make that request to the person who served the food? Or do Iwait for the waiter to come over and ask if everything is OK? Does it even matter? Sometimes the waiter doesn’tcome over for afew minutes and I’d prefer not to let my food get cold.

Couple faceshurdles living apart

Gentle reader: Although not in the habit of being intimidated by waiters,Miss Manners knows that any answer she gives will elicit aﬂood of responses from professionals explaining the system in use at their restaurant —and why it is the only possible solution, which must of course be universally and instantly adopted. Before that happens:Listen up, restaurant folks. The customers do not know The System. They are annoying and they do not know what they wantand

they did not order what they said theyorderedand they do nottip enough. But they would likesome extrasauce beforetheir food gets cold. So here is Miss Manners’ answer for thecustomers: Youmay ask your waiter,oryou may ask any member of the staff whocomes to your table —up to andincluding the head chef —politely of course. If you cannot get anyone’s attention in areasonable amountoftime, then youmay ask anyemployeeorsupervisor for help. And if therestaurant is particularly busy,it maytake afew minutes.

Dear Miss Manners: Ineed to attend the funeral of a family member,and I’m dreading having to encounter aperson whodid very evil thingstothe deceased while they were alive, takingadvantage of their age and good nature. This person controlled the deceased,poisoned her mindagainst herown children andleeched offher ﬁnancially.Icut offall contact with this person years ago, andnow I’m afraid that

Iwill have to face her Ihave no intention of initiating any conversation with her,but what do Ido if she initiates one with me? In public, she loves to act like she’sa wonderful, friendly person. It’spart of her scam Can Ijust turn and walk away if she approaches me? She’struly an evil, despicable individual. Still, I don’twant to create ascene at afuneral.

Gentlereader: Not causing ascene at the funeral is a good etiquette rule to follow If this person approaches you, you may say,“Excuse me,” andwalk away,purposefully,but without any show of anger —asifyou were called off to deal with somethingurgent. Youcan go to thebathroom for a minuteifneed be.

Miss Manners is indifferent so long as it convinces anyone watching that your departure was unrelated to theperson. There will, if necessary,beother times to makeascene.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

Gettinghard-to-reach items

Dear Heloise: I’ve been reading your (and previously your mother’s) column since Iwas in grade school. I’m 77 now Iamshort and often have trouble reaching things on the top shelf or at the back of the freezer shelf when grocery shopping. Ioften look around for ataller person to ask for help, but Ifound asolution by bringing my collapsible back scratcher with me. It’s small enough to easily ﬁt in my purse, and Iexpand it and just pull the item Iwant forward. Hope this helps another short person! —Marjorie R., in Abilene,Texas

Travel tip

luggage smelling nice. Or I would spray aballofcotton with my favoriteperfume and toss itinmysuitcase. —Heloise Card mix-up

Dear Harriette: I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about six monthsnow, and things have been going really well. The only issue is that while we both live in New York City, he lives in Brooklyn and Ilive in Washington Heights (Manhattan), and thecommute is usually over an hour —sometimes longer if the trains are delayed or rerouted, which happens moreoften than I’d like. We bothhave demanding work schedules, so coordinating time together can be tricky, and it feels like one of us is always sacriﬁcing sleep or rearranging our routine just to make thetrip across thecity.On nightswhen Iget home after midnight from visit-

during theweek. —Joan W.,in

Oregon

Dear Heloise: I’ve traveled all over the world. When Iarrive back home, after wiping my suitcase inside and out withadisinfectant, Ileave asmall bar of soap in the suitcase so that it will smell fresh the next timeI use the suitcase. —Heidi N., New Orleans Heidi, I’ve done alot of traveling, too, and Iwould often use the perfume inserts in magazines to keep my

Dear Heloise: My brother went to a couple of restaurants while visiting friends in another state. When he was at the second restaurant,the waitress asked hisgroup who Randy was. No one had this name.Itturned out the waitperson at the ﬁrst restaurant gave him someone else’s card (Randy’s). Thecards were both from the same bank, so they had the same look and color On this occasion,hewas able to track downthe other cardholder (who hadno idea thathe hadthe wrong card in hiswallet), andthey exchanged their cards. I have since placed asmall heart stickeronmycard to be sure that Iget mycard backwhen making charges in restaurants, coffeeshops, etc. Icertainly feel safer His story could have gone so much worse Ilove yourcolumnsand misstheminthe Sunday Oregonian butread them

Joan, placing asticker on your card is agreat idea and the perfect hint for all of us who use credit cards.

