The Times-Picayune 06-16-2026

GETTINGLIT

NewLED lights coming to Westbank Expressway in

BY LARANICHOLSON Staff writer

Construction workers donninghard hats and orange vests perched high above the Westbank Expressway from boom trucks Mondayasthey starteda $1.7 million projecttoreplace streetlights with newer,brighter LEDbulbs. The state-funded project will retrofit 680 existing aluminum lightpoles along the WestbankExpressway betweenTerry Parkwayand U.S. 90with the new white light bulbs, replacing the yellow-tinted high-pressure sodium lightfixtures that were in place before. It will also reinstall missing poles in some locations, according to anews release from Sen.Patrick Connick, R-Marrero

Work began near Terry Parkway at the foot of theCrescent City Connection, and it’ll move west until it reaches Avondale. The entire project is expected to be completed by the

Population in Fla. seaside townssurgesasnewcomers seek alaid-back lifestyle

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

end of the year

“It’scommonsense.Aesthetically, it’ll be nicer and brighter and safer,” Connick said in aphone call, adding that somestretches of theexpressway have had lights go on and off for years.

Matthew Zeringue,directorofthe

Jefferson Parish engineeringdepartment,saidthe planwas initiatedthree years agoafter the existing lights were discontinued andnew uniform lightswereneeded across theentire highway.The project has been in the design phase for thelast year,according to Connick.

The work is being paid for from a statefund thatcollects aquarter of taxesfromtrucksand trailer purchased in Jefferson Parish and is dedicated towardimprovements for the West Bank. Connick saidthat fund will also pay for roughly$2million in land-

ä See LIGHTS, page 5A

$1.7Mproject

The project includes removing existing high-pressure sodium light fixtures and installing about 680 LED light fixtures on existing aluminum streetlight poles,along withreinstalling missing poles and lamp headsinsomelocations.

Trial starts for former NOPD officer

Judgedeniesmotion to delayincaseof manaccused of staging artthefts

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

See SEASIDE, page 3A

Ajurywas impaneledMondayin the case of aformer New Orleans Police Department officer charged with faking an art heistinexchangefor kickbacks, asagathatyieldeda trove of evidence —but no formal charges —infederal agents’ yearslong pursuit of former Mayor LaToya Cantrell. In atrial expected to last two weeks, the federaljury will weigh charges againstChristian Claus, aformer Nevada lawyer who resigned from the NOPD in 2023 amid the criminal probe. Prosecutors say he conspired with arestaurateur and former boxer,Fouad Zeton, to stage thefts of expensive paintingsfrom Zeton’s home with aplantocashinthrough bogus insurance reports.

Prosecutors say Zeton, who was fond of touting professed relationships with politicians, including Cantrell, promised Claus kickbacks in return, and to leverage NOPD friendships to score him apromotion. Under his 2024 indictment, Claus is

See TRIAL, page 3A

BY JON GAMBRELL, ELENA BECATOROSand MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates An initial agreement between the United States and Iran to extend their shaky ceasefire inched toward aformal signing despite questionsMondayover the fate of Tehran’s nuclear program and an offensive by Israel in Lebanon that could prolong thefighting and scuttle the deal. The agreement signed electronically Sundayismeantto provide ameaningful truce in amonthslong war that has killedthousands across the Middle East, including the top leadersofIran’stheocracy,and raised the prices of fuel, food andother

ä Trump arrives at G7 summit looking for momentum after announcing deal. PAGE 4A

ä See IRAN, page 5A

STAFF PHOTOSByDAVID GRUNFELD

Crews begin work Mondayonretrofitting light poles with LEDbulbs abovethe Westbank Expressway in Gretna.

B-52 crashes after takeoff at military base

LOS ANGELES A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, and all eight people aboard have dead, military officials said.

“We lost eight great Americans,” James Hayes the deputy commander at Edwards Air Force Base, said at a news conference Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 a.m. during a routine test mission at the base 100 miles north of Los Angeles, the base said on its Facebook page. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near what appeared to be a runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

“After reviewing the footage of the crash, it was deemed that this was an unrecoverable crash and unsurvivable,” Hayes said The way the B-52 crashed so quickly after takeoff without getting very high or going far makes aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti suspect some kind of flight control malfunction It’s possible the controls were rigged wrong after maintenance, he said, or a catastrophic engine problem or a failure of a piece of equipment that was being tested.

Miss. police shoot at car; 1 killed, 1 injured

A child is dead and another person wounded after a Mississippi police officer shot at a vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call, authorities say The shooting happened Sunday after three people, including the child, got into a vehicle after exiting a Walmart in Senatobia, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

As police tried to stop the vehicle, the driver drove toward them and almost hit an officer, according to the bureau An officer then shot at the vehicle, which drove away

The three people in the vehicle drove to a hospital, where the child was pronounced dead Police: ICE agent fired gun after car hit him

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J A federal immigration agent was struck by a vehicle Monday and fired his gun while attempting to apprehend someone in New Jersey, police said.

The agent’s gunfire possibly struck the vehicle as it left the scene, Stafford Township police said in a written statement.

“The agent reportedly sustained unknown injuries,” police said, adding that it was unknown whether the motorist was hurt Payton Johnson, who witnessed it, said ICE agents approached a man in a van. “They tell him to roll down his window, he’s inching forward, and you can tell it’s getting tense by his inching forward,” Johnson told WCAU-TV, adding that the driver “gunned it” and took off.

There is no universal training standard for law enforcement to shoot at a moving vehicle. But most police departments and federal guidance bar shooting unless the driver poses an imminent threat of deadly force beyond the car itself.

‘Wuthering Heights’ first edition up for auction LONDON — A rare first-edition copy of “Wuthering Heights,” Emily Brontë’s tragic, tempestuous romance, complete with spelling mistakes, is up for auction for the first time in more than a century Christie’s auction house said Monday that it’s the first copy of the novel in the publisher’s original cloth binding to be auctioned since 1908. Only about 250 copies of the first edition were printed, and this one has been in a private library since shortly after its publication in 1847. Being sold along with a copy of sister Anne Brontë’s “Agnes Grey,” it’s expected to sell for between $540,000 and $800,000 at a June 30 auction in London. Both books carry the male pen names the sisters adopted to get published: Ellis Bell for Emily and Acton Bell for Anne.

Killed skydivers were experienced

One of nation’s leading female jumpers among casualties

BY JOHN SEEWER and JOSH FUNK Associated Press

Several of the skydivers killed when their plane crashed moments after taking off from a Missouri airfield were experienced jumpers, including one of the nation’s leading female jumpers.

Federal investigators were at the crash site Monday, a day after the plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers slammed into a field and burst into flames, killing all on board, authorities said.

Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Authorities have not released the victims’ names, but friends and colleagues began paying tribute.

The United States Parachute Association, skydiving’s governing body said its technology director, Jen Sharp, was among those killed

“Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the people in our sport,” said Albert Berchtold, the organization’s executive director Sharp taught skydiving instructors, wrote educational materials and made 6,800 jumps since her first one in 1989, according to her website.

She once jumped into Denver’s Coors Field ballpark while dressed as the queen of England and was part of the Everest Skydive in the Himalayas, her site said.

Kevin Payne, who had jumped with seven of the skydivers on the plane, said they were all different in nearly every way, except that they were all brought together as a “sky family.”

“There is a joy and peace and freedom to what we do. That’s what most people never understand,” Payne, of Parkville, Missouri, wrote in an email. “It’s not

about the adrenaline. It’s about really flying together with your family in that brief, exquisite instant that people who live their lives on the ground will never understand.”

Investigators have interviewed some witnesses, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Michael Graham said. The plane didn’t have a “black box” like those that record crash data on commercial planes, but investigators will look for other kinds of devices that could provide insights, he said.

Witnesses say the plane was roughly 100 feet from the ground when it made an abrupt left turn before crashing.

It appeared to be losing power, and the pilot may have been trying to reach a highway to land when the plane stalled and went down nose first, said Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager of Butler Memorial Airport. The plane was operated by Sky-

Wis. beagle research facility that drew protests is closing

BY PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press

A Wisconsin beagle breeding and research facility that’s been the site of recent violent protests is closing, and its remaining dogs are being taken in by a Florida rescue group.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement for the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles starting this week.

“Not one dog will remain,” Lauree Simmons the group’s founder, said in a news conference at a farm. “No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything.”

Yearslong opposition to the facility came to head in April when a large group of animal welfare activists stormed the property in an attempt to take away beagles, prompting police to use tear gas and pepper spray as they made dozens of arrests.

Some protesters were also arrested in March after they broke in and took 30 dogs from the facility, which is located in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles southwest of the capital, Madison.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue said some of the beagles will go to rescue groups while others will be sent to its Florida and Alabama campuses where they will be spayed neutered and prepared for adoption.

The group bought roughly 1,500 of the facility’s more than 2,000 beagles in

April for an undisclosed price.

About 200 dogs were being transferred Monday, according to Simmons. Another 125 will be moved Tuesday The transfer of the remaining beagles will happen in August, as they are still puppies.

Simmons called on protesters to refrain from further demonstrations as it says Ridglan Farms has committed to permanently closing its dog breeding, sales, research and testing operations.

“Our focus now should be on supporting these dogs as they transition into their new lives,” Simmons said. “These dogs will get to experience safety and a normal life for the first time.”

Simmons said her group is also “working closely” with the Trump administration to stop funding studies that subject dogs to “invasive and painful experimentation.”

Ridglan Farms, in a statement, said all the dogs being transferred are “happy, healthy animals” with “extensive” state and federal inspection documentation.

“We hope these dogs will continue to flourish in their new homes,” the company said adding that it hopes that the “years-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility’s owners, staff and neighbors comes to an end.”

Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges

Woman who died in jumping incident wasn’t hooked up to rope, police say

By The Associated Press

SAO PAULO — A Brazilian police investigator said Monday that the 21-yearold woman who died in a rope jumping incident was not attached to any safety equipment.

Andrea Levy told journalists that the three jumping instructors involved in the incident acknowledged that Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was not connected to safety ropes when she jumped Saturday in the countryside of Sao Paulo state. Levy said the three instructors have been ar-

rested and could face manslaughter charges.

“They do not remember whether they forgot to attach (the ropes), or who was supposed to do it, or who failed to check. But the fact is the ropes were not attached to her,” Levy said.

De Freitas was buried on Sunday after the accident at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge in Limeira, a city 92 miles north of Sao Paulo.

The young woman had asked to be launched from the bridge airplane style, with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders as she spread out

her arms. Footage shared online shows two men in white helmets launching her into a 130-foot abyss. The instructors are wearing harnesses that appear to be attached to a security rope.

Rope jumping is an extreme sport that differs from bungee jumping in the type of cord used and the resulting motion of the fall. Bungee jumping uses elastic rubber cords that create a vertical, bouncing effect, whereas rope jumping uses low-stretch climbing ropes that convert the fall into a horizontal, pendulum swing.

dive Kansas City, he said. The crash site in the small town of Butler is roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City The Pacific Aerospace 750XL — a single engine turboprop plane — is a popular model in skydiving because it’s designed for the sport and can quickly take parachutists to jumping altitudes while using short runways. This particular aircraft, built in 2010, made nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning, according to FlightAware, a digital flight tracking company Federal investigators have voiced concerns about oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations and have cited the need for maintenance guidelines, training for pilots and stronger aircraft inspections. The NTSB said after a crash killed 11 people in Hawaii that the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

Utah BASE jump kills 2

Extreme athlete performed with Madonna at Super Bowl

BY RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

A weekend BASE jumping accident in a Utah canyon killed two people, one of them a daredevil athlete best known for performing onstage with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl, authorities said. The sheriff’s office in Grand County, Utah, confirmed one of the dead was Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete known for feats in BASE jumping, a dangerous sport that involves parachuting to the ground after jumping from a tall fixed object such as a building, a bridge or a desert cliff overlooking a deep canyon. In BASE jumping circles, Lewis had a huge following and a reputation for pushing the envelope — leaping into tighter spaces or deploying his parachute later than his peers would dare, said John McEvoy, a BASE jumping instructor

in Twin Falls, Idaho, who has jumped with Lewis.

“He had an incredible level of athleticism and skill that was developed over years of practice,” McEvoy said. “But then he would take an incredible amount of risk.”

Lewis was also a prominent figure in the niche sports of slacklining and tricklining, which combine elements of high-wire walking with aerial acrobatics — sometimes at perilous heights. Lewis went from obscure athlete to overnight celebrity when he appeared onstage in Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl halftime show Dressed in a Roman toga, Lewis bounced and executed tricks on his inch-wide line like it was a trampoline while Madonna sang behind him.

“My phone actually rang itself to death three days in a row,” Lewis said soon afterward on Conan O’Brien’s late night show Emergency responders were dispatched Sunday to a report of people injured in a BASE jumping attempt at Mineral Bottom, a remote desert area near the UtahColorado line, according to the sheriff’s office.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SCOTT BAUER

Beagles that were purchased from a Dane County animal research facility play outside May 12 in Madison, Wis.

stretch of coastline is remarkable: The U.S. Census Bureau estimates more than 17,000 new residents have arrived since 2020, growing the region’s population by 24%.

The shift, along with the county’s thriving tourism industry,isgenerating an economic boom and luring more businesses to meet the needs of families whohave long dreamed of laid-back lives near the beach.

It is also forcing county leaders to scramble as they confront tough new questions about surging traffic and increasingly crowded shores.

How growth plays out in 30A— andwhether county leaders can keep pace with it —could hold lessons for communities across the Gulf Coast, where many vacation spots beloved by Louisiana visitors are getting more popular and expensive than ever And in this part of the Florida Panhandle, where the population is expected to surge from 93,000 to more than 100,000 people by 2030, striking abalance between growth and preservation is becoming arace against time.

“It’stough,” said Dan Curry,acounty commissioner who worries projectslike road repairs must be done now before the population rises further.“Pushing it off is not the answer.”

30Aappealgrows

The land between Destin and Panama City once was wild and isolated, home to only ahandful of residents who lived in wooden cottages

TRIAL

Continued from page1A

charged with wire and mail fraud, conspiracy,usinga facility in interstate commerce in aid of bribery and lying to afederal agent. The case burst into public view in 2022 when FBI agentsraidedZeton’s opulent Lower Garden District hotel and walked out with several of the paintings he had claimed were stolen. They also seized Zeton’s phone, which contained texts with alocal electrician later accused of going through Zetontobribe Cantrell.

Zeton later pleaded guilty to asingle wire fraud count. Awitness list shown Monday to the jury listed him as set to testify against hisalleged co-conspirator

This week’strial is poised to offer adeeper glimpse at the wide-rangingcache of evidence federal prosecutors amassed as they sought for years to build acriminal case against the former mayor.The probeescalated during Cantrell’sscandalridden second term, culminating in her indictment last August on wire fraud, obstruction and other counts. Ultimately,the wrongdoing alleged in her indictment

alongthe windswept dunes.

Then, beginning in the 1950s, developersstarted selling lots andluringaffluent Southerners with promises of utopia. Soon, the state built the beach road that became the region’snamesake. And the drawto30A has only grown since.

“They just keep coming,” Russ Barley,the mayor of Freeport, justnorth of 30A, said recently.The added taxrevenues have grown the city’sannual budget to nearly$100 million, up from around $20 million about a decade ago.

Barley names dozens of developments—including agrocery store, more apartment buildings and a Walmart —arrivingwith therisingpopulation. Some longtime residents in the area are sellingtheir land and cashing in.And the newcomers snatching up propertiessay lifeherebrings them peace.

“You run intopeoplethat have alot of joy and good vibesbecausethey’re here on vacation,” said Heather O’Connor,who movedwith her daughter to anapartment in the Santa Rosa Beach community from Jonesboro, Arkansas, last month.Theyplan to start an interior design business and are still in awe over the coastal scenery

“Even just going to church or thegas station or the grocery store, you’re surrounded by beauty,” O’Connor said.

Another newcomer,Selah Hirsch, moved in nearby with her husband and four children last August. They arrived from Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, seeking a beach lifestyle that would let them slow down amidbusy weeks. Hirsch runsabrandingagency and, likemany

involvednone of the allegations regarding Zeton or the electrician, RandyFarrell, accused of workingwithZeton to bribeCantrell.When Cantrell faces ajuryinOctober,it will be on charges that she concealed her spending of taxpayer dollars on an illicit affair with her former NOPD bodyguard Prosecutorsand defense lawyers alikeonMonday signaled that Claus’ trial will still be ahigh-intrigue affair, with Zeton’sphone and testimony expected to form linchpins of the government’scase. Also namedon alist of prospective government witnessesisa former assistantFBI directorand currentglobal security executive for ESPN,Michael Heimbach.

Claushad been described, though not by name, in Zeton’s April 2023 guilty plea. The next May,aLas Vegas art appraiser named Michael Schofieldadmittedto wildly inflating values of the paintings Clausand Zeton claimed were stolen. Schofield is alsoexpected to testify against Claus. Claus’ indictmentfrom June2024painted himas masterminding the scheme. It was peppered with cinematic details. One section describedClaus,ina meeting with Zeton, holding up a signthatread “NOT CON-

are

Some visitors are complaining that public

sits mostly empty.Manyhomeowners argue growing crowdsmakeenforcing private property rights more important.

professionals moving here, works remotely

“It just instantly felt like theplace we were supposed to bring our family to,” she said.

Crowds andtraffic

Butthe region’sbeauty is so great thatitisgrowing increasingly crowded.

So many sunbathers are now lounging across the white sandshoreline that manywaterfront property owners are hiring security guards to enforce trespassing rules on privately owned beachesmorestrictlythan ever.Traffic,onceconfined to holidayslikethe Fourth of July,isnow ayear-round dilemma.

Homeprices are also soaring —the county’s median listingprice hasjumped from around $650,000 in 2020 to nearly $850,000 today. Evenold streets still lined withcottages are feeling the pressure. “Some people look at the early Seaside neighbor-

RAD” —anallegedbid to remind Zeton not to address the officer by his middle name, which was used only by acquaintances andwhich Zeton would not have known had thepair only met in the course of an NOPD probe of stolenart.

The indictment suggested the sign was captured by Claus’ body-worn camera.

Claus on Monday personally argued to Chief U.S. DistrictJudgeWendy Vitter that the trialshould be delayed He hadn’thad enough time or accesstoreview Zeton’s phone, he argued.

“Wehaven’tseen the phone, whichisloadedwith inculpatoryinformation for Mr.Zeton, andexculpatory information for me,” Claus said, withhis attorney,Chris Murrill, standing beside him Vitterseemed skeptical.

“There hasbeen no indication, until the morning, that there was any issue with discovery,”she said.

Indeed,Assistant U.S.Attorney ChandraMenon, who is prosecuting the case, told Vitter that prosecutors allowed Claus and his legal team to review Zeton’sphone for hoursatFBI offices. They later gave Claus’ legal team the phone’sfull contentssoa forensic expert could review thedevice for signs of “tampering,” Menon added.

The judge deniedClaus’ re-

hoodsand say, ‘Why areall thesesmall shacks notbeing replaced by big monster houses?’”saidRobert Davis, thedeveloper who designed andfoundedthe popular communityfourdecades ago. “It’ssomething that concerns me.”

Leadersaround theregion are raising severalideas to solve the challengesof crowds. The countyisconsidering adding more sand to renourish and expand the beaches. Davis suggested Seaside’sbike path should become wider and smoother to lure more residents off theroads.

Some say expanding highways could threaten thequaintfeelthatdefines 30A’scommunities. Butothers argue the regionmust add more passing lanes and stoplights.

Despite some tensions, many here say the soul of 30A is intact —atleast for now.Tanned teenagersstill ride bikes through the streets, ignoringtheir

quest, andjury selection proceededMondayafternoon.

Questions during the “voir dire” portion of the selection process focused on whether potential jurors hadstrong feelings about police officers, insurancebrokers or

cellphones fora fewpreciousmoments.Families still chasebeach sunsets together Modica, 64, walks to work every day at his family grocery store, same as always. But some signs of change are inescapable.

