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Ranchers urged to prepare for deadly parasite New World screwworm fly detected in Texas

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

With strong retail and booming home construction, Carencro’s growth is outpacing nearby towns, with median household incomes climbing over 60% in recent years.

Carencro’s growth is outpacing nearby towns as city leaders try to keep up with demand

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor For decades, Gene Martin and his family kept the 20 acres just west of the Interstate 49 exit in Carencro mowed and manicured while commercial development sprung up all around it.

But even before Martin’s death in 2024, the unsolicited offers to buy the land came. Now, with his three daughters overseeing the property, the offers are more frequent.

Investors want to buy the highly visible property for commercial development in a city that since 2020 is the fastest-growing in Louisiana.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from people out of town,” said Melanie Martin LeBlanc, Martin’s middle daughter. “I know some guy — I can’t remember his name, there’s been so many — out of New Orleans kept calling for a little while.

He said they were interested, but we’re not interested in selling.”

Louisiana agriculture officials and veterinarians are urging cattle producers to closely monitor their herds after a deadly livestock parasite was discovered in the United States for the first time in decades.

The New World screwworm fly, which infects many warm-blooded animals including cattle, was detected last week in a 3-week-old calf in La Plata, Texas, near the Rio Grande valley. The parasite was eradicated from the United States in the 1950s but has steadily spread north through Mexico and Central America in recent years.

Christine Navarre, a veterinarian with the LSU AgCenter and coordinator for the Louisiana Beef Quality Assurance Program, said it is crucial for Louisiana cattle ranchers to be proactive in protecting their herds from the invasive parasite.

“Controlling a pest like the New World screwworm is complex and challenging, particularly given how easily it can spread,” Navarre said. “It’s particularly difficult in remote locations with wildlife movements.”

ä See PARASITE, page 5A

Students learn about carbon capture process PROVIDED PHOTO

Melanie Martin LeBlanc, left, is pictured with her father, Gene Martin, along with her sisters, from left, Sara Martin Angelle and ä See CARENCRO, page 5A Andrea Martin Riche.

ExxonMobil grant aids program for eighth graders; some call curriculum propaganda

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

Orleans.

“I strongly urge this Legislature to implement rigorous judicial reform, as justice delayed, denied, or neglected is no justice at all,” he told legislators, the Carter family and others in the House chamber.

By the time the regular legislative session ended June 1, Landry had gone farther than anyone anticipated against New Orleans. Thanks to his push, the Republican-controlled Legis-

A group of eighth graders in Heath Juneau’s science class were on their second attempt at an unusual experiment: injecting liquid carbon dioxide deep underground — or at least a classroom model of that process.

“Coach Juneau, can we get our CO2?” Ava Bourg, 14, asked.

Her group’s first try sprung a leak of the representative CO2, which was in reality orange vegetable oil. But Bourg and her classmates were ready to try again after Trenton Nash’s careful handiwork using Play-Doh to try to plug it.

In the waning days of the recently ended school year, the Dutchtown Middle School students in Ascension Parish were finishing a four-day lesson about climate change, carbon

ä See SESSION, page 4A

ä See CURRICULUM, page 4A

N.O. courts became flash point in legislative session Landry worked behind the scenes on bills aimed at city, insiders say

Jacob would be alive today, Landry told the hushed crowd, if a delinquent teenager had been at home, unable to leave without an ankle monitor betraying his departure. Instead, Landry said, “incompetent” juvenile

BY TYLER BRIDGES court judges in New Orleans had Staff writer stopped tracking the teenager, Landry Gov. Jeff Landry’s opening address to and he killed Jacob, a visiting bagel shop the state Legislature three months ago owner, outside the French Quarter one took an emotional turn when he looked evening.

In his remarks, the governor then up at the visitors gallery in the House chamber and asked the family of Jacob moved beyond juvenile court judges to indict the entire judicial system in New Carter to stand up.

WEATHER HIGH 86 LOW 73 PAGE 10C

Classified .....................4B Living............................5C Nation-World ................2A Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Lottery ..........................4B Opinion ........................2B Commentary ................3B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

101ST yEAR, NO. 343

2A ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Lawsuit seeks to stop White House UFC fight

NEW YORK — A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.

“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”

The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”

UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

Crews are erecting an octagonshaped cage on the South Lawn.

Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”

Starmer hosts Zelenskyy, Macron, Merz in London

LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted Sunday that Europe must play a key role in any negotiations to end the war with Russia as he arrived for talks in London with staunch European allies in the wake of a Russian drone strike that killed three people.

Ahead of the meeting hosted

by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy said the talks would focus on further efforts to help Ukraine’s war effort, including air defense.

“Europe must be part of the negotiations and must be strong,” he said on X. Also present at the meeting at 10 Downing Street were French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Macron and Merz left after a couple of hours of discussions, leaving Starmer to continue talks with Zelenskyy.

The U.K., France and Germany, the so-called E3 group of European nations, have been prominent backers of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.K. and France lead the “coalition of the willing” initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace process.

Man killed in another Australian shark attack

MELBOURNE, Australia — A spearfisher was killed on Saturday in Australia’s third fatal shark attack in four weeks, police said.

The 35-year-old man was spearfishing with family off Michaelmas Island near the port city of Albany in Western Australia state when he was attacked before noon, a police statement said.

The man was brought by boat to Albany where paramedics were waiting but he could not be revived, police said. Authorities suspect a 15-foot white shark was responsible.

The spate of three fatalities is extraordinary in a nation that has averaged around three shark deaths a year in recent decades.

The last fatality was on May 24 when 39-year-old spearfisher Michael Jensz suffered unsurvivable head injuries in an attack on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast.

Bull sharks had been seen in the vicinity.

A week earlier, on May 16, a 13-foot white shark fatally mauled 38-year-old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni northwest of Albany near Rottnest Island.

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Iran launches missiles at Israel Bombardment is first such attack since fragile ceasefire

BY KAREEM CHEHAYEB, HASSAN AMMAR, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN

Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israel said Sunday that Iran launched missiles at it in the first such bombardment since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April, complicating mediation efforts for a deal to end the war.

Iran’s state broadcaster confirmed the launches.

Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning earlier Sunday in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down. Israel called it retaliation for the Iranianbacked Hezbollah firing at northern Israel earlier in the day.

“Should these acts of aggression be repeated, the responses will be broader in scope and will encompass all American and Zionist targets throughout the region,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that also referenced attacks on Iran’s coast and vessels around the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel’s military said it intercepted the missiles, and less than an hour later it said people could leave

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG

A projectile streaks through the sky Sunday over central Israel during an Iranian missile attack. shelters but stay near them.

Sirens sounded in several areas of the country. Multiple explosions were heard in northern Israel.

“Iran has made a grave mistake,” Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.

Iran had warned that an attack on Beirut would renew full-scale war across the Mideast, even as Pakistan tries to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.

“U.S. forces across the Middle East remain vigilant and ready,” the U.S. Central Command posted on X shortly before the missile launches.

Israel’s attack on Beirut

came a few days after the Lebanese and Israeli governments agreed to a ceasefire in U.S.-hosted talks, though Hezbollah rejected the deal. The strike on a residential building killed two people and wounded 20, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

Israel’s strikes and ground invasion in Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah, and the militant group’s resistance to disarming, have complicated an overall deal to end the war in the Middle East. Iran says any deal must include an end to fighting in Lebanon.

After Iran’s launches, President Donald Trump told a Fox News Channel

reporter that he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that Israel’s strikes earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the U.S. and “I’m not happy about it.”

Israel on Monday had announced it would strike the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, but urgent talks via Washington halted that on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.

Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for firing at Israel earlier Sunday, wants the direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to end. Instead, it supports Iran’s stance that an overall

ceasefire deal between Tehran and Washington include the situation in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, wants to press ahead with Israel’s offensive until he believes Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.

Trump in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired earlier Sunday said he would like to see a “more surgical attack on Hezbollah.” He also said he was “not demanding” that Lebanon be part of an overall ceasefire deal in the Iran war.

Mediation efforts on that larger deal continued Sunday as Pakistan’s interior minister visited Iran to talk with officials and Egypt said its foreign minister and his Qatari counterpart discussed “proposed elements” of a potential agreement, with no details.

Meanwhile, Iran continued to assert its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. continued its blockade of Iranian ports, with shipments of oil, natural gas and fertilizer affected and the global economy in pain.

Iran since the ceasefire took effect has launched missiles and drones at Gulf nations and said it was targeting the U.S. military presence. After its launches against Israel, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that the country’s airspace would close for 72 hours and Syria’s aviation authority announced a 12hour airspace closure.

Attacker opens fire in central Israel, killing 1 Authorities say 5 wounded

BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel — A Palestinian man with Israeli citizenship went on a shooting rampage in several towns in central Israel on Sunday, killing a reservist and wounding five other people, according to Israeli police and the military.

The attacker was killed by police.

The attack came at a time of heightened tensions following a spate of Israeli settler attacks, and the deadly shooting of a Palestinian baby over the weekend, in the nearby West Bank. Police identified the attacker as a resident of the Arab town of Taybeh in his 20s, but his precise motives weren’t immediately known.

The attack began with a shooting Sunday morning at a gas station near the town of Kokhav Yair, located on the Israeli side of the boundary with the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIEL SCHALIT

Israeli security forces and ZAKA rescue service volunteers respond Sunday to the scene of a shooting near Tzur yitzhak, Israel. occupied West Bank. Several other shootings were reported in two nearby Israeli towns and close to the Israeli settlement of Salit, inside the West Bank.

Police initially feared a series of coordinated attacks, but eventually determined that a gunman and an accomplice who may have served as his driver were involved. The suspected accomplice was arrested later after he tried to stab police with a glass bottle.

Israel’s military said

that a 55-year-old reservist was killed near Tzur Natan. The Magen David Adom rescue service said that five other people were wounded, two severely.

Fears of a widespread attack prompted authorities to order residents to stay at home, and children in the area were kept in lockdown at school for at least three hours.

“Since Oct. 7, the scenario we were expecting was terrorists crossing into our towns from over the boundary. I don’t think

Police seek suspects in Ohio shooting that wounded 12

BY JAIMIE DING and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press

A search in Ohio for suspects who opened fire near a busy street festival stretched into Sunday after 12 people were wounded in the weekend shooting that sent crowds scrambling for cover in a historic Toledo neighborhood.

Each of the dozen victims — who authorities say ranged from teenagers to people in their 60s — were in stable condition, the Toledo Police Department said Sunday. No arrests have been made and authorities have not identified any potential suspects.

The gunfire erupted Saturday near the Old West

End Festival, a popular annual summer gathering along streets dotted with Victorian homes. Videos posted to social media showed people running at the sound of gunfire and medics tending to the wounded in a park filled with event tents and food trucks.

Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe Heffernan has said it appeared that at least two people fired weapons and were “probably shooting at each other.”

As the search for the shooters wore on, Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates vowed “justice will be swift and strong.”

“Those who were frightened, traumatized or harmed by this violence will remain at the fore-

front of our efforts. I’ve felt outrage before, but this is personal,” Bates said in a statement. “This is my home. These are my friends and neighbors. It is not OK.” In a brief update posted to social media Sunday, Toledo police said investigators were continuing to make progress and were following multiple leads.

Authorities have urged festivalgoers to come forward with any photos or videos that might have caught a glimpse of the suspects.

Hundreds of people were at the festival, an annual two-day celebration in Toledo’s historic district featuring live music, food vendors, home tours and shopping.

that anyone imagined that we would discover the attackers were Israeli citizens,” Oshrit Gani Gonen, the regional council head, told Israeli media, referring to the Hamasled attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security forces who killed the attacker, while Israel’s hardline public security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police force, released a video of himself standing next to what ap-

peared to be a blurred image of the dead gunman.

“This is the end of every terrorist, this is how it should look,” said Ben-Gvir, who recently led an effort to pass a new law that seeks to impose the death penalty on Palestinian attackers. That law faces legal challenges.

Ben-Gvir has come under sharp condemnation from other Israeli leaders for making contentious videos, such as his treatment of flotilla activists who were detained after attempting to break the maritime blockade to Gaza.

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Trump dismisses idea that Iran betrays ‘no new wars’ message

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● 3A

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump is dismissing the idea that launching the war with Iran this year betrayed his refrain of “No new wars” that he made repeatedly as he campaigned again for the White House.

Trump, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said he “didn’t guarantee” there would be no wars if he were back in office.

“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” Trump said.

Trump also defended plans for a now-scrapped $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated allies of the Republican president and he repeated his baseless claims of mass fraud in California’s drawn-out vote count ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN from Tuesday’s primary. He ended the interview abruptly when he became President Donald Trump speaks Friday at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis. frustrated with pushback from NBC’s “disappointed” if it were not approved.

Kristen Welker. tigations.”

When asked if he thought people Late-tallied Democratic-leaning Iran ‘is not an endless war’ mail ballots have eaten into the vote who attacked police officers on Jan. In his 2024 campaign, Trump repeat- totals for Trump’s preferred candi- 6 should get a payout, Trump said, “I edly cast his Democratic opponents as dates for governor and Los Angeles wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I warmongers and said he was a presi- mayor. While Trump has often said that have to see it.” He then began making dent who started “no new wars” and changes to vote totals as late ballots unfounded and false claims about the are counted are a sign of fraud, they riot and those who stormed the Capiwould bring an era of peace.

But Trump said in the NBC inter- are merely a reflection of a slow vote- tol. Trump granted a sweeping pardon on his first day back in office in Januview, taped Friday in Wisconsin, that counting process.

Trump in the interview kept claim- ary 2025 to the more than 1,500 people as a candidate, “I didn’t promise anying that it was a sign of “cheating” and prosecuted over Jan. 6. thing.”

“I don’t like these endless wars. This “a rigged election,” and grew increasis not an endless war. We’ve been do- ingly frustrated as Welker pressed him Rain interruptions, an abrupt end ing this for three months,” he said of for evidence to support that.

The NBC interview was conducted “All I have to do is look. All I have to in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, before the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28.

Trump said he was “doing the world do is look,” Trump said.

Trump was set to speak at a roundtable “But that’s not evidence,” Welker re- event with farmers. The interview was a service” and “doing our country a service” because he had to stop Iran sponded. repeatedly interrupted as waves of from having a nuclear weapon. But “And I listen. And I listen to people. heavy rain fell on the metal roof of the elsewhere in the interview, Trump re- And let’s see what happens,” Trump barn where the taping took place, makpeated a contradictory message where replied. ing it difficult at times to hear. he said U.S. strikes last year “obliterAt the end, Welker pressed Trump ‘Anti-weaponization’ fund on the settlement fund and his claims ated” Iranian nuclear sites.

He also defended his decision in his Trump defended plans that his De- about the California election. Trump first term to withdraw from Democratic partment of Justice said it has now raised his voice and began calling WelkPresident Barack Obama’s nuclear deal abandoned to create a $1.776 billion er and the media “crooked,” attacking with Iran, an agreement he has heavily “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of her credibility and complaining about criticized, without negotiating the “bet- a settlement to resolve Trump’s lawsuit what he called “the fake, dirty press.” against the IRS over the leak of his tax As Welker tried to switch subjects, ter deal” he has promised to reach.

Trump continued on and there was “It takes years to do these things,” returns.

Acting Attorney General Todd cross talk between the two. Trump endTrump said.

Blanche said Wednesday that the de- ed the interview, saying said, “Let’s call Claims fraud in California vote partment was scrapping the plan. That it quits.” He took off his microphone, California’s notoriously prolonged announcement came after the plan telling Welker, “Thank you, darling. vote count has been a magnet for elec- was paused by a judge and after both Have a good time.” He said he had givtion conspiracy theories, and Trump Democrats and some Republicans said en the interview enough time, stood up since Tuesday’s election has claimed they were concerned about the fund’s and walked away.

Welker said during the broadcast that without evidence that Democrats are lack of oversight and the possibility of rigging the election. The Trump-ap- payouts being made to participants in she spoke to Trump on Saturday and he agreed the rain had caused complicapointed top federal prosecutor in Los the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

Trump told NBC he thought the fund tions and said he would do another inAngeles said Friday that his office had opened “multiple election fraud inves- was “a great idea” and that he would be terview in the future.

Former GOP Sen. Bob Packwood dies at 93

stood out as an More than two dozen wom- nance Committee, Packwood Oregon lawmaker Packwood example of private behavior en, former employees and was a master of cutting deals resigned after undermining a man’s public acquaintances, accused him and forging compromises image. He had been praised of making unwanted or unin- needed to pass tax legislation sexual harassment by Planned Parenthood and vited sexual advances. through Congress. He was others.

The allegations remained most proud of the lead role scandal The great-grandson of a the target of an ethics probe he played in a sweeping tax

By The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — Former Sen. Bob Packwood, a moderate Oregon Republican whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment, has died. He was 93.

Packwood’s death on Saturday was announced in an obituary sent to media outlets by his family. The release didn’t include additional details.

Packwood was a political scrapper who first refused to quit the chamber in which he had served for 27 years, saying he didn’t want to be remembered only for that controversy.

Before the #MeToo era,

member of the 1857 Oregon Constitutional Convention, Packwood established himself as a social moderate and fiscal conservative who often voted across party lines.

He considered running for president in 1980.

Elected to the Senate in 1968, PackPackwood wood was best known as the leading Republican advocate of abortion rights and was widely admired by women’s groups throughout the country until the Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the allegations of sexual and official misconduct in 1993.

that widened to include other alleged acts of official misconduct. He resigned in September 1995, then went to start a lucrative lobbying business in Washington.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who replaced Packwood in 1996, said while he should be praised for his record on abortion rights and tax reform, how he treated women overshadows it all.

“His horrible history as documented in his own diaries will forever overshadow that public record.

Simply put, historians’ first line about Bob Packwood must include those women who he abused and assaulted for years and years,” Wyden said in a statement.

As chair and then ranking Republican on the Senate Fi-

Nigerian army frees 360 abducted people in northeastern Borno state

BY DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian army said Sunday it freed 360 people abducted

by Boko Haram in southern Borno, in the northeastern part of the country.

The operation, according to the army’s statement, was conducted in the Mandara mountains which form a part of the militant group’s stronghold. It resulted in the release of several people, including children, who had been abducted across differ-

ent communities in Borno.

Two infants “succumbed to exhaustion” due to the challenging mountainous terrain and the hardship they endured during their prolonged captivity, an army spokesperson, Haruna Sani, said.

“The remaining rescued abductees were successfully evacuated to safe locations for medical care and humanitarian support, marking a major operational success and a significant setback for the terrorist group,” Sani said.