—Heloise Colorful gift wrapping

Dear Heloise: Often Iwill use thecomic strip pages from thenewspaper to wrap gifts, particularly children’sgifts. It is very colorful and cheap! Isave all thecomic strip pages from theSunday newspapers for this purpose and any other purpose that might arise!

Marian P. in Lincoln, Nebraska Greekyogurt

Dear Heloise: My daughter and Ihave been using fullfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for years. The trick is to ﬁnd theright brand. Yogurt is so much morenutritious and delicious. —PetraH., in Richmond, Virginia

Petra, Ilike to use Greek yogurt as adressing for my fruit salads. It cutsthe sweetness and provides calcium and other friendly bacteria for the gut —Heloise Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

The Butcher Burger at Iverstine’sFarms Butcher

Continued from page5C

As advertised, it’sabeeflover’sburger.Noburger tour of Baton Rouge is complete without astop at Iverstine’s.

—Jan Risher,features editor Pork Belly Bao n ChowYum, 2363 Hollydale Ave., Baton Rouge

It was my ﬁrst time at Chow Yumand my ﬁrst time trying bao buns.

aﬂuffy,soft bun topped with gochujang aoili, hoisin, kimchi, cilantroand scallions. Ihad aspiritual experience upon my ﬁrst bite. Where had this dish been my entirelife? What is in this?Could Imake it in my own kitchen? The pork itself was a wild roller coaster,one side having afatty texture, the other tough, and the whole thingjuicy and tender.I ordered it again afew days later as dinner takeout, and yep, it was still delightful. —Maddie Scott, features reporter

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

ing him,I wonder if Ican realistically keep this up in the long term Igenuinely care about my boyfriend and enjoy our time together but the distance sometimes makes our relationship feel morelike a logistical puzzle than something spontaneous and fun. Friends keep telling me that dating across boroughs is like dating longdistance, and I’mstarting to see what they mean.Is it realistic to keep dating someone wholives so far away in this city,oramI setting myself up forfuture frustration? —Dating Long-Distance Dear Dating Long-Distance: It’s all about perspective. Yes, it takes abig effort foryou twotobetogether.The

sameistrue forpeople wholive across states, countries and oceans. While you may lose out on spontaneity,what you can gain from continuing to choose each other is a deepening of your relationship and ﬁguring out if the effort is worth it. It may not sound like fun, but consider creating aschedule forwhen you will see each other.You don’thave to schedule what you’re going to do, just that you’ll be together At somepoint, you may also start thinking about how serious this relationship is and whether you want to take it to the next level, i.e., moving closer, living together or even marriage.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

EMPANADA

Continuedfrom page5C

thatbegan during one of their hardest times

“She gotadiagnosis, and the next day, we ﬂew to the U.S.,” Escudero said. During Trahan’s treatmentsatMDAnderson, she couldn’twork, and he didn’t have awork visa or green card yet— but he found comfort sharing his mother’sempanada recipeswith friends and family in Lafayette. Word spreadquickly, andbefore long, people wereasking to buy them

That was just two years ago. EmpanadaGuy has been on arocket ship trajectory sincethen, brieﬂy moving into abrick-andmortar space in Youngsville in spring 2024, before moving into their home in Lafayette lastfall.

Empanada Guy is located at 1500 GeneralMouton Ave., in aspot thatformerly housed Cafe 20.3. The business is open 10 a.m. to 3p.m. every day, slinging everything from traditional ﬂavorslike classicbeef and ham and cheese empanadas (both verycommon

ByThe Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Sept.10, the 253rd day of 2025. There are 112 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Sept.10, 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.The proceedings would become a watershedmoment in the discussion of sexualharassment when Anita Hill, alaw professor who had previously worked under Thomas,came forwardwith allegations against him

Also on this date: In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia. In 1846, Elias Howe received apatent for his sewing machine. In 1960, running barefoot, Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won theOlympic marathon in Rome, becoming the ﬁrst Black African

in Argentina,according to Escudero) and moreCajunand American-inspired creations like boudin pepper jack and buffalo chicken.

