Aftermath of tropical storm called worst in living memory
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
SIMMESPORT Patrick Wright stood dismayed at the edge of floodwaters that had just inundated his home in Simmesport along the Atchafalaya River
“We’ve never had anything like this here in our lives,” the at-large alderman said “We don’t know what we’re gonna do.”
It was a sentiment echoed across Avoyelles Parish after sheets of rain triggered what many are calling the worst flooding in living memory
ä Officials monitor rising water levels in St. Landry Parish.
The downpour began early Thursday morning, when remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur stalled over southeastern parts of the parish
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“That band just kind of stayed there,” said Andy Tingler, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Lake Charles.
Between roughly 4 a.m and 3 p.m., the system dumped between 20 to 30 inches of rain in some areas, catching most residents off guard. According to Lafay-
Residents sit on their front porch surrounded by floodwater on Thursday in Simmesport.
ette-based meteorologist Rob Perillo, the numbers point to a potential oncein-1,000-years rainfall event that could break the state’s 24-hour rainfall record.
“The amount of rainfall was simply historic,” said Gov Jeff Landry during a news conference in Mansura on
Friday afternoon. Despite sitting above sea level, lowlying delta communities — including Simmesport, Cottonport, Plaucheville, Moreauville and Lettsworth in northern
ä See FLOODING, page 4A
U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat kills 3 in the Pacific Ocean
Legality of military attack questioned
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON
The U.S. military
attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.
The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterror-
ists” in early September
As with most of the military’s statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water before being struck and bursting into flames.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the
ä See STRIKE, page 4A
LSU, Hyundai to partner in new steel mill
University will train workers for jobs at high-tech facility
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
The $5.8 billion Hyundai steel mill in Ascension Parish will be, by all accounts, colossal. It will import 3.6 million tons of iron ore and produce 2.7 million tons of steel, according to a news release from Louisiana Economic Development It will create 1,300 jobs on the site. It will rely on a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace to melt steel with electrical currents at thousands of degrees Fahrenheit — a far cry from traditional steelmaking.
And now, under a new research agreement announced this week, LSU is throwing its weight behind the mega project. The university will share scientific expertise and resources with the plant that promises to be one of the first in the U.S. to integrate a hightech furnace with a lower carbon footprint into all stages of steel production. And it will help train workers for the jobs the plant needs to run.
“This does represent, I think, a new beginning for us in the research office to sign a master research agreement of this magnitude, of this importance, of this significance,” said Robert Twilley LSU vice president for research and economic development. “It matches our research enterprise, the entire research enterprise of LSU, with one of the largest industrial investments that’s been made in Louisiana.
LSU and Hyundai Steel signed an agreement Tuesday finalizing terms for sponsored research and jointly developed technology for the steel mill, set to begin operation in 2029.
The dollar amount of Hyundai’s investment in the state’s flagship university remains to be determined, LSU officials said.
“If you look over the 10-year time, you could be talking about $50 to $100 million in research that might come up,” LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said. “That would be an aspirational goal for us.”
Republicans running for Senate see positives in Iran accord
Democratic candidates join Cassidy in criticism
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
The two Democrats running to replace U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy have joined him in condemning President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran, while the two Republican candidates have voiced support for the president. Farmer Jamie Davis and business owner Gary Crockett are fac-
ing off in the Democratic runoff on June 27, while U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming go head-to-head in the Republican primary that day The winners will meet in a Nov 3 general election. Trump’s deal calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes 20% of the petroleum liquids consumed worldwide. It also would provide $300 billion
Cassidy
Davis
Letlow
Crockett Fleming ä See PARTNER, page 5A
See DEAL, page 5A
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Residents walk through high water Thursday following heavy rain from Tropical Storm Arthur in Simmesport. A historic rainfall event triggered severe flooding in Avoyelles Parish, displacing residents, damaging homes and prompting emergency rescue efforts.
Biden’s bid to block transcript release halted
A federal judge on Friday rejected former President Joe Biden’s attempt to block the Trump administration from releasing to a conservative group the recordings that Biden made with a ghostwriter
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich found that the public interest in the material outweighed whatever privacy rights Biden had, but she effectively put her ruling on hold for up to three weeks so Biden could appeal.
The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president. Republicans in Congress demanded them after Hur declined to file charges against the then-president.
Biden’s Democratic administration refused to turn over the recordings and transcripts from 2016 and 2017, leading congressional Republicans to hold his attorney general, Merrick Garland, in contempt.
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department authorized the release of the materials. That led Biden last month to sue to seek to block the release to a staffer at the conservative Heritage Foundation who had formally requested the records.
Biden objected to the release as an invasion of privacy, saying the recordings included him discussing sensitive personal matters such as the death of his older son, Beau Biden. But Friedrich found that the administration redacted that material.
U.K.’s PM vows to fight after rival wins election
ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, England
Labour’s Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, won a special election for a seat in Parliament and signaled Friday that he will use it to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the country Starmer said he planned to fight for his job, but a growing number of colleagues urged him to make a dignified exit.
“There is this sense of collective movement,” former Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman told the “Electoral Dysfunction” podcast “Andy Burnham is going to become prime minister Keir Starmer is going to be leaving office.” Burnham decisively won the seat of Makerfield in northwestern England over Rob Kenyon of the anti-immigration party Reform UK. The result cements the status of Burnham, a 56-year-old politician nicknamed the King of the North, as the top contender to replace Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and the country Burnham won almost 55% of the 45,510 votes cast for a field of more than a dozen candidates, over 9,000 more than runner-up Kenyon. Burnham’s acceptance speech left no doubt that he wants to lead the country, and not just be one of the more than 400 Labour lawmakers in the 650-seat House of Commons.
Italy’s PM slams Trump’s claim about photo
ROME The Italian government closed ranks on Friday to slam President Donald Trump over his claim that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested America’s longtime European ally had had enough of Trump’s boasting and criticism. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly canceled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump’s claims “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy
The Foreign Ministry later announced that the business and scientific forum Tajani was to attend in Miami had also been called off. Meloni for her part posted a video calling Trump’s claims “completely fabricated” and expressing astonishment that he would invent such things about an ally “Italy and I do not beg,” she said pointedly
Juneteenth celebrated across the U.S.
Obama’s presidential center opens in Chicago
BY JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press
DALLAS As people gath-
ered across the U.S. to celebrate Juneteenth on Friday, former President
Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama
welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center
Located on a sprawling campus on Chicago’s South Side, the center honoring the nation’s first Black president has been designed to inspire people to make the change they want to see in their own communities. It’s the kind of contemplation that also comes as Americans gather for Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S.
The holiday marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas at the end of the Civil War with an order declaring the state’s enslaved people to be free with “absolute equality.” By then, 2 1/2 years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of enslaved people in the South.
“Juneteenth represents not just a commemoration of the end of slavery but it’s also part of the ongoing struggle for absolute equality and that ideal in American life,” said W. Caleb McDaniel, a Rice University professor and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Sweet Taste of Liberty.”
Obama’s center
The grand opening of
the Obama Presidential Center includes days of events following Thursday’s star-studded dedication ceremony In addition to greeting visitors Friday as the center opened to the public for the first time, the couple also read to children gathered there.
Tyrone Sturgis, 62, said it had been a beautiful experience to see all of the people from different walks of life explore the new presidential center on Friday
“For this center to open on Juneteenth, on the South Side of Chicago, it’s extraordinary, it’s awesome,” he said.
The center’s public opening arrives as a symbolic convergence of legacy and liberation. The nation is deeply divided politically and grappling with renewed questions about the arc of racial progress as the Supreme Court hollowed out the Voting Rights Act, endangering Black
political representation in Congress.
The nearly 20-acre campus includes a museum featuring a life-size replica of the Oval Office, a garden designed by Michelle Obama complete with lettuce and strawberry plants, a professionalgrade basketball court, a picnic area with grills and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library Visitors can experience hightech and hands-on exhibits spanning the campaigns, key moments of Obama’s presidency and life at the White House. The spaces are designed to bring people together on a campus expected to draw as many as 1 million visitors annually, but the center also aims to encourage personal reflection. Louise Bernard, the museum’s director, has said they’re “inviting people to bring change home, however change may be defined,
both small or large.”
The history of Juneteenth
This is the fifth year since Juneteenth was designated as a federal holiday by former President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president. But the celebrations, which began in Texas and then spread across the country have a rich and long history in Black America, with the day often spent gathering for picnics and cookouts.
The holiday a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” — marks the day when U.S Maj. Gen Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Texas port city with the declaration of freedom in General Order No. 3.
As the third year of the Civil War neared, President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring the freedom of “all persons held as slaves” in the
still rebellious states of the Confederacy Though, for many, it did not mean immediate freedom but a promise of liberation, to be secured with a Union victory
“It really required the force of arms and the success of U.S. armies to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation,” McDaniel said.
About six months after Granger’s arrival in Galveston, the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationwide was ratified.
Celebrations this year
Juneteenth’s birthplace is celebrating with a daylong gathering at a Galveston park with music and fireworks, a parade and a worship service in a historic Black church. In nearby Houston there was a lineup of musical artists and a domino tournament at Emancipation Park, established in 1872 by a group of formerly enslaved men.
Hundreds of other cities across the U.S. announced events over the long weekend, including a parade in Atlanta, a bike ride in Los Angeles and a festival on Martha’s Vineyard. People also gathered for community projects to mark the day including a group of schoolchildren in Vermont.
Several cities across the U.S. will host walks named for Opal Lee, the Texas woman who pushed for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday Participants will walk 2 1/2 miles to symbolize the 2 1/2 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to be enforced in Texas. Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” turns 100 this year
2 trains collide north of London, killing at least 1
BY DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press
LONDON Emergency ser-
vices rushed to the scene of a collision between two trains north of London on Friday afternoon that killed at least one person.
A passenger reported that he was thrown forward by the impact then saw fellow travelers with broken bones and bloody injuries.
Both trains were traveling south to London St. Pancras station when they collided outside the town of Bedford around 5:15 p.m., according to information on rail tracking websites. Emergency services deployed a number of resources to the scene including an air ambulance and hazardous incident team from the East of England Ambulance Service.
“We know that a number of people have been injured and one person has very sadly died,” po-
Emergency personnel work Friday on a train on the tracks outside Bedford, England, after a train from Corby to London St. Pancras and another from Nottingham to London St. Pancras collided.
lice said in a statement “A major incident has been declared, and officers are continuing to respond at the scene alongside colleagues from Bedfordshire Police and the local Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services.”
Peter Knapp said he was a passenger in the rear
train when the collision occurred without any warning.
“There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke,” Knapp said. “People were crying, screaming. People were so scared and confused.”
“I got up and I saw a lot
James Burrows, director of TV shows including ‘Cheers’ and ‘Friends,’ dies
BY BETH HARRIS Associated Press
LOS ANGELES James Burrows, who helped create volumes of laughter as director of more than a thousand episodes of such classic television comedies as “Cheers,” “Taxi,” “Friends” and “Will and Grace,” died Friday He was 85.
Few viewers recognized him or knew his name, other than to see it flash quickly on the screen in the opening credits. But they knew his work.
His family confirmed his death in a statement to People, saying he “passed away peacefully today surrounded by his family.” No location or cause of death was provided.
Burrows
Burrows got his start in television relatively late at age 35 in 1974, directing episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” and “Laverne & Shirley.” He co-created “Cheers,” directing 243 of the 273 episodes, as well as all 246 episodes of “Will and Grace.”
Men” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
“When I direct a television show, I try to reach that sweet spot where the best script meets the best performance and the best chemistry between performers,” Burrows wrote in his 2022 memoir “Directed by James Burrows.” ”Hitting that exact moment, where these factors land in combination, results in the sweetest and most enduring laugh.”
of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs,” he added. “And then I managed to get out of the train and because I’m quite thin I was able to squeeze out through the gap in the doors.”
Burrows spent his career behind the camera specializing in situation comedies.
He also helmed multiple episodes of such hits as “Frasier,” “Friends” and “Mike & Molly,” and the pilots of “Two and a Half
His family said, “Burrows understood that great comedy was never simply about laughter It was about humanity, connection, and truth That understanding became the foundation of a career that forever changed television.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed dozens of people, some with bandages but many who appeared uninjured, standing and sitting among emergency vehicles parked on a road that runs parallel to the train tracks.
The RMT union, which represents many railway workers, said it was monitoring the situation and expressed its concern over reports of “serious injuries” sustained by both train staff and passengers.
A person, who declined to give his name, stands for a photo on Friday during a Juneteenth celebration in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
PA PHOTO By JAMIE LASHMAR
Officials: Israel, Hezbollah agree to halt fighting
BY ERIN CUNNINGHAM, JON GAMBRELL and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
JERUSALEM Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed Friday to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed the truce.
It came after a heavy exchange of fire killed 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah and Israel went to war shortly after the outbreak of the wider conflict, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon
The interim agreement to end the Iran war has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed, cutting the global economy off from
significant supplies of oil and natural gas. The deal would also relaunch talks on Iran’s nuclear program, the core issue over which Israel and the U.S. began the war on Feb 28.
