Issuu

Auditor: Funds available to pay teacher stipends

Review shows most school systems have ample reserves to weather cuts proposed to fund bonuses, official says

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

School superintendents might not like Gov Jeff Landry’s plan to cut their budgets to pay for teacher stipends — but most school districts can afford it.

That was the message from the state auditor and some lawmakers during a meeting Tuesday focused on Landry’s recent executive order calling for the state to reduce public school funding by nearly $170 million for the coming school year to cover the cost of $2,000 pay bumps for teachers and $1,000 for school support staff. Lawmakers have until next Tuesday to vote on the order, which needs the approval of twothirds of the Legislature to take effect.

Superintendents and school board members have warned that the roughly 5% reduction in state funding could force them to cut positions or programs, and they have privately and publicly urged lawmakers to reject the plan.

Janet Pope, executive director of the Louisiana School Boards Association, answers a question during Tuesday’s meeting

sues doing this one year, one time.”

According to data from the auditor’s office, school districts have about $1.8 billion in their “unassigned fund balances,” or extra revenue that has not been committed to a speciﬁc expense. Districts might use the money to pay for future building projects, cover expenses when revenue is down or respond to emergencies, such as hurricanes.

Most school districts could backﬁll the state funding cut with reserve funds, according to the data However, just over a third of districts, 25 of 69, do not have enough to cover the cut and still meet the auditor’s recommendation to maintain a rainy-day fund equivalent to at least 16.7% of their revenues.

Potential tropical storm brings chance for flooding

Slow-moving disturbance set to hit Texas-Louisiana border

Staff report

With a potential tropical cyclone moving along the northwestern Gulf Coast and a stalled humid air mass still in place over the area, Baton Rouge remains under a ﬂood watch through Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The slow-moving disturbance, which is forecast to develop into Tropical Storm Arthur, was predicted to make landfall Tuesday night on the Texas-Louisiana border All of Louisiana has a risk of excessive rainfall, especially in the western and central parts of the state. Northern and southern Louisiana are at risk, as well, according to the weather service.

“Regardless of tropical cyclone formation, portions of Louisiana and Mississippi should prepare for periods of intense rainfall over the next several days, which could produce widespread, life-threatening ﬂash, urban and river ﬂooding,” the National Hurricane Center, a division of the weather service, said Tuesday

ä See FLOODING, page 12A

Planned attack on UFC show disrupted

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Law enforcement officials disrupted a planned attack targeting the UFC cagefighting show staged at the White House this past weekend, according to court papers unsealed Tuesday that say plotters who harbored fringe conspiracy theories spoke of flying explosivesladen drones and shooting panicked crowd members as they fled.

“I honestly think this executive order can be executed,” he told lawmakers on the Legislative Audit Advisory Council.

In an interview after the meeting, he added that Landry’s plan could pose challenges for four or ﬁve school districts with little or no rainy-day funds, but he argued that “a large majority should have no is-

But Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack told lawmakers Tuesday that his office reviewed school system ﬁnances and concluded that nearly all of the state’s roughly 70 school districts could weather the proposed cut, saying most have ample reserve funds to draw from.

Still, the conclusion by the auditor — who reports to the Legislature and is independent from the governor — that most school systems have enough available money to manage Landry’s proposed funding cut could provide cover to lawmakers who have struggled with how to vote. Some legislators say they don’t support paying for teacher stipends by cutting education, but they also don’t want to vote against Landry, who could veto funding for local projects,

ä See FUNDS, page 12A

Investigators recovered high-powered firearms from several of the suspects and reviewed encrypted text messages between roughly 20 participants who shared detailed maps and aerial photographs of the area and discussed the need for a “safe house” and escape routes, the documents show

But it’s unclear from the court records how close the would-be attackers could have come to being able to carry out the plan had it not been thwarted.

Several suspects or co-conspirators who were questioned by the authorities said they did not intend themselves to carry out violence but planned to

ä See ATTACK, page 10A

STAFF PHOTOS By JOHN BALLANCE

Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack speaks Tuesday to the Louisiana Audit Advisory Council about an executive order from Gov. Jeff Landry that would reduce public school funding for the 2026-27 school year.

Brazilian police arrest

25 in gang crackdown

SAO PAULO Police in Brazil

have arrested 25 people in a crackdown on the criminal gang Tren de Aragua from neighboring Venezuela after it developed ties with Brazilian organized crime groups, ofﬁcials said Tuesday

Evidence suggests that the Venezuelan group has been supplying weapons to Brazilian crime groups such as Red Command, ofﬁcials said. The northern Brazilian state of Roraima has been a main corridor for the illicit trade, police investigator Wesley Costa told local news outlet G1.

The Justice Ministry said police arrested 18 Venezuelans and 7 Brazilians in the crackdown, a joint effort of national security forces and police in Roraima.

They also served 30 search warrants across five states: Amazonas and Roraima, in the Amazon; Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, in the southeast; and Parana, in southern Brazil

Experts and authorities in Brazil have warned about the Venezuelan group’s expansion into Brazil over the last few years, acting in cooperation with domestic gangs like the First Command of the Capital, or PCC, and the Red Command, or CV

Man in cross burning investigation in custody

A person is in custody in an investigation of a large cross set on ﬁre in a well-known Chicago park, police said Tuesday

The burning cross was discovered June 9 in Grant Park, where Barack Obama delivered his acceptance speech when he was elected the nation’s first Black president in 2008.

A 21-year-old college student told WMAQ-TV that he was the shirtless person in an image distributed by police when they were looking for a suspect. But police did not immediately say Tuesday if he’s the person in custody The man said he was protesting President Donald Trump and not making a racist statement.

“I did know about this historical relevance beforehand. But I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,” the man told the TV station. “Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.”

The man interviewed by the TV station said he was protesting the “ruling class” and Christian nationalists who support Trump. He said he put a red MAGA hat on the cross.

Gina Miranda Samuels, faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, said the man seemed sincere that he was not trying to send a hateful message to Black people. Nonetheless, she added, “it says a lot about how uninformed people can be” about certain symbols “and that it would be acceptable to use a symbol of hatred and terror in this way.”

Gun-for-hire networks linked to shooting

TORONTO Police in Canada

said Tuesday they have linked multiple shootings, including at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto in March, to “multilayered” gunfor-hire networks that have also targeted synagogues in the city.

Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw told a news conference that young adults are being recruited through encrypted messages and paid by the networks to carry out the shootings and have to film them to get paid. Some of the ﬁrearms used in the attacks have since been seized by investigators.

Demkiw said Toronto police, along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI are trying to determine who is paying for the attacks.

“What we know is bad actors are using criminal elements in our city to carry out these dangerous incidents,” Demkiw said “It is clear that some of the people hiring these criminals want to create a sense of fear in our communities, including the Jewish community.”

Two ﬁrearms recovered during the investigation, believed to be involved in more than 25 shootings in the Toronto area, originated in the United States, he said. Ballistics testing is still ongoing.

Trump hastens DOE dismantling

Special education, civil rights to be handled by new agencies

BY ANNIE MA AP education writer

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday accelerated its dismantling of the Education Department, delegating much of its work to protect the nation’s at-risk students in a move that carves away the vast majority of its functions for other agencies to handle.

The Department of Justice will take on enforcement of civil rights in education, while the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education, administration ofﬁcials announced.

The two agencies involved — the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Ofﬁce for Civil Rights — defend the rights of children with disabilities and those who experience discrimination based on race, sex or religion. Advocates worry the change could mean lapses in communication for families and school

ofﬁcials who need help.

Trump, a Republican, campaigned on shutting down the Education Department, saying he would “move education back to the states where it belongs.” While only Congress can close the department, Trump’s education secretary Linda McMahon, a billionaire and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, has formed agreements with other federal agencies to handle much of her department’s work.

McMahon said the agreements align responsibilities with the agencies best positioned to support them.

“The Trump Administration has been clear: as we scale back federal micromanagement when it hinders success, we are equally committed to bolstering the efﬁcacy of federal oversight where it is essential,” McMahon said in a written statement

Advocates said the changes would create uncertainty around services relied upon by millions of students and families

“As is too often the case, tradi-

tionally underserved students — including students with disabilities, Black and Latino students, multilingual learners, students from lowincome backgrounds, and students in rural communities — will bear the greatest burden created by this reckless decision, to which the disability and civil rights communities have already been vehemently opposed,” said a written statement from EdTrust, a Washington, D.C.based think tank that advocates for educational equity

The Education Department already has offloaded some of its programs through 10 earlier internal agreements.

The Ofﬁce of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services manages billions of dollars in grants and oversees state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Ofﬁce for Civil Rights, which has been thinned by mass layoffs, investigates complaints of discrimination at the nation’s schools and universities.

Trump signals return of sanctions on Russian oil

G7 leaders are focusing on the Ukraine war

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE, SYLVIE CORBET and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France The United States could soon reimpose sanctions on Russian oil shipments after President Donald Trump and fellow leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized democracies moved Tuesday to put the war in Ukraine back on top of their agenda, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

The Iran war has recently overshadowed Ukraine, but Trump said he wants to shift the focus following the announcement of an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old conﬂict in the Gulf.

Trump said Iran will soon be “back in the rearview mirror.”

Trump said the sanctions on Russia that were eased during the Iran war to help lower oil prices can go back in place as more oil moves through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Soon we’ll be able to do that because the oil is now ﬂowing,” Trump told reporters in Evian, the French spa town close to the Swiss border that is hosting the summit. “We’re in a position to do that soon.”

The U.S. in March temporarily eased some sanctions on some Russian oil ship-

ments as crude prices sharply increased.

The waiver has been extended.

Zelenskyy joins G7 leaders for talks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the G7 leaders for talks on the war in his country They wrapped quickly after just 75 minutes.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is serious about peace while Russia toys with world leaders. “The entire ‘Seven’ supports Ukraine unanimously today,” he said.

Zelenskyy added that G7 leaders supported Ukraine’s need for more Patriot missiles and discussed how to increase production by licensing production. Patriot missiles are able to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and cities.

As the U.S. under Trump has cut back aid to Ukraine, France and its European allies are now the biggest providers of military and ﬁnancial support to Kyiv Trump downplayed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the U.S. but lamented the death toll.

“The whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump said. “So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can.”

Meanwhile, the U.K. announced new sanctions targeting the “shadow fleet” Russia uses to ship oil and gas, and the ﬁnance networks used by Moscow to evade Western sanctions. The ships targeted include several recently purchased by Russia to transport liqueﬁed natural gas from its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.

U.K. military investigates after Russian warship fires shots

Warning volley was directed at drifting pleasure yacht

BY JILL LAWLESS and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press

LONDON A Russian warship fired warning shots near a U.K.-registered pleasure yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, authorities said, an incident that caused no damage but illustrated heightened tensions between the two countries.

Britain’s Defense Ministry launched an investigation after the yacht reported being ﬁred on by a Russian navy vessel about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside U.K. territorial waters. There were no reports of injuries or damage to the sailing yacht, which continued its journey from the U.K. toward France.

The BBC reported that the yacht, which has no motor, had drifted toward the Russian vessel in foggy conditions. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the crew of the

frigate Admiral Grigorovich tried to contact the yacht when it was seen sailing on a “dangerous course in close proximity with the warship.” It said the ship’s crew launched flares and issued sound signals when the yacht did not respond.

“After the distance had closed to 150 meters (500 feet), the frigate’s commander decided to fire warning shots across the vessel’s bow using small arms,” the ministry said It said the yacht then changed course and sailed away

The Department of Justice also will take over work protecting student privacy and will provide some training and advisory help to schools.

While HHS and the Department of Justice will take over most dayto-day duties of the assigned ofﬁces, the Education Department will continue to perform some tasks that it is explicitly required to do by law

The transfer of special education to Health and Human Services most alarmed disability advocates, who say oversight of whether schools are adequately serving children with disabilities is best handled by education experts — not medical experts.

“The IDEA is intended to equip students as they learn alongside their peers, not cure them — the HHS is not prepared to oversee and administer the IDEA program effectively Health and education systems speak in entirely different languages, including variations in terminology, training, and disciplines,” said Jennifer Coco, interim executive director of the Center for Learner Equity

Senate fails to advance war powers resolution

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON The Senate tried and failed again Tuesday to advance a war powers resolution that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran, in what has become an almost weekly effort to rein in President Donald Trump as the administration ﬂoats a new plan to bring an end to the nearly four-month-long war Senators of both parties have been skeptical of the Trump administration’s emerging Iran deal and frustrated by the White House’s refusal to share details. They are expecting a brieﬁng from the administration, but nothing has been scheduled before Friday’s planned deadline for the two sides to sign the agreement. The vote was 47-48, with four Republicans joining most Democrats in supporting the war powers resolution. That fell short of the majority needed.

“Join me in putting a check on this president’s lawless warmongering,”

said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who proposed the resolution, in a speech before the voting.

“The time is always right to do what’s right,” he said. The measure was the ninth time the senators have tried to advance a resolution to end the war that U.S. and Israel launched against Iran over the nation’s nuclear program. Trump launched the war on his own, without congressional approval, but as it drags on lawmakers have grown concerned over the costs, strategy and end game. The House for the first time approved its own war powers resolution to halt U.S. military action against Iran this month, when a small number of Republicans crossed over to join with the Democrats to pass the measure. Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted in favor of the war powers resolution. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against.

Obituaries: 225-388-0289

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a working session with French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and other leaders during the G7 summit on Tuesday.

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PHOTO

Lawenforcement responds tothe scene of an aircraftcrash on Mondaynear Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. All eight aboard the B-52 Stratofortresswere killed in the crash.

Flight data showsB-52took sharpturnbeforecrashing

Officialssay investigationcould take sixmonths

BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER and JOSH FUNK Associated Press

LOS ANGELES TheB-52 that crashed duringa test flight at an Air Force base in California took asharp turn before plunging to the ground at arate nearly 10 times faster than aplane normally descends for landing, limited tracking data shows. All eight people aboard were killed in Monday’sfiery crash of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which was taking part in aroutinetest mission as part of an overallprogram to keep the long-running aircraft flyingfor decades to come. It was not yet clear Tuesday what caused the plane to crash, and officials at Edwards Air Force Base said it could take up to six months to complete the investigation. According to AirNav Systems, aflight tracking website,the B-52 wasairborne for 3minutes and 15 seconds beforecrashing.

Theﬂight trackingthatwas available Tuesday shows the bomber turning to the northeast right after taking off

and nearly completinga180 degree turn beforecrashing on another runway,according to AirNav Systems. The data that comes from asystemcalled “multilateration” doesn’tshowprecisealtitude andspeedinformation, but it doesshow the plane fellto earth at arate of descentof 5,056 feetper minute The airfield remained closed Tuesday.Crews were making thecrash site safe for search and recovery teams to enter,after fires flared up overnight,saidMike Paoli, a spokesperson for the 412 Test Wing at Edwards. The aircraft wassupportinga“radar modernization program,” Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 Test Wing, said Monday.In2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards with amodernized radar system that is keytokeeping the bomber in the air through at least 2050, nearlya centuryafterit first enteredservice

Atest team planned to conductgroundand flight test activities on theaircraft throughout 2026tofeed a production decision, theAir Force said in a2025 news release. The modern Active Electronically ScannedArray radar system replaced theaircraft’s antiquated radar.Itwas unclear ifthat

was the same aircraft involved in Monday’scrash.

AESA replaced 1960s radar technologyand offers improved navigation and targetingcapabilities, according to a2023newsrelease from Raytheon, which designed the newsystemfor theAir Force’sentire B-52 ﬂeet.

Flying in the1950s

The B-52, along-range bomber thatentered service in 1955, is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. It has been usedinconflicts involving the U.S. military from Vietnam to Iran.

Along with anew radar, the ﬂeet of 76 B-52s are scheduled to receive additional upgrades, including newengines, crewcompartments, conventionaland nuclear communication systems, avionics and weapons.The military said the goal is to make the B-52a complement to the Air Force’sneweststrategic bomber,the B-21 Raider

Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down at the base in theMojaveDesert about100 milesnortheast of Los Angeles. Ofﬁcials determined no onecould have survived after reviewing footage of the crash, Hayes said at anews conference.

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ and MARKVANCLEAVE Associated Press

ST.PAUL, Minn. Federal prosecutors have charged 15 people with impeding theTrumpadministration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, accusing themofconspiring against the federal government through arange of actions intendedtoblockarrests and deportations.

During anews conferenceTuesday,Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosensaid the defendants “violently opposedthe enforcement of federal law” by setting up blockades around government buildings, throwing chunks of iceat federal vehicles and“stalking” agents as theymoved

through Minneapolis.

He saidthe defendants were part of two groups that he characterized as “antifa,” an umbrella term for adiffuse movement of militant left-wing activists.

Defense attorney Kevin Riach said his client, Isaac Sant, had no afﬁliation with antifa, which he called“a boogeyman invented by the far-right.”

“The purpose is to intimidate people whocame out to observe and protest ICE’snumerousviolations of the law,” Riach added.

“It’sanaffront to the First Amendment.”

President Donald Trump declared last September that he would label “antifa” adomestic terrorist group, urging federal agencies to “investigate, disrupt and dismantle” its members

and affiliates. In March, eight people accusedofhaving tiestoantifa were convictedonterrorism charges in aTexas shooting, afirst of its kind case that raised concerns amongsome civil liberties groups. Askedabout theJustice Department’sdefinition of “antifa,” Rosensaidthe questionwas “beyond the scope” of theindictment, but notedthatseveral defendants had self-identified with the term The 15 people charged Tuesday were part of “Direct Action Minnesota,” a left-wing coalitionofprotestgroups that trains its members in the “surveillance, operational planning and rapid mobilization against lawenforcement,” Rosen said.

Iran:Dealtoend warrequiresIsraeltowithdraw

Tentativeagreement demandsousting from Lebanon

BY JON GAMBRELL, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates

Iran’stop diplomatsaid

Tuesday that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon —acondition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement, leading to the resumption of all-out war The deal, which is betweenthe U.S. and Iran, has not been made public, and officials have sometimes offered contradictoryinterpretations of what is in it. While Israel is not party to theagreement, it is part

of the war after joining the U.S. in launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.Israel has also fought the Iran-backed Hezbollahmilitant groupin Lebanon andseized large swathsofthatcountry Iranian ForeignMinister AbbasAraghchi saidIsrael’scontinued occupation of southernLebanon would violatethe deal. “Withoutthe withdrawal

of Israeliforces from the territoriesthey occupied during this war,the war has not fully cometoanend,” Araghchi said.

AU.S. ofﬁcial, who spoke on condition of anonymityto discuss outlines of the agreement, has said the deal does not call for an Israeliwithdrawal.And IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said MondaythatIsrael

RFKJr. overrulesexperts to keep passengerinquarantine

Womanexposed to hantavirus to remain in Nebraska facility

BYALI SWENSON and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. Health Sec-

retary Robert F. Kennedy Jr this week refused to release acruise ship passenger exposedtohantavirus in early May from aquarantine facility in Nebraska —despite a federal medical review that said there’snoneed to conﬁne her far from her Florida home.

The order from Kennedy, one of the nation’s most prominent critics of vaccine mandates, lockdowns and other government publichealth restrictions, spurred outrage from some advocates and legal scholars,who called it illegal and rooted in politics rather than public health.

The passenger,Angela Perryman, remained de-

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduledconfirmation hearings for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in mid-July,evenassome Republicans remain undecided about whether to support him for the post.

President Donald Trump nominated Blanchetolead theJustice Department this month, shortly after Blanche sparred with Republican senators in acontentiousmeeting about a$1.776 billion settlement fund. Blanchelater testiﬁed that the fund would not go forward. But some Re-

tained as of Tuesday “I want to be abletowalk outsideand putmyfeetin the grass,” Perryman said in an interview.“Iwanttobe able tofeel fresh air on my face when Iwant to. Iwant to be able to seepeoplethat are notinfullPPE.I don’twant to be dehumanizedanymore.”

CourtneySpencer,aspokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, said Florida chose not to complywiththe federal government’sconditions for how tightly to monitor Perryman if she went back home. Continuing the quarantine order was “necessary to ensure both Ms. Perryman’sand her community’swell-being,”she said. “The Andes virushas a40 percent case fatalityrate— 40 times that of COVID-19 —and aknown incubation period of up to 42 days duringwhichanyone exposed to this diseasecan become symptomatic and transmit it to others,” Spencer said. LawrenceGostin,a public

publicansenators say they want more assurances from Blanchebefore they voteto conﬁrm himasthe nation’s chief law enforcement ofﬁcer.

“It’ll be anissueifthe weaponization fund isn’teffectively dead by theconﬁrmationhearing,” said GOP Sen. Thom Tillis,a potential swing voteonthe Senate Judiciary Committee. “Because Istill have areal problem with it beingout there.”

Anothermember of the committee, TexasSen. John Cornyn,saidTuesday he had met with Blanche butthat he would not make adecision until after the conﬁrmation hearings,whichare expected July 15-16.

health lawexpertwho helped shape current federal quarantine regulations, called the decision “an egregious violation” of aU.S.citizen’s rights.

“She’s being held, deprived of her liberty, which is thegreatestdeprivation you can have. She’scommitted no crime. And there’sa broad medical consensus that she would be perfectly safe to ﬁnish her quarantine at home,” Gostin said.

Kennedy’sorderMonday cameafter amedical review earlierthis month overseen by Dr.Michael Bell, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,anagency within Kennedy’sHHS Bellreviewed testimony from CDC officialsand an outside medical expert concerning Perryman’schallenge to an earlierorder conﬁning her to the National Quarantine Unit at theUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center

Five weeksafter leaving the ship, Perrymanstillhas no symptoms.

Trumpﬁred his ﬁrst attorneygeneral,Pam Bondi, in April, and elevated Blanche to be acting attorney general. Blanche, who worked as one of Trump’spersonal lawyersbefore joining the administration,will need support from all 12 Republicans on the Judiciary panel for his nomination to move forward, if allDemocrats voteagainst him

Senate Majority Leader JohnThune,R-S.D., said Tuesday that Blanche will get afair hearing, “and if he comes tothe ﬂoor,we’ll do everything we can to get him scheduled and voted on, and hopefully conﬁrmed.”

“We’ll let theprocess play out,” Thune said.

Aman whoreturned to his villagefollowing the announcement of an initial ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran flashes avictorysignas he stands on the rubble of his destroyedhouse in southernLebanon on Tuesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

would remaininLebanon “as long as necessary.”

Thenegotiationstoend the war have been plagued by such disagreementsbefore, leading to aprolonged but uneasy ceasefirethat hasfailedtodevelop into a permanentend to hostilities and has left theStrait of Hormuz, acrucialwaterway for the world’senergy supplies, effectively shut

In otherdevelopments, Switzerland’sforeign ministry said the signing ceremony forthe deal will take place Friday at the Bürgenstock resort near thecityof Luzern.Ministry officials said Tuesday thatthe location was proposed by Pakistani andQatarimediators, along with the U.S. and Iran. Pakistan has said thedeal called foranend to military operations, including in Lebanon,asIran long insisted But Araghchi’s call foran Israeli withdrawal adds a new wrinkle.