Customers can choose their dipping sauce, with classic chimichurri on offer, as well as salsa criolla (a mustard-based barbecue sauce) ranch and othersthatmatch therange of empanada flavors and styles on offer

According to Escudero, the gumbo empanada special is abestseller.They’ve made crawfish étouffée empanadas and are constantly experimenting with new ideas, like abrisket empanada.

“We’re doing afusionof both of our cultures, because they do very well together,” Escudero said.

“Wejust try everything. We have alot of ideas,” Trahan said. “A lot of our original stuff comes frominspiration from our friends, like ourspinach andartichoke empanada. It was from a dip thatone of ourgood friends always brings, and we just tweaked it abit.” Escudero explainedthat Argentiniancuisine is alreadya fusion of Italian, Spanish and native Ar-

gentiniantraditions, with adose of French and German. It’sinherently aplayful food, abletogofrom the soccer ﬁeld to aparty Empanadas are also communal—arecipe calls to make at least adozen, and they are best enjoyed with friends.

The story of Empanada Guy’sjalapeno corn empanada exemplifies this friendly,fun-loving energy “Wewere having Friendsgiving, and one of our friends brought this jalapeno corn mix for adip,” Escudero said. “The next day,we wake up hungover,and we have ﬁveorsix friends from out of town at our house.” On the question of what to eat, Escudero hadempanada dough anda giant bowl of jalapeno corn dip.

“So we just made empanadas,” Escudero said, “and everybody said, ‘Oh my God, this is so good.’” At Empanada Guy, they’re serving up fresh ideasand flavorsdaily and you never know what kind of empanada will roll out of their ovens next.

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

to winOlympic gold.

In 1960, Hurricane Donna, adangerous Category 4storm blamed for364 deaths, struck the Florida Keys.

In 1963, 20 Black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoffbetween federal authorities and Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace.

In 1979, four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a1950 attempted killing of President Harry S. Truman were freedfrom prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter

In 2005, teams of forensic workers and cadaver dogs fanned out across NewOrleans to collect the corpses leftbehind by Hurricane Katrina.

In 2008, the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) waspowered up for the ﬁrst time, successfully

firing the first beam of protons through its 17-mile underground ring tunnel. In 2022, King Charles III was officially proclaimed Britain’smonarch in a pomp-filled ceremony two days after the death of his mother,Queen Elizabeth II. Today’sbirthdays:

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Owner Luciano Escudero takes out atrayofempanadas at EmpanadaGuy in Lafayette.

Hints from Heloise

PROVIDED PHOTO Chowyum’sPork Belly Bao

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) The more you offer, the easier it is for others to take advantage of you. Know what you can do and how much you are willing to do for others. Don't feel guilty for putting yourself first.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Use your energy wisely. You'll have plenty of outlets, but not all will bring the same return. Do the legwork, find out what works best for you and funnel your energy into giving your all.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) You owe it to yourself to sign up for something that excites you. Mix business with pleasure, and you'll find the right balance and connections to help you achieve your goals.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) You can achieve multiple gains if you prepare and organize ahead of time Obtain firsthand information and fact-check information to avoid setbacks. Someone will take advantage of you if you let them.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec 22-Jan 19) Use intelligence regarding money, health and legal matters. Partnerships will experience stress if excess and indulgence are allowed to interfere. Know when to say no.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Have a plan that keeps you on the move and too busy for outsiders to interfere with your objective. Your best investment will be in something that boosts your confidence.

PIscEs (Feb 20-March 20) Take a backseat and observe. Don't allow the changes others make tempt you to follow suit. Overextending yourself emotionally or financially will leave you at a loss.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Embrace change and dance to the beat that resonates with you. Personal improvements will lead to growth and new possibilities. Those you meet along the way will play a crucial role in your success.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Get moving. Idle time is the enemy, so don't hesitate; do what your gut tells you to do next. Home improvements will cost more than anticipated.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) You'll crave change and excitement, and if you do your research and make plans, your desires will meet your expectations Don't believe everything you hear.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Don't get riled up; get moving. It's how you react and what you achieve that counts. Put your emotions aside and distance yourself from anyone trying to get you to buy into their dream LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Avoid temptation. Overdoing it will be costly. Focus on looking and feeling your best, and use your intelligence to outmaneuver anyone trying to lead you astray.