But the accord already faces threats, chiefly from Lebanon, with the fighting there leading to a delay in the start of talks planned for Friday in Switzerland. The agreement calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for its sovereignty to be respected. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a party to the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.
Hours after officials told news organizations about the truce, Israeli artillery fire could still be heard from northern Israel along the
damaged in an Israeli strike
Lebanese border, and a large explosion was seen erupting inside Lebanon, according to an AP journalist in northern Israel.
Word of the attempt to halt the fighting came from
two regional officials and a U.S. official. The effort was mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Iran, the regional officials said. The three officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to
The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was supposed to end at 4 p.m. local time, according to a second U.S. official who was not autho-
rized to speak publicly and also spoke on condition of anonymity
A Hezbollah official said an agreement to stop fighting could be announced soon, but he stopped short of confirming it was in place. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly Netanyahu’s office did not immediately comment. However, Netanyahu posted Friday on X that, on his orders, the Israeli army had “struck powerfully” 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the military has not received different instructions from the government. He said Israeli forces were operating in a “forward defense zone” and would continue doing so. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, posted on X that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases hostilities.
BY AAMER MADHANI, JAMEY KEATEN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
ZURICH The American push to quickly begin highstakes talks with Iran hit a snag Friday, just days after the signing of an agreement that opens a two-month window for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and returning oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to prewar levels.
Iranian officials did not travel as planned to Switzerland, insisting that Israeli strikes on Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place, according to three regional officials and a person familiar with the matter. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing mediation to try to get the talks rescheduled and spoke on condition of anonymity The situation was fluid as Israel and Hezbollah agreed on Friday to renew their ceasefire, according to a U.S. official and regional officials. It remains to be seen whether that could help put the U.S.-Iran talks back on track.
In Washington, President Donald Trump lashed out once again in the midst of the intensified fighting in Lebanon and the stalled nuclear talks.
“We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did,” Trump wrote in a social media post Friday “They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!” Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, had been prepared to make an overnight flight to meet with his Iranian counterparts at a mountainside
verberations, said Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities in Washington. She said the U.S. is now “essentially trying to negotiate our way back to the prewar status quo.”
Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House think tank, said the “buoyant” Iranian leadership feels it has the upper hand The endorsement of the talks by the Iranian supreme leader “sends a very strong signal domestically: ‘We’re now on an equal footing with the U.S.’”
rectly and talk about these big issues,’ ” Quilliam said of the Iranians’ thinking. “So it’s intended more for the domestic audience, and telling them: ‘We are firmly in control of this. There can be no protests, no revolution: We are a new regime and we’re staying put.’”
Trump’s conflict that Democrats have largely derided as a foolish gambit. Some hawkish Republicans are aghast that Trump is getting behind a settlement that could put billions of dollars into Iran’s coffers.
resort in the tiny Swiss village of Obbürgen and begin the technical talks.
Vance’s staff and a small group of journalists had gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington in anticipation of the trip.
Dozens of White House officials, advance staffers and more media were already in Switzerland. Then the trip was called off — abruptly and for the time being.
A White House statement said Vance tapped by Trump to lead the negotiations, decided to postpone his travel. It made no mention of the escalating violence in Lebanon.
“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the statement said.
But, according to officials, the Iranians made clear to the White House that they had balked at starting the talks with Vance because of the Israeli action in Lebanon.
While Iranian officials and Vance did not make it to Switzerland Friday, a mediator from the Gulf country of Qatar found his way to the resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, where the U.S.-Iran
talks are to be held. Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met with the Swiss foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis. Vance was initially expected to go to Switzerland to sign the agreement at a formal ceremony Instead, Trump signed the document Wednesday during a glitzy dinner at the Palace of Versailles with French President Emmanuel Macron. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian separately signed the agreement
It says Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under rubble left by U.S. military strikes last year targeting Tehran’s key nuclear sites, must at minimum be diluted under international supervision.
It also says Iran shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons a commitment Tehran has made previously Other commitments remain to be worked out Iranians would be going into the talks with a measure of confidence after effectively shutting down the strait, causing global economic re-
“‘Trump has gone from calling for regime change on Feb. 28 to this: Now they’re going to sit down with us di-
For Vance, a likely 2028 presidential contender, how the negotiations play out could have enormous ramifications for his political fortunes. Vance’s skepticism of foreign wars was a core part of his political identity during his political rise, which included election as a U.S. senator Now he finds himself the chief defender of negotiating an endgame to
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said aspects of the deal are “completely out of step” with Trump’s goals.
Trump fiercely criticized Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions of dollars to the Islamic Republic. The Republican president exited the U.S. from the deal in 2018.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HASSAN AMMAR
Barber Wissam Srour 41, holds his daughter’s bicycle Friday after recovering it from his barbershop in Tyre, Lebanon, which was
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCE CENETA Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters Thursday in
Pointe Coupee Parish — were already saturated from weeks of rain, and their largely bayou-based drainage systems were quickly overwhelmed.
By midmorning Thursday, residents like Daren Wells in Lettsworth were stepping out of bed into standing water Within hours, much of his home and belongings were soaked. Around 30 other homes in the town were flooded, according to Pointe Coupee Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux.
Across the river in Simmesport, residents described a nearly identical timeline.
“It got dramatic fast,” said Simmesport alderman Alvin Dauzat, 69, a lifelong resident. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen. We’re just not equipped for that much water in that short of time.”
Local officials estimate roughly 30% of homes in Simmesport took on water
“It was just call after call,” said Simmesport Police Chief Damien Jacobs
By late afternoon, emergency calls had slowed, and Jacobs shifted to recovery efforts near Town Hall, where owners of a local gas station distributed sandwiches and bananas to residents. First responders waded through waist-deep water to rescue elderly residents Jacobs said. Meanwhile, neighbors with flatboats joined the effort, according to Tiesha Kennedy, a former council member who documented much of the flooding on Facebook Live.
“I know the Cajun Navy can’t get to all of us,” she said. “We had our own Simmesport Navy We were a community when it mattered most.”
With many residents living under the poverty line and lacking flood insurance, Kennedy said recovery could be difficult, though she was hopeful Landry’s emergency declaration would bring relief.
By early evening Thursday, power was restored to most residents, but many
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Continued from page 1A
flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”
roads, yards and homes remained under more than a foot of water
“God knows what could be in this water,” said Simmesport police Officer Eddy Mashni, driving through streets that resembled marsh.
He passed teenagers wading through knee-deep water hours after the storm Headstones at a United Pentecostal Church cemetery barely rose above the water surface. On a porch near Riverside Elementary, a goat stood marooned.
Around 9 p.m. Thursday, a National Guard truck emerged from floodwaters along La. 107 between Cottonport and Plaucheville, two of the hardest-hit communities. Inside were bedridden patients from Avoyelles Manor nursing home in Dupont. Once on higher ground, first responders transferred them by gurney to a fleet of Acadian ambulances. The rain had stopped hours earlier, but the water was still rising.
Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India. Senators on Thursday demanded that the Pentagon release “unedited video” of the strikes. They have drawn intense scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers and military legal scholars. The U.S. military’s first strike in early September drew particular concern from some lawmakers and those who study military law. Two men on the boat initially survived the attack that killed nine others, and they were clinging to the wreckage when the vessel was struck again, killing them. The White House confirmed the follow-up strike, insisting it was done “in self-defense”
Across the parish, Emergency Preparedness Director Joey Frank estimated more than 270 structures sustained major flood damage, with as many as 200 people displaced though both figures remain fluid.
After surveying the damage via helicopter and discussing the storm with the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, Landry said Friday that it would likely meet the threshold for a federal disaster declaration He and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, RBaton Rouge, urged Avoyelles residents to report flood damage to damage. la.gov
More than 24 hours after the storm, as the heat index soared to triple digits, crews from the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office, neighboring parishes, local fire and police departments, the National Guard and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries continued rescue operations. Backwater flooding has
to ensure the boat was destroyed and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.
But some legal scholars said a second strike killing survivors would have been illegal under any circumstance, armed conflict or not.
The Pentagon’s watchdog said in May that it plans to look into whether the U.S. military followed an established targeting framework when carrying out the strikes. However the evaluation is focused specifically on what’s known as the sixphase Joint Targeting Cycle and not on the legality of the strikes, the inspector general’s office said.
worsened conditions in Plaucheville and Dupont, Frank said, and water levels continued to climb in the area on Friday morning. He said no deaths or injuries have been reported, and all remaining nursing home patients have been safely evacuated. The Red Cross is operating an emergency shelter at the Cochon de Lait Center in Mansura.
In Cottonport, as Bayou Rouge began to overflow at the height of the storm, the town’s mayor ordered a cut in a ramp separating it from Bayou Dulac to relieve pressure.
Some officials say the move worsened flooding downstream in Plaucheville and Dupont. Terry Jeansonne, the Cottonport
mayor, defended the decision, saying the ramp was already being overtopped and that cutting it helped prevent a larger surge.
“It is important to understand that this decision was not made lightly,” he wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. “It was made during an emergency with the best information available and with one goal in mind: protecting lives, homes, businesses, farmland and infrastructure.”
By Friday afternoon, first responders were still evacuating residents from homes in Dupont. Point Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Spillman, whose office is assisting with recovery efforts, said water levels had yet to recede and
that his team had evacuated between 20 and 30 people. More rain is expected into Saturday though forecasters say it should not approach Thursday’s totals. Because of the region’s flat terrain, floodwaters could take time to recede, said Tingler from the National Weather Service. Bayous in northern St. Martin and St. Landry parishes may also rise in the coming days, as floodwaters in Avoyelles recede. Landry said the state is deploying mosquito-control measures to curb infestations from standing water and urged residents to avoid traveling at night. “The water is moving a lot slower than I would like,” he said.
Carl Mose sits outside his home surrounded by floodwater on Thursday following heavy rain
Dalton called the deal “the most comprehensive industry agreement partnership in LSU’s history.”
Gov Jeff Landry has championed the project as an economic development win. Records show Louisiana, through the state, Entergy and local governments, offered approximately $2.6 billion in incentives to build the massive steel mill.
The size of those incentives — and the secrecy with which they were negotiated, has drawn some criticism. And some local advocates have raised concerns about the plant’s environmental effects and its impact on the Black community of Modeste.
“LSU students should take note of this as a cautionary tale on how not to do business,” Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said in a statement Tuesday “The state of Louisiana is giving Hyundai $191 million for land and infrastructure, with over a billion dollars more in financial support and tax relief. Now, Hyundai gets to paste its name all over LSU.” Tuesday’s deal irons out intellectual property, publications and other details of the partnership so that LSU can contribute research with commercial application.
“We see this not as a simple agreement but as the beginning of a long-term collaboration built on trust, mutual respect and shared goals,” Hyundai Steel Senior Vice President and R&D Division Head Yoodong Chung said. “Through this partnership, we hope to work closely together in the years ahead, particularly in the field of joint research and development.”
‘Next-generation facility’
The facility will be the first steel plant of its kind in the U.S. using a fully integrated electric arc furnace, or EAF, Hyundai Steel said. EAFs use electric arcs to generate the extreme temperatures needed to melt steel, which occurs at over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
“This next-generation facility will reduce carbon emissions by up to 70% compared to traditional blast furnaces,” local Hyundai Steel spokesperson Blanche Gallagher said in an email.
with the industry, so they will have a large say on these types of projects.”
It also brings the university closer to its goal of becoming a top 50 research spender under the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey, he said. Achieving the informal top 50 distinction has been a major theme of Dalton and LSU system President Wade Rousse’s time in office since they took the helm last November
The deal with Hyundai Steel reflects how universities should approach raising money for research in the current higher education landscape, Twilley said.
to rebuild Iran and at least temporarily lift restrictions on the country’s oil exports that have devastated Iran’s economy
The agreement does not immediately address whether Iran would be able to continue working to develop nuclear weapons.
Trump lavished praise on the accord and said it left him the option to resume bombing Iran if they don’t hold up their end.
Cassidy, however, held nothing back Wednesday in reacting to initial information of the deal. Cassidy has freely expressed his opposition to Trump after losing his reelection campaign in the Republican primary last month, following the president’s endorsement of Letlow
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” Cassidy wrote on X, referring to President Ronald Reagan. “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”
Cassidy continued: “Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive. Now, 13 Americans
Twilley said much of LSU’s research and development for the steel mill will concern how to produce steel with less carbon output.
“That’s one of the first things that we will be working on,” Twilley said.
Inside the partnership
LSU officials noted the agreement allows the corporation and the university to work together efficiently, with concerns such as intellectual property and
While the specific design of this plant is new, electric arc furnaces are playing an increasingly important role in steelmaking they are present in over 70% of steel production in the U.S. today, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
Davis said he and Cassidy don’t agree on many things
“But I do share his concerns,” Davis said in an interview “We are in a worse place than when this mess began. We’ve spent billions on this. The state as a whole has a lot riding on shipping, especially fertilizers for farmers. The deal they tore up was as good or better.