It puts Israel into adilemma as it tries to degrade Hezbollah’smilitary capabilitieswithout undermining an agreementchampionedby itsmostimportant ally, the United States. Israel invaded southern Lebanon after Hezbollahﬁredmissilesacross the borderduring the first week of the war.Since then,

it hasexpandedits military footprint to levelsunseen in decades and struck targets deep inside Beirut. Though Hezbollah has been weakened, it retains the ability to strike Israel, leaving open questions about the effectiveness of Israel’scampaign. As of Tuesday evening, Netanyahu had not seen the memorandumofunderstanding between the U.S. and Iran, said aperson familiarwith the situation,who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door details. Another person, who also spoke on conditionofanonymityto discuss private conversations between Israel and the U.S., said Israeli ofﬁcials have not asked U.S. negotiators forthe memorandum Netanyahu’sofﬁcedid not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Solar cold storage helps African farmers cut losses

BY ALLAN OLINGO Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan farmer

Yvonne Anyonyi Mumiah walks in the early morning between rows of rosemary, basil and other crops des-

tined for European supermarkets

She once worried that transport delays or extreme heat could spoil much of her harvest, but now relies on a solar-powered cool storage service to keep her produce fresh.

The pay-per-use model offered by cold-chain company SoKo Fresh charges farmers based on kilograms stored, part of a trend in Africa toward using solar-powered cold storage to help prevent one of agriculture’s most persistent problems: food spoilage.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that up to 40% of food produced in Africa is lost between harvest and market, largely due to poor storage, transport, and processing infrastructure. Fresh for markets

Solar-powered, off-grid cold rooms, warehouses and cooling hubs allow farmers and traders to preserve perishable goods without relying on expensive and unreliable electricity grids. This shift is gaining momentum across Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda and South Africa.

“The biggest challenge was preserving the quality after harvest,” said Mumiah, who, like many other smallholder farmers, could not afford the roughly $30,000 upfront cost of a solar-powered cold storage unit of her own.

“You can do everything right on the farm, but if the produce is not stored properly, you lose both the product and income,” she said, noting the increased flexibility cold storage provides. “We are no longer forced to sell immediately because we fear the produce will spoil. We can wait for collection and still maintain quality.”

As food handling systems come under pressure from climate change, rising temperatures, and sometimes disrupting supply

chains, cooling technology is increasingly vital.

Farmers face special challenges

In countries such as India, China, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, sophisticated coldchain networks allow fresh produce to remain marketable for weeks. In many parts of Africa, however, farmers often lack access to cooling facilities and must sell their crops immediately after harvest, suffering signiﬁcant losses.

The challenge is increasingly acute as temperatures rise since extreme heat accelerates spoilage of vegetables, fruits, dairy products and ﬁsh. Unreliable electricity supplies make conventional refrigeration expensive or impracti-

cal in many rural areas.

“Cold storage remains one of the missing links in Africa’s agricultural value chains,” said Emmanuel Aziebor, regional director for Africa at CLASP, a nonproﬁt organisation that supports the deployment of energy-efﬁcient appliances and productive-use technologies.

“When farmers can store produce for longer, they gain access to better markets, reduce waste and increase incomes,” he said.

Improvements to supply chains

Soko Fresh says it has cut spoilage rates for its customers from up to 50% to under 2%, while helping farmers earn up to 50% more per kilogram.

In Nigeria, companies like ColdHubs have installed solar-powered walk-in cold rooms in major agricultural markets, allowing farmers and traders to rent space daily rather than invest in expensive equipment. In Rwanda, solar-powered refrigeration is being used to support dairy cooperatives and improve milk collection. In Ethiopia, cold-chain investments are expanding to support horticultural exports, one of the country’s fastest-growing agricultural sectors.

Analysts say such innovations are becoming increasingly important as African countries seek to improve their food security while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Traditional cold storage systems often depend on diesel generators, particularly in areas with unreli-

able electricity Solar-powered alternatives can reduce fuel consumption and operating costs while lowering emissions.

Yet experts argue the most important beneﬁt may be economic rather than environmental. For decades, development efforts have focused heavily on expanding electricity access across Africa. While millions of households have gained access to power, less attention has been paid to ensuring that electricity can be used to generate income.

“We have neglected the conversation around how people can turn electricity into opportunity,” Aziebor said. “We keep extending electricity infrastructure, but unless people can use that power productively, the economic beneﬁts never fully materialize.”

It goes beyond cold storage

Across Africa, solar-powered irrigation systems are enabling year-round farming. Solar milling machines and processing equipment help rural communities add value to agricultural products closer to where they are grown.

Funding remains a challenge.

“The challenge today is not demonstrating that these systems work,” said Carol Koech, vice president for Africa at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet “It is building enough bankable projects that can attract larger pools of investment and scale across countries.”

Trump administration battles recurring algae in reflecting pool

Hydrogen peroxide, tiny bubbles used to remove bloom

BY KATIE VOGEL and JACQUELYN MARTIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s remodeled Lincoln Memorial Reﬂecting Pool with its “American flag blue” bottom has turned chartreuse from an algal bloom that park service workers struggled to

address Tuesday just days after its more than $14 million renovation.

The Washington Monument is once again visible in the refilled pool, but Trump’s vision of an azure expanse between the D.C. landmarks has been complicated by the harsh realities of chemistry and biology known to any backyard pool owner The work has been confounded by the unique challenges posed by the scale of the structure, bigger than 10 Olympic-sized pools which Trump has called a lake — and the source of its water: the often-fetid Tidal Basin.

Algae has plagued the site since it opened more than 100 years ago, but Trump set his sights on addressing it as part of his aggressive push to beautify Washington as the country approaches its 250th anniversary Contracts worth at least $14.8 million have been awarded for the project announced in April by Trump, who said he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting. Teams of National Park Service employees and contractors de-

ployed chemicals and ozone nanobubbles Tuesday in a bid to keep the algae in check, not dissimilar from efforts to clean the pool before Trump’s renovation kicked off.

“What do you expect?” asked Cochise Wanzer II, president of the Pool Service Company in Arlington, Virginia. “You’re basically taking natural, untreated river water, pumping it in and expecting it to do something different from what it would do out in the open.” And the new coat of paint on the bottom of the pool has added an

additional twist to ensuring the cleanliness of one of Washington’s most memorable destinations: “Now that the bottom is nice and dark, it elevates the temperature and the algae grows better,” said Wanzer

The chemicals and ozone nanobubbles a water purification treatment used to avoid some harsh chemicals — were one part of the effort underway to clean the reﬂecting pool. Workers used a swimming pool-type vacuum cleaner to suck up algae from the bottom.

ANon-surgical, Drugless method of RelievingPain

Finally,there’s a treatmenttoconquer lowback, neck,leg andarm painwithout dangerousmedications or painful surgery.

If yousufferfrom:

•LOW BACK PAIN

•SCIATICA

•NECKPAIN

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•LEG PAIN

•NUMBNESSINARMS, LEGS OR FEET

Non-surgical Spinal Decompressionmay be theanswerfor you!

Pain affects everypartofyourlife- walking, sitting, and even sleeping.Nothing’s worsethanfeelinggreat mentally,but physically feelingheldbackfromlifebecause your nerveorbackpainhurts -and it just won’tgoaway.

Scientificstudies tellusthatspinaldiscs aremostoften therootcause of achesand pain that people suffer from Thesediscs actascushionsbetween thevertebrae and create thenecessaryspacefor nerves to exit thespinal column.But when discsare injured, worn down,orbegin to degenerate,theybulge or herniate -pressingonnerve rootsand triggeringpaininthe backorneck This pressure canalsoleadtoradiating pain in thehips, legs,feetor arms

We areDr. ScottLeBlanc andDr. Dana LeBlanc, owners of LeBlancSpine Center.Weknowwhatit’sliketobein pain,because we see it everyday.Wehave treatedthousandsofpatientsoverthe past 14 yearsatour BatonRouge andKenneroffices.

Disc issuesare common,but patients sufferingare usually givenlimited optionsoftreatment.Werun thesebig newspaperads to letpeopleinthe communityknowthere is anotheroption- withoutinjectionsorsurgery!

NON-SURGICALSPINAL DECOMPRESSION is abreakthrough, non-invasive treatmentfor herniated, ruptured, bulgingand degenerative discs. It hasbeenprovento reversedischerniations andrelieve nervepain, backpain, andradiating pain

At LeBlancSpine Center,wehave state-of-the-art technology that iisFDA clearedand very successfulin relievingpaininpain- even when othertreatmentshave failed.Unlikeother treatments that only mask symptoms spinal decompressionaddresses therootcause of your pain-restoringdischeight, improvingspinalalignment andreducingnerve compression.

PROOFTHIS TREATMENTWORKS There’splentyof researchtobackupthe claims of Spinal Decompression Therapyand itseffectiveness.Hereare just afew of the publishedscientificstudies

•“Patients reported amean88.9% improvement in back pain andbetterfunction. No patientrequiredany invasive therapies(e.g. epidural injections,surgery).”American Academy of Pain Management

•“We thus submit that decompressiontherapy should be considered first, before thepatient undergoesasurgicalprocedure whichpermanently alters theanatomy andfunctionofthe affectedlumbarspine segment.”JournalOfNeuroscienceResearch

•“86%ofthe 219patientswho completedthe therapy reported immediateresolutionofsymptoms.”-Orthopedic Technology Review

•“Vertebralaxial (spinal) decompressionwas successfulin 71%ofthe 778cases”-Journal of Neurological Research

•“Good to excellentreliefin86% of patients with Herniated discs” - TheAmericanJournal of Pain Management

•“Decompression Therapyreported a76.5% with completeremissionand 19.6%withpartial remissionof pain anddisability” -Rio Grande Hospital,Department of Neurosurgery

Youwillsit with thedoctorone on onetogooveryour x-rays,and you’ll gettosee everything firsthand.

At LeBlancSpine Center,our goal is to help youlive pain-freeand return to theactivitiesyou love.Wegenuinelyenjoy meetingwithpatients, answeringquestions, andshowing firsthandhow spinal decompressioncan be alife-changing solution.Ifyou’vebeenlivingwith back or neck pain,weinviteyou to schedule aone-ononeconsultationand experience what sets ourclinic apart-personalized attention, proventechnology, and compassionatecare.

Thereisnochargeatall andyou don’tneedtobuy anything Youdon’t have to go on living in pain-Callustoday! 225-763-9894

SEEWHATSOMEOFOUR PATIENTS HAVE TO SAY…

IcametoLeBlancSpine Center becauseIhad been suffering with extreme back pain andleg pain for severalweeks.I hadtried other treatments,massage,NSAIDsand Tylenol, butIwas stillinpain.

Ibegan Spinal Decompressiontreatmentsand nowIfeel100% improved!WhatIlikemostabout my treatment is that it is non-invasive anditeliminatedmypain. My treatment appointments arenot long, andthe treatmentispain-free.Since beginningtreatment at LeBlanc SpineCenter, Iamnow able to do allofmypreviousactivitiesand work withoutpain. Ialsohavemorerange of motion.I wouldhighly recommend LeBlancSpine Center!

Dr.JohnBarksdale (Dentist) hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

IcametoLeBlancSpine Center becauseIhad been suffering with severe neck pain andlower back pain.I hadpreviouslytried otherback specialists, physical therapy, andMRI’s,but wasstill suffering forseveral years. Ibegan Spinal DecompressionTherapy treatmentsinAugustof 2019,and sincethen, Iamnow 60%improved! Iamnow able to do my dailyactivities, such as vacuuming, walkingand exercise-Iwas notable to do this withoutpain before my treatmentatLeBlancSpine Center My headachesare almost completelygone, andI am also able to walk 3 to 4miles perday.LeBlancSpine Center hascertainly helped me,when everywhere else Iwentinthe past didn’t help at all. What Ilikemost aboutmycareatisthatithas greatly improved my problems!

JenniferLee (Retired Administrative Assistant) Hometown -Brusly, LA

I first came to LeBlancSpine Center with numbness in my arms and legs.Iwas also experiencing lowerbackpainand neck pain.Ihad been suffering with this forover10years.Ihad previouslytried one epidural injectioninmylower back andphysicaltherapy,anIwas still suffering with thesesymptoms. Sincebeginning Spinal Decompression treatments, Ihavehad consistent improvementinmybackcondition, andIamnow 70%improved! Iamlifting withoutpain, sleeping better,and Inow have theability to walk withouttiring! Iwould highly recommendDr. LeBlancand LeBlancSpine Center!

L. J. Dupuy (College Baseball Coach) Hometown -Addis,LA

ICE: Newstandards ‘reduce

theburden’ on contractors

Relaxedrules would limit legalliability

BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

Contractors running Immigration andCustoms Enforcement facilities can rely more heavily on artificial intelligence tools to communicate with detainees while continuing to pay people they hold $1 per day for “voluntary work,” under relaxed detention standards released Monday ICE said the standards, which apply to for-profit contractors and jails that hold detainees,were revised with input from partners to “reduce the burden on ourdetention operators.” Expertssaidthe changes would helpcontractors limit legal liability,reduce costs and get more operational flexibility while doing little, if anything, to improve conditions forroughly 60,000 people currently detained “100% it’sgoing to result in deterioration of already problematic conditions of detention,”said Michelle Brane, aformer Department of Homeland Security ombudsman who oversaw immigration detention practices during part of the Biden administration. “It’sconsistent with their generalpractice, which is to eliminate accountability and oversight. They arenot concerned with people’sbasic rights or safety of detainees.”

The revisions come as ICE detention facilities are reporting deaths in unprecedented numbers and face accusations of medical neglect, inadequate food and other inhumane conditions. They come as ICE is ﬂush withcash,receiving more than half of the$70 billion immigration enforcement spending bill signed by President Donald Trump lastweek

Dr.Sanjay Basu, apublic health researcher who has studied ICE custody deaths, said the changes include “genuine improvements” to suicidepreventionstandards and mental healthcare.But he said the overall trajectory is “towardweaker standards governing agrowing share of the detained population.” ICE said the changes streamline

The Winn Correctional

its rules and movetoward more relaxed standards used by the U.S. Marshals Service to hold pretrial federal inmates in jails.The agency said it considered input from operators “alongside operational, legaland policy requirements when makinga ﬁnal decision.”

Dr.Homer Venters, an expert on correctional healthcare, saidthe changes couldcurtailaccess to language assistance by eliminatingmandates that required in-personand telephone interpretation andtranslation services

Newstandardallowsuse of AI

Therevised standardsaysfacilitiescan use artiﬁcialintelligence tools suchasmachine-learningbased translation or generative AI for“noncritical communication” or “informal interactions with detainees.” That communication could include giving and receiving information to or from detainees during intake, having conversations with detainees in housing unitsand responding to adetainee’sgrievance or other concerns, it says.

Venters calledthe changes alarmingbecausegrievances often include “very urgent or even emergent information such as when a patient has been denied lifesaving care.” He said the rule also leaves unclear whether health assessments,crucial to ﬂaggingmedical and mental healthconditions, could be conducted through AI.

ICEsaid the standards ensure contractors provide interpretation

andtranslationservices “at no cost to thedetainees.”

Several experts said theywere concerned by achange thatbars facility operatorsfromrefusingto admit any detainee ICE sends them. The change means facilities may not be able to immediatelyrefer severely ill or disabled detainees whomtheycannotaccommodate to hospitals or othersettingsfor care —but it could reducetheir liability for subsequent deaths. Arelated rule change requires facilities to request that ICE transfer detainees theycannot serve elsewhere, but that might not happen for several days after they areadmitted Afavor to contractors

New language making clear that detainees who participate in voluntary workprogramsare notemployees and therefore not entitled to wages and beneﬁts “is afavor” to ICE’sfor-proﬁt contractors, said Dora Schriro, former directorof ICE’sOfficeofDetention Policy and Planning during the Obama administration. For years, advocates fordetainees have argued in lawsuits that these programs, in whichdetainees have receivedaminimum stipend of $1 perwork day, amount to forced labor.The lawsuits have sought millions of dollars in unpaid wages from ICE contractors like GeoGroup and CoreCivic, and nowtheycould face tougherodds of successbystrengthening their legal defenses, Schriro said.

Complaintalleges

BY MATTHEW DALY and BERNARD CONDON Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administrationishelping oneofElon Musk’scompanies fight acivil rightslawsuit that alleges it is illegally running dozens of natural gasturbines to powera $20billion data center in Mississippi.

The NAACPand other groups say Musk’s xAI subsidiary failed to get apermitfor itspower plant —which is located near homes, schools andchurches —creating healthrisks forfamilies in North Mississippi and nearby Memphis and violating the federal Clean Air Act.

TheJusticeDepartment, in a motion late Monday,sought to intervene in the case and dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the plant is needed to poweranAI datacenter that is “critical to the economy” and the U.S. military

The state of Mississippi —not the federalgovernment —isresponsible forany permits for the power plant and “decided no permit was required,” theJustice Department said in astatement.

“Ultimate responsibility for enforcing federal law belongs to the Executive Branch,not private interest groups,”saidAssociate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who is No. 3atthe Justice Department. The motion to interveneinthe case is intended to protect national security and promote American energy and innovation, he added.

The Trump administration has made AI atop national andeconomicsecurity priority.Ithas also upended policies meant to address climate change and has worked to undo environmental regulations on business.

Trump also has had close ties

to Musk, wholed his federal government cost-saving initiative,known as theDepartment of Government Efficiency,or DOGE, early last year.Crowned the world’sﬁrst trillionaire Friday when SpaceX went public, Musk financed Trump’spresidential campaign more thanany otherdonor andispouring money into midterms.

The JusticeDepartment action comesjustdaysafter SpaceX, Musk’srocket company and the parent of defendantxAI,pulled offthe biggest initialoffering of stock ever,partly due to the Trump administration’shelp supplying it with billions of dollars in federal contracts. SpaceX hasa totalvalue of more than$2trillion, making it biggerthanExxon Mobil, Bank of America andCoca-Cola combined.

The NAACP lawsuit,filedin April, accuses xAI of running dozens of portable natural gas turbineswithout proper controls to limit emissions and without the permitting required by the Clean Air Act, whichrequires industrial polluters to obtainair permitsbefore construction or operation.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesdayreferred questions on the case to theJustice Department, saying it is not aparty in the dispute.

The Justice Department action wasnot about national security but instead wasa “desperateattempt to protect wealthy tech companies from obeying the laws meant to protect people from pollution,” said Laura Thoms, directorofenforcement forEarthjustice,anenvironmentallaw ﬁrm that represents the NAACP and Southern EnvironmentalLaw Center

“Trump’sJusticeDepartment wants to shield Elon Musk’sdata center company,xAI,from being held accountablefor itsillegal pollution —and it’sattempting to grab powerfrom impacted communities, the courts and Congress to do so,” she said.

Thedata center andits pollution are “turning our communitiesinto sacriﬁce zones,” Thoms added.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

Center,anImmigration and Customs Enforcement detentionfacilityinWinnfield, is seen in April 2025. ICE released relaxed detentionstandards on Monday

DOJ seeks to halt reparations program for Black Illinoisans

Court filing calls arrangement ‘racially discriminatory’

BY SAFIYAH RIDDLE Associated Press

The federal government on Tuesday asked a judge to halt the United States’ first reparations program that offered Black people in a small Illinois city $25,000 for 20th-century race-based housing discrimination, joining an existing lawsuit that called the program unconstitutional.

The program, launched in Evanston, Illinois, in 2021, is the ﬁrst and only one of its kind in the U.S., allotting $20 million to Black residents their direct descendants — who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969 and suffered housing discrimination because of city ordinances, policies or practices

Residents, regardless of race, who experienced discrimination due to the city’s policies or practices after 1969 also qualiﬁed.

The city has already distributed over $7 million using revenue from a local tax on legal marijuana sales — to hundreds of people in $25,000 increments to be used for home repairs, down payments on property, and interest or late penalties on property in the city.

The U.S Department of Justice called the program “racially discriminatory” in a court filing Tuesday, saying that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution because it allotted different beneﬁts on the basis of race.

“There are sound ways for a city to remedy past discrimination or direct resources to its most vulnerable citizens and neighborhoods Simply handing out money based on race, however, is not the answer,” Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. Approximately 14% of the city’s roughly 76,000 residents are Black, according to the U.S. Census, with 11% identifying as more than one race. A majority of the city’s Black residents live in the city’s Fifth and

Second Wards, which are historically low-income areas, according to a 2024 study on the reparations program

Reparations a hot topic

Reparations has been a hot-button issue across the country since the abolition of slavery in 1865. But it has become especially polarizing in recent years after momentum grew for similar programs across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody in 2020. At least ﬁve states, including California, New York and Maryland and more than a dozen cities, including Boston, Detroit and Philadelphia, have created have created task forces or commissions to study slavery reparations. But none have gone as far as Evanston to actually distribute resources.

Robin Rue Simmons, who pioneered the program in Evanston and now leads the committee that presides over the funds, said that the lawsuit and the federal government’s support is a “fear tactic” aimed at dissuading other governments from pursuing similar programs.

Michael Bekesha, one of the attorneys who initially sued the city of Evanston on behalf of six plaintiffs in May 2024, said in an interview that applicants weren’t required to demonstrate that they were speciﬁcally harmed by the city of Evanston, leaving race as the only criteria. His clients would all be eligible for the program if they were Black he said.

Bekesha said Evanston’s program is different from those in the past, pointing to the program

that compensated Japanese people after the U.S. government imprisoned over 100,000 people in internment camps during World War II, or the people in Chicago who were paid after being tortured by the city’s police department between the 1970s and the early 1990s.

“Reparations programs aren’t new, but they’ve always been lawful, they’ve always been connected to speciﬁc harms, speciﬁc injuries suffered by specific individuals,” Bekesha said. “And here in Evanston, there is no connection between the individuals receiving the money and any action taken by the city of Evanston at any point.”

Simmons vehemently disputed the idea that the program wasn’t tailored to speciﬁc historical policies. She said redlining policies across the city between 1919 and 1969 harmed Black communities for generations, mirroring a prevalent practice nationwide wherein banks and property owners wouldn’t sell or rent to Black families in areas with more wealth. Those policies, she said, often limited access to high-paying jobs, healthcare and education.

“Evanston has set a new precedent. It has shown that racial reparations are possible,” Simmons said. Conservatives reject reparations

The Trump administration’s move to halt the program is in lockstep with a broader conservative rejection of race-based reparations, and it is a decisive shift from former President Joe Biden’s broad support of a congressional inquiry into ways to address the government’s long history of racial subjugation.

Hern wins Oklahoma’s GOP Senate nomination

BY JOHN HANNA Associated Press

U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern easily won Oklahoma’s GOP nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday in another show of President Donald Trump’s status as Republican Party kingmaker With Trump’s early backing, the four-term congressman is seeking the Senate seat once held by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Trump’s endorsement kept Hern’s most serious potential rivals out of the primary, arriving even before Mullin was confirmed as a replacement for fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Hern won more than 50% of the vote in a five-person field to avoid an Aug. 25 runoff. He is favored to win the seat in November because Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate race in Oklahoma since 1990. A bigger test of Trump’s influence — which has usually proved potent in Republican primaries this year — may come in a crowded race to succeed outgoing Gov Kevin Stitt. Trump endorsed former state Sen. Mike Mazzei last month, wading late into a primary that includes several prominent Oklahoma Republicans. They include Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall and Chip Keating, the state’s for-

mer public safety director

The top four candidates relied heavily on their own funds, contributing $22.5 million, almost 72% of their combined fundraising of more than $31 million, according to campaign ﬁnance reports. It has raised the likelihood of an August runoff if no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote. Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson won the Democratic nomination Tuesday In a solidly Republican state, the open races for two of Oklahoma’s biggest ofﬁces set off a political scramble.

