The Advocate 06-01-2026 by The Advocate

Scientists at LSU study moon dust

Research could help sustain space exploration missions

BY HALEY MILLER staff writer

A key problem for NASA to solve in maintaining a presence on the moon, or even Mars, is providing the resources necessary for long-term survival.

The more scientists pack on a spacecraft, the heavier it is and the more fuel it uses. Resupply missions are costly

But LSU researchers are exploring how to extract materials from the moon itself.

Mechanical engineering

Ph.D. student Emma McCarthy is investigating the possibilities of lunar regolith, the dust and debris that make up the lunar surface.

“Getting materials from Earth and resupply from Earth is very expensive,” McCarthy said. “Energy costs are very high for that, so we want to try to use as much as we can from the moon already.”

Overseen by Christopher Marvel, assistant profes-

“This stuff could be applied for a future Mars mission and transferred to the Mars dust.” EMMA McCARTHy, LsU mechanical engineering Ph.D student

sor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, McCarthy experiments with using a chemical reaction involv-

ing lithium hydride to isolate valuable elements found in moon dust like aluminum, iron and silicon — from oxygen.

U.S., Iran ceasefire talks show progress

Israel expands assault in Lebanon BY WENDY BENJAMINSON, DANA KHRAICHE

and GALIT ALTSTEIN

Bloomberg News (TNs)

The U.S. and Iran traded messages over the weekend seeking changes to a draft agreement that would extend a ceaseﬁre and open the Strait of Hormuz, but it was unclear if the sides were making much progress.

As the diplomatic exchanges continued, Israel expanded its ground assault in Lebanon, shattering a brittle truce with its northern neighbor

ä see CEASEFIRE, page 5A

FEMA says it’s ready for hurricane season

But turmoil, proposed changes worry some

BY MARK BALLARD staff writer

WASHINGTON Given the recent chaos at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and last year’s reorganization at the Governor’s Ofﬁce of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, some are fretting about what happens if one of the two predicted hurricanes or tropical storms comes ashore in Louisiana this summer

The materials can then be used to build or repair structures on the moon, McCarthy said. Astronauts also could harness the energy from the chemical process, called a thermite reaction.

Her research is funded by NASA to further its “in situ resource utilization” initiatives, which focus on how to use local resources at mission destinations as opposed to relying only on what a spacecraft can carry

“That’s really big for supporting the Artemis mission right now,” McCarthy said. “This stuff could be applied for a future Mars mission and transferred to the Mars dust.”

For their experiments, the researchers grind simulated lunar regolith into a ﬁne powder using a ball mill. They purchase samples from Space Resource Technologies, which specializes in simulating the

ä see MOON, page 5A

smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, on sunday.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo

“We don’t know if FEMA is prepared,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy R-Baton Rouge, said Friday “There are vacancies and staff turnover in the same leadership positions, including multiple changes at the director level. Additionally, there was distrust of its mission by the President and the ﬁrst Secretary of Homeland Security We have to hope after the poor response to the ﬂooding in Texas that they understand America needs a prepared and mission-focused FEMA.” “Hurricane season starts Monday,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter Sr., D-New Orleans, also noting massive layoffs at FEMA and the lack of a full-time leader “Right now, we are at-risk of weakening FEMA and leaving Louisiana communities even more exposed when the next storm hits. That is unacceptable.”

The National Hurricane Center expects fewer storms — eight to 14 — for the 2026

ä see FEMA, page 4A

Landry maintains stance on issues

BY DAVID J MITCHELL staff writer

Three years ago, the administration of then-Gov John Bel Edwards finished a broad plan to cut the state’s greenhouse gas emissions through 2050 and help industries transition to low-carbon production.

That plan is still technically on the books despite the state’s right-wing shift under Gov Jeff Landry and lawmakers hoping to ditch it altogether are learning that doing so is not a simple matter Landry, who has questioned human-caused climate change, has staked out a quiet middle ground not supporting the plan’s emissions reductions but remaining open to related projects that his administration says have “broad support.”

This position has run headlong into rural and conservative opposition over carbon capture and sequestration, a method of mitigating climate change by injecting carbon dioxide emissions permanently underground.

LSU scientists say it is safe technology and big Louisiana industries see it as a way to lower the carbon intensity of their

ä see CLIMATE PLAN, page 4A Landry

Ph.D student Emma McCarthy holds up samples of alloys made from moon dust in the powder metallurgy lab on May 19.

sTAFF PHoTos By JAVIER GALLEGos

Ph.D student Emma McCarthy and Christopher Marvel, assistant professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, hold samples of moon dust alloys near the equipment used to create them in the powder metallurgy lab at LsU on May 19

Cassidy

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. strike on alleged drug boat kills 3

WASHINGTON The U.S. military said it carried out another strike Saturday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Paciﬁc Ocean, killing three men in the fourth attack this week and putting the total death toll at 205.

U.S. Southern Command announced the strike with its usual language that the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and operated by a designated terrorist organization. It provided no evidence for the allegation.

It’s the latest in a monthslong campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Paciﬁc.

Video released by the military on social media shows a small vessel ﬂoating in the ocean before it’s hit and engulfed in a ﬁreball.

The attack brings the death toll to 205 in a series of U.S. strikes that began in early September, with other attacks announced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The Trump administration has declared that the U.S. is at armed conﬂict with Latin American drug cartels, saying they are behind the ﬂow of drugs into American communities.

U.S. Southern Command said in its post on X that the strike came at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the top U.S commander in Latin America.

Rains threaten to delay search for 2 in Laos

BANGKOK Heavy rains threatened to delay the search for two people missing in a ﬂooded cave in Laos on Sunday, after the rescue of ﬁve other people who were trapped underground for over a week.

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi one of the first international rescuers to arrive at the site, told The Associated Press that rains had ﬁlled the cave up to the second chamber, preventing divers from entering the cave until pumps can lower the water level.

Making the situation even more difﬁcult, a drainage pump broke down, said fellow diver Yoshitaka Isaji of Japan.

The seven villagers reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals such as gold before being trapped by a ﬂash ﬂood that blocked their way out. One other villager escaped and alerted the authorities.

Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand have been working together in the past week at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 75 miles north of the capital, Vientiane They were joined by divers from countries including Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France and Australia.

Several of the rescuers previously took part in the complicated 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand that saved 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach from a ﬂooded cave.

Man charged in killings of 3 people in Hawaii

HONOLULU Authorities in Hawaii have charged a 36-year-old man with murder in the killings of three people in a remote community known for its eclectic, communal lifestyle.

Jacob Daniel Baker was charged with counts of ﬁrst- and second-degree murder Saturday, the Hawaii Police Department said in a news release.

Baker remained jailed without bond Sunday and police said his ﬁrst court appearance was scheduled for Monday It was not immediately known if Baker had an attorney who could speak for him.

Charges in the killings came two days after police apprehended Baker following a manhunt on Hawaii’s Big Island, where the three victims were found in the rural Puna community known for its tropical landscape and free-spirited residents.

Robert Shine, 69, was found dead Monday partially submerged in a cement pond, according to police. The second victim, a 79-year-old man, was discovered Tuesday a few hundred feet away Friends identiﬁed him as Chitta Morse.

Ukraine hits Russian energy targets

Kyiv denies striking Kremlin-occupied nuclear plant

By The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Kyiv on Sunday launched new strikes overnight on Russian energy sites. It has also denied Moscow’s claims that a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian drones struck the Saratov oil reﬁnery in southwestern Russia, causing a large-scale ﬁre. It claimed the refinery has been supplying Moscow’s war effort.

The refinery belongs to Russia’s state oil enterprise, Rosneft Local Russian Gov Roman Busargin said Ukrainian drones had damaged civilian infrastructure, but did not give details Astra, an independent Russian news channel, said an oil reﬁnery was on ﬁre in the city of Saratov Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russia’s oil and gas facilities in recent months, arguing the energy sector funds and directly fuels Moscow’s more than four-year invasion.

“Tonight, our soldiers applied Ukraine’s long-range sanctions against an oil reﬁnery in Saratov, Russia — approximately 435 miles from the front line A significant achievement,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media on Sunday.

Drone debris also set ﬁre to a fuel depot in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, which borders Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Gov Yuriy Slyusar reported on Telegram on Sunday He said residents of nearby homes were evacuated.

Ukraine’s General Staff on Sunday confirmed its forces were behind the strike on the facility in the town of Matveev Kurgan.

Local authorities said a drone strike on the depot had caused a large-scale ﬁre across a wide area.

According to its General Staff, Ukraine also struck the Lazarevo pumping station in Russia’s Kirov region northeast of Moscow, more than 745 miles from Ukrainian-controlled land.

The station helps ship Russian oil from Siberia to Belarus.

Regional Gov Alexander Sokolov said drones had hit a facility in the Kirov region, without giving further details.

Kyiv denied that a Ukrainian drone struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said on Saturday that the drone exploded after tearing a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. Rosatom’s CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of a deliberate attack

“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation,” Likhachev said. He

added there was no damage to main equipment.

Ukraine’s military said it did not target or strike the plant, describing the Russian claim as “yet another propaganda ploy.” A military statement said that it adheres to international humanitarian law and is aware of the “consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.”

Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — expressed “serious concern” in a post on X following the incident.

Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in the early weeks of the war, and it remains close to the front lines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, one of four Russia has formally annexed despite lacking full military control or international recognition for its actions. The nuclear plant has repeatedly come under ﬁre since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, sparking fears of a nuclear accident. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for targeting the plant. In an interview broadcast Sunday Zelenskyy told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that Russia treats abducted Ukrainian children “essentially as combatants,” claiming Kyiv has evidence they are being trained to ﬁght against fellow Ukrainians.

“They taught these children to hate their native country, to hate (their) native people. And Ukrainians, can you imagine, such young Ukrainians — young boys — come to the battleﬁeld and kill (other) Ukrainians,” he said. He also alleged that Russians have separated abducted Ukrainian siblings, adopting them out to different families, and offered to trade some children for captured Ukrainian soldiers in prisoner swaps.

The IAEA said in a statement Sunday that its inspectors at the plant “observed damage to the exterior of a turbine building” that was “consistent with the impact” of a drone. It gave no details of where the drone may have come from, but said radiation levels at the site remained normal. It added that its inspectors had requested access to the inside of the turbine hall for further examination.

Paris holds soccer victory parade after overnight clashes

BY SYLVIE CORBET and SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press

PARIS A huge crowd of supporters gathered peacefully near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday to celebrate Paris Saint-Germain’s second Champions League title victory, which was marred by violent clashes overnight across France and led police to detain hundreds of people.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 780 people were detained in Paris and other cities and 57 ofﬁcers were wounded, with most suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off ﬁres and vandalized shops overnight.

Nuñez said at a news conference on Sunday that “the situation has been largely brought under control.”

“Most of the celebrations took place peacefully” across the French capital, he said, noting most incidents happened in the Champs Elysees neighborhood and close to the Parc des Princes stadium, in western Paris, where fans

A car burns saturday

had gathered to watch the match.

Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle on Saturday night in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris SaintGermain was crowned Champions League winners after beating Arsenal in a dramatic penalty shootout. Fans marched along the avenues near Paris’ Arc de Triomphe monument, with some setting off ﬂares and blaring

car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Élysées, where police worked to contain the crowd.

Planned celebrations for the team’s win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, went ahead as scheduled. Nunez warned that police would respond with “ﬁrmness and determination” to any potential violence.

With the Eiffel Tower

Blast at building storing explosives in Myanmar kills more than 45

BY GRANT PECK Associated Press

BANGKOK A blast on Sunday at a building in northeastern Myanmar said to have been storing explosives for mining has killed more than 45 people, according to rescue workers and independent media reports. About 70 other people were injured in the explosion that took place around noon in the village of Kaungtup, in Namhkam township.

The area, located about 2 miles south of the Chinese border, is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army an ethnic armed group which has en-

gaged in sporadic ﬁghting against Myanmar’s central government.

A rescue worker who rushed to the site of the blast told The Associated Press that 46 bodies, including six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation.

The rescuer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said 74 injured people had been transported to the township hospital and rescue operations were continuing.

Another rescuer in Namhkam, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said about 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses near the blast site

were damaged. Myanmar media outlets, including Shan State’s online Shwe Phee Myay news agency reported death tolls ranging from 50 to 55. They published photos and videos showing smoke from the explosion and damaged buildings and debris in its aftermath.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported the explosion caused multiple deaths and injuries, with many residential houses being severely damaged, but did not give ﬁgures.

It said that according to preliminary investigations, the blast occurred at a site where large quantities of explosives used for mining operations were stored.

as a backdrop, up to 100,000 supporters showed up at the event that was placed under high security measures. Returning from Budapest late, PSG players — led by captain Marquinhos, coach Luis Enrique and club president Nasser Al-Khelaiﬁ — were greeted by cheering crowds as the club anthem blared from loudspeakers. The players took turns lifting the trophy aloft, relishing their heroes’ welcome back home. The team was then host-

ed by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace. Macron condemned the violence.

“I don’t want that we get used to it,” Macron said at the ceremony “This is not soccer, this is not sport, this is not what we love. We will be uncompromising with those who have been caught. We do not want to see this happen again. It’s over We’ve had enough. This must end.”

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By EFREM LUKATsKy

service members with Ukraine’s defense intelligence set up drones to be used against Russian forces Thursday in an undisclosed location.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By THoMAs PADILLA

in Paris as supporters celebrate Paris saint-Germain winning the Champions League soccer title against Arsenal.

WHO chief reports 5 Ebola recoveries amid outbreak

New treatment center opens in eastern Congo

BY JUSTIN KABUMBA and MARK BANCHEREAU Associated Press

BUNIA, Congo Five patients have recovered from a rare type of Ebola virus, the head of the World Health Organization said Sunday during a visit to Bunia in eastern Congo, a city at the heart of an outbreak.

“Four people will be discharged today and there was one that was discharged the day before yesterday,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province.

“Of course, we’re still working on vaccines and treatments but that doesn’t mean that people cannot recover from Ebola,” he added.

The WHO said Friday a patient had recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, the current species of Ebola, which has no approved treatment or vaccine. It was the first documented recovery of a confirmed Bundibugyo patient during the current outbreak.

The health organization said authorities have reported 134 conﬁrmed cases in Congo and neighboring Uganda, including 18 conﬁrmed deaths as of May 29.

Baraka Bulambulu, one of those who recovered, told The Associated Press on Sunday that community members feared contracting an unknown illness from them, keeping their distance while delivering food and medicine.

He said the uncertainty was overwhelming, as he and other patients believed they might die without knowing what disease they had, though testing eventually conﬁrmed Ebola.

“Being able to come out of this alive is an immense source of happiness,” Bulambulu said. ”Many people who were in the same situation died.”

Ezo Étienne, a nurse, said his symptoms began during ward rounds when he suddenly felt dizzy then rapidly deteriorated into vomiting, intense itching, severe diarrhea and extreme weakness. He was tested seven times before Ebola was conﬁrmed.

His treatment remained purely to treat the symptoms: medications to control vomiting, fluids to prevent dehydration and pain relievers. “That was all they could provide,” he said.

sunday with health workers who recovered from Ebola

He urged the public and healthcare workers not to dismiss early symptoms such as vomiting and headaches, warning that misinformation leads many people to believe they have been poisoned rather than seeking hospital care.

Doctors Without Borders said Saturday the virus continues to spread faster than the response despite betterorganized health facilities and new aid arrivals. It called for the immediate expansion

of testing, faster deployment of aid workers and sustained access for medical supplies.

The dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for handling the victims’ bodies, which clash with local burial rites Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

Tedros stressed the importance of involving the community in the outbreak

Colombia’s presidential vote goes to runoff

BY MEGAN JANETSKY and ASTRID SUÁREZ Associated Press

BOGOTÁ Colombia Tough-oncrime lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and peace-builder Iván Cepeda were leading the vote counts in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday, and are to face off in a runoff in the South American nation later in June.