Davis was referring to the 2015 agreement forged by then-President Barack Obama that won the support of Congress. It unfroze $1.7 billion in Iranian funds held in foreign banks and led Iran to remove about 97% of its nuclear stockpile at the time out of the country Trump tore up that deal after he took office.
Crockett, who spent 24 years in the Navy, said in an interview that he agrees with Cassidy.
“This was a complete disaster,” Crockett said. “What Trump has done is a complete surrender, after lies and billions of dollars.”
talent exchange already addressed.
“It frees us and them, frankly, of the fact that they’re large multinational, and we’re a large public entity,” said Greg Trahan, LSU assistant vice president of strategic research partnerships. “Sometimes it’s hard to get those things to unify.”
Twilley said the partnership will allow LSU to bring on additional faculty, launch new academic programs and create student internships affiliated with the steel plant. LSU has identified metallurgy in particular as an area of opportunity, he said.
hope our giving peace a chance makes peace possible.”
Letlow expressed support for the accord.
“President Trump has been clear from the beginning that Iran can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon,” she said in a statement. “I trust President Trump to ensure that any agreement protects American interests, supports our allies and leaves Iran with no path to a nuclear weapon.”
Fleming, in an interview, said what’s been announced leaves several questions unanswered.
“For instance, who is funding the $300 billion? I suspect that it will be mostly the Middle East countries,” Fleming said. “They want this to go through. They want peace.”
Fleming noted that he voted against Obama’s 2015 deal with Iran and believes Trump’s will be better because of the president’s threat to punish the country by resuming attacks.
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Mandeville, offered cautious support for the deal.
“I hope it works out. I’ve got my doubts,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor “I
“He said that if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do, he’ll bomb the hell out of them,” Fleming said. “With Trump staying on Iran, there will be
loss of life in the Middle East, and we’ll have a permanent good outcome. We cannot allow them
“This is mission-oriented research, if you will,” Twil-
ley said. “It’s research to meet the issues associated
“You’ve been hearing about the turbulence that’s happening around getting those grants,” Twilley said. “One of the most important pivots that university research programs need to make is to build that connectivity with industry.”
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton, left, is gifted a stuffed animal Hyundai Steel mascot donning an LSU scarf by Soon-Jae Tae, Ph.D, with Hyundai Steel, following a news conference at LSU on Wednesday.
RENDERING PROVIDED By HyUNDAI STEEL
A rendering of the planned Hyundai Steel mill in Ascension Parish shows the location of the electric arc furnace.
Trumpunveils newAir ForceOne,a convertedQatarijet
BY SEUNG
MIN KIM and MANUEL BALCE CENETA Associated Press
ANDREWSAIR FORCE BASE,Md. President Donald Trump on Friday showed off the new Air Force One, aformerly Qatari-owned jumbo jet that has been converted into the official U.S. presidential aircraft. The new aircraft eschews the Kennedy-era robin’segg blue exterior of the old plane fora bolder look, with theunderbelly of the plane painted navy blue with ared stripe above it. The plane’sleft side, where the president boards, features the presidential seal, while the tail of the aircraft has amassive American flag on it.
“This plane was transformed into aflying White House at alevel of luxury that nobody has ever seen before,” Trump saidfrom insidethe massive Andrews Air Force Base hangar,asa couple hundred assembled Air Force personnel looked on.Hespoke afterstepping off the new planeinadramatic flourish,ashis signature tune “God Bless the USA” played.
He confirmed that he would be taking the new jetto the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey,next monthand indicated he would be returning to China “at some point,”presumably areference to the Asia-Pacific Economic CooperationsummitthatChina is hosting in November.His return from theGroup of 7 summitinFrance this week wasthe last plannedtrip aboard the old Air Force One, he said
“Now,when we land at airports inLondon and in Germany and different places,nobody tops this one, and that’s the waywehave to have it for ourcountry,” Trump said, noting that the colors and the design were to “my taste, Iwill say.”
He addedthatthe new Air Force One will doaflyover during the July 4celebrations next month.
Thegiftfrom Qatar is serving as aso-called “bridge” aircraft to carrythe president until the new planes ordered directly fromBoeingarrive. That is currently slatedfor 2028. Theadministrationformally accepted aluxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar last year
to be used as the presidential airplane, despitequestions aboutthe ethicsand legality of accepting suchanexpensive gift from aforeign government.Trumphas insisted in thepast that he would not fly around in the Qatari jet once he leaves office and said it would insteadbedonated to afuture presidential
library
Trump on Fridaysaid the U.S. was in a“littlebit of a logjam” as theyawaited the delivery of the new jets directly from Boeing, which had originally been scheduled for 2024 buthave been delayed. He recalled asking theemir of Qatar for use of one of their planes.
“See, anormal president wouldn’tdothis. Anormal president wants to stay away from aircraft,” Trump said Friday.“But our country hastoberepresented properly.”
The AirForce said in a news release Friday that any plane deemed Air Force One “must meet rigorous secu-
rity requirements” and that the Qatari plane “was modifiedunder adisciplined engineering approach that prioritized these exact corecapabilitiesabove allelse.”The Air Force also said “much of theprevious head of state interior layout” of the plane waskept intact. TheAir Force has saidin the past that security modifications to the jet would cost less than $400 million. Trump’s efforts to re-imagine thepresidentialairplane date back to his first administration, when he directed that an incoming fleetof new jets would adopt acolor scheme that was nearly identical to that of his personal airplane. Then-President Joe Biden reversed the decision in March 2023 as an Air Force review suggested that thedarkercolorscould increase costs and delay delivery of the new jets, but once Trumpreturned to office, he returned to hisdesired colors for the plane. Othergovernment jets that carry other top administration officials will also use the similarred,whiteand navy color scheme, the Air Force said earlier this year
Horse-drawncarriagerides in N.Y. on hold aftertourist’s death
BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press
Central Park are on hold at least until Tuesday,the union representing drivers said, as safety protocols are reviewed in the wake of adeath of ayoung tourist who jumped from arunaway horse carriage. Alexander Kemp, administrative vice presidentof Transport Workers Union Local 100, said in astatement Friday that “our hearts go out to the family” of Romanch Mahajan, 18, who died Wednesday after he hit
his head while jumping off thefour-wheeled carriage as its horsesprinted through the park without the driver
“Words can’texpress the enormity of this tragedy,” Kemp said. “Weare taking the first steps towards addressingsafety issues.”
Among the safety protocolstobereviewed arehow to maintaincontrolofthe carriagehorses at all times, he said
Kemp said at anews conference Friday thatthe unionisputting togetherthe new safety training protocols with feedback from the horse carriage operators that
will be rolled out next week andthatabout 200carriage owners and driverswill be requiredtofollow Mahajan is believed to be the first person to die in ahorse carriageaccident since theywere introduced in Central Park morethan 150 years ago, according to the labor union representing the industry andthe Central Park Conservancy,which manages the 843-acrepark.
Mahajan had traveled from India with his family to celebratehis recent high school graduation when thefamily decided to take aride on oneofthe park’soften pho-
tographed, richly decorated carriages, his father told The New York Times
The carriage driver hopped off to take aphotograph of thefamily near afountain when thehorse suddenly bolted. Romanch’smother fell outofthe carriage,and the teen jumped out in an attempttosave her,according to his father
The Central Park Conservancy was amongthose arguing Thursdaythat the carriage industry should be suspended until more protections can be put in place. Mahajan’sdeath was theeighth horse-related incident in the
park over the past 13 months, the group said. The conservancyhas argued that horses can no longersafelyshare park roads teeming with joggers, cyclists, pedestrians and motorized scooters, noting that other U.S. cities, including Chicago and San Antonio, have also recently done away with the nostalgic rides.
But carriage industry leaders said the crash underscores theneed forbetter protections, notoutright elimination of the attraction that harkens back to aromanticized, bygone New York. Mayor Zohran Mamdani
reiterated his support for endingthe industry,saying he’d work with thecouncil, the industry and animal welfare advocates to “deliver a just transitionthatprotects workers while ending horsedrawncarriages in Central Park once and for all.” Other recent mayors have made similar pronouncements. Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to shut down the industry “onDay One” in office, only to come up against years of council opposition. MayorEricAdams,Mamdani’spredecessor,cameout against the industry near the end of his single term.
Officials monitor rising water levels
Forecasts indicate floodwaters in St. Landry Parish
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
St. Landry Parish officials are preparing for the possibility of major flooding as high water from Avoyelles Parish is expected to move into local waterways in the coming days.
According to St Landry Parish government, forecasts from the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness indicate significant floodwaters could impact portions of the parish after areas upstream received about
State creates ATV task force
Goal is to reduce fatalities among young people
BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer
Safety advocates from across the state have established a new task force to help reduce deaths and injuries among youth using ATV and UTV vehicles by creating new policies and safety courses The Louisiana Youth ATV/UTV Safety Task Force’s mission is to disrupt the high number of fatalities among young people by offering statewide education awareness and policy initiatives to prevent injuries and fatalities.
“Four-wheelers and side-bysides carry equal and significant dangers. They don’t care if the rider or driver is responsible, mature, intelligent or loved by their family; physics does not make exceptions,” said Lacey McManus, who lost her son in an ATV accident.
ATVs and UTVs are common modes of transportation and serve many people in rural off-road areas. Many families in rural Louisiana have the vehicles or know people who do, but are not properly educated about the dangers they pose, said Tyler Boseworth, secretary for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Right now, parents can enroll their child in a hands-on ATV safety program through the LSU Ag Center The task force hopes to bring the program statewide.
Law enforcement officers filled a conference room at a launch event in early June to introduce new safety and education tactics for teaching young people to use off-road vehicles.
Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said that even if this task force saves only one life, the effort was worth it. Hodges said that for young children to hunt and boat independently, they must complete safety and education courses. However, there is a gap in the education on ATVs.
“Too often young riders venture out without fully understanding the risks involved and begin to view themselves as indestructible without the proper knowledge, skills and respect for these powerful machines,” Hodges said.
McManus’s 11-year-old son Caleb died in 2023 when he suffered a severe head injury after crashing in a UTV He was at a friend’s house when the accident
30 inches of rain Thursday
Parish President Jessie Bellard conducted an aerial assessment of conditions Friday and is meeting with state and federal officials to evaluate potential impacts and response measures.
The parish is considering possible evacuations for areas expected to experience flooding beginning this weekend. Officials said areas under review include the region from La. 71 east to the Atchafalaya River and from the Avoyelles Parish line south toward U.S. 190, including portions of Port Barre. No evacuation orders have been issued, but residents in potentially
affected areas are being urged to prepare now in case conditions worsen.
“We are asking residents to prepare now and remain alert as conditions continue to develop,” Bellard said in a statement. “Taking action early gives families more time if conditions worsen.”
Residents who experience flood damage are encouraged to report it at damage.la.gov to assist emergency officials with damage assessments.
Additional updates will be provided through official St. Landry Parish Government communication channels.
Batting better
Young campers practice bunting during a University of Louisiana at Lafayette baseball summer camp at M.L. Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park on Thursday. Campers learned the ins and outs of playing baseball, bunting, running the bases and the correct way to slide into a base.
ABOVE: Camper Austin Schaubert, right, high-fives Donovan LaSalle after he scored a run.
LEFT: Young campers wait their turn to have their bat speed recorded.
Trahan to run for Youngsville police chief
Former candidate tried to enter 2024 special election
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
John Trahan Jr., a former candidate for Lafayette city marshal in 2020, has announced his bid for Youngsville chief of police in November as a No Party candidate. Trahan had initially attempted to run in the special election for the Youngsville chief of police
held in 2024, but was disqualified because he didn’t meet the requirement of being domiciled in the city for at least one year Trahan touts 32 years of law enforcement experience as well as military service. His law enforcement career began in 1989 when he was employed by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office as a detective. He later served in the Army during Desert Storm be-
tween 1990 and 1991, and joined the Louisiana State Police in 1995. Trahan says his campaign is focused on bringing unity to the Youngsville Police Department, which has been severely splintered by multiple inter-departmental investigations.
“My vision is centered on professional, unified and peoplecentered policing that prioritizes public safety, fosters community engagement and prepares our department to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” Trahan said in a Facebook post announcing his
candidacy Tuesday. Trahan also ran for Lafayette city marshal as a Democrat in 2020, receiving 20% of the vote and finishing third place, missing the runoff.
Other announced candidates for the position include former Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Art LeBreton. Youngsville’s incumbent chief of police, JP Broussard, has not yet indicated whether he intends to run for a full term. The election is scheduled to be held alongside congressional midterm elections in November.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Motorists drive through floodwater on La. 1 near Moreauville Thursday following heavy rain from Tropical Storm Arthur
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
Manadmitshelping fake father’s death
Drowning was staged to evade chargesinN.C., authoritiessay
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
Three yearsago,Seth Emde called 911 to report that his father had aheart attack and fell in the water on afishing tripinSt. CharlesParish. The U.S. Coast Guard spent days scouring parts of theMississippi River in Hahnville before halting the search. Emde, 23, stood in afederal courtroom last week and admitted it was alla lieconcoctedtohelphis father evade the law Melvin Phillip Emde, 43, was facing sexual misconduct charges in North Carolina when he andhis son devised ascheme to fake his deathinLouisiana,federal authorities allege.