Mullin left the Senate to join Trump’s cabinet and replace Kristi Noem, whom the president ﬁred in March over mounting criticism over her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. Republican Alan Armstrong, an energy executive, is ﬁlling the Oklahoma Senate seat for now, but state law prohibits him from seeking a full term as an interim appointee. Stitt, who has been governor since 2019, cannot run again because of term limits — and Trump has seemed eager for him to go.

As head of the National Governors Association, Stitt drew Trump’s ire earlier this year over a dispute over invitations to White House events at the group’s annual meeting. The fallout led to Trump attacking Stitt on social media as a “RINO,” meaning Republican in Name Only

BY BILL BARROW Associated Press

“MAGA warrior” and echoes Trump’s false claims that his 2020 election loss in Georgia and nationally was rigged.

MedicaidandNursingHomePoverty

WhatisNursingHomePovertyandHowDoYouAvoidIt? NursinghomepovertyisaproblemthatcreepsuponLouisianafamiliesandforces themtodepletetheirlifesavings,withdrawtheirfamilyfundsfromtheirretirement accountsandspendalloftheirmonthlyincomeontheirlong-termcareandnursing home expenses without anyassistancefromMedicaid. In ordertoavoidthisfrom happening, you MUST plan ahead at leastfiveyearsprior to entering anursing home.

Nelda’sStory

Neldacametoourofficeaboutsixyearsago.Weaskedherwhathermainconcerns were.Shewasdiagnosedwitharthritis,andshewasconcernedthatashercondition worsened,shewouldberequiredtoresideinanursinghome.Shehadseenthreeof herfamilymemberslosetheirlifesavingstounexpectednursinghomestays.Nelda wanted to protect herhomeand herlifesavings of $450,000. Sheknewshe hadto spend downall of herassets until shehad less than $2000 in hercheckingaccount, andshe knewthatnursing homecosts were about $80,000 ayear.She wanted to leavewhatshehadsavedtoherthreechildrenequally.SowetalkedtoNeldaabout settingupa very specific, very custom Medicaid Trust. Neldawouldretaincontrol ofherassets,andifshehadtoenteranursinghome5yearsinthefuture,shewould nothavetodepleteherlifesavingsonnursinghomecosts

TheFive-YearLookBackPeriod

WetoldNeldatherewasasenseofurgencytosetupherlegalaffairsinordertostart thefive-yearlookbackperiod.Neldaaskeduswhatwouldhappenifsheenteredthe nursinghomefouryears(insteadoffiveyears)aftersettinguptheTrust.Weassured her that if sheentered thenursing homeinfour years, shewouldbe aprivate pay patientuntilshereached itall! thefive-yearmarkwhichisamuchbetterresultthanlosing

LAURAPOCHEINVITESYOUTOATTEND AFREEWORKSHOPTOLEARNABOUT:

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IMPORTANTGUIDELINESFOROURWORKSHOPS:Allofourlearningworkshopsemploystrictsocialdistancingstandardsforeveryone’ssafety.Workshopsare opentoFIRST-TIMEATTENDEESONLYandaregearedtowardspeoplewhowantorneedyourlegalestateplaninplacequickly.(*)Pleasehaveyourpersonalcalendarhandy atthe workshop so you canchoosetostart your plan NOW!Ifmarried,bothspouses must attend aworkshoptoensurethatall decision-makers areinvolved in your family’s coordinatedplan. Allpeoplewho attend will receive aFREEcopy of thesecond editionofLaura Poche’sBook, “EstatePlanning Advice by aWoman forLouisianaWomen: AGuideforBothMenandWomenAboutWills,Trusts,Probate,PowersofAttorney,Medicaid,LivingWillsandTaxes.” *Non-Louisianaresidentsmayattendforanominalfee

Robin Rue Simmons pioneered the reparations program in Evanston, Ill. The program

instead observe others. One said he would have traveled to the UFC event as a protester but had to return home after his vehicle malfunctioned. And though the participants spoke of using drones rigged with explosives, charging documents suggest they were still looking to acquire such equipment when the plot was interrupted.

United by theories, anger Law enforcement ofﬁcials learned about the possible threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House’s South Lawn, “and thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Director Kash Patel said in a post on X on Tuesday

Five people from states including Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California were arrested on federal charges, the Justice Department said.

Asked about the arrests Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said there was “more violent rhetoric coming from the left than the right these days.” But the charging documents paint a more muddled view of their views, depicting them as espousing a tangled web of anti-government sentiment, antisemitic grievances, fury over President Donald Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and conspiracy theories about a powerful elite that sacriﬁces and consumes children. Both Trump and Vance said Tuesday that they had not been briefed in advance of the plot. A top Secret Service official suggested Tuesday the investigation was continuing and that an announcement might have been premature “Anyone that believes that

case was worked in a bubble is naive,” Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn told reporters at an unrelated news conference. “I’ll tell you the Secret Service led that investigation from the beginning. I’ll tell you that it’s ongoing. In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan, we chose not to leak it.”

TikTok and Signal

Among those arrested was Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio man whose mother contacted local law enforcement last week with concerns about his firearms purchases and online communications, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.

Proper admitted in an interview with law enforcement that he participated in the planning of an attack, according to the afﬁdavit, which says some members of the group began communicating with each other last March through a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old.”

“The members of the group stated that they wanted to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction,” the afﬁdavit says.

“Members of the group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt. Some

expressed a desire that people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country.”

A lawyer for Proper who is charged with firearms offenses and crimes including attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The logistics were discussed via Signal, an app that uses end-to-end encryption for its messaging and calling services, through a primary chat of “approximately 19 individuals” and smaller side chats, authorities said. Messages obtained from Proper’s phone show he identiﬁed by name several Republican lawmakers he said should be targeted because they apparently received donations from causes supportive of Israel, the afﬁdavit said.

Proper told law enforcement officials that he had been planning to drive with weapons and body armor to a meet-up spot in Fredericksburg, Virginia, court papers say He said that though he did not intend to shoot people at the White House, others in the group did.

The plan called for the use of drones that would be detonated over the north side of the White House, prompting

a rushed evacuation into the line of ﬁre of waiting snipers in an attack Proper said was designed to “jumpstart” a revolution in the U.S., authorities said.

Investigators who examined Proper’s phone identi-

ﬁed additional suspects who helped develop plans.

Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California, told ofﬁcials that he viewed himself as “the planner and advisor for the group, and while he was not willing to

take action himself, wanted to guide and instruct others on how to carry out attacks,” designed to overthrow of the U.S. government, an FBI agent said in an afﬁdavit. The agent said Thomas believed the U.S. government was “run by an elite group of individuals who sacriﬁce and consume infants who also were deeply involved” with Epstein and are now protected by Trump.

Another suspect, Bryan Omar Roa, also of California, told the FBI he had planned to attend the event as a “protester” but that he had to return home because his car was broken, an agent said. Two other suspects were identified as Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri, who ofﬁcials say said in a group chat that a target of the attack should be “big and someone a majority of the country knows,” and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, an Omaha, Nebraska, man whom the FBI said posted detailed plans with the co-conspirators.

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REUTERS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, UFC President and CEO Dana White and other guests pose inside the octagon after UFC Freedom 250 on Monday.

FLOODING

The highest chance of rain for Baton Rouge this week is now Thursday,with a90% chance.

Current forecasts indicate atotal rainfall over the weekof4-6 inches, East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards said in astatement Tuesday afternoon

“Public safety is our top priority,” Edwards said. “City-parish teams are takingevery precautiontomake sure our residents are safe, and Iurge everyone towork with them on this effort. Please be alert on the roads, takesteps to prepare your household and stay tuned for ofﬁcial updates.”

Wednesday,showers and thunderstorms are likely,mainly after 3p.m.and continuingintothe night.

The chance of precipitation is 60% during the dayand 70%tonight with ahigh temperature of 86 Patchy fog is expected between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The worst-case scenario for rainfall could go as high as 15-20 inches in some areas near Baton Rouge, Acadiana and the northshore, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday Thursdaywill see a90% chance of rain during the day,falling to 60% that night, according tothe weather agency

Ahigh chanceofrain continues Friday,with80% chance of rain during theday and a50% chance at night, according to theweather agency

“You shouldmonitor later forecasts and be alert for possibleﬂood

warnings,”the agency saidTuesday. “Those living in areas prone to ﬂoodingshouldbeprepared to take action, should flooding develop. Do notdrive your vehicle or walk into areas where water covers the roadway,asthe waterdepth may

be too great to allow youtocross safely ” Ahead of heavy rains expected to impact Louisianathisweek, local ofﬁcials areputting outsandbags for the public to prepare.

The worst of therainispredicted

to fall overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning.

The parishes of East

Rouge,West

ingston, West

Iberville, St. James and Point Coupee are offering sand pickups forresidents.

according to people who havespoken privately with lawmakers.

Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, whochairs the Legislative Audit Advisory Council, said after the meeting that he would have preferred for the state to cover the cost of the stipends, as it did the past threeyears,rather than take the money out of school district budgets. Still,hesaid he intends to vote for Landry’sorder because he doesn’twant educatorstolose the stipends, and because thefund balance ﬁgures suggest that most districts can cover the cost “It’sonly ahandful of them that really don’t have the funds to do it,” he said.

Tuesday was the first public meeting where lawmakersdiscussed Landry’sexecutive order,

which he issued after the legislativesession ended June 1. Much of themeetingfocused on school districts’ fund balances, which Landry says are full enough to cover the $168 million cost of this

year’sstipends. Some school board members and superintendentsspoke at themeeting, where several arguedthatdipping into districts’ rainy-day funds could potentially lower their bond

ratings and make it hardertorespond to unexpected expenses. Louisiana School BoardsAssociation Executive Director Janet Pope noted that it can take the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency years to reimburse schools for hurricane-related repairs.

If school systems “wouldn’thave hadthose reservefunds sitting there” forprevious hurricanes, she said, “they wouldn’thave gottenthose school buildingsopened as quickly as they did.”

Some district leaders challenged theauditor’s analysis, saying it reliesondatafromthe fiscal year thatended in 2025 that is no longer accurate. For example, the report shows that Caldwell Parish had about $4 million in unassigned reserve fundslastyear, butthe district’sbusiness manager said they willend this fiscal year with adeficit.

“I would love to give every teacher in ourparisha $2,000

raise,” saidRandyRentz, vice president of the Caldwell Parish School Board. “Wedon’thave the money to do it.”

Luneau said Tuesday that the statecould potentially provide extra money to districts without enough reserve funds to cover the stipends. And Landry posted on social media Mondaythatdistricts did not have to give teachers the stipends if they already are providing raisesorbonusesofat least $2,000, though districts said they’re still waiting fordetails. Rep.Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, said that ﬂexibility will be helpful fordistricts like East Baton Rouge,whichisraising salaries fornew teachers by $6,000. But he also questioned whyitshould only be up to school districts, and not the state, to boost teacher pay

“We’re puttingmoreburden on thelocals,” he said,“andinsome ways sort of giving the state a pass.”

Baton

Baton Rouge,Liv-

Feliciana,

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Town of Livingstonworker Jimmy Beregiprepares bags and shovels

later thisweek.

Landowner sues over zoning proposal

St. George parcel is near Pecue, I-10 interchange

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

A notable landowner is suing the city of St. George over a proposed zoning change it claims is “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”

LRK LLC is seeking legal action against St. George concerning the city’s proposal to rezone LRK’s nearly 60-acre parcel, which is a part of the Kleinpeter family’s land, adja-

Murder suspect’s case halted over math error

Teen was too young to be tried in court,

judge

rules

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

An 18-year-old murder suspect, currently involved in two open seconddegree murder cases, had one of the cases quashed Monday when a judge ruled that the 19th Judicial District Court didn’t have jurisdiction to pursue it. The proceeding was ended due to a math error by the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce regarding the suspect’s age. The case and charges were not dismissed, but the trial will not proceed as scheduled

The suspect, Drealin Brown, was 14 at the time of the killing and thus had different requirements for his case to be adopted by the adult criminal court than if he had been 15 or older Brown is accused of killing Troy Williams in March 2023 just two months before Brown’s 15th birthday He was arrested in September 2024, when he was 16, on counts of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. He had been scheduled to go to trial Monday

If Brown wasn’t already in custody on another second-degree murder charge, the action would have required that he be released pending a new indictment from the state.

Prosecutors have the authority to indict juveniles in adult district court for certain charges, including seconddegree murder, according to the state Children’s Code.

However, if a suspect was younger than 15 at the time of the offense, then the juvenile can’t be indicted outright in district court, and prosecutors must instead get a juvenile court judge to approve the transfer during a hearing.

According to the Children’s Code, those hearings are meant to determine whether the suspect is likely to be rehabilitated using the facilities available to the juvenile court, or if their correction would require bringing the case to district court.

Instead of motioning for such a hearing, the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce indicted Brown on second-degree murder in the 19th Judicial District Court in March 2025. Brown’s public defender, Robin Capps, argued Monday that the indictment was made in error

“Your honor, (we’re) asserting, because they didn’t properly transfer it, this court lacks jurisdiction to hear this matter,” Capps said. “The juvenile court is the only court at this point that has jurisdiction over Mr Brown.”

Capps also argued that the other charge in this case, obstruction of justice, is not included in the list of charges that the district court may adopt.

Judge Donald Johnson approved the motion to quash Monday on the grounds that his court did not have jurisdiction to continue the case to trial.

It is unclear what process the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce would have to

cent to the Pecue Lane interchange at Interstate 10. The suit was ﬁled

June 8.

The St George City Council has not yet approved the change in zoning.

LRK is claiming the action would be an instance of downzoning, which can restrict size and density of development, and is asking a judge to declare any restrictive zoning to its tract as “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”

The land has held the heavy commercial zoning classification, designated by the East Baton Rouge Patish Metro Council, for over three decades, according to the lawsuit.

On April 28 St George approved a complete overhaul of its zoning structure, which originally was outlined by the East Baton Rouge city-parish government. St. George ofﬁcials took the 45 zoning districts it previously had and consolidated

them into 16. The zoning changes are aimed at creating a clear, simplified system by focusing on residential, mixeduse and business zoning districts when reorganizing, city officials said in approving the overhaul. Zoning regulates how land can be used in a specific area and determines factors such as what can be built on the property and the size of buildings. In the move, the C-2 zoning classification was removed and converted under one of the mixed-use zoning classifications.

St. George reassigned the area the Mixed-Use Community 3 (MX-3) designation, which the council has not voted on yet. LRK argues that it was given a more restrictive classiﬁcation compared to its previous C-2 classiﬁcation. The council was scheduled to discuss the rezoning for action on June 9, but City Attorney Sherri Morris recommended no action on the item to allow the city to analyze the lawsuit.

MARKING HISTORy

Port Allen, WBR to honor Black educators

Juneteenth activities to commemorate end of slavery

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

After returning from serving in the Paciﬁc theater during World War ll, A. Ralph Slaughter set out on foot across West Baton Rouge Parish

Walking from Erwinville to Brusly and everywhere in between, Slaughter — born in 1913 and a descendant of enslaved people in the area made a point of greeting Black children still working in the ﬁelds, cutting sugar cane and picking cotton. It was the height of the Jim Crow era, and as principal of Port Allen Colored School, the area’s only Black elementary and middle school, Slaughter’s goal was simple: Get those children in the classroom.

By 1949, Slaughter became the ﬁrst superintendent to oversee the new Cohn High School. Prior to the school’s founding, Black teenagers

in West Baton Rouge had to ferry across the Mississippi to attend McKinley High.

On June 19, Slaughter will be honored at the West Baton Rouge Museum as part of its Juneteenth celebration, a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

According to Shelton Berry, a historian and researcher at the West Baton Rouge Museum, Slaughter hired “80% to 90%” of the ﬁrst batch of teachers at both Port Allen Colored and Cohn High School. Among them was Edward Searcy, who went on to teach biology in Port Allen for more than 50 years and later became a key ﬁgure in the integration of Port Allen High School in the late 1960s For principal of Cohn High School, Slaughter selected J.W Vaughn, a fellow World War II veteran who spent more than three decades in education and also helped guide the community through integration.

“Mr Slaughter was a kingmaker He had the ability to identify talent in our community, then hire it, cul-

ABOVE: IDM Signs and Graphics workers install a mural over the Black Heritage Room at the Scotlandville Branch Library on Tuesday. The mural is a painting titled ‘Royal March Into the City.’

LEFT: Local artist and Southern University professor Randell Henry expresses his gratitude for his painting being installed.

Australian accused of voting illegally in La.

Federal charges could net up to five years in prison

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

An Australian woman who is a legal permanent resident and lives in Franklinton was charged with federal crimes for allegedly illegally voting in two elections in 2022 and 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Denise Nataly Migliore, 51, was charged with making false statements to register to vote and illegally voting. She could face up to ﬁve years in prison and a ﬁne of up to $250,000 for violating federal law, the Justice Department said in a Monday news release.

Migliore allegedly registered to vote illegally in October 2022 and 2024 and then cast a ballot in the November elections both years. President Donald Trump’s administration and Louisiana

elected ofﬁcials have moved aggressively to pursue illegal voting in recent years.

Critics argue that those efforts are intimidating potential voters and needlessly putting obstacles in the way of casting ballots They point to studies that show fraudulent ballots are very rare and argue there’s no evidence they have affected the outcomes of elections.

But Trump and Louisiana leaders have said the integrity of elections is paramount.

“Every illegal vote cast diminishes the value of the vote of a lawful citizen and erodes public trust in our elections,” Secretary of State Nancy Landry, who oversees Louisiana’s elections, said in a statement.

Landry said the federal indictment “is the direct result of Louisiana’s proactive efforts to identify and investigate individuals who may be unlawfully registered to vote.”

The case against Migliore originated through Louisiana’s

See VOTING, page 2B

PHOTOS PROVIDED By APRIL BUFFINGTON

La. Music Hall of Fame president dies at 77

Shepherd revived the nonprofit project in 2003

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

A name synonymous with music in Louisiana, Mike Shepherd died Saturday morning after a lengthy illness. He was 77. His granddaughter, Arden Hubbard, said he passed away peacefully Shepherd had been president and CEO of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame since 2003, reviving the nonprofit project founded in 1982 by Baton Rouge print and television entertainment reporter Del Moon, with Shepherd as the primary adviser. The organization’s operations were suspended in 1988 for lack of funding. Moon supported its rebirth.

“Mike lived his life’s passion, in the promotion of Louisiana music and the artists that created it,” Prairieville country artist Jim Hogg said Sunday “A generous-hearted person, loved God and his fellow man. The Louisiana music community has lost a giant.” Shepherd inducted Hogg and his son and fellow musician James Linden Hogg into the Hall of Fame in 2025. They were two of nearly 250 of the state’s music legends and high-proﬁle regionally popular artists Shepherd brought into the Hall of Fame.

“While most recognition programs host black-tie award dinners, Mike opted as often as possible to induct the artists onstage, either at

Continued from page 1B

The lawsuit also states that nearly 80 other formerly C-2 properties were proposed to be rezoned as a Mixed-Use Regional (MX-4) zoning classification, which is less restrictive than the MX-3 zoning classiﬁcation.

MX-3 is described as a variety of midscale nonresidential and multiunit residential uses to serve the community. MX-4 is described as a variety of large-scale nonresidential and multiunit residential uses to serve the region, per the city’s zoning ordinance

The lawsuit then said the city’s planning director “stated on the record that C-2 would ‘normally’ convert to MX-4 as the ‘one for one switch,’ but that LRK Tract had been treated differently

MURDER

Continued from page 1B

undertake to return the case to the 19th Judicial District Court, but District Attorney Hillar Moore said Monday his ofﬁce will continue to pursue the case. Brown’s other second-degree murder trial is still open and remains in the district court’s jurisdiction.

In that case, Brown is accused of killing 23-year-old

Continued from page 1B

their concert or setting up live shows with a backup band and inducting multiple retired artists,” his bio states. “One notable exception was a bedside presentation to Benny Spellman (‘Fortune Teller’) who was at a senior care facility in Mobile, Alabama. Shepherd brought New Orleans legend Deacon John Moore along to play guitar and sing hits as Benny clutched his award plaque.”

Shepherd, a Shreveport native, was raised in Baton Rouge. He booked, promoted and staged many concerts, festivals and large club shows regionally in the ’60s and ’70s. Many memorable shows took place at Baton Rouge’s Independence Hall while Shepherd was a partner in Montel Productions with Mickey and S.J. Montalbano.

Shepherd taught himself the workings of audio equipment, lighting systems, marketing graphics and recording. After the era of the local independent promoter faded, he spent a decade staging sound and lights with Concerts West and other national promoters. He subsequently returned to form his own audio-visual service in Baton Rouge, his bio also states.

Beyond business, Shepherd loved spending time with family, especially his grandchildren, according to Hubbard.

“My all-time favorite memory was when he was inducting Vince Vance (‘Bomb Iran,’ ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’) into the Hall of Fame at Rock ’N’ Bowl in 2010,” she said. “I got onstage with him during his induction and I was one of the Valianettes (backup dancers) that night.

Just as a little girl on stage, like that was the highlight of my grandpa’s life with me.”

Hubbard said she also called her grandfather “the

because the city considered it ‘overly zoned.’”

LRK is asking that a judge declare St. George must recognize and maintain the C-2 designation and that any action by the city to reclassify the tract to a “more restrictive” zoning classification is “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”

The lawsuit also takes aim at St. George for doing a zoning overhaul before completing the St. George 2050 Comprehensive Plan and argues that the city never legally incorporated because no court formally declared the municipality’s incorporation date.

Mayor Dustin Yates said in a statement June 9 that the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city’s incorporation and the lawsuit does not change that.

“Wedisagreewithitsclaims, including any suggestion that the city does not have the le-

Joseph Wilson in the parking lot of BREC’s Kerr-Warren Park, just after 5 a.m Nov 13, 2023. Wilson was struck in the neck and back, and a nearby ShotSpotter device recorded 16 shots. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died

Another man, 29-year-old Larry Pearl, was also arrested on a second-degree murder charge in Wilson’s killing. Brown, who was arrested the following year was 15 at the time of Wilson’s killing.

status and efforts by the Secretary of State’s Office’s Election Integrity Division in partnership with federal law enforcement, Landry said Last year, Louisiana elections officials began using the database to verify the citizenship status of registered voters and vowed to investigate and prosecute any noncitizens who have voted in Louisiana elections. In September, Landry said an investigation revealed that, of the state’s roughly 3 million registered voters, 79 were noncitizens who had voted in at least one election dating back to the 1980s. Gov Jeff Landry last month signed into law Act 6, which now requires the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Ofﬁce to check registered voters’ citizenship status in the federal SAVE database every year, investigate any voters who are ﬂagged as noncitizens and refer cases for prosecution.

HONOR

Continued from page 1B

tivate it, train it and watch it grow,” Berry said.

cherry man,” as he had a cherry tree in his backyard when she was growing up. He often would bring her a bag of cherries and fresh key lime pie. Hershey’s pie and fudge were his baking specialties.

Shepherd’s music focus was on keeping Louisiana artists’ names alive. He inducted Elvis Presley posthumously into the Hall of Fame.

“Tim McGraw, Laine Hardy He always had an eye for good musicians and would want to induct them into the Hall of Fame,” his granddaughter said.

“American Idol” runnerup John Foster and national country star Lainey Wilson were still on his wish list for induction when he became ill, she said.

“We are going to probably have a display of his Hall of Fame stuff at his celebration of life,” Hubbard said.