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

AjayDevgan, an Indian film actor, director and producer, said,“By getting into distributionand production,I am actually widening my base.”

Many less-experienced players do not pay as much attention to hand distributionsastheyought.Intoday’sdeal,South read theend-position well by counting out the West hand.

Northhadtoopenonediamondbecause one-no-trump would have shown only 12-14 points. Southwas also caughtby their system.Two diamonds would have been an inverted minor-suit raise,showinga stronger hand; andthree diamonds wouldhavebeenpre-emptive,indicating aweaker, more distributional hand. So Southcompromised withone no-trump. Againstthree no-trump, West led the heart 10. To encourageEast to continue hearts,Southcalledfordummy’sking.As declarer hoped,East wonandreturned a heart,hoping his partner had the queen. Southwon,playedaclubtodummy’sace, thenran diamonds, ending in hishand.

West discarded the spade eight, three clubsandoneheart.Eastthrewoneheart and one spade.

WhendeclarernextledaclubandWest played the10, South was confident that West had started with 3-5-0-5 or 3-4-0-6 distribution.Since the former wasmore likely, bothmathematically and because Westwouldhaveprobablyledaclubwith sixofthem,declarercalledfordummy’s king. East’s queen dropped, and South claimed nine tricks. Yes, West shouldhave kept twoclubs, but that is easier said than done when having winnersinanother suit.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters 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 wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD cALAMInt: KAL-uh-mint: AEurasian perennial mint.

Average mark22words

Timelimit 40 minutes

Can you find 35 or morewords in CALAMINT?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —EnActs

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

The Lake plans to open overnight Livingston unit

Our Lady of the Lake’s Livingston Parish campus will start providing overnight care next year

The hospital plans to start construction on a 10-bed overnight emergency department observation unit later this month, expanding the Walker campus.

The hospital said the $5 million project will open in the spring and will be the first and only 24-hour observation unit in the parish. Twelve doctors and advanced practice nurses will staff the unit. The Lake provides a range of services in Walker including 24-hour emergency care, but it currently cannot admit patients. Those in need of hospital admission are transferred to another location.

“This latest announcement echoes Our Lady of the Lake Health’s commitment to providing quality health care, closer to home for the Livingston community,” Our Lady of the Lake Health President Chuck Spicer said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to meet the needs of this growing community.”

Wall Street rises to more records Tuesday

NEW YORK U.S. stocks rose to more records on Tuesday after the latest update on the job market bolstered Wall Street’s hopes for a slowdown that’s deep enough to get the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, but not so overwhelming that it causes a recession.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% and squeaked past its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 196 points, or 0.4%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.4%. They likewise set records.

Traders have become convinced that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate for the ﬁrst time this year at its next meeting in a week to prop up the slowing job market. A report on Tuesday offered the latest signal of weakness when the U.S government said its prior count of jobs across the country through March may have been too high by 911,000, or 0.6%.

That was before President Donald Trump shocked the economy and ﬁnancial markets in April by rolling out tariffs on countries worldwide.

The bet on Wall Street is that such data will convince Fed officials that the job market is the bigger problem now for the economy than the threat of inﬂation worsening because of Trump’s tariffs. That would push them to cut interest rates, a move that would give the economy a boost but could also send inﬂation higher A lot is riding on Wall Street’s hope that the job market is slowing by just the right amount: Investors have already sent U.S stock prices to records because of it. Inflation also needs to stay at a reasonable level, even though it looks tough to get below the Fed’s target of 2%.

Cracker Barrel ends plans for remodeling

Cracker Barrel said Tuesday it’s suspending remodels of its restaurants after criticism from many longtime fans.

The announcement came two weeks after Cracker Barrel backtracked on a separate plan to modernize and simplify its logo. Fans of the chain had also loudly criticized that move Lebanon, Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel said Tuesday that just four of its 660 restaurants had been remodeled as part of a test for the brand. The remodels, which began last year, added more comfortable seating, brighter lights, lighter paint and a simplified assortment of antiques but kept signature elements like ﬁreplaces.