The stageddrowning culminated aplanthat spanned five states. In southern Louisiana, it cost the CoastGuard nearly $100,000 on searchand rescueefforts.
Last week, SethEmde pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleansto conspiracy to commit a federal offense and communicationoffalsedistressmessagestothe U.S CoastGuard Prosecutors claimed the father and son hatched theirrambling plot after authorities in Brunswick County,North Carolina, jailed Melvin Emde on suspicionofstatutory rape andindecent liberties with ajuvenile in 2022. He was released 30 days lateron$150,000bailand made to wear anankle monitor
Instead of remaining in theTar Heel State, Melvin Emde began plotting his faked death, accordingto thefeds.
He and Seth met up in
Kenner and rented ahotelroomonAug.5,2023. The next day,they bought twine, worms, bobbers, angling rods and other fishing gear from theWalmart in Boutte, prosecutorsallege. They also purchased two prepaid “burner” phones and calling cardstoevade tracing.
Thatnight, theytook two kayaks to theMississippi River near Matis Road in Hahnville. Melvin Emde cut off hisanklemonitor and later tossed it in the water.
In his 911 call on Aug. 7, Seth Emde falsely claimed his father felloverboard intothe river. He doubled down on the drowning story when St. Charles Parish deputies questioned him hourslater
But courtrecords indicate Melvin Emde fled back to Oklahoma that dayand spentmorethana month on the rununderan assumed name, “Michael Smith.”
The elder Emde wasus-
ingthatalias whenheand hisson reunitedinMartin County,Florida, to do hurricane relief together in earlySeptember2023.
St. CharlesSheriff Greg Champagne said thenthat detectives became suspicious after learning of Melvin Emde’schild rape case in Brunswick County, N.C., and began working withNorth Carolina officials
That month, aGeorgia state trooper spotted Melvin Emderiding amotorcycle with no license plate. He tried to escape but crashed, and his fingerprints revealed his true identity
He went on to plead no contest to two counts of indecent liberties with ajuvenile in April 2025, North Carolinacourt records show.Ajudge sentenced him to serve between 32 and58months in prison
Melvin Emde’sfederal trialover allegedlyfaking hisdeath is scheduled to
beginAug.4 in NewOrleans
When it became clear he wasalive, CoastGuard officials questioned Seth Emde, who told agents he hadn’tseen his father since the day he fell into the river
Seth Emde faces up to 15 years in prison on his twofederal charges. U.S. District Court Judge Greg Guidry set sentencing for Sept. 16.
“SethEmde deeply regretshis involvement in his father’s scheme and takes full responsibilityfor his actions,” Chief Federal Defender Claude Kelly saidina statement. Kellyadded that his client has cooperatedwiththe feds “and will continue to assist thegovernment going forward.”
Aspokesperson for the U.S.Attorney’sOffice declined to comment Wednesday
Email Matt Bruceatmatt. bruce@theadvocate.com.
S&WB namesTymrakoperationschief
Career
pickedasgeneral superintendent
BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
The Sewerage &Water Board named Kaitlin Tymrak as its new general superintendent earlier this week, handing the career engineer the responsibility for overseeing the technical operations of New Orleans’ water utility and making her the first woman to hold the role in the S&WB’s127-year history
Tymrak, who had served as interimsuperintendent since earlier this year,received her formal appointment from the utility’sgoverning board on Wednesday. The position reports directly to the board and manages all of the S&WB’sdrainage, sewerage and water operations. The board was unanimous in their vote of approval, with members jokingly trying to race each other to be theone to make the motion.
Tymrak replaces Steve Nelson, who left to join Mayor Helena Moreno’sadministration as deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure. Her annual salary will be $235,000. Although Tymrak is the first woman to serve as general superintendent, another woman, Marcia St. Martin, served as executive director —which oversees the agency’sadministrative functions and long-term planning —from 2004 to 2013. In an interview,Tymrak said she is “building on areal legacy of women who have been trailblazing already in the utility.”
“Women are typically underrepresented in the public works and engineering fields,” Tymrak said. “I hope that this is inspirational to a lot of people.”
Continued from page1B
happened and was not wearing ahelmet.
In Louisiana, children 10 to 14 years old are at the highest risk of injury or death in these kindsof crashes, said Donice Fletcher of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network. In 2024, trauma centers across the state saw 469 ATV/UTV-related injuries and nine deaths. Fletcher said thesenumbers are often notrepresentativeof thetrue rate of injuries, since many patients may not receive medical care for them.
“Those numbersare not improving when we compareLouisianatrauma data to the national level. ATV injuries remain aconsis-
Tymrak has amaster’s of engineering in water resources planning and management from Colorado State University.She moved to NewOrleansin2008to work for CH2M Hill, an engineering firm that works on S&WB infrastructure.She joined theS&WB in 2020, eventuallyrising to be Nelson’sdeputy four years later Her interest in switching over from theprivatesector grew asshe “got to know the system andthe incredibly important role thatitplays in the city.”
“I really just fell in love with the people,I fell in love with theprocess, Ifell in love with the wholesystem,” Tymraksaid. “The trust of the employees is something that is important to me.It’s notsomething Itake for granted. It’s something that
tent mechanismofserious trauma, particularly in Southern and rural states,” Fletcher said.
Thetask force has partnered withoutside organizations like theLSU Ag Center, Destination Zero Deaths and the Our Lady of theLakeChildren’sHospital.
However,stakeholders like theLouisianaState Police, theLouisiana Department ofWildlife and Fisheries andcity police departmentsstatewide pressed the notion that this educationstarts at home with the parents. Byeducating parents on the dangers of these vehicles, they, in turn,pass the information on totheir kids.
“If the parents setthe right example, more often than not, you have some success there,” said Jay Cripple, of theDestination
Ihavetoearn every single day.”
The S&WB is structured so thatTymrak works alongside Executive DirectorRandy Hayman,but not under his supervision. They both report directly to the board.Tymraksaidshe and Hayman work “very,very closely” together
Tymrak’spromotion comes at acritical juncture for the S&WB. The New Orleans City Council, withnew powersoverthe agency granted by state lawmakers, will soon considermajor changes to its governance, funding andoperations, with the intent of making it work moreclosely withCityHall.
Moreno appointed Tymrak to an advisory committee tasked with recommending ordinances to guide those changes.Nelson, in an inter-
Zero Deaths in NewOrleans Cripple saidthistask force is not aquick fix; it will take time and dedication to see trueresults.
“This isn’taone-time thing; this is long-term maintenance. Everyworthwhile thing takes adecade; that’sjustthe way it is We have to be abletoput the work in and continue to talk about it to have a long-term effect,” Cripple said.
LOTTERY THURSDAY,JUNE 18, 2026 PICK 3: 7-4-1
view,said Tymrak is wellsuitedfor her new leadership role
“Ifanissue came up,she was first to be able to figure out how to (fixit),”Nelson said. “Not just by herself through brute force, but working withateam to motivate the people around her to get to an end goal.”
The S&WB is alsofacing huge infrastructure challenges, with critical upgrades needed to the drainage and drinking water systems thatwill cost billions of dollars —funding the S&WB doesn’tcurrently have. Those issues became immediatelyapparent in Tym-
rak’sfirst few weeks as general superintendent, whena successionofmajor water mains burst and caused four neighborhood floods. More recently,brand-new equipment meant to stabilize power for drainage pumps failed when the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur lashed the area with heavy rainfall.
Tymraksaid she is looking forward to working through all of theS&WB’schallenges. “Weneedtobelooking forward for the next 20 to 30 yearsofinvestment in alot of different systems,” she said. “It’s water, sewer, drainage. All those systems need that.”
ANOTHERVIEW
Lookingback at America’s bicentennial
As we move toward the nation’s250th birthdaynextmonth, this column has looked back at earliermilestone celebrations, beginning with the 50th, to provide historicalcontext forwhere we are now
July 4, 1976, marked the 200th anniversaryofAmericanindependence. President Gerald Ford, in officethen, used the occasion to reflectonthe meaning ofmilestones throughouthistory
“The American settlers hadmany,many hardships, but they had more liberty than any other people onEarth,” Ford said.“Theverse from Leviticus on theLiberty Bellrefers to the ancient Jewish yearofJubilee. Inevery 50th year,the Jubileerestoredthe land and the equalityofpersons.”
Ron Faucheux
The population of the United States was 218 millionin1976. Today, it’s342 million. Bicentennialmerrimentincluded the customary festivities— parades,picnicsand fireworks —aswellastelevision specials and re-enactments of thesigning of theDeclaration of Independence. Operation Sail brought more than 200 tall ships and naval vesselsintoNew York Harbor,where they paradedaround the Statue of Liberty and drew 6million spectators. Philadelphia, birthplace of theDeclaration,staged numerous patriotic events,includingafive-hour parade with floats from every state.
That week in Washington, President Fordand first lady BettyFord hosted aglamorous state dinnerfor Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, PrincePhilip. Of course, it wasthe queen’sgreat-great-great-great-grandfather,King George III, whohad been forcefully defiedbythe Declarationof Independence for having“plundered our seas,ravaged ourCoasts, burnt outtowns,and destroyedthe Livesofour people.”
But by 1976,that was ancient history
“For the Queen’sdinner,” recalled Mrs.Ford, “we had violinists stationed along the paths, and to be out in thegorgeousnight air, with the moon shining down and the violins playingasyou walked by,was unforgettable.” Shecontinued, “Anhour and ahalf before theQueen’sdinner, there was asudden downpourwith torrential rain,thunder,lightning.Three treesonthe White Housegrounds were struck. Fortunately,I’d insisted that our (outdoor) tent have afloor.”
Dinner guests included Vice PresidentNelsonRockefeller,Secretary of StateHenryKissinger,Chief Justice Warren Burger,Lady BirdJohnson,D.C. MayorWalter Washington, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Cary Grant,Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Mays, Bob Hope and Telly Savalas, along with spouses and escorts.Musical duo Captain&Tennille played their hits.
Ford was the only commanderinchief who was never electedpresident or vice president. He wasappointed vice president by Richard NixonafterSpiro Agnew,charged with corruption, resigned. Later,whenNixonresignedin 1974, Ford moved into the White Houseand pledged to bring an end to what he called “our long nationalnightmare” of theWatergate scandal.
In New Orleans, abicentennial concertwas held atthe Superdome, quickly becoming apopular venue for major national events.Jimmy Buffett, EmmylouHarris, John Sebastian, Jerry Jeff Walker,the Charlie Daniels Band, George Carlinand Cheech&Chong performed. Acrowd gathered in JacksonSquare for theunveiling of astatue of Louis Armstrong, whichwas latermoved to Armstrong Park, and a“Bicentennial Mardi Gras”was celebratedonBourbon Street featuring 1776 themes.Earlier, the American Freedom Train, showcasing an exhibitofhistorical artifacts, stopped near the OldState CapitolinBaton Rouge Just eightdays after the Fourth, the Democratic Party nominated Jimmy Carter forpresidentand Walter Mondale for vice president in New York.Later that summerinKansas City, Ford won the Republicannomination for afullterm by defeating formerCaliforniaGov.RonaldReagan in a close contest. Not longafter, Hank Aaron hithis 755th home run, amajor league baseballrecordthatheld for more than three decades.
In 1976, Edwin Edwardswas serving the second of what would become four terms as governorofLouisiana.Moon Landrieu was in his second term as mayor of NewOrleans andWoodrow Wilson “Woody” Dumas wasinthe third of his four terms as mayor-president of BatonRouge. The Saints hiredHank Stram as head coachand posted adisappointing 4-10 record. Coach Charlie McClendon led the LSU Tigers to a6-4-1 season.
That’s how it was on July 4, 1976 —ahalf-century ago. This column is fourth in an occasional seriesabout America’smilestonebirthdays. Readprior columns at www.nola.com/opinions/ron_faucheux
Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.