Although his dreams of a physical museum weren’t realized, Shepherd did create a “virtual museum” at LMHOF org that has since attracted more than 3 million visitors to its thousands of images and hundreds of video resources. There is also a current Louisiana Music Hall of Fame multimedia display in the lobby of Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

Shepherd’s book, “Shepherding the Music,” was published in 2021.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Eugene Shepherd and Margaret Collum. He is survived by a daughter, Robyn Lane; granddaughters, Arden Hubbard, Blyss Morris and Cheryl Lewis; and partner Brenda Garcia.

A celebration of Shepherd’s life will take place at 11 a.m. June 27 at Christ Community Church, 26574 Juban Road, Denham Springs. Visitation will start at 9:30 a.m.

gal authority to govern; and we will address those claims in court,” Yates said. “We won’t litigate it in the press or comment on specific zoning allegations outside the legal process.”

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Within eight years of Cohn’s founding, Black high school enrollment in West Baton Rouge increased from 67% to 99%, according to the museum.

As more teachers entered the workforce, Black families in the parish began earning steadier incomes. In response, Slaughter and Searcy helped pool those resources, co-founding the West Baton Rouge Teachers Credit Union. At a time when many Black residents were denied access to traditional banking, the credit union became a critical source of ﬁnancing, with Searcy serving as president, Berry said. It remains open to educators today

“This credit union helped ﬁnance the houses that were built in West Baton Rouge, helped ﬁnance the cars that the Black teachers and the Black community were driving,” Berry said.

Berry has spent the past seven months researching Slaughter’s life, including interviews with residents in their 80s and 90s who still recall him urging them to pursue an education.

The work is also personal: Berry’s great-grandmother served as PTA president during Slaughter’s tenure in the West Baton Rouge School system, which spanned over 40 years.

“It’s a part of my story, as a historian and as a member of this community,” he said.

Slaughter, who died in 1984, is survived by three children, including Ralph Slaughter, who later served as president of Southern University and Louisiana’s Secretary of Revenue. From noon to 1 p.m. on June 19, as part of the museum’s “Lunchtime Lectures,” Slaughter will give a presentation on his father’s life.

The Juneteenth celebration will continue from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the museum’s “Historical Hap-

py Hour,” featuring food, drinks and a performance by Total Control, a funk, soul and zydeco band from New Roads. A “Miss Juneteenth” and other titles will be given, and additional stories about Slaughter will be shared by family members, Berry, and others.

“He just didn’t get his ﬂowers while he was here,” Berry said. “His story has never been told like we’re doing it now It’s past time.” Both events are free to the public.

“This is an event for the community to acknowledge the contributions of so many African Americans who came before us,” museum spokesperson Tonya Wyandon said.

Mrs. Ray’s Juneteenth Juneteenth specifically marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas. As the westernmost Confederate state, Texas had become one of the last refuges for slaveholders, even in the months after Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender By the time Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger reached the island, he declared freedom for more than 250,000 remaining enslaved people, many of whom had been brought there over the course of the Civil War.

Ray Helen Lawrence experienced her first Juneteenth celebrations in Galveston while living in Texas with her husband, Clarence. After the couple returned to their hometown of Port Allen, Lawrence began teaching science in West Baton Rouge Parish and didn’t stop for the next 30 years. When her husband died in 1999, she took over for him on the Port Allen City Council, becoming the first Black woman to hold the position. One of her first orders of business was to establish a Juneteenth celebration for the city, which began around 2000, according to the city’s Municipal Clerk Rose Roche, two decades before it became a federal holiday

“Being from a town like Port Allen, it was like, ‘What’s going on?’” said Roche, who

has also served as Port Allen’s director of Economic and Community Development. “But she was constant about the celebrations; she just never stopped making it a known fact within the city on how we should celebrate Juneteenth.” Lawrence would go on to hold her council seat for 20 years until her retirement, and also served as Mayor Pro Tempore in 2013. She died in April after a long battle with a chronic illness and is survived by three sons. Roche remembers her as someone who was “direct and to the point” but “kind and gentle” in getting that point across. She was a tireless advocate for the community, Roche said, constantly helping lower-income residents access housing assistance. At one point, when the city was struggling to maintain the Lady of Knight Cemetery, Lawrence stopped by to cut the grass herself.

“The way she brought the community together mesmerized people,” Roche said. “She was just the consummate teacher the consummate mother ﬁgure.”

Lawrence’s Juneteenth celebration has grown into an all-day event, with families arriving as early as 8 a.m. to barbecue and staying until sunset. Now known as the Mrs. Ray Helen Lawrence Juneteenth Festival, it will take place Saturday, June 20, and will both honor and serve as a testament to her legacy

This year, Roche said, the festival will include two bands, a marketplace, a special luncheon for senior citizens and a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. The event will be held at Williams and Lee Park, across the street from Cohn Elementary, the site where Slaughter helped shape the parish’s first generation of Black educators.

“It’s an opportunity for us to reflect back on how far we have come, what we’ve overcome, and to give honor to our ancestors,” said Berry of the holiday “Not just as Black people, but as Americans.”

Tech stock drops weigh on Wall Street NEW YORK Oil pricessank again Tuesday and dropped below $80 per barrel for theﬁrst timesince early March,while U.S.stocks drifted near their all-time highs in mixed trading

The S&P 500 slipped0.6% andpulled 1.3% below its record set earlier this month. The market was nearly evenly split between stocks rising and falling, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 328 points, or 0.6%, to set arecord forthe second straight day.But drops for some inﬂuential techstocks pulledthe Nasdaq composite down1.2%.

Stocks that had benefited from the boom in artiﬁcial-intelligence technology weighed on the market in particularfollowing vicious swings over the past couple weeks.

They’ve been leading the market up and down amid worries that their stock prices shot too high in the mania around AI. That’staken atoll because chip companies, makers of computer memory and other AI winners have grown so massivethat they’ve become some ofWall Street’s most inﬂuential stocks.

Drops of 2.4% for Nvidia, 4.4% for Broadcom and 6.2% for Micron Technology were the heaviest weights pullingthe S&P 500lower Dave &Buster’sEntertainment sank 6.2%after reporting aweaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, while Robinhood Markets fell 1.4% after the investing platform said that it’slaying off about 10% of its full-time employees

On the winning side of Wall Street was SpaceX, which rose 4.8% for its third straight gain since its debut on the U.S.stock market. It said it’smoving forward witha purchase of Cursor, apopularAIcoding assistant, valuingitat$60 billion.

Pizza Hut to be sold for $2.7billion

Pizza Hut, the 68-year-old chainthat has long struggled with growing competition and outdated restaurants, will be sold for $2.7 billion by parent company YumBrands YumBrands said Tuesdaythat privateequityﬁrm LongRange Capital will buy Pizza Hut, excludingthe mainland China business, for about $1.5 billion. In mainland China, Pizza Hut will be purchased by YumChina Holdings Inc. for approximately $1.2 billion, thecompany said China is Pizza Hut’ssecondlargest market outside the U.S., accountingfor 19%ofsales. YumChina Holdings Inc. spun offfromYum Brands and became an independent company in 2016.

YumBrands, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell,began to explore its options for Pizza Hut in November.Last year, Yum Brands’ global sales rose 5% but PizzaHut’ssales fell 2% GM to partner with Lockheed Martin General Motors Co. is teaming up with Lockheed Martinasthe top U.S. defense manufacturer works to triple or quadruple production in the next several years No specific projects or contracts have been ﬁnalizedyet, officials from subsidiary GM Defense and Lockheed told reporters before announcing the formalpartnership Tuesday at The Department atHudson’s during the Reindustrialize summit. The goal is to use GM’s expertise in supply chain, earlystage digital design and commercialscale productiontoquickly ramp up Lockheed manufacturing, Lockheed COO Frank St. Johnand GM Defense Vice PresidentofStrategy Bruce Brown told reporters Theformalpartnership between the two companies was spurred by arequest for collaboration from the Pentagon, St. John and Brown said. Talks are now exclusivelybetween the twocompanies

Higher prices forgas,groceries

BY MAE ANDERSON AP business writer

NEW YORK Atentative deal to end the Iran war makesitreasonable to ask how soon priceswill drop for gasoline,groceries, airline tickets and otheritems that gotmore expensive during the conﬂict

Not so fast, experts say.

Even after oilstarts ﬂowing again from theMiddle East,itcould take awhile forconsumerstosee adifferenceatlocalfuelpumps,supermarketsand otherplacesthey shop, accordingtoeconomistsand industry analysts

Fighting over the Strait of Hormuzdisruptednot onlysuppliesof crude and reﬁned fuel but also the supply chainsfor fertilizer,food and even footwear.Businesses expect higher costs to linger,which means their customers might need to prepare for that too.

“It is not clear,despite three months of war,thatanything has beenachievedthat makes the American consumer better off,”

Brett House, an economist who teaches at ColumbiaBusiness School,said. “Infact, by almost anymeasure,not just the American consumer,but the world, is worse off as aresultofthis attack.”

If the deal between the U.S. and Iran holds,here’show expertssee the war’seffects receding —ornot —inthe weeks ahead:

Following news of the tentative agreement, oilprices fell Monday to about $80 forabarrel of U.S. benchmark crude. That compares to $67 per barrel before the war and the priceofover $120 abarrel reachedearlier in the conﬂict.

Reﬁneries typically pay forcrude oil amonth or more in advance, so even after oilprices drop, they won’timmediately be processing cheaper products.

“The tendency of gasoline prices to fall slowly is partlybecause the raw material takes weeks to work through thesystem untilit’sdeliv-

and flightswilllikelyoutlast theIranwar

ered to consumers,”saidMichael Lynch, adistinguishedfellowat the nonpartisanEnergy Policy Research Foundation.

In places withoutenough reﬁning capacitytomeet their needs, such as theWest Coast of theU.S gas prices will take longer todrop, said Mark Barteau,aprofessor of chemical engineering andchemistry at Texas A&M University.

In some Asian and African countriesthat rely moreonoil from the Middle East, the supply shock led to school andgovernment office closuresand instructions to work from home, according to theInternational Energy Agency

“The bottomline is that getting back to ‘normal’will be alengthy processinvolving many parties and countries,” Barteau said. “Getting an agreement betweenthe U.S. andIrantoopen thestrait is just the beginning.”

Industry experts have spent months warning that even if the war ended, travelers shouldnot expect airfares to go down imme-

Nvidia’s Huangsayssociety needs‘newsocialnorms’

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

SHERMAN, Texas Nvidia CEO Jen-

senHuang, whoseworkhelped enable artiﬁcial intelligence, stressed in an Associated Pressinterview Tuesday that society has no choice but to change in the advent of AI Huanghas been optimistic about the technology’spotential to rapidly change society,creating faster economic growth andmorescientiﬁc breakthroughs.But as the head of acomputer chip company nowdeveloping AI systems, Huanghas felt obligated to respond to critics who warn of job losses and threats to humanity itself.

“Weneed to create new social norms,” Huang said in an interview

“I would advocate that everybody use AI. Just go engage it.”

He saidthe ability of AI to build awebsite, analyze complex documents, guide advanced research or even plan akitchenremodeling has helped to close the technological divide in America. People can now do advanced work on computers without having to know how to program or write software, he added.

Huangstressedthatthere is a need forgovernment regulation and safety standardsfor AI, emphasizingthatnational security also needed to be apriority for the technology that has been powering stock market gains and much of the U.S. economy in recent years. The head of the world’smost valuable company said society will adapt to AI just as it did to automobiles. He said cars were once portrayed as killingchildren, but the world changed itsnorms by havingsidewalks and crosswalks and stopping kids from playinginthe streets.

“When Iwas growing up, Iused to play in the streets,” Huang said.

“When cars came along, you obviously can’tplayinthe streets now.”

With amarket capitalization of roughly $5 trillion,Nvidiahas soared in valuation in recentyears to become the world’smostvaluable company.AImodelingcom-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Jensen Huang,president and CEO of Nvidia,has been optimistic about artificial intelligence’s potential to rapidly changesociety

panies OpenAI andAnthropicare potentially set to also clear the $1 trillion mark oncetheirstocks are publicly traded. That explosivesurge in wealth concentrated in AI companies has promptedrenewed worriesabout economicinequality. President Donald Trumphas tried to defuse thoseconcerns, recently musing about theprospect that the U.S.government could own some shares in AI ﬁrms, so any windfalls would be more broadly shared with thepublic. That idea hasalsobeen advanced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Huang expressed skepticism about the idea, saying he expects thecountry will already benefit broadly from AI advancements.

“I’mnot exactly sure what they’re trying to achieve,” he said regarding government ownership. “I haven’thad adialogue with them about that. But just remember that theseare American companies. Their success benefitsthe stock price,ofwhich many Americans are investors in. It generates taxes, whichhelps many Americans. It creates alot of jobs.”

He noted that AI companies could alsolead to higher proﬁtsfor energy, constructionand hardware technology ﬁrms. “Americans have astake in American companies already,naturally,inawhole lot of different ways,” Huang said. “I’m notexactly sure what they’re trying to achieve beyond that.”

diately

Airlinestypically buyfuel in advance, adjust their schedules graduallyand pricetickets basedheavily on demand, meaning lower oil and jetfuel prices can take weeks or months to getfactored into the costofcommercial ﬂights.

“I think it’sunlikely that we’re going to seearetreat or reduction in the costofﬂying at anypoint this summer,” Columbia’sHouse said.

Fuel surcharges that someairlines outside the U.S. added are one of the ﬁrst areas where passengers might get areprieve, said Gordon Ho, aprofessor at theUniversity of Southern California’s business school.

“Consumers aregoing to say, ‘Waitaminute,why areyou still charging me afuel surcharge?’” Ho said.

Reopening thestraitisunlikelyto deliver instant relief at the grocery store,according to David Ortega, aprofessor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University Fuel accounts for roughly 15%

An employee works at acash register in a grocerystore in Schaumburg, Ill. Even after oil starts flowing againfrom the MiddleEast, it couldtakeawhile forconsumers to see adifference at localfuel pumps, supermarkets and other places they shop, according to economists and industryanalysts.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

to 30% of the total cost of food, according to the Independent Grocers Alliance, agrouping of 7,500 global supermarkets. But it can take months foranenergy shock like the one caused by the Iran war to wind through the food supply chain and raise grocery prices. And once prices go up, it takes them along timetocome back down, especially when the future is unpredictable, Ortega said.

“We’re likely still looking at inﬂationary pressure on food in the coming months,” Ortegasaid.

“There’sstill agood deal of uncertainty about how the reopening will unfold, and it will take time for fuel, diesel and retail fertilizer prices to comeback down.”

Rabobank, which is based in the Netherlands, said it expected warrelated food price inﬂation to peak sometime next year in Europe.In the U.S., groceryprices are expected to rise 3.2% this year,which compares to ahistorical average of 2.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

UAW’sFainwarns of AI threat: ‘Weare in aﬁghtfor humanity’

LUKE RAMSETH

TheDetroit News (TNS)

DETROIT United Auto Workers

President Shawn Fain on Tuesdaycalled artiﬁcial intelligence and humanoid robots a“profound threat” thatimperil more than just jobs.

“Weneedtobeclear aboutthis: We are in aﬁght forhumanity,” thelabor leadertold UAWmembersgatheredatthe union’squadrennialconstitutional convention at Huntington Place downtown.

Protections around AI and other automation areset to be acentral focusfor the influentialunion heading into its next round of Detroit Threebargaining in 2028, alongside other key priorities suchaswinning back pensions. It will alsobeamajor issue as the union decides whotosupport in upcoming elections —including in the race forthe White House in two years.

On Monday at the sameconvention,AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler also underscored to members that stronger protections around AI were needed to protect jobs across all typesofunionizedindustries. Though they raised concerns about the technology and called for an aggressive response, neitherlabor leader detailedspecific policy plans or bargaining demands. Worker productivity has soared in recent years, Fainsaid, including thanks to AI advancements in factories andelsewhere. Butthat meanswages should also be going up in alignment with those productivitygains, and they have not.

“The fruits of our labor have multiplied like never before, but workers aren’treaping the harvest,” Fain said. “And if AI continuestobeused as an accessory to that crime, it has to be stopped. It doesn’thave to be this way;ina just society,when workers create more value, they see more of the beneﬁt.” Fain, as he has in thepast, compared the emergence of AI to

the implementation of the North American Free TradeAgreement in the 1990s. He and other labor advocates, scholars and even President Donald Trump have long railed against NAFTAasa job-killer in Michigan and elsewhere in the industrialMidwest while economicbeneﬁts accrued elsewhere.

NAFTA, Fain said Tuesday,destroyedmillions of jobs“on the false promises of shared prosperity,”and AI threatensto“ﬁnishthe job.”

He argued that the UAWshould thwartcompanyefforts to force adwindling number of workers to use AI and other automation to “work harder,fasterand longer hours, typically for less money” eventually reaching apoint where worker dignity is robbed and the technology is leading the way,not the person. With thepaceofAIadvancements, Fain made thecasethat the union needed to respond to automation concerns more quickly: “UAW family,” he said, “the rainy day is now,it’shere.”

Fain in April had been in Washington,D.C., to discuss hisconcerns about AI alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez, D-New York, who earlier this year introduced legislation to stop or slow the buildout of AI data centers. This week’sfour-day UAWconvention, its 39thiteration, brings together about 900delegates from union locals around the country to debate and vote on amendments to the organization’sconstitution. Hottopicsare expected to cover raises to strike pay,member dues, how much to spend organizing newworkplaces, andother questions around whoqualifies as a member Delegateswillalsonominate candidates to run in International Executive Board elections this fall, with Fain expected to face four or five challengers forhis seat as president.

By NAM y. HUH

Aldridge, Creecy McMills

Creecy McMills Aldridge passed away peacefully at her home on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the ageof 82. She retired from Dow Chemical,was aresident of Plaquemine and native of Baton Rouge, LA. Visitation will be held at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church, Plaquemine on Thursday, June 18, 2026 from 9am until Mass of Christian Burial at 10am celebrated by Father MartinLawrence. Entombment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Creecy is survived by her granddaughters, Kristen Callegan Albert and husband Jason, and Heather Callegan Denicola and husband Sam; great grandchildren, Alexisand Mason Albert, and Gage Denicola; sister, Charline Ritchie; brother, William "Bill" McMills, Jr.; andnumerous nieces, nephews and extended family. Precededin death by husband, Roger Aldridge; daughter, Lynn Callegan; and parents, Williamand Hazel Aymond McMills. Special thanks to Debbie LeBlanc for the care she provided for the past few years. Please share memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.

Charles AnthonyCurrier passedawayathis home and surroundedbyhis loving family on June 14, 2026, at the age of 76. He wasa native of Amite, LA anda longtime resident of Gonzales, LA.

Charleswas known to be aresponsiblemember of society. Aman with strong morals, ethics and a deepspirituality.Hewas a reliable and hard-working man, setting aterrificexample forall to follow.

Charlesgraduated from Amite High School and then wentontoget his bachelor's in mechanical engineering at LSU.Hebeganhis career at Baton Rouge Water Company and eventually began workingatBASF and retired from there many years later

Charles had apassion fortravelingand seeing all the natural beauty that our magnificent land has provided. He spent many hours with detailed spreadsheets planning magnificent trips so he could spend and enjoy time with his family. He also enjoyed golfing and fishing in his spare time. But if there was an LSU baseball game, you could bet he was there. He was marriedtoAdelaide "Del" Currieron September 13, 1975.Heis survived by Del; his children, Holly "Beth" Haydel (Dustin),Jill Catherine Currier, Clay Whitney Currier (Brenda) and Grant

MatthewCurrier; his grandchildren, Madeline PaigePease (Austin), PeytonCharles Haydel, Ava Ann Haydel, Connor NicholasO'neal and BrinleighMichelleCurrier; his great-grandchildren, Sutton JudePease, Callum Brooks Peaseand Braxton Lee Haydel. He is also survivedbyhis siblings, Tommy Currier (Kathy) and JudyWilliams (Jimmy) and numerous family members and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, JosephAnthony Currier and Frances Giambrone Currier; his father and mother in law, Elton"Buck" Landry and Verly BourqueLandry. Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend avisitation on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Ourso Funeral Home,13533 Airline Hwy Gonzales, LA 70737 beginning at 8:30AM. There will be aMass of Christian Burial celebrated at St. John CatholicChurch, 15208 LA Highway 73, Prairieville,LA70769 at 12:30 PM.Charles willbe laidtorest at Serenity Oaks Cemetery in Prairieville,LAfollowing theMass.

Ollie Juanita Pepper,99 years old, passed away peacefully intothe arms of Jesus on June 5, 2026. Ollie was aChristian wife, mother, grandmother,great grandmother, aunt,and sister. She had adeeplove forher family.Ollie is sur-

vivedbyher daughter, Sharon PepperGautreau; grandchildren, Amanda Gautreau,Dana Gautreau andBeau Gautreau and wife, Tracy;great grandchildren, Brianna Goodrich Brad Goodrich,Ashton Goodrich,Christian Gautreau,Landon Gautreau,Hunter Gautreau,and Madison Gautreau.Ollie is preceded in death by herparents, Henryand Eloise Joyner; husband, LewisPeppr;sister, BonnieBurke,Dorothy Williams; brother, Ray Joyner. Ollie'sfaithwas herfoundation.She loved herchurch familyatFirst Baptist Church as well as herfamilyatHealingPlace Church.A service to celebrate herlifewill be held

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Currier, Charles Anthony

Pepper, Ollie Juanita

Roberson, Lenora

LenoraRoberson enteredintoeternal rest at herresidence in Baton

interment

Roberson Family Cemetery, Ethel. Survivors include her sister, Jannie R. Brown, brother-in-law, John Brown, Jr.; sister-inlaw, Onedia Roberson; Godchildren, Sharon Green and Christopher Davis; host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Janet A. Ross passed away on Sunday, June 14, 2026, at the age of 73. She was an accountant at Dow Chemical for 32 years, resident of Port Allen and native of Denham Springs, LA. Visitation willbeheld at Wilbert Funeral Home, Port Allen on Friday, June 19, 2026, from 10am until religious services at 2pm, conducted by Rev. Carl Briggs. Interment willfollow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Janet is survived by her husband of 50 years, Wesley P. Ross; daughter, Ashley Ross Walker and husband Frank; grandchildren, Bryson Paul andKaitlyn Isabelle Walker;brothers, LouisAiken, Jr. and wife Sharla, andKenneth Aiken and wife Sandra; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Fanny Naylor Aiken. Janet lovedtosing, especiallyinchurch. Please share memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.

Dorothy "Dot"Sanders, anative of Bogalusa, Louisiana,and aresident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed awayonJune 10, 2026,atthe ageof79. Dot was alovingwife, mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmotherand foster parent whose kindness touchedcountless lives. Shecherished familygatherings,lovedcollecting angels, and was delighted in spoiling otherpeople's children. Over theyears, she opened herheart and home to 19 foster children, providinglove, support, and stability to those in need. Her door wasalways open, and everyonewas welcome Dot genuinelyloved people and they loved her in return. She believed in thegoodness of others, and approachedlifewith compassion, warmth, and an open heart.Manyinthe communityknew Dot for her gentle demeanor while working as acashier at Albertsons and Walmart. Children wereespecially drawn to her kindness; they often brought her drawings, which she proudly displayedather register forall to see Dot'slovingspirit, generosity, and unwavering beliefinthe goodness of people willberemembered by allwho had the privilege of knowing her. She willbedeeply missedand forevercherished by her family, friends, and the many livesshe touched.