Nigeria faces a complex security crisis, especially in the north where a more than decade-long insurgency and the activities of armed groups that carry out kidnappings for ransom and illegal mining have heightened the country’s security challenges.

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group and known as Islamic State West Africa Province.

reform of 1986 that lowered the top income tax bracket and eliminated many itemized deductions.

Over his career, he was described as a blunt, independent, outspoken politician who was a maverick, boat-rocker, loose cannon, skilled partisan, and, above all, political survivor.

“I think they probably all ring true,” Packwood told The Associated Press in December 1992.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO

Pope Leo XIV arrives Sunday to preside over a Mass marking the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi in Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid.

Pope draws 1.2M to Mass in Spain Leo challenges Europe to acknowledge its Christian roots

BY NICOLE WINFIELD and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

MADRID — Pope Leo XIV challenged Europe to acknowledge Christianity’s contributions to its cultural identity Sunday, as he presided over a Mass in Madrid attended by more than a million people and honored Spain’s centuries-old traditions of religious devotion and culture.

Leo celebrated Spain’s Christian roots and culture with the huge morning Mass in downtown Madrid and an evening spectacle that featured flamenco dancers, classical guitar and a moving meditation

by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas on art, faith and beauty.

In his remarks, Leo challenged Europe to consider what the continent’s identity would be without the influence of Christianity. He cited its art, culture and the role played by Christians — “motivated by their faith” — to build its schools, hospitals and other institutions.

“Is it seriously possible to believe that Europe — which we deeply love — would be the same without the influence of faith?” Leo asked, in demanding that religious expression be allowed to keep its place in the public sphere.

Leo, who arrived in Spain on Saturday at the start of his weeklong visit, has been keen to highlight the long tradition of Christian culture and devotion here to encourage especially young generations to find their faith. It’s a tall order in a once-staunchly Catholic country where religious observance has largely been on the wane.

Sunday fell on the Catholic Corpus Domini feast day, which often features processions of faithful through towns and cities led by a priest carrying the Eucharist. In Spain, as in other predominantly Catholic countries, the processions often feature elaborate flo-

ral carpets arranged along the route.

During Sunday’s Mass, Leo said that the floral carpets express the “spiritual sentiments of this country” through “altars erected in the streets.”

“This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty,” he said. “It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us.”

He said that the continued observance of such devotional practices points to what Spain can and should be for the world.

“Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today,” he said.

At the end of the Mass, Leo carried a gilded monstrance, or container, holding a Eucharistic host and walked over some of the 16 floral carpets that decorated the less than half-mile procession route, as children dropped additional petals before him and the crowd tossed petals from behind the barricades.

Leo’s visit to the country of 50 million has drawn huge crowds, with a vigil service Saturday night. drawing an estimated 600,000 young Spaniards.

They knelt for several minutes in silent prayer alongside Leo, suggesting that there is indeed interest in the faith among young people, despite Spain’s heavily secularized society.

On Sunday, their numbers doubled: Organizers said that 1.2 million people had turned out on a brilliant spring morning for Leo’s Mass at Madrid’s iconic Plaza de Cibeles and surrounding streets, with more trying to get in.

“It’s spectacular,” said Julián Tapiador, a consultant who came to the Mass.

“I’m so proud that the pope is in Spain after 15 years.

Hopefully he comes again and we can all see him again.”

Octavio Puche, a retiree, thanked Leo for making the trip.

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4A ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

SESSION

Continued from page 1A lature eliminated nine judgeships in New Orleans, eliminated funding for 10 assistant district attorneys and prevented Calvin Duncan from becoming the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal district court by erasing his job four days before he took office.

“The tide has turned against New Orleans politically. It’s pretty drastic,” said Bernie Pinsonat, a veteran political consultant and pollster in Baton Rouge. “In the past, there’s always been a segment of the Legislature that felt the further you get away from New Orleans, the less you care about it. What’s changed is that there are so many Republicans — they have two-thirds control of the House and Senate — and there aren’t many White Democrats to protect the city.”

Landry’s moves represented a remarkable shift for a governor who has been saying since he took office 30 months ago that he is trying to lift up the city.

Landry bulked up policing in New Orleans by making Troop NOLA a permanent presence and authorized infrastructure improvements to the city in advance of the 2025 Super Bowl.

“No governor has spent more time in the city of New Orleans than myself,” Landry told WBOKAM listeners in November. “I’m working to try to make the city of New Orleans a better, more hospitable place so we can attract people and businesses and folks can feel safe in that city.”

Some political analysts believe that Landry is attacking New Orleans, a Democratic stronghold, to play to his Republican base in advance of his 2027 reelection campaign. Polls indicate that Landry has lost enough popularity to be vulnerable.

Several Republicans said Landry has simply grown frustrated with a legal system that he believes favors criminals at the expense of crime victims.

“His pushing these bills sends a shock wave through the judiciary system in New Orleans — and elsewhere,” said Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie. “He expects a greater sense of urgency.”

Landry did not respond to a request for an interview.

“Everyone knows the inefficien-

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cies of these offices when compared to the rest of the state,” the governor said in a statement.

After his very public opening speech to legislators, Landry worked behind the scenes to pressure and cajole Republican legislators to pass the legislation aimed at New Orleans.

On March 18, he met at the Governor’s Mansion with three Democratic New Orleans senators — Jimmy Harris, Royce Duplessis and Gary Carter — to lay out his plans. They objected, saying that the governor was singling out New Orleans and that crime had dropped sharply in the city in recent years.

Landry moved forward anyway.

Why Landry picked Morris Four bills targeted New Orleans.

Two bills eliminating nine judgeships and a third bill abolishing Duncan’s job were sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris, R-Monroe.

The fourth bill, sponsored by Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, took away 10 assistant district attorney positions from the office of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, as part of a lastminute deal to give more of those positions to East Baton Rouge and St. Tammany and Washington parishes.

This account is based on interviews with 21 state legislators and others involved in the four pieces of legislation.

Morris, 68, has been something of a renegade Republican during his 15 years in the Legislature.

In 2019, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Chemical Association tried to defeat Morris, then a House member, when he ran for the state Senate. Morris had sponsored legislation to take away corporate tax breaks when legislators were trying to plug a budget gap.

Morris has not been on Landry’s legislative team, but the governor turned to him to sponsor the three New Orleans bills because Morris represents an area distant from New Orleans, chairs one of the Senate judiciary committees and is willing to take political heat.

Morris demonstrated that during the 2026 regular session by sponsoring redistricting legislation that is turning the district of U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Black Democrat from Baton Rouge, into one that favors a Republican. Hundreds of people went to the Capitol to object to Morris’ bill.

CURRICULUM

Going after judges In the meantime, Morris and Landry were pushing Senate Bill 197. In its original form, it would have eliminated four of New Orleans’ 4th Circuit Court of Appeal judgeships.

Facing pushback from judges and New Orleans legislators, Morris and Landry agreed to cut only two of the judgeships.

The legislation needed a twothirds vote. It received the bare minimum of 26 votes in the Senate and then moved to the House for consideration.

Over a two-week period, the House was scheduled to take up SB197 four different times, but

Landry and his legislative aides pulled the bill back each time because they lacked the 70 votes needed.

SB197 finally passed on May 27 with exactly 70 votes.

Two legislators involved with passage of the legislation said Landry had to agree to spending projects in the districts of several House members to secure their votes, a longtime practice of governors to pass legislation.

Morris and Landry were also pushing Senate Bill 217. In its initial form, it would have eliminated two of Orleans Parish’s 14 civil district court judgeships, one of the seven Municipal and Traffic Court judgeships and one of the four Juvenile Court judgeships.

Harris, who has a close relationship with Senate President Henry, told Henry that getting rid of civil district court judges made no sense, given the governor’s focus on crime, because those judges don’t handle criminal cases. Henry agreed and got Landry to save those positions on April 13 when the governor met in his office at the Capitol with the Senate Democratic Caucus.

But by then, SB217 also called for eliminating three criminal district court judges. By the time it won final passage on June 1, the session’s final day, it erased those three positions, two Municipal and Traffic Court judges, and two Juvenile Court judges.

DAs also targeted The fourth piece of legislation, House Bill 719 by Egan, began as an effort to provide 60 new “warrants,” which are worth $50,000 apiece and can be used to hire new assistant district attorneys or supplement the pay of the existing government lawyers.

Egan, 76, still speaks with an accent reflecting his upbringing in Ireland. He moved to Louisiana in 1971 to become a Catholic priest in Jefferson Parish, serving at two churches for eight years before leaving the priesthood, getting married, having four children and getting into the home health and hospice industry.

Egan sponsored HB719 because he especially wanted to add new positions to the 19th Judicial District Court (East Baton Rouge) and the 22nd Judicial District Court (St. Tammany and Washington parishes). Both areas had gained population in recent years.

But district attorneys in both

Science teacher Heath Juneau helps explain the model to students Caroline Raffray, right, and Nova Berthelot, left, at Dutchtown Middle School during a lesson on carbon capture technology on May 14.

Continued from page 1A

dioxide, and carbon capture and sequestration. About 1,700 eighth graders in nine Ascension Parish middle schools received these lessons through a curriculum developed by Rice University’s Tapia Center.

It was another sign of industry’s attempts to improve understanding and acceptance of the new technology, which supporters view as vital to Louisiana’s economic future.

Not everyone is convinced. Critics point to ExxonMobil’s funding for the school program while arguing that it downplays controversy surrounding carbon capture. They view it as seeking to instill an industry point-of-view.

Known as CCS, the technology cuts climate-warming CO2 emissions by permanently injecting them underground in a near-liquid state. Enticed by federal tax credits and facing market pressures to reduce carbon intensity, oil, gas and petrochemical industries are pushing to introduce the technology to Louisiana.

Though LSU scientists and industry advocates say the technology behind CCS is safe and welltried through years of oil field use, the push has drawn opposition from environmental groups as well as conservatives who question the need and the effects.

The Tapia Center has been putting on CCS lessons for four years in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana. Southern University has had summer camps for the previous three years, and pilot projects went on last year in individual Ascension and East Baton Rouge parish schools, according to ExxonMobil literature.

The large-scale Ascension Parish program was aided with a $51,000 professional development grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation to the Tapia Center that included material expenses, company officials said.

ExxonMobil is a proponent of the technology, which would benefit its operations in Louisiana and elsewhere. The company also owns a key CO2 delivery pipeline across southern Louisiana, western Mississippi and southeastern Texas that other companies may use to reach distant injection sites.

Morris was receptive to sponsoring Landry’s New Orleans-related bills because he had concluded, while performing his oversight role in chairing his committee, that Jason Williams had not been tough enough on criminals. Morris had already sponsored a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2024 that made it easier to investigate complaints against judges.

Like other Republicans, Morris thought New Orleans’ judiciary was ripe for downsizing to match the city’s population loss.

Morris told colleagues he also had a personal reason for wanting to crack down on New Orleans. His daughter had been mugged years earlier in the city one afternoon while walking her dog.

Morris’ Senate Bill 256 would abolish the job to which Duncan had been overwhelmingly elected in November by giving its responsibilities to the Civil District Court clerk.

During his campaign, Duncan had become a cause célèbre of liberals nationwide because he studied law while serving a life sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola before winning his release and having his conviction vacated.

After Hurricane Katrina, state lawmakers required New Orleans to merge its seven assessor offices into one and to merge its civil and criminal sheriff offices — but only after allowing the current officeholders to serve out their terms.

In Duncan’s case, lawmakers moved swiftly enough for Landry to sign the legislation on April 30 — Duncan was scheduled to take office on May 4.

On April 30, Landry told WBOKAM that he wasn’t trying to keep Duncan from elective office.

STAFF PHOTO

By JAVIER GALLEGOS

The oil giant has also been a financial benefactor of the Tapia Center, having provided seed money to develop the curriculum and $100,000 in scholarships annually for students to attend the center’s STEM summer camps, according to the center and ExxonMobil.

Paul Hand, the center’s executive director and creator of the CCS curriculum, said though ExxonMobil provided financial support, the scientific judgments behind the curriculum are his and his staff’s alone. He said the curriculum from the independent center takes no position on the debate surrounding the technology.

The ExxonMobil dollars helped pay for center staff who spent about a year working through trial and error to find the right demonstration materials. What’s resulted from that work, he explained, allows students to see what the underground reservoir would be like through relatable items and face “STEM challenges that are directly related to the lives of our students,” tied to Louisiana academic standards.

“And CCS is something that is happening today. It’s happening over the next few decades, and our students should know about it, and we want to show it to them in a hands-on way,” he said.

In various materials about programs like the Ascension one, ExxonMobil officials say their support of CCS and other STEM-related curricula with hands-on components is a positive example of education, industry and communities working together. The programs help make science relevant for

They also learned about the gestudents and inspire them to seek a future in scientific and technology- ology tied to carbon storage and related fields, the officials say. some potential downsides of different CO2 mitigation methods: Impact on the environment windmills can kill birds; CCS isn’t The students use a plastic cup, suited for every geology, though partially filled with pasta or pinto it is on the Gulf Coast, the lesson beans and green water, as their says.

A teacher of 23 years who is also underground reservoir. This cup is pierced by two straws meant to a soccer coach, Juneau taught the represent underground wells and Tapia curriculum to 97 students in sealed off at the top by a layer of all. He said the lessons reinforced Play-Doh. Students learn what the things they have already learned differences in rock porosity mean about the carbon cycle, global warming and states of matter. for storage.

“I think the science is solid with During teacher training sessions at LSU in early February — it,” he said.

He said he would use the lesson months before the classroom lessons rolled out — Ascension school next year if he had more materials. officials and some teachers said their district should provide in- ‘Complete and utter lie’ formation about subjects students Some environmental and commight encounter and tie them to munity groups who oppose CCS as Louisiana’s science standards. an effective way to address climate “Our standard is about how hu- change criticized the Tapia lesmans impact the environment, so sons because they say they appear that’s what we’re exploring with to promote the technology. These this partnership, both positive and groups also suggested the curricunegative,” said Erin Babin, middle lum doesn’t delve deeply enough school science supervisor for As- into the technological questions they contend still surround the injection cension.

She said her school leadership practice.

Concerns center around whether never considered not exposing students to the information, but CO2 injection will work as adverbelieves in sticking to the sci- tised after a federal model project ence: “We talk about controver- had underground leaks. Criticism sial things. We talk about AI. We has also come from rural residents talk about carbon capture. We talk worried about land rights, new deabout evolution, you know what I livery pipelines, the safety of undermean?’ ground aquifers and the cost to U.S. In the lessons, Juneau’s students taxpayers. learned about the natural and huOther opponents reject the curman sources of CO2 emissions, the riculum entirely because they do threat of climate change, and the not accept the overwhelming scirole renewable power and CCS can ence surrounding man-made cliplay in cutting emissions. mate change.

judicial districts had failed to win the approval of local voters to agree to tax increases that would fund additional prosecutors. Now they had turned to the state.

After the House agreed to the 60 new warrants, the Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment that redistributed the warrants among district attorney’s offices throughout the state, at the expense of the 19th and 22nd judicial districts.

Furious, Egan threatened to the district attorneys association that he would kill the bill as a result.

Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, and Collin Sims, the district attorney for the 22nd district, spoke to Landry to ask for more warrants for their area. The governor proposed taking away 29 warrants from Williams’ office. Sen. Harris was livid when he learned this from Henry, whose Metairie-based district also includes Uptown New Orleans. They negotiated the loss of warrants for Williams down to 10.

Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville, presented an amendment the next day, on May 28 — just three days before the session ended — to carry out the change. The Senate approved the plan without discussion. Egan accepted the hijacking of his bill because it added more warrants for the 19th and 22nd judicial districts.

District Attorney Hillar Moore will go from 55 warrants to 71 for the 19th Judicial District, while Sims will go from 30 to 44 for the 22nd.

Williams never had a public forum to challenge the loss of 10 warrants, equal to $500,000 from his budget. Events moved so quickly that New Orleans legislators didn’t know that a report by the district attorneys association called for Williams to lose only three warrants.

Rep. Aimee Freeman, D-New Orleans, saw the reduction as yet another attack on New Orleans and sharply questioned Egan when he presented the bill for final passage on May 31, the penultimate day of the session.

Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, railed against the bill.

“Literally, the only people you’re hurting in Orleans are crime victims by this,” she said and then broadened her comments to the Morris bills as well. “There’s this irrational desire by some people in this building to stick it to New Orleans.”

Caitlion Hunter, research and policy director of the Rise St. James community advocacy group, argued that the use of everyday materials underplays the risks, from pipeline corrosion to the consequences of a high-pressure CO2 leak.

“Students exposed to this Exxonfunded curriculum are being misled, plain and simple,” she charged.

Hand said those kinds of questions are beyond the level of an eighth grade class focused on the basic science of the states of matter, climate change and rock porosity.

Mark T. Guillory, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel from Rapides Parish and one of the founders of Save My Louisiana, which strongly opposes carbon capture, took a harsher line.

He called the program “outrageous indoctrination and propaganda,” and criticized teaching the “complete and utter lie” of manmade climate change. He also said the curriculum ignored the potential dangers of CCS. “The real question is, why is industry producing or financing the production of curricula for public schools?” he asked.

The two varying sets of criticisms illustrate the complex debate over carbon capture playing out across Louisiana.

Play-Doh and green brine Back at Dutchtown Middle School, after Nash was done with the Play-Doh, he, Bourg and the others got their second batch of pretend liquid CO2 from Juneau.

Classmate Miriam Miles began pouring the orange oil down a thick, plastic straw.

At first, no leaks. Eventually, though, some orange oil started to appear on the purple Play-Doh around the two straws, but a far smaller amount. And plenty of green brine was also moving up from the reservoir and out of the second straw, as planned, and far more than in the first attempt.

Juneau reminded the group that the difference is to be expected because of the spiral pasta’s greater porosity.

The students recorded their results. Soon, it would be time for lunch.

Before the work had begun on the final demonstrations, Juneau had offered his class a little grace.

It proved correct.

“We’re going to make mistakes.

Y’all never done this before. Hopefully, we do better between the second and first trial,” he said.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● 5A

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Walk-On’s opening next month in Carencro

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Contributing Writer

Tony Caballero has been with the Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux brand since 2008.

He opened the Lafayette location in 2011 as general manager as a proving ground for expanding beyond Baton Rouge.