Cassidy acautionary tale forLetlow, Fleming
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy was ousted by Republican challengers Rep. Julia Letlow andstate Treasurer John Fleming. While Cassidy recognizedthe fairness of democracy,hemade comments about online “attacks” on the internet, stating, “Insults only bother me if they come from somebody of character and integrity...” Cassidy once showedintegrity when he,along with six other Republicans, voted to convictPresident DonaldTrump following the Jan. 6attack on the U.S. Capitol. He hadthe support of Democrats, independents andconservatives, who realizedthe faulty alignment of Trump with the Republican Party and American democracy Then,hedid the worst thing he could have;Cassidy backed down. He backed down so muchhewas essentially publiclygroveling for forgiveness —evengoing so far as to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., completelytanking hisown medical, vaccinelegacy as aphysician
Cassidy said those attacking him online have no integrity
When people are desperate, disenfranchised, sick and poor,online “attacks” are their viable recourse to express their anger and frustration. Integrity means not aligning oneself with aperson (Trump) found liable for sexual assault in acourt of law.Integrity means notshrinking before athreat to democracy,remaining silent or supportive,then announcing that democracy and “our country is notabout one individual” when it’s too late andthere is nothing left to lose, all thewhile throwing your own citizens and constituents down as carpeting for awannabe dictator to walk over Integrity.Interesting choice of words from the defeated man, who bent the knee and lost his own. If Letlow and Fleming have any integrity,they’llremember that. If Cassidy had any integrity,hewould have known better TIERNEY BRINKMAN NewOrleans
Pelicans coachfaces challengeinteam’sattitude
As Jamahl Mosley takes over as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, the praise has been predictable: great person, defensive mindset, accountability, player development, hard-working, reflective. All admirable qualities. Butnone of them addresses the real problem facing basketball in New Orleans. Mosley isn’tinheriting afirst-tier franchise. He’sinheriting asecond-tier,maybe even third-tier NBA team with along history of talented playerswho seemed more interested in collecting apaycheck than competing for achampionship. Why do Pelicans playerswalk off the court after losses laughing, smiling and joking with opponents like it’s apickup runataneighborhood park? Where’sthe passion? Where’sthe urgency? Where’sthe firethat championship cultures demand?
Maybe it’s our party-first culture, ourlaid-back nature or our
laissez-faire attitude toward everything from politicstopotholes. Who knows?What Idoknow is that from theHornets to the Pelicans, this city has never built abasketball identityrooted in hungeroraccountability Andthat’s notonthe coaches. We’ve cycled through nine of them Mosley is the 10th. At some point, theblame has to fall where it belongs:onthe players who take the floor and too often play without edge, without intensity,and without pride. Certainly notasateam. Ihope Mosley succeeds. But until theplayersdecide winning matters more than being liked or drawing a check, New Orleansbasketball will remainexactly what it has been for decades —talented, entertaining andultimately irrelevant. If that draws ire from the players and the fans, so be it.
NICHOLAS PERSICH Metairie
Today’sextreme wealth inequality erodes trust in U.S.
Wealth inequality in the United States has reached levels that should concern every American. While millions of working families struggle to afford housing, healthcare, childcare and higher education, asmallpercentage of the population continues to accumulate enormous wealth at a historic pace. Hard work should provide stability and opportunity,yet manyfull-timeworkers live paycheck to paycheck. At the sametime, large corporations and the wealthiest Americans often benefit from tax loopholes and economic policies that widen the gap between rich and poor Historically,federal income tax rates forthe top earners in 1965 were 70%. Today,the top federal rate is 37%, and the top corporate rate is 21%, a decrease from over 52% in the 1960s. These massive decreases in tax rates on the rich and corporations occurred under the Reagan, Bush and Trump administrations.
Extremeinequality weakens our democracy and undermines social trust. Ahealthy economy depends on astrong middle class, fair wages, affordable education and equal opportunity We should support policies that empower workers, ensure fair taxation, expand access to healthcare and education and create economic opportunity foreveryone, not just those at the top.
America succeeds when prosperity is shared more broadly.Itistimetoaddress wealth inequality before the divide growseven larger Please reach out to your elected officials and demand that they increase taxation of the rich and corporations to makeitmore equitable forall Americans, and pay downour massive federal debt.
JON MILLER NewOrleans
KNOCKOUT PERFORMANCE
U.S. advances to WorldCup eliminationround despiteinjured Pulisic
BY ANDREW DESTIN AP sportswriter
SEATTLE Christian Pulisic’sinjury absence didn’thurt theAmericans one bit.
The U.S. national soccer team found away to advance tothe knockout round without the injured forward on the field, beatingAustralia 2-0 on Fridayfor itssecond straightvictory at the largest World Cupinhistory
“C.P.isafantastic player —the quality and the leadership that he gives us,” saidFolarin Balogun, who scored two goals in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June12. “Wedidn’t have himtoday,but Ithink you saw
we’re still capable to go out there and get aresult and put up aperformance.”
Pulisic,who plays forACMilan and has 33 goals in 87 international appearances, missed Friday’smatch because of acalf injury
To playwithout asuperstar like Pulisic could have derailedprevious American teamsinWorldCup play But much haschangedsince the last time they served as World Cup hosts in 1994, when they advanced by being one of the best third-place teams. Theythenlost to eventual champion Brazil in their next match,which was in the round of 16.
Projecting howSaints will look afterearly camps
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
The NewOrleans Saints have roughly six weeks off before they reconvene fortraining camp in late July
To pass the time, howabout away-too-soon 53-man roster projection? It maybepremature to predicthow the Saints will narrow their 90-man roster to 53 by the fall, but with five offseason practices open to reporters—and there was plenty to observe —let’stake astab at it, anyway
Quarterbacks (2)
Tyler Shough, SpencerRattler
In this projection, Zach Wilson is the odd man out. Despite the Saints signing the formerJets starter this offseason, coach KellenMoore’sfirst year featured New Orleans keeping only two quarterbacks because the team needed therosterspotelsewhere Numbers could be equally as tight this year Wilson, the second overall pick in 2021, wasuneven throughout the offseason workouts open to reporters.While that couldbe chalkeduptothe quarterback adjusting to anew system,he’ll have to show moreconsistency to push Rattlerfor the backupjob behind Shough.
Runningbacks (4)
Travis Etienne,Devin Neal,Audric Estime,Kendre Miller That Alvin Kamara is stillonthe roster after theconclusionofmandatoryminicamp does not mean the running back’ssituation
ä See SAINTS, page 3C Saints running backTravisEtienne AP PHOTO
ä See WORLD CUP, page 3C
U.S. Open leader Clarkrediscovers joy
BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y The smashed-up locker at Oakmont last year is as much apart of Wyndham Clark’sresumeasthe U.S. Open title he won two years before that Such is life in aworld teeming with cellphone cameras and viral video. Such islife in professional golf, asport built on managing failure and harnessing emotions and where success one week, or one year doesn’talways carry over to thenext. Clark’sspot at the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard after his second round at ShinnecockonFriday brought up expected reminders of his emotion-filled journey through asport —alife, really —thatClark himself acknowledged nobodytruly conquers
“I was on top of the world inmygame, at least when Iwon the U.S. Open, and then had somegood years,” the32-year-old said. “Then, next thing you know,I’m apologizing for breaking alocker.”
Much as tennis great John McEnroe will always have “You cannot be serious!” alongside theseven grandslamsinglestitleshe woninanother of sports’ biggest pressure
Former LSUstarwants to look forward, notbackward
BY NOAH TRISTER AP sportswriter
ASHBURN, Va The start of the 2026 season is less thanthree months away forthe Washington Commanders, and it’snosurprise that JaydenDaniels wants to look forward, not backward.
“I’m done talking about last year.Last year’slast year,” the 25-year-old former LSU quarterback said at minicampthis week. “Moving on to this season, and whatever happened last year is what happened last year.Can’t do anything formebut just continue to get better.”
Afterreaching the NFCchampionship gametwo seasonsago whenDaniels was a rookie, Washington stumbled to 5-12 in 2025. The Commanders wereatrendy pick to regress before the season started, andwhile injuries played asignificant role, the naysayers ultimately hadthis oneright when Washington went on an eight-game losing streak in the middle of the season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP WyndhamClark celebrates after abirdie on the12th hole duringthe second roundofthe U.S. Open on Friday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.y. ä See CLARK, page 3C
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByLINDSEy WASSON
United States defender Alex Freeman scores theteam’ssecond goal during the WorldCup Group Dmatch against Australia on FridayinSeattle. The U.S. won2-0 to advance to the round of 32. Below: United States goalkeeper Matt Freese, left,and teammate Auston Trusty celebrate after winning the WorldCup Group Dmatch against Australia on Friday.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
N. Carolina vies for 1st national title
Oklahoma on a season-best 8-game streak going into Game 1
BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter
OMAHA,Neb Scott Forbes had just wrapped up a College World Series news conference Friday when Skip Johnson walked into the room to pose with him for an annual picture of the head coaches next to the national championship trophy, a longtime tradition the day before the start of the finals.
“Hey, buddy,” North Carolina’s Forbes said, beaming and extending his hand to the Oklahoma coach.
“You thought we were going to fight?” Johnson said, turning to reporters.
The college baseball lifers have known each other for decades, since they spent long days and nights scouting the same talent showcases and engaging in recruiting battles during long runs as assistants.
“I always thought if we met up together,” Forbes told Johnson “we’d be hunting.” Oh, they’re hunting together all right.
North Carolina will be looking for its first national title in baseball and Oklahoma for its third when the schools square off in Game 1 of the best-of-three series at Charles Schwab Field on Saturday The start of the game was moved up five hours to 2 p.m. because of a forecast calling for storms at night.
The Tar Heels and Sooners have taken different routes to reach the same destination.
North Carolina (53-12-1) has lost consecutive games just once, in early March, and has been ranked no lower than No. 4 by D1Baseball com the last two months.
Oklahoma (41-22) was ranked as high as No. 8 and then lost six of nine series in Southeastern Conference play The Sooners finished 11th in the SEC and were unranked when they entered the national tournament off losses in seven of nine games.
“I think the SEC just offers a great preparation, period, for this type of tournament,” OU’s Trey Gambill said. “There’s no breaks. Just like in this tournament, you’re not playing any bad teams. You’re
ä Oklahoma vs. North Carolina.
2 P.M. SATURDAy, ESPN
not playing any mediocre teams
You’re playing the best of the best. So the SEC just prepared us for always being ready to put our best out there.”
Both teams went 3-0 in CWS bracket play The Tar Heels have won five straight, and the Sooners are on a season-best eight-game streak.
The Game 1 pitching matchup pits North Carolina ace Jason DeCaro (11-2) against 6-foot-6, 237-pound left-hander Cord Rager (6-3), one of three freshman starters for the Sooners. DeCaro went 62/3 innings and struck out nine in Carolina’s 6-2 win over Mississippi last Friday. Rager walked none and struck out eight in seven innings of a 9-0 win over Alabama last Saturday.
SEC streak on line
Oklahoma will be going for the Southeastern Conference’s seventh straight national title and 18th overall, which would tie the Pac-12 for most.
The SEC is assured of having the champion, runner-up or both for the 20th time since 2000. The Sooners are the 10th different SEC team to reach the finals over that span.
ACC’s first finals since 2015 North Carolina is the first Atlantic
PRESS PHOTO By VERA NIEUWENHUIS
LSU softball picks up first portal commitment
LSU softball received its first transfer portal commitment when Notre Dame outfielder Mickey Winchell picked the Tigers to play for in her senior season, according to a post on her Instagram account Tuesday A four-year starter and ACC Freshman of the Year in 2023, Winchell batted .335 with a teambest 59 hits in 2026. She also had a .418 on-base percentage and a team-best 14 stolen bases. She received a redshirt season after missing all but 17 games of her junior season with an injury Winchell, a native of Livermore, California, appears to be a fit to replace former center fielder and leadoff hitter Jalia Lassiter, who completed her eligibility in 2026. Thus far, LSU has lost nine players to the portal.
Blue Jays right-hander Bieber rejoins team
CHICAGO Toronto Blue Jays righthander Shane Bieber rejoined the team on Friday and could be activated from the injured list in the next few days, manager John Schneider said.
Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner, hasn’t pitched this season. He was placed on the 15day injured list in March with elbow inflammation.
The 31-year-old Bieber just completed a five-game rehab stint with a start for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday Bieber allowed five runs and 11 baserunners in fiveplus innings, throwing 80 pitches with his velocity reaching 93 mph. Bieber then went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five postseason games as AL champion Toronto advanced to Game 7 of the World Series.
Seven expletives cost tennis player $40,000
Coast Conference team to make the CWS finals since Virginia in 2015.
The Tar Heels are trying to become the third ACC program to win a national title in baseball. Wake Forest won the first in 1955 and Virginia the second in 2015.
North Carolina (2006-07, 2026) and Virginia (2014-15) are the only ACC programs to play in the finals since the best-of-three format started in 2003.
Power surge
DeCaro will face a Sooners team that’s averaging 10.4 runs per game
with 22 homers during their eightgame win streak They’ve gone deep eight times in the CWS, including five in an 11-4 win over Georgia on Wednesday OU has 45 homers in its 20 games since May 1 after hitting 46 homers in its first 43.
“What Jason’s going to do is what he’s been doing,” Forbes said. “We don’t care what the offense has been, what they’re doing, how hot they are. He’s going to go right after them with his stuff. You start being tentative, you start getting negative counts, then that offense gets even better.”
Tar Heels’ title win would fulfill ex-coach’s dreams
BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter
OMAHA, Neb Mike Fox was part of almost every major milestone North Carolina has achieved in baseball, either as a player or coach. A national championship was all that eluded him. He retired six years ago as the program’s all-time wins leader but his attachment to the Tar Heels remains strong as ever Fox, 70, watched from the Carolina fan section at Charles Schwab Field as the Tar Heels swept through three games at the College World Series to reach the championship round for the first time since he led them to their first two finals in 2006-07. As he enjoyed some down time at the team hotel Thursday, his emotions began running high as he thought out loud about how he would react if Carolina beat Oklahoma in the best-of-three finals starting Saturday
“Somebody’s probably going to have to grab me to keep me from jumping on the dogpile,” he said, laughing.