De la Espriella — a newcomer known as “El Tigre, or “The Tiger,” — has sought to portray himself as a supporter of President Donald Trump, vowing to crack

down on criminal groups. He leads the race with more than 43% of the votes after nearly 98% of the ballots were counted, Colombia’s electoral authorities said late Sunday. He fell short of the 50% of votes needed to win in the ﬁrst round of voting, something that may spell trouble for his path to the presidency.

Second is Cepeda, a progressive senator and an ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro who has promised to carry on a fraught push for “total peace.” Cepeda scooped up less than 41% of the vote.

Paloma Valencia, a candidate for Colombia’s establishment party who pitched herself as a centrist, fell short of moving into the next round with less than 7% of the vote.

While Cepeda coasted comfortably ahead in polls throughout the campaign, the senator and de la Espriella were neck-and-neck on Sunday night, which is likely to spell trouble in the June runoff, where de La Espriella is likely to scoop up many of the voters that threw their support behind Valencia.

The election underscored two sharply diverging visions for the future of peace

Newark sets curfew after clashes over immigration detention center

By The Associated Press

NEWARK,N.J The mayor of Newark imposed a curfew early Sunday around an immigration detention center in New Jersey after a series of intense clashes between protestors and police.

The curfew around Delaney Hall will be in place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. until further notice Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.

The move came after another night of standoffs between law enforcement and demonstrators at the facility, as protestors could be seen in photographs and videos ﬁghting over barricades as police used riot shields to push them back A video posted on social media showed police on horseback marching into crowds attempting to break up groups of protestors.

The high-profile demonstrations at Delaney Hall began earlier this month after advocates said detainees inside launched a hunger strike over poor living conditions at the 1,000-bed facility, the latest hotbed of opposition over the federal government’s immigration crackdown.

New Jersey state police on Friday relieved federal immigration enforcement agents who had been facing off against protestors at the facility for days.

In a statement Sunday morning, New Jer-

during clashes with law

sey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said masked individuals attacked a barrier in a designated protest area set up by state police and were “throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on ﬁre in the street.”

“These actions put both peaceful protestors and law enforcement in danger,” Sherrill said, urging calm to focus on advocating for “better conditions for the detainees, for their families, and ultimately, for the closure of Delaney Hall.”

Candidate’s wife calls reports about Platner’s sexually explicit texts ‘shameful’

BY JESSE BEDAYN and KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

Graham Platner’s wife called reports that her husband had previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women “shameful” over the weekend, the latest controversy to hit the Maine Democrat’s whirlwind campaign.

Platner an oyster farmer and combat veteran, posted a video taken by his wife, Amy Gertner, who reportedly told his campaign of the text messages last year In the five-minute video,

Gertner avoided speaking directly about her husband’s reported texts, dubbing the broader coverage as “gossip” and saying that “being married is hard.”

“I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip,” she said in the informal, selﬁestyle video where she walked along a road. “No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage I want my marriage.”

Platner is seeking the Democratic nomination for one of the most closely-watched Senate races as Democrats

hope to defeat longtime Republican Sen Susan Collins in the party’s efforts to win control of the closely divided Senate. The Maine primary is June 9. The texts were ﬁrst reported by The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that Gertner had told the campaign in August about the messages she had found on Platner’s phone earlier in their marriage. The New York Times, which also published a story Saturday about the texts, named former aide Genevieve McDonald as one of the then-campaign staffers who conﬁrmed the messages.

in a country marked by years of conflict Voters across South America are increasingly ditching leaders that pitched progressive policies — such as providing opportunities to young people and rooting out corruption, and solving security issues and have instead to heavy-handed security crackdowns like in El Salvador It also comes as the Trump administration is placing renewed pressure on the region.

response during the opening of the new treatment center on Sunday

“If you come to health facilities when you have symptoms, you can get the support and recover, so the key is to come forward as early as possible and to get the necessary support,” the WHO chief said.

“We can stop this Ebola and anyone who has it can also recover But the rule is this thing is everybody’s business and every citizen should be

involved,” he added. Attacks in the region by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.

ADF ﬁghters killed seven people Saturday in Beni, North Kivu province, an area also affected by the outbreak, the Congolese army and civil society groups said.

The illness also has been reported in both North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu.

“The final message we would like to share with the Ituri community is that there is hope,” Pierre Akilimali, incident manager at Congo’s National Institute of Public Health, said during the inauguration on Sunday

“With the symptomatic treatment that we are currently providing, we are seeing patients recover,” Akilimali added.

“We truly have hope. The virus here is not as complicated as those we have dealt with in the past, and with the support of all our partners, we believe we will be able to bring this outbreak under control as quickly as possible,” said Davin Ambitapio, another doctor at the treatment center

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By MosEs sAWAsAWA

Director General of the World Health organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meets

in Bunia, Congo.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By ANGELINA KATsANIs Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement take to the streets saturday

enforcement outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, N.J

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By MATIAs DELACRoIX Voters line up at a polling station sunday during the presidential election in Bogota, Colombia.

Atlantic hurricane season than the 14 named storms that are usual. Onetothree could become ahurricane. But the waters of the Atlantic Ocean are unusually warm, which could mean a large hurricane with catastrophic winds and high storm surges is possible. At least two of these weather events could come ashore in Louisiana.

Louisiana’spreparations

Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Friloux, who is in charge of the Louisiana Military Department —which oversees the Louisiana National Guard and, as of last year,GOHSEP —and Louisiana National Guard Brig.Gen. Jason P. Mahfouz, who heads GOSEHP,addressed aLouisiana Legislature Select Committee on Homeland Security on Tuesday,whose members were raising prettymuch the same concerns as Cassidy,Carter and others.

“We’re prepared and we’ll always be prepared,”Friloux said. Generally,local and parish emergency managers, coordinated by GOHSEP,handle evacuations and power outages and the initial response when astorm comes ashore. FEMA comes in afew days later with searchand rescue help, then with ﬁnancialaid to help house the homeless, pay contractors to remove debris and reopen roads, as well as providingimmediate needs such as diapers, food and clothing.

Louisiana already has

CLIMATE PLAN

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fossil fuel-based operations without giving up on oil and gas. There are also major federal tax credits in place to support it But critics worry about threats to groundwater, pipeline leaks and land rights infringements from the deep injection wells and their infrastructure. They are asking how Louisiana has gotten to the point where nearlythreedozen carbon capture projectsare up for review

Enter state Rep. Charles “Chuck” Owen, RRosepine, aretired military intelligence officer,climate change skepticand CCS critic. Owen has called for the repudiationofthe 2022 Climate Action Plan.

AssoCIATED PREss FILE PHoTo By JosE LUIs MAGANA Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of theFederal Emergency Management Agency testifies before the HouseCommittee on Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland securityoversighthearing of FEMA on CapitolHill in Washington on May7,2025.

prepositioned 390,528 meals ready to eat, enough for three days, and 693,252 16-ouncecontainers of water,Mahfouz said. In addition, 702,400 sandbags and 97,389 tarpsare on hand.

The forward staging area is Esler Field, Alexandria’s regional airport run by the Louisiana National Guard. GOHSEP staged statewide exercisesfromApril 14 to April 16, which included 414 participantsfrom 38 agencies in 29 parishes, Mahfouz said

TurmoilatFEMA

FEMA is facing questions abouthow quickly theagency can respond following ayear of job cuts, funding

uncertainty,and President Donald Trump repeatedly saying theagency should be eliminated.

SinceTrump took office in January 2025 for asecond term, FEMA eliminated more than 5,000 employees, leaving just 12% of personneltodeploy for disasters to assist survivorsand handle operations and recovery work.

“FEMA Region 6 hasnopermanent regional administrator, and the people of Louisiana are among those most at risk because of it,” U.S.Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, saidFriday,referring to theFEMA admin-

istrative ofﬁce that oversees Louisianadisasters. “As one former FEMA ofﬁcial said, theagency is losing decades of institutional knowledge at themost critical time.

Forfamiliesinthis district, that loss creates areal possibilityofslower responsetimes, delayed delivery of critical resources anda federal governmentthatis simply not ready when people need it most.”

That direction recentlychanged with the March 24 appointmentof Markwayne Mullin to replaceKristi Noem as the head of the U.S. Depart-

mentofHomeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said Mark Cooper,the Baton Rouge consultant who was amember of the task force appointed by Trump to take adeep dive into FEMA operations.

“They’re certainly better prepared than they were last year,” Cooper said.

For one thing, FEMA has started bringing back staffers wholeftthe agency last year.About 200 have been rehired, so far,according to the agency’swebsite.

As aRepublican senator from Oklahoma,Mullin backed afundamental reorganization of the agency rather than elimination that would address the cost concerns by shifting much of the federal government’s responsibilitiestothe states. TheFEMA Reform CouncilinMay recommended changesinFEMA protocols that would deliver money to the states faster

Those suggestions are still acouple of years from being fully implemented, if accepted by Trump.

In the past couple of weeks, Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA. He still must be confirmed by the Senate. And Mullin namedBob Fenton, another memberofthe president’scouncil, as theagency’schief administrator

Fentonhad been aFEMA regional director with whom Cooper had worked when he headed GOSHEPunderRepublican Gov.Bobby Jindal andwas chiefofstaffto DemocraticGov.John Bel Edwards.

the plan’sproposed solutions while not endorsing the science behind climate change itself.

StateRep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, who sits on thecommittee, said there’snoquestion in her mind that the climate has been changing, but she isn’t sure it is tied to manmade emissions versus natural cycles.

Owen says the plan never received the Legislature’sscrutiny, commits to aParis climate agreement that the second Trump administration dumpedin January 2025and remains a justiﬁcation cited in permits for CCS projects he opposes.

Earlier this month in a compromise, he agreed to aresolution calling for an oversight hearing.

Owen said he wants to expose the “shenanigans” that led to the adoption of climate goals that, he says, givebusinesses afalse impression of what Louisianans want.

“I’m trying to recalibrate where we are in this state,” he said.

Owen said he wants to shift to amore full-throated endorsement of oil and gas development, though he isn’t opposed to renewable projects that can stand on their own economically. The House Natural Resources and Environment Committee would hold the hearing, possibly this fall, the committee chairman has said The panel includes members who are skeptical of climate change and oppose CCS, but also has aseparate majority which has blocked most bills to bar or limit CCS. The technologyis drawing billions of dollars in new industrial investment to Louisiana, and these members seeitascritical for oil, gas and petrochemical industries, including the fastgrowing LNG industry,to make low-carbon products sought in Europe and Asia. The hearing could put these legislatorsinthe position of defending some of

Domangue, 43, saidshe grewupina family that lived off the shrimping industry andstruggled through the oil bust of the 1980s. Her votes to protect carbon captureare aimed at supportingher oil and gas-reliant district in Terrebonne Parish, she said. She saidcountries wantlow-carbonproducts from wherever they can ﬁndthem, andworries what kind of message killing the climateplan would send.

“I know that companies are watching every piece of legislation that’scoming outofthis body,and they’re watching,and they want to make sure that we’re continuing to move towards the goal of these low-carbon emissions, whether we like it or not,”Domangue said.

‘Not goingaway’ Since 2018, about$100

billioninCCS-related projects have been proposed for Louisiana, state economic ofﬁcials say “Whether (President Donald)Trump likes it or not, whether Ilike it or not, this is where we are. This is theworld thatwe’re livingin. It’snot going away,” Domangue added.

Aconsensus developed by yearsofscientiﬁc study hasconcluded theclimate is warming from manmade emissions from burning fossilfuels. Seas have been rising foryears, achange expected to sharpen in the coming decades in Louisiana, driven by warming temperaturesand land subsidence.

Domangue’s coastal district near Houma could see between 3.3feetand 8.5feet sea level rise by 2100, according to projections from theNational Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Developed fromaconsensus of industry,environmental groups, scientists and others meeting publicly over 15 months, the 2022 ClimateAction Plan laid outthe scaleofthe state’s greenhouse gasemissions andcommitted to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Calledfor in the United Nations Paris climateagreement, “net zero” is meant to keep globaltemperatures from rising further than they have already during the

world’sindustrial era.

The state plan doesn’thave the force of law,but anticipatesemissions reductions through CCS, coastal protection,increased industrial electrification,moreefficient gas-ﬁred power plants and several other methods.

‘Sky wouldnot fall

Charles Sutcliffe, Louisiana’sfirst chief resilience ofﬁcer underEdwards, said his taskforce to develop the plan included legislative appointees and demonstrated that aconsensus could be reachedfromdiverse interests —and “that Louisiana could speak the words ‘climate change’ outloudand thesky would not fall.”

Development of the plan’s science-basedrecommendations “involved over 140 expertsand nearly 50 public meetings,” he added.

“It also showed that by doing that hard work, we could attract billions of dollarsin federal grants to both reduce ourdisasterriskand improve our infrastructure andwecould send asignalto theprivatesector that Louisiana was ready to leadthe next generation of energy production just like it had thelast,” said Sutcliffe, now asenior resilienceadviser with the National Wildlife Federation

“And we could do it all with an eyeonimproving people’shealth and lives.I

“This is something we do every year.It’sinour DNA.” CBS was covering adrill inside FEMA Headquarters’ National Response Coordination Center.FEMA staff, as well as ofﬁcials from other federal agencies, such as the Department of Interior, and private organizations suchasthe American Red Cross, rehearsed what they would be called upon to do during ahurricane.

The practice scenario involved ahypothetical Category 2hurricane coming ashore near the Cameron Parish community of Creole, according to CBS. FEMA did not attend a conference earlier this year because itsfunding was shut off over adispute about funding aggressive enforcement of immigrationlaws. HomelandSecurity also oversees the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement. But FEMA is organizing aface-to-face meeting beginning June 8withemergency management directors from hurricane-prone states, according to Victoria L. Barton, aFEMA associate administrator Usually,the conferences are done electronically.This time, FEMA ofﬁcials and the directors are meeting in person to discuss preparedness and responses.

“These actions that FEMA has taken since Markwayne Mullin cameaboard tells you that they’re taking this hurricane season seriously,” Cooper added. “Oh, we’re ready for hurricane season,” Fenton told CBSNews on Wednesday.

EmailMark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

am not sure which parts of that need repudiating.”

As CCS storage and CO2 pipeline projects have begun to roll out, however, the usual political dynamic around environmental issues has been scrambled, with left-leaning environmental groups findinguneasy common cause with ruralconservativesgenerally in favor of oil and gas to oppose CCS.

Louisiana’soil and gas industry andchemical sectors are also defending CCS, not so long after oil majors spent decades casting doubt on climate change.

The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil andGas Association and Louisiana Chemistry Association, which favor carbon capture, didnot respond to requests for comment. The Louisiana chapter of the Sierra Club, which opposes carbon capture, opposed Owen’sresolution.

On Edwards’ way outin 2023, he expressed hope that Landry would stick with the plan. Landry hasn’tformally acted to undo it, and his administration has regularly lauded new economic development with CCS or other low-carbon components.

But,intestimony earlier this month before the House environment committee, Dustin Davidson, secretary of the state Department of Conservation andEnergy, disavowed the plan’semis-

sions reduction goals. He said the state doesn’tuse the plantoguide “environmental policy decisions.” He also didn’toppose repudiating the state plan. Buthe warned about climate mitigation projects in theplan, pointedly noting abiomass power plant that Owen supports forhis House district.

“There are certain things in there that the state has had broad support over,so it’s very critical that we understand everything that’sin it before we go out and say, ‘Throwall this out. Let’snot do anything that’sinhere,’” Davidson said May 6. Those comments elicited a response from Owen that he supports some of the projects in the plan, including the oneinhis district, but believesthe overallblueprint should have hadlegislative review State Rep. Neil Riser,RColumbia, whobacks aCCStied project in his district, suggested an oversight hearing to lay out “the pros and cons.” The next week, the House environment committee backed aresolutionfrom Owen callingfor that hearing. House Resolution 274 cleared the House on Wednesday without opposition.