As he looked across the town square,the store’s phone kept ringing behind him

“ModicaMarket,” acashier with asingsong voice answeredoverand over, fielding questionsfrom morenew customers.

federalofficials. Vitter also asked whether prospective jurors had ever been victims of fraud. By about 5p.m ajury of 12 plus alternates was set. Each side wasset to deliver opening statements on Tuesday morning. James Finncovers federal law enforcement and courts for TheTimesPicayune |The Advocate. Reach him at jfinn@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By HANNAH LEVITAN

beaches in Walton County,Fla.,

becoming packedwhile private sand nearby

STAFFPHOTO By MARTHA SANCHEZ

Modica Market, agourmet grocerystore, has served customers in Seaside, Fla.,for decades and witnessed the county’stransformational growth.

Trump looking for momentum at G7 summit

BY SYLVIE CORBET, AAMER MADHANI and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France President Donald Trump started his visit to the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations on Monday by declaring his agreement aimed at ending the U.S. war with Iran is a potential breakthrough for global security and a chance for the U.S. to finally turn the page in its relationship with longtime adversary Iran.

The Republican U.S. president sought to make clear that he arrived in Evian-les-Bains with the wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the 15-week-old conflict, which has led to a surge in global energy prices — though he did not immediately seem willing to lay out the details of what was in the emerging deal.

Some of those details are still to be negotiated in talks over the next 60 days, though Trump said the memorandum of understanding would likely be released after it’s signed on Friday

“I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now and very importantly the oil (price) is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump said at a meeting with the summit’s host, French President Emmanuel Macron, before they joined a working dinner with other leaders.

“The Iran deal that we made is going to bring a lot of success to the world,” he said.

Deal could change G7 dynamic Trump has had friction with Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime

Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war But sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit might change the dynamic of the three-day gathering.

Macron at the start of Monday’s meeting congratulated Trump for finding a way to an agreement. “It’s a very important matter for peace of the whole world,” Macron said.

Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders members of the NATO military alliance — for their lack of support for the U.S. in the conflict

He’s expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of Hormuz. Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused. Fear of potential mines is among the reasons tanker traffic has come to a halt during the war, and clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels.

Macron on Monday said France was ready to move within days

to deploy assets, including mineclearing vessels, to the region to help.

Senior U.S. officials told reporters that the while the agreement provides for the immediate opening of the strait and lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, it will take weeks for traffic to return to previous levels.

Macron invited the leaders of three nations that aren’t part of the G7 Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — to take part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday, when Iran is expected to be a central focus.

Questions about incentives

Trump had fiercely criticized President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions of dollars into the Islamic Republic’s coffers.

In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Britain, China,

France, Germany Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.

Trump in an interview on Sunday with The New York Times pushed back on comparisons to the Obamaera nuclear deal. “We negotiated from strength,” Trump said. “He was basically paying them off.”

But Trump hasn’t explained how his agreement will address some key issues about Iran’s nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer

The memorandum of understanding includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds, sanctions relief and a $300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran — all of which would be tied to Tehran meeting certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns, senior U.S. officials told reporters on Monday

Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 nuclear deal.

“For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,” Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vance — “the architect of the deal” — to present it.

Tariffs, war in Ukraine also focus

Leaders are expected to discuss a range of economic and trade issues. Trump told the New York Post he’s warned Macron the U.S. will “have no choice” but to slap 100% tariffs on French wines unless Paris eliminates its digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from him that dates to his first administration.

Wines and spirits exported to the U.S. from the European Union currently face a 15% tariff.

In an interview with broadcaster TF1, Macron said Monday that it’s not “for the United States to decide what European or French law should be.”

Macron also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a working session with G7 leaders on Tuesday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war Zelenskyy had offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin with Trump and European leaders at the G7 gathering, but the Kremlin didn’t reply, a Ukrainian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, and France would be obliged as an ICC member to arrest him. The United States and Russia both oppose the court. Trump suggested that, after an Iran deal, he’ll now have greater bandwidth to focus on the RussiaUkraine war Madhani reported from Geneva, AP writers Samuel Petrequin and John Leicester in Paris; Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine; Michelle L. Price and Collin Binkley in Washington; and Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed reporting.

California’s Newsom says DOJ is investigating him and his wife

BY SOPHIE AUSTIN and ALANNA

DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Democratic California Gov Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching a politically motivated investigation into him and his wife, saying the Trump administration was targeting him as he weighs a presidential bid Newsom, a longtime political rival of the Republican president, said in a video posted on X that federal agents have knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees, and have asked for records.

Newsom didn’t provide specifics on the nature of the probe, but his office said the inquiry appears to have recently expanded into “increasingly personal matters involving the Governor’s family and professional network.”

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said, referencing his use of social media to mock Trump. He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.”

The full details of any Justice Department inquires related to Newsom were not immediately clear But the revelations were likely to escalate accusations from critics that the Trump administration is using the law enforcement agency as a weapon to go after the president’s political opponents.

A person familiar with the matter denied the existence of an investigation specifically targeting the governor, but said there are multiple federal probes into people around him, including one related to his wife’s taxes. That

probe began last year, and political leadership in Washington was not involved in the decision to open it, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing investigations.

Another probe is related to Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who was indicted on federal charges that she was involved in a scheme to steal campaign money from former federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. Williamson in May pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud That investigation, launched by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, has expanded to include other staff, the person familiar with the matter said.

Newsom hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing related to Williamson’s case.

The Justice Department de-

clined to comment on Monday

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to answer questions about Newsom during a brief photo opportunity with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon.

Blanche had a scheduled meeting with Grassley to discuss his nomination to become attorney general.

They are the latest Justice Department investigations surrounding one of Trump’s political foes.

The Justice Department has also opened investigations into or brought prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey,New York Attorney General Letitia James, former CIA director John Brennan and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, among other perceived political enemies of the president.

“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has

ended up on his hit list, and today I proudly join that list,” Newsom said in the video.

Investigators have subpoenaed records, and agents have reached out to organizations and people connected to the governor and his wife, according to Newsom’s office The governor’s office accused the Justice Department of “searching for a crime that does not exist.”

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, said the investigation showed that Trump is unfit for office.

“There are clearly no boundaries to what Donald Trump will do to get his way or to challenge those who get in his way,” she said in a statement. Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

BY EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS

— The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their crackdown on women and to combat militant groups inside Afghanistan that Pakistan accuses of carrying out cross-border attacks.

China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong, whose country sponsored the resolution, said the hope is that the Afghan government will “take more proactive measures to protect human rights, especially the rights of women, and project an image of openness, inclusivity and responsibility.”

The resolution extends the U.N. political mission

in Afghanistan until June 17, 2027, and authorizes it to support humanitarian aid deliveries “without discrimination” and to promote national and local governance “without any discrimination based on sex, religion or ethnicity, with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women, minorities, youth and persons with disabilities.”

The resolution’s adoption follows the arrest of at least 30 women in the western city of Herat this month for allegedly violating the Taliban’s strict dress code.

A rare protest sparked by the arrests was violently dispersed by Taliban police, who shot and killed one person and injured several others, according to the U.N. mission known as UNAMA The Taliban have run Af-

ghanistan since 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led forces and have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, including draconian restrictions on women and girls, such as bans on education beyond primary school and on many jobs. Minorities have also been impacted.

The resolution authorizes the U.N. mission to facilitate talks between the Taliban and regional countries and the wider international community,

“For that political process to succeed, the Taliban must act,” U.S. deputy ambassador Jennifer Locetta said.

“The Taliban must meet their counterterrorism commitments, respect Afghanistan’s international obligations, end hostage diplomacy, and cease their unconscionable

South African jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim dies

BY MICHELLE GUMEDE Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG Globally

celebrated South African jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim, who performed at Nelson Mandela ’s 1994 presidential inauguration, has died at age 91, his family announced in a statement Monday Ibrahim, formerly known as Dollar Brand, passed away peacefully in Germany following a short illness, surrounded by loved ones,

the statement issued on behalf of his family said Born in Cape Town, Ibrahim rose to international prominence as a pianist, composer and bandleader With a career spanning more than seven decades, he forged a unique blend of jazz and South African musical traditions, making him a cultural ambassador whose music struck a chord with listeners worldwide. As one of South Africa’s most respected jazz figures,

he famously played at Nelson Mandela‘s 1994 presidential inauguration.

Paying tribute to her partner Dr Marina Umari said he “passed away peacefully with South Africa and its people in his heart.”

“His love for his country never wavered, no matter where in the world he found himself,” she said.

His family said that even though his life is over, his influence and voice would continue to resonate.

abuses of the human rights of women and girls.”

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, which the Taliban denies. Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between the two countries since February, when Afghanistan attacked

Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Asim Ahmad said the “resolution expresses the council’s serious concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, which continue to constitute a threat to international peace and security.”

The new resolution also authorizes UNAMA to advance Afghanistan’s economic development, including by facilitating commercial and financial activity and supporting efforts to return assets belonging to the Central Bank “for the benefit of the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

President Donald Trump meets with French President Emmanuel Macron during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit Monday in Evian-les-Bains, France.

basic goods far beyond the region. But logistical and military challenges underscored the fragile nature of the deal, which was set for a ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva.

A senior U.S. official told reporters that details of the agreement would be released within the next two days. The memorandum of understanding includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds, easing sanctions and creating a $300 billion fund to rebuild Iran — all of which would be tied to Iran meeting benchmarks, the official said.

The officials said technical talks would begin Friday after the signing ceremony and that Vice President JD Vance would lead negotiations for the U.S.

At the core of the pact is a planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway whose blockage has choked the supply of the world’s oil and natural gas. Yet even a full reopening would not immediately alleviate the global energy crisis its closure created

Another potential obstacle concerns Israel, which joined the U.S. in launching the war on Feb. 28, but it is not party to the deal. The Israeli military launched airstrikes Sunday in southern Lebanon, where it is fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, and the Israeli defense minister said Monday that the country would not withdraw from land seized in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said the agreement between the U.S. and Iran was President Donald Trump’s decision. Netanyahu said Israel has its own interests, primarily protecting against a potential nuclear threat from Iran. He said Iran wanted Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, but he stood firm, saying Israel would remain in the buffer zone “as long as necessary.”

“I tell you, citizens of Israel, the struggle is not over.

Continued

We will need to continue to be vigilant, to remain strong and determined, to defend ourselves as necessary,” he said. Other uncertainties center on Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which the U.S. and Israel worry could be used to build an atomic weapon despite Tehran’s insistence for years that it has no aspirations to do so. The deal gives Iran just 60 days to decide what to do with its supply It took years for Iran and world powers to negotiate a 2015 agreement to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program.

Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from that accord in his first term, setting the stage for the tensions that culminated in the current war Strait of Hormuz Early in the war, Iranian attacks on ships brought traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth

of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the conflict to a near standstill. Trump implemented a blockade in response.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Iran would not start implementing the agreement until after the signing ceremony The U.S. military said the blockade will remain in place “pending execution” of the deal.

“Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given,” it said Monday in an advisory to merchant ships.

Trump, who faced pressure to end the war ahead of congressional midterm elections in November, said that “a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now.”

“Very importantly the oil is plummeting down, and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” he said Monday at the G7 summit in France.

While the agreement pro-

vides for the “immediate”

opening of the strait and lifting of the blockade, the process will take time because there are mines in the strait, and ships are unwilling to risk traversing it, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss outlines of the agreement.

Israel and Lebanon

The success of the deal rests at least partially on what happens between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel’s bombing of Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday nearly derailed the negotiations, and a previous attack led Iran to fire on Israel and Israel to fire back.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in land it holds in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. He also threatened that if Iran at-

tacks Israel over its strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with “great force.”

Asked where Israel stands on the deal, David Mencer, a spokesperson in Netanyahu’s office, told The Associated Press that Israel and the U.S. remain fully aligned on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. But he added that Israel will not tolerate attacks from Hezbollah on its territory

Israel and the U.S began the war apparently in lockstep, but the war has created deep fractures in that close relationship, with Trump eager to end a conflict that is deeply unpopular with the American public and Netanyahu intent on destroying Hezbollah. Trump appears to have grown increasingly frustrated with the Israeli leader, even occasionally publicly insulting him, in-

cluding telling The New York Times on Sunday that he was a “very difficult guy.

Checking on homes

In a sign of the deal’s fragility, the Lebanese army called on residents not to rush to return to border villages, saying they should follow military instructions because of the danger of “Israeli violations and aggression.”

Many Lebanese who had fled following Israeli evacuation orders and intense fighting were heading south, however to check on their homes. Celine Fayad, driving south, said she will test how far she could go. Her village, Aitaroun, is along the border with Israel It was among the first to be occupied and lies in ruins.

“We were expecting to return,” she said. “Thanks to Iran.”

Ali Haidar was among the first to return to Nabatiyeh, the southern city at the heart of the latest Israeli military operations, where many central buildings have been reduced to dust.

“This used to be our home, our childhood home where we have all of our memories. This is where we grew up. Now it’s gone,” Haidar said. “We will return to rubble and sand. It’s better than being displaced.”

Hezbollah, meanwhile, credited Iran with a “major achievement” in reaching the agreement, which it said could lead to “the full liberation of our land, the return of our prisoners to their homeland and families,” and reconstruction of wardevastated areas.

Along with praising the deal, the militant group said it was committed to resisting Israel “until full withdrawal is achieved.”

Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Abby Sewell and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut; Najib Jobain in Doha, Qatar; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv Israel; and Sylvie Corbet in Evian-lesBains, France, contributed to this report.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Foxtobuy Roku

in $22 billion deal

Fox Corp. has agreed to buy the streaming pioneer Roku in acash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt.

Roku will continue to be run as an open, partner-friendly platform, the companies said Monday,and thereappears to be no immediate changes thatcustomers will see. Fox andRokusaidthatthe combinedcompany willbecome thethird-largest player in U.S. television by share of viewing.

The deal will give Fox access to more than 100million globalhouseholds, along with the Roku channel and its firstparty data. Fox oversees a massivesports, news andentertainmentnetwork, as well as Tubi, which it acquired in 2020.

Fox will pay $96 in cashand

0.9693 shares of itsClass A common stock for each Roku Class Aand Class Bshare outstanding.The transaction is valued at $160 per Roku share.

Existing Fox shareholders areexpected to ownapproximately 73% of the combined company and Roku shareholders will own about27%.

The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year Target taps Mizrahi as newcreative director

NEW YORK Target is tapping designer and TV personality

Isaac Mizrahi for anewly created role as creative director at largeasthe discounteraims to reclaim its reputation for stylish clothing on abudget

In Mizrahi’snew role, the fashion designer,who is known for his vibrant colors and who burst on the design scene in the late 1980s, will mentor Target designers, advise on product design and innovationand bring on fresh new partnerships, thecompany said Monday.Target said Mizrahi will work alongside Gena Fox, the retailer’ssenior vice president of design. With this move, the Minneapolis-based discounter is going backtoafamiliar partnership. Back in 2002, Target launched adesign partnership withMizrahi,marking theretailer’s firstcollaboration with amajor fashion designer

Mizrahi’sexclusive clothing andaccessoriescollection forTargetpaved theway for the retailer’ssuccessful collaborations withother major designers ranging from Lilly Pulitzer to Missoni. Target’s partnership with Mizrahi ended in 2009.

UAWratifies deal, ends strike at key GM plant

The United Auto Workers strike at Dauch Corp.’sThree Rivers plant is officially over after the local union chapter ratified anew contract withthe key General Motors Co. truck axle supplier

About 80% of UAWLocal 2093 members voted to approve the new four-year deal that will increase top payfor union-represented workers to $30 an hour by 2030 from $22 now, accordingtothe union. Negotiators have cast the outcome as avictory after holding firm to wage and health care demands.

Nearly 1,000 workers at the plant in southwest Michigan walked out on June 1, demanding better wages,more time off, and no increasesintheir healthinsurance costs. Major politicians and political candidates including Gov. Gretchen Whitmerand U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed had visited the picket line. The deal also includes a $2,000 ratificationbonus and a$1,000 bonus after thefirst year. If it had stretched on, the walkout could have severely affected GM pickup production. Detroit-headquartered Dauch,formerly known as American Axle, makes axles and other parts at the plant that primarily go into several GM truck models.

Stocks

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEWYORK Stock markets rallied worldwide Monday,and oil prices easedafter theUnited States and Iran reachedatentative deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the StraitofHormuztoget theglobal flowofcrudegoing again.

The S&P 500 rose 1.7% on hopes that this time, theannouncement of an Iran-U.S. agreementwill mean along-term fix to aconflictthat

has worsened inflation around the world. Stocks got alift after theprice for abarrelofBrent crude oil fell 4.8% to $83.17, back to where it was in earlyMarch. While that’s still above itspriceofroughly $70 from before thewar,it’slower than the $100 plus it cost just afew weeks ago. The hope is that lower oil prices will takepressure offhouseholds andbusinesses, whichhavehad to pay higher prices for everything from food to fuel to fertilizer becauseofthe war withIran.

Iran confirmed the deal, but it does notinclude afinalagreement on issues like Iran’snuclear program. Negotiations on that are expected to continue over the next 60

days, whichleavesopportunity for hiccups thatcould derail the agreement.And even if the Strait of Hormuz does fully reopen on Friday as expected, it will likely take months for the energy industry to get back to full speed. For now,though, relief swept through financial markets worldwide.

On Wall Street, stocks of companies with big fuel bills were instant winners. United Airlines flew 3.9% higher,and cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group rose 6.6%.

Stocks of companiesenmeshedin the artificial-intelligence industry alsojumped. These stocks have yoyoed in recent weeks, going from roaringtorecordstosuddenlyturn-

ing lower.The concern is whether suchstocks shottoo high, too fast because of AI mania, andtheir careening moves have sometimes reversed direction by the hour MicronTechnology rallied10.8%, and Advanced Micro Devices rose 7%.Nvidia’s climb of 3.5% was thestrongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward because the AI chip company is Wall Street’smost valuable company,giving it more weight on the index than any other SpaceX,ElonMusk’srocket company that also owns the AI company xAI, rose 19.6% in its second day of trading on Wall Street. Its successfuldebut on the Nasdaq suggested plenty of demand still exists among investors for AI.

LONG MAYITWAVE

Flag makers prep OldGlory forAmerica’s

250th

BYALYSSA TISCH

The Detroit News (TNS)

CLAWSON, Mich. Jane Milesleanedovera worktableinsideAmerican Flag &Banner Co., carefully cutting and folding afire-damaged American flag before placing it inside a wooden display case for acustomer Across the room, thestore’sonly two other employees were also busy.One washelpingcustomers browse flags and theother was stitchingaspecial “250” emblemonto acommemorative flag ahead of the nation’s upcoming milestone.

As the United States prepares to celebrate its250th anniversary in July,Metro Detroit flag businessesare seeinggrowing demand for the Stars and Stripes and other patriotic displays to mark thenation’ssemiquincentennial amid economic uncertainty at home andawar with Iran overseas.

“It’sreally aluxury item,” said Miles of purchasing an American flag, with Betsy Ross-styled flags selling for $70 in her shop.

“If you’rean American and you want to fly one, you’re giving up something else. You’re notbuying that secondpair of shoes at TJ Maxx.You’regoing to buya flag. It’s a choice, andit’sapatriotic choice, and lotsof Americans are making it.”

Miles has been helpingAmericansmake that choice for nearly five decades.Her store, American Flag &Banner,has been in business for more than acentury.Founded in Detroit in 1917, the business has operated in Clawson for about 40 years. Miles and her husband took ownership 48 years ago after what she thought would be aroutine jobinterview

Responding to ahelp-wanted advertisement for aseamstress in The Detroit News, Miles met the then-owner Robert Erdman, who insteadsuggested the couple purchase the business. Miles had an art degree and knew how to sew.Her husband had abusiness background from theUniversity of Michigan.

“We’ve beendoing it for 48 years,” Miles said. “So I’m pretty good at it.”

Over the years, Miles said the business has seen peaks andvalleys. In the months leadinguptoAmerica’s250th anniversary,there has been astrong peak. In high demandat the store arebothflags featuring the officially authorized America250 design, and Betsy Ross-styled flags displaying a“250” emblem at thecenter of acircle of 13 stars.

The Betsy Ross design’scircle of 13 stars representsthe originalcolonies and haslong been associated with the nation’sfounding.

However,Ted Kaye,secretary of the North American Vexillological Association, said the popularstory that Betsy Ross designed thefirst American flag is likely amyth.