Fox is a Tar Heel through and through. The Asheville native was Carolina’s second baseman 50 years
ago and made the All-CWS team in 1978. That year he led the Tar Heels to their first-ever CWS win, homering on the second pitch of the game and going 3 for 5 with three RBIs in a 9-5 victory over Michigan.
Oklahoma pitcher Xander Mercurius throws during a College World Series game against Georgia on Monday in Omaha, Neb Oklahoma won 4-3. Fox
After coaching 15 years at Division III North Carolina Wesleyan, Fox returned to the Tar Heels in 1999 and won 948 games, had five 50-win seasons and took seven teams to the CWS. His No. 30 jersey was retired in 2022.
Fox’s influence is still felt. Coach Scott Forbes, his handpicked successor, played for him in the 1990s at North Carolina Wesleyan and was his assistant at Carolina from 2006-20 Assistants Bryant Gaines, Jesse Wierzbicki and Scott Jackson played for or coached with Fox, as did staffer Jason Howell and undergraduate assistants Kyle Datres and Brandon Martorano.
“They are my boys,” Fox said. “I knew them when, as kids. Now I see them walking through the lobby pushing strollers with 3- and 4-yearolds on their shoulders. That’ll make you cry, if nothing else.
Fox has attended most, if not all, home games since he retired, but intentionally kept some distance his first two or three years of retirement because he wanted to give the coaching staff space. Now he attends some practices and has worked as third-base umpire during intrasquad scrimmages and will throw batting practice if he’s asked “I never want to be a burden to them or get in the way of certainly what they’re trying to do,” he said, “so I’m very thankful I can just get in my truck and drive to the stadium and hang out for a couple hours and go home.”
Fox retired just before the start of college athlete compensation and the liberalization of transfer rules.
Forbes’ pitching staff is mostly homegrown, but six players in the everyday lineup did not start their careers at Carolina. Fox said Forbes and his staff have adjusted to the new era magnificently, as evidenced by the Tar Heels having made super regionals three straight years and four of the last six.
“The trick now is when you bring in all these kids from the portal, they all come from different places and you still need to be a team, and he’s been able to master that at the highest level,” Fox said. “We’ve
been probably the best program consistency-wise since ’22. And that’s extremely hard to do in this day and age when there’s so many good programs.”
North Carolina has won a total of 52 NCAA championships across eight sports, and the baseball team will try to make it 53 across nine sports by Sunday or Monday
“This is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time, certainly since I became the coach there,” Fox said.
What would make it especially meaningful to Fox is that he would be able to celebrate it with so many people he knows and loves.
“Raising a trophy over your head would be incredible. It’s the ultimate,” he said. “But, boy, those relationships and memories, all coaches are going to find that out. The day after you retire, it hits you like a ton of bricks. The wins and losses are gone poof.
“Those relationships and memories are what you’re really doing this for and it’s hard to see that when you’re in the middle of it. I’m so thankful I have relationships with those coaches and they’ve allowed me to still be a small part of this program because it’s a big part of my heart.”
LONDON French tennis player Corentin Moutet has been fined $40,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after using profane language in a post-match interview at Queen’s Club this week, the men’s tennis tour said Friday Moutet used an expletive seven times during an on-court interview after a first-round win on Tuesday against countryman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the ATP 500 grass-court event in London. After using the expletive for a first time, he was asked by the interviewer not to use bad language, but instead Moutet repeated the expletive a further three times before doing so three more times at the end of the interview
The 27-year-old is ranked No. 36 and has yet to win an ATP title.
Toronto Tempo’s Sykes, Rice out with injuries
TORONTO Toronto’s Brittney Sykes suffered a plantar fascia injury on Tuesday, the team announced Friday, and will be reevaluated in the coming weeks.
Sykes was hurt in a non-contact injury in the third quarter of the team’s loss to Indiana on Tuesday She was helped off the court. Sykes was the league’s thirdleading scorer in averaging 20.7 points a game coming into the Fever matchup.
The expansion Tempo also announced Friday that Kiki Rice had suffered a grade 3 left ankle sprain on June 3 in a loss at New York. She hasn’t played since and the team said she also would be re-evaluated in the upcoming weeks. Both are expected to return this season
Royals’ Witt avoids IL for now with MCL sprain
KANSAS CITY,Mo.— Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr was out of the lineup for Friday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a grade-1 MCL sprain.
He left Thursday’s game at the end of the fourth inning after earlier fielding a ground ball. Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said Friday the Royals were “fortunate” that it was just a mild sprain. The plan was to give Witt Friday off. The teams are scheduled for a rare Saturday off day because a World Cup match between Ecuador and Curaçao will be played at neighboring Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead) on Saturday night. Quatraro was hopeful that Witt could return for Sunday’s game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VERA NIEUWENHUIS
North Carolina infielder Jake Schaffner bats during a College World Series game against West Virginia on Sunday in Omaha, Neb North Carolina won 5-2
ASSOCIATED
The big question this year is whether Daniels can stay healthy after he played only seven games last season, but there’s more to rebounding than just that Across the board, Daniels’ numbers were down in 2025 when he did play: passer rating (100.1 to 88.1), completion rate (69% to 60.6%), yards per pass attempt (7.4 to 6.7) and yards per rush attempt (6.02 to 4.79). Washington went 2-5 in the games Daniels played after a 12-5 mark the previous regular season.
Commanders fans already have seen one promising quarterback Robert Griffin have a sensational rookie season in 2012 and then never reach those heights again. They don’t want a repeat with Daniels. After last season, the Commanders overhauled coach Dan Quinn’s staff. David Blough replaced Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator D.J. Williams, the son of Super Bowl-winning Washington quarterback Doug Williams, is now the quarterbacks coach.
“When D.J. got here was my first time meeting him Obviously, I heard about him through
Doug,” Daniels said. “It’s been cool. He’s been pushing me.
We’ve been having conversations, not even just about football but about life.”
Daniels and the Commanders have to adjust to a new offense under Blough. Of course, Daniels adapted quickly when he was a rookie and new to the NFL, so the hope is that he’ll pick things up rapidly this offseason as the system is installed.
“(The offense is), I would say, let’s say 80% in. But knowing it and then making the plays come to life, that’s different,” Quinn said “The thing that he works at, and you can tell so quickly, is his ability to process. So for him, the reps of doing it over and over is helpful.”
Minicamp was just a small part of Washington’s preparation for the season. The Commanders open Sept. 13 at Philadelphia.
“On this day of installs, you have a certain set of plays. Then we do another one on the next day and another one So you don’t get continuity — ‘I want to run that concept 15 times,’ “ Quinn said. “That will take place in camp. And then when we get back to camp, that install process isn’t new.”
Right now the offense is a work in progress, but at least the focus is on next season and not the previous one.
WORLD CUP
Continued from page 1C
At this year’s 48-team tournament, the U.S. has won consecutive games for the first time at a World Cup since 1930 The Americans have scored six goals, one off their record for most in a single World Cup, and received contributions throughout their roster
SAINTS
Continued from page 1C
is settled. Far from it. The lack of a hard commitment to Kamara — and that it doesn’t appear the Saints have approached him yet about taking a pay cut — suggests he may not be on the roster
Elsewhere, it remains to be seen when Miller will be ready to return from the torn ACL he suffered in October. If it turns out he’s a candidate to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, that might open a roster spot for running back Ty Chandler
Wide receivers (6)
Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, Devaughn Vele, Ja’Lynn Polk, Bryce Lance, Barion Brown
Is wide receiver the deepest position on the roster? Players such as Kevin Austin and Ronnie Bell had impressive moments this offseason, but yet they could very well face a numbers crunch. The top four seems solidified, while Lance and Brown make it as rookies. Brown gives the Saints an option at returner
Tight ends (4)
Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, Oscar Delp, Moliki Matavao
Tight ends are going to be a bigger part of the offense in 2026. And there’s a strong case to be made for keeping four of them. Matavao, a seven-round selection last year, has flashed nicely as a receiver and seems to keep improving. The Saints might not want to risk putting him on waivers.
The main question about this group centers around what the Saints do at — ahem — center behind McCoy After McCoy dealt with back-to-back season-ending injuries, the Saints know they need to be prepared. For now, Simpkins earns the nod over William Sherman.
Defensive ends (6)
Chase Young Carl Granderson Cam Jordan,Chris Rumph,Anfernee Jennings,Tyree
Wilson Maybe this is one too many defensive ends, but a team can never have enough pass rushers. The Saints re-signed Jordan this week and previously added Wilson and Jennings. For now, all three make it to complement Young, Granderson and Rumph.
Defensive tackles (5)
Bryan Bresee, Christen Miller Vernon Broughton, Nathan Shepherd, John Ridgeway Davon Godchaux would be a notable cut after starting 14 games
last year But his playing time decreased as the season went along, and the Saints have two young interior defensive linemen in Miller and Broughton whom they’d like to give more playing time. This is a very crowded position, as it was last year when the Saints ended up trading Khalen Saunders for center Luke Fortner
Linebackers (5)
Kaden Elliss, Pete Werner, Danny Stutsman, Isaiah Stalbird, Jaylan Ford
This seems pretty clear-cut Elliss, Werner and Stutsman are the top three, while Stalbird and Ford serve as valuable special team contributors.
Cornerbacks (5)
Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Martin Emerson, Isaac Yiadom, Lorenzo Styles
It will be interesting to see whether the Saints do more at this position between now and the start of the season. McKinstry and Riley are the unquestioned starters, but the depth is relatively thin behind them. Emerson did appear to perform well in his snaps with the second team, but the former Browns starter is coming off a torn Achilles. Yiadom and Styles could factor more into special teams. In this projection, seventhround corner T.J. Hall misses out as the Saints’ lone pick from their most recent draft class to not make the roster But he could very well earn his spot in training camp.
Safeties (4)
Justin Reid, Jonas Sanker, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Howden Sanker will serve as the nickel corner, so he’ll spend a lot of time on the inside. That leaves Reid and Blackmon on the back end, with Howden behind them for depth. If the Saints do keep five safeties, perhaps they’ll trim down on the number of edge rushers.
Kicker, punter and long snapper (3)
Tanner Brown, Ryan Wright, Zach Wood
The Saints didn’t just sign Brown this week to be a camp body. By giving the UFL standout a two-year contract worth nearly $2 million, the Saints ensured there will be a legitimate competition between Brown and incumbent Charlie Smyth. It feels foolish to predict that Brown will beat out Smyth without seeing him kick in a Saints uniform yet, but let’s go out on a limb. The 26-year-old went 29-of32 for the Louisville Kings this past season, including in the UFL playoffs. He’s the first kicker to have made two attempts of at least 60 yards in a single game, too. If he translates that consistency to the NFL it could give him the edge over Smyth.
Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the team at 21 and son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute off a set piece. Freeman headed in a deflected shot by Sergiño Dest for his first career World Cup goal. The goal was confirmed after a video review
“(He) is doing a fantastic job,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Freeman. “The evolution is massive He’s so humble He wants to learn. He always listens. He’s a player that you really enjoy being with him Not only coaching, but being with him.”
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute after a run down the left sideline by Balogun.
He directed a centering pass toward striker Ricardo Pepi, who started in place of Pulisic. The ball never reached Pepi, deflecting off Australia defender Cameron Burgess and into the Socceroos’ net for an own goal
“I want to be dangerous. I want to create opportunities,” Balogun said. “It might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it’s like a goal as well.
CLARK
Continued from page 1C
cookers, Clark will always have the broken locker at Oakmont. He will always have the underhanded fling of the driver that smashed an advertising board and snapped off the clubhead at the PGA Championship, a few months before the locker debacle.
Because of that, he’ll probably also always have his share of detractors and critics — people watching for some brilliance on the golf course, but also waiting for the next big blowup.
“I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment,” Clark said. “Hopefully I can win those people back.”
His breakthrough three years ago at LA Country Club was tinged with tears and stories of the personal growth Clark had to make to reach that point.
Much of it had to do with the emotional residue left from his mom’s death in 2013 — a family tragedy that he conceded had left him spiraling.
“I didn’t show any emotion off the course,” Clark explained after his victory that day “But when I was on the golf course I couldn’t have been angrier.”
The easy way for the armchair psychologists (and sports pundits) to explain things after that win was to conclude that Clark’s victory proved he had harnessed the emotion, turned the page and beaten back all the demons.
It’s never that simple.
“For any of us, this is a process,” Clark’s sports psychologist, Julie Elion, wrote in her new book ’Mastering Your Mental Game.” “Golfers don’t reach
It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum.”
The Americans did not score again after halftime, but the manner with which they so thoroughly dominated Australia in the opening 45 minutes left a lasting impression on Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.
“It did not surprise us because their quality is clear,” Popovic said. “Their power is clear Their athleticism is clear They are not surprising in what they did.”