DavidJ.Mitchellcan be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

Pieces from La. family dynasty for auction

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN staff writer

Items from the collections of two matriarchs in Lake Charles’ Stream dynasty, including Fabergé flowers, Cartier clocks, Tiffany & Co. jewelry and Diego Rivera paintings, will soon be up for auction.

For decades, Louisiana’s Gray Stream family has been known for entrepreneurial achievements in landholdings, conservation efforts, energy and timber businesses, philanthropy and world-renowned art and antique collections.

Two particular women in the family, Matilda Geddings Gray (March 18, 1885-Feb. 26, 1971) and her niece Matilda Gray Stream (March 23, 1924-Oct. 14, 2023), amassed large collections throughout their times.

Their pieces are now being sold by international auction house Christie’s, with proceeds, which could be hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, going to their descendants.

“The two Matildas, not only did they appreciate beauty, but they were also risk-takers,” Christie’s Americas Deputy Chairman Capera Ryan said. “Matilda Geddings Gray was buying Fabergé before anybody in America really knew what Fabergé was, so she was collecting these objects at a time when a lot of people were not even familiar with Fabergé So to have these pieces come to market is a very exciting moment in the global art market.”

A Treasured History: The Stream Family Collection will be available through a live auction on June 10 in New York City and an accompanying online sale open for bids through June 17 at Christie’s.

“I just think it’s a really special moment because it’s one of the great American stories of collecting, and you have these two women from Louisiana who were collecting on an incredible scale with incredible thought and an incredible eye, and buying the best of the best,” Ryan said. “Now is the opportunity for Christie’s to share that story with the world of these two incredible women, who were such visionary women in their collecting, and they took risks, and they knew what they liked, and they had an eye for beauty.”

Ryan said that at Christie’s and overall in the auction world, there is a trend of people wanting to collect items that are “new and fresh,” rare ﬁnds with great quality and provenance.

Geddings Gray built her collection and then mentored her young niece, bringing her along to become a visionary and collector in her own right, Ryan said.

In fact, Geddings Gray was friends with Diego Rivera and introduced Gray Stream to him and Frieda Kahlo, where she sprouted friendships with them both.

“We’re selling a precious little Diego Rivera that was in the collection, which I think is really special, because she actually knew Diego Rivera,” Ryan said.

The auction also includes a 49.91-carat diamond ring, which Ryan said is affectionately known as a tugboat diamond. Some other sale highlights are a Cartier ruby, emerald and diamond bird brooch; a Fabergé silver-gilt mounted nephrite mantel clock; an Edgar Degas sculpture; and a necklace of 19 jeweled and enameled silver and gold egg pendants.

All of the pieces will be split between two types of auctions, according to Ryan.

“There’ll be so many pieces that are going to be sold in a live auction on (June 10), where there’s actually an auctioneer conducting an auction, and it’s a live auction that anybody can attend,” Ryan said. “Then the online auction is just like any other auction online, where you can go on, and you can place bids online, and that goes on from June 2 through 17.”

The collection will also be available for the public to view from June 5 through June 9 at Christie’s in New York.

METRO

BABY STEPS

18,300-acre reserve is most expensive La residence on Zillow

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN staff writer

A “pristine coastal landmark” with 10 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms is the most expensive “single-family residence” listed on Zillow in Louisiana.

The Cameron Meadows Conservation Reserve, 1222 Cameron Meadows, in Cameron is listed on Zillow with a price tag of $31.8 million.

“Nestled south of Lake Charles in the heart of Cameron Parish is one of Louisiana’s most impor-

tant privately-held coastal ecosystems,” the reserve’s website states. “Encompassing 18,302 acres of wild and restored marsh in the Mississippi Flyway, it represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for conservation stewardship. This legacy property comprises a world-class habitat, offering the chance to protect and enhance one of the last great expanses of intact Louisiana marshland.”

In the middle of the reserve, there is a 17,000-square-foot, storm-engineered lodge that is designed for durability and comfort. The property also has an inland warehouse, according to Zillow

“These facilities provide the ideal base for habitat manage-

ment, ecotourism, waterfowl hunting operations, or research initiatives,” the Zillow post reads “This exceptional tract has benefited from significant Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority investment, resulting in blue-carbon-rich grasses, diverse wetland hydrology, and vital nursery habitat for fish and wildlife. These ecological features make it a powerhouse for biodiversity and climate resilience while offering sustainable use potential.”

The lodge, which was built in 2008, also has a commercial kitchen, a living area with a grand ﬁreplace, two bars, a mudroom, an elevator a crab boil area and ﬁve boat slips.

The location is listed by Mossy Oak Properties of Louisiana While the Cameron Meadows Conservation Reserve is the most expensive residence in Louisiana listed for sale on Zillow it is actually the second most expensive property overall in the state Zillow lists a 260-acre lot of “unimproved land” for sale at Interstate 20, Highway Road No. 157 in Haughton for $45.3 million.

The Cameron Meadows Conservation Reserve is situated south of Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. The property has been on the market since Aug 11, 2025, and has an estimated monthly payment price of $185,744, according to the Zillow listing. The assessed tax value is $689,395, with an annual tax of $9,138.

Hammond cop embroiled in Miss. cockfighting sting

officer accused of retaliating against informant after uncle arrested

BY MARGARET BAKER sun Herald

A member of Hammond law enforcement was charged in a federal criminal complaint in Mississippi, accusing him of retaliating against a conﬁdential informant in a Bay St. Louis cockfighting sting resulting in the arrests of multiple people, including the police ofﬁcer’s uncle.

Denver Keith Golmon 37, made an initial appearance Wednesday in federal court in Gulfport, Mississippi, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Myers ordered him held without bail pending a detention hearing. He was arrested Wednesday by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations agents in Gulfport.

The investigation began shortly after HSI agents received a tip in February 2025 about a cockﬁghting derby in Bay St. Louis, records show During the investigation, a conﬁdential informant equipped with a camera attended the derby and collected video evidence, along with other Homeland Security agents. Golmon was supposed to attend the derby but backed out at the last minute, authorities said.

Federal agents later arrested people accused of being connected to the derby, including Bert Lester, Golmon’s uncle.

Soon after the arrests, federal investigators learned that video evidence collected during the cockfighting investigation was being shared in a recording.

Homeland Security agents later obtained the video, which they said showed a man matching Golmon’s description using a cellphone to record video evidence on a laptop computer The laptop had a sticker reading “Property of the city of Hammond LA 7873.”

Authorities later determined that Lester was among those arrested when HSI agents executed a May 3 2025, search warrant tied to the operation, dubbed Bayou Blue Birds.

During a search of Golmon’s phone records, agents said they found text messages, photographs and videos of conversations between Golmon and his uncle about cockﬁghting derbies and law enforcement records Federal investigators determined that Golmon distributed recorded footage of the video evidence HSI agents collected during the cockﬁghting investigation.

In text messages, Golmon referred to the conﬁdential informant as “always a snake” and a “rat,” authorities said. Investigators also cited one recording in which they said Golmon described sending video evidence showing the informant’s camera recording evidence for authorities. Golmon encouraged those

he shared the footage with to distribute it to people questioning whether the informant was cooperating with authorities, investigators said.

“These are the people I want to see it,” Golmon allegedly said in a text message to one person.

“I want everybody to see that it was this motherf***** and I just recorded bits and pieces.”

Golmon instructed people not to identify him as the person who recorded the evidence, authorities said. “Please whatever you do, don’t tell anybody where you got it from,” one exchange reads.

“I don’t want anyone to know it came from me.

In other messages, Golmon wrote in Spanish about how “the situation with the federal police is bad at this time,” authorities said.

At other times, authorities said Golmon wrote that the informant “got caught up with drugs, and he’s not legal, so he’s been singing.” One person told Golmon to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the informant, authorities said.

“He’s their rat,” Golmon said in response. “They are not going to deport him.”

Golmon also contacted a fellow Hammond police officer on April 29 and provided a photograph and information about the confidential informant, so authorities could detain him for immigration violations, authorities said. In conversations with the other officer Golmon said things such as, “You wanna pick up a few

illegals,” and described the informant as someone who used to work for his uncle and stole money from him, authorities said. Golmon also told the ofﬁcer not to mention his name because the target knew he was Lester’s nephew

On April 29, two Hammond police officers arrested the informant at his job. One of the officers later called Golmon to tell him the informant had been released, authorities said. Since then, the informant has been advised to avoid certain places in Tangipahoa Parish along with restaurants near the Hammond Police Department. In addition, the complaint said, several people in the cockﬁghting community have called the informant to get him to meet with them. The HSI agents told the informant to avoid any such meetings because they were likely a “ruse to cause bodily harm” to him.

sTAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL JoHNsoN

Immature muscovy ducks race back to a pond at the Forrest Community Park while out feeding on Friday in Baton Rouge.

Some military leadersurge

cautiononbattleﬁeldAI

Pentagon pushes to expand use

BY KONSTANTINTOROPIN

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. TheTrump administration is pushing to unleash the power of artiﬁcial intelligence for the U.S. military whilefacing callsto put up guardrailsaroundthe rapidly developing technology from some companies —and even notes of caution from top leaders in uniform.

Adm. Frank Bradley,head of U.S. Special Operations Command, told attendees of arecent annual special forces conference in Tampa, Florida, that troops “have to be very careful about how we come to (AI’s) employmentand its inspiration into the delivery of lethality.”

Bradley said he can see a future where AI determines what targetstohit butthat “we, as humans, have to have the conﬁdence that it’sgoing to deliver violence only where we intend it to be delivered.”

The remarks fromBradley,who oversees the units that handle the military’s most difﬁcult and dangerous operations, about theneed to ensure safeguards come as his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is pushingto rapidly evolve the military through AI. It is apush that has led to clashes with some tech companies worried about safety measures.

Hegseth has insisted that the Pentagon be allowed to use the technology any legal way it sees ﬁt. He told an au-

dience of SpaceX employees in January he would reject any AI models“thatwon’t allow you to ﬁght wars” and thathis visionfor thetechnology was systems that operate“without ideological constraints that limitlawful military applications.”

AI’suse in themilitary is part of the Republican administration’slarger push to grow thecapability it sees as auniqueAmerican advantage even as it faces pressure to ensureresponsible safeguards.

President Donald Trump abruptly calledoff plans to sign anew AI executive order hours before anexpected White House ceremony over concerns the measure coulddullAmerica’sedge on AI technology

“We’re leading China, we’releadingeverybody, andIdon’twant to do anything that’sgoing to getin theway of thatlead,” Trump told reporters

Twodiffering AI worlds

When asked about Bradley’sremarks, aPentagon official said efforts are focused on using AItocreate “functional battleﬁeld tools” that canhelptroopscome up with and identify targets more quicklyand, as aresult, speed up strikes on those targets. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to offer more candid remarks.

OfficialsatU.S. Special Operations Command talked aboutAInot as something that will help eliminate targets but ratherasatool that canoffer troops moretime to focus ontheir mission

Sgt. Maj. Andrew Krogman, the top enlisted ofﬁcial for U.S.Special Operations Command, saidatthe conference that he sees AI handling administrative tasks to free up operators or helping modernizehow thecommand does business.

Melissa Johnson, the top acquisition official for the command, saidAIshould be “reducing thecognitive workload on mundane tasks.”

“We’re leveraging AI more andmore, butit’snot to replace operator judgment, it’s to enhance it,” she added.

Helen Toner,interim executive directoratGeorgetown University’sCenter forSecurity andEmerging Technology, said thosediffering descriptions about AI in the militaryare both true.

“There areahuge number of potential uses for AI in thesekinds of bureaucratic settings, which the U.S. military is actively exploring,” Toner said.

Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, tolda congressional committee in Maythathis troops usedAI “bots” to convert top secret intelligence down to asecret classiﬁcation within seconds to makeiteasier to share with drone operators on the ground during theIranwar

However, thereisnodoubt thatAIalso is helping the military ﬁnd and strike targets.

The center that Toner oversees published acase study two years agoonhow the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps used AI to targetar-

BRANDoN

AssoCIATED PREss FILEPHoTo By ALEX

The Trumpadministrationispushing to unleash the power of artificial intelligence for the U.s. militarywhile facing calls to putupguardrails from somecompanies and notes of caution from top military leaders.

tillery strikes “just as efﬁciently as the best unit in recent American history” andwith2,000 fewer service members.

“Human operators arestill the ones making crucial decisions, but AI is making it possible to operatewith anew levelofspeedand scale,” she said.

DisputewithAnthropic

The clash over theintegration of AI into the military, who ultimately controls the technology andthe ethics behind itsuse hasplayed out in unusually public fashion during the Trump administration.

Hegseth and Anthropic are embroiled in abitter contract disputeoverthe company’sconcerns about unchecked government use of its technology,including the dangers of fully autonomous armed drones and of AIassisted mass surveillance thatcould track dissent

After CEODarioAmodei refused to back down over concerns about how the chatbot Claudeisused in classified Pentagon net-

works, both Trumpand Hegseth accused Anthropic of endangering national security

The Pentagon formally labeledthe SanFranciscobasedcompany asupply chain risk —ending its $200 million defense contract andprohibited other government contractors from working with the company Anthropic sued, claiming the Pentagon is illegally retaliating by stigmatizing the company with adesignation meanttoprotect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries. The Pentagon has since emphasized its turn to Anthropicrivals— including Google, OpenAI and SpaceX —tosecure AI technologythat can “augment warﬁghter decision-making in complex operational environments.”

Toner,a former OpenAI board member ousted after aclash with CEO Sam Altman,said“thegeneral public often seems to underestimate the caution with which theU.S.militaryapproaches new technologies.”

Palestinianman killed at West Bank barriernearJerusalem

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

CAIRO— APalestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at aconcrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The ministry identified him as 26-year-oldImad Haroun Ishtayeh from the village of Salem, east of Nablus. It said Israeli forces shot him in athigh in al-Ram town, and he was

pronounced dead at the Palestinian MedicalComplex in Ramallah Footage circulating online showed peoplecarryinghis body and climbing down a ladder that had been placed against thewire-topped barrier,while trafﬁc continued to roll by and ahorn blared. Israeli police said the man tried to unlawfully enter Israel by crossing thebarrier Ishtayeh was attempting to cross from theWest Bank to Israel. Many peoplehave been shottryingtocross the

barrier,includinga 44-yearold father who was killed earlier this month.

Ishtayeh previously ran a poultry slaughterhouse in hishome village of Salem, ﬁnancially supporting his ill father.But business deteriorated as an economic crisis hit the West Bank and he decided to cross into Israel in search of ajob, arelative, Nasser Ishtayeh,told The Associated Press. On his ﬁrst attempt on Saturday,Israeli securitywas tight,the relative said. Af-

ter spending thenight with other Palestinians hoping to crossintoIsrael,Haroun Ishtayeh triedagain on Sunday morning and was

shot. “He was directlyshot with live bullets and died at thehospital,” Nasser Ishtayeh said.

McCrory, Damon Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St Amantat11a.m Warthen, Margie St.Gabriel Catholic Church at noon.

Obituaries

Mann, Gray Gray Mann,83, of Baton Rouge,diedofmultiple complications on Friday, May8th,2026. He is survivedbyhis only child, JohnnyMann,and hisfamily, Lisa, Andrew, Grayson Mann Wills& herhusband, William Ridley WillsIV. Gray is also survivedbyhis brother, Grover Mann& his family. Gray's passion & support for hisGrandchildren wasbeyondevident. They gave himpure joy. Despite anyoflife'schallenges, Gray wasalways thedeterminedoptimist! II Timothy4:7 might describe Gray the best:"Ihave foughtthe Good Fight, I have Finished theRace, I have Kept theFaith." Our faithtells us that Papa Gray is nowinafar better place with ahealthy body, andprobably looking for a pick up basketballgame. Friends andfamilyare invited to attendanabsolute celebrationofGray's life on Tuesday, June 2, at JohnnyMann's home. ReverendChris Andrews will conducta formal service at 4:30 pm. Gray's celebration of life will be from5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests that you might consider adonation to theKnockoutMSFoundation -https://www.face book.com/knockoutmsfou ndation/ or TheHodge Baptist Church at 2005 East Central St.Jonesboro, La. 71251

By The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico

Atotal

blackout hit St. Thomasand St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands early Sunday,the second this weekend as the U.S territory struggles with increasingly frequent outages.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority saidin astatement that the outages stemmed from theloss of generation at apower plant

The ﬁrst blackout hit late on

Saturday, and despite crews restoring power overnight, another blackout hit hours later

More than 42,000 people live on St.Thomas, themain island, and nearly4,000 others liveonSt. John Outages have become increasingly common across theU.S.territory, andfrustrations boiled over online as people on social media called on thegovernment to restore electricity

Gov.AlbertBryan Jr.has pledged to ﬁx the issue,investing some $100 million in federal funding into the struggling utilityinrecent years.But theVirgin Islands Waterand Power Authority is still struggling to provide service. In April, officials told legislatorsthatthe outages werea result of storms, equipment shortages, weak generation capacity,equipmentbreakdowns and years of deferred maintenance.