Dot is survivedbyher daughter, DorothyHebert (Paul Kuber);two grandchildren, Franky Hebert (Mallory) and Samantha Hebert;two great-grandchildren, Ethan McDowell and Brock Hebert;her brother, Charlie O'Bryant (Kathy); and numerous fosterchildren, close friends, nieces and nephews.

Dot willbejoining the love of her life,Travis, her parents, Abe and Geneva Crockett O'Bryant; hersisters ElizabethTrimble, KathleenHalbert, and Sally GormanousinHeaven.

Avisitationwillbeheld at Greenoaks Funeral Home on Friday, June 19, 2026, from 9amuntil funeral service at 12 pm. Burial willfollow in Franklinton, LA.Receptionatthe home of Travis and DotSanders afterwards.All are welcome. Pallbearers willbe Franky Hebert,BrettGormanous, Christian Mizell, LukeCatalanattoJr., Steven O'Bryant, and Gage Wilcoxon. Honorary pallbearerswillbeCharlie O'Bryant,PaulKuber, and AlvinRoundtree Visitwww.greenoaksfun erals.com to leave condolencestothe family

Stevens,Roland Sidney Roland Sidney Stevens, Jr. of BatonRouge, LA, passed away on June 8, 2026. He was bornonJanuary 26, 1942, to Elizabeth Watsonand Roland Sidney Stevens. Roland is survived by his wife of 64 years, Frances Martin Stevens; son, Roland III; grandchildren,Bobby Fails, Tabatha Waters, SidStevens, Marty Collins, AliciaCollins, SummerEdwards, Alex Edwards,Yvonne Stevens, JosephStevens, Chloe

Stevens. Preceded in death by his daughter, Frances E. Stevens "Sisi". Services willbeheldatGrace Works Church on Highway 44 in Prairieville, LA, on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 6PM. The visitationbegins at 5:30PM.

Waguespack, Barry Edward

Barry Edward Waguespack,a distinguished tax attorney whose careerand warmth touched thelives of countless friends, colleagues, and family members, passed away on June 13, 2026. BornJune 5, 1947, in NewIberia,Louisiana,to Stanislaus "Stan" Waguespack Jr. and Irma Hickson Waguespack, Barry was theyoungestoftheir three sons and thelast of the childrentogrowuponFelicity Plantationin Vacherie, Louisiana, a place that shaped his deep rootsand lifelong love of his home state. Barry graduated in 1965 fromSt. James High School,where he proudly played in the band and earnedall-dis-

trict honorsinfootball, finishinghis high school career as valedictorian.He went on to attend Louisiana State University, wherehebecame amemberofKappa Sigmafraternity andforged thelifelong friendships that meantso much to him. Barryearned hisJuris Doctoratefrom LSULaw School in 1971 and wasadmittedtothe Louisiana bar in 1972. His distinguishedlegal career began at theChief Counsel'sOfficeofthe Internal RevenueService,where he served from 1972 to 1976, first in Washington,D.C., andlater in Boston,Massachusetts. Whilein Boston,Barryattended Boston University and earnedanLLM in Taxation in 1976. He often spoke of those yearsinBoston as some of thebest of his life, shared with hisbeloved wife, Jan.Barrybuilt arespected law practice in Baton Rouge,concentrating in federal, state, and local taxation,aswell as corporate, probate, andestate planninglaw,employee benefitsplans, criminal tax, andoil and gas law Over theyearshewas admitted to practice before theU.S. Tax Court, theU.S District Courtfor the MiddleDistrict of Louisiana, theU.S. District Court for theWestern District of Louisiana, the U.S. Courtof Appealsfor theFifthCircuit,and the United States SupremeCourt.Beyond his accomplishments, Barry

will be remembered for his devotion to hisfamilyand hisgenerous spirit.He leaves behind hisloving wife, Jan;his daughterand son-in-law, Emilyand Jake Mayo,and theirtwo children,Hilland Molly; his son, Matthew Waguespack, and hiswife,Laura, andtheir son, Hudson; twelve nieces and nephews, and hisfaithful dog, Honey. He wasprecededindeathbyhis parents, Stan andIrma Waguespack, andhis two older brothers David and Stan J. Waguespack. A memorial reception will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd.Please contactthe familyorBarry'sofficefor details. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of theAnimalsBaton Rouge:8476 Highland Rd,Baton Rouge,LA70808. The familyextendsheartfelt gratitude to Hospice of Baton Rouge,Dr. Mary Raven andDr. Danielle McMechan for theircompassionate care andsupport of Barry andhis family. They also wish to thank Beth Erwin, Barry'ssecretaryofnearlythirtyyears, for herunwaveringsupport andloyal service.Barry'swarmth,intellect,and steadfast loyaltytothose he lovedleavea legacyfar richer than anyprofessional achievement. He willbe deeply missed by all who knew him.

Sanders, Dorothy'Dot'

Ross, Janet Aiken

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Benton and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Jefferson are right to take leading roles as Congresstries reorganizing the utter disarray incollegeathletics. The ungoverned combination of thetransfer portal and “name, image andlikeness” deals is a pox on the nation’shigher education landscape.

One of the worstthings about the portal-NIL regimeisthat it the vast sumsofmoneychanginghands almost completely destroyswhatever part of the “education” component still remained in big-time college sports before theSupreme Court’s2021 rulinginNational Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston. Moreover,incatalyzingNIL,that decisioneffectively createdaWild West-like atmosphere which, as famed football coach Nick Sabantestiﬁed, greatly disadvantages small schools and their athletes.

While lawmakers and others mayhavedifferent ideasabout howtoreimpose at leastsome measureofcontrol andintegrityto university playing ﬁelds and arenas,it is notable that both major bills pending in Congress agree on one part of the solution. Both bills would relaxantitrustlawstoallow asingle governing body such as the NCAA to set and enforcenational rulesgoverning transfers, payments and media rights while limiting corruption

We in Louisiana know well theimportance of antitrust exemptions in thecontextofmajor sports. It is widelyaccepted that theNew Orleans Saints neverwould havebeencreated had it not been for the NFL’s desire forsuchanexemption. Only when Louisiana’sU.S. Rep. Hale Boggs and Sen. Russell Longpushedthrough the exemption in 1966 didthe NFL,inadirect (but legal) quid pro quo, award afranchise to the city

That exemption in turn wasessentialinenabling the league to ascend to the stratospheric heights, both ﬁnancially and culturally,that it occupies today,while maintaining uniform rules and competitive balance. (Granted, moderncommunicationsoptions nowperhaps give theNFL too much power,nomatterwhat the public interest is, but that’s atopic foranother day.) Likewise, for competitivebalanceand for the protection of thewhole culture of higher education –which obviously is greatly affected by sports, but which should not be completely subsumed by them —college athletics clearly needs some ability for enforceable self-policing Of course Congress should be careful in determining precisely howmuchantitrust relief to give college sports, anditmust guard against allowing creationofagoverningbody accountable to no one. AndCongress shouldn’t micromanage rules on transfers and payments andcoachingswitches. Abroad framework for reform, not abureaucratic regime cementedin law,iswhat’sneeded.

Still, everything must start with targeted relaxation of antitrust law,toallow universities themselves to imposesome orderfromthe chaos.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

When parentsand young children read picture books together,it’sa spontaneous, interactive experience. The children see art, hear cadence, engage their imaginations, develop vocabulary,attention and humor,ask questions and answer questions. Small children learn the names of the things in their world. And they love theexperience. The reading experience on atablet is not as rich for either parent or child. All children need manybooks. Some parentshave the means to provide them. Some don’t. Alot goes into the process of making these books available to the public. It is costly,yes, and avery wise use of taxpayer dollars to offer this education to all.

At storytimeinthe library,toddlers and preschoolers and their parents and grandparents gather together to learn nursery rhymes, listen and interact with books, sing songs and make friends.

The 15 locations, open seven days a

The world as we know it today was built on the back of burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately,this processhas come at atremendous cost.Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at arate that has never occurred in the history of our planet.Why,then,dowecontinue to burnplanet-killing fossilfuels?

Oneprimary reason is thetremendous control the fossil fuel industry has over our government.The industry spends approximately $250 million per year lobbying elected officials The vastmajority of this money goes to Republican officials and candidates.During the 2024 presidential campaign alone, oil interests gave more than $75 million to Donald Trump’saffiliated PACs

This lobbying money spent by the fossil fuel industry serves as ahighly effective ﬁnancial instrument, yielding unparalleled returnsoninvestment by securing multi-billion dollar taxpayer subsidies,rolling back environmental regulations and aggressively stalling clean energy competition.

In addition, our federal government spends between $20 to $35 billion a year on direct handoutstothe fossil fuel industry

week, offer wide-ranging programs for all ages and varied interests. Look at The Source for details. Afavorite memoryofmine is of the kind and patientMr. Sze, an origami master.Ashe taught,hewatched and helped, making sure that each child wasready forthe next fold before proceeding. Children took homeboth asense of accomplishmentand their multiple paper treasures. Additionally,the library provides higher education/independent study for anyone who seeks it —without tuition or fees. There are nonfiction books on everything from philosophy to finance, from history to languages, from animals to design, from sports to computers, on and on. And there is much fiction. Enjoy If you don’tfeel you need the library, know that there are those whoreally do. Pleasevote to fund it foryour communityand yourself. Thank you.

ANN GONZALES Baton Rouge

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO

Apumpjack operates as the sun beginstoset on the westernhorizonin southeasternEctor County,Texas.

Theseperks primarily include special tax breaks, deductions, cheap access to drilling on public lands and regulatoryloopholes. We cannot expect meaningful climate action as long as our representatives areﬁnancially beholden to the veryindustry driving this crisis. It is time for voters to demand absolute transparencyand use their ballotstoreject candidateswho prioritize fossil fuel payouts over our planet’s future.

RONSADLER Baton Rouge

Iwant to say something to my neighbors who love the City Park golf course, and Iwant to say it plainly: I understand. Anine-hole course you can walk after work, where akid can learn the game without joining anything, is agenuinely good thing. The people defending it are not wrong to care about it.

But I’d ask them to consider what a park is for

Go to City Park on aSaturday and watch who’s there and when. The walkers on the lake path start before dawn. Families drift in by mid-morning. By afternoon, there are picnics, strollers, dogs and people who came for nothing in particular and stayed for hours.

Now look at the 40 acres given over to the golf course. For most of the week, most of the day,they hold ahandful of players at atime. That isn’taknock on golf. It’sjust what40 acres of fairway does: It serves afew people very well and everyone else not at all.

The question in front of BREC isn’t whether to honor the past. It’show And I’d argue that the deepest respect we can pay acentury-old public park is to keep it public in the fullest sense, open to the most people, for the most hours, doing the most things.

Acentral park that anchors the restored lakes, with room for shade and music and play and, yes, golf in some form, is not abetrayal of what City Park has been. It’sacontinuation of it. The land was set aside for the whole city.The plan should be too.

ADRIAN OWEN JONES Baton Rouge

Aquestion forBaton Rouge: How manycities can brag about abeautiful1920s golf course on the National Register of Historic Places? Not many. Maybe one or two.

Hey! So let’sbeﬁrst in keeping City Park Golf Course and not ﬁrst in destroying it.

Keep City Park GolfCourse as is. JIJI AND LARRYJONAS Baton Rouge

EssenceFestival bringing back

La. flavor with localbookpartner

TheEssence Festival of Culture made away out of no way when thenMayor Marc Morialworked withthe Black publishing companytocelebrate its25th anniversary in New Orleansatwhat was then the Louisiana Superdome. With amusic lineupthat included Aretha Franklin,Patti LaBelle and Luther Vandross, more than 140,000 people attended what was planned as aonetime event. It was so nice they had to do it twice Then, again, and again, and again.For 30 plus years. Between 400,000 and 500,000 attend these days.

Few people seem to remember,but that ﬁrst festival included more than music. There were books.

Vera Warren-Williams, aka Mama Vera, was there with books from the Community Book Center.The fest was quite local with big-name acts and New Orleans culture through and through.

Many local businesses latched on, got connected and became integral parts of the event for years. Things changed in 2012 when Time-Warner boughtthe Essence brand, name, operationsand the Essence Festival. Mama Vera andotherswere out. Others replaced them Sundial Media took over in 2018, and things have been evolving. Some locals are involved.Some couldn’tlive up to higher expectations. The eventisbecoming international with NewOrleans essence.

At theend of acookbook talk at the Community Book Center on Sunday afternoon, Mama Vera broke thenews to those gathered inside the Bayou Road store. With abig smile on her face and herhead proudly nodding to theright side, she pulled amicrophone close to hermouth andannounced the selection of herstore as the official Essence Festival bookpartner.“We’reback.” The seated andstanding audience erupted withapplauseand cheers. Customers rushed to congratulate Mama Vera. “It’sabout time,” said one. “Yeah ya right,” said another The Garden District Book Shop in New Orleanswas the official festival book partner in 2018 and 2019. Mahogany Books, an independent Black bookstore in Washington, has worked with PenguinBooks as its official book partner since In astatement, Essence confirmed the selection of MamaVera and her store, naming it “the Official Community Book Partner of Essence Festival of Culture 2026.” Essence said Mama Vera has a“40+ year legacy of Black literary life” to Essence’s30plus years in New Orleans. The company describedthe CBCas“one of the city’s most enduringcultural institutions.”

Mama Vera told me, “CBCreturningasthe bookstore representsan opportunity for economic growth and resources to remain in our community.” She added, “Hopefully,our return symbolizes anew chapter,one that preserves thespirit of CBC’soriginal mission while embracing afresh vision centered on the possibilities of more exposure and inclusion of other local Black businesses.”

As many say these days, “That part!” Black businesses and Black people in New Orleans have been counting

on Essence to share thewealth and to showcase local businesses, culture, entertainment, food and more of the ﬂavor that only New Orleanscan serve. Recentchanges damaged relationships and the Essence brand. Butanyone who wants to share thewealth has to meet andexceed expectations in a business relationship.

Ibroke thenews to New Orleans City Council member Eugene Green. He was excited and happy for Mama Vera. “This is thekind of thing we New Orleanians want” from an “event that has beneﬁted so much from ourhospitality.” Green said theselection of the CommunityBook Center is huge, thetype of community connection that he and others want to see thefestival make.

Choosing Mama Vera and the CommunityBook Center as the ofﬁcial book partner is asmartmove, one that will resonatewithmanyinthe community who love the Essence Festival. Mama Vera is atreasure in our community. Her commitment to the community goes beyond building and maintaining asuccessful business. MamaVera and Mama Jennifer (Turner) at her side are respected members of the community These are people who are consulted and asked for advice and counsel. They provide encouragement,inspiration and motivation.

I’m not sure Essence knows what they’ve done. They’ve gained apartner, acheerleader and an advocatewho has theears of many “If you haven’tbeen going, for whatever reason, Iinviteyou to come back,” Mama Vera told book talk visitors. “I encourage you to come back.” Email Will Sutton at wsutton@theadvocate.com.

Platner’spopulist challengeexcites Dems

WhenI heard President Donald Trump go ballistic over Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner,itmade me want tohear more about Graham Platner

After Platner won Maine’sDemocratic primarylast week, Trump trolled Platner as a“thug” and called the Democratic Party hypocritical for lining up behind someone withsomany questions about his past personal conduct and treatment of women.

“He’sworse than any human being that’sever run for ofﬁce probably,” the president said. Well, if anyone should know about questions on past conduct andtreatment of women, it is Donald Trump. An old schoolyard retort from my childhood came to mind:“You’re another.”

After all, Trump also has been accused credibly of misconduct with women, including the New York case in which ajury found him liable for sexualabuse.

Yet, having heard Trumphyperventilate in this ﬁery fashion so many times, Ifelt Icould hear more than a trace of envy and vulnerabilityinhis voice.

As if Platner’sfamiliar tone of outrageabout the rich and powerful giving ordinary folks the shaft has pleasedcrowds in away that might make Trump wonder if his own thunder is being stolen.

In other words, there’salot of populist appeal in Platner’sspiel thatworks well in atime of discontent with elites. He sounds like a“regular guy.” He’s aMarine veteran who didfour tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he owns asmall oyster farm.

And in keeping with these times, he is wrestling with scandal, especially as the GOP and other media snoops dig into his old social media posts, in which he made comments about women and rape which many found offensive. In now-deleted posts, he also variously identiﬁed himself as a communist and asocialist and opined that “an armed working class is arequirement for economic justice.”

There’salso his tattoo that resembled the Totenkopf, or death’s head, aGerman military symbol now infamousfor its prominence on Nazi

SS uniforms. Platner has covered the tattoowith new ink and claimed he didn’tknow about the Nazi connection. Having known more than afew naive rascals in theservice who fell to the allureofcontroversial tattoos, I almost believe him.

Still, the ﬁrst-time candidate’sDemocratic populist message resonated with voters in Maine, and he won the state’spartyprimary for Senatelast Tuesday,beating the state’sgovernor Now he faces Republican Sen. Susan Collins,a moderate who has impressively survived pastchallenges,even in these polarized times. Platner is very much of this moment. He is unashamedly populist. He frequently describes himselfasa “New Deal Democrat.” He supports “Medicare for all,” unions,housing affordabilityand investmentinworkingclass communities. He is sharply critical of the Democratic establishment for not ﬁghting for these values

Still, there are some smart, wellmeaning voices of caution who warn Democrats against forgetting their scruples.

Amongthe most articulate bearers of this message is former Sen. Jeff Flake, an ArizonaRepublican who withdrew from electoral politics in 2017 withaﬁery denunciation of the rising Trump tide.

In aWashington Post essay,hemade what seems like last-ditch pitch for themiddle groundbyurging Democrats to vote for Collins instead of the controversy-plagued Platner

Arguing nobly for theneed to put principle ahead of political expediency,hecited such examples as the 2017 nomination of Alabama Republican Judge Roy Moore, who was credibly accused of pursuing teenagegirls

The revelations about Moore caused many Republican senators to withdraw their endorsements. Flake even wrote acampaign check to Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, who won ahistoricvictoryinthe deeply Republican state. Unfortunately for the Dems, Republicans won theseat back three years later when Republican Tommy Tuberville beat Jones

Iamreminded of former Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, who left under pressure in December 2017.

During the height of the MeToo movement, aconservative talk-radio hostnamed Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of forcinganunwanted kissonher adecade earlier.Aphoto of Franken play-acting at groping Tweeden while sheslept added to the credibility of her accusation.

In thefollowing days, seven additional women came forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior. Three dozen Democratic senators demanded Franken’sresignation from theSenate. AndbyJanuary he was gone. Yet, acouple years later,Franken, still popular,said he regretted that decision. After theriseofTrump,Idon’t blame him. Hisperceived offenses sound like kid stuff in today’s era of MAGA corruption.

Political expediency,like political misconduct, is not limited to any one party In thecoming months, voters will takeamuch closer look at Platner and decide whether he’s an imperfect man doing his besttoredeem himself or a candidate with too much baggage to entrust with the responsibilities of a U.S. senator It’seasy to be outraged over the way governance is going. This country also needs some real problem solverswho do morethan create more problems. Email Clarence Page at cpage47@ gmail.com.

The systemfailedKarmelo Anthony —he stabbedsomeonetodeath and is going to jail for it.

If this doesn’tstrike youasaninjustice, you haven’tbeen paying attentiontothe voices defending the 19-year-old who wasjust sentenced to 35 yearsinprison for murdering anotherteenager at ahigh school track meet in Texastwo years ago.

The casehas garnered national attention entirely forits racial angle. Anthony is Black, andhis victim, Austin Metcalf, was White. But there is no evidence that race playeda role in the incident, andifbothyoung men had been White or both Black, no onewould try to pile political or social meaning on topofa senseless crime

Both Anthony andMetcalf were football players who competedintrack andattended different high schools. At the meet, Anthony went inside the tent set up for Metcalf’s school.Athletesdon’tordinarily go into the tents of competing schools, and Metcalf and others askedhim to leave. He refused andtold Metcalf, threateningly,“Touch me and see what happens.”

Metcalfshovedhim, andAnthony responded by plunging aknife into Metcalf’schest, killing him nearly instantly At the trial, Anthony’sdefense tried to make aself-defense case. But Metcalf obviously didn’trepresent athreat to Anthony’slife. If Anthony hadanswered the shove with ashove of his own— or,betteryet,simply left the tent when asked—the scufﬂe would have been quickly brokenup, andMetcalfwould be alive todayand Anthony afreeman Ratherthansimply admit thata Black kid killeda White kid for no reason,Anthony’sdefenders have reached for any reason to try to absolve him.

The rabble-rousing Democratic congresswoman from Texas, Jasmine Crockett, has said thatthe knife wassmall, so it can’t really be considereda deadly weapon —never mind thatthe knife did, indeed, kill Metcalf.

She’s said thatAnthony only stabbed Metcalf once, which is irrelevant, since it took only one thrust of the knife to kill him. And she’s said that Anthony was justiﬁed in stabbing Metcalfbecause Metcalfwas alarge football player, but Anthony,too,was afootball player, although notasbig.

We’ve heardagain and again that an allWhite jury convicted Anthony,when there were minoritiesonthe jury,just not Black people.This complaint amounts to saying that it’sunfair thatAnthony wasdeniedthe possibility thata Black juror might dismiss the facts of the caseand deadlock the jury for racial reasons(some of Anthony’sadvocates say thatinfuture such cases, prospective Black jurors should be less honest about their biases so theydon’t getstruckduring jury selection).

The celebrity rapperCardi Bhas opined that Black kids nowneedtobetoldnot to argue with White kids because it’stoo dangerous. This, though, fails to account forthe fact that Anthony,not Metcalf, did the stabbing. Besides, if the incident had merely been an argument, it would have been of no consequence It was Anthony’suse of deadly forcethat instantly transformeditinto something lifechanging.

If you didn’tknowanything aboutthe case, you’d believe,listening to the pro-Anthony commentary,thathewas the onekilled. His advocate, the progressive Minister Dominique Alexander, says the case shows that Black livesdon’t matter; this charge at leastmakes some intuitive sense whena Black man has been shotbya cop,but to apply it to acase where aBlack kid stabbed aWhite kid is mindbogglingly perverse.

It’d be much better if such cases were simply considered on their merits. There is no reason to make an open-and-shut murdercase into arace-basedmorality play,and consider the perpetrator andvictim racial symbols ratherthanactualpeople, whose conduct should be judgedbyneutral standards.

Karmelo Anthony committedashocking crime,and his race can’tmitigate it or free him of responsibility

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

Will Sutton

Clarence Page

Rich Lowry

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

DemocraticU.S.Senate candidate Graham Platner

WarrenWilliams

Saints defensiveend Cameron Jordan reacts after making atackle against

Superdome.Jordanand the Saintsagreed to aone-year deal,which would be

Star defensiveend Jordan will return to Saints for16thseason

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Cam Jordan is here to stay Jordan, 36, and the Saints agreed on a one-year contract,setting up Jordantoreturn for a16th season, Jordan announced on his social media accounts

The deal was reached after monthsof uncertainty about whether the two sides couldhammer outanagreement,with Jordan testingthe marketand wondering whether he would return to theSaints

The deal, ﬁrst reported by the NFL Network’sIan Rapoport, was reached after Jordan visited the Saints’ facility Tuesday the beginningofthe team’s mandatory minicamp.