Expectations will only increase for the U.S. as it racks up more victories and momentum builds around the team. The way the Americans have started the tournament in dominant fashion has not changed Pochettino’s percep-
tion of the team and what it is capable of, though.
“I think it’s much better when you show good performances and win the games,” Pochettino said. “I think that makes it easier, everything. But, at the same time, it’s (important) to keep believing.”
Still, the U.S. learned it can get out of the group stage without Pulisic And, they have the roster to make a deep run in the tournament.
“We know how vital Christian is to the team and how much he can contribute in the game,” Freeman said. “For us it was, we have Ricardo Pepi, who came in and had an amazing game. I think that just shows how (good) our roster is.”
ner, who held hands with him as they exited the 18th green after Friday’s round of 1-under 69. Four weeks ago, Clark won the Byron Nelson for his first victory in 28 months.
“I kind of looked at it objectively and took a bird’s-eye view on it and said, ‘OK, I’m not hitting it good off the tee, I’m not putting as good as I was,’ ” he explained about his turnaround. “And I said, ‘All right, I’ve got to attack that.’ ” He hired a swing coach, Pat Coyner at Cherry Hills, near where Clark grew up outside of Denver
the top and then stay there forever.” Clark followed the U.S. Open win with 18 months of good golf, including a win at Pebble Beach. Last year was something different — he only had two top-10 finishes, did not make the FedEx Cup playoffs and was nowhere to be seen at the Ryder Cup.
“Mastering our mental game in golf or reaching a state of growth or self-improvement in life isn’t always a permanent condition,” Elion wrote. “It takes more work over more years, and there are frequently hills and valleys.”
At Shinnecock, Clark held a four-shot lead after his second round. Xander Schauffele, Tom Kim, Matt Fitzaptrick and Sam Stevens are tied for second.
Heading into the weekend, Clark finds himself back on the rise again. He recently took to social media to tell the world he had a new girlfriend, Emily Tan-
He’s been hitting his driver straighter of late. His iron game has improved dramatically (up 110 spots in the analytic-driven stat: strokes gained on approach shots). He found a new putter, which has helped him dial in dramatically over the past four weeks, during which he also finished third at the Memorial and played in the final group last Sunday at the Canadian Open. Never more did it look in sync than Friday on No. 18, where he sank a 33-footer to finish the day in red numbers. Now, a chance for another breakthrough at the U.S. Open. With a win, he would celebrate again. But he knows as well as anyone that it wouldn’t mean all the problems — or the work, both on and off the course — are behind him.
“I just think with the mental game there’s ebbs and flows,” Clark said. “If you think of it as climbing Everest, sometimes you go up, sometimes you have to go down to go back up. I think that’s kind of what happens both on the golf
and off the
now I’m
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TED S WARREN United States defender Folarin Balogun, left, and Antonee Robinson celebrate after scoring during the World Cup Group D match against Australia on Friday.
course
golf course Right
trending back up, which is nice.”
AP PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT Wyndham Clark reacts after missing a putt on the 14th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on Friday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.y
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO B y MANU FERNANDEZ
U.S. player Haji Wright runs with the ball during the World Cup Group D match against Australia on Friday in Seattle. The U.S. won 2-0.
Players with dual eligibility face hard choice
Diverse backgrounds on display at World Cup
BY GRAHAM DUNBAR Associated Press
GENEVA Almost every World Cup matchup has a storyline of a player who could have represented another country
Take Folarin Balogun, who scored twice in the United States’ opening win over Paraguay He chose to play for the U.S where he was born instead of England where he grew up or Nigeria where his parents came from.
Or Yasin Ayari, who picked Sweden over his father’s native Tunisia, a decision that came into focus as Sweden defeated the North African team 5-1 with two goals from Ayari.
And there’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, an 18-year-old standout who switched national teams from France to Morocco just weeks before the tournament kicked off.
The World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada is the biggest melting pot in the tournament’s history Decades of migration are reflected in the rosters of major European teams like France, England and Germany. Meanwhile, many teams in Africa and the Caribbean rely heavily on their diaspora, made easier by a relaxation of FIFA’s eligibility rules.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of players at this World Cup are playing for a country other than the one in which they were born. Many with mixed backgrounds switched allegiances when turning senior, following their heart or their ambition
France-born players everywhere
Nearly 100 players at this World Cup were born in France, but only 23 of them play for the French national team. The others Franceborn players with family ties worldwide — make up significant
parts of the squads of Algeria, Cape Verde, Congo, Ghana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Tunisia. Bouaddi, one of the top performers in Morocco’s 1-1 draw with Brazil was born in France and nurtured at top-tier club Lille. He played for France at the youth level and was captain of France’s under-21 team as recently as March, but switched to Morocco, where his family came from, just in time for the World Cup
“I’m very proud of my decision and very happy to represent my country, Morocco,” he said before the tournament. “My family is happy, and I hope great things will come in the upcoming competitions.”
Moroccan soccer federation president Faouzi Lekjaa personally visited Bouaddi at his home and met with the president of Lille to outline the North African kingdom’s soccer ambitions and the professional environment it offers, according to Moroccan state television.
Morocco, which in 2022 became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals, relies heavily on players from its dias-
pora in Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It has 19 foreign-born players in its 26-man squad.
Defender Achraf Hakimi was born in Madrid and Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz played one game for Spain before his FIFA switch to Morocco was processed in 2024.
A complex choice
Some of the biggest profiles of soccer had to make a choice. Kylian Mbappé was eligible to play for Cameroon or Algeria because of his family background but chose France, where he was born and raised. Spain’s Lamine Yamal could have played for Morocco, his father’s homeland.
Brothers Désiré and Guéla Doué took separate paths. Both were born in France but Désiré plays for France while Guéla chose to represent Ivory Coast, where their father is from.
They’re not the only brothers who have ended up on separate World Cup teams. John Souttar represents Scotland while his brother Harry plays for Australia. Nico and Iñaki Williams were born
in Spain to Ghanaian parents and while Nico chose to play for Spain, Iñaki picked Ghana.
Tunisia tried to recruit Ayari, the Sweden midfielder who plays for Brighton in the Premier League, for its national team based on his father’s Tunisian background. However, his father, Azzouz Ayari, pushed back. He told Swedish media that he felt his son should represent the country in which he was born and raised.
“I am an immigrant, but my children, no. Yasin is a Swede, with Tunisian background,” Azzouz Ayari told newspaper Aftonbladet. “I want him to play for Sweden because I want him to feel that he is giving back to the country that really took care of him.”
Sweden fans won’t argue with that decision. Ayari scored twice in the team’s opener against Tunisia but muted his celebrations out of respect for his father’s home country
Balogun chose U.S. over England
Balogun’s two goals in the 4-1 win against Paraguay made him — and his background — more widely known to the American public He played for England at the youth level, except for a brief stint with the U.S. under-18 team but switched to represent the United States in 2023.
That was possible because of birthright citizenship rules in the U.S. Balogun was born in New York, while his Nigerian parents were visiting.
Balogun has cited the passion of U.S. soccer fans that he experienced while visiting a training camp in Florida in March 2023 as part of the reason why he decided to represent the United States. When they found out he was in Florida, many fans urged him to play for the U.S. national team. He also met with U.S. team officials.
“I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support. The most important thing has always been to be able to repay that,”
SCOREBOARD
Balogun said after the Paraguay game last week. “I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”
Whether he could have gotten a place in the highly competitive England squad is unclear At the time, then-England coach Gareth Southgate said they were monitoring his progress but couldn’t promise anything.
FIFA sets rules
Switching nationalities is nothing new in soccer Some of the sport’s biggest stars represented multiple countries, including Ferenc Puskás, who was the leader of Hungary’s “Mighty Magyars” in the 1950s but played for Spain at the 1962 World Cup. That Spain squad also included Puskás’s Real Madrid teammate Alfredo Di Stéfano, whose international career started with his native Argentina.
In modern soccer, FIFA intervened in 2004 amid concern Brazilian players were being naturalized with a passport too easily by other countries, including Qatar A “clear connection” with the country was insisted on, which could be two years of residence or a grandparent born there.
FIFA’s then-president Sepp Blatter later aimed to “stop this farce,” warning that at a 32-team World Cup, “you will have 16 full of Brazilian players.”
The residence demand on players age 18 or over became five years in 2008, and a proposal at the 2011 FIFA Congress by the United Arab Emirates to cut it to three was rejected.
Dual- or multiple-national players have been “cap-tied” by FIFA to any team they represented in a senior competitive game Those who played only in friendlies or at youth level could apply to switch. FIFA eased its rules in 2020 to allow more eligibility changes, but players are locked to a nation if they play at a finals tournament of the World Cup or continental championship.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER
United States striker Folarin Balogun, center, and teammates celebrate his goal against Paraguay during a World Cup match on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
PHOTOByPHILLIP R. LEE
PROVIDED
Apair of Pelecanusoccidentalis, or brown pelican, eggs are included in the bird collection in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the SmithsonianInstitution’s National Museum of Natural History.
‘FROM THESE LANDS’
Brownpelican eggs from Louisiana part of Smithsonian exhibit
Staff report
To mark the nation’s250th,the Smithsonian’sNational Museum of Natural History openedanew exhibition, “From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage,” on Thursday in Washington,D.C. The space stretches across 5,000 square feet and includes more than 600specimens and cultural objects fromacross all 50 states,the District of Columbia and five United States territories.
Among the 600specimensare brown pelican eggs from Louisiana.
Drawing from the museum’s collection of more than 148 million objects, the exhibition highlights items that showcase the rangeofAmerican nature,geology and cultural traditions.
Some of the other items include ancient fossils, minerals, cultural belongings and scientific discoveries.
“This exhibition brings the entire country into one gallery— letting visitors encounterthe extraordinary breadth of America’s natural and cultural heritage,” said Kirk Johnson, the Sant Directorofthe National Museum of Natural History,inanews release “As the country marks its250th anniversary, ‘From These Lands’ presents an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our landscapes, the depth of our history andthe connections that link people and the natural world across borders.”
“From These Lands” will exhibit 11 objects from Louisiana, including brown pelican eggs.
Museum collections provide insight into environmental challenges and recovery.Brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis), Louisiana’sstate bird,were nearly driven to extinction by the pesticide DDT, which caused their eggshells to thin and break.
The exhibit’sdisplay showcases an egg on the left, from Florida, containing DDT,while theegg on theright, from Louisiana, is free of the pesticide, showing how
ä See LANDS, page 6C
After 10 years in operation, Palermo Ristorante, 7809 Jefferson Highwayin Baton Rouge, has closed.
Children work their waythrough the ice
Children’sMuseum on June 13
MONEYMATTERS
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Walking into the Knock Knock Children’sMuseum in Baton Rouge last weekend offered an unusual sight: children wondering around with money Tokens, that is, as alesson to learn aboutmoney management. It’snever too early
TheSocietyofthe LouisianaCertified Public Accountants ledthe annual Earn and Learn Financial LiteracyWeekend, whichtaught children financial lessons through play and interactive stations
“Our museum is geared towards children ages8and under,and children have to have hands-on activities,” said Christina Melton, the executivedirector of theKnock Knock Children’sMuseum. “Activities really help them make the connections between what you’retrying to teach themand what they’re learning, so this type of activity givesthem the opportunity to do jobsthat they see their parentsdo.” By completing “jobs” scattered throughthe museum and collecting “money” in the form of wooden tokens,children connect thedots.
ä See MONEY, page 6C
After10years,Italian
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
first opened in 2016, and the building waspreviously occupied by Latte e Miele. Palermo’smenu had Italian fare such as fettuccini
STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT
JeffreyShah, 5, shopsatthe market, picking foods to ‘donate’ to complete atask during Earnand LearnFinancial Literacy Weekend.
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
cream shop station during Earnand LearnFinancial Literacy Weekend at the KnockKnock
Ignore messagefromold girlfriend
Dear Miss Manners: Whenmy husband died, his old girlfriend crawled out of the woodworkand wrote atribute on hismemory page about their “relationship from years in the past.” This was extremely hurtful to me. Ifeel like writing aresponse to her in the comment section of what she wrote.
Gentle reader: Please don’t. Let your friends be outraged on your behalf while you take the highground
This woman is entitled to her experience, if indelicate about where and how she expressed it. This may,inMiss Manners’ mind, be an excellent reason forkeeping those memory books confinedtoa
private audience Dear MissManners: Ihave agood friend who nowhas two children. When invitedfor meals at my house,she now arrives with an alternatemeal for at leastone child, in case eitherdoes not care for thefood being served. For instance, Iinvited the threeofthemover for homemade waffles, and the motherbrought cereal for heryoungest. This was not due to any dietary restrictions. The friend’sunwitting rudeness doesnot astonishmeasmuch as the poor modelshe is setting for herchildren about responding to hospitality.One should eat the food offeredand not expect to be
Open grocerybagseasily
Dear Heloise: Plastic bags are so hard to open at grocery stores, and Idon’tlike licking my fingers to open bags either.WhatI do is use water from where they spray the produce, then open the bags. It works every time! —Pamela W., via email
Wash them yourself!