“She may have sewn oneofthe first flags, butthe Betsy Ross myth is justthat. It’s a

&Dist. Co., another family-owned business in Flint, Michigan, whose roots trace back to 1966. Karri Carter JohnsonfromKleeMfg. &Dist. Co.saidthe companybegan after her grandfather accepted asewing machine as payment forrepairworkand started using it to makeflags and banners.

The business no longer manufactures, but Johnson and her sister still sell flags from the same building purchased by their grandparents morethan six decades ago.

“I like that we’re an integral part in celebrating the anniversary,” Johnson said. “People can come in andget theirflags and be proudtofly them and know that they were madeinthe United States. We’vebeen around forever, andmostpeople always know whereweare andwhere they canget their quality.”

myth,” Kayesaid. “Francis Hopkinson, who was asignerofthe Declaration of Independenceand the designerofthe Great Seal of theUnited States, is very likely the designer of the American flag.”

To createone of these BetsyRoss-style flags, American Flag &Banneremployees take an originalBetsy Ross flagand sew the 250 emblem onto it. The process takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes per flag, turning each one into ahandcrafted tribute to the nation’s250th birthday

“We’regettingreally good at it,” Miles said. “I trace them in 20 seconds, pin them in another 10 and it probably takes six or seven minutes to sew one. Trimming it is the lengthiest thing about it.”

Thestore sells about10commemorative flagsa daywhile producing aroundfour daily in-house, keeping thethree-person operation busy as the anniversary approaches. Similar interest is being seen at Klee Mfg.

For both businesses, the anniversary has renewed interest in where American flags areactually made. While many flags sold through large retailers are imported, both American Flag &Bannerand Klee Mfg. & Dist. Co.specializeinproducts made in the United States and say domestic manufacturing remains an important part of their business.

“There’sjust something alittle strange about buying aflag that symbolizes freedom and the United States that wasmade in China,” Johnson said. “Something withthat muchsymbolism is definitely something you want to buy that wasmadebysomeonein the United States, as opposed to it just being mass-manufactured in China.”

Few countries display and celebrate their national flagasprominentlyasthe United States, Kaye said: “Weare one of the most flag-waving countries of all. Few countries have as manyflags going as we do.”

Trumpadministrationurged to ease Anthropicrestrictions

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technologywriter

SAN FRANCISCO Agroup of cybersecurity executives and experts is askingthe Trump administration to lift itsdirectivepreventingthe useofAnthropic’s latest artificial intelligence models by foreign nationals, saying the move could help U.S. adversaries morethanithurts them.

Anthropic said Friday it has taken its latest artificial intelligence models, known as Fable 5and Mythos5,offline to comply with the directive. The AI giant said it did not believe the steps taken by the government were warranted by the concernitflaggedabout a potential security issue.

Anthropichas said it waslimiting use of some itslatesttechnologytoselect customers because of its ability to surpass human cybersecurityexperts in finding and exploiting computervulnerabilities.

TheSan Francisco-based company has had discussions with the White Housepreviously aboutthe latest models’capabilities.

In the letter Sunday,morethan 100 cybersecurityexperts and leaders from companies including Adobe andNvidia asked theU.S government tolift the export controldirectivesonthe Anthropic models and “commit to an open, scientific and transparent process of handling AI risk assessmentsin thefuture.” Theletter saidthatwhile An-

thropic’sMythos models are “quite good” at finding flawsinsoftware and weaponizing exploits, they are ”not uniquelygood at these tasks” andmanyofthe letter’s signatories regularlyuse otherfoundation and open-source models for securityaudits andtraining.

The letter said it is dangerous to take away thebestcyber defense capabilities “without agoodreason” when America’sadversaries are rapidly advancing.

China’smodels, the letter said, are“only months behind thebest American models,”and it is even likely that China’sgovernment hasaccess to privatecapabilities beyond what’sbeen madepublic.

The exportcontrolsmarked the U.S.government’smostsignifi-

cant step yettorestrict access to the mostadvanced AI models. Anthropic released Fable widely last week. That model is alimited versionofthe more advanced Mythos, to whichthe companyhas tightly limitedaccessdue to cybersecurity fears.

The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to arequest forcomment on Monday Friday’sdirective came 10 days after President Donald Trump signedanexecutive ordertoestablish aframework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systemsfor up to amonth before their public release. Participation by AI developers wouldbe voluntary,the order said.

Jane Miles, owner of the American Flag& Banner Co., has been sellingAmerican flags for nearly five decades.

Hegseth: More U.S. strikes in Latin America possible

BY ANTONIO MARÍA DELGADO Miami Herald (TNS)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that the United States is prepared to carry out additional military operations across Latin America similar to the recent strike in Venezuela that killed Tren de Aragua leader Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero,” signaling a potentially broader campaign against cartels and transnational criminal groups in the hemisphere.

Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Hegseth said the Venezuelan interim government had invited U.S military forces onto its territory to help eliminate the founder of the Venezuelanborn criminal organization, marking one of the clearest acknowledgments yet of direct U.S. military involvement inside Venezuela.

“They invited our military in because they have a foreign terrorist organization on their soil in Tren de Aragua,” Hegseth said. “The founder and leader — we were able to identify where he was and kill him, just like we would kill al-Qaida or ISIS.” When asked whether

Americans should expect similar operations in countries such as Ecuador and Guatemala, where Washington has expanded security cooperation, Hegseth offered an unequivocal answer

“Yes, they should,” he said.

Hegseth said the operations would be conducted under a new regional secu-

rity framework called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, which seeks to coordinate U.S. military and intelligence capabilities with partner governments across Central and South America to target cartel and gang leadership.

“It’s called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, A3C, and we’re forming it

with partner governments all around Central and South America to go after defeat and destroy foreign terrorist organizations (and) drug cartels,” Hegseth said.

The remarks suggest the Trump administration increasingly sees transnational criminal groups not as traditional law-enforcement targets but as terrorist

threats warranting military action, similar to U.S. campaigns against Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the Middle East.

“We treat these foreign terrorist organizations the same way,” Hegseth said “Just like we do with drug boats when we identify they’re run by those FTOs.”

President Donald Trump announced Friday that U.S. Southern Command had carried out a “swift and lethal kinetic strike” that killed Niño Guerrero, the founder of Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization U.S. authorities say expanded throughout Latin America and into the United States.

Guerrero, 42, had been one of the most wanted criminal figures in the hemisphere.

Washington had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture and accused him of transforming Tren de Aragua from a prison gang centered in Tocorón prison into a sprawling transnational network involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Hegseth tied the success of the operation directly to President Trump’s January capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro,

arguing that the move fundamentally altered regional geopolitics.

“President Trump had the foresight to seize Maduro, change the relationship,” Hegseth said “Now Venezuela, through our partnerships, we’re killing foreign terrorist leaders who have terrorized the American people.”

Hegseth compared the emerging strategy to the U.S. counterterrorism campaigns in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where American forces spent two decades targeting jihadist leadership through intelligence-driven operations and precision strikes.

“Just like we showed we were very good at with ISIS and al-Qaida in the Middle East for 20 years,” he said. He also portrayed the strategy as a revival of the Monroe Doctrine, the 19thcentury U.S. policy asserting Washington’s primacy in the Western Hemisphere. Hegseth jokingly referred to it as the “Donroe Doctrine,” a reference to Trump. “It’s an incredible reinforcement of the Monroe Doctrine — now the Donroe Doctrine,” Hegseth said. “We’re taking back control of our hemisphere.”

29 tornadoes, derecho confirmed in storms that tore through Ill., Ind.

BY ADRIANA PÉREZ Chicago Tribune (TNS)

At least 29 tornadoes ripped across Illinois and northwest Indiana last week, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service. As residents of parts of these states were recovering and surveying the damage from a destructive derecho that swept through Wednesday night with up to 80 mph winds, they were hit again less than 24 hours later with another round of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

A derecho is a widespread and long-lived thunderstorm with damaging winds. As of the agency’s latest count

Sunday, 17 of the confirmed tornadoes from last week occurred in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, and nine in central Illinois.

The Quad Cities weather service office confirmed three tornadoes in western Illinois of unknown intensity that caused no known damage.

The 17 tornadoes in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana brought the area’s tally for 2026 to 44 — already the third most of any year since recordkeeping began in 1950.

“This is well above average, already, for a typical year,” said Rafal Ogorek, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Chicago office.

The top two years with the most tornadoes in the office’s forecast area are 2024, with 63 confirmed

tornadoes, and 2023, with 58. The entire state of Illinois typically averages 50 tornadoes annually Thursday produced three EF3 tornadoes — which are characterized by speeds of 136 to 165 mph — that hit Streator, a city 81 miles southwest of Chicago; the village of Washburn, near Peoria; and the towns of Hebron and Kouts in Porter County, Indiana. No major injuries have been reported.

The EF or Enhanced Fujita scale goes from 0 to 5, with an EF0 tornado starting at 65 mph and an EF-5 tornado being over 200 mph. Merrillville, in Indiana, was hit by an EF2 tornado. This is the second time in three months a tornado of that ve-

Infant formula recalled amid outbreak

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

State and federal officials are urging parents to discard all cans of Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula while the authorities investigate an outbreak of infant botulism linked to the product

“As a result of the investigation, Nara Organics voluntarily recalled all cans of Nara Organics infant formula currently available in the U.S,” a news release from the Louisiana Department of Health said. Nara Organics formula is sold online and at Target, according to the Health Department. All products should be returned to the store they were purchased from or thrown away immediately and any household items and surfaces that may have been touched by the formula should be washed with hot soapy water, the Health Department says. The formula may be contaminated with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism, a serious illness that can result when infants swallow or inhale spores from the bacteria that produce toxins The toxins can make infants very sick, in-

cluding paralysis and difficulty breathing, the release said.

Most babies with infant botulism may develop constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control and difficulty swallowing, and they may have other symptoms like decreased facial expression, a weak or altered cry, or other signs of muscle weakness, according to the Health Department.

Caregivers should seek immediate medical care if their infant consumed a Nara Organics product and is experiencing symptoms, and infants should be monitored for 30 days after exposure to the formula, the Health Department says.

Infant botulism “is extremely treatable,” according to Cleveland Clinic.

“The treatment starts with an antitoxin called botulism immune globulin,” according to Cleveland Clinic. “Healthcare providers will give that to your baby through an intravenous (IV) line. This antitoxin works like an antidote, neutralizing the toxin circulating in your baby’s blood.”

Babies usually fully recover and the survival rate is 98% to 100%, according to Cleveland Clinic.

La. sending out unclaimed property checks

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

Louisiana has sent 44,614 checks worth a total of $6.5 million to people who have unclaimed property held by state government, officials announced Monday

Unclaimed property includes things like cash, stocks, insurance proceeds old bank accounts and other payouts that companies can’t give to people because the address they have on

record is no longer correct That money goes to the state, which currently has $1.2 billion in unclaimed property on hand.

Each year, the state Treasury Department compares its unclaimed property list to a Department of Revenue database of current addresses, then sends out checks to anyone for whom it can find a match This year’s round of checks was sent June 12. The checks are mailed in a window envelope with the

return address of the Louisiana Department of Treasury, Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 91010, and a logo that says “Your Money, Claim It.”

Officials say that some number of checks are not cashed each year because recipients don’t believe they are real. One in 6 people in Louisiana has unclaimed property, the Treasury Department says. Check to see if you’re on the list at lacashclaim.org.

locity has swept through the area, after an EF3 struck Lake Village in Newton County in March, killing an elderly couple in their home. As human activities such as fossil-fuel burning release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere and climate change intensifies, air in the Midwest is becoming more saturated with humidity, a key ingredient of strong thunderstorms that can produce tornadoes. Research also indicates tornadoes are happening more often during nontraditional tornado months, lasting longer and beginning sooner as winters become warmer and more humid. Most tornadoes in Illinois occur between April 1 and June 30, but

according to the weather service, nearly half of the state’s tornadoes have occurred in the fall or winter in recent years. Increasingly frequent and intense severe weather, such as tornadoes and derechos, has cost Illinoisans billions of dollars in recent years. In August 2020, a “ferocious” derecho downed trees and rattled windows from Iowa to Chicago, causing $11billion in damage.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration retired its public database tracking billiondollar weather and climate disasters in May 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s rollbacks in federal spending.

BY DAVID FISCHER

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KEVIN WOLF

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks Monday during a meeting with Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa at the Pentagon.

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Everywall covered with art

Agiant, spooky funhouse ceramic jester by Linda Berman greets guests at the door —JeremyShapiro says he loves scaring himself with it on the way in. It was the piece that launched the whole scene in his New Orleans apartment.

Ataxidermied alligator in a pointed hat stands nearby, awink at the television show “Tiger King” that he pickedup at ashop on Magazine Street.

The pieces are among roughly 2,500, my estimate, not Shapiro’s, crowded across the walls, shelves, bookcases and ceilings of his topfloor apartment at Federal Fibre Mills. Shapiro moved in last December.Since then, he has turned the 3,000 squarefeet into something closer to afever dream than a home.

Shapiro, who just turned 50, grew up in Los Angeles.He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1998 and ran avintage clothing store there from 2008 to 2016. His father went to medical school at Tulane, andhis parents came and went from the city for decades. Shapiro runs aticket business and stays off social media, which he said never appealed to him. He calls himself boring. The apartment argues otherwise.

He contacted me months ago, after readingastory Iwrote about Becky and Wyatt Collins’ folk-art collection in New Iberia He was amassing his own, largely New Orleans-themed, and wanted someone to see it.

Iwent Friday,not surewhat to expect.

From the moment he opened the door,the sheer volume of art shocked me, and all of it installed since December The other surprisewas discovering that Shapiro is as much a scenebuilder as he is acollector.Much of what fills therooms began as inexpensive folk art: hand-painted figures for $30 or $40,old $10 fruit-crate ads in $10 frames. He arranges the pieces into vignettes and then populates them, including atiny taco man in awhite suit beside ahot-dog man holding ateddy bear on the kitchen island.

Apainted blues lounge hangs in the hallway.Headded the singers and miniature beer cans himself In the dining room corner,he dressed two skeletons as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, a tribute to Louellen Berger’syearly skeleton display outside her mansion on St. Charles Avenue in October

He commissioned Jody Robert, aJackson Square artist, to make plasma-cut art that includes Mr Okraand Ruthie the Duck Girl. He drove to Lafayette to buy a Blaine Kern Mardi Gras float piece off Facebook Marketplace. Shapiro says the bookshelves in the living room werethe most time-consuming. Books alone just didn’tsit the way he wanted. So he started weaving in figures he found on eBay until the shelves became aseries of miniature worlds, odes to Michael Jackson, Dennis Rodman, “Full House,” E.T.and more. The bookshelf vignettes are his favorite part of the whole place

“It’sall there for areason,” he said. Behind the residential spectacle is Shapiro’sconviction that artists deserve aliving —and that more people could affordtogive them one. He talks about the Jackson Squareartists the way other

Communitycenteradvances City Hall fi

ndsfunds

to supportDesireSquare

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

The Desire Square community center,a long-awaited project to bring moreretail andcommunity resources toNew Orleans’ historic Desire neighborhood,ison track to be completed later this yearafterthe city’sbudget woes threatened tosnarl funding for the project. In anews release Monday, Mayor Helena Moreno’sadministration said it plans to use bond

proceedstomeet CityHall’sfinancial obligations to the project and finish construction.

Thecitywilldevote $1.6million in generalobligation bonds that will go toward constructing the$18 millioncomplexnearthe intersection of DesireParkway and Industry Street after years of stalled progress.

“This funding will help move theprojectforward andbring the community one step closer to the services, opportunities, and investment residents have been waiting for.”

When com plete, the 42,000-square-foot building, being built by thenonprofit Desire Community Housing Corp will house aNew Orleans Police Departmentsubstation,a health clinic, pharmacy,grocery store

“For years, thepeople of Desire have heardpromises about what this developmentwouldbring to theircommunity.Myadministration was determined to find away to deliver on that commitment,” Moreno said in the release.

andcommunity gathering spaces, all resources that community advocates in the Upper 9th Ward neighborhood say have long been needed.

It willalsoprovide officespace for the Desire Community Housing Corp., replacing aformer multiuse center that flooded after Hurricane Katrinaand wasdemolished in 2019.

“This is acontinuationofthe city’sinvestment and also acommitment by my office to recognize theimportance of this historic community based on the impact

Cool side

Deep seamining companyeyesN.O.

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Anewly formed deep sea miningcompanyisconsidering two greater New Orleans locations as potentialhomes for acriticalmineral refiningfacilitythat could be thefirst of itskind in the United States.

Washington, D.C.-basedGlomarMinerals saidlate Monday thatithas partnered with Australia’sCobalt Blue Holdings Limited, amining company,to harvest rock-like mineralformations—called polymetallic nodules —from the bottom of thePacific Ocean andtransport them to theU.S. for processing. Each of thenodules contains manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper,materials that are essential to manyhigh-tech manufacturing processes.

Glomar CEO Robbie Diamond said in aphone interview Mondayhis team has identified four possiblesites forthe facilityafterconsidering more than two dozen nationwide. In addition to thetwo New Orleans area locations, the company is also looking at spots near the Texas andNorth Carolina coasts. The company plans to make adecision bythe end of thesummer

Though in the early stages, the potentialproject follows other Louisiana investments in critical minerals announced over the past three years, including a$450 million project at the ATALCO alumina refinery in Gramercy,ElementUSA’s $850 million investmentinacriticalminerals refining facilityinSt. John theBaptistParish, and UBE Corporation’s$500 million plan to makeelectric vehicle batteryingredients in Jefferson Parish GradyFitzpatrick,chief business development officer at Greater New Orleans Inc.,the region’seconomic development nonprofit,saidhis team began pitching aNew Orleanslocation to Glomar at an energy conference earlierthisyearand the talkshave continued ever since. The proposed facility,dubbed “Project Infinity,” is designed to refine 200,000 tons of polymetallic nodulesannually,along with 7,500 tonsofcobalt hydroxide, an ingredient in lithium-ion batteries Diamondsaid it was too early to estimate the cost of the project,which will initially produce refined manganese, cobalt

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Michael Garcia, aU.S. Marine Corps veteran described by police as abystander killed in the crossfire of an April shootout, was the casualty of afeud over less than half an ounce of marijuana, state prosecutorsalleged last week. CaronFortenberry “believed he was shorted”onthe 10-gram baggie when he stalked21-yearold Alshawn “Osama” Watts at an April7 barbecue in theSt. Claude neighborhood, Assistant District AttorneyGabriel Balasquide said during an arraignment Tuesday When Fortenberry and other masked gunmen allegedly “ambushed” Watts at thebarbecue, Watts peeled away in aNissan Maxima with the shooters in hot pursuit.Hecrashed into Garcia’s Jeep at North ClaiborneAvenue and Desire Street, where police latercollected more than 60 shell casings fired from four guns. Oneofthe bullets struck Garcia in the head as he satbehindthe wheel of his vehicle. The 41-yearoldfather andMarine Corpsretiree died aboutanhourlater at University Medical Center

The state revealed new details of its investigation in court after agrand jury last month indicted Fortenberry,25, andfour alleged

accomplices on charges of seconddegree murder and obstruction of justice. Among them were Mi’Janae “Gunna”Ingram, a20-year-old New Orleanswomanprosecutors allege dealtdrugs forFortenberry, and her39-year-oldmother, Bennalyn Ingram Prosecutors claimMi’JanaeIngram drove the gunmen around the area in her mother’sNissan Rogue as they stalked Watts. Bennalyn Ingram was the getaway driver after the bullets started flying, Balasquide said.

Another alleged accomplice, 33-year-old Joshua “Money” Emery,was at the barbecue before the others got there and started shooting at Watts whenthe attack began, the state alleged.

“We’re brothers for life,” Emery wroteFortenberry in atextmessage that day In Emery’scar,police investigating aseparate incident later found one of theguns used in the shooting, Balasquide said.

Byron “BB” Dubose,23, afifth defendant indicted on amurder count in the case, remains at large.

DistrictJudge Kimya Holmeson Tuesday appointed attorneys for the four defendants whoappeared in her courtroom.

STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Afamily walks through downtown NewOrleans, drifting between sun and shade on ahot summer afternoon where the humidity feels heavy enough to sit on your shoulders. The sidewalk flipsfrom bright glare to cooler relief in afew steps, and unlikethe song, this timeofyear in NewOrleans youmay not want to walk on the sunnysideofthe street.