In avideo announcinghis return,Jordan confirmed he’d be back for “one final season.” At the end of the season, Jordan said he figured he’d “die in gold and black”and wanted to stay withthe franchise. But negotiations provedtobemorecomplicated than previous years —inpart because Jor-

‘Elite’ shooter

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Abdi Bashir could be one of thebest 3-point shooters evertowear an LSU jersey The 6-foot-7 senior guard not only shot 44.4% from beyond thearc on 8.4 attempts per game last season in 18 contests, buthe’salsoa career 39.9% 3-point shooter on 614 attempts across84games.

Unsurprisingly,coach Will Wade said in astatement that Bashir possesses “elite shooting ability”and will be “an important part of our perimeter moving forward.” The Kansas State transfer averaged 13.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 turnoversin18games before suffering astress fracture in his foot on Jan. 17 againstOklahoma.

Specialshooter

Jordan deserves to retire aSaint

CamJordan’sNo. 94 New Orleans Saints’ jersey was neatly folded on the table, right beside the contract he was about to sign Tuesday afternoon. The one-year deal is almost certainly the last one Jordan will sign in his illustrious NFL career

But more importantly,that black jersey beside it is the only one Jordan will ever wear

“Weare ofﬁcially married forever,” Jordan said right before putting pentopaper

This is the way it should be.

Seeing Jordan playing in any other uniform would’ve felt as odd as it did the ﬁrst time yousaw Archie Manning suited up forthe Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings.

Jordan, forall he hasdone for notonly the franchise but also the city they playin, deserves more than anyone to retire aSaint.

dan enjoyedaresurgent season in 2025. Jordan led theSaints with 101/2 sacks, hishighestoutput since2021. After takinga paycut last offseason,Jordan’s performanceearned himanadditional $2 million in contract incentives. He said afterthe season he wouldn’ttake as much of adiscount to play for theSaintsagain.

“The Saints have done nothing but show that they want me to be here,” Jordan said. “Now,atwhat price? Some would say half off,this last year.Can’tdothat again.”

TheSaintswereopentoareturn, but felt the price had to be right. Complicating matters, New Orleans wantstoadd another pass rusher,which could reduce Jordan’srole further.Despite starting all 17 games, Jordan was effectively the team’s third pass rusher this season.Heplayed 53.6% of the defense’s snaps, though that

ä See JORDAN, page 3C

So kudostoMickey Loomis and Jordan forreaching an agreement on the ﬁrst dayofmandatory minicamp and notturning this into amessy divorce that lingered all summer long.

The Saints, oftentimes loyal to afault when it comes to hanging on to players fromthe Sean Payton era, gotitright this time. Especially considering Jordan is coming offa season where he recorded ateam-best 101/2 sacks, the sixth most in his 15 seasons.

If he was coming offanunproductive season, it would have been easy forthe Saints to cut ties and move on fromhim after 15 seasons. Instead, they made an offer that Jordan didn’trefuse.Yeah, he could have refused it, but he would have been miserable.

New Orleans is his happy place. So even though he and the family packed up and moved to anew home they built in Arizona,he neversold his home in Kenner

ä See WALKER, page 3C

Transfer Bashir brings specialperimeter ability to LSUfor next season ä See BASHIR, page 3C

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

Lane Kifﬁn just acquired another offensive playmaker for his 2027 recruiting class.

Expecting Bashir to be the best shooter in the Southeastern Conference, and one of the best in college basketball, isn’thyperbolic. Fewplayers attempted as many3s as hedid while maintaining high efﬁciency.Heled the nation with 181/2 3-point attempts per100 possessions last season and shotaremarkable percentageinhis shortened year During the2024-25 seasonatMonmouth, he led the country in 3-point attemptsper 100 possessions (18.0) and made 38.3%.His 127 made 3s ranked second nationally,trailing only Honor Huff,who made 131 in two more games played Beyond the numbers, Bashir’s shootingtalentshows in his audacity Ashooter of hiscaliber rarelygets clean, standstill looks, so he routinely took high-difficulty attempts in the half-court and in transition. Bashir sprintsaround off-ball screens and dribble handoffs for

Four-star running back TreSegarra, from Duncan, South Carolina,committed to the Tigers on Tuesday choosing LSUoverPenn State, Tennessee, South Carolina,Indiana andStanford, among others. Segarra counts as the 11th commitment in LSU’s2027 haul afteradding apairof blockers,including four-star Terrance Smith, on Monday Amultisport athlete with asoccer and wrestling background, Segarra presents an all-around package at 5-foot11, 205 pounds with good vision, quick feet, contact balance anddecenthands outof the backﬁeld. Segarraracked up 1,460 yards and 17 touchdowns

forByrnesHigh School as a junior but also had19catches for 198 yards and four scores. Rankedasthe nation’s seventh-best running back by 247Sports, Segarra had offersfromboth Clemson and SouthCarolina,but ultimately decided to head out of state. Ranked as the No.120 recruit in thecountry in the 247Sports Composite, Segarra’s commitmentgivesLSU sixprospectsranked inside the top 200. Eight of the 11 commitments are four-or ﬁve-starprospects, including four-star quarterback Peyton Houston, who recently competed at the Elite 11 ﬁnals. LSU has another running back, three-star Brennen Lacey from Texas, also committed.

Email Jon Blauatjon blau@theadvocate.com.

Jordan

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETT DUKE

the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 7atthe Caesars

his 16th with theteam.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy

Kansas State guard Abdi Bashir shoots over Indiana forward SamAlexis on Nov. 25 in Bloomington, Ind. Bashir shot 44.4%from 3-point rangelast season

On TV

COLLEGE WORLDSERIES

1p.m. North Carolina vs.West Virginia ESPN

6p.m.Men’sCollegeWorld Series:TBD ESPN MLB

11:30a.m.N.y. Mets at CincinnatiMLBN

2:30p.m. Tampa BayatL.A. DodgersMLBN

6p.m. White Sox at N.y.yankees MLBN

9p.m. Pittsburgh at Athletics MLBN HORSE RACING

7:30 a.m. Breeders’ Cup Challenge NBCSN SOFTBALL

5p.m. Blaze at Bandits CBSSN MEN’S SOCCER

8p.m. Fort WayneatMadison ESPN2

WORLD CUP noon Portugal vs.DRCongoFOX

3p.m.England vs.Croatia FOX

6p.m.Ghana vs. Panama FS1

9p.m.Uzbekistan vs. Colombia FS1 WNBA

7p.m.New york at ChicagoUSA

9p.m.Las VegasatPhoenix USA

West Virginia keepshopealive

Mountaineers beat

Troy 12-0,ending its firstCollege World Series run

BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter

OMAHA, Neb Dawson Montesa

held Troy to twohitswhile pitching into the sixth inning, West Virginia’sbullpen worked out of two bases-loaded situations and Gavin Kelly hit athree-run homer as the Mountaineers ended the Trojans’ ﬁrst College World Seriesappearance with a12-0 victory Tuesday The Mountaineers(47-16) have reachedthe finalfourintheir CWS debut and will face North Carolina in theBracket1 final. They would have to beatthe Tar Heels on Wednesday and again Thursday to reach the best-ofthree championship round this weekend.

West Virginia, which beat Troy 7-5inthe CWSopenerFriday, wasinamust-win situation after losing 5-2 to North Carolina on Sunday.The Mountaineers, who staved off elimination three times to win their regional, will face a well-rested NorthCarolinateam that has allowed four runs in their last 22 innings.

The Mountaineers won for the 19th time in 22 games and posted theirseventh shutout of thesea-

West Virginia pitcher Carson Estridgereacts after the Mountaineers wonaCollegeWorld Series elimination game against Troy on Tuesdayin Omaha, Neb

son, and they diditagainst ateam that was averaging 10 runs per gameinthe postseason.

West Virginia scoredtwo runs against Cooper Ellingworth (25) and made it 6-0 against Dylan Alonsoafterits first twobatters in thesixthinning were retired. The next fivereached, with Kellygoing deep and Sean Smith singling in another run. Kelly finishedwith

three hits andfourRBIs.

“That team is so good and they can scoreinbunches,” West Virginia coach Steve Sabins said. “If you’re up two, youhavetoextend Even if you’re up six, youfeel their big inning is around the corner. So youhavetoput your foot on the gastowin agame like that. Then we had pitchers come in and make big pitches.”

Montesa(6-5),who pitchedfor Division II Adelphi in New York lastyear,walked four,hit abatter andstruck out sixin51/3 innings in his ﬁrst start since May31.

“Obviously the biggest stage I’ve pitched on,” he said. “Same game —Division I, Division II, LittleLeague;it’sa children’s game. Go out and pound the zone andplaylikeit’syour last game.”

Montesa held Troy hitless into the fourth inning and left with one outinthe sixthwithtwo runners on base. Reliever Ben McDougalissueda two-outwalktoload thebases before he induced an inning-ending groundout.

The Trojans loaded the bases again in the seventh, this time with none out.Reese Bassinger came on to face Blake Cavill, who struck out for the seventh time in 13 CWSat-bats.Hegot Jimmy Janicki to ﬂy out andstruck out StevenMeier to keep Troy scoreless.

The Trojanshad erased afourrun deficit to beat Mississippi 12-8 on Sunday, but therewould be no comeback this time. Bassinger struck out five of the first six batters he faced and turned the ball over to Carson Estridgeinthe ninth with a12-run lead. “While it’spainful and should be, abad day in 0maha is certainly betterthan agoodday most places,” Troy coach Skylar Meade said. “Wewereone of the last teams standing, but notmeantto be.”

Titans,Wardﬁghting to turn team around

BY TERESA M. WALKER AP pro football writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward has a simple philosophy about the NFL: The next break comes when the season ends. The Titans started their mandatory minicamp Tuesday wrapping up Ward’sﬁrst offseason program with new coach Robert Saleh and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Ward made clear that concludingthe offseasonprogram doesn’t mean avacationorbreak ahead of training camp.

“We’re behind the 8-ball,” Ward said. “Wefinished with aNo. 4 pick last year.Our goal isnot to be top-15 picks, we wanttobe later. That means we get achanceatthe playoffs. We get achancetowin a division. That’sour goaleach and every year.” Ward was drafteda year ago to help turn around the Titans. Now he has anew coaching staffafter the franchise’s fourth consecutivelosing season anda second straight 3-14 record. It’s why the Titans used that No.4 pick in April to help Ward by selecting receiver Carnell Tate outofOhio State.

TheTitansalso signedveteran Wan’Dale Robinson andreworked Calvin Ridley’scontractafter an injury-shortened season. The im-

provedreceiving corps is nice, but this franchisehas been lookingfor aNo. 1receiversince trading away A.J. BrowninApril 2022.

That receiver is expected to be Tate who has provided regular highlights this offseason with his catches, including adazzling onehanded snag down the sideline.

The6-foot-2, 192-pound Tate ﬁnished his career at Ohio State with 121 catches for 1,872 yards and14 touchdowns.

He has been hanging outat Ward’shouse with the duo working to be on the same page for everyplay. The rookie also is in his

playbook studying hard, and Tate credited coach Brian Hartline at Ohio State with making it apriority to learn the role for each wide receiver spottobetterunderstand aplaybook and offense.

Hisnew offensive coordinator is very happy with how Tate has picked up the playbook.

“I’ve done this for along time,” Dabollsaid. “In terms of picking it up, he’s been oneofthe tops at the skill position.”

Howthe Titans’ offense performs willfall heavily on Ward. He threw for 3,169 yards with 15 TD passes and seven intercep-

tions. He waspicked only once over the ﬁnal nine games. Tennessee has worked on situationsthis offseason with an offense thatfeatures lots of options for wide receivers on intermediate to slotand vertical routes. That hasled to some incompletions by Ward as the quarterback hones communication andtiming with his receivers.

Critics usethose misses to question Ward’s accuracy and whether he might wind up another bust for Tennessee.

Daboll saidWard has very good awareness, field visionand instincts. With coachesbusyteaching, he calls Ward agood student to teach. Even better,according to Daboll?

“Camcan make allthe throws,” Dabollsaid. “He’sgoing to be a good quarterback.”

Salehsaid Ward can takeany criticismthrown at him, able to moveontothe next play quickly and receptive to what he needs to do better with no ego. Ward may nothave an ego. The quarterback is aself-described perfectionist.

“Even though it’sone of the hardestthings to do in this world is be perfect, Iwanttobea perfect football player,” Ward said.

“I think if Icontinuetostriveto try and get that, then I’d be able to helpthis team win alot of games.”

Former NFLstarSmith’s braindonated to CTEcenter

BY JOSH DUBOW AP profootball writer

SAN FRANCISCO The family of former NFL star Aldon Smith is donating his brain to the Boston University CTE Center to researchthe long-term effects of repetitive brain injuries following his sudden death at age 36 Smith diedSaturday hours after delivering pizzas to ahomeless charity in the San Francisco Bay area. No cause of death wasgiven andSmith’sfamily has hired attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers and Wayne Kendall to investigate Smith’sdeath.

“As with anyone who dies so suddenly at such ayoungage,we understand that there is agreat deal of interest in and speculation about Aldon Smith’spassing andweintend to get to the bottom of it,” the attorneys said in a statement released Tuesday.“To

that end, we have taken anumber ofstepsincludingsending his braintoBoston where medical experts willexamineitfor CTE as well as other damage caused by years of concussionsand additionaltrauma

“In the meantime we simply ask you to keep Aldon’sfamily in our prayersand respect their privacy as they struggletocome to grips withthis terrible loss.”

Smith’sfriend, AmirShirazi, toldthe SanFrancisco Chronicle, that he found Smith slumped over in the front passenger seat of his car after delivering the pizzasonSaturday. Smith wastaken to ahospital and wasdeclared dead.

“He was acreative mind, so smart, so ﬁerce, so real, so powerful, his presence,his passion andhis aurameant alot to me as abrother andIwishI could’ve didmoretohelphim andpray to God he doesn’thavetohurt

anymore,” his former teammate, Anthony Dixon, wrote on social media. Smithwas drafted by the49ers with the seventh pick out of Missouriin2011 and made an immediate impact on theteam,helping San Francisco snapa playoff drought and reach the NFC title game his first threeseasonswith one trip to aSuper Bowl. He had 14 sacks as arookie when he finished second to Von Miller in voting forthe AP Defensive Rookie of theYear and had afranchise-record 19½ sacks in 2012 when he was named afirstteam All-Pro. His33½ sacks in his first two seasons are the most in NFLhistory.Hekept that pace up with 4 1/2 sacks in thefirst threegames in 2013 beforethe off-field issues startedwith an arrest forDUI anda stintinrehab forsubstance abuse thatsidelined him for five games.

Junior college pitcher backs off LSU commitment

Junior collegetransferand righthanded pitcherHaydenMorris won’tbejoining LSU baseball in 2027,heannounced on social media Tuesday Morris, who just ﬁnished his sophomore year at Blinn College, had a 6.59 ERA in 542/3 innings this season He struck out62battersand tossed threecomplete games in 12 starts. As afreshman, Morris had a4.17 ERAin861/3 innings. He struck out 106battersin19appearances LSUonlyhas onejuniorcollege commitment after Morris backed off his pledge, holding acommitment from Walters State right-hander Major Osbolt. LSU losing Morris opens aroster spotonthe mound fornextseason. The Tigers have six right-handed pitchersset to return fromlast season’steam.

Reds shortstop De La Cruz to go to rehab assignment

CINCINNATI Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is expected to begin arehab assignment on Thursday andcould return to Cincinnati’s lineup early next week if all goes well.

De La Cruz —who has been sidelined since June 1due to aright hamstring strain —will rehab with Triple-A Louisville,which is at Gwinnett this week. Manager Terry Francona said before Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets that De La Cruz expected to join the Bats on Thursday,play five innings at shortstop on Friday,be thedesignated hitter on Saturday and have afull gameatshortstop on Sunday Francona said the earliest De La Cruz could be activated is on June 23 against Milwaukee.

Royals’Lugoexpectedto startafter hit to the head

WASHINGTON Kansas City Royalsright-handerSethLugo threwa bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to start Friday after spending time on the concussion list Lugo, aShreveport native,was hit in the head by a106.6 mphline drive against Texaslast week.Manager Matt Quatraro saidbefore Tuesday night’sgame at WashingtonthatLugo feltgood and is expectedtoreturn Fridaynight, when the Royalshost St. Louis. Left-hander Kris Bubic, on the injured listbecause of elbowsoreness, also threw Tuesday The news hasn’tbeen as promising aboutleft-handerCole Ragans, who had asetback during rehab from aleft elbow injury.Quatraro said Ragans is still having symptoms andremains shut down

Serena Williams loses her doubles match at Berlin Open

BERLIN Serena Williams’ comeback hit abump Tuesday with aloss in her opening-round doubles match at the Berlin Open.

Giuliana Olmos and Erin RoutliffedefeatedWilliamsand her partner Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-4toend Williams’involvement in theWTA 500 grass-courttournament at theﬁrst stage. It didn’t dimthe love Williams was shown from the appreciative fans on what was her second appearance after awin at Queen’s Club last week in London. That had been Williams’ ﬁrst professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open. But herparticipation at Queen’sClub was cut short when partner Victoria Mboko injured her knee in asingles match.

He wasreleased by San Francisco in August 2015 after another drunken driving charge —his fifth arrestinthree years. He signed with Oakland just before thestart of the 2015 season and had 3½ sacksinninegames before being suspended again.

Smith applied for reinstatementtothe NFL in 2016, but was not allowed back initially.The Raiders released him in 2018 following adomestic violence arrest. Apleaagreementwas reached in that case. He eventually wasreinstated in 2020 andplayed16games for Dallas that season andhad ﬁve sacks He signedwith Seattlethe next season but was arrested again for battery and was released in training camp. He served asix-month jail sentence forDUI in 2023 and never played againinthe NFL. Smith ﬁnished his career with 52½ sacks in 75 games.

Chiefs receiverRice released from 30-day stintinjail KANSAS CITY,Mo. Chiefswide receiver Rashee Rice was released from aDallasCountyjailonTuesdayafter serving a30-day sentence for violatingthe terms of hisprobation,which stemmedfrom hisrole in acar crash thatleftmultiple people injured on aTexas highway. The 26-year-old Rice had been booked into the jail on May 19 aftertesting positive for THC.Upon his release, Rice madea quick dash pastahandful of reporters and into awaitingSUV,whichwhiskedhim away from the facility Rice had surgery about aweek before he wassentenced to clean up debris in his right knee, which hadbeen causing inflammation. Ajudge approved arequest from hislawyers to allowhim to receive treatment at Parkland Hospital whileservinghis sentence.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN AMIS Tennessee Titansquarterback Cam Ward worksout as quarterbacks coach Shea Tierneywatches during apractice on Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VERA NIEUWENHUIS

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Saints widereceiver Devaughn Vele talks to areferee during aSaints minicamp practice on Tuesdayatthe team’sindoor practice facilityinMetairie.

Receivingdepth showsup withoutSaints’ topoptions

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

The ﬁnal step of the Saints offseason programisunderway, as the team went through the ﬁrst of two mandatory minicamp practices Tuesday afternoon in Metairie.

Coach Kellen Moore spoke glowingly of his team before practice started because he was happy with the buy-in he’sgotten from his roster this offseason, and thatwas validatedTuesday,aseveryplayer who was supposed to be there was in attendance.

New Orleans went througha roughly 90-minutepractice, working in one seven-on-seven period and two 11-on-11 periods —the latter of which focused on offensive tempo.

Attendance

Several key players were on the ﬁeld but held out during the competitive periods of Tuesday’s minicamp session, including running back Alvin Kamara,receiver Chris Olave,ﬁrst-roundpick JordynTyson and second-round pick Christen Miller.All of those players were in uniform and participated in noncontact periods, but none of them played in 11-on-11 or seven-on-seven

Running back Kendre Miller,who is working his way back from an ACL injury that ended his 2025 season,and receiver Damian Alford were present but not participating. The following players werenot spotted during practice: receivers Mason Tipton and Bub Means,running back Devin Neal (whosuffered an undisclosed injury last week during OTAs), cornerback DalysBeanum and defensive linemen Keeshawn Silver and Zxavian Harris Quarterback Hunter Dekkers and a pair of wide receivers, StevenSims and TayMartin,were at the facility on

SAINTS MINICAMP OBSERVATIONS

atryout basis.

WR depthshows

TopreceiversOlave and Tyson watched the competitive periods from thesideline, which is not ideal, butitalso afforded the Saintsa longer look at the options behind them

It is evident that New Orleans is deeper at both receiver and tight end. While Olave and Tyson will command asigniﬁcant percentage of the target share whenthey’re on the field, the cupboard is not bare behind them —and the Saints might ﬁnd themselves with some tough decisions when it comes time to trim theroster Take Ronnie Bell,for example. The former Michigan standout has only eight catches in threeNFL seasons —including his brilliant one-handed touchdown in Week 18 with the Saints last year —but he was busy Tuesday.Working with the second and third teams,Bell hauled in six of hisseven targets during competitive periods.

Or take thetightends, who were active in the passing attack Tuesday.Between them, the Saints tight ends were targetedon17 of the36drop backs, with rookie tight end Oscar Delp hauling in three catches while working with the second team.

The players who onewould thinkwould bethe top optionsat receiver behind Olave and Tyson DevaughnVele, Ja’Lynn Polk, Bryce Lance and Trey Palmer —had relatively quiet daysinterms of targets.

Vele wasthe mostactive among the three, catching one of his three targets(though one of his incom-

pletions was agreat leaping catch of atight-window throwfrom Tyler Shough,but Vele landed just out of bounds after being pushed by the defensive back)

Even without big contributions from that group, theoffenseoperated fairly smooth —which is agood sign for theSaints offense.

Odds andends

Kicker Charlie Smyth made four of his six ﬁeld goal attempts, with his twomisses coming from 51 (wide left) and54(wide right) yards. Smyth closed the sessionbydrilling a56-yarder.The Saintsdecided to have Smyth compete with undrafted rookie Mason Shipley this summer ratherthan bringing in a veteran. Smythcontinuestoshow his impressive leg strength, but he will still need to prove he can be a consistent option after ashort stint during theregular season in 2025. It’s hard for offensive and defensive linemen to maketheir presenceknown in thesesorts of practices, but CarlGranderson batted down apair of passes at the line of scrimmage during Tuesday’s practice.

Take this with agrainofsaltbecause nobody was wearing pads andit’shard to getatrue idea of what things will look likewhen tackling is live, but Travis Etienne looksasexplosive as he wasadvertised to be. He getsthrough the hole in ahurry Reservedefensive back Beanie Bishop was responsible for thelone turnover Tuesday,intercepting an off-target passfrom ZachWilson that caromed off tight end Cody Hardy’s ﬁngertips.Bishop is working as the third-team slot cornerback behind Jonas Sanker and Jayden Price

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@ theadvocate.com.

FalconssacksleaderPearcereturns

By The Associated Press

FLOWERYBRANCH, Ga. AtlantaFalcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr., the team’ssacks leader as arookie in 2025, has returned to the practice facility for Tuesday’sstart of mandatory minicamp following a tumultuous offseason.