Dear Heloise: Mrs.W., in New Milford, Connecticut, asked how often bath towels should be laundered, as her husband didn’t think that onceaweek was often enough. At the end of yourreply, you indicated that the husband should grab afresh towel and put the other one in the laundry basket. Amuch better solution would be forthe husband to do the laundry himself. Ilearned far too late in my marriage thatthis wasthe perfect solution! —Mary H., in Richmond,Virginia Mary,very true! There really is no set time or amount of usage that is written in stone for washing your towels. It all depends on what the person likes, how fresh they want their towels to be, and whether the towels always seem to be damp. Most people like a fresh towel, but some just don’t careaslong as the towel doesn’t haveany visibledirtor makeup on it. Personally,beautiful, soft and clean linens are aweakness of mine. I’m forever washing and folding towels —Heloise Thin hand towels
using athin hand towel instead.
Youreally aren’t so wet that you need abig fluffy towel. Plusyou can get more thin hand towels done in aload of laundry.They are cheaper,take up less room in the line closet, anddry faster afterward. Frequently washing towels is anew idea to me. KarenMcV via email
catered to.The even morebasic etiquette is, when invited for a meal, one does not bring one’sown food to the host’s house.
Can you suggest any communication Icould offer to fend off similarbehavior in the future?
Gentle reader: “Coltonissodiscerning and Iwant to pleasehim. What was that brand of cereal you brought for him? I’ll make sure to have it on hand. Any other preferences Ican accommodatefor your children?”
While not guaranteed to work (Colton no doubt hates that brand of cereal now and has moved on to only eating stringcheese),Miss Manners hopes it will at least put themother on blast that you have noticed thechildren’spickiness and are trying to guard against it
As should she. Dear Miss Manners: Ihave been sober for 26 years, and every now and then Ihave to decline alcoholic beverages at agathering or at a meal. Usually the host or hostess understands, but sometimes they might persist in wanting me to have an alcoholic beverage. Iwill just give ahalf-smile, and repeat as often as necessary,“No, thank you.”
Butthe reasons and persuasions given by the host or hostess might include, “Oh, it’sjust one glass of wine,” or “This is aspecial occasion —come on” and they give a disappointed look.
Anysuggestionsoradvice on how to politely decline these kind offers of hospitality and, sometimes repeated pressure, would
be appreciated. Gentle reader: If kind offers turn into repeated pressure, they are no longer hospitable. Miss Manners had thought, perhaps naively,that abstinence had become morecommonplace and coercion less so, and she is sorry to hear otherwise.
“I really can’t” can be added to your “No, thank you” rotation for emphasis —followed by suggesting acommon alternative: “But if you have sparkling water,that would be lovely.” As alast resort, you may offer to get it yourself —orsuddenly see someone else you know
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com or email dearmissmanners@gmail.com.
Makeup remover
Dear Heloise: Andi wrote about storingbaby wipes upside down to keep them moist. Idothe samething with makeup remover towelettes. —PatriciaR., in Bellaire,Texas
Skim milk hint
Dear Heloise: Ilivealone. (My children were launched from home long ago.) I’veonly used skim milk for years. Ibuy fresh skim milk eachtime Igotothe grocery store, which may only be acouple of times per month In between grocery storetrips, Ikeep dry skim milk in my cupboard.Inow prefer it in hot cereals.
Inever liked theoutcome of frozen milk. Dry milk is always superior —A reader,via email
Toothbrushes fortasks
Dear Heloise: Toothbrushes are so handy for avariety of household cleaningchores!Since Ilive alone, Idon’tgothrough them frequently.Ipurchase inexpensive multipacksoftoothbrushes to keepinmycleaning supplies closet. —Madeline, in Rutland,Vermont
MONEY
Continuedfrom page5C
Purchasing power
Dear Heloise: If you wash your bath towels frequently,consider
Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday,June 20, the 171st day of 2026. There are 194 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On June 20, 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction would ultimately be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).
Also on this date:
In 1782, the Continental Congressapproved the Great Seal of the United States, featuringthe emblem of the bald eagle.
In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to theBritish throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV
In 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit;federal troops were sent in by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to quell the violence that resultedin more than 30 deaths.
In 1947, gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, California, home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, likely at the order of mob associates.
In 1972, three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars,
LANDS
Continued from page5C
populations reboundedafter DDT was banned in 1972. Museum collections like thesereveal hidden impacts of humanactivity on wildlife, serving as warning signs and documenting the success of conservation efforts. The exhibition will remain on
President Richard Nixon met at the White House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made taperecording of this meetingended up witha notorious 18½-minute gap.
In 2002, in Atkins v. Virginia, theSupreme Court ruled 6-3 that executingpeople with intellectual disabilities qualified as cruel and unusual punishment and was therefore in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
In 2025, apowerful tornado tore across southeastern North Dakota with winds topping 200 mphand an EF5 category,the strongest classification for a tornado andthe first of that strength confirmed on U.S. soil in adozen years. The tornado killed three peopleand heavily damaged aregional airport. Today’sBirthdays: Filmmaker StephenFrearsis85. Singer Anne Murray is 81. TV personality Bob Vila is 80. Musician Lionel Richie is 77. Actor John Goodmanis74. Rock bassist Michael Anthony (Van Halen) is 72. Rock bassist John Taylor(Duran Duran) is 66. Actor Nicole Kidmanis59. Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is 58. Actor Josh Lucas is 55. Actor Christopher Mintz-Plasseis37. Actor Kayla Maisonet is 27. Actor David Iacono is 24.
view through December 2029. The National Museum of Natural History is one of the most visited natural historymuseums in the world. Opened in 1910, the museum is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world’smost extensivecollection of natural historyspecimens and human artifacts.
Themuseumisopendaily, except Dec. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free.
On Saturday,toddlersand preschoolers mingled among elementary-agedchildren,holding small canvas pouches that filled with tokens throughout the day as they moved from station to station.
Someofthe job stations included writing down their dream jobs, identifying the difference between wants andneedsthrough amemory-style game, cleaning pennies, decorating dollars, working at a faux ice cream shop and sorting coins by size and value.
They took breaks and played at other Knock Knock exhibitsbetween their job duties.
Once they arrived at the “store,” trinkets awaited. Thechildren used their purchasing power to made theirown decisions. If something they wanted was more than what they made, the tiny participantshad theopportunity to go back andmakemore money at their jobs.
“Kids love being able to make choices,” Melton said. “Having that discretiontomakedecisions is really good for young children. So many things for little kids are determined forthem, so forthemto be able tocome and do this means alot.”
Children,parents learnlesson
Layne McDaniel, CPAand president of the Credit Bureau of Baton RougeFoundation, wasmanning the store and helpingthe children make choices. He noted that the Earnand Learn events open up initial discussions with children about financial responsibility
“It’sone of those subjects that’s hard to approach, especially during hard economic times when it’s alittle moredifficult,” McDanielsaid, “but thisbreaks the ice to have thatdiscussion. Then to watch them come in hereand actually shop and spend theirown money is atreat ”
McDanielobservedwhile working the store thatthe childrenget really thrifty when it’stheir own money to spend.
AnnLupo, director of communications and public relations for Society of Louisiana CPAs, says Earn andLearn focuses on community outreach, which is one of the organization’smissions.
“I get choked up about it because
we love to see the kids be so engaged,” Lupo said.“Ourvolunteers do such agood job, and when children can take away some basic foundationalskills about money management,that’sawin.It’snot just thekids who learn, but the parentscan learn as well.”
As children pretended in the grocery store andfarmers market sections, somelaughed. Somewere intently focused. Others were curious. They askedquestions.All the while, they were learning through play
Each Earn and Learn station was designedbyKnock Knock’searly childhood learning innovations team,whichismade up of early childhood educators.
Melton said the team understands the level of developmentally appropriate activities for children of various ages. In the nine yearssince Knock Knock opened andEarnand Learnbegan,the team tweaks the activities each year,but they repeat the ones that are effective in helping kids make those connections.
Afew of those activities that are brought back each year focus on teaching children about currency —particularly paper money and coins.
Thecolor of money
In aworld where adults pay with cellphones and debitcards more often than cash, Melton says that it’simportant to show children what money actually looks like.
Severalofthe Earn andLearn stations specialized in just that
exposing children to paper bills and metal coins. At one station, children were able to color and design adollar bill replica. They learned about the different values of different bills while getting creative with decorating.
At another station,childrenidentified thecoins andsorted them into their proper value.
Phyllis Sicardbrought hertwo grandchildren, Ella andHunter, to the Knock Knock Museum for their birthdays andhappened uponthe financialliteracy weekend. Sicardsaidthe kids complete chores and earn money at home, butthisexperience washelpful to learn and earn in different areas.
Ella said she learned that “cleaning pennies is athing,” andher brother enjoyed operating the mechanical cranelike his grandfather
While the Earn and Learn Financial Literacy Weekend began at the Louisiana Children’sMuseum in NewOrleans, the Society forLouisiana CPA’sbrought it to Knock Knock 2017.
“It’ssuch asuccess, and the parents say every year,‘Are y’all gonna do this again?’ Generous sponsors make it possible to have the free day on Sunday.Wewant to make sure everybody gets an opportunitytolearn andexperience it,” Lupo said. “It really is agood feeling to be able to give back to the community.”
Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
Isabella Columbia,3,ishelped by her mother,Adelene Columbia,while placing aleaf with afuture career on a tree at the ‘MoneyDoesn’t Grow On Trees’ station.
Charles Marino, 7, is handed aspinning coin top that he made after a volunteer added aspecialcut to add the coin
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Hints from Heloise
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Breathe, relax, separate yourself from drama anddo what makes you feelcomfortable. Distanceyourselffromthosewhoplaymind games or trytotake advantage of your generosity cAncER (June 21-July 22) Gettingmoney, approving contractsand making your way forward will require patience and precisiontoensureyou avoidinterference. Verify theinformation you receive.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Learn, andgain experience by doing. Volunteer or take on responsibilitiesthat will educate others and help you headinaninteresting direction.Aphysicalchangewillenhance your persona.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You'llhave plenty of emotional energy to gathermomentum and pursue your dreams if you don't letyouroverthinking spinout of control, creating havoc andtrouble at apersonal level LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Go where the action is, anddosomething that elates you. Take control of your lifeand your happinessbyfollowing your heart and lettinggoofwhat no longer serves you.
scoRPIo(oct. 24-nov. 22) Consider your objective, and look at thebroad scope of whatyou are dealing with. Engage in discussions that can help you manage your responsibilities.Having aplan in place is halfthe battle.
sAGIttARIus(nov. 23-Dec. 21) Concentrate on home, your personal responsibilities and what you can do to increase your
income. Look inward,and ignore those tryingtolead you astray or useemotional blackmail to takeadvantageof your skills.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Find your bliss, but don'tstretch thetruth or take on more than youcan handle.Bevocal; let others knowhow youfeel andwhat you want, and findout what they want in return.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Push for what youwant. Come up with solutions, and present what you have to offer with afriendlydemeanor, and you'llmake progress. Put aroutine together that helps you getback to basics.
PIscEs (Feb.20-March 20) Honesty and integrity are essential when trying to sort out differences. Take aconversation to thenextlevel. Speak your mind, andgenerateadialoguethatwillhelpyou understand theneedsofothers.
ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Creativityand discipline go together. Venture out and participateinsomethingthatexcitesyou. You are overdue for achange of scenery anddirection. Consider what makesyou feelgood aboutwho youare.
tAuRus (April20-May 20) Implementing an efficient, convenient and comfortable space to relax andtoexecuteyourplans will offer peace of mind andinsight into thepossibilities. Don't takearisk.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.Eachletter in the cipher stands foranother. toDAy'scLuE:o EQuALs W
FAMILY CIrCUS
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place thenumbers1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containsthe same number only once. The difficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
RobertJ.Sawyer, aCanadian science fiction writer, said, “Generalprinciples should not be based on exceptional cases.”
Thisweekwearestudyingthirdhand’s finessing against his partner at trick one. The generalprinciple is that when dummy hasone honor, third hand holds ahigher honor, and dummy plays low, third hand saves his honorwhenhecan insert anine or higher.
However, bridge still exists because of exceptional cases. Is this deal one of them?
South is in three no-trump. West leads hisfourth-highest heart. What should East do after declarercallsfor dummy’s five?
After South opened one no-trump, responderwas righttoraise to three notrump.With alongminor, no singleton or void, enough points to think about game,but insufficient for aslam,gofor the nine-trickgame. If East blindly followsthe finesseagainst-partner rule, he will put in his heart10.
However,Southwillwinwithhisqueen and run the diamond jack.Eastcan win with his king, but declarer has 10 tricks: three spades, oneheart, fivediamonds andone club.
Now let’sgoback to trick one. If East talliesthe high-cardpoints, he will realize that hispartnerisdestitute. And if he stopstosurveyhis hand andthe dummy, he will noticethat hisclubsuit is asource of three tricks. East must take the first trick withhis heart ace and shift to the club king.