“We heard clearly that the modern remodel design does not reﬂect what you love about Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement “Of course, we will continue to invest in our restaurants to make sure that they are in good shape and meet your expectations.

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The U.S. job market was much weaker in 2024 and early this year than originally reported, adding to concerns about the health of the nation’s economy Employers added 911,000 fewer jobs than originally reported in the year that ended in March 2025, the Labor Department reported Tuesday

The department issues the socalled benchmark revisions every year. They are intended to better account for new businesses and ones that had gone out of business.

The numbers issued Tuesday are preliminary. Final revisions will come out in February

The revision showed that leisure and hospitality ﬁrms — including hotels and restaurants added 176,000 fewer jobs than originally reported, professional and busi-

ness services companies 158,000 fewer and retailers 126,000 fewer

The report comes after the department reported Friday that the economy generated just 22,000 jobs in August, adding to fears that President Donald Trump’s erratic economic policies, including massive and unpredictable taxes on imports, have created so much uncertainty that businesses are reluctant to hire.

Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets said the revisions painted “a much weaker portrait of the job market than initially thought. While the revision doesn’t say much about what has happened since March, it suggests the labor market had less momentum heading into the trade war And, recent data suggest the market has downshifted further Since March, monthly job creation has decelerated to an average 53,000.

When the preliminary bench-

mark revisions last year showed 818,000 fewer jobs in the year ended March 2024, then-presidential candidate Trump declared the numbers had been rigged to conceal economic weakness and help Democrats in the 2024 election. However, he did not explain why the government would release the revised numbers two and a half months before voters went to the polls. (The ﬁnal revisions for the 12 months that ended March 2024, which came out in February this year, were less dramatic but still bad: Payrolls ended up 589,000 lower than originally reported.)

The latest revisions will likely increase pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark interest rate at its meeting next week to give the economy a boost.

James Knightley, an economist at ING, also expects the Fed to cut again at its meetings in October and December

In a commentary Knightley wrote that the Labor Department numbers “can be significantly wrong” when the economy is at a turning point. “In the early stages of a downturn they tend to overestimate the jobs created by new startups — ‘births’ — and underestimate the number of jobs lost by the ‘death’ of failing small businesses,” he wrote. “These revisions suggest that jobs momentum is being lost from an even weaker position than originally thought. It also reinforces the belief that even the poor numbers seen in 2025 are probably overstating the health of the employment market.”

After the Labor Department issued a disappointing jobs report for July, Trump ﬁred the economist in charge of compiling numbers and nominated a loyalist to replace her He was especially enraged by revisions that took 258,000 jobs off May and June payrolls.

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writer

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple on Tuesday rolled out its next generation of iPhones that includes a new ultrathin model and a slight price hike for one of its high-end models, while the company feels the squeeze of a global trade war

The iPhone 17 lineup includes a new slimmed-down model that will adopt the “Air” name that Apple already uses for its sleekest iPads and Mac computers. In what has become an annual rite for Apple, all four new iPhone 17 models will feature better cameras and longer-lasting batteries than last year’s lineup. The iPhone 17 will all boast at least 256 gigabytes of storage, doubling the minimum amount from the last generation.

“We are raising the bar again,” Apple CEO Tim Cook boasted in front of a crowd gathered in an auditorium named after the company’s late co-founder, Steve Jobs, located on its campus in Cupertino, California

The new iPhones are the first to be released since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and unleashed a barrage of tariffs, in what his administration says is an attempt to bring overseas manufacturing back to the U.S. a crusade that has thrust Cook into the hot seat.

All the iPhone 17 models are still expected to be made in Apple’s manufacturing hubs in China and India, exposing them to some of Trump’s tariffs.

Analysts believe the additional fees on iPhones coming into the U.S. increase the pressure on Apple to raise prices to help protect its proﬁt margins on its most marquee product.

Without giving a speciﬁc reason, Apple will charge $1,100 for the iPhone 17 Pro, an increase of $100, or 10%, from previous versions of that model. The iPhone Air will start at $1,000 the price of last year’s iPhone 16 Pro.