Don’tignore otherthreats to ourvoting rights

Lost amid the recent Callais decision and suspension of the U.S. House election, as April drew toa close, was another disturbing attack on voting rights in Louisiana. At ahearing on stateSen.Jeremy Stine’sSenate Concurrent Resolution 31 ”memorializing” Congress to amend key provisions of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (known as the“Motor Voter Act”), Secretary of StateNancy Landry testiﬁed on the resolution’ssupposed merits.

Those provisions wouldremove voter registration from theOfﬁce of Motor Vehiclesand other public assistance agencies that are required to offer voter registration information underNVRA Section7.Inpart, the proposal seems of apiece with recentlaws tasking OMVs and assistance agencies with citizenshippolicing mandates to rid the electoral system of the approximately two people ayear who have registered and managedto cast avote in Louisiana since 1980. This is theongoing solution in search of a problem that has preoccupied the secretary At acrucial point in the testimony,Landry said that these registration sites are not necessary in atechnological era, that much has changed since 1993 andthat people can go online to register themselves.

This misses the important signaling function that providing voter registration in public agencies conveys about the civic importanceofvoting. It alsomisses that Louisiana ranks 46th in household access to high-speed, reliable, affordable internet (475,000 without). Landry said they could go to apubliclibrary But her testimony alsofailed to note that Louisiana ranks47thin literacy (20% illiterate). Even if people have internet access, illiteracy might prevent them from registering.

This is why voter registration should continue to be offered in places where trained public workers can assist them. Missingthat suggests thatthe secretary is either ignorant of or unconcerned about the needs of Louisianavoters.

M. CHRISTIAN GREEN president, League of Women Voters of Louisiana

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

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Youthsportscomplexes abound, butwhatabout swimming in La.?

I’m writinginresponse to therecent article in thenewspaper highlighting thegrowth and support of youthsportscomplexes in the Lafayettearea, particularly theYoungsville andBroussard sportscomplexes. It’s commendablethat thesecommunity and local government-supported sportscomplexes with many,many ﬁelds and courts have been aboon for youth participation in multiple sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball. However,one traditional sport that has been consistently left out of these Louisiana sportscomplexes and has received very little local government support froma facility standpoint is competitive swimming, especially when compared to other southeastern states and their communities

Ihavebeen involved with Louisiana competitive swimmingfor over 40 years as a participant, parent, coach and ofﬁcial, and the difference is glaring as Louisiana’scompetitive swimming facilities have aged over thelast several decades. Louisianaingeneral, and Lafayette speciﬁcally,severely lag

behind other southeastern states and their communities in providing amodern indoor natatorium witha50-meter (Olympic-sized) pool, adequatespectator seatingand locker roomsfor athletes. Current natatorium facilities in Sulphur,Shreveport andeven theLSU Natatorium in Baton Rouge are inadequate venues to hold large-scale swimmingmeets held by Louisiana’shigh schools and USA Swimming club teams that involve hundreds of athletes and their spectator families

The positive economic impact of large swimming meetswith swimming teams from around thestate is similar to that of other youth sports.

Youthcompetitive swimming in Louisiana, and speciﬁcally Lafayette, centrally located as Louisiana’s“Hub City,”deserves at least onemodern competition pool and natatorium facility supported by thecommunity and local government. As theadagegoes, if you build it,they will come.

DR.

DONALD BALHOFF Lafayette

Companiesrepaytaxpayer generosity with high utilitybills

My Entergy bill in May was $961. Nearly a thousand dollars just to keep thelights on in southLouisiana —inastate that powers the nation. This morning, Iclimbed ontomysolar-powered schoolbus, opened my laptop andtook my meetings powered directly by the sun. My Zoomcalls ran off thesame Louisiana heat that Entergycharges us to survive under. Somewhere between conversations about “energyaffordability” and “grid resilience,” Ikept thinking: Why are everyday residents carryingthis burdenwhile massive oil and gasfacilitiescontinue receiving enormous taxexemptions through Louisiana’sIndustrial TaxExemption Program?

Politicians playing costly gameswith ourelections

Youwould think that the governor and attorney general of our state would be working to protect the rights of our citizens. Instead, they are playing games with our fundamental right to vote. First, they delay voting on House Congressional races so they can redraw the lines to eliminate amajority Black voting district, even though Black folks makeupathird of the population of our state and should have at least the possibility of equivalent representation in Congress. But wait, they still ran the Senate primary so they could knock off their least favorite Republican, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy.Now we have to pay formultiple elections just to try and get the “right” kind of folks in Congress. At the sametimethey are wasting money on this, they claim to be saving New Orleans money by eliminating the clerk of Criminal District Court position. What alie! Their bill increases the costs of what New Orleans currently shells out. It’s clear these twoalways hated Calvin Duncan because he is the personiﬁcation of someone overcoming justice denied in asouthern state. Ireally hope Duncan’slawsuit prevails, but in reality,weall deserve better in Louisiana than to have to sue to keep our voting rights.

When they are committing such blatant violations of our basic rights and lying about their intent, how can the governor and attorney general look at themselves in the mirror and not feel shame?

THOMAS SHEPLEY Neworleans

Trumpisthe greatest,compared to what came before

I’mwriting in regard to John Michael Lockhart letter published May 2. In it, he says presidential historians rank President Donald Trumpasthe worst president in American history.Hegoes on to cite the usual Democrat talking points said about Trump. As Iwrite this letter,Trumphas served almost 16 months of his second term.How can these so-called historians rank him worst with twoand ahalf years lefttoserve?

Now Ihave no idea what planet Lockhart wasliving on during former President Joe Biden’sterm of ofﬁce. I’mnot ahistorian, but Biden will go downinAmerican history right behind Jimmy Carter as the second worst president in American history

To sEND Us ALETTER sCAN HERE

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.o. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

We are told the grid is strained, aging and vulnerable. But how can we modernize it when someofthe largest industrial users and wealthiest corporations on earth —are notcontributing their fair share towardthe infrastructure communities rely on?

In southwest Louisiana, we live surrounded by pipelines, export terminals, flare stacks and power plants. We sacrifice our wetlands, fisheries, healthand sense of safety in the name of economic development.Yet residents are still left choosing between groceries and electric bills during increasingly brutal heatwaves. The irony is impossible to ignore: Communitiesproducing immense energy

wealthare struggling to afford energy themselves.

My little solar bus is not going to solve Louisiana’senergy crisis. But it reminds me another future is possible —one where resilienceislocal, communitiesare invested in and ordinary people are not subsidizing billion-dollar industries while being told to simply use less electricity.

Louisiana deserves agrid built for people, not just proﬁt

ALYSSA PORTARO director, Habitat RecoveryProject

KATHLEEN FISCHER Neworleans Iran’s radicals didn’t submit,theyusedstrategyinstead

Aletter to the editor on May 9, “Trump correctly assessed danger of anuclear Iran,” was of the opinion that President Donald Trump, in hisinﬁnitewisdom, knew that negotiating withradicals was not going to work. He might have known that total submission

is anonstarter.Hehad abig toy to play with and an eager friend to enjoy it with him

The radicals didn’tsubmit.They had a strengththat was beyond Trump’s intelligence to use: strategy

Under Biden, inﬂation reached 9%. Under Biden, millions of illegal immigrants crossed our border Under Biden, new mothers could not ﬁnd diapers fortheir newborn babies. Under Biden, gas wentover $4 agallon. Under Biden, 13 American Marines lost their lives. Under Biden, millions in military equipmentwere lefttoour enemies. He couldn’teven ride abike. In other words, this man was too incompetent to be president. I’m acollege-educated U.S. Armyveteran of sound mind whovoted for Trumpinthe last three elections. I also think President Trumpwill go downinhistory as one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had.

PAUL DEMOUY

Gonzales

sTAFF FILE PHoTo By LEsLIE WEsTBRooK

If La.climatecrisiswereamovie

“The Good, The Scared and The Dangerous.” If amovie were made about Louisiana today,that would havetobeits title.

The reasons are obvious in the statements below and their authors.

TheGood

of research important to humankind. It’sthe same way physicians must be honestwithpatients.

“Imagine you’re adoctor and you ﬁnd out this patient has terminal cancer.Does that mean you’re just going to decide this person doesn’t want to hear and talk about (it),soI should be quiet?”

That was Törbjorn Törnqvist, the Tulane professor and noted researcher who coauthoredarecent paper that made global headlines like this one in The Guardian: “‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sealevel, study ﬁnds.’”

It wasn’taTulane paper,but one produced by Törnqvist and fellow climate experts while he was on sabbatical and published in “Nature Sustainability.”

The authors concluded that leaders should develop planstorelocate thecity over the coming decades becauseresearch shows that by 2100, sea level rise and subsidence could make New Orleans aleveed island surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico. This shouldn’tsurprise anyone keeping up with rapidly evolving climate science. Indeed,some of the worst-case scenarios give us even less time.

Törnqvist and his team were only being true to akey responsibilityof scientists, especially those receiving public funding: Sharing the ﬁndings

The study doesn’tsay we have to start packing now

It says we muststart planning now if we are to have ameasured and affordable withdrawal from alocation that eventually will be indefensible.

In military terms, it’sthe difference between waiting behind crumbling defenses to be routed or saving lives and resources with a managed retreat to asafer location.

TheScared

“Rather thanscience, the study is an ideologically driven policy argument dressed in the guiseofgeological inevitability.”

That was from aletter to The Guardian about the study from Michael Hecht,the CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., anonproﬁt business economic development organization.

It’snosurprise someone paid to bring businesses to this area would want to downplay its problems. But Hecht should have left thecriticism of ascientiﬁc paper to qualiﬁed scientists.

Anddoes he really supposesharp businesses will not already know how vulnerable we are? They can read insurance rates just like local homeowners.

Abetter reply would be to highlight suggestions in thepaper that Louisiana has the time and experience to design projects to slow thechange, as well as the scientiﬁc chops to develop amanaged relocation —perhaps developing aplan other coastal areas could copy

Oh,and maybe he could address theproblem causing this crisis:fossil fuel emissions.

ButHecht reacted theway most Louisianians have since theimpacts of climate change became obvious: Downplay the threat, deny it or ridicule the science because they are scared of the facts, when we really need courage to face achallenging future.

TheDangerous

“It’sabout building projects. We don’tneed to study anything. If we have to study something, Iought to be runoff.”

That was from Gordon Dove, now in charge of Louisiana’sComprehensive Master Plan for aSustainable Coast. He’snot ascientist, but aformer politician from Terrebonne Parish. He was appointed to his post by theU.S. Special Envoy to Greenland, aka Gov.Jeff Landry Theseare thetwo politicians who hijacked the world-renowned scientiﬁc plan and killed sediment diversions because they’re smarter than theexperts. They now plan for a94mile “land bridge” Dove doesn’tneed to study for Theseare theparadoxes of today’s Louisiana. We develop brilliant coastal science that scares those who should put it to usewhile it’s ignored by thehubris and narcissism of know-nothing politicians

What could go wrong?

BobMarshall, aPulitzer Prizewinning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followed on X, @BMarshallEnviro.

Democrats’

The Democrats couldn’tcomplete their term paper,but handed it in anyway because too many people were wondering what had become of it.

Under pressure, the DNC ﬁnally released its autopsy of the 2024election, after rampant speculation about what it contained and why it hadn’t yet been made public. Did it include references to Gaza or didn’tit? Why or why not? What explosive revelationswere being kept from us?

autopsyasmalpractice

doubt on its claims. Andthe report doesn’thave aconclusion.

It turns out that the autopsy is a thoroughly unimpressive, unﬁnished document that, in the sheer incompetence in its drafting andhandling, says more about the low state of the current Democratic Partythan any of its analysis.

The DNC Chairman Ken Martin maintains that he delayed so long because he didn’twant tocreate a distraction by releasing apoorly done report, which sounds like atypical Washington excuse for hiding something.

Except it wasn’t.

Once everyone sawthe report,they realizedMartin was right about the embarrassingly poor handiwork of his own outﬁt.

At the start, the autopsy contains adisclaimer that “the DNC was not provided with the underlying sourcing, interviews or supporting data for many of the assertions contained herein and therefore cannot independently verify the claims presented.” Then,throughout the document, there are hostile annotations casting

TheDemocratswould have been better off going with ChatGPT

That said, the report acknowledges that Democrats are out of touch and too dependent on the Republicans making poor candidate choices (something the GOP just did again in its Texas Senate primary with the Trump-endorsed, scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton).

It notes how Trump’sthey/them ad hitting Kamala Harrisontransissues wasdevastating and unanswerable.

It recognizes that Harrisdidn’t do enough to separate herselffrom Bidenand makeanafﬁrmative case for herself rather than relying on voters supposedly considering Trump unacceptable. On the otherhand, it fails to grapple with the issues of inﬂation and immigration(except to complain about Harris being given arole with some responsibility over theborder). Thesewerethe two biggestsubstantive issues in the election, while the autopsy also whiffs on Biden’sage andhis catastrophically poor judgment in trying to run for reelection.

(Italsodoesn’tmention Gaza, bitterly disappointingthe anti-Israel left.)

Yet, our expectationsfor such documents shouldn’tbevery high. What was the report going to say?That Democrats disgraced themselves by pretending that Biden was ﬁt for a

secondterm, and only shifted course when he got exposed in the ﬁrst debate, and then had no alternative but to turn to acharmlessnonentityasa last-minutesubstitute?

The history of party retrospectives like this isn’tgood. Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 by taking therecommendations of the GOP autopsy after its 2012 election defeat and often doing theoppositeinsubstance and tone.

Democrats may be rudderless and increasingly extreme, but that doesn’tmean they won’thave agood election night this coming November Usually,aparty that has just lostthe WhiteHouse rises or falls in the midterms based on theincumbent president’s job approval rating, rather than itsown political creativity or inherent appeal.

As for retaking theWhiteHouse, that typically depends on nominating someonewho is charismatic and fresh, who has an unexpected approach to politics,and who develops a new coalition —think Barack Obama in 2008, or Donald Trump in 2016. None of this comes about by having apolitical strategist talktoabunch of people about the immediate pastelection andwrite along report about it. Needless to say,Democrats should be grateful that the stakes of their autopsy are so low —otherwise, they would have had to endeavor to actually ﬁnish it, andgrapple withtruths about the 2024 election conveniently passed over in thejust-released document.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

Ducey forpresident

The following is an imagined announcement. The fellow supposedly speaking has not been consulted about this.

IamDoug Ducey,aformer two-term governor of Arizona, now acandidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Isay whatBill Lee,Tennessee’sRepublican governor,says: “I’m aconservative. I’m just not angry about it.”

Americans who enjoy the tone and substance of today’spolitics can choose from candidates promising more of the same. But voters who are exhausted and embarrassed by endless turmoil and vitriol from both sides of the politicalspectrum deserve achoice, not an echo.