ä See CENTER, page 2B

WWL-TV morning show anchor leaving

Brheanna Boudreaux returning to Houston

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

WWL-TV morning show anchor

Brheanna Boudreaux is leaving the station for a broadcasting job in Houston, where she lived and worked before moving to New Orleans.

Boudreaux

She’ll sign off from WWL on Friday

“This is not a decision I made lightly,” Boudreaux wrote on social media Monday “After a lot of reflection, I know it’s time for my next chapter I leave with so much gratitude for my morning family this incredible and sup-

portive community, and all the lessons and growth I’ve experienced along the way.”

The daughter of an Army soldier Boudreaux lived in numerous cities and overseas as a child. She earned her journalism degree from James Madison University in Virginia. Her first on-air job was in Lafayette. She also served in the Louisiana Army National Guard, and worked TV news jobs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Norfolk, Virginia.

Most recently, she was a news anchor, reporter and traffic anchor at ABC13 in Houston, where she covered numerous high-profile stories.

She started on the WWL morning show in October 2023, sitting for a time alongside the late, legendary anchor Eric Paulsen. She joined the morning show team at the same time as Brandon Walker

a New Orleans native and St. Augustine High School alumnus who had worked for a Houston TV station that competed with Boudreaux’s.

Following Paulsen’s death in October 2024, Boudreaux and Walker became the WWL morning show co-anchors.

“Brhe and I are a team,” Walker said Monday “We held one another’s hand as we grieved Eric’s loss, and the turn we had to make as a team in his absence.”

It’s hard to say goodbye “to someone next to whom you sit daily, trading life’s whims and woes whilst also navigating four hours of live programming with a smile,” Walker continued “We like to joke that we’re family — more like brother and sister Funny enough, we are a lot like an old married couple in the sense that not only do I get to annoy her, we communicate without words. She

knows what I’m thinking before I say it.

“I’ll miss our laughs and her compassion and dogged dedication to making sure we communicate what people need to know.”

In Houston, Boudreaux, a mother of three young daughters, will move from early morning newscasts to anchoring an evening newscast at KHOU 11. She also has family in Texas.

“I’ve never made a move in this business that I didn’t feel completely ready for,” Boudreaux wrote. “Wanting to stay while also knowing it’s time to go is a feeling I’m not familiar with. It’s taken me a while to realize that both things can be true at the same time.”

That said, she wrote that New Orleans “is a city and community I love deeply It will always be home for me and my girls, and we’ll be back often. This city is part of who we are. Who Dat!”

Two from Georgia plead guilty to mail theft

Suspects stole check from Kenner police chief

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A man and woman from Georgia pleaded guilty in a Jefferson Parish court Friday to stealing letters from local mailboxes, including a check belonging to the Kenner chief of police, court records show Anthony Lowe, 64, pleaded guilty to three counts of mail theft while Christine Smith, 58, pleaded guilty to one count. Both are from Conyers, Georgia, court records show Judge Donald “Chick” Foret, of the 24th Judicial District Court, deferred five-year prison sen-

tences for the pair and ordered that each serve three years of active probation, according to court records.

Lowe and Smith pleaded guilty under Article 893 of the state’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows them the chance to expunge the convictions from their records if they successfully complete the terms of their sentence.

Kenner police arrested the pair along with three other suspects in September after someone tried to cash a fraudulent check that had been pilfered from Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley’s mailbox, according to authorities.

A suspicious teller at Conley’s bank in New Orleans phoned the chief on Sept. 9 to verify whether Conley had indeed written the check in question Conley told the teller he did

write a check that morning, put it in an envelope and left it in his mailbox for pickup by his postal carrier But the amount of the check had been greatly increased, according to authorities.

Conley reviewed home surveillance cameras and found video of a car pulling up to his mailbox and a person stealing its contents, police said.

Kenner detectives used licenseplate recognition cameras to identify and track the suspects’ vehicle to a short-term rental apartment in New Orleans, according to authorities.

In addition to Lowe and Smith, police in New Orleans arrested Pierre Watson, 40, Steven Chandler Jr., 43, and Anthony Ferrell, 42, all of Georgia.

The Major Crimes Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations

served a search warrant at the rental property and found more stolen mail, including checks and equipment used to create fake checks, authorities said. Investigators believe the five suspects were part of a mail theft and check fraud ring in which thieves steal cash and financial information from letters. Stolen checks are “washed,” fraudulently altered with new recipients and usually higher dollar amounts.

In Orleans Parish, all five suspects pleaded guilty in December to six counts of mail theft, two counts of monetary instrument abuse and one count of bank fraud. They were sentenced to five years in prison with three years suspended, according to court records.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

Newspaper wins SPJ awards for investigative reporting

Staff report

Reporters for The Times-Picayune | The Advocate won top awards for investigative reporting and public service journalism in the Louisiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2026 contest.

Reporters Jillian Kramer and Jeff Adelson won the A-Mark Award for investigative reporting for their 2025 series “Longing for Justice,” which explored chronic delays in the New Orleans court system, the reasons behind the backlogs and the anguish inflicted on families of crime victims The

A-Mark Foundation is a national nonprofit that makes grants to help award investigative reporting across the country Contest judges noted their decision to give the award to Kramer and Adelson “for not only their journalistic revelations, but also their degree of difficulty.” Adelson built a database using hundreds of thousands of pages of records for the series, with the reporters analyzing cases over a 10-year period in Orleans Parish. The judges also cited the results of the series, including two of the oldest cases in the criminal court closing after the newspaper’s re-

porting on them — one after 16 years, another after 12.

The Times-Picayune staff also won SPJ’s Ed Anderson Award for public service journalism for its probing follow-up coverage of the 2025 New Year’s terror attack on Bourbon Street. The same coverage was recently named a finalist for the National Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s print reporting award.

The SPJ judges complimented how the staff followed “the aftermath of the tragedy investigating the lack of security precautions and how the killer got radicalized in the first place.”

“Too often in today’s resourcestressed newsrooms, the coverage stops with the news and never delves into the details,” the judges noted “The T-P never gave up on this story, and its community is better for it.”

Reporter Sam Karlin also won the second place Ed Anderson Award for public service journalism for his series “Lethal Heat,” which revealed soaring heatrelated deaths across the state.

Reporter James Finn won second place in news reporting for his coverage of U.S. Border Patrol sweeps late last year in New Orleans.

MINING

Continued from page 1B

sulphate, nickel metal, copper metal and other substances.

“All the places we’re considering make sense from a logistics standpoint,” Diamond said. “These areas have the materials and expertise we need to refine these critical minerals efficiently and affordably.”

GNO Inc. and Diamond did not provide specifics on the possible locations for the facility or other information, including what environmental or regulatory approvals might be needed, or what incentive packages, if any, were being proposed.

A potential ‘sea change’

Diamond has spent two decades leading a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that promotes American energy dominance. He said his deep-sea mining partnership is designed to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign-controlled processing and refining of these metals.

“America cannot achieve true economic security, manufacturing leadership, or technological independence without a reliable domestic supply of critical minerals,” he said.

The nodules sit up to 20,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, and while scientists have known about them for some 150 years, Diamond said it’s only recently that technology has been developed to cost effectively harvest them.

Glomar, named after a famous exploration mission from the 1970s, has developed a system to use remote equipment to essentially vacuum up the mineral-rich objects and pump them to the surface the same way oil is extracted

“The nodules are just sitting there on the bottom of the ocean,” he said. “In certain areas, they’re stacked on top of each other, and over time the ocean just keeps making more.”

Now, Diamond believes, the race is on to prove that his company and its Australian partner which specializes in refining, can bring the material up and get it into the marketplace.

He said the plan is to start small and build the operation in a modular way Fitzpatrick said it’s also been a Trump administration priority to bring back domestic production of the materials.

“This is moving rapidly and they want to get up and running as fast as possible,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a national security priority to produce more in the U.S.”

Continued from page 1B

people talk about endangered species.

“So many hungry artists just trying to make art their living,” he said. “I wish locals would take greater advantage, as opposed to the artists being reliant on heavy tourist season.” The artists’ creativity has pulled him in. He cannot draw and says so without embarrassment.

“They are doing things that I could never do in a million years, and it blows me away every single day,” he said. “I stare at some of the things in here and literally have no idea how the artist made it.”

His best argument for buying art is also his simplest: Art brings out emotion.

He compares the enjoyment to that of attending a concert

“The difference with art is, if you buy it, you get to enjoy it for however long you own it,” he said. “It’s real and stays with us and

CENTER

Continued from page 1B

that Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters had on this community,” City Council member Eugene Green, who represents the area, said in a phone call Monday to discuss the plan.

The project is largely funded by a $7 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant awarded in 2024 and was set to be supported by a $3 million budget allocation the

it’s so much more affordable than most people think. I want them all to succeed.”

For all that, Shapiro is nearly finished with this project. He rents the apartment; its owners live nearby and plan to move in eventually He figures he has three to five years.

For now, every wall is spoken for.

Even the upstairs play room is finished, down to the Pop-a-Shot, where Shapiro properly shellacked me, 84-7.

“This was probably all too much, to be honest,” he said, looking around. “You either go understated, or you go crazy I went crazy.”

Even so, the too-muchness works. That he recognized what was happening and kept going anyway is what’s endearing.

Shapiro can’t compare notes on where he went to high school in New Orleans, but his apartment suggests something the city rewards: devotion taken a little too far

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

City Council approved later City Hall’s portion was initially set to come from the general fund, but Green said the city’s budget crisis allowed for only half of that to be disbursed. Desire Community Housing Corp was established in the late 1960s to revitalize the neighborhood through affordable housing after Hurricane Betsy devastated the area. Today the neighborhood is still reeling from the impact of natural disasters, delayed investment and population loss, with dozens of va-

cant lots and a lack of resources. Corporation CEO Wilbert Thomas, 77, grew up in Desire during a time when it was a beacon for Black homeownership complete with a bowling alley, a movie theater and Bynum Pharmacy, the city’s first Black-owned pharmacy housed in the former community center “It’s been a roller coaster but we’re finally getting it done,” Thomas said. Desire Square marks the latest effort by city and civic leaders to revitalize the area in recent

Good Shepherd School, a

elementary

that provides tuition-free education, is scheduled to open on Carver Rams Way and Desire Parkway And last month, former City Council President Arnie Fielkow, who chairs the nonprofit Ninth Ward Stadium Inc. said it had secured title sponsors for the stadium on Almonaster Avenue after more than a decade of delays. The groundbreaking for the sports facility is slated to take place next summer

Holmes set seven-figure bonds for Fortenberry and both women while denying bail to Emery The judge noted that Emery was on a revoked bond when the April shooting happened after he’d gone on the run for more than a year Along with murder and obstruction, Emery faces four counts of possession of a weapon by a felon.

Watts and his 49-year-old uncle, Terrence Leavell, both were charged on June 4 with crimes related to the fatal shooting but not for the killing itself, court records show Prosecutors charged Leavell with obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Leavell admitted he began firing at the group of shooters to defend his nephew Police arrested him at the scene and initially booked him on counts of manslaughter and illegal use of a weapon. Watts was hit with two counts of drug possession. Arrest affidavits show police found cash and prepackaged drugs in his car when he came in for questioning days after the shooting. Watts denied being a dealer and said he had no drug feud with Fortenberry and his crew On Tuesday Leavell and Watts pleaded not guilty in District Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier’s courtroom. Flemings-Davillier found no probable cause for the obstruction charge. Leavell remained jailed at the Orleans Justice Center on a parole violation.

The New Orleans Police Department booked Watts on suspicion of second-degree murder Court records show he hasn’t been indicted on that charge.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Jeremy Shapiro stands in his New Orleans kitchen with a backdrop of artwork all around. In the far corner of the dining room corner he dressed two skeletons as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, a tribute to the famous St. Charles Avenue home that decorates its yard with skeletons in October

Borne, Randel

Knighton, Shirley

Lawler,Christopher Lucito,Barbara Schexnayder, Mary

NewOrleans

Boyd Family

Knighton, Shirley

Greenwood

Lucito,Barbara

Lake Lawn Metairie

Lawler,Christopher River Parish

HC Alexander

Schexnayder, Mary West Bank

Mothe

Borne, Randel

Obituaries

Borne, Randel 'Randy'

Randel “Randy”Borne passedawaypeacefully on June 10, 2026atthe ageof 76. Belovedhusband of Priscilla Lavergne Borne. Loving father of Rachelle Lagarde(Jack)and Re‐becca Amos (GaryJr.) GrandfatherofErinAmos, Randel Amos (Hunter)and thelateCarrieDufrene Great-grandfatherofCorey andOrenRomo. Brotherof DavidBorne,M.D Cindy Marcanteland OscarLouis BorneIII. Sonofthe late ValrieGuidryBorne Cormierand OscarLouis BorneJr. Also survived by many loving relativesand friends. Randel retired from theAllianceRefinery andwas very involved in hiscommunity.Inaddition to beinganavidoutdoors‐man, he wasa member of

hisbeloved PriscillaasFair Chaircouplefor O.L.P.H. He will be sadlymissed.Family andfriends areinvited to gather at MotheFuneral Home,2100 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Harvey, LA on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 from 10 AM to 1:30 PM.A Funeral Mass will follow in the fu‐neralhomechapel. Inter‐ment Westlawn Memorial Park in Gretna.Condo‐lences andmemoriesmay be shared by visiting his memorial page at:www mothefunerals.com.

Knighton,Shirley 'Ms. S'

Shirley “Ms. S” Knighton,62, enteredHeaven’s gatesonSaturday, May30, 2026, in Chalmette,LA. Daughter of thelate Nathanieland Vickie Knighton andsistertothe late LindaPayton, Shirley wasa proudAlumniofLB Landry High School and waspassionateabout music. Knownasthe life of theparty,she wasa dedi‐catedSocialWorkerat NewBeginnings, finding deep fulfillment in elevat‐ing thefamilies sheserved. Sheissurvivedbyher de‐votedhusband,Charles Smith; son, Tommy Knighton (Vinette); daugh‐ter, Shante Knighton Wright (Crescensio);and grandchildren, Ta’jia, Brooklin, Neveah,Teah, andTajh, alongwithmany cherishedrelatives and friends. AHomegoing Cele‐brationwillbeheldThurs‐day, June 18, 2026, for1:00 p.m. at TheBoydFamilyFu‐neralHome, 5001 Chef MenteurHwy,New Or‐leans, LA 70126. Visitation will beginat12:30 p.m. Pastor MichaelRoche’offi‐ciating. Arepasswillfollow at thesamelocation. Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd andDonavin D. Boyd Owners/FuneralDi‐rectors.

Lawler, Christopher Ernest

ChristopherErnest Lawler,beloved husband, father, brother, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2026—the date of his 62nd wedding anniversary. He was 83 years old.

Born on July23, 1942, to thelate Charles and Annie Lawler,hewas predeceasedbyhis brother GeorgeLawler. He is survivedbyhis love of 62 years, JeannetteCampbell Lawler;their twochildren, Christopher P. Lawler (Amy)and KathleenLawler Morin(Michael); three grandchildren, Christopher Glenn Lawler,Colin Lawler, and Eliza Morin; his brother,James Lawler; and his brother-in-law, Dr. Edward Campbell

He graduated from Warren Easton High School in 1962. Inspired by his uncle, Parnell Hyland, to pursue thepractice of law, he earnedhis undergraduate degree from Tulane University in 1964, followed by his Juris Doctor from Tulane in 1968. He was an activemember of the Moot Court and aproud member of the PhiDelta Phi International Legal Honor Society,which recognizes academicachievement and good character.

Chris served his country in the LouisianaNational Guard forseven years. During that time, he began his legal career at thefirm of Porteous, Toledano and Johnson and soonbecame apartner. In 1974, he and thelate James Donovan, Sr.established thefirm of Donovan &Lawler. As atrial attorney, Chriswas a forcetobereckoned with. Many lawyers recall the first case they had with him as an experience not soonforgotten. Hiscontinued successesasa civil defense attorneyearned himthe nickname "No LiabilityLawler."Hepracticed lawwithintegrity and thehighest ethical standards, treating fellow attorneys withfairness and earning thedeeprespect of the legal community.

Chris cheeredonthe Greenies for over 65 years, holding membershipsin

greatpassions, and he captainedhis boat "Critical Mass" on many memorable voyages. He was fortunate to travel the world,oftenaccompanied by his dear friendsEllen and KellySimon, laughing all theway. He spent his lateryears cruisingwith friends and family,content to be out on theocean where he always found peace.

Throughhard work and sacrifice,Chris achieved significant personal and professional success. Yet he always keptlife in perspective, placing faith and family aboveall else. He taught Sunday School at Zion Lutheran Church for 12 consecutiveyears and was amember of Atonement Lutheran Church forthe past 50 years. His strong faith sustained him, allowing him to face hisfinaldayswith the same courageheshowed throughout his life,with his belovedwife always at hisside. Hisultimatejoy and sourceofpride were his children and three grandchildren, who were always in his thoughts and who will miss him more than words can convey. Visitation willbeheldon Thursday,June 18, 2026, from9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.,New Orleans, LA 70124, with a funeralservicetofollow at 11:00 a.m. Interment will take place in Metairie Cemetery.Toviewand signthe family online guestbookand share your memories of Chris, please visitlakelawnmetairie.com In lieu of flowers,please considermaking adonation to Atonement Lutheran Church in memory of ChristopherErnest Lawler

BarbaraLae Lucito,born on March14, 1940, in New Orleans, Louisiana, passed away on June 11, 2026, leavingbehindlovethat

Brianne Boos,DrewHorton, andQuinn Anglada. Her grandchildrenwerea joyin herlife, andshe treasured everymomentspent with them.She also leaves be‐hind hersister-in-law,Ja‐neen (Tugga)Broussard,as well as nieces,nephews, andcousins whowillhold hermemoryclose to their hearts.Barbara is thefor‐merowner of Bo Peep Day Care in Chalmette,where shehelpednurture and guidechildren with pa‐tience andaffection.She also worked forseveral yearsasa bridal consul‐tant at LindaLee Bridal, helpingmakea specialoc‐casion even more memo‐rable. In addition,she served as alieutenantin theformerKrewe of Aphrodite. Barbarafound happinessinknittingand crocheting,and shetook greatcomfort in thespirit of Christmasand theholi‐dayseason. Sheloved watchingmovies, spending time at thebeach,and aboveall,being with her grandchildrenand family. Hermemorywillliveonin theheartsofher children grandchildren, relatives, andall whowerefortunate enough to know her. Though shewillbedeeply missed, theloveand the life shelived will remain an enduring blessing to her familyand friends. Family andfriends areinvited to attend avisitationat11:00 a.m. on Friday,June 19, 2026, at Greenwood Funeral Home,5200 CanalBlvd. NewOrleans,La. 70124 fol‐lowedbya Catholic Service at 1:00 p.m. Intermentwill be at Greenwood Ceme‐tery

Schexnayder, Mary AnnEdwards

Mary Ann Edwards Schexnayder, abeloved mother, grandmother, and friend, passedaway peacefully at herhome surrounded by herbest friendand caregiver Holly BarreLandry andfamilyon June 12, 2026, at the age of 87. Mary Annlived alife defined by warmth, grace, andanunwavering devotion to herfamily. Her home wasalways asanctuary of love,laughter, and open doors. She foundher greatest joyinthe simple momentsspent surrounded by those sheloved most. Sheissurvived by herdevoted children, Michelle Schexnayder Jeansonne(Glen), Richard Minyard(Christine), Rita Augustin(Jim), hercherished grandchildren, Tera MinyardWilson(Nick), Ryan Minyard, Matthew Minyard(Joan), Brian Minyard(Natalie),her great-grandchildrenand a communityofextended familyand friends whowill miss herdearly.She was preceded in death by her belovedhusband, Hubert C. "Tetan" Schexnayder, herson Robert TMinyard, andher grandson Wesley Sorrells. We would like to thankHeart of Hospice,especially ournurse Hannah, andCNA Cindy for theexceptional care given when it wasneededmost. AcelebrationofMary Ann'slife will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at St Charles Borromeo Church in Destrehan.Visitationbegins at 10AM,Mass will begin at 11:30AM,burial to follow in the churchcemetery.