Now as a franchisee and owner of the Lafayette location, he says the Carencro location that will open this summer along Interstate 49 is the next step. The market data — Carencro’s population has grown over 40%

CARENCRO

Continued from page 1A Interest in the property has the mayor and other officials there optimistic about the next phase of growth in a city that grew like no other in Louisiana. According to census data released last month, Carencro’s population swelled by 41.7% between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2025, growing by nearly 4,000 residents to a population of 13,224.

Already home to a strong retail base that straddles the I-49 exit, Carencro is becoming less a quiet suburb of Lafayette and more a vibrant small city. Home starts during that five-year span outpaced Youngsville and Broussard, and its median household income jumped by over 60% between 2019 and 2024, census data shows.

City leaders, said Mayor Charlotte Stemmans Clavier, are investing in infrastructure to manage that growth, which is expected to continue. Since she took office in 2022, the number of homes under development has hovered around 1,500.

“I am not the biggest proponent of growth — I grew up in a small town that was absolutely a great place to grow up,” she said. “I didn’t want it to change much, but growth is happening and there’s nothing I can do about it. We are making every effort to make sure we do it correctly.”

The Martin property could be a way to facilitate that growth. The city, with its small sports complex, could use a hotel and more food options. A local quick-serve restaurant is in negotiations to build next to the post office, but the remainder of the lot is a blank slate.

LeBlanc and her sisters want to partner with a developer on the site and be involved in whatever gets built there. They are teaming with Sal Crifasi and Capstone Investment Partners

since 2020 — was a key factor.

“Carencro was already in our sights as early as 2012,” Caballero said. “When we were able to reacquire Lafayette, we knew right away that this amazing city just north of us was a natural fit.

You want to get in early and grow with the town rather than showing up after it has already taken off.”

Construction has been heavy for months at the Carencro location since it was announced last summer.

Plans are for it to open the third or fourth week of July,

Caballero said, and employ about 100.

At 5,300 square feet, the location will be the company’s new prototype at about half the size of a typical WalkOn’s. It’s a leaner and more efficient model with improvements in kitchen technology that reduce the need for prep space and staff.

Caballero hired a general manager months ago and had her join the Carencro Business Association board.

The restaurant has also created a signature drink — “Charlotte’s Angels” — named after the city’s

to find a partner.

“Even before my dad passed away, we knew we wanted to do something,” LeBlanc said. “There’s tremendous potential for any future development at this point. We want to explore opportunities that would allow the property to flourish and also be something good for Carencro.”

according to data from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.

To handle that residential surge, city officials have in recent years invested in infrastructure along with drainage, streets and parks, Clavier said. Among those projects is a $47 million sewer plant that will more than double the city’s capacity with the opportunity for expansion. City Hall will STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK also be renovated.

City officials also used New homes are under construction in the Stable View American Rescue Plan Act subdivision near Carencro on Tuesday. funding to begin replacing old cast-iron water lines, some of which are over 100 Where the new homes were built years old that can sometimes send brown water into Here’s a breakdown of where new homes were built between homes, she said.

2020 and 2025 in Lafayette Parish: “At the first meeting with engineers, they had a samLafayette and Carencro: ple of the pipe and they told unincorporated 20.5% me not to touch it,” Clavier areas: 45.8% (Total permits: said. “Of course, I’m go2,129) (Total permits: ing to touch it. The rust on 4,761) the inside was sticky, and I had to wash my hands three Youngsville: times to get it off.”

17.8% Now the city is hoping to (Total permits: attract more retail. One re1,857) port done by Alabama-based Retail Strategies revealed Carencro could use more bars, medical outlets and Scott: 5.1% Broussard: 10.7% hotels.

(Total permits: 536) (Total permits: 1,115) Construction of the second Source: Lafayette Economic Development Authority Staff graphic phase of the Center Square shopping center will begin soon, and the Walk-On’s next to it will open in July.

Cities growing vs. shrinking in Louisiana Retail vacancies in Carencro A look at cities in Louisiana with at least 10,000 residents and are hard to find, said Clinton the biggest population swings from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025: Shepard, a commercial real estate agent with Lee & AsFASTEST-GROWING CITIES % INCREASE sociates.

“I get a lot of people who Carencro 41.7% are like, ‘Why don’t you get Youngsville 24.6% a hotel?’” Clavier said. “You just want a hotel if you’ve Hammond 22.5% got family and friends or Gonzales 12.0% have a wedding. You end up Zachary 5.6% going all the way to Opelousas or into Lafayette (to stay).”

FASTEST-SHRINKING CITIES % DECREASE

Moving to Carencro The cost of a newly built home has been a big reason why people are moving to Carencro, said Jim Keaty, owner of Keaty Real Estate.

Many of the areas where houses are being built are classified as rural and do not require a down payment, and builders offer lower interest rates and generous promotions to facilitate a sale. Buyers can easily own a new home with a mortgage that’s often less than what they were paying in rent, he said.

In the 70520 ZIP code, which covers most of Carencro’s city limits, the median sale price for a home has been $216,000 or less since 2022, well below the $245,000 median for Lafayette Parish, according to data from Bill Bacque with Market Scope Consulting.

Builders DSLD and DR Horton have been active in Carencro for some time.

“I know there’s more developments they have slated,” Keaty said. “I’ve presented properties to them that I was thinking would be great properties, but they’re turning them down because they have so much product coming online in that area.”

The growth has changed the city’s demographics a bit, pushing the median household income up to $63,401, which is almost identical to that of Lafayette Parish as a whole.

That has yet to, however, push up spending the city.

Total retail sales grew 38.5% between 2020 and 2025, but other municipalities had bigger hikes while sales across the parish rose 43.7%,

PARASITE

Continued from page 1A Navarre said cattle should be inspected daily, or as frequently as possible, so wounds can be treated promptly before they become susceptible to infestation. Signs of infection include wounds with a foul odor or bloody drainage, reduced appetite and weight loss, the presence of maggots and animals isolating themselves from the herd.

The discovery in Texas has also drawn the attention of Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, who warned that the parasite could have economic consequences if it spreads.

“We’re going to do whatever we need to do to stop it.

Because, if we don’t stop it, we’ll have a significant and long-term impact on the cost and affordability of beef,” Strain said Friday in a podcast.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded to last week’s discovery by expanding a statewide disaster declaration to increase personnel and resources dedicated to containing the outbreak.

The strategy being employed by the USDA and Texas officials includes the release of sterile screw-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

By ISABEL MATEOS

Alfredo Chavez, a cattle rancher and livestock technician, shows a New World screwworm larva removed from a cow at his ranch in Cintalapa, Chiapas, Mexico.

worm flies to reduce reproduction rates, as well as the creation of a 12.5-mile quarantine zone around the infected calf.

In Texas alone, the largest cattle-producing state in the United States, a 1976 outbreak of New World screwworm cost the 2024 equivalent of $1.8 billion in total economic loss, with $732 million of that hitting producers in a single year. That is more than the entirety of Louisiana’s $640 million cattle industry, according to 2023 LSU AgCenter data.

Screwworm is the parasitic larva of the screwworm

mayor, Charlotte Stemmans Clavier.

Yet the opening, Caballero said, is about more than square footage or seat counts. He described the Acadiana region as a place with a distinct energy and identity that mirrors what he looks for in a market.

“That entire Acadiana region — from the work ethic to the smiles to the way of life — it’s just a happy place that energizes you,” he said.

“They have that underdog mentality every single day.

They know what they want and they go get it.”

New Iberia Sulphur Shreveport New Orleans Natchitoches

-6.6% -6.0% -5.8% -5.5% -5.2%

Source: U.S. Census

fly and is a type of blowfly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters animals’ skin, causing severe damage and lesions that can be fatal. Infected animals are a serious threat to herds.

There are two types of screwworms: Old World and New World.

The Old World screwworm larvae dine on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals and are generally not found in the Western Hemisphere.

New World screwworm also feeds on the flesh of living warm-blooded animals but is found in the Western Hemisphere. The flies lay up to 3,000 eggs throughout their two- to three-week life on the outside of open wounds and mucous membranes of animals, Buenger said. The larvae then burrow into the flesh and feed before turning into pupae, dropping to the ground to mature and start the cycle again.

If the animal goes untreated, the results can be fatal.

The discovery has heightened concerns among livestock producers across the Gulf South as the parasite moves closer to Louisiana.

While Louisiana’s cattle industry is not as large as in Texas and other Western

Staff graphic

states, it does boast many historic cattle ranches across regions of the state such as Acadiana that have operated for generations.

“It’s important that we re-

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

A Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is under construction on Tuesday in Carencro.

that is shedding people, data shows.

The parish gained just under 16,000 people in that span, outpacing St. Tammany Parish for the biggest gain in the state.

Homes sales so far this year are strong and ahead of last year’s pace, and the number of luxury home sales has pushed the average sale price to over $300,000, Bacque’s data shows.

“I don’t get as many people moving out as I used to,” said Robbie Breaux with Real Broker. “We see so many who are filling in from other industries. I used to see oil field like one (out of) every five (homes). Now it’s one in every 25. You’ve got more kids graduating from high school and college, and it seems a lot of them are staying here — which is nice.”

Lafayette Parish also added nearly 20,000 jobs during that five-year span, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The biggest gains were healthcare and education (4,966) and leisure and hospitality (4,485).

Manufacturing jobs also grew by 33%. Only jobs in oil and gas extraction declined.

Lafayette Parish, which at 203 square miles is the thirdsmallest in the state, has a high quality of life factor that is luring new residents, LEDA President and CEO Mandi Mitchell said. The growth will continue in the coming year and likely continue in Carencro.

“The northern part of the parish, there’s opportunity there,” Mitchell said. “There are still parcels of land available for residential and commercial development.

There’s still land available (in the south), but we’re at a point now where the municiLafayette Parish is growing palities in the northern part All of Lafayette Parish, as of the parish are working well as the town of Maurice hard to attract more retail in neighboring Vermilion and rooftops, and it’s going Parish, has grown in that to feed itself.” five-year span, putting the area at odds with every Email Adam Daigle at other metro area in the state adaigle@theadvocate.com.

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Famous Acadiana cafeteria reopens

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Victor’s Cafeteria has been closed for the past two years, and every time I found myself in New Iberia, I kept hearing people talk about it.

In the 55 years Victor’s was open, it was a regular breakfast meeting spot for local business owners, community leaders, French tables, veterans groups and more.

Every day of the week, someone was there was soon as the doors

opened to grab a table. It was even a favorite local haunt for fictional detective Dave Robicheaux — the gritty protagonist created by crime writer James Lee Burke.

When Victor’s Cafeteria closed in May 2024, people mourned the end of an era, telling me about the community that thrived there for locals and visitors alive. That community proved to be intact this week when Victor’s Cafeteria reopened on June 3 — same place, same ownership, and the same hearty, simple breakfast food

made with love and skill.

Every table was full on their third morning open, but orders moved quickly as folks made their selections down the line. I went with the #1 for $10.75, which came with two eggs cooked any style, and an array of choices — grits or smothered potatoes, two biscuits or two pieces of toast, and your selection of sausage patty, sausage links, bacon or ham. Between a friend and myself, we were able to try almost everything, with the addition of hot cakes.

The sausage links were juicy and bursting with savory flavor, while the ham was perfectly thick cut, fried and ready to slide between a biscuit (which was hot, tender and buttery). Speaking of butter, pools of it steamed in the grits, which were exactly the kind I like: simple, old-fashioned, stickto-your-ribs without being loaded with garnishments.

The grits were my choice over the smothered potatoes, but I was thrilled to get the chance to try both sides, because the smothered

potatoes may be Victor’s standout breakfast creation — picture creamy potatoes, loaded and smothered down with vegetables, chives and seasoning. It was like the best kind of breakfast potato salad, and paired really well with a runny egg.

Other menu items include shrimp and grits, Belgian waffles, oatmeal, hot cakes or French toast, and biscuits with a country-style white gravy. As orders streamed

ä See CAFETERIA, page 4B

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

The Train Wreck Inn in Grand Coteau celebrates its second anniversary on Saturday.

Smooth ride ABOVE: Designer Carly Viator Courville, left, and owner Ben Trant celebrate at the Train Wreck Inn B&B in Grand Coteau. RIGHT: Arlo Naquin-Schulze, from left, Finn NaquinSchulze and John Wyatt Trant enjoy climbing on a traincar.

Prime Time Head Start hiring Longtime economic development director dies at upcoming Acadiana job fairs

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Acadiana business editor Bill Rodier, the longtime executive director of the St. Landry Economic Development office, died Thursday.

Rodier was first hired in 2013 after six years with the Louisiana Workforce Commission and Louisiana Economic Development and dedicated his efforts at moving St. Landry Parish forward, officials said.

“He championed initiatives that strengthened in-

frastructure, encouraged investment, supported local businesses and elevated the quality of life for residents throughout t h e p a rish,” the announcement read.

Under his Rodier leadership, St. Landry Parish experienced significant growth along the Interstate 49 corridor, expanded economic

opportunities and developed innovative structures that became recognized throughout Louisiana as models for effective economic development.

Before entering public service, Rodier worked in executive positions in private industry and real estate development and spent time in the Air Force, where he managed operations supporting senior military leaders, dignitaries and presidential missions.

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Prime Time Head Start will host job fairs in Lafayette and Iberia parishes this week as it prepares for the 2026-27 school year.

The job fairs will be held Friday at the following locations: n Lafayette Parish: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Prime Time Head Start at Holy Rosary, 4211/ 2 Carmel Drive, Lafayette. n Iberia Parish: 1 p.m. to

4 p.m. at Prime Time Head Start at Dodson, 420 Dodson St., New Iberia.

Open positions include teachers, teacher assistants, family service coordinators, custodians, food preparation staff and front office employees.

Applicants are asked to bring copies of their transcripts and any relevant certifications, including Child Development Associate credentials, family services certifications, CPR certification

or first aid training. Interviews will be conducted on-site.

Prime Time Head Start serves Lafayette and Iberia parishes and is an initiative of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The program promotes school readiness for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children while supporting family well-being.

Job openings and descriptions are available at primetimefamily.org/employment.

2B ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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YOUR VIEWS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

World War II warned us about fascism A recent letter penned by Billy Arcement explains what he considers the oxymoronic nature of the term “Democratic Socialist” (“Democracy and socialism are not compatible,” May 7.) He accused the Democrats of being devious and using sleight-of-hand. He goes on to say that one cannot believe in both socialism and democracy — only one can exist.

Sitting across the aisle from Arcement, I would use a similar argument about fascism and democracy.

Since a Republican returned to the White House in 2025 and with majorities in both the House and Senate, fascism has been on full display — no “sleight-of-hand” about it.

Numerous executive orders, starting a war with Iran without approval of Congress, demolition of the East Wing of the White House without prior approval, ignoring the right the Constitution gives to Congress to control tariffs are just a few examples of the exercises of the authoritarian arm of fascism we have seen.

So far democracy, though bruised and battered, is still hanging on. But will it continue to win the day?

As a volunteer at the National WWII Museum, I am reminded weekly of how the events leading up to and during World War II are being repeated here today in America. Unfortunately, it took a world war and almost half a million American lives to prove fascism and democracy cannot coexist.

Today Americans must choose fascism or democracy. Which will it be?

NELL AUCOIN NAQUIN Baton Rouge

GOP politicians are sacrificing everything for their party It has never been more obvious.

Donald Trump, Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson, Jeff Landry and Liz Murrill are willing to sacrifice everything, including state and country, for their party.

To them, Republican domination takes priority over democracy, the rule of law or even common sense.

I have been a Republican since 1971. I will continue to be one, despite my embarrassment, if only because I hope I can bring some small amount of sanity to my party.

Unfortunately, too many fellow Republicans continue to follow in lockstep their president, right off the democratic cliff.

WIL KNIPMEYER New Orleans

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are

published identifying name and the writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and TO SEND US A LETTER, phone number SCAN HERE 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.

Congressional maps are about power, but they are also about people On May 8, Louisiana legislators began debating new congressional maps for the first time since the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Louisiana v.

Callais. The Court may have gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but it did not give Louisiana permission to abandon fairness or democracy.

Maps are not abstract political exercises; they determine whether communities are kept whole or carved apart, whether neighborhoods can advocate for their shared needs and whether Black voters, who make up roughly one-third of Louisiana’s population, can meaningfully participate in decisions affecting their families and futures.

Louisiana knows the consequences when power is used to exclude.

From Plessy v. Ferguson to generations of voter suppression and the Civil Rights movement, our history has taught us what happens when representation is denied, but it has also taught us what courage looks like. The 14th and 15th Amendments (the “Love Amendments”) promised equal protection and voting rights after slavery and civil war, and those promises still matter today.

Lawmakers can treat Callais as a license to weaken representation further, or they can recognize that democracy requires integrity, restraint and fairness, even when courts step back.

The people of Louisiana are watching. Our elders who survived Jim Crow and witnessed the struggle are watching. Young people inheriting this democracy are watching.

History will recall and long remember what happens next.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By STEPHANIE RIEGEL

The unincorporated Vermilion Parish community of Pecan Island, with a population of about 100 people along Louisiana Highway 82, is believed to be a potential location for the construction of a massive SpaceX spaceport.

If space company comes to La., it should have a stake in coast The potential purchase of Exxon lands in Vermilion Parish by a space exploration company provides an opportunity to correct the errors of centuries of mismanagement.

For eons, the drainage of 38 states and parts of Canada came unrestricted to Louisiana’s coastal zone, quickly building land; but in the past century, we have built numerous dams throughout the Mississippi watershed — for navigation, irrigation and energy generation.

All of these impoundments have stymied the flow of sediment and detritus material — having an enormous negative impact on our wetlands and fisheries throughout the Gulf.

Along with this, the 1927 flood of South Louisiana demanded that we protect lands with a massive levee system. The situation has been further complicated by poorly designed roads

and navigation canals across wetlands, which disrupt the north-south hydrological flow.

The restoration of the tidal exchange in the marshes is critical to their recovery and is on us as a state to address through our coastal restoration plans.

We could begin by taking out the dams in the wildlife reserves. Also, existing roadways could be elevated at critical points while new roads should be required to allow for tidal exchange.

Restoring the hydrological flow to our wetlands is key to their survival. It should be taken into consideration by anyone who has a stake in South Louisiana, be they a duck hunting club or a global gazillionaire looking to launch space ships.

HAROLD SCHOEFFLER Lafayette

ALANAH ODOMS executive director, ACLU Louisiana

Displayed in context, Confederate statues could help us move past a shameful era of our history In response to State Rep. Mike Bayham’s proposal for the Confederate statues: Many people never had the opportunity to study the history of these monuments (none of us did, as the facts were not in our history books).