Pearce’sfuture with the team seemeduncertainwhenhefaced three felony charges stemming from what police called adomestic dispute on Feb. 7with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jack-

BASHIR

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movement 3s. At both Monmouth and Kansas State,coaches trusted him to take and make off-balance shots. His constant movement will be valuable on sideline and baseline out-of-bounds plays. Hisdelicate shooting touch pairs with asmooth, one-motionrelease. Hisconsistencyasashooter remained even over conteststhanks to ahigh release point at 6-7. When defenders chased him over screens, Bashir was comfortable pump-faking, letting adefender ﬂy by and drilling jumpers. He can create space with aone-dribblesidestep and chain some more complex moves to help get to a step-back to his left for a3-pointer

son, near Miami On April 23, one of Pearce’sattorneys,Jacob Nunez, saidPearce agreed to enter apretrialintervention program which wouldallow himtoresolve the felony charges. Nunez said if Pearce completes a six-month diversion programwithout violation, the state of Florida will dismiss all charges. Pearce was not with the team for thestartofthe voluntary offseason program in April. First-year coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunning-

Bashir also shoots from distance. The Omaha, Nebraska, native regularlyshot from NBA range and sometimes farther without alteringhis mechanics. Themarksmanship translates to the free-throw line,too,where he’s an 83.8%career shooter On nights when he’s cold, he’ll never hesitate.The lack of conscience from 3will force defenderstobeglued to him, creating openings for his LSU teammates.

Physical limitations

It’sfair to wonder why ashooter of Bashir’scaliber was ranked onlyNo. 122 inthe transfer portal by 247Sports. While that ranking possiblyunderrateshim, he’s not an elite player because of his lack of physicality.

The 22-year-old was listedat 175 pounds at Kansas State, and

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and now they are back in it.

“You see howinvolvedI am in the community anditfeels wrong to be in anothercity andnot giving back to this city,” Jordan said.

“At least that’show Ilook at it. …Everything that we want to do in the city,itwould feel surreal to not be here.” Jordan released avideo on social media right before signing that concluded with these words: OneTeam.One City. One Final Season.

He’ll gettoclimb even higher on the NFL all-time sacks list and make an even stronger case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He said he thinks he punchedhis ticket to the Hall of Fame when he reached 120 sacks.

He’scurrently at 132sacks, which ranks 17th all time on the ofﬁcial sacks list. Another season like the one he hadlast year would vault him into the sixth spot. Aseason half as productive as last year would get him into the top 12 range. Evenmore impressive is he’sdone it all with the same team. The only two players to play their entire career with one team and have more sacks than Jordan are Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylorand Michael Strahan, both who starred forthe New York Giants.

Jordan is agiant in his own right in New Orleans. Since the season ended, he couldn’tgoanywhere around the city without fans asking him the same question as he dealt with freeagency for the very ﬁrst time.

“The people of New Orleans, in the kindest way,are so familial,” Jordan said. “So they are like, ‘Why aren’tyou coming back home?’ And that hits.

Others were trying to encourage him to come back, too. The text messages and phone calls came from youngerplayers like Tyler Shough and Bryan Bresee to former Saints like Craig Robertson, Mark Ingramand Demario Davis.

JORDAN

Continued from page1C

was with Chase Young missing the ﬁrst ﬁve games of the year. AfterYoung’sreturn, Jordan’s playing time dippedto45.7%.

“Did we expect 101/2 sacks from him?” general manager Mickey Loomis said after the season. “No, Iwouldn’tsay that we expected that, but I’m excited forhim.”

The latter three he refers to as his “main three ‘get your a— back in the building’ guys. Jordan admits that there were some bumps along the way in the negotiations. But in the end, things worked out and both sides seem pleased.

Based on the smiles that Jordan, his wifeNikki and four children wore Tuesday,they were thrilled to be back in the building.

“I’m happy to be back in New Orleans,” his 11-year old son Tank said. Jordan wouldn’tadmit it Tuesday, but youjust knowitwas eating at him to miss OTAs the past three weeks and the ﬁrst dayof minicamp. Jordan rarely takes days off, whether it’spractice or agame.

He’sonlymissed two games in hiscareer (one because of COVID-19 andanotherafter an eye injury).

As reliable as he is on the ﬁeld, he’s justasreliable off of it.He useshis off days during the season to visit schools in the city. His longevity,reliability, productivity andwork in the community are enough to have earned hima spot on my Mount Rushmore of greatest Saints’players ever Drew Brees, one of the ones on that Mount Rushmore with him, reached out to Jordan to try to encourage him to ﬁnish his career in New Orleans.

“Black and gold bleeds forever,” Brees reminded Jordan. Football, though, doesn’tlast forever

Jordan turns 37 in July

He understands he’s approaching the ﬁnish line

“I’m deﬁnitely going to take to this like every game is my last, every play,”Jordan said. Jordan hasplayed in 243 games.

All 243 of those have been in a Saints uniform, more than any other playerinteam history Saints fans should be grateful it’sthe only uniform one of the greatest players in franchise history will ever wear

Email RodWalkeratrwalker@ theadvocate.com.

ham declined comment on Pearce’s status until Tuesday On March 13, the Florida State Attorney’sOffice in Miami-Dade County filedchargesofaggravated battery with adeadly weapon,fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence. Afourth charge of stalking was brought as a misdemeanor.Anadditional charge of aggravated battery of an officer wasdropped. Stefanski saidheexpectsPearce to be accepted back by his teammates.

his slight frame affects him on bothends. Despitebeing acapable dribbler,he’snot strong enough to withstand heavy pressure on drives. It was rare for him to attempt and finish layups, making just 6of14shots at therim last season and finishing 37 of 89 the year before. A41.6% rim field-goal percentageatthe mid-major level is concerning when projecting how he’ll fareinthe SoutheasternConference. His limited shot creation inside the arc is linked to his below-average athleticism. He was one of 13 high-major players between 6-7and 6-8with no dunks last season. This wasn’tafluke in his shortened year.Hehas zero dunk attempts in his entire college career For comparison, former LSU guard MaxMackinnon, whohad

Drafted 24th overall in 2011, Jordan has become one of the best players in Saints history.He hasplayeda franchise-high 243 games, becomingthe team’salltime sack leader.His 132 sacks puts him17th on the league’salltime sack list. He’s alsoknown for his community service work,notably visiting area schoolsonhis offday during the NFL season. It took time for Jordan’sdeal to happen. Appearingonformer teammate Terron Armstead’s podcast in March,Jordan said he held a“setvalue” about what he wanted in free agency.The pass rusher detailed that notonly included money,but an opportunity to rack up “10, 12, 13 sacks.” Jordanalso said he was open to otherteams. He balked at the idea of staying in one place fornostalgia reasons.

“I know what Iwant to do,what Iwant to accomplish,” Jordan said. “If that doesn’tline up (with the Saints), that’sﬁne as well. Just because Ilove the city and the organization, doesn’t mean theorganization or the city has to love me back.”

In themeantime, the Saints added two edge rushers. New Orleans acquired former firstrounder TyreeWilsonfromthe

no dunks in 31 games last season, still made1of3dunks in his three seasons prior Bashir’slackofvertical pop andstrength could make him a defensiveliability at times. Stronger guards andwings can drive through his chest. Eventhough he defends with some effort, he doesn’thave the instincts to disrupt plays. He has only two blocks and 32 steals in his career

The same limitations affect his rebounding. He has just four career games withﬁve or morerebounds, all against mid-major opponents. Bashir offsets some of his deﬁciencies with good ball security He posted a2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season and can accurately pass the ball to the rollers in pick-and-roll situations.

Las VegasRaiders on the last day of thedraft andthensigned formerNew England Patriots veteran Anfernee Jennings. Despite the signings, the Saints still hadinterest in Jordan —and the feeling was mutual. Loomis said last month that the Saints made acontract offer to Jordan, and coach Kellen Moore said last week they weren’trushing him to makea decision. Jordan saidin April he felt like the Saints’ additions at hisposition wouldn’tdissuade him fromreturning.

“There’snobody(the Saints acquired) who produced theway Idid last year,so,” Jordan said. “My talent speaks for itself. And if things work out, phenomenal. I’ve always said Iunderstand the business side to it, so I’ve never worried about it.”

The Saintsand Jordan continuedtotalk throughout the offseason, and according to asource with knowledge of thesituation, Jordan andLoomis had met multiple times.

The conversations ledtoprogress in negotiations, which paved the way forTuesday’ssigning. By retaining Jordan,the franchise brought akey leader amid what hasbeen an offseason overhaul.New Orleanslostlinebacker DemarioDavisinfree agency to the New York Jets, and the Saints made splashy signings on offense with thesignings of guardDavid Edwards and runningback Travis Etienne. The Saints could also be withouttight end TaysomHill andrunning back AlvinKamara —the former of whom is still a freeagent and the latter of whom whose future is uncertain.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

Finalverdict

Bashir’slack of bulk and athletic juice will show against top competition. It’sunrealistic to expect LSU’s strength and conditioning staff to meaningfullyimprove his physical makeup.

However,even if hisweaknesses remain, he can still be anet positive for Wade. His shooting is too stellarnot to make3sand create space for others. He’ll have stretches where he won’tmiss even against opponents who adhere to the scouting report. Based on LSU’s current roster Bashir is morelikelytostart at shooting guard. If he stays healthy, he could shatter Anthony Wilson’s programrecord formade3-pointers(95), setduring the1986-87 season.

WORLDCUP 2026

PORTUGAL VS. DR CONGO, Noon FOX, Peacock | ENGLAND VS. CROATIA, 3p.m.FOX, Peacock| GHANA VS.PANAMA, 3p.m.FS1, Peacock | UZBEKISTAN VS.COLOMBIA, 9p.m. FS1, Peacock

Mbappé, France topSenegal

By the Associated Press

EASTRUTHERFORD,N.J.—

After a

ﬂat ﬁrst half, Kylian Mbappé got France back in tune.

Mbappé scored twice to move past Pelé and Lionel Messi with 14 World Cup goals,celebrating by mimicking aﬂautist as he had promised, and Les Bleus beat Senegal 3-1 Tuesday in their World Cup opener.Messi scored later in the daytomove backinto atie with Mbappé.

“He could have scored four or five goals, OK, theoretically, but we’re happy with two goals,” France coachDidier Deschamps said.

Mbappé had 14 touches inthe scoreless ﬁrst half, the fewest of any player,then put France ahead in the 66th minute. He burst past Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, turned onto adiagonal pass from MichaelOlise andslidthe ball past goalkeeper Édouard Mendy from just outside the 6-yard box.

In asegment with Mbappé taped May 20 and aired FridaybyU.S. broadcasterFox,award-winning actor and televisionhostJames Corden suggested the 27-year-old star striker celebrate his next World Cup goal by imitating a ﬂute player.Mbappé practiced the instrumentfor ayear or twoasa child at the behest of his parents.

“I’ll do it for you firstgame,” Mbappé said.

Mbappé rantoward acorner brought both hands to hislipsand air-tooted for afew seconds.

“If he wants to miss the first half again and score two goals in the second half in another match that’sOKwith me,” Deschamps said.

Bradley Barcoladoubled the lead in the 82nd,two minutes after entering, andIbrahimMbaye cut the deﬁcit in the ﬁfth minute of stoppage time.Mbappé scored just 68 seconds laterona spectacular right-footed shot from 30 yards. The ball dipped perfectly between Mendy’soutstretched left arm and the crossbar “A crazy goal,” French defender William Saliba said.

U.S.

forward Pulisicis ‘day to day,’ team says

BY GREGBEACHAM Associated Press

IRVINE, Calif. Christian Pulisic worked out on his own again Tuesday during the U.S. team’sWorld Cup practice session while he rehabilitates his calf injury Ateam spokesman described Pulisic as “day to day” after his second straight day doing individual workouts while his teammates practiced at the U.S. training base in Orange County.The Americans’ next game is against Australia in Seattle on Friday

Pulisic was limited to one half of action in theAmericans’ World Cup-opening4-1 victoryover Paraguay last Friday at SoFi Stadiumin Inglewood, California.

The AC Milan forward was stellar in the ﬁrst match of his second World Cup. He recorded an assist on Folarin Balogun’sfirst goal, and he caused an own-goal by Paraguay with hisplaymaking from relentlessruns down the left side of the U.S. attack. Pulisic was kicked in the back of his left calf during training last week, and he was removed from the win over Paraguay at halftime when he felt stiffness. The U.S. was already ahead 3-0 after its highest-scoring half in aWorld Cup match.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino described the decisionto shorten Pulisic’sappearance as precautionary

ROUNDUP

NORWAY4,IRAQ1: In Foxborough, Massachusetts, Erling Haaland scored hisfirst twoWorld Cup goals, including one off adefensive blunder,in histournament debut Tuesday to propel Norway past Iraq in Group I. It was the 56thand 57th international goalsfor the Manchester City striker and came in Norway’s ﬁrst appearance in the tournament since reaching the round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup in France two years before Haalandwas born.

LeoOstigardadded thethird goal in the76th minute off acorner kick from Martin Odegaard. An own-goal by Iraq forward AymenHussein just beforethe ﬁnalwhistle sounded completed

Norway’sscoring. Iraq briefly equalized justnine minutesafter Haaland’s first strike on agoal by Hussein ButHaaland putthe Norwegians in front for good just beforehalftimewhen he snuck in front of a poor back pass to Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan. Haalandbeat himto the ball,preempting his attempted clearance, andthenusedhis shin to put theball in theback of the net. Haaland’sfirst goal,which came in the 29th minute,cameoff a cross intothe box from David Moller Wolfe. Haalandslidand usedhis right heel to finish it off. It ignited waves of cheers from the Norway supporters, who dominatedthe stands clad in redasthey broke out in synchronized Viking row chants Iraq,playing in the World Cup

for just the secondtime after debuting in 1986, held its ownwith a sizeable contingent of supporters that was mostly concentratedbehind oneofthe goals. That energy helped Iraq briefly getback into the game. It came in the 38th minute when AmirAlammari corralled aball on the baseline halfwaybetween the left corner and the goal and fired a cross in front of the net. It eluded Norway’s defenders, allowing Hussein to punch aclean header that bouncedunderthe hand of diving goalkeeper OrjanNyland to even thescore at 1-1. It was Hussein’s34thinternational goal for Iraq. That includes his winning goal against Bolivia in Iraq’sfinal World Cupqualifying match in April that gave the country the final spot in the 48-team tournament field.

MLBballparks afriendlyneighbortoCup

BY STEPHENHAWKINS Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas When St.Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol sawhis team had an unusualSaturdayoff during the season, and in the middle of aseries, he had one question:“Can Imake it to the soccer game?”

Not just anysoccer game. A World Cup match

Theinternational soccer tournament, held everyfour years, is ongoing at 16 sitesinthe United States, Canada and Mexico. Those include 11 marketsthat arealso home to acombined 13 Major League Baseballteams.

KansasCity, wherethe Cardinals open athree-game series Thursday,ishosting sixWorld Cupmatches at the NFL stadium in the same complex withthe Royals’ ballpark. The Cardinalsand Royals will beoff Saturday,when Ecuador plays Curaçao.

“That is the goal, yes,” Marmol said when asked if he wasgoing to that match

Royalsfirst baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and his wife, who played soccer at Old Dominion, plantobethere.

“It’sstrange, but it’sspecial circumstances,” Pasquantino said “It’s awesome that Kansas City got access to World Cup games. So, however many years until the United States hostsagain, we’ll be all rightwithsome offdayslike that.”

WorldCup matches arebeing played in the United States for the ﬁrst timesince 1994.

Gettingtheir kicksinTexas

Atournament-high nine matches are being played at AT&T Stadium,the home of theNFL’s Dallas Cowboys that is adjacent to Globe LifeField. The neighboring Texas Rangers will host two split series but also have aMondayoff between homeseries on July 6, the

day of around of 16 match.

Texasisnow in athree-game series against Minnesota that will finish Thursday, after apause Wednesdaywhenpowerhouse England plays itsCup opener against Croatia.

“It’saonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson,who played soccer as akid in California. TheRangers completeda road tripSunday in Boston,withthousandsofScottishfanschantingand singing at Fenway Park thenight after Scotlandwon theopenerof itsﬁrst WorldCup appearance in 28 years. That winover Haitiwas at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles away

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said thepresenceofthe Tartan Army made it feel like a European soccergame.Heand members of his staff nowwantto attend the World Cup. “Itwas so much funthatonthe

off day themajority of our staffis trying to ﬁnd away to get tickets to go to agame that they know really nothing about because of the atmosphere that wassoincredible,” Schumaker said.“Thepassion was insane.”

In Philadelphia, the Phillies will be off Fridayduring their home series against the New York Mets sinceBrazil plays Haitiatnearby Lincoln Financial Field. Like the Rangers, Royalsand SeattleMariners,the home of the Phillies is next to an NFLstadium hosting some of the 104 matches during thenearly six-week tournament.Those stadiumsall have shared parking lots. Texasand Kansas Cityare off for round of 32 Cup matches on July 3, aFriday.The Rangers will have already opened aseries against Detroit,while the Royals wait to start an unusual Saturday through Monday series against the Phillies

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANK FRANKLIN II

France’sKylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal for his team during the WorldCup Group I match between France and Senegal on TuesdayinEast Rutherford,N.J

Breaking para good indicator of atough test at U.S. Open

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y Even at Shinnecock Hills, one of America’s toughest courses preparing to host golf’s toughest test, one has to wonder what Arnold Palmer might say about winning aU.S. Open.

If players back in Palmer’s primefelt 280 was good enough to winthe U.S. Open, should it not be lower now? Scores have been coming down as long as golf has been played, part of the evolution of golf and other sports.

par.But it has to be stout.”

It was in 1960 at CherryHills when Palmer was seven shots behind going into the final round. Before heading to the first tee, where the King famously drove the first green, he turned to Bob Drum of the Pittsburgh Press and said: “What if Ishoot 65?Doesn’t280 always winthe Open?”

Palmer shot 65,ﬁnished at 280 and won the U.S. Open.

The standard has improved mightily in the six decades since then. Players havenever been betterequipped throughall facets of technology.They are bigger and stronger.Yes, these guys aregood.

Good enough to break par, even at aU.S. Open.

That’swhat annoyed TomKite when he played the 2004 U.S Open at Shinnecock Hills. Kite madeitthrough a36-hole qualiﬁer at age 54 and then made the cut. But he shot 84 in the ﬁnal round,aday when no onebroke parand the average score was 78 7.

“We’ve got the best players in the world, and if they can’tshoot under par,it’sgot to be out of control,” Kite said that day.“Any golf course should give up a65, 66 or 67 every day.Ifitdoesn’t give up that kind of score, it’s over the edge.” Retief Goosen found away Someone always does. Goosen shot 4-under276 to winby two over Phil Mickelson, whoremains the only player to ﬁnish under par at Shinnecock without winning.

Kite, however,raised an interesting point considering the standard of play,which is even greater now than it was 22 years ago.

That’snot to say 280 doesn’t always winthe U.S. Open. Brooks Koepka won at 281 when it was last held at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, which was more aproduct of how the course was set up on a Saturday that got out of control Mickelson featured that year,too, swatting amoving golf ball on the 13th green in abizarre protest. Given thestern test the U.S. Open should be, and considering thestandard of the modern golfer,what kind of score should win, barring unforeseen or overly harsh conditions?

“Generally, Iwould say for a very hard golf course, 5to10 under is areally good test of golf at the hardest level,” Adam Scott said Tuesday.“Iwould think with the standard today,the best player out there is going to beat par.”

That doesn’tmean there isn’t apremium on par.That’strue at most U.S. Opens, depending on thewindand sometimes the rain.

Rory McIlroy holds the scoring record of 268 on arain-softened Congressional course in 2011.

“Generallyspeaking, they absolutely shouldbreak par,” said two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange, putting the score of aproper test somewhere between 5- and 7-under par.“If it’sa fair,tough test, it shouldbeunder par.”

Andy North, another two-time U.S. Openchampion, said a275 or 276 “and I’d be really happy.”

GeoffOgilvywon his U.S. Open in 2006 at Winged Foot —another NewYork beast —and is the last player to win an Open without breaking par in any round. He ﬁnished at 5-over 285 and won whenMickelson made double bogey

Doesn’t—pick anumber —always winthe U.S. Open?

“Separating the ﬁeld is agood test,” Ogilvycountered. “I wouldn’tlook at score relative to

Aronimink wasastout test forthe PGA Championship last month with its contoured greens andtough pin positions. But it lacked separation until the ﬁnal day when Aaron Rai shot 65 and wonbythree shots.

“Pebble Beach in 2000 was perfect,” Ogilvy said. “Because it found the best player in history playing the best he ever played.”

That was Tiger Woods winning at 12-under 272 —tying the scoring record at the time —and winning by 15 shots because no one else broke par.Noone else was close in the game back then.

The players are sure to be tested at Shinnecock, and it’sa big test for the USGA, too. The last two times at Shinnecock are remembered as muchfor what went wrong as who gotitright.

The seventh green had to be doused with water between groups in 2004 or they would have had to stop play.That was the day no one broke par and 28 players didn’tbreak 80.

The pin positions combined with bakedgreens and strong wind ledtothe debacle in 2018 on Saturday.Tony Finau and Daniel Berger started 11 shots behind and wound up tiedfor the lead. The onlythree players who broke par ﬁnished before the leaders teed off.

The USGA is being cautious this week, keeping Shinnecock and its exposed greens as hydrated as possible to account for strong wind anticipated later in the week. It’sachallenge to get it right, especially after the last two times.

“I think it’shard to set agolf course up fairly and par would be the winning score today —maybe there are afew courses that can happen at,” Scott said.

Shinnecock comes to mind.

“Here the wind is the biggest factor.It’sabit more like an Open Championship, so Ithink that’stothe USGA’s advantage,” he said. “Because they can have the wind determine ascore, and it’snot really on them and their setup.”

BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter

Even at acombined ageof90, opponents should stillbewary of facing the Williams sisters at Wimbledon.

Serena and VenusWilliams won acombined 21 titlesonthe storied grassofthe All England Club in theirsingles and doubles careers and now they’re going forone more. Adoubles wild card invitation for the sisters was announced on TuesdaybyorganizersofWimbledon, whichstarts in less thantwo weeks.

The move comes after 44-yearold Serena recently returned to competition after nearly fouryears away from professional tennis.

Venus,who hasstill been competingsporadically,turns 46 on Wednesday

The sisters have won14Grand Slam titles together in doubles, including sixatWimbledon —the ﬁrst of them in 2000 andthe last in 2016. Their ﬁrst two doubles titles at Wimbledon,in2000 and 2002, cameaswild cards.

In all, theirrecords at theAll England Club look like this:Seven singlestitlesfor Serenaand five singles titlesfor Venus at Wimbledon; thosesix Wimbledon doubles titles together; amixed doubles title for Serena with MaxMirnyi at Wimbledon in 1998; plus asingles goldmedal for Serena at the 2012 London Olympics andadoubles gold for thesisters at thesame Games. Count ‘em up anditmakes for21trophiesand medals —because their powerful serves always did more damageongrass than any other surface.

With their sixtitles, the Williams sistersshare therecordfor most trophies as apairinwomen’s doubles at Wimbledon with Suzanne Lenglenand Elizabeth Ryan, who wonfive consecutive titlesfrom 1919 to 1923 anda sixth in in 1925.

The Williams sisters last played doublestogether at the2022 U.S. Open, where they lost their opening match. That wasthe ﬁrst time theyplayed doubles together in 4

1/2 years. In herfirst competition since 2022, Serena won her doubles matchwith partnerVictoria Mboko at Queen’s Club in London lastweek andthenthe pair hadtowithdraw after Mbokoinjuredher kneeina singles match At the Berlin Open on Tuesday, Serenaand Muchova were beaten 6-4, 6-4byGiuliana Olmos andErin Routliffe.