Lucito,Barbara Lae

Price transparency in healthcare will benefit providers, patients

Along-sought after goal of advocatesaiming to rein in spiraling healthcare costshas been price transparency that letsconsumers seeup front what hospitals charge for routineprocedures.

An executive order by PresidentDonald Trump in 2019 set out aframework forprice transparency standards that hospitals had to meet for the first time. But in 2023,ananalysis by the group Patients Rights Advocate found that manyhospitalsinLouisianaand acrossthe nation were not meeting those standards. Last week, wordcamethatthe federalgovernment is not ignoring the problem. Since April, The Associated Press reported, theTrumpadministration has sent out letterstomorethan 500 hospitals across the country,including 27 in Louisiana,warning them they were notmeeting thestandards.The hospitals could face penalties of up to $2 million annually if they don’t make aplan to post clear pricingdata in the near future.

Some big names on the list inLouisianawere Baton Rouge General’sBluebonnetcampus and its nearby rehabilitation hospital andManning Family Children’sHospital, part of the nonprofit LCMC network in New Orleans. Others on the list were mostly specialty hospitalsand behavioral facilities. Baton Rouge General said some of the issues had to do with how the information was displayedonits websiteand said it would be “making improvements.” Similarly,Manning Family Children’ssaidthat ithad pricing available on its website for years buttheyare workingtoensure the files meet therequirements. We are glad to see these twoinstitutions willing to work toward aresolution

We are also glad to see that theTrumpadministration is diligently pursuingthe issue Healthcare costs are one of themost stubbornly intractable problems in our economy.Families in America go bankrupt trying to pay forprocedures to save or improve thelives of loved ones We believe price transparency isanimportant tool that will help consumers andproviders alike by making it possible to shop around for nonemergency care. We do notsee that the information requiredtobe postedonlineisonerous, but rather,itisuseful to consumers and employers, who often must absorb highercosts for their health plans when theiremployees don’thave clear information.

The administration is pushingfor hospitals to make it easier for patients toaccess theprice lists and to make surethey arebasedonreal costs and not just estimates.

We think that is reasonable.Weknowthere are many drivers of cost in our healthcare system, but allowing consumers to know what they are paying for is astart. Sometimesgovernment can help markets workbetter,and in this case, we see price transparency rules as nota cureall, but as an essential prescription forsuccess in the future.

Letters are

identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Educationscoresareasonto keep investinginearly learning

The recently released “Education Scorecard” shows Louisiana students making remarkable progress, ranking first among states in reading growthand second in math growthsince 2019. That achievement belongs to theeducators, school leadersand policymakers who have worked for yearstoimplement evidence-based reforms and ensure studentsreceive the support they need to succeed.

But as we celebrate this progress, it’s worth asking what will sustain it. Partof the answer starts beforekindergarten. Research consistently shows that children who begin school withstrong language, literacy and social-emotional foundations are far more likely to succeed academically

That’swhy New Orleans offersanimportant example. For morethan adecade, local partners have worked to connect low-income children with free, high-quality early careand education. In 2022, New Orleans voters strengthened that effort by approving a20-year early childhood education millage, creating along-term investment in children from birth.

The resultsare encouraging. Accord-

ing to the Louisiana Department of Education, 31% of low-income children ages 0-2 in Orleans Parish are in publicly funded child care seats, more than double the statewide average. At the sametime,the share of NewOrleans kindergarteners meeting or exceeding early literacy benchmarks rose from 32.7% in 2023 to 36.7% in 2025.

This is how long-term progress happens. Children who enter kindergarten better prepared are more likely to thrive in theclassroom, and today’spreschoolerswill shape Louisiana’sfuture academic outcomes.

Louisiana’sEducation Scorecard gains arenot proof that the work is finished. They are evidence thatsustained investment works.

If we want thesegains to continue and reach morechildren, we must keep investing in high-quality early learning while supporting educators with the tools theyneed to succeed.

The hard work is paying off. The questioniswhether we will continue investing in what comes next.

JEN ROBERTS CEO, Agenda forChildren NewOrleans

Fertility care enhances reproductive knowledge

Iwish to respond to Marcia Cooke’s letter concerning theuse of Title X funds. Itotally agree that women should have the knowledge to understand their fertility and to makewise decisions about becoming pregnant.However,I disagree withCooke’sconclusion that Natural Family Planning is unreliable.

NFP,aka Fertility Care, has been proven to be 99% effective when the woman makes 100% good observations for the mucus sign and records this information daily.Temperaturecan alsobeusedto track the woman’sovulation.

NFP has been taught and used effectively for morethan 50 years throughout the world without theneed to depend upon pills thatcan have anegative impact on the woman’sbody

There are added benefits to the use of NFP/FertilityCare that should be recog-

Regarding thecampaign to recall Gov. Jeff Landry: In thespring of 2023, the efforts to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell from office failed. Contributing to this failure were bogus, unwitnessed signatures on the petitions suchas“Fred Flintstone,” “Mickey

nized. From personal experience, Ibecame awareofabnormal changes within my reproductive system and whento seek medical treatment. Secondly,my husband and Iwererewarded by learning and practicing SPICE, an acronym for Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Creative/Communicative and Emotional intimacy,inour dailyrelationship. When avoiding pregnancy,wewould decide which aspect needed more attention. It helped us to explore areas more deeply SPICE touches on all important aspects of the relationship to express love in many ways.Somuch fun. Trained practitioners are available who can explain and guide couples whowish to experience this wonderful marital bliss.

VIRGINIA ALMON Metairie

Mouse” and “Scooby Doo.”

We’ll never know if this was the result of abject incompetence, amoronic joke or sinistersabotage. Let us ensure that suchafiasco is neverrepeated.

ROSLYN ELFER NewOrleansor

Irecentlyvisited Boston andsaw anews segment aboutthe surge in Airbnb demand tied to the2026 FIFA WorldCup. Citiesacross the country are welcoming visitors and allowing residentstobenefiteconomically from tourism.Yet here in NewOrleans, many homeowners are being prevented from doing the samebecause of restrictive shortterm rental rulesthathavegonetoo far. In Boston andmanyother cities, homeownerscan temporarily move outand renttheir entire homes through Airbnb. In New Orleans, however, owners are often required to live on-siteand maintainahomestead exemption on therental property,making it nearlyimpossible for residentswithmore than oneproperty to participate legally

My husband andI bought the housenext door to ours in 2020 with plans to turn it intoa beautiful shortterm rental.The home hadsat neglected sinceHurricaneKatrina.We invested heavily in renovations, obtainedpermits, paid fees, furnished theproperty andevensecured alicense. We believed we werehelping revitalizeour neighborhood while offsetting rising living costs.

Thenthe ruleschanged. Nowthe housesitsvacantagain. Responsible homeownerswho followedthe city’s process are being punishedwhile opportunitiesdisappear

Reasonable regulationsare necessary,but New Orleanshas crossed intoexcessive restrictions. As tourismcontinuestogrow,cityleaders should finda balanced solutionthat protects neighborhoodswithout shutting outresponsible property owners andleaving homes empty in acitybuilt on hospitality.

DAPHNE H. DOMINGUEZ NewOrleans

2 issues need to be at topofstate agenda

When will our governor set up atask force to deal with inferior roads and bridges that the citizens of this state have to drive over day after day? When will our governor set up atask force to start giving retired state workers apermanent benefit increase each year as most states do? The timefor this is now

YOUR VIEWS

State’sexpandedalligator season is worthcelebrating

Faimon Roberts

It may seem strange to talk about 10,000 alligators dying as athing worth celebrating, but hear me out. Last month, the Louisiana Legislature gave the go-aheadtostate wildlife officials to add arecreationalalligator hunting seasonthis fall in addition to the state’s already active commercial season. The new season will add about 10,000 tags to the 38,000 already offered in the state’scommercialprogram. In the new season, 5,000 hunters will be awarded two tags apiece. Eachtag is good for one alligator

The new season means hunterscould take almost 50,000 alligators from Louisiana’shabitats this year.A little more than 50 years ago, that numberwould have been almost unthinkable. The state’stotal alligator populationwas estimated to be fewer than 100,000.

Even if every tag is used, the new hunting season will barely make adent in thecurrent population,estimated to be around 3million

How we got here from where we were is atriumph of data-based conservation that involved all stakeholders, including landowners, conservationists, hunters and those who make alligatorproducts.

By the 1960s, Louisiana’salligators were in trouble. Poachingwas rampant, regulations wereineffective.

Many large landownerswho leased their land for duck hunting,crawfishingortrapping tacitly allowed,ifnot supported, eradication of alligators, according to Bob Thomas, anaturalist andthe director of the Center for Environmental Communication at Loyola University

“If you see somebody with alight and agunshot, he’sbreakingthe law, but helping you out,” Thomas said Thesolutionconservationists came up with was simple. Landowners could lease marshes for egg collectionbyalligator farmers. who thenhad to return aportion of the hatched alligators to the marshes from which they came. The programcreated an economic incentive for those who previouslywouldhave

FILEPHOTO

The newrecreational hunting season will addabout 10,000 tags to the 38,000 alreadyoffered in the state’scommercialprogram.

turnedablind eye to poaching. It also providedanavenue for thelegal sale of alligator products The truly ingenious part of theplan rested in theproportionof4-foot alligators that egg collectors had to return to the marsh. Scientistshad determined that, in the wild, about 17% of alligators that hatched survived to that length. So, if acollector took 100 eggs, they would have to return 17 4-foot alligatorstothe wild within two years. By modulating the proportion, wildlife officials could boost or slowthe alligator population’s growth. Also in the program, hunting was bannedfor about adecade. When it was allowed again, it was under tight restrictions that pushed hunters toward males and helped themavoid egg-laying females.

In other words, no one —hunters, landowners, those who want alligator products, conservationistsorscientists —was left out of the process. The idea was radical in theway it married economic incentives withecological goals But it almost didn’thappen. Environmentalists opposed it,and membersof otherstate departments werealso skeptical, Thomastold me. But he said onceitgot going, thealligatorpopulation“exploded.” Now,the

population is so robust that the additionof10,000 tags to the state’s totalis barely ablip.

Louisiana can increase the number of alligatorskilled by hunters because, for ahalf century, we’ve been sogood at helping themlive. And as aside benefit, the program generates an estimated $250 million in economic activity in Louisiana.

The alligator isn’tthe only species thathas made acomeback in Louisiana in recent decades: The black bear,the brown pelican and the bald eagle have as well. Thoserestorations weredifferent,but they have had similar success. None of these conservation efforts have been easy or happened overnight. It takes time andintentionalitytobring back an animal that has dwindled due to human action. And thereare plentyof species thatare still in need of focused restoration.

State Sen. Robert Allain, R-Franklin, who sponsoredthe bill calling for the recreational season, called the alligator program “the greatest conservation story in America.” Politicians areprone to hyperbole, but in the alligator’s case, that’scertainly worth celebrating.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com

Awelcomebreak from today’s repulsive, glue-factory politics

In the mid-1940s, 4-year-old Lamar Alexander climbedatree, frettedthat he could not climb down,and called forhis mother to help. This was before the noun “parent” became averb,and beforeadvanced thinkers decided that parenting is ascience, or an art, or both. So his mother simply told him, “You got yourself up there, you can get yourself down.”He did. He graduated from his freerange Tennessee childhood with astock of gumption that propelled him through apublic life spanningalmostaquarter of the nation’slife, working with 10 presidents. His career’sastonishing breadth began in 1963 as astaff member in Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’sJustice Department.Alexander,now 85, was aWhiteHouse aide to President Richard Nixon,a two-term governor of Tennessee, presidentof the University of Tennessee, education secretary under President George H.W.Bush, and athree-term U.S. senator Hismemoir, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump,”tellshis story of many achievementsand afew disappointments (two attemptstowin Republican presidential nominations). His graceful but unembellished prose suits his penchant for understatement. Even if —no, especially if —you find today’spolitics repulsive,read this book while remembering Mark Twain’s warm endorsement of an exemplary congressional candidate duringthe seaminess of Gilded Age Washington: “The presenceofsuch aman in politics is like avase of attar of roses in agluefactory —itcan’textinguish the stink, but it modifies it.” The placidity of Alexander’smemoir is disturbed only,but emphatically,

and twice, byhis immoderate dislike of theadjective “moderate” when applied to him. He specifically deplores adescription of him as “of mild mien andasenatorial model of “moderate Republicanism” that is “as valuable as it is scarce.” Those words are from this column in 2009.

Thewrong lessonstotake from Platner, Paxton

Youcan explain away all the scandals that have beset GrahamPlatner,Maine’sDemocratic nominee for U.S. Senate. The tattoo of aTotenkopf, the death’shead emblem associated with Nazi concentration campguards? Thatwas a drunken mistake by ayoung Marine who didn’t know any better.His failure to remove it for nearly two decades?

The self-professed “military history buff” found out about those associations only recently

How about this shirtless profile on the anonymous chat app called Kik, favored mostly by the 13-to24-year-old set? He made some mistakes early in his marriage.

The ex-girlfriends who told the NewYorkTimes his behavior was “unsettling” and, in onecase, physically abusive? The woman who says he manhandled her once worked for the conservative Heritage Foundation. QED, the accusation isn’tcredible.

That sure is alot of explaining to have to do, and some of the explanations seem unconvincing. So alternatively,you could simply say, “What about Ken Paxton?”

Paxton, the Texas attorney general who defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff last month, is at least as scandalicious as Platner.The Republican-controlled Texas House impeachedhim in 2023 for dereliction of duty and bribery,among other charges. As my news-side colleaguesreported: “His own senior staffers reportedhim to the FBI, alleging he illegally used his position to help aprominent donor,” and “his wife,state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year on ‘biblical grounds.’”(The Senate later voted to acquit him.)

It’shard to denounce Platner while supporting Paxton (or Donald Trump), but that won’tstop many Republicans from trying. The reverse is also true. Many Democrats will assure themselves that this is entirely different,even though it’smuch the same. It is arejection of the idea that character matters in politics.

Politicians needn’tbesaints. But nor should Americans mindlessly vote for whoever represents their party without any care for character Nominating those who are obviously unscrupulous and unstable is bad for the country —and, frequently,for America’sparties.

It mattered that Trump was vindictive,vain, pigheaded and unprincipled, because that’show we gotJan. 6, unpopular tariffs, abudgetdeficit of almost 6% of gross domestic product, and the current mess in Iran. That can be twistedtojustify standing by Platner: Trump is so badthatwe must do all we can to check him.

This is now the dominant narrative of both parties: Our opponents are intent on destroying everything right and just, while we are doing what we must. Every election has become an existential contest between all-powerful supervillains and …amoebas who have no capacity for independent thought and can only react automatically to negative stimuli. But we aren’tamoebas; we’re humans who have the capacity to make choices and draw lines.

Alexander writes that he has always“detested”being called “moderate,” a“lazy adjective” that describes “style morethan philosophy.” Homer nods, and Alexander errs.

George Will

There are political people, and heisone, in whom personal style is inseparable from —is an emanation of —aphilosophy.Of conservatism, properly understood. Aconservatism whose principles include flexibility is indispensable in a functioninglegislature, where negotiation and compromise are inescapable. Principles must be moderated to accommodate the inconvenient existence of others elected espousing different philosophies.

Edmund Burke, thefountainhead of modern conservatism,warned against purelyperformative politicians, of which America today has asurfeit They “makethemselves bidders at an auction of popularity,” and become “flatterers instead of legislators.” By them, “moderation will be stigmatized as the virtue of cowards, and compromise as theprudence of traitors.” Politicsisneither ascience nor an art. It is acraft, like carpentry or playing shortstop. The dignityofa craft derives fromthe fact that it is acquired only through many years of repetitions. Hence, patience is aconservative virtue. Faux conservatives who proclaim on the Senate floor their principledrefusal to compromise of-

ten achieve their only intended result: cable television and social media resonance. This is actual conservatism: While campaigning for governor,Alexander met amother who said, “I am sad tonight. My twinboys are smart,but they’ll never find agood job around here, and I’ll never see my grandchildren.”Hence his protracted courtship of Japanese automobile manufacturers to locate plantsinTennessee. By 2006, bothofthat mother’s sons and one of her grandsons were working for Nissan.

Alexander’spolitical craftsmanship was honed during almost six decades of apublic career whose diversityof offices filled is perhaps unmatched in American history.Ofthe 2,019 people who have been senators, few earned as much respect as Alexander,and like TedWilliams, he homered in this last at bat. Near the end of his Senate tenure, he and two other senatorsmet in the WhiteHouse Roosevelt Room to try to persuade themercurial president to pressuresome of his Senate acolytes to support amajor bill, theGreat American Outdoors Act. Pointing to aportrait of Theodore Roosevelt, one of Alexander’scolleagues said to Donald Trump: “If you support and sign this law,you’ll be thegreatest conservationist president since Teddy Roosevelt.” Alexander writes: “Trumpleaned back, folded his arms, and looked into space. ‘Wouldn’tyou say ever?’ Trumpasked.”

He endorsed the bill, which became law.AsOtto von Bismarck reportedly said, “You can do anything with children if you only play withthem.”

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

It’shelpful to remember how often these compromises go awry.Trump’selection denialarguably cost his party both Georgia Senate races in the 2021 runoffs, and MAGA primary challenges have ousted moderates from seats the GOP subsequently lost. The president’sunpopular policies are likely to do further damage this November.Asmay his meddling in Texas, where he endorsed Paxton because Cornyn —who boasted that he supported Trump’spositions 99%ofthe time —wasn’tabjectly servile enough. Paxton might have wonanyway,but it sure didn’thelp that the president weighedinonhis behalf. Platner also makes it more likely that Maine will return Republican Susan Collins to the Senate.

If both men survive their respective races they will arrive in Washington carrying all their baggage, containing who knows whatticking time bombs waiting to go off, with the rest of their caucus in the blast radius. When the eruption comes, party stalwarts will console themselves by saying the voters had spoken and there was nothing they could do. Balderdash. There is at least one thing they could’ve done: Refuse to support acandidate who doesn’tbelong in the Senate.

What’sthat, you say? Politics ain’tbeanbag? Republicans have been saying so for 10 years and it’sgotten them only grief. Many have kept their jobs, but at great cost. They’ve been left with abadly weakenedparty that will either struggle to win elections or need to rebuild itself as something other than acult of personality Their jobs now mostly consist of explaining the inexplicable and defending the indefensible. It’sapity to sell your soul for power.It’san embarrassment to sell it for nothing.

MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo. Email her at Megan.McArdle@washpost.com.

McArdle

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

Source: Jordan, Saints make strides

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints and Cam Jordan have made progress on contract talks on the eve of mandatory minicamp, a source with knowledge of the situation said Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has met with Jordan, the Saints’ all-time sacks leader, multiple times this offseason, a source said. The meetings have been productive enough that Jordan and the Saints will now meet again Tuesday, as former Saints tackle Terron Armstead first reported on his podcast Monday That sit-down will coincidence with the start of the Saints’ twoday mandatory minicamp. Jordan has been a free agent since March when the 36-year-old’s

contract expired.

The Saints made a contract offer to Jordan earlier this offseason and have been open to his return Coach Kellen Moore said last week that the team wouldn’t rush Jordan into his decision and that the offer did not necessarily have an expiration date.

“(We’re) here to help in any possible way,” Moore said. “We know what he means to this organization and this city, so if the opportunity presents itself and he feels comfortable and ready to go, then we’ll be ready to rock and roll.”

Drafted 24th overall in 2011, Jor-

dan is coming off a resurgent season in which he recorded doubledigit sacks for the first time since the 2021 season. Jordan has said he wants to continue his career and has no interest in retiring.

As his free agency dragged on,

Jordan had said that he was open to the idea of playing elsewhere. But he also maintained that he had interest in returning to New Orleans, his home for the last 15 years. While the Saints kept an open channel with Jordan, the team also added two pass rushers. The Saints traded for former firstrounder Tyree Wilson and signed veteran Anfernee Jennings.

Jordan said in April that he did not think those deals closed the door on his return.

“I don’t know,” he said “There’s nobody (the Saints acquired) who produced the way I did last year, so. My talent speaks for itself. And if things work out, phenomenal.

I’ve always said I understand the business side to it, so I’ve never worried about it.”