These statues and other memorials to the Confederacy were erected in the post-Reconstruction era, concurrent with the reemergence of White supremacy as the dominant political narrative and power structure in the old Confederate states.

It was a time when laws were passed denying voting rights to former slaves, establishing “separate but equal” as legal doctrine and putting into place laws that discriminated against former slaves in every aspect of commerce and employment. The statues were erected as a symbol of the reemergence of

White power and intended to convey symbolically this fact.

One solution is to establish a Garden of Reconciliation where the statues can be placed as part of an educational effort to educate and inform citizens and visitors as to the true nature of why these statues were erected. Then perhaps we can finally move past this shameful period of our history.

One note: Robert E. Lee was quite explicit that no statues or memorials were to be erected to memorialize the Confederacy.

“I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war,” he wrote, “but to follow the example of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, and to commit to oblivion the feelings it engendered.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By By JILL PICKETT

An election worker explains a declaration form to a voter on May 16 at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport.

If parties want their own primaries, they should pay

PHILIP FRADY New Orleans

Educators should use all tools, even AI, to combat cheating In respectful response to Madison Weidert’s opinion, I must state that in 2000, I and a group of educators worked on a grant for the Louisiana Virtual School. We researched best practices for both students and teachers. Due to limited space the grant allowed the schools to select students who met requirements for participation. The first group of students were in honors/GT programs. Riverside Academy was one of the first schools to participate in the online learning research.

Students 26 years ago were very adept at internet usage. As the fine arts/advanced art teacher, I had to design classes that included research and creative ways to communicate through the arts. There were students, pressed to succeed in every endeavor, who very much used websites to plagiarize their projects. Assignments were given in which students would design Power-

I’m one of the independent voters who had to declare a team to vote on the party candidates in the recent primaries. I am not against closed primaries. I am against taxpayers footing the bill for party primaries. That should be a private affair paid for with party money.

We have too many elections in Louisiana. Consolidate them. Never mind that we need a workable constitution to eliminate local issues having to take the form of amendments to be voted on by people uninvolved in the issue every four months when we have another election.

Let the political parties work out their own processes to choose their candidate. Then, we vote.

Point presentations. Several times I was amazed how these bright, advanced gifted and talented students copied and pasted an entire website on one slide. Those were easy to flag as plagiarism.

Then there were those who copied and pasted entire paragraphs, rearranging them to cover their tracks. The developers of the software we were using at the time, Blackboard, recognized the need for plagiarism software.

I was able to use the same technology to seek out plagiarized work.

Twenty-six years ago, and humans do not alter their behavior. Students will cheat, many trying to meet the pressures of competition. It is the responsibility of both parents and teachers to correct it. Humans have, and seemingly always will, cheat, regardless of age.

SANDRA H. EVANS Baton Rouge

PHILLIP WILLIAMS Covington

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COMMENTARY King Donald, meet King Pyrrhus In 279 B.C., King Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated a Roman legion at the Battle of Asculum. But that conflict cost so many casualties that his forces were left weak and vulnerable, leading the monarch to lament, “One more such victory and we are completely done for!”

The phrase “Pyrrhic victory” has survived for more than 2,300 years because it so aptly describes a driven but deluded leader who Steve picks the wrong fight.

Roberts Now it applies to President Donald Trump, who engineered successful primary challenges against two Republican senators that he accuses of disloyalty: John Cornyn, R-Texas; and Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge.

As a result of his triumph, Trump has weakened his own influence over the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow three-vote margin.

“After the president helped end the careers of two of their own, many in the Senate GOP feel he’s broken their political contract,” writes the website Puck. “Now, instead of constantly bowing to the executive branch, they’re agitating to fight, or at least stand up for themselves.”

“GOP aides characterized the mood as one of raw fury at President Trump over how he has treated senators,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

“They see Trump’s behaviors as potentially paralyzing most action in the Republican-led Congress for the rest of the year and bruising the party’s efforts to hang on to the Senate in the midterm elections.”

That “raw fury” was seriously inflamed by another Trump “victory”: his cynical scheme to create a $1.8 bil-

lion fund that would reward his supporters while shielding himself and his family from tax audits, potentially saving them $100 million in penalties.

“No one thinks this is a winning issue, even those in safe Republican House and Senate seats that don’t usually have to worry about an election,” a GOP strategist told Reuters. “Even those folks want no part of this.”

The backlash was so fierce that Trump — who hates to admit defeat or back down on anything — reluctantly gave up. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a congressional hearing, “We are not moving forward with the fund. Period.” Suspicion of Trump’s motives and machinations runs so high that Rep. Grace Meng, of New York, felt compelled to ask, “Not moving forward ever?” Blanche answered: “Correct.”

The president’s sleazy tax avoidance deal apparently remains on the books, although a federal judge in Florida has opened an investigation, saying the settlement “raises profound questions about the parties’ candor toward the Court and manipulation of the judicial system.”

So while some uncertainty lingers, this political paradox is increasingly clear. Trump remains highly popular among hardcore MAGA loyalists who vote in Republican primaries. But those loyalists are not enough to win general elections, and as Trump’s poll numbers continue to slide, his critics are more emboldened to act on their rising resentment.

In the latest survey by The Economist, Trump’s favorable rating plummeted to 34%, the lowest score during either of his terms. Fully 63% say the economy is getting worse under his stewardship, with only 13% seeing an improvement.

Polling by the nonpartisan political group Third Way reveals where that decline is coming from. A year ago, “moderate and liberal Republicans,” who might have voted for Trump but never joined MAGA Nation, thought the country was headed in the “right direction” by a 39-point margin. Now that edge has shrunk to 11 points.

This shift can be explained by a common complaint from disillusioned Trump supporters: “This is not what I voted for.”

The president has clearly broken two promises that he made repeatedly during the campaign: lowering prices and ending wars. But the self-dealing plot to enrich his supporters, and his family, symbolizes a larger discontent — a growing belief that Trump is simply not focused on the problems ordinary Americans care most about: their own families and their own budgets.

In fact, he candidly admits his own indifference, telling reporters “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” in a video clip that is already featured in Democratic attack ads.

Instead, what he does seem to be thinking about are three very personal goals: rewarding his friends, punishing his enemies and burnishing his legacy.

He’s more concerned with putting his face on a $250 bill than putting money in voters’ pockets. More focused on renaming the Kennedy Center and remodeling the White House than restoring prosperity. More driven by revenge and grievance than consensus or compromise.

But his small victories are coming at a high cost. King Donald, meet King Pyrrhus.

Email Steven V. Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Sea-level rise threatens a way of life along the bayou near Campo’s Marina in Shell Beach, though the Campo family also fears one of the state’s ambitious projects to address it could put them out of business.

Seas will rise, but there’s room for optimism A recent study makes dramatic claims about our city and state, but the science does not back them up.

The paper published last month in Nature Sustainability made headlines with a dire verdict about our city and state: “In paleo-climate terms, New Orleans is gone.”

The study claims coastal Louisiana has already crossed a “point of no return,” and that some of our state’s largest cities — Justin Baton Rouge, Lafayette Callais and New Orleans — will GUEST eventually become waCOLUMNIST terfront property as the Gulf encircles us.

As a New Orleanian and an economist who studies these kinds of claims for a living, I want to offer some pushback and reasons for optimism. This is not to deny that coastal Louisiana faces serious challenges, but bad science leads to bad policy, and our city deserves better than both.

The paper projects 3 to 7 meters (roughly 10 to 23 feet) of sea-level rise, pushing the shoreline more than 60 miles inland. That is an extremely wide range, and it corresponds to scenarios that even the most pessimistic projections cannot support. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change’s Sixth Assessment Report projects global mean sea-level rise of less than one meter by 2100. While those numbers are serious, they are a far cry away from the “inevitable” projections the paper treats as fait accompli.

These dramatic numbers come from the Last Interglacial period (roughly 125,000 years ago) when global sea levels were 5 to 9 meters higher than today. Because current temperatures are approaching comparable levels, they assume we face the same outcome. But this ignores the rate of change. The ice sheet collapse unfolded over thousands of years. Applying that endpoint to near-term policy decisions is a far step.

Critically, the paper’s authors acknowledge they have no timeline for when their projections would materialize. Remarkably, they frame this as a “strategic advantage,” arguing Louisiana should begin managed depopulation now. In essence, they want the uprooting of more than a million people based on projections they cannot attach a date to.

The authors show net outmigration along Louisiana’s coast, and net in-migration for Florida’s coast as evidence of climate retreat. However, under those same 3- to-7-meter projections, Florida’s coast would suffer the same fate. There are plenty of reasons

more people are moving to Florida and leaving Louisiana, but if people were moving for climate retreat, the coast of Florida would not make sense.

Perhaps most frustrating is that the authors treat New Orleanians and coastal Louisianans as chess pieces to be relocated and implies that any preventive measures are a lost cause.

But real solutions exist. The Dutch have battled the North Sea for centuries, but the same projection from the authors means that Amsterdam should be abandoned. Right here at home, companies like Glass Half Full are turning recycled glass into sand to help rebuild our coastlines. There are innovative, community-based approaches that deserve investment and attention.

Louisiana’s coast is not without problems. Subsidence and wetland loss are both important issues to take seriously. Solutions like restoration, smarter infrastructure investment and honest cost-benefit analysis are crucial, instead of surrender dressed up as science.

New Orleans has survived floods, hurricanes and a great deal else. Giving up on this city and south Louisiana is not a realistic strategy.

Justin Callais is chief economist at the Archbridge Institute and a New Orleans resident.

AI fiction is the new fast food

Three things you may not know about me: I am a big woman, 6 foot 2 inches in my stocking feet.

My laugh is loud, if not to say piercing. And I never apologize to furniture.

That’s why I identified so strongly with Auntie Marsha, the hero from “The Serpent in the Grove,” one of five regional winners of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

“Big in the way of women who never apologize to furniture,” the story tells us, “she had a laugh that shook dust from joists and a voice that could soften to coax a child from a ledge.”

Megan ega I’m joking, of course. No one could McArdle possibly recognize themselves in this rococo garble. It reads as if the author had consumed a bunch of novels and perhaps the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but somehow never interacted with humans in the real world.

Which may be the truth.

While the author’s name is listed as Jamir Nazir, Pangram, an artificial intelligence detector with strong external validation, suggested the story was 100% AI-authored. When science fiction author James Yu ran the other stories through Pangram, he found that two of them also came back as likely AI-written — wholly or substantially. They contain similarly almost-coherent metaphors.

The Commonwealth Foundation, which oversees the short story competition, seems to be standing by the prizewinners. Kelsey Piper has an excellent essay explaining why “the age when you can run a literary magazine on trust is over. You can either decide AI submissions are fine, or you can filter for them.”

Piper is right, and since I cannot improve on her conclusion, let me instead ask: Why should we care whether authors are carbon-based, rather than silicon?

Many writers and readers will assume the answer is obvious. But if Pangram is correct, Commonwealth’s judges, who were selected for their “expertise, passion for the literary community and strong backgrounds in writing,” awarded a majority of their prizes to machine-written prose. If that’s the case, presumably these certified experts rejected some human-written stories in favor of “AI slop” — as did the many New York Times readers who preferred AI snippets to excerpts from award-winning writers in a recent blind test.

This suggests that many AI critics have it backward. If the proliferation of AI writing is a problem, it’s not because it’s terrible slop unfit for human consumption; it’s a problem because in some specific ways, it’s too good. It is the literary equivalent of fast food: convenient, cheap, hyper-consistent and relentlessly optimized to tickle our pleasure centers.

Sure, AI produces some crazy metaphors and weird hallucinations, because the models have all of our text and none of our context. On the other hand, AI is really good at optimizing for readability, both stylistically and structurally. AI fiction tends to be smoother, tighter and psychologically simpler than its human-written counterparts, explicitly stating themes, constructing “single-track narratives with fewer loose ends” and portraying fewer morally ambiguous characters.

This describes the three AI-flagged stories but not the two identified as human-written. It also describes what a lot of people want from their fiction — possibly even some who pride themselves on their literary sophistication. After all, AI didn’t evolve this style by accident; it writes that way because that’s what human readers rewarded. If so, one might argue that’s not a problem for anyone except (she said nervously) professional writers. What’s wrong with AI giving readers what they want?

Because as with fast food, what people want now isn’t necessarily good for them in the long run. It would be bad if new reading material mostly came from the same handful of models — a kind of intellectual monocropping, if you will.

Those who are familiar with the Irish famine know why monocropping is dangerous: The population of the island of Ireland still hasn’t fully rebounded from the potato blight that started in 1845 and wiped out its staple crop, killing more than 1 million people and forcing as many as 2 million to emigrate.

I’m not suggesting AI writing will result in mass death. I’m saying that just as it’s better to cultivate a variety of crops than to rely on one highly productive species, it’s better to cultivate a range of ideas from different sources. When you go all in on one big thing, you create a single point of failure.

Intellectual monocropping is not solely an AI problem, of course (see the recent headlong institutional rush into social justice politics). However, despite the best efforts of totalitarian movements, humanity has always maintained a healthy reserve of idiosyncratic thinkers. It would be a shame to lose that by ceding too much of our cognitive work to machines, which have been trained on the same broad corpus of human texts and tweaked to conform to the same narrow set of legal rules and cultural norms.

That’s the problem with AI fiction; when you’re taking a weighted average of prior human writing, without the leavening addition of personal experience, it’s easy to get something acceptable and hard to get something unforgettable. So, I fear a world where AI dominates fiction, think pieces and doctoral dissertations. We don’t need human writers because AI offers us too many wild metaphors. We need human writers because AI provides too few wild ideas.

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National WWII Museum honors Rosie the Riveters

BY VIOLET BUCARO

said. “I did pretty good for a person that didn’t graduate from high school.”

Staff writer

The heads of the factory told Delphine Klaput to guard the aircraft blueprints with her life.

Whenever she needed to bring them out, which was often as a leader of a team of men building planes to be sent overseas, she kept them close so they wouldn’t be lost or seen by someone who shouldn’t know about them. There was a war on, after all.

It was a far cry from her life growing up in a Pennsylvania coal mining town, and she remembers walking through Glenn L. Martin Aircraft factory in Baltimore asking herself, “What did I get myself into?”

Klaput, 101, worked at the aircraft factory during the last years of World War II. From 1944 to 1945, she was one of the millions of young women who took jobs in the factories that built the planes and tanks and ships and trucks that helped the U.S. and its allies win the war.

America’s massive manufacturing capability came to be known as the Arsenal of Democracy. It was powered by women like Klaput, who later came to be associated with the wartime icon known as Rosie the Riveter.

The Rosie the Riveter propaganda poster, created by J. Howard Miller in 1943, depicts a woman with rolled-up sleeves, red lipstick and a pumped fist, with the emblematic motto “We Can Do It.” It was made to motivate women in the labor force.

Last week, Klaput was among more than 30 “Rosie the Riveters” who traveled to New Orleans to attend The American Spirit Awards at The National WWII Museum, where they are honorees.

The awards are given to people who reflect the spirit and contribution of the men and women who served in the war. Former Saints football player Steve Gleason and American composer John Williams were also recognized at the awards ceremony this weekend.

Who are the Rosies?

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Delphine Klaput points to a photograph of herself on a canvas at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans on Friday.

A difficult time Over 16 million Americans served in the armed forces in World War II, and approximately 6 million women filled jobs on the homefront historically reserved for men.

Due to the Depression from 1929 to 1939, many women who worked in the war effort came from poor families. When they got jobs, they sent most of the money to families back home.

Francesca Masters, 104, another honoree in New Orleans, said she made $1 an hour and like Klaput sent nearly all her money back to her family.

Masters worked on the airplane wing of the B-24 Liberator, operating heavy machinery in the bomber plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

She felt proud to be working a “man’s job,” she said, and that it “felt like a different world” in the fac-

tory.

Peter Crean, vice president of education and access at the museum, said that so often the men in uniform are recognized, but in reality, the war touched every family, every woman.

“It was the women that were stepping into the breach on the homefront,” Crean said.

American industrial needs went into hyperdrive, and if women were refused entry for production roles, it would’ve taken over 5 million men out of uniform. He said it would have been much harder to build 2,700 Liberty ships and 100 aircraft carriers — and ultimately, to win the war.

Women welded, carried rivet guns and stepped into administrative roles. Before, it was unheard of to apply for those jobs. Crean said not only did the women help win the war, but the country was fundamentally different because of their

example.

“The opportunities for my mother, my wife and my daughters would be very different,” he said.

“That door never really closed.”

Masters remembers the scale of effort, and the small details. Overwhelmingly large machines surrounded her in the Willow Run Bomber Plant, the largest war factory in the world during World War II, built by the Ford Motor Company. It was spotless, she said, except when men would spit their chewing tobacco on the floor.

Her parents were Italian immigrants, and her father was a horticulturist for a fruit market. Two of her sisters worked at the plant while her two brothers fought in the war.

Frequently, her family would get letters in the mail from her brothers. A few weeks before the war ended, she came home and

saw plants had been thrown out on her family’s back porch.

She said she just knew something had happened to one of her brothers, Salvatore, and the telegram confirmed it. He had been killed in the Battle of the Bulge.

As they waited for news from overseas, the women had to find ways to stay motivated back home. Virginia Rusch, 99, from Detroit, said she had always wanted to work. She wanted to buy new clothes. When she was 15, she dropped out of high school and told Republic Aircraft Products that she was 17 to get hired.

She built airplane nose cones and propellers at the assembly line from 1942 to 1944. Each day she’d solder a cone, place it in a bin and repeat.

She said if she could talk to her younger self, she’d say, “I had good intentions in life. I wanted to succeed, which I didn’t do badly,” she

As they talked about their experiences together at the museum Thursday, the three women said that until recently they didn’t think of themselves as “Rosie the Riveters” who fought on the homefront.

From 2013 to 2017, Rusch’s daughter, Lisa Brown, would dress up as Rosie at Willow Run to raise funds to repair the plant, but she had no idea her mother was considered a Rosie until she learned about her part of the war effort.

“I would say the last five years there’s been a push for the recognition for Rosies,” said Brown. “But in the first few years, it was very hard for them because they truly didn’t think they had done anything special.”

Rusch would tell her daughter that she quit school and got a job because it was what she needed to do to help the effort.

“It was our duty,” Masters chimed in.

The passing decades have meant fewer and fewer Rosies are still alive. But the ones that are say they try to stay involved in associations around the nation and celebrate one another.

“No matter where you go, if there’s a Rosie, you’re gonna see this,” Klaput said, extending her hands toward the other women.

“They have to hold hands,” Klaput said.

She reached for Rusch’s hand, and Rusch reached for Masters’ hand.

“We can do it,” Klaput said.

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STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN

Victor’s Cafeteria has reopened for breakfast only at 109 W. Main St. in New Iberia from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily.

CAFETERIA

Rodrigue prints, newspaper cuttings and a sign that says “Dave Robicheaux eats Continued from page 1B here.” But no place can survive on nostalgia alone. If out to tables, I mentally you’re a breakfast lover it made my next selection, is indeed worth the trip — which will be shrimp and whether it’s your first visit, grits. Victor’s Cafeteria is a or a grand return.

Victor’s Cafeteria is open 30-minute drive from Lafayette, and I definitely plan to seven days a week at 109 W. Main St., New Iberia, from make the drive again soon.

There aren’t many spots 6:30 to 11 a.m. like it left anymore — proudly rooted, with décor Email Joanna Brown that speaks to the building’s at joanna.brown@ history: old photos, George theadvocate.com.

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Lafayette Parish School System Purchasing Department at 202 Rue located Iberville, Lafayette, LA 70508, or electronically at www.centerlinebidco nnect.com until 10:00 a.m. CST on July 16, 2026.

Bids received after this date and time will not be considered. Delivery to any department other than the Purchasing De‐ partment may result in non-consideration. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the LPSS Purchasing Depart‐ ment Conference Room for the following:

FINANCIAL Stuller, Inc. seeks Director of Tax Strate‐ gies & Compliance in Lafayette, LA. Manage all tax matters of the Com‐ pany. Apply at jobpostingtoday.com/ Ref# 70427.

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the requirements of the bid documents.

y vices – Lafayette Parish School Board 403(b) Plan.

Proposals received after this time will not be con‐ sidered. Delivery to any department other than the Purchasing Depart‐ ment is unacceptable and may result in nonconsideration of the pro‐ posal.

No bid may be with‐ drawn for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time for open‐ ing of bids.

The Lafayette Parish School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities or ir‐ regularities in bids re‐ ceived when such is in the best interest of the School System.

In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2251, a preference of up to ten percent (10%) may be granted to products manufactured, produced, grown, or as‐ sembled in Louisiana such products when meet or exceed the spec‐ ifications of this bid.

Award of this contract is subject to the availability of funds.

be

The Lafayette Parish School System strongly encourages the partici‐ pation of minority-owned and small business en‐ terprises.

Kitchen Equipment Bid# 03-27 Bid Opening: July 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CST

Lafayette Parish School System Kristie Sam, Purchasing and Procurement Coordi‐ nator

Kitchen Equipment Bid# 03-27 Sealed bids shall clearly marked:

Complete Bid Documents may be obtained without charge and without de‐ posit from www.centerl All inebidconnect.com. electronic bids shall be submitted by the due date and time stated above. Questions regard‐ ing the electronic bid‐ ding process should be directed to Centerline at 504-291-5738 or by email bidconnect@ at centerline.co.

Addenda, if any, will be posted at www.centerl It inebidconnect.com. shall be the responsibil‐ ity of all prospective bid‐ ders to check this web‐ site for any addenda is‐ sued before the bid opening.

All bids must be submit‐ ted in accordance with

Advertisement Dates: June 8, 2026 June 15, 2026 189986-JUN 8-15-2T $66 PUBLIC NOTICE --Advertisement for Re‐ quest for Proposal Notice is hereby given that a sealed Request for Proposal (RFP) will be re‐ ceived by the Lafayette Parish School System Purchasing Department at 202 Rue located Iberville, Lafayette, LA 70508, or electronically at www.centerlinebidco nnect.com until 4:00 p.m.

CST on August 5, 2026, for RFP# 06-27, Invest‐ ment & Fiduciary Ser‐ i f i h

Sealed proposals shall be clearly marked: Investment & Fiduciary Lafayette Services School Board Parish 403(b) Plan RFP# 06-27 RFP Submission Dead‐ line: August 5, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. CST The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to serve as the discretionary out‐ sourced investment advi‐ sor for its 403(b) defined contribution plan.

The selected firm will be responsible for providing invest‐ comprehensive ment consulting, advi‐ sory, and designated management services.

Complete Proposal Docu‐ ments may be obtained without charge and with‐ out deposit from www. centerlinebidconnect. com. All electronic pro‐ posals shall be uploaded by the due date and time stated above. Questions about this procedure should be directed to: Centerline – Phone: 504291-5738, email at bid‐ connect@centerline.co.

Proposal documents will be available beginning June 8, 2026.

The Lafayette Parish School System strongly encourages the partici‐ pation of minority-owned and small business en‐ terprises.

The Lafayette Parish School System reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any informalities or irregularities in the pro‐ posals received, when such action is deemed to be in the best interest of the School System.

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Lafayette Parish School System Kristie Sam, Purchasing and Procure‐ ment Coordinator

ceived after the Submis‐ sion Deadline will not be considered. NO qualifica‐ tions statements may be withdrawn after the Sub‐ Deadline. mission Louisiana Swamp Base, Inc. reserves the right to cancel this solicitation prior to the Submission Deadline or to reject any all qualifications or for just statements cause.

June 1, 2026 June 8, 2026 June 15, 2026

Interested firms must maintain a current and valid contractor license with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Con‐ tractors for Commercial Construction Building and certify that they are contractors licensed under Chapter 24 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Re‐ vised Statutes.

Sealed bids will be ac‐ cepted until 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office at 316 W. Main Lafayette, Street, Louisiana for the follow‐ ing:

The selected contractor must comply with all re‐ quirements of authorities having jurisdiction over the project including, but not limited to, all applic‐ able rules, regulations and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor, State of Louisiana, Divi‐ sion of Administration, Office of Facility Planning and Control, federal gov‐ ernment, and State of Louisiana, all of which shall become contractual obligations. Failure of the general contractor to ac‐ cept these obligations shall result in the rejec‐ tion of its qualifications Louisiana statement.

Swamp Base, Inc. does not discriminate based on social and economic race, disadvantage, color, sex, gender, age, disability or national ori‐ gin. All small and minor‐ firms and ity-owned women's business enter‐ prises are encouraged to qualifications submit statements.

For information on this bid, contact the Finance Office at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. are also Documents available at the Sheriff’s Office Website at www. lafayettesheriff.com and www.centralauctionh ouse.com. Bids received after the above date and time will be returned un‐ opened. Bids will be eval‐ uated by and purchased based on quality, cost and adaptability of said Bidders must items. comply with all condi‐ tions submitted in bid specifications. The Sher‐ iff reserves the right to reject any and all bids deemed unsuitable in the best public interest.

Advertisement Dates: June 8, 2026 June 15, 2026 June 23, 2026 189987-JUN 8-15-23-3T $ 84 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE REQUEST FOR OUALIFICATIONS STATEMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION MAN‐ AGER AT RISK SERVICES Louisiana Swamp Base High Adventure Campus – Phase 2 Development 1337 Henderson Levee Road, Henderson, LA 70517 Notice is hereby given that Louisiana Swamp Base, Inc. is hereby solic‐ iting sealed qualifica‐ tions statements from qualified and licensed general contractors to provide comprehensive and pre-construction manage‐ construction ment at-risk services for the construction of a building, all as more fully set forth in the request for qualifications packet.

The official request for qualifications packet is available in electronic beginning at form 10:00AM on June 1, 2026 and can be obtained, without charge and with‐ out deposit, at www.cen terlinebidconnect.com.

Print copies are not Interested available. firms are responsible for their own reproduction In accordance costs. with the requirements of the request for qualifica‐ packet, sealed tions state‐ qualifications ments must be submit‐ ted to AQ Studios, 115 East Main Street, Lafayette LA 70501 be‐ the Submission fore Deadline of 10:00AM on July 10, 2026. Any qualifi‐ cations statements re‐

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1Cn

Legacy Bowl relocating to Atlanta

HBCU pre-draft showcase will leave N.O. in 2027

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

ON A MISSION

After a five-year run in New Orleans, the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl has found a new home.

The Legacy Bowl, a postseason college football all-star game for draft-eligible players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is relocating to Atlanta.

Doug Williams, the legendary Grambling quarterback and Super Bowl XXII Most Valuable Player, helped start the game in 2022.

“Atlanta represents tremendous growth and opportunity for the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl and the young people we serve,” Williams said in a statement released on Friday. “We believe this next chapter will elevate the experience for our students, fans, partners, and NFL scouts while continuing to honor the proud traditions and lasting impact of HBCU football.”

The game was played at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium for the first five years.

The 2027 game will be played on Feb. 27 at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta and will air live on the NFL Network.

Williams started the game with James “Shack” Harris, also a former NFL quarterback who played at Grambling.

ä See LEGACY, page 4C

With NyC buzzing, Knicks, Spurs remain focused on one goal

BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP basketball writer

NEW YORK — Madison Square Garden has seen just about everything in sports and entertainment, from the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight to the first Wrestlemania.

It just hasn’t seen much of the NBA Finals.

The New York Knicks have brought the finals back to their home court for the first time since 1999 and can make sure they don’t leave again this year. Fans are spending astonishingly high prices for tickets and the potential to witness a celebration more than five decades in the making.

With a 2-0 lead over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks are halfway to their first championship since 1973. They are the biggest thing in the Big Apple, and it seems everyone is caught up in the hoopla except the Knicks themselves.

“I know the fan base is really excited, as they should be,” captain Jalen Brunson said. “But as a team, us inside the locker room, we have more work to do.”

Game 3 is Monday, with President Donald Trump in the building. Whether they’ve played in the arena or sat way up in the cheap seats — not that there is such a thing this time, with tickets reselling for more than $10,000 — people know this night will be different.

“I think it’s going to be through the roof,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “I think it’s going to be everything that I’ve kind of seen or dreamed of times 10.”

It will be the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since June 25, 1999, which ended with the Knicks watching the Spurs celebrate their first championship after winning Game 5.

That series, and one in 1994, were the only finals games

ä See FINALS, page 4C

Begnaud runs to keep husband’s nd s memory alive Lafayette native is on a quest to run in 100 half marathons

Love of running got Pam and her husband Wayne “Bubba” Begnaud competing in half marathons all across the United States.

Love has kept her going — on her own.

Several years ago, the Lafayette couple set a goal: they would compete in 50 half marathons in all 50 states.

“We’d done half marathons in Louisiana and Texas,” Scott Pam said. “Bubba started Rabalais about 10 years ago and I joined in about five years ago.

“We were running in the Little Rock marathon and I said I’d seen people who’d run in all 50 states. It blossomed from there.”

At first, Bubba, able to maintain a faster pace, would run ahead, complete his 13.1 miles and come back to find Pam so they could cross the finish line together. Eventually, his bad knees and her pace found a

lock step as they crossed the pastt 20 finish lines together.

“We’ve done Mount Rainier, Mo ount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Teton,” Te Pam said. “If Bubba was close to any famous sports field, he would wan nt to see it.”

A half marathon this past Oct. 19 1 in Des Moines, Iowa, marked their 48th 4 state. That left just Hawaii and NeN braska to be checked off their listt.

Unfortunately, Des Moines was the end of their racing journey togeth her.

On Nov. 6, as they were prepariing to run in Lincoln, Nebraska, Bubb ba Begnaud died in his sleep at 66. An A autopsy eventually revealed he died of ventricular fibrillation, a deadly condition when the heart stops pumping blood normally.

“He was an organ donor in Nebraska and Louisiana,” Pam said.

“It took two weeks to get his body y back. I wanted an autopsy. No one e could tell me (at first) what happened to my very healthy husban nd. It took about a month.

“Looking back,” Pam said, her voice

Pam and Bubba Begnaud run a half marathon on Oct. 19 in Des Moines, Iowa. It was the last time they ä See RABALAIS, page 4C ran a race together. PROVIDED PHOTO

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU ATHLETICS

Team USA guard Mikaylah Williams looks to take a shot during a quarterfinal game on Saturday in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup. Williams scored the game-winning shot in Sunday’s win over Australia.

Williams, Fulwiley lead Team USA to FIBA 3x3 World Cup gold W

BY REED DARCEY Stafff writer

LSU women’s basketball stars Mikaylah L Willliams and MiLaysia Fulwiley helped Tea am USA win a gold medal Sunday at the 202 26 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Poland.

Williams and Fulwiley — two rising senior W gua ards who earned spots on the U.S. 3×3 nation nal team alongside South Carolina’s Joyce Edw wards and Oklahoma’s Sahara Williams — ssecured the first-place finish by beating Ausstralia 21-20 in the final. Williams hit the gam me-sealing shot, while Fulwiley scored a tea am-high nine points.

“II’m just blessed,” Williams said in her posstgame interview. “I’m blessed to be on thiss stage, to play with some amazing teamma ates, to play for some amazing coaches and d to rep USA. “W We’re young. I think we’re the youngest tea am in the tournament, and we came in herre with a chip on our shoulder.”

The win capped a dominant run for the T group, which has now taken 18 of the 19 gro

ä See GOLD, page 4C

2C ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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France vs. Northern Ireland FS2 8:50 p.m. Spain vs. Peru FS2

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Zverev wins French Open for first Slam

BY ANDREW DAMPF Associated Press

PARIS — Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title.

He’s finally a Grand Slam champion.

In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday.

It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay of Roland Garros.

When Cobolli missed an overhand on the second championship point after more than four hours of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back to the clay and covered his face with his hands as he began sobbing. When he got up, with his shirt and arms covered in clay, Zverev put his hands back on his face before he lifted both arms in celebration.

When Zverev was handed the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy, he lifted it with both hands and let out a liberating roar.

“This court is so special to me in so many ways. I’ve had the best moments of my life on this court; I had the worst moment of my life on these courts,” Zverev said, referring to when he was injured and pushed off on a wheelchair during a semifinal against Rafael Nadal in 2022.

“I was laying in that corner over there four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones,” Zverev said. “I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago but now finally it’s a happy end.”

Zverev has now joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.

No Sinner or Alcaraz Zverev had been an overwhelming favorite for the title ever since the top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week’s heat wave and wasted a two-set and 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. A day later, 24time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated.

Alcaraz, the two-time reigning

Pole vaulter Duplantis has first loss in three years

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Swedish star Mondo Duplantis fell to his first loss in the pole vault since 2023 at his home Diamond League event in Stockholm on Sunday.

The former LSU standout and Lafayette native cleared 5.80 meters — 0.51 lower than his latest world record — but failed twice at 6.00 and once at 6.05.

Kurtis Marschall of Australia won with a vault of 5.90.

It was Duplantis’ first outdoor event of the year.

“I felt a bit unfocused today,” Duplantis said in quotes on olympics.com, “and I really did not want to lose here in front of my family and fans.

“I have not lost in three years, but hats off to Kurtis today who beat me fair and square and I have no excuses.”

Fan-favorite broadcaster, former Bull King dies at 59

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRISTOPHE ENA

Alexander Zverev hugs the trophy after winning the men’s final match against Flavio Cobolli on Sunday at the French Open in Paris. champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist.

It was Zverev’s second French Open final, having wasted a lead of two sets to one against Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.

Zverev had an even bigger advantage — two sets to none — in the 2020 U.S. Open final and lost that one, too, to Thiem. He was also beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.

It was the 25th title of Zverev’s career.

Cobolli’s first Slam final The 14th-ranked Cobolli had never been past a Grand Slam quarterfinal until this week.

He was attempting to become the first Italian man to raise the singles trophy at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Cobolli comes from the same tennis club in Rome as Panatta did, and Panatta was asked by tournament organizers to present the trophy to the champion to celebrate the anniversary of his 1976 triumph.

The honors, however, went to Zverev.

Russian teenager Mirra Andre- Zverev won the point.

Cobolli’s supporters in his box eva won the women’s singles trowere all dressed in blue, the color phy on Saturday. of Italy’s national teams, and as Zverev took control early on Cobolli worked his way back into The match was played in per- the match, there were chants of fect conditions, and Zverev’s “Ole, Ole, Ole; Flavio, Flavio.”

After Zverev held for a 6-5 game was almost flawless at the lead in the fourth, he had his upstart.

Zverev broke Cobolli’s serve per right leg treated by a trainer. in a long opening game when Co- Then Zverev wasted a 3-1 lead in bolli shanked a forehand into the the tiebreaker, which Cobolli confirst row of the stands. The break cluded with a forehand winner up came after Zverev had a bit of the line that produced a roar from luck when a backhand return hit the crowd. the net but dribbled over on game But Cobolli appeared to run out point for Cobolli. of energy in the fifth, running A group of women in the stands down a drop shot only for Zverev held up letters to form Zverev’s to then pass him up the line for a nickname: “Sascha.”

3-0 lead and a double break.

Cobolli likes to stand way over near the corner of the court Abuse allegations and hit big kick serves out wide Moments after Zverev’s previinto the ad court. Zverev knew ous Grand Slam final in Australia what was coming and returned in 2025, a person in the stadium one such kick serve early in the yelled out the names of two of his first set with a backhand that he ex-girlfriends who accused him wrapped around the outside of the of physical abuse. net post. Cobolli ended up winning One case was resolved followthe point, but it was a message ing an agreement between Gerfrom Zverev that he knew how to man prosecutors, lawyers for handle his opponent’s tactics.

Zverev and his former partner.

The next time Zverev hit a The ATP Tour investigated anwrap-around-the-net-post return, other case and concluded there Cobolli couldn’t handle it and was insufficient evidence.

CHICAGO — Stacey King, who played on three consecutive NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls from 1991-93 before returning to the organization as an Emmy-winning, fan-favorite broadcaster, has died. He was 59.

The Bulls announced that King died Sunday and said they were notified by a family member. No other details were available.

King began his NBA playing career with the Bulls, who selected the 6-foot-11 forward/center out of Oklahoma with the sixth overall pick in the 1989 draft. He averaged 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds over his five seasons with the Bulls. He also played for Minnesota, Miami, Boston and Dallas.

As a broadcaster, King spent more than two decades as a commentator on Bulls games.

McDavid ties Gretzky with fifth Lindsay Award honor

NEW YORK — Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player as voted by his peers.

The league and the Players’ Association announced the honor Sunday. This is the fifth time McDavid has won it, tying Wayne Gretzky for the most in league history for the trophy, which used to be named for Lester B. Pearson.

McDavid, 29, led all scorers this past season with 90 assists and 138 points. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov were second and third in voting by members of the NHLPA. McDavid is also a Hart Trophy finalist for league MVP.

holds on to win Poston loses 4-shot lead but rallies to win Memorial Hatton his second LIV Golf title

BY DOUG FERGUSON

SOTOGRANDE, Spain — Tyrrell Hatton had two late birdies to hold off Jon Rahm and close with a 1-under 71, giving him a two-shot victory in LIV Golf Andalucia for his second title in the league.

Hatton’s other victory came in 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rahm closed with a 67 to finish alone in second and keep his place atop the points standings on LIV Golf, which now is off for nearly two months. Abraham Ancer (68) finished third, while Sergio Garcia played the back nine with one bogey and no birdies for a 70 to finish fourth.

Joaquin Niemann stayed third in the points standings to earn a spot in the British Open. Thomas Detry had three early bogeys and never recovered, closing with a 74.

Associated Press

DUBLIN, Ohio — J.T. Poston built a four-shot lead Sunday morning in the rain-delayed Memorial and won the biggest tournament of his career. It just turned out to be a lot more work than he would have imagined.

Poston, who lost his lead after 12 holes, made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to salvage an even-par 72 and force a playoff with Ryan Gerard, and then won on the second extra hole when Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt.

Gerard made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to briefly take the lead, closed with a 68 and didn’t really make a mistake over the final four hours until the final putt.

So ended the longest day for both of them — 33 holes, including 13 in the morning to complete the third round and two playoff holes. But what a payoff for Poston in so many ways. He had not finished in the top 20 in his previous 13 tournaments this year. And then he delivered the goods and celebrated with a handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.

“A lot of holes, a lot of grit,” Poston said. “Obviously, didn’t play my best first 12, 13 holes, but I told myself I knew I was going to shake Jack’s hand walking off 18, and I wanted to be proud of that handshake regardless of how it turned out. So I’m thrilled it happened this way.”

The perks went beyond the $4 million prize. Poston earned a spot in the next three majors with one great week — high enough in the world ranking to avoid a 36hole qualifier Monday for the U.S. Open, the one British Open spot

Texas Tech’s appeal for Sorsby reportedly denied

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI

J.T. Poston shakes hands with golf legend Jack Nicklaus after winning the Memorial on Sunday in Dublin, Ohio. available this week, and a return to the Masters.

They finished at 12-under 276 after Poston and Gerard pulled away from what had been a fiveway tie for the lead with an hour to go in the tournament.

Tommy Fleetwood drilled a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th. Wyndham Clark made a late surge. Sam Burns was never too far behind. All of them were at 11 under heading to the final few holes.

Clark, who made birdie on the 16th to reach 11 under, closed with two pars for a 67. He wound up alone in third, one shot out of the playoff.

Fleetwood hit into the rough with his first three shots on the 17th and had to scramble for bogey. He shot 68. Burns also missed the 17th fairway, and his next shot tumbled back down the rough and settled on the bridge over a small creek. He hit that to 40 feet, and his long par putt peeked into the cup and somehow stayed out. A 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missed. He shot 69 and tie for fourth with Fleetwood.

Scottie Scheffler, trying to join Tiger Woods with a third straight victory at the Memorial, was never in the mix for so much of the week. He closed with a 71

and tied for 12th, but felt he did enough right over the weekend that his game was headed in the right direction.

His next stop is the U.S. Open, where a victory would give him the career Grand Slam.

Rory McIlroy is now 0 for 14 at the Memorial. He birdied his first three holes before getting caught in dense rough that slowed his momentum. He shot 68 and tied for 12th.

Two storm stoppages Saturday led to the marathon Sunday.

Poston did some of his best work in the morning, running off three straight birdies on the back nine for a 69 for a four-shot lead.

Texas Tech’s appeal to the NCAA to have Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility reinstated has been denied, in a ruling that is separate from the transfer quarterback’s lawsuit against that same governing body.

A person with knowledge of the NCAA’s decision told The Associated Press on Friday night that the NCAA for the second time denied Texas Tech’s petition to restore the quarterback’s eligibility. He was ruled ineligible after he acknowledged gambling on sports, including on his own team while at Indiana.

That came while the NCAA and Sorsby were still waiting for a ruling from a Texas judge after the quarterback filed a lawsuit May 18 seeking a temporary injunction against the NCAA in hopes of playing this season for the Red Raiders.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● 3C

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NASCAR race at Michigan stopped for crash The Associated Press BROOKLYN, Mich. — The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway was stopped with 51 laps remaining Sunday to repair a damaged SAFER barrier after a hard crash involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.

During a restart on the 148th lap, the drivers were running side by side for second. Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet bobbled and skidded up the track into Bell’s No. 20 Toyota, which shot into the outside wall at the 2-mile oval where speeds top 200 mph.

The impact with Bell’s Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier, which is comprised of steel and foam to absorb energy in wrecks.

Both drivers climbed from their cars and walked to an ambulance for a trip to the track’s infield care

center. Elliott patted Bell on the shoulder and apologized for the wreck before they entered the ambulance.

“I’m fine; it was totally my fault,” Elliott said. “I feel really bad for Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run on the bottom and make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second and hopefully stay side by side with him. I got in there and got free and thought I was going to spin and was committing to spin out, and as soon as I started to commit to spinning, it just hooked up and hooked a right.

Unfortunately, it sent Christopher into the wall super hard, and then me shortly there behind.

“Just racing really hard. I felt like that was kind of a turning point in the race. We needed to make something happen. I stepped over the line again and paid for it.

… I just told him I’m sorry. Obviously, it was not on purpose.”

William Byron was leading the race when the red flag was displayed at 5:51 p.m. ET for track workers to fix the damaged section of the barrier. Daniel Suarez was in second, followed by Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson.

Rough rookie season A nightmarish debut season in the Cup Series continued for Connor Zilisch, who crashed twice in the first eight laps and finished last in the 37-car field. The Trackhouse Racing driver has finished outside the top 30 the past three races and is still seeking the first top 10 of his rookie campaign.

“I was really loose, but it’s just unfortunate,” Zilisch said. “Another short race for us. We’ll go try and get them at Pocono next week.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAUL SANCyA

Chase Elliott drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedwa yon Sunday in Brooklyn, Mich.

No bags, no watch parties with Trump attending Game 3 Associated Press NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 of the NBA Finals and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game.

The Knicks said Saturday that a strict no-bag policy would be in place and there would be “TSAstyle screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game that is scheduled to begin just after 7:40 p.m.

Trump is a longtime Knicks fan who confirmed Friday that he would attend the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. He already has attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup. The Knicks said there would be no storage at MSG for prohibited items brought to the arena.

Trump’s visit also scuttled

coordination with the Secret Service.

“There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only,” the statement said. “This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit.

We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”

Such parties, where thousands of fans pack in to watch the game on a big screen, have been a point of contention for the city’s police department, even without the complication of a presidential visit.

More than two-dozen people were arrested as Friday’s watch party spilled into the streets surrounding the Garden after the Knicks beat the Spurs in San Antonio. One ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By KATHy WILLENS woman was accused of punching a police officer in the face, Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at the NYPD said.

Madison Square Garden during the New york Knicks game against the Heading into the NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New york. the city had moved to cancel watch parties outside the arena a Game 3 watch party outside partment said in a statement altogether because of rowdy beMSG. The New York Police De- Sunday the decision was made in havior at unofficial gatherings,

but later reversed itself and granted a permit for Game 1 last Wednesday.

Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s New York field office, said he understood that with the Knicks on a historic run there would be some disappointment from fans.

“At the same time, our responsibility is to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he said. “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations.”

Team-sanctioned watch parties will go on at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl, the Knicks website said.

Both events required advanced registration and were already at capacity as of Sunday afternoon.

SCOREBOARD Odds Sports Betting Line NBA Monday

FAVORITE at NEW YORK

MLB

LINE 2½

UNDERDOG San Antonio

Monday

UNDERDOG LINE Seattle OFF Boston OFF at CLEVELAND -105 Houston OFF UNDERDOG Cincinnati Washington

LINE +117 OFF

UNDERDOG at TORONTO at ATHLETICS

LINE +148 +129

Pro basketball NBA Playoff Glance (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

New York 2, San Antonio 0

Wednesday, June 3: New York 105, San Antonio 95 Friday, June 5: New York 105, San Antonio 104 Monday, June 8: San Antonio at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 10: San Antonio at New York, 7:30 p.m. x-Saturday, June 13: New York at San Antonio, TBA x-Tuesday, June 16: San Antonio at New York, TBA x-Friday, June 19: New York at San Antonio, TBA

WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlanta New York Indiana Toronto Washington Chicago Connecticut

W 7 7 5 5 4 4 2

L 3 4 5 5 5 6 10

Pct .700 .636 .500 .500 .444 .400 .167

GB — ½ 2 2 2½ 3 6

Minnesota Dallas Las Vegas Golden State Portland Los Angeles Phoenix Seattle

W 9 7 7 6 6 4 4 3

L 2 3 3 5 6 6 8 9

Pct .818 .700 .700 .545 .500 .400 .333 .250

GB — 1½ 1½ 3 3½ 4½ 5½ 6½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Sunday’s Games

Cleveland Chicago Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 37 34 30 26 26

L 29 30 36 39 39

Pct .561 .531 .455 .400 .400

GB — 2 7 10½ 10½

Seattle Texas Athletics Houston Los Angeles

W 34 31 30 30 24

L 31 33 34 36 41

Pct .523 .484 .469 .455 .369

GB — 2½ 3½ 4½ 10

West Division

Saturday’s Games

Seattle 4, Detroit 0 Kansas City 3, Minnesota 2 Toronto 6, Baltimore 4 Chicago White Sox 6, Philadelphia 3 Miami 4, Tampa Bay 3 Houston 13, Athletics 2 Cleveland 6, Texas 0 L.A. Dodgers 9, L.A. Angels 2 Boston at N.Y. Yankees, ppd.

L 21 30 32 35 36

Pct .677 .531 .508 .462 .438

GB — 9½ 11 14 15½

W 39 34 34 34 31

L 23 28 31 31 32

Pct .629 .548 .523 .523 .492

GB — 5 6½ 6½ 8½

Pct .646 .524 .516 .400 .369

GB — 8 8½ 16 18

L 23 30 31 39 41

Indiana at Washington, 6 p.m.

New York at Connecticut, 6 p.m.

Seattle at Las Vegas, 9 p.m.

Phoenix at Golden State, 9 p.m.

Wednesday’s Games Connecticut at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Los Angeles at Seattle, 9 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

Major League Baseball American League Pct

GB

Atlanta 3, Pittsburgh 2 L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m.

Miami 4, Tampa Bay 1 N.Y. Mets at San Diego, 4:10 p.m.

St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 3 Philadelphia 9, Chicago White Sox 5 Arizona 5, Washington 1

Sunday

At Stade Roland Garros Paris Purse: €28,900,000 Surface: Red clay Results Sunday from French Open at Stade Roland Garros (seedings in parentheses):

American Family Insurance Championship

W 44 34 33 30 28

W 42 33 33 26 24

French Open Results

Golf

National League

Milwaukee St. Louis Chicago Pittsburgh Cincinnati West Division

Tennis

Championship Taylor Townsend, United States, and Katerina Siniakova (1), Czechia, def. Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina (2), Kazakhstan, 6-2, 7-5.

Seattle (Hancock 4-2) at Baltimore (Bassitt 4-4), 5:35 p.m.

Boston (Early 5-3) at Tampa Bay (Matz 4-3), 5:40 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Warren 7-1) at Cleveland (Williams 9-3), 5:40 p.m.

Philadelphia (Sánchez 7-2) at Toronto (Corbin 2-2), 6:07 p.m.

Houston (Arrighetti 7-1) at L.A. Angels (Rodriguez 2-2), 8:38 p.m.

Milwaukee (Harrison 7-1) at Athletics (Springs 3-6), 9:05 p.m.

Central Division

Philadelphia (Sánchez 7-2) at Toronto (Corbin 2-2), 6:07 p.m.

Cincinnati (Abbott 4-3) at San Diego (Buehler 3-3), 8:40 p.m.

Washington (Mikolas 1-5) at San Francisco (Webb 3-4), 8:45 p.m.

Milwaukee (Harrison 7-1) at Athletics (Springs 3-6), 9:05 p.m.

Women’s Doubles

Monday’s Games

Atlanta Philadelphia Washington Miami New York

Monday’s Games

Championship Alexander Zverev (2), Germany, def. Flavio Cobolli (10), Italy, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1.

L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m.

Miami 4, Tampa Bay 1 N.Y. Yankees 6, Boston 1 Toronto 6, Baltimore 4 Detroit 5, Seattle 4 Athletics 5, Houston 0 Philadelphia 9, Chicago White Sox 5 Kansas City 6, Minnesota 5 Texas 10, Cleveland 0

East Division

Milwaukee 12, Colorado 4 San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 7:30 p.m.

Men’s Singles

St. Louis 6, Cincinnati 5 Chicago Cubs 3, San Francisco 2, 10 innings Washington 6, Arizona 1 Atlanta 6, Pittsburgh 3 Chicago White Sox 6, Philadelphia 3 Miami 4, Tampa Bay 3 Milwaukee 7, Colorado 1 San Diego 3, N.Y. Mets 2 L.A. Dodgers 9, L.A. Angels 2

Monday’s Games

L

— 1 8 8 10½

Saturday’s Games

Toronto 85, Chicago 65 Los Angeles 85, Portland 65

W

.607 .587 .477 .477 .435

Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

Las Vegas 84, Golden State 79 Atlanta 109, Washington 77 New York 83, Indiana 75 Minnesota 88, Seattle 68

East Division

24 26 34 34 35

Sunday’s Games

FINALS

Saturday’s Games

37 37 31 31 27

Central Division

O/U (216½)

American League FAVORITE LINE at BALTIMORE OFF at TAMPA BAY OFF N.Y Yankees -114 at LA ANGELS OFF National League FAVORITE LINE at SAN DIEGO -138 at SAN FRAN OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE Philadelphia -175 Milwaukee -153

Tampa Bay New York Baltimore Toronto Boston

Michael Kim Patrick Rodgers Tom Hoge Ryo Hisatsune Corey Conners

Sunday At Muirfield Village Golf Club Dublin, Ohio Purse: $20 million Yardage: 7,569; Par: 72 Final Round

At Kendrick Family Ballpark, Morgantown, W.V. West Virginia 2, Cal Poly 0

the Memorial Tournament

Sunday At TPC Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Purse: $3 million Yardage: 7,031; Par: 71 Final Round D.Clarke/B.Crane B.Gay/R.Sabbatini G.McNeill/K.Perry G.Chalmers/C.Percy F.Jacobson/S.Kjeldsen R.Green/M.Hensby S.Cink/Z.Johnson S.Parel/P.Stankowski T.Gainey/T.Ridings D.Barron/D.Pride J.Caron/B.Quigley S.Alker/B.Langer A.Cejka/T.O’Neal K.Tanigawa/M.Weir W.Austin/V.Taylor R.Goosen/B.Van Pelt S.Stricker/M.Tiziani H.Frazar/T.Petrovic H.Slocum/B.Weekley M.Allen/J.Daly S.Allan/D.Bransdon B.Andrade/J.Maggert S.Bertsch/E.Els J.Durant/K.Sutherland S.Flesch/P.Goydos D.Duval/M.Gogel J.Kelly/J.Leonard S.Appleby/M.Wright T.Pernice/V.Singh B.Jobe/S.McCarron C.Wi/Y.Yang C.Campbell/R.Pampling M.Jimenez/J.Olazabal A.Cabrera/R.Gonzalez F.Funk/G.Sauers K.Duke/T.Lehman D.Love III/S.Verplank L.Janzen/R.Mediate

62-54-67—183 60-60-64—184 64-58-62—184 61-58-66—185 59-62-65—186 60-62-64—186 65-58-63—186 62-59-65—186 63-58-65—186 63-58-66—187 62-58-67—187 61-61-65—187 63-57-68—188 65-60-63—188 64-60-64—188 64-60-65—189 65-61-63—189 62-61-67—190 66-56-68—190 63-60-67—190 65-59-66—190 62-63-66—191 63-60-68—191 65-59-68—192 64-62-67—193 65-61-68—194 67-60-67—194 62-62-70—194 66-61-67—194 68-63-64—195 65-64-66—195 66-66-64—196 64-64-68—196 64-62-72—198 64-67-68—199 69-63-68—200 68-65-68—201 69-67-70—206

Sunday At The International Amsterdam Purse: $2.8 million Yardage: 6,914; Par: 71 Final Round E. Chacarra $402,463 Oliver Lindell $260,417 A. Fanegas $112,690 Joe Dean $112,690

69-69-65-70—273 -11 69-67-69-69—274 -10 73-65-68-70—276 -8 66-70-71-69—276 -8

KLM Open Par Scores

S. Soderberg $112,690 67-66-70-73—276 -8 M. Steinlechner $112,690 67-69-69-71—276 -8 Julien Guerrier $65,104 65-69-72-71—277 -7 Danny Willett $65,104 71-67-70-69—277 -7 Yanhan Zhou $53,030 71-70-67-70—278 -6 Sami Valimaki $47,349 70-68-72-69—279 -5 Nacho Elvira $40,799 73-69-68-70—280 -4 J. Trey Schaper $40,799 70-71-70-69—280 -4 Richard Sterne $40,799 69-72-69-70—280 -4 Ma. Armitage $32,096 71-66-67-77—281 -3 M. Helligkilde $32,096 71-69-72-69—281 -3 Calum Hill $32,096 68-70-69-74—281 -3 Daniel Hillier $32,096 70-65-73-73—281 -3 James Mrrisn $32,096 71-70-69-71—281 -3 David Ravetto $32,096 72-67-71-71—281 -3 P. Ereno Perez $32,096 73-68-70-70—281 -3 Ross Fisher $25,332 71-67-74-70—282 -2 J. Gumbrg $25,332 68-68-70-76—282 -2 Angel Hidalgo $25,332 72-69-69-72—282 -2 Scott Jamiesn $25,332 72-68-72-70—282 -2 N. Norgrd Mllr $25,332 71-67-70-74—282 -2 B. Thmpsn $25,332 69-69-69-75—282 -2 B. Wiesberger $25,332 69-71-72-70—282 -2 Michael Hollick $21,425 69-72-70-72—283 -1 K. Kobori $21,425 71-68-69-75—283 -1 G. Migliozzi $21,425 70-68-71-74—283 -1 Callum Tarren $21,425 69-66-76-72—283 -1 Andreas Halvorsn $17,91470-70-74-70—284 E Yuto Katsurgwa $17,914 69-66-70-79—284 E Matteo Manssro $17,914 73-69-71-71—284 E F. Molinari $17,914 69-69-70-76—284 E Ryan Peake $17,914 70-69-72-73—284 E Marcel Siem $17,914 67-72-77-68—284 E Cameron Adam $14,441 69-70-74-72—285 +1 K. Aphibarnrat $14,441 75-67-72-71—285 +1 Davis Bryant $14,441 70-69-73-73—285 +1 Jens Dantorp $14,441 72-70-68-75—285 +1 Ricardo Gouveia $14,441 71-71-74-69—285 +1 Hunter Logan $14,441 71-65-73-76—285 +1

-30 -29 -29 -28 -27 -27 -27 -27 -27 -26 -26 -26 -25 -25 -25 -24 -24 -23 -23 -23 -23 -22 -22 -21 -20 -19 -19 -19 -19 -18 -18 -17 -17 -15 -14 -13 -12 -7

+9 +9 +13 +16 +18

College baseball Best of Three x-if necessary At Foley Field, Athens, Ga. Georgia 1, Mississippi St. 0

Saturday: Georgia 13, Mississippi St. 12 Sunday: Georgia 11, Mississippi St. 9 x-Monday: Georgia vs. Mississippi St., TBD

At Plainsman Park, Auburn, Ga. Mississippi 2, Auburn 0 Friday: Mississippi 6, Auburn 4 Saturday: Mississippi 5, Auburn 3

At UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Austin, Texas Texas 1, Oregon 0 Saturday: Texas 11, Oregon 3 Sunday: Texas vs. Oregon, n x-Monday: Texas vs. Oregon, TBD

At Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C. Southern Cal 1, North Carolina 1

Friday: Southern Cal 9, North Carolina 5 Saturday: North Carolina 4, Southern Cal 0 Sunday: North Carolina 4, Southern Cal 3

At Hogland Ballpark, Lawrence, Kan. Oklahoma 1, Kansas 0

Saturday: Oklahoma 8, Kansas 1 Sunday: Kansas vs. Oklahoma, n x-Monday: Kansas vs. Oklahoma, TBD

Friday: West Virginia 12, Cal Poly 2 Saturday: West Virginia 17, Cal Poly 1

At Riddle-Pace Field, Troy, Ala. Troy 2, Little Rock 0

(x-won on second playoff hole)

x-J.T. Poston70-65-69-72—276 -12 Ryan Gerard 67-69-72-68—276 Wyndham Clark 67-75-68-67—277 Sam Burns 69-69-71-69—278 Tommy Fleetwood 67-73-70-68—278 Alex Fitzpatrick 72-71-72-65—280 Kristoffer Reitan 75-70-70-65—280 Eric Cole 72-69-70-70—281 Alex Noren 71-74-67-70—282 Si Woo Kim 72-76-69-66—283 Maverick McNealy 71-73-68-71—283 Rory McIlroy 71-74-71-68—284 Justin Rose 69-76-68-71—284 Scottie Scheffler 73-72-68-71—284 Adam Scott 72-74-72-66—284 J.J. Spaun 67-77-68-72—284 Patrick Cantlay 70-72-76-67—285 Harris English 71-76-69-69—285 Keegan Bradley 71-73-69-73—286 Aaron Rai 73-70-73-70—286 Justin Thomas 74-75-72-65—286 Bud Cauley 73-74-71-69—287 Russell Henley 72-76-71-68—287 Kurt Kitayama 72-72-71-72—287 Matt Kuchar 75-71-72-69—287 Shane Lowry 70-73-71-73—287 Ryan Fox 70-77-71-70—288 Chris Gotterup 74-74-70-70—288 Tony Finau 70-74-73-72—289 Harry Hall 73-71-71-74—289 Xander Schauffele 72-70-74-73—289 Sungjae Im 73-72-72-73—290 Sahith Theegala 74-71-72-73—290 Jacob Bridgeman 76-69-77-69—291 Denny McCarthy 73-75-74-69—291 Matt Fitzpatrick 75-71-73-73—292 Brandt Snedeker 76-72-75-69—292 72-74-76-70—292 Gary Woodland Ludvig Aberg 71-78-69-75—293 Nicolas Echavarria 73-75-75-71—294 Sepp Straka 74-75-72-73—294 Sudarshan Yellamaraju 73-75-74-72—294 72-73-78-72—295 Hideki Matsuyama Taylor Pendrith 71-73-77-74—295 Nick Taylor 68-78-73-76—295 Lucas Glover 73-76-73-74—296 Mac Meissner 75-74-75-72—296 Cameron Young 73-74-76-73—296

76-72-77-72—297 74-74-74-75—297 77-72-75-77—301 71-76-78-79—304 74-75-79-78—306

-12 -11 -10 -10 -8 -8 -7 -6 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 E E +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +6 +6 +6 +7 +7 +7 +8 +8 +8

Friday: Troy 12, Little Rock 2 Saturday: Troy 7, Little Rock 2

At Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama 1 St. John’s 0

Saturday: Alabama 8, St. John’s 0 Sunday: Alabama vs. St. John’s, 2 p.m. x-Monday: Alabama vs. St. John’s, TBD

Hockey NHL Playoff Glance FINALS

(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

Vegas 2, Carolina 1

Tuesday, June 2: Vegas 5, Carolina 4 Thursday, June 4: Carolina 4, Vegas 3, OT Saturday, June 6: Vegas 5, Carolina 4, 2OT Tuesday, June 9: Carolina at Vegas, 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 11: Vegas at Carolina, 7 p.m. x-Sunday, June 14: Carolina at Vegas, TBA x-Wednesday, June 17: Vegas at Carolina, TBA

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League DETROIT TIGERS — Sent LHP Tarik Skubal on a rehab assignment to West Michigan (ML).

LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Placed RHP Jack Kochanowicz on the 15-day IL. Recalled LHP Sam Aldegheri from Salt Lake (PCL).

National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Reinstated RHP Taylor Clarke. Optioned LHP Philip Abner to Reno (PCL).

CHICAGO CUBS — Acquired LHP Antoine Kelly from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

CINCINNATI REDS — Reinstated RHP Rhett Lowder from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Luis Mey to Louisville (IL).

COLORADO ROCKIES — Recalled LHP Sammy Peralta from Albuquerque (PCL). Optioned RHP TJ Shook to Albuquerque.

4C ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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LSU football gets FINALS two commitments

Continued from page 1C

Defensive end Green, running back Lacey set to join Tigers in 2027

BY REED DARCEY

Staff writer

their intentions to sign with the Tigers three days after coach Lane Kiffin and his staff lost a pledge from defensive end Jaiden Bryant, a five-star recruit who’s now committed to Miami.

LSU has six more months to fill out the rest of its 2027 signing class before the early signing window opens in December. One of Kiffin’s top priorities is a push he and his staff are making to flip Brother Martin wide receiver Easton Royal, a top-10 national prospect who’s currently committed to Texas.

In May, Kiffin hired former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron as a special assistant to recruiting and defense. He’s begun recruiting players on the series of official visits the Tigers have hosted across the last weekend of May and the first weekend of June.

Green told Rivals that he was choosing LSU over Georgia, South Carolina and Oregon.

LSU football added two verbal commitments to its 2027 freshman class on Sunday — one from a four-star Georgia edge rusher and one from a three-star Texas running back.

KJ Green, the defensive end, is one of the 75 best players in his class, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Brennen Lacey, the tailback, is one of the nation’s top 650 prospects.

Both recruits now join an LSU recruiting class that so far features six total players. Three of them are top-100 recruits: fivestar tight end Ahmad Hudson (Ruston), Green and four-star quarterback Peyton Houston (Shreveport).

Email Reed Darcey at reed.

Green and Lacey announced darcey@theadvocate.com.

played at MSG since the Knicks won the 1973 title. They were rarely close again until this 13game winning streak, the secondlongest by any team in the playoffs, with the atmosphere around the city seemingly becoming more raucous with each victory.

“Fans have earned the right and deserve the right to see finals basketball be played here at Madison Square Garden,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.

“For this to be the first game in a long time that they have seen finals basketball, it’s up to us to bring it, give them something to cheer for, give them something to get loud for and also give them something to believe in.”

Wembanyama, Brunson and the rest of the players will be only part of the scene Monday, sharing it with the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game and the celebrity fans who surround the court. Some of them were already there Sunday for practices, with Knicks coach Mike Brown finally getting to meet actor Ben Stiller, then having his news conference extended when rapper Fat Joe insisted on a chance to speak from the back.

Wembanyama got to show his stuff at MSG in his second season, when the Spurs were given the leadoff game on the NBA’s marquee Christmas schedule and he scored 42 points. Opportunities like that, which the Spurs increasingly have been treated to since drafting the 7-foot-4 phenom from France, could help them with what they will face Monday.

“This arena’s like no other. The added circumstances will be on top of that,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “We’ve been fortunate to play some games in this arena recently that have been, again, not finals, but a Christmas game. Again, I just think added attention around Victor and being in this arena a

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROSS D. FRANKLIN

The San Antonio Spurs team practices before Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the New york Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New york. few times, we’ve experienced that.

I would expect tomorrow will be more than that.”

The Knicks have been so dominant during this run that they haven’t gotten to see MSG much. They have played only four home games since May 4, when they opened the second round of the playoffs. So, even the home team struggles to put into words exactly what Monday will look and sound like.

“I’ve seen a lot of crazy atmospheres,” guard Deuce McBride said. “I don’t think I’m going to know what to expect, but I’m just proud to be here, I’m so blessed to play here and I know the fans are going to bring it and we’re going to do everything we can.”

The arena that shook when Willis Reed walked onto the court for Game 7 in 1970 will be rocking again Monday. The current MSG had opened just a couple of years earlier, and the previous one nev-

er even saw the NBA Finals. The Knicks made it three straight years from 1951-53, but those games were played at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue because the Garden was hosting the circus.

Game 3 kicks off a massive sports week in the New York region, with a World Cup game scheduled for Saturday in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will host the final. Knicks forward Josh Hart had signed on in an ambassador role for the local World Cup committee, but knows the Knicks have put even the world’s biggest sporting event on the back burner for the moment.

“I love football, man, so obviously a little bummed I can’t go to some of those matches, but I have something a little more interesting right now going on in my life,” Hart said. “It also adds to the energy of the city.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

Gaither’s Quinton Williams fakes a handoff to Latrell Collier during the first half of the HBCU Legacy Bowl on Feb. 24, 2024, at yulman Stadium.

LEGACY

Continued from page 1C

up to the game, similar to what happens at the Senior Bowl. The week also featured a combine for players at the New Orleans Saints’ practice facility.

“This type of exposure will at least make sure teams get a chance to see the athletic ability and watch them compete against each other,” Harris said. “The teams can work them out and see them up close and personal. It’s all about the opportunity.”

The game includes a career fair that gives students from HBCUs a chance to find jobs in various areas. Students from the local university — Xavier, Dillard and UNO — were frequent attendees at the event. Now the event moves to Atlanta, a city that calls HBCUs like Morehouse, Spelman and Clark and Morris Brown home.

“Atlanta’s national visibility, strong corporate community, thriving HBCU alumni base, and world-class event infrastructure make it an ideal destination for the game and its surrounding week of programming,” Legacy Bowl officials said in a statement.

The purpose of the game is to give more players from HBCUs a chance to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts. The number of players from HBCUs has declined drastically since the days when Williams and Harris played. There were no players from HBCUs drafted in April.

Carson Vinson, an offensive tackle from Alabama A&M, was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

“Everybody doesn’t get the opportunity that I had,” Williams said back in 2021 when the game was first announced. “We understand why that is. It’s because of what has transpired over the years from a recruiting standpoint, where most people think all the top players go to Power Five schools. Let’s be honest: It’s true.

But I still think there are some diamonds that are being missed.”

The game’s goal is to make sure those diamonds continue to be found. Pro coaches get to at- Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ tend practices the week leading theadvocate.com.

GOLD

Continued from page 1C

Before Williams drained the clincher, she had missed all four long-range shots she tried in the gold-medal game.

“Kudos to my teammates for believing in me to hit that shot,” Williams said. “I think, at that point of the game, I just wanted to get it over. I know we needed a good bucket. We weren’t going into overtime, so I did what I had to do.”

USA Basketball has now won gold four times at the 3×3 World Cup since its inception in 2012.

LSU center Kate Koval also appeared in the event for the Ukrainian team, which lost to Australia in the quarterfinals. She tallied 12 points, 23 rebounds and six blocks across the five games she played.

Williams, Fulwiley and Koval are all set to return to LSU for the 2026-27 season, the sixth year of Kim Mulkey’s tenure as head coach.

games it’s played since May 1.

Before they opened play in the World Cup, Williams and Fulwiley helped USA Basketball win back-to-back titles on the Women’s Series circuit for the first time since it joined the event in 2019. Williams led the U.S. in scoring at both stops, while Fulwiley blocked a team-high 10 shots.

In the World Cup, Williams collected a team-high 46 points across seven contests. On Sunday, she hit not one, but two gamewinners — one to beat Azerbaijan in the semifinals and another to steal the gold from Australia in the final. The Aussies led 20-19 with 40 seconds left to play when the Bossier City product decided to pull up from 2-point range to steal the win. In 3×3 basketball, the first team to 21 points wins Email Reed Darcey at reed. the game. darcey@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Pam Begnaud, holding a photo, celebrates after running her 50th half marathon in 50 states with running friends on May 11 in South Sioux City, Neb.

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C quavering, “I’m so grateful what we were able to accomplish and the time we were able to spend together.”

The question soon became how Pam, who retired from her job as a radio station market manager in Lafayette for Townsquare Media at the end of 2024, would spend her time. How she would find something to fill her days, and that unfillable void, in her life.

“When I came back, I wanted to quit running,” Pam said. “I was done.”

Still, plans had already been made for Pam and Bubba to run in Hawaii, their 49th state, in January.

After much thought, Pam decided to go. To complete another important milepost on their quest.

Accompanied by two of their three children, Jaden and Anais, Pam made the solemn but determined trip across the Pacific. On Jan. 18, she ran the Maui Oceanfront Marathon.

Race organizers awarded a medal, posthumously, to Bubba.

“They said he finished his race,” Pam said.

That still left one race to go to complete the 50. One in Nebraska. Pam couldn’t bring herself to go back to Lincoln, where Bubba died, so she found another event.

On May 11, Pam ran in South Sioux City, Nebraska, surrounded by the racing friends she and

She runs alone now, but then Bubba made through all their again, not really. Not with all the trips around the country. running friends Pam and Bubba Would this be the end of Pam’s made over the years. Not with all running journey? She decided the memories. it was not. Soon, Begnaud set “They’re like a family,” Pam off on a quest to complete 100 half marathons through a racing said earlier this week. “I went to packet pickup today and everycompany she and Bubba worked one knew I lost my husband. That with called Mainly Marathons.

Runners who reach the 100-event he was a runner. They’re kind, like-minded people.” mark get recognized as being “No doubt” Bubba would want part of the 50-state marathon Pam to keep going, she said. half-marathon club.

She’s living his “I know this is “I know this is favorite phrase: “I what he would want got it.” me to do,” Begnaud what he would “That’s the only said. “To keep busy. want me to do. reason I’m doing I’m not sitting on it,” Begnaud said. a sofa crying 24/7.

To keep busy.

“To honor him. I I’ve talked to other I’m not sitting know he’s watchwidows who said on a sofa crying ing.” they’re no better If her words reoff than when their 24/7.” mind you a bit of husband died. I “Forrest Gump,” couldn’t do that.”

PAM BEGNAUD you’d be right.

Pam is currently Once in a race near in the midst of her the Four Corners of Arizona, race to 100, taking on back-toColorado, New Mexico and Utah, back racing series in the northPam and Bubba trekked down a east, a total of 11 races in 11 highway traveled by Tom Hanks’ days. She started Wednesday in Bear, Delaware, then ran through character in the famous movie as he thinks of his beloved Jenny.

Maryland, Pennsylvania and “I know this is where I feel New Jersey. Sunday found Beclosest to him,” Pam said. gnaud running in Montgomery, After Maine, what’s next? BegNew York. If all goes as schednaud hasn’t decided, just that she uled, after events this week in plans to keep running.

Connecticut, Rhode Island, MasFor herself. For Bubba. sachusetts, Vermont and New “He’s still running right beside Hampshire, Begnaud will run her 100th race this coming Satur- Pam,” David Clark, a fellow runner, said at a gathering back in day in Sanford, Maine.

January in Hawaii.

“It’s pretty much rinse and reLove doesn’t have to end with peat,” Begnaud said. “Run, take a shower, grab your luggage, drive the grave.

It certainly doesn’t end at the to the next state. It’s ‘Groundhog finish line of a race.

Day’ every day.”

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

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M o n d ay, J u n e 8, 2026

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Grill time

From ribs to brisket and beyond, American barbecue is a delicious part of U.S. tradition

BY DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press

PROVIDED AND PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES

Martin Duralde, a French-born commandant for the Spanish post of Opelousas, documented the Attakapas Indians’ legend of the mastodon and carrion crows in a letter to Indian Agent John Sibley. Sibley sent the letter to the American Philosophical Society, which published it in 1809.

A little bird told him …

Warning: Reading this could make you hungry.

That’s because we’re talking about barbecue — the “low and slow” cooking method that’s a hallmark of American culture.

Obviously, meat cooked over heat can be found in great-tasting forms all over the world — roasted, baked, grilled, all the ways. Many of them are regulars on the American plate. But there’s something about the way barbecue developed in the U.S., cuts of meat made falling-offthe-bone tender through hours of cooking over indirect heat or smoke at lower temperatures, often with a sauce used as a marinade or for basting or perhaps a mix of dry spices. See: Ribs. Brisket. Pork shoulder.

(You’re hungry, aren’t you. Told you.)

The roots of what’s become American barbecue go back before the U.S. officially even became a country, says Robert F. Moss, contributing barbecue editor for Southern Living magazine and author of “Barbecue, The History of American Institution.”

It’s a mix of influences, he says, starting between the indigenous peoples already here with their own cooking methods, the colonists who came from Europe with livestock new to the Americas and the enslaved Africans with their own cultures and traditions forcibly brought over and put to work.

Was it a mastodon carcass or a fish kill that attracted the horde of carrion crows to Carencro?

IN

BY ROBIN MILLER | Staff writer

1802, Spanish commandant Martin Duralde shared the story of a dead elephant carcass swarmed by vultures in southwest Louisiana with Indian agent John Sibley, who passed it on to the American Philosophical Society.

The society published the story in 1809 and has since been associated with the city of Carencro.

Duralde, meanwhile, was a native of France who was serving as commandant of the Spanish post of Opelousas preceding the Louisiana Purchase. The Attakapas Indian tribe also lived in the area, and Duralde spent time learning its language.

And it was through the Attakapas that Duralde learned the elephant story. Tribal members described the carcass as enormous — so big that it attracted a horde of carrion crows, the black scavenger birds that feast on dead animals’ decaying flesh. ä See CURIOUS, page 6C

‘When you see this garden at peak bloom, there’s nothing like it.’

Tens of thousands to make annual peony pilgrimage

BY MIKE HOUSEHOLDER

different places, and there’s different varieties, different colors.

It smells amazing. It’s just a reANN ARBOR, Mich. — Nicole Calvin ally beautiful place to be.” has been visiting the University The Ann Arbor school anticiof Michigan campus annually pates 100,000 visitors will come over the past 16 years to catch to behold the unique perennials a peek — and a whiff — of the and their showy pink, white and school’s sizable peony collection. red blooms of many shades and She even came twice this year. varieties.

“I just love walking through The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden the gardens,” Calvin said Monä See PEONIES, page 6C day. “I love that they come from Associated Press

Peonies are on display at Nichols Arboretum’s W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden on May 30 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

AP PHOTO By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER

AP PHOTO By DARIO LOPEZ-MILLS

A plate of ribs and sausage with two sides is served at the Little Miss BBQ in Phoenix on May 19.

“A lot of visitors to the United States ... called out barbecue as being a particular American kind of thing,” Moss says.

“From the very beginning, it was something distinctive to the Americas and something that Europeans recognized as being something different than the way they cooked meat.”

The development of what we think of as barbecue today had other influences over the centuries, like commercial refrigeration of the late 19th century and the subsequent popularity of the in-home version in the early decades of the 20th, which allowed people to buy and store cuts of meat in ways impossible in colonial times.

Another hallmark of American barbecue culture is how regional it is, with different sauces and cooking techniques in North Carolina vs Memphis vs Texas vs Georgia. Moss says that developed in the early part of the 20th century.

A local cook might start a restaurant and teach barbecue to his employees, who then went out on their own. “You can literally map out these barbecue mentors who sort of spun out all these other cooks, and you can see how their style sort of was handed down from one generation to the next,” Moss says.

“And that’s where you start seeing all the things we think of as the iconic.”

6C ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

No single test will assure heart health Dear Doctors: I had a carotid ultrasound that shows 0% stenosis on both the right and left sides. Does that mean no plaque was seen?

Also, is there any gold-standard test for heart health, such as the carotid ultrasound I had?

Dear Reader: At this time, there is no single test or tool that can assess heart health. This is because the cardiovascular system is complex and many factors can affect it. We’re talking not only about the heart muscle itself, but also the blood vessels that serve it. Other variables include blood pressure, age, weight, body fat percentage and blood lipid levels. The presence of visceral fat, metabolic health, lifestyle, stress and genetic risk also play important roles.

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Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr. Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

That said, a combination of scans and tests can be used to create a comprehensive profile of cardiovascular risk. This refers to the probability someone will have an event that damages the heart muscle, which we call a heart attack. If poor blood flow is detected, then treatment options might include angioplasty, stent or bypass surgery. Unstable an-

gina is the condition of reduced blood flow to the heart with physical symptoms, including sudden chest pain and dizziness, but that hasn’t caused a heart attack yet.

The carotid ultrasound you had measures the thickness of the walls of the blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain. The images also show whether plaque is present and how much there is. Greater amounts of plaque correlate to more severe risk of disease. Your 0% reading means there is no measurable narrowing of the vessels. It is still possible there may be some plaque, but not enough to narrow the artery.

The result of your carotid ultrasound is quite reassuring. However, it is important to understand

that it cannot capture all aspects of cardiovascular risk. Other tests to assess the arteries of the heart, as well as heart function at rest and under stress, are needed.

Tests that evaluate heart function include an echocardiogram. It uses sound waves to provide moving, real-time images of the heart. A stress echocardiogram takes images of the heart before and after exercise. Nuclear medicine scans can also be useful. These use radioactive isotopes to see the flow of blood through the heart. They can identify areas of reduced blood flow, particularly during stress.

Many more cardiologists are now ordering coronary artery calcium scans, also referred to as CAC tests. This test uses X-rays to look for the presence of calci-

CURIOUS

By The Associated Press

Think of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror classic, “The Birds.” That was the size of this bayou gathering of vultures. The Acadians call them carencro.

The birds are the namesake for Bayou Carencro, and its subsequent city.

Is it true?

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Bayou Carencro as it appears today along the border between Lafayette and St. Landry parishes. about the carrion crows?

Why were the birds there?

Author Clare D’Artois Leeper, in her book “Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries,” simply states that the bayou and settlement “probably owes its name to the fact that vast numbers of buzzards often gathered in that vicinity.”

Author Buddy Stall, in his book, “Louisiana Potpourri,” concurs, stating that “Carencro is the French designation for the turkey buzzard. The area was inundated with turkey buzzards, hence the name Carencro.”’

However, neither author examines the reason for the gathering of carrion crows.

This is where yet another Native American legend enters the story, this time crediting the name to a “fish die-off” on the bayou.

This makes more sense than a mastodon carcass.

Still, the mastodon makes for better folklore. And as for the Stall’s reference to turkey buzzards, there’s an explanation for that, too.

In some accounts, the birds were called “carencro tête rouge,” or red-headed buzzard. Either way, they

PEONIES

were a type of vulture.

Clare D’Artois Leeper, in her book, states that a move was made in the late 1800s to change the town’s name.

“Because the name Carencro does not have a particularly pleasing aura, an effort was made to change it in 1874,” she writes. “Pierre Cormier donated ground for a church to replace the chapel on the condition that the name Carencro, which he deemed offensive, be changed to St. Pierre in honor of his patron saint.”

Cormier was a prominent planter in the area and quite active in the Catholic church.

“The villagers agreed but soon drifted back to the familiar appellation which the town still bears,” Leeper writes.

That happened on July 6, 1905, when the town was formerly incorporated.

And the city has borne the name of the carrion crow since.

Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

Nicole Calvin crouches down to look at peonies on display at Nichols Arboretum’s W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Continued from page 5C features one of the largest collections of historic — pre1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America and likely the world.

“There’s been a long fascination with this plant, because, when it’s peak, it’s so out there. It’s such a big show,” said Doug Conley, horticulture lead of Nichols Arboretum, known locally as The Arb. “And our collection is overwhelming. When you see this garden at peak bloom, there’s nothing like it. You’re captivated by it.”

The peony watch is a spectator sport with so many visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the

Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Continued from page 5C

So, did Duralde believe it?

Or did it matter?

Dee Jeffers would like to know.

“I grew up in Branch, and Carencro was only about 25 miles away,” the Baton Rouge reader said. “I know the name, ‘Carencro,’ comes from the French word for vultures, but I’ve heard stories over the years about the city’s name being connected to a dead mastodon. Is it true?”

Jeffers is right. Historians and folklorists have interpreted the description of the large creature as being a mastodon, which would make more sense than an elephant.

Elephants are in no way native to Louisiana, but Mastodon remains have been discovered in the southern part of the state through the years.

Mastodons didn’t go extinct until 10,000 years ago, meaning they coexisted with humans. But these were humans that would have predated the Attakapas. Even Duralde pointed this out in a later report.

“Duralde later wrote a more detailed letter describing the discovery of the remains, which was published in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society in 1809, but he only briefly alluded to the Atakapa legend,” the Encyclopaedia of Cryptozoology states in its “American Elephant” entry.

“According to Duralde, the bones had been discovered shortly after 1760.”

The encyclopedia continues, pointing out that “’Father of palaeontology’ Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) also discovered more mastodon remains near Carencro during his tour of the United States in 1804.

Cuvier referred to the discovery and the mastodon tradition as ‘curious and interesting.’”

The story of a mastodon in the area is plausible, though not during the Attakapas’ time. But what

fied plaque in the coronary arteries. Also useful is the computed tomography angiogram, or CTA. It uses X-rays, contrast dye and computer processing to create detailed images of the blood vessels in the heart.

Not everyone needs each of these tests to assess heart health. Decisions about their use should be made based on your own medical history and general health. These decisions should always be made in consultation with your doctors.

Today is Monday, June 8, the 159th day of 2026. There are 206 days left in the year.

Today in history: On June 8, 2023, Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Miami on 37 felony counts related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents that had been moved to Mara-Lago, Trump’s Florida home. (The case was abandoned following Trump’s November 2024 presidential election victory.)

Also on this date: In 1789, in an address to the U.S. House of Representatives, James Madison proposed amending the Constitution to include a Bill of Rights.

In 1966, a merger was announced between the National Football League and the American Football League, to take effect in 1970.

In 1967, during the ArabIsraeli Six-Day War, 34 American crew members were killed and 170 were wounded when Israel at-

tacked the USS Liberty, an intelligence-gathering ship, in the Mediterranean Sea. (Israel later said the Liberty had been mistaken for an Egyptian vessel.)

In 1968, U.S. authorities announced the capture in London of James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. In 1978, a jury in Clark County, Nevada, ruled the so-called “Mormon Will,” purportedly written by the late billionaire Howard Hughes, was a forgery.

In 1995, U.S. Marines rescued Air Force Capt.

Scott O’Grady, whose F16C fighter jet had been shot down by Bosnian Serbs on June 2.

In 2009, North Korea’s highest court sentenced American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years’ hard labor for trespassing and “hostile acts.” (The women were pardoned in early August 2009 after a trip to Pyongyang by former President Bill Clinton.)

In 2017, former FBI Director James Comey,

testifying before Congress, asserted that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with Comey’s investigation of Russia’s ties to the Trump campaign.

In 2021, Ratko Mladic, the military chief known as the “Butcher of Bosnia” who was convicted of war crimes committed during the Balkan nation’s 199295 war, lost his final legal battle when U.N. judges rejected his appeal and affirmed his life sentence.

Today’s birthdays: Singer Nancy Sinatra is 86. Musician Boz Scaggs is 82.

Pianist Emanuel Ax is 77.

Actor Sonia Braga is 76.

Actor Kathy Baker is 76.

Computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee is 71. Actor Griffin Dunne is 71. Actordirector Keenen Ivory Wayans is 68. Singer Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) is 66. Musician Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) is 64. Actor Julianna Margulies is 60.

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, is 56. Tennis Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport is 50. TV personalityhost Maria Menounos is 48.

Yo St ur ar M ts o He ve re

Get your FREE home value now

AP PHOTO By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER garden plant that they have to be bused in.

The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden contains hundreds of historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era.

At peak bloom, the garden typically features tens of thousands of flowers.

The garden is free to visit

and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the peony’s scent, it’s best to show up early in the morning or late in the evening, when the fragrances are the best.

“It is restorative for all of us, I think, to come out into nature and be surrounded by joy, beauty,” Conley said. “It’s a delightful place for people to just come and gather and be.”

addresslafayettela.com DRE#01901536 This website is a marketing and information program that sends all inquiries to state-licensed real estate professionals.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

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zodIAC GEMINI (May 21-June 20) A little hustle will pay off when dealing with tracking someone or something. Determination will win in the end, so put your best foot forward and maneuver your way to the finish line.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Refuse to let anyone put you on the defensive when it's time to concentrate on doing and being your best. Walk away from those seeking control, pressure tactics and emotional manipulators.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Be careful what you sign up for. Being too generous with your time, money or skills will invite others to take advantage of you. Choose to be unique, and you'll outmaneuver anyone who wants to compete with you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Ease your way forward. Pay attention to instructions, and be sure to do your best by sticking to proper protocol. Consider what others might be going through before you criticize or try to redirect them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) A change will spark your imagination and encourage creative endeavors and so much more.

Take the high road, and put your best assets to work for you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Take pride in what you do, and find pleasure in the accolades that come your way. Don't waste time and energy on those trying to tamper with your emotions or tempt you to do things that aren't in your best interest.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention to details, price tags and hidden costs.

Partnerships or joint ventures require honest communication and compromise.

Explore what's possible and how to use your skills optimally.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You'll be torn between what you must do and what you want to do. Consider less talk and more action, and you'll discover you can fit more into your day than you expect.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don't let anxiety set in when action is the answer.

Gather information and choose the path that offers what you long for most. It's time to let go of the past.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep busy with plans or physical or educational improvements that help you let go of the past and embrace people, places and projects that you find stimulating and encourage personal growth and financial gains.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Honesty, integrity and discipline will help you avoid conflict and interference. Go about your business, do the best job possible and have a positive attitude. Let go of what you cannot control.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Keep moving.

Taking care of unfinished business will free you up to do as you please. An opportunity to make domestic changes that add to your comfort or to make your space more functional will offer peace of mind.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: N EQUALS O

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER Joyce Brothers, a psychologist and newspaper columnist, was the only woman to win the top prize in “The $64,000 Question.” She said, “A philosopher is a person who doesn’t care which side his bread is buttered on; he knows he eats both sides anyway.”

A bridge player, though, should treat every deal with care. In this one, after West leads the heart queen against four spades, how would a careless declarer play, and what would a careful declarer do differently?

North’s response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise, promising four or more spades and the values for at least game.

South rebid four spades because he had a minimum opening bid with no side-suit singleton or void. North had no reason to bid higher.

The opening lead marks East with the heart ace. So declarer should play low from the board at tricks one and two.

However, it is to no avail. The defenders take three heart tricks, then East shifts to the diamond king.

South wins the trick with dummy’s ace and draws trumps, noting the unfriendly 4-0 break. Now he must take four club tricks so that he can discard his diamond loser.

The careless declarer cashes his club king and plays low to dummy’s ace, going down with this line of play.

The more thoughtful declarer plays low to dummy’s ace, then returns a club

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

to his king. When he sees East discard, South knows to finesse dummy’s 10 on the third round.

Then perhaps East and West will discuss how they might have entered the auction, because five diamonds, if North and South play trumps quickly, is down only one, making it an excellent sacrifice. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAY’s WoRD — sLIVERs: SLIH-vers: Long slender pieces cut or torn off.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 15 words Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 17 or more words in SLIVERS? sAtuRDAY’s WoRD — PLEnARY pale paler pane panel pare parley payer peal pear pearl pearly

penal plan plane planer play player plea pray prey pyre lane

layer lean leap learn lyre earl early earn elan neap near

nearly aery aper rale real reap relay rely renal repay replay

reply yare yarn year yearn yelp

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “But it shall not be so among you: but whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;” Matthew 20:26

Servants rank high in the eyes of God. Let’s all have a servant’s heart. G.E. Dean

10C ● Monday, June 8, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Regional Summary TODAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Humid with a thunderstorm

Humid with clouds and sun

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Some rain and a thunderstorm

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

86° 73°

LOW

89° 75°

LOW

88° 73°

Port Arthur 82/77

Baton Rouge 87/72

Lake Charles 85/75

New Orleans 89/76 Houma 87/75

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

0s

Hattiesburg 87/69

Alexandria 86/74

Lafayette 86/73

Beaumont 85/77

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

92° 76°

LOW

90° 75°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 88/72

Many 86/71

LOW

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 61 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Sunday

Longview 91/73

-0s

90° 75°

Monroe 91/74

Shreveport 92/74

-10s

LOW

Mostly cloudy and humid today with a thunderstorm. Winds south-southeast 6-12 mph. Partly cloudy tonight. Winds southeast 3-6 mph. Clouds and sun tomorrow. Winds southeast 4-8 mph.

A crystal-clear sky tomorrow night. Winds light and variable.

Wednesday: partly sunny with a thunderstorm around. Winds south 4-8 mph. Wednesday night: clear to partly cloudy. Winds light and variable. Thursday: a thunderstorm in spots. Winds south 4-8 mph.

Thursday night: partly cloudy. Winds light and variable. Friday: a thunderstorm in spots.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today LAST

JUN 8

City

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

PRECIPITATION

89°/78° 90°/72° 91°/75° 98° in 1972 60° in 1926

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

9:31p 1:17p 11:17a 1:19p 10:06a 10:30a 11:14a

6:06 a.m.

8:08 p.m.

1:18 a.m.

1:23 p.m.

NEW

FIRST

JUN 14

Hi

90 72 92 63 86 98 81 90 83

TODAY Lo

75 60 76 37 74 75 72 78 73

FULL

JUN 21

W

t s t sh sh s t c t

JUN 29

Hi

92 86 91 62 87 98 84 88 87

MODERATE

TUE. Lo

76 65 75 36 72 76 73 78 71

W

t s pc s sh s t t t

FT.

LOW

0.00” 3.24” 1.55” 29.78” 25.61”

FT.

HIGH

0.4 11:30a 0.1 1.1 4:04a 0.3 1.6 1:34a 0.6 1.5 6:02a 0.8 0.7 12:07a 0.3 0.9 10:08p 0.5 0.9 1:09a 0.4

---------------

FT.

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

----- ------- ----- 4:50p 0.8 --- 8:28p 0.8 --- 10:47p 0.4 ----- ----- 11:49p 0.5

The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter.

MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today 6:16a 12:04a 6:38p 12:27p Tuesday 6:59a 12:47a 7:21p 1:10p Wednesday 7:41a 1:29a 8:05p 1:53p Thursday 8:25a 2:12a 8:52p 2:39p Friday 9:14a 2:59a 9:43p 3:29p Saturday 10:08a 3:53a 10:40p 4:24p Sunday 11:09a 4:53a 11:43p 5:26p

City

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

Hi

89 93 81 105 87 93 84 70 94

TODAY Lo

76 73 55 78 69 66 74 61 77

W

t c s s s pc t pc c

Hi

88 88 87 107 82 87 92 71 90

TUE. Lo

77 74 64 78 71 72 76 64 76

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

Wake up with me every morning

P U acadiana wake

presented by

Every morning.

Everything you need to start your day

Meteorologist Damon Singleton

GOOD

W

c c s s pc pc t pc t

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

SUN. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

16.40 39.37 41.33 25.11 16.42 12.22 8.30

-2.10 +0.04 +0.13 +0.21 +0.12 none +0.25

40

26.14

-4.24

19

-0.78

+0.44

18 29 8

-0.21 11.79 3.70

+0.32 -0.78 +0.08

13 15

2.89 1.81

+1.02 -0.58

47 34 29 20 12 6

21.84 16.51 14.06 11.12 6.40 4.09

+0.19 +0.36 +0.27 +0.27 +0.20 +0.30

data as of 7 a.m. Sunday

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026