Apple is sticking with the same starting price for the basic iPhone 17 at $800 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at $1,200.

All four models will be in stores Sept. 19.

Apple’s shares fell nearly 2% in Tuesday’s late afternoon trading.

In a move aimed at the selfie culture,

the iPhone 17 models will feature a front camera with more megapixels for crisper photos. The front camera will also have an option called “Center Stage” that will take advantage of a wider view of ﬁeld and a new sensor that will enable users to take landscape photos without having to rotate the iPhone

Although most of the upgrades to the iPhone 17 are similar to the incremental improvements of recent years, Apple appears to have done enough to “bring a sense of newness to the iPhone, which has remained the same for too long,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

While the iPhone 16 released last year fared reasonably well, the models didn’t sell quite as well as analysts had anticipated because Apple failed to deliver all of the artiﬁcial intelligence features it had promised including a smarter and more versatile Siri assistant. The Siri improvements have been pushed back until next year The global trade war has compounded Apple’s challenges.

Both Trump and U.S Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have repeatedly insisted that iPhones be made in the U.S. instead of overseas. It’s an unrealistic demand that analysts say would take years to pull off and would result in a doubling, or even a tripling, of the iPhone’s current average price of about $1,000.

Cook tried to placate Trump by initially pledging that Apple would invest $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, and then upped the ante last month by adding another $100 billion to the commitment. He also gifted Trump a statue featuring a 24-karat gold base.

That kind of diplomacy has helped insulate Apple from Trump’s most severe tariffs. However, with the iPhones being brought into the U.S. still facing duties of about 25%, some analysts speculated the company would raise prices to help preserve its hefty proﬁt margins. But for the most part, Apple — and even rivals such as Google — is sticking with the same price tags it’s slapped on its newest iPhones over recent years.

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The income for the typical American household barely rose last year and essentially matched its 2019 peak, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday, a stark illustration of the impact that the pandemic inﬂation spike had on Americans’ ﬁnances.

The report also showed that the highest-earning households received healthy inﬂation-adjusted income increases, while middleand lower-income households saw little gain.

Median household income, adjusted for inﬂation, in 2024 was $83,730, the Census Bureau said, a 1.3% increase from the previous year’s level of $82,690. The median is the midpoint between the highest- and lowest-income households, and helps filter out the impact of very high and very

low incomes that can skew averages. The ﬁgures help illustrate why many Americans have been dissatisﬁed with the economy since the pandemic, even as unemployment has been historically low:

Median household incomes are essentially unchanged from ﬁve years earlier, the report showed.

Median household income was $83,260 in 2019, the report said, and the slightly higher ﬁgure for 2024 is within the margin of error and therefore reflects little change from five years earlier, Census ofﬁcials said.

That is a sharp contrast from the preceding five-year period, from 2014 to 2019, when median household income rose nearly 21%, according to Census data.

“It’s not hard to see why middleclass Americans are frustrated,” said Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit

Union. “The frozen job market, tariffs and Medicaid cuts are going to put even more of a squeeze in 2025 on middle- and lower-income households.” For richest 10% of households, incomes rose 4.2% to $251,000, while for the poorest one-tenth incomes increased just 2.2% to $19,900. A household is defined by the Census Bureau as a family unit or an individual living alone or living with people who aren’t relatives. The agency includes all sources of cash income, including wages, investment income, and payments from government programs such as Social Security and unemployment insurance. It doesn’t include noncash beneﬁts, such as food aid — formerly known as food stamps or tax credits, or the substantial stimulus payments made by the ﬁrst Trump administration in 2020 or the Biden administration

in 2021 that signiﬁcantly boosted Americans’ ﬁnances.

Wages and salaries for most Americans rose at a healthy clip as the economy emerged from the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, as businesses were desperate to find and keep employees. But with prices rising sharply as well, overall household income fell for three years after 2019, and rose in 2023 for the first time in four years. The worst inflation spike in four decades in 2021 and 2022 soured most Americans on the economy, eroded sharp wage gains that occurred as employers desperately sought workers after the pandemic, and contributed to Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat in last year’s election. Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, fell in 2024 to an annual average of 2.9%, down from an average of 8% two years earlier