New Pels G League coach aims for greatness

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Brandon Demas isn’t sure of the exact date he started jotting down the two words that would become his identity

He knows it was during college, right around the time he was trying to figure things out. So he put pen to paper

“Be Great.”

“Be Great.”

“Be Great.”

Over and over again he’d write it.

“It just comes from trying to be the greatest version of myself each and every day,” Demas said. “All of a sudden, the guys just ran with it and it became my name.”

There are some in the New Orleans Pelicans’ team facility that don’t even know his real name. To them, he’s just B Great.

But Demas is making a name for himself, proving that those words of affirmation he repeatedly wrote down years ago can indeed come true. Demas’ basketball career continues to ascend, much like the high-rise bridge that takes a person from

BY LEAH WILLINGHAM

Associated Press

In the shadow of Tennessee’s Signal and Lookout mountains, 8-year-old Beckham has been balancing on a fence for more than three hours, gripping a handwritten note and waiting for Spain’s national team to emerge

“I love you and I look up to you,” the note reads, addressed to Pedri and Lamine Yamal. “Thanks for coming to my city I hope you win the World Cup.”

As the players run onto the field, his eyes grow wide

“Dad,” he whispers, “they’re real.”

The scene was equally incredible to his father, Jaxon McClure, a Marine Corps veteran who grew up in Chattanooga playing soccer with trash cans for goalposts, now coaches hundreds of local children and named his first child after one of the sport’s greatest stars.

Knicks carved out a legacy beyond the Big Apple

BY BRIAN

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Spain midfielder Lamine yamal, right, signs an autograph for Griffin Wamp, left, after arriving with teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament on June 5 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV Spain forward Alex Baena walks across the tarmac after arriving with teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament on June 5 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints DE Cam Jordan starts the “Who Dat” chant before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at the Caesars Superdome on Dec. 29, 2024.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Brandon Demas has been named head coach

Sanders weighs in on sports betting

Colorado coach also ponders possible improvements for college football

BY PAT GRAHAM Associated Press

DENVER Nobody has lived on the edge of the risk-reward nature of sports more than Deion Sanders over the years.

One place the Colorado coach won’t go: gambling on the college game, the likes of which has generated a scandal inside the very conference his team resides. Wagering has jumped to the forefront of college football as Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby won a court order early last week that restored his eligibility and set aside a ban by the NCAA for betting on pro and college sports. Colorado plays Big 12 rival Texas Tech on Oct. 3 as part of homecoming festivities.

“Somebody’s gambling on a sport they’re playing? You don’t think something’s wrong with that?” Sanders said in a recent interview with The Associated Press and before the latest court ruling with Sorsby “Just say that to yourself: This guy on my team is gambling on the sport, in the competition, that we’re about to go out there and have. Something’s wrong with that.” Sanders has plenty of thoughts on refining the game in this day and age of the volatile transfer portal and lucrative name, image and likeness deals. His takes include a salary cap in an effort to even the NIL playing field, hiring a retired coach as commissioner (a Nick Saban type), instituting some sort of an age limit, expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams and, of course, a hard pass when it comes to betting (he’s talked to his squad about this topic).

“The game is still the game,” Sanders said. “The game is just positioned differently Money’s involved, and any time money’s involved people tend to migrate to what they think they can get out of it instead of what they could put into it — and that’s unfortunate.”

Bladder cancer diagnosis

A year ago, Sanders was going

through treatment for bladder cancer, which included having a section of his intestine reconstructed to function as a bladder.

Earlier this spring, Sanders stepped away from the team for a few days as he dealt with blood clots. But he said he’s “feeling great. I’ve got my old swagger back.”

Along with it, a new outlook, which includes actually taking vacation time. Sanders recently partnered on a beachfront property in St. Croix with his son, Shedeur, who’s entering his second season as a quarterback with the Cleveland Browns.

“I never would’ve done that, because I don’t go anywhere,” the 58-year-old Sanders said. “I’m stepping out, just living life.” Sanders missed football camps last summer in Boulder as he went through cancer treatments.

The Buffaloes finished with a 3-9 mark a year after making a bowl game behind Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter This offseason, it’s a more hands-on version of Sanders.

“I have everybody in that locker room because we said we want

them,” he said. “Because I sat there and watched tape on them and said, ‘That’s who I want, that’s what I want. Let’s go get them.’”

New landscape of college game

Sanders found it funny that his heavy reliance on the transfer portal once drew so many raised eyebrows.

“Now, everybody’s doing the same thing that I did,” he said. “But it was crazy back then, right?”

He’s seen and heard the plans from conferences — and the legislation proposals from lawmakers on how to adapt college football in this new landscape. It’s a lot to untangle, which is why he advocates for an authoritative figure to help oversee the sport.

“A guy like coach Saban and some of the other coaches that have walked away from the game not because they can’t coach anymore but because they were fed up with how things are operating,” he said.

Sanders also would be in favor of implementing a salary cap (see: NFL).

“So you can really have a consistency with the game,” Sanders

said “The thing about the pro game, everybody gets to spend the same amount of money It’s who is crafty in regard to business. College football isn’t like that. You may have a team that’s spent $40 million playing against a team who spent $10 million. You darn well know the outcome in that game.”

That leads him to his next point — a potential age cap.

“You can’t have a 30-year-old man playing against a 21-year old man and think it’s fair,” he said. Should be a transfer rule as well. You’re teaching kids not to fight through adversity when you’re having kids able to transfer two or three or four times.”

As for NIL, he momentarily pondered if anything might have been different for him had a similar system been in place when he was at Florida State.

“It probably wouldn’t have (changed),” said Sanders, a college and pro football hall of famer “I’ve had a pretty good run. I’m still running, too — still high stepping. I’m probably in the third quarter of this game (of life) and we’re winning. We’re up by about 21. I’m loving life.”

NCAA, Big 12 go to court against Texas Tech

Organizations file in court to ensure their ability to handle Sorsby’s eligibility

BY STEPHEN HAWKINS Associated Press

The NCAA asked a Texas appeals court Monday to stay a temporary injunction that cleared the way for Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby to play this fall despite being declared ineligible for gambling while the Big 12 Conference filed a federal lawsuit warning the Texas attorney general to stay out of a case that has rattled college sports. The filings in separate courts raised the stakes in the fight over whether Sorsby can play and who makes that decision.

In documents filed with the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas at Amarillo, the NCAA asked for an emergency motion to stay the June 8 injunction granted by a Lubbock County court in favor of Sorsby who has admitted he has a gambling addiction and has made thousands of bets, included some on his own team when he was a freshman at Indiana.

The NCAA also asked for a resolution of the case by Aug 28, which it said would spare the potential disruption of a ruling after Texas Tech begins its season on Sept. 5. The NCAA has long banned players for gambling, but Texas Tech

says Sorsby, who transferred there in January after the past two seasons at Cincinnati, would be better off on the team for his mental health and well being.

“The trial court’s temporary injunction sweeps beyond anything Texas law permits,” attorneys for the NCAA wrote “It undermines the integrity of college sports, rewrites member-adopted rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, immunizes Brendan Sorsby from discipline for admitted and serial violations of NCAA anti-gambling rules, incentivizes a run on courthouses across the country to challenge even the most obvious and straightforward student-athlete eligibility decisions and demolishes the status quo.”

The injunction last week from Judge Ken Curry prevents the

NCAA from being able to block Sorsby’s eligibility for what will be his final college season with a team among the favorites to win the Big 12.

The Big 12, meanwhile, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Dallas seeking a court order backing its ability to use its bylaws for potential punishment against Sorsby So far, the Big 12 has not weighed in on the Sorsby case, but last week the Texas attorney general’s office warned the league of potential legal action from Texas Tech for any sanctions against the school or Sorsby

The Big 12 filing names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate race this fall, as well as Texas Tech leadership, including its president, chancellor and ath-

Braves pitcher Strider shut down for four weeks

ATLANTA Atlanta Braves righthander Spencer Strider will be shut down from throwing for four weeks because of inflammation in his right elbow, the team announced Monday

Strider, who had been placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, will have another MRI at the end of that period and would begin “throwing progression” if tests were to show the inflammation had cleared, the team said.

Strider left Friday’s 7-5 loss at the New York Mets in the fourth inning due to right shoulder and elbow soreness.

Strider has a history of arm problems. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and had the UCL in his right elbow repaired with an internal brace in April 2024.

Rangers place SS Seager on 7-day concussion list

ARLINGTON,Texas The Texas Rangers have placed shortstop Corey Seager on the seven-day concussion list, clearing the way for second baseman Josh Smith to return from a six-week absence that included a bout with viral meningitis

The move on Seager is retroactive to Friday, a day after he collided with Kansas City catcher Carter Jensen while trying to score from first base on a double by Brandon Nimmo.

The two-time World Series MVP stayed in the game and homered. Seager missed 19 games in May and June with back inflammation. Manager Skip Schumaker said Seager mentioned a sore jaw while staying in the 4-2 victory over the Royals, then the five-time All-Star began reporting concussion symptoms after the game.

Reds’ De La Cruz could go on rehab assignment soon

CINCINNATI Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz could go on a rehab assignment this weekend if the next couple of days go according to plan. De La Cruz who has been sidelined since June 1 due to a right hamstring strain ran the bases and took some infield grounders before Monday night’s game against the New York Mets. He will run the bases again on Tuesday before a final decision is made.

Manager Terry Francona said the likely rehab assignment would be to Triple-A Louisville, which is at Gwinnett this week. The Reds’ Single-A affiliate in Dayton is also on the road this week.

De La Cruz left the May 31 game against the Atlanta Braves with right hamstring tightness.

Cameras stolen from Troy baseball team’s bus

OMAHA, Neb Troy’s first appearance in the College World Series has produced lots of Kodak moments for the Alabama school.

letic director It accused them of trying to prevent the Big 12 from exercising its own rules the school itself agreed to long ago.

“An athlete with an extensive, documented history of wagering on intercollegiate athletic contests

— especially his own team’s games

— presents a reputational and integrity risk to the conference and its championship competition that the conference has both the right and the responsibility to address,” attorneys for the Big 12 wrote.

“The Conference is not required to accept that risk on behalf of its fifteen other member Institutions, their student-athletes, their fans and its commercial partners. And no government official has the power to compel it to do so.”

The Big 12 board of directors, made up of presidents and chancellors from the league’s 16 schools, was expected to meet Monday Court records show Sorsby has acknowledged making thousands of bets on pro and college sports totaling at least $90,000 while at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech That included 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman in 2022, though none on any of the games in which he played for the Hoosiers. While some guidelines for penalties related to gambling have changed in recent years, NCAA rules still call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team. At least two schools, Nebraska in the Big Ten and Georgia in the SEC, have indicated they will not schedule Texas Tech.

Only Troy’s photographers are having to use borrowed equipment to capture them after thieves stole cameras and lenses valued at $35,000 from the team bus.

The theft was discovered after Troy arrived at Charles Schwab Field for its game against Ole Miss on Sunday According to a police report, a Troy official reported the theft shortly before noon. The bus had been parked near the team hotel since about 4:30 p.m. Saturday Omaha police spokesman Michael Pecha said Monday no arrests had been made and that the investigation continues.

Kentucky hires former Michigan State AD Batt

The University of Kentucky announced on Monday it has hired athletic director J Batt from Michigan State, a little more than a year after he left Georgia Tech. Batt follows retiring UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart, who has had the job since 2002, making him the longest-serving AD in the Southeastern Conference. Barnhart won’t take on a high-paying role at the school after Gov Andy Beshear questioned decision-making at the school.

“The championship standard has been established at Kentucky and we are committed to upholding that standard of excellence,” Batt said. Before leading Georgia Tech’s athletic department, he was executive deputy athletic director at Alabama and served as chief operating officer and chief revenue officer in the athletic department.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By KIRK IRWIN

University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders stands on the sidelines before the start of a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 7 in Cleveland

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TANNER PEARSON

Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby is interviewed after a game against Baylor on Oct. 25 in Cincinnati

UFCboss: WhiteHouse

nighta one-off

Gaethje skimmed the copyofthe

BY DANGELSTON AP sportswriter

WASHINGTON By the time Justin Gaethje pummeledhis bloodiedfoe to apulpand celebrated achampionship win withabackflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage, then shookhandswith President Donald Trump —and even fist-bumpedMelania— this muchabout his company’s future was clear to the ultimate boss of UFC: Just say no to the White House

“It was an amazing experience, this was aone-of-one,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “It will never happen again.”

Oh, not because theshowdubbed Freedom 250 and ostensibly held to celebrate Trump’s80thbirthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing wasn’tbyWhite’saccounts asmashing success. He crowed about merchandise sales and streaming servicesubscriptions, and how UFC surpassed its goals in every metric he could list at a news conference that stretched well into the dawn’searly light Monday And the setting?

Almost impossible to top on a night whenfighters essentially treated their walkouts like they were kids on aclass trip. The allmale lineup toured the West Wing, the Oval Office, walked past presidential portraits, through the Roosevelt Room, the Cabinet Room and the winners even got ameetand-greet with Trump.

KNICKS

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their postseasonopponentsby283 points.

They were still midway through the NBA Finalswhen rapper Fat Joe, one of the Knicks’ orangeand-blue dressed celebrity fans, came to Brown’snews conference andsaid what theteam hadspent weeks making clear

“Let’sjust wait until it’sover, but right now you analyze the numbers, we might be looking at the greatest team ever,like if you analyze the numbers,” hesaid

And when things stopped coming easily,the Knicks set records forthe other ways they won. Their comeback from a29-point deficit in Game 4was the biggest rally in an NBA Finals game sincedetailed play-by-playbegan in 1997, and the Knicks capped it off by coming from 16 down in the clincher

Add it up, and the Knicks can make acompelling case for the most dominant postseason ever

“It’sabsolutely one of the greatestever,”said Mike Breen, who calls Knicks games on MSGNetwork during the regular season and has been ABC’slead announcer for the NBA Finals since 2006.

“It’simpossible for me to rank it, but when you take into account the point differential, the nine straight road wins, clinching all four series on the road, the twolosses by one point, the two record-setting comebacks, it’sinthe conversation as the best ever.”

Declaration of Independence that hangs in the Oval Office andsaid a prayer before he madethe unusually longwalk to thecage. Gaethje battered Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria in the main event and won theUFC lightweight title.

“Usually,I kind of blankout when it comes to getting ready to walk to the cage,” Gaethjesaid.

“It was pretty crazy,looking at the Declaration of Independence. The original one. Theirlanguage was different. I’m not smart enough to read that.”

Gaethje also banked awhopping $825,000 in bonus money for winning “Performance of theNight” and “Fightofthe Night” honors.

Trump stayed until theend of theseven-card show andgenerally seemed engaged with the fights —atone point he put on a white “USA” baseball cap —and certainlywas allsmiles each time afighter who had ahandraised in victory then used it on ahandshake with the president.

There were fewblips on the big night and theblemishes that did happen were at the expense of UFC’stwo more problematic fighters.

UFCmiddleweight champion

Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse watch party attended by thousands more fansbya group of police officers. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took itfurther with an unfounded attack based on arightwing conspiracy theory about formerfirst lady Michelle Obama. For all the hand-wringing ahead

of thecard, theshowdelivered on the star-spangled smackdown that featured pulsating patriotism from theMarine Band, tributes to first responders, active military and other WhiteHouse-designated heroes. Gaethje and Ciryl Gane were crowned champions inside a blood-splattered eight-sided cage plopped in the open air right in the people’s house backyard on the SouthLawn.

Blood and guts werea mandate beforeanAmerican fighter wrapped himself in theflag.

“Hopefully tonight created some unity,”Whitesaidasheput on hishyperbolic promoter’shat. “Even for the people thatthought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn’t. This was Americans,all Americans celebrating the birthday. For people whotuned in for thefirst time, because it was at the WhiteHouse, hopefully they liked the sport. They likedsomeofthe guys’ stories.” So maybe some new fans stick around.

Afterall, InternationalFight Week is right around the corner, with UFC 329 set to mark the return after afive-yearbreak of the company’sbiggest boxoffice draw, Conor McGregor Thatfight will be held in amore traditional arena back on UFC’s home turf in Las Vegas,justas they will for years to come.

Butdespite all thepomp and pageantry,the eyerolls andangst, Whitestands by hisclaim that UFC is one-and-done in D.C.

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson holds theMVP trophy afterthe

defeated theSan Antonio Spurs in Game 5ofthe

on Saturday in SanAntonio.

Twoofthe Knicks’ losses were by one point to Atlanta in the first round. The otherwas by four points in Game 3againstthe Spurs, leaving themsix points from aperfect postseason.Onthe other side, they won clinching gamesby51, 30 and37points in theEastern Conference playoffs.

The Knicks were nevergoing to care about how theywon, just that they did.Before the playoffs started,All-StarcenterKarlAnthonyTowns summed up the

pressure the players faced in trying to getback to theNBA Finals for the first time since 1999 by saying: “At theend of theday, we’ll be judged by what we do in this run.” They will be judged well historically well. “Wewent through alot this season,alot of ups and downs, butwejuststayedwithit,”forward OG Anunoby said. “We’re resilient, mentally tough and we won.”

PELICANS

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dreams who started from the bottom rung of theladderasaball boy for the then-NewOrleans Hornets years ago.

Histhoughts aboutlanding the gig?

“Gratitude,”Demas said.“Ialwayspreach gratitude andI’m super blessed.”

This all began when Demas, born and raised in NewOrleans, was akid. His parents bought season tickets to Hornets’ games as areward for his good grades. As they watched games from up in Section 303 of the Smoothie King Center,hewould notice the ball boys on thecourt doing their thing

“Man, Ican do that,” he thought to himself. So his parentsstarted talking to people to see whether there was an opening. He was turned down thefirst year,but was able to get hisfoot in the door thesecond year.Heworked with the team one season before Hurricane Katrina. Demas wassfreshman attending St. Augustine High School when thestorm hit. He and his family relocated to Houston, but he made sure to remain in contact with the team. His familyeventually moved to Houma, wherehefinished high school at Vandebilt Catholic. He startedworking with the team again while in college. He attended Nicholls and Delgado Community College before eventually getting his computer science degree from Northwestern State. He’saself-proclaimed “tech nerd,” but basketball is where his heart resided. All those days of watching formerHornets like Baron Davis and David Wesley and LSU players like Garrett Temple andTyrus Thomas or attending UNO games at Lakefront Arena wonhim over more than any computerprogramming skills ever could. Butjust being aball boy/equipmentmanager wasn’tenough for him. He andfellowballboy Jaron Neville would spend countless hours in thegym grabbing rebounds forplayers andhelping them with drills.

“Wejust lovedbeing apart of theteam,” Demassaid. “You know howNew Orleansis. You can get distracted in different ways. At the end of the day,we feltthe safest and best route for us is to take advantage of what was in front of us.”

That workethic didn’tgounnoticed to Dell Demps, the team’s general manager at the time. He saw the work theywere putting in.

“When Ilooked on the organization chart, Irealized they werenot on the payroll, Demps said. “Wefixed that immediately.” Dempsremembers sitting down withDemas one day and askinghim whetherhehad a dream job. Demas was abit nervous, but he eventually told Demps he wanted to be acoach. Dempsmadeadeal withhim. Demas would continue in his currentrole. In return, Demps would provide opportunities forDemas to develop as acoach. Those roles included anything from workingwith video coordinators and breakingdown film to refereeing scrimmage games among players.

“Brandon immersed himself in the process,” Demps said. “Seeing Brandon succeed comes as

no surprise.Heiskind, intelligent, determined and incredibly hardworking. Beyond his basketball knowledge, he understands people.His abilitytoconnect, communicate and earn trust is what truly sets him apart, and it will servehim well notonly in coaching but in whatever else he chooses to do in life.”

Fornow,Demas chooses to be acoach. He’sbeen around plenty He waswiththe team in the Monty Williamsera. Since he became aplayer development coach in 2018, he’sworked under Alvin Gentry,Stan VanGundy,Willie Green and interim coach James Borrego.