Ipromise calm after the current storm of animosities. One step toward this is astep back from what has become, under both parties, a hyperactive and inevitably disappointing presidency

ADucey presidency will not be constantly in your face or on your mind. Youmight go weeks without being reminded that Iamthere, out of sight, conducting the president’sprincipalbusiness as the Constitution deﬁnes it: taking care that the laws are faithfully executed.

Iwill try to shrink the president’sprominence by encouraging Congress’srevival. Executive orders will be fewbecause legitimate presidential power derives only from unambiguous acts of Congress, or the Constitution.

Congress has enabled presidents to grabvast power to act unilaterally by declaring “emergencies.” Real emergencies are extraordinary and transitory.Today,declared emergencies aremany, enduring, and usually spurious. Iwill ask Congress to end the approximately 55 emergencies we now live under,and to stipulate that any presidentially declared emergency terminates in 30 days unless Congress enacts aresolution of extension.

Iwill urge Congress to circumscribe executive discretion, and to participate in governing, by voting on all regulations with amajor (at least $100 million) economic impact. If Congress wants protectionism, which inevitably breeds crony capitalism, it must legislate it, not just allow presidential whims to impose it. Washington has blurredthe distinction between public and private sectors. As president, Iwill disentangle the government from big-government semi-socialism —presidentimposed federal ownership in Intel, U.S. Steel and other entities.

The Constitution says the president “shall from time to time” give Congress informationand recommendations about the state of the union. Ishall do this as presidents prior to Woodrow Wilson did: in writing. Thomas Jefferson correctly considered it monarchical for presidents to stand above Congress and lecture it. America would be improved by having one fewer nationally televised, politically saturated, president-centric spectacle. The antidote for presidential grandiosity,and consequent governmental strutting, is rediscovering republican —small “r” —simplicity.Jefferson practiced this with his penchant for informality whenentertaining and his aversion to pomp: He preferred riding alone on horseback ratherthan in gilded carriages. The White House itself, which until recently was devoid of ostentation, exempliﬁed republican modesty,the aesthetic analogue of limited government.

My face, which is nothing to write home about, will appear on no banners draped overWashington buildings. No president should be the face of the national government, or the nation. ADuceypresidency will remember that there are legislative and judicial branches with their own dignity and indispensability

America’sgreatness does not wax andwane with particular presidencies. It is as enduring as Plymouth Rock, and cannot be enlargedbygaudy testimonials it erects to itself. Nations that incessantly boast about their greatness seem unsure of it. Our nation needs no huge triumphal arch. If you seek the most eloquent testimonytoAmerica’s triumphs, look around and see whatyou do not see: the worst of the last century —Asian andEuropean fascism and communism. And see immigrants. Ibelieve the axiomthatimmigration is the sincerest form of flattery Iamthe son of aToledo, Ohio, policeman. As governor of the youngest of the contiguous 48 states, Iwas afull-spectrum conservative. Ichampioned charter schools —nonunionizedpublic schools free from the calcification and conformity that stifles pedagogical experimentation. Charters enlarge options for minorities who cannotafford private schools. Sixty years ago, politicians stood in the schoolhouse door and wouldn’tlet minorities in. Today,union-backed politicians stand in the schoolhouse door and won’tlet minorities out. If Arizona’scharters were the state’sentire K-12 system, Arizona would be among the nation’sleaders in math, reading and science. Before Ientered politics, Ijoined an Arizona start-up, eventually becoming CEO of Cold Stone Creamery.Toall who will vote in 2028 Republican primaries, my goals for America are:less overheated presidentialism, more ice cream.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost. com.

sTAFF FILE PHoTo By DAVID GRUNFELD

The Neworleans skylineshimmersinthe distance as seen acrossLakePontchartrain from Lacombeonaclear autumn evening

Bob Marshall

Rich Lowry

George Will

Johnsonsearching for‘elementofcompleteness’

As transfer portal opens, LsU coachtargeting ‘contributors on both sidesofthe baseball’

BY KOKI RILEY staffwriter

There is no beneﬁt to missing the NCAA Tournament.

It’strue. Because LSU missed the tourney for the ﬁrst time since 2011, Jay Johnson has alot more time to prepare forthe transfer portal and MLB Draft this summer than last, when the Tigers played into late June and won the College World Series. But this summer,hedoesn’tsee the extra time as abeneﬁt. He’d rather be calling agents and players from his hotel room in Omaha, Nebraska, all while preparing his team toplay in the biggest games of their lives

“I’ll never look at that as ahindrance or a negative, playing in the College World Seriesfor anyreason,” Johnson told The Advocate. “… Whatever you lose, it’sworthit to be there.” What LSU lost was alot of baseball games thenext year.The Tigers, despiteentering theseason as theNo. 2teaminthe nation, went 30-28 and won fewer than 12 games in Southeastern Conference play forthe ﬁrst time since 1983.

Injuries played abig part in their nightmare campaign, but so did their troubles in thetransfer portal. Seth Dardar,Brayden Simpson, Trent Caraway and Zach Yorkedid not live up to lofty expectations, and righthandedstarter Cooper Moore was lost for theseason with an elbow injury by the third week of conference play Even with Moore on track to return in

ä see LSU, page 4B

BYMATTHEW PARAS staffwriter

Ask Chris Olave whyhehas attended the New Orleans Saints’ offseason program when he’supfor anew contract, and the wide receiver will say that he’scommitted to winning. The Saintshaven’tdone much of that since drafting him in 2022, but the 25-year-oldwould like thattochange.

Butthere is anotherreason Olavehas shownup—one he acknowledges is directly related to the negotiation that’songoing between his campand the Saints. Olave’sparticipation is asign, he says, that talks are goingwell.

“We’re on the same page,”Olave said “It’sgoing in the right direction. We’ve been talking for afew months, so we’ve just got to get to that point where we agree to adeal.”

He’seven optimistic about whensuchan agreement could take place.

“I feel like we’re gonna come downto that before training camp,” Olavesaid. “I hopewedosowedon’taffect thechemistry and stuff, but Ithink it’s going to get done soon.” If adealisstruckassoonastraining camp, thatwould be aslight anomaly for the Saints. Since 2016, NewOrleans has handed out seven extensionstoplayers drafted by the team. Only one of them— RyanRamcyzk in June 2021 —got done before training camp. Twoothers —MichaelThomasonJuly31, 2019 andPete Werner on Aug. 8, 2024 —got done during camp. The rest (Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz) were completed right before thestartof their respective seasons. ButOlavecan nonetheless be encouragedbythe Saints’ history of retaining their bestplayers— anddoing so on

same page. It’s going in the right direction.We’ve been talking for afew months, so we’ve justgot to gettothat point where we agree to adeal.”

UL turns tables on Cincinnati to advanceto regional ﬁnal

BY KEVIN FOOTE staff writer

Apparently,the team that’splayed the most baseball gamesinthe country so far this season wasn’tyet ready to play its ﬁnal one. No. 3-seeded UL smashed four homeruns to carry the Ragin’ Cajuns to an 8-6 win over No. 2Cincinnati on Sunday to reach the Starkville Regional ﬁnal. The Cajuns improved to 41-24 overall on the season. They were set to play top-seeded Mississippi State on Sunday evening.

The Bearcats’ season ended at 38-22. “It’sbaseball,” Cincinnati coachJordan Bischel said. “If we played Louisiana 10 times,weboth could getabunchofwins Today was their day and the other day was ourday.These aretwo teams that, to me, are hands downtop 30 teams in the country,but one had to go hometoday.I think whoever would have gone hometoday would have felt pretty good,because they sold out for it.”

For UL,it’sthe 11th time the Cajuns have reached the regional ﬁnal, including four championships.

“It’shard to sustainsuccess, not just in our league but all over the country,” Bischel said. “I looked the other day,12teams have playedonSaturdaynight in the winners’ bracket nationally over thelasttwo years and we’re one of those teams (in 2025).

“Half the World Series teamsfrom last year didn’teven get here.”

TheBearcats, whodefeated UL 12-2Friday,opened the scoring in the ﬁrst inning witha two-out, two-run single to left by Enzo Infelise, whogot three hits in the game. UL responded with three runs in the second with the new lineup on its way to scoring 18 runs over the ﬁnal two games. Drew

ä see UL, page 4B

FILE PHoToByMICHAEL BACIGALUPI

LsU coach JayJohnson walks away fromhis team after delivering hispregame speech before agameagainst TexasA&M on April17atAlex Box stadium.

Kostyuk stuns Swiatek at French Open

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press

PARIS There will be a ﬁrst-time women’s champion at the French Open this year, and two Ukrainian players are among the strongest contenders.

Undefeated this season on clay, 15th-seeded Marta Kostyuk showed her strong credentials as she reached the quarterﬁnals in Paris for the ﬁrst time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday She will be up against her compatriot Elina Svitolina next, ensuring there will be an Ukrainian woman semifinalist at Roland Garros for the first time in the professional era (1968). The seventh-seeded Svitolina rallied past Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

“There’s going to be Ukraine in the semiﬁnals, so it’s already amazing,” said Svitolina, whose country is in a 4-year-long war with Russia

“I think it couldn’t be a better amazing achievement for Ukrainian tennis. I think in such a difﬁcult situation right now in the war, with the invasion, it’s really, really difﬁcult, and I think it’s really inspiring for the next generation to really believe that it is possible one day to play on this court and win.”

None of the players still in the draw have yet lifted the trophy in Paris, following Coco Gauff’s elimination on Saturday and Swiatek’s exit. It’s the same in the men’s draw, after the defeats of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic and with Carlos Alcaraz absent because of an injury

In men’s play, Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar moved into his ﬁrst Grand Slam quarterfinal after coming back from two sets down to beat Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6,

4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Jodar, who also played five sets in the previous round, will play second-seeded and former runner-up Alexander Zverev in the quarterﬁnals.

Zverev defeated Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1. Also, 19-year-old Joao Fonseca followed up his five-set victory over Novak Djokovic by beating two-time runner-up Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-2. Fonseca will next face 20-yearold Jakub Mensik, who held off a comeback from Andrey Rublev in a 6-3, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 win.

Swiatek’s bad day

Kostyuk had lost her three previous matches against Swiatek

and never taken a set against the former top-ranked player who turned 25 on Sunday “I’m still in shock. To beat such an unbelievable player, who won four times here,” she said.

Kostyuk has been the best player of the clay-court season She defended extremely well, chasing Swiatek’s shots all over the court, and also produced some stunning groundstroke winners while her rival was also undone by her own mistakes.

An intense baseline battle unfolded from the outset. Swiatek showed signs of nerves as she double-faulted, shanked a forehand wide and then missed a volley at the net, allowing Kostyuk to

level at 5-5 in the opener Swiatek

hit two more double faults in the 12th game and the 15th-seeded Ukrainian player sealed the set with a backhand passing shot.

Following a ﬁrst week marked by a suffocating heat wave, relief ﬁnally arrived in Paris on Sunday, with temperatures dropping to 70 degrees around midday

Kostyuk extended her winning streak on clay to 16 matches.

“The most important thing that I’ve been doing this whole time is really just trying to enjoy,” she said. “It’s helping. I want to keep enjoying. I try not to focus at all on winning or losing because I’m not playing tennis to win. I’m playing tennis because I love it.”

Sabalenka, Osaka set for rare women’s night match

By The Associated Press

PARIS The high-proﬁle fourthround matchup between topranked Aryna Sabalenka and fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka on Monday will be the ﬁrst women’s night match at the French Open in three years.

Roland Garros organizers have been criticized for scheduling only men’s matches under the lights in recent years, with organizers saying they are under pressure from TV broadcasters and that women’s best-of-three set matches are too short compared to the best-of-five format for men It will be only the fifth women’s match in the five years since the night sessions were introduced in Paris. The last women’s match at night

also involved Sabalenka, when she beat Sloane Stephens in 2023.

“YOLO,” Osaka said when asked on Saturday if her match against Sabalenka deserved to be held at night, using the abbreviation for “You only live once.”

Osaka has been putting on a fashion show for her walk-ons before each match of the tournament.

Sabalenka leads 2-1 in career meetings with Osaka, who has reached the fourth round in Paris for the ﬁrst time.

“I’m just ready for the fight,” Sabalenka said. “It’s great to see her back on her level I really enjoy our battles. It’s high-level matches, and I really enjoy when somebody push me to the limit.”

The match is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. local time.

Henley birdies playoff hole to win Colonial

BY STEPHEN HAWKINS Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas Russell Henley birdied the ﬁnal three holes to force a playoff with Eric Cole, then made it four it a row with a 5-footer on the first extra hole Sunday at Colonial to win the Charles Schwab Classic.

Henley’s late surge denied fellow 37-year-old Cole his ﬁrst PGA Tour win on a day when Ben Grifﬁn came up just short of becoming the only player other than Ben Hogan to win consecutive tournaments at Colonial.

Henley earned $1.78 million for his sixth PGA Tour title and also got the plaid jacket and a customized 1982 Jeep Scrambler vehicle. Playing in the group ahead of Cole, Henley closed with a 3-under 67. After making 15-foot putts at the 171-yard 16th hole and the par-4 17th, Henley got to 12 under with a 17-footer on the par-4 18th Cole shot an even-par 70. He parred the final seven holes — eight counting the playoff. Henley and Cole finished a stroke ahead of Grifﬁn (65), Alex Smalley (68) and Mac Meissner (69).

the

The drives for Henley and Cole on the extra hole, playing No. 18 again, stopped in the fairway — Cole getting a huge break after his ball somehow bounced through the left rough before settling on the edge of the short grass. Henley hit his approach shot ﬁrst, and Cole hit his to 13 feet and missed the birdie attempt.

Cole, in his 120th PGA Tour start, never fell out of the lead in regulation during the ﬁnal round, even when finishing the front nine with his ﬁrst double bogey (or worse) in a span of 316 holes. He drove well right into the right rough at the 398-yard ninth hole, hit his approach into the water fronting the green and had a long

LSU golfer shoots even par in round 2 of NCAAs

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Senior Matty Dodd-Berry led LSU on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA men’s golf Division I championship with an even-par round of 72 at the OMNI La Costa Spa and Resort North Course. The Tigers improved by 10 shots on their opening round, playing in sunny and less windy conditions for the first 10 holes, posting a 5-over par round of 293 to stand at 20-over par 596 through 36 holes. The Tigers finished Saturday tied for 27th place. Dodd-Berry is wrapping up his college career which started under second-year coach Jake Amos at East Tennessee State. He had three front-nine birdies in his even-par round on Saturday and posted 2-under 34 on the ﬁrst nine holes.

Finland beats Switzerland, wins men’s hockey worlds

ZURICH Finland won the ice hockey world championship for the ﬁfth time on Sunday, beating Switzerland 1-0 in overtime. The Buffalo Sabres’ Konsta Helenius scored the gold-winning goal 10:42 into overtime. The 20-year-old Helenius netted from the right circle, beating Switzerland goaltender Leonardo Genoni with his team’s 28th shot on goal. Finland netminder Justus Annunen shut out Switzerland with 22 saves.

Finland also won in 1995, 2011, 2019 and 2022. Finland was led by captain Aleksander Barkov who missed the entirety of the Florida Panthers’ season because of a major knee injury at the ﬁrst practice of training camp.

Boutier rallies from 4 back to win ShopRite LPGA GALLOWAY, N.J Celine Boutier rallied from a four-shot deﬁcit Sunday, making three birdies around the turn on her way to a 5-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Arpichaya Yubol in the ShopRite LPGA. Soo Bin Joo, the 22-year-old South Korean going for her ﬁrst LPGA Tour title, lost her four-shot lead at the turn and then fell behind for good on the 13th hole, the same hole where earlier Boutier had taken the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt.

Yubol, who was penalized one shot in the second round Saturday for going over her maximum time, birdied the last two holes for a 66. It was her second runner-up ﬁnish of the year, having ﬁnished four shots behind Nelly Korda in Mexico.