Singleswildcardspotleftopen

Serena hasnot ruled outa return in singles,too, and one of the eight wild card spots for women’ssingles was left as “tobeannounced.”

Recent French Open ﬁnalistMaja Chwalinska received asingles wild card, as did six British women: Harriet Dart, Alicia Dudeney,Hannah Klugman,Mika Stojsavljevic, Katie Swan, andMimi Xu. Wawrinka,Dimitrovand Kyrgios

Men’s singleswild cardswentto StanWawrinka andGrigorDimitrov and fourBritish players: Jacob Fearnley,Arthur Fery,Jack Pinnington Jones andTobySamuel. Wawrinka, athree-time Grand Slam champion whose best result at Wimbledon wasreachingthe quarterﬁnals twice, plans to retire at the endofthe year

Dimitrov ledeventualchampion Jannik Sinner twosetstononein theround of 16 last year before having to retire early in thethird due to an injured pectoral muscle. Dimitrov is nowrankedNo. 169. Twomore men’ssingles wild cardswere also left open In men’s doubles, awild card went to thepairingofAlexander Bublik andNickKyrgios. Kyrgios was asinglesfinalist in 2022. Matteo Berrettini, aWimbledon finalist in 2021, was left off thelist despite aquarterfinal appearance at the French Open.He’sranked No.49but was ranked outsidethe top100 when Wimbledon’sentry list was established. Still, Berrettini could getdirect entryinto the main drawdepending on withdrawals. Wimbledon startsJune 29.

LIVING

Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT

SneakerFest returning to BR in July

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand reﬁned tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

Newfood on theblock

Caroline’sCookies and Gail’sFine Ice Cream are teaming up to bring three summer ﬂavorstothe menu at Gail’s, 3025 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge: n Biscoff Bliss: Biscoff ice cream loadedwith Caroline’s Biscoff cookie dough n Big TopBirthday: pinkice cream withCaroline’scircus cookie, white chocolate chips and sprinkles

n Cookies on Cookies: Oreo ice cream with Caroline’sdouble-stuffed cookies

Gail’sFine Ice Cream, 3025 Perkins Road

In theknow

Get ready for Summer Restaurant Week,scheduled for July 20-25 in Baton Rouge. Some of the participating restaurants include Jed’sLocal, Soji, Drago’s SeafoodRestaurant, The Gregoryand Rouj Creole.

Tryhappy hour at Southdowns Grille,4205 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge. From 3p.m. to 6p.m Tuesday through Friday,the happy hour food menu offers $8 crawﬁsh grilled cheese, $9 barbecue pulled pork sandwich, $7 chips and dip, $7 fries and a$21 Southdowns sampler Mark your calendar

Flavors of Louisiana:10a.m. to 4p.m. Sunday,June 28, at Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. Fourth St., Baton Rouge Flavors of Louisiana is an event that celebrates food, music and community with an “Anything Over Rice” cook-off, tastings, live musicand aLouisiana vendor marketplace. Tickets start at $5 for museum membersand $10 forgeneral admission, available for purchase at capitolparkfriends.org/fola. Proceeds supportthe Friendsof the Capitol Park Museum. Baton RougeSneaker Fest:1 p.m. Saturday,July11, at Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 GoodwoodBlvd.,Baton Rouge

Make plans for Sneaker Fest, aday of culture, fashion, music, food and family fun

This free, community-centered event welcomes sneaker lovers, families, friends and supportersfrom across the city. The event will include food vendors, merchandisevendors, akids zone, live entertainment and afashion show

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, email lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.Cheers!

Eating good

TBY MADDIE SCOTT

Staff writer

he food truck hadn’topened yet, andthere wasalready alineformingoutside on a Friday in May at MaryBird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge.

Customers knewtoarrive early at FatElbows Southern Cuisine &Catering, afoodtruck voted this year as Baton Rouge’s best Black-owned restaurant, food truckand catfishinthe newspaper’sBestofBaton Rouge awards It’s afamily-ownedbusiness where every member has arole. On May 22, there was acrewof five, including Andrea Rankins, co-owner and mom, but customers know her as Ms. Anna or Sugar Mama. Workingbyher side was husband John Rankins, nicknamed Big John or Paw-Paw

The couple has four adult children, including AngelSmith, who creates allthe sauces andseasonings,such as their signature seasoning,called Angel Dust. Their son (and Smith’sbrother) John “Junior” Rankins staffed thefryer,and being engine savvy meanshehelps ﬁx the truck when it has issues.

“Let metell you about our customers,” Andrea Rankins said. “We have the absolutebest customers. Oh my goodness, youwould not believe. That’s what we callthem —the fatty family.”

Customer Tasha Bickham was the second customer in line that day at Mary Bird Cancer Center waitingwhile the greasewas still getting hot

She ordered the fried porkchop and jambalaya, but herfavorite dish is the award-winning catﬁsh basket. There’sadifferent food truck in theparking lotofher workplace every Friday,and she said it’s atreat to have Fat Elbows there.

Menu rundown

Baton Rouge

The menurotation sticks to soul food andSouthern comfort classics. Think Louisiana catfish or jumbo shrimp baskets served with fries; jambalaya next to mac andcheese, yams andcabbage (a popularside) cooked with smoked pig tails; or fried pork chops on top of rice.

AndreaRankins’ favoritedish on themenurotation is arecipe

“They arevery personable,” Bickham said.“They are very attentive andmake sure you get exactlywhatyou need,and they overpower the plates. Youcan’task for nothing more.”

STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Andrea ‘Sugar Mama’ Rankins,from left, ‘Big’John Rankins, Angel Smith and John Rankins stand next to Fat Elbows food truckonMay 22 in Baton Rouge.

Oneplate of fried catfish, shrimp and fries and another of mac and cheese, collard greens, yams and baked chickenatFat Elbows food truck.

by Smith, aseafood lasagna with cream sauce,white lump crabmeat, Louisiana crawfish tailsand shrimp. On lasagna days, they also servetraditionalbeeflasagna for folks who have seafood allergies.

“Wehate to give you one of those little skinny plates,” she said. “If you’re goingto pay $20 for aplate, we want to make sure it’senough.”

Their motto goes: “If the elbows notfat, send that plate back.”

Despite each plate’sbig portions, you’ll simply have to find room for dessert. It’sthat good. They offer cheesecake with caramel drizzle, peach cobblerand banana pudding (the most popular dessert). If you’re digging for something deeper,get the bread pudding deep-fried and drizzled with white chocolate rum sauce.

“With those cheesecakes, you can put so many different things on top of them,” Andrea Rankins said. “So today,Ihave fresh blackberries and strawberries, but you can have blueberries. Anything. We got caramel, chocolates, Snickers bars, Hershey bars. And sometimes people come to the truck, andthey’relike, ‘Make me one of everything.’”

Andrea Rankins learned how to cook from watching her motherand grandmother in the kitchen. They measured with their hearts, so with sugar or seasoning, they keep tasting it until it’s

cooked for all the children, and when therewas surplus, the children weresent home with plates for thefamily.Oftentimes, families weresent chicken alfredo, greens and redbeans and rice.

later,Fat Elbows was born in 2022. In 2026, thebusinesswon several awardsinBest of Baton Rouge, alocal contest where voters cast their pick across several categories.

Fat Elbows was recognized as the best Black-ownedrestaurant, best food truck and best catfish. Theyplaced in several morecategories, including second-best chicken, second-best sandwich and third-best catering business.

“Wepray before we get on that truck in the morning,” Andrea Rankins said.

“I bless that food before I serve you any of it. We put God ﬁrst before everything we do,every decision that we make.”

To ﬁndout whereFat Elbows is located on acertain day,customers can check their InstagramorFacebook accounts, which is where they post theirweekly schedules and menus.

Thedream Andrea Rankins says she loves seeing people’sfaces light up when they open their plates. Her dream is to open asmallcafe where she knowsthe name of every customer

“I would love acafe,” she

said. “A small cafe. Nothing too big. I’m thinking mom and pop. I’m not talking aboutGoldenCorral.I still want to know my people by name.”

Thefamily bondsover cooking. They’ll have omelet night with 10 dozen eggs, 20 different ingredients and all eyes on the stoveskillets. Thereare taconights, poboynightsand saladnights, which Andrea Rankins swooned at the mention of.

“Oh, salad night,” she said.

“You got steak, chicken, shrimp. Different lettuces and tomatoes.You name it, and it’sjust all the way across the table.”

These occasions give everyone achancetocome together and enjoy themselves, Smith said. Sometimes there’samovie in the background, but no one really watches it. They’re all talking, laughing, eating and having agood time.

“When we get in the kitchen,” Smith said, “and we just startexperimentingwith stuff,that’slike therapy.”

enough,she said And thatpracticestill rings true todayatthe food truck.

“My grandmother was old school,”she said. “Never measured anything.You just hadtowatch.”

Howitstarted

Before Fat Elbows, the family ran adaycare that operated for 30 years called HeavenSentChildcare. They

“I knew everybody was crazy aboutred beans,” Andrea Rankins said. “I would just fixextra,because I knew when they’d pick (the children) up, they’d ask,‘Ms. Anna, do you have anything extra today?’

“The parentsused to say that was the only daycare they knewtheir kids were eating real food,” John Rankins said. Legacy is important to AndreaRankins and her husband, andtheywanted a business that theirchildren could take over one day.One repurposed Frito-Lay truck

Fish limone from LittleVillageindowntownBatonRouge

BEST

Continued from page1D

spotlighted much of what I love about Pamplona, which is their emphasis on unique dishes prepared with alot of care. Idecided to havea cocktail as wellthis night, and went withaSidecar, which was so delicious and also arefreshing way to bring in asummer evening

—Joanna Brown, staff writer Fish limone

n LittleVillage, 447 N. Third St., Baton Rouge

Lafayette

It was my ﬁrst time at Little Village. Iwent to the downtown location, and I

had to start withthe famed bread that everybody talks about. It was delicious, and Iunderstand the hype. Buttobehonest, Ienjoyed my entree even more.

Iordered thefish limone, tilapia seasoned and grilled with alemon butter sauce, and it was served on abed of garlic mashed potatoes There’ssomething about thebursting flavor from lemony,butteryfish that hitsthe markevery time. Samething withgarlic mashed potatoes. The two together are aheavenly union.

—Maddie Scott, features reporter

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN The carrot and pistachio soup special from Pamplona Tapas Bar in

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIESCOTT

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER

Siblings wantparents to transfer assets

Dear Harriette: As my parents get older,they are focusing more on organizing their affairs and estate planning. With that comes some tough decisions. Iamthe oldest of four children, and naturally,myparents default to me for certain things. When we were growing up, my parents acquired several properties, and they purchased them in my name and my siblings’ namesinbirth order(so the ﬁrst home was mine, the second was for the second

child and so on). So now we are each fortunate to have at least one home inour names. My parents recently satmedown for ahardconversation, admitting to me that my siblings don’ttrust me to be in charge should our parentspassaway, andthey have asked that myparents transfer someof their assets out of my name. Iamshockedand appalled. ShouldIconfront my siblings, or simply prove to my parents that Iamca-

pable of leading? —Birthright

Dear Birthright: First,talk to your parentsand ask them what they think. Askfor an honest assessment of this request,and be prepared to listen. Do aself-evaluation: How well do you manage money,including your personal ﬁnances,your home, etc.? Do your siblings have alegitimate reason to want to takethis responsibility away from you?

Also, if theassets are to be divided in aparticular way,why can’tthat be set up speciﬁcally in your parents’ will or trust so that

each of you has adirect line to whatever should be rightfully yours after they pass? Trynot to take this request too personally as you also look toimprove your behavior and avoid a rift among your siblings.

Dear Harriette: When my husband and Igot married and moved in together 58 years ago, Ihad the same issue as theletter writer from “Boys House.” Ifound myself picking up everything, putting everything away and keeping thehouse clean and tidy while alsodoing my own work. Iﬁnally

decided that an object lesson was needed in order to equalize responsibilities and maintain atidy home. For one week, Ipicked up everything of mine and nothing of his. On Saturday (cleaning day), Iopened the morning discussion with “I have an idea: I’ll pick up all of my stuff and you pick up all of your stuff.” He thought that wasagreat idea. He got busy,and Isat down. Lesson learned. All these years later,heisthe neat one, and sometimes Iwould like to leave something lying around! He took the lesson

to heart, and we have avery, very clean and tidy home. Just saying —Lesson Learned Dear Lesson Learned: Thanks forsharing your story! Yes, teaching by example is often abetter way of handling achallenge than fussing about it. Your strategy showed your husband what he wasdoing, and he made the smart decision to step up. Let’shope that reading this story will inspire others to do the same. Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

Tips on wringing outand drying handwashed clothes

Dear Heloise: People have written to you with tips on how to dry clothes that you have handwashed (usually while traveling), but there’sone step that most people don’tseem to know about. After you wash clothes (and I’ve read that using shampoo is generally better than soap for this purpose), wring them out as hard as you can, then roll them up in atowel.

Most people might know about these steps, but the key next step is to then walk on the folded-up towel, ﬂip it over,and walk on the other side as well. The body weight of walking on the towel really gets agreat deal of moisture out of the clothing, and it dries much faster! Iread about this tip several years ago, and we’ve used it frequently when we travel.

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, June 17, the 168th day of 2026. There are 197 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On June 17, 1994, after leading police on aslowspeed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of his ex-wife,Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was acquitted of the murders in acriminal trial in 1995, but held liable in acivil trialin1997.)

Also on this date: In 1775, the Revolutionary WarBattle of Bunker Hill resulted in acostly victory for the British, who sufferedheavy losses. In 1885, the Statue of Liberty,disassembled and packed into214 separate crates, arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French frigate Isère.

In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington (Pennsylvania) School District v. Schempp, struckdown, 8-1, rules requiring the recitation of the Lord’sPrayer

Also, when trying to keep dish sponges clean, Ialso readmanyyears agoto just put your sponge on the top rack of thedishwasher when you run it. It certainly helpsclean and sanitize the sponge or dishcloth!Thanks for yourhints. I’ve read yourcolumn since Iwas alittle girl,and nowI’m agrandmother! —Susan, in Charlottesville,Virginia Freezing chips

Dear Heloise: I’ve been sealing my chipsand crackersin bags, which Ithen put in the freezer.They last formonths without going stale by using this method of storage. Gayle L.,in Hastings,Nebraska Flying with e-cigarettes

Dear Heloise: Travelingcan be stressful. Thereare so many thingstomanage before you even reachthe

departure gate, and the last thinganyone needs is to be stopped because of an item that seemed completely harmless to pack. Butsome everyday items come with strict aviation rules that manytravelerssimply aren’taware of. Not knowing them can mean having your luggage opened, gettingitems removed,and facing delays that were entirely avoidable. What’s theitem? The item is avape or e-cigarette. Small and personal, it’s thekind of thing that gets tossed intoasuitcase without asecond thought. Butthe Federal Aviation Administration has had aﬁrm rule in place since 2016: Vapes, e-cigarettes, and spare lithium batteries must be carried in carry-on luggage only.They aren’t permitted in checked baggage under any circumstances, regardless of the airline or the airport. —Dani-

TODAYINHISTORY

or thereadingof biblical verses in public schools.

In 1972, PresidentRichard Nixon’s eventualdownfall began with thearrest of ﬁveburglars inside the Democratic National Committeeheadquarters in Washington, D.C.’s, Watergatecomplex

In 2008,hundreds ofsamesex couples gotmarried across California on the ﬁrst full day that same-sex marriagebecamelegal by order of the state’shighest court; an estimated 11,000 samesexcouples would be married underthe California lawinits ﬁrst threemonths

In 2015, nine Black worshippers were killed when a gunman opened ﬁre during aBible studygathering at EmanuelAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. (Dylann Roof, aWhite supremacist, was captured the next day; he would be convicted on state and federal murder and hatecrime charges and sentenced to death.)

In 2021, PresidentJoe Biden signed theJuneteenth National Independence DayAct into law,creatingthe ﬁrst new national

holiday since theestablishmentofMartin Luther King

Jr.Day

Today’sbirthdays: Filmmaker Ken Loach is 90. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is 83. Musician Barry Manilow is 83. Comedian Joe Piscopo is 75. Actor Jon Gries is 69. Filmmaker Bobby Farrelly is 68. Actor Thomas Haden Church is 66. Actor Greg Kinnear is 63. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Dan Jansen is 61. Fashion designer Tory Burch is 60. Actor Jason Patric is 60. Actor-comedian Will Forte is 56. Latin pop singer-songwriter Paulina Rubio is 55. Tennis Hall of Famer Leander Paes is

elle P.,via email

Danielle, we’ve received several letters on this subject recently.Thank you for reminding our readers about packing e-cigarettes in their checked luggage. —Heloise Replacingglass windows

Dear Heloise: In regards to Jacqueline, who recently wrote about spots on a double-pane window that wouldn’tcome off, Ithink theissue is that moisture has gotten between the two panes of glass. When insulating glass is manufactured, theair space is ﬁlled with argon gas.

Over time, mostly from unknown reasons, theseal will fail, the gas will escape, and the air space gets ﬁlled withambient air that contains moisture. Over time, thespotsand discoloration will increase. The only option is to replace the glass. My commentscome from 26 years of working

53. Tennis star Venus Williams is 46.

Hints from Heloise

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A personal change awaits you. Start conversations withpeoplewhohavesomethingtooffer, or those in an authoritative position who can guide you forward, making sure you understand the rules and regulations.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Set priorities and high standards, and follow through with your plans. Dreaming is not the same as delivering. Don't limit what you can do because you are too busy trying to get even with someone.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Gather information and participate, and you'll broaden your comprehension of what's possible and expandyourplanstomeetyourdemands. You are overdue for a change.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Keep busy, catch up and make room for the people and pastimes that make you happy. Expand your interests and your vision, and test your strengths and weaknesses.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Attending social events, engaging in flirtatious banter and exploring the possibilities of forming a unique partnership with someone who has as much to offer as you do will inspire you to gain momentum.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Refuse to let trivial matters, gossip or emotional conversationsstandinyourwayorruinyour day. Put your energy into research and expanding your knowledge, experience and connections to those who have something to offer.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) By directing your energy into lifestyle improvements and a less indulgent and more rhythmic

and regimented routine, you'll begin to makesteadygainsthatboostyourawareness regarding what's possible.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Open conversations that offer insight into what you can do and what you want to do, and you'll gain insight into options you hadn't considered. Go directly to the source to bypass setbacks.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Emotions will surface, but progress can and will be made. Be receptive to change and ready tocompromisetoensureeverythingruns smoothly. Keep the momentum flowing and your eyes on your goal.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Consider what's available to you, but take a wait-and-see approach to initiating change. Put your energy into expanding your interests, skills and association with people heading down a similar path.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) A change of plans will play in your favor. Engage in projects that encourage you to be the best versionofyourself.Network,takealeadership position and market yourself for success.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Prepare to take care of minor details when you're put on hold, and make the most of your time. An opportunity to improve your surroundings, living arrangements or lifestyle is worth checking into.

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

ToDAy's cLuE: J EQuALs n

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

peAnUtS zItS FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

This week we are studying “finessing against partner” by third hand. This happenswhenthatdefenderplaysacard lower than his highest. This was the rule I gave yesterday: When dummy has one honor, third hand holds a higher honor, and dummy plays low, (normally) third hand saves his honor when he can insert a nine or higher. However, as you know, there always seem to be exceptions to the rule The most common is highlighted by today’s deal.

South is in four spades. West leads the club three. What should happen?

North made a game-invitational limit raise, promising at least four-card spade support with 10-12 support points (highcard points plus short-suit points) and eight losers (here, two spades, one heart twodiamondsandthreeclubs) Southhas just enough to try for the game bonus.

West’s normal lead is a low club. It is true that if this saves declarer a guess in the suit, a trump start would probably have been safer. But usually it is better to defend actively, not passively.

If East puts in his club nine at trick one, declarer will win with his 10 and drive out the spade ace. East can then return a low club, but South will put up his king, knowing that West wouldn’t lead away from an ace at trick one. Declarer would lose only one spade, one heart and one club.

Let’s go back to the first trick and have East win it with his club ace, then lead back the nine (the higher of two remaining cards). Now South must lose one spade, one heart and two clubs. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’s WoRD — cATIons: KAT-eye-uns: Positively charged ions.

Average mark 25 words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find 33 or more words in CATIONS?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — ZIRconIA

today’s thought “Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 Being a Christian is a full commitment to Jesus. G.E. Dean

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

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be obtained from Port of SouthLouisiana 1720 Highway44, Reserve, Louisiana70084, www portsl.com or www.cen tralbidding.com. Sealed Proposalsmay be hand-delivered or mailed to thePortofSouth Louisianaatthe abovenamedaddressmarked: Attention: JuliaFisher Cormier, ExecutiveDirec‐tor, “AsNeeded/OnCall” FEMA GrantManagement andAdministrationSer‐vicesorsubmitted elec‐tronically at www.central bidding.combynolater than Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. CentralTime. ThePortofSouth Louisianareservesthe righttocancelthe solici‐tation or reject anyand allproposals Port of SouthLouisiana JuliaFisher- Cormier ExecutiveDirector 189310-jun3-10-17-3t

measures 2. 32 chains andrunning in depth to Section103, containing twenty-five (25) acres. Together with allthe buildingsand im‐provements thereon, and allthe rights,waysand privilegesthereuntoap‐pertaining 2. 1stLot 16 on said plan measuring2.20chains frontbya depth between parallel linestocommon road containing twentyfive (25) acres, 2ndLot 16 starting at Section103, containing25acres,to‐gether with allthe build‐ings andimprovements thereon, andall the rights,ways, andprivi‐legesthereuntoapper‐taining. LESS AND EXCEPT: Acertain tractorparcel of land,together with all thebuildings andim‐provements thereonsitu‐ated in theParishof Iberville, designated on a Survey entitled “MAP SHOWINGTHE REMOVAL OF TRACTA (1.045 AC.) FROM THEEASTERN POR‐TION OF ALARGERTRACT OF LAND KNOWNAS LOTS 15 &16(DIVISION OF MARENGOPLANTA‐TION)FOR JACKIE LEJE‐UNE, SECTION71, T7S, R9E, IBERVILLEPARISH, LOUISIANA” prepared by CharlesR.St. Roman, PLS, Reg4415 datedAu‐gust 28,2008 andoriginal is attached hereto and made apartthereof MunicipalAddress: 12830 Highway76, Maringouin LA 70757 Anyheirorcreditor who opposesthe pro‐posedsalemust file his/heropposition within 7daysfromthe date on which thelastpublica‐tion of this notice

NOTICE REQUESTFOR PROPOS‐ALS“AS NEEDED/ON CALL”FEMAGRANT MAN‐AGEMENTAND ADMINIS‐TRATIONSERVICES Port of SouthLouisiana invitesinterestedparties to submit proposalsto provide"As Needed/On Call"FEMAGrant Man‐agementand Administra‐tion Services;these ser‐viceswillbeonan"as needed/oncall" basis. In ordertoeffectively ad‐minister andmanage variousFEMArecovery programsand grant awards that maybe forthcomingasa result of future disaster events hurricanes, stormor flooding, as well as other possible future declared disasters, thePortisso‐liciting proposalsfrom qualified andexperi‐enced firmstoprovide FEMA grantmanagement andadministrationser‐vices. Theproceduresfor the selectionofthis firm will be in accordance with h i

application includingthe record of performanceofapplicant banksinhelping to meet localcreditneeds. You areinvited to submit