“It allowed me to see and pick their brains fordifferent wisdom, differentexperiences,” Demas said. “I think all of them brought something different to the table But at the end of the day,they all taught me one thing: Youhave to be authentic to yourself.Ithink players are super aware of that. Ican’tbecoach Monty.Ican’t be Alvin. Ican’tbeWillie. Ican’t be JB. Ican’tbecoach (Jamahl) Mosley.I can take what Ilearned from all of them and utilize it in away that’sbest forthe group of guys. That’swhat’simportant.” Those coaches all instilled something in him.But so did some of the players he’sworked with —especially former Pelicans guardJose Alvarado,who was traded to the New York Knicks in February

“Josedid alot formeonthis journey,and I’mproud of him as well,”Demassaid. “I consider him family.Weare both the same breed. We are both underdogs, andwedon’t pass theeye test. Butatthe endofthe day,weget the job done.”

Now Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operationsJoe Dumars is counting on Demas to get the job done. Demaswas speechless when Dumars called him into his office to offerthe position.Hewas so speechless that Dumarshad to remind Demas that he forgot to give ayes or no answer to accept the position.

“I’mgoing to be honest Joe,” Demasresponded. “I’mjust thinking about calling my family right now and allowing them to be part of the moment.”

Family is everything to Demas. Without them, he wouldn’t be here. He never wanted to let them down. That was part of his motivation to be great.

“I never had aspecific goal other than to make my family proud,” Demas said. “Itcould have been in any particular field.”

He knows his friendsand family will be in the Pontchartrain Center for every game. They have already began asking him about how to purchase Squadron merchandise andtickets to games.The fanbase will also include all the kids who have come through the Up Next Elite Camp, aprogram co-founded by Demas to help develop Louisiana’stop young basketball talent. Demas’goal is forthe Squadrontohavea decisive homecourtadvantage in Kenner.He and Squadron general manager Thomas Scott have talked about ways to get that done.

Nobody will feel moreathome than aguy fromNew Orleans East fulfilling his dream “It’sgoing to be surreal,” Demas said. Or in this case, it’sgoing to “be great.”

Email RodWalker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Brandon Demas, right, the newhead coachofthe Laketown Squadron, sits with former Pelicans guard Jose Alvaradobefore a game thisseason.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DARREN ABATE Newyork

Knicks

NBAFinals

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON

Featherweight fighters DiegoLopez and Steve Garcia square off in the ring during the first fightatUFC Freedom

250 on the South Lawn of the WhiteHouse on SundayinWashington, D.C.

WORLDCUP 2026

Cape Verdestuns Spain

BY JAMES ROBSON Associated Press

ATLANTA— So much for asupersized World Cup diluting thequality of soccer’sbiggest tournament.

Tiny Cape Verde, making its debut at the World Cup, pulledoff astunning upset to shut out heavily favored Spain in a0-0 draw on Monday

“This means everything for our country,” said Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito. “Wehave always said that we wanted everybody to see our country,our team and we have shown organization and braveness and this is proof of what our country is about— resilience and to try to overcome hardships.”

European championSpain is one of the favorites to win the tournament and was -1200 to beat Cape Verde in its opening game. But it could not find away pasta 40-year-old goalkeeper anda stubborn defense that had an answer to everything Spain’ssuperstars threw at them.

Not even sensational teenager Lamine Yamal, who came in off the bench in the second half, could turn agame that ended with wild andemotional celebrationsinside the stadium.

“A dream” was how Cape Verde defender Steven Moreiradescribed it. Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha broke down in tearsafterthe final whistlefollowing his impressive performance to keep Spain at bay He was the player of thematch, pulling off astring of saves at the end of the first half to deny FerranTorres,Pedri andAymeric Laporte.

The closest Spain came to finding abreakthrough was when Torres struck the bar shortly before halftime.

“Weshouldhave won today’s matchwitheverythingthathappened, with all the favorable situations we created,but we lacked freshness and aclinical edge,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who had warned before the match that Cape Verde could be one of the surpriseteams of the World Cup.

Cape Verdedidn’twin,but its performance rebuked some of thecriticismsthatthe expansion of theWorldCup from 32 teamsto 48 would weaken the tournament.

The group of islands have about 2.5 miles of landmass andapproximately half amillion inhabitants, making Cape Verde the thirdsmallest nationbypopulation to qualify for the World Cup.

BELGIUM 1, EGYPT 1: In Seattle, Romelu Lukaku’smere presence sparkedanattack that ledtoBelgium’slone goal only seconds afterheenteredasasecond-half substitute,helpinghis team earn adraw with Egypt Lukaku came on in the 66thminute with Belgium trailing 1-0. He ran down themiddleofthe field and lurched to tap across from the right into the net, but Egypt defender Mohamed Hany did that instead, scoring an own-goal.

Theequalizing goal came only

BY ZACH PASCUZZI Associated Press

BY GREG BEACHAM Associated Press

INGLEWOOD,Calif. U.S.forward

Christian Pulisic trained on his ownduring practice Monday while he rehabilitates acalf injury that limited him to one half of action in the Americans’ opening World Cup victory last week.

Pulisic participated in individual work and then wentto the gym while his teammates practiced at their training base in Irvine, California. The AC Milan attacker got kickedinthe calfduring traininglast week, and he left the Americans’ 4-1 victory overParaguay at halftime for precautionary reasons.

Pulisic was outstandinginthe

first match of his secondWorld Cup, tormentingParaguay’s defense with repeated runs down the left side at SoFi Stadium. He recorded an assistona goalby Folarin Balogun, and his playmaking wasdirectlyresponsible for an own-goal scored by Paraguay whilethe Americans went ahead 3-0. The U.S. gave no update on Pulisic’sconditionMonday,but he said after the game that he didn’tthink it was serious.

“I just got abit of akick in the first half, so I’m really hoping that it’snothing,” Pulisicsaid

PALM BEACH GARDENS,Fla.— It would have been unthinkable at thestart of the2022World Cup to suggest CristianoRonaldo wasanything otherthan the undisputed leader of the Portugal team.

But the Qatar edition went poorly for Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer.After scoring just once,fromthe penaltyspot, in the group stage, he reacted angrily to being subbed offagainst South Korea and was promptly dropped to the benchfor his team’sfirst knockout-stage match against Switzerland.

Then, he didn’tscore at allinthe 2024 European Championship. It wasthe first time he hadfailed to find the net at amajor international tournament.

Now,inthe buildup to what may be Ronaldo’sWorld Cup swan song, concerns over what the 41-year-oldcan still bring to the national team are at theforefront of many fans’ minds. Portugal opens play Wednesday against Congo DR in Houston.

“I think in some instances they playbetter without him,”fan Zach Malliassaid at the team’sfirst open World Cup practice at its Florida base camp. “Thereare other players that fitthe system better.”

Otherfans are worried about the superstar’sego and whether he wouldacceptrelinquishing the spotlight for the good of the team.

“He’sa verybig player,he’s very loved by alot of his fans,” Beatrice Mitankin said. “It might get to his head.”

23 seconds after Lukaku came on the field. Emam Ashourhad put theEgyptians ahead in the 19th minute with his first international goal. Ashour,amidfielder whowas playinginhis 30th game forhis country,tookadvantage of adefensive breakdown to give Egypt only its secondlead in WorldCup match. The Egyptians, who are playing in their fourth World Cup, still have never won agame at the tournament.

Belgium failed to advance past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has not won any of its last three matches in the tournament. Egypt had numerous chances to increase its lead but could not put theRed Devils away.Lukaku and teammate Kevin De Bruyne also had an abundance of opportunities to take the lead.

SAUDIARABIA 1,URUGUAY 1: In Miami Gardens, Florida, Abdulelah AlAmri scored on arebound in the 41st minute forSaudi Arabia,and

Uruguay’sMaxiAraújoresponded withanequalizer in the 80th. Uruguaycontrolledmostof the second half but didn’tbreak through until Araújo fired arebound past goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais from close range. Uruguay,nicknamed“La Celeste,” dominated possession and had 28 attempts on goal to Saudi Arabia’s seven but trailed until late in the second half It was the fourth international goal for Araújo and second at Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Al-Amri, who hada shotdenied by Uruguay’sFernando Muslera earlierinthe first half,put his squad ahead with aquick tap-in after Muslera palmed away a header Al-Amri fell to hisknees after the goal and placed his head down on thepitchashewas showered with cheers from Saudi Arabia fans, who were greatly outnumberedinSouth Florida but loud enough to make up thedifference

There is somerecentevidence, however,ofRonaldo still being able to positively influence games. During Portugal’s2025 UEFANations League run, its second title triumphinthatcompetition, he scored eight goals, including an equalizer in the final against Spain.

Ronaldo also recently won his first Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr,leading his club with 28 goals on the season. His abundant experience and leadership are qualitiessome supporters say cannot be replicated.

“He’snot goingtoshy away from those moments when it’s the World Cup onthe line,” Rob Stickle said. “He’sone of those guys youwantkicking the penalty kicks for you,being on the pitch at the end of the game.” Ronaldo, playingina record-

extending sixth World Cup, is the oldestoutfieldplayer in the tournament but still projects as Portugal’sstarting striker Although hisage hasrepeatedly mentioned, fanErnesto Vilarpointedtoother examplesof older players, like Argentina’s LionelMessi andCroatia’sLuka Modric, as veterans whostill play significant roles fortheir team

“Age is just anumber,”Vilar said. “He’s still in very peak physical condition.” Ronaldo’steammates and manager would concur

Midfielder Vitinha is still in awe over Ronaldo’sphysique.

“He’s 41. I’m26, andI’m notlike that,” the Paris Saint-Germain player said through atranslator “It’ssomething incredible.”

Team manager Roberto Martínez has suggested Ronaldo could even appear at the2030World Cup, when he would be 45. Removed fromthe conversation aboutRonaldo’sproduction and effectiveness, however,are agroup of fans that will always idolize him: youngchildren.Many showed up to watch Portugal practice.

Elizabeth Stiebel, 10, says she admires howRonaldo hasalways been there when his team needs a big moment. And 13-year-old Christian Loureiro, whose favorite Ronaldo momentishis overhead-kick goal against Juventus in 2018 while playing for Real Madrid, agrees thesuperstar forward is still a steadying voice.

“A lot of young players on this team need an olderfigure to help guide them,” Loureiro said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIK S.LESSER

Cape Verde’sDailon Livramento, left, and SidnyLopes Cabral celebrate after aWorld Cup Group Hmatch between Spain and Cape Verde on Monday in Atlanta. The game finished in a0-0 tie.

LSU gains two O-line pledges

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Two offensive line prospects, three-star recruit Amaziah Siale and four-star prospect Terrance Smith, announced on social media Monday that they were committing to LSU football.

Siale, who is 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds, attends Mission Viejo High and is the No 46 player in California, according to the 247Sports composite. He flipped his pledge from California to LSU just 13 days after he originally committed to the Golden Bears. He also has scholarship offers from Alabama, Texas and Utah

At 6-7 and 290, Smith is the No.

14 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 7 recruit in Pennsylvania. He attends Lansdale Catholic in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and holds scholarship offers from Alabama Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan and more.

Siale and Smith are LSU’s first two offensive linemen in the 2027 class. They are the ninth and 10th players to commit, joining the likes of five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson and four-star quarterback Peyton Houston.

Following Siale and Smith’s commitments, LSU holds the No. 34 recruiting class in the nation, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

LSU football reveals front office structure

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

As college football continues to professionalize, LSU football again has restructured its front office to focus on athlete pay Along with naming assistant general managers for external and internal operations Monday to help general manager Billy Glasscock, the Tigers have moved the head of the football team’s name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives, Taylor Jacobs, into a new role as a chief strategy officer for the program. In her new position, Jacobs will oversee what third-party NIL deals are going to football players as well as the team’s revenue-sharing dollars. According to a news release, the chief strategy officer is responsible for “generating strategic partnerships and ensuring alignment across key stakeholders to impact the long-term success of the program.”

More than ever, the success of a college football team depends on how much money it can invest in a roster LSU’s roster for the 2026 season, built heavily through the transfer portal, reportedly costs upward of $40 million.

A large chunk of that money comes from the $21.3 million each school can directly share with student-athletes during the

SOCCER

Continued from page 1C

This summer — 32 years since the United States first hosted the world’s biggest sporting competition — Chattanooga is among several cities established as World Cup base camps, where visiting teams live and train between matches. Spain — among the favorites to win the tournament but tied Cape Verde 0-0 on Monday has set up camp at a boarding school on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga; Iraq is in a mountain resort town in West Virginia with fewer than 3,000 residents; and Germany is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where cobblestone streets and tobacco warehouses share space with German flags and TV crews.

Southern hospitality

A 144-foot underground waterfall beneath Lookout Mountain is lit up red and the Embassy Suites in downtown Chattanooga, where the Spanish team is staying, is adorned with la Rojigualda — Spain’s red and yellow flag. Giant banners featuring Spanish players and declaring, “Bienvenidos a Chattanooga” greeted La Roja as the team arrived at Chattanooga Airport.

City native Skip Schwartz said so many people are wearing Spanish jerseys that “you don’t know if they’re from Spain, hoping to get a glimpse or they are locals who have bought into the La Roja bandwagon.” Around 25,000 people entered a lottery for 1,000 tickets to watch Spain practice at Baylor School, a

Top golfers aim to get in practice earlier before majors

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

2026-27 academic year, the lion’s share of that going to football programs But third-party NIL deals are a differentiator for schools.

Businesses can pay athletes directly for marketing campaigns, but LSU also has worked with its multimedia rights partner, PlayFly, to not only reel in sponsorship dollars for the school but also athletes.

Now the Tigers also will have Jacobs, who has spent the last five years focused on NIL initiatives, working to find third-party deals to boost LSU’s budget. Meanwhile, assistant GM for external operations JR Belton and Adam Clark, his internal operations counterpart, will help manage other aspects of the football program.

Belton, who served as director of football ops in 2025, will oversee recruiting, player development and personnel, and alumni relations as well as play a role in fundraising. According to the release, Belton will also help in building “a long-term financial strategy for roster construction.”

Clark who comes over from NC State, will oversee the football program’s operational budget, including management of equipment, sports performance, nutrition, dining, athletic training, academics, compliance, human resources, game operations and facilities.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y The U.S. Open brought big wind and not nearly as much activity for a Monday, typical these days of practice rounds at majors that move to a different course each year

More players are coming early, not so much to avoid the rush but to avoid the wait.

“It’s gotten terrible,” Justin Thomas said leading into the third major of the year “You have to sign up for tee times at the (British) Open and U.S. Open, and then people sign up with you and play in a foursomes. You can’t play nine holes in less than three hours.”

The way around that is to follow a script from Jack Nicklaus back in his prime — see the course early before it becomes populated with pros and amateurs, contenders and dreamers.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy took a detour on their way to Ohio two weeks ago to play Shinnecock Hills, the first time seeing it for the No. 1 player, a refresher course for McIlroy

Jon Rahm arrived last Friday to see what he should expect for the U.S. Open. Patrick Reed, who hasn’t played since the PGA Championship last month, is said to have played the course more often than some of the Shinnecock members.

This is one of the most energydraining weeks of the year, a product of the mental stress a course like Shinnecock and a major like the U.S. Open — tends to elicit Thomas and Jordan Spieth arrived over the weekend and played

600-acre private academy for students grade 6 through 12. Meanwhile, tickets to watch Germany practice at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem sold out in four minutes.

“It’s just fun to see everyone start to care about something they didn’t care about before,” said Savannah Lahey, who manages soccer bar Small Batch Beer Co. in downtown Winston-Salem. The bar has extended its hours for watch parties and created a Germaninspired menu featuring schnitzel sandwiches and sauerbraten for Germany’s opening match.

“It’s getting to make people feel at home, even when they’re not at home,” Lahey said.

At the Greenbrier in West Virginia, a historic resort that has hosted presidents and foreign leaders, Iraqi flags flew alongside the Stars and Stripes as the national team arrived for its World Cup training camp.

Teams chose from FIFA-ap-

proved base camps across North America, with higher-ranked nations getting the earliest picks. Spain selected Chattanooga over larger cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, then worked with Baylor to create an expansive headquarters around its training fields and media facilities. FIFA inspectors graded Baylor’s facilities, including the condition of the grass and its drainage and irrigation systems, the school’s operations and systems director Sam Green said. To preserve the pitches for Spain, Baylor’s players trained this spring on artificial turf, a sacrifice Green said seniors accepted without complaint Hidden behind a tree line, two grass pitches form the center of Spain’s daily training. The airport and their downtown hotel are minutes away and Atlanta where Spain plays two group-stage matches — is within easy reach. After Spain’s first official practice, players headed straight to the campus

practice rounds two days before the official start of practice rounds. They didn’t have the course all to themselves, but it felt like it. And it beat the alternative of long rounds when players hit different clubs off the tee, dozens of shots from the rough and closely mown area around the green, putting to all four corners of the green.

Their preparation largely done, official practice days are now light work. That’s the Nicklaus way

“That’s why I never wanted to practice then,” Nicklaus said of the early part of the week at the majors. “I got my practice in the week before so I knew what I wanted to do, instead of waiting for everybody else. I didn’t like that. So I tried to get my practice in, and go back on Tuesday (of major week).

I didn’t want to get stuck in that six hours.

“If I had been there the week before, why did I need to get there on Monday?”

McIlroy had limited practice time at the PGA Championship because of a nagging blister on his right toe. But then, he had come to Aronimink two weeks earlier for serious practice.

But there was one image during his practice round when McIlroy had a small army tagging along inside the ropes, from TV personalities to equipment staff and photographers. It didn’t feel very productive to him.

“Too many people inside the ropes I think is the big part of it,” he said of the long practice rounds

pool, where they “swam and laid out and had a good time” before returning to training.

For Schwartz, who now serves on Baylor’s board of trustees, Spain’s choice is meaningful because he and his teammates helped to lay Bermuda sod for their new soccer field when he played soccer at Baylor in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That field has since been replaced by an indoor tennis facility — which serves as Spain’s media center — but the school now has three soccer pitches and one of the region’s premier soccer programs.

“If somebody had told me then that 40 years later Spain would be using this campus as the foundation for a World Cup, I wouldn’t even have tried to fathom it,” he said.

‘I’m cheering for Spain’

Tina Ankar, a first generation Palestinian American, said she became a soccer fan because of the World Cup and her boyfriend, who grew up watching games with his Mexican family At Spain’s open practice, hundreds of fans shouted “¡Vamos, España!” after nearly every touch Ankar found herself swept up in the energy

“I’ve got to watch these guys all the way to the end,” she said. “Now we really have someone to cheer on besides America.”

Before Spain’s first public practice, Baylor students slipped into the locker room and snapped photos of stalls freshly labeled with the names of Spain’s stars, debating which player had inherited “their”

locker

“I sat in that locker room almost every single day this spring,” 17-year-old midfielder and gradu-

at the majors. “I think as well, guys are resigned to the fact that they’re going to play nine holes so it’s OK to be out there for three hours. No one plays 18-hole practice rounds anymore the week of (a major). I guess it gives everyone the ability to play slow and hit as many balls as they like.”

Tiger Woods used to have his own routine, playing first to have at least nine holes to himself.

One year at the Masters, he walked out of the clubhouse at 7:25 a.m. toward the first tee unaware of a wooden clock at the tee box indicating the course would open at 8 a.m. Not to worry His caddie, Steve Williams, moved the hands back a half-hour Woods stepped onto the tee at 7:28 a.m., saw the clock and moved the big hand back two more minutes and fired away He was on the links courses of the British Open around 6 a.m. Anything much later than that meant he had overslept.

Scheffler had a dream day of practice at the PGA Championship before he won at Quail Hollow last year He was the only PGA Tour player on the course the Sunday before official practice because most everyone else was at two PGA Tour events that day Monday through Wednesday can be as slow

“I don’t remember it being as bad as it is,” Thomas said. “The U.S. Open and PGA Championship to me are the worst. It’s getting treated more like the range and chipping green. I get that you need to get used to it — I totally understand that. But it’s gotten to be a lot.”

ating senior Heath Techasiriwan said.

Techasiriwan, a Filipino American and lifelong Lionel Messi fan who rooted for Argentina in 2022, said there was no question who he will support this summer

“Without a doubt, I’m cheering for Spain,” he said. “I can’t see players like Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal literally right in front of me and not cheer for them.”

Goalkeeper Mathew Ramirez commutes an hour each way to Baylor from Calhoun, Georgia. He grew up watching Barcelona with his father, who immigrated from Guatemala, and plans to watch Spain’s World Cup matches over carne asada with family and friends.