Jersey worn in Bueckers’ debut selling for $64,720

DALLAS Paige Bueckers is setting records off the court with a jersey from her debut game last season selling for $64,720, according to MeiGray MeiGray an authentication company and photo-matching store that partners with the Dallas Wings, reported Friday the jersey that Bueckers wore in her WNBA debut on May 16, 2025, sold for twice the previous mark for a game-worn WNBA jersey

bogey chance stop an inch from the cup. His only birdie on the back was at the 628-yard 11th hole, but he had some significant par savers down the stretch. He made an up-and-down out of a fairway bunker at the 443-yard 12th hole, lagged a putt inside 5 feet at the par-3 16th after his tee shot on the green was still 47 feet from the cup, then had a short chip for his closing par after his approach at the 18th took an awkward bounce right to the rough and was 15 feet away Henley started the day with an eagle at the 577-yard first hole and a birdie at the 390-yard second, but quickly gave all three of those shots back with bogeys at Nos. 3-5 — the aptly-named Horrible Horseshoe at Colonial. He had another bogey at No. 9, making the turn at 8 under Reigning tournament champion Griffin, who started the day six strokes back after three consecutive rounds of 68, had five birdies on the front nine. But he didn’t have another until a 25-foot putt at the 17th hole to get to 11 under, within a stroke of Cole six holes behind him.

A’ja Wilson held the previous record with a uniform she wore in the WNBA Finals last season selling for $32,150, according to MeiGray Bueckers was the WNBA Rookie of the Year last season and had 10 points in her debut game against Minnesota.

Lemieux’s brain is being donated to CTE center

Claude Lemieux’s brain is being donated to the Boston University CTE Center to research the longterm effects of repetitive brain injuries, his family said Saturday in a statement released by daughter Claudia Lemieux Bishop. Lemieux died of suicide at age 60 on Thursday, according to authorities, after earlier in the week serving as the Montreal Canadiens’ torchbearer prior to a playoff game.

He played nearly 1,500 NHL games with six teams from 19832009 and was known for his hardhitting style and ability to perform in big games on the way to winning the Stanley Cup four times. The family said it gave the center permission to publicly share any ﬁndings with Lemieux’s name, adding that no conclusions should be drawn regarding any

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By THIBAULT CAMUs Naomi osaka prepares for a third-round match against Iva Jovic on saturday at the French open in Paris.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By CHRIsToPHE ENA

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk waves to the crowd after a fourth-round match against Poland’s Iga swiatek on sunday at the French open in Paris.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By LM oTERo

Russell Henley reacts after sinking

putt on

18th hole on sunday during the final round of the Charles schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

play the spurs in the NBA Finals.

Knicks beat Spurs for NBA Cup, but challenge still lies in NBA Finals

BY BRIAN MAHONEY Associated Press

GREENBURGH, N.Y When the New York Knicks declined to hang a banner after beating the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Cup, they did so because they were waiting to celebrate something bigger

That wait is at 53 years and it can only end now by beating the Spurs again.

Nearly a week after clinching their ﬁrst NBA Finals berth since 1999, the Knicks were at last able to practice Sunday while knowing who they were practicing for, after Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs knocked off Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference ﬁnals

“I mean, they’re a special team,” Knicks guard Deuce McBride said. “Obviously they have the Defensive Player of the Year, obviously a great organization and they’ve got a lot of great young guys, so we’re just excited for this matchup.”

It’s the same one as the last time the Knicks were in the NBA Finals, when the Spurs beat them 27 years ago to leave New York without a title since 1973.

The Knicks believed they were going to have a good shot at ending the drought this year and got a test run at chasing a championship back in December, when they beat San Antonio in Las Ve-

gas to win the NBA Cup.

The Knicks then passed on joining the Lakers and Milwaukee, the previous winners of the in-season tournament in raising a banner at Madison Square Garden to acknowledge it. They aren’t putting much stock in that victory six months later, knowing how different both teams are.

“Obviously there was good energy around that, but I don’t think that’s really going to be any equivalent to what the atmosphere or the energy is going to be like at their place, or obviously at the Garden,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said

“So technically that game didn’t happen, so I don’t think there’s anything that we can learn from,” Hart added, poking fun at the fact that the Cup ﬁnal, an 83rd game for the two teams, doesn’t count in the standings or statistics.

The teams split the two games that did matter, with San Antonio’s victory on New Year’s Eve starting a midseason spiral for a Knicks club that arrived with a 23-9 record. Then, after the Spurs went undefeated in February, New York snapped their 11-game winning streak with a 114-89 home victory on March 1.

Game 1 is Wednesday at San Antonio. More than Wembanyama and the Spurs, the Knicks’ biggest problem might be their lack of playing rhythm.

Popovich was vital to Spurs’ NBA Finals run

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

SAN ANTONIO Victor Wembanya-

ma barely could get the words out.

The question, a few minutes after he and the San Antonio Spurs won the Western Conference title and earned the right to go to this year’s NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks, was about his relationship with former coach Gregg Popovich and what this playoff run likely means to the winningest coach in league history And Wembanyama paused, clearly emotional, before starting his answer “I don’t know what it means for him,” Wembanyama said. “That’s a guy who’s got more experience as a coach than almost anybody and has been through so many things in his career and so many things right now as ‘El Jefe.’ He goes through some things we can’t even imagine. So, I need to call him. I need to see him. I need to talk to him because there’s no way I can understand right now how he feels.”

The ofﬁcial title for the 77-yearold Popovich is president of Spurs basketball. Unofficially, the basketball Hall of Famer may as well be coach emeritus still regularly seen at practices in San Antonio, still seen at games, sometimes walking with the assistance of a cane. He’s still in the ears of players and coaches, even visiting the locker room after the Spurs lost Game 3 of the West ﬁnals to Oklahoma City for a bit of a pep talk and a bit of a chewing out, depending on perspective.

But really, he’s El Jefe. The boss. It’s what he announced himself as when he retired last year, speaking publicly for the first time since the November 2024 stroke that essentially ended his coaching career and led to Mitch Johnson getting the job on basically a couple hours’ notice. He came out for that event in a jacket then opened it to display the shirt with “El Jefe” on the front.

“You talk about the greatest coach pretty much of all time to be able to sit here and tell you the experiences that they went through or that he’s been through or that he sees,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell said.“Imean,it’ssecondtonone,honestly He helps out. He helps out a lot.

Smith knows he can write

BY DENNIS WASZAK JR.

AP pro football writer

FLORHAM PARK, N.J

Geno Smith

knows what a lot of New York Jets fans are daydreaming about.

The quarterback has been here before, a much younger and lessexperienced version, of course. The Jets had only missed the playoffs the previous two years when Smith was selected by the franchise in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has come and gone elsewhere — four other stops, actually — and

SAINTS

Continued from page 1B

contracts that pay them at or near the top of the market. And Olave fits into that mold. Last season was pivotal, in particular for the wide receiver as he posted career numbers and was named second-team All-Pro — all while staying (mostly) healthy While a blood clot in Week 18 unexpectedly prevented him from playing in all 17 games for the first time, that issue was far less of a concern than the concussions that forced Olave to contemplate retirement a year earlier

Olave hasn’t been limited by the blood clot this spring and said he was cleared about a week after it was diagnosed.

“He’s looking better than I’ve ever seen him,” quarterback Tyler Shough said “His speed, his change of direction, his conditioning, it’s been amazing so far I’m excited to see what he can do ﬂat out. He’s going to be someone we can rely on the whole year.”

Last year, Olave struck a different tone regarding his contract. Though he was eligible for an exten-

that postseason drought has since reached 15 years, the longest among teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. Smith is now 35 years old and back where he began his professional career, a comeback story with the potential to be special if he can help return the downtrodden Jets to the playoffs.

“Yeah, I mean, that would be like a story in a movie, right?” Smith said Thursday with a smile. “It’s kind of like one of those superhero movies, but my life is based on reality We’ve got to focus on getting

sion, and he and the Saints held talks, the wide receiver almost didn’t seem in a rush to get a deal done. Sure, he might have signed if the offer had been big enough, but there was a part of him, he said, that felt as if he hadn’t deserved such a deal yet.

Olave’s concussion history — four in three years, including two in 2024 that limited his season to eight games — had raised serious questions over his value. And Olave, realizing this, was content to bet on himself and prove that he was the type of receiver who could command a top contract. This offseason, after an All-Pro campaign, Olave is much more open to putting his pen to paper

“Especially going into the last year of my deal,” said Olave, who’s set to make nearly $15.5 million this coming season “I’ve played four years already, produced at a high level and I feel like it’s time to be able to come to the table. It’s really in their hands.”

Negotiations of course, aren’t always simple. The wide receiver market has exploded in recent years, with 10 players now carrying an average annual value of at least $30 million Three

He just has so much wisdom and stuffthatyoucan’ttakeforgranted.”

Game 1 of the Knicks-Spurs series is Wednesday in San Antonio.

Knicks coach Mike Brown saw ﬁrst-hand how Popovich operated the Spurs; he spent three years as an assistant coach under him in San Antonio. Brown still has family members living in San Antonio causing him to joke a few days ago that a Knicks-Spurs matchup in the NBA Finals would save him a little bit of money because he wouldn’t have to ﬂy as many people in to see games.

“He still has a huge presence. He will always have a presence,” Brown said of Popovich “The job that he’s done, not only on the court with that team or that organization but off the courttoo,isgoingtobeimprintedfor as long as the game of basketball exists. His presence is very very much felt all the time and I’ve got a lot of respect for the organization for a lot of different reasons.”

And Popovich still commands that respect, even now Popovich met the Spurs at the airport after they ﬂew home from Games 3 and 4 of their West semifinal series against Minnesota a couple weeks ago for a purpose. Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 for a flagrant elbow he threw at Timberwolves forward Naz Reid. When Wembanyama got

‘superhero

better every single day.”

After a successful ﬁve-year stint in Seattle, where he began as a backup to Russell Wilson before becoming the starter, winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022 and making two Pro Bowls, Smith had a dismal season for lowly Las Vegas.

He threw for 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns after having at least 20 in each of the previous three seasons with the Seahawks — and a league-high 17 interceptions. But the Jets desperately

of those — Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson — have reached at least $35 million per year And in addition to the average salary, the Saints will also have to weigh Olave’s guarantees. How much is New Orleans willing to take on, given the 2022 ﬁrst-rounder’s concussions?

But Olave has been pleased with the dialogue so far While the talks unfold, Olave has been focused on his body Olave said he’s gained about 10 pounds, although he says he’s likely to lose about ﬁve or so during camp. His goal is to “get bigger,” which players and coaches have noticed.

“We can tell (what) he’s done from a body standpoint,” coach Kellen Moore said. “It’s been awesome.”

It isn’t lost on Moore that Olave has participated throughout the Saints’ offseason program, either Just last year players like Washington’s Terry McLaurin and Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson held out well into training camp, while a handful of others voluntarily skipped the earlier offseason workouts over their contracts. The longer the Saints wait,

off the plane, Popovich was waiting. Cameras caught the exchange and it was pretty clear that Popovich was doing the talking and Wembanyama was doing the listening.

“He gives feedback and talks to us regularly,” Wembanyama said, without disclosing what Popovich’s message was that afternoon. Popovich won five NBA championships as San Antonio’s coach, the first of those coming in 1999 when the Spurs beat the New York Knicks. The next era of Spurs basketball is here, with Johnson coaching, and it’s an interesting coincidence that his first finals as Spurs coach is against the Knicks.

“I’m fortunate my old boss is still around, and has been through this a few times,” Johnson said. “Coach Pop has been a resource.”

And in the immediate aftermath of his biggest win yet the one that got him to his ﬁrst of what he hopes is many NBA Finals Wembanyama simply could not wait to talk to El Jefe.

“When I talk to him, it’s going to be only stored in my head — except if I record it in secret,” Wembanyama said. “But I need to talk to him, so quick.”

There are more lessons to learn. There are four more wins to get. And Wembanyama knows that if anyone truly knows the way to those wins, it’s Popovich.

movie’ story in return

needed a veteran quarterback after a failed one-year experiment with Justin Fields and traded for Smith, sending a sixth-round pick to Seattle and also getting a seventh-rounder back. It was an unlikely reunion, especially since the quarterback’s ﬁrst stint with the Jets was largely remembered for the locker room incident in 2015 that left Smith sidelined with a broken jaw, the result of a punch from then-teammate IK Enemkpali. It changed the trajectory of his career with the Jets.

meanwhile, the more costly the deal could become.

The Rams’ Puka Nacua, Atlanta’s Drake London and Baltimore’s Zay Flowers are

He lasted one more season in New York before leaving.

Because of all that, Smith acknowledged the surreal feeling he had being back at the facility — nine years later

Jets coach Aaron Glenn was in the team’s scouting department during Smith’s rookie season and he has watched the quarterback — mostly from afar mature on and off the ﬁeld in the years since.

“Just the fact of how he’s grown from that time to now is outstanding,” Glenn said.

among the other notable receivers around the league in line for a big-time extension — which could affect Olave’s price tag even further

“It’s in their hands, man,” Olave said with

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By TIM PHILLIs New york Knicks players hold the Eastern Conference championship trophy after a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 25 in Cleveland. The Knicks will

AssoCIATED PREss FILE PHoT By DAVID J PHILLIP Former san Antonio spurs coach Gregg Popovich, left, talks with Victor Wembanyama on the bench during a game against the Houston Rockets on March 5, 2024, in Houston. Popovich was vital to the team’s path to the NBA Finals.

Stewart blasts 3-run home run to send Texas past Nebraska

By The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY Katie Stewart’s go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning lifted defendingchampion Texas to a come-frombehind 3-1 victory over Nebraska on Sunday in an elimination game at the Women’s College World Series.

Held without a hit and trailing 1-0 through ﬁve innings, the Longhorns rallied in the sixth with one-out singles by Jaycie Nichols and Kayden Henry followed by Stewart’s 250-foot blast toward the left ﬁeld line

It was Stewart’s eighth goahead home run this season and her 28th overall.

No 2 seed Texas (49-12) advances to the national semiﬁnals against Tennessee on Monday and the Longhorns will have to win twice in order to advance to the championship series. Tennessee defeated Texas 6-3 on Thursday Fourth-seeded Nebraska (52-8) was eliminated.

The Cornhuskers’ Jordy

WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Frahm (21-6), a two-time national player of the year, dominated the first five innings in the circle and it was her leadoff home run in the first inning that had Nebraska in the lead from the start.

Her 20th home run of the season made her the ﬁrst player to have back-to-back 20-win, 20 home run seasons

Texas ace Teagan Kavan (276) did not allow a runner past second base after Frahm’s home run.

The 2025 WCWS Most Outstanding Player threw a complete-game four-hitter with three strikeouts and walked none.

Texas reached the championship series in three of the past four seasons, winning for the ﬁrst time in 2025.

Nebraska has never played for the championship in 10 total WCWS appearances.

Yankees score 13 runs in an inning for ﬁrst time in 21 years

BY JOSH DUBOW Associated Press

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One big inning was more than enough Sunday for the New York Yankees.

Fueled by a ﬁery pep talk from captain Aaron Judge, the Yankees scored 13 runs in the third and beat the Athletics 13-8 — ﬁnishing one run shy of the largest inning in the storied history of the franchise.

“Remarkable,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Glad we were able to make it stand up. Obviously, a lot of really good things offensively I don’t think the prettiest game on either side, necessarily But we were able to make a really outstanding inning stand up.”

The game began well for A’s starter Jacob Lopez, who retired all six New York batters in the first two innings. That led to a heated message from Judge to his teammates that they needed to wake up.

“I just felt like we were a little asleep there that ﬁrst two innings. I expect more out of the guys and I know they expect more of themselves. A couple of choice words there just to get it going The boys responded,” Judge said. They sure did.

Lopez failed to retire any of the seven hitters he faced in the third, starting with a single by Anthony Volpe.

The totals in the inning were staggering as the Yankees had 11 hits, four walks and four stolen bases. They sent 18 batters to the plate and faced 75 pitches during their most productive inning since scoring 13 runs in the eighth against Tampa Bay on June 21, 2005. It was one off the

Continued from page 1B

2027, Johnson will have to do better this year in the portal — which opens on June 1 — to get his program back to where it was before this past spring.

“We’re looking for Omaha-caliber players, not just from a tool standpoint, but from a mindset standpoint,” Johnson said “that are capable of handling all the things that come along with playing at LSU.

“We’re going to be all in on helping them achieve their dream of being a major leaguer, but I want them equally to be as invested in helping us have the best team and program we possibly can.” With his lineup, Johnson wants to target players who can make an impact on both sides of the ball. Dardar Simpson, Caraway and Yorke all came to LSU with strong reputations as power hitters who were more limited defensively But when they started stumbling at the plate, their issues in the ﬁeld became more glaring.

franchise record for an inning set July 6, 1920, against the Washington Senators. Lopez walked two batters after Volpe’s hit and then failed to cover the bag on Paul Goldschmidt’s bases-loaded grounder to ﬁrst, allowing a run to score on an inﬁeld single. Ben Rice followed with a two-run double, Judge blooped a single to center and Cody Bellinger hit an RBI single to knock out Lopez.

The next five batters also reached safely against reliever Michael Kelly, marking the ﬁrst time in 17 seasons that a team started an inning with 12 straight batters reaching safely, according to Sportradar The Boston Red Sox were the previous team to do it on May 7, 2009, against Cleveland.

This marked the ﬁrst time the Yankees had 12 consecutive batters reach safely in an inning since the ﬁrst game of a doubleheader on Sept. 11, 1949, against Washington. It was just two batters off the record since 1920 that came when Detroit had 14 straight reach in the sixth inning against the Yankees on June 17, 1925, with Hall of Famer Ty Cobb hitting a home run in that inning.

The Yankees scored 10 runs before the ﬁrst out was recorded when Goldschmidt struck out. Rice followed with a two-run triple giving him two multi-run extra-base hits in one inning.

“To bat around with no outs, it’s incredible,” Judge said. “That’s what this team is capable of doing. We got our backs up against the wall, find a way to dig ourselves out of it and to continue to keep the pressure on them. We needed all 13 of those runs.”

“This isn’t speciﬁc to transfers.

I think what made the 2025 team special is, maybe except one spot, every player that played the majority of the innings — so we’ll say the top 11 or 12 position players on those teams — they were contributors on both sides of the baseball,” Johnson said. “They had an element of completeness to their games, and that’s what I’m looking for.” On the mound, Johnson said he wants pitchers who throw multiple pitches for strikes. He is also interested in acquiring arms with a strong track record of performance, as opposed to high-upside hurlers that haven’t been as consistent.

Johnson still believes that a team can’t win a national championship without future major leaguers.

But he believes LSU’s best path to landing those talents is through high school recruiting and not the portal.

“(It’s) just the nature of how it seems to go,” Johnson said.

Adding more strike-throwers and pitchers with proven track records should help solve what plagued LSU’s staff this season.

Markle homered to center to get the rally started, before loading the bases.

Blaze Rodriguez got the tying run home with a ﬁelder’s choice grounder and Mark Collins got UL its ﬁrst lead with an RBI single to left. Then the Donovan LaSalle show emerged in the third. After singling in the second inning, LaSalle smashed a two-run homer to center for a 5-2 Cajuns lead.

The seesaw battle continued when Cal Sefcik collected a tworun single of his own to narrow UL’s lead to 5-4 in the fourth.

The Bearcats took their second lead with two more in the sixth. Infelise led off the inning with a single to chase Herrmann for Tyler Papenbrock.

The senior southpaw got his ﬁrst two batters, but then yielded an inﬁeld single to Jackson Smith, a run-scoring single to 9-hole hitter Charlie Niehaus and a basesloaded walk to Derrick Pitts for a 6-5 Cincinnati lead.

Herrmann ended up throwing ﬁve innings and 98 pitches, giving up four runs (three earned), six hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

The Cajuns certainly weren’t done just yet, though, with two runs in the sixth.

LaSalle led off the decisive inning with a solo homer to center again. Rodriguez later delivered a clutch two-out RBI single against Bearcats’ reliever Chad Brown.

LaSalle ﬁnished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Rodriguez and Lim both added two-hit games.

Colt Brown added an insurance

run with one out in the seventh with a homer to left for an 8-6 Cajuns lead.

“Yeah, they hit four balls out of the yard, and that’s a team that typically doesn’t hit a lot of home runs,” Bischel said. “Obviously they have good players. But, yeah, would we have liked to work to the edges a little bit better and keep another ball or two in the yard?

Absolutely But what do you do?

They made a couple of big-league plays and we lined out a couple of times that’s baseball.” Cincinnati starter Connor Blue ended up allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, no walks and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings and 91 pitches.

Papenbrock shined down the

The Tigers’ staff had talent, ﬁnishing ﬁrst in the SEC in strikeouts. But they also owned the worst ERA in the conference this

year, in large part because they led the SEC in walks, and they threw 28 more wild pitches than Kentucky,

stretch on the mound for the Cajuns. Over the ﬁnal four innings, Papenbrock only allowed one run on four hits, two walks and struck out four over 77 pitches.

Infelise, who had five hits in two games against UL, made the final out on a comebacker to Papenbrock, who ran to the bag himself to secure a trip to the regional finals.

“He was kind of just throwing us a little bit of a bowling ball sinker so it was a little bit tough to just get the barrel to it,” Sefcik said. “I just don’t think our guys did a good enough job of pulling him in, or getting on time, or whatever it was.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

second-most wild pitches in the conference.

“You think about Zac (Cowan), Gage (Jump), Luke (Holman), Anthony (Eyanson),” Johnson said. “Those are the pies in the sky of guys that have proven they throw a ton of strikes.”

The transfer portal alone won’t get LSU back to where it wants to be. Returning players such as Mason Braun, Omar Serna and Cade Arrambide will need to take another step forward. Their incoming freshman class needs to make an immediate impact.

But no program has benefited more from the portal than LSU over the past ﬁve seasons Recapturing that trend this summer will be essential to its success next spring.

“I thought for four years we probably did as good as we could in landing those guys,” Johnson said. “And they obviously make a difference in your team and program.”

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

sTAFF FILE PHoTo By MICHAEL

sTAFF PHoTo By BRAD KEMP UL starting pitcher Andrew Herrmann delivers a pitch against Cincinnati

Noble Field in starkville, Miss.

The humidity that we experienced this weekend will be back again today.Expect amostly sunnytopartlycloudy, hot and humid day. Temperatures will rise for most of us into the low90s.Heat index values, however, will be anywhere from 95 to 102. Windswill be light for the most part,and rain chances willberight around 30%, so expect afew scattered showers.Rain chances will rise later this

extreme level.

Argentina’sarrival doublesas tributeto WorldCup success

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswriter

KANSAS CITY,Mo. Reigning World

Cupchampion Argentinaarrived in Kansas City on Sunday to begin preparing for its title defense, which starts with amatchagainst Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Chiefs.

The 11-hour flight covering more than 5,500 miles from Ezeiza InternationalAirport touched down in Missouri just after 11 a.m. local time. Theﬂight number forthe Aerolineas Argentinas charter was 1978, an homage to the 1978 World Cup that Argentina won as the host nation over theNetherlands before more than 71,000 fans at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires.

The plane itself, an Airbus A330, also celebrated the Argentine squad with special livery TheNo. 10 of Lionel Messi was featured on the tail amidthe national team’siconic blue and white stripes, whilethree gold stars represented its three World Cup titles. Argentina is the ﬁrstoffour national teams making theirWorld Cup home base in the Kansas City metro to arrive.

The Netherlands, England and Algeria —which will be at the University of Kansas in nearby Lawrence —are due to arrive this week. Most of the Argentina squad arrived on its charter,though some players will arrive from clubs elsewhere in the world. After stepping off the plane, players and staff walked across the tarmac to waiting charter buses for the trip to the team hotel. Messi and Co. will be stayingat the Origin Hotel near downtown Kansas City,Missouri.Fences have been built around the property and extra security provided for the team, while inside the relatively new hotel, signage, posters and other nods to the team known as La Albiceleste areever-present, includinghuge images of some of the team’sbiggest stars

PHoTo By ARIANA CUBILLos

AssoCIATED PREss FILE

Argentina’sNicolas otamendi celebrates withGiovani Lo Celso after scoring his side’sopeninggoal against Venezuela during aFIFAWorld Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Maturin, Venezuela on oct. 10, 2024

on theoutsideofthe building.

Theteam planned to spend Sundaydoing light training in thehotel gym while awaiting the arrival of the restofits players. Itsﬁrst full workout is setfor Mondayat theCompass Minerals National Performance Center,the homeof MLS clubSportingKansas City Argentinaplays Honduras in afriendlyonSaturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, the homeofTexas A&M. Itsﬁnal tuneup is three days later against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama, the home of another SECfootball team, Auburn. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni revealed his 26-man WorldCup roster on Thursday.ItisheadlinedbyMessi,who turns 39 in

lessthana month,and features 17 players thatwere part of the team thattriumphedfour years ago againstFranceinthe ﬁnal in Qatar

Several players were in doubt because of injuries of varying severity ahead of theJune 1deadline set by FIFAfor ﬁnalizing all World Cupsquads. Among them was Messi, who is suffering from musclefatigueand amild strain in his left hamstring. The club has said that his recovery time will depend on “his clinical and functional progress.” Messi will be playing in hissixth World Cup, having previously participatedinGermany,South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar

Pulisicendsscoring drought; U.S. defeats Senegalinwarmup

BY STEVEREED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Christian Pulisic ended aﬁve-month scoring drought for club and country with his ﬁrst international goal since November 2024, Folarin Balogun broke asecond-halftie and the United States beat Senegal3-2 Sunday in the Americans’ next-to-last World Cup warmup match.

Pulisicset up SergiñoDest’s opener in the seventh minute, then made it 2-0off aRicardo Pepi pass in the 20th. Pulisic took atouch,roundedgoalkeeper MoryDiaw and slotted into an open netfrom atight angle for his33rd goal in 85 international appearances. Thetop American player,Pulisic had finished his AC Milan season scoreless in acareerhigh 19 club gamessinceDec. 28 and was without agoal eight straight U.S. matches.Pulisic ran to acorner flag, dropped to his knees and repeatedly pumped his fists Sadio Mané scored twice followingAmerican mistakes, extending his Senegal record with 54 international goals. He beat goalkeeper Matt Turner at the far post in the 44th offa Habib Diarra passthatfollowedAntonee Robinson’sgiveaway,then tappedthe ball into the netinthe 52nd after Nicolas Jackson had lifted it over onrushing goalkeeper Chris Brady. Brady enteredamong 10 U.S. changes at the start of the secondhalfinhis international debut. Balogun, another second-half sub, had agoal disallowed for offside in the 49th, then got his ninth international goal in the 63rd afterTim Weah’scross deflected off afoot of Moustapha Mbow.

The No.16U.S. plays 10thranked Germany on June 6, six days before the Americans open

the tournament against Paraguay. No.14Senegal faces Saudi Arabia in aJune 9friendlyand start against France on June 16. The American starting lineup averaged 44 internationalappearances,the team’shighest since the October 2017 loss at Trinidadand Tobago thatended theU.S.streak of sevenstraight World Cup appearances,according to Opta. Turner,the Americanstarting goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup, made just his second U.S. appearance since a4-0 loss to Switzerland last June. In the absence of Chris Richards,sidelined by an ankle injury, the U.S. started Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie and captain Tim Ream in athree center back formation. Gio Reyna made his ﬁrst start for club or country since Dec. 19.

Apostcarddepicts aduel in 1841 at the old dueling grounds in City Park. Anotation at the topofthe postcard reads: From an old painting

CURT TEICH AND CoMPANy, INC., PRoVIDED By HIsToRIC NEW oRLEANsCoLLECTIoN

Thedaring DUELIST

Jose ‘Pepe’ Llulla is considered by many to be the most famous dueling spaniardinNew orleanshistory

BY RACHEL MIPRO

Contributing writer

Jose “Pepe” Llulla is anamesynon mous with New Orleans’ age of darin anddueling. One reader’squestion: What’sthe story of Jose Llulla?

Many legends havesprungup around the famed Spanish duelist, who is said to have participated in over 20 duels, andseconded over 100 duels, winning the titleofone of New Orleans’ most legendary ﬁghters. Llulla lived at the height o dueling culture theCre cent City.Duels werefoughtover ho or,settling major andminordispute

One popular spot for ﬁghting cansti be seen today,the “Dueling Oaks” landmark in City Park. While one oak perished in ahurricane decades ago, the survivingoak still marksth sceneofmany asword ﬁght.

The “golden age” of dueling lasted from the 1830s untilthe Civil War, as Herbert Asbury chronicled in “The French Quarter: An InformalHistor of the New OrleansUnderworld.”To ﬁghters achieved celebrity status, an fencing schools, headed byformidably skilled instructors, were all the rage.

“In the New Orleansoftheir day, they occupied much thesame position that champion prize-ﬁghters do in modern times,” Ashbury wrote. “Crowds followed theminthe street in the cafes and coffeehouses they were the darlings of thewaiters, and the young Creoles aped their manne isms.”

In this atmosphere, Llulla thrived, becoming one ofthe city’smost legendary duelists. He died at the age of 72, having lived in thecityfor 58 years, according toalovingtribute that describedhis “singular,well-de veloped” facial muscles andhis “vig orous keen-eyed”looksina lengthy

ä see DUELIST, page 2C

PRoVIDEDByHIsToRIC NEW oRLEANs CoLLECTIoN

DonJosé ‘Pepe’ Llulla, left, the great dueling master of Neworleans, is photographed withMartin Poujuan.

Homegrownheat

SAN JOSE, Calif.— Becoming awasabi farmer wasn’tinitially part of the career plan for former electrical contractor Jeff Roller. But for those who know him, his pivot wasn’tall that surprising, he says. He and co-founder TimHall got the idea to start awasabifarm about 15 years ago when Hall learnedthat most of the wasabi Americans eat is fake: Expertestimates cited in the Washington Post

over adecade ago put the proportion of fake stuff at between 95% and 99% of the wasabi consumed in the U.S. The green paste that usually comes withyour takeout sushi is made up of horseradish, mustard, cornstarch, food coloring andsome other ingredients. Hall and Roller hadconstruction backgrounds and wanted to seeif they couldﬁgure out how to grow the notoriously ﬁnicky plants. Wasabi plants generally grow best in cool climates with water flowing over the soil, and they take around two years to reach

maturity. Aftermonths of research and trial and error, they decided to start their farm, repurposing an old Coastside nursery with greenhousesdating backt the1960s for the job. For year they struggled to achieve cons tency with theplants they grew Everytime they tried to scale their production, anew challenge popped up, Roller says. “We’ve changed the waywe’ve grown it abunch of times,”h says. Twoyears in, Roller gave up, leaving the farm to Hall, but then

Common thread

Blue jeanshavelong been associated with theAmericanexperience

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO When Americans want to show their patriotism,they often don red, whiteand blueclothing,orsometimes even drape themselves in the U.S. ﬂag. But if you truly want to embody the country’szeitgeist, just slip on your favorite blue jeans. Youprobably already own at least one pair,just like almost everyone else you know Even in divisive times, denim remains an American skinthat’swornbyliberals andconservatives, young and old, rich and poor,the cool crowd and the nerdy outcasts, citizens born in the USA like thedenim-cladBruce Springsteen on his chart-topping 1984 album and immigrants who came here hoping for abetter lifelike Levi Strauss. If there is acommonthread in America’scrazy quilt of racial diversity,it’s blue jeans. The pantsdidn’tstartout blue.They were made from brown tent canvas when they wereﬁrst conceivedin1853 by Strauss, aBavarian immigrant who came to SanFrancisco in the aftermath of California’s Gold Rush.The pants proved so popularamong thegoldminers still looking to strike that Strauss ran outoftentcanvas. So he switched to adifferent fabric —indigo-dyed denim.After Nevada tailor Jacob Davis suggested reinforcing the pockets of Strauss’ pant design with copper rivets,the twomen patented the concept in 1873 to create the style of blue jeans worn today Levi Strauss &Co. and its imitators such as H.D.Lee and Wrangler have made billions selling denim through the decades, but blue jeans have always been more aboutthe culture than the capitalism that shaped America. Besidesharking back to the Gold Rush’ssediments, blue jeans evoke:

n Therugged determination of the railroad workers who worethemwhile laying the tracks for travel and commerce across the country;

n The derring-do of the cowboys and wandering spirits whowore them while settling the frontier;

n The work ethic of the farmers and factory workers who worethemonthe job;

n The rebellious ethos of thebikers and other mavericks who embraced them after Marlon Brando’sperformance in the 1953 ﬁlm “The Wild Ones;”

n The colorful flair of the hippies who stitched flower patches and psychedelic designsonbell-bottomed versionsofthe pants that were conceived in San Francisco during 1967’s“Summer of Love.” In all shapes and styles, blue jeans are the perfect fit forAmerica.

ä see HEAT, page 2C

TNs PHoTo By DAIsUGANo

HalfMoon BayWasabi has been perfecting their method for growingwasabi in Californiafor 15 years.

Huggingisgoodfor your health

Dear Doctors: Is it true that hugging is good for your health? Why would that be? Also, Iremember hearing about someone with autism who used akind of squeezing machine to help with anxiety. Is that the same thing that’sgoing on when we hug each other?

Dear Reader: Your questions lead to afascinating field of study: the neuroscience of touch. Also known as sensoryneuroscience, it examines how the brainprocesses touch. This includes the regions of the brain that get activated. It also looks at the neurochemicals that are released. Researchersinthis field are also interested in how the neurochemical changesthat occur during touchaffect the mind, emotions and the body Touch is the first of our senses to

Dr.Elizabeth

Ko Dr.Eve Glazier AsK THE DoCToRs

develop. Atjust eight weeks in utero, afetus is alreadygaining touch receptors. By the eighth month, the baby’sentire body is alive to the sense of touch. Within the uterus, thefetus can feel themovementof amniotic ﬂuid; the presence of the placenta, umbilical cord and uterine walls;and contact with its own body.Touch from outside of the

wombregisters as well. Research has shown thatwhen an expectant mothertouches her abdomen, fetal movements increase.

After birthand throughout our lives, the sense of touch plays akey role in keeping us alive. Specialized neurons process touch and send it to thebrain for interpretation. Touch allows us to detect and interpret acontinuous ﬂow of information. This includes temperature, pressure, pleasure, pain, itch, vibration and environmental shifts. Equally important, and the subject of your question, is the role of touch in social bonding. It’ssointrinsic to whowe are, even just seeing other people touch triggers thetouch-related centers in our own brains.

Andthat brings us to hugging.

PRoVIDED By HIsToRIC NEW oRLEANs CoLLECTIoN

An illustration from 1885 depictsaduel beneath theoaks of Neworleans’ CityPark.

DUELIST

Continued from page1C

newspaper column.

“It would be adifﬁcult task here to give anything more than abrief outlineof the career of this really extraordinary character,who won his way to fortune and to fame by rare energy and intrepidity,” read the 1888 Times-Picayune account of his death.

Llulla was born in 1815, near Port Mahon, Spain, in the Mediterranean, and was aseafarer who sailed the route between New Orleans and Havana, according to The Times-Picayune account. He settled in New Orleans and learned fencing from one of the numerous fencing schools in the area, becoming the protégé and assistant of

ByThe Associated Press

Today is Monday,June 1, the 152nd day of 2026. There are 213 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On June 1, 2008, aﬁre at Universal Studios Hollywood destroyed 3acres of the studio’sproperty, including avault holding as many as 175,000 irreplaceable master audio recordings from hundreds of musicians including Billie Holiday,Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Nirvana. Also on this date: In 1813, the mortally wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, Capt. James Lawrence, gave the order,“Don’tgive up the ship,” during alosing battle with the British frigate HMS Shannon during the Warof1812.

In 1916, the Senate voted 47-22 to confirm Louis Brandeis as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the first Jewish American to serve on the nation’shighest bench. In 1943, acivilianflight from Portugal to England was shot down by German bombers during World WarII, killing all 17 people aboard, including actor Leslie Howard. In 1957, Don Bowden, a student at the University

prominent duelistMonsieur L’Allouette.

When L’Allouette died, Llulla took over the fencing school, but soon turned to other business ventures. He bought the Louisa Street Cemetery andimproved andexpandedthe area, which is now St.VincentdePaulCemetery.He also acquired GrandTerre Island,where he raised livestock. Among other ventures, Llulla had abrief stint of running abullﬁghting arena in Algiers. Most accounts speak of hismarked loyalty to Spain. In 1851, when anti-Spanish sentimentwas seethingin theminds of Cuban revolutionaries who wanted to be independent fromSpain, Pepe actedassecurityfor theSpanish consul. When an angry mob invaded the Spanish consulate, Llulla marched by theconsul’s

TODAYINHISTORY

of California at Berkeley, became theﬁrst American to run amile in under four minutes during ameet in Stockton,California, witha time of 3:58.7.

In 1962, former Nazi ofﬁcial AdolfEichmann was executed after beingfound guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions duringWorld WarII.

In 1980, Cable News Network,the ﬁrst 24-hourtelevision news channel,made its debut In 1990, U.S. President George H.W.Bush and SovietPresident Mikhail Gorbachev signed an agreement to stop producing and reduce existing stockpiles of chemical weaponsheld by the two Cold Warsuperpowers.

In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shot and killed nine members of theNepalese royal family,includinghis parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before mortally wounding himself In 2009, General Motors ﬁledfor Chapter 11 reorganization, becoming the largest U.S. industrialcompany to enter bankruptcy protection.

In 2011, Endeavourconcluded its ﬁnal ﬂightof the 30-year space shuttle era, landingbefore dawn at NASA’sKennedySpace

Hugging is good foryour health. It has beenshowntomove the needle on arange of clinical and laboratory tests. Before-and-after hug measurements have found it lowers levels of cortisol. It also leads to the release of the “love hormone” oxytocin and the “feelgood” hormone dopamine. The beneﬁtsofa hug can also linger Several studies have found that hugging leads to lower levels of waking cortisol the next morning. Self-soothing with ahand pressed over the heart for10ormore seconds has also proven effective. While the squeezing machine you mentioned does deliver asensation akin to ahug, neither the intent nor the result are the same. It was pioneered by Temple Grandin, anoted author and educator

living with autism. She developed the deep-pressure device to manage the anxiety and sensory overload common in the condition. It does rely on the physical and neural networks of touch. However, the social and emotional pathways that are intrinsic to human touch are not engaged. The bottom line: Hugging is a simple act that can calm stress, improve mood and build connection. Have aspare 10 or 20 seconds? Hug someone you love. Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu,orwrite: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite1450, Los Angeles CA, 90024.

Disposingofdamaged Bibles

side, helping him leave thecity safely,according to Ashbury’saccount. He then challenged any Cubans sympathizers to face him in aduel. For his continued, heavily publicized loyalty, theking of Spain gifted him knighthood. Another reward for his loyalty: a portrait of himself, covered in awreathoflaurel embroidered withthe hair of Spanish ladies who had cut off locks in tribute to his efforts, according to reporting done at the time.

While Llulla lived aquieter life after ending his dueling career,hestill inﬂuenced thelocal business and social culture.

“In his last days, ‘Pepe’ Llulla led amodest and retired life, though he had not lost any of his courage and valor,” read an 1888 newspaper account of his life.

Center in Florida. (Atlantis would carry out the last shuttle ﬂight in history a month later.)

In 2015, acruise ship carrying morethan 450 people capsized and sank in asevere storm on China’sYangtzeRiver,leaving hundreds missing. Only ahandful of people survived thesinking of the Eastern Star In 2020, police forcefully disbanded aprotest by thousands of people in Lafayette Park across from theWhiteHouse, using chemical agents, clubs and punches, who rallied against the police killing of aBlack man, George Floyd, by aWhiteofﬁcer in Minneapolis aweek earlier Today’sbirthdays: Singer Pat Booneis92. Actor Morgan Freeman is 89. Actor Brian Cox is 80. Actor Jonathan Pryce is 79. Rock musician Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones) is 79. Country singer-songwriter Ronnie Dunn is 73. Actor LisaHartman Black is 70. Actor Teri Polo is 57. Model-TV personalityHeidi Klum is 53. Singer Alanis Morissette is 52. Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is 45. Actorcomedian Amy Schumer is 45. Tennis Hall of Famer Justine Henin is 44. Comedian Nikki Glaser is 42. Actor Zazie Beetz is 35. Actor TomHolland is 30. Actor Willow Shields is 26.

Dear Heloise: Ihope you or your readers can help me (andmost likely many others) with learning how to respectfully dispose of used or damaged Bibles. Thank you, and Ilove your good work! —Eddie S., via email Eddie, this is avery thoughtful question. I’ve heard of people takinga very old Bible and burying it in agarden or placing

HEAT

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came back six months later. For many years, theirwasabi farm was apassionproject,funded by theirelectrical work.Now,Hallhas stepped back from farming focus on parenting, but is still involved.

“There’s no playbook of how to do it,” Roller says. But as they struggled, one thingkept them going: They alwayscould sell whatever they grew,mostly to local high-end sushi restaurants and steakhouses.

Between reading ahandfulofacademicpapersand conducting lots of experiments with irrigation, lightingand more, they ﬁnally landed on aconsistent system. They’ve been growing their wasabi the same way for seven or eight years now,Roller says.

The farm draws on sustainable farming practices like using predatory bugs to keep pestsatbay and recirculating water for the fairly water-hungry plants, according to Roller.Today they’reamongjust asmall handful of U.S.-based wasabi farmers.

The whole plants are edible,and the farm also sells the leaves and stems, which can be made into salads or chopped and marinated with

it under the hands of a deceased loved one while they lay in their cofﬁn.

Somepeople have the Bible buried with the person, while others remove it before burial. There are others whosay that it’sserved its purpose and place it in the trash. Youmight wanttodiscuss this with your minister to see what they recommend.

—Heloise Atreat forsmellyfeet

Dear Heloise: Once fabric softener sheets have been used, they no longer have what it takes to soften

soy sauce to become kizami, acondiment. The flowers, meanwhile, can be usedas an edible garnish.

Then, in 2020, the pandemic threw awrench into their business. “COVID was really difﬁcult forus,” Roller says. “Welost 90% of our business overnight.”

They had to adapt quickly, pivoting to onlinesales and learning howtoship across theU.S. —particularly to areas where restaurants reopened ahead of the Bay Area, like Texasand Florida They also began selling to local Japanese supermarkets. So how do you eat it? What you’ll want to eat —and what traditional wasabi is —isthe wasabi plant’srhizome, or stalk at the base of the plant, grated very finely into apaste.Shredded over aspecial grater,the resulting flavor and color of the wasabi pastes can differ just basedonwhichend of the rhizomeyou’re grating, as co-owner Jim Murphy demonstrated on arecent visit to the farm. Murphy joined last year after acareer in human rights work and web development. Real wasabi oxidizes quickly.It’sideally consumed about five minutes after shredding, to letitoxidize alittle bit. But it starts to lose heat within 25 minutes of grating it, he says. Those timing parameters make it difficult formany

laundry items. However, Iﬁgured out asecond use forthem.I keep asealed plastic storage bag forthe used sheets. Although their mainpurpose no longer applies, the amount of remaining scent is ampliﬁed when they are combined. Ireuse them, especially during spring and summer,byputting them in tennis shoes and someclosed-toed shoes while they’re waiting to be wornagain. —Deborah R., in Austin,Texas Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

restaurants to work with, especially thoseserving takeout.

Butafter trying even just atiny taste of the real stuff, it’sobvious why it is so sought-after.The fresh, sharp, complex heat that spreads through thepalate andnasal passagesprovidesa unique sensation that’sasfleeting as it is subtle.

Today, youcan find locally grown wasabi from Half Moon BayWasabiat restaurants like Rintaro in SanFrancisco; Robinin SanFranciscoand Menlo Park; the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay; Alexander’sSteakhouselocations in San Francisco, PaloAlto and Cupertino; and Katsu in Mountain View It’salsosoldatMitsuwa MarketinSan Jose; Tokyo Fish MarketinBerkeley; Nijiya Market locations in SanFrancisco, SanMateo, MountainViewand SanJose; andatthe Ferry Building Farmers Market in SanFranciscoonthe secondSaturdayofeach month.

Half Moon Bay Wasabi also participates in occasionalpop-ups at the Half Moon Bay farmers market and Pillar Point Harbor People can also order wasabidirectlyonline.Goto@ halfmoonbaywasabi on Instagram or hmbwasabi.com formore information.

Hints from Heloise

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Keep life simple, don't take on responsibilities that belong to someone else and question information before you pass it along or trust its validity. Protect yourself from those trying to lead you astray.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Offering help to those less fortunate or using your connections or attributes to benefit the needy will satisfy your soul more than pontificating about something that's not entirely true. Choose peace.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay more attention to personal growth. Decide what makes you happy, and choose to dedicate more time and effort to reaching your goal. Anger will stand between you and what you want.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Reading the fine print, negotiating on your behalf and getting what you want in writing are important. You have plenty to gain if you are thorough and refuse to take anything less than what's fair.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Networking and discovering how you can turn something you enjoy doing into something profitable will have a positive impact on your life, but first, you must get rid of the excess and declutter your space.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Refrain from letting your personal and professional dreams collide. Separate your emotions from your responsibilities, and use your voice, experience and skills to help you fulfill your ambitions.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep the talks going until you reach an agree-

ment. Maintaining balance and equality in your life is necessary if you want to improve your lifestyle and your meaningful relationships.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Someone will interfere in your life if you let them. Keep a low profile and go about your business. What you achieve without an audience will far exceed your expectations.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Stick close to home to work toward the lifestyle you envision. The changes you make to your surroundings will help you tweak your plans and boost your ego. Put your imagination to work.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Plant your feet firmly on the ground and say no to anyone trying to talk you into something you don't need or want. Run the show instead of being a spectator. Stop letting others dictate your next move.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Don't believe everything you hear. Don't be afraid to ask direct questions and to opt out of any situation or deal that appears to be missing important details or hidden costs.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Distance yourself from those who stir the anger or stubbornness in you. Pay more attention to how you look and what you do, and display the best version of yourself.

toDAy's cLuE: G EQuALs L

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Anoldproverbgoes:Goodhabitsresult from resistingtemptation. That can apply at the bridge table. South is in four hearts. West leads the diamond queen. What temptations must declarer avoid? In thefourthchair, it was reasonable forSouthtoopen four hearts. Aslam was unlikelyopposite apassed partnerand probably this openingwouldsilence the opponents, who might have been ableto do well in another suit.

From West’slead, South knows that East has the diamond ace. So it is tempting to play low from the board. However, herethatwouldgiveWestachancetobea geniusbyshiftingtothespadeeight.And when declarer plays the queen from the dummy, East ducks it.(He knows West would have led asingleton if he had one, andwouldnothaveshiftedfromfourlow spades.)Then the contract wouldfail; as it would if West had initially ledaspade and East had ducked So, South covers withdummy’s diamondking,ruffstheseconddiamondand drawstrumps. It is then tempting to lead aspade to force away intothe dummy to takethetemptingclubfinesse.However, if East, reading West’s spade eight as the start of ahigh-low withadoubleton, ducks, the contract must fail. Declarer will lose twospades, one diamond and one club.

wuzzles

South has 10 tricks viaone spade, seven hearts and two clubs.After drawing trumps,declarershouldcashhisclubace and continue withthe club queen. Then, when he gets to thedummy in spades, he discards aspade loseronthe club jack. ©2026 by NEA,Inc., dist.

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,

words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD oBsEssIon: ub-SESH-un: Apersistent preoccupation with something.

Average mark14words

Timelimit 20 minutes

Can you find 18 or morewords in OBSESSION?