After practice, Yamal, who is 18, signed the 16-year-old goalie’s custom Barcelona jersey Ramirez told the star in Spanish: “Watching you play gives me happiness.”

Young fan’s superheroes

Back in Chattanooga, Beckham collects signatures and takes selfies with players before heading home in the Spain jersey his father said he slept in the night before.

His father said Beckham kept repeating: “Wait, Dad. They’re real. Lamine Yamal is a real person. I just thought they were like superheroes. They’re on TV.”

Chattanooga has come a long way since the neighborhood games McClure remembers. He is now a soccer coach to about 850 children, and the city has professional men’s and women’s teams.

“They could have gone anywhere in this country,” McClure said of Spain, “and they chose us.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV Spain forward Lamine yamal, left, defender Marc Pubill, center, and midfielder Gavi walk with teammates on June 5 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Spain has set up its home base in Tennessee.

AP PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP

Scottie Scheffler watches his shot on the 13th hole during a practice round for the U.S Open tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.y., on Monday

All shook up

With jumpsuits, wigs anddance moves, youngboys andteens keep Elvis’ legacy alive

BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

TUPELO,Miss. Nearly 50 years after Elvis Presley‘s death, a gaggle of exuberant young boys and teens shook up his hometown,intentonkeepingthe king’slegacy alive for anew generation.

Ranging in agefrom 7to17, some in jeweled jumpsuits, they took the stage at the Tupelo Elvis Festival’syouth tribute artist competition lastweek In contrast to their peers, who may never have heard of Elvis, the competitors have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to embodying the king’ssinging voice, mannerisms and style.

In this screenshot, Charles Session, 15, holds stillwhile he gets his makeup done ahead of the Tupelo Elvis Festival’syouth tribute artists competition on June 4inTupelo, Miss.

They are careful to specify they are Elvis tribute artists Unlike impersonators, who pretend to be Elvis and sometimes present acharacterized version of the king,tribute artistsstrive for authenticity.Some wore costumes created by B&K EnterprisesCostume Co., acompany licensed to recreate Elvis’outfits and provide costumes for Elvis movies, musicals and TV shows

“We’re not trying to be him,” said Tucker Gladden, 17, from Madison, Mississippi.“We want to recreate the experience as much as we can for peoplethat maybe didn’tget to see Elvis in their lifetime.”

As for their fascination with a long-dead musician, severalof the tribute artists credited the 2022 “Elvis” movie with sparkingtheir interest. Acouple said their admirationbeganafter discovering they were distantly related to Elvis. Others saiditwas Elvis’ faith and charity thatinspiredthem.Some said they had been performing Elvissongs since they were 3years old.

For 16-year-old Ayden Maloy fromLogansport, Indiana, it was the way Elvis’ music helped him during adifficult time in his life and motivated him to begin

ä See ELVIS, page 2D

TheseplantsoncehealedAcadiana. Nowvolunteersare racing to preserve them.

BY JA’KORIMADISON Staff writer

Longbefore medicinal remedies were sold in pharmacies andgrocery stores,healing knowledge in south Louisiana was passed down through spoken language, handwritten notes and the memories of locals.

Today,much of thatknowledge is beingpreserved behind an Acadian cottage through aliving collection of nativemedicinal plants known as theHealer’sGarden.

The garden surrounds ahistoric 1850 Acadian home at Vermilionville that once served as aschoolhouse on the Mouton Plantation.

Visitors canwalkamong nearly 50 native and historically documentedmedicinalplants labeled in English, French andLatin. They canfindfamiliarplantssuchas peppermint andelderberry alongside lesser-known remedies like lizard’stail, once used for teething pain, andwormseed, which was used to treat intestinal parasites.

The collection reflectshealing traditions practiced for generations in Acadiana’sCajun, Creole, African American andNative American communities.

There are nearly 50 nativeand historically documented medicinal plants labeled in English,Frenchand Latinatthe Healer’sGarden at Vermilionville.

“This is knowledge that has been around for centuries,” saidcultural anthropologist C. Ray Brassieur, whohelpedlaunchthe project in 2010. “So Ifigured, why keep it away from people?”

The story of theHealer’sGarden

began in 2010, when Brassieur,a former professor of anthropology and sociology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and president of the Vermilionville Living

ä See GARDEN, page 2D

Ra-

“Land” by Maggie O’Farrell

“American Men” by Jordan Ritter Conn

8. “Cherry Baby” by Rainbow Rowell

9. “Nothing TastesasGood” by Luke

AP PHOTO By SOPHIE BATES

Six-year estrangement is hurtingwhole family

Dear Annie: Idon’tknow where to start. It has been sixyears since our youngest daughter, “Emily,” has been close to us. The problem started when our oldest daughter and her cousin were in the kitchen talking about Emily when Emily walked by.She obviously was concerned that they were talking about her.Wewere just getting ready to eat ourholiday meal, and Iasked where Emily was, and they saidshe had left Icalled her to ask why,and she said her sister and cousinwere

Lane DEAR ANNIE

staring at her andtalking. Mind you, they were all in their 40s. After Italked to Emily, my husband and son-in-law asked why she left. Itold them, and my son-in-law said repeatedly that she needed help. My husband couldn’t take any more, so he said I’m not going to sit here and listen to you talk aboutmy daughter,and he gotupand left Icalled Emily and said that I wanted to talk to her later,and shesaid OK. Butthat was the last time Ihavetalked to her.Iwould love to talk to her every night.I

have agrandson who Ihaven’t seen either.Wedid everything for them, including helping to pay for his college. He now works in engineering. Imiss him so much.Icry every day.Myyoungest daughter was diagnosed with PTSD and schizophrenia. She doesn’tbelieve it and won’ttake the medications. My husband and Iare going nuts. We don’tknow what todo. We allown the house and want tosell it, and she won’tsign the papers. I’m afraid Iwill never talk to my daughter or grandson again. We weresoclose. —Confused Parents Dear Confused Parents: The best thingtodoisbepatient —and

GARDEN

Continued from page1D

History Museum Foundation Board, presented his vision for amedicinal garden at Vermilionville to members of the Lafayette Master Gardeners Association.

The concept grew out of Brassieur’sethnobotanical research, rooted in a1933 LSU linguistic thesis thatrecorded more than 500 firstperson medicinal remedies from Creole French speakers in Bayou Teche communities betweenBreaux Bridge and St. Martinville.

“The thesis was loaded with the most authentic and rich folk knowledge,” Brassieur said. “I saw it as aresource that could be used in amuseum context to teach about traditional folkhealing.”

Inside the garden, visitors can find familiar herbs such as spearmint, peppermint and horse mint, which were historicallyused for fevers, digestion, headaches and colds, along with elderberry,lemon balm and ground cherry.Other plants that were less recognizable but usedinlocal folk medicine traditions included: lizard’s

ELVIS

Continued from page1D

performingasanElvistribute artist threeyears ago. “I just broke down in tears because it healed me,” Maloy said. “I think Elvisis the healer.” In an afternoon of dazzling outfits and daring dance moves, the performers got the audience clapping,singing and swaying along to their Elvis covers. Ultimately,RJHursey,a14-year-old from Bloomington, Illinois, won the competition. Hursey,who inheritedhis love of Elvis from his grandfather,said he practices his tributes every day,and when he’stoo sick to sing, he researches. He performsat nursing homes and assisted living facilitiesand hopes to someday star in aremakeof an Elvis movie.

“It’shumbling,” Hursey said. “It makes you feel good

BOOKS

Continued from page1D

n 10. “Crux” by Gabriel Tallent n 11. “Transcription:A Novel” by Ben Lerner

tail for colic andteething pain, wormseed for intestinalparasites andmanglier, scientifically knownasBaccharis halimifolia, abittertasting tea once believed to cure nearly everything.

Brassieur said the garden was intentionallydesigned notjustasadisplay,but as a way forpeople to physically reconnect with the landscape andlearn about history

“Wedoalot of education,” said MaryAnn Armbruster, an advanced Master Gardener andchair of the medicinal demonstration gardencommittee through the Lafayette Parish MasterGardeners Association. “Wetell people about the house, the plants, what they wereusedfor and howthey wereprepared.”

Armbruster made sure to notethatthe project was neverintendedtocommercialize folk medicine, but ratherpreserve andshare traditional knowledge before it disappears, whichis why plants and remedies at the Healer’sGarden arenot sold commercially on-site

That approach contrasts with earliereras, when traditional plant knowledge was often extracted, repackaged and turned into products forbroader commer-

cial or pharmaceutical use.

Over time, many traditional practices also became stigmatized as modern pharmaceutical medicine grew moredominant.

“Science camealong and triedtoreject traditional knowledge,” Brassieur said. “People became less willing to share it because theywere criticized for believing in it.”

He adds that one of his biggest concerns is that younger generations may lose opportunitiestolearn directly from elders whostill carry traditional knowledge.

“Wespend too much time on devices andnot enough time with nature,” Brassieur said. “Sometimes we don’t even realizehow important what ourancestors knowis.”

Today, theHealer’s Garden remains open tovisitors with the purchaseofa ticket.

“It’s important to maintain the knowledge,” Brassieur said. “If somethinghappened tomorrow andpeople no longer had easyaccess to medicine, this is the kind of knowledge communities once depended on.”

During Créole Culture Day on SundayatVermilionville, thegarden will be open to the public through tours and educational programming.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

because we know thathe died thinking he’d beforgotten, and we’re just so glad he’s still around.”

While in Tupelo,the tributeartists also toured the Elvis Presley Birthplace, a sprawlingcomplex that includes the home where Elviswas born andthe church

n 12.“Famesick: AMemoir” byLenaDunham n 13.“AFar-Flung Life”by M.L. Stedman n 14. “Five” by Ilona Bannister n 15.“Into theBlue” by Emma Brodie 16. “John of John” by

wherehewas first exposed to Southern gospel music.

“It feels so surreal to pay tributetoElvis in his hometown,”said 15-year-old Charles Session from Morrilton, Arkansas. “I hope that he’slooking down and smilingatall these young performers.”

Douglas Stuart 17. “Mad Mabel: ANovel” by Sally Hepworth

18. “The CalamityClub” by Kathryn Stockett

19. “Homebound” by Portia Elan 20. “LadyTremaine” by Rachel Hochhauser

gently encourageher to take her meds. Youmight need adoctor’s help withthis. Schizophrenics who refuse to believe their doctor or take their medication become almost impossible to have aclose relationshipwith. Your daughter’sfeelings were hurt because her sister and cousin were talking about her, probably not in aflattering way That hurts at any age. But you are correct that, as adults, she should have talked with her sister and cousin about whythey felt the need to haveaconversation about her. Instead, she reverted to acting like alittle girl and ran away

from the situation. It is all understandable. She also is using her grandson in this as well. These are all very immature actions, but hopefully if you continue to acknowledge her hurt feelings and try and speak to your other daughter about apologizing, maybe they will all come around. The mostimportant issue, however,isher denial of the doctor’s diagnosis and refusal to take any medications. Ask that doctor for help.

Send yourquestions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators. com.

Waitingroomrudeness

Dear Miss Manners: Iwas in amedical office waiting room while myhusband was having atest done. I was the only one sittinginthe waiting room initially,until another person arrived. She had her cellphone on, and was watching a program when she walked in the facility.Noone was at thefront desk at the time of her arrival. The volume was very loud, and all that could be heard was one profanity after another.After afew minutes, Iasked her if she had headphones, because theprogram was so loud and offensive. She said she did not,and continued to listen, making no attempt to turn it down.

if that washer intention, and she then backed off.

Iknow you’re probably saying Ishould have just ignored her,but something in me would not let me.

business:

1. Someone behaves with ablatant lack of consideration forothers.

Ifeel we have allowed all decency to be slowly eradicated from our society and if people don’tstart saying something, we will be lost.

Businesses need to implement policies that require headphones with the use of cellphones in their offices. No one should be subject to listening to the mostdegrading and profane words that now seem popular with some people.

Itold her it was inconsiderateofher to play this type of program in awaiting room. She then threatened to “beat me up if I didn’tshut thef*** up.”

Itold her Iwould call 911

Gentle reader: If only Miss Manners had put in earplugs —orrather,put on an eye shade —before she saw this.

But she is sadly familiar with apattern practiced by ordinary citizens, supposedly just going about their

2. Someone else scolds the offender

3. The offender threatens violence.

4. The offended threatens to call the police.

And oh, yes, there is another:

5. One or both of them invokesthe noble name of etiquette, claiming to be enforcing properbehavior.

Miss Manners is not grateful forthe assistance. But neither does she agree that suffering rudeness is the only alternative. Even if there wasnoone at the desk, you could have found someone in authority to deal with this. Or you could have waited foryour husband elsewhere, sending him atext on where to find you.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners.com.

Donating nonfoodessentials

Dear Heloise: Ihave asuggestion for donations to food pantries.I usually donatenonfood necessities such as toilet paper, trial sizes or small sizes of shampoo, laundry detergent, feminine supplies, toothpasteand more. Many people who use food pantries are living out of abackpack, so small sizes workbest.Pantries have ahigher number of customers when school is out, so this is agood time for an extra donation. Ialso include zip-close bags to keep thingsdry in abackpack that isn’twaterresistant.Can you imagine needing toilet paper and not having it?Also, as far as clothing drives, I’ll pick up acouple packages of

By The Associated Press

underwear that are my size to donate. Someone who’smysize may be in need of it. —Beverly P.,via email Beverly, these are usefulitemsthat we allneed.However, somefood pantries won’tacceptanything but food items. So,itmight be best to calland ask if your local food pantry or food bank is willing to acceptand distributenonedible items. —Heloise Wipe aftershopping Dear Heloise: Just wanted to respond to the comments thatI’m seeing aboutusing wipesatthe grocerystore.I do use thembut on my way outofthe store to clean my hands, notonmyway in.

Kate, in Portland, Oregon Kate, agreed! Younever

TODAYINHISTORY

Glass-Steagall Act into law

Today is Tuesday, June 16, the 167th day of 2026. There are 198 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On June 16, 1963, the world’sfirst female space traveler,Valentina Tereshkova, 26, was launched into orbit by theSoviet Union aboard Vostok 6. Tereshkova spent 71 hours in flight, circling the Earth 48 times before returning safely

Also on this date:

In 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for theU.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln said theissue of slavery in the United States had to be resolved, declaring, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

In 1884, designer La Marcus Thompson opened thefirst commercially successful roller coaster, known as the Switchback Railway,inConey Island, New York.

In 1903, theFord Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the

creating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to bolster public confidence in the U.S. banking system

In 1961, Soviet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West, seeking asylum in Paris during atour by the Kirov Ballet.

In 1976, thousands of Black students in Johannesburg’sSoweto township demonstrated against the imposition of the Dutchbased Afrikaans language in schools; police opened fire on the students, killing at least 176 and as many as 700.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed the instruments of ratification forthe Panama Canal treaties during aceremony in Panama City

In 2015, real estate mogul Donald Trump launched his successful campaign forthe presidency of the United States with aspeech at Trump TowerinManhattan.

In 2016, Walt Disney Co. opened Shanghai Disney-

know how manytimes an item was handled by another person. When I get homefrom the grocery store (or any shopping trip), Ialways wash my hands before putting things away.Then Iwash them again afterward to remove anything Imay have picked up from handling the bags. Sound excessive? Actually,it’snot. We all handle things that other people have touched, and without thinking about it, we then touch our eyes, our lips, or an earlobe. When doing this, we transmit bacteria to ourselves with the possibility of picking up aflu, virus or something worse.

—Heloise

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

land, its first themepark in mainland China. In 2023, Daniel Ellsberg, the history-making whistleblower wholeaked the Pentagon Papers, died at 92. Ellsberg was amember of the government-military elite whorevealed longtimegovernment doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War, inspiring acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped bring about Nixon’sresignation.

Today’sBirthdays: Author Joyce Carol Oates is 88. Country singer Billy “Crash” Craddock is 87. R&B singer Eddie Levert is 84. Boxing Hall of Famer Roberto Durán is 75. Pop singer Gino Vannelli is 74. Actor Laurie Metcalf is 71. Rapper MC Ren is 57. Golfer Phil Mickelson is 56. Actor John Cho is 54. Actor Daniel Brühl is 48. Actor Missy Peregrym is 44. Singer Diana DeGarmo (TV:“American Idol”) is 39. NFLwide receiver Justin Jefferson is 27. Tennis player Bianca Andreescu is

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

MaryAnn Armbruster,one of four Master Gardenerswho oversees The Healer’sGarden at Vermilionville, pours catnip tea into apot.

Annie

PHOTO By SOPHIEBATES

In this screenshot,Tucker Gladden, 17, rehearses his renditionof‘My Boy’ by Elvis Presleybefore taking the stage at the TupeloElvis Festival’syouth tribute artists competition on June 4inTupelo, Miss.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) A new look that makes you feel good about yourself will encourage you to go the distance and not settle for anything less than what you want. A unique suggestion will help you market yourself for success.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Put more energy into your thoughts. Sticking to the truth and making your intentions very clear will be necessary when dealing with people who want something from you or those trying to change you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) It's time to pay attention to how you look and feel. Take command of your future by engaging in events that connect you to an industry or group you'd like to participate in more.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A lively approach to helping others and to making the most with what you've got will be inspirational and send a strong message to others to pitchinandhelp.Bealeaderandsethigh standards.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Flying under the radar will allow you to reach your goal without interference. Distance yourself from people who are overreacting. Disciplineandingenuityareyoursuperpowers.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) An open mind will lead to valuable information. Pay attention,stayintentondoingthingsright the first time and choose your words carefully and your battles wisely.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Analyzeyour status, and put an end to what's holding you back. Walk away from drama and those using emotional blackmail to take

advantage of you Limit spending, and implement discipline in your daily routine.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Demonstrating how much you care and revealing what you are willing to do will help you win favors and the respect of those you respect most. Truth and honesty will carry your wants and needs to fruition.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Push forward with enthusiasm. A change you make at home or to your lifestyle will enhance your creative imagination and help you find your way to a better place or position.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Doing something entertaining or creative will improve your view of what's happening around you. Choose to speak your mind and to do your part when working with others.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Think before you speak. Focus on doing what's right and helping those in need. How you spend your time will determine how your day will unfold. Refuse to let anger take over.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Opportunity will unfold through talks, kind gestures and not letting stubbornness get in the way of doing what's right. Reach out to experts, and you'll discover options you didn't know existed.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

We are lookingatsituations in which third hand should or should not follow the“third-hand high”mantra. Whichis right here?

Southisinfour hearts. West leads a fourth-highestdiamond two. After dummy plays low, shouldEast put in hisnine or rise with the king?

North knew that his hand was atad strong for afour-heart “weak freak” raise, but he knew that it was unlikely his side had aslam, and he wasworried that the opponentsmight be abletodo well in spades.

East should work outwho haswhatin diamonds. He knows that South has the ace, because West would not have led a diamond away from theace. AndSouth presumablyhas threediamonds.West probably has the queen,and might have the 10 as well. (If West had startedwith 10-high diamonds, he likelywould have led from astronger suit.)

However, thekey point is that if East plays his king, declarer must gettwo diamond tricks: his ace and, later, dummy’s jack. But if East puts in his nine, perhaps he can hold Southtoone diamond winner.

Yes,West will be momentarily misled about the diamond position, but East will clarify when in with his heart king, cashingthediamondkingandplayinganother round of the suit.You can seethat in this layout, playing the diamond nine is critical. It allows the defenderstotake one heart, twodiamonds and one club. Theusualruleis:Whendummyhasone honor, thirdhand holds ahigher honor, and dummy plays low, third hand saves his honor when he can insert anine or higher ©2026 by nEa,inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed

toDAY’s WoRD ZIRconIA: zur-KOH-nee-uh: Awhite crystalline compound used forrefractories, insulation, enamels and glazes.

Average mark14words

Timelimit 30 minutes

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —REMADE

Can you find 23 or morewords in ZIRCONIA? read ream reamed reed eared edema made mare mead mere armed dame dare dear deem deer dram dream

loCKhorNs

Whatawonderful promise! Be in churchthis Sunday. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

mallard fillmore

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe animal crackerS

DuStin

Drabble